Help mend a heart.

This is our little Matthew. His heart was fixed due to the generous giving of many. I invite you to watch the following short clip to meet those who contributed towards his healing. In this clip you will see Dr Kinsley and Dr Mamorare (Surgeons) and Dr Dansky (Cardiologist).

View the clip here.

The team at the Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa would appreciate any donation. Come on, get your church to direct a part of its tithe to this worthy cause.

Don't you feel like this?

In a letter to Karl Barth, Emil Brunner wrote the following concerning his struggle in faith (the original is in German, therefore the numerous brackets, etc.):

This is my experience: Either I will completely be at the center...: God lives, let God matter. But then I soon find that all I have in my hands are four letters [G-O-T-T]..., an abstract thought, with which I can neither understand nor master my life. I can say, Let God matter. But, in reality, what matters is not God but my thought that "God should matter."... Or, on the other hand, depressed from this experience, I... fall into the other extreme: "God should matter" [becomes] "The Good should matter," [faith mixed up with] a moral-cultural lifestyle, a system of ethics, that, up to a certain point, shines through one's life, but naturally (as little as "the law" in Paul) has no power...I've always had the feeling - and my moral experiences confirm it - that I have still not yet penetrated to God, that my faith has produced nothing.

This quote was taken from the book "For the sake of the world" (see my library in the sidebar).
Barth later responded with the formulation "God is God and God is God". Food for deep thought.

Matt is doing well.

Today Matt went for his six-monthly heart checkup. We have good news to share.

Besides his heart being on the opposite side of his chest, everything looks healthy and normal. The heart-noises have disappeared, meaning that his VSD and ASD have completely healed. Roundabout now he should have had a second operation as the extra parts which they implant usually calcify by now. There is no sign of calcification anywhere!

Doctor Colyn is very impressed with his progress and so are we. Thanks be to God and God's wonderful doctors and nursing staff.

Nathan Daniel (Nataniel for short) is 1!

Hey, our big boy!

You are one today. The first year of your life has passed and you will most probably not remember much of what you have achieved, but that which you did will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.

We thank God for you. You have added joy, happiness and a greater sense of humour to our family. May God bless you richly and may you be obedient to his grace.

With lots of love,

Pappa, Mamma and Matthew (and Chrissie and Calamity)

Sunday School theology

PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE WORDING AND SPELLING. IF YOU ARE EVEN REMOTELY FAMILIAR WITH HOLY SCRIPTURE, YOU'LL FIND THIS HILARIOUS! IT COMES FROM A ROMAN CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEST. KIDS WERE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN BY CHILDREN. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN RE-TOUCHED OR CORRECTED. INCORRECT SPEL LING HAS BEEN LEFT IN.


1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.

2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.

3. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.
4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.

5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIM SELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.

6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.

7. MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS .

8, THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTER WARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.

10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.

11. MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA .. THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL ..

12. THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.

13. DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

14. SOLOMON, ONE OF DAVIDS SONS, HAD 300 WIVES AND 700 PORCUPINES.

15. WHEN MARY HEARD SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF JESUS, SHE SANG THE MAGNA CARTA.

16. WHEN THE THREE WISE GUYS FROM THE EAST SIDE ARRIVED THEY FOUND JESUS IN THE MANAGER.

17. JESUS WAS BORN BECAUSE MARY HAD AN IMMACULATE CONTRAPTION.

18. ST. JOHN THE BLACKSMITH DUMPED WATER ON HIS HEAD.

19. JESUS ENUNCIATED THE GOLDEN RULE, WHICH SAYS TO DO UNTO OTHERS BE FORE THEY DO ONE TO YOU. HE ALSO EXPLAINED A MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY SWEAT ALONE..

20. IT WAS A MIRICLE WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND MANAGED TO GET THE TOMBSTONE OFF THE ENTRANCE.

21. THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE LORD WERE CALLED THE 12 DECIBELS.

22. THE EPISTELS WERE THE WIVES OF THE A POSTLES.

23. ONE OF THE OPPOSSUMS WAS ST. MATTHEW WHO WAS ALSO A TAXIMAN.


24. ST. PAUL CAVORTED TO CHRISTIANITY, HE PREACHED HOLY ACRIMONY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MARRAIGE.

