Unacceptable causes of death... Another example of poor communication.

This is a rather interesting label. It gives a list of 'unacceptable causes of death, as if there are ACCEPTABLE causes of death! Ha ha!

I guess what they intend is that the causes of death listed here could be harmful (i.e., through infection etc.) to those who deal with the dead person...

Anyway, if I should die of any of these 'unacceptable' causes of death, would one of you mind alerting the coroner!?

Having written this I was reminded of what Paul writes in Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain..." Clearly Paul didn't really seem to care whether he lived or died... So for HIM at least there would have been no unacceptable causes of death. I suppose there is some measure of truth in this worldview! If the purpose of life is to devote one's self entirely and completely to Christ, then whether we do so in this life or the next is neither here nor there!

I do, of course, worry about some who may take this a little too far and fall into the trap of nihilism... We need to be certain that Paul was not UN-concerned about life! In fact quite the opposite! If you read the Pauline letters you will see that Paul spends a great deal of time writing and teaching about how one should live in this life in order to bring glory to God! No, Paul was concerned about LIFE, but not necessarily about living. What was more important for him was life in Christ, rather than living at all costs.

One thing, however, that Paul and I don't have in common is the fact that I am a family person, whereas he was not! Very often for married persons, and for those who are parents, our lives become less about ourselves and much more about living for the sake of those whom we love. As I read the Gospels and Epistles I can see that this issue is also address. There are two important aspects to keep in mind. The first is that no person, or relationship, should be of greater importance that our relationship with the all loving, all powerful, all knowing, God. The second, which is related to the first, is that we must surely believe that if we die the God who loves us will love and care for those whom we love. So, the importance of the spiritual disciplines of freeing one's self from self-reliance in favour of faith in God, and God's perfect will, is an ongoing concern that requires growth and commitment.

Anyway, this is not a subtle hint that I am dying! Have you ever known me to be subtle!? No, I am getting stronger and better by the day! Please keep praying for me as I work to get free from the infection to the wound on my leg. As for the 'metal bits', they seem to be doing what they were put in to do, and I am getting more and more mobile in my 'air cast' and on my crutches.

Please also pray that our insurance will replace my laptop and that I'll be able to get my beloved Mertyl (the orange Vespa) fixed. I spoke with the person who fixed her up and resprayed her last time. If I can get her there he promised to help me get her patched up!!! So, please pray for us!!

Thanks!

Technorati tags: strange causes of death, Romans 1:21, Apostle Paul recovery, Vespa, please pray

Good times!

Yesterday we went to my sister in law's house in Bryanston for a lovely family celebration. Here's a picture of little Liam playing in the dirt!

It was my mom in law's birthday, but when we got there we also discovered to more surprises. My brother in law, Craig, surprised us all by arriving from the UK, and my sister in law, Gwen and her husband Rhys, announced that they were expecting their first child.

Community is important - it shapes and defines us. Our relationships help us to discover more truly who we are, and to whom we belong. This notion of intersubjective identity is very African. In the 'West' we tend to rely on objective factors to determine our identity (i.e., we identify oursleves by objective factors such as what we own, where we work, what gender or race we are etc.) In the 'East' many persons rely on subjective identifiers (i.e., identity based on apiritual and psychological reality). In Africa, however, we discover our identity not just through static objective or static subjective aspects of our being, but more precisely through intersubjective encounters (i.e., our relationships define who we are over a period of time - our 'subjects' interact with one another).

This is, in my view, also the Christian Trinitarian model of identity. The persons of the Trinity are identified by their living relationship with one another.

Yesterday I became more fully human, more completely myself, as I interacted with those significant others who shape my life and living.

Thanks be to God for special people and special events...

PS. My leg has been up in the air for the past few days - sadly I am struggling to shake the infection. It is just a little sore!

Happy Birthdat Robert Mugabe

Yup, the old dictator, human rights abuser, and all round corrupt leader, Robert Mugabe, is 85 years old today...

My mom always says 'If you don't have anything nice to say, rather just say nothing.'

So, here goes....

NOTHING

Chuck Norris' Macbook Pro! Squashed by a 4x4 and STILL working! A metaphor for my life.

Here are a few pictures of my Macbook Pro after I was knocked off my Vespa by a 4x4 the other day. You can see how the whole computer is bent from where the optical drive slot starts.... It was in my backpack and was hit by the bullbars on the front of the 4x4 as he darted off the pavement.

