recent rantings

My sermon for Christ the King is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10087. A sermon preached at a Memorial for a young man of 19, Olly Tucker, who died of HCM (hypertrophic cardio myopathy) is availalble at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.other/markrdlong.10088.

Rennie D
29 November 2007

a new language for a new era

In my latest article for our parish magazine I have commented on the need for a new language, a new way of communicating the Gospel, that makes sense in our 21st century world. This can be found at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2007/11/december-2007.html.

Rennie D
29 November 2007

towards defining a postmodern faith

I continue my theme from All Saints in today's sermon, which you can find at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10086. In it I reflect on the need to redefine the Christian Faith from a 21st Century worldview if Christianity is going to survive. Quite how one does this will probably be the debate of the century, and cannot be defined overnight or even "overdecade". But it needs to happen.

Rennie D
11 November 2007

towards a postmodern faith

We celebrated All Saints this last Sunday. I used the reading from Jeremiah 31:31-34 as my central theme, that we are called by God to an adult faith and relationship. This is increasingly critical in a postmodern environment where God viewed through the primitive cultural lens of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures often leaves us doubtful of a deeper spiritual reality in an environment where scientific, medical, sociological and psychological perspectives give seemingly more reasonable explanations. This sermon is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10085

Rennie D
6 November 2007

leadership and justice

I focused in today's sermon on leadership, issues of justice, gifting, perseverance and ministry. I do this within the context of our parish election of leadership for 2008, and focus on the nature of leadership being primarily a communal responsibility. An audio copy is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10084.

Rennie D
21 October 2007

recent sermons

Due to a malfunctioning PDA I have recorded few sermons during September and early October. I didn't preach today as my wife, Dawn, returned from an international adventure. Two recent sermons are available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10082 (audio) and http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10083 (Mind Map). Double click on the image for an enlarged version.

Rennie D
14 October 2007

mountain of god

My sermon for this last Sunday is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10081

Rennie D
27 August 2007

faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). My sermon for today is based around this theme.

Rennie D
12 August 2007

what do you require of god?

I haven't uploaded sermons for sometime - largely because I have been on leave and so haven't preached many! My sermon for last week and today are now available. Last week I focused on the question, "What do we require of God?" and this week on "How do we respond to God's response?" Essentially, we are largely aware of what God requires of us, at least in general terms - the Scriptures paint God's requirements in broad strokes. However, what are our expectations of God, and can we dare to think in such terms? When God responds to our expectations, our requirements, do we recognise his response, and how do we react? Click on the highlighted words above and they will direct you to the related sermon.

Rennie D
29 July 2007

port & poetry

It's time once again for Port and Poetry @ Rivermeade. Last year's theme was "Rugby", this year's is "Cricket"... but this is South Africa (Southern Hemisphere) and time for everything other than Cricket. Cricket in July? Perhaps in the cold reaches of the Great North? I have reflected on this theme:

Poetry and Port

an engagement of friends
sharing words head-scratched
borrowed and acknowledged
funny serious rude and prude
laughter Port-enhanced and real
a theme both comical and surreal

Cricket – in July!? when Tennis, Rugby
even Cycling does entrance
with Venus on the rise
and Hunter on the stage
Super XIV won and Tri-Nations lost
a World engagement immanent
our theme: Cricket – in July!?

Yes, Cricket! that game
of gentlemen and rogues
one team in and one team out
eleven men in until they’re out
a ball a bat an umpire or two
bowling batting fielding catching
Yes, Cricket! that mark of Empire!
our theme – in July!

In "researching" this poem I came across the following explanation of the game, one I saw years ago:

The Clear & Understandable Rules of Cricket

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been given out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

Rennie D
21 July 2007

faith? reason?

A comment on Faith by Terry Goodkind in his novel Chainfire (pg 540); Zedd, the First Wizard, addressing his grandson Richard, the first War Wizard born in three-thousand years, also the Seeker:

“Faith is a device of self-delusion, a sleight of hand done with words and emotions founded on any irrational notion that can be dreamed up. Faith is the attempt to coerce truth to surrender to whim. In simple terms, it is trying to breathe life into a lie by trying to outshine reality with the beauty of wishes. Faith is the refuge of fools, the ignorant, and the deluded, not of thinking, rational men.”

