“If you want a sermon to learn about riches,” said the preacher, “go elsewhere, because we are talking about the pathway to our permanent home.” Then he spent the rest of the sermon talking about attaining success. It was one of those moments when I realised again that what westerners […]
We were at church for the commissioning of a new children’s ministry team. There were all the usual Tanzanian positions: head teacher, teacher, secretary, treasurer, etc. The entire team was women, and the pastor commented on why. Men were not excluded from being on the team, he said, but none […]
I am rich I am prosperous I am blessed How would you feel if these lyrics came up in a song you were singing in church? That was our experience at church this week. The first question is how you read them I guess. Are they describing a situation that […]
Yesterday I had a meeting at Elliot’s school. He’s fine, there are just some extra strategies to implement at home. And I came home and could not cope with my life. Dinner was avocado on toast. Arthur got the boys through the bath. We aborted family prayers halfway through. I […]
I’ve been benefiting from listening to a Swahili women’s podcast ‘Wanawake wa Imani‘ (Women of Faith). One of the recordings is a talk on John 4, Jesus’ encounter with the Samarian woman at the well. I was especially encouraged by the comments made about the bit where the woman asks […]
“We always assume our way is normal,” I told the group I was teaching on cross-cultural communication last week. This thought was still bumping its way around my head as I thought about the birthday cake I was about to make. Five of the TAFES staff are September birthdays, and […]
Yesterday I ran a session for university campus workers on crossing cultures. I was the teacher, but I learned heaps too. For example, I learned that the way people treat children is a key way in which you can judge their character. I knew that interacting with children is very important […]
Meet Jesus at uni 