Sometimes in the present context of the life in which i live, there are moments where i need to just be incredibly silly for a few minutes just to remain sane.
This started me on a journey with my alter ego, Brad Fish, who embarked on a series of Public Awareness video clips with the series titled ‘Dangerous Things You Can Least Expect’ in which each episode Brad would look at something you might not consider dangerful like Paper or Birthdays, Flying, or my own personal favourite Violins, and he would uncover the hidden dangers lurking behind their mist.
There are something like 22 videos in that series and you can see them here and subscribe to the channel for such a time as when he might make some more.
But it was after the ‘Dangerous Things You Can Least Expect’ video on Punctuation was used in at least five different schools in South Africa’s English Departments that our Brad thought he might be on to something and so he started dreaming of a new series that was more educational in nature and so ‘I can Learn you a Thing’ was invented [although at the time of it going to press, Brad forgot the brilliant name he came up with and so episode one is tagged with 'I'm going to Learn you a Thing' - seems all of us have something to learn]. This first episode is an aid to Maths teachers worldwide who are wanting to explain the basic concepts of Addition to their students and don’t be surprised if the South African Education Department doesn’t officially endorse them as compulsory learning for grade 11 students in years to come [they might just be THAT bad]
so more than 1000 people have viewed the post my friend Candi graciously shared with me about being a parent of small children when it doesn’t necessarily go well or feel good all of the time [which for this little blog is a lot of people which has been exciting to see and will hopefully continue to encourage those out there who may be struggling with some of the same stuff] and so this is a sequal of sorts to that.
firstly Candi has a recently started blog [with just one post] called Moments with a Mom, which she is hoping to write some more for and that first post is really worth a read so please go and check it out and leave some encouragement for her there if you appreciated her story at all.
but then Candi sent me a video link for a 6 minute video clip by a woman called Nicole Johnson [who i had never heard of before so can't verify whether any of the rest of her stuff is worth checking out or anything] titled ‘The Invisible Woman’ and so i watched it and it got me really close to tears [which as a lot of you know is quite a feat, altho it seems less and less these days, maybe i'm just being exposed to better stuff or maybe this old hard-hearted dude is finally softening a little?] and so i encourage you to watch it.
i think it is specifically aimed at moms or maybe wives, but i think it’s a great piece for all of us to watch, just in terms of being aware of what we add to the ‘making someone feel invisible’ phenomenon, and also because i imagine each one of us feels a little invisible at some time or other and would love a friendly reminder from God or the people around us that we do matter, that we are seen. so give it a watch and i’d like to hear your thoughts afterwards:
i am not a big fan of tradition when it is solely taking place for tradition’s sake [even if the original meaning and intention might have been good but has been lost or watered down along the way] but there are some traditions which are rich and full of life [baptism, communion, a family that eats together etc] that are incredible.
last nite i was invited by some new friends we’ve made here to join the Oakland City Watch team in a walk they do around the neighborhood [we live on 61st Ave and we walked around the streets closer to 90th so not crazy far away] that has three messages for the people of the community:
# We care!
# We want to see an end to violence, especially gun violence!
# How can we help you?
so a roomful of maybe 40 to 50 people of all shapes and sizes [although apart from one grade seven boy i felt like the next youngest there so a bunch of 30 years and older people mostly] – black, white, hispanic, korean – from a variety of different churches, put on these white windbreaker identification jackets and armed with fliers that explained to anyone who asked what we were about, we walked the streets for maybe an hour, waving at cars who responded to the “Honk if you want an end to gun violence” signs and engaging with anyone who was interested as we walked past them. No specific message except that of unity and peace in the neighborhood and that we were hoping merely by our presence to make a difference [apparently since they started these walks 6 months ago, murders have decreased in the areas they have walked through]
this brief video on You Tube gives a glimpse into the heart behind the walk and introduces some of the hardcore leaders [mostly pastors from different churches] who are organising this thing.
