Why do you use twitter !? Here's what I say...

If you're a twitter user I'm sure someone has asked you 'Why on earth do you use twitter?' I have many people saying to me 'I just don't get it... What is the purpose of twitter?'

Most people just don't get it...No harm!

Well, here's my answer to that question!  A great little video that explains where twitter fits into the social networking and digital communications landscape! It is only 2 minutes long and really explains why (and to some extent how) I use twitter!

Remember when twitter used to ask 'What are you doing?'  Those where the good old days!

PS.  FOLLOW ME on twitter @digitaldion  ... You won't be sorry (well, not too sorry!)

Update on Courtney 23 September 2010 - after surgery

We are so thankful!  Courtney's surgery went very well!  We saw the neurosurgeon a little while ago - he was confident that he had removed the tumor effectively!  The surgery took 3 hours to perform.

We have just been with Courts in the ICU where she will stay for a day or two.  She woke up and was able to move all her limbs etc.  She is quite nauseous (both from the anaesthesia and from the trauma to the cerebellum).  But, they have her well medicated.  They will keep her a little sedated to reduce the swelling to the brain.  She is also in a bit of pain, but I think that is quite understandable and normal.  We are so blessed that we know a number of the doctors who are treating her personally (some belong to our Church, others are friends with whom I cycle on Lourensford).  This has been quite comforting because they are able to 'interpret' the news of the surgery for us and offer us some good practical and reassuring advice.

We will only get the results from histology of the tumor in a few days.  As soon as we have news on that we will let you know.  But, we are trusting for a perfect bill of health.

They had to shave a fair amount of the back of her head to do the surgery - she's not going to be too happy about that when she wakes up!  But, that is the least of our worries!

Thanks once again to everyone who has called, sent text messages, facebook messages, tweets and helped with food etc.  We are truly grateful.  It is likely that either Megie or I will spend the night at the hospital again.  Courts will be in ICU for the next 2 days and then into the general ward.

Unfortunately our phones have to be kept off while were in the ICU so we may not see, or respond, to messages as quickly as we would like.

For regular updates please either follow my twitter feed (see the twitter feed on the right hand side of this page, or go to @digitaldion on twitter.com.

God bless,

Dion, Megan, Courtney and Liam

Update on Courtney 23 September 2010 morning

Hi friends,

Just to give you a quick update on Courts.

We had a good restful evening at the hospital last night. We talked, prayed, played games (just about everything BUT sleep). It was good father / daughter time)!

She went into theatre at 7.30 this morning. She was very brave. Megie and I, not so much.

The doctor says the operation will take about 3 hours. I'm not sure when we will get the results from the biopsy of the tumor. I'll let you know once we hear anything.

She will go into ICU for a day or two.

Unfortunately they have to shave quite a lot of her head. I've promised her that if they shave her head I will do the same - so you may see me with a 'poena' next week ;-)

Well friends, thanks so much for the prayers and care. We'll keep you updated on any news we receive.

God is indeed good! His mercy is new every morning, it never comes to an end (Lam 3.21-26).

God bless,

Dion, Megie, Courtney and Liam

Courtney's surgery is confirmed for 7.30 on the 23rd of September

Courtney's surgery is confirmed for 7.30AM tomorrow morning (23 September 2010).

Please could we ask for your prayers for her, the surgeon (Dr. Wessels), and all of the nursing and support staff at the hospital. 

Please also pray for Megan, little Liam and I. We relying on God's goodness and grace. 

I will spend the night with her at the hospital - we're going to relax, pray, watch a few movies, and enjoy our time together!

Please forgive us if we don't respond to emails, SMS's, phone calls or emails - we have received so many calls and messages that it is not possible to respond to all of them.  So sorry!  We'll check in here and on facebook as time allows.

My friend @Cois sent me the following verse from the Message (Matthew 6:34) - it is very encouraging indeed:

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. A Simple Guide for Behavior”

An update on Courtney 21 September 2010

This morning Courtney went for a CT scan to see if the infection in her sinuses had completely cleared. She is almost there! Not quite 100%, but the doctors 'conferred' and decided that they would go ahead with the surgery to remove the tumor on the Thursday morning the 23rd of September (thanks for spotting the mistake Ruby!). In the meantime Courtney will start a another course of antibiotics today.

Liam (the Great!) has been in great health. We cannot tell you how thankful we are for God's gracious care for our family! We have truly experienced the most indescribable blessing and peace in the last few weeks.

