tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740434268347069902024-03-14T01:36:35.885+08:00IN CHRIST ALONEPsalms 67:1-3 May GOD be gracious to us and bless us and make HIS face shine upon us, that YOUR ways may be known on earth, YOUR salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O GOD; may all the peoples praise you.
诗篇六十七:1-3 愿 上帝怜悯我们,赐福与我们,用脸光照我们,好教世界得知你的道路,万国得知你的救恩。 上帝阿,愿列邦称赞你!愿万民都称赞你!ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-74076837225216317792013-08-28T00:24:00.002+08:002013-08-28T00:24:31.174+08:00小组祷告---这篇写的很好,借来分享小组祷告生活漫谈
文章来源: 卖紫色布的 于
小组的正常聚会时间通常是两个小时,如果能在两个小时里面全满完成所有的聚会项目,这是最好的,但通常大家见面,有慕道友参加的时候,时间就会延长,聪明的主持通常在两个小时内完成所有的程序,让大家早点回家,有时间的可以继续留下来聊天,或和慕道朋友多了解。
两个小时聚会时间的分配是这样的,十五分钟破冰,十五分钟敬拜,四十五分钟查经学习,四十五分钟分享祷告。这里最难把握的时间是最后一部分,在分享的时间里面,因为时间没有把握好而把祷告的时间挤掉,这样聚会就没有祷告,或草草让一个人作结束祷告,或大家同声祷告。时间久了,大家就认为祷告不重要,如果小组长在这方面对小组聚会的祷告认知不足的话,这个小组带出来的组员很容易也是一个忽视祷告的基督徒。所以,看重小组聚会的祷告,尽心维护祷告的时间是非常重要的。小组长不但要负责,而且要看重聚会时间的祷告,因为既然我们是牧养,既然我们是为了主,我们没有任何理由让聚会残缺或减分量。否则真是没法向主交待呀。
如果教会的祷告会人数少,这里有很多因素,但如果想要祷告会的人数增长,着手抓小组祷告生活是个起点。包括对祷告的认知,组长先看重祷告,推动祷告,认真抓好小组内的祷告生活,这些都为增加教会的祷告会人数奠定基础。
小组祷告生活的健康完全在呼小组长,因为小组长怎么带,小组就怎样。所以牧养一个健康合主心意的小组,小组长是关键人物。因为小组长是执行者,教会已经培训小组长,教会已经把小组聚会时间的内容清楚颁布,那剩下的就是如何执行啦。执行的好,小组就健康,执行的不好,小组就不健康。两者都会对教会有正面和负面的影响。健康是什么样?这里的健康就是灵性的活泼,弟兄姐妹爱慕神的话语,常常祷告,对大使命有强烈的负担,积极追求属灵生命的长进,爱主爱人爱失丧的灵魂等等。不健康的首要表现就是不爱神的话语,不爱祷告,其次是对神国无热心,再者追求世界和能看的见得东西。
这样看来小组长真是关键性人物,责任重大呀!说的对, 太重大啦。所以小组长要不断地被培训,被建造,每年要单独对小组长做一到两次的再培训,每次小组长会议要大家在小组的运作上面要检讨,看看有无需要改进之处。
言归正传,因为分享时间没有把握好就挤掉了祷告时间,那么把握分享的时间是保持祷告时间的先决条件,所以要花时间谈谈分享时间的把握。
通常分享时间的困难是大家没有边儿地说,也没人制止。要解决这个问题首先要提醒大家今天几点前我们需要开始祷告,分享时间大家要简洁,要先分享上周在灵里的得着或见证,第二分享一个或两个祷告事项,时间不要超过三分钟,但如果有特别分享可以多几分钟。于是就让一个靠谱的人开始,千万别让一个新人,或说话常没有边儿的人开始,我们通常从组长或同工开始,开始的分享是什么样,通常接下来跟着的是什么样,所以第一个人一定不要随便叫。如果在分享之中有跑题的情形发生,组长或同工应及时拉回来,不要怕得罪人。 如果组长同工在服侍的时候怕得罪人,小组不可能带好,最后不可收拾。因为事先组长说好几点要祷告,所以大家理解,不那么容易被得罪。