“we want it to be tangible”
“more than just words from a tv from a pulpit”
“we want to be persistent. this is something we’re doing every week not just for one night”
“we don’t want to fight against the young men but against the violence itself”
as i walked the streets last nite, when i wasn’t engaging in incredibly life-giving conversation with this big African American ex-pastor called Ben who heads up the team [and who i found out lives a street away from me, so hoping for deeper connection there] and our new friend, Matt, i was thinking of Kensington where we stayed in Philly and how something like this could work so well there [and of my friend Derrick Gregory who i have already been in conversation with about the possibility of him thinking more through the possibilities it holds]
as i write this i think of my friends Sheralyn and Sammi who live in Woodstock in Cape Town and of the Pedersens and others who are doing a kind of organic church in the fringes of the city and how something like this might look for them.
i think of areas of huge gangsterism and violence like mannenberg and hanover park and wonder if the church there got mobilised to start doing something similar.
and am brought back to the conversation of stability i had with Ben and those conversations which i’ve been having with tbV for the last two years inspired by the monks of the Benedictine monastery we visited while staying at the Simple Way, and even the idea of incarnation [living amongst the people you are working with and ministering to] fostered by the Simple Way and my time in Kayamandi
i read a quote this week that said something like church is not the place you go to, but the place you go out from and that kind of feels like the strong surgings that i have within me right now [not really anything new, just a new flame being lit on this particular fire] and a loud powerful shout to the church of Cape Town [yes, you Common Ground and Christ Church Kenilworth and 100 others] to take seriously the need for the church to be outside of the building and on the streets if we are going to make any discernible difference at all to the state of things back home.
or wherever you are reading this. this idea is so ridiculously simply and just needs a small group of people to put their hands up and go, ‘hey, that’s something practical we can do right here.’
Rule number 1 when trying to keep your head attached to your body – don’t piss off the king.
More importantly, do not piss him off directly to his face by telling him exactly how you think he is publically sinning.
If you do happen to inadvertently do that, be sure to be interesting enough when talking about God and life and the kingdom that he will keep you around out of curiosity and actually start enjoying your conversations.
Then really hold thumbs that when he throws that big party on the weekend he is going to stay far away from the booze, cos you know when he starts drinking what happens to his tongue…
But unfortunately we know how that story ended, but hopefully there is a thing or two we can learn from it…
while i was sitting at the office waiting for someone to help me with something i started scrolling backwards through my blog posts and came upon some from long, long, ago in a galaxy and figured that there might be new readers/followers who hadn’t seen these and so here is a taste of past brett’s blogging:
not just this post but all the commentary that followed – there were some really great questions and we definitely wrestled with some stuff here:
i wish i wrote more poetry and maybe i’ll get round to taking some time that we have here in Oakland to do just that, but this is one of my favourite poems that i wrote when i used to – it is basically about the prodigal son returning home but as he gets closer realising that this may not be the first time:
i have posted recently on being present as a way to love your person better and this post from a while back looks at that from a bigger picture scenario – too often we fall into the trap of looking to the next big thing at the expense of the one we should we currently enjoying [and we do this to other people more!]:
this post is a good intro to two more i am hoping to post later today relating to the rape-as-humour scenario that played out over Twitter in the last few days and which i am still trying to get my mind around. i really believe that with humour there is a line and that probably we will all put our lines at different places, but i think it is so important to hold to that and react when your line is crossed:
and then lastly this short series i did three years ago and got into trouble from the head of my denomination because he read the series name but never read any of the posts:
one of the first things i want to do once i am settled in Americaland is buy a copy of this song ‘You won’t relent’ by Jesus Culture – i find the lyrics and the singing of it so powerfully haunting and it just resonates s completely with my soul in terms of catching a glimpse of how God sees me. i am reminded of this passage from 2 Corinthians 2.14-15 which says, ‘For Christ’s Love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.’ Especially the phrase, ‘Christ’s Love compels us’ which if you don’t understand the context seems to carry the message of ‘You have to do this thing’ but once you catch a glimpse of God’s great all-encompassing Love for you it quickly becomes something closer to, ‘I can’t not do this for God, everything in me just pulls towards this’…
You won’t relent – performed by Jesus Culture
You won’t relent until You have it all, My heart is Yours [4x]
I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart as a seal upon my arm For there is love that is as strong as death Jealousy, demanding as the grave And many waters cannot quench this love
You won’t relent until You, have it all My heart is Yours You won’t relent until You, have it all My heart is Yours Come be the fire inside of me Come be the flame upon my heart Come be the fire inside of me Until You and I are One [2x]
I don’t want to talk about You Like You’re not in the room I want to look right at You I want to sing right to You [3x]
You won’t relent until You have it all, My heart is Yours [4x]
I’ll set You as a seal upon my heart as a seal upon my arm For there is love that is as strong as death Jealousy demanding as the grave And many waters cannot quench this love
Come be the fire inside of me Come be the flame upon my heart Come be the fire inside of me Until You and I are One [2x]
