i just finished reading 'Born a Crime' by Trevor Noah. Aaand i'm in two minds... there is something i can't quite put my finger on - whether the book feels lazy or rushed or perhaps ghost written from some audio tapes Trevor made... but it feels like something of him is missing. It certainly is not meant as a comedy book - although there are some good laughs [and many of those i got by [...]
To 2017 and beyond... i imagine this might come as a surprise to some people... or maybe not. But in the last week or so i've had a strong sense that God has been telling me that i need to get a little more hectic in 2017. You might not agree with this if you were one of the people who responded with a strongly worded response to my 'The Passion of the Chris' blog [...]
'I began to understand something quite important about South Africa: My fear of blacks was obscuring my understanding of the fear blacks felt for my white skin.' [Rian Malan, My Traitor's Heart] i am almost finished reading 'My Traitor's Heart' by Rian Malan which was highly recommended to me. The tagline of the book is 'A South African exile returns to face his country, his tribe, and his conscience.' Hm, it's been an interesting book [...]
Last night we hosted another Deep Dive Conversation Dinner, this time at someone else's house. This was a dinner that has been in the planning for months and one that i've been super excited and anticipationary about. Getting some leaders from St Johns Anglican church [where i currently hang out and am preaching on Sunday in the am actually if you want to come and hear!] to meet around food and conversations about race, with [...]
For months i've been speaking about the idea of #NotOnOurWatch as a movement worth joining. i know a lot of people have been challenged by that and in their own ways are joining in [i know because i am having conversations with some of them and assume there are a lot more] But i think it's helpful to clarify something. Just read an article that suggested calling someone racist isn't helpful at all in terms [...]
i attended the Restitution Conference yesterday at the Castle in Cape Town, cos slavery. [And am going back later today for part II] Which in some ways just feels like a thing i did. Oh i went to this thing and stuff happened and people spoke and it was good. Excepting that it wasn't just a thing. It was the first ever Restitution Conference in South Africa. And that something like 21 years after our [...]
When it comes to things about race, i have been on a journey for just over two years. i have certainly not arrived and assume this will be a life long journey. But i did realise that i couldn't ignore it any more or choose to get involved if, when and how it suited me. Living in South Africa right now means that issues of race, justice and poverty have to be forefront in my [...]
If you're never offended, you're probably dead. i remember hearing an excellent preach by my friend Albert, a Korean-American pastor in Americaland, on the subject of intolerance. He suggested that we are all intolerant, but that we choose what to be intolerant towards. If you believe in a clean and appealing neighbourhood or city, then you will rightly be intolerant towards litter. If you believe in the basic human right of living, then you will [...]
You'd hope that being the weekend these University protesters would give it a break. But no, last night they were definitely at it again i had just returned from performing an Improv show as part of the MamaCity Improv Festival [You should totally go by the way - i'm playing again on Monday but they're doing shows all weekend and it is good!] and i was hungry so my wife tbV and two friends and i [...]
i was driving to a university campus to do a Peace Justice Witness shift and listening to the band Bastille on a cd in my car. And the walls kept tumbling down In the city that we love Great clouds roll over the hills Bringing darkness from above And i thought to myself, "Wow, that seems like familiar imagery. i wonder if this is the #FMF theme song?" But if you close your eyes, Does [...]