It is a statement that undermines Richard's belief that his wife, Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, is alive despite the fact that no one remembers her, underlined by the reality that at this precise moment in the story they are looking at her decomposed corpse freshly dug up from the below her gravestone in the Confessors Palace graveyard.

The story goes on to prove that Richard's belief is not based in "the beauty of wishes" but in the reality of relationship and memory (and thus also experience), and that reality is not what we see, but what we know to be true. What we see can be manipulated, what we experience cannot? Essentially a negation of the age of reason, and a judgement on those who seek to place reason and faith in opposition. An interesting perspective.

Rennie D
8 July 2007

trinity and corpus christi: community & relationship

have been a bit forgetful of late, but my sermons for the last two weeks are now availalble: Trinity (with a focus on the nature of God and the nature of "us" as humanity); Corpus Christi (relationship, integrity and accomodation). Please have a listen - click on the highlighted words!

Rennie D
12 June 2007

further reflections on pentecost

Interpretation of Tongues

I have some background in Pentecostalism (Assembly of God late 70's & early 80's) which sometimes manifests in an Evangelical bent (although my immersion in Anglicanism since birth tends, I like to believe, to keep me grounded in reality). Thus, any thought or conversation around the gift of tongues links me into the early church experience and what is often referred to as "glossolalia". This Pentecost season has drawn me to the Genesis account of Babel, where God confuses language because a common language became a force for human communal self-interest. In the light of this the Acts reading takes on new meaning: it is the gift (lost at Babel) of being able to communicate with all people, restored in order to make God and his activities known, to glorify God and not human community - and thereby gifting us to fulfil the Great Commission.

"Language" Interpretation

Further, my insight this season, is that this gift is not primarily about "foreign" or "angelic" languages, but about interpersonal communication and helping people to understand each other. We often speak the same language but mean very different things, or even more confusingly, only slightly different things. Body language, tone, attitude, worldview, theological outlook - all confuse our communication with each other. This is specifically true in our African context where many of us use the English language to communicate, but because it is often our second, third or even fourth language, our communication is often torpedoed before we even begin. In today's increasingly global, multi and differently cultured environment we need the "Interpretation of Tongues" just to interpret what someone else is saying in the same language! Our backgrounds, experience, insight are all used by God in this particular manifestation of the gifting of God's people by God.

Sermons (click on the highlighted words below)

I have uploaded two sermons, one a more lengthy exposition on my first point above, and the other a briefer reflection shared at the evening Chapel Service at St Alban's College in Pretoria. that reflects more fully on my second point above, with specific reference to parent / teenager miscommunication!

Rennie D
1 June 2007

church unity

Ascension to Pentecost marks a "week" of prayer of Church Unity. I was invited to briefly address the local Roman Catholic Seminary students on this topic this evening, to pray with them for Church Unity. A real privilege, and most interesting that it is the Catholics reaching out to us. My reflection on this issue is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10066

Rennie D
23 May 2007

the vision is dead?

My Ascention Day sermon can be found at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10065

Rennie D
19 May 2007

the vision is dead! long live the vision!

Today's sermon is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10064

Rennie D
13 May 2007

mystery and certainty

I am in the process of reading John W de Gruchy's book Being Human. de Gruchy reflects on the impact Scripture Union had on his spiritual formation and conversion and compares this experience to "the rather tepid Christianity that many found in their home congregations where the preaching and worship seldom made any connection with our experience" (pg 67). He goes on to say, "This remains true today as many young people - and also not so young - look beyond mainline denominations for a more authentic, lively and meaningful Christian experience. Others again are attracted to more Catholic forms of Christianity, with their apparent certainty of faith and morality, and the mystery and tangibility of their liturgy" (pg 67-68).

If de Gruchy's analysis is correct, then the challenge for the Church is to offer a Faith experience that maintains mystery and certainty in creative juxtaposition. It is this seemingly contradictory mix that develops an environment that is authentic, lively, and meaningful.