Our friends and family, the Church, work colleagues and so many others who we don't even know have blessed us with encouragement and love. Yesterday Courtney received a package with 20 letters from one of the Lausanne Congress staff who arrived in advance of the meetings. A group of Christians in America had heard about Courtney and were moved to each write her a little card with encouragement. Such a blessing! Our 'local' friends have made meals, sent messages, left voicemail messages and truly taken great care of us.

Last night Courtney sang a solo and played her guitar in her school concert. She has such talent! It was a blessing to be able to take her to participate in that event - we could see that it has lifted her spirits! She has been a little down over the last few days.

BUT, today her uncle Craig (Megan's brother from the UK) and her Granny (Megan's mom who lives in Natal) arrived to visit her! Courtney is over the moon to see them! It has truly made her day. We are so thankful for times such as these.

As for Megan and I, we are both doing well, although a little tired. We wake up in the morning feeling as tired as when we went to bed! I'm sure that the worry of the surgery and the outcome of the test results of the tumor contribute to our sense of tiredness!

However, we have experienced such a sense of God's immeasurable grace and blessing during this time! We are so certain of God's ability to do more than we could ever imagine or hope for (Eph 3.20). Thank you for standing with us in faith!

God is truly good!

The matchbox that ate a forty ton truck - a.k.a Erwin Schrodinger will kill you like a cat in a box.

I love reading books that make the mysteries of 'the new science' accessible to a simpleton like me!  This book has just been added to my wishlist! Thanks BoingBoing for the heads up!  

Now, if only they had this book available for Kindle - by the way, you don't need to own a Kindle to buy and read Kindly books... Simply download the Kindle Application for your PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry, or Android phone. This is how I read most of my books these days.

Physics can seem a lot like a dirty trick. You spend most of junior high and high school being told that there are rules to this thing, that the Universe functions in predictable and rational ways. Apples always fall down from the tree onto Newton's head. Cars traveling at different speeds crash into each other with a force that you can sit down and calculate on a TI-86.

And then they pull the rug out from under you.

Suddenly, it's all photons, antimatter, and cats that are simultaneously alive and dead. Even the Universe itself might be just one of many, with every outcome that has ever been possible playing itself out somewhere. It's confusing. And into that gap in popular knowledge tumbles everybody who bought into What the Bleep Do We Know?

If you're lost, Marcus Chown can help. His book, The Matchbox That Ate a Forty-Ton Truck, explains how science got from the macro, everyday world of Newtonian Laws to the far-out, quantum reality we know today. More importantly, he makes the latter relevant, piecing together science history, sub-atomic particles, physical cosmology and everyday life. If you read one physics book after graduating from high school—hell, if you read one physics book while in high school—this should be it.  Read the rest.

If you're interested to have a look at a few my posts on quantum physics and related topics please see some of the posts here.

Hello technorati! Here's the code you need!

X5HU4R7C5NBM

After I noticed a post by my fellow Lausanne blogger - tallskinnykiwi - that technorati had 'lost' his blog.  I thought I had better check mine... What do you know, they had lost my blog as well! Yup, must have had a meltdown at some point and lost a couple of blogs.  

So, technorati, here's the code you asked me to put into a post that you can 'find' my blog again: X5HU4R7C5NBM

And, if there are any readers of this blog who have their blogs listed on technorati, I would suggest that you see whether your blog is still linked or whether you need to help technorati to find it again!

The body of Christ has HIV AIDS - an update

Some weeks ago I posted and entry entitled 'Christian and positive - when the body of Christ has HIV AIDS' A short while before writing that post I had recorded a brief video describing my thoughts on this matter. I only managed to upload my video last night. So I am posting it as an update here. Please see the video towards the bottom of this post. God bless, Dion Here's that original post with the new video inserted towards the bottom of the post:

Today my friend Grant Russell alerted me to an article posted in the Guardian Online Newspaper entitled Pastor's 'Jesus had HIV' sermon angers South African Christians by David Smith.

I can understand why the preacher in question, Xola Skosana, would preach such a sermon.  However, I can also understand why South African Christians may take offense to both the title of his message and the sermon's title.

First, let me say that I agree with Rev Skosana - the body of Christ does have AIDS!  

