On being mindful...

Once upon a time, the story goes, a preacher ran through the streets of the city shouting, 'We must put God into our lives. We must put God into our lives.' And hearing him, the old monastic rose up in the city plaza to say, 'No, sir, you are wrong. You see, God is already in our lives. Our task is simply to recognize that.'

Joan Chittister, OSB, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today

Happy 4th birthday to Liam the Great!

Today we gave thanks to God for the life of our precious big boy, Liam. You can read the posts about him here.  He is 4 years old today.  He was born very early (quite eager to get going in life, so he decided to come into the world 3 months early.  He was born premature at 27 weeks).  Our little Forster children are eager beavers, what can we say?!

When he was about a week old we took a picture of him with his little teddy bear.  He was the same size as the bear at that stage. Each year we have taken another picture of him with the teddy bear to show how he is growing.  Just look at this year's picture - Liam is such a big boy with big strong muscles!!!

Liam, one day you may read this - if you do mom and I want you to know how precious you are to us.  You are perfect in every way.  Your life is a gift from God to the world.  Use it wisely!  You can do so much to make the world a better place.  We cannot stop thanking God for you and Courtney.  You're both so special and unique.  We love you!

Have a blessed day my boy!  Tonight we can ride our bikes in the front garden!

Contego Wines2Whales 2010 - team frosty is ready to go!

Well, it is just before 9pm on the 11th of November 2010.  My bag is packed, my bike is clean and lubed, and my kit is laid out and ready for the 2010 Contego Wines2Whales three day mountainbike stage race.

My friend Greg and I have been training for this ride for almost a year now.  It will be the first time that either of us does a multi-day mountainbike ride.  We have both ridden longer distances, and of course ridden on consecutive days.  However, this race is unique in that each team has to ride together (you must pass each checkpoint within 2 minutes of your riding partner).

It is called the Wines2Whales because it starts on the historic Lourensford wine farm (which is my 'back yard' - this is where I ride just about every weekend), and then goes via Grabouw to the Whale Watching city of Hermanus on the Cape Coast.

Day 1 is the toughest day, a 70 km climb (1453m) out of the Helderberg valley, over the Hottentots Holland mountains to Grabouw.  Here's a descriptoin of the first day.

Start - Lourensford, Somerset West
The first 10km is open gravel track, climbing from 100 - 325m, with ample opportunity to warm up and for the bunch to spread out
The next 6km include 190m of climbing with 4 downhill single tracks interspersed with gravel
16 - 20km (385m): Granny gear, scenic views, check your heart rate AND keep something for 'DIE KOP'
7 single tracks and short gravel sections (fast and straight) lead you over the Blue Gum dam wall and to the 1st waterpoint at Lourensford Winery (33km,100m), whereafter you cross the Lourensriver into Vergelegen
Single track and long, slow climbs via the Wedderwill Game Reserve with a 'no passing zone' to deal with on this section takes riders to the 2nd waterpoint at Wedderwill winery and then on to conquer 'DIE KOP' with a cut off point at 52km (545m)
Up the Elandskloof single track with a portage over Gantouw / T'kana Ouwe to the 60km (510m) mark
68km (325m): Slightly up, 2 single tracks
Last 2km fast into finish
Finish - Grabouw Country Club

Day 2 is the fun day with a majority of the riding on single track. It is 75km in length and has a total climb of 1265m. Here's a blurb about day 2.

Start - Grabouw Country CLub
The first 2km (320 - 370m) goes out towards 'DIE KOP', then turns back and goes round the start giving the bunch time to spread out
Up to 4km is along the Eikenhof Dam with a steep zig-zag down to 315m
4 - 9km: a long climb ascending from 315 to 415m onto the Molteno Trail
A gravel downhill, between the orchards, takes the riders to the 10km at 370m above sea level
The route climbs up the Oak Valley along 5 Oak Valley and 4 Thandi single tracks, to the 13km mark, at 480m and then on to the 1st waterpoint at Thandi Farm Stall (30km, 250m) 
The Paul Cluver single track climbs up to 400m and then the riders go down via the Lebanon Forest Station to the 2nd waterpoint - Korteshoven Shed at 40km (310m) 
The next 17km takes you up to Houwteq and then down to the 3rd waterpoint at Thandi (57km, 240m) via the Lebanon singles and the subway under the N2
Up Thandi and Paul Cluver single tracks to the Oak Valley and then down 5 Oak Valley singles to 71km, whereafter the route takes you slowly up Applegarth to the finish
Finish - Grabouw Country Club

And then there is the final, leg stretch day, day 3 which is an 85km ride with a 985m climb.

