Cape Pulpit / Kaapse Kansel

In hierdie motiveringsboodskap op Get Up and Go Breakfast gesels Jannie Putter oor irritasie, woede en die belangrikheid van selfbeheersing. Hy deel hoe ons daaglikse uitdagings en frustrasies kan hanteer sonder om beheer oor ons emosies te verloor. Deur die verhaal van 'n jong tennisspeler beklemtoon hy dat ware krag daarin lê om kalm, geduldig en in beheer van jouself te bly. Die boodskap moedig luisteraars aan om selfbeheersing te ontwikkel en elke dag met 'n positiewe ingesteldheid aan te pak.

In hierdie episode van Christian Perspective on the News bespreek Stefan van der Berg die vervolging van Christene wêreldwyd, met spesifieke fokus op China. Hy staan stil by die Internasionale Gebedsdag vir die Vervolgde Kerk, die uitdagings waarmee Christene gekonfronteer word en die belangrikheid van gebed, geloof en hoop. 'n Boodskap wat luisteraars herinner aan die vryheid om hul geloof uit te leef en die verantwoordelikheid om vir vervolgde Christene te bid. Aangebied deur Radio Cape Pulpit 729 AM.

In this episode of Community Matters on Radio Cape Pulpit 729 AM, Jean Morris welcomes three pastors from the Balm of Gilead Centre in Parow: Pastor Winifred van Gamma (manager since 2014, holding a master's degree in practical theology from Stellenbosch University, with a heart for refugee and migrant children), Pastor Ruther Lochenberg (ordained in 2006, at the centre since 2017), and Pastor Daniel Angama (an educator trained in science education at the University of the Western Cape). The conversation follows a community outreach where the Radio Cape Pulpit team visited the centre and heard about its challenges. Pastor Winifred explains that the centre's number of children dropped from 40 to 17 after COVID-19, mainly due to financial pressure on parents who lost their jobs; many parents now send children to cheaper home-based carers instead. The centre is a non-profit organisation with very low fees (around R1,000–R1,200), but parents still plead for reductions, while the centre must still afford cleaning chemicals, stationery, and a token for the "aunties." Pastor Ruther notes that many families are refugees and migrants who move around frequently due to home status changes, and that single-parent problems and domestic trauma affect the children. Pastor Daniel adds that traumatised children sometimes show it through behaviour, and that the centre gives them one-on-one counselling and brings the gospel, with the Holy Spirit helping. A major problem is the dumping site right in front of the centre: after a building across the road was demolished, earth was thrown over the fence, and people began dumping rubbish there. It is unhygienic, smelly, and puts parents off. Pastor Winifred has approached the health officer three times, but nothing has been done. The pastors also mention the need for training for the "aunties" (caring for babies and toddlers, safety and health, first aid, fire drills) and for equipment such as toys, educational videos, and computers. Asked where to start, Pastor Ruther says training, Pastor Winifred says finances, and Pastor Daniel says equipment. Jean appeals to listeners, churches, and organisations to donate toys, chairs, food parcels, or any support, and to contact the pastors. She closes with Psalm 127:3: "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward," reminding us that children are a sacred gift and not a burden. Her closing line: "Your story is not over until God says it is over."

In this Christian Perspective on the News insert on Radio Cape Pulpit (7–9 a.m.), host Anton Brink welcomes Dr. Peter Hammond, who notes that 31 October is not just the end of the month — for many it is Halloween, but for Protestants it is Reformation Day. He recounts how a Frontline Fellowship mission team in 1994 delivered Bibles behind enemy lines to a remote village in Cuando Cubango province, Angola, and found the whole village celebrating the Reformation — singing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and displaying a banner reading "31 October 1517" with the five solas in Latin. Hammond argues that Reformation Day is the birthday of all Protestant, born-again, Bible-believing churches, yet many Christians — even children in Christian schools — now associate the date only with Halloween. He traces Halloween's pagan and occult roots (the Druid festival of Samhain, trick-or-treat, jack-o'-lanterns, and the historical Count Dracula), cites Tom Sanguinet, a former Wiccan high priest, on Halloween's evil nature, and grounds his case in Deuteronomy 18, Ezekiel 34:23, Isaiah, Proverbs 22:6, Matthew 18, Romans 12:9, 1 Corinthians 10, 2 Corinthians 6, Ephesians 5:11 and James 4:7. He calls believers to separate from paganism and instead celebrate the Reformation, inviting listeners to a guided tour of the Huguenot Monument in Franschhoek at 10:00 and a Reformation Day celebration service at 12 noon on Saturday 31 October, followed by a picnic lunch. He also announces his upcoming five-week mission to Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana, and that Anthony Stander will take his slot while he is away.

