A last ride in Paradise before heading to the USA!

Yesterday I had an absolutely stunning mountain bike ride on Lourensford with the Cycle Addiction club. We are blessed with amazing riding here!

Tomorrow I head to the United States to participate in a significant Christian business conference (where the 8 Millennium Development Goals will be the central discussion points - so thankful that they have taken this important discussion on board!) The Church must learn to engage business if we are to be God's agents of renewal and transformation in the world.  We can halve global poverty by 2015 if we each just do our bit to witness, advocate and act on behalf of the poor.

In many cases Nation States are no longer the most influential and powerful regional influencers. This quote from Lesley Newbigin made sense in this regard:

[W]e may well be coming to the end of the era of the sovereign nation-state as we have known it for the past three centuries. Economic, financial, and technical forces have created a global system that is far more powerful than most existing states. The secular powers shaping human life are increasingly transnational If the Church is to speak the truth to Caesar, it is these powers that must be more and more in our sights.

— Leslie Newbigin, Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth p89

After Orlando I head to New York for some meetings regarding EXPOSED (see the EXPOSED2013 tab at the top for more information regarding this corruption and poverty project). I will be at the United Nations meeting some friends in the UNDP and also at the Salvation Army meeting Christine MacMillan, their general in charge of social justice initiatives. I will also be at Redeemer and a few other significant meetings.

Please pray for me (and for my family back home)! I get back on 3 May and then head off to Indonesia on the 12th of May. So it is a little hectic with travel at the moment. Skype is a wonderful blessing to stay in touch with Megie, Courtney and Liam.  But I always miss them so much!!! My goodness, these three people truly do occupy my life!  I am already filled with a little sadness at having to leave.

As for cycling - I will dream of the trails of Cape Town! But, keep an eye on my twitter and facebook feeds. You'll see me doing some running!

Please follow @EXPOSED2013 on twitter.com and on facebook at http://on.fb.me/exposed2013

God bless,

D

Rwanda to Bryanston, and the Passion Narrative of John

It is Good Friday - by God's grace I woke up early this morning and have been given the gift of quiet time to pray, read, and reflect.

Since my last post, from Kampala Uganda, it feels like a lifetime has passed.  It has only been a week. 

Last Saturday I flew from Rwanda to Johannesburg.  Megan and our children flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg as a gift from one of the members of the Bryanston Methodist Church.  Such gifts are truly an expression of God's love for us as a family through the goodness of others.  By Saturday afternoon we were all together at Megan's sister's home in Bryanston.

I had come here at the invitation of this wonderful Church to preach the Holy Week services, based on the theme of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17.1-26).  The High Priestly prayer is normally only considered after Easter in the lectionary.  However, in its placement in the text it fits nicely as a build up to Easter, since it is likely that the prayer itself would have been prayed at the conclusion of the Last Supper, or on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

It is a wonderful text to shape one's thoughts on Jesus love for the Father, the Triune God's love for the world (although there is no direct mention of the Holy Spirit in this text), and of course Jesus' prayer for his disciples and the Church that would come (that is you and I).

You are most welcome to download the 4 sermons that I preached from Sunday evening from my dropbox account here on the following links:

• "1 Refocusing your gaze s31 March 2012 number 1 knowing God.doc" in my Dropbox: http://db.tt/r6S7lEgz
• "2 Rediscovering your true identity 1 April 2012.docx" in my Dropbox: http://db.tt/U3NlAlWi
• "3 Recapturing your life’s true calling 3 April 2012.docx" in my Dropbox: http://db.tt/HA3OGrBk
• "4 Repurposing your relationships 4 April 2012.docx" in my Dropbox: http://db.tt/anBMx4f2 

If you don't already have a free DropBox account please sign up: use my referral link, and I will get an extra 250MB storage, a great help to me.  Thanks!

