Energy Response Plan for SA

I’m really enjoying the exposure that I get through the SACC to all the activists here in Cape Town. On Tuesday I was at a meeting of a bunch of environmentalists, FBOs and NGOs addressing the power crisis here in Cape Town. With this group of 'greeny-lefties' (as the Minsters of Parliament term them) we came up with a 10 point energy response plan that is being sent out to government and the media. Read the 10 points on the Earthlife website here for some great, green and just steps to solving our problem.

New music. It’s good. This friday.

Hooray! Harris Tweed have a couple of new songs up on their mypacings space! Go have a listen to “dearheart” and “what we want”. The latter starts out Yann Tiersen-like, then moves into a more anthemic sound. "Dearheart" is a more sombre piano-strings minor-key sound - which I like very much. “Nonsense live” is a bit more poppy and jazzy and reminds me a lot of Erin Mckeown with a band. The ‘jingle’ will get stuck in your head! It's all really, really good local indie-folk stuff so take a listen.

Anyways, Cheri and Daryl are down here in Cape Town this weekend and Julie and I are going to try see them on Friday at The Assembly - a brand new venue in District 6. Come along - you won’t regret it! (discounted tickets here)

The Tweeds also recommend the music of Zebra & Giraffe . I concur. Greg (Z&G) is a childhood friend of mine (we grew up as neighbours) who is making some awesome noises! Think prodigy-moby-incubus kind of vibe. Enjoy.

graphic downloaded from their website

Tokkelokke

Kudos to Justin and Jono who bravely embark on a BTh (Bachelor of Theology) at the University of Pretoria this week. Good on you guys! If you realise early that Greek and Hebrew are your friends, then 4 glorious years of solid reformed theology await you! Enjoy the books and the events, and try help Tuks (especially the Theology faculty) with their badly needed transformation.

PS.. Here's a little blog by some old Tuks classmates to get you acquainted.

Quakerisms - Intro #1

As promised, here’s an excerpt from the “Who are the Quakers” booklet of the Central and Southern Africa Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. It’s only a little booklet, and not nearly conclusive or final, but I found the info helpful. The statement below draws together statements made by the Lesotho Allowed Meeting and the Johannesburg Monthly Meeting (ie congregation).

I love the lack of generalisations, the use of ‘most’ or ‘many’ instead of ‘all Quakers’, and the guiding principles of love and truthfulness. Some of the ‘divine light’ sounds a bit too esoteric and/or Gnostic for me, but I’m sure their pneumatology is in line with that of the New Testament and most mystics. The inter-faith and multi-faith space is also telling.
So, without further commentary, here is intro excerpt #1:

What do Quakers Believe?

There is a Divine Seed in everyone. We each have a direct, unique relationship with God.

We have in each of us, a degree of the same Spirit as was evident in Jesus of Nazareth. We try to be conscious of this Spirit, also called Inner Light, Inner Guide, Christ Within, “that of God”, the Divine Light, the Holy Spirit.

Many Quakers find God fully revealed in the teaching, example and sacrificial life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Love is the basis of our life. Quakers believe that they are required to love that of God in everyone, therefore most Quakers seek to find alternatives to war and violence.

Truthfulness is also at the root of Quaker faith and practice. This is one of the reasons why we have no formal creed, as to do so may encourage people to make statements that they do not truly believe.

We Quakers do not express our faith in set words because we find that the experience and knowledge of God lies beyond words. It must be lived and demonstrated throughout the whole of life.

We have no priests as intermediaries.

We experience the Christian sacraments inwardly, without the use of outward symbols.

All persons must seek individual guidance and must follow the light found within. Each will be helped by the developing interpretations of God in the Bible and the ideas of the great spiritual leaders of all faiths.

The Quaker focus on the Spirit encourages us to be inclusive and gentle, because in relating to one another we are relating to God. This respect for one another allows everyone to grow confidently in relation to God and the Creation.


nice hey? not an approach that one hears much here in churchland unfortunately.

exciting times ahead

I was very pleased recently to see this email in my inbox from the ‘powers that be’ of Cape Town Ultimate. Looks like there are exciting plans ahead to grow this great sport here in the mother city:

Hi fantastic ultimate players

We have been busy thinking, strategising and throwing forehands about how to harness the momentum in Ultimate at the moment. The starting of the Cape Town league two years ago was a great throw foreward, but now it is time to take Cape Town Ultimate to the next level.