In this episode, Anton chats with Professor Dion Forster from the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and Stellenbosch about living in a noisy world and hearing the voice of God. Anton opens by describing how, from the moment we wake up, voices compete for our attention — the news, social media, people we love and trust, uninvited voices, and the voice inside our own heads. Prof. Forster reflects on Herbert Simon's concept of the "attention economy" — we live in a "poverty of attention," with so many stimuli that our lives can become shallower than those of people in close relationships thirty or forty years ago. He shares about hosting the Global Network for Public Theology conference in Amsterdam, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, and delivering his professorial inaugural lecture for his new chair in public theology and ethics, where he spoke about recognition and what it means to be recognized by God as our primary source of identity. Drawing on his first doctoral research in cognitive neuroscience, he explains how our relationships with others form our identity — who we become, how we speak, and how we react to good and bad. For Christians, there should be one voice that dominates all others: the voice of God in Christ — the first voice in the morning, the last at night, and the first we listen for in trouble. He shares his long-standing habit of reading seven chapters of the Bible every day for more than thirty years (roughly thirty minutes a day, reading through the Bible twice a year), which has built a "bedrock" and "underlying hum" of what the voice of God sounds like — through Isaiah, the Psalms, the wisdom literature, and Jesus in the Gospels. He encourages listeners not only to pay attention to the voice of Jesus but to cultivate a love for it, illustrated by his little dogs who recognize his voice and come running, but ignore a stranger calling them the same way. He warns that many Christians are being misled by populist leaders, sometimes even leaders who claim to speak on behalf of God, and he can almost hear Jesus saying, "If only you knew my voice." He closes with John 10:27: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." His encouragement: no matter what you face today, God wants to speak to you, share His love with you, lead you, and comfort you.

In this episode of the Get Up and Go Breakfast on Radio Disa and Radio Cape Pulpit, Anton chats with Dr. Wendy Christine from Integrated Health Solution about the gut-brain connection. Dr. Christine explains that the gut and brain are in constant two-way communication, linking the central nervous system with the enteric nervous system in our digestive tract. They communicate through several pathways: the vagus nerve, the immune system (with the gut playing a key role in immunity and inflammatory signaling), and hormones and chemical messengers that regulate digestion, appetite, and stress response. She explains the role of the microbiome — trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that help break down food and dietary fiber, produce beneficial substances like short-chain fatty acids, keep the gut lining healthy, and regulate inflammation. On neurotransmitters, she notes that a large portion of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut, along with GABA, but that poor gut signaling can prevent serotonin from reaching the brain. Regarding stress, she explains how the brain activates the sympathetic nervous system and HPA axis, affecting gut motility (causing diarrhea or constipation), bloating, cramping, and even disrupting the intestinal barrier — people with irritable bowel conditions may have worse symptoms during stress. On supporting the gut-brain connection, she recommends a healthy lifestyle: a diverse fiber-rich diet, nervous system regulation techniques like deep breathing and grounding, prioritizing sleep, and mindful eating. A diverse fiber-rich diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, plus fermented foods like live-culture yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi (started in moderation). On mindful eating, she explains that rushed, mindless eating prevents the brain from signaling the pancreas and gallbladder to produce digestive enzymes in time; mindful eating means sitting at a table, avoiding distractions like TV, chewing slowly, and being aware of hunger, fullness, and food sensitivities. Contact details: cell 082 476 493, email [email protected], website www.integratedhealthsolution.co.za.

In hierdie episode van Christelike Perspektief op die Nieuws op Radio Kaapse Kansel 729 AM gesels Anton met Jannie Pelser oor 'n daaglikse oggendtradisie wat 'n kragtige metafoor word vir God se goedheid en die menslike samelewing in Suid-Afrika. Jannie vertel hoe hy en sy vrou elke oggend koffie drink en vir die voëls kos uitgooi op die plafon buite hul venster — 'n verskeidenheid voëls soos rooivinke, mossies en swaeltjies wat kom aansit vir 'n maaltyd wat hulle nie voorberei of verdien het nie, maar wat uit genade gegee word. Dan kom die "kwaaivinkie" — 'n parmantige voëltjie met 'n lang stert en rooi bekkie — wat net af en toe opdaag, maar wanneer hy daar is, jaag hy die ander voëls weg sodat hulle niks kan geniet nie. Die ironie is dat hy in die proses self ook niks kry nie: terwyl hy besig is om ander te verwilder, kry hy nie kans om te eet nie, en so verhonger hy saam met die ander. Jannie gebruik dit as metafoor vir Suid-Afrika se diversiteit en uitdagings: God het ons hier bymekaar gebring, Hy sorg elke dag vir ons soos die saad vir die voëls, en ons kan nie aanspraak maak op Sy goedheid nie — dit is genade. Ons het twee moontlikhede: óf ons kom sit saam soos die verskeidenheid voëls en geniet en deel God se gawes met mekaar, óf ons word soos die kwaaivinkie wat selfsugtig alles vir homself wil hê en in die proses self verhonger. Sy boodskap: "In Suid-Afrika wen ons saam of verloor ons saam" — ons kan nie ten koste van mekaar die pad vorentoe vind nie. Hy sluit af met die gebed dat die Here ons die ingesteldheid sal gee om te besef ons het mekaar nodig, ons kan mekaar nie wegwens nie, en ons moet God se gawes geniet en met mekaar deel.

