I'll be riding my mountain bike up here

This is what it looks like just about when your lungs are ready to give in and your legs are dead from the ride up the mountain!
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is
believed to be clean.

Marked for a constitutional democracy

I voted for our constitutional democracy in the South African elections... Did you? To see a short video on why your vote is critical please go to http://www.qik.com/digitaldion

It was a great day! I woke up early, went for a cycle, and met Megie and the kids at Beaumont primary to vote. We were in line for 30 minutes, and then a meeting or two, now dinner with some friends!

A day to remember!
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is
believed to be clean.

Cool dude!

Liam is a cool dude!
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is
believed to be clean.

Winter is coming! I love the Cape!

One of the things I love about the Cape is the clear change in the seasons. We normally get our first winter rains on Easter weekend - they arrived a week later this year. But the clouds have moved in. This is a picture of the clouds moving in over the mountains as I left my first meeting this morning...

Ah, a wet winter is on its way - mountain biking will be fun!
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is
believed to be clean.

Sweethearts!

Megan and I have been married for 15 years. We have experienced so much blessing and joy together! I do truly love her more today than I ever have. Perhaps it is because we have also lived through some challenges, sadness and struggle.

I thank God for a faithful, loving, and supportive partner! How could you NOT love that wonderful smile!?

A call to prayer and guidance for casting your vote in the South African Elections - 22 April 2009. A Critical Juncture!

South Africa is once again facing a critical decision in its history. In this next election we are faced with having the governing party gaining a two-thirds majority once again. What makes this situation so threatening is that Mr Jacob Zuma is to be the chosen president from the ANC to head the nation.

He, and the party, have already shown a lack of courage and insight in dealing with the difficult issues of corruption, facing justice, and upholding the rule of law. Last week's decision by the National Prosecuting Authority to drop more than 700 charges of corruption against Mr Zuma and Thint in the Arms Deal case is extremely concerning. When you add to that Mr Zuma and other members of the ruling party's recent statements that call the powers of the constitutional court into question you can see that we are heading for an extremely dangerous situation!

Please could I encourage every South African, and every Christian (and person of all other faiths) in South Africa to take seriously their responsibility to see that our nation makes the right choice at this juncture of our history!

Please could I encourage all bloggers to share this (or some similar post) on their blogs?

Then, there are these two very clear statements / requests that I would encourage you to read, pray about following, and share with others.

The first comes from the Global Day of Prayer:

Dear Friend!

We are indeed facing a critical Election on 22 April 2009 and your prayers will most certainly make a difference in the future of our nation.

As we are in the final few days leading up to our National Election we want to request the following:
1. Set the time leading up to elections apart for prayer and fasting. Pray for God’s will to be done and remind Him of His promises. " ... if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14)

2. Set specific time apart during church services on Sunday 19 April 2009 to pray for the elections.

3. Intentionally pray for peace in our nation. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (1 Tim. 2:1-3)

4. Commit to your responsibility to vote on 22 April 2009. Make sure that your vote will not deny your Biblical values and principles.

5. Vote prayerfully, carefully considering what God is asking of you in regards to:

- Integrity and honesty (Am I voting for upright and honest people?)

- Moral and upright policies (Does the party answer to the demands of morality and justice?)

- Blind Loyalty (Do I cast my vote based on past loyalty or on what contribution the party is making towards a peaceful and just society?)

- Intolerance and/or intimidation (Do I respect those whose opinion differ from mine and am I allowed to voice my opinion?)

Yes, your vote in the upcoming election counts! For God’s will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven", it is critical for His children to pray, to vote and to live as instruments of love and transformation.

Let us trust the words of Luke 18:7-8: "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly."

The GDOP Team

The second comes from Unashamedly Ethical:

Dear friends

By now many of you would have read or seen in the press that Unashamedly Ethical has launched a campaign to challenge the NPA's decision to withdraw its case against Jacob Zuma and Thint, and that we have set up a fund to take donations that will be used to pursue this issue legally. I will send you further details about the fund next week.

I wanted to send you, our members and friends, an e-mail explaining our position, and asking for your support.

Understanding the Unashamedly Ethical campaign
At the risk of repeating what you may already understand, Unashamedly Ethical is a campaign promoting values, ethics and clean living amongst all South Africans. We encourage people from all sectors of society to live ethically.

From time-to-time, an issue arises in our country which we feel we have a responsibility to address. These issues are sometimes in the business world, as was the case in the pipe manufacturing industry earlier this year. Sometimes they are in the church world, and sometimes in the political world.

