復活節主日信息
約翰福音記載主耶穌的事蹟比符類福音特別，沒登山變象，沒婦女為耶穌哭泣，沒西門替祂背十架，甚至沒最後晚餐 … 然而，約翰卻常提及祂事奉”時間是否到了” (約二4,四21,五25,七39, 十二23,十七1等) “祂被高舉起來”，”人子全然順服父神” 旨意等…
這裡十二章是重要一幕，說到”祂的時間到了”，且說祂 ”得榮耀” 的時間到了。”得榮耀”及同類語句，按和合本共出現40次。這字有三個意思 : 父神本體的真象、主耶穌的受苦死亡與及祂完成地上的使命。
基督徒按主這樣式，是像祂般 “得榮耀 ”，就是效法祂的受苦死亡。保羅也說，他身上常帶著耶穌的死，(林後四10)，他身上有主的印記 (加六17)。因此，過受難復活節，讓我們眾神的兒女們，都要學習
1. 不怕 “細小”，因為主耶穌就是”一粒細小麥子” 埋在地裡死了，卻生發出許多子粒來。
2. 作主門徒，就是跟從主耶穌的腳蹤，學習走主的路徑，十架之路。
3. 體會任何為主有的身上傷痕及印記，有天在主壇前都會是榮耀的記號。在此世代因主緣故，讓我們回歸簡樸的生活吧。
2013年3月31日 星期日
2013年3月28日 星期四
福音與十架，人不能分開
昨晚關傳道分享聖週中對認識福音的意義。
首先，從歷史上看耶穌的舉止的確不像當時人們所理解的彌賽亞，他出身卑微，與借助外族人欺詐百姓的稅吏同桌，矛頭不是指向羅馬，反而指向聖殿等。耶路撒冷居民未能辦悉耶穌確是彌賽亞，反而把他交給羅馬人處決，不無道理。
第二，耶穌由起初便用以賽亞書來解釋自己的工作，包括向在獄中施洗約翰解釋。耶穌作為神回歸錫安作王的消息的傳遞者 (賽 52)，與他作為忠心的受苦僕人 (賽 53)，是分不開的。耶穌將賽 52 和 53 章放在自己身上，將無法理解的事統合起來，要藉自己的喪命，結合以色列的復興與耶和華的回歸。這是撒旦曠野的試探中一直想拆開的，要麼耶穌是帶來神國的神的兒子，要麼是面對死亡與被拒絕的僕人，但耶穌拒絕了。
第三，耶穌呼籲門徒學效自己，捨己迎接苦難，跟他一同走背十架的死路，以自己的苦難作為神國進入世界的渠道，這也是保羅書信中許多的教訓。路加福音書記耶穌在最後晚餐上，說那餅就是自己為眾人捨的身體，叫門徒照樣行記念耶穌。無獨有偶，約翰在最後晚餐叫門徒學習彼此洗腳。兩卷福音書都在最後晚餐篇幅中提到世上權柄和門徒的權柄差別。
耶穌是衝着神國來臨主題而向仍然愚矇的門徒講的，這是賽 52 章並 53 章的結合。我們被耶穌邀請分享他的洗、他的杯和餅，就是參與在他的受死和苦難中。我認為今天教會應該重新學習以苦難作福音使者的記號，這記號不能在我們生活中消失，否則我們傳的可會是幸福和享福的福音，不是神國的福音。當神國的福音減去了十架，它就不再是耶穌的福音。
天主教會的清貧價值，在新任教宗方濟身上再現，舉世觸目。但願我們也在自己身上重現出苦難、捨己的價值。福音與十架，人不能分開。
首先，從歷史上看耶穌的舉止的確不像當時人們所理解的彌賽亞，他出身卑微，與借助外族人欺詐百姓的稅吏同桌，矛頭不是指向羅馬，反而指向聖殿等。耶路撒冷居民未能辦悉耶穌確是彌賽亞，反而把他交給羅馬人處決，不無道理。
第二，耶穌由起初便用以賽亞書來解釋自己的工作，包括向在獄中施洗約翰解釋。耶穌作為神回歸錫安作王的消息的傳遞者 (賽 52)，與他作為忠心的受苦僕人 (賽 53)，是分不開的。耶穌將賽 52 和 53 章放在自己身上，將無法理解的事統合起來，要藉自己的喪命，結合以色列的復興與耶和華的回歸。這是撒旦曠野的試探中一直想拆開的，要麼耶穌是帶來神國的神的兒子，要麼是面對死亡與被拒絕的僕人，但耶穌拒絕了。
第三，耶穌呼籲門徒學效自己，捨己迎接苦難，跟他一同走背十架的死路，以自己的苦難作為神國進入世界的渠道，這也是保羅書信中許多的教訓。路加福音書記耶穌在最後晚餐上，說那餅就是自己為眾人捨的身體，叫門徒照樣行記念耶穌。無獨有偶，約翰在最後晚餐叫門徒學習彼此洗腳。兩卷福音書都在最後晚餐篇幅中提到世上權柄和門徒的權柄差別。
耶穌是衝着神國來臨主題而向仍然愚矇的門徒講的，這是賽 52 章並 53 章的結合。我們被耶穌邀請分享他的洗、他的杯和餅，就是參與在他的受死和苦難中。我認為今天教會應該重新學習以苦難作福音使者的記號，這記號不能在我們生活中消失，否則我們傳的可會是幸福和享福的福音，不是神國的福音。當神國的福音減去了十架，它就不再是耶穌的福音。
天主教會的清貧價值，在新任教宗方濟身上再現，舉世觸目。但願我們也在自己身上重現出苦難、捨己的價值。福音與十架，人不能分開。
山東一信徒對基督徒的反思
基督徒之所以是基督徒，并不是被一套教义或神学知识说服的。而是受到了爱的感动，爱的激励，这爱世界上没有，是从天上来的；是最完美、永恒、无私、博大的爱，这爱让人能意识到自己无能无知，污秽和败坏；意识到自己的亏欠内疚，自责，是罪人，从而懊悔自己。因而甘愿卑微降伏自己，放弃一切接受基督。
2013年3月27日 星期三
Pray for South Thailand
There has been a sharp increase in violence in these border provinces in recent months,with 50 small bombs planted and detonated in Pattani town over one weekend. This insurgency has claimed over 5000 lives in the last seven years. The media have announced a hope that peace talks between the government and insurgent groups will begin shortly.The church in Betong is growing and the increased space and facilities of the new building are eagerly awaited.
Story Time
- A Pilgrim story
- A Progress Story
- A Story telling Story
- A Heart Story
- Dream stories
- A Relief story
- A Missional Business Story
2013年3月26日 星期二
Interview with Patrick Johnstone
Catching up with the Global Church A veteran researcher describes the state of Christian faith around the world.
We need to work together with other members of Christ's body. By 2050, one-third of the European population will be non-indigenous. And the figure will most likely be higher in North America. We need multicultural teams that work with multicultural churches.
Patrick Johnstone authored Operation World, "the definitive prayer guide to every nation." The resource has sold more than 2.5 million copies and is considered by many to be the most important missions resource in history. Johnstone, a former missionary, recently took on another writing project of equally impressive scope: The Future of the Global Church (IVP, 2012). The book includes data on global history, demographics, and religion.
What are some surprising developments in Christianity globally?
The 1990s was the greatest harvest into the kingdom of God that the world has ever seen. Part of this is due to trends in demographics. The places where Christian faith has flourished have also been the places with the greatest population growth. Evangelical Christians went through a wilderness period from the 1920s until the 1960s. But now evangelicals are a leading expression of Christianity. I recently spoke at an Anglican clergy conference and said, "Do you realize that the Anglican Communion in 2050, if present trends continue, will be 84 percent African and almost entirely evangelical?" Arguments about homosexuality, women's ministry, and other current hot issues in Anglicanism will hardly be relevant in 2050.
In the 20th century many assumed Christian faith would decline. What's actually happening?
The former Communist, European, and Pacific countries are secularizing very rapidly. Canada is somewhere in between the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile Christian faith in the U.S. is in gentle decline. But growth in what I call "AFASLA"—Africa, Asia, Latin America—more than compensates for the losses in the West.
Nonreligious people are committing sociocide, mainly because of their low birthrates. There are a handful of prominent atheists making noise in the public square, but nonreligious groups peaked in the 1970s and have declined ever since.
What does a good relationship between Western and Global-South Christians look like?
