Join Desmond Tutu for a once a week fast for Zimbabwe

As many of you would know, Megan and started to fast once a week (two years ago when our son Liam was born).  It has been a significant spiritual discipline.  I am quite 'strict' about it (even if I'm invited to a function, a client event, or out for lunch etc., I still adhere to my fast).  It has reminded me of a number of things.

1.  I discovered that I was much more hungry for food than I was for God... I would plan my days around meals, but I would often skip my prayer time because I was too busy.  It's sad, but it's a reality for many Christians!  So, fasting helps me to prioritize my spiritual life and my devotion to Christ.  Whenever I feel hungry on my fast day it remind me to pray and engage in acts of mercy.

2.  It reminds me that there are many people in the world who do not have the luxury to choose when to eat and when not to eat.  In my own country, South Africa, 17% of our population subsist on less than US$1 a day, and 38% on less than US$2 a day - in fact more than half are regarded as poor and impoverished.  This one day of fasting gives me a great deal of compassion (helping me to understand in just a very, very insignificant and small way what others experience daily...).  Compassion is different from pity... Pity separates people, compassion joins them.

3.  For Megan and I, in particular, it reminds us to pray earnestly for sick Children, suffering children, and families who struggle with loss, illness, and other challenges.

Here, however, is a challenge to join Bishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in fasting in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe.  My encouragement is to link your fasting to prayer and acts of mercy.  On your fast day set aside your meal times to pray and also set aside the money (or food) you would have consumed to bless someone else.

Here's the story:

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South African Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu has called on all South Africans to join his weekly fasting in protest at the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe, the 702 radio station reported on Sunday.

The 78-year-old Anglican archbishop said he had been fasting once a week in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans facing food shortages and a cholera outbreak.

"If we would have more people saying 'I will fast' maybe one day a week, just to identify myself with my sisters and brothers in Zimbabwe," the radio station quoted him as saying.

Zimbabweans are suffering from hyper-inflation and severe food, fuel and foreign currency shortages. Cholera has killed more than 1,800 people. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Charles Dick)  from http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLB640138

Back with a bang - peace from Africa

These wonderful paintings were my Christmas present from my loving wife, Megan. I absolutely love how they evoke elements of the peace, sense of belonging, and beauty of Southern African living. Thanks Megie!

Well, tomorrow it is back to work! It was Voltaire who said 'Work banishes those three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty'. I am truly thankful for my work and ministry.

I'm starting with a bang. This week I'll be in Knysna for some strategic planning, then a Directors' stay over at Bergkroon just outside of Paarl, then off to Johannesburg for meetings with Heartlines, the 'For Good' campaign, Religious leaders forum and government around ethics, then off to speak at the Seth Mokitimi orientation at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal in Pietermartizburg. In the days between I shall savor every minute I have with my family. They are such a precious gift. My holiday seems over far too quickly, and it will certainly pull at my heart to leave them (even to go my office down the road, let alone elsewhere in the country!)

I have a few overseas trips on the cards for 2009, some new places (mainland China, Thailand) and some returning visits (England, Latin America, Hong Kong, Korea and possibly the US).

One thing I am sure of is that our Lord offers me courage and comfort to work for unity in the Church, influence change in society, mediate renewal in business perspectives, and push boundaries between persons who have entrenched themsleves in their corners of conviction (whether conservative, or liberal (like me)...) I understand the weaknesses of others because I am so prone to them myself. As Paul says in Phil 3:13, it's not that I have already attained these things, or been made perfect; but I forget what it behind and strain forward to take hold of the prize for which Christ Jesus has called me.

Thankfully, whenever I return to Africa I find blessing and peace with Megie, Courts and Liam. I am perhaps the most fortunate person alive! I have an incredible family, a remarkable and stimulating vocation, the a knowledge and love for the One who gives me all these things as a gift of grace.

2009 looks to be a good year! Please pray for. We have much to do, many demands to face, and a lot to learn.
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E.T the alien on the way to Kleinmond

Just before the exit to Pringle Bay (after you've passed Betties Bay) if you look left you'll see E.T. in the field! He's been defined a bit over the years. When I first saw this E.T. Shaped rock a few years ago it only had eyes. Now the rock has eyes, a mouth and a body!

