I remember as a boy, there were a few times I tried to bargain with God. If he would just answer my prayer and let me have that blue BMX or this Atari video game console, I would do some things for him in return. Do you know what I used for a bargaining chip?…
Author: Paul Grobler
Polarisation: caught in the crossfire like me?
Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We have everything. The sweeping Table Mountain range, the stunning beaches, one of only six floral kingdoms in the world. Some of the best restaurants globally. A host of sub cultures that makes the city truly fascinating to work and live in. But…
Time is on my side! (Giants part 3)
“Ti-i-i-ime, is on my side… yes it is!”. Remember that line from the movie Fallen, starring Denzil Washington? Wow, I can’t hear that song without thinking of that movie anymore! Or what about the block buster Noah starring Russel Crowe? City of Angels starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan? Do you remember The X-Files series…
Sins of the Fathers (Giants part 2)
Something was off in Genesis 6. This whole thing about the “sons of God” taking wives from the “daughters of man” drew a strong reaction from Yahweh. When this started to happen, he said “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years” (Genesis 6:1-4). This…
Fall of the Giants – part 1
Giants. An integral part of any great fantasy story. Clumsy and runny-nosed, it were those hilarious giants in the Hobbit who made Bilbo realise he is a pretty good burglar. Or remember those battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings? Those fierce Cave Trolls hammering away at the fighters from Middle-Earth facing him in…
Kinder criticism in the polarised world of social media
I keep track on some of my oldest friends on Facebook, and on Sundays that’s where I go to church these days. My kids posts really cool photos on Instagram every now and again, so I am on there. I went onto Pinterest to follow my wife’s ideas about home decor when we were renovating…
Uncle Screwtape’s guilt games during lockdown
Who in the world is Uncle Screwtape? If a British person in the 1940s were to look at this title, they probably would have ignored the reference to Uncle Screwtape (they knew who he was) and wondered “what in the world is lockdown?”. Or perhaps not… It was the time of the German air raids…