Interview with Sean Bastable

Sean Bastable is the author of this week’s book review in ‘So What’ (see ‘My Simple Faith’ in the book review section). We thought it would be good to catch up with Sean and find out a little more about him and his book.

SW: Sean, this is the first book you have authored – describe the process behind it for us. Had you always wanted to write as a long-cherished dream or calling, or did the compulsion to write just come out of the blue?

Sean: I think everyone wishes they could write a book at some point in their life and I guess I'm the same in that respect. But this particular book was very much a spontaneous, accidental thing. I didn't say, "Ooh, I'd like to write a book now" and then sat down and wrote. It was more of a spontaneous thing that just sort of happened. My dad had not been well and been fighting cancer for five years and at one point I was sitting next to him in hospital and started to write. And I think that when a member of your family is not well, there's a lot of emotion that comes to the surface and the book was kind of birthed out of that. I just started to write pondering God and thinking about what happens in life beyond what we see, and within four or five days I'd written the first few chapters.

SW: Try to describe in one sentence what your book is about.

Sean: It's a book about God and Love and everything else and the fact that you can only reason so far - the final step is always a leap of faith, whatever path you choose.

SW: Since the book was published, what has the general response from the public been? Has it achieved all you hoped it would?

Sean: Writing a book is one thing, getting people to read it is a whole other thing all together! But as my cousin keeps reminding me, success is not about the number of books sold, it's the number of lives changed. Looking back over the last couple of months though, I'd say it's been a reasonably good start given that it's more of a hobby than a job. I'm also very shy and completely rubbish at selling anything, which hasn't helped much. Highlight of the year though was a 30-min documentary and TV interview with Vision Magazine and Trinity Broadcasting Network that aired in September. They did a great job of putting it all together and I got to drive a Ferrari!! You can check out the video on the website www.mysimplefaithbook.com.

SW: Do you have any writing projects you are currently working on? If so, can you give us a general idea what to expect?

Sean: Yes! I also work with Faith for Daily Living, a non-profit organisation that publishes a Christian daily devotional booklet every two months. Our latest initiative that I'm very excited about is the launch of a new student edition for younger readers that comes out in January 2011. Readers can find out more on the Facebook Fan page (Faith for Daily Living - Student Edition) or by emailing ffdl@saol.com. Then I've also started writing a sequel to my book, "My Simple Faith [IN ACTION] - and why I don't want to be run over by a bus!" It's a slow process, but hoping to have something readable towards the end of next year.

[Picture depicts Sean behind the wheel of a (borrowed) Ferrari. You will find out the significance of this if you read the book].

Bible apps reach millions

After only five months in existence, an audio-based Bible app has already reached one million downloads.

The Bible.is app has been downloaded in 166 countries and is available for free to iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android devices. The app combines text and audio and is offered in a large number of languages.

The audio-Bible app has been developed by Faith Comes By Hearing ministry, and is an expression of their Digital Bible Project (DBP), which combines the latest technology with the world’s largest digital library of both Bible text and audio recordings. The app advances the ministry’s mission to record audio Bibles for every nation, tribe, language and people.

At this point the ministry has Scripture recordings in 500 languages, with the aim of 2,000 by 2016.

"While the Bible.is apps are great at home, in church and on-the-go, we really see them as a part of a larger strategy to fulfill the Great Commission," said Troy Carl, the ministry's national director and architect of the DBP. "We are excited by this rapid growth, and especially the worldwide reach this technology has produced."

Another Bible app, the YouVersion developed by LifeChurch.tv has even more impressive download figures after recently surpassing the 10 million download mark .

In one weekend alone, more than 100,000 downloads of the app took place, according to the YouVersion team.

YouVersion is also free and available on nine different platforms and in 20 different languages. The app includes 23 different reading plans readers can choose from.

“What we see with the app and the number of people talking about it and sharing it with others is we are really seeing what I think is the beginning of a revolution,” said Terry Storch, who leads the digerati team at LifeChurch.tv.

Oldest human remains discovered in Israel

Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have published a report revealing their discovery of human remains in a cave in central Israel which they believe may be the earliest evidence for the existence of modern man.

The team chief Avi Gopher informed Agence France-Presse that their discovery of eight teeth in the Qesem Cabe challenges theoris of the origin of humans because it calls into question the widely held view that modern humans originated in Africa.

At this point, the earliest confirmed remains of modern man, or Homo sapiens, were 200,000 years old and found in East Africa.

The teeth found in Israel are about 400,000 years old.

"It's very exciting to come to this conclusion," Gopher said. "This changes the whole picture of evolution."

Some have speculated that the remains are likely related to the now extinct Neanderthals, but the team’s report as published in the "American Journal of Physical Anthropology," states that none of the Qesem teeth "shows a suite of Neanderthal characters," though "a few traits may suggest some affinities with members of the Neanderthal evolutionary lineage."

Gopher's team is continuing their dig at the cave and are convinced they will find skulls and bones that could confirm that the teeth are the remains of modern man.