E.T. phone home!
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Cory Doctorow: Writing in the Age of Distraction

This is an exceptional article from one of my favourite bloggers, Cory Doctorow. He has written some of my favourite novels (see the links at the end of this post for more information). I have written about Cory's position on Creative Commons licensing a few times in the past, and the fact that he is the person who convinced me of the 'rightness' and value of giving away my work. As, I've mentioned on numerous occasions - I am in the fortunate position that my writing does not have to put food in my children's tummies! I realise this is not the case for every author, but in my case it applies. I write because I think about things and I find that there are not always others who think about the same things, or who think about them in the same way, or even if they do, there are few who process them like I do and even fewer who have the privilege of the years of education and training that I've benefited from. I am humbled to be able to give my books away. As always, you're welcome to download copies of 3 of my 6 books here - just follow the link and scroll about ahalf way down the page to find them (I own the rights for these three, the others are either joint ventures, or I wrote/edited them for the benefit of other individuals or organisations and so cannot give them away with as much freedom).

Right, that being said, Cory is one of the most remarkable writers and thinkers of our age! He represents a new generation of author, not the reclusive artist, but the engaged thinker. Like me he enjoys contact with people and systems - these stimulate his creative thinking, and when the stimuli can be managed so that they don't hinder to process of recording and crafting his thoughts, it leads to some of the most engaging, well researched, and cutting edge works on the internet....

That, however, is the key! If you're a busy person, and have a fairly short attention span and are prone to distraction (or procrastination!) then you need to garner some tools and cultivate some personal discipline to help you write. Thoughts are fleeting! However, when you can create enough time and space to process them and record them, they become enlightening and useful to yourself and others.

So, here's Cory's wonderful article from Locus Online about writing in an age of distraction.

Cory Doctorow: Writing in the Age of Distraction

from Locus Magazine, January 2009

---

We know that our readers are distracted and sometimes even overwhelmed by the myriad distractions that lie one click away on the Internet, but of course writers face the same glorious problem: the delirious world of information and communication and community that lurks behind your screen, one alt-tab away from your word-processor.

The single worst piece of writing advice I ever got was to stay away from the Internet because it would only waste my time and wouldn't help my writing. This advice was wrong creatively, professionally, artistically, and personally, but I know where the writer who doled it out was coming from. Every now and again, when I see a new website, game, or service, I sense the tug of an attention black hole: a time-sink that is just waiting to fill my every discretionary moment with distraction. As a co-parenting new father who writes at least a book per year, half-a-dozen columns a month, ten or more blog posts a day, plus assorted novellas and stories and speeches, I know just how short time can be and how dangerous distraction is.

But the Internet has been very good to me. It's informed my creativity and aesthetics, it's benefited me professionally and personally, and for every moment it steals, it gives back a hundred delights. I'd no sooner give it up than I'd give up fiction or any other pleasurable vice.

I think I've managed to balance things out through a few simple techniques that I've been refining for years. I still sometimes feel frazzled and info-whelmed, but that's rare. Most of the time, I'm on top of my workload and my muse. Here's how I do it:

• Short, regular work schedule

  When I'm working on a story or novel, I set a modest daily goal — usually a page or two — and then I meet it every day, doing nothing else while I'm working on it. It's not plausible or desirable to try to get the world to go away for hours at a time, but it's entirely possible to make it all shut up for 20 minutes. Writing a page every day gets me more than a novel per year — do the math — and there's always 20 minutes to be found in a day, no matter what else is going on. Twenty minutes is a short enough interval that it can be claimed from a sleep or meal-break (though this shouldn't become a habit). The secret is to do it every day, weekends included, to keep the momentum going, and to allow your thoughts to wander to your next day's page between sessions. Try to find one or two vivid sensory details to work into the next page, or a bon mot, so that you've already got some material when you sit down at the keyboard.

• Leave yourself a rough edge

  When you hit your daily word-goal, stop. Stop even if you're in the middle of a sentence. Especially if you're in the middle of a sentence. That way, when you sit down at the keyboard the next day, your first five or ten words are already ordained, so that you get a little push before you begin your work. Knitters leave a bit of yarn sticking out of the day's knitting so they know where to pick up the next day — they call it the "hint." Potters leave a rough edge on the wet clay before they wrap it in plastic for the night — it's hard to build on a smooth edge.

• Don't research

  Researching isn't writing and vice-versa. When you come to a factual matter that you could google in a matter of seconds, don't. Don't give in and look up the length of the Brooklyn Bridge, the population of Rhode Island, or the distance to the Sun. That way lies distraction — an endless click-trance that will turn your 20 minutes of composing into a half-day's idyll through the web. Instead, do what journalists do: type "TK" where your fact should go, as in "The Brooklyn bridge, all TK feet of it, sailed into the air like a kite." "TK" appears in very few English words (the one I get tripped up on is "Atkins") so a quick search through your document for "TK" will tell you whether you have any fact-checking to do afterwards. And your editor and copyeditor will recognize it if you miss it and bring it to your attention.

