Stewart 5

Tonight, we worshiped with people from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Unites States, and Canada. Our focus was on God’s Kingdom - sharing pictures, scripture, and song. In a very real sense, our time together was indeed a manifestation of God’s ways in action. It was beautiful.

One of the women from Zimbabwe prayed thanking God that we could gather in safety tonight - something that most of us take for granted.

I am reminded of how Jesus is the one who died to make us all free. May we remember him today as we celebrate our freedom.

Comments(0)

Tonight is the final of Euro 2008. Having watched about 75% of the tournament with friends here, and conversing back and forth with friends world-wide, I have found this to be one of the most entertaining soccer tournaments I can remember. But let all the professional writers comment on the quality of play. I want to talk about supporting sides.

Tonight, it’s Germany v. Spain. Hopefully, this game will be as good as the tournament as a whole. And I am wondering whom to support. In considering (as much with my head as my heart), I have come up with a list of reasons anyone supports any particular team. Would love your additions and thoughts.

Why to support a team (in no particular order):

• You are from the same place as the team. So, in Pretoria, you support the Blue Bulls in rugby. This also applies to your national team. You can also claim this one if your ancestors came from there.
• You KNOW someone from the same place as the team. I have found this to be a pretty common one as well. Example - my uncle is the grounds keeper for Fulham, so they become my team. Or, we had an exchange student from Germany once. You get the idea.
• You’ve BEEN to the same place as a team. Bonus if you’ve actually seen them in action at home, but most can’t afford it. Case in point - I like Glasgow Celtic. I’ve been to Glasgow 3 times…
• A particular player you like plays for the team. This, btw, is why I began supporting Chelsea - because Frank Lampard went there. You can also use this one if someone from your country plays for the team (Lucas Radebe from SA plays for Leeds, suddenly their jerseys are selling on the street here).
• You like the coach. Not as common and this one seems to happen more in America. So, perhaps you like Larry Brown. If coaches a new team, you suddenly find yourself watching their games.
• You love the way a team plays. Best example I can think of is Dutch football. Total football is beautiful to watch, regardless of if you are from there or know any player’s name.
• You just do. Allowing for all those intangible/subjective reasons people love a team.
• Last, and sorta least (but worth a mention because it DOES happen) - you like the team’s colours or uniform. No comment.

So, would love some comments. Which factors are most important to you? Anything I am missing?  NOTE: these various factors can also carry different weight!

If I were to personally take each team through the list above:

Germany: 5

(know people there, been there, like most of their team, defenders score as much as their strikers, they are deserving/due a tournament win)

Spain: 5

(ancestors from there, know people there, been there, gotta at least respect Torres, love the way these guys are playing

btw, teams have the same colours

I think I’ll be happy if either team wins tonight.

Comments(9)

just wanted to let everyone know I am still fasting from alcohol. what have i learned?

1. I am not an alcoholic. i really haven’t had any, “I wish i could have a drink” moments. this is significant given my family history.
2. i don’t drink that many different things. so, cutting out beer, wine, etc. has really limited my choices, especially at meals.
3. it’s weird to be with people who ARE drinking when you are not.
4. don’t start fasting without an end in mind ;P when do i drink again? pick some random day? wait for God to be REALLY specific? My friend Andrew did this and ended up not drinking for 5 years. interestingly enough, i don’t feel at all compelled to start again.

Comments(0)

MDC opposition party leader Morgan Tsvangirai said he will NOT run in the vote on the 27th. Too many of his supporters are being beaten and tortured and he doesn’t want to put people at harm in order to vote. Further, the entire election is a farce, and he will not participate in this illegal sham of an election (Mugabe has said that no matter what the results, he will not concede power to the opposition).

Has Mugabe won? For now? Will this move force the world to help an actual, legal, proper election take place?

This is breaking news, so we are waiting for implications and reactions. We are shocked to say the least. And we continue to pray.

God help Zimbabwe. May your Kingdom come.

Comments(1)

the one who has smaller capacity tends be easily overwhelmed.

the one who has larger capacity tends to takes on too much.

-Arthur

i’m #2 above.  east to look down on the first set of people, but ironically we end up near the same place?

Comments(1)

Is it possible to get unbiased news?  Or, should we just call a spade a spade - all news is filtered, selected, and given from some perspective.  If we acknowledge this, we must be more critical of what we are presented with.

Here is an excellent article about how “news” is often presented in South Africa, especially as it betrays certain commonly-held misconceptions and slants.

For those of you who are unaware, it’s pretty popular in SA, especially in the media, to paint a negative picture of the country.  Not sure exactly why that is, but here are a couple of my guesses:

1. South Africa has an inferiority complex.  Unlike America, who generally thinks she is best and every and all things, SA most often minimizes its achievements and points out its many faults.
2. Because of its long isolation from the rest of the globe, there is a major, “grass is greener on the other side” feel.  And, if all you know about the rest of the world comes from TV, of course it all looks better.
3. Ambivalence in the media toward the average South African.  Seems that journalists here are generally more educated, well off, and liberal than the average populace.  So, there is a tendency to look down on, and even denigrate, life as most people live it.