A partnership of equals. There are great dangers when churches try to develop a direct relationship with local churches in another country. I discourage it, unless there is accountability for the leaders within the country. But if they are accountable to outsiders, that is paternalist. It creates dependency. If they are accountable to structures of the body of Christ within their country but there's external help, then it's OK.
What theological challenges face Christians in the developing world?
The prosperity gospel is a huge problem. Liberalism less so. The further Chinese Christianity gets from the input of denominational missions, the less liberal influence remains, because liberal theology doesn't fit the Chinese situation. But in a Hindu or Buddhist situation, which are incredibly elastic, there could be challenges and accommodation. The trend and tendency of the church in AFASLA is more evangelical, charismatic, and Pentecostal. Africans and Asians will form the patterns of development of evangelical theology in the 21st century. It's going to look different, but it will be biblical.Some claim persecution purifies the church.
What are some surprising developments in Christianity globally?
The 1990s was the greatest harvest into the kingdom of God that the world has ever seen. Part of this is due to trends in demographics. The places where Christian faith has flourished have also been the places with the greatest population growth. Evangelical Christians went through a wilderness period from the 1920s until the 1960s. But now evangelicals are a leading expression of Christianity. I recently spoke at an Anglican clergy conference and said, "Do you realize that the Anglican Communion in 2050, if present trends continue, will be 84 percent African and almost entirely evangelical?" Arguments about homosexuality, women's ministry, and other current hot issues in Anglicanism will hardly be relevant in 2050.
In the 20th century many assumed Christian faith would decline. What's actually happening?
The former Communist, European, and Pacific countries are secularizing very rapidly. Canada is somewhere in between the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile Christian faith in the U.S. is in gentle decline. But growth in what I call "AFASLA"—Africa, Asia, Latin America—more than compensates for the losses in the West.
Nonreligious people are committing sociocide, mainly because of their low birthrates. There are a handful of prominent atheists making noise in the public square, but nonreligious groups peaked in the 1970s and have declined ever since.
What does a good relationship between Western and Global-South Christians look like?
A partnership of equals. There are great dangers when churches try to develop a direct relationship with local churches in another country. I discourage it, unless there is accountability for the leaders within the country. But if they are accountable to outsiders, that is paternalist. It creates dependency. If they are accountable to structures of the body of Christ within their country but there's external help, then it's OK.
What theological challenges face Christians in the developing world?
The prosperity gospel is a huge problem. Liberalism less so. The further Chinese Christianity gets from the input of denominational missions, the less liberal influence remains, because liberal theology doesn't fit the Chinese situation. But in a Hindu or Buddhist situation, which are incredibly elastic, there could be challenges and accommodation. The trend and tendency of the church in AFASLA is more evangelical, charismatic, and Pentecostal. Africans and Asians will form the patterns of development of evangelical theology in the 21st century. It's going to look different, but it will be biblical.Some claim persecution purifies the church.
Should western Christians pray for persecution?
Paul suggested that we pray for a peaceable government. I don't think we need to pray for persecution. We already have it in Britain. Many are losing their jobs because they wear crosses around their necks or speak as a professional about their faith in Christ. You can go to prison for speaking openly against homosexuality in Parliament. Pressure is put on Christians, and we're being mocked. As a result, many people in Britain are afraid to share their faith. Whether we like it or not, persecution is with us, and it's likely to increase. We thought persecution would decline with the fall of Communism, but it has increased in many parts of the world.
How can we help the global church?Paul suggested that we pray for a peaceable government. I don't think we need to pray for persecution. We already have it in Britain. Many are losing their jobs because they wear crosses around their necks or speak as a professional about their faith in Christ. You can go to prison for speaking openly against homosexuality in Parliament. Pressure is put on Christians, and we're being mocked. As a result, many people in Britain are afraid to share their faith. Whether we like it or not, persecution is with us, and it's likely to increase. We thought persecution would decline with the fall of Communism, but it has increased in many parts of the world.
We need to work together with other members of Christ's body. By 2050, one-third of the European population will be non-indigenous. And the figure will most likely be higher in North America. We need multicultural teams that work with multicultural churches.
為白族禱告
「此等不信之人，被這世界的神弄瞎了心眼，不叫基督榮耀福音的光照著他們，基督本是神的像。」林後四4
白族總人口近190萬（2000年）。主要分佈在雲南，散居貴州、湖南、四川、重慶等地。他們有白族的語言，但文字已失傳。宗教方面除信奉佛教、道教外，主要崇拜村社神「本主」，幾乎每個村寨都有「本主廟」，視為村社的保護神。各村的本主神不盡相同，從太陽、山川、歷代部落之神或英雄人物等，共有62個之多。這些本主因其歷史功績而受到人們的崇敬。
1881年, 內地會宣教士由緬甸進入大理傳教，帶領了不少白族人信主，目前估計約有5萬多基督徒。但更多村民因為畏懼離開他們的偶像，及擔憂被社區隔離，不敢歸信耶穌基督。他們屬靈的眼睛被蒙閉，生命被偶像捆綁。讓我們禱告真理的靈解開他們的枷鎖，打開他們的眼睛:
求主寬恕他們，憐憫他們，讓真光照亮他們，認識主耶穌。
讓聽道者深切認罪，謙卑來到主前悔改。
賜更多播種的機會，並能開花結果。
使信徒更靠近神，過聖潔的生活，活出基督生命的見證。
求神呼召一百位白族信徒，為主建立及牧養教會。
白族總人口近190萬（2000年）。主要分佈在雲南，散居貴州、湖南、四川、重慶等地。他們有白族的語言，但文字已失傳。宗教方面除信奉佛教、道教外，主要崇拜村社神「本主」，幾乎每個村寨都有「本主廟」，視為村社的保護神。各村的本主神不盡相同，從太陽、山川、歷代部落之神或英雄人物等，共有62個之多。這些本主因其歷史功績而受到人們的崇敬。
1881年, 內地會宣教士由緬甸進入大理傳教，帶領了不少白族人信主，目前估計約有5萬多基督徒。但更多村民因為畏懼離開他們的偶像，及擔憂被社區隔離，不敢歸信耶穌基督。他們屬靈的眼睛被蒙閉，生命被偶像捆綁。讓我們禱告真理的靈解開他們的枷鎖，打開他們的眼睛:
求主寬恕他們，憐憫他們，讓真光照亮他們，認識主耶穌。
讓聽道者深切認罪，謙卑來到主前悔改。
賜更多播種的機會，並能開花結果。
使信徒更靠近神，過聖潔的生活，活出基督生命的見證。
求神呼召一百位白族信徒，為主建立及牧養教會。
(參考資料：中國少數民族祈禱手冊)
Get Humble, Get Holy By Ronnie McBrayer
RM is a syndicated columnist, speaker, and author of multiple books
Among others, there is Great Wednesday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. And depending upon the tradition, Holy Week is celebrated with special Masses, vigils, Tenebraes, participation in the Stations of the Cross, Passion plays, sunrise services, cantatas, and street processions.
Not to be missed in all this activity is the Thursday of Holy Week, referred to as Maundy Thursday. “Maundy,” like so many Christian traditions, comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning “commandment.” On Jesus’ last night before his crucifixion, he gathered his disciples and gave them the commandment to love and serve one another. Then he showed them how.
Jesus rolled up his sleeves, threw a towel over his shoulder, and with a basin of water, squatted down to wash the filthy feet of his disciples. Yes, God stooped. The Christ crawled. The Master became the servant. Jesus took the position of a slave and honored those who had not the slightest indication of how holy such an act really was.
Walter Brueggemann describes this scene with his usual insight and flair. He says, “To kneel in the presence of another is to be totally vulnerable, because you are in an excellent posture to have your face or your groin kicked in. Our Lord made himself vulnerable precisely in that way! He knelt, not in humility or in fear, but in strength and confidence, opening himself to others.”
In the midst of this busy week of festivities, I wonder if a few of we Christians might pause to consider vulnerability as a holy exercise. See, Jesus never maintained feelings of superiority over others; he eagerly gave up his rights and privileges. Jesus didn’t defend himself with angry tirades or theological manifestos; he taught – and manifested – vulnerable love.
Jesus’ instruction on Maundy Thursday was not a how-to lecture on proving how “right” his followers were; it was a demonstration course for how to live in the world. Thus, the Christian means and method of confrontation is not condemnation, but naked service.