Here is our two year strategy. Our goal - 50 competitive teams by January 2010. Read our strategy to see how we plan to achieve this attainable goal! A strategy is a good start, but it needs people to make it happen. Right now, we have a committed, but small group of players who run CPT ultimate. For us to evolve CPT ultimate to have 50 competitive teams, we need to give back to our amazing sport. If we all gave 1 hour a week, we have 2 virtual people working full time.

So read our strategy and decide how you'd like to contribute. If you are keen, but not sure how, then chat to me or Neal even if you only have 1 hour a month!

Brent

Woohoo! I’m waiting to see if the document can be put up on the CT ultimate website, so that you can all have a read and get excited. We already have LoveLife rolling out the game in all parts of the country (and have just secured a mold to make cheap discs here in SA), so it looks like interesting times for SA ultimate.

Keep the discs flying!

"We used to say that Frisbee is really a religion-'Frisbeeterians,' we'd call ourselves. When we die, we don't go to purgatory, we just land up on the roof and lie there."

Ed Headrick, inventor of the Frisbee

Once upon a time ... a church quest.

When Julie moved down to Cape Town a couple of years back, she set out on a quest. A ‘God quest’ to be precise - trying to find a faith community. Together with Natalie, a mutual friend of ours, she visited many Methodist, Presby and other churches in Cape Town trying to find a place to belong. Alas, none was to be found. Whether the churches were too conservative or mono-cultural or old, nothing really grabbed these two pilgrims. To be fair, for Natalie, nothing really rivals Alan Storey's sermons and the work at Calvary Methodist in Midrand, and Julie wasn’t up to returning to the NCMI headspace or fold. They almost gave up the search, relishing the notion of a Sunday lie-in, when Natalie suggested they try the Quakers in Mowbray.

And they did. And liked it. And stayed.

And there they are to this day, happily ever after!

I’ve joined Jules at Quakers (or Friends, or Religious Society of Friends) a bunch of times, and really enjoy the way they ‘do church’ - or rather ‘don’t do church’. This specific community are silent worshippers, and ‘meeting for worship’ comprises an hour of silence, with everyone listening to what the Spirit may be saying to them at that time. For someone who used to be comfortable with 20 minutes of centering prayer on my prayer bench, trying to focus for an hour is tough. After a while of waiting/listening, members who feel so moved may stand up and say/sing/read/pray something. After the ‘ministry’ you have welcomes, notices and tea. I’d try to embellish, but in a sense you have to experience if for yourself. Sundays at 9:30, Quaker House, 2 Rye Road, Mowbray.

The community is fabulous - full of former anti-apartheid activists, an ex-deputy-minister of health, a world-famous mathematician and cosmologist, and a smattering of international Quakers visiting the city for a while. The work of the Quaker Peace Centre is worthwhile, and their witness to peace, non-violence, equality and inclusivity most inspiring. In fact, I’m wondering whether there are any ideas I can translate into a Presbyterian setting if/when I find myself in such a place. It also seems to me that a lot of the language they use, and the lack of creeds or ‘absolutes’, echoes the intentions of some of the emergent conversation I hear. Their ability to overcome bias and differences yet keep a fervent faith is also a crucial skill needed in today’s multicultural and pluralist world. Not to mention their powerful social justice work. Oxfam, Greenpeace and Amnesty International were all founded by Quakers. Most, most interesting!

Yesterday I picked up a little booklet at Quaker house that outlines what Quakers stand for etc. When I get the time, I’ll type some of the salient points up and post them here as an intro to this wonderfully open group of believers. I really like the space, openness with which they explain their beliefs.
So... stay tuned!

Friday's odds and ends and bits and bobs

bit:

Paradox
The Way of Ways

Twist and get whole.
Bend and get straight.
Be empty and get filled.
Be worn and get renewed.
Have little: get much.
Have much: get baffled.