Would love your thoughts on media bias & the negative tone of SA journalism.

Comments(3)

In 2 weeks, Zimbabwe will hold a presidential runoff election.  In the past week, Morgan Tsvangirai (the opposition party leader) has been arrested twice and prevented from campaigning.  Yesterday, the secretary-general of the opposition party was arrested and charged with treason (which carries the possibility of the death penalty).  Sounds like a good fair election…

Last week, Mugabe ordered that all NGO’s stop operations, claiming they were supporting the opposition.  ALL OF THEM?  Sadly, NGO’s are the main source of food for most Zimbabweans.  Interesting that Mugabe continues to use the “we don’t want to be pawns of the west” as justification for nearly everything.  Do people really buy that one?

We are praying.  Pray with us.  Peace.  Justice.  Love.

Comments(1)

This past weekend, our NCSA leadership team took our annual retreat. This time away, we did something quite different from past retreats…. we did pottery. We all went to the home/studio of a married couple who are local pottery artists. Basically, we ate, did pottery, and rested. It was a great weekend - being together, having fun, relaxing.

Of course, God seems to have taught me several things at the same time. This morning during a reflection time, I realized that one of the things God is speaking to me was captured so well in a picture from our weekend.

When you do pottery using a wheel, the first and most important thing to do is center the clay. If you don’t do this properly, you can not make a piece. Period. Because the clay is spinning on a wheel, any unevenness or off-centered-ness results in either a lopsided piece, or it will simply fly off the wheel because of uneven weight. Literally. I’ve seen it happen

To center clay, there is only one thing you must do - push with the heel of your left hand. You push diagonally: away from you and left to right. This works with the spinning of the wheel to put the piece in the center.

All weekend, I struggled with this one step. Why? Because I never wanted to push too hard. So, I continually had to ask the instructor to come and help. He patiently put his hands on mine, and reminded me to push - hard. And of course, with his hands there on mine, the clay went right to center. And when it is there, you can feel it - it’s just right. Then, the fun of creating pottery begins.

Why don’t i push hard enough? Ironically, this is question God and I are discussing. Why don’t I ask hard questions more often? Why don’t I express my feelings, particularly when I am upset? My general approach is to do/say/give as little as possible to get the job done. I suppose I don’t want to overdo it. The problem is, 8 times out of 10, I UNDER do it instead. And then things aren’t centered.

You have to push…hard. of course, I don’t take this to mean I should be rude or overbearing. I still must be listening to God and loving. But I am learning - slowly - that you can do these AND push hard. And when you do it right, when things are centered, beautiful things can be created. Apparently, God really wants me to learn this lesson, because He is giving me ample opportunity to practice.

Comments(0)

I’ve just come across the NET Bible translation.  Wondering if anyone has read/used this one and could offer some thoughts?  I like the idea of an open and free Bible translation.

It is mentioned and used in the Breviary (book of prayer) of Missio Dei - a missional, neo-monastic community I resonate with.  Amongst other things, they have the Jesus Manifesto site, probably one of my favorite daily reads right now.  I’ve just received the Breviary and am thinking of using it for morning and evening prayers.

Comments(1)

On the weekend, somewhere between 500-1000 displaced refugees were moved to a temporary camp about 10 minutes north of where we live.  A few of us went yesterday (Wednesday) to assess the situation and see if we might be able to help or join with others who are doing something.

The place is horrible.  Too many people in too little space.  Various nationalities, no food, no services.

Complicating matters is the fact that the South African government has setup a series of army tents which the people refuse to use.  Several stated to me, “South Africans have done this to us.  The same police who protect us during the day are the ones who are burning our homes at night.  They are all the same.  We don’t trust them.  We will only accept help from the UN.”  The refugees also believe that the government-provided camp is South Africa’s way of rounding them all up and keeping track of them.  Many fear that they would actually be in more danger by staying there.

So, while the government-provided camp sits empty, everyone camps in the mud, with a few tents, in an adjacent field.  They are threatening and attacking those who do stay in the government camps.  There are also rumors of trouble within the refugee camp itself - various political factions from other nations vying for power even here.  The camp is housing people from Somalia, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Angola (and others, but those are the nationalities of people I spoke with yesterday).

I heard on the news this morning that there was trouble in the camp last night and that police were firing rubber bullets - not sure why.  There is also a hunger strike taking place.  Article from today’s news about the camp.

Yesterday, I came home stunned.  Several people told me, “I would rather go home to die than to die here.”  These are people from countries like Somalia that have been at war for years.  And they think that would be a BETTER option.  South Africa, how did it come to this?

Help us God.  Kingdom come.

Comments(11)