The screen is smashed, so I have it hooked up to my 23" Cinema display, but other than that (oh, and the fact that one can't get a disc into the optical drive), everything still works!

How incredible is that!? I'm creating a bootable backup so that I can deliver the dead Macbook to my insurance for replacement.

I, on the other hand, was not so lucky. I have a leg that was broken in a few places (with a metal plate in the ankle, a metal pin between the knee and the ankle, and screws in the ankle and knee). My Vespa is also wrecked... It is repairable (I think), but wrecked all the same...

Check back in a few days for photos of the late Mertyl - the Vespa of my dreams (may she rest in pieces)...

Joking aside, I am starting to realise just how fortunate I am to have escaped with only a broken leg! I am still struggling to come to terms with yet another crisis - of course I ask questions of our Lord about this! In the last two years our little Liam was born 3 months premature and sustained brian damage, I was diagnosed with, and treated for cancer, my father had a series of severe strokes and eventually died on the 31st od December last year (after two years of struggle), Liam has been back in hospital more than once, Megie had to go into hospital, Courts was in hospital... You get the picture I'm sure!

I know that lifestyle and stress are factors in all of this! I work hard, sleep very little, and have quite a lot of stress. Regardless, I do feel that it is time that we have a bit of a breather from calamity! I am well aware that there are spiritual forces at work that would rejoice if we became disheartened, bitter, or angry. We will not give into such emotion! I have been praying that the Lord will give me a Godly perspective on all these events, and on my life.

You see, the converse to the calamity is also true! God has been incredibly gracious to us over the last two years! We have been blessed with a darling son who survived a traumatic start to life! We have a darling daughter who is kind, loving, helpful, loves us, and loves the Lord! Megan is healthy as can be, and I am healthy and strong! The outcome of this most recent accident could have been so much worse, yet I was spared... God has a plan!

So it is certainly NOT that God has abandoned us! On the contrary God hass been protecting, healing, loving, and caring for us all along. I can see that. I know that as we have wept, felt pain, and often fallen prey to fear or despondency, God has carried us through! In fact more than that, God has wept with us, felt our pain, and longs for us to be free from struggle and hardship (perhaps even more acutely than we have longed for it).

We have a great prospect ahead - and it begins in just 5 weeks! I have dropped little hints about a change in our future! As soon as I have freedom to do so I shall share that incredible news in full!

So, please could we aks you to give thanks to our Lord on our behalf?

I guess that I feel a little bit like my Macbook, bent, a little sore, sometimes sad, but blessed that I am still alive! Praise be to God!

Someone is selling nails from the Crucifixion on eBay... Mmmmm... I'll start saving.

I remember being approached many, many, many times by street vendors in the 'old city' of Jerusalem who assured me that they were selling pieces of the actual cross of Christ (some for as low as 1US$!). I personally saw a few people buying these little pieces of well aged wood...

I wonder how many people actually falls for this nonsense!

Here's a story of a guy who is selling nails from the Crucifixion on eBay... If someone remembers, please let us know if anyone actually buys the nails, and what they sell for! Thanks...

Here's the story -

A fellow claims to have three of the nails used to crucify Christ to the cross a couple of thousand years ago.

If you believe him, you can buy them for 10 thousand euros on eBay.

Be warned that the nails are in poor condition and would need to be straightened and de-rusted before you could use them in a carpentry or woodworking project. Link

Technorati tags: crucifixion, crazy ebay sales, gullible, nails

Guy unknowingly uploads pictures of himself from a stolen Nokia phone...

I have Shozu set up on my mobile phone - it allows me to upload photos taken on the phone directly to my flickr account, and to blogger.

This stupid criminal didn't realize that the phone he had stolen was set up to automatically send all photographs to the internet!

This photo was taken on my previous cellphone after it had been stolen. Someone tried to upload it through Shozu to my Flickr account, but the attempt failed due to disabled Shozu-Flickr authorization. So, Shozu automatically emailed it to me. I didn't notice it then (thought it was spam ) and spotted it only yesterday while digging in my gmail archive. Looks similiar to that story about Macbook photobooth you covered in September'07.

