Flaps Blog

CLINK

Flaps — Sun, 31 May 2009 09:42:44 +0000

Picture 1 is when a few us watched cricket at the IPL with 20 thousand other people. (Note I don’t say cricket lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 2 is when the fam and I visited Grace Bible church in Soweto with 7 thousand other people. (Note I don’t say Christ lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 3 is me at an empty Loftus a day before Super 14 final. There was actually something distinctly spiritual in sitting there, ‘drinking in’ the space inside this cultural phenomenan - (some cynics would say idol temple).

I think a lot of how we serve God is inseperable with culture. It is still embedded in culture. I’m not always particularly proud of my culture when I see Bulls fans with horns on their head and other stuff on their tow-bars, when I look at what’s best selling music in our country, and when I experience what I find to be strange cultural expressions of faith. Some God-lovers judge all these different cultural phenomena. Because they don’t understand it.

I don’t think God does. He just loves us anyway.

So here’s to embracing culture and respecting those we don’t understand. (Clink) (’Clink’ - another cultural tradition)

Here’s to the Bulls. (Clink)

Here’s to the Deccan Chargers who won the IPL. (Clink)

Here’s to the Mega Church. (Clink)

And all their fans (Clink)

And here’s to every other avenue we explore in exploring our spirituality. (CLINK)

MAY WE FIND GOD WHETHER IT BE AT LOFTUS OR AT CELL GROUP OR AT HOME OR UNDER A TREE OR WITH A GLASS OF WINE OR AS WE EXPERIENCE FORGIVENESS OR SALVATION AS WE WORSHIP OR AS WE DRINK IN THE SILENCE OR AS WE CELEBRATE LIFE HOWEVER WE DO OR AS WE TALK TO EACH OTHER OR AS WE GATHER TOGETHER IN WHATEVER FORM AND FOR WHATEVER REASON

WHETHER WE LIKE TO CALL HIM JESUS OR FATHER OR HOLY SPIRIT… AND AS WE ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF HIM IN THE FULLNESS OF WHO HE IS

clink

Movement

Flaps — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:17:27 +0000

1. The act or an instance of moving; a change in place or position.

2. A change in the location of troops, ships, or aircraft for tactical or strategic purposes.

3. A series of actions and events taking place over a period of time and working to foster a principle or policy: a movement toward world peace.

4. An organized effort by supporters of a common goal: a leader of the labor movement.

5. A tendency or trend: a movement toward larger kitchens.

Is Church supposed to be a movement?

If I look at number one, mmm, most churches have one building which probably doesn’t run around. Erwin uses multiple locations, which sounds fun, but probably frustrates some. If we don’t take this is a literal ‘position’, church should be constantly evolving, growing, changing - moving in regards to renewal of thought, adapting to environment.

Number two: This refers to major change of plan in regards to tactical and strategic procedure. “We’re not doing this now. And we’re not tweaking it. We’re changing position and doing THAT now.’ I think church is supposed to do this. Churches who are stuck to a ‘model’ - because this is what the Bible supposedly teaches in regards to model, will find it hard doing this. Also churches who are governed by the masses, or governed by pleasing the masses - or governed by pleasing the key tithers.

3 Yes yes yes. A movement working to foster a principle or policy. A movement towards truth Jesus/God taught us/reveals to us. A series of actions or events that do this. (A book could be written on the last statement) A process. Yes yes yes.

The fourth one: Common goal… without this the church would simple be a ‘bless me’ party.

FIVER. Ooooooh. Yes. Not the commercialized church ‘because we need to be trendy’. The church that gets this right is not trying to get this right. They just engage in such a way that understanding tendencies and trends is a natural consequence of their way of integrating consistently with those they continuously ‘move’ past and move with.