A follower of Jesus testifies to and celebrates the truth he has come to know, but knows in equal measure that the truth has been washed through and through with a foot wash basin. The power of the disciple of Christ is a power wielded, not by force or fist, but by a holy hand towel.
He who would be like Jesus does not lord over others. He gets down on the ground, down on his face, down in the dust, the mire, and the mud. He makes himself completely and totally exposed. Even if those whom he serves kick him in the face; even if they stone him to death; even if they crucify him on a cross: There is no other way.
So how does this kind of vulnerability break out in our lives? Maybe like this: One day, all at once or like a slow dawn; in a blinding flash or a gradual evolvement; as literal as the world or as mystical as a dream; we will see Jesus kneeling before us. His calloused carpenter’s hands are gently splashing the water in the basin. A clean towel hangs around his neck.
He crouches to wash our dirty feet, knowing who and what we are really made of: Suspicious, angry, petty, fragile, hateful, self-centered, and untrusting. We know he knows these things, but then he smiles a knowing smile, and we understand that he loves us anyway.
By submitting to and serving us, Christ opens our hearts in new, revolutionary ways. And the more open our hearts become – the more we understand how vulnerable our Lord has made himself to us – the greater our capacity to be vulnerable toward others. That’s how God’s love works, and that love can make any week holy.
2013年3月25日 星期一
Brian Draper On The Wine
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 1 Corinthians 11:25
When we drink to excess, we do so to forget. To drink the wine of Jesus’ blood, however, is to remember, vividly.
According to recent reports, there is a great discrepancy between the amount of alcohol sold in the UK and the amount we say we drink, when we’re asked in surveys.
The quantity sold is nearly double what we admit, as a nation, to drinking; experts believe the sales figures are more reliable than the story we’re telling the researchers, or the doctor, or – most worryingly – ourselves. Perhaps it’s not surprising. It’s always tempting to massage the figures – how much we eat/drink/smoke; how much we spend on x/y/z; how much time we spend with the kids/God/friends – to blur the picture into softer focus, and create for ourselves the illusion of who we think we should be. I know I do, anyway.
So it’s helpful to be positively disillusioned. In denial we get stuck trying to hide our weaknesses even from ourselves. But Lent, the period of the church’s calendar which ends this week, is about being stripped back – not so that we can judge ourselves, or analyse, or critique – but to become aware.
And when you know what you’re dealing with, you’re better placed to move beyond. Hence, the first step towards recovery at AA is to accept you’re an alcoholic. While James implores us to ‘confess your sins to each other’ (James 5:16).
The psalmist writes in that gloriously hopeful passage from Psalm 139:23-24 – ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ The point is not to turn ourselves into ‘good Christians’ – which can be the best illusion of all. Instead, it is to start, as the psalmist does, with the truth: to ask the God-who-is-love to show us who he accepts us to be, and to lead us forward.
For such love does not seek first to change, but to embrace – at which point, the beloved is set free on the journey into the ‘way everlasting’; a journey along which, Paul says, we will be transformed, not into the unimaginatively poor illusions of who we think we should be, but into the likeness of Christ – and ‘with ever-increasing glory’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
2013年3月24日 星期日
習近平「鞋論」
訪問俄羅斯的習近平在演講中表示，一個國家的發展道路合不合適，只有這個國家的人民最有發言權，「鞋子合不合腳，穿着才知道。」這個「鞋論」，無非是為不推行政改辯護。
中共當初替中國人買入俄式社會主義這雙鞋，一味說為中國好、有助盡速現代化，並用暴力迫大家接受這雙「俄鞋」。
後來，很多中國人都說這雙鞋子有問題，把大家都穿成小腳跛足，受苦受累甚或丟命，想扔掉它，換成「自由民主」鞋，中共又強迫大家改穿名為「特色社會主義」、實為「權貴資本主義」的鞋。
更甚者，習近平口中「最有發言權」的人民，只要高喊換鞋要求，都被打成異己、扔進監獄！
「最有發言權」決定香港該穿甚麼鞋的香港人，用示威遊行等方法大聲吶喊要穿「普選」鞋，中共多年來視而不見聽而不聞，港人才使出「佔領中環」，讓世人知道：我們穿上普選鞋，不要中共強加的「特色鞋」！ 潘大浪 大浪花
中共當初替中國人買入俄式社會主義這雙鞋，一味說為中國好、有助盡速現代化，並用暴力迫大家接受這雙「俄鞋」。
後來，很多中國人都說這雙鞋子有問題，把大家都穿成小腳跛足，受苦受累甚或丟命，想扔掉它，換成「自由民主」鞋，中共又強迫大家改穿名為「特色社會主義」、實為「權貴資本主義」的鞋。
更甚者，習近平口中「最有發言權」的人民，只要高喊換鞋要求，都被打成異己、扔進監獄！
「最有發言權」決定香港該穿甚麼鞋的香港人，用示威遊行等方法大聲吶喊要穿「普選」鞋，中共多年來視而不見聽而不聞，港人才使出「佔領中環」，讓世人知道：我們穿上普選鞋，不要中共強加的「特色鞋」！ 潘大浪 大浪花
2013年3月22日 星期五
The End of Memory
Miroslav Volf, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006)
It’s a piece of conventional wisdom that we should never forget the wrongs of the past. In this delightful work of theological psychology, Miroslav Volf offers a patient and probing critique of such conventional wisdom. On the one hand, he argues that we should remember past wrongs not only for the sake of the victims, but also for the sake of the perpetrators; and on the other hand, he argues that the proper goal of such remembering is in fact non-remembrance.
Volf weaves his theological and psychological analysis around an unsettling set of memories from his own past. In the communist Yugoslavia of the early 1980s, Volf’s theological studies were interrupted by a summons to compulsory military service. As a Christian married to an American, an advocate of non-violence, and an expert on Marxist socialism, Volf was perceived to be an opponent of the Yugoslavian communist regime. He was thus forced to endure a protracted period of interrogation under the military police (his interrogator is described throughout the book as “Captain G.”).
Long after these events, Volf has remained haunted by the memories of his interrogation. Thus the central question of this book: how do we “remember rightly”? This was a question of great importance for Volf himself, since “My soul was at stake in the way I remembered Captain G.” (p. 17). So what does it mean to remember rightly? If we are followers of Jesus Christ, we must be committed to remembrance as reconciliation – to memory as “a bridge between adversaries instead of a deep and dark ravine that separates them” (p. 35).
As Christians, we have received a “framework for remembering.” The pivotal events of Israel’s exodus and Christ’s death and resurrection are “meta-memories”: they provide a broad framework which “regulates how we remember wrongs suffered in our everyday lives” (p. 94). These framing memories, moreover, are fundamentally “memories of God” (p. 101); in bringing them to mind, we are also recalling God’s promise as the reality of our own future. To remember rightly, therefore, is to remember past wrongs through the interpretive lens of these meta-memories from salvation-history. When, for instance, Volf remembers Captain G. through the lens of Christ’s passion, he is remembering a wrongdoing that is “already forgiven,” and indeed already “overcome” (p. 123).
But is such remembering a transgression against the wrongdoing itself? Does it take sin too lightly? Volf’s reply is that such remembering in fact demands the greatest possible recognition of the seriousness of wrongdoing – for to remember in this way is to perceive that the wrongdoing has been “borne by God” (p. 123). This is not, therefore, simply a matter of interpreting andintegrating the past, but it also involves the “driving out” and “overcoming” and “healing” of the darkness of the past (p. 188).
Having addressed the question of how to remember, Volf turns next to the question of how long we should remember. Here, he argues against the widespread assumption that wrongdoings should be remembered forever. He is not advocating a mere “forgetting” of past wrongs; rather, he believes that the forgiveness of sins issues finally in “non-remembrance” or “not-coming-to-mind” (p. 145). The argument here draws on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Freud, all of whom believed that a certain kind of “forgetting” is an essential aspect of human wholeness. In Nietzsche’s words, if the past is not properly forgotten, it becomes “the gravedigger of the present” (p. 161).
While it is often said that we would lose our identities if we ceased to remember, Volf draws on Luther’s anthropology to present an alternative construal of personal identity. We receive our identity from “outside ourselves”; we are located in God, and our identity is found in him. Thus the non-remembrance of past wrongs does not violate our identity. On the contrary, “being in God” sets us free from “the tyranny [of] the unalterable past.” The God who redeems the past does not take anything away from us – “God does not take away our past; God gives it back to us” (p. 201). In this way, we are truly redeemed, truly reconciled.
