Tag Archives: Social Justice

Scariness and Suffering: Should I take my 5 year old to an anti-sex-trafficking event?

Actually, this post is not going to outright answer whether you should take your five year old to an anti-sex-trafficking rally, but it is going to try and look at the underlying assumption: how sheltered should I keep my children? Should I be telling them about the harsh realities of life- slavery, racism, crime, war,Continue reading “Scariness and Suffering: Should I take my 5 year old to an anti-sex-trafficking event?”

Good Friday: The Day God Dies (or Ta-Nahesi Coates, Miroslav Volf & N.T. Wright have a conversation about bodies)

We are all gathered in a small chapel for our normal good Friday service, the candles are lit, the incense is ready, but then Ta-Nahesi Coates stands up in the middle of the service, faces the congregation, and begins to speak: “When a black man dies, everyone wants to talk about forgiving the killer.They want to weave hisContinue reading “Good Friday: The Day God Dies (or Ta-Nahesi Coates, Miroslav Volf & N.T. Wright have a conversation about bodies)”

2. Two Part book Summary: The End of Memory, Miroslav Volf

This is a continuation of my summary of the book The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World by Miroslav Volf. For part one, go here.  The last part of the book, part three, asks the question how long we should remember. I don’t know how many reconciliation seminars I’ve been to thatContinue reading “2. Two Part book Summary: The End of Memory, Miroslav Volf”

1. Two part Book summary: The End of Memory by Miroslav Volf

My birthday, senior year of college, I missed hearing one of my favorite authors, Miroslav Volf, speaking at Taylor. My loving fiancé attended his talk, and got his most recent book (at the time) autographed for me. This book has been sitting on a shelf in the attic in Minnesota for the past three years,Continue reading “1. Two part Book summary: The End of Memory by Miroslav Volf”

How goes the world?

The Tales of the Kingdom trilogy has probably shaped my view of the world more profoundly than any other series (aside from maybe Chronicles of Narnia). You should read them. All of them. There’s a king, who has been exiled from the city (which is now ruled by an evil Enchanter, who makes night dayContinue reading “How goes the world?”

Reason for Hope

This video is from an advertising campaign put out by a South African Bank. I think its really inspiring to hear our young people speak out against some of the problems we are facing in our country, and call people to action. (The ANC didn’t like it, which you can read about here). One ofContinue reading “Reason for Hope”

Real Life Hero: Gretta

  “Eh, it is so quiet here today without my students, Steph.” Gretta said to me yesterday when I dropped by to say hello. Gretta runs a creche (preschool) in Sweetwaters with over 90 kids. She does an amazing job of keeping them all in line, and helping them learn. The students she was talkingContinue reading “Real Life Hero: Gretta”

Saving Drowning Babies

“One day a missions worker in Africa went down to the river to bathe. While she was there in the water, she heard a cry and discovered a baby, floating in the water, just barely alive. She quickly grabbed the baby, and brought it to the edge of the river bank and gave it CPR.Continue reading “Saving Drowning Babies”

Skedlemba Adventures

Skedlemba: Zulu slang,(adj): junker, second-hand, broken, falling-apart, like basically when something has been duct-taped that really shouldn’t be duct-taped, but somehow it still works. The iThemba staff have christened my car skedlemba. J, our short-termer from Cambridge, arrived just 3 days after me, and skedlemba arrived the day before her–all three of us started atContinue reading “Skedlemba Adventures”

The Most Powerful Weapon

Nelson Mandela has said “Education is the most powerful weapon by which you can change the world.” iThemba Projects is trying to change the lives of children in Mpumuza through education. They are starting by working from the lowest levels of education to the highest. Did you realize that the first 6 years of aContinue reading “The Most Powerful Weapon”