In hierdie episode gesels Anton met Johnny (motiveringspreker) oor hoop te midde van aanvalle en terugslae. Hy rapporteer uit die Vrystaat en reflekteer oor 'n jaar van "aanvalle" — dinge wat onverwags gekom het, dinge wat mense gedink het lankal dood is, wat skielik opgestaan het om verdeeldheid en vredeverlies te bring. Hy vertel die verhaal van 'n man in 'n bekende Franse galery wat na 'n skildery staar van 'n man wat skaak speel teen die duivel, wat pas checkmate verklaar het. Die omstander skree: "The King has still got to move!" — en Johnny pas dit toe op ons lewens: die Koning van Konings het altyd nog 'n skuif. Die graf kon Hom nie hou nie, die kruis kon Hom nie hou nie, die dood kon Hom nie hou nie, die hel kon Hom nie keer nie — Hy is die Roos van Saron, die Koning van Konings, die Wonderbare Raadsman, die Sterke God, die Ewige Vader, die Prins van Vrede, ons Vriend, ons Advokaat en ons Redder. Johnny deel ook persoonlik oor 'n tydperk waar agt naweke agtereenvolgens volgeboek was met begrafnisse, byeenkomste, kerke, kampe en opleiding, met twee of drie onverwagte krisisse tussenin — en hoe die Here hom rus binne die storm gegee het en hom geleer het om "nee" te sê. Hy beklemtoon 2 Korintiërs 2:17 — ons is nie "peddlers of the Word of God" nie — en dat waar die Woord van God is, daar eenheid, krag, liefde, vreugde en nuwe lewe is. Hy daag luisteraars uit: jou eerste verantwoordelikheid is teenoor God, nie die radiostasie of die familie se naam nie — as God sê daar is nie vrede nie, kanselleer. Hy verwys na die Ou Testament se opdrag dat sekere Israelitiese stamme nie langs mekaar moge kamp nie, omdat hulle nie oor die weg kon kom nie — sekere mense sal jou gebruik maar nooit waardeer nie, en jy moet nie langs hulle kamp nie. Hy sluit af: "Die Here sal die laaste skuif maak, en as Hy daardie een skuif gemaak het, sal jy weet daar is vrede in jou hart. Van die Vrystaat af rapporteer ek vrede in my hart." Anton voeg 'n woordspeling by: mense fokus op El Niño, maar ons moet fokus op El Roy ("God wat my sien") en El Shaddai ("God wat meer as genoeg is") — El Niño mag kom, maar ons God is groter en sal meer as genoeg gee.

In this episode, Anton chats with Zanti Swannepoel about human connection. Zanti warns that we live in the age of artificial intelligence, and we must not focus so much on "high tech" that we lose the "high touch" — the physical, human contact that builds relationships. She shares a moving story of a father who chooses to spend an hour in the bank rather than use internet banking, because there he meets friends, chats with staff who know him well, and finds the physical touch and company he craves. She warns that isolation is a "silent killer." She references a 2021 study showing that people with strong connections have greater life satisfaction, more resilience in difficult times, and better mental health, and that strong social connections strengthen the immune system and increase your chances of living longer by 50%. She notes that loneliness is one of the world's greatest risk factors — a state of mind that occurs when there is a disconnect between one's desire for human contact and the actual level of human contact. She challenges listeners to deliberately build their own support network — join a sports club, church, cell group, or book club, get out of the house and become part of a community, because "we heal in community, we restore in community, nothing but silent death happens in isolation." She closes with 1 Thessalonians 5:8: "Therefore, encourage each other and build one another up, just as you are doing," and the challenge: "Build your circle, create your circle." She concludes: "The human connection is priceless, and godly and biblical."

In hierdie episode van Christelike Perspectief op die Nieuws op Radio Kaapse Kansel 729 AM deel die bydraer 'n christelike perspektief op die aktuele uitdagings in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika en die wêreld. Hy begin met die taxigeweld in Epping waar twee taxi-eienaars doodgeskiet is, en betuig sy meegevoel aan hulle families en aan leerders wat op pad na eksamens toe trauma beleef. Positief noem hy die Onderwysdepartement se 127 miljoen rand vir tegniese ontwikkeling in skole, maar betreur die boete van R80 000 op 'n plantstroper in die Brackenfell-gebied wat meer as 100 plante uit die Theewaterskloof-reservoir gesteel het. Op nasionale vlak verwys hy na 500 weermaglede wat na KwaZulu-Natal gestuur word vir die verkiesing, president Ramaphosa se waarskuwing oor verwagte watertekorte (veroorsaak deur El Niño), en gelukwense aan president Lula da Silva van Brasilië met sy herverkiesing. Sy christelike perspektief rus op drie pilare: (1) ons is die lig van die wêreld (Matteus 5:14–16), (2) selfs as die vyeboom nie bot nie, sal ons die Here loof (Habakkuk 3:17–18), en (3) ons moet ons gebedslewe skerp maak en die Here vertrou, want Hy is vir ons (Romeine 8:31; 1 Tessalonisense 2:1–2). Hy sluit af met die seënwens: "Gaan in die vrede van die Here, nothing but love."