Perhaps the most controversial proposal of the book is the argument that even the death of Jesus will eventually fall into the oblivion of non-remembrance. Against the view that the cross of Jesus is “an eternal event in God” (a view that he had advocated in his 1996 book on Exclusion and Embrace), Volf argues that the cross is in fact merely “a stage on the road to resurrection and exaltation” – and, as such, it is “a stage that can be left in the past even if its effects last for eternity” (p. 201). Sin-bearing does not “exhaust the identity of Christ” (pp. 190-91). My own suspicion is that this proposal fails to take seriously enough the character of Jesus’ death as an event of God’s own self-giving, and thus as an event that belongs to (or even constitutes) God’s identity; nevertheless, Volf is right to underscore the sheer eschatological triumph of God’s reconciling work.
Indeed, Volf’s greatest concern is to articulate an eschatological form of non-remembrance. If we did not believe in the Last Judgment, we would surely want to remember wrongs forever. But because we believe that the end of history belongs to God, we’re able to let go of the past, to allow memories of wrongdoings to “slip into oblivion.” Indeed, such “oblivion” will be an essential aspect of God’s new world, as both the wronged and the wrongdoers are brought together and reconciled in “a dance of love in the embrace of the Triune God” (p. 181).
Volf thus offers a major new interpretation of the concept of memory. His style is crisp and accessible, and the book is both remarkably insightful and often deeply moving. Volf’s aim, in a nutshell, is to present a new understanding of the function and significance of memory. By remembering rightly, we follow “the enemy-loving God” (p. 9) on his path of forgiveness and reconciliation. And the goal or “end” of all such remembering is love – a love that, in the end, remembers no wrongs.
It’s a piece of conventional wisdom that we should never forget the wrongs of the past. In this delightful work of theological psychology, Miroslav Volf offers a patient and probing critique of such conventional wisdom. On the one hand, he argues that we should remember past wrongs not only for the sake of the victims, but also for the sake of the perpetrators; and on the other hand, he argues that the proper goal of such remembering is in fact non-remembrance.
Volf weaves his theological and psychological analysis around an unsettling set of memories from his own past. In the communist Yugoslavia of the early 1980s, Volf’s theological studies were interrupted by a summons to compulsory military service. As a Christian married to an American, an advocate of non-violence, and an expert on Marxist socialism, Volf was perceived to be an opponent of the Yugoslavian communist regime. He was thus forced to endure a protracted period of interrogation under the military police (his interrogator is described throughout the book as “Captain G.”).
Long after these events, Volf has remained haunted by the memories of his interrogation. Thus the central question of this book: how do we “remember rightly”? This was a question of great importance for Volf himself, since “My soul was at stake in the way I remembered Captain G.” (p. 17). So what does it mean to remember rightly? If we are followers of Jesus Christ, we must be committed to remembrance as reconciliation – to memory as “a bridge between adversaries instead of a deep and dark ravine that separates them” (p. 35).
As Christians, we have received a “framework for remembering.” The pivotal events of Israel’s exodus and Christ’s death and resurrection are “meta-memories”: they provide a broad framework which “regulates how we remember wrongs suffered in our everyday lives” (p. 94). These framing memories, moreover, are fundamentally “memories of God” (p. 101); in bringing them to mind, we are also recalling God’s promise as the reality of our own future. To remember rightly, therefore, is to remember past wrongs through the interpretive lens of these meta-memories from salvation-history. When, for instance, Volf remembers Captain G. through the lens of Christ’s passion, he is remembering a wrongdoing that is “already forgiven,” and indeed already “overcome” (p. 123).
But is such remembering a transgression against the wrongdoing itself? Does it take sin too lightly? Volf’s reply is that such remembering in fact demands the greatest possible recognition of the seriousness of wrongdoing – for to remember in this way is to perceive that the wrongdoing has been “borne by God” (p. 123). This is not, therefore, simply a matter of interpreting andintegrating the past, but it also involves the “driving out” and “overcoming” and “healing” of the darkness of the past (p. 188).
Having addressed the question of how to remember, Volf turns next to the question of how long we should remember. Here, he argues against the widespread assumption that wrongdoings should be remembered forever. He is not advocating a mere “forgetting” of past wrongs; rather, he believes that the forgiveness of sins issues finally in “non-remembrance” or “not-coming-to-mind” (p. 145). The argument here draws on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Freud, all of whom believed that a certain kind of “forgetting” is an essential aspect of human wholeness. In Nietzsche’s words, if the past is not properly forgotten, it becomes “the gravedigger of the present” (p. 161).
While it is often said that we would lose our identities if we ceased to remember, Volf draws on Luther’s anthropology to present an alternative construal of personal identity. We receive our identity from “outside ourselves”; we are located in God, and our identity is found in him. Thus the non-remembrance of past wrongs does not violate our identity. On the contrary, “being in God” sets us free from “the tyranny [of] the unalterable past.” The God who redeems the past does not take anything away from us – “God does not take away our past; God gives it back to us” (p. 201). In this way, we are truly redeemed, truly reconciled.
Perhaps the most controversial proposal of the book is the argument that even the death of Jesus will eventually fall into the oblivion of non-remembrance. Against the view that the cross of Jesus is “an eternal event in God” (a view that he had advocated in his 1996 book on Exclusion and Embrace), Volf argues that the cross is in fact merely “a stage on the road to resurrection and exaltation” – and, as such, it is “a stage that can be left in the past even if its effects last for eternity” (p. 201). Sin-bearing does not “exhaust the identity of Christ” (pp. 190-91). My own suspicion is that this proposal fails to take seriously enough the character of Jesus’ death as an event of God’s own self-giving, and thus as an event that belongs to (or even constitutes) God’s identity; nevertheless, Volf is right to underscore the sheer eschatological triumph of God’s reconciling work.
Indeed, Volf’s greatest concern is to articulate an eschatological form of non-remembrance. If we did not believe in the Last Judgment, we would surely want to remember wrongs forever. But because we believe that the end of history belongs to God, we’re able to let go of the past, to allow memories of wrongdoings to “slip into oblivion.” Indeed, such “oblivion” will be an essential aspect of God’s new world, as both the wronged and the wrongdoers are brought together and reconciled in “a dance of love in the embrace of the Triune God” (p. 181).
Volf thus offers a major new interpretation of the concept of memory. His style is crisp and accessible, and the book is both remarkably insightful and often deeply moving. Volf’s aim, in a nutshell, is to present a new understanding of the function and significance of memory. By remembering rightly, we follow “the enemy-loving God” (p. 9) on his path of forgiveness and reconciliation. And the goal or “end” of all such remembering is love – a love that, in the end, remembers no wrongs.
2013年3月21日 星期四
敬虔的奧秘 : 神在肉身顯現
3. 提前三16
大哉，敬虔的奧秘，無人不以為然，就是神在肉身顯現，被聖靈稱義被天使看見，被傳於外邦，被世人信服，被接在榮耀裡。 提前3:16
1. 福音是 敬虔的奧秘 虔誠的
2. 福音是 神在肉身呈現 具體的
3. 福音是 有聖靈參與 : 感動人心 靈感的
4. 福音是 藉天使宣報基督降生喜訊 見證的
5. 福音是 有使徒先知宣揚 宣告的
6. 福音是 使萬民得福信服 信仰的
7. 福音是 主升天動態及再來 末世的
大哉，敬虔的奧秘，無人不以為然，就是神在肉身顯現，被聖靈稱義被天使看見，被傳於外邦，被世人信服，被接在榮耀裡。 提前3:16
1. 福音是 敬虔的奧秘 虔誠的
2. 福音是 神在肉身呈現 具體的
3. 福音是 有聖靈參與 : 感動人心 靈感的
4. 福音是 藉天使宣報基督降生喜訊 見證的
5. 福音是 有使徒先知宣揚 宣告的
6. 福音是 使萬民得福信服 信仰的
7. 福音是 主升天動態及再來 末世的
神的道 且 應許永生
4. 多一1-4
神的僕人，耶穌基督的使徒保羅，憑著神選民的信心，與敬虔真理的知識，盼望那無謊言的神，在萬古之先所應許的永生，到了日期，藉著傳揚的工夫，把他的道顯明了，這傳揚的責任，是按著神我們救主的命令交託了我。現在寫信給提多，就是照著我們共信之道作我真兒子的，願恩惠平安，從父神和我們的救主基督耶穌歸與你。 多1:1-4
1. 福音與神道 à 本於神的道
藉著傳揚的工夫，把他的道顯明了 !