As I was preparing the reflections for this week I found the following quote.  It is quite thought provoking:

Indeed, Saint John’s whole Passion narrative is built on this connection between humble service and glory (doxa): it is in Jesus’ downward path, in his abasement even to the Cross, that God’s glory is seen, that the Father and, in him, Jesus are glorified. In a brief scene on ‘Palm Sunday’ - in what might be termed the Johannine version of the Gethsemane story - all this is summed up: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’” (12:27-28). The hour of the Cross is the hour of the Father’s true glory, the hour of Jesus’ true glory.

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two (via invisibleforeigner)

So, let me take a step back to Rwanda. I only had the privilege of visiting Kigali, the Capital City, of that beautiful nation.  I was struck by the beauty of the place and its people.  It is hard to imagine the horror of the genocide that took place there when one encounters the current beauty!  I wrote the following short reflection on my Tumblr blog while waiting for my flight from Kigali to Johannesburg.

 

(Source: peacerockandnature)

Rwanda is so beautiful. This morning all of the citizens of Kigali work in the city from 8am - 11am to clean and tidy this beautiful place. It is hard to imagine the horror that transpired here with the Rwandan genocide. I am left with a host of conflicting emotions - the conflict between the horror and depravity of human sin, and the possibility and beauty that God has placed within people and creation. I recognise that I carry that same conflict in my very nature. I am prone to sin, anger, selfishness, self-righteousness, pride… Yet, at the same time God gives the gift of empathy, the faculty of reason and the frailty of needing to depend on others… Without my kind French speaking taxi driver, who had to explain to police in a roadblock why he was driving me to the airport instead of working in the city, I would not be returning home to my wife and children for whom my heart aches with longing. I am dependent, dependent on God’s grace, and dependent on the good will of others, and dependent on love and beauty. This is a good place to reflect on the value of dependence.

It was good to be back in South Africa, a country to which I came as a young 'refugee' from Zimbabwe.  Here too we have immeasurable beauty, incalculable wealth, and wonderful opportunity.  I am blessed and thankful to be a citizen of this nation.

However, I also recognize that this privilege comes with a great responsibility.  South Africa is one of the most inequitable nations in the world.  We have the 27th largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world.  The province of Gauteng has the 3rd largest economy on the continent of Africa (if I am correct, the largest economy is the nation of South Africa, then Nigeria, then the Gauteng Province, then Egypt).  Yet, there are some signs of concern.  Last year Rwanda rose about 4 places on the Transparency International Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI) to being perceived to be the 4th least corrupt nation in Africa (behind Botswana, Cape Verde, and Mauritius).  South Africa, however, dropped 16 places in their CPI score in 1 year!  This is a grace concern.

So, this week was spent preaching in the evenings, and during the day I used the opportunity to meet with some of the most influential business, political and Church leaders of South Africa who live and work in and around Johannesburg.  In each instance I shared the challenge to stand for values, ethics and clean living, by joining us in the Unashamedly Ethical campaing.

I also asked these persons to book the dates of 14-20 October 2013 for a week of witness, action and advocacy on behalf of the poor and the corrupt, by joining the 100 million others who form the EXPOSED - Shining a light on corruption campaign. By the way, EXPOSED is featured as the lead story on the World Evangelical Alliance website this month - I met with the vice chair of the WEA here in Johannesburg, Ndaba Mazabane.  I will be meeting with the chair of the World Evangelical Alliance in the USA in about three weeks time (Geoff Tunnicliffe).

This Easter Friday morning I am considering the fact that the passion of Christ is intricately linked to His glory. What some would consider a defeat, death at the hands of his adversaries, was the greatest victory in all history. Because of His sacrificial love the world is saved.

In John 17.4 Jesus says that he brought Glory to his Father by completing the work that he had been sent to do.  It is my desire to bring Glory to the Father, Son and Spirit by completing the work that I am sent to do - and I ask for your prayers in this task.

Please join me in the work of healing and transforming the world for the sake of God's Kingdom.

A blessed Easter to you!  It is Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Another journey begins - Uganda and Rwanda (and Bryanston!)

