being and insider is easier

It is so hard to do something so simple.
As we become tired or stressed or busy, the thing that gets neglected first is serving the outsider!

Nobody has noticed that I haven't written an outsiders blog for six months.  Nobody has complained that I haven't been systematically walking prayer into the Claremont Urban Hub.  The businesses around this centre don't rely on my prayers.  The workers don't know whether I pray for just behaviour on the part of their employers.  Lonely people don't care whether I am there to notice them or not.  Nobody wants to know whether I have had the peaceful energy to write a poem about the city.  None of the people who can't do church even know that I care about them and wish I could find a way to touch their spirits.

So, it's hard to re-energise.  It's hard to let the call of God take my life by storm when there is nothing else.

Today I have sat in the urban space again.  Sit with me by praying for God to bring about his work in me. Please.

living water?

Martin labels the spring water, bottled at source in Newlands!

Andrew collects his tlc, fruit and water.

Spring water was one of the things we offered to passers by at Earth Dance.  For some it was very helpful as they had only brought liquids with additives.  For some it went deeper - one friend called it "holy" water, and lay on the ground to let it pour straight into his mouth every time he came past.

new moonlighting

Okay ... so where does an ad-film agency find an older, bearded puppeteer in Cape Town?  From Artee Partees (Kirsty Paxton) of course, who just happen to "have" (sort of) Martin!

So Martin goes along with a suitcase full of puppets, including Captain Seaweed and Able (Lesley's coke-can puppet).  The film-dudes are from Belgium and are selling suitcases.  They like Martin (because he is funny and looks Belgian and has a huge beard at the moment); they like Able too, but htey can't have another product in their ad ... so 

Martin spends they first few days of a one week holiday having enormous fun making a puppet and being filmed.  Also not really getting rest, but ...  

entranced ...

hundreds of tents, peg to peg

 thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder

 noise, light, noise, colour, noise, substances ripe for abuse, noise

some rather nice music

and us

Andrew went to shower.  

One of the young men in the bathroom, incredulous: "Are you brushing your teeth?"

Andrew, taken aback: "Well, yes."

Silence

Young man: "Ur.  Could I have some toothpaste on my finger?"

Several others:  "And me!"

This is ministry.

more when we get pictures from the proper photographers ...

street art: free to live

 So, three weeks later than planned, there we were on Saturday.  The perfect weather for connecting with people in the urban hub.  An art installation on the street, a 'meditation' on Galatians 5: what does it mean to live in freedom in the city.  We chatted to about a dozen people and many more saw 'something' going on.  One family found it hard to believe that we were not (repeat, definitely not) selling anything!

For more pictures go to "outsiders - urban spiritual life" and "street theatre".

HOLIDAY !!!

Sorry about the long delay in reporting ... But we finally did get to leave on holiday! 
And here we are, at Pearly Beach - between Hermanus and Aghullhas.

 In a lovely house, with a lovely fire place and space around us, and time within us.

 

 

Martin's Crazy Days

Martin has just finished a marathon of marking exam papers and essays.  BI courses complete!
He collects his final CI essays this afternoon.
He has been preparing a course for BI for next semester ... 'Evangelism'.  He is amped to teach it, but starting a course you have never taught before is a major undertaking.  He has found some fun stuff on how not to do it; up YouTube!

He is just busy finalising his prep for running his street-art-and-talking workshop - happening for the third time over the mountain pass in Villiersdorp.  Tomorrow morning will see five paintings happening on the village main road.

Then he will drive post haste back to the Cape Flats to run a seminar on 'Becoming a Life-Long-Learner' for the lay preachers in our group of churches ... tomorrow afternoon.  He will finish off that preparation tonight at bed-time.

Meantime, we are hoping to leave on Sunday for a long-desired holiday.  Martin was really tired before last week, so you can imagine that he will be a basket case by Sunday!  Also that some prayer for all this would be essential.