vote earth!!! or move to another planet!

It is time! Make a vote...stand...commitment...difference!

A Jewish Reggae artist: sounds like a prophet

I'ts been a while since I've done some blogging. ton kairon!

I give you a Jewish Reggae artist that sounds like a prophet in his own time. May your prayers be answered Bro Matisyahu! Shalom to all!



SELA...

Blogging until end of September

Some people I journey with are currently on a seven-week process called

inSYNC: A lifestyle in tune with God's movement.

Part of the journey is a daily blog of random thoughts stimulated by the day-theme of the seven week journal.

If you want to follow the daily blog for inSYNC please go to http://insyncleefstyl.blogspot.com/

Silent scream

"There's a scream in silence that needs to be heard!" buurman
I hope you can translate this.

Faith and Environment

I have just joined South African Faith Communities' Environment Institute at http://www.safcei.org.za/ to learn and to commit to an alternative style of faithing my practices (like Leonard Sweet calls it). I need to be part of a larger community – because of my poor discipline!
Take a look at it, maybe you should join, learn and commit...the honest thing about going green is that you can’t do it half way – you’re either green or you’re not! I’m not – but we’re getting there.
If you have any suggestions of other communities in and around Johannesburg please let me know.
I’m currently working on a design for a neat and cheap home-recycling-unit, to make recycling easier and more ‘attractive’ at our house. If you have any ideas, please send them to me.

NUMB - Linkin Park

Caught in the undertone...I've become so numb...
to be less like you and be more like me!

THE CHRISTIAN CLONING BUSINESS is not doing us any favours is it!

RELIGIOSITY

“The Sparrow” (Mary Doria Russell),
“I really resent the idea that the only reason someone might be good or moral is because they're religious. I do what I do, without hope of reward or fear of punishment. I do not require heaven or hell to bribe or scare me into acting decently ......”

Bishop John Shelby Spong:
“It is time, I am convinced, to move Christianity beyond that historically inaccurate and psychologically damaging definition of humanity that has resulted in a constant denigration of human life as helpless, depraved, sinful, and in need of divine rescue.”

Die moordwapen is dus: REPUTASIE

‘n Ikoon: Dit was in Brakpan se stadsaal waar ek my eerste groot show gaan kyk het. Die stadsvaders het met moeite ingestem om die jong opkomende ster met die geskeurde jeans en rockster-neigings op die toekoms van ons land los te laat. Ek (16) was minder gepla met die show as die geleentheid om vir Marelise (15) uit te vat. Sedert daardie eerste paar broekskeur vertonings is Steve Hofmeyer vandag ‘n ikoon, of jy nou daarvan hou of nie, en dit ten spyte van sy voorbladkapperjolle. Hy is een van die min Afrikaanse sterre wat iets van showbiz verstaan en dit regkry om homself, soos die mark skuif, in ‘n nuwe gedaante bekend te stel. Ek was vies vir Steve! Lank voor ek die moed kon bymekaar maak om Marelise se hand te vat, gooi daar toe ‘n gillende poppie ‘n stuk onderklere op die verhoog en daar val al my moed in my skoene...fisieke aanraking sou net nie in hierdie ontbloting gepas wees nie, of hoe.

Ek is nie ‘n groot aanhanger van Steve nie, al is ek ‘n Blou-bul. Hy’t ‘n lied of twee geskryf wat selfs vir my aansteeklik is, maar hy het die vermoë om die publiek te lees en homself en sy produkte aan hulle te verkoop. Ek weet nie wat dit aan ‘n mens doen om ikoon-status te bereik nie, wat dit aan jou doen om met fyn Franse onderklere gekonfettie te word nie. Ek weet wat hierdie status aan die Griekse en Romeinse leiers gedoen het...hulle het aan hulself as gode-seuns begin dink...Ek dink dit sal dieselfde met my doen...Wat doen dit aan jou om uit ‘n tas te leef en nie saam met jou mense te leef nie – t.w.v. die huis wat afbetaal moet word? Roem ruk reëlmatighede uit jou leefwêreld uit, veral as jy ‘n aap aan ‘n tou is.