Tomorrow I depart for Uganda and Rwanda. 

These two nations have been in the news a great deal in recent years.  The populations of these two beautiful countries have faced a great deal of struggle and hardship in their history - however, both countries seem to be finding their way out of that legacy and charting a new path.

Rwanda is popularly known as the Switzerland of Africa because of its mountainous beauty, its cleanliness and emerging social and economic efficiency.  This is wonderful news when one considers the genocide that brought this nation into the news a few short years ago.

What has always struck me about the Rwandan genocide is that the population is overwhelmingly Christian - I believe that 98% of Rwandan's profess the Christian faith.  However, I'm sure that we would all agree that there is something wrong with a faith that allows neighbours to kill each other, children to kill their friends, and ethnic ideology to outweigh Christian peace and loving conviction.

I will also be spending some time in Uganda doing some television work, speaking at the Watoto Church, and doing some speaking engagements for business people (Christian, secular and persons of other faiths).  Uganda is also showing wonderful signs of social and economic reform.  Many in Africa look to such countries, who are trying to combat poverty and corruption, and take the lead from them.  I hope that we too can learn something about what they are doing, and perhaps add a little something in return.

I will be in Uganda and Rwanda with Graham Power, and together we will be representing the Unashamedly Ethical campaign. I will be speaking about, and representing, 'EXPOSED - Shining a light on corruption' (follow us on Twitter @EXPOSED2013.  Our friends form Media Village will also be in there with us to do some of the television work for Inspire Africa.

Please could you pray for us?  The darkness does not like to be pushed back by the light.  Pray for our families back home. Please pray that God prepares the way for us, that we have great love and humility in our lives so that we can serve His people.  Please pray that God gives us courage, together with His love, to encourage, support and inspire his people.  Please thank God for the people of Rwanda and Uganda and for all that God is doing.

I return to Johannesburg on the weekend and will spend Holy Week preaching at the Bryanston Methodist Church.  From Sunday the 1st of April to Wednesday the 4th of April we shall be concentrating on Jesus prayer in John 17.  There are a number of very important lessons to consider in that important prayer.  They teach us about our relationship with God, our relationships with others, and our responsibility in this world.  Please do join us each evening you can find out details about this event here.

Megan, Courtney and Liam will be joining me in JHB for the week.  It is going to be great!  We retun to Cape Town just after Easter and then I will be working in Cape Town until the 23rd when I'll be going to Orlando and New York for some meetings for EXPOSED campaign.

Global Corruption - a meeting in the Houses of Parliament

Today was such an amazing day!  

As I write this I am sitting in the Houses of Parliament in London listening to a presentation on International Corruption by Richard Alderman of the Serious Fraud Office.

The image on the left was taken at the entry hall into the House of Lords. It is such an amazing space! I decided to take it in black and white (the light was not great, and a building of this size and space is best captured in black and white!) 

Back to the presentation; what was clear from the presentation is that corruption, on an international scale, is an extremely serious matter. The costs and repercussions of corruption in the international arena have grave consequences for the poor.  Yet, the reach is also into the middle class and even the wealtheir members of society.  Corruption quite simply erodes the fabric of society making it unstable and leaving us all vulnerable.  If corruption is left unchecked it tends to increase, drawing in more and more persons and leaving more and more victims in its wake.

The presentation gave some insights into the manner in which corruption is hidden from the general public. In short, it is because we all have a sense of moral 'rightness' within us, we know that abuse of power, wealth, and position for personal benefit is unjust. Corruption is not only a matter for governments, it is also very prevalent in businesses, and even in NGO's and the religious sector.  In some instances companies are far more corrupt (and powerfully so!), and the consequences of their corrupt practises are far more severe, than those of governments.

What strikes me as I have listened to this presentation is that many countries in which corruption is rife have an overwhelmingly Christian population.  Why isn’t the Church forming its members to act responsibly in their role in government and business - in society in general?  In many of these instances it is persons who sit in our pews on Sunday, who are robing the poor, stealing form the nation, and breaking the law on a Monday.