Rennie D
9 May 2007

love your neighbour

My sermon for the fourth Sunday after Easter is availalble at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10063, and focuses on "love your neighbour as yourself" (Leviticus) and "love one another as I have loved you" (John).

Rennie D
7 May 2007

transfiguration

An interesting poetic perspective on the transfiguration by Edwin Muir: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=178990

Rennie D
7 May 2007

identity

In my latest "... from the Rector's Desk" in the May edition of our Parish Magazine I reflect on the issue of identity: who I am as a human; who we are in God; who we are as a Parish that uses the word tradition to define a part of who we are. A copy of the article is availalble at http://therectorsdesk.blogspot.com/2007/05/may-2007.html.

Rennie D
4 May 2007

union

Brother James is busy archiving my grandmother's lifetime collection of "snaps". This is an interesting perspective on the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Rennie D
3 May 2006

photos on flickr

Daisies
Originally uploaded by markrdlong.

I have recently added some photos to my Flickr "Creation" set on the theme of flowers, animals and scenery. You'll find them at http://www.flickr.com/gp/61024590@N00/t0ku2a

Rennie D
1 May 2007

the LORD says!

My apologies to those who like to follow my weekly sermons. Over Easter I somehow never quite got a ful sermon recorded for one reason or another. Herewith, though, my sermon for Easter 3 in which I explore how we can determine God's will in the context of a society that increasingly says "anything goes". Scripture is a good starting point, and those that declare "God says ... !" usually inhibit communities from truly discovering God's will as such a statement closes down communication and intra-community dialogue. This sermon can be found at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10043

Rennie D
29 April 2007

ancient miracles and modern science

An interesting article I came across via Books Inq. Well worth a gander if you are interested in whether or not ancient Biblical miracles have a basis in modern medical science - it appears some do! See http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i4/trees.asp.

Rennie D
19 April 2007

the spiritual life

Joan Chittester comments, helpfully, that:

The spiritual life is not a set of exercises appended to our ordinary routine. Spirituality is not just a matter of joining the closest religious community or parish committee or faith-sharing group.

The spiritual life is ... a complete reordering of our values and our priorities and our lives. Spirituality is that depth of soul that changes our lives and focuses our efforts and leads us to see the world differently than we ever did before.

The Rule of Benedict - Insights for the Ages, pg 151 (edited)

Rennie D
12 April 2007

leadership

Yesterday I had fun spending gift vouchers - plus a lot extra - at Exclusive Books. My purchases included The Definitive Drucker by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim. I found the comments in the introduction (pg 12, 13-15) relating to leadership useful.

Edersheim quotes Peter Drucker as saying, "The most important thing anybody in a leadership position can do is ask what needs to be done. And make sure that what needs to be done is understood [emphasis mine]."

Drucker goes on to comment on why so many people in leadership fail, and makes two comments in this regard:

1) They go by what they want, rather than what needs to be done;

2) The enormous amount of time and effort to make oneself understood - to communicate.

In replying to a question by Edersheim as to how leaders can be certain they know what needs to be done, Drucker emphasised two things: asking and listening [emphasis mine]. And in this regard he is also quoted as saying, "... the right questions don't change as often as the answers do."

Further, and personally I think this is a key function of leadership, Drucker emphasises that we all must step up to the responsibility to manage our way to an optimal tomorrow as "... we are all charged with influencing and managing the changes that will define our future."

Rennie D
12 April 2007

lenten review

The following quote by Joan Chittister (from The Rule of Benedict - Insights for the Ages, pg 146), seems to sum up my Lenten journey this year:

Benedictine spirituality recognises that a thing may become valueless to us before it actually becomes valueless. In that case it is given to someone else in good condition. Benedictine spirituality does not understand a world that is full of gorgeous garbage while the poor lack the basics of life.

Rennie D
11 April 2007

anglican eucharistic theology

An interesting site - there is a comment on our Southern African Eucharistic Theology!

