A great mystic and dear friend of mine passed away a few days ago. He was not feeling well and laid down on his wife’s lap. He didn’t get up. Steve Malakowsky, or Steve M as most people knew him, was a poet, mystic, a Jeremiah-type prophet, a father and a builder. He was an…
Read MoreMermaids
We are in Lower Hutt at an Anglican community. Our truck is parked outside and we are listening to Nic Cave’s new record Push The Sky Away as it spins around on Josh’s 1957 Astor. Nice album. Reminds me of Jonny Cash, gospel, blues and Proverbs, especially those struggles around relationships and temptations of Mermaids.…
Read More5 things I am learning about social justice
PassionFest is going well. About 350-400 people here for this Christian based social justice festival. I spoke last night on 5 things I have learned and am learning about social justice. For those of you ask me to blog it, here they are. 1. We won’t solve the problems of our city by loving the…
Read MoreWedding Day
Today is the big day for our family. Our Number One son Sam marries Jenna White. All very exciting. Lots of airport pickups. I got to bed at 3am last night. In a few hours we host the wedding ceremony. The pig is already on the spit. Yes, we are taking lots of photos and…
Read MoreIf I was Pope
Wishing Pope Benedict XVI a smooth transition into his next phase of life as simply Joseph Ratzinger. What a surprise!! I was thinking of running for Pope. Change is good. I have been a Baptist, an Anglican, and a Presbyterian, but never a Catholic. And besides that, the Catholics have the coolest church buildings, especially…
Read MoreRemembering Richard Twiss
My friend Richard Twiss just passed away from a massive heart attack. He was a great man, activist, thinker, a pioneer and spokesperson for First Nations people in general and Native Americans in particular. Cody L. has some good thoughts and links. I first met Richard 24 years ago in Vancouver, Washington when I was…
Read MoreWilf and Jan and 50 years of marriage
Wilf and Jan Wright have been married 50 years. They invited us to their wedding anniversay and we had a hoot. Their photographer forgot his camera but I had mine – yes someone donated a camera to replace my old Panasonic which was stolen by Christians in Egypt (another story) and I now have an…
Read MoreLiving Lighter
We just finished volunteering at the Organic River Festival. It’s an amazing thing to set up a village out of nothing, share a great experience with a lot of people, and then pack it all down again. Highlights were hanging out with young people from Germany and France (WOOFers) who were the main volunteer force,…
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