Every year the Methodist Church of Southern Africa gathers for Conference and this year our leaders are meeting in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape (the Connexional Executive is meeting this week and Conference itself begins next week). It is a very busy time and normally all our Connexional leaders have their heads down focused on a long agenda, but this week our Presiding Bishop, Rev Pumla Nzimande, took the time to write to the church in response to news reports of the violent deaths of at least eight women on the East Rand.

Some years ago, I had been swimming on a Saturday and found that my ears were all blocked up by pool water, to such an extent that I could barely hear anything. The problem sorted itself out by Monday, but I still needed to preach and lead services on the Sunday... It was such a disorienting experience being among people with such limited hearing and a real, albeit brief taste of the struggles that people with hearing challenges face every day.

I know it's only a machine, but recently my car has felt so human. A few times, on especially cold mornings, it has stubbornly refused to start. My mechanic says it's how old starter motors often behave in the cold. On such mornings, it looks like there is no life at all in the car, but actually the engine and battery are just fine and all it takes to get going is a little push :)