Managing Monday with Alan Paton
South African author, human rights advocate, Christian thinker, and educator, Alan Paton (1903-1988) is best know for his book Cry, the Beloved Country. It’s a haunting book on the tragedy of race relations in South Africa, and one which shaped much of my thinking during my late teenage years. I still remember the opening two sentences of the book – perhaps because the countryside remains etched in my memory… There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. I hope you enjoy...
Read MoreOn passing a trainload of Syrian refugees…
Our river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest had many extra bonuses, each designed to keep us coming back again and again. And let’s face it – river cruising is a lifestyle that has a lot going for it. Take the extra special trip from Linz to Salzburg on the Majestic Imperator – the imperial train used by Emperors of the once great Holy Roman Empire when Austria was at the height of its power. We were in the carriage where the Emperor had once sat, and it was renovated to all its previous glory. Whilst on that day trip to visit the birthplace of Mozart and to inspect the...
Read MoreA time to speak: 10 Reasons to speak up…
The last post looked at 10 reasons why silence is golden. But there is a flipside. The writer of Ecclesiastes 3 is right. There is a time for everything under heaven… and that includes both a time for silence and a time to speak up. Here are 10 signs that it is the time to speak… 1) While we should be still and know that God is God, when that truth dawns on us, we should not be slow to sing out His praise. Just as there is a place for quiet contemplative worship, there is also a place for joyous, rowdy, exuberant praise. The Psalmist writes, ‘Sing out my soul the glory of...
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