Inward/outward's reflection for today. Source - Tao

odd:
There seems to be a ‘tell me about your reading list’ bug going around. If my, and Adam and Adam’s lists weren’t enough, then check out what the Emergent peeps in SA are reading over here. 10 points to Nic for playing the book-tag game too.

bob (otherwise know as dion):
Dion Forster sent me some flattering linklove this morning. So, in response I shall amass my thousands of dedicated readers and do the same: Go check out his blog. He is the dean of the Methodist seminary in SA, has a couple of doctorates, rides a Vespa and is a fan of Apple and technology, especially Apple technology.

end:
Eben, a high school colleague of mine (who also happened to be deputy head boy, chess captain and 1st team rugby player) had a jab at my “shameless self-promotion for my blog” on facebook today. Turns out he could do with a bit more promotion considering his own status as a financial blogger in New York. I met up with him last year in NYC and we had a wonderful half-day of conversing and sight-seeing. Eben works on Wall Street (for real), writes for two publications as well as a most interesting site on ethics and investing. Hmm… ethical investing? Most of it is uber-deep finance talk, but check it out anyway. If I could understand it, I’m sure I would find it to be very good! ;)

That’s all. Now it’s the weekend and pay day and really hot. Going home to watch the cricket and meet a friend for sundowners.

the book-state of gareth

Looks like those circular ‘fill in & pass-on" emails have made it into the blogosphere as memes. Adam tagged me on a ‘book-blogging’ one recently. Since he (and the person who tagged him) both have higher “technocrati authority” than me, I better oblige! I would like to plan more reading time into my life, so perhaps it’s not such a bad thing to fill out. Here then is my take on the world of books:
1. One book that changed your life
An Anglican friend of mine at university lent me his copy of Thomas Merton’s autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain. This was a godsend. Merton’s writing moved me from an almost charismatic spirituality to a more catholic one, opening up my eyes to the world of mysticism, monasticism, contemplation and the Eucharist. Thanks Vernon!

2. One book you’ve read more than once
Same as above. I also keep paging through Frederick Buechner’s Wishful Thinking for little refreshing insights and chuckles.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island
Well, obviously it would be How to Get Off a Desert Island and Raft Building 101 - the DIY issue, but it seems like the trend is for long novels. If so, I’m with Adam and Adam in thinking that you can’t go wrong with a Russian novelist.
Another option would be a great collection of poetry (Rilke, Merton, Rumi etc) or - here’s a thought- the Hebrew Bible, in Hebrew! Seriously, I’d get to immerse myself in the poetry and word play of the psalms, feel the fire of the prophets etc. And, with all the parsing of the words, it will take me an eternity to get through the book

4. Two books that made you laugh
Any Calvin and Hobbes or The Far Side collection and ALL of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Especially Small Gods and anything with Rincewind the Wizzard falling off the edge of the disc. Laugh out loud stuff!

5. One book that made you cry
Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables really moved me. Gavroche, the endearing Paris street urchin’s needless death in the street revolt is a real tearjerker. So needless and so young. Sob.

6. One book you wish had been written
The Bible.
BUT - without the sexism, racism, war and legalism.
AND with a new preface entitled “Do not read fundamentally and/or use to justify oppression” written by God (or a suitably inspired emissary, preferably female).
(Now there’s an interesting insight into my Bible hang-ups! Is this neo-Marcionism?).

7. One book you wish had never been written
(Don’t laugh) I Kissed Dating Goodbye by some evangelical prude. I wasted 3 wonderful university years following his advice when I could have been learning about live and love in an actual relationship!

8. One book you’re currently reading
Almost finished After the Party by Andrew Feinstein. A behind the scenes take on SA politics and the arms deal fiasco. Full of intrigue, shady deals, international arms companies, political patronage and your usual dose of corruption. What else would you have expected. Also working (slowly) through Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder - a novel and history of Western philosophy all in one.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read
The God Delusion. However, having heard from numerous people that Dawkins’ angry atheist evangelism is so strong, I’m a bit turned off. I don't enjoy dogmatic people no matter what side they are on. Next up is Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything.

10a. Where’s your favourite place to buy books
(Adam made this question up). We don’t have the array of indie bookstores here that there are in the US, but there is a guy with a little booth just below my office (in the Church Street Antique Mall) who has all the current political books at a reduced rate. I don’t want to ask where he gets them from though. The Little Shop of Stories in Atlanta gets my vote too. I used to go there for ice-cream and browsing with my CTS housemates Elizabeth and Sarah.

