the great white

In anticipation of “Port & Poetry” @ Rivermeade Farm – in line with a Rugby expectation – I have reflected on the Springboks disastrous recent Tri-Nations away fixtures against Australia and New Zealand these past two weeks (hopefully the upcoming encounters will yield more positive results):

the great white

a country waits
with baited breath
a team to make us proud
or groan, defeated
at the end

what strategy
what plan
to see the battle-weary
Bokke snatch defeat
from Wallaby
extinction
in the Kiwi-nest

and of the White
we call him Great
our strategist
our planner
his jaw is clenched
his teeth are ragged
outwitted to the end

rennie D
22 July 2006

the family

Some recently taken photos of the family: rennie D and Mrs (who have recently confirmed their ancient Roman majority), and the young ones!

seek good, not evil ...

Amos (5:14-15) declares, “Seek good, not evil, that you may live … Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.” To live, to be in eternal relationship with God, is to seek good and to hate evil. It is both a personal commitment, and a community commitment. To say, “I am in relationship with God, and I’m OK!” is not enough. The commitment to which I am called by God is inclusive of seeing to it that this goodness operates in, and is evident in, the society within which I live; that there is “justice in the courts”.

Too often as 21st Century Christians we focus on a personal relationship with God, and forget to take responsibility for societal sin: corruption, crime, violence. We are quick to blame others, especially Government and other community structures. We forget that it is our responsibility; that if these “other” structures are failing, it is you and I – fellow ambassadors of the Kingdom of God – that will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.

Sunday Worship (any Worship) is worthless if it doesn’t reflect positively in both our personal lifestyle and also in our community commitment and involvement, in our seeing to the values of God being instilled and upheld in our local and national Civil and Governmental structures.

Rennie D
7 July 2006

rumi

I came across a small volume, Gardens of the Beloved, of selected quatrains of the Sufi mystical poet, Rumi (Mowlana Jalaludin Mohamad born 1207 in Balkh), translated by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin. For Rumi the essence of the Divine is the nature of love. I was particularly struck by the following:

I filled the garden with candles tonight,
set the table with wine and sweets
and called the musicians.
How I wish that you could be here!

In Rumi’s poetry “Garden” is symbolic of an inner space, depicting the outward beauty of nature and the inward beauty of Spirit.

Rennie D
1 July 2006