So currently at Re:Verb we are challenged by this…

Messiah of Wood

Flaps — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:02:49 +0000

‘The Messiah is back’, commentators said when Tiger Woods made his comeback this weekend after eight months of reconstructive knee surgery. I find it fascinating how the American Media and Public worship this man. I also have my sports hero’s but really… The unfortunate thing is that there’s actually some truth in the commentators words, a false truth, but his statement is in line with the public who follow him. They view him very much as a God. Their Messiah was unfortunately eliminated in the second round of the Accenture Match Play tournament where he decie to make his comeback. Very Un’Messiah’like.

I think we should be careful of placing people ‘up there’. Tiger doesn’t put himself there. The public does. Because we so like our hero’s to be flesh and blood. Like gods… yet human! We also like Jack Bauer. And Spiderman. The iconic value of that someone we will never be. As I’m contemplating this I can’t pinpoint what bothers me so much about it (without presenting the ‘Jesus should be our Hero’ argument).

Perhaps I see myself doing this as well.

Seeking flesh and blood when Spirit is enough.

After all we’re not supposed to make idols of wood.

‘Explyn’

Flaps — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:15:49 +0000

So I’m blogging again - I took a break for a couple of months - don’t sleep much with the new addition to the fam! So this is to give you a sneak preview of what Warren and I are up to.

We’re producing a series of DVD’s as a resource for small groups. Each with Warren and I babbling, a 13thFLOOR production, e-book studygiuide, testimonies, music video on.

I’m really pumped and feel this is going to be a great tool in the kingdom. You should hopefully see it in your nearest Christian bookstore by May. I’m adding the blurbs that describe them just to make you feel you MUST buy them!

Die Tas The Suitcase
Ons loop deur die lewe met ons tas gevul met verskillende geloofsperspektiewe, tradisies, waardes ? party BAIE waardevol ? terwyl ons ander goed net doen omdat ons moet. Dis in die tas, so ons doen dit. Toe jy klein was het jou ouers vir jou ?n tas gegee met allerhande goeie waardes en beginsels daarin. Jou onderwysers gooi toe ?n paar dissiplin?re standpunte by en jou ouma ?n paar bygelowe van haar eie. Later, gooi kerkleiers hulle unieke kerkerige re?ls by. En so gaan dit aan. Het jy al ooit gestop om te ondersoek wat binne-in jou tas is? Jy mag dalk net ?n paar waardevolle goed her-ontdek terwyl jy van ?n paar ander goed ontslae wil raak wat jou tas swaar maak.

Die Sleg The Bad
Hoeveel beheer het ons oor die kaarte wat die lewe ons deel? En wie deel daai kaarte? Hoeveel skuld het ons daarin? Slegte en onverwagte dinge gebeur met almal van ons. Meeste van ons het al ?n geliefde aan die dood afgestaan, of een of ander traumatiese ervaring deurstaan. Die belangrikste vraag is, ?Hoe reageer ons op die hand wat gedeel is??. Of is die hele lewe net ?n lotery en is ons oorgegee aan die noodlot?

Die Roep The Call
Volgens statistiek is minder as 40% van mense tevrede in hulle werk. Die persentasie wat vervuld is, is nog minder. Hoeveel matrieks gaan swot wat hulle passie is? Hoeveel mense het die voorreg om hulle tyd en energie in te stoot in iets wat nie net ?n werk is nie, maar ?n brandende passie? Kom ons noem dit ?n Roepingroeping. God plaas stukke van sy Sy hart in ons s?n sodat ons Sy hart kan dra hier op aarde. As ons werklik soek na wat dit is kan ons paadjie vorentoe dalk so anders wees. Maar is ons bereid om daar te gaan? Is ons bereid om die pad aan te durf as God roep en ons moet luister? Mens kan natuurlik ?nee? s?, maar dan eet ?n vis jou. God roep. Gaan ons luister?

Die Kyk The Look
Het jy al ooit gewonder hoe kry Hollywood-sterre dit reg om altyd so perfek op ons TV skerms te lyk? Nie ?n puisie of vlek nie. Lyk hulle rerig r?rig so? Tydskrifte, movies, billboards, vriende en gym speel alles ?n rol wanneer ons na onsself in die spie?l kyk. Hoekom moet dit? Hoe kyk God na ons, as mens, Sy skepping? Is daar nie dalk iets meer nie? En as daar wel ?n dieper waarheid is, hoe sou ons dit kon toepas in ons lewens?

