Manasseh - 黒歴史の謎

Actually there have been a few things pulling me down over the last few days……… that reminds me of something I read last week which is really meaningful – about the story of Joseph and why he called his son “Manasseh”.

The first half part of the life of Joseph was full of hurts and unhappiness – always got hurt by people around (some of them are even his families!). It is worth noting that when he eventually got out of the jail and became a powerful person, he didn’t let the past to ruin his life – he didn't go and shot down all his "enemies" - WHY?

約瑟給長子起名叫瑪拿西（就是“使之忘了”的意思），因為他說：“ 神使我忘了一切的困苦!

Things (such as bad experiences) that happened have already happened – and we can’t wash them away from our memories. And in fact God doesn’t want us to pretend as it didn’t happen, instead HE gave us strength to live with our past.

Can I ask all of you who are reading this passage to do me a favour - let us always pray for each other and remind each other!

選ばれた未来

Yesterday I went to Wan Chai 188 to get myself a PSP game. While I was there, I was tempted to get myself a NDS Lite - as the shops were offering "20+ free games" to go with the NDS!

Haha, and of course, those are pirate copies..... all saved in a memory card!

I was so tempted that I did actually go around and check on the price - "unfortunately" all the "deep blue" colour version were sold out, so I decided to wait till a few weeks later.

This morning when I was reading Chapter 9 of the book "Experiencing God", one of the question raised by the author was - "Are you willing to pay a cost for being a Christian?"

I suddenly realised it is God's grace that I "couldn't" get myself an NDS with those pirate games.

Although this is anti-social, I think that is the correct decision....... as I have already "promised" God that once I started working I will not buy any more pirate games! And how would my friends think about Christians?

Take a look of this little story I read a few months ago and you will understand....

Several years ago, a new preacher moved to Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount. Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss about it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday"

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really almost scary example of how much people watch us as Christians and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember (as I try to remember) that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself "Christian."

(.....^o^.....): Thank you Lord for reminding me!

堅牢な守り - Stay on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the last 2 months, I had a big struggle - with God.

I had been repeating the same question again and again -

"What had I done wrong so that I have to go through all these troubles? I had been following the way you showed me, and I ended up like this!"

Although deep in my heart, I knew all these happened because God wants me to have a change -- for a good reason. Nevertheless, I just could not accept it and I even started to hide away from God.

Last night I had a chance to talk to Jenny 導師 as she wanted to follow up on my status regarding the potential STM to Macau. I told her my true status and I shared my feelings with her.

The suggestion she gave me is - go back to the bible, and talk to God!

I did feel a lot more relieved after talking to her, and when I got home after the committee meeting, I decided to pick up the bible again and start from where I stopped on my "bible reading schedule".

The following is what I read:

你 們 就 是 為 義 受 苦 、 也 是 有 福 的 ． 不 要 怕 人 的 威 嚇 、 也 不 要 驚 慌 只 要 心 裡 尊 主 基 督 為 聖 ． 有 人 問 你 們 心 中 盼 望 的 緣 由 、 就 要 常 作 準 備 、 以 溫 柔 敬 畏 的 心 回 答 各 人 ...
神 的 旨 意 若 是 叫 你 們 因 行 善 受 苦 、 總 強 如 因 行 惡 受 苦 。


基 督 既 在 肉 身 受 苦 、 你 們 也 當 將 這 樣 的 心 志 作 為 兵 器 ． 因 為 在 肉 身 受 過 苦 的 、 就 已 經 與 罪 斷 絕 了 ．
你 們 存 這 樣 的 心 、 從 今 以 後 、 就 可 以 不 從 人 的 情 慾 、 只 從 　 神 的 旨 意 、 在 世 度 餘 下 的 光 陰 。 (extract from 彼 得 前 書)

What can I say?! God really knows my heart..........

The verses are not only the answers to my questions - but also a promise and grace!

Time to add oil again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{Y( ...^O^...)Y}<-----burning!!!!!

刻の涙 - 邁向成熟!

A very touching article by a pastor I read 2 days ago, really do mean a lot to me.

"接納生命有其無奈、虛空之處,經歷上帝的捉摸

一位酋長臨終時要交棒,找來村中三位優秀的年青人,叫他們去攀山,回來報告見到什麼。

第一位三日後回來報告,見繁華美景。

一週後另一個青年人回來,很疲累,見到樹木,見到山上不同的資源。

第三位一個月後回來,滿身傷痕。因他上到山頂,卻見不到什麼!

