social pain

modern psychologists are becoming increasingly aware that "human beings are wired for inter-connectedness". some authors go as far as to suggest that social connectedness is a need as basic as air, water or food. the lack of a sense of social connectedness may result in deprivation that is expressed as social pain, which is to be understood as suffering caused by harm or threat to social connectedness. it is a form of emotional or psychological pain. bereavement, embarrassment, shame and other hurt feelings are types of social pain. people who have or are suffering from social pain tend also to suffer from low self-esteem which sets off a vicious cycle of not being sociable or fun to be with. affected individuals are often seen as brooding, undesirable social partners which compounds the sense of being marginalised and excluded.

(from Conversations with my Sons and Daughters, by Mamphela Ramphele)

reflections of our times

the "doing" has overtaken the "being". our homes have become empty and dull. there is a lack of "genuineness" in our conversations. there is an ever growing inadequacy to communicate between generations. we have become too busy to stop and listen, to reflect and celebrate our being together. our homes, families and societies have become empty and void. frenetic schedules are not confined to our parents, but has also been passed on to our children with unhealthy expectations placed upon all to over perform or out perform the proverbial "Jones clan" from next door. our lives are increasingly programmed to include a significant proportion of our time outside the family circle and we are increasingly missing out on the joy of just being together and marveling at the beauty  of togetherness. the kitchen table is empty and the fire side seats are cold. the sharing of experiences and ideas has grown dim as older generations and younger ones alike abstain from cross-generational interactions. what are we teaching our children? what example are we setting?
(thoughts of Mamphela Ramphele)

walk in the promise

our souls wait in silence
in rest and in quiet
for You
Spirit

in trust and dependence
we walk in the promise of You
Coming

with hope
and healing in Your wings
with fire and with wind
You fall on us again

here we are waiting
for this house to be shaken
for the boldness to carry
Your name to the nations

Your signs and Your wonders
to go now before us
for the weight of Your glory
to rest as lift You up

we lift You up
be magnified in us

lyrics by: jeremy riddle

spiritual healing

i'm here
here with you
where i'm home
where i'm healed

your name
flows from my lips
sweeter than
the sweetest kiss

how my heart
love your name
it's bursting forth
in shouts of praise

i feel
heaven's drawing me
it's close at hand
and now is here

how my heart
loves your name
it's bursting forth
in shouts of praise

my heart loves your name oh God
bursting forth in shouts of praise

satan falls
like lighting
his work undone
by my King

lyrics by: jeremy riddle

serious tragedy

there is a serious tragedy i have seen under the sun. it weighs heavily on humanity. God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want. but then He doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. they die. and someone else even a stranger ends up enjoying their wealth. this is meaningless. a sickening tragedy. a man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. but if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial. it would have been better for him to be born dead. his birth would have been meaningless. he would have ended in darkness. he wouldn’t even have had a name. he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. he might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. since he must die like everyone else. well what’s the use. all people spend their lives scratching for food. but they never seem to have enough. so are wise people really better off than fools. do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others. enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. just dreaming about nice things is meaningless. like chasing the wind.

what are we living for

What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?   

Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.  

The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 

The wind blows south, and then turns north. 

Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.  

Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. 

Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 

Everything is wearisome beyond description. 

No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. 

No matter how much we hear, we are not content.  

History merely repeats itself. 

It has all been done before. 

Nothing under the sun is truly new.  

Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” 

But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.  

We don’t remember what happened in the past. 

And in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

just pure

it is rare that you walk into a place and sense that it shares its DNA with you. such a place is hard to find. where you feel like having breakfast every morning and stare away over the sea. where you feel comfortable just being there. you can sit and allow time to tick by without feeling guilty. a safe environment to contemplate the future. its ambiance allows you to do just that. it is like home away from home. recently my wife and I have discovered such a place. its a small bistro in the coastal town of Hermanus, South Africa... called just pure. the name itself having a ring of poetic justice to it. bringing a sense of well-being and health. what i enjoy most about it is the emotion i experience every time i frequent the place. it has a french kitchen atmosphere to it. reminding me of my time spent in Europe. bringing back fond memories of street cafes and bistros in remote alleys. i sometimes feel that it creates a safe environment for me to dream and allow my mind to wander into the future. sitting there you get the feeling that someone is trying to sell you a lifestyle. one of health, wealth and free living. but it is only a feeling. the truth is that they ARE selling you a lifestyle. but rather one of health and purity. purity of body and soul...the latter being more important. the place stirs a certain type of liberty in ones soul. i know as you read this you know exactly what i am talking about because many of us have already experienced it before. a place that makes you feel. the ambiance sucks you in and the sense of place takes over. next time you are there...allow that feeling to take you on a journey of discovery. it is worth it. a sense of feeling you will never regret. perhaps you will discover something hidden  deep within your soul that has been waiting for years to be expressed.