unplug 拔掉…電源

生活有點紛亂，要減少上網時間，拔掉 WiFi 的電源.

call me

Pastor Chris looked at Matthew 14:22-33 with us yesterday. The passage records the incident that Jesus walked on water. One of the points that particularly touches me is that out of all the disciples, Peter was the one who asked Jesus to let him also walk on water. Peter took the initiative and didn't wait passively to be "called." He saw Jesus doing something and we could almost hear him say, "Can I do that, too, Jesus?"

Often times we wait and see if God calls us to do something. Yet, Peter in the story took another approach and asked for the opportunity.

Call me, Jesus, call me.

my 2011 bible reading plan

I'm using the ESV's Chronological Reading Guide to walk through the entire Bible in a year.

The audio feature that allows one to listen to someone reading the Scripture aloud makes it easier to cover 3-4 chapters a day, 7 days a week.

Events of the Bible are arranged chronologically as they occurred. For example, the Book of Job is integrated with Genesis because Job lived before Abraham.

phil 2:6

I remain amazed by what I have learned about Jesus recently from Philippians 2:6.
• “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” (NASB)
• “Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God” (NLT)
• “他本有　神的形像，與　神同等，卻不認為這同等要抓住不放” (新漢語)

Isn't it human nature to assert (據理力爭) one's right or anything that rightly belongs to us? Is it because we're afraid that sacrificing our right may make a doormat out of us?

Yet, Jesus' not like that, and Paul teaches us to learn from Jesus' humility.

God's teaching is not lofty but so down to earth. I am amazed at who He is.

放下身段

與查經組長預查的腓2：1－11, 雖然是一段familiar的passage, 但用心查，每每有新的領受。

保羅勸勉腓立比教會合一是為福音的緣故（在上文第一章27節），並不是單為合一而合一 。 而達到合一是需要「謙卑」的 （第二章）。

經文提到主耶穌沒有「強奪」... 耶穌是神，當然有神的身份和地位、假若祂不願意放下，假若祂不願意成為人，假若祂不願意上十字架，是絕對理所當然的, 怎麼會是「強奪」呢？ He's not robbing something that doesn't belong to him. 英文翻譯有 “seize," "grasp"。

的確，Jesus did not insist on holding on to what he has. He gave it up, and he took the form of man.

Not only did he take the form of man, but he assumed the lowliest position of man.

Not only did he assume the lowliest position of man, but he gave up his life on the cross, the most humiliating form of death.


學習「謙卑」，我想，第一步可以學放下自己的身份、地位、特權。 Don't take oneself too seriously.

還債

神給我機會在同一所學校temporarily再執教鞭，打從學期頭，I wondered if my job appointment had anything to do with bringing this non-Christian person in the department to Christ? 這是一位很久以前從香港移民來的，在過去兩年她曾兩次應我邀請去過教會活動，但未有接受救恩。

雖然有這意念，但一開課，我覺得很難分配時間在工作、教會事奉、照顧家人以外再作別的事情。 It is perfect timing that after most of my academic workload has been over, 偶然得知有一個極輕鬆的福音聚會 conducted by 辛尼哥哥 (現應該是伯伯了），內容有唱歌、魔術、分享。我帶了這位非信徒朋友去，整整兩個小時沒有冷場，希望當中的message 可以在她心裡發芽生長。

算還了一點福音的債吧。

singleness

Came across this neat article, "Singleness with Purpose"; it looks like something that I'll come back to and read more carefully.

"... The bombshell Paul drops here is that marriage is not ultimately about the relationship between a man and a woman at all, but is about Christ's relationship to his church."

"For singles to live purposefully in their calling, God's meaning to singleness must be kept clearly in view. Knowing, then, that God intends the calling of singleness to communicate a message about his own superiority and sufficiency, and the love and devotion that the church should have towards him."

choosing one over the other

After several years of passive thinking, I seem to have a clearer idea of choosing between teaching piano full-time, pursuing university full-time, and 50-50 like what I'm doing now.

respectable sins

Intriguing title, isn't it?

I'm reading Jerry Bridges' Respectable Sins. Good stuff. Check out the reviews from Amazon.

sermon by a tiny little lady

Heard this simple sermon about 事奉 and was moved to tears.

Here's an excerpt:

為主做事，就是事奉，不一定在教會裡才是事奉 （太25：33－40）

人比一切更重要

團隊比個人更重要 （肢體的關係，我需要同工，同工需要我）

神知比人知更重要

盡心比成果更重要 （不要數算做了多少，而是有沒有盡心）

愛心比恩賜更重要

Question:

為甚麼耶穌問彼得是否愛祂，然後叫他牧養祂的羊？ 為甚麼主不問彼得是否愛祂的羊，再吩咐他牧養祂的羊？