2. 神道的憑據
a. 子民的信心 à 藉教會社群
b. 敬虔的真知 à 具真理知識
c. 應許的永生 à 有永恆盼望
3. 福音的傳揚 傳揚福音的工人及恩賜 à 福音交與保羅 (傳道者)
按著神我們救主的命令交託了我
4. 福音的傳承 門徒訓練的師傳及培肓 à 提多努力傳承 (傳承者)
現在寫信給提多，就是照著我們共信之道作我真兒子的
Becoming A True Disciple By Ryan Shaw
There is some confusion in the body of Christ about what a “disciple” is. Definitions are at times used having little Biblical support. It is crucial to grasp this concept for our own lives as well as for those we may lead.
Let us begin with the idea of “salvation.” Being saved is more than simply affirming a belief in the existence of God or the historic works of Christ on the cross. Even the demons believe God exists and Jesus suffered and died, more so then many professing Christians weighed down with various doubts.
Instead, for the true disciple, belief has turned into trust in this Living God and His sending of His Son to suffer in our place for the penalty of sin.
True disciples (not merely those believing in His existence) are primarily committed to knowing Him more each day. They want to know what pleases His heart and what His will is in order to align themselves with it.
We inevitably serve God by serving others, but this is not our primary goal. Instead, serving becomes a normal response of those rightly relating to the Lord on a daily basis because of the overflow of love working on the inside of us.
Our primary purpose, however, is to know Him! Jesus and all the early apostles understood, modeled and taught this. Jesus prayed for believers saying “eternal life is to know you (the Father) and His Son Jesus Christ.”
It is common for believers to mix these up. This is a scheme of Satan and always has been. He gets believers to primarily “work hard for God” apart from pursuing the heights of “knowing God.” This produces dead works and has little eternal impact on others.
Spending much time in the Word of God becomes our top priority. To know this glorious God, grow in His ways, grasp how we are meant to live and cultivate a wholehearted devotion to Him, means we abide with Him consistently through His Word. A true disciple is devoted not only to hearing God’s words, but faithfully obeying them and putting them into practice.
True discipleship means getting back to Jesus’ standards laid out in the four gospels. A straightforward reading leads us to a very different set of conclusions about what Jesus called a “disciple” then what we hear in many of our ministries today. The vast majority of what Jesus teaches is about what we are “becoming” and not what we will “do” for Him.
Jesus tells us in the Great Commission passage of Matthew 28 we are to “teach (all ethnic groups) all that I have commanded you!” His “commands” or teachings throughout the gospels are to be the focal point of how we understand true discipleship.
Jesus never promises such a road will be easy. He does, however, promise He will be with us and this life of true discipleship will produce deep satisfaction and fulfillment. For it is what God intended for us before time began.
Though it is tough, the alternative is even tougher. The Bible tells us “the way of a transgressor is hard!” All of life lived outside of pursuing the highest levels of discipleship as Jesus taught it, will leave us empty and barren on the inside. Such is a hard life no matter how “Hollywood” seems to make it appear otherwise.
True discipleship means overcoming the areas of waywardness we are prone to. It means deliberately growing and cultivating the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives.
We recognize that our lives are submitted to the greatest, wisest King that has ever lived. He has called us to live according to His eternal Kingdom now, though all around us might be opposed to such a way of living.
Lastly, a true disciple knows their life is not their own. Not only do they grasp this intellectually but their life no longer revolves around what used to matter. They are set on a new course of not seeking to do what they want, but of seeking to please Jesus above all else.
Let us begin with the idea of “salvation.” Being saved is more than simply affirming a belief in the existence of God or the historic works of Christ on the cross. Even the demons believe God exists and Jesus suffered and died, more so then many professing Christians weighed down with various doubts.
Instead, for the true disciple, belief has turned into trust in this Living God and His sending of His Son to suffer in our place for the penalty of sin.
True disciples (not merely those believing in His existence) are primarily committed to knowing Him more each day. They want to know what pleases His heart and what His will is in order to align themselves with it.
We inevitably serve God by serving others, but this is not our primary goal. Instead, serving becomes a normal response of those rightly relating to the Lord on a daily basis because of the overflow of love working on the inside of us.
Our primary purpose, however, is to know Him! Jesus and all the early apostles understood, modeled and taught this. Jesus prayed for believers saying “eternal life is to know you (the Father) and His Son Jesus Christ.”
It is common for believers to mix these up. This is a scheme of Satan and always has been. He gets believers to primarily “work hard for God” apart from pursuing the heights of “knowing God.” This produces dead works and has little eternal impact on others.
Spending much time in the Word of God becomes our top priority. To know this glorious God, grow in His ways, grasp how we are meant to live and cultivate a wholehearted devotion to Him, means we abide with Him consistently through His Word. A true disciple is devoted not only to hearing God’s words, but faithfully obeying them and putting them into practice.
True discipleship means getting back to Jesus’ standards laid out in the four gospels. A straightforward reading leads us to a very different set of conclusions about what Jesus called a “disciple” then what we hear in many of our ministries today. The vast majority of what Jesus teaches is about what we are “becoming” and not what we will “do” for Him.
Jesus tells us in the Great Commission passage of Matthew 28 we are to “teach (all ethnic groups) all that I have commanded you!” His “commands” or teachings throughout the gospels are to be the focal point of how we understand true discipleship.
Jesus never promises such a road will be easy. He does, however, promise He will be with us and this life of true discipleship will produce deep satisfaction and fulfillment. For it is what God intended for us before time began.
Though it is tough, the alternative is even tougher. The Bible tells us “the way of a transgressor is hard!” All of life lived outside of pursuing the highest levels of discipleship as Jesus taught it, will leave us empty and barren on the inside. Such is a hard life no matter how “Hollywood” seems to make it appear otherwise.
True discipleship means overcoming the areas of waywardness we are prone to. It means deliberately growing and cultivating the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives.
We recognize that our lives are submitted to the greatest, wisest King that has ever lived. He has called us to live according to His eternal Kingdom now, though all around us might be opposed to such a way of living.
Lastly, a true disciple knows their life is not their own. Not only do they grasp this intellectually but their life no longer revolves around what used to matter. They are set on a new course of not seeking to do what they want, but of seeking to please Jesus above all else.
2013年3月20日 星期三
二位先知的事奉
LEO 每週牧函中提及月初我主日證道中提到以利亞、以利沙兩師徒，對比二位先知的事奉，指出以利沙在許多方面都超越了師父以利亞
以利亞求死，以利沙勇敢
以利亞一人作工，以利沙有門徒群體
以利沙事奉年月和範圍都比以利亞濶
以利沙出生於富有家庭，情緒穩定，神蹟數量雙倍，算得上是青出於藍
但以利沙有十多廿年是隱沒，是默默學習，沒揚名，不受留意。
他也抵得住師父冷言冷語：「你可以在這裡等候」，仍堅持半步不離開，緊緊跟隨。
從以利沙緊隨師父的行動經過四個地點，帶出以色列四個重要屬靈經歷。
吉甲 是以色列人受割禮的地方，提醒我們對付肉體。
伯特利 是神的殿，提醒我們要擺脫世俗化的世界。
耶利哥城 是擊敗仇敵的地方，提醒我們要擊敗撒旦及他的各樣偶像。
約旦河 是洗禮的地方，提醒我們要埋葬舊我，活出新生命。
以利亞求死，以利沙勇敢
以利亞一人作工，以利沙有門徒群體
以利沙事奉年月和範圍都比以利亞濶
以利沙出生於富有家庭，情緒穩定，神蹟數量雙倍，算得上是青出於藍
但以利沙有十多廿年是隱沒，是默默學習，沒揚名，不受留意。
他也抵得住師父冷言冷語：「你可以在這裡等候」，仍堅持半步不離開，緊緊跟隨。
從以利沙緊隨師父的行動經過四個地點，帶出以色列四個重要屬靈經歷。
吉甲 是以色列人受割禮的地方，提醒我們對付肉體。
伯特利 是神的殿，提醒我們要擺脫世俗化的世界。
耶利哥城 是擊敗仇敵的地方，提醒我們要擊敗撒旦及他的各樣偶像。
約旦河 是洗禮的地方，提醒我們要埋葬舊我，活出新生命。
2013年3月19日 星期二
Tales of Midlife Ministry
Four pastors describe the difficulties of ministering during a midlife crisis. Donald Hilliard Jr.