• Don't be ceremonious

  Forget advice about finding the right atmosphere to coax your muse into the room. Forget candles, music, silence, a good chair, a cigarette, or putting the kids to sleep. It's nice to have all your physical needs met before you write, but if you convince yourself that you can only write in a perfect world, you compound the problem of finding 20 free minutes with the problem of finding the right environment at the same time. When the time is available, just put fingers to keyboard and write. You can put up with noise/silence/kids/discomfort/hunger for 20 minutes.

• Kill your word-processor

  Word, Google Office and OpenOffice all come with a bewildering array of typesetting and automation settings that you can play with forever. Forget it. All that stuff is distraction, and the last thing you want is your tool second-guessing you, "correcting" your spelling, criticizing your sentence structure, and so on. The programmers who wrote your word processor type all day long, every day, and they have the power to buy or acquire any tool they can imagine for entering text into a computer. They don't write their software with Word. They use a text-editor, like vi, Emacs, TextPad, BBEdit, Gedit, or any of a host of editors. These are some of the most venerable, reliable, powerful tools in the history of software (since they're at the core of all other software) and they have almost no distracting features — but they do have powerful search-and-replace functions. Best of all, the humble .txt file can be read by practically every application on your computer, can be pasted directly into an email, and can't transmit a virus.

• Realtime communications tools are deadly

  The biggest impediment to concentration is your computer's ecosystem of interruption technologies: IM, email alerts, RSS alerts, Skype rings, etc. Anything that requires you to wait for a response, even subconsciously, occupies your attention. Anything that leaps up on your screen to announce something new, occupies your attention. The more you can train your friends and family to use email, message boards, and similar technologies that allow you to save up your conversation for planned sessions instead of demanding your attention right now helps you carve out your 20 minutes. By all means, schedule a chat — voice, text, or video — when it's needed, but leaving your IM running is like sitting down to work after hanging a giant "DISTRACT ME" sign over your desk, one that shines brightly enough to be seen by the entire world.

I don't claim to have invented these techniques, but they're the ones that have made the 21st century a good one for me.

---

Cory Doctorow's website is Craphound.com, and he is co-editor of Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things.

---

Previous Cory Doctorow columns posted on Locus Online:

• Why I Copyfight
  
• Macropayments
  
• Nature's Daredevils: Writing for Young Audiences
  
• Think Like a Dandelion
  
• Put Not Your Faith in Ebook Readers
  
• Artist Rights
  
• Creative Commons
  
• Free(konomic) E-books
  
• The Progressive Apocalypse and Other Futurismic Delights
  
• In Praise of Fanfic
  
• You Do Like Reading Off a Computer
  
• Blogging Without the Blog
  
• The March of the Polygons: How High-Definition Is Bad News for SF Flicks
  
• How Copyright Broke
  
• Science Fiction is the Only Literature People Care Enough About to Steal on the Internet.

Technorati tags: tips for writers, distraction, ideas, author, Cory Doctorow, free books

Not sure what scares me more... Stunning Pink, or their Video

This has to be one of the scariest advertisements I've EVER seen! Yikes, Stunning Pink...

What's worse, the product or their marketing department!? Both scare me a WHOLE LOT! Thanks to @prieurdp for the twitter...

Eating where the whales hang out... good theology (not mine) and other blessings!

We went to Hermanus for lunch today. It was a perfect day. The last day or two of leave are quickly passing! But, I'll confess that I'm ready to get back to work! Here's a little video of the family (except Courts who was eating ice cream).

By the way, Liam was saying 'Kitty in the water' because there were some rock rabbits (Dassies) on the rocks near the water's edge. There wasn't a REAL kitty in the water! The whales would have eaten it ;-)

Be blessed!

Oh, and I've been re-reading Wes' and my new book - entitled What are we thinking. With all humility - it's brilliant ;-) Well, in truth it IS brilliant, but that's because of all the great authors (11 of them in total) that contributed incredibly thought provoking, challenging and insightful chapters! It is a must read for anyone who is grappling with some of the most contextual issues of our day (same sex relationships, care for gay persons in the Church, the environment, economics and poverty, gender issues and women's rights (in Africa and elsewhere in the world), postmodernism and fresh expressions of Church, reaching young people for Christ without compromising the Gospel, how people misuse texts in the Old Testament to justify Rape in Africa... It's an incredible collection of theologies from a wide variety of scholars! You can order the book here.)