Link

Then there are these stories of a guy who did the same on a stolen Apple iMac! He uploaded pictures of himself - almost 500 000 people viewed the pictures on flickr and he ended up being caught (handing over the stolen machine at a local police station).

Just be sure that if you're going to allow your computer to auto upload all the pictures you take, that you're willing to have whatever you take seen by others!

Technorati tags: shozu, nokia, imac, photobooth, stupid thief

Do you suffer from email 'apnea': I know I do!

Do you hold your breath while you respond to emails? I know I do with some more complex, conflicted, or delicate matters... Anyone else out there suffer from this condition?

Here's an interesting article on the condition (and I believe it IS an actual condition!) -

Linda Stone (who coined the phrase "continuous partial attention") has noticed that people hold their breath and breathe shallowly when answering email, a phenomenon she'd dubbed "email apnea." She's posted a little rumination on the long-term health impacts of impaired email breathing.

I wanted to know -- how widespread is email apnea*? I observed others on computers and BlackBerries: in their offices, their homes, at cafes. The vast majority of people held their breath, or breathed very shallowly, especially when responding to email. I watched people on cell phones, talking and walking, and noticed that most were mouth-breathing and hyperventilating. Consider also, that for many, posture while seated at a computer can contribute to restricted breathing.

Does it matter? How was holding my breath affecting me?

I called Dr. Margaret Chesney, at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Research conducted by Dr. Margaret Chesney and NIH research scientist Dr. David Anderson demonstrated that breath-holding contributes significantly to stress-related diseases. The body becomes acidic, the kidneys begin to re-absorb sodium, and as the oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitric oxide (NO) balance is undermined, our biochemistry is thrown off.

Link

Technorati tags: email apnea, hold your breath, internet illness, apnea, how bizarre

20 Religous products that are sure to make God disassociate God's self from relligion...

Yes, indeed, sadly there are those who sell junk, and those who buy junk! You just need to look in any garage in South Africa to find at least one 'ab-flex' or 'super bum reducing metal shorts', or a 'bedazzler'... You get the idea.

Heck, I have often been awake at 2am watching infomercials thinking to myself "...mmmmm a nosehair trimmer with a built in flash light that can charge in my car lighter, I need to get one of those!!!!" Yup, they sure know how to make junk look good...

Add the 'religion' factor and you'll find that people are even easier to manipulate than normal.

Here are 20 'relgious' products that are sure to make God disassociate God's self from religion
... Well, maybe (just maybe), God is gracious enough to overlook our stupidity in this instance as well!

Taken from www.cracked.com

For as long as there has been religion, there's been someone hawking religious crap to scam a buck off the devout. But once the market becomes saturated with tasteful silver crosses and Star of David pendants, retailers had to find more exotic fare to tempt the faithful.

And so began a downward spiral of crass and downright sacrilegious merchandise that is certain to call down the wrath of the almighty Himself.

#20.

Ketzel the Cat Menorah

Crazy cat ladies transcend religious barriers--it's really a unifying theme of humanity. As such, when Chanukah rolls around, those Jewish crazy cat ladies bust out Ketzel. It's the one time of year that Judaism really lends itself to lighting a nightmarish looking blue cat in a bow tie on fire for several days.

#19.

Luke 6:38 Roll Gum

For those not able to bring up Biblical verse off the top of their heads, this is Luke 6:38:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Yes, today the Lord has heaped upon us this blessing of bubblegum tape.

#18.

Ten Plagues of Egypt Toy

Some of the darker aspects of the scriptures, things like fiery wrath and disease, are tricky to capture in soft, cuddly animal form. Or are they?

Yes, they are. But that didn't stop someone from trying with the 10 Plagues of Egypt toy. Now your child, ages 3 and up, can enjoy an unhappy severed head of the first born, locusts, twitching, dying cattle and so much more.

#17.

Testamints

The groan-worthy pun name of this product alone should be enough to get it banned by the church. These mints have scripture written on the one-inch square wrapper, which we guess makes them a sort of a reverse fortune cookie.

Their spokesperson is none other than Jaci Velasquez. You know, Dove Award-winning American Contemporary Christian Latin Pop singer Jaci Velasquez? Yeah, that one. She assures us these things are minty as hell. As hell.

#16.