10b. What book do you want to shamelessly plug
(This is also Adam’s addition) Umm… who do I know that’s written a good book? Oh yes, anything by Herman Charles Bosman - great humorous South African short stories. He happened to be my grandmother’s cousin, and one of our best authors IMHO.

So, that’s my take.
Right, who’s next? Here’s a big-up tag to Aiden, Barry, Whitney, Justin and Nic. Ball’s in your court folks. (No seriously, i'm keen to see your answers.)

Spring tide, sun set, moon rise

Last night Julie and I joined most of Cape Town’s young crowd in climbing/hiking up to the top of Lion’s Head to watch the sun set and moon rise. I’ve never been up there before, and it seemed as if last night was the night to do it. The panoramic views of the city, Table Mountain, beaches and the ocean were spectacular, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes on both the path at my feet and the spectacle all around me. I almost fell of the mountain once!

Julie and Dan with Table Mountain in the background; and the city from Lions Head.

We made it to the top at 7ish after an hour’s hike, met Dan and his gang and settled down for a lite picnic. As the crowds poured on to the mountain, I managed to see a Frisbee team mate with a telescope, and Julie found a work colleague and two school friends of hers enjoying the evening too. The sun set at 8pm over the ocean in the West (as it is wont to do) and was as good as sunsets over the ocean get. But wait, there was more. Last night was spring tide, and 10 minutes after sunset, in the East over the Stellenbosch mountains a full moon rose. Now that was impressive! For a while I didn’t know where to look - at the big yellow full moon over the city lights, or at the receding pink and red clouds and ocean in the other direction. A most worthwhile experience! "Day and Night" as ever chirpy Dan said.

The Twelve Apostles (mountains) and the Atlantic Ocean

The Moon over Cape Town city and Table Bay.

Thinking the show was over, we joined the multitude of people making our way back down to the car at about 8:30. Because it was dark, and there are some ladders and chains to climb down, there was quite a queue down the mountain. Thankfully we had the entertaining conversation of Nic Marais (a work colleague of Julies, and the host of SA’s biggest breakfast radio show) all the way down. So, laughing and admiring the city lights, we made our way down slowly, getting to the car at 10pm. A great night out! See you next year.

Need a doctor?

Disclaimer: the content below may offend pious viewers. You have been warned.

Do you suffer from anything. No really, anything?
From court cases, bad luck, body pains, to promotions, bewitchings, and strong penises, Prof Raoul has the herbal remedy for all your problems.

As tongue in cheek as it may sound, this is for real. Whenever I catch the train to work, I am bombarded by advertising about this "Prof Raoul". Exiting the Cape Town station (via Golden Acre) onto St George’s Mall, the minute I come up the escalators I am greeted by the famous Cape Doctor. (For the uninitiated, this is the south-easterly wind that blows incessantly in the city) However, there is also another doctor that greets me, through a couple of people standing at the top of the escalator eager to shove these little flyers into my hands:

Click to enlarge for full array of remedies.

So, I give in, and take one. The first time I read it made me laugh. It still makes me laugh (mainly due to the bad grammar). However, I thought this would be a valuable example to my US friends of the varieties of cultures and beliefs that are all mixed up here in wonderful SA. It was also a wake up call to me in realising how little these wildly differing worldviews actually interact with each other. For many people these ‘superstitions’* and remedies are real, and I’m sure Prof Raoul makes a healthy income as a ‘doctor’. Though I may need a promotion or desire a solution to this countries unemployment, I somehow don’t think he has the herbal remedy for me. ;)

*I use the word ‘superstition’ humbly and carefully. Western culture is as superstitious as any other (eg. you won’t find a seat row 13 on an aeroplane). There is also nothing inherently ‘Christian’ or ‘better’ about allopathic medicine against traditional or alternative forms of medicine.

Nikaah #1

I really wanted to blog and reflect fully on my first attendance at a Muslim Nikaah (wedding) on Sunday and the parallels with Christian services/lessons to learn etc. Unfortunately the heat and my general lethargy are leaving me rather uninspired.