Start - Grabouw Country Club
The first 2km (320 - 370m) goes out towards 'DIE KOP', then turns back and goes round the start giving the bunch time to spread out
2 short climbs in the beginning and a fast downhill, whilst saying a fond farewell to 'DIE KOP', brings the riders to Houwhoek Inn, the 1st waterpoint at 25km as well as Wildekrans Winery, the 2nd waterpoint at 35km
The 3rd waterpoint is situated at the Art House (47km, 125m) and from there the fast sandy downhill called Sandgat at 54km, will take you to the 4th waterpoint at Sumaridge (64km, 270m)
Fall from Hemel-na-Aarde, via Jan's single track to 69km, 90m above sea level
And then on to Rotary View Drive (72km, 250m), with it's stunning view of Walker Bay and the Kleinriver lagoon, via Hamilton Russel (witpad)
72km - 83km: Fast downhill with 3 short climbs and some pain, single track along the Onrusriver, under a bridge, along a trail path to the beach, up to Atlantic Drive and then on to the finish
Finish - Onrus Caravan Park, Hermanus

Greg and I have been riding together for about 2 years now - we have done quite a few MountainBike races together (the Cape Argus MTB, the Burger Sanlam in Stellenbosch, the Lourensford Classic and a few more).

Unfortunately, as is often the case, our training has not been perfect.  We have had a few injuries, some equipment failure, illness, busyness and travel to contend with along the way.  But, we're not looking for a win!  We're looking forward to spending three days in the saddle enjoying some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and some of the most magnificent offroad biking in the world!

Our friends, Ruan and Philip will also be riding as a team.  We're trusting for a safe, fun time over the 240 km's that lie ahead of us this weekend.

I'll be tweeting pictures and experiences from the ride, and will also update my facebook profile - so please keep an eye on those for news.

If you're riding I'd love to hear from you!  I know that the CEO of Vodacom, Pieter Uys, is riding this weekend. We've had some connection via twitter - by the way, did I mention how cool it is that the CEO of Vodacom manages his OWN twitter account? He responds to customers and interacts with clients.  This is truly a great example of the power of social media when it is used well.  I hope more will learn from him!  

There are a number of other big names along for the ride as well.

Drop me a line, DM me on twitter, or leave me a comment here and connect over the weekend, or share your experience after the race.

Remember to keep the sticky bits on the gravel, go fast, go safe and have lots of fun!

Update on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 1:23PM by Dr Dion Forster

Well, team Frosty did a good ride!  We rode in some of the worst conditions imaginable on day 1 - pelting rain and deep mud.  But we managed a respectable 7h34 for day 1.  On day 2 we sped through the single track for a great 6h24, and on day three we braved the climb from Grabouw, past Botriver, over the Hermanus mountains to Onrus caravan park.  We managed a great 6h40.

So, in total we did 20h34mins for the full race.  Greg had two falls - fortunately he was OK.  I broke two chains, and Greg lost his lockout on the front shock.  But our kit held up well, the tent village in Grabouw was excellent, the food was super, the riding was awesome and the scenery a treat.

I will certainly start saving my pennies for another Wines2Whales in 2011!  I hope to see you there!

George4Jesus, South African Idol Elvis Blue and prayers for rain

Yesterday we drove from Cape Town to the city of George on the Southern Cape's garden route - it truly is one of the most beautiful cities in our country. We had been here last year on the 6th of October (2009) when the region was in crisis, experiencing the worst drought in more than 100 years.

The leaders of the city had asked us to call a 'day of prayer for rain' - I realize that there are some sensitivities around such events. However, my basic point of departure in such matters is always to err on the side of grace and faith! If the mayor and City leadership invite us to come and pray with them and their people that is a good thing in my books!

Of course we prayed that God would meet their needs for the water that they need in order to care adequately for their community. However, we also had a wonderful opportunity to talk about the care of creation (one of the results of that effort is that the George community was able to save enough water to fill an entire dam). But we were also able to address other important issues in the city such as the need to engage in the establishment of God's Kingdom values in their society. Thus we addressed things such as poverty alleviation, economic empowerment, racial reconciliation, care for the most vulnerable in society, and practical and tangible expressions of the Gospel - my challenge last year, and again this year, was for Christians and churches in the area to take personal responsibility for being God's good news in society, primarily as good news agents in action.