25. CHRISTIANS HAVE ONLY ONE SPOUSE . THIS IS CALLED MONOTONY

One small hurdle

By the way, this is my 150th post on this blog.

My eyes are burning, my hand is cramping, my handwriting is becoming more and more illegible, I don't sleep much and when I do, I dream about neural pathways in the brain, optical illusions, the workings of memory, reasoning and problem solving. Today I am writing my last exam for the year - Cognitive Psychology (III). This is the last exam that will allow me entry into the Honours programme. This year I have achieved a lot. I finished my Ph.D. , studied Social Psych, Abnormal Psych, Psych research, Interpersonal skills and Cognitive Psych. I have written 3 articles which will all be published this year, taken over the administration of our church, lectured, enjoyed my family and started practicing for Midmar. It has been a full year, but now I am tired. One paper to go, then we will go to the Spur for supper, have a good sleep, and then start working on my Vespa (and write an article for TEEC, and edit our book, and write a chapter for Dion's book...).

Yes, I'm a Facebook addict.

Here's a cross-post from Dion's blog:

NEWS

Please don't see this as self-promotion. I am posting this out of excitement, so, use it-don't use it. I just got news that the electronic copy of my thesis is published through the University of Pretoria. The title is "The notion of mission in Karl Barth's ecclesiology".

If you are interested, you can download it from: http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10162007-151230

Regards.

The quest for meaning.

In 2005 I met Prof. Wessel Stoker. He is a Systematic Theology professor at the Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam. I had the privilege of presenting a paper on a chapter from his book "Is the quest for meaning the quest for God?" (See my booklist to the right) with him sitting in. The feedback was very positive, but that's beside the point.

I started reading this book again, mainly because my sense of connection to God is increasingly leading me down a path which recognizes that the church does not own God, neither does it exist as the sole custodian of God's ability to reveal Godself. So much for Sola Ecclesia. Let me say this, I am not even sure why I am entering this as a blog, nor do I actually know what I want to achieve with this post, but here it is: raw and unsolicited.

Paul Tillich was a chaplain during WWI. One evening, a night-attack took place which left most of his friends either injured or dead. Reflecting on this event, he states that in that moment he felt a disconnection between himself and the God of religion. He was aware of God's presence, but in a different capacity (I am quoting from memory, but if someone would like the reference, I'll be happy to look it up).

Paul, in his letter to the Romans (which I am busy writing a Bible study on), is clear about the obstacle which caused the Jewish lack of recognition of who God is - not a God owned by institution, religious acts or the law - but a God of love and compassion who called Israel to be a witness. A witness. A witness to who, a witness to the world! Why should they then be upset if gentiles responded to the Gospel? This was the aim!

Let me not even start on Barth!

So, yes, there it is. Fragmented thinking, once again, but I think you catch my drift. I wonder if the ultimate ecclesiology is not one of creatio in nihilum - that the church should work itself out of an institution. What if the church became a witness, which would not get anxious if those who do not "look" like orthodox christians respond to the Gospel. What if the whole world is "saved"? Would the church still exist, or does it exist purely because it is an alternative to something else?

Think, think, think...crawl, crawl, crawl.

Nathan crawled today!

Our son has already achieved something which I didn't do. He crawled. It may not seem like a biggy, but I have come to understand the importance of this milestone. Crawling is one of the essential activities which facilitate cross-lateral neural pathway development. Crawling further helps visual guidance (the use of eyes to guide movement of the hands and other parts of the body - like reaching for and grabbing glowing objects in a dark room), depth perception (ability to perceive objects and surfaces in three dimensions) and visual cliff (the ability to assess depth), not to mention hand-eye coordination.

This is a biggy! Congratulations Nathan! He must have got this from his mother, as I said, I never crawled and now have to count the steps whether I'm going up or down a flight of stairs. Failure to do so leaves me in a prostate position with a hugely damaged ego.

Then for the one thing he got from me - the ability to quickly calculate less complicated alternatives: the first thing he crawled to was his walking ring. Well done Nathan!

The human brain

I'm busy studying Cognitive Psychology and found the following diagrams quite interesting:-)

Barry Hilton on Stupidity

People should have to wear signs that just say, I'M DOF." That way you wouldn't rely on them, would you?
You wouldn't ask them anything. It would be like, "Excuse me... oops, nevermind. Didn't see your sign."