可以留下五,六分钟祷告,如果有十分钟更好。最好的祷告是大家还坐在一起祷告,之前要说,我们为每个弟兄姐妹的祷告事项祷告,尽量不重复祷告,最后组长做结束祷告,让作结束祷告的人知道最后祷告的一定要把前面祷告漏掉的事项祷告,然后总结一下当天学的主要内容,求主帮助大家开始在下周活出主的话语。一些提醒的话也需要祷告,比如,求主借着圣灵天天提醒我们来亲近神,读经祷告,帮助我们在言行上谨慎,与蒙召的恩相称,行出主的话,把握传福音的机会。等等。
如果时间少,就可以分成三,四人的小组祷告,这样会节省时间,弟兄姐妹们也有机会彼此切实代祷。
关于同声祷告,适合于教会周日的聚会,因为无法分组,省时间。但不适合小型祷告会,比如在小组聚会时,有慕道朋友和初信者,还有需要在祷告上学习,操练的弟兄姐妹,同声祷告就使大家失去学习如何祷告的机会; 另外,同声祷告会分散大家的注意力,常常大家祷告祷告就停啦,听声音大的祷告,同声祷告也无法让大家真实体会到别人为自己祷告所带来的感恩。所以可以偶尔使用同声祷告。不要常常使用这种方法。
小组长经常在小组里面强调祷告的重要性,提醒大家在祷告上多操练,让大家增加对祷告的认知,这是非常重要的,小组里的组长和同工要常常参加教会的祷告会,给弟兄姐妹做好榜样,当小组的弟兄姐妹在祷告上有足够的操练和认知,组长鼓励大家参加教会的祷告会时,大家有积极的回应是必然的。可以看出来,组长有多重要哇,组长和同工做好啦,组员才能被很好地带动。
如果你常常说:“我们不强迫弟兄姐妹”,实际上,这是个美丽的借口,因为组长的责任不是拿着喇叭强迫人,而是牧人带领羊群来到青草地,你要给组员机会学习祷告,明白祷告的意义,剩下的是圣灵感动他们愿意祷告,愿意参加祷告会。你自己是否有正确的祷告认知,如果没有,要学习。找借口是最容易的,而竭诚为主是需要付代价的。
如果小组里面有特别的同工来负责小组祷告生活是最好的,可以在当天把大家的祷告事项发给大家,鼓励大家在下周常常能彼此代祷, 另外小组组长同工需要在周间安排祷告会,及时分析小组每个弟兄姐妹的属灵状况,和传福音的计划落实,并为小组的事工及组员在主里合一祷告,这个祷告会非常重要,一个蒙福的小组一定大家在一起多祷告,祷告越多,大家越合一,越在主里有合一的看见,越能依靠神,越谦卑,越有智慧行事,越能多多经历神的信实。越能看见神的工。越愿意顺服神。 还是那句话,祷告开始,祷告结束,没有祷告,没有事工。
提摩太前书2:1-2 “我劝你,第一为万民祷告,代求,祝谢;为君王和一切在位的,也该如此,使我们可以敬虔端正,平安无事地度日。”
多少苦难白白受,竭因未带到主前求。
让我们举起圣洁的手,随处祷告吧。
ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-44522161958168003952013-03-20T16:38:00.000+08:002013-03-20T16:38:36.973+08:00 「似乎忧愁,却是常常快乐的」 (哥林多后书六章十节。)
主张苦行主义者,连流泪也在禁止之列;基督徒却不然。许多时候,我们
忧闷得发昏;当剪毛的剪刀碰在颤抖的肉上时,当仇敌的欺侮达到顶点时,当
我们的心几乎碎裂时,最自然我们巴不得寻找机会痛哭一场,释出胸中的忧愁
。但是还有一个比痛哭更好的方法。
航海者知道甘泉是在苦且咸的海水中找到的;旅行家知道阿尔卑斯山最美
丽的花, 是生在最荒僻,最崎岖的山路上的;属灵人知道最宝贵的诗篇是在最
痛苦的时候写成的。
所以让我们在黑暗中赞美神我们主耶稣基督的父。试炼越深,愿我们的
歌声越高。亲爱的,你有没有学会这个功课呢?我们不只要忍受神的旨意,
拣选神的旨意,遵行神的旨意,并且要用赞美来欢迎神的旨意。---译自《火
中的试验》(Tried as by Fire)
荒漠甘泉3月20日灵修ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-68524313473055630792012-10-29T10:58:00.001+08:002012-10-29T10:58:13.552+08:00<b>For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
— ro 5:10</b>
Thought
I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved.