Challenging the NPA's decision
We believe that the recent decision of the NPA to withdraw its charges against Jacob Zuma and Thint, and the reasons given for this decision, together with certain statements made by members of the governing party, are unethical. We believe that they are a grave threat to the rule of law and to the moral fibre of our young democracy. We believe that the following issues need to be addressed urgently as a matter of national concern:
- The legal validity of the grounds given for the decision to discontinue the prosecution of Mr Jacob Zuma and Thint.
- The legality of the tapping of telephones referred to by the NPA.
- The apparent abuse of power by a state institution for political ends.
- The alleged abuse of power by state employees.
- The statements by Mr Zuma, and other members of the governing party, calling into question the power and integrity of the constitutional court and the incumbent judges.
- The undesirability of any political party obtaining more than a two-thirds majority in parliament, thereby enabling them to amend the constitution.

With these concerns in mind Unashamedly Ethical called a meeting of the leaders of the major opposition parties in Tshwane on 15th April 09. The following parties were present: COPE (represented by Mr Lekota), ACDP (represented by Mr Meshoe), FF+ (represented by Mr Mulder), and the DA (represented by Mr Moodey). Apologies were also received from Mr Buthelezi of the IFP and from Mr Holomisa of the UDM.

The response of Unashamedly Ethical
In response to these events we have decided to take the following steps:

1. To call on all South Africans to vote, and to make justice and ethics their key consideration when choosing which party to vote for.
2. To call on all South Africans to vote in such a way that we avoid any one party from gaining a two-thirds majority in parliament, thereby enabling them to change the constitution.
3. To establish a fund to receive donations to explore every legal avenue to address these issues surrounding the NPA and Mr Zuma. This legal process may become very costly and so I would like to appeal to you to make a contribution into our "NPA fund". The trust account is being finalised today and the bank account details of the fund will be available next week on our site: www.unashamedlyethical.com .
Please note that this fund has been set up by Unashamedly Ethical alone. None of the opposition political parties are connected to this fund in any way, other than voicing their support for what we are doing.
4. To expand Unashamedly Ethical’s national campaign to challenge all South Africans to values, ethics and clean living.

Finally, let me make it perfectly clear that neither I, in my personal capacity, nor Unashamedly Ethical as a campaign, are for or against any one political party, or any individual. We are against decisions which we believe to be unethical and damaging to all South Africans.

My thanks to you all for your encouragement and support. Please do consider making a donation to our "NPA fund" next week, and please forward this e-mail to others.

Here's praying (and working) for a just South Africa!

Saturday morning cartoons with Liam!

I had a bit of flu this week (I think it was 'stress induced flu' - if there is such a thing!) That's the downside, the upside is that it gave me a good excuse not to cycle this morning. So while Megie is sleeping Courtney, Liam and I are watching Saturday morning cartoons!

I have a wedding in 2 hours - and then the rest of the day is FREE! Fantastic! Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Dion
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is
believed to be clean.

Servanthood - Jesus secret to blessing and truly effective ministry.

I encounter many people that don't find joy and blessing in their work and lives... Jesus gives us a little secret to finding blessing and joy in John 13:17 Jesus says "Now that you know these things... you will be blessed if you do them". In other words, if you do some things (which I shall talk about soon) you will find blessing.

So, what is this 'secret' to blessing? It is servanthood - I think it was Albert Schweitzer who commented that "You can tell whether you are becoming a servant by how you act when people treat you like one". I think that many of us are not happy because we are so focussed on ourselves, our needs, our concerns etc., that we forget to live for others...

Well, here's a little message (a sermon of sorts) that I prepared for my Radio Pulpit broadcast. You can download the program here 'Jesus secret for blessing... servanthood' (6.5MB) Please feel free to share it with anyone who may benefit from it!

I would love to hear your perspectives and insights.

Rich blessing,

Dion

What a remarkable day! The Unashamedly Ethical press event 15 April 2009

Today was one of the most incredible days in my life thus far! I never dreamed that I would have any input or influence in any system larger than my local congregation or community. But, this morning I boarded a plane with some members of the Unashamedly Ethical Exco to participate in a press event at the Tshwane Events Centre, just two hours before a crucial IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) meeting in Pretoria.

The purpose of this event was to call together political leaders from a number of major political parties to get them to offer their support and cooperation for our drive for ethics and values in South Africa! Among those in attendance were Mr Lekota from COPE, Rev Meshoe from the ACDP, Mr Moodey from the DA, and Dr Conradie from the FF+. Steve Johnstone, who is the head of the Unashamedly Ethical campaign, did a sterling job, together with Adv. Keith Matthee (SC) in bringing together the consensus among the parties (including the IFP and the UDM who were unable to attend the meeting, but sent their support and apologies). You can read the SAPA news story on this event here.