Yesterday was a special day - I would guess that there were about 4500 or so people at the George stadium who came to offer thanks for their answered prayers. The city's water supply is sitting at 70.2% compared to less than 23% in at the same time on 2009. We were also able to meet with the Mayor, Mr Petrus, and his City Councillors. They have taken the 'good news challenge' to heart and are working really hard to see that the needs of their community are cared for. There is a very effective primary health care clinic right at the municipal offices, we heard of some great projects that are helping people to gain skills and start businesses, housing is being formalized for those who live in squatter communities... The list of Gospel work goes on and on....

So, I was nervous as I stood up to speak to the crowd, but I did my best to encourage them to take responsibility for their sphere of influence. I am convicted that so often we don't do as much as we could because we're waiting for a better situation in which to serve God and His will... Perhaps we long for a better working environment, or maybe we're longing for more time or resources to do ministry. I used Micah 6.8 as my text 'What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God'.

I am struck that the most pervasive and established institution that works for good in the world, the local Church, was built on the courage of 11 teenage men and 3 young teenage women... Yup, 11 young men in their late teens and twenties and some very courageous young women. We make a mistake when we think that Jesus disciples were established, older, men. No, like Jesus they were young people. Their commitment, courage, and love started a revolution that has persisted throughout history. Because of their courage to do community in the manner of God's loving Kingdom, many millions have been fed, clothed, educated, found hope, and been re-connected with God over the last 2000 years.

God's revolution begins with the obedient courage of the faithful few... If you and I can take responsibility for what we already have it will be powerful. The metaphor I used was that of driving at night - you know that you're heading to a destination, yet your car's headlights only light up enough of the road for you to see a short distance. Yet as you move they drive out the darkness and bring you closer to where you need to be. You don't need to see everything, or have complete vision, to make it. You must just keep moving forward in the small space of light before you - that is enough.

Manie, a friend in George, have me this quote

"While any fool can tell how many seeds are in an apple, only God knows how many apples are in each seed".

So, let's live with courage, faithfulness and love today. It may just start a revolution!

One of the highlights of the day for me was meeting the South African Idols winner, Elvis Blue (Jan Hoogendyk). He is a deeply committed disciple of Jesus with a heart for the Gospel and a commitment to justice and transformation. He sang beautiful songs of worship and praise. We spent some time talking before luck and at the stadium. I shall be praying for him and his family. I am certain that God has a great plan for his talents and gifts!

Here's part of a video I took during his worship session - it clips a bit since I recorded it on my iPhone.

http://www.Twitter.com/digitaldion (@digitaldion)
2010/11/09 3:53 PM
Elvis Blue singing 'How great thou art'! At George4Jesus http://twitvid.com/RAIOA

Let me ask you - what do you do when people ask you pray form them? How do you feel about asking God for rain? Is it all that different from asking God for food, health, or peace?

A perfect gift for Christmas!

Well, Christmas is just 58 days away!  I hope that you've started some of your Christmas shopping already!

I'd like to encourage you to give a truly significant gift that could better the life of your family member or friend. Our book, 'Transform your work life: Turn your ordinary day into an extraordinary calling' is selling at a special price for Christmas.

The profits from the sale of the book go entirely to the Unashamedly Ethical campaign (so there is no personal gain for me or Graham in this!) Although I will confess that I am convinced that the message of this book will inspire, encourage, and bless your husband or wife, your child, parent, sibling or friend. I am passionate about finding more and more women and men who are willing to be inspired to use their existing skills, and sphere of influence to do some of the most amazing things they could ever imagine!

You can download and read the first few chapters of the book here.

The book is for sale online (shipping all over the world) from Christian Republic and Kalahari.net

It costs just R88 (about US$12).

Here's what a few friends have said about this book.

Graham Power and Dion Forster have finally brought the role of the marketplace into the prominence it deserves! When you read the Bible, it soon becomes obvious that the focus of the ministry and outreach of Christ was nearly exclusively on the marketplace. If you are looking for the secrets of how to succeed with your faith in your workplace, then ‘Transform your Work Life’ is for you.