Die Vrees The Fear
Hoogtevrees is een van die mees algemene vrese w?reldwyd, en as jy dalk een van hierdie slagoffers is, sou die idee om te bungee jump taamlik onmoontlik voel. Was jy al ooit so vreesbevange dat jy allerhande beloftes aan God in daai oomblik gemaak het, as Hy jou net sou beskerm of uithelp? Daar?s ?n snaakse geloofselement gekoppel aan oomblike van vrees. Of dit nou jou eerste bungee jump is, of ?n groot werksonderhoud, of om alleen in die aand te ry. Die bewustheid van ons behoefte vir ?n antwoord of hulp van iets groter as onsself, is skielik meer relevant in hierdie tye. Hoe kom ons oor ons diepste vrese en vertrou dat God daar is, al maak dit seer?

The right thing at the right time at the right place

Flaps — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:39:11 +0000

I’m doing my masters degree in Organizational Leadership next year at Regent University in the US. No I’m not moving to the US! I’m doing it online. So recently I was researching on the Dean of the faculty, checking out his philosophy, and I learned a very intriguing thing.

AGAPAO.

Everybody who teaches about love teaches about 3 types of love… EROS - the ‘i want to have sex with you ‘ love. PHILEO - the Brotherly love. I like to explain this love with the phrase, ‘Of course I love you! You’re my brother’. Of course I love you! And then there is the AGAPE love. Sacrificially giving yourself. I love you to death! Now what always confused me is how do I love my colleagues at work? I guess for many people EROS is quite relevant in loving the secretary - but not very Godly!! PHILEO doesn’t quite match the fit. Of course I love you! You’re the idiot across the hallway! No. There’s nothing ‘off course’ about loving most people at work or in the taxi next door. And then AGAPE… are you going to donate your kidney to the secretary who needs one? Probably not.

Bruce Winston showed me that there is a translation of love, AGAPAO which many theologians confuse with AGAPE. Lovong God with heart, mind and soul, loving the enemy, the neighbour, and many other scriptures on love (Simon, son of John, do you love me?), is AGAPO.

AGAPAO is a moral love - basically doing the right thing at the right time at the right place - or if you want a more complicated definition…

Embracing the judgement and deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle and duty.

Read it again.

I’ve suddenly been set free in my mind because I always fail to AGAPE the neighbour and the enemy. But I feel much more able to AGAPAO him, still by God’s grace..

That is what God asked from Simon - and from us.

A tribute to my son: Jacques-Louis van der Merwe

Flaps — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:11:14 +0000

A tribute to my son.

Pappa se klein kaboutertjie. Pappa is so verskriklik lief vir jou my seun en Pappa is so trots op jou. Jy?t so baie vir so baie mense beteken. Maar jy het die meeste vir Pappa en Mamma beteken. Die lekkerste gedeelte van Pappa se dag was wanneer Pappa by jou gekuier het. En ons so lekke gespeel het. As Pappa jou vingertjies trek en rympies met jou tone en voete maak, en jy teruggespeel het. Of as Pappa jou koppie gesoen soen soen het. En Pappa kon sien dis lekker vir jou. Of as jy net Pappa se hand vas gehou het. Pappa is so baie lief vir jou. Jy het so moedig geveg. Toe jou nierjtjies nie gewerk het nie, het jy net aangegaan. Toe jou magie nie lekke was nie het jy die dokters gewys wat steek in jou. Elke keer as die dokters gese het 50/50, het jy hulle gewys? En dan pomp jou hartjie so mooi. So pragtig.

Daar was niks onsuiwer in jou nie my kaboutertjie. Jou 2 weke op aarde was sonder sonde en sonder vlek. Pappa wens ek was soos jy. Pappa wens ek was helfte die man wat jy is. Pappa eer jou my seuntjie dat jy vir ons die weg kom wys het. Pappa wil graag sy hemelse Pappa trots maak soos jy.

