there are piles of papers on the floor of my office trailing from the door to my desk…
and not without a genuine intention to gain some balance and equilibrium in my life this year. There are definite signs of health, exercise, time-out for coffee and energising conversation, a nice sense of team at the office, getting home before it’s dark quite a few times this year…
but the work-load makes it difficult to maintain one’s humanity. like, my cellphone was stolen at a restaurant on the 24th Dec last year… still haven’t managed to get to the Police Station to make a statement so that I can register an insurance claim…
is there a vacancy for a minister/gardener in Pofadder at the moment???
a friend and I have been working on a devotional reading project. My hope is that we can offer something of substance in a time when most devotional writing lacks depth. We have used the writings of Thomas a Kempis, who wrote more than 500 years ago. And we have tried to make these meditations available in a variety of formats including printed notes, a website, CD’s and mp3 downloads for people with iPods.
The idea is that we will focus on a short reading for the 40 days of Lent.
as a minister i participate with and serve a congregation that meets in a church building that is over 110 years old. it’s acutally stunning gothic architecture. but because I really believe that God’s church is built of living stones (1 Peter 2:5) i had to find another word to refer to the church building… so “church” refers to the body of people who make up “St John’s Methodist Church” and “sanctuary” has been the word that i most often use to refer to the beautiful old church building where we worship.
this morning we baptised Thomas. he was delightful. crawled around the carpet in the front of the church and played with hsi brother during the service. It struck me that the word “sanctuary” could be a part of the reason why some people don’t like children to make noise and interupt worship. If sanctuary means a place of safety from noise - then obviously there will be many who are excluded (e.g. young Thomas who is not even 2 yet, a young woman who is autistic and who somtimes gets quite verbal, a person who really loves rock music played as it should be played - LOUD etc…)
But there could be another way of thinking about the word: sanctuary could refer to a place of safety from condmenation. I would like to think that the Sanctuary of St John’s is a place of safety where everyone is welcome and safe from any kind of condemnation or exclusion…
and as regard noise in the Sanctuary i prefer Jesus take on that one: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (matt 19:14)
are there still people who don’t use soap on their face?
well, i use Lux!
are there still people who get uptight about people spelling Christmas with an X?
well, in Greek, the language that most of the Christian Scriptures was originally written in, the word for Christ begins with an “X” - Xristos… (the “X” resembles a “Ch”)
the more concerning thing for me (more than the irritation value of people sending around emails whining about the deplorable disrespect of the society in whih we live) is the fact that we might actually think our efforts are “for Jesus” - do we really think Jesus is most concerned about his “name” or his reputation… when he arrives in a stable in Bethlehem - that’s like being born in a shack in Germiston!!!
do not think me gentle
because I speak in praise
of gentleness, or elegant
because I honour the grace
that keeps this world. I am
a man crude as any,
gross of speech, intolerant,
stubborn, angry, full
of fits and furies. That I
may have spoken well
at times, is not natural.
A wonder is what it is.
a few weeks ago i showed a video clip of Richard Dawkins (of The God Delusion fame) and so introduced a radical “atheist” voice - presenting a reasonable call away from the dangers and harmfulness of religion…
I think many people feel that they have questions they would want to ask an Athiest - like what do you think happens when you die? etc.
What question would you ask a person like Dawkins?
grieving is an energy sapping activity. expect to get very tired!
people are generous. I’m grateful to belong to a community of people who really care. like this evening… friends brought us supper - a wonderful gesture!
people have also sent cards and messages… and numerous sms’s. Again, let me stress how much I appreciate being a part of this kind of community that shares your pain and grief at a time like this.
But let me also be honest and say that some of the messages that we (and especially elaine’s mom, Marietjie) received were quite unhelpful. rather than expressing a simple message of support, some people ventured into advice-giving, suggesting how we (or she, as the widow) should be approaching this loss… really unhelpful. one of the most unhelpful sms messages received during the awful period of waiting suggested that we shouldn’t worry because God would take care of everything and do a miracle - giving Henry a new skin.
oh for God’s sake!
at the funeral one of Henry’s good friends - showing quite a bit of emotion - walked up to the family and handed over a small note. After he had gone we opened the note to find the following message in big writing: “WAT NOU!!!” (afr. “what now!!!)
Indeed. What now? that message was possibly the most helpful message anyone has offered us as a family. not trying to pretend we haven’t lost something irreplaceable - the presence of a husband, father, grand-father and colleague -nor attempting to take away the pain with a quick word of comfort… just sharing the pain and saying it as it is…
I’m reminded of a phrase from that poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, The Invitation …
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
henry is “critical but stable”. over the next few weeks i will probably spend some time paying tribute to this remarkable man. if he survives this ordeal I will still be glad to have said these things… I often think we wait too long before we pay tribute to people we love and/or respect…
I have enjoyed my lessons in Narrative Therapy and Counselling. I am not an expert - well, as Narrative practitioners will tell you “the client is the expert” - but I mean that I do not consider myself to have mastered the art of working with the stories and streams of people’s lives in the creative and helpful way that some are able to… I am constantly challenged by this way of working - and inspired by watching and speaking with people who are more masterful than i.
a (the?) big challenge for a Narrative Therapist is to assist a person to tell the forgotten or neglected (but valued and hopeful) stories of a person’ life. Another way of talking about this is to listen for the Silenced Voices, the marginalised voices in your life.
Certain very Dominant Voices and Stories have a way of taking over a person’s life and trying to strangle and subdue other opposing stories and voices that are not so forceful or well-established. For instance, I may have grown up as a sensitive boy who was able to feel compassion easily and cried often. A Dominant Story of male strength and bravery might come along and subdue the story of sensitivity and compassion, encouraging me to embrace a very different way of being, not necessarily because I really want to, but perhaps for other reasons, like not wanting to be rejected or embarrassed by peers…
The good news is that these subdued voices/stories don’t seem to die. they hide. Sometimes they are hard to find again. but they are there. and with gentle encouragement, they often make a wonderful reappearance offering us new choices for our lives and our futures.
Henry Botha, elaine’s father, had a difficult upbringing. his family was poor and life was hard. He has worked hard and made a life for himself and for his family, who he loves in very practical ways. In some ways, the fear of his past (poverty, i think) has haunted him and made him quite driven in his work. But the thing that I find so commendable is his sensitivity to the underdog. he has never (it seems) forgotten the humble beginnings - where he came from. Henry has an incorrigible love of the underdog. he goes out of his way to help a person who is working hard, but struggling. I think Henry has an ability to see an “underdog” much quicker than the rest of us. He possesses a great sensitivity when it comes to people who are struggling. Even across the racial barrier, Henry is often quietly but generously helping people without seeking recognition.
I have spent so much time trying to learn the theory of sensitivity to the Voice of the Marginalised but tonight I pay tribute to a great man who is so powerfully conscious of the small people, the lowly people… a great quality!
if you are interested in reflecting on the rational consistency of your thoughts (beliefs) about God, have a look at this test: It simply asks you questions and then compares your answers to other answers you gave earlier and checks for logical consistency…