Dion

The numbers don't lie... how the Bush administration has impoverished the US (and world) economy.

This very interesting post shows how the Bush administration has systematically impoverished the United States and world economies... I have a feeling that their own bank balances look better, even though the rest of the world's bank balances look worse!

Salon's got a good, meaty, heavily linked and referenced roundup of the damage done to the US economy and body politic during the Bush administrations:

How much poorer are we going to get before we start getting richer again? Here are some (scary, morbid, gruesome) clues.

Expected shortfall of gross domestic product below normal growth path in 2009: $900 billion

Decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average from its decade high to its value at the close of business, Jan. 7, 2009: 5,394.83, or 38.1 percent

Number of manufacturing jobs lost since 2000: 3.78 million

Increase in number of unemployed workers from 2001 to 2008: 4 million, a jump of 2.7 percent in the unemployment rate

Real median household income according to the 2000 census, adjusted for inflation: $51,804

Real median household income as of August 2007: $50,233

Of course, the government didn't sit idly by while our financial future was disappearing down the drain. Instead, the feds have pumped in hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, hoping to juice lending and public spending.

Cost of finance industry bailout: $350 billion, with another $350 pending congressional approval

Cost of auto industry bailout: $17.4 billion, so far

And even though there's widespread agreement among economists that the government needs to be spending a large sum of money on an economic stimulus package, it still won't look pretty on the public balance sheet.

National debt: $10.6 trillion

Amount of that debt owned by China: At least $800 billion

W. and the damage done

Launch of my new book 'What are we thinking? Reflections on Church and Socieity from Southern African Methodists'

This is an advert for my new book (co-edited with my good friend Dr Wessel Bentley), so please feel free to skip this post.

The book can be purchased from Connexion Resource centres in most of South Africa's major cities (formerly Methodist Bookshops, such as those in Cape Town, Pretoria, Bryanston, Benoni, Durban... You can get the phone numbers and addresses from the order form). Or you can use this order form to purchase a copy. You're also welcome to contact me directly if you'd like to order a copy through me. I hope that it will soon be added to Amazon

Endorsements for What are we thinking?

'My enthusiasm for this book is fired by a number of factors. First, there is the variety of authors and topics. Second, the variety of topics reflects key points in our social, cultural, economic and political context. Third, there is a crying need to up-to-date books that relate the whole gospel to the whole world. Fourth, the book does not aim to indoctrinate us, but rather to challenge us to become thinking Christians in our own contexts. And while Christian readers of all denominations will be challenged and enriched by this book, a fifth reason for my enthusiasm is that it gives contemporary expression to the spirit of John Wesley. Not only were his interests wide ranging, as are the topics in this book, but he managed to develop that rate and precious mix of a theology that is simultaneously passionate and reasonable, both deeply spiritual and socially engaged. That is the excellent mix that this book also offers' - Rev Prof Dr Neville Richardson

'This timely release introduces the reader to fresh, diverse, provocative and urgent voices within the Wesleyan tradition. They share insights on a number of contemporary issues that will push theological boundaries, spiritually enrich, motivate and challenge to action. Each contribution draws from the deep wells of their own life and pastoral experience and beckons the reader to drink from this veritable calabash of collective wisdom which adds to the current theological and public discourse. What are we thinking? is a source for growth. I recommend it to all thoughtful readers' - Rev Ivan Abrahams, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

About the book:

What are our emerging theologians thinking and saying about some of the pressing issues confronting the church and society today? Most of us need to have our thinking stimulated and challenged from time to time. Here is just such an opportunity. You may not necessarily agree with everything you read, but the issues are critical and need to be debated!

Contents include:
Whose truth will set us free?
Searching for an African Methodist Liturgical theology
How we can read the same Bible and reach different ethical conclusions
Pastoral care with Christian gay women
A response to global warming and the environment
The economic implications of Biblical principles
Biblical metaphors of healing and transformation
Reading the Scriptures through women’s eyes
A perspective on youth development in South Africa
The use of rape in the Bible as a military metaphor
A call for ‘affirmative action’ for theological application

Contributors:
Rev Dr Wessel Bentley | Rev Mogomotsi Diutlwileng | Rev Dr Dion Forster | Rev Kevin Light | Rev Mantso Matsepe | Rev Madika Sibeko | Rev Alan Storey | Rev Debbie van de Laar | Rev John van de Laar | Rev Vusi Vilikati

The full reference for the book is:

Bentley, W & Forster, DA (eds.) 2008 What are we thinking? Reflections on Church and Society from Southern African Methodists. Cape Town. Methodist Publishing house. (ISBN 978-91988352-6).