It's like before my boeta and I moved.. Our house was full of boxes and there was a Pickfords truck in our driveway.
My neighbor comes over and choons, "Hey, you moving?"
"Noooit bru. We just pack our stuff up once or twice a week to see how many boxes it takes. Here's your sign!"

A couple of months ago I went fishing with a mate of mine, we pulled his boat into the ramp, I lifted up this big whiting and this idiot on the ramp goes, "Hey, you catch all those fish?" "Nooit cuzzi. Talked 'em into giving up. Here's your sign."

I was watching one of those animal shows on the Discovery Channel. There was a guy inventing a shark bite suit. And there's only one way to test it. "Alright Jimmy, you got that shark suit on, it looks good... They want you to jump into this pool of sharks, and you tell us if it hurts when they bite you." "Well, alright, but hold my sign. I don't wanna lose it."

Last time I had a flat tyre, I pulled my car into a petrol station. The 'pomp jockey' walks out, looks at my car, looks at me, and I SWEAR he choons, "Tyre go flat?" I couldn't resist. I said, "Nooit Baba. I was driving around and those other three just swelled up on me. Here's your sign."

I was trying to sell my 'jammie' about a year ago. A guy came over to the house and drove the car around for about 45 minutes. We get back to the house, he gets out of the car, reaches down and grabs the exhaust pipe, then says, "Jislaaik, that's hot!"
See? If he'd been wearing his sign, I could have stopped him!

I learned to drive a 18 wheeler in my days in the 'mag'. Wouldn't you know I misjudged the height of a bridge. The truck got stuck and I couldn't get it out no matter how I tried. I radioed in for help and eventually a local cop shows up to take the report. He went through his basic questioning... ok.. no problem. I thought sure he was clear of needing a sign...until he asked "so..is your truck stuck?" I couldn't help myself. I looked at him, looked back at the rig and then back at him took my sign off and chooned, "No. I'm delivering a bridge. Here's your sign."

I stayed late at work one night and a co-worker looked at me and chooned, "Are you still here?" I replied, "No. I left about 10 minutes ago. Here's your sign."

A new discovery

To all those who live in Gauteng and nearby: Do yourself a favour and go to the new Irene Mall (On Nelmapius Drive). The theme of the mall is "Cows" and is derived from the famous Irene dairy farm. Check the pic below:





They have all sorts of shops, but my favourite is a quaint little bookshop which sells all kinds of interesting books at a very good price. This book caught my attention:


The title: "The illustrated encyclopedia of sex"
Author: "Dr. A. Willy"

Seriaaaas!!!

A bit of fun

A friend of mine sent me the following list of questions to complete. I thought it was quite fun. If you don't have anything to do, why not spend a minute to complete it and post it in my comments?

Where did we meet:
Take a stab at my middle name:
How long have you known me:
Do I smoke:
What was your first impression of me upon meeting:
Colour of my eyes:
Do I have any siblings:
What's one of my favourite things to do:
Do you remember one of the first things I said to
you:
What's my favourite type of music:
What is the best feature about me:
Am I shy or outgoing:
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:
What's your favourite memory of me:
Any special talents:
Would you consider me a friend:
How many children do I have:
If there was one good nickname for me,what would it
be:
If you and i were deserted on an island, what would
i bring?
I can't wait to see the answers!

Are you dyslexic? Well, it doesn't matter.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too . Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.



i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

WE WON! WHAT A GAME!

After the match, President Thabo Mbeki was lifted on the players' shoulders. Would Gordon Brown have allowed that? Or the Queen?

AMA-BOKKE-BOKKE!!!!

Pneumatology in the same-sex debate.

Thoughts for another paper.

It is no secret that that church is deeply divided by the debate on same-sex relationships. Not only have I followed different discussions with interest, but have been part of our denomination's struggle for the past 5 years.

Different theological perspectives have given reasons for their respective stances on the issue, and when asked to define the one factor, which causes the difference in theological perspective, the response points to different hermeneutic methods employed in the reading of Scripture. I am not satisfied with this answer. This rift is not due solely to people reading the Bible differently. It is clear that in the discussion there are different understandings of the doctrine of Scripture, Ecclesiology, Soteriology and Missiology. The differences in these doctrines, something that can be captured in a book, are acknowledged, but if there is one doctrine that can be identified as the root of these divergent views, it is Pneumatology.

