I failed an assignment!

12 years of tertiary education and now it happens.

I failed an assignment. This year I registered for Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Psychological Research and Interpersonal Skills.

So far I have achieved an average of 80+ for all of them, except Psychological Research, which came back with a mark of 36.

I can't believe it! I don't know what to do with this feeling. I want to fix it, but can't. It is definitely not one of my favourite subjects, but it is no excuse.

I must admit that I haven't spent as much time with it as I should have. It is a multiple choice paper and I eventually got so gatvol that I stopped looking for the answers and just spotted what I thought were the correct choices.

Serves me right!

Our anniversary

It was our 7th wedding anniversary on the 29th April 2007.

Sadly, I preached at two services and so could not spoil Natalie. On Monday we went to my folks, and so we postponed the spoiling again.

Last night, however, Nat's mom looked after the boys while we went for supper at a restaurant named "Heat". A friend of ours owns it and so we decided to support it a bit. It is a bit on the pricey side, but if you are up for a special meal, then this is the place.

We had carpaccio, steak with mustard and brandy-sauce. We drank what amounted to a bottle of wine, and then had lovely mousse and ice-cream covered with Nachtmusik and Cape Valvet.

What was more special, was the opportunity to sit and talk. Nobody else interupting, no crises to attend to, no telephones, but just us. It is strange how one lives past your spouse and at first it felt quite strange to "just talk". We had about half an hour of awkward silence, very much like a first date. But then we got to know each other again and fell in love again.

Thanks my lief for a wonderful 7 years.

And thanks for allowing my to watch the end of the soccer last night. If you didn't hear: Liverpool drummed Chelsea 4-1. "You will neeeeveeeer waaaaalk alooooone!"

By the way, don't you think my wife is just too beautiful?

Catholics and Communion AGAIN!

Yesterday we said farewell to Natalie's gran. She was Catholic, but more important, as she always reminded us, she was Greek - from ATHENS!

Sadly, as we wished to express communion with her, the priest - as is his right - reminded the congregation that only Catholics in good standing were allowed to receive the sacrament. Not only did he remind us, but he rubbed it in, for about three minutes!

I found two statements interesting:

First, he said: "If you do not believe like we believe, then please do not come to the altar".
Second: "If you remain in your seats, please commmit yourself to praying for church-unity".

To me, communion is about community. Community is not about uniformity, it is the celebration of acceptance in the midst of divesity. How can I believe like you believe? How dare you or I exlude each other from celebrating God's act of love based merely on whether we agree or not?

What is church-unity? Once again, did he mean that I should pray that I may reach the point of becoming a Catholic?

I do not understand.

Out of about 250 people, only about 50 went up for mass. This is a statement in itself!

But, as Pete Grassow says, anyone is welcome to receive the elements at the church at which I serve. In fact, the more broken you are, the better.

Ciao nonna. Sorry about the church.

Matt is in love!

My boy is in love! At 3!

Her name is Livia. She is in Matthew's class and I am told that Matthew insists on sitting next to her all the time.

I questioned him about this relationship and he told me that he is going to take her to his granny's wedding (in June). He is going to get her a white dress and that "she will look soooo beautiful!"

Oh boy!

My Vespa restoration blog

Wondering where I am? Well, I'm busy restoring my Vespa. Chech out my new blog and follow my progress. Leave some comments. Check the Link on the right. Cheers

There is something about Peter

Last night, Maundy Thursday, I preached on Jesus' arrest. I was struck by Peter's response to Jesus' arrest. He drew his sword and struck someone.

This is the same Peter, who would later that night deny Jesus 3 times - A bit of a contrast, I think.

It leads me to the following:

I suppose we would much rather die in our defense of Jesus than drink the cup he has called us to drink.

This has been the basis for my Easter-meditations.

Hope you find it helpful too.

I'm coming up for air

So, I haven't blogged for a while. I've been fairly busy during the past couple of weeks.

 

First, I am busy setting up our denomination's Doctrine and ethics blogspot. Go check out this work in progress at www.mcsadewcom.blogspot.com This has kept me off the streets as my good friend Dion taught me how to ftp. Quite simple actually. Most things are if you know what you are doing.