Here's a bit more information from a section that I wrote in the Editors' introduction:

The idea for this book grew out of a conversation with Bishop Ivan Abrahams, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. One afternoon he and I sat in Christ Church College, Oxford, speaking about the richness of our Southern African Methodist heritage. As we talked we celebrated the blessing and diversity of our Methodist Connexion. The Methodist Church of Southern Africa covers a geographical area that spans 6 nations (Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa). Within the denomination there is a veritable rainbow of cultures, and age groups - not to mention the divergent theological perspectives and styles of worship. When you mix the Wesleyan passion for Christian perfection with such diversity and a rich social history, the outcome is quite remarkable to say the least!

In the weeks that followed that conversation I thought how sad it was that we did not have a resource, such as a book or a journal, that could capture and reflect the blessing of our theological diversity. So, early one morning, I emailed a number of 'emerging' scholars with the following idea: Each one was to write a chapter for the book. The only requirement was that their chapter should reflect a clear position on some theological or social issue about which they felt passionate. Many responded enthusiastically to the challenge, and so this book began to take shape!

In the pages of this book a variety of topics have been considered. Some chapters deal with theological issues (such as the notion of theological truth, approaches to theology, and the use of metaphor in theology and scripture), others consider more practical matters (such as economics and the Christian faith, the training of laity, youth development, and crafting an authentically African liturgical tradition), still others have considered some of the topical issues of time and context (such as the Church and persons of a same sex orientation, gender issues, and issues of the environment).

This book has two simple aims:

1. To present a compilation of 'position papers' by Methodist scholars that reflect some of the issues that Southern African Methodists are praying about, talking about, and thinking about. In this sense the book aims to be 'zeitgeist' (a 'spirit of the times'), reflecting some of our current theological thinking on contemporary issues. You may not necessarily agree with all of the points made here. However, you are encouraged to consider the points that the author makes, to understand why he or she holds the position that is presented, and then to go on to form your own opinions and understanding of what you believe in relation to the issue at hand.
2. This leads to the second aim, namely that we wanted to open the way for our members to begin to think critically about some contemporary challenges and opportunities that Southern Africa, and the Church in Southern Africa, faces. In this regard the book aims to stimulate prayer, thought, further conversation and ultimately courageous action.

I pray that you will be challenged to grow in your own faith as you read the chapters of this book. Ultimately our common aim is to find the most effective, Christ-like, God honouring ways of establishing God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Thanks for wading your way through this advert! I am so pleased with how this book has turned out, each of the contributors has made a very, very significant contribution towards scholarship and theology in contemporary Christianity! Here's the order form to purchase a copy.

Technorati tags: New Book, Methodist, emerging theology, Dion Forster, Wessel Bentley, same sex, gender issues, postmodernism, hermeneutics, Methodist Publishing House

It's been leaked! The BRAND NEW Apple Macbook without a keyboard!

Yup, the buzz is all over the internet! This was leaked before the Apple Keynote address at Macworld.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

You know, when I look closely, this looks a lot like my Macbook Air with a clickwheel photoshopped where the keyboard should be... No, they would never do that ;-)

Technorati tags: Apple Keynote, product leak, new macbook, click wheel, joke, Steve Jobs

Some advice and encouragement for Candidates for the Methodist ministry (Presbyters and Ordinands)

It is that time of the year again! I know that the screening of Candidates for the Methodist Ministry is coming closer because I start getting lots of phone calls from Methodist colleagues, and their candidates, asking for advice and insight to help them prepare for their screening.

I thought that I would compile a few thoughts here that may be of some encouragement, and perhaps even offer some insight, for those who are preparing to be screened as Candidates for the Ordained Ministries of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (that is both Deacons and Presbyters). Let me say, however, that I no longer represent the Education for Ministry and Mission Unit in ANY official capacity. I no longer serve within EMMU. My advice will always be, first and foremost, to contact our dedicated staff in the Unit - they can be reached via telephone on (012) 804 3022 for official advice and information about screening.

That being said, I served as a District Supervisor of Studies for some years, and then during my years in EMMU I wrote (and rewrote, and rewrote, and REWROTE) most of the procedures and examinations and questions for Candidates for the Ordained Methodist Ministries.

Some general advice for Candidates for the Ministry.