Yes, Pneumatology is the forgotten doctrine, except in its overemphasis in the charismatic/Pentecostal traditions. Yet, it is a doctrine which informs our understanding of so many other doctrines. This is what I’ve noticed:

Among those arguing for the recognition and appreciation of same-sex relationships in the church, the Spirit of God is seen as one who’s function it is first, to point to the Son. The belief is that God’s self-revelation is not subject to the availability, intention or righteousness of the individual, nor of the community. This means that God’s choice to reveal pre-empts the factor of human cognition, recognition and ability. Wesley refers to this as Prevenient Grace. God does not only reveal Godself through the Son, communicated and recognized through the Spirit to certain individuals, but God’s revelation extends to all. The result is that all have equal opportunity to respond in faith to what God has already done. In the response to this revelation, a community which exceeds time and space is formed, with the aim of holiness. This Soteriology, although affecting the individual does not necessarily depend on the sanctification of the individual per se, but is concerned with the sanctification of the community. It is at this point that one should guard against the danger of Gestalt Theology. The work of the Spirit is not only the cumulative work of transforming individuals for the sake of a redeemed community, but is first at work in the restoration of the community which has, as a result, the inevitable consequence of the restoration of the individual. Even if we were to assume that homosexuality is a sin, then the place of the homosexual is rooted in the community of faith, because the Spirit is at work in the community.


Those who are vehemently opposed to same-sex relationships indicate a different understanding of the Spirit, which in turn affects their ecclesiology, Soteriology and doctrine of mission. The work of the Spirit is to reveal truth and to safeguard the truth in the community of faith. Truth is contained in Scripture, encapsulated in tradition and history. Reason, the third pillar of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, becomes informed and subject to the three mentioned factors, two of which are Quadrilateral pillars themselves. This ensures that truth remains stable, and is not open to change as the result of a clinical and relatively “new” discovery, but must be subject to the truth of the Spirit as revealed through time in the aspects mentioned. It is therefore an unreasonable question to answer when those holding this perspective are asked: “If God is so passionately opposed to homosexuality, why doesn’t the Spirit convict homosexuals of their sin as pointed to in John 16:8-11?”. Based on this Pneumatology, it is the work of the church to convert those who partake in this practice, for the Spirit has already convicted the church through Scripture, history and tradition. The question that is raised is whether this Pneumatology leads to a re-invention of Sola Ecclesia (in the Roman Catholic sense)?

If this is the case, then we must speak of two different Christian theologies. This is of much greater consequence than merely having different hermeneutic approaches.

Share some thoughts… Obviously I haven’t argued concisely and coherently, so please, once again, excuse the fragmented thinking.

I had to laugh.

Friday afternoons in the Bentley-household is family-afternoon. Nothing is allowed to impinge on this time. Usually we go out for lunch, then I drop Natalie and Nathan off at home (because Nathan still has a nap in the afternoon) and then Matt and I spend a little bit of Matthew-pappa-time together at a venue of his choice - usually Woodlands Boulevard for an ice-cream.

Matt is not a wonderful eater. We always have to negotiate some form of positive outcome for his willingness to finish his food. Negotiating works, because he has a good dollop of Greek blood running through his veins. This Friday past, we (the whole family) decided to have lunch at the Wimpy. Matt had his usual vienna and chips with Coke-light. The deal at Wimpy, like so many other food outlets, is that kiddies get a toy with every kiddies meal. I called the waitress aside and asked her only to bring a toy when Matt had finished his meal, otherwise the toy will distract him. Halfway through our meal, she came across with armloads of toys, told Matthew that he could choose one, but that she would only bring it when she saw an "empty" plate. He understood the transaction. He chose a toy, she turned and left.

As soon as she was out of sight, he leant over the table, looked Natalie and myself straight in the eyes, and whispered with a calculating look on his face "Hey, you guys better help me here!"

Lots of lessons to be learnt from this episode, but I won't start my sermon with this illustration, lest Stanley Hauerwas may be sitting in the congregation. (His opinion is that when a minister starts a sermon with the words "This week my son taught me a valuable lesson...", he knows that he is in for a long, shallow sermon.

