two and two makes five

Get your ServLife Africa Podcast now!

Oh - and d/l the latest episode of the ServLife Africa podcast... should be up now, or very shortly. While you're at it, d/l the first two episodes that you didn't listen to yet. :)

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=300695464 

or 

feed://feeds.feedburner.com/ServlifeAfricaPodcast

Jesus stuff I didn't blog...

As I continue cleaning out my "should blog this" folder, I noticed quite a few interesting ideas on the general theme of Jesus/People Who Like Jesus/Things People Say About Jesus, etc. Here are a handful of Jesus-related shoulda bloggeds...

• There is no attribution, so it may or not be true, but former SBC President Jimmy Draper is reported to have told the truth as he sees it about the Southern Baptist Convention. If you have a connection to Southern Baptists, you should read what he says.
• "Praise the Lord, and pass the ammo," they say - have you played the Left Behind video game where you get points for killing the forces of the Antichrist? Nothing says Jesus loves you like a head shot.
• A long time ago, Andy Crouch interviewed the Bishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. David Zac Niringiye, about what Americans should know about the Church in Africa. This is worth a few posts - you really must read this article.
• A friend passed on this article on "Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt." I don't agree with everything written here (or maybe just the tone) but it is worth a read.  
• Mark 10:17-22 gets paraphrased by Mike Todd - paraphrased the way we really interpret the passage. Anyone challenged by this? Anyone offended?  
• Finally, the Chicago Tribune's report on "Jesus in China."  Because I know you'll just pass over this, I'm posting the first paragraph to get your clicking finger warmed up... 

Rev. Jin Mingri peered out from the pulpit and delivered an unusual appeal: "Please leave," the 39-year-old pastor commanded his followers, who were packed, standing-room-only on a Sunday afternoon, into a converted office space in China's capital. "We don't have enough seats for the others who want to come, so, please, only stay for one service a day." 

There you go - six links worth clicking if you're interested in Jesus-related topics. Each worthy of a long-winded blog post that never happened. :)

Stuff I Never Blogged About

When one blogs as sporadically as I do, one is bound to have tons of ideas for blog posts that never made it online. Lucky you, I've decided to post again - but the cheap and easy way by clearing out my blog idea folder. It is a very big folder that only grows and never shrinks... here is one small step toward the shrink.

• Eberhard Arnold's free .pdf version of the sayings of early Christians, including Polycard, Origen, Clement, and other people with fun-to-say names. Yes, a free .pdf book. What are you waiting for?
• The best article from issue 6 of theotherjournal.com of Mars Hill Graduate School. Issue 6 was all Africa, the best article was by Emmanuel Katongole, and The Other Journal is good to read. How this didn't ever merit a post, I have no idea. 
• Born, raised, and married in a refugee camp - the title pretty much sums up this story. This is real life, and I have no idea how to communicate this reality to Americans.
• A short article on controversial "slum tourism" in Kenya. This hits us as well - we don't take visitors to the shacks, slums, and townships "just to look." Well meaning, kind hearted, caring people want to see what it looks like in the informal settlements, but it's hard to find a way to let them know that it isn't cool to drive through and look at poverty. Another dilemma.
• I found the rejesus "Faces of Jesus" gallery fascinating, which led me to plan to explore the rejesus site. Turns out I never did that, although I was interested enough to plan to do it and then blog about it. So maybe someone out there will figure out what rejesus is all about and let me know. Thanks.
• I've read lots and lots about our old home, New Orleans, which as you may have heard, had a bit of water around just before we left for South Africa. Amy and I loved most everything about New Orleans, which made articles like this one (from almost two years ago) really sad and worth blogging about.  
• I also wanted to write more about Juba, South Sudan, which led me to this article describing the money changers under yellow umbrellas with big stacks of lots of different kinds of money. I've told lots of people my stories about these guys with stacks of money under umbrellas, and I finally found a legitimate news source to back me up. I thought that was worth a blog post. Alas, it only got a bullet point.  

  

Seriously, that didn't make a dent in my "want to blog about" pile. And that pile doesn't even include actual original ideas, which is a whole separate pile that I keep avoiding because you'll all be mad at me when you find out what I really think. :) 

Which leads to this question - did anyone actually read anything linked in this post? If so, what? And why did you choose that link? I'd love to know, because I'd like some help rethinking this blog. Until then, I'll just keep digging through that folder of old ideas that never made the cut.

A Month and Seven Days

It has been a month and seven days since my last post on this lonely blog. In case you were wondering, based on my last post, I'm actually back from Zimbabwe. Have been for a while.