Baby Jesus Cookie Cutter

The urge to engage in some manner of cannibalistic ritual with God is a natural one, what with that whole body of Christ thing that creeps out so many kids at church. If you could make Jesus a little more tasty, toss in some sprinkles and maybe a little chocolate, why not? And so what if the cookie that it forms ends up looking like some emotionless, drug-addled eastern European cartoon in a shopping cart?

#15.

Chocolate Jewish Bear

Known to roam the valleys of Israel, the chocolate Jew bear is credited with inventing kosher pickles and once chasing Abraham three miles across rough terrain. Oh sorry, we made that whole thing up by accident. Yeah, we don't know where the fuck chocolate Jew bear came from.

Maybe they made up this cartoonish character, as they knew every child's instinct would be to bite the head off first. It's not like they can have the kids biting the head off Jesus.

#14.

Chocolate Jesus

Or, maybe they can.

#13.

Pope Cake

After much research, it became clear that the Pope Cake (or Dolce Del Papa) is not a joke. Some Italian joint called Pan Ducale made them because Pope John Paul II really dug this cake and not, as we had hoped, because the Pope made each cake himself.

What's that? You thought we were going to make some kind of sophomoric "Poop Cake" reference? We're afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave.

#12.

Praise Workout Circuit Training Video

Let's be honest, Jesus hates fatties. It's somewhere in the Bible. Just follow the asterisk on that bit about him loving everyone. But that doesn't mean He'll hate you forever. Not if you pick up the Praise Workout Circuit Training Video so you can trim down to the sweet beats of inspirational worship music.

If all other workouts have failed, this has to work as it puts God on your side. If this fails, you're almost definitely going to eat your way right to hell.

#11.

Jesus Loves You Footwear

As many of you know, we absolutely hate going to the beach. Not because our pale, undernourished frames respond to the sun in vampire-like fashion nor because that big, muscle guy keeps kicking sand in our faces. No, it's because we can't stand the thought of leaving blank, wordless tracks in the sand. Well thank God that's not a concern any more. Now we can tell the world, on the beach or some muddy lot, that Jesus loves them from the bottom of our feet.

Click here for the next page.

Technorati tags: Jesus, embarrassing God, tacky, religious suckers, infomercial

When desire is met by grace. Coming home.

Yesterday I posted about my frustration and disappointment at having to remain in hospital for a while longer due to an infection. Well God heard my prayers and understood my heart's desire to be home with Megie, Courtney, and Liam! When the orthopedic surgeon and the physician conferred on my blood tests they were happy to say that the antibiotics had taken their intended effect and so I was cleared to come HOME!

Some may say that it was science that made this possible, others may say that it was God's healing grace. I think they're spot on! It is a mistake of dualism to think that science and faith are mutually exclusive! In its most extreme forms one finds religious deformities such as those the Christian Scientologists (Tom Cruise's lot) or the Jehovah's Witnesses. On the science side aberrations include the treatment of illnesses instead of people (as if a leg can be made whole without caring for the person who's leg one is treating). In all instances of such dualism the mistake is to think that 'cure' is the same as 'wholeness' (healing). One can be physically well and still not be whole! I encounter many such people! Conversely one could be quite sick, or have a severe handicap, and be 'whole' - at peace, filled with joy, blessing, and true life.

Well, coming home for me is an integrated experience. It takes BOTH science and faith to bring wholeness, and I experienced both in hospital - there my body and its needs were acutely understood and cared for, yet at the same time I encountered many persons who encouraged my spirit and uplifted my heart (both from the patient and loving care from the staff for me as a person, and among patients in the ward who faced far greater challenges with courage, grace, understanding).

At home I will also experience physical care and loving support - at this point it is the latter that I long for! I feel a sense of wholeness when I am with my wife and children. Their love lifts me out of my selfish pity, they offer me a perspective that is far beyond my current situation and my physical state.

It is great t be among people that I love surrounded by familiar things. My recovery progressed by a further step the instant I arrived home.

This is not only a meeting of faith and science, it is also a meeting of desire and grace! Oh boy, I can't tell you how hard I prayed t b able to come home, and I can hardly express how grateful I am for the God who created both science and faith! God has blessed me even more than I could imagine (Eph 3v20).