Christians, what should we be doing about corruption in our midst?  What do you do if you are aware of corrupt practises in your work environment, or you have been involved in corrupt practises yourself?

What would God want you to do?  What would God want your Church to do?

Our meetings for EXPOSED continue today.  I would appreciate your prayers! Follow EXPOSED on twitter here and please 'like' us on Facebook.

In London for EXPOSED 2013 meetings

I arrived in the beautiful city of London yesterday morning.  I am here to meet with various good people about the EXPOSED 2013 campaign that we are starting up.

This is such wonderful work! There is an increasing awareness of the need to grow our Christian witness on issues of corruption and poverty.  Over US$1 Trillion goes missing each year across the globe due to corrupt practises, maladministration and poor governance across the world.  Can you imagine what this money could be used for - primary health care, nutrition, clean water, education, economic empowerment and development!

So, what we are doing this week is meeting with a number of ministries that are already involved in global poverty or ethics development efforts.  Our aim is not to ask them to do anything new, but simply to say, let's do what we are doing together for a short period of time.  

Forming a coalition of persons who act with one heart and speak with one voice about these issues can be a significant public witness for the Kingdom of God!

Please do pray for us - if you're interested in finding out more about the EXPOSED campaign please follow us on twitter or like our facebook page, or read this press release on the Micah Challenge website.

Here are a few pictures that I took as I was heading to my meeting with Tricia Neil and Ken Kosta at the Alpha International office - the picture on the right is Tricia Neill and I in the Alpha international office.  These are such great people doing such wonderful work across the world! I am constantly amazed at how a small team accomplishes so much.  Joel Edwards and I also had the joy of meeting David Ryal from the Catholic Bishops Conference.

I shall also be sitting in on the Micah Challenge staff meeting.  It was wonderful to meet Joel and Vikki in person!  I had met Amanda in Cape Town last year.  Today I will meet the other link in this chain - Felicity.  What a wonderful group of people!!

A visit to the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary

This week I had the wonderful privilege of visiting the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary. This is where the minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa are trained for the 6 nations of Southern Africa.

It is a truly remarkable place - the attention to detail and excellence is visible throughout the property. Moreover, that staff and students of the seminary exemplify excellence in their commitment to their vocational formation.

I was invited to SMMS to do some examinations for 3rd year students in Systematic Theology (for a course in Ecology and Caring for the earth), and also for 3rd year Church history students. My friend, Peter Grassow, who is a lecturer (and the Chaplain at SMMS) invited me. I also the joy of working with Dr Lilian Siwila, as well as preaching in the magnificent Chapel (for the SMMS community, which makes up staff, students and their families).

SMMS forms part of a theological cluster around the University of KwaZulu Natal in Pietermartizburg. Among the 'cluster' institutions are the University's theological faculty, the Lutheran Seminary, the Catholic Seminary and an Anglican house of study. As a result of this diversity the students get a great deal of ecumenical interaction, as well as the highest level of theological formation for ministry.

Jacksonville at night - beautiful!

Penang - wonderful people, a beautiful place!

Last night Steve Johnstone (from Unashamedly Ethical), Pr Looi Kim, Eugene and I arrived in Penang. It is a beautiful Island in Malaysia.

We were met by members of the Marketplace Ministry committee (isn't it great that they have an organised committee to encourage, support and develop marketplace ministers?)

Over the next 4 days we'll be speaking at various events with Pastors, Marketplace Leaders, Local politicians, and then on Sunday we'll be preaching various Churches. In particular we shall be launching Unashamedly Ethical, and talking about the critical relationship between Pulpit ministers and Marketplace ministers for Transformation.

Please join us! If you're looking more information please visit the NECF website.

I would also appreciate your prayers for Steve, myself, the local team and all of those who will participate! Transformation is God's desire, and God's idea. Let's pray that together we can take another step within His will!