– Dr Bruce Wilkinson, author of The Prayer of Jabez

We can never pay enough pastors and missionaries to evangelise the world! It will happen when the rest of us realise the church is not a building to go to, but a vast multitude of people called and commis- sioned by God to take the good news where we ‘spend most of our time and energy’. This book will turn your world upside down and inspire you to believe God for church to happen where you are! You are about to go on a great adventure!

– Floyd McClung, All Nations (Cape Town)

At long last we have a book that affirms our daily workplace as a primary place for us to live out our faith. Few people are better placed and more equipped to show us the way than Dion Forster and Graham Power. I pray that this book will enable many individuals the world over to see their work as a means of dignity, love and provision, both for themselves and their neighbour.

– Rev Trevor Hudson, South African Pastor and Author.

People often ask, “What is my calling?”. The answer is partly simple: the majority of us are calledto the marketplace. The interwoven stories of Graham and Dion will encourage you to make your occupation your vocation, your job a ‘beroep’, in the true sense of the word. I highly commend these good friends to you; read their story so that your heart will be en- couraged, your mind renewed, and your spirit emboldened. God, being a lawyer, understands legal precedent, so what he has done for them he can do for you and me if we walk in similar obedience. Make their story a springboard for your story. ‘But, he is successful and if I had his money I could also serve God,’ you may say. Don’t ask for money like Graham – ask for humility like Graham. Don’t ask for a ministry like Dion’s, but minister with all that you have, right where you are. Don’t wait for one great thing to do, but take the next step of obedience. I am delighted that Graham and Dion are challenging us to integrate our work and faith so that we can be a part of the extraordinary company of ordinary marketplace people who are extending the kingdom through daily business.

– Brett Johnson – President, The Institute for Innovation, Integration & Impact, Saratoga, California

I'd love to hear any feedback or thoughts!  Also, if you'd like a signed copy of the book please drop me a note and I'll make sure that Graham Power and I both sign it and get it sent along to you.

What do breath mints, kisses and Church decline have in common? The Dutch Reformed Church looses 21 congregations last year!

So, what do breath mints, good kisses, and Church decline have in common with one another?

Well, I'd like to encourage you to come along to the Coronation Ave Methodist Church in Somerset West this evening, 7 November 2010 (if you're in Cape Town!) to find out.  Here's the map - the service takes place at 18.30.

View Larger Map

Well, this quote, from Ed Silvoso, gives a framing clue to what I'll be talking about:

Preaching the truth without love is like giving someone a good kiss when you have bad breath. No matter how good your kiss is, all they will remember is your bad breath!

I have given a great deal of thought to, and spent some time researching, the decline in Church membership and Church attendance.

This story in today's Rapport Newspaper bears out my feeling that South African Churches (and Churches in other regions in the world) are emptying at a rather rapid rate! Across the world Churches are facing two factors:

• Fewer people are joining Churches.
• The average age of members in existing Churches is increasing. 

Simply stated this is not good news for the Church.  Unless the Church can truly touch more people with Christ's love it will continue to decline (either as members leave, like this Rapport Article on the Dutch Reformed Church points out.  Or the average age of congregations will get older and older and eventually the members will die out - this has been the case in large parts of Europe.  England is a good example where congregations are generally quite small and relatively elderly.  One friend suggests that the majority of Methodist Churches in England have only one generation of 'membership' left.  Coffey and Gibss in the their book 'Church next' suggested that 60% of American Churches will die out by 2050).

The gist of the article is that the NG Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church) has lost 10588 members in the last year.  By their calculations this means that the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk has lost the equivalent of 21 congregations of 500 members in one year!  The situation is even more dire when one looks at a longer view - since 1986 the denomination has lost 23.8% of its members.

You can read some of my other posts on Church decline, and some of my research here:

• Church decline and neuroscience - how people decide.
• Is the Church dying or just changing?
• A Church with a mission, or a mission without a Church?
• God is not good and why religion poisons everything.

If you don't feel like reading can I please encourage you to watch this short little video? It is a superb reminder about what we should be doing as Christians and the Church.

If you can't read Afrikaans please use google translate - simply copy and paste the text below into http://www.google.com/translate and translate it from Afrikaans to your language of choice.

Die NG Kerk het verlede jaar genoeg lidmate verloor om 21 gemeentes van 500 lidmate elk vol te maak.

Teen Februarie vanjaar was daar in dié kerkverband 10 588 lidmate minder as ’n jaar vantevore.

