Frailty proves life...

I'm sombered by a movie clip of a Bettys Bay friend who was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago. He's critically ill at the moment, and to the medical eye it looks as though it's the end. However we don't live by science alone and in Piet's case it's a beautiful security to know he truelly is in God's hands. I've been sombered while watching this clip which his good friend Wim Steytler made whilst Piet was in hospital. It's a contradiction of life in the brightest colour, from the highest of heights, with that of the very real threat of death and the frailty with which we hold the string of life granted to us. 

Piet and his fight. His determined mind. His love for life, for people has placed unavoidably new set of glasses through which one sees and experiences life, day to day life, the very things we don't even notice anymore. One can't go about a normal day, week, year without realising the frailty in which we dwell. And as in the case of Piet; it's frailty that we shouldn't be scared of, shouldn't deny. Frailty seems to suggest weakness, yet as I see it now, frailty makes us highly aware of the gift. The brightness the hope the choice we still have. The choice of making everyday that we are given to live and allow God to reign through us. To take us on the journey He prepared and He guides... 

My thoughts and prayers are with Piet's family and friends. Please take a few minutes to watch the video that documents the past 5 months of Piet's journey. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul6UvKUapxw&feature=channel_page

rest day inspired...

Yesterdays mood transferred into pen scribbles and paint strokes...

'He makes me rest in fields of green.'

selection election ? ? ?

So it's a few hours before, potentially, one of our country's most significant and historical elections are held since 1994. I feel slightly dramatic saying that because it feels as though it's just another 'formality' we're going to do tomorrow and a few months, perhaps years down the road we'll have more regard for the 22nd of April 2009 and realise just how significant and pivotal this day was for us as a growing democracy. Or the other side of the coin: it could potentially just be another unimportant, un-eventful election with no real lasting change in the running of our country? 

The ever hopeful in me wants to differ, so I decided to focus all my unanswered indecisiveness and uncertainity regarding tomorrow on the good stuff, realisations and thoughts I've gathered through the dilemma of 'election selection'...

 Why I've enjoyed the election slection process:

• Its given me a reason for my second blog - whoop whoop :) jokes, (but really, blog No.2 has a different pressure than no.1, just so you know ;)
• Zapiro's election fury has made for some good old 'in your face' satire.
  
• The patriotic feeling when seeing pics of Trafalgar square coloured by 7000 South Africans queing to vote in London
• Election posters have made for entertaining and unusual thoughts whilst sitting in traffic... 
• The patriotic side of me has loved the fact that 20 million fellow South Africans are being confronted in seriously considering what and where they want our country to go - and that they have a vital role to play in it!
• The fact that I realised that I actually know very little about politics and have had a bit of a expansion political knowledge...
• The fact that my Mail & Guardian quiz I did on the web 'UNdecided who to vote for poll' told me I'm an ANC supporter - ba ha! Funny one! Then I redid the quiz and actually made an effort to understand the policies they were asking about - the result was very different second time round (just so you know...)
• The debate of Christian values and principles vs governance and politics? How much do and should they mix? I've had my mind sets challenged about controversial stands like the death penalty. 
• The fact that we have a public holiday! 
• Lastly, that the results could potentially be very different to what we've always assumed would be. These elections actually demand my vote because the outcome isn't as obvious as previous elections. 
  
  
  
  
  So there's alot to be said for tomorrw. I definatly want to draw my cross with the mindset of understanding the value and potential my taking part in this election and voiceing my opinion makes. I'm hopeful for an election whose end results will represent a country that yes might have problems, but has a healthy democracy, and holds a nation that thinks, engages and actively takes part in the running and future of our country.
  
  
  So after all the studying, debating, eaves dropping, news paper reading and praying...The dilemma of indecsicveness still stands, but hopefully the revelation of the 'right vote' will miraculously and in a bright light of clarification pop it's head up as I enter the boothe... but I think my optimism might be a bit over exteneded in this case.. might have to resort to the traditional flick of a coin...
  
  
  That being said I have hope, that even though we might not have the perfect or obvious opposition to vote for (well for a me at least) there's alot to be said for the 20 million representation of South Africans that are taking a stand and choosing to actively partake in building this colourful, contradicting yet transforming country of ours!

x     

[yes thats intentional]

the blogging begins...

I have been warned it's addictive, I've been warned it's a time killer and I've also been warned that it ropes you into a new scarey level of netwroking... well,

1. I happen to be addicted to writing anyway 

2. Time inevitably dies around us all the time (whoops there goes another one) so I might as well kill a few with blog thoughts ;) 

3. When you live in a city thats thousands of kilometers away from your home town, have friends all over the world, and have grown tired of writing email upon email to different friends and family wanting to know about what you're up too? How the church plant is going? How you are? What do you look like? Married yet :P  Then 'scarey new level of networking' sounds perfecto! - there's nothing more inviting than technology that actaully serves your needs! 

So here it is my first blog entry...  exciting stuff!

Don't expect every blog to be profound please, the idea of the blog lies in reflecting honestly whats happening in my life and to encourage people through what God is doing in my life, in the church, as well as in the lives of people around me, cause it seems to happen everyday, little miracles, that deserve acknowledgment (funny also, we're only aware of little miracles when we stop to reflect - another good reason to blog!) It's not hard to notice how quickly life, my plans, and people around me change, so this is my attempt at keeping up to date and connected with my own life and the journey God's taking me on, as well as keeping intrested people 'posted' too :)  

I'm reminded of a quote I wrote down a year ago after reading a book called 'Norwegian Wood' by a Japanese writer Murakami (I don't recommend the book for the content, personal reasons for that, but that being said his writing is beautiful!) why I look forward to the blogging journey ...

"Which is why I'm writing this book. To think. To understand. It just so happens to be the way I'm made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them." 

DITTO! So this will be my attempt at comprehending and reflecting, through text...

let the blogging begin.  

Papa and Mama you're going to have to get into the blogging thing too, Facebook and emails you've managed to master - now here's a new oppertunity to get even more web swavy ;)