Rennie D
9 April 2007

disturb us, lord

This caught my attention:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

(attributed - Sir Francis Drake -1577 )

Rennie D
8 April 2007

clergy school - a perspective

Diocesan Clergy School, hosted and directed by UNISA, has been an inspiring experience. We have had some outstanding input from various high-calibre academics, including our own Anglican sub-Dean, Prof. Barney Pityana (also vice-Chancellor of UNISA). We have investigated the church’s role in rebuilding our society’s value base, while exploring the diversity of our call in dealing with the various moral challenges all South Africans face, seeking to find ways to reclaim our prophetic voice.

The importance of good ecumenical relationships is critical in allowing the church to speak with “one voice”, rather than with a fragmented denominationalism. Significant to this discussion is the issue of authority, and the Clergy School was asked to recognise four different types: traditional, rational, negotiated, symbolic; that we as Anglicans have a specific perspective on how these aspects influence our praxis, and our understanding of Scripture. The Bible is a consequence and not a cause of Faith, and as Anglicans we question what Scripture means, rather than simply what it says. These perspectives on authority and Scripture impact on our ecumenical relationships. There is a call on us to re-explore the message of Jesus, to regain a radical commitment to the Kingdom of God as put forward by Jesus, and as experienced in the early church, and to be relational – an emphasis on being rather than doing – and not legalistic in our interpretation both of Scripture and Tradition, while also recognising the social and economic relevance of Scripture.

We have been reminded that poverty should remain one of the church’s main preoccupations, that an “option for the poor” is preferential and not exclusive (i.e. not an “option against the rich”), and that transforming the plight of the poor includes the transformation of the wealthy. Sadly, excessive accumulation of monetary and material wealth is mostly at the expense of the poor, and actively ferments poverty. We were asked, “Is inequality ordained by God?” because our lifestyles as Christian people often suggest that it is! Interestingly, while the USA Constitution enshrines “Freedom” as an inalienable human right, our South African Constitution enshrines “Equality”. The lack of genuine equality in South Africa is an active cause of socio-economic domination by a South African elite - increasingly being referred to as the “new apartheid”! Top business structures in this country are still largely in the hands of white people, and despite a growing black middle class this remains an area of grave concern, especially for us as Church. The crisis we face, both as Christians and as South Africans, is that our Constitutional Democracy is deliberately misinterpreted for personal and financial gain. Twelve years into our new democratic society there is no consensus or collective commitment to definitive values, even though key values are enshrined in Constitutional dispensation that include human dignity, human rights and social justice. In South Africa the centre is falling apart as we struggle to maintain the consensus gained in 1994, and this is visible in the corruption, crime and other indicators of moral collapse. As Church, we need to exercise authority in bringing people back to the values of the Gospel and values as defined in the Constitution.

In considering the value-crisis in our society within the context of our Constitution and our Constitutional Democracy, the Clergy School was asked to consider three important questions:

What is it that undermines our Christian values in the communities in which we live?

How do we “hold the centre” as a faith community, individually and collectively?

How do we become effective moral agents?

In answering these questions it was noted that mission happens when the Church is in engagement with the World, and that in order to be effectively engaged we need to develop a moral outlook that is not simplifying or dismissive in attitude, but rather one that builds confidence, assertiveness and freedom. In addition, there is a need to recognise the syncretistic nature of African Christianity – something that is also true of the Western approach to the Christian Faith – if we are to build a new moral base in our society.

Underlying the above is the question, “How do we formulate a Christian society, and how do we influence South African society with this vision?” There are no simple answers, but a partial answer is that we need to own responsibility, backed by an informed personal position refined through public debate. We need to gain a high level of identification and agreement on the issues, and those that are of priority. We need to abandon an “all or nothing” approach in our Biblical interpretation in order to develop a public Theology, including openness to the integration of other societal disciplines (economics, politics …) with our Theological development. We need to acknowledge issues of pronounced patriarchy – men’s oppression of women – and the related pandemic of HIV/AIDS where poor black women in particular suffer: in this regard Biblical interpretation from a patriarchal perspective becomes an obstacle by habitually negating the validity of women’s experience. Once consensus is reached through dialogue, we need to find ways to translate our vision in such a way that it is palatable to a pluralistic society, which often embraces an “anything goes!” approach. We should not allow a concern that such translation will compromise our Christian foundation, for this is unlikely if we seek to uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution in the process.

