Peter Jensen Interviewed by Christianity Today

In this good and plain article, Archbishop Jensen explains all the plans and purposes for the GAFCON conference which is currently taking place. Definitely worth a read, and definitely worth getting your head around if you haven't yet.... Article on Christianity Today here.

I'm Converting

.... to the Fox! Firefox 3 that is.

Having been a Fox (and of course the attendant Linux and Thunderbird kit) fan from way back, I'm really struggled to be content with my Windows usage since getting this darned laptop. As a side note - I had two years of no PC, and that was pure bliss. Anyhow, after bumbling around with IE on this new laptop for a while, I've come back to the good side and have installed 'THE FOX'. The new version of the fox too! Copied straight outta compton... *ehem* straight out of Between Two Worlds (www.theologica.blogspot.com), here's a couple of cracker quotes from the nerds at PCMAG:

"Three years in development, over 15,000 bug fixes and feature improvements, a new page rendering engine, remarkable performance gains, multiple OS integration — you could say the several hundred engineers working on Firefox have been busy. And their work has paid off.

Speedy performance, thrifty memory usage, and, in particular, the address bar that now predicts where you want to go when you start typing (what Mozilla insiders refer to as the Awesome Bar) firmly plant Firefox at the top of the Web browser hill, flying the flag of our Editors' Choice for browsers."

In particular:

"The top new feature has to be the address bar, what Mozilla types call "The Awesome Bar," but which the development team has officially dubbed the location bar. As you type into it, a list of suggested Web destinations based on your browsing history pops up.

It uses what Mozilla's phenomenologist Mike Beltzner has coined "frecency" — a combination of frequency and recentness — to determine the best suggestions. And, as icing on the cake, the search bar is now resizable, so you can divvy the space between the location and search bars to your taste.

When I tried it, the location bar's first suggestion was right on the money most of the time. Knowing that hitting the down arrow and Enter will usually get you where you want to go — not to mention save you untold keystrokes and time — will change your browsing habits."

So, now I'm just trying how best to configure my RSS Reader and I'm interested - what readers do you use? Help!

An Interview with Kenny Lloyd, South Africa

I've (far left) just recently asked a few questions of Rev. Kenny Lloyd (far right) of Emmanuel Church (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) about pastoring and challenges in South Africa. Having been mentored by, and having worked with Kenny for a few years I am glad to share his thoughts with you. Kenny is the most pastorally gifted man I have come across. I have caught a mere few things from him, and am deeply thankful for Him. Here's a short interview with Kenny:

1) Kenny, welcome to Seeing Through a Mirror Dimly! Thanks for doing a short little interview with me. Tell me, as a sports-lover who's spent time in Australia and South Africa, how do you decide who to support in the big matches between these great teams?

I'm rather divided these days so in Cricket I shout for the South African Proteas, in rugga I cheer on the Wallabies, in fact I'm wearing my Wallaby jersey as I type! There again in the Rugby World Cup I shouted for England, I think I'm confused Mark! Help.

2) Who has been the most influential person in your life?

One tends to give different answers at different stages. At this stage Simon Manchester and Simon Flinders, pastors at St-Thomas North Sydney, have affected the way I teach the Gospel and the way I relate to people more than anyone else in a long time. Paul Dale has got me thinking about training people for ministry. They've affected the way I operate - that's influence.

3) What book has most impacted your life?

Funnily enough the Bible. The Bible introduced me to the Holy and Merciful God. Books have started to play a major role in my thinking. At the moment, Calvin's institutes of Religion as well as a good book on mission like Samuel Escobar's "A Time for Mission," have helped me think systematically & outside my normal frame of reference.

4) Kenny, you and your family live in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Can you give us a short picture of what your current ministry in PE looks like?

We currently serve at a predominantly White evangelical church called Emmanuel, half the week, and spend the other half amongst young Black African students in the university context. Emmanuel church currently supports the student ministry.

5) How do you keep your devotional life with the Lord fresh, and your zeal for Him strong?

At the moment I am reading Peter O'Brien's commentary on Ephesians in preparation for a series of talks on Ephesians in 2 months time. Its that kind of demanding reading as well as my own current quiet time reading in Genesis that is giving fuel to my praise and gratitude to God. I also have a very simple prayer program for the days of the week which gives the praying some structure. I don't know if getting quiet with God & reading his Bible is going out of fashion but Michael Cassidy is right when he says "We need solitude with God and his Word."

6) You grew up in SA, recently spent 3 years in Sydney, and are now back in South Africa - what seem to be some of the major differences between your church experience in AUS and the church experience in SA?

One of the obvious differences is that the Sydney Anglican Diocese is a highly organized well taught resourced church with clear goals. You'll find patches of that in South Africa (SA) but a lot of what I've seen, particularly amongst our younger Black people, is a zeal that lacks knowledge. The beautiful thing is so many of the younger poorer Black Christians are crying out for real Bible truth, more so than the younger White people (in my experience.)

Another difference is that here in SA we face the reality of poverty, crime, injustice and instability and so Christians need to work out how to live for God and neighbor in complex situations. The Australian challenges were different, more Post Christian and Post Modern.

7) Does post-apartheid South Africa face any major challenges within the Church in particular?

Yes. One real issue facing South Africa is Apartheid (again). Recent xenophobic attacks (over 60 foreigners killed, many thousands displaced) have reminded us how close to the surface, deep problems lie. The challenge for the church will be to show SA that there are 3 groups of people in South Africa: Blacks, Whites and Christians.

8) Kenny, later this year you're moving into University-based ministry - what are your hopes and dreams for this ministry?

We're working more and more amongst younger South Africans. We hope to plant a church under the banner of the Church of England in South Africa where students and others will be discipled and equipped to serve and know Jesus wherever they go, beyond there student days. We also hope to see our Uni group called Bible Speaks Today, growing in its influence and numbers on campus here in Port Elizabeth.

9) If our readers (anyone!?) are keen to stop and just now pray for you - what would you love them to be praying for?

Thanks for praying friends - please ask our heavenly father to lead us by his Spirit and Word as we make lots of decisions in the next while, where to plant, how to be church, to provide everything we need. Please thank Him for opening doors for us to bring the Gospel of grace to people in Port Elizabeth, its been a great joy!

So, please do pray for Kenny and his family as they make decisions about how to serve our Lord in Port Elizabeth. He's a wonderful friend and a guy whom I know would be very grateful to God for your prayers.

"To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:11

Lauryn Hill - Def Poetry Jam - Motives and Thoughts

I love hiphop and love poetry generally... so this is brilliant. Lauryn Hill's a queen, a poet, an inspiration - and this is a great piece of her poetry which I thought I might share!