2021: Off to a (not so) good start: Most people I know were glad to say goodbye to 2020. Most people I know, talk a lot about the shocking start to 2021. For the people working in hospitals, care institutions and other healthcare settings, the start to this year was not the most promising ever….
Is addiction bad for your family?
The immediate answer is definitely, but the final answer is that it may be beneficial for your spiritual life! You just need to spend five minutes with a recovering addict or one hour in a family support group for addicts to realise that you have entered a hornet’s nest. As a parent, by the time…
What on earth were the Magi thinking?
Why did they think a bright star in the heavens signifies the birth of a divine king? Why did they connect it with Israel and Jerusalem of all places? They weren’t even Jewish! And what made them pack their bags and take a long journey to go and meet this child? Can you imagine the…
Letter in the sand: an open conversation with the LGBTQI+ community
Our family loves watching movies together. From when the kids were small, it was an opportunity to learn to accommodate each other’s tastes. Sunday nights are movie nights, and we all take turns to pick a movie for the night. We make popcorn, smoothies and later some hot chocolate. When the kids were smaller, this…
Sitting at Heaven’s Gates
I was sitting next to my dad’s hospital bed. The lights were dimmed, curtains slightly drawn. The scent of sanitiser intermingled with hospital food aromas filled the air. Such a clinical setting. Not the ideal scene for my last memories of my dad. Death knocking on the door He never wanted to spend his last…
Are you a hedge builder?
“Demons watch you through the ink of your tattoos”, my daughter’s friend told her a few weeks ago, “when you have tattoos you give them a door into your life. My grandfather told me so”. My daughter was discussing some contemporary matters of the day during a youth group meeting, and she came to chat…
Interview with a Retrenchee
It’s an early evening on a Cape winters weekday. It’s dark. A man is walking, alone, his collar up to shield against the icy breeze coming from the cold Atlantic. Knowing it’s not quite safe to be alone at this hour, he keeps his head down but glances around every so often — a natural…
Five songs and a Two-Step
What do Queen, Peter Sarstedt, Paul Simon, Maroon 5 and Abba have in common? Apart from them making up a pretty good Saturday afternoon playlist, they also help tie this post together… let me explain. My blog posts so far all dealt with the adversities we experience. Seems like I am not quite off that…
3 ways to dislodge yourself when you’re stuck in your bible reading
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?…
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…