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超可爱小小赛跑选手。。。 Super cute little runner…

那天,11月28日(星期一),教会老老少少一早就集聚在千禧运动场,大家为着蒙福家庭欢乐日感到兴奋。除了一些赛跑项目,也有各组游戏比赛。通常在这种日子,你会看到弟兄姊妹们一般上你看不到的一面,真的可以破冰与促进感情交流!

That day, November 28th (Mon), young and old from church gathered very early at Jubilee Ground, everybody was excited about Blessed Family Fun Day. Apart from some running events, we also had games competitions for groups. Normally during occasion like this, you could see the sides of brothers and sisters which otherwise you would not see at some other time. It was really an ice-breaker and it really fostered closer relationship!

这一天,我们注意到一个小英雄。。。
That day, we noticed a little hero…

 

四岁小男孩,除了长得那么可爱,还有什么其它东西那么特别呢?
让人很惊讶的,他竟然参加男子组800米公开赛!
有注意到他在那里吗?那些大人也真够坏心,竟然把他挤到最外面一圈!!
工作人员也很坏心!
Little 4-year old boy, apart from having a cute look, what else is there so special about him?
Very surprisingly, he actually took part in the 800m male open race!
Can you see where he is? How terrible of those adults to squeeze him to the outer most circle!!
The volunteer workers were also so bad!

 

开跑之前,他很专心的听哥哥的指示。。。
Before running, he listened very carefully to big brother’s instruction…

 

然后他就很认真的凝视着前方。。。你看他满脸的斗志!
你一定在想,他一定跑一下就停了,哪有可能跑完两圈!
Then he looked at the distance ahead with such seriousness… look at that determination on his face!
You must be thinking, he wold surely stop after running a while, there was no way he could finish running two rounds!

 

你可不要搞错,这不知谁家的小孩,他可不轻言放弃!
你看下面一张,他虽然落在人后,他还是追赶上来!
Make no mistake! This little wonder-whose-kid-he-is, has got real guts to not give up easily!
Look at the picture below, though he was falling behind, he was still trying to catch up!

 

请再看他怎样一步一步超越他前面的大人和大哥哥,那可是第二圈的时候!
哇,真的是太厉害了!
Please see how he overtook the adult and older kids in front of him step by step, and that was the second round!
Boy, that was so very impressive!

 

而且刚才指示他的哥哥已经跑到很痛苦了,他却还充满冲劲!
And the older brother brother who instructed him just now was already agonizing and yet he was still running full force!

 

最终他终于得着胜利和如雷掌声。。。
Finally he was triumphant and received thunderous applause…

 

当然马上有一群粉丝涌上来,争着要与他拍照。。。
可是我看得出,在这里,他很痛苦。。。
And of course immediately a swarm of fans fought to take photos with him…
But I can see, here, he is really suffering…

禁食之后感想:“奢侈”。。。 Thoughts After Fasting : “Luxury”…

 

其实禁食,特别是长时间的禁食,并不是一件想要做就能做的事;其实我相信,按肉体来想,没有人会喜欢禁食的。
这一次,在神还没感动我和给我力量禁食40天之前,我无法想象那40天毫无食物的日子,甚至会“怕”上帝会不会再感动我禁食40天。。。
可是时间一到,这些顾虑都是多余的!不知不觉40天早已过去了,我们也已恢复正常的饮食生活。

Actually fasting, especially long period of fasting, is not something you can just do it when you think you want to do it. In fact I believe, by our flesh, nobody likes to fast.
This time, before God convicted me and gave me the strength to fast for 40 days, I could not imagine at all without food for 4o days, and actually I was also kind of “afraid” as to wheher God would convict me to fast for 40 days again…
But when the time came, all these concerns were really unnecessary! Without realizing, 40 days have already gone by, and we have also resumed our normal eating and drinking lifestyle.

 

我们这一次采取逐渐性的禁法,前面29天还可以喝汤和果汁,最后11天只喝白开水,但很多人过不了最后11天白开水的那一关。。。
就连我自己,最后3天才真正全然白开水,前面几天白开水里偶尔还会加一点葡萄糖补充体力。

This time we took the gradual fast approach, we were still taking soup and juice in the beginning 29 days, only the last 11 days did we take plain water only, but many failed the plain water only for 11 days test…
Even I myself, I only took totally plain water in the last 3 days as I still added some glucose into my water before that to give me some energy.

有时候我们禁食采取只吃素的禁法,就只吃蔬菜和水果,那时就会发现原来吃惯了的肉是何等奢侈。。。
然后我们有时候采取,不只吃素,也禁淀粉之类的食物如:饭、面类、蛋糕和面包等,那时就发现淀粉类食物真是何等奢侈。。。
若全禁食物,就发现蔬菜和水果何等奢侈。。。
只可喝白开水时,又发现汤啦、热饮啦、果汁啦,都是何等奢侈。。。

Sometimes for fasting, we take the vegetarian fast, eating only fruit ad vegetables, during such a time, we would realize the meat we are so used to is such a luxury…
Then sometimes we not only go vegetarian, we stop eating starchy food too like rice, noodles, cakes and bread etc, in times like those, we would realize starchy food is such a luxury…
If we fast all food totally, we would realize fruit and vegetables are such luxury items…
When it is only drinking plain water, we would discover soup, hot drinks and fruit juice are so luxurious…

所谓”奢侈“,是指那些对我们原本很平常的食物饮料,变成我们“得不到”的东西。。。
原来禁食能够让你发现,我们其实是活在何等蒙福及”奢侈“的生活当中啊!我们的“饿”是出于自己自愿的选择,时间过了,马上又可以恢复与享受我们“奢侈”的生活;可是这世界有多少人却是毫无选择的日复一日、年复一年的肚子,毫无终止。。。原来在很多地方,一杯干净的白开水何尝也不是何等奢侈吗?