In an article that I have just published in the Epworth Review, Vol 32, No 2, 2010 (a theological journal that is published in England) I made exactly the same point.  You can read the article here: The Church has AIDS: Towards a positive theology for an HIV+ Church.

Here are two excerpts from my introduction to the article:

One of the most controversial statements in the contemporary Church is surely the assertion that ‘The Church has AIDS’! This statement challenges Christians to recognize that it is impossible to do theology and engage in Christian life and ministry without taking into account the impact of HIV and AIDS on the world...

Within the Church – the Body of Christ – there are many persons who are HIV+. This reality changes not only who we are as a Church, it also changes how we are the Church. In our creeds we affirm that the Church is ‘One’ – this unity is more than just a structural unity. Solidarity is central to the unity of the Church. It was out of this reality of true solidarity that the Methodist Church of Southern Africa adopted the following statement at its annual conference in 2005: ‘The Church has HIV/AIDS: We care. “When one part of the body is affected the whole body suffers” 1 Corinthians 12:26.’

This image is a photograph of a poster that was circulated in Methodist Churches in Southern Africa.  It bears the bold, and true, statement "The Church has HIV/AIDS - we care".

The point is this, Christians believe, according to Paul's theology, that the Church is the "body of Christ" (see for example 1 Corinthians 12:12, Colossians 1:18).  If there are members of the Church that are HIV positive then the Body of Christ is HIV positive.

That is controversial, but it is true.  If one part of the body suffers the whole body suffers 1 Corinthians 12:26.

In my article I argue something similar to what the Guardian reports on Rev Xola Skosana - we are responsible for one another, and as such the whole Church (all across the world) must consider itself HIV +.  The HI virus infects the whole of the body.  Unlike cancer one cannot remove the ailing part of the body.  The virus affects every part of the body.  

Here are some statistics about HIV from the article in the Epworth Review:

South Africa’s HIV/AIDS statistics are fairly well known.6 Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest precedence of HIV infection in the world. Where it is left completely unchecked the HIV infection rate has risen to as high as 1 in every 2 persons (50 per cent of some population groups in Botswana).7 Of the estimated 33.2 million persons living with AIDS globally, more than 22.5 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa – that amounts to 68 per cent of all HIV+ persons in less that 10 per cent of the world’s geographic land mass. Each day more than 1,600 persons are infected with the virus. In most government hospitals more than half of the patients are HIV+. By 2009 the life expectancy of a person living in Swaziland8 had declined from 60 years of age to just 32 years.9 Compare this to the United King- dom where the life expectancy of the average person born in 2009 is 79 years.10 Approximately 4,500 people in Sub-Saharan Africa die of HIV/ AIDS-related medical causes each day.

In a chapter that I wrote for a forthcoming book entitled Alienation and Connection: Suffering in a global age. (edited by Lisa Withrow and Joerg Rieger) I developed this argument in a slightly different way.  The chapter is entitled Empire, economics and apathy: A theological reflection on suffering as a result of HIV AIDS.

I introduced the concept with another rather controversial statement, saying that any Southern African Church that does not have an HIV AIDS ministry cannot be a Christian Church!  [yes, I know that I will get into trouble for this one!]

My contention is this - if 68% of all HIV+ persons in the world live in this region, then the Church has a massive responsibility to see that God's loving will is brought to bear on this situation.  God cares about every person!  The Church is God's instrument, the instrument of the mission Dei (the mission, or work, of God).

So, yes, I agree with Rev Skosana - the Body of Christ is HIV+.  Perhaps I would have titled the message slightly differently.  Instead of saying 'Jesus had HIV', I would say that 'The body of Christ is HIV+'.

As a result I can understand how Christians may respond with shock at the statement that Jesus HIV.  That statement is not accurate.  But, I do believe that the point is well made.  As Christians we need to understand that we have a critical role to play in ministering to God's World.  And since this world includes HIV positive persons it is not a matter of 'us' and 'them'.  Rather it is a matter of 'us'.

Here is a video reflection that offers some further thoughts on this very important issue!

The body of Christ has HIV AIDS from Dion Forster on Vimeo.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, reflections, and ideas!

You can find the Guardian article on Rev Skosana here.

Update on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 11:06AM by Dr Dion Forster

I'm not sure if my comments show up on google searches.

So, please forgive me for reposing a comment in the follow up section as well Thomas!  Your question is so important that I would truly want others to consider the points below.

