What counts... A reflection on love, friendship and the grace of Christ

10 hours is a long time to spend doing any single activity! Fortunately while driving I can take time to think, reflect, and pray.

Today my thoughts were filled with many varied things... I thought about the beauty of South Africa, I thought about the Church, and the denomination in which I have the joy to serve... I also thought about the challenges we face in our land (the recalling of Thabo Mbeki by the ANC leadership... this does not bode well for our future, in spite of the fact that Mbeki was a weak president when it came to the things that truly matter - HIV/AIDS, poverty and racial reconciliation). I thought about the joys and blessings of my new post. I have met incredible people (like Johan who serves as a missionary in the Ukraine, Nour who has come from Egypt to learn how to serve and pray, Lloyd Reeb from the USA who is doing incredible work with business people, Mark Anderson from YWAM, Aaron Walsh who leads a remarkable contemplative 24/7 prayer ministry in New Zealand... The list goes on and on!)

I thought quite a bit about the remarkable man that I serve, Graham Power. Graham is a wonderful Christian leader. Sadly I have not encountered that many selfless, courageous, sincere, and truly Christ loving leaders in the Church... Graham is a source of constant inspiration. He attends to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting and giving with regular and concerted discipline. He is patient, and at the same time has a measure of drive that is refreshing and encouraging. Graham has no guile - he is sincere and honest.

I thought about myself, I thought about the blessings of what I'm doing, and the wonderful blessing of being back in Somerset West with my family. I also thought about those things that I miss... I can't tell you how much I miss preaching weekly (Bryanston Methodist church means so much me, and I miss everyone there a great deal - we journeyed together through some very blessed, and some very difficult times)! I miss teaching... Heck, I can't tell you how much I miss being the classroom and seeing students engage with new concepts, watching the 'penny drop' as they suddenly see how things fit together, and what role they can play in achieving God's will and helping others to do the same. I miss the time I had for academic banter, I so enjoyed conversations of a deeply technical nature with my friends Wessel Bentley and Neville Richardson. I miss not having the freedom to attend academic conferences, and the struggle to find the time to do research... I miss Xhosa chapel services at the seminary! Heck, I miss singing the Lord's prayer in Xhosa or the 'Siyakudumisa Thixo' - I still sing these to myself almost daily.

But, I have been blessed with many good friends, many wonderful experiences, and many opportunities to serve in each season of my life. This one is no different.

What matters most to me is my love for Christ, the joy of knowing and serving him, and the excitement of finding a whole new way to know Christ and make him known in the marketplace. What matters most is the blessing of being married to Megan, a beautiful, patient, caring, intelligent and loving companion in this journey. She is more gifted and Christlike than I am - I draw great strength and stability from her. What matters most are my children Courtney and Liam. I cannot imagine life without them! Courtney is such a wonderful young woman, she has a small little heart like mine, and she too seems to have a natural proclivity for reaching the outcast, the mistreated, and poor of our world. Liam is an indescribable gift... I still look through the photos of his birth, how sick, small, and frail he was. Megan and I still cry from time to time when we think how close he came to death on numerous occasions in those first few months, and the challenges that lay ahead for us wit his special needs. We feel unworthy, but grateful, for his life!

So, today I am in Bloemfontein - this is a city in which I did my compulsory military training. The only fond memories I have of this place are attending the Trinity Methodist Church, and praying on base with my friend John. Today, however, I made new 'good memories' as I drove here with my daughter Courtney. She's asleep now. I thank God for her, for Megie, for Liam, and for our wonderful life.

I will miss them in the next weeks.