<b>The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished."
</b>
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2012. All rights reserved.ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-33708634678422815452012-10-17T18:02:00.000+08:002012-10-17T18:02:00.211+08:00Wednesday, October 17, 2012
What If There Is a Hell?
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."1
How often have you heard the argument, "If God is a God of love, how could he ever send anyone to hell?" Others who say they believe in God just don't believe there is such a place as hell." But what if there is a hell? The fact is that Jesus in God's Word repeatedly speaks about hell and warns people about the wrath to come.
Keep in mind, however, that hell was prepared first of all for the rebellious devil and his fallen angels [demons]. Also realize that in a very real sense it isn't God who sends us to hell, but it is we ourselves when we disbelieve God's warning and reject or fail to accept his pardon for all our sins and receive his gift of eternal salvation. God will not force us to spend eternity with him when we have refused his fellowship and forgiveness in life.
In his book, Echoes of Eternity, Dennis Kastens writes about people who never heeded the following warning: "During World War II the city of Palermo, Sicily, a military objective of the Allied Powers, was to be bombed by the American Air Force. To warn the Sicilians, telling them to flee, thousands of pamphlets were dropped on the city beforehand, but the citizens simply did not believe the warning. They listened, but they did not hear! When the American planes came and dropped their bombs, hundreds of Sicilians were killed; in fact, in some cold, dead hands were found the very pages urging them to leave the city."2
Whatever you do, don't fail to heed God's repeated warning about hell and the wrath to come after this life. Make absolutely sure your name is written in God's book of life. See also the article below: "The Why of Hell."*
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I confess to you that I am a sinner and believe that your Son, Jesus, died on the cross in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins, and Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and life and be my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
NOTE: If you have never accepted Jesus as your savior and prayed the prayer above, please let us know by filling in the form at http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php and we will send you the web address for free online helpful articles.
*The WHY of Hell. Because God is a God of holiness no sin or sinner can ever exist in his presence any more than darkness can survive in the presence of light, or a moth in a flame. And because God is a God of justice, all sin (the breaking of God's universal moral laws) must be judged and that judgment is death, which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell. The good news is that God is also a God of infinite love. That's why he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins and save us from spending eternity in hell. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness to God, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross in our place, and ask God for his forgiveness and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.
To accept God's Invitation to receive his full and free pardon and his gift of eternal life click on http://tinyurl.com/6k49w or see the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" in No. 3 below.
1. Revelation 20:13-15 (KJV).
2. Dennis Kastens, Echoes of Eternity, CSS Publishing.
3. See "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: www.actsweb.org/christian.
<:))))><
ACTS International - Daily Encounter
ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-47904081410592019562011-12-02T22:32:00.000+08:002011-12-02T22:33:49.523+08:00POLYGAMYThe Bible on Polygamy and Same-Sex Marriage <br />"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach."1<br /><br />1. Polygamy<br /><br />A Daily Encounter subscriber from Africa asks, please let us know what the Bible teaches about polygamy as here in Africa it is taken for granted even by some Christians. <br /><br />It is true that in Old Testament days it was not uncommon for men to have more than one wife; this was true of both King David and King Solomon. In some instances if a woman's husband died, the brother of the husband who died was to take his late-brother's wife to be his wife even if he was already married (See Deuteronomy 25:5). This was to preserve his brother's family line. It is my understanding, too, that in other instances men had more than one wife so that some women wouldn't be forced into prostitution, slavery or starvation in order to survive.<br /><br />In the New Testament, however, 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6 give "'the husband of one wife' in a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership…. While these qualifications are specifically for positions of spiritual leadership, they should apply equally to all Christians. Should not all Christians be 'above reproach…temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money' (1 Timothy 3:2-4). If we are called to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), and if these standards are holy for elders and deacons, then they are holy for all."2<br /><br />Furthermore, in Ephesians 5:22-33 wherever the Apostle Paul is giving instructions to husbands and wives his directives are always in the singular; that is, they are never plural in either multiple wives or husbands.