Rich blessing,

Dion

My response to Thomas copies form the comments:

Hey Thomas,

Thanks for your comment on this! First, let me say how blessed I am that you have the care of HIV infected persons and our surrounding community within your ministry! That is precisely what I am praying and working for - that every Christian, and certainly every Church, would have some strategic and significant Christian response to this matter.

Of course in this instance the post is not directed at you, but rather at the majority of Christian Churches (and Christians) who have not formed an appropriate response to HIV infection in their midst.

In the article that I wrote, which was published in the Epworth Review, I quote some empirical research on how Churches (and individual Christians) in Southern Africa have chosen not to respond to HIV infected persons in their ministry. Some have taken a condemnatory stance, rejecting and further stigmatizing infected persons and their families. Mainly this is because of a poor theological position on HIV. In particular my research has shown that the most common theological position in relation to HIV infection is that sickness is a punishment from God for some form of direct sin (or the sins of parents or other family members). Now, naturally this is a complex cultural phenomenon, but popular theology shapes popular response (or lack thereof).

I wrote a chapter for an American book (referenced above) in which I record an interview with a young HIV + girl (barely a woman) which shows the immense suffering that she and other HIV + persons face because of the rejection and lack of compassion (let alone care) they get from communities that indicate overwhelmingly (80% in the last census) that they are Christian.

In the book Church communities confronting HIV & AIDS (edited by Gideon B. Byamugish) I wrote up a chapter in the form of a case study. The case study is called 'Nosipho's story - no greater love'. It tells a mixed tale of marginal care and tragedy of a child headed household in KZN (see pp.5 forward). Nosihpho was a 13 year old girl. She was not HIV+ at the time of the story. Her 8 year old brother was not HIV+, but her 5 year old sister was infected through mother to child transmission. Both her parents had died of AIDS, she (13 years old) was caring for her brother and sister.

The complexity of situation is this: She could not get enough food to feed her little sister (who was receiving some treatment via a local Church based clinic) and her brother. She had to pay the 'aunty' who looked after his little sister while she was begging and her brother went to school. As a 13 year old she chose not to eat so that her little sister could take her midicine and survive, she could feed her brother and pay his school fees, and give the remaining money to the 'aunty' who, although she was cruel to her little sister, at least looked after her.

Nosipho had been offered a chance at a better life - all she had to do was engage in sexual acts with the men she met at the side of the street. At the time of the story she was wondering whether she should take up this offer, get more money and care for her siblings... Her fear, however, is that she would also get HIV. The story ends with her anticipating a meeting with the community social worker who cares for children like her and her siblings at a local Church in their informal settlement.

This story made me realise just how little the majority of Churches are doing to care for our own people... People like Nosipho who love the Lord, need just a little bit of practical care and loving guidance to 'make their way in the world'.

So, the point of this post is to challenges every person who would read it, listen to to the video, and pray about doing something (no matter where they're located in the world, no matter how many, or how few HIV+ persons they have in their Church or community). This is our problem, and unlike you and your Church, very few of 'us' are doing something substantial about it.

Please pray with me and spread the word! We have work to do!

Bless you in your ministry,

Dion

What will matter - Michael Josephson

This morning I attended the Unashamedly Ethical Cape Town Community breakfast.  I would highly recommend that you consider joining the Unashamedly Ethical campaign! Once you have joined you can join your local community (I happen to belong to the Cape Town community), and you will be updated on events, breakfasts, training courses, and other benefits.

The speaker this morning was Professor John Volmink (the inspector General of Education for South Africa).  John is a good friend - we serve on a number of boards together.

He has an incredible testimony and life story.  He is the father of 10 children (5 are his own and 4 are adopted children).  He holds a Ph.D in Mathematics from Cornell University in the US (where he was also a Professor for some years).  He was previously the Vice Chancellor of the University of KwaZulu Natal (Durban).

The topic of John's talk was on the third commitment of the Unashamedly Ethical campaign - To do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but to look out for the interests of others.

It was so inspiring to hear him speak of the many choices he has made in his life - some were easy, and some were not.  Yet, in faith, and with a great commitment to social transformation, he has attempted to serve his family, his community and our nation.  At times this has cost him dearly, but his intention is to be a person of significance rather than a mere success.

Here are a few quotes from his talk that I put on my twitter feed.  They were a great encouragement to me.