 

On Friday I submitted the second draft of my thesis. Prof Wethmar looked pleased as he scanned through it, but will let me know next week about its acceptability. After that I have to make several copies for the external examiners as well as the defense committee. The defense will probably take place a few weeks after the externals have marked it. Then I have to write an article for a journal (I have already published one from my thesis, so now I don't have to write two).

 

Then there is Bertie (check previous blog-entries). I got him running, but he doesn't want to idle. SO, if there is someone technically minded out there, your advise will be appreciated. Bertie smokes quite a lot, but that is forgivable. When he is running, I have to open the throttle a bit to keep him going. Turning the idle screw does not affect the idling speed at all and when I close the mixing screw, he runs at his best. While running, he also dies when I pull out the choke. I think he is sucking air somewhere, probably through a cracked head. The engine will probably need to be overhauled, because I think the smoke is indicative of rings that need replacing.

 

What boggles my mind is that he has a lot of power. I took my brother for a spin and with 2 adults on, we reached 70km/h. Not too shabby. Any advise before I strip the carb and the engine?

 

Blessings to all.

Crime, South Africa and being Christian

How do Christians deal with crime? Today, three perspectives came to the fore as three different Christians gave expression of their faith in different ways.

As I walked into my office this morning, I collected my post as usual. Among the many letters, I received correspondence from a prominent pentecostal church in our province, calling churches to a national day of prayer against crime. The leaflet contained the following heading: "We declare war on crime!". It is easy to be sympathetic to the sentiments conveyed, especially when a third family member was shot during a robbery in less than a year. But think about the words. Using the framework of a violent act to bring an end to violence and acts that cause distress in our society? WWJD?

The second and third perspectives were on the frontpage of today's edition of the Beeld-newspaper (a national Afrikaans newspaper). The first story on the tells of a man who lives in a suburb next to ours. He chased and caught one of the robbers that broke into his home and who stabbed the domestic worker. On catching the thief he asked him: "Do you know Jesus?". He then prayed for him, forgave him, gave him a hug and asked him to help the injured lady, all while telling him about Jesus' love. An awe-inspiring story!

Two columns below, the story is told a minister who was almost robbed of his bike, fought back, clobbering the robber over the head with his bike. The robber came off second best, the minister landed in hospital, and expressed that he feels that he cannot preach a message of reconciliation any longer.

I am moved by all three these approaches. Each of them resonates with some part of me. First, I want to be proactive in contributing towards the healing of our society. A part of me also wants to clobber any would-be thief over the head, hopefully knocking some sense into what seems to be obvious senselessness. But the story of the lay-person praying for the robber is probably the closest we will come to a Jesus-approach: turning the cards so that the "enemy" becomes an instrument of healing.

I'll have to chew on these approaches some more before I can make sense of them in my own life.

Hans Kung and the church.

When I did my Bachelors degree in Theology, we had to study Hans Kung's monumental work "The Church". Looking at the book, it seems very intimidating, but it is one of those books that I enjoyed thoroughly and will not part with.

I read through some sections again this morning and was reminded of the distinction he draws between the church and the Kingdom of God. He speaks so strongly about this difference that I am sure that he would have been excommunicated for this alone. If you don't know Kung's history, go check it out.

He says that there are two temptations in the Christian faith. The first is to equate the church to the Kingdom of God. If this path is chosen, it will lead to disillusionment, anger and resentment, for the church is not complete and should rather be seen as a mode of spiritual travel than a divine institution.

The second is to dissociate the church from the Kingdom of God completely. This path leads to relativism and a total disregard for mystery and revelation. The church is tied to the Kingdom by being a herald.

I keep this in mind as I listen to those whom the church has put in positions of leadership, who sometimes express themselves in ways that make people believe that they are the sole voice of God.

ps. Dion, I'll post a photo of Bertie soon!

Safe and sound

We landed at 2:15am. Compliments to the pilots and staff of Mango airlines. Better safe than sorry!