It feels like it happened quickly: first seminary, then marriage and babies, pastoring a church, and the stuff of life in between. I was married in 1981, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and became a father in 1982, and was leading a church by 1983. So something always filled the empty spaces of my life—the voices of my children, the highs and lows of ministry, and daily parish life.
Then I blinked, and our three daughters had grown up and left the safety of our home for college and marriage and to make uniquely blessed lives of their own. Things quieted, and I struggled with the new mathematical configuration of my family home, reduced now to two. That's when my physical health began to feel the impact of my expanding waistline and a sometimes uncooperative maturing and aching body.
Middle age. For some, those two simple words can instill fear. All of us have heard stories from friends about someone in the midst of midlife and the shiny new sports car. In an effort to tell stories that truly speak to the needs of pastors, I interviewed a number of faith leaders who were willing to share their midlife stories with me (when referring to them, I use pseudonyms). They shed their invisible, clerical robes and were bold and brave in their confessions. Their stories have value because all of us can learn from their experiences to develop solutions to better manage our own lives and our own ministries.
It feels like it happened quickly: first seminary, then marriage and babies, pastoring a church, and the stuff of life in between. I was married in 1981, graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and became a father in 1982, and was leading a church by 1983. So something always filled the empty spaces of my life—the voices of my children, the highs and lows of ministry, and daily parish life.
Then I blinked, and our three daughters had grown up and left the safety of our home for college and marriage and to make uniquely blessed lives of their own. Things quieted, and I struggled with the new mathematical configuration of my family home, reduced now to two. That's when my physical health began to feel the impact of my expanding waistline and a sometimes uncooperative maturing and aching body.
Middle age. For some, those two simple words can instill fear. All of us have heard stories from friends about someone in the midst of midlife and the shiny new sports car. In an effort to tell stories that truly speak to the needs of pastors, I interviewed a number of faith leaders who were willing to share their midlife stories with me (when referring to them, I use pseudonyms). They shed their invisible, clerical robes and were bold and brave in their confessions. Their stories have value because all of us can learn from their experiences to develop solutions to better manage our own lives and our own ministries.
Jarman: Favor ain't Fair
One pastor spoke of a personal and professional "perfect storm," the confluence of extraordinary events crashing together catapulting him into a crisis shortly after a parent died. This minister, Jarman, had children leaving for college, a wife who had her own work to do, and a significant church project in the making. None of those issues were in the sphere of his ability to govern or relate, so he started to spin out of control.
"I came up in a family that was out of control," he said. "Therefore, my response when I became grown was to take control of everything: my environment, my house, myself, my wife, my kinds. [With the family member's death] my natural response was to take control. But at that point, I had to admit I wasn't in control …. I was functionally depressed. The church was growing, but I was not emotionally or spiritually there. I was preaching every Sunday, but it was angry preaching.
"One time during our men's revival, the preacher was preaching, but it was so hollow for me. Nothing was wrong with his message, but it was hollow for me. I said to myself, 'I don't want to hear this [expletive].' And I walked out and left. The amazing thing is that nobody realized anything was wrong …. My whole world was spiraling …. This was the first time in my adult life I was alone as a man, and the sisters from the congregation were coming out of the woodwork to 'help' me in any way I wanted."
This pastor, a phenomenal preacher, teacher, and theologian, began to drink, something he did not normally do, to soothe what he could not. "It's possible this was an alcoholic season in my life," he said. "I did not go to therapy or talk to a friend. I couldn't call my pastor because I was the favored son. I was Joseph. How does the favorite son go to his pastor and say, 'Favor ain't fair'? I couldn't tell my church because they needed me to be strong. I couldn't tell my officers because that would put my job in jeopardy. I realized then that there are some things worse than dying. One of them is at the moment of death to realize you were never truly loved because you were never really known. That changed me and allowed me to begin to be authentically who I am today."
One pastor spoke of a personal and professional "perfect storm," the confluence of extraordinary events crashing together catapulting him into a crisis shortly after a parent died. This minister, Jarman, had children leaving for college, a wife who had her own work to do, and a significant church project in the making. None of those issues were in the sphere of his ability to govern or relate, so he started to spin out of control.
"I came up in a family that was out of control," he said. "Therefore, my response when I became grown was to take control of everything: my environment, my house, myself, my wife, my kinds. [With the family member's death] my natural response was to take control. But at that point, I had to admit I wasn't in control …. I was functionally depressed. The church was growing, but I was not emotionally or spiritually there. I was preaching every Sunday, but it was angry preaching.
"One time during our men's revival, the preacher was preaching, but it was so hollow for me. Nothing was wrong with his message, but it was hollow for me. I said to myself, 'I don't want to hear this [expletive].' And I walked out and left. The amazing thing is that nobody realized anything was wrong …. My whole world was spiraling …. This was the first time in my adult life I was alone as a man, and the sisters from the congregation were coming out of the woodwork to 'help' me in any way I wanted."
This pastor, a phenomenal preacher, teacher, and theologian, began to drink, something he did not normally do, to soothe what he could not. "It's possible this was an alcoholic season in my life," he said. "I did not go to therapy or talk to a friend. I couldn't call my pastor because I was the favored son. I was Joseph. How does the favorite son go to his pastor and say, 'Favor ain't fair'? I couldn't tell my church because they needed me to be strong. I couldn't tell my officers because that would put my job in jeopardy. I realized then that there are some things worse than dying. One of them is at the moment of death to realize you were never truly loved because you were never really known. That changed me and allowed me to begin to be authentically who I am today."
Junior: Signs of Transition
A close preacher friend of mine, Junior, said he knew midlife was approaching when his memory started slipping and his "sensitivity gauge" was on constant high alert. "That was a huge factor for me," he said. "I used to be able to remember numbers easily; now when people give them to me, I have to write them down. Also, now I am more aware of my emotions, and how I'm feeling inside is an important indicator. I am used to having emotional feelings, but they weren't all that important to me. Now I appear to be much more sensitive to what I am feeling emotionally. I even think emotionally."
Emotions. Those are tricky things for most men. Somewhere in the universe of statistical data there is a numerical indicator about middle-aged men being suicidal and not even knowing why. Perhaps that is the greatest and most disturbing aspect for men, and for our purposes specifically pastors, struggling with their midlife transitions. We know clearly something is happening to us, to our bodies, our sense of self and how we maneuver through space. What we do not know is how to explain it or how to talk about it, because for most of us it has not been part of our male nurturing, theological training, or maturation process. Regrettably, men will simply suffer in silence, sometimes resulting in irreparable and devastating consequences, when in fact there is no need to agonize alone.
A close preacher friend of mine, Junior, said he knew midlife was approaching when his memory started slipping and his "sensitivity gauge" was on constant high alert. "That was a huge factor for me," he said. "I used to be able to remember numbers easily; now when people give them to me, I have to write them down. Also, now I am more aware of my emotions, and how I'm feeling inside is an important indicator. I am used to having emotional feelings, but they weren't all that important to me. Now I appear to be much more sensitive to what I am feeling emotionally. I even think emotionally."
Emotions. Those are tricky things for most men. Somewhere in the universe of statistical data there is a numerical indicator about middle-aged men being suicidal and not even knowing why. Perhaps that is the greatest and most disturbing aspect for men, and for our purposes specifically pastors, struggling with their midlife transitions. We know clearly something is happening to us, to our bodies, our sense of self and how we maneuver through space. What we do not know is how to explain it or how to talk about it, because for most of us it has not been part of our male nurturing, theological training, or maturation process. Regrettably, men will simply suffer in silence, sometimes resulting in irreparable and devastating consequences, when in fact there is no need to agonize alone.
Jericho: Filling the Void
When I talk with ministerial colleagues who are going through rough times, I urge them to bear their "stuff" to a counselor. That is what I did, and I unreservedly recommend it as a first steppingstone on the journey. Whether sought from a fellow member of the clergy or from a professional therapist, counseling may not be the easiest choice, but it is one of the wisest.
In an effort to get through his own midlife onset, another minister, Jericho, told me that he turned to a spiritual director, a faith-based counselor who acts as a guide, to find footing in his life. He felt it necessary to tell his story to someone else in order to heal what he could not see or define.
