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More to Your Story

2026-01-08 in /by

Everything changes when you know the rest of your story. In 2 Samuel 22:25 (MSG) David says, “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.” But what is the text of our lives? Self-help gurus and magazine headlines urge you to “find your narrative.” “Look inside yourself,” they say. But the promise of self-discovery falls short.

Your story indwells God’s. This is the great promise of the Bible. “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone” (Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG). In his story, you’ll find there’s more to your story.

上帝使萬事互相效力

2026-01-07 in , /by

羅馬書8:28  我們曉得(神使)萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按祂旨意被召的人。

「萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處。」（羅馬書8:28）這句話常被理解為，不管發生了甚麼，無論是好事、壞事，愛上帝的人都會在其中得到好處。這句常出現於安慰告白失敗、失戀被甩的人，或求職工作不順利。

最後一次用到這句，是在數年前。我維持讀書、打電腦的姿勢太久，沒有起來走走，做一下伸展運動，結果肩膀沾黏。這是壞事。那陣子全世界COVID-19肆虐，我們家打疫苗，丈夫和孩子們都肩膀腫痛哀哀叫。這也是壞事。我就用了這句話：「肩膀沾黏的徒手治療更痛，打疫苗的痛真是小菜一碟。真是萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處啊。」說自己更倒楣，多了肩膀沾黏的壞事，但負負得正，壞壞變好。

這句話被節錄，然後濫用、亂用。直到我閱讀希臘文聖經羅馬書第八章，才知道自己對這句話理解錯誤三十多年。

The Headline Story

2026-01-07 in /by

We love to know where we came from. We need to know where we came from. Knowing connects us, links us to something greater than we are. That is why God wants you to know his story.

Framed photos hang in his house and lively talks await you at his table. A scrapbook sits in his living room, brimming with stories. Stories about Bethlehem beginnings and manger miracles. Enemy warfare in the wilderness and fishermen friends in Galilee. The stumbles of Peter, the stubbornness of Paul. All part of the story. But subplots to the central message of the headline story: John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life!”

God saves his people—God’s story. And we are a part of it.

No One Has Ever Imagined

2026-01-06 in /by

Try this. Imagine a perfect world. Whatever that means to you, imagine it. Does that mean peace? Then envision absolute tranquility. Does a perfect world imply joy? Then create your highest happiness. Will a perfect world have love? Ponder a place where love has no bounds.  Whatever heaven means to you, imagine it.

Get it firmly fixed in your mind. Delight in it. Dream about it. Long for it. And then smile as the Father reminds you from the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” No one. No one has come close.

Think of all the songs about heaven. All the artists’ portrayals. All the lessons preached, poems written and chapters drafted. When it comes to describing heaven, we are all happy failures!

木乃伊

2026-01-06 in , /by

希伯來書 9:27-28  按著定命，人人都有一死，死後且有審判；像這樣，基督既然一次被獻，擔當了多人的罪，將來要向那等候他的人第二次顯現，並與罪無關，乃是為拯救他們。

開羅的埃及博物館收藏了十萬件的展覽品，但埃及最著名的木乃伊不在展覽之列。博物館入門處貼了一張佈告：木乃伊恕不展覽。嚮導說，這張佈告並非暫時性的。沙特總統決定今後不再展覽木乃伊。我們問為什麼？她說，本來木乃伊就不是什麼供展覽的藝術品，後來不知什麼人開始了這股邪風。現在沙特要糾正這個怪現象，恢復原來的規矩。

說得也對，木乃伊除了給人恐怖感以外，什麼也沒有。多年前我們經過倫敦時，剛好碰上一個著名的木乃伊運來英國展覽，博物館外擺了三條街長的人龍。朋友帶我們從旁門進去看樓上一些不出名的木乃伊，看得我毛骨悚然。那些死人若地下有知，恐怕也要抗議這樣「不顧情面」的展覽了。

空白的忙碌

2026-01-05 in , /by

詩篇84:1-4  

1萬軍之耶和華啊，祢的居所何等可愛！
2 我羨慕渴想耶和華的院宇，我的心腸、我的肉體向永生神呼籲。
3 萬軍之耶和華，我的王我的神啊，在祢祭壇那裡，麻雀為自己找著房屋，燕子為自己找著抱雛之窩。
4 如此住在祢殿中的，便為有福！他們仍要讚美祢。（細拉）

歲末年終走進辦公室，望著蒼白牆壁上孤伶伶的壁釘，沒有習見的風景月曆，再轉向擺設整齊的辦公桌，電話旁邊缺少了慣常陪伴的週曆。2025年沒人送我月曆、週曆，看來整年的日子似乎「空白」了？倒也未必！電腦螢幕天天更新的Google行事曆，還是忠實的、密密麻麻的標示了「塞滿的忙碌」。

