It has been so great being back in Americaland for a month for a number of reasons. One of those has been finding the opportunity to watch the first Peter Capaldi season of Doctor Who, which i finally finished last night. He can stay. As with the other doctors it felt like it took him a little bit of time to find his feet but i think he has now and so am very much [...]
Just got back from an incredibly insane week with Creekside Church youth on Houseboats on Lake Shasta and had some time while i was there to stick some words together: To Church why run after what you can simply choose to be? oasis of mirage in a sun-drenched desert dessert of list-filled proportions served to you on an already full to bursting stomach. teasing... trying to slip the mask of your face over your face [...]
It was the smallest of deals, it was quite possibly the biggest of deals. This morning i'd been asked to share a little about church at a house church meeting of a friend of mine - never met the group before and only knew the leader through a camp i spoke on last year for his youth. But i'd also spent the last few days feeling very challenged by the tragic events in Charleston and [...]
In Acts 7 in the bible, we read about the stoning of Stephen. Does anyone know what role Stephen had in the early church? Let me give you a clue: In Acts 6.5 we see him described as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit". So what did he do? Are we thinking pastor? Elder? Worship leader? Let me give you another clue: In Acts 6.8 we read that Stephen was "a man [...]
i just read a really helpful piece by Brene Brown titled, 'Own our History. Change the story' which is focused on Americaland which has what feels like a completely different story, when it comes to present race issues, in many ways, but also some remarkably similar overlaps. Owning our stories is standing in our truth. It’s transformative in our personal and professional lives AND it’s also critical in our community lives. But we don’t think about history [...]
So last night a group of CEO's got together in Johannesburg for the 702 Sun International CEO Sleepout which took place in Sandton [absolutely no irony there]. As i am in Americaland at the moment i only knew about it from the Twitterer and then was only able to get glimpses of what was happening from the same medium. In some ways it seemed like a good idea - i heard about R24 million being [...]
We are angry. We grieve, mourn, weep. But we also choose to remember these dear sisters and brothers. Rest in peace. Cynthia Hurd [54] Tywanza Sanders [26] Sharonda Singleton [45] Myra Thompson [59] Ethel Lance [70] Susie Jackson [87] DePayne Doctor [49] Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr [74] Rev. Clementa Pinckney [41] [From Eugene Cho, who is a man i greatly respect and admire: @EugeneCho] i think it is strongly significant to start a conversation about the [...]
Last night a small group of us gathered at a friend's house for a bit of a farewell celebration. Our buddy JT Burns was leaving the state of California and heading home for new adventures and possibilities. So there we were, a small group of us huddled around an outside fire pit, drinking beer and eating chips and marshmallows and just enjoying our friend Jon. Then at one point, Nate suggested we share some fun [...]
A bunch of us went to watch Jurassic World last night and it was a lot of fun. i am a HUGE Chris Pratt fan [before it was cool to be] and he totally brought it. Indiana Pratt Jones? Bring it on! But on the way home it was brought to my attention that there have been rumours on the internet that his character Owen is a grown-up version of the young boy from the original [...]
I was thirty-five when I tied the proverbial knot and so had attended many marriages and yet this one continues to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Not simply because it was my marriage, which no doubt adds its own weight of bias, but I imagine regardless of whose ceremony I was attending that day, I would have still been blown away. Purple-haired, black suited, I waited nervously for my bride to arrive. Upon [...]