It is important to do well in life, but it is far more important to do good

On the topic of discipline, and the courage to make courageous choices he said:

Christian love is not just an emotion of the heart, it is a victory of the will

I was also challenged by this quote about doing the best in the context you find yourself, with the unique gifts and abilities that God has given to you (PS.  I wrote a chapter on this in our book 'Transform your work life: Turn your ordinary day into an extraordinary calling' - please see chapter 1 'The Big Question' for some practical tools and ideas to help you discover your unique design and purpose):

Rather be a 1st class version of yourself than a 2nd rate copy of someone else.

The audio from his talk will be uploaded onto the Unashamedly Ethical website within a few days.  So please look under the 'Local Community Event recordings' section of the web site.  Please also follow UE on Twitter and join them on facebook.

The poem below, from Michael Josephson, was a particular challenge to me - especially in our current situation with my daughter Courtney's health.  It is amazing how such an event helps one to rediscover what matters most.

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.

So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when your gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.

Will you consider joining us in fasting tomorrow?

For the past 4 years Megie and I have fasted every Friday.  You can read about that journey here.

We would like to invite you to join us in our fast tomorrow.

This simple spiritual discipline has had immeasurable benefits for our prayer lives.  It is not a big deal! Here's what we do:

• We choose not to eat any food until dinner on Friday evening.  Basically we skip our meals, or any form of food, until dinner on Friday evening. We do take liquids (juice, water, coffee, tea etc. So you can see we're not too strict!)
• Whenever we feel hungry we remember to pray.  It's amazing how often one thinks of food when you are fasting!  So, I get a lot of 'little' prayers in during the day.
• Use the time and food you would have used for eating for something else.  I normally take the time I would have used to eat lunch and breakfast and set it aside for reading the scriptures and engaging in specific prayers for particular people and causes.  Our prayers have focussed on children who are sick and their families for the past four years. You might even consider taking the food you would have eaten at lunch time and sharing it with someone who is hungry?

Would you consider joining us in prayer and fasting tomorrow?  Only do this if you are not suffering from any medical condition!  I would also ask you to use some of your time in prayer tomorrow praying for our daughter Courtney who will go for cancer surgery next week Thursday (23 September).

If you do choose to fast and have anything to share from your experience please would you share your experiences and thoughts with us here?

Thank you! Second most popular South African blog in religion

The Mail & Guardian newspaper runs a service called Amatomu that ranks blogs and websites on various criteria.  One of the metrics is the number of visitors to a blog.  

Among the top blogs in South Africa are friends such as Steve Hayes' Khanya blog (which is a far better blog than mine!), my friend Gus' Church blog (Paarl Methodist Church), Mark Penrith's very popular 'Because He lives', Roger Saner's Future Church blog (also a favourite), and then there's Stephen Murray's blog - perhaps one of the best designed blogs among us, and Thomas Scarborough's "Urban Ministry Live" blog.  

I'm pleased to say that Mark, Steve and Stephen are also members of the Lausanne Blogger Network!

However, your visits have placed my blogs at numbers 2 and number 15 respectively in South Africa.  Thank you for looking in from time to time, moreover, I am grateful that you interact with the content that I post (I realize that some of it is rather eclectic!).  This blog - An uncommon path - actually gets more hits than Dion's Random Ramblings.  However, it is listed 13 places lower on the ranking.  The list can be a little flaky at times (I have seen with a few blogs that they often get stuck at the point where the amatomu.com code loads...  So, I removed the code from this blog for a few weeks.  I have since discovered that it is better to use the non-java version of the tracker code.  That seems to have sorted the problem out!)

I have had both of my blogs in the top 5 a few times, and Dion's Random Ramblings has been at number 1 a few times.  I'm not sure how accurate the statistics are (as I said above), but it is great to be able to give the blog some validation as a source of religious (and particularly Christian) interest in South Africa.

How many visitors do I get per day?  

Well, I normally get around 250-300 visitors a day to each blog.  This blog has gone as high as 1500 visitors a day - depending on the topic of my post and its relationship to a particular event in the news.

If you have any suggestions for improving both the content, and making it easier for you to interact with me and the content, then please leave a comment below or drop me an email.  I would love to hear from you!

I know that I break some cardinal 'blogger rules' by not posting only within a single genre, writing posts that are a little too long, and not posting enough 'link bait'.  But, my blog is a fun and personal space!  It reflects my life and thoughts...