‘n Held: Ek was ‘n eerste-jaarstudent op Tukkies wat sy meisie se telefoondiens probeer korter maak het deur so af en toe in te loer. Almal het van die nuwe rugby-sensasie in die ligblou trui geweet en daar stap hy die koshuis-voorportaal binne – asof daar niemand anders in die vertrek is nie. Voor by die toonbank vra hy kort-af, nog onbeholpe met sy vars roem: ‘Kan jy vir Marlene roep?’ En daar aanskou ek die krag van ‘n vrou, al klop haar telefoondiens-hart hoorbaar. ‘En wie is jy?’ vra sy so ewe en ek val amper van my stoel af oor haar in-beheer-wees. Sy verbaasde kort-af reaksie ‘Joost’. Ek het ‘n jaar of wat later geld geleen om toetskaartjies vir Loftus te koop en een van die groot sensasies was Joost – wat tot vandag toe nog die meeste toetsdrieë gedruk het en die tweede meeste toetse in groen en goud gespeel het. Ek is vies vir Joost! Ons het die toets teen Engeland verloor, goed verloor!

Nou is daar ander toetse wat die ou moet slaag en die horlosie tik af en dit lyk nie asof hy gaan score nie en die skare gooi al klaar naartjies en jou hom uit, oor hy ons nie meer – soos vroeër – beter oor onsself laat voel nie; of doen hy dalk weer...? Dit is darem so lekker as helde val want dan kan ons, die ou doodgewone outjies (wat die 9-5 ding doen), soveel beter oor onsself voel. So, dankie Joost, jy dien jou landsmense baie goed: Eers het ons soos ‘n magtige nasie gevoel deurdat jy die reuse soos Lomu laat val het en vir Stransky deur die gaping laat sny het; en nou voel ons darem beter oor ons eie mistastings as ons op ‘n gevalle held soos jy kan neer kyk. Jy word die sondebok wat van ouds af die woestyn ingejaag word en ons almal se patetiese toeskouerlewens op jou skouers moet dra. Dankie dat jy dit dra...jammer dat jy dit dra...iemand sal eendag by jou oorneem...want ons, die verveeldes, sal aanhou om dit te doen... [Joost ek onthou hierdie aanhaling, weet nie wie dit geskryf het nie “A man's reputation is what other people think of him; his character is what he really is.” Mag jou karakter ook vir jou belangriker wees as jou reputasie...en karakter is nie helde dinge nie...] Jou staan en val, held, bestaan bloot om ons self-persepsie [wat grynslag in die spieël] op te tel.

‘n Kind: My eerste blootstelling aan die Affie-kultuur was tydens ‘n Grey (Bloem) derby in Pretoria waar my stiefbroer vir Affies se eerstespan uitgedraf het. Dit was ‘n wonderlike ervaring vol energie en ek het gewonder of almal regtig so opgewonde is oor die gekloonde identiteit wat soos pap vir suigelinge gevoer word. Verstik jy van nature aan die identiteit wat op jou afgedwing word en jy kry ‘n reputasie wat eintlik gebore is uit die ander se omvorming van jou want hulle wil jou soos hulle hê – in taal, kultuur en gewoontes. Ek het nie Rick Horn se debakel op skool gevolg nie – maar ‘n vaal ou mossie wat vry vlieg was nog altyd vir my meer van ‘n voël as ‘n blinkstert pou in ‘n hok. Waarom wil ons so in beheer wees van ander se lewens? Vrees? Rick, ek is jammer vir al die kloonstasies waarvan ek al deel was. Jammer dat jou storie, die storie van ons vrees is – dat ons om een of ander rede meer in beheer en seker van onsself voel as ons vlerke knip en almal soos ons laat lyk. Reputasie (veral ‘n swak reputasie) is die simptome van ons onvermoë om met hulle wat anders is as die grys gemiddeld saam te leef.

‘n Koning: ‘n Digter met ‘n opmerklike aantreklikheid; ‘n onoorwonne generaal met ‘n liefde vir harp speel. ‘n Kombinasie van al hierdie gawes in een kry mens nie sommer nie en dan is die man nog boonop ‘n Godsman. “’n Man na God se hart,” is sy reputasie. Een warm somersdag, sonder ‘n liedjie om te skryf, ‘n gebed om te bid of ‘n oorlog om te veg en Dawid struikel oor die skoonheid wat nog altyd sekere chemiese prosesse in meeste mans losgemaak het. Wat daarop volg, is ‘n selfvernietigende pad wat soos ’n hyg-roman klink...en dan vloei daar ‘n lied van eerlik wees oor sy gebrokenheid...oor die gevolge dra...oor God wat nie net teleurgestelde toeskouer is nie – maar die een wat herstel...ongeag die hoogte van reputasie se val.

‘n Wonderwerker: Die stories het die hele land vol versprei van die man wat homself die Messias noem en wat wondertekens doen...maar daar is iets wat meeste mense op ‘n afstand hou...Sy reputasie...Hy is ‘n vraat en ‘n wynsuiper...

