pain and Hope

Let’s get behind our team and win this thing: #TwoTeamsTwoCupsOneNation

There is likely to be one chance in the history of the world for one country to hold both the Rugby and Cricket World Cups at the same time - it's time to REALLY get behind our boys. The job is halfway done. Like everyone else, i was SUPER BUMMED when we lost so badly to India yesterday, although likely more so. i like to think of myself as South Africa's biggest cricket fan, [...]

By |2023-11-06T18:53:22+02:00November 6th, 2023|pain and Hope, South Africa, sport and games, stories|0 Comments

Word/Phrase for the year 2023

My word for 2023 is Healing.  Every year i try to pause and reflect and listen and then pick a word that will be a theme or focus for the coming year. With the past two years being the hardest two in my life for a number of reasons - but mostly my wife, Val, leaving me and ending our 12-year marriage- it possibly makes a lot of sense as to why this would be [...]

Poetry review: Washed Away by Shiksha Dheda

i was recently introduced to the Poetry of Shiksha Dheda, who i stumbled upon on the Twitterer. She graciously offered to send me a copy of her book, 'Washed away' and i offered to share a little bit of her story here. Her poetry is definitely worth a look and i hope a number of you will buy her book, which is available online. But first let me allow Shiksha to introduce herself to [...]

Fathers Matter – an invitation to shift the narrative

Fathers Matter. We know that, right? i mean it's not a statement that needs to be proven or argued for or defended? It's one of those undeniable truths. And yet, the reality in South Africa, is that in too many households, this does not seem like the case, simply because fathers are not there. In so many cases the father is physically absent for a variety of reasons - men not taking responsibility for [...]

Poem: Erection time

Electoral quicksand Dragging me under So slowly it is barely noticeable Political tricks and Hypnotic suggestion that only Two paths lead safely away One that has been walked on For years and does well (for everyone who possesses shoes) - - While the sharts of class Continue to slice the defeat Of those whose homes Have just been repossessed to the back of yet another Public Protector vehicle To ensure they sea this point [...]

Take a moment to smell the Lavender

i was privileged enough to get to visit Lavender Hill High School three times last week. Now i imagine that sentence will make some people curious. Heading into Lavender Hill is not something that most people might connect to the idea of privilege. But i will wager that those people have never pulled up at the gates and been welcomed to: The Best School in the Western Cape. Is it the best school in [...]

Not my first Pandemic – a guest post by Ashley Brownlee

A story and message for everyone, but especially those who are hesitant about getting their vaccine. Ashley Brownless is a very good friend of mine who i have known for more than 20 years now. He has written a pretty viral post for my blog before sharing some of his journey as a South African living with HIV AIDS, and he is back to share some more, but particularly how it relates to his [...]

Easter Sunday: a reflection

We have slowly moved from the pain of Good Friday, through the eerie silence of Easter Saturday to find ourselves present on Easter Sunday. My invitation to you on this day is to lean into the real and authentic, however that may look and feel for you. This is what it looks like for me: An Easter reflection: Easter reflection: "Jesus is risen - Hallelujah!" is the cry ringing out from the church around [...]

Easter Saturday: a reflection

An Easter Saturday reflection: Easter Saturday may feel to some like a nothing day, but it's also a reminder that so often we find ourselves in a space where we need to hold the tension between the pain of Good Friday and the joy and hope of Easter Sunday. A reminder that so often in life we find ourselves in that very space with events that devastate us often overlapping with ones we want [...]

By |2021-04-04T15:55:14+02:00April 3rd, 2021|church, God stuff, pain and Hope, reflections|0 Comments

Good Friday: a reflection

A Good Friday reflection: A call to remain and lean into the pain that Good Friday speaks of before rushing too quickly to the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Because the pain is where too many people find themselves in the world and it is into that story that God reaches. Even Jesus, when confronted with a violent death asks if there is not another way. But then chooses to follow the path of pain & [...]

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