Just in brief I will say:

• The service at the Masjid-ul Quds mosque in Gatesville (one of Cape Town’s largest mosques, seating about 4,000 pax) was short and surprising. The Imam’s message commiserated the loss of values and morals of the world and extolled the groom to be a good ‘head of the household’. Everyone was most welcoming, the building was beautiful, and… there were only men present. Some women sat upstairs, but the ‘marriage’ took place between the groom and the brides representative (in this case her grandfather). The dowry was paid (5,000 pounds) and she was signed away to her hubby.

• The reception at a local school was a cultural smorgasbord - an Indian Muslim wedding in Cape Town with a groom from London. I didn’t know if I was in India, Saudi or the Cape Flats at times. There were a few formalities and, after a break for midday prayer, we moved swiftly to the main attraction: the food!

• The Imam also gave a short sermon here, the highlight of which was his cell phone ringing! He chanted some beautiful prayers and extracts from the Qur’an. He called on a young girl (8 or 9 I think) who is quoted/sang and long piece from the Qur’an too - she is learning the whole book off by heart!

• It was a beautiful experience, all in all. I hope to do more of these ‘Islam immersions’ in the future. I find their humility before God, and emphasis on spiritual disciplines valuable. I do however have the same gripes about sexism and a fundamentalist reading of the text that I have with many Christian denominations. I held my tongue though ;)

Here are some pics of the day:

the groom, the brides' representative & three witnesses signing the marriage document in the mosque

the groom presenting the bride at the reception
the wonderfully ornate spire of Masjid-ul Quds mosque

CPE here i come...

In a month and a bit I start the next phase of my ‘mother city adventure’: a three month Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) unit at Groote Schuur Hospital. I first heard about CPE in Atlanta where I followed the experiences of fellow Columbia students with interest, admiration and sometimes fear. Although the ‘powers that be’ in my denomination would like me ordained yesterday, I feel this three month training is something that I would like to prioritise while I have the chance. So far I seem to have saved enough moolah to survive as a full time student again, and I think I’m ready for the challenge that March will bring. CPE is really small in SA, in fact this is the only site in the country. There are two supervisors and a group of 6 students. I finished the application essays and mailed them off a couple of days ago, so hopefully they arrive and I get in. Here is what I wrote in the essay concerning my understanding of CPE, goals for the course and how I envisage using my training upon completion:

Expectations for this CPE (Gareth Beyers)

From what I have read and heard from supervisors and students, CPE is supervised, interfaith professional education for ministry. Three areas stand out to me as core constituents of the program: personal reflection (on one’s pastoral identity), pastoral formation (group meetings and study) and practical competence (experience with crisis situations). I am especially interested in the integration of theological, psychological, and pastoral insights and what this will offer to my future pastoral function in a parish. Although it will be a tough 3 months, following the Greek aphorism “Know thyself”, it is an opportunity I would like to take while I am in the position to.

Having ‘discovered’ CPE whilst in the States, and seeing that many Presbyteries require at least one unit of it from their students, I followed their lead and thought it valuable in my own life too. Pastoral ministry needs inner strength and self awareness, something that a unit of CPE will most certainly provide as I will be challenged and taught in the area of pastoral relationships. I do strive, through journalling and other tools, to be reflective, and think this will help the personal growth and discoveries that I will stumble upon during the course.

The interfaith aspect of CPE will also be a crucial aspect to learn if I wish to work in the multiculturalism of South Africa. A professor of mine in Pretoria, Maake Masango, did CPE and advised me that the multidisciplinary approach will prepare me for ministry. My Columbia Seminary advisor, Prof George Stroup, has remarked that ‘you never know the true contents of your theology until you have it tested in a pastoral situation.’ I wish to discover what I really believe, and to take hold of this valuable opportunity while I can.

As to future vocational plans, I am a student of the ministry of the UPCSA, seeking ordination within the denomination. My goal within this path to ordination is not to be content with ministry in a comfortable white, middle-class, conservative congregation. I wish to be pushing the boundaries and set ideas of what church is, working for an authentic South African Christian faith expression and community, and impacting the church's place within society. To do this I will have to be comfortable in my understanding of my pastoral identity. Unfortunately in 5 years of theological studies, I have only had two pastoral care courses, so wish to add a CPE unit to this before I enter probation and ordination.