Dit blyk uit die jongste syfers wat deur die NG Kerk se algemene sinode se taakspan oor geldsake inge samel is.

Dié syfers is bereken op grond van ’n opname wat in die tien sinodale gebiede gemaak is en waarin gemeentes gevra is om die aantal belydende en dooplidmate in hul onderskeie kuddes te vermeld. Gemeentes het die syfer onder meer bereken na aanleiding van hoeveel mense nog aktief eredienste bywoon.

Ds. Clem Marais, lid van die taakspan, het gesê hy is nie seker dat die syfer 100% akkuraat is nie (dit is nie geoudit nie), maar dat dit wel die tendens van dalende lidmaatgetalle bevestig.

Die NG Kerk se gebruiklike Kerkspieël-proses, waartydens ’n meer wetenskaplike opname van lidmaat-tendense gemaak word, is tans aan die gang. Wanneer dit na verwagting teen volgende jaar bekend gemaak word, sal daar meer betroubare syfers oor die NG Kerk se lidmaattendense beskikbaar wees.

Marais meen een van die vernaamste redes vir die afname in lidmaatgetalle is emigrasie onder dié kerkverband se tradisionele lidmate, hoewel die verskynsel van mense wat na ander kerkverbande oorloop, ook daartoe kon bygedra het.

In ’n artikel wat in die jongste Kerkbode verskyn, wys die ekonome drr. Fanie Joubert en Jannie Rossouw, asook die predikant ds. Fanie Joubert daarop dat die NG Kerk se algehele lidmaattal tussen 1986 en 2010 met 23,8% afgeneem het (van meer as 1 400 000 tot minder as 1 100 000).

Ook in dié artikel word emigrasie as een van die vernaamste bydraende faktore genoem. Die skrywers meen ’n gepaste reaksie op dié verskynsel is vir die NG Kerk om al hoe meer in die geestelike behoeftes van Afrikaanssprekendes in die buiteland te voorsien.

In ’n nuusbrief wat Marais, ook skriba van die NG sinode Namibië, die afgelope week aan gemeentes in dié streek gestuur het, noem hy voorts dat die taakspan oor geld sake se jongste syfers oor gemeentes se finansiële welstand kommerwekkend is.

“Ook wat gemeentes se geldsake betref, begin die bytmerke van die onlangse resessie wys.”

Die totale lopende inkomste van die NG Kerk se 1 133 gemeentes het in die vorige boekjaar met net 2,3% gestyg, vier uit elke tien gemeentes het die jaar met ’n tekort op hul boeke afgesluit en al hoe meer gemeentes raak afhanklik van basaarinkomste soos wat ander bronne van inkomste opdroog.

“Moet jy moedeloos word weens die oorwegend negatiewe tendense?” skryf Marais.

“In die gees van die Luisterseisoen dink ek almal moet dit hoor as ‘stemme’ wat ‘van buite’ na ons kom. En in hierdie ‘stemme’ moet ons probeer om ook Die Stem van die Here God te onderskei … Die Here is immers met ons op pad. Deur ’n proses van geloofsonderskeiding moet ons by Hom hoor hoe ons geloofsrespons moet lyk op hierdie droewige prentjie,” skryf Marais.

Tonight I will be making the case that as Christians we need to find a way to give the world a good kiss!  In other words we need to expose the world to what the Good News feels like before we preach about it.  We must engage the world in love before we expect them to make a decision about God's love.

I have previously spoke about the Luke 10 Model of sharing God's love here.  You can also read about it in chapter 8 of my book 'Transform your work life'. Download a few chapters of the book here.

The iPad Nano 3G - a killer device!

I love my iPad Nano 3G - it is small, has great battery life, and it can do just about everything my iPad 3G does...

In case you're confused... It is an iPhone 3GS! Still a great device after some years of use!

As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you - that's true for my iPhone camera, but the same can be said for computers! The best computer is the one you have with you! And, I always have my iPhone with me.

In fact, this post was written on the squarespace app on my iPhone. I love it!

What phone do you use? And what do you use it for?

This video will blow your mind!

I agree with Andrew that this was the best video that was shown at the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town.

Indeed, there were some exceptionally well produced, informative and interesting videos (like the superb overview of Christian History), but this video not only had high production value, it had a critical message!

Here's Andrew's comment.