 

Furthermore I want to thank the passangers. Of course there were those who grumbled and made scenes, but they were in the minority and chose not to take the second flight. Among those who remained, a bond was created which made me exceptionally proud to be South African. We all had smiles on our faces as we boarded, sharing sharp wit to lighten the moment. Matthew was getting hungry and an Indian man gave him a chocolate. I was loaded with hand-luggage and a stranger offered to push ouma in her wheelchair.

 

Re a leboga

 

Close to death

We were supposed to fly from Johannesburg to Durban. At 21:00 we took off and when we got to Durban an hour later, we got caught in a severe thunder storm. It rained so hard that the pilot couldn't see the runway. We made two approaches while the plan was being thrown all over the place, lighting striking close to the plane at short intervals. We had to turn back to Johannesburg. We are now waiting for a flight at 1am Friday morning.

 

In case we don't make it, let it be known that I changed into clean undies before our second flight. Hope this one goes better.

 

Meet Bertie

Here he is, my own little Vespa. He was born in 1984, his dad was well endowed and passed on the p150x gene.

Oh, I'm so happy, I could sommer gorrel Sunlight soap!

Bertie is named after my grandfather Hubertus van Goeverden (my Dutch oupa) who passed him down to me. I am very fortunate, because Oupa Goewies wanted to get rid of him. I came along, eyed the bike, and the next minute he was all mine!

Please take note, that Bertie is a he. I've got enough trouble as it is.

Nevertheless, Bertie doesn't want to start. This convinces me that there is a measure of gender-confusion in Bertie's psyche. Please note that I deliberately use the term "gender-confused" as this is, unlike homosexuality, a psychological abnormality (according to my textbook on Psychopathology - Sue, Sue and Sue).

I am in two minds about how to treat this problem. I can either send Bertie for professional help. This may cost a bit, but he will be sorted out in no time. Or, I can understake to practice my skills and take Bertie on as a medium- to longterm project. The costs may be less, but you never know - I might just mess him up some more, ending up sending him to a pro afterall!

Pray for me as I make this vital decision.

And Dion, thanks for drawing my attention to the beauty of Vespa's. Otherwise I would have never eyed it in my Oupa's garage.

Lent and crime. Some abbreviated thoughts.

Little Sheldean Human's body was found last week. Pretoria's walls are filled with messages of love and support. Some offer prayers, while others call for the murderer's execution. It is a traumatic event in the life of this community, this nation.

Something has gone terribly wrong with our society. Everyone seems to live lives of caution, suspicion, anxiety and fear. Communities are fighting back, and this is a positive sign, but where has it all gone wrong?

Perhaps we can learn something from Isaiah. This week the lectionary takes us on a journey through chapter 55:1-9. These have offered food for thought, emphasised the themes in Lent for the salvation of the nation.

Think about the following:

1. "Why do you pay more attention to that which is destructive than to what God gives freely? " (v. 1-2).
Is South Africa not falling into the trap of depending on its own successes, legacy or icons? The walls are getting higher, we don't know our neighbours, churches are feeling the pinch as members prefer to go shopping than worshipping in community. Perhaps Lent can teach us as a nation that we depend far more on God's grace than what we think.

2. "My ways are not your ways" (v.8).
The Lordship of Christ is so easily negotiated. The trap of relativism places us in a position where "you can believe in what keeps you happy, while I'll believe in what makes me happy". Who is created in who's image here?

3. "Call on the Lord while he is near" (v.6)
I don't think that God is offering here a window-opportunity. I understand it to say to the nation of Judah that the longer they dabble in self-generated, self-gratifying actions and not acknowledge the role of their relationship to God and community, the more difficult it will become to return to being God's people. Perhaps we need to hear this during Lent and find ourselves rather in the humble worship of God than the worship of ourselves.

I anticipate that the pragmatists and rationalists will find this concept hard to swallow. The journey of Lent is not about finding solutions, but journeying on a restorative path as we come face-to-face with God and discover our own brokenness.

Conquerers of what?

See this story on congregation members robbed of their money by a scam in the church. Ironically the denomination(?) concerned is "Conquerers through Christ ministries".