In jou 2 wekies op aarde het jy seker meer mense bedien en na God toe gedraai as wat Pappa in 20 jaar gedoen het.

Jy sal altyd deel bly van ons gedagtes en ons gesin my klein kaboutertjie. Jy is net eerste by die huis. Dis al. Maar jy sal altyd deel bly. En as jy afkyk hoop Pappa en Mamma en Riccardo ons kan so suiwer wees soos jy en so baie vir mense beteken op so eenvoudige manier.

Jacques-Louis van der Merwe. Pappa se vegkabouter. Famous Warrior. Pappa is so verskriklik lief vir jou. Pappa is so verskriklik lief vir jou. Pappa is so verskriklik lief vir jou. En Pappa sal hierdie wedloop voltooi. Sodat ons saam kan wees eendag. En saam kan lag en speel en stoei.

Please pray for my son

Flaps — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:57:05 +0000

If u land here looking for an update on Jacques-Louis, please go to my facebook profile.? www.facebook.com register, and add me as a friend - Flaps van der Merwe.

Also don’t confuse our situation with Jacques-Louis, with my friend Derick’s situation with his son Jeandre.

Update on Jeandre

Flaps — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:42:34 +0000

I visited Little Jeandre in Paarl/Franschoek this week. What a Blessing! I can’t believe I was holding this child who was so helpless 3 week ago - and seeing the life in his eyes. And the peace. Absolutely awesome. I heard more about his condition - apparently three rare heart defects - of which the doctor had never encountered the three in combination. I will not try and explain more. Apart from the fact that he still has to have 2 bypass operation’s in the year to come. And he is alive!

Well here’s me with him. What a privilege to be on a pic with Jeandre! Ladies stand in the queue. This young man is gonna make your knees weak!

A World Within

Flaps — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:34:06 +0000

I have a new friend. She wrote this:

> WORLD WITHIN <

by Liesl-Dana van Schalkwyk

There?s a whole other world within
where you dictate your dreams
and mix and match your imagination
your foresight, your fantasy
your so-called success and all it seems

It?s like a little universe
where you get carried away
and all too soon you rehearse
your life, your love
your delusions of a better day

But why this little cavern
when it is so lonely and dangerously wild?
where you can hide secret sins
and must fight to keep your expectations mild

Perhaps the Creator gave us this space
to show we?re not puppets on a string
that we too have power to create and control
and to willingly submit our minds to Him

This new friend I randomly met in Sandton. With her permission I might post some more of her thoughts. I find this such a beautiful metaphor. A cavern - a cave. Where I can just be. Where I can play out the ‘what-if’s’ safely. Where I can explore, consider. And yes with the added risk of stowing away the secret sin. But isn’t that the essence of freedom and free will. If the possibility of ‘not-loving’ was not an option, would ‘loving’ have any meaning?

I think some of us don’t venture into this cave often enough. And thus don’t get in touch with the essence of our soul.

And others never step out of this cave. And the rest of us plebs view these people to live on another planet.

Challenge is to move in and out.

I love God for the freedom he gave us. Only a real God can have the strength of mind and soul, and the security in himself, to release us into that freedom.

That’s why I desire to submit to HIM.

Inspired by a 6 week old fighter!

Flaps — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:04:34 +0000

This kid has inspired me over the last week. 6 weeks old - fighting for his life. His name is Jeandr?. About 2 weeks ago he was diagnosed with a rare case of heart failure - the first doctor said they should take him home and just make his death as comfortable as possible. The second, a Dr Susan Vosloo, said she would cancel her holiday and take the risk of operating and hope for the best. Over the last 2 weeks I have followed his progress, surviving the operation, and fighting for every next day in ICU. Personally I don’t know how Derick and Rouch?, his parents, are making it. But I guess when you have to, you do.

This is a picture of Jeandr? about a week ago, and then follow the link for a video of him yesterday. The link takes you to facebook group that prays for the little one. Just click the video there.