This is an amazing video that I am re-posting here with the actual video content because no one really noticed it the first time.

The video is called TODAY. Its a creative animation that shows how kids are playing a vital role in God's plan for the world. We saw the preview at Lausanne World Congress in Cape Town and it blew us away. I was hoping they would offer it to everyone FREE and the good people at Global Children's Forum have done just that. Download the full version here.  Its absolutely free and no copyright. Just enjoy it and then play it and use it and show it and project it. Knock yourself out!!!

Rigging the American elections... Neuromarketting and voting

How would you feel if you discovered that you had voted for someone, or something, that you don't agree with?  How is that possible?  

Well, it is not as far fetched as you may imagine.  This week I taught a class on the neurological processes of choice - how the brain makes decisions is quite predictable (and can even be 'gamed').  Please see this earlier post as an example.

The brain follows certain processes in making decions, and once those processes can be understood and engaged it is quite plausible that one could bypass some of the more subtle rational faculties of human decision making in order to get persons to act or react in a certain manner.  Fear is one common trigger to alter sensible behavior.  If you can get a person to become suspicious, or even fearful, of a certain group of persons, or a possible situation, you can get them to act in absolutely irrational ways.  Take for example the atrocities that are committed by entirely sensible people during wartime situations.

Of course not every aspect of engaging the neurological functions of the brain in decision making is unethical or bad.  There are some instances in which one would want to help persons to understand how their brains work in order to help them to make different choices - for example cognitive therapies for addictions help to change destructive behavior in some persons.

Then there is the simple reality that important messages deserve to be shared with effectiveness and clarity so that persons can make informed and reasonable decisions - the gist of the course that I taught earlier this week was to help the students at Media Village to understand how to frame their messages for the best possible outcome.

Well, all of this leads to this incredible story that my friend Aaron Marhsall sent through to me today.  It got me thinking whether it is ethical to employ subtle neuromarketting techniques in a democratic process?

What do you think?  Is this a form of coercion, rigging the elections?

There are a multitude of reasons the Republicans regained control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections--unemployment, voter discontent, tea party-ism. But the one influential factor you aren't likely to hear about is the use of political neuromarketing during the campaign.

During the 2008 presidential election, neuromarketers went public with research showing how political ads can drive emotional triggers in our unconscious brains. By reading the responses taken from people linked to fMRI or EEG machines, neuromarketers and their clients aim to optimize stimuli (political messages) and reaction in consumers’ brains and drive their (voting) decisions.

But with public trust in elected officials at an all-time low, politicians today won't talk about anything that even vaguely associates them with Orwellian "mind manipulation." But are they doing it? While most everyone agrees that neuromarketing was used in the 2010 midterm elections, none of the politicians we spoke to admitted to using the techniques in their own campaigns.

Darryl Howard, a consultant to two Republican winners on November 2, says he crafted neuromarketing-based messages for TV, direct mail and speeches for Senate, Congressional and Gubernatorial clients in 2010. “We measure everything including the storyline, level of the language, images, music. Using critical point analysis, we identify specifics that may drive voters away or attract them," he says. The techniques are non-invasive, and include measuring muscle, skin, and pupil response. "We prefer our methods over some EEG/fMRI methods because our approach is quicker and more importantly can be done in the script phase, saving production time and money and tells us the level of honesty of the ad.”

Fred Davis is a big believer in neuromarketing as well. He is a luminary in the GOP advertising world whose client list includes George W. Bush and John McCain. Davis, who advised Carly Fiorina's senate bid, says, "We've had a pretty decent success rate in campaigns, and it's all based on that principle of neuromarketing."

Oregon Republican State Senator Brian Boquist also admits to having employed political neuromarketing in his campaigns. “I don’t know how it works, all I know is that it works,” says the former Army commander who received a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. Boquist was also careful to say the technology is part of a broader mix of campaign tactics, and has a way to go before it becomes effective.

Republicans appear to be using neuromarketing more than Democrats, if this midterm is any indication. They are appealing to the emotion of voters' “Red Brain” triggers. "No Democratic candidate I know of has used them [neuromarketing tactics], nor has any major Democratic organization appeared to express any interest in them,” says Drew Westen, author of The Political Brain and consultant to major U.S. national Democratic Party candidates.