We were challenged to embrace a pastoral response in interacting with our society, to be bridge-builders, building links between: constitutional rights and religious identity; the judging voices of Christians and those rendered voiceless by religion; fundamentalist/dogmatic voices and those demonised through these judgmental attitudes; fixed forms of traditional morality and fluid internalisation of the best of pluralistic views; the sacred and the profane; hurts of the past and the healing of the future. Essentially a challenge to allow the Church to be the Church, as hard and costly as this will be!

Going forward, we must not underestimate the influence of religion on society – the majority of South Africans claim to be Christian, and many others religious. The task is to move ahead as Church, to regain a progressive voice, and to develop tools that will help individuals to live out their faith. Do we have the courage, as Christians and as Anglicans, to regain our prophetic voice?

Acknowledgement must be given for the high level of academic input received, along with meaningful and stimulating engagement, that has informed the above reflection that contains the helpful insights of the following: Profs D Masoma, R Dolamo, M Masenya, C Landman; Drs J Aristide (President of Haiti), M Naidoo, P Lenka Bula; Canon Prof Martyn Percy and Rev’d Emma Percy. Our grateful thanks to each for their contribution to our week together, and to Bishop Dr J Seoka and Sub-Dean Prof B Pityana for their contribution and vision.

Canon Mark Long
1 April 2007

am i a sinner?

My sermon for Palm Sunday is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10042. I have reflected on the nature of God's incarnation, that (according to Philippians) we are warned to not seek equality with God. However, God sought equality with us in and through Jesus' life on earth. Not only this, but God was willing to seek equality with the poorest-of-the-poor and those outcast by society. I ask the question, "Am I a sinner?" and reflect that on most Sundays as we have reminded ourselves of the 10 Commandments during this time of Lent, I have left the church property feeling good about myself - I have not committed murder! I have not been adulterous! I've even honoured my parents! I'm OK! ... but am I? I've accelerated, not braked, when the traffic light turned from green to amber. I've driven over the speed limit. I've spoken on my mobile un-hands-free while driving ... and that's just for starters! But I'm OK! What about more serious sin ... CRIME, for instance? My breaking of the law is inconsequential ... or is it? How do we as Christians and South Africans build a value-based centre that outlaws corruption, crime, rape, murder ... if we don't first acknowledge that we, too, are sinners - even if our sin is "rationalisable" and seemingly inconsequential? How do we set an example and speak out against the lawlessness of our society when we struggle to keep the easiest of rules? Why did Jesus die?

Rennie D
1 April 2007

an abundant reception

My sermon for Lent 4 is now available. The focus is on the amazing willingness of God to wait for us to recognise our need for him (as seen in the parable of the prodigal son), along with God's willingness to continue to provide for us even while we re-learn obedience (as seen in his interaction with the early Israelites as they move from Egypt through the desert and into the Promised Land).

Rennie D
23 March 2007

the challenge of moving beyond

My sermon for the third Sunday in lent is available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons/markrdlong.10040, and focus' on the challenge of moving beyond constancy towards the unknown, to enter into conversation from the perspective of God's will - and not from individual desire - as to the direction a community should journey together.

Rennie D
11 March 2007

lenten sermons

My sermons for the 1st and 2nd Sundays in Lent are available at http://www.twango.com/media/markrdlong.sermons.

Rennie D
4 March 2007

an african nicky cruz

Out of the Black Shadows by Stephen Lungu with Anne Coomes is a fun read. It is full of evangelical challenge, and a reminder, once again, of the importance of evangelistic fervour. Stephen Lungu is an African Nicky Cruz, a life turned from the violence and despair of street living to serving God as an Evangelist with international appeal. Worth a read if you desire a bit of straight forward, uncomplicated Christian inspiration!