A lot has happened in a month and seven days. Speaking of Zimbabwe, there is a new "unity government" with power shared between Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party that has been in government since 1980 and the two factions of the MDC. The MDC party(ies) holds an extra seat in Cabinet and the majority in Parliament, but no one believes Mugabe is down and out. We are hopeful that a new era has begun in Zimbabwe, but in any case, this welcome news is just the beginning of long road toward recovery. Keep up with Zimbabwe here.

On the home front, we've been busy with preparing for new business skills training, this time with a local partner. The sponsorships and Kids' Clubs in South Africa are on track, again, with local churches involved, and we're busy planning another Umzimba African Missional Theology Conference for July... yes, led, taught, and developed by local pastors and leaders. In South Africa, they say "local is lekker," and we believe that's true. Whatever we can do to empower and equip local churches to lead the way toward growing churches and sustainable development, we will do. 

ServLife is growing. We have new staff in Indianapolis HQ supporting us and a new West Coast coordinator. This is exciting, and we are off to Thailand next week for a time of team building and strategic planning with ServLife team members from Asia and the USA. 

Vusi is growing too. Seriously, he's the world's biggest and cutest baby. We can't believe how blessed we are to be his parents. He is a great gift, and we love him like crazy. Don't know if it will be before we get back from Thailand, but I'll post some pictures. You'll agree - he's off-the-charts cute.

And my parents are in town. To prove it, I'm posting a picture of my Mom that I took on my cell phone. Mostly, I'm just posting that to get her back for nagging about my lack of blogging. Love you Mom! Great to have them around, just hanging out, getting to know Vusi (and spoiling him, of course!), and helping out. They've been to all the tourist hot spots before, so this has been a great trip for Gram and Pop to spend time with their newest grandson.

Finally, I'm a little unsure about the direction this blog should take in the future. It has gotten pretty stale of late, with a few personal updates, a few ministry updates, and lots of links to information about Africa that you probably didn't read. Hmmm... this question is still rumbling around in my brain, so stay tuned.

Thanks to both of you, dear readers, for sticking around. We'll see if we can't spruce this blog up in the coming months.  :)

Racism

"Someone once said racism is like cancer. It's never totally wiped out, it's in remission," William Ferris, senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina.

Growing up in a small Southern town, I became acquainted with racism in both its noxious overt form and its more deadly, more subtle forms. A journalism and history-heavy university education at a large, diverse institution helped me begin to understand racism's roots. Living for the first time as a racial minority in New Orleans East gave me a tiny bit of insight into the minority experience. Studying theology exposed racism's lies (as well as the lies told by that particular religious tradition in upholding institutionalized racism in the past). Struggling to build cross-cultural bridges in a proudly African-American Southern city taught me about the challenges we all still face when dealing with the past. Finally, living again as a racial minority in Africa (complete with a whole new set of historical racial baggage) and working almost exclusively across racial lines has shown me just how destructive racism is to everyone involved and how deeply ingrained those destructive patterns have become across entire societies. 

But it has never been truly personal. Even when living as a minority, it has not been as the oppressed other, but as a member of the historical oppressor and the current base of (primary) economic power. That isn't to say that race, racism, and power structures are the basis of all of my relationships - thankfully our work based on the truth of Jesus and His radically inclusive life has brought us to the table as equals and sometimes less - but those issues remain.

Now it is personal. My son does not look like me. His skin is darker. And so some people will hate him. Some people will deny him opportunity. Some people will believe he is their subordinate, their inferior, their slave. Some people will call him names. Some people will try to hurt him. Some people will tell lies about him in order to categorize and marginalize him. To some people, my son is less than they are. Now it's personal.

I cried today when I read the article containing the quote that opens this post. The article is about the response of some people across America to Barack Obama's election as President. From New England to California and from Florida to Washington, there are hateful, hurtful, ignorant, destructive people whose views and actions I now take very personally. I'm angry and I'm sad and I'm confused... I read this:

Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, expressed similar sentiments: "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change.

"If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported," he said.

and this:

Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head."

and this:

At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."

and this:

(In) the Los Angeles area... swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.

For all of the (rightful) celebration that a new era has come in America, we are reminded that yesterday is still with us. And now I understand something much more profound than sociological explanations or theological underpinnings... I understand how it feels to read the article and hear those words directed at me and my family. And it hurts like hell.

"Arrogance is our speciality"

If you live in the West and are thinking of "helping" Africa, you need to read this post and consider...

Thanks, Keith, for sharing and for challenging.

Umzimba ServLife Conference a Huge Success!

Thanks to all of you praying for the Umzimba / ServLife Missional Theology Conference that was held a couple of weeks ago. I've been horribly slack in posting an update, so I'll just post the report that I wrote for the ServLife website...  a couple of pictures follow...