1. First and most importantly you need to prepare yourself and your spouse for the day of your candidates screening. This process is intended to be a time of discernment on behalf of the Church. Remember that ministry is extremely taxing, and frequently a sacrificial and costly choice on behalf of both the Church (who will spend many thousands of Rands offering you an exceptional world class training), and on the part of you and your family who will face many challenges and difficulties during your training and the ministry that follows that. So, please do approach the the screening process great respect, very deep and committed prayer, and with absolute honesty and openness. I would encourage you to prepare yourself and your spouse in a few ways:
• Pray together as a couple, and spend time praying on your own. Be absolutely certain of the fact that Almighty God has called you to the ordained ministry! I shall say more about the emphasis on 'ordination' a little later.
• Encourage some members of your family and congregation to pray for you and your family on the day of your candidates screening.
• Be certain to prepare a clear and reasonable account of your conversion to Christianity that you will need to share with the committee. I shall say a little more about this very important part below. However, I would suggest that you take some time to share your account of your conversion with a few trusted friends and colleagues (such as members of the Church in which you worship, your minister, some family members etc.)
• Please take some time to carefully and clearly write out your understanding of why you believe God has called you to train towards ordination as a Deacon or a Presbyter (the word for an Ordained 'minister') in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Remember that the committee is likely to hear 15 or more such accounts during the screening process - so keep your testimony and call as clear and structured as you can (I'll say more about that below) and KEEP IT AS SHORT as possible! My suggestion is that you try to fit each of these (the testimony and account of call) to no longer than 3 minutes each.
• Discuss as many of the implications, challenges, opportunities, an possible scenarios with your spouse and children. The screening committee is going to ask about such things as your financial situation, any unsettled debt, your health and the health of your family, how you will cope with conflict, what things scare you as a family, how you will support yourselves etc.
2. On the day of screening please be sure to know exactly where the screening will take place, and on what day you will be screened. You can confirm these details with your District Supervisor of Studies (if you don't know who that is please ask your minister to check at the start of the list of names in the Yearbook). Make sure that you arrive on time and that you have set aside the whole day for the screening. At times things runs a little longer than expected.
3. My advice is that you dress fairly smartly for the screening - by this I would mean that men should wear a tie and jacket (where appropriate) and woman a smart suit or dress. Remember, that in some senses this screening is a little like a job interview. Your clothes and body language make an impression upon the community.
4. Be patient and kind. You may have to wait for a while between the two examinations (theology and 'readiness' or screening). Remember that the committee is under a great deal of pressure and frequently spends days screening candidates. It is a taxing and very emotional process. It will be good for you to remain calm and friendly when you encounter the committee. The same goes for your spouse who will have to sit in on the 'screening' or 'readiness' committee. A humble, yet confident demeanor makes a wonderful impression. In the 15 years that I was part of screening candidates I cannot tell you how many people harmed their chances by being too nervous, tired, or irritated when they came to be screened.

The general format of the screening of Candidates for the Ministry.

The screening process is actually comprised of two committees. The intention, as stated above, is for these committees to discern two very important things. First, they shall need to discern whether you are called to be trained for the Ordained ministry in the MCSA. In order to do this they shall need to be convinced that you have an active, real, and significant relationship with Jesus (that is normally heard in your testimony of your conversion), and that you have a clear and confirmed call to the Ordained ministry in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (that is normally understood from your account of your call to ministry). As part of this process the committee will also need to be sure that you have no encumbrances that could hinder your ministry (e.g., moral, doctrinal, or social problems - I shall say some more about this under the heading of the 'Readiness' committee below). Secondly, the committee has the responsibility of ascertaining that you hold basic views on Methodist and Wesleyan theology and that you are trainable. In short, they shall ask some questions and engage in some discussion to see whether you hold any views that are contrary to those of our denominational tradition (this means that you shall need to be sure to understand what Methodists in Southern Africa believe!), and whether you are flexible and open enough to engage with different positions and theological viewpoints from your own without simply rejecting, or uncritically accepting, them. So, you will need to have some basic theological insights, and you will need to be able to engage with other points of view while maintaining your own views or being willing to consider that other points of view may be equally valid.

Each of the two committees are appointed by the District Bishop and have at least one Connexional representative from EMMU present (to ensure that there is a similar standard across all of the districts in the Connexion). The 'readiness' committee (see Laws and Discipline 11th Edition 4.14 forward) is comprised of both laity and clergy. These persons will normally include a minister, a district supervisor of studies, someone with psychological skills, a person with some personnel or Human resources experience, and then the spouse of a minister and some leaders from lay ministries in the Church. The Theological committee is normally comprised of ministers and lay persons who have some theological training and can engage you in a significant level of theological dialogue in order to assess your theology.