I know we will have to create set, measurable goals in the program, but for now here are four specific goals that come to mind for my CPE experience:

• to embrace the full array of South African experiences
• to discover further who I am, and why I respond to situations as I do
• to gain clarity on my sense of pastoral calling and vocation
• to open myself to pain and hopelessness


Doesn't it just sound like sooo much fun ;)

gate of knowledge? yeah right!

Flipping through my posts, I came across this quote again:

do not search for the gate of knowledge;
only stop believing in walls and their security.

Wow. Wow again. I’m not sure if I really comprehend it all, but each time I read it strikes me in a new way. umm… yeah, that’s about it. At a loss for words.

Oh, and you may have noticed this new quote in my sidebar:

Look ahead. You are not expected to complete the task.
Neither are you permitted to lay it down.

It’s from the Talmud. Can you say ‘realised-yet-hopeful-eschatology’?

children can't be beaten

Children are people too! Hooray!

Keith (my boss type guy) is busy with the annual report of the Parliamentary Office at the mo. He asked me to scribble down a few lines summary of the Child Rights Conference that I we organised all by myself in November. So, if you want the official low-down on the conference, have a read. If you don’t really, then make yourself a cup of tea and read one of Ed Monkton’s interesting thoughts instead. I'll understand.

Low-down below:

SACC hosts Child Rights Symposium

Following the leading of our constitutional democracy, which seeks to advance the rights of all, the SACC, in partnership with Save the Children Sweden, hosted a Child Rights Symposium in Cape Town in November 2007. The two day conference brought together a significant number of legal, religious and psycho-social academics as well as children’s work practitioners in order to charter a way forward for the end to corporal punishment and the promotion of positive discipline. Twenty resource people were joined by representatives from seven provincial councils, twelve member denominations as well as civil society organisations. The 100 strong conference delegates engaged well and were bold in seeking to create a culture of dignity, respect and equity for our children, and desiring alternative discipline models to that which we have inherited from our apartheid and colonial past.

The comments during the closing session of the conference brought home the valuable discussions that had taken place. Delegates had their thinking around corporal punishment, discipline, and parenting changed, and were moved towards restorative justice and positive discipline alternatives. A moving moment was the brave comment from a church leader who informed the meeting that he was going to call his son and apologise for the times when he had beaten him, thinking then that that was the best form of discipline. The concluding commitment was to take the gleanings and discussions back to the delegate’s local constituencies, as well as advocate on a political level to ensure that the Children’s Bill gets passed in its entirety.

procrastinators are the leaders of tomorrow

Man, the internet is a great seducer and excuse for procrastination. As you may have seen under my ‘blog-bling’ bar, I’ve been exploring the SA blogosphere some. I’ve signed up with two local blog aggregators, Afrigator and Amatomu, and now find myself constantly analysing stats and graphs and things. I’ve worked out what ‘link-love’ is, and that my Technocrati ‘authority’ is a massive 4 points! Together with an ever increasing Bloglines subscription list, there is always some new information to distract me from work. (Distracting isn’t very hard, considering ‘work’ for the next week will be transcribing tapes of the Child Rights Symposium sessions from last month.) The whole SA blog scene is rather small, full of mainly white, wealthy people, but if you do want to check it out, have a look at these two aggregators. I filed my blog under ‘religion’ on the Amatomu site, and am already at number 16 in SA! Woohoo! Thanks everyone! (please ignore the fact that it is only16 out of a total of 29 religion blogs! As i said, rather small.) Again, I’m still getting a feel for the blog world here, but it is encouraging to recognise a bunch of the names and blogs on the various lists already.

However, I do wonder what the role this online, niche, religious community can play in SA in seeking to transform the country and the ecclesial institutions.

Once I’m a fluent SA blogger, and have an answer to the above question, all that remains is to develop a healthy time management system to make sure half the day isn’t spent surfing and blogging and procrastinating - as I’m doing now! ;)

mundane Monday

So, this is me. Back in cape town, back to work, back at my desk on this boiling hot Monday day.

