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What’s your normal go-to when someone asks you "How’re you doing?"...

Spotify Premium! Should I, or shouldn't I? That is the question. Spotify has been my 'go to' music streaming app for the past year or two. It's fine, except for all those annoying ads, with the volume twice the normal level, that keep interrupting my listening pleasure. Of course, it doesn't have to be this way. If I upgrade to Spotify Premium, then, for the low price of ...

Reality TV loves a good makeover. Contestants, who start the show as regular Joe's and Alice's - nice enough but lacking the X-Factor are transformed in a single day by on-trend style gurus. Things will never be the same again. Hair is coiffured. 'Target' is replaced with 'Sass Bide'. Subtle shades of makeup suddenly reveal latent beauty. Add the accessories and shazam ...

An Anecdote from Ibrahim Sharifi A son noticed his father reading the Bible. He said, 'You are a poorly educated man. Why do you read, when you won't understand 95% of what you're reading?'. His father thought for five minutes, then walked to the kitchen and found a large black dirty colander that was used to carry charcoal for their kitchen fire. He gave it to his son a...

It was a minor news item on my phone. 'Australian cricketers caught ball tampering in South Africa'. 'No, that can't be right', I thought to myself, 'We don't do that sort of thing'. I read the article and it was true. I was aghast. What were they thinking? Why wasn't there more comment in other news feeds? It seems I caught an early report. Within hours, 'Australia caugh...

'Merry Christmas', 'Season's Greetings': They're our most popular Christmas well wishes. I still baulk at the supposedly inoffensive 'Happy Holidays'. But what about Easter? What is this season's most appropriate greeting? Well, I've done a bit of research and there seems to be consensus. 'Happy Easter!' wins the prize. I don't know about you, but it's hardly inspiring. ...

Boot Camp(noun): 1.a military training camp for new recruits, with very harsh discipline.2.a short, intensive, and rigorous course of training. This weekend Jonny and I, along with some of our young blokes, are away on the Penno Baps Boot Camp. Although it won't be military in discipline, still we hope for a weekend that is mentally, physically, and spiritually intensive ...

Our church theme for 2018 is 'Walk Humbly with Our God' and I thought I'd better do a bit of extra reading. I looked online at the Christian booksellers and ordered those titles that seemed most relevant. One book had the title 'Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul' by Hannah Anderson. Hannah is a rural pastor's wife who lives in the Blue Ridge Mount...

I've been reading the book of Leviticus. You'd think after all these years I'd find it easy. You know, everything fits into place and this passage means this and that passage means that and the application is obvious as I encounter 'Bible Gem' after 'Bible Gem'. Instead, I'm struggling. What is God trying to tell me? Nevertheless, certain truths have hit home, even if (fr...

I can imagine kids saying to their mum, 'One day, I want to go to the Olympics'. 'Oh, really', comes the reply, 'what would you like the compete in'. The answers to come thick and fast, 'Bobsled, figure skating, ski jumping'. All the glamourous stuff. Or perhaps: 'I want to run like Usain Bolt, swim like James Magnusson, play basketball with the Boomers'. What child aspir...