It is important to note that if you fail either the 'readiness' committee or the theological committee you will not be able to continue with your candidature for the Ordained ministries of the MCSA. Officially the screening process is a process of your District (appointed by your Bishop and moderated by EMMU). So the report from the screening will go both to your district SYNOD and to EMMU.

Let's move on to consider each of the committees in a little more detail.

The 'readiness' committee.

The purpose of this committee is to discern your call to ministry and your readiness to begin training for the ordained ministry of the MCSA. Let me make two brief points right at the start:

• The committee needs to be CONVINCED that you are called to the ORDAINED ministry of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Many candidates have come to the screening committee convinced that they should be in some form of ministry - but do remember that you are appearing before the committee to convince them that you should be trained towards ordination as either a Deacon of a Presbyter in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa! Ordination is a very specific thing (it has to do with being set aside and commission either to the ministry of 'word and service' (if you're called to be a Deacon) or 'word and sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion)' (if you're called as a Presbyter (Reverend) in the MCSA). So please, be sure to convince the committee that you are called to be Ordained! If you want to understand a little more about ordination and the different forms of ministry please read the following paper that I wrote for the Doctrine, Ethics and Worship Commission (DEWCOM). You can download the paper here: http://tinyurl.com/a8sb8f - so please remember that you must convince the committee that you're called to be Ordained! That is different from the common expression 'full time ministry'! All Christians are in full time ministry! Some of us are doing full time ministry in our regular work, others do it expressly through the life of the Church (the latter are called and set aside to the Ordained ministry, and the sacraments and preaching are an important part of that ministry).
• Second, and equally important, you need to convince the committee that you should be trained towards ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa! It is important to show the committee that God has called you to serve within the MCSA - the Church will entrust you with precious members (and properties!), and they will invest a large sum of money to train you, so they need to be sure that you're called to serve in this denomination. Remember this committee has a responsibility to serve as the Church's steward in this regard.

Another vitally important part of this committee's task is to make sure that even if you are called to the ministry, you are READY to be trained towards ordination. Sometimes even when a person is called to enter the ordained ministry the timing may not be quite right. There are many things to consider. Some of them relate to you personally - perhaps you need to grow in some area, or need help to overcome some struggle or encumbrance. At other times it may be something in your surroundings or community that may not be ready for you to enter the ministry - for example you may have a child that requires schooling in a particular area, or a wife that is not supportive of your entry into ministry. Timing is very important!

The committee will ask you questions under the following headings:

1. Personal spirituality (conversion and call, current relationship with Jesus, current devotional life and participation in the life of the Church).
2. Methodist Ministry (the challenges of being in ministry, call to Ordained ministry, gifts and strengths you bring to the MCSA, why the MCSA?)
3. Personal history (any history of abuse, family relationships, your personality, your fears etc.) / Employment history / Personal relationships in general (how do you deal with conflict etc.) / personal relationships at home / personal relationships at work and Church / Academic history / Practicalities (e.g., how you will cope financially while you're at College, ages of your children, schooling, medical needs etc.) In this section the committee will ask your spouse some questions about him or herself, their support of your entry into ministry etc.
4. Non Itinerant and Part Time candidates. This is a VERY, VERY important section of the screening! Being part time or non itinerant must NOT just be a matter of convenience (e.g., 'I have a job that pays well and I don't want to loose the income', or 'I like the area in which I live and so am not willing to move out of my town') You will need to convince the committee that you're CALLED to do ministry while you have another vocation, or that you're CALLED to serve in a particular Church or Circuit! Please note this as it is very important! Please also note the new regulations (since 2007) that require you to have a letter from your employer acknowledging their 'awareness' of your intention to candidate for the Methodist Ministry (they don't need to give permission, but they do need to know that you will be spending some of your time).

I want to set your mind at ease by saying that none of us has it 'all together' - we all have some areas with which we struggle and some fears. So be prepared to be honest and pray that God will guide the committee in their deliberations.

The theological committee.

The purpose of this committee is to engage you in theological conversation in order to get some idea of your theology, your understanding of Methodist theology, and your ability to engage with the ideas and thoughts of others.

I would suggest that you read a couple of books to prepare yourself for this important committee:

• Hulley, LD. 1987 Wesley - A plain man for plain people. Westville. Methodist Church of Southern Africa. (available directly from EMMU)
• Malinga, P & Richardson, N (eds). 2005 Rediscovering Wesley for Africa. Pretoria. Education for Ministry and Mission Unit (pp. 1-28, 51-72, 97-104, 115-146, 153-172). (available directly from EMMU and Connexion bookshops)
• Storey, P 2004 And are we yet alive? Re-visioning our Wesleyan heritage in the new South Africa. Cape Town. Methodist Publishing House (see chs. 3, 4, 5 which is very important, 6, and 7). (available from Upper Room Africa and Connexion bookshops).