Now that I am home I need to start sorting out my insurance claims... I haven't had the courage to look at my Vespa yet. Paul Ooshuizen who got it home for me tells me it is not too bad (but also not too good... We'll see!) My laptop, however, is completely wrecked! The screen is smashed, the casing is bent (I mean BENT!), the optical drive no longer works... BUT in true Apple form it surprised me. I plugged in an external monitor, a keyboard and mouse, and viola, she booted up and ran! So I have saved all my personal data and will take it in to Apple today to start the insurance claim process.

Well, thanks once again for all the prayers and messages of love and support - it means so much! I will be on sick leave for a few weeks as I figure out new ways of being mobile.

Technorati tags: broken leg, pain, motorcycle accident, Vespa, home

It's a slow and frustrating process... Stories of the 'bionic leg'....

Warning, don't scroll down if you're a bit squeemish

I had hoped to be out of hospital by now. However, the process of recovery seems a little slower than expected. I have had a (minor) setback in that I caught a 'hospital infection' in my leg, and so need to bget that cleared before I can be discharged. When the 4x4 hit me and my leg broke (either on impact, or as I fell from my old orange Vespa.... May she rest in pieces) the bone punctured through the back of my leg leaving an open wound. It is likely that I picked up the infection either in the ambulance or while being xrayed and stabalised in the emergency ward before surgery.

My leg is much less painful (now with added iron - in the form of a pin that runs from the left knee to the left ankle (sensible choice that, if it ran to the right ankle it would be extremely difficult to move ;-), it has a metal plate in the left ankle and a few screws in the ankle and knee), and I am already up and about on crutches (it's like riding a bike... if you'd excuse the use of that particular simile... as soon as they put the crutches in my hands the muscle memory returned, all those neural pathways relit, and I was hobbling up and down the corridor, over stairs, and around corners with ease). Sadly my fever has not yet come down (sitting at around 38 to 39 degrees C), it does at least mean that my body is putting up a good fight, and that the antibiotics are starting to fight the infection. So as soon as that is clear, and of course having had a day or so of o bservation, I hope to be home with my darlings Megie, Courtney and Liam.

It can be quite frustrating and humbling to be totaly reliant on others (particularly when one is accustomed to setting one's pace and be self-sufficient). But of course self reliance is not they way of Christ, who lives in a perichoretic self-emptying relationship in the Trinity. Neither is it the way of the Kingdom of God, to which interdependance and relationships are central. I constantly need to be reminded that my wholeness is as a result of the love and sacrifice of others (Christ died to give me life, people give of themsleves to offer care, support, and healing. I have to be humbled into receiving thse gifts, unworthy as I am to recieve them, in the knowledge that they are a gift from God who is the giver of all good gifts).

Please pray for me I learn, grow, and recover.

Thanks so much to Billy Fletcher who made my day by sending me this wonderful image of blessing and encouragement, with a Mac theme! Thanks Billy! It is now the centre of the desktop on my Windows machine, until I can replace my Mac. It leaves me with an eschatological hope, in find a realised eschatological hope (what is to come (a NEW Mac) is ALREADY a reality (the insurance is in place and it should be a simple matter of completing a claim), so all I have to do is take courage and find hope in the reality that already IS, but just remains to be seen - this sounds like a sermon Hebrews 11:1!

Blessings,

Dion

Bible comic featuring giant killer robots! Biblical narrative moves into the future.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is a series of graphic novels featuring "action-packed mecha-manga art and adventure-filled tales from the Old Testament." Shown here, the cover for #1, the David and Goliath issue.

The characters, stories and themes remain the same. Only the setting has changed – to a futuristic world of robots, aliens and advanced technology!

Link (via Comics Worth Reading)

from boingboing

Technorati tags: Bible comic characters, Manga+Bible, Superhero Jesus Cartoon, Bible relevant to teens, Mecha Manga

MIT Professor's lecture on 'how to talk' (the science of a good 'talk')

Here's an amazing video on the science of a good speach / public talk given by an MIT Professor. I've seen parts of this before. It is a masterful mix of genre's (empirical research, phenomenological insight, and sprinkling of quite a few disciplines).

See how your preaching / public speaking equates (if you'll excuse the bad pun!)

MIT prof Patrick Winston gives an infamous annual talk called "How to Talk," a lecture on how to give good lectures. It's open to students and, apparently the public. This 1999 version of the talk (pre-Powerpoint!) is filled with damned good advice on persuasive public speaking, delivered in the form of "heuristics" that you can use to guide your own presentations. Link

posted in: Video