The transfiguration mystery

A young lady in my Bible study asked why it is that Moses seemed to have appeared in bodily form alongside Jesus and Elijah. Moses is recorded to have died and therefore couldn't appear in flesh. (Elijah is recoded as having been taken up into heaven without dying).

I had to scratch my head a bit about this one, but then found this interesting explanation. According to Jewish mythology (also referred to in Jude 1:9), the archangel Michael and the devil fought over Moses' body after his passing. According to myth, God then stopped the feud by resurrecting Moses and taking him to heaven.

Thanks Julia for asking the question.

Interesting, isn't it?

Lent

Lent is always a special time in my Christian walk. On Ash Wednesday we worshipped together as a congregation, being reminded of our own brokenness and need for healing. The Lenten journey also goes hand-in-hand with the practice of Christian discipline, one of which is fasting. Fasting does not necessarily only relate to giving up a meal or food, but can be the surrender of anything. A little more about that later.

I find this year's fast extremely difficult. It has become blatantly obvious how I rationalize my commitment to God and how I negotiate His Lordship. I do not believe that I am alone in doing this, but this is why I am thankful for a season such as Lent - it is there to remind me of my dependence on God and what it means to be a Follower of Christ. Although fasting is difficult, I am reminded of the reasons for fasting:

1. It reminds us that all that we have belongs to God. We own nothing and we cannot lay claim to any privileges or amenities by virtue of our accomplishments, qualifications or identity. By surrendering something and longing for that same thing, my attention moves away from my own power to the providence of God. By fasting in this way, one becomes acutely aware of how God is at work in one's life.

2. Fasting highlights the way in which people, items or events start replacing God as Lord of our lives. How dependent am I on that which I surrendered? Can I truly not live without it?

3. Fasting reminds me that this state of voluntary need is a daily reality for many people around me. It makes me aware of needs that exist and makes me sensitive to the plight of those who find themselves in these situations.

Lent is there to refocus my relationship with God, my neighbour and myself. It is a Godly journey, and although difficult, is a journey that leads us to the empty tomb. This promise of new life has claimed victory over all that binds us and seeks to separate us from the love of God.

Pray for me as I will for you on this Lenten path.

Recommended reading

Miroslav Volf, H.B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School wrote an excellent little book entitled "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture stripped of Grace".

In this book he explores our picture of God and challenges modern society to reflect deeply and discover the gift of giving and forgiving that exists within each one of us. It is his view that "We are at our human best when we give and forgive. But we live in a world in which it makes little sense to do either one."

As we embark on the Lenten journey, it will serve us well to become aware of the abundant giving and forgiving that God invests in our lives, while calling us to do the same.

Let me know what you think.

Midmar!!!

I trained for a year, reaching a level of fitness that I have probably never reached before.

This past weekend we drove down to Midmar dam in KwaZulu-Natal (about 600km's) to partake in this international open-water event. My first attempt at swimming the Midmar mile failed last year, but after swimming other races, I was determined to overcome this monster. Sunday morning was cold, about 15 degrees C. There was a light drizzle and a howling wind, which made it feel even colder. Our race was the last race of the day, the grand finale where 13-30 year olds compete.

Somehow the organizers did not manage to get around to organizing the shuttles, taking people to the start of the race, so only armed with our speedo's, about 2000 testosterone and adrenaline filled guys walked barefoot around the dam to the starting post. When we got there, we were quickly sorted into the different caps: red caps for the pro's, then blue caps, yellow caps, green caps (my group - which means we can swim a little) and then the white caps. We stood in the ice cold wind, once again, only in our costumes for about half an hour, watching the ladies (13-30 year olds) completing the event.

By now our hearts were racing, anticipating the launch of the different caps. There is something very special about hearing "Red caps - Go", then the launch of each group with only 2 minutes separating each. But this time was different.

As the last ladies left the water, a violent wind came up (wasn't me I promise!), creating waves in the dam of about half a meter high! Even the lifesavers in the paddleski's were floating way off course. Instead of letting these guys loose to attack the water, the announcement came: "Due to dangerous swimming conditions, this even has been canceled."