God bless,

Dion

Update on Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 9:14AM by Dr Dion Forster

Well, it seems that the 'non-java' version of the amatomu.com code that I am using for my blog ranking works better than the previous 'java' code.

As of today (Sunday 19 September 2010, which is less than a week after the original post above) this blog has climbed 8 places from 15 to 7.  It may soon be back in the top 5.

One of the questions I was asked was how my other blog (Dion's random ramblings) could still be so popular even though I no longer post to it.  As one person rightly pointed out, when they don't update their blog for a while it looses popularity.

Indeed, that is often the case when your blog visits are from a regular group of persons who navigate to your blog to view your content.  However, search engine optimization does account for a large number of the visitors to that blog.  By this I mean, Google ranks a blog based on how many successful searches terminate to that blog (i.e., when people search for a topic, your blog is listed as an option, and it gets clicked - your blog's prominence is increased by google and you rank higher on the search page).  Another element that makes your blog more prominent is the length of time that it has existed (older blogs with higher terminated searches rank higher than new blogs with higher traffic).  Since this blog has been running since 2005 it has had years and years of terminated search traffic to make it a popular blog.

Let me list an example of this.  But, first let me give a caveat.  You may notice from some earlier posts that I follow a discipline of not 'googling' my name or my posts.  It may sound silly, but I don't really want to get sucked into responding to what will get me a higher ranking or more popular ranking on google etc.,

However, that being said I was alerted some time ago that my first name 'Dion' ranks on the first page of google when it is searched for.  Now, that is quite remarkable since there are some very famous Dion's in the world (Celine Dion, Dion diMucci etc.) Yet, if you search for 'Dion' my name will appear on the first page of google in the top 5 ranked pages for that name. In truth I am not a person of any kind of consequence, I certainly have no public profile, yet there it is... And of course the reason is that the page ranks high because it has existed for a long time.

There is one other reason why that blog (which I no longer update) still grows in popularity - linkbacks.  Any website that is linked to by other websites (particularly more prominent and popular websites) give prominence to it.  Over the years my site has been linked to from thousands of blogs and websites (for various reasons).

So, there you have it!

In short, as a minister of religion, I would of course be happy to have my blog climbing in prominence and ranking.  This allows me to share the message about which I am passionate (God's transforming and gracious love for the world) with many more people.  It is a bit like having a 'growing congregation'.

Suffering and ministry - an interview with Ajith Fernando

Yesterday afternoon I had the privelage of participating in an interview with Ajith Fernando. The interview was arranged by Jon Hirst who heads up the Lausanne Blogger Network. Please also see this article by Jon Hirst on the Lausanne Blog (Barriers don't equal thwarted ministry).

Among the participants on the call were 'Tall Skinny Kiwi'. You can read Andrew's post here - thanks Andrew, it was good to hear your voice.

The interview with Ajith was structured around a pre-Congress paper that he has prepared for the upcoming Lausanne Congress in Cape Town.  You can read his article here:  “To Serve is to Suffer.”

Central to Ajith's discussion is that far too frequently Christian workers (ministers, missionaries etc.) see suffering and hardship as an indication that they are NOT within the will of God.

As a result there is a tendency to leave service in a particular region, or within a particular ministry area since suffering and hardship is seen as an indication that God is not blessing the work the person is involved in.

This line of thinking raised a number of critical points for consideration.

Subtle hedonism in contemporary Western ecclesiology - the allure of prosperity and success.

As I participated in the interview a thought emerged - perhaps the subtle influence of secular hedonism has found fertile ground in the Christian West, and even found theological substance through the triumphalism of the Christian Church in first world countries?

In a world where success is measured by the size of the Church building, the budget for media and outreach, where the most successful ministers represent CEO's more than servants, it is not surprising that we have 'bought' the notion that success can be directly equated with God's blessing.

I have heard colleagues speaking of a particular Church or Pastor being blessed because they have a large congregation, a healthy salary (or stipend) and perhaps drive a fancy car and live in a good neighborhood. This is certainly the image that is portrayed by popular Christian programming on most Christian television stations.

As a result some Christian ministers can easily come to believe that if they face hardship, struggle, or simply are not seeing massive numerical growth in their ministry, that they are not within God's divine will.

Somehow we have forgotten that God chose to establish His gracious reign not by power, but by grace, not from an earthly throne, but from the suffering of the cross of Christ. I would do well to be reminded that servanthood requires humility, and humility often involves humble circumstances and even suffering.