Rennie D
6 February 2007

gem squash tokoloshe

Gem Squash Tokoloshe by Rachel Zadok is an excellent, but disturbing, account of a young white girl growing up in rural and urban South Africa in the 1980's and '90's. It is in essence a book of spiritual exploration more than anything else, challenging a modern western perception of spirituality and psychological disease. Well worth a read.

Rennie D
6 February 2007

golf & faith

My sermon for today is available - in it I draw the parallels between the game of golf and the life of faith.

Rennie D
4 February 2007

reflections on the year past

My sermon, which is in essence my report to the Annual Vestry (the Anglican version of an Annual General Meeting) of the Parish I serve, is available. I lead in with a focus on the Old Testament reading for the day from Jeremiah (his call) and the "reminder ... that God is a creative God, and that “destruction” as much as “building” is part of the creative process." The full text is also available.

Rennie D
28 January 2007

god delights in us

My sermon for the 2nd Sunday of the Year is available. I have focused on the fact that God delights in us, resources us with only the best, and seeks to be part of the various "pictures" we carry (of God, of ourselves, of others). All this needs to deeply inform us as we respond in mission and ministry.

Rennie D
14 January 2007

epiphany

My sermon for Epiphany is now availalble. The focus is on belonging and identity.

Rennie D
7 January 2007

i am home

I have just completed Max du Preez' book, Pale Native: Memories of a Renegade Reporter, Zebra Press, 2003. As an Afrikaner Max touches on the complexity of being African and pale (page 5):

I am a native of this land, but unlike most other natives, I am pale.

This statement launches Max du Preez' narrative, one that touches regularly – and disturbingly – on events that have been as formative on my existence as on his. I, too, am a pale native (born in Johannesburg), though I lack the roots in Afrikaner identity that plays backdrop to Max’s story. I am a product of the British Empire, but no less connected to the African soil. Like many of my composite tribe, my heritage is a patchwork of belonging: my maternal line bequeaths me a third generation African heritage (and a second generation Scottish!). My adopted paternal line allows me second generation African status, and my biological paternal line a second generation English heritage. All this taken into account, I am more African than English; not Afrikaner, but African none-the-less.

My siblings, perhaps more African than I by birth, have abandoned the African soil, preferring the nourishment of England. They are not alone, a part of the “pale native” Diaspora of this generation who find nourishment on other continents, but whose souls never quite settle, never quite inhabit their adopted cultures. There is a thirst for home, for the African soil – sometimes acknowledged. Unlike them, I remain. What keeps me rooted?

There is much in the New South Africa that makes me feel uncomfortable in a pale skin, even unwelcome. A greater part of that discomfort lies in history, an awareness that we have contributed to the oppression and rape of Africa, the heritage of our Colonial past and the more recent evil: Apartheid. It is an ancestral guilt, not always personal but collective.

Pale Native addresses much of this discomfort, and in so doing creates a new space for belonging. Max du Preez, as he shares his own struggles as an Afrikaner who seeks to break with the traditions of his tribe, brings me to a new place of certainty, a renewed assuredness that I, too, belong. The African soil is my home. With Max I am able to proclaim – proudly – that,

My soul is not the soul of a bywoner … I call myself a native of Africa: pale, but no less native. (pages 5 and 274)

I feel the passion as I read,

The energy that I feel gushing from the soil, my African soil, through my foot soles and into my spirit tells me who I am. The ancient mountains and valleys around me whisper to me that I am where I belong. Forces much greater than loud-mouthed politicians and my own fears and insecurities have placed me exactly here at this time. I am who I should be and where I should be (page 5).

I am home.

Rennie D
2 January 2007

new year - the opportunities

A new day dawn's the beginning of a New Year, a day for hope and dreams in the midst of many challenges for the world and for Africa. Let us renew our commitment to life, to community, to relationship, to peace. Let us be responsible in conversation and in action. Let us serve God with confidence as we meet and recognise the Creator's image in our shared humanity. As people of Africa let us celebrate, and in so doing, resource the Nation that has resourced us! Viva, Africa!

Rennie D
1 January 2007