"My piece was triggered when I finished my doctor of ministry degree and I just felt a void," Jericho said. "Our denomination provides us an opportunity to get some level of counseling. I knew something was wrong [with me], but I didn't know what it was. It was revealed to me for the first time in counseling that I had completed all my education, and once I finished, it left a void. That void was going to be filled with unhealthy activity, I was sure.
"At that point, I definitely knew something was wrong with me and I had to do something. The physical changes—I wasn't working out as much as I used to. The ministry was taking off and doing well, and because of that, I was a little bored. So I filled the void by getting spiritual direction. I have a spiritual director who helps me to see God moving in my life. Spiritual direction has been the best thing that ever happened to me …. It has been a powerful experience." Jericho found a path that worked and allowed him to rebuild, reconnect, and restore.
When I talk with ministerial colleagues who are going through rough times, I urge them to bear their "stuff" to a counselor. That is what I did, and I unreservedly recommend it as a first steppingstone on the journey. Whether sought from a fellow member of the clergy or from a professional therapist, counseling may not be the easiest choice, but it is one of the wisest.
In an effort to get through his own midlife onset, another minister, Jericho, told me that he turned to a spiritual director, a faith-based counselor who acts as a guide, to find footing in his life. He felt it necessary to tell his story to someone else in order to heal what he could not see or define.
"My piece was triggered when I finished my doctor of ministry degree and I just felt a void," Jericho said. "Our denomination provides us an opportunity to get some level of counseling. I knew something was wrong [with me], but I didn't know what it was. It was revealed to me for the first time in counseling that I had completed all my education, and once I finished, it left a void. That void was going to be filled with unhealthy activity, I was sure.
"At that point, I definitely knew something was wrong with me and I had to do something. The physical changes—I wasn't working out as much as I used to. The ministry was taking off and doing well, and because of that, I was a little bored. So I filled the void by getting spiritual direction. I have a spiritual director who helps me to see God moving in my life. Spiritual direction has been the best thing that ever happened to me …. It has been a powerful experience." Jericho found a path that worked and allowed him to rebuild, reconnect, and restore.
Harcourt: A Square Peg in a Round Hole
One middle-aged preacher, Harcourt, was the oldest but smallest in size of his siblings, whom he raised. He grew up in what he called a "divorced and fractured family" and was always in pursuit of approval and praise, though for him it was an elusive search. "I think [growing up] I had always been an overachiever, trying to hear the approval of my mother, others, and my peers," he said. "I never envisioned myself being a mega-church pastor … and having experienced instantaneous success gave me the false satisfaction of having arrived. But when I looked around, my peers didn't acknowledge that growth and that success. One preacher told me that my preaching style was nonlinear."
"Another preacher helped me understand why I don't fit, why I don't get invited to preach, and why I don't fit in with the clique," Harcourt said. "He said, 'It's hard to be around the authentic when you are inauthentic.' He reminded me that it was OK to not fit. I am just beginning to settle into the fact I am not going to fit and I may not be on the preaching circuit or the televangelist circuit. But I have settled into the call God has given me to be local pastor, and my job is to build up my community and to live out my purpose for my generation. I have finally settled into that, but it has been very hard, very lonely, and very painful."
This minister's midlife struggles stemmed from unfulfilled affirmation as a child. Later on, as a pastor, he found himself looking for approval in what could be called the darker side of ministry, and he pacified and appeased himself the only way he knew how, with secret sexual relationships. Those actions, though, put him in a direct and personal spiritual battle with his beliefs, between what he preached and how he was living. He eventually sought help and made his midlife confusion work.
One middle-aged preacher, Harcourt, was the oldest but smallest in size of his siblings, whom he raised. He grew up in what he called a "divorced and fractured family" and was always in pursuit of approval and praise, though for him it was an elusive search. "I think [growing up] I had always been an overachiever, trying to hear the approval of my mother, others, and my peers," he said. "I never envisioned myself being a mega-church pastor … and having experienced instantaneous success gave me the false satisfaction of having arrived. But when I looked around, my peers didn't acknowledge that growth and that success. One preacher told me that my preaching style was nonlinear."
"Another preacher helped me understand why I don't fit, why I don't get invited to preach, and why I don't fit in with the clique," Harcourt said. "He said, 'It's hard to be around the authentic when you are inauthentic.' He reminded me that it was OK to not fit. I am just beginning to settle into the fact I am not going to fit and I may not be on the preaching circuit or the televangelist circuit. But I have settled into the call God has given me to be local pastor, and my job is to build up my community and to live out my purpose for my generation. I have finally settled into that, but it has been very hard, very lonely, and very painful."
This minister's midlife struggles stemmed from unfulfilled affirmation as a child. Later on, as a pastor, he found himself looking for approval in what could be called the darker side of ministry, and he pacified and appeased himself the only way he knew how, with secret sexual relationships. Those actions, though, put him in a direct and personal spiritual battle with his beliefs, between what he preached and how he was living. He eventually sought help and made his midlife confusion work.
Finding your Own Trail
Although our stories differ, the pain is the same. The Christian men who trusted me with their tales are a group of insightful, talented preachers and teachers who have grappled with their issues but are working on transforming to better their ministries. Each one of them found his own trail. King David wrote psalms, poetry set to music, to ease his pain. I talked through my problems, and I continue to confide and confess what presses on my heart.
I think I will always long for the sound of my daughters when they were young. But things change, and life is not a stagnant, steady state. Emotional and psychological transitions need to be seen for what they are and should not be looked upon lightly. When midlife calls, there are real issues that need attention and answers. We all bear burdens. Bottom line: preacher, prophet, or priest, going it alone is a lonely and thorny road, and one that does not have to be taken. Opening up to another person requires trust, and trust can be hard to come by. But finding a level of trust can make all the difference in managing midlife.
Excerpt from Midlife, Manhood, and Ministry (Judson Press, 2013).
Although our stories differ, the pain is the same. The Christian men who trusted me with their tales are a group of insightful, talented preachers and teachers who have grappled with their issues but are working on transforming to better their ministries. Each one of them found his own trail. King David wrote psalms, poetry set to music, to ease his pain. I talked through my problems, and I continue to confide and confess what presses on my heart.
I think I will always long for the sound of my daughters when they were young. But things change, and life is not a stagnant, steady state. Emotional and psychological transitions need to be seen for what they are and should not be looked upon lightly. When midlife calls, there are real issues that need attention and answers. We all bear burdens. Bottom line: preacher, prophet, or priest, going it alone is a lonely and thorny road, and one that does not have to be taken. Opening up to another person requires trust, and trust can be hard to come by. But finding a level of trust can make all the difference in managing midlife.
Excerpt from Midlife, Manhood, and Ministry (Judson Press, 2013).
Donald Hilliard Jr. is senior pastor of Cathedral International in New Jersey.