Pseudo martyrdom - the glorification of suffering and poverty.

Another interesting thought that emerged for me was the notion that in some contexts suffering and poverty are romanticized (e.g., missionaries who go from first world settings to serve in poorer settings. Or, in South Africa where we have urban ministers moving to impoverished rural areas). I have little doubt that so much good work gets done by persons who take such a sacrificial approach to ministry. However, I am always concerned for their wellbeing, and even more so for the wellbeing of their families in such circumstances.

In my opinion romanticizing suffering in ministry is as dangerous as chasing after success and comfort.  Whilst some are called to suffer for the faith I am always extremely cautious of those who 'seek out suffering' for the sake of their ministry.  In my own experience, and I share this with great authenticity and even embarrassment, I have sometimes suffered for the faith in order to make a point or to satisfy a need for attention for a cause, or worse even my ego.  It is even more frightening when one considers that in some instances innocent persons (the children of ministers) may be subjected to emotional, or even physical, harm because of choices that are made on their behalf.

I would encourage persons who intend to enter the mission field or ministry at great personal cost to do so under very careful advice and care of a group of persons.  Be sure to understand the implications of your choice, and as far as it is possible please set up structures of support for yourself and your family.

I personally believe that God cannot be honoured when families are destroyed through suffering in ministry.

Obedience versus balance

What stood out for me from Ajith's engagement with the bloggers was his strong emphasis upon radical obedience to Christ and Christ's call. The contemporary secular call is for a balanced life. What is most often implied in this is some form of balance between physical demands (the need for rest, a stable income, amiable working conditions etc.) and emotional wellbeing (stress management, good working relationships, support to deal with traumatic experiences etc.).

Indeed, balance is a very good start, but it is not enough in ministry! What is needed is obedience, and not the kind of obedience that leads to suffering, but the kind of obedience that leads one to live and act within the will of God. Surely this kind of obedience is contextual (being an obedient minister in Sri Lanka may be different from being an obedient minister in California).

Ajith was not naive about the hardships and struggles of ministry. In fact in answer to a question he suggested various means to support persons who face physical, emotional or spiritual hardship. Among other things he suggested the need for a strong and supportive community of care, accountability to wise and trusted persons on matters of scheduling, financial commitments etc. He also encouraged the creation of space for open dialogue, the sharing of frustration and disappointment as well as the opportunity to craft realistic expectations within a particular ministry context.

In short, I found his approach very pastoral and responsible. It balanced the reality that sometimes a call to ministry will involve struggle, and perhaps even suffering. It acknowledged that we have created a culture in which we try to avoid struggle at all costs (sometimes even 'spiritualising' necessary sacrifice by labeling it an indication of a lack of God's blessing). Yet, at the same time he encouraged the formation of structures to support ministers and their families in their servant role in community. Service is seldom easy, and the calling to service will require a great deal of spiritual, emotional and physical support.

Concluding questions.

I am still left with one question - in the tradition of spiritual discernment there may be some instances in which a lack of personal fulfilment, or the presence of some form of suffering (spiritual, physical or emotional) may be an indication that the person is in the wrong place or doing the wrong things. How can one tell the difference between true spiritual discernment and plain struggle?

You may have some answers or suggestions! I'd love to hear from you if you do.

Please let me also encourage you to join the Lausanne Global Conversation. It is a wonderful platform for engagement around a myriad of issues related to knowing Christ and making Him known throughout the world.

Update on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 12:20PM by Dr Dion Forster

P.S., some friends responded to my tweet about how I did the conference call for the interview (see the original tweet here).

I had a meeting just before the call (scheduled for 7am Eastern Standard Time, which is 15.00 Central African Time), and had to drive to another meeting that started at 16.00.  So, I connected my mifi 2352 and launched skype on my iPad and connected to the first part of the call while driving.  Fortunately by the time all the participants were on the call and we were ready to start I had reached my destination.

Skype works really well on the iPad - I have some skype out credit loaded so I can also use it to make phone calls to regular and cell phone numbers.  But in this case the call was hosted by freeconferencing.com - so all I had to do was dial their toll free number in the USA to be connected at no cost.

I am truly grateful for the technology that I have been blessed with.  It helps me so much as I try to fit in all of the different parts of my ministry (in my case I could have done with a bit more 'balance' yesterday ;-)