Then again, 17 of 19 neuromarketing and political consultants contacted for this story stated they did not engage in the practice--including Neurofocus, which bills itself as the world leader in the emerging field and whose Chief Innovation Officer, Steven Genco, did political neuromarketing work previously at Lucid Systems.

"The real risk is that politicians will not want us to know that they are using influencing tools," says Patrick Renvoise, a neuromarketing consultant. "The one with the most knowledge wins and this probably explains why a lot of people are reluctant to talk about neuromarketing, especially with the word politician in the same sentence.”

Read the rest of this article here...

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ethics of neuromarketting in general, and its use in political (and even religious) messaging in particular?

Thank goodness for YouTube and Long Division!

Yup, this evening the inevitable happened... I turned to google to find a video that explains how to do Grade 5 long division.  Sure, I did Mathematics as part of my first studies at in a Bachelor of Science degree at WITS many, many, many years ago... And, yes, I devoted quite a substantial portion of one of the chapters of my doctoral research (in fact a critical part in the argument of my PhD) to a complex set of mathematical equations that have to do with Strong Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience... Yes, yes, yes... 

BUT, these are different times!  The dendrites in my little old brain are calcifying and Mathematics is more difficult in the 5th grade than it was in my PhD... Ha ha, either that, or I have complete forgotten how to do Mathematics without a calculator!

The task was simple - write 1/8 as a fraction...  Mmmmmm... It took me a while to remember how to do that.  Of course the answer (which took me a while to work out) is this:

1/8 = 1/8 * 125/125 = 125/1000 = 0.125

I know some of you are laughing... But, when you pick yourselves up off the floor you might want to watch this little 'refresher' video long division (without a calculator) to help your kids get their homework done!

Seriously though, it is SUCH a blessing to help Courtney to catch up with her Maths after the 8 weeks she had off from the time of hear hospitalization, through her surgery, up to her recovery and return to school!

I do, however, praise and thank God for YouTube!

Do you have a soundtrack to your life?

This morning as I was driving through to Media Village to teach I was listening to John Mayer's new album "Battle Studies" and thinking how much the song "I'm in the war of my life" reminds me of events of the last two months with Courtney's diagnosis, surgery and recovery.

I remember Paulo Nutini's "These streets" had a similar emotional effect when Liam was born and I was driving through to the Pretoria East hospital to see him in the neonatal ICU for three months. Whenever I hear that song the emotion floods back.

When Megan and got married (17 years ago) we had a tape of Van Morrison in the car - the song "Brown eyed girl" was the soundtrack for our honeymoon in the Drakensberg. Such special memories!

A few years ago I was blessed to have a chance to visit Sydney Australia for the Hillsong conference - one of the highlights of my life! That "Hillsong United" album is also so special to me! It can draw me closer to God in just a few bars.

Depeche Mode, Bauhaus, the Clash, the Jam, the Specials, the Sex Pistols... These were the bands of my youth - I still have a few MP3's from these bands on my iPod.

So, I wanted to ask what some of the bands and songs are that have formed the 'Soundtrack to your life'? Leave a comment, share some memories. I'd love to hear about you!

Becoming more fully human through relationships

Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said "A self-sufficient human being is sub human. God has made us for a delicate network of interdependence." ~Desmond Tutu

It is difficult to describe how much relationships have meant to our family over the last two months. We have been so richly and deeply blessed by the love and support of friends, family and even strangers.

Our lives are fuller because of the love and care of others.

The subject of my PhD (a lifetime ago!) was consciousness and identity. In the concluding chapters of that volume of research I developed a model of identity and 'human-ness' based on the African philosophy of Ubuntu. 'A person is a person through other people'. This concept of intersubjective growth is an essential part of what it means to grow and develop in community.

This weekend I spent three days with the 7 men that make up my forum group (the photo above shows four of the guys on the rocks at Hermanus where we had a closing communion service today). These guys journey together at a very deep and trusting level. We share everything about our lives, our struggles, our joys, and the challenges and opportunities that lie before us. We are committed to honesty, authenticity, and care. We have each other and our families at heart.

I have come to realise anew that life gets so busy, relationships become so superficial, and we end up living past one another, and as a result we live 'past' our true selves.

You can read more about forums at http://www.forumnetwork.co.za

Who do you rely on for companionship in life's journey? Is that circle of significant relationships wide enough to support you to be your best, and to become more fully human? I believe we all need a few deep and significant relationships to help us in this regard.

Have a blessed week!