I took the picture in this post when I got back from my morning run along the beach. It is a beautiful place! It reminds me a little of the Strand back home.

Arrived in Sibu

I'm pleased to say that after 5 flights we have arrived safely at the Kingswood Hotel in Sibu where we will be speaking at the Methodist Prayer convention at the invitation of our friend Bishop Hwa Yung.

It is wonderful to be here! I last spoke at the 2007 Methodist Prayer convention which was held in Kuala Lumpur. In total there were about 3500 people at that conference and close to 13 000 people at the Sunday event. They are expecting similar numbers this week. (PS., I loved seeing these brightly coloured chairs on our last flight from KK to Sibu).

Graham and I will have to be clear and brief since our talks in the plenaries will be translated into Chinese (so one's speaking time must be cut in half to accommodate translation).

Malaysia is a nation that seems to share so much in common with South Africa. We have a similar Christian missionary heritage, both nations have a wonderfully colorful diversity of peoples! Yet both still struggle with ethnic and racial concerns, corruption is a huge national concern... Both nations are rich in human and natural resources. Yet there are problems with poverty.

It is our hope that as we a share with business people and Christian leaders on the Unashamedly Ethical campaign, and the Kingdom of God in every sphere of society - particularly as we've experienced it in the 'world of work' (see Transform your work life for more details) that we will be able to support the good work of the Church here. We want to encourage more fervent prayer, more courageous and sacrificial obedience to God's loving Kingdom, and the transformation of society. (The photo on the right was taken in the hotel lift showing a sign to the prayer room on the 5th level).

Of course the basis for everything that we do comes from the mandate for the Global Day of Prayer which has taken place in Malaysia since 2005 if I am correct.

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways.  Then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chron 7.14)

Please pray with us for this to take place!

Join us at the Unashamedly Ethical conferences in Malaysia

On Wednesday I'll be boarding a flight from Cape Town to Malaysia where Graham Power and I will first be heading via Kuala Lumpur to Sibu to speak at the Methodist Prayer gathering (with some engagements in Kuching along the way). I had the immeasurable privilage of speaking at the 2007 prayer gathering (it was during this time that I first fell in love with Malaysia and her wonderful people!)  

Malaysia has a very special place in my heart - I have been back a number of times since then, and will be there twice this year.

Then, on the 29th we head back to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with Steve Johnstone (the international coordinator for Unashamedly Ethical) to speak at an Unashamedlly Ethical conference (see the brochure and video below).  Please find the full details of the conference here.  I would love to see there if you're in the area!

On the 5th and 6th of May we go on Penang for another Unashamedly Ethical Conference. Please find full details of that conference here.

The Unashamedly Ethical movement challenges individuals and organisations to make a stand for values and ethics.  We are convinced that we will never be able to deal with systemic poverty until we address systemic corruption. Please consider joining us by committing yourself to values, ethics and clean living here - Unashamedly Ethical online.

I will also be doing some seminars and workshops with pastors and business people on the topics of 'ministry in the marketplace' and 'practical social transformation' (based in part on the book that Graham Power and I wrote together called 'Transform your work life')  If you live in Malaysia and would like to order a copy of the book please visit Canaanland here. If you live elsewhere in the world please get your copy here.

Prayer requests

Please could you support us in prayer.  Here are some prayer pointers.

• Please pray for our hosting committee in the Methodist Church in Malaysia who will host us for the first part of our visit (particularly Bishop Hwa Yung and his leadership team)
• Please pray for our hosting committee from the NECF - close friends who are doing incredible work in the Church and the marketplace.
• Please pray for Graham, Steve and I while we're away.  Also please pray for our families.
• Please pray that the Lord will use us and that He will create wonderful opportunities for us to bless, encourage and partner with our Malaysian friends in bringing about renewal and transformation in the Church and world of work.

Thanks so much!  I'll be posting updates as regularly as I can to my twitter feed and will post here as well as often as I can.