From July 10-12, 2008, ServLife worked with Umzimba, a new group of young African pastors and theologians, to present the first annual Umzimba Missional Theology Conference. Thirty participants from four different African nations came together to present both academic and practical papers on a wide range of topics including Contextual African Theology, Evangelism in Contemporary South Africa, Church Planting in Townships, Theological Education for Africans, African Death Rituals and the Resurrection of Christ, Social Development in a Globalized Economy, and more. After each paper was presented, an official response was given and the group engaged in dialogue and debate around the topic. Several business people, doctors, and students also attended and participated in discussions and presented their own papers from the perspective of young African Christians engaged in the professional world.

Vuyani Sindo from South Africa said, “The conference inspired me to further explore the issues Africans are facing. The community created a warmth and passion in me that makes me want more – it reminds me of the experiences I had upon first becoming a Christian.” One of the Zimbabwean presenters, Darlington Mushambi, described the conference as an enriching and valuable experience.

Plans are already underway for next years’ conference to be held once again in Cape Town, South Africa during the month of July. The organizers are hoping to expand the conference by adding more sessions and inviting international observers from the West to hear about theology and praxis from the African perspective and spend time living and ministering in the African context with some of the presenters. Umzimba leader and conference coordinator Mawethu Ncaca said, “This conference was a dream come true. Our hope for the future is that this journey will continue to include more people from different perspectives so that we can continue to appreciate and learn from them and their experiences.”

Umzimba under way

I'm about to head off to UCT for the second day of the Umzimba/ServLife Missional Theology Conference. Last night was a great start! Good food, provocative presentation on the future of theological education for Africans, and deeply challenging discussion and debate. In fact, it was just about everything we were hoping, except warm. :)

There are six (!!) sessions scheduled for today, so I'm praying for stamina both mentally and physically. So many interesting leaders here and so much stimulating conversation - I think I'll be fine!

Your weekend reading list is here

Amy and I are off to Grabouw for the weekend, where I'll be speaking on Sunday at the local Baptist church. So I've put together a bunch of links of articles I was going to blog about but never got around to - this is your weekend reading assignment.

UGANDA/SUDAN/LRA:

• Ugandan negotiators leave venue (back in April)
• Ugandan rebels prepare for war 
• New conflict with Ugandan rebels looms

SOUTH AFRICAN XENOPHOBIA:

•  Mob violence turns Joburg CBD into war zone
• Fanning the flames of hate - WARNING - VERY graphic image on this page
• No home sweet home for Soetwater Somalis - The Soutwater camp is a "mega camp" near us  
• Meltdown at Soetwater

ZIMBABWE CRISIS:

•  Eight days of fear in Mugabe's machine
• American aid is seized in Zimbabwe
• Choose Mugabe or you face a bullet  
• Neighbours round on Zimbabwe 

And as a bonus and a stimulus to get you started on your reading plan, here's a lovely page from a coloring book that teaches all about Jesus and the amazing things he did... like ride dinosaurs: 

International Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe TODAY - on Zimbabwe's Independence Day

Today is 18 April - Independence Day in Zimbabwe. Today, Zimbabweans should rightfully be celebrating 28 years of freedom and majority rule with feasts prepared from their bountiful land. Instead, they are struggling to find any food at all while they dare not risk gathering in public for fear of Dictator Robert Mugabe's "security" forces.

It has been three weeks since Zimbabwe held elections, yet the results for Presidential elections is not yet known to the public. The Southern African Development Community has met and has followed South African President Thabo Mbeki's lead in refusing to use the word "crisis" in regard to Zimbabwe's dictatorship and military rule. Brutal beatings of dissidents have commenced across the country, and as the presumptive run-off election is being prepared and rigged, a Chinese ship full of ammunition, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades is sitting in South Africa's Durban harbor waiting to be offloaded and delivered to Mugabe's army and police. Tomorrow, the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission is holding a "re-count" of results that have not been announced, presumably to reverse Parliamentary seats won by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and announce that Mugabe's ZANU-PF party has captured the majority in Parliament and to reverse the outcome of the secret Presidential poll results to show that there must be run-off election when it is becoming increasingly clear that Mugabe must have lost in the first round of voting.

The "Old Man" is settling in for a brutal last attempt to remain in power. His neighbors seem not to notice, and there is nothing you can do to stop him.

But today is the International Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe - on Independence Day, we are praying for true Independence: Independence from brutality, dictatorship, and oppression, and indeed Independence from Darkness that can only be granted by the One who is True. Pray for Zimbabwe today.

Keep up with the news out of Zimbabwe here.

Find the inside story behind the opposition to Mugabe's rule (with some pretty terrible stories and pictures of the reality on the ground) here.

And pray. Today and tomorrow and the day after that. Pray until God hears and answers our prayers.