A few weeks ago I moved into my new home. It's a beautiful old-style farmhouse with a large patio overlooking the massive lawn sloping down to a bass dam on the right which mirrors the tree-rich mountain to the back and right of it.

Nestled on a four or five hectare piece of land, my home and the adjacent cottage (where some of my friends have moved into) walk out onto the lawn and garden that is surrounded by a lush green indigenous forest. Here we are treated to the sights and sounds of uncommon birds and oversized insects who share the treetops with, among other things, the rare Samango monkey.

Due to the probing nature of the book I am currently working on (Thinking Naughty Thoughts: On church, and why I think we need to change - see current projects), I have been giving a lot of thought lately about the social dynamics involved when people with various points of view disagree on a subject. I am by nature a harmoniser, someone who seeks to avoid conflict. But I am also a person who is drawn to ideas and the intellect, and as such I have strong opinions about certain things.

The following paragraphs, taken from Thinking Naughty Thoughts, shed some light on how I go about resolving the tensions caused by my personality that is both opinionated and accommodating.

So the other night I attended the local Halloween party in the village hall. I decided a few hours before the event started that I will indeed attend, and rummaged through my cupboards to find something appropriate to wear. The only things mildly related to the theme and each other were my crazy monster slippers and a wolf-like mask I bought some years ago for another masked party. This, coupled with a beanie to hide my characteristically blonde hair, made me unrecognisable even to the people who see me on a near daily basis.

Every now and again I get this overwhelming urge to put something out there about my own imperfections. When I sense that a person thinks too highly of me, be it a friend or an onlooker, I find myself filled with the desire to deliberately put the wrong foot forward.

I guess in a weird way this may just be an act of love. I know myself well enough to discern when a person's expectations of me is either too high or downright false. I used to be able to contain this mini-phenomenon to my circle of friends, but now that my mom's friends and a couple of folks from America read my blog and book(s), I find it increasingly necessary to be more vocal about just how often the arrow from my bow misses the mark.

I want to pick up where I left off in my previous post, about how our destiny or calling in life is simply love seeking a particular expression.

On the one hand, I feel that some people make too much about this issue. I have been a part of many Christian subcultures where the emphasis on 'God's plan for your life' is so overbearing and unhealthy that it causes a lot of confusion and disillusionment among those who end up not knowing 'what they are called to do', even though they say the prayers, attend the seminars, and read the books. I find it difficult to reconcile our attraction to this idea with the Biblical account of God's involvement with humanity. Can you imagine the early apostles hearing the kind of stuff that Jesus said, some of which we have recorded in our gospels, and saying to Him:

'Yes yes, I hear what you're saying about turning the other cheek, loving my enemies and going the extra mile. But what is God's plan for my life?'

During the last few days two of my friends have initiated a conversation with me regarding the idea of personal purpose, and as such I feel the need to write something about it.

Is there such a thing as 'God's will for my life' and, if so, how do you and I go about clarifying what it is? Isn't the world just random chaos and confusion, and as such isn't what we interpret as destiny or providence simply the accumulation of many chance happenings which we feel the need to attribute to 'God' due to our belief systems? Is it really logical to believe that God is in control of our lives?

My plane from Cape Town landed last night in Joburg, bringing an end to a month long visit to the seaside town of Hermanus.

I decided to make this a writing trip, to order each day (or at least most days), around this beautiful thing that has captured my heart and imagination. As such I didn't do a lot of sightseeing, hardly visited any friends and didn't do any pro-active business.

I wrote.  (And drank a generous amount of coffee in the process)

The way I drive often reflect the way I live my life.

This past Tuesday I took some people to Cape Town International Airport, and decided to spend the day in the Cape Town area before heading back to Hermanus later that evening.

I often have days like this when I don't plan anything. I put gas in the tank. I make sure I have my wallet on me if I want to buy some coffee or lunch or dinner or whatever. I keep my phone on me and charged in case I have to call the emergency services or, worse, a friend, if I manage to get lost. I deliberately take a road I have not taken before in order to see something I have not seen before.