Then there are two newer books that can give you some good insights into our Southern African Methodist heritage:

• Bentley, W & Forster, DA. 2008 Methodism in Southern Africa: A celebration of Wesleyan Mission. Kempton Park. AcadSA Publishers. (this book contains some superb chapters with historical and theological reflections on how Methodism came to South Africa, and how it developed and what challenges the Church currently faces). (available from Upper Room Africa and Connexion bookshops).
• Bentley, W & Forster, DA. 2009 What are we thinking? Reflections on Church and Society by Southern African Methodists. Cape Town. Methodist Publishing House. (this book has some wonderful chapters and essays discussing some of the most contentious ethical and theological issues in Southern African society (these include same sex relationships, postmodernism, Africanization of Christianity, liturgy and worship, ecology and the environment, gender issues etc.) (available from Connexion bookshops).

I have included some of the notes that we prepared for the examining committee in years past - these will give you some insight into the nature and process of the theological examination committee.

General notes to the examining committee:

A. The purpose of the examination is to assesses the candidate's ability to grapple with theological, practical, and ethical issues related to the ordained ministry.

B. Please remember that it is unlikely that the Candidate will already have a strongly articulated theology, however, some basic theological skill should be evident. Furthermore, the candidate should display an ability to interact with the views of others (e.g., those of members of the examining committee). The candidate be considered trainable towards achieving the exit outcomes required for an ordained minister of the MCSA, and should not hold views that are radically different from those of our denomination.

C. Remember it is essential that you make the information about the examination available to the members of the examining committee some weeks in advance of the examination (including copied pages from the books). It is essential that all of the committee members have read the prescribed and suggested books (or the above-mentioned sections thereof).

The required outcomes of the examination:

A. It is essential that the committee establishes the following outcomes in order to recommend the candidate to train for the Methodist ministry:

1. The candidate is able to articulate his or her theology clearly.

2. The candidate does not hold a theological stance that is contrary to Methodist doctrine and policy on pertinent issues (e.g., the doctrine of salvation, the structure of the Church and issues of discipline and polity such as the ordination of women, the submission to authority), practical issues such as the mission mandate of the Church, and the sacraments (for example the MCSA's stance on rebaptism and infant baptism).

3. The candidate shows a willingness to listen to, and interact with, the views of others.

4. The candidate has an understanding of the vision and mission of the MCSA and can offer some practical suggestions on how he or she will participate in and further these objectives.

5. The candidate would be teachable and trainable towards achieving the exit outcomes required for an ordained minister of the MCSA.

Some final comments:

Please do rely on the insights and expertise of others who have gone through this process in previous years (for example your minister). Second, please be sure to familiarize yourself with the expectations for the screening by contacting your District Supervisor of Studies in your district!

Finally, please pray for the screening committee, pray for the other candidates across the connexion who will be screened (particularly for those who will have to return again next year because they are not yet ready to enter the training process). Know that I, and many others, are praying for you as you offer yourself for ministry. This is truly a 'high calling'! We rejoice to have more gifted women and men entering this vocation of service of Christ and those whom Christ loves.

I hope this helps!

Rich blessing,

Dion

Darth Vader joins the Lutheran Church of Iceland! A nice secular perspective on vestments.

When I first saw this video I just thought that it was funny... Then, after thinking about it a bit more I realised that it is in fact a significant commentary on Church vestments. Why is Darth Vader any more strange than the Bishops in their elaborate robes? Both are equally mystical and strange in secular Western society!

What do you think (about Darth Vader in the parade... Looks photoshopped to me!) about Vestments and how secular society views them? Are they strange in contemporary society, something to be mocked, or do they retain any of the deep meaning (and intended anonymity) of their original intention?

I have a wonderful paper on Vestments that was written by a friend, Rev Tim Attwell, if I can find it I'll post it here.

A comeback of note! Watch Al Franken put Ann Coulter in her place!

Ann Coulter is a conservative of the worst kind... I once heard someone comment that she is so narrow minded that she can see through a keyhole with both eyes! What makes her so popular is that she is 'all American', she's well spoken, intelligent, and well presented. But, her approach to society, politics and religion are less than admirable.

Senator Al Franken is not exactly my cup of tea, but in this video he puts Ann Coulter in her place in a wonderful way!

This is perhaps the funniest 1.22 video of the year (thus far!)