Is the S. African media fulfilling the prophetic role of the church?

Dion wrote an interesting blog on the church's prophetic voice. I was actually busy constructing my thoughts on the same topic when I came across his post. I want to develop this into an academic article, so your comment will be valued. These are just rough ideas, which need to be sharpened, so please excuse the fragmented nature of the following discussion. The question I would like to ask is: Is the South African media fulfilling the prophetic role of the church?

The church in South Africa has a rich history of being involved in discussion with the State, good and bad. As a prophetic voice, the church has not hindered to declare a Status Confessionis on several occasions. This has led to the signing of the Kairos Document, as well as the Belhar Confession, among others. But statements, confessions and even critique has been few and far between. During the Apartheid era, the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk was jokingly called "The National Party at prayer". In modern times, my own denomination has been labeled as "The ANC at prayer", and one certainly has to raise the question whether over-identification with a certain cause can lead the church to a place where it is stripped of its prophetic voice, or whether the church's voice simply is not taken seriously enough.

So, who keeps the State accountable - besides the justice system? The obvious answer is the media. The media may be over-critical, be accused of sensationalizing its content, but it is certainly the only forum which is posing questions in public to the authorities. Has the media nudged the church out of a job? One measure is to see whether the media is actually interested in, or reporting on the church's voice - that is, if it has one. It seems like the only interest the media is currently showing in the church concerns the different denominations' stances on the same-sex and civil unions debates. This is a sad state of affairs. The second marker would be to establish whether civil society is interested in what the church has to say, or if it prefers to identify with the media's relentless questioning of current practices.

Obviously we should celebrate the amount of press-freedom that we have in this country, but the church should be concerned about the notion that it has been ousted by the press. Why? For starters, the media can only delivere comment based on a subjectively assumed moral framework. What moral and ethical framework is used for its comment and criticism? Is it a formal framework, or is it subject to the editorial boards' own biases? Here, the church is able to speak with a greater sense of independence and certainty. To hold Christian values, which I know are highly debatable and subjective, as the basis for our conversation with the State, the church is enabled to critique, criticize and endorse practices while being relevant to the needs of the community.

I am concerned. These are just a few rough thoughts.


The "Prophetic voice" is not to be seen as something which should be raised by either the church or the media. These prophetic voices are different. The danger is that one of these voices seemed to have fallen away, leaving the media to fulfill both roles.

Just some thoughts.

Loadshedding

Have you ever heard of the term "loadshedding"? Doesn't it sound vulgar? "Loadshedding"! And it is vulgar, it is offensive and it is enough to make you crawl under your bed, chew your toenails, fry them and pretend that its Cornflakes. It is simply that mind boggling.

What am I talking about? Powercuts. ESKOM, the company in charge of South Africa's electricity supply is busy with maintenance on their generators, have the problem of wet coal and possess a number of generators which are simply "out-of-order". This has led to a nationwide rationing of electricity, where suburbs and towns have to take turns to sit in the dark. Frustrating, believe me, especially after I had to deal with this and write exams yesterday. I climbed in my car and realized that I needed petrol. I peeked into my wallet, to find that I had no money. And so, I had to go from suburb to suburb on petrolfumes, looking for any minuscule sign of electricity so that I could draw money. I eventually managed this, but this particular suburb did not have any petrolstations, and so I had to explore again. Four suburbs later I found a station. The attendant inserted the nozzle, and as my friend Murphy would have it... it was this suburbs turn! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

What should have taken me 20 minutes to get to the exam hall, turned out to be one-and-a-half hours!

Loadshedding - this is what happens when there is a great demand and a limited supply. If not managed, there is total breakdown. Although I found the whole thing distasteful, I managed to learn a lesson from it anyway. In my life I have many different individuals, institutions and responsibilities that tug away at me. In the short- to medium term this is ok. The load may be heavy, but dealt with in short spurts, can actually be done. Management of this stress is vitally important. There are so many needs, but only one of me. If I do not manage this well, then I might just have to do a bit of loadshedding myself. Were I not to shut down some functions temporarily, I might just suffer total breakdown myself. What will happen if this were to take place? Well, the honest answer is that these needs will just move along to the next "supplier of energy".

So, I'm reassessing, rearranging, prioritizing.