"What!? You've got to be kidding!"

No-one said a word. There was a group of schoolboys who came all the way from England for this event! Poor Pommies. After what felt like an eternity, one-by-one we started making our 2 km trek back to the finish-line. Some were angry, others swore and cursed the officials. Others, like me couldn't say a word and felt physically ill for the rest of the day. When we reached the end, the wind subsided and the dam was as smooth as glass - perfect conditions, but too late.

I can't remember much about my walk back to the finish line. I couldn't even feel the cold. This was the most disappointing experience of my life. Please laugh, that is the only way I can cope with it now. What makes it worse, is that this year is the last time that I could have competed in this age-group. At least, next year I don't have to prove a point to the laaities (young chaps in Afrikaans), but I can instead foster the onset of mid-life crisis.

At least I can swim the Makhulu km in Midrand on Sunday. Blessings to all while I go on Minister's retreat.

The church's lies

I preached a sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 and Luke 5:1-11 at a retirement centre on Sunday with the above as a theme. I thought it well to publish some of the thoughts here and not on the sermon-blog. The crux of the sermon is based on the church's evangelical approach being incongruent with what we celebrate during Epiphany. So, here goes:

1. The church is lying when it sells Jesus like a neatly packaged deal.
Our faith is a faith of revelation. All that we can do is to respond in faith to God's gracious act of revelation. The kind of evangelism that knows what God looks like and what people should look like is prone to fall to its own assumptions. Christian evangelism is therefore not concerned with selling a certain brand of Jesus or Christianity, but its sole purpose is to testify to the revealed God. We believe that Jesus is the full revelation of God and therefore the mystery of Christ plays as important part of the church's proclamation as our inherited understanding of Him.

2. The church is lying when it creates a minimum requirement for membership.
Much of Christian proclamation concerns making people aware of their unworthiness. It is easy to proclaim a message of judgment, hoping that the recipient would turn in their faith. As if God needs an ego-boost!!! What about, if the church stops telling people how bad they are, and focus more on how much God loves them. People feel bad already. People need a Saviour, not a God who rubs it in. Perhaps it is easier for the church to proclaim a salvation based on condemnation, for somehow, we can't stand the thought that God would love someone else as much as what God loves me. Look at Isaiah. He stood gob smacked in God's presence. He admitted his guilt, but instead of God saying "Yes, I know and you will stay like this", he is healed and sent.

3. The church is lying when it claims that Christianity is something extra to our daily existence.
Guess what. Jesus climbed in the boat, made a difference where it mattered and spoke in images that people could understand. True Christian evangelism makes a difference where it matters, it doesn't force people to stop being them and become like "us". Were the disciples even really listening to what Jesus was saying on the shore? What turned their minds? Jesus was relevant right there!

Something for the church to think about in our witnessing. God reveals (Deus dixit for the Barthians), we respond, God loves (Incarnational), God works.

A response to Sharky

Dear Sharky

 

Thank you for your comment concerning the Methodist Church's usage of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

 

I assume that you refer to the "exclusive" act of presiding over the sacrament by an ordained minister, because as you may know, laity celebrate the sacramant wherever it is offered.

 

I do not think that the Methodist church is exclusive to the degree that you hint at. We have, for instance, groups of lay folk who take the elements conscecrated at a communion service to those who cannot attend a Sunday Service. The "Love feast" is also practiced in the context of bible studies and the like.

 

The church, at least the Methodist Church, does not deny anyone the privilege of celebrating the sacrament. In fact, we have one of the most inclusive views on Holy Communion. Children are allowed to celebrate, and women ministers preside over the sacrament every week - something that is unheard of in many Christian circles.

 

Is the Methodist church perfect? Not by a long shot! But my sadness is that people are denied the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament, purely on the basis of venue and denominational affiliation. I also appreciate the recognition of ordination for Word and Sacrament, but this does not mean the denial of others celebrating a special event in the Church's life.

 

Just my simple response to a valid and real question. THANKS for raising this point. I will certainly look more closely at the way I serve and how I allow others their ministry.

 

Regards

Wessel