First off, some political commentary. Tired of the analytical and ‘objective’ coverage of the US primary election race that fills up the pages of South African newspapers when there are more pressing issues to speak about? Well, here’s a great, humorous take on all the contenders, their foibles and contradictions by Moby:

everyone’s a pundit

(Yes, Moby the musician, not the whale. He has a rather poignant blog worth reading if you want.)

So, with that international politics low down, back to me in the office. Still boiling hot here in Cape Town where for once the wind is not blowing. Umm… yeah, welcome back! I had a great holiday in Jozi - catching up with my family, saying farewell to very close friends off to Thailand, England and Aus, meeting people for coffee, and having others over for dinner. Good times, good times. Sorry if I missed some of you, I had to find a balance between spending time with my family or time on the highways driving the full extent of Jo’burg.

For now I’m still working at the SACC PO until my CPE course in March. I’ve already been to a meeting today trying to mobilise a Right To Food coalition between the EJN, Black Sash, Cosatu, the SACC and other players. Looks interesting and promising. The question of Food Security is not really an issue I’m fluent in, but can already see its importance. Bread prices are set to rise another 40c already this month, making the high unemployment rate here (estimates between 29% and 40%) even more critical. So, watch this space as I work with advocacy people on this issue, as well as finish up a publication from November’s Child Rights Conference.

Oh, lastly, at Aiden’s recommendation, I bought and have started reading Andrew Feinstein’s After the Party. With all the current news about Selebi and Zuma’s corruption charges, I doubt this book will lift the sombre atmosphere much. One cool thing is that, having worked with PMG in Parliament, I can imagine the scenes he describes all the more vividly.

Back to work. It's still hot!

mondays are for subversive quotes

Seeing that pomo-Adam has this cool* “Fridays are for new music” thing going, I thought that I’d do a “Mondays are for subversive quotes” thing. Well, this Monday at least. I had 2 quotes sitting in my inbox for a while now, desperate to get put up here. And, what do you know, another one arrived today. So, here are 3 subversive quotes to shake this blue Monday up:

*I assume it is cool. I haven’t actually listened to his music, but judging by his playlist when we drove to Virginia for an Ultimate tournament, I’m sure it’s good. If we had the bandwidth here in SA to listen to streaming audio then trust me, I’d be listening. And then it would be cool.


Those at the Edge Hold the Secret

Those at the edge, ironically, always hold the secret for the conversion of every age and culture. They always hold the projected and denied parts of our soul, the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, that we hate and deny, that we're afraid of in ourselves. Only as the People of God receive the stranger and the leper, those who don't play our game, do we discover not only the hidden and hated parts of our own souls, but the Lord Jesus himself. That's how we say, "Come, Lord Jesus." In letting go, we make room for the Other. The church is always converted when the outcasts are reinvited into the temple.

Richard Rohr, Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr


A Gospel That Unsettles

A church that doesn't provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed - what gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don't bother anyone, that's the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light up the world they live in.

Oscar Romero, The Violence of Love


Living in Hope

Here's what I've decided: the very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That's about it. Right now I'm living in that hope, running down its hallways and touching the walls on both sides. I can't tell you how good it feels.

Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

These thoughtful quotes come from daily emails I subscribe to from Richard Rohr and inward/outward. You can too!

technology gripes and family bites

Hip-freaking-hooray! After 2 weeks of listening to Telkom and Mweb’s call centres, the ADSL connection at my parent’s house has finally been repaired. The lack of connectivity was caused in part by cable-theft as well as one humongous thunder storm last week.

So, when I wasn’t listening to the appalling call centre music on the telephone, I was spending time with my much depleted family. I say much depleted because, from next week onwards, only my parents and Bronwen will be at home. This is a house which, for twenty years had 7 Beyers’ running around, now only has 3. Matthew is flipping burgers and skiing in Veil, Colorado with some friends for a couple of months. Vicki and Jane have just graduated from high school and gone down to Cape Town to do a Youth With a Mission missionary thing. I’m back down to CT on Sunday too. And then there were 3.

PS- It will be rather nice having my ‘baby sisters’ in Cape Town with me. I’ve promised them train rides to Simonstown, Coffee at Olympia and any other big brother treats I can arrange. In return all they have to do is come play for my Frisbee team in Summer League ;)

PPS- Happy new year to you. Hope it is invigorating and honest and faithful.