第三個是正上了山頂的人,他體會到人生到了頂峰其實一無所有! 酋長就把職位交了給他,因他是對生命真正有所體驗,有所了解的人。

做牧師日久,體會到生命中很多處境的無奈、無言。但也常在這些處境中,跟弟兄姊妹一起經歷到上帝的捉摸!
我們怎樣能在人生中找到平衡點?這就要靠著神去捉摸、去把握!"

Very interesting article........

People who know me well enough would know that I always talk about problems I can foresee - I don't enjoy "predicting" the future, especially I think it is pointless to find out the good news beforehand - isn't it great to find out about the good news when it comes? ( ^_^ )

Instead, throughout my life, I realise life is tough - honestly. And more importantly, when we try to climb up (in our career, in our relationships, in our social status), you would realise although everythings good at the beginning, when you reach the end, THERE IS NOTHING THERE, BUT HURTS YOU ACQUIRED IN ORDER TO CLIMB UP TO THE TOP!

But when I look back, this is certainly a lesson God wants us to learn - and these hurts and experiences are opportunities for us to experience God's Love together, and to touch each others' heart by sharing them.

Let us all have faith in God and face the challenges together!

消える命 咲く命 - LET GO!

Really touched by the lyrics of this song - want to share with all my beloved friends!!!

挫折有你許可，要讓祝福漫過，
至死痛楚，要將生命加多。

你破碎我一切，
卻換上更多恩惠，
榮耀路徑必有淚涕。

誰肯放棄自救，才將救恩識透，
葡萄被壓才得釋放，釀出新酒，
人生到了絕處，
才知道愛的深處，
才能盛載神恩豐滿傾注。

Not until we are willing to give up relying on our own completely, we may never experience God's Love!!!!!!!!

And the only way to learn.....? (Answer is in the song)

(....;^_^;....)

死守 - Never give up!!!!!!!

The last 2 weeks have been very difficult....

Yesterday morning, I was so frustrated that I was about to give up......

Then I received a forward e-mail with the following message:

The Lord your God, He is God,
the faithful God who keeps covenant and
mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him.

所以你要知道耶和華你的神、他是神、是信實的神、
向愛他守他誡命的人、守約施慈愛、直到千代.

Although nothing has changed, I can see God was giving me HIS message - I should have faith in HIM.

HE showed me HE knows exactly what I am going through, and I should have faith and waited for HIS guidance on my next move.

For the ones who feel lost right now, let us always remember this verse and have faith in God!!!

(....^o^....)

生命散って - No Second Chance

Really have not been writing for a long while.....

to kick it off.... want to share a song which hits me very hard....

I actually did spend a lot of time reviewing my life after reading the lyrics.....

我過去　那死黨　早晚共對
各也紮職以後　沒法暢聚
而終於相約到　但無言共對　疏淡如水

日夜做　見爸爸　剛好想呻
卻霎眼　看出他　多了皺紋
而他的蒼老感　是從來未覺　太內疚擔心

最心痛是　愛是太遲
有些心意　不可等某個日子
盲目地發奮　忙忙忙其實自私
夢中也習慣　有壓力要我得志

最可怕是　愛需要及時
只差一秒　心聲都已變歷史
忙極亦放肆　見我愛見的相知
要抱要吻要怎麼也好
偏要推說等下一次

我也覺　我體質　彷似下降
看了症得到是　別要太忙
而影碟　都掃光　但從來未看　因有事趕

日夜做　儲的錢　都應該夠
到聖誕　正好講　跟我白頭
誰知她開了口　未能挨下去　已恨我很久

錯失太易　愛得太遲
我怎想到　她忍不到那日子
盲目地發奮　忙忙忙從來未知
幸福會掠過　再也沒法說鍾意

愛一個字　也需要及時
只差一秒　心聲都已變歷史
為何未放肆　見我愛見的相知
要抱要吻要怎麼也好
不要相信一切有下次

相擁我所愛又花幾多秒　這幾秒
能夠做到又有多少
未算少　足夠遺憾忘掉

多少抱憾　多少過路人
太懂估計　卻不懂愛錫自身
人人在發奮　想起他朝都興奮
但今晚未過　你要過也很吸引

縱不信運　你不過是人
理想很遠　愛於咫尺卻在等
來日別操心　趁你有能力開心
世界有太多東西發生
不要等到天上俯瞰

I have made too many mistakes in my life - this time, I would make sure I can do what I want to do before it is too late.....

転落する人生 vs Purpose Driven Life

A story I first read 4 years ago....... something that inspired me for leaving PKMG....