月曆、週曆上有風景和圖片，瞬間欣賞，看過也就忘了，留下的只是1至30（或31）和一到七兩組數字的組合。Google行事曆沒有風景和圖片，只有冰冷的顯示這兩組數字的組合，組合的框框裡還仔細的提醒我在每段時間該有的工作，一到五（甚至到六）框框內呈現我「塞滿的忙碌」。

有別於「塞滿的忙碌」，我的行事曆上有個屬於七的框框，一直都是空白的；那是屬七的主日，是我的生活習慣，就像吃飯、睡覺一樣，沒有改變。這習慣傳承自父親的信仰實踐，也是我們家族一起到教會敬拜、服事的習慣。

和平的君

2026-01-04 in , /by

因有一嬰孩為我們而生；有一子賜給我們。政權必擔在祂的肩頭上；祂名稱為「奇妙策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君」。（以賽亞書9:6）

「和平的君」的希伯來文שַׂר־שָׁלוֹם (Sar Shalom)，Sar指的是掌權者、君王、治理者，Shalom則有平安、安穩、滿足、身體安康、與人和睦友好等意思。

世局動盪不安，地緣政治衝突讓人類的未來充滿不確定性；俄烏戰爭、以巴（加薩）交戰、葉門（胡塞）衝突、敘利亞戰局、中印邊界爭端、泰柬邊境交火、中菲南海議題…延伸至中日、台海緊張情勢，世界各地危機四伏、烽火頻傳。2025年是個不平安的年，誰能帶給全球八十億人口生活的平安、生命的保障？

號稱「MAGA」（Make America Great Again，發音近似Mega，意指量體的巨大）的美國川普政府利用外交穿梭、談判、威嚇、甚至制裁，積極介入或調停多方戰爭與衝突，然而似乎未見任何一場戰爭已真正「平息」，留下的是「TACO」（Trump Always Chickens Out，實際字義為墨西哥捲餅）帶著嘲諷的批評，一事無成，「和平」化為泡影。

「MAGA」是人心的渴望。如果能「再次偉大」，能重回榮光、偉大、復興、強盛，那麼我們就能得著和平。「MAGA」暗示一種拯救的想像。世界需要一位強者，能用手腕、聲量及強勢把局勢扳回來。當「偉大」成了救贖的代名詞，人們自然會期待一位「看起來足夠強」的王。

永在的父

2026-01-02 in , /by

以賽亞書9:6  因有一嬰孩為我們而生，有一子賜給我們，政權必擔在祂的肩頭上。祂名稱為奇妙、策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。

「永在的父」的希伯來文אֲבִי־עַד (Avi-ʿad)，Avi是父、生命的源頭、保護者，ʿAd有著永恆、沒有終止之意；「永在的父」可理解為「永恆的源頭」，表示耶穌是生命的持續者與保護者。

世上的父親常被詮釋為兒女的保護者、引導者，是可依靠的肩膀、可身藏的遮蓋。然而，身為兒女會問：父親能成為我的肩膀、遮蓋到幾時？身為父親也問：我能保護、引導我的兒女到幾時？世上的父親是個「有限」的身分、角色。

人間的父愛孩子，但他會累、會分心，常心有餘而力不足；不是不愛，而是受限於時間、體力、情緒與人生階段。永在的父卻像一盞不滅的燈，不因夜深而熄滅，不因你打飩而關掉，不因你遺忘而消失。你抬頭時，祂在；你轉身時，祂仍在。

The Call to Forgive

2026-01-01 in /by

You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. Is it still hard to consider the thought of forgiving the one who hurt you?

If so, go one more time to the room. Watch Jesus as he goes from disciple to disciple. Can you see him? Can you hear the water splash? Can you hear him shuffle on the floor to the next person? Keep that image. John 13:12 says, “When he had finished washing their feet…” Please note: he finished washing their feet. That means he left no one out. Why is that important? Because that means he washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer.

That’s not to say it was easy for Jesus. That’s not to say it’s easy for you. That is to say God will never call you to do what he hasn’t already done.

全能的神

2026-01-01 in , /by

以賽亞書9:6  因有一嬰孩為我們而生，有一子賜給我們，政權必擔在祂的肩頭上。祂名稱為奇妙、策士、全能的神、永在的父、和平的君。

嬰孩的軟弱、依賴、有限…，對比於全能神的創造、掌權、無可抵擋…，一位嬰孩何以能被稱為「全能的神」？先知以賽亞宣告令人難以置信的真理：全能的神，選擇以看似軟弱的方式臨到人間。

「全能的神」的希伯來文אֵל גִּבּוֹר (El Gibbor)，El代表獨一真神、至高者，Gibbor則是大能的勇士、得勝者、戰士；以賽亞書10:21毫無爭議地將這嬰孩指向耶和華自己，祂是大有能力的全能神。

耶穌有能力，卻常施予「人無力的深處」。人被污鬼附著，祂一句話，鬼就離開（馬可福音1:23-27）；風浪前門徒恐懼，祂一句話，風就平靜（馬可福音4:36-39）；墳墓前眾人悲歎，祂一句話，死人復活（約翰福音11:43-44）。