2013年3月14日 星期四
2013年3月13日 星期三
50則 只差一字
1. 眼睛看得到的地方叫視線，眼睛看不到的地方叫視野。
11. 胸口摸得著的尺寸叫胸圍，胸口摸不到的尺寸叫胸襟。
2. 嘴裡說得出來的話叫內容，嘴裡說不出來的話叫內涵。
3. 臉上看得出的表情叫氣色，臉上看不出的表情叫氣魄。
4. 腳下走得到的距離叫夢想，腳下走不到的距離叫幻想。
5. 鼻子聞得到的味道叫氣味，鼻子聞不到的味道叫氣息
6. 眉毛皺得出的形狀叫情緒，眉毛皺不出的形狀叫情感。
7. 手上比劃出來的動作叫手勢，手上比劃不出來的動作叫手段。
8. 背後摸得到的硬度叫脊椎，背後摸不到的硬度叫脊梁。
9. 腦子裡測的出的東西叫智商，腦子裡測不出的東西叫智慧。
10. 耳朵聽得到的動靜是聲音，耳朵聽不到的動靜是聲譽。
12. 證件上印出來的叫文憑，證件上印不出的叫文化。
13. 舌尖嘗得出的是味道，嘗不出的是味口。
14. 說得清道得明的是友情，說不清道不明的是愛情。
15. 耳朵聽得到的聲音叫語言，耳朵聽不到的聲音叫流言。
16. 語言能描述清楚的是意思，語言描述不清楚的是意境。
17. 文字寫得出來的東西叫情節，文字寫不出來的東西叫情結。
18. 看得見的自大表情叫傲氣，看不見的自尊底線叫傲骨。
19. 溫度計量得出來的熱乎叫溫度，量不出來的熱乎叫溫暖。
20. 腳下走得到的地方叫前方，腳下走不到的地方叫前程；
21. 蠟燭點得燃的數字叫歲數，蠟燭點不燃的數字叫歲月。
22. 胸膛聽得到的聲音叫心跳，胸膛聽不著的聲音叫心情；
23. 眼睛看得到的時間叫時鐘，眼睛看不著的時間叫時光；
24. 手指寫得出的文字叫文章，手指寫不出的文字叫文化。
25. 衣著裡看的見的東西叫身體，衣著裡看不見的東西叫身份。
26. 還能嚐的到的味道叫回味，已經嘗不到的味道叫回憶。
27. 心裡測得出的律動是心跳，心裡測不出的律動是心緒。
28. 手錶可以看的是日曆，不可以看到的是閱歷。
29. 能夠訴說的苦叫苦惱，不能訴說的苦叫苦衷。
30. 腦袋能琢磨出來的東西叫思路，琢磨不出來的叫思想。
31. 常人悟得透的對策叫戰術，常人悟不透的對策叫戰略。
32. 鏡子裡看得到的是自己，鏡子裡看不到的是自我。
33. 喉嚨吞得掉的是口水，喉嚨吞不掉的是口碑。
34. 知道歸宿的是肉體，不知道歸宿的是靈魂。
35. 金錢衡量出的是價格，金錢衡量不出的是價值。
36. 手指彈出的是樂器，手指彈不出的是樂觀。
37. 嘴角彎得出的角度叫笑容，嘴角彎不出的角度叫愁容。
38. 耳朵聽得見的叫意見，耳朵聽不到的叫政見；
39. 眼睛裡看得出來的是靈氣，看不出來的是靈魂。
40. 新聞報導中有的叫內容，新聞報導中沒有的叫內幕。
41. 文件上查得到的叫規定，文件上查不到的叫規則。
42. 說得出頭銜的上司叫領導，說不出頭銜的上司叫領袖。
43. 困境中找得到出路的叫希望，困境中找不到出路的叫絕望。
44. 銀行卡上顯示的出來的叫財產；銀行卡上顯示不出來的叫財富。
45. 天天掛在嘴上的叫情話，默默牽掛在心裡的叫情感。
46. 食物能撐大的是肚皮，食物撐不大的是度量。
47. 一句話讓人跑東跑西叫權力！不說話讓人點頭哈腰叫權勢！
48. 人身上聽得到動靜的是心臟，聽不到到動靜的是心眼。
49. 容易打開的門叫大門，不容易打開的門叫心門。
50. 路上走出來的印痕叫足印，路上走不出來的印痕叫足跡。
BSP Four Strategies
CC shared with us four strategies in devotion time on her visit to Indonesia on behalf of FEBCHK two weeks ago.The sessions joined are called Bowman Signature Project (BSP) in Bali Indonesia.
- Share what you have
- Get your shoes dirty
- Hand out your Mic
- Get involved the locals
Also, the Mongolia FEBC Radio got the most successful appeal to the local community after going thru her ten years' anniversary efforts..With Feather Programs & Eagle Programs Hot Tea and Heart Jewels etc she is serving among the locals.
2013年3月12日 星期二
Christ, Be With Me (St. Patrick)
Christ, be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left.
Christ when I lie, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me.
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left.
Christ when I lie, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me.
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
Amen.
St. Patrick
Fifth Century
This prayer makes a great active devotion, as people can do motions corresponding to most lines of the prayer.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Christ,
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.
Amen.
St. Patrick
Fifth Century
This prayer makes a great active devotion, as people can do motions corresponding to most lines of the prayer.
2013年3月11日 星期一
傳者與佈道
羅奇（Irving Lorge）、賀夫蘭（C.I. Hovland）、魏士（Walter Weiss） 及卡爾曼（Herbert Kelmon）等傳播學者做了幾個類似的實驗，所得的結論均表明︰「倘若傳者既有權威又值得信任，即聲譽與信譽俱備，便能產生傳播的最大果效。」
除此之外，羅哲士（C.R. Rogers）的「親同效應」及柏克（ Kenneth Burke）的「認同策畧」均指出︰「有了『自己人』這感覺的受眾會較容易喜歡傳者，因而比較容易接受他的資訊。」因此，在傳福音的時候，應留意以下與傳者有關的三項︰
（1）傳者要有良好的品格與美好的名聲
傳者若有良好的品格，可以增加受眾對其所傳的接受程度。傳者有良好品格自然會有好名聲，不過教會也可以有計畫地進行培訓和宣傳，使信徒在其專業上有好名聲，叫人樂意聆聽他們所講的意見，甚至聆聽所傳的福音。
（2）傳者要有充足的裝備和充分的準備
既然享有聲譽的傳者能產生更大的說服力，傳福音的人就要在傳福音的課題上多下工夫，不僅在本色神學上，更要接受更多有關的訓練，裝備自己成為傳福音的「專家」。有了充足的裝備，還要加上充分的預備。常常運用，以免生疏，每次佈道皆作好事前準備，除了要熟習內容，還要加上禱告。
（3）傳者要著重關係的建立和愛心的關懷
從「親同效應」和「認同策畧」的傳播理論中，我們明白關係的建立是何等重要。有不少佈道法都看重這一點，教導傳福音的人如何與佈道物件建立關係。聽福音的人有了「自己人」的感覺，就更容易接受傳福音的人，以及他們所傳的福音。他們去到教會有這種「自己人」的感覺，便更容易成為教會的一分子。換句話說，一個充滿愛心的教會是佈道的首要條件。「初信栽培」主要目的就是要讓每一位初信者都得到愛心的關懷和悉心的教導，因而感到自己是「自己人」。
Ways of Seeing
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth...
Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Psalm 96
‘Hope is to hear the music of the future; faith is to dance to it today.’-Margaret Killingray-
sing to the LORD, all the earth...
Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Psalm 96
‘Hope is to hear the music of the future; faith is to dance to it today.’-Margaret Killingray-
2013年3月10日 星期日
【每天五句話送給自己】
Steve 傳來 : 時刻記住五句話作毎天金句
1. Being yourself! 做你自己！
2. You did it! 你做到了！
3. Don't give up! 不要放棄！
4. Follow your dreams! 追尋你的夢想！
5. Be strong! 要堅強一點！
1. Being yourself! 做你自己！
2. You did it! 你做到了！
3. Don't give up! 不要放棄！
4. Follow your dreams! 追尋你的夢想！
5. Be strong! 要堅強一點！
2013年3月8日 星期五
甘文鋒思人對話上與下
思人對話上 : 我們這一代
上一代的人、上一代的思維、上一代的包袱等等，何時才能離我們而去？似乎，香港的困局，不在外圍因素，而在內部人事。從兩代的囮想交鋒，可見這一代的確有不少自己的想法，從本書文章中可略窺一二。
新生代對香港社會發展分析，且邀請本地不同年代先鋒人物回應帶領香港新生代探索人生、社會及世界。
l 鄧正健討論一個書評家應有的立場
l 徐岱靈分享旅遊經驗，說出新一代旅行家所嚮往的生活
l 吳凱霖討論社會企業的責任
l 曾志豪及符麗分別討論公營及私營媒體對香港，甚至內地的影響
l 甘文鋒反思大學功能；大至整個社會
l 鄧鍵一探討香港為甚麼容不下知識份子
l 陳嘉銘反思香港殖民與去殖的問題
l 健吾指出香港人缺乏批判的能力
本書是香港兩代思考者包括的對談、接力，不乏破謬之見，值得捧讀。
思人對話下：教育篇 Roundtable Community Limited
思人對話下：教育篇 Roundtable Community Limited
青年智庫 Roundtable再以教香港教育發展為主題收集共十三篇書信對話，以教育改革、教師專業, 通識教育、公民教育、國民教育、教育語言、創意教育、高等教育及教育產業化的發展等為主題，邀請沈祖堯教授、張炳良教授、程介明教授、戴希立校長、張灼祥校長、梁恩榮博士、 余惠冰博士及張銳輝先生等多位教育界人士回信，以討論香港教育前景，希望所有家長、學生、教育工作者及政策制訂者都有裨益。
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)