一個美國商人坐在墨西哥海邊一個小漁村的碼頭上,看著一個墨西哥漁夫划著一艘小船靠岸。小船上有好幾尾大黃鰭鮪魚,這個美國商人問要多少時間才能抓這麼多？

墨西哥漁夫說,才一會兒就抓到了。美國人再問,你為甚麼不待久一點,好多抓一些魚？墨西哥漁夫覺得不以為然: 這些魚已經足夠我一家人生活所需啦!

美國人又問:那麼你一天剩下那麼多時間都在幹甚麼？墨西哥漁夫解釋:我呀？我每天睡到自然醒,出海抓幾條魚,回來後跟孩子們玩一玩,再跟老婆睡個午覺,黃昏時晃到村子裡喝點小酒,跟哥兒們玩玩吉他,我的日子可過得充滿又忙碌呢!

美國人不以為然,幫他出主意,他說:我是美國哈佛大學企管碩士,我倒是可以幫你忙!你應該每天多花一些時間去抓魚,到時候你就有錢去買條大一點的船。自然你就可以抓更多魚,在買更多漁船。然後你就可以擁有一個漁船隊。到時候你就不必把魚賣給魚販子,而是直接賣給加工廠。然後你可以自己開一家罐頭工廠。如此你就可以控制整個生產、加工處理和行銷。然後你可以離開這個小漁村,搬到墨西哥城,再搬到洛杉磯,最後到紐約。在那裡經營你不斷擴充的企業。

墨西哥漁夫問:這又花多少時間呢？

美國人回答:十五到二十年。

墨西哥漁夫問:然後呢？

美國人大笑著說:然後你就可以在家當皇帝啦!時機一到,你就可以宣佈股票上市,把你的公司股份賣給投資大眾。到時候你就發啦!你可以幾億幾億地賺!

墨西哥漁夫問:然後呢？

美國人說:到那個時候你就可以退休啦!你可以搬到海邊的小漁村去住。每天睡到自然醒,出海隨便抓幾條魚,跟孩子們玩一玩,再跟老婆睡個午覺,黃昏時,晃到村子裡喝點小酒,跟哥兒們玩玩吉他囉!

墨西哥漁夫疑惑的說:我現在不就是這樣了嗎？

Let us compare to what Rick Warren (author of Purpose Driven Life) says in an interview:

"People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity....

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. "

The following is the attitude he had when his wife found out she had cancer:

"No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people."

That is the question that really touched my heart:

"We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better." God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD."

Let us all find out our ultimate purpose!
( aa^_^ )v

同胞の援助 - Brother Cell!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's celebrate for the establishment of our brother cell on 30-Aug-06!!!!!!!!

God is really great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Special thanks to my dearest brothers!!!!! You guys really had given me the supports when I needed them!!!!!

m( ^O^ )m

若者の成長 - Everyday a New Life!

耶 和 華 阿 、 求 你 記 念 我 如 茵 蔯 和 苦 膽 的 困 苦 窘 迫 。
我 心 想 念 這 些 、 就 在 裡 面 憂 悶 。
我 想 起 這 事 、 心 裡 就 有 指 望 。
我 們 不 至 消 滅 、 是 出 於 耶 和 華 諸 般 的 慈 愛 、 是 因 他 的 憐 憫 、 不 至 斷 絕 。
每 早 晨 這 都 是 新 的 ． 你 的 誠 實 、 極 其 廣 大 。
我 心 裡 說 、 耶 和 華 是 我 的 分 ． 因 此 、 我 要 仰 望 他 。
凡 等 候 耶 和 華 、 心 裡 尋 求 他 的 、 耶 和 華 必 施 恩 給 他 。
人 仰 望 耶 和 華 、 靜 默 等 候 他 的 救 恩 、 這 原 是 好 的 。

人 在 幼 年 負 軛 、 這 原 是 好 的 。

耶 利 米 哀 歌 3:19-27

That was what I read from the bible - just a perfect conclusion for my previous passage!

Sometimes we never understand why we have to go through all these difficulties (so soon) when everyone around seems to be enjoying their lives.

For me, it has never been easy when I see other people grow up in normal families, seeing my best friends getting married, and people around having a much smoother career path....

Now when I look back - I could never be the Saga today if I had not gone through these difficulties - especially I know God wants to break my pride and to acquire "謙卑" (I am still not quite there yet....)

( ^o^ ): Yes, it's always good to grow in God when we are still young!!!!!