The outcome of this meeting was a groundbreaking statement that affirmed among other things (and I paraphrase):

1. The establishment of a neutral fund to fund costs in order to investigate the legality of the National Prosecuting Authority's discontinuance of the charges against Mr Jacob Zuma and Thint.

2. A call on the opposition parties to work together in order to ensure that South Africa develops a more healthy multi-party democracy. It is not healthy that any one party should have the means to amend the constitution of South Africa on its own. All such amendments should be done through multiparty agreement with some measure of balance in the political realm. After all, and this is my own opinion, a constitutional democracy is much better than a parliamentary democracy.

3. To embark on an educational campaign to help South Africans to understand the virtues of a multi party constitutional democracy and independent institutions in relation to chapter 9 of the constitution.

4. To challenge all South Africans, from all spheres of society (religious, educational, business, political etc.) to values, ethics and clean living.

I felt quite blessed to see this event taking place. Naturally I realise that actions such as these are risky in any nation, but I also realise that the cost of not taking a stand for ethics, justice and morals in our miracle nation are equally high. At moments when I felt fearful I simply thought of my children, and the children they shall have one day. I also remembered my parents and their parents who left Zimbabwe some years ago when the rule of law collapsed in that beautiful nation, and I prayed that God will give me, and all other South Africans the courage and wisdom to see what needs to be done in order to remain in this wonderful nation, taking up our Christian and civil responsibilities to see that ethical and moral leaders represent our needs and concerns in the governance of the land.

I ask you please to join with me, and many thousands of other Christians, in praying about how you shall cast your precious vote! This is a freedom that was won for us by the sacrifices of many who were persecuted and died in the decades gone by. I would encourage each of us to pray that those who would seek to cover up evil and hide truth would turn from their ways. I shall be engaging in a partial fast for the next 7 days as we prepare for the elections on the 22nd of April. I am trusting for God to guide and bless the people of South Africa as we go to the polls.

At the end of the day this is not about one single party, in fact it is not about party politics. For me it is about obedience to Christ, the Lord, who has a wonderful plan for South Africa and wants you and I to make the costly stand to see it come to pass.

Please consider standing with me for Ethics and Values by visiting the Unashamedly Ethical website and signing a pledge form. You can find these on http://www.unashamedlyethical.com

A common thread? Art, impulse, leadership and brain dissorders.

I found this post on boingboing to be extremely interesting.



I am a somewhat impulsive persons - some have called it decisiveness, others have called it rashness, some consider it to be a positive trait (I can decide and act quickly), and others have discovered, as I have, that it can be quite costly at times! I can decide on things in a fairly short space of time and then commit myself to act upon them. This has been a great blessing throughout my life! It has helped me to qualify early, attain certain positions in the Church and in society, it has helped me to get published (and help others to do the same).



I have noticed that there are many other 'entrepreneurs' who share this decisive and impulsive nature. I see it in friends and colleagues frequently.



Of course over the years, and particularly as part of my research into the functioning of the human brain, I have tried to understand this impulse. How is it that I can be so certain about some things when other take so long to decide? How is it possible that I can commit myself, sometimes against the odds, when others are so cautious?



I am aware that I have some irregular brain activity (both from an electrical and from a chemical perspective). I have a deficiency in melatonin, which has allowed me to cope with very little sleep. Moreover, I have discovered that I have fairly widespread 40hz oscillations that allow me to gain a longer term, 'transcendent', perspective (what some call 'the big picture') on things. It takes a little more energy for me to pay attention to the details - I like to paint broad brush strokes.



The post below got me wondering when a 'difference' in someone's brain (whether it be the wiring or the chemical makeup) becomes a pathology? There is little doubt that all of us are subject to the calcification of our dendrites as we age - this hinders both the processing capacity of the brain, and the speed at which we process things. Moreover, as we age our chemical makeup shifts significantly (there are constant changes in the neurophysiology, and particularly the neuro-endocrine system as a result of changes in the glands, the body's capacity to manufacture and distribute chemicals, and of course such things as social context, diet, and general spiritual, emotional and physical well being).



Someone recently commented to a friend 'If you want balance, buy a scale! What most people need is not balance, but equilibrium' I have thought about this quite a bit. I don't think that I would cope with a slower lifestyle (people frequently tell me to slow down. I don't want to! I would find a lack of expectation, challenge and business quite frustrating - in fact I think that it would be quite unhealthy for me as an individual and that lack of equilibrium would have a negative effect on my body, my mind, and my relationships). I suppose that through a complex web of interconnected factors such as socialization, genetics, and personal preference each of us develops a particular 'brain state' within which we operate optimally.



The other thought that I had was this:



What constitutes a formal pathology in cases such as these?