Perichoresis poems

I discovered two more poems on Perichoresis in my files, but I will have to Google their authors/domain again...May you be inspired to dance a poem into being...

Perichoresis
O elegant and gentle Leader of the dance,

we do not know the meaning of each step

nor how to rightly turn this way or hold this pose.

Each spinning step or angled movement’s twist

does sometimes give us vertigo here where we stand;

this mystery of how the rhythm’s pulse

and how the music’s lilt are tuned to only You

has caught us up, and we are overwhelmed.

O grace-filled, grace-bestowing Leader of the dance,

please teach me how to twirl and how to move;

please teach me how the song pervades each dancer’s form,

these dancers who have learned to dance with You

throughout the ages of the song, the holy song

You sang in ages past to Abraham,to Isaac and to Jacob and his Hebrew seed:

Now sing to me and give me, too, this life.

O Leader of the dance, this perfect partnership

of Leader and of led, of God and man,

this Incarnation’s holy dance we see in You,

You now invite us to accompany.

This awesome dance, a truly cosmic synergy,

the interpenetration of us men

with Deity — with Trinity! — the universe

beholds and stands amazed and bows its head.

O holy Leader of this cosmic circling dance,

the union of both man and God is here

and imaged in the holy mystery of life

conjoined, a woman and a man conjoined.

He takes Your role as gentle leader,

she as Church,she follows him,

and he must die for her;

their dance together joins the dance eternal now,

and in that human dance we see our God.

O Holy Trinity, Your dance eternal now

descends on us and consecrates our own,

the revelation here as Body and as Blood;

herein we taste the God become a man,

and men become as gods as David prophesied.

The Trinitarian rhythm has become

our own, to guide our dance,

to grasp our hands and lead

us in the dance of stillness perfectly.

Perichoresis (dance)
On Friday nights we went to clubs

until we noticed something that

night when the three of them came and took

over the regular dancing. So

Did the Creator throw shapes on the

dance floor whilst dancing a salsa that

turned all the heads of the punters there?

Vogueing away while the other two

scattered. They took up their places but

somehow remaining together there

How the Companion perfected that

fight in a way that was calming them.

Making them friends from thereon until

Now. The Revealer is reveling

showing us all just a little too

much how its done by his lead for us

Dancing together while beckoning onlookers

come on and join us, and have a good

time. Doesn’t matter it’s happening.

Keeping the rhythm up copying

maybe looked easy as no-one would

dare to reject their advances then

in pairs we couldn’t make it work

and groups of us tried sussing out

as individuals put together

were fitting triplets into four time.

We stopped the dancing, getting going

on paper noting down what happened

as dancing disappeared while writing

and scrapping round some bits of paper.

PERICHORESIS

PERICHORESIS INTO LIFE

design - buurman

PERICHORESIS

Great poem by Sally Coleman trying to capture the misterious creative rhythm of the ever creating dance.
May this inspire you to a moment of silent listening within the noise of a crowd of solo-dancers and may you recognize the life-giving rhythm within the noise and may you join it...and then be surprised at how naturally it comes...once you've started...

Perichoresis - by Sally Coleman
Can you hear
the unforced
rhythms of grace ?

Do you see
the heavenly
holy dancers?
Are you captivated
by the wonder,
freedom,
movement,
and life
that flows from their
uncreated song?

Can you hear the beating
of their hearts
as they whisper
sonnets
proclaiming their love
for one another
and
for you?

Do you yearn
to join the joyful
throng
encircled in their midst?

For you are invited
to this heavenly
party!

Will you dare to take
the outstretched hand,
kick off your shoes
and dance?

one degree at a time

So, what is a-just-ment about? I'm convinced that the direction that we're on (humanity as a whole - which I'm part of anyway) is not a good one - that we need some a-just-ment. We can be over idealistic about this a-just-ment or we can look back, see the long trail of how we got here, and hopefully learn from our past and dream of an alternative to life as we would like to define what we fill our days with. A - just 'a' thought at a time, not 'the' solution but a suggestion/yearning/search for an alternative lifestyle as the one we buy from the destructive market of self-enrichment JUST- I experience and believe that the Jewish and early Christian perspectives of justice (as lived by Jesus, the early church, Gandhi, Bonhoeffer, Mother Theresa, Mandela, Desmond Tutu and a couple of others I hope to discover) can be helpful in restoring life - not in a fundamentalistic way - but in a very creative way in our own time. MENT - I believe in mentoring, a one step at a time togetherness, learning from each other as we discover together. The hope - to discover and nurture life as it is meant to be. See you along the road... PS - I'll be the one limping... and frowning...