<br /><br />2. Same-Sex Marriage<br /><br />Another prominent question that many are asking today is what does the Bible have to say about same sex marriage?<br /><br />"While the Bible does address homosexuality, it does not explicitly mention gay marriage/same-sex marriage. It is clear, however, that the Bible condemns homosexuality as an immoral and unnatural sin. Leviticus 18:22 identifies homosexual sex as an abomination, a detestable sin. Romans 1:26-27 declares homosexual desires and actions to be shameful, unnatural, lustful, and indecent. First Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexuals are unrighteous and will not inherit the kingdom of God. Since both homosexual desires and actions are condemned in the Bible, it is clear that homosexuals 'marrying' is not God's will, and would be, in fact, sinful.<br /><br />"Whenever the Bible mentions marriage, it is between a male and a female. The first mention of marriage, Genesis 2:24, describes it as a man leaving his parents and being united to his wife. In passages that contain instructions regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2-16 and Ephesians 5:23-33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a man and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the lifetime union of a man and a woman, primarily for the purpose of building a family and providing a stable environment for that family."3<br /><br />The Bible makes it clear that marriage, which is ordained by God, is to be between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriage is thus a perversion of God's plan for marriage. (Genesis 2:21-24; Matthew 19:4-6). <br /><br />And as Ronald Reagan so wisely said some years ago, "As goes the family so goes the nation."<br /><br />In My Genes. Many gay and homosexual people claim that their attraction to and desire for the same sex is in their genes so there is nothing they can do about it but give in to it. This may or may not be true but the fact is that sin is in my genes (actually in everybody's genes), as the Bible says, "For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me" Psalm 51:5 (NLT). But does this give me the right and an excuse to do what I hunger or "passion" to do? Of course not. Such would be absurd and end up destroying just about everyone. <br /><br />Keep in mind, though, while God loves all sinners—including you and me—he hates all sin because sin is totally destructive to those whom he loves: you and me. Christians are to do the same; that is we are to love all sinners but not accept any actions that God's Word labels as sin. We are also called to be the "salt of the earth" and as such we need to take a stand against all sin and evil and live as well as speak the truth.<br /><br />Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for your Word, the Bible, which gives all mankind clear instructions for every area of living—all of which is for the protection and good of all mankind. Please give me the desire to learn what your Word teaches and the desire, will and help to live accordingly. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."<br /><br />1. 1 Timothy 3:2 (NKJV).<br />2. From Got Questions.org http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html.<br />3. From Got Questions.org http://www.gotquestions.org/gay-marriage.html.<br /><br /><:))))><<br /><br />NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click HERE.ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-27224572335746622922011-11-27T23:50:00.002+08:002011-11-27T23:53:22.126+08:00Having Reverence and Respect for the BodyIn so many ways we use and abuse our bodies. Jesus' coming to us in the body and his being lifted with his body in the glory of God call us to treat our bodies and the bodies of others with great reverence and respect.<br /><br />God, through Jesus, has made our bodies sacred places where God has chosen to dwell. Our faith in the resurrection of the body, therefore, calls us to care for our own and one another's bodies with love. When we bind one another's wounds and work for the healing of one another's bodies, we witness to the sacredness of the human body, a body destined for eternal life. <:))))>< <br /><br />Henri Nouwen Societyong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-82569281907006578502011-11-11T22:43:00.002+08:002011-11-11T22:46:12.753+08:00LOVE DOES NOT GIVE UPI don't know how you feel to see that single parenthood life is becoming more admirable and an alternative to marriage, and the church seems to be getting more and more comfortable with it. Financial independence seems to be the only required ingredient to a family unit. Is God as comfortable as we seem to be?<br /><br />A friend's marriage was falling apart for many genuine painful reasons but one day she made a decision to involve God to help. She prayed to God to save her husband and make him a pastor.<br /><br />She spent six continuous months in serious prayers until God answered her desire and today her husband is a good pastor, a wonderful husband and father.<br /><br />But before God changed the husband, God dealt with this friend first. She quit complaining and determined that she was to do her part as unto God.<br /><br />