Back to Cape Town - 27 March 2011

Our time in the US ended on a high note - the two day conference on our book, 'Transform your work Life' and our Unashamedly Ethical campaign went off extremely well. Both Graham and I were well received by the 180 people in attendance, we ended the weekend with the establishment of a UE community in Palos Verdes and another in Hollywood. We also had close to 90 persons commit themselves to the Unashamedly Ethics commitment to ethics in personal and business life.

LA was wonderful! It is such beautiful place, and our hosts, Dave and Kristen Wendorff were just wonderful. I feel that I have made friends in them that will last me a lifetime!

I am truly grateful for your prayers, the Lord blessed us in so many ways. I look forward to being back in the USA in June. But for now I cannot wait to get home! Our flight goes from LA to Washington (5 hours), then Washington to Johannesburg (via Dakar, which is 16.5 hours) and then Johannesburg to Cape Town (which is another 2 hours). Together with the airport lay overs it is almost 2 days in transit, but for the joy of being with the wonderful friends in Jacksonville, San Francisco, San Jose and LA, AND for the joy of getting home it is worth it! I cannot wait to see Megie, Courtney and Liam! They will collect me at just before 10pm.

Palos Verdes, Los Angeles - 25 and 26 March 2011

Graham and I arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on the evening of the 24th of March.  We are staying with our friends Dave and Kristen Wendorff in Rolling Hills (which is in the city of Palos Verdes, California - I guess by South African standards we would say that it is a suburb of Los Angeles).  These are such beautiful, kind people, and their surroundings closely match their wonderful hearts.  It is truly lovely to be among such sincere, loving, and dedicated Christians!

Dave is a property developer (like Graham) - he has had a great deal of success in that field.  However, what is truly significant is that he has seen his business as an opportunity to bless the people of the city, to develop infrastructure to support transformation in society so that the 'good news' may be experienced wherever he has been busy.  So, he prays for his staff, his clients, and even the land on which he is building homes.  It is fantastic to be with Dave and his family!  We hosted their eldes son, Nathan, in South Africa last year.  And their daughter Louisa will be with us a little later this month.  Here we are with some friends from elsewhere in Californa, and our friend Larry Ihle from Minnesota having breakfast.

We are speaking at a 2 day conference on Unashamedly Ethical and Transform your work life at the Rolling Hills Covenant Church.  It is a remarkable Church (which has a South African, Matthew Kennedy, who is the worship pastor!)  We are being hosted by our friend Joy Handley who is the president of Asia Access (a missions organisation that works in Japan).  He was in Japan at the time of the earthquakes last week and share some remarkable insights on how things are going there after the Tsunami.  He and his organisation are doing truly wonderful work!  Then the local pastor is Dr Andy Noch - we have had a great connection.  This is a special guy in an awesome Church.

Today we continue to share on Unashamedly Ethical and Transform your work life - there are about 180 men at this men's conference.  Yesterday we also had a special luncheon with some business leaders and their wives at a beautiful country club (I have no idea what the place was called!) and some meetings with David Wood and his team from Hollywood who are running a Global Day of Prayer event there.  

Today is our last day in LA - we start our long journey home early tomorrow morning (LAX to Washington, Washington to Dakar, Dakar to JHB, JHB to Cape Town).  It will take 2 days to get home, but I can't wait to be home with Courtney, Megie and Liam!

Thanks for your prayers for all of us!  I am so pleased to tell you that Liam has recovered from his tonsillitis and the whole family are doing great!  We skype each other every day / morning (when I wake up at 6am it is 4pm back home - so the timing works quite well!)

This has been such a wonderful trip!  I know that the Lord has done some wonderful work in the lives of the people that we have had the joy of meeting and sharing with. It is always humbling to be encounter people who are doing such wonderful things, sometimes they just need a little encouragement to seek obedience to God, connection with the challenges the world faces, and one or two ideas for doing ministry for transformation.