For example, if the gentleman referred to below did not give up his job and take up art, would he have been considered 'healthy' if he stayed on in a position that he longer had any passion or interest in? Surely, that is a pathology in itself (even if it cannot be directly measured through quantifiable means)? Or, is his case considered 'pathological' since society frowns upon persons who take a different route!? Society says "something must be wrong with this guy! He was a lawyer who gives up a position that is adding value to society and the economy in order to create works of art (that are not all that appealing)"



I tend to think that sometimes normallity is anything BUT normal!



How is it that people can NOT believe in transcendence and mystery when they have witnessed the birth of a child? That does not make sense to me!



How is it possible that in South Africa the majority of the population would be willing to vote for a man who has been implicated in rape, admitted to having sex with an HIV positive person (and then says that he took a shower afterward to protect himself from getting infected with HIV), and has over 700 charges of corruption against him... This is NOT normal. There is a widespread 'pathology' that is thinly veiled as 'normality'.



Well, those are a few of my thoughts. I would love to hear what your thoughts are!



Have a truly blessed Easter!



Here's the original post that inspired these thoughts:

At the age of 52, "VW" had a sudden desire to quit work as lawyer and start painting. He previously hadn't been interested in art. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS). Above left is an artwork he painted just before he was diagnosed. Above right is a piece VW made a few years later, just before he died. From New Scientist:

"...Degeneration in a brain area responsible for controlling impulses might explain his creative urge, says Anli Liu, a neurologist and artist who recently authored a case report on VW. At the same time, symptoms of ALS limited VW's motor control and, eventually, his ability to create art."

Brain decline reflected in patient's brush strokes

Wonderful news! The Dalai Lama is allowed into South Africa!

I know that this is a serious situation! I am also ashamed that South Africa would not allow the Dalai Lama to come to South Africa! It just shows how quickly we have turned from a nation that upheld justice and human rights after the 1994 elections, to now being a puppet of other powerful (and wealthy) nations.

BUT, when I received this wonderful image I had to smile!

There we have it, Dial a Llama has been given free access to South Africa! All is not lost... even if the Dalai Lama cannot get in...

;-)

And so, Zuma is set free... Let us be active in prayer!

Yesterday was a negative watershed in the history of our young democracy. Yesterday the ANC showed its power in South Africa with the withdrawal of the fraud and corruption charges against Mr Jacob Zuma. He has used 100 million rand of our taxpayers' money to make sure that he doesn't go to court... I am truly concerned - however, as my friend Pete so aptly puts it, I am a South African and I take responsibility for our faults. I shall be working and praying for the future of our nature - we are facing tough times!

Here's Pete's post, it expresses my concern, and my commitment, far better than I could write it.

South Africa experienced a miracle in 1994.

We moved from an oppressive racially based oligarchy to a democratically elected government. Our law was protected by an internationally acclaimed new constitution. And we boasted leaders of international stature – politicians such as Nelson Mandela, priests like Desmond Tutu; jurists such as Arthur Chaskalson and Albie Sachs; and many eminent writers, musicians and scientists.

We believed that we had something to offer the world. We believed that we had transcended narrow racial boundaries; moved beyond self-serving ideological disputes to build a “rainbow nation”; and were able to make visible the African concept of Ubuntu . I have travelled to various places in the world to speak of our national “miracle” experience….Northern Ireland; York, England; and various Methodist Seminaries in the United States of America.

Today I admit that I have been smugly deluded. I have allowed myself to be blinded by the newness of our land – and have not noticed that the same old things are still happening:
• The Apartheid politicians I despised had developed a system of self enrichment that was gleefully embraced by the new democratically elected representatives of the people. They learned how to inflate travel claims; and create jobs for their friends and family; and cobble together gifts and favours for themselves.
• The amoral Apartheid politicians set up systems with international arms traders that were taken over by the new government. And the same bribes/rewards/incentives were gratefully pocketed.
• The selfish Apartheid leadership manipulated the law to suit their personal agenda – a lesson well learned by this next generation of leaders.

And so today I witness Jacob Zuma, the next President of my country, weasel his way out of being charged for corruption and financial misappropriation of funds. He leads a political party that welcomed international solidarity when they were struggling for power – but now it refuses to stand in solidarity with Myanmar and Tibet. This is the party that enthusiastically embraced Desmond Tutu when he berated the sins of the Apartheid government, but now dismissively insults him when he points out the sins of the current government.

Today South Africa ceased to be something special amongst the nations of the world. We are just another Third World Country, adding to the litany of human rights failures.
BUT: this is my country. I am reminded (once again) that the struggle for liberation is never finished. I have been placed by God in this country to speak for truth. I refuse to give up the dream for a better land for all.

Thou shalt not be a victim.
Thou shalt not be a perpetrator.
Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.
- Holocaust Museum, Washington, D.C