Three religious leaders crack the nod for 2010 Most Admired list

Three religious leaders have earned a place on the 2010 Top 10 Most Admired Man list. This is an increase from the two who made it last year.

The Rev. Billy Graham and Pope Benedict XVI were both ranked tied sixth on the list, while the Dalai Lama also cracked the nod this year in tenth position in the annual open-ended poll conducted by USA Today/Gallup.

Graham has been in the top 10 list every year since 1955.

President Barack Obama remained in top position in the list, a position he has held from 2008 since he was elected. It is common for sitting presidents to top the poll as they have grabbed first place 52 out of the 64 times Gallup has compiled the list.

Obama’s position has slipped a little however as he went from 30% of Americans who named him tops in 2009 to only 22% this year. Nelson Mandela also routinely makes the list and did so again this year.

In the Most Admired Woman list, Hillary Clinton continued her dominance as she was named in the No 1 spot for the ninth consecutive year. She was followed by Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Condoleezza Rice, and Queen Elizabeth.

Little town of Bethlehem sets Christmas record

Bethlehem enjoyed its highest number of Christmas pilgrims in over ten years, according to the Israeli military.

Well over 100,000 people from around the globe gathered in the town famous for being the birthplace of Jesus, which is double the number of visitors from last year.

“This is the first year that Bethlehem has hosted so many people,” said Bethlehem city official George Saade to Agence France-Presse.

This marks the third straight year in a row that Bethlehem has seen record-high tourists during the holiday. Thousands of pilgrims waited in line to view the dimly lit grotto said to be the birthplace of baby Jesus.

Included among these visitors were about 500 Christians from Gaza Strip who were granted a rare holiday entry permit by Israel. There are about 3,500 Christians out of Gaza’s 1.5 million population.

The Middle East’s senior Catholic cleric Fuad Twal traveled to Bethlehem from Jerusalem and held a midnight mass at St. Catherine’s Church, next to the Church of the Nativity. Twal called for peace and reconciliation between Israel and Palestinians.

“Our hope for Christmas is that Jerusalem not only becomes the capital of two nations, but also a model for the world, of harmony and coexistence of the three monotheistic religions,” said Twal.

Interview with Dr. Dion Forster

This week’s book featured in our review section was the excellent ‘Transform Your Work Life’ by Dr. Dion Forster and Graham Power. Dion is an ordained minister in the Methodist church, and currently serves as a consultant and spiritual adviser / Chaplain to the Global Day of Prayer and Unashamedly Ethical movements and their founder, Graham Power.

‘So What’ caught up with Dion to find out more about him and his latest book.

SW: Dion, please tell us a little bit about yourself and how this book in particular came to be.

Dion: OK, I'm a husband and father of two.  I am a Methodist minister who came to work in a 'corporate' setting after many years in pastoral ministry.  This book came about as a result of two primary influences.  First, my co-author (Graham Power) is a deeply committed Christian businessman.  Graham owns the largest privately owned Construction, Civil Engineering and Property Development company in South Africa.  He came to know Christ in 1999 at the Church where I was a minister, and from that time we started asking what it means to be a Christian who serves Jesus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  We developed a slogan - 'While every person is called to full time ministry, not every person is called pastoral ministry'.  The second reason for the book was that whenever Graham and I were asked to speak at events and gatherings people often wanted some 'teaching' or 'training' to help them to develop their own calling and ministry in their work life.  So, in 2009 Struik Christian Books approached me to start writing it.

The book itself is a mixture of testimony (what has happened in Graham's life, and the lives of other Christians at work), teaching (so we try to explain how and why we do things, relate them back to the Bible and what we believe as Christians), and then some practical encouragements and examples (this is mainly to help the reader to try a few simple things that will get them started on their journey as a 'minister in the Marketplace').

The actual book was written between October and January of 2009-2010.  It was then edited, published and launched in May 2010.  

SW: Why do you think this topic is so important for Christians to hear?

Dion: I think that the message of this book is critical for Christians!  

First, it is important because the 9-5 window (where we spend our working hours) is one of the least reached places for the Gospel of Christ, and it is right under our noses!  God has such a strong desire to bless and love people in every place, for every hour of their week.  Sadly we have tended to think that our faith only has to do with particular times (Church services, Bible studies etc.) and particular places (our Church building, or a Christian meeting).  Paul told is that 'Whatever our task' we should 'work at it as if you're working for Christ and not for people' (Col 3.23-24).

Second, the message of this book helps us to realise that God's intention is that we should find blessing and fulfillment in every part of our lives.  Far too many people see work as a curse!  They dread going to work. The message of this book helps us to see how work can be a great blessing, in fact more than just blessing it can be a powerful, life changing, calling.

SW: What role does writing play in your busy life?  Has it always been an essential part of your calling, or is just something that developed out of the blue?

Dion: I spend a great deal of my time writing.  God has called me to be a teacher and preacher.  Because of that calling I will make use of any means that I have in order to speak of His goodness, and to encourage people to find their place within God's loving will.  I write for a number of different 'audiences', so to speak.  I have an active blog for which I try to write a couple of posts a week.  I have been doing this for years and I am grateful that I get between a few hundred and a few thousand visitors a day.  My two blogs are rated in the top 5 blogs in 'religion' in South Africa by the Mail & Guardian's amatomu.com aggregator.