主啊,让我们不再抱怨生活困苦,让我们学习感恩及享受你给我们的一切。。。

“并且人人吃喝,在他一切劳碌中享福。这也是神的恩赐。”
~ 传道书3:13 ~

The so-called “luxury” is referring to food and drinks that are so ordinary to us normally becoming something we cannot get…
Fasting can indeed make you realize, we are actually living in such a luxurious and blessed life! Our “hunger” is our own voluntary choice, and when the time has passed, we can immediately return to and enjoy our “luxurious” lifestyle, where as there are so many people in this world who do not have a choice but are hungry day after day and year after year without ending… In actual fact, in many places, a glass of clean water is also very luxurious to them!

O lord, help us not to complain about life being tough again, teach us to be grateful and to enjoy all that You have given us…

“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.”
~ Ecclesiastes 3:13 ~

Day 40 : 禁食日记 / Fasting Diary (完结篇 / Conclusion)

第四十天:11月11日(五)

该以什么做结束呢?有那么多好写、那么多好说、那么多的感触、感想。。。

晚上,从吉隆坡来的特邀讲员,梅牧师讲道,有一个重点深触我心,是一辈子不可忘记的提醒。

他以路加福音第一章为背景,提到忠心事奉神的祭司,撒迦利亚夫妇,一生求子,如何从有盼望等到绝望。到年纪老迈,不可能生育的时候,再失望也没停止忠心事奉神。撒迦利亚持守上帝给他的职分,忠心在神给他的岗位和地方事奉;结果神就在那神拣选给他的地方向他显现。因着他的忠心,独行奇事的神为他成就了按人、按自己、按自然界都不可能的事情;撒迦利亚的妻子,以利沙伯竟然怀孕生子!

重点是,当神来你应当在的岗位和地方找你时,你在那里吗?他在那里找得到你吗?你是一个对神忠心的人吗
所以,你若渴望神为你行奇事,满足你心里一直期待的突破,或解决某个重担问题,做一个忠心事奉神,持守神所给你的恩赐和职分的人是何等重要啊!

“1:6 他 们 二 人 , 在 神 面 前 都 是 义 人 , 遵 行 主 的 一 切 诫 命 礼 仪 , 没 有 可 指 摘 的 。
1:7 只 是 没 有 孩 子 , 因 为 以 利 沙 伯 不 生 育 , 两 个 人 又 年 纪 老 迈 了 。
1:8 撒 迦 利 亚 按 班 次 , 在 神 面 前 供 祭 司 的 职 分 ,
1:9 照 祭 司 的 规 矩 掣 签 , 得 进 主 殿 烧 香 。
1:10 烧 香 的 时 候 , 众 百 姓 在 外 面 祷 告 。
1:11 有 主 的 使 者 站 在 香 坛 的 右 边 , 向 他 显 现 。
1:12 撒 迦 利 亚 看 见 , 就 惊 慌 害 怕 。
1:13 天 使 对 他 说 , 撒 迦 利 亚 , 不 要 害 怕 。 因 为 你 的 祈 祷 已 经 被 听 见 了 , 你 的 妻 子 以 利 沙 伯 要 给 你 生 一 个 儿 子 , 你 要 给 他 起 名 叫 约 翰 。”
~ 路加福音1章 ~

Day 40 : Nov 11th (Fri)

What should I write to conclude? So many things to wite about and to say, so many feelings and thoughts…

In the evening, Pastor Raymond Mooi, our specially invited speaker from KL preached. A certain point touched me deeply, a reminder I must not forget for all my life.

Using Luke Chapter 1 as his background story, Pastor Raymond mentioned how the very faithful priest Zechariah and Elizabeth must have grown from being hopeful to totally hopelesss in their quest for a child. When they were already very old and not possible for Elizabeth to conceive anymore, no matter how disappointed, they did not stop serving God faithfully. Zechariah stayed true to the responsibility God had given him, faithfully serving in the position and place where God had entrusted him with. As a result God appeared to him at the place where God had assigned him to be. Because of his faithfulness, the God of wonders performed for him something that was not possible with men, ourselves or in the natural. The wife, Eliazabeth conceived and gave birth to a son!

The key is, when God comes looking for you at the position or place where you are supposed to be at, will you be there? Can He find you there? Are you a faithful person to God?
Therefore, if you really desire God to do a miracle for you, to satisfy you with the breakthrough you have been waiting for in your heart, or to relieve you of a great burden and problem, it is very important to be a person who stays true to your God-given gift and position!

“6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.”
~ Luke 1 ~