Video (click here)

Over the last week I have contemplated the value of life, or maybe more the power of the life force in us. I also believe God values life. And I believe thousands of prayers for this boy have empowered him to battle away to stay alive, even though his parents may at times have lost hope. This boy has had me close to tears more than once this week.

And then I read in the Beeld about a baby that died in a Pretoria state hospital because the nurse was on her way and did not want to miss her taxi. The mother gave birth alone and only 15 minutes after the babies birth did some arrive.

?n 38-jarige vrou van Pretoria se baba is kort n? geboorte in ?n staatshospitaal dood nadat ?n verpleegster haar alleen gelos het omdat sy bang was sy mis haar vervoer huis toe.

Me. Catherine Masingi het gister by haar werkgewer se huis in Silverton vertel die baba se koppie het reeds gekroon, toe die verpleegster glo omstreeks 18:45 die pad vat.

?Sy het ges? sy?s jammer sy kan my nie help nie. Sy moet tjaila, want sy gaan haar bus mis.?

Masingi het Dinsdagaand alleen op ?n bedjie in die Mamelodi-daghospitaal geboorte gegee aan ?n dogtertjie, en glo bykans 15 minute lank om hulp geroep.

? ?n Ander verpleegster het uiteindelik opgedaag en aan haar kollegas ges?: ?O, sy jok nie, die baba het gekom.? ?

Masingi s? die verpleegsters het die baba se hartklop tydens die geboorteproses gemonitor en alles was glo in orde. Sy was nege maande swanger.

?Ek het die oggend by die hospitaal opgedaag. Terwyl ek gekraam het, het ek gehoor hoe roep ?n ander vrou uit die toilet.

?Die verpleegsters het soontoe gehardloop, maar sy het reeds geboorte gegee en haar baba het op die vloer geval.?

Masingi s? n? haar dogtertjie se geboorte het ?n personeellid nie geweet hoe om die naelstring te knip nie. Ander verpleegsters het glo van oorkant die saal aan haar verduidelik hoe.

?Ek het die baba twee keer hoor huil. Sy het ook goed opgegooi. Hulle het haar op ?n skaal gesit en toe het ?n verpleegster vorms ingevul.

?Sy het n? ?n ruk gesien die baba is geel en hulle het die dokter geroep.?

Volgens Masingi het die dokter probeer om haar sterwende baba se lewe te red, maar glo aan personeel ges? hulle het hom te laat geroep. Die baba het vermoedelik mekonium (donkerkleurige ontlasting wat babas binne die eerste dae n? geboorte uitskei) ingekry.

Op Masingi se l?er staan daar glo dat die baba aan natuurlike oorsake dood is, maar haar werkgewer, me. Adri Pienaar, het gister ges? sy het op die sakkie waarin die baba se lykie by die lykhuis geberg word, ?n nota gesien met die woorde ?birth asphyxia?. ?n Suurstoftekort, en een van die grootste voorkombare oorsake van babasterftes in staatshospitale.

I think how one doctor cancels her holiday to perhaps save a baby’s life and how another baby dies because a woman doesn’t want to miss her taxi. It’s all so sad. And then Derick writes this about a week ago:

Thursday 31/7/08 17h45: Still outside SICU. They are busy sowing up the skin over his heart. I met a Muslim couple in the waiting room. There 18mnth old boy, Mas-ood, had his heart attacked by a virus. They can’t do anything for him. Just wait and hope that he pulls through. A heart transplant might be an option. Their daughter, Amrah 3mnths, died last month of broncho pneumonia. Please pray that our Father in heaven also do a miracle for them!

Isn’t that insane?

I don’t really know what my point of this blog is. Perhaps just creating an awareness. A respect for life. A realization of the life force in us (given by Christ I believe). An awareness of others’ pain irrespective of religion. How often do we fight for life like this little boy is fighting?

I think of some of the things we allow in our lives. I think of the things in this world that kill or steal our life-force. And we allow it.

Any comments?