I also write more 'formal' pieces.  I have published 7 books (most of them are academic books which were written as a result of theological research), and I still hold academic posts at the Universities of Pretoria and Stellenbosch.  As a result I write scholarly articles for publication in academic journals.

But, at the core all of the writing has the same intention - to tell of the wonders of God and His loving will.  I simply vary the style and length based on the audience that I am trying to engage.

SW: Since the book was published, what has the general response from the public been?  Has it achieved all you hoped it would?

Dion: The response to the book has been far beyond what I have expected!  We are truly thankful to God that this little book has done so well.  In truth it is not a 'groundbreaking' text, it is just a sincere collection of stories, some practical teaching, and some examples.  It has sold thousands of copies in Southern Africa, it was translated into Arabic (for sale in Egypt), Bahasa for sale in Indonesia, and Mandarin for sale in Taiwan and China, and Portuguese for sale in Brazil.  We have been invited to do 'Transform your work life' workshops all across South Africa and to speak at hundreds of Churches, business, and events as a result of people who have read the book.  This year we were in Hong Kong twice to speak about the message of the book, Malaysia once, and Graham was even invited to speak at a conference in Hawaii last  month.  We have also had the opportunity to visit Kenya, and we were invited to do two sessions on 'Transform your work life' as part of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization that met in Cape Town in October.

In 2011 we will be in the USA in March and June, and back to South East Asia in April and May (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia).

We've had the privilege of many persons doing interviews, such as this one, that have blessed us and helped us to spread the message of finding blessing in the world of work!  We have done lots of radio and television interviews.

All of the proceeds from the sales of the book go towards our Unashamedly Ethical campaign (discussed in Chapter 12 of the book).  So, it is a great blessing that the message is spreading so well, and that we are able to support Unashamedly Ethical in part through the royalties from the sales of the book.

SW: Do you have any writing projects you are currently working on?  Without giving too much away, can you give us a general idea what to look forward to?

Dion: Yes, I am working on another project.  I have a book that will be published by Cambridge Scholars Press in the United Kingdom that is more of an academic text bringing together some of the work I did in my doctoral research - it deals with some of the more technical aspects of cognitive neuroscience and the formation of identity through relationships and faith.

I have also been approached to write a short book of encouragement for parents whose children have serious or terminal illnesses.  I am praying about that at the moment.  I'm a little cautious to say anything about this since my own experience with my little girl Courtney is still a little too emotional and I am not sure that I can add any concrete value in this area.  But, it may be that I start working on that topic towards the middle of next year.

[Dion's book is for sale at Christian Republic on special for R88. Also on Kalahari.net for R95 and then in Wordsworth books, Exclusive books and CUM books (for between R100 - R115)].

Christian Republic: http://www.christianrepublic.co.za/catalogue/Transform-Your-Work-Life.htm
Kalahari.net: http://www.kalahari.net/books/Transform-Your-Work-Life/34923/37717631.aspx

‘Transform Your Work Life’ is published by Struik Christian Books.

(Image is of Dion with his wife Megan).

15th Century Ethiopian Christ icon discovered

A 15th century Ethiopian icon of the infant Christ child sitting on his mother's knee was discovered after it was cleaned by a British charity (see accompanying image).

The central panel of the triptych had over the centuries become blackened with the sprinkling of perfume that the monks use as they worship. The monks at the Monastery of St Stephen on an island in Lake Hayq in the north of the African country believe the icon, known as The One Who Listens, to be miraculous.

It is certainly a piece of remarkable beauty and is now visible in its original coloured glory, showing a pale-faced Jesus with black curly hair and rosy cheeks. His hand has three digits raised and two down as if blessing the person looking at him. He has a halo and is wearing a gown and is perched on his mother's knee and she too has a halo.

The British charity The Ethiopian Heritage Fund sent experts to preserve the painting that had previously been covered with varnish.

Blair Priday from the charity, said: "This icon is one of the most celebrated in Ethiopia and because of its veneration, over time, the central panel had become blackened and was later painted over with thick layers of varnish as protection.

"The faces of the mother and child were barely visible. The varnish was carefully removed so it regained the original luminosity. The icon's repair was undertaken by Laurie Morocco, a foremost icon restore, who camped in the monastery's grounds while he did the work.

"In the mid 15th century a new technique of painting on wood with an undercoating of Gesso was introduced resulting in a much more luminous effect. When the varnish was removed by Laurie, one of the glories of Ethiopian art was visible once more.

"St Stephen's was a very important monastery and seat of learning, and although it was raided and lost some of its relics, many remained including a beautiful cross, manuscripts and this icon. This ancient seat of learning now has a museum where these incredible treasures are displayed in a small museum within the monastery

"We could not have carried out the work without the support of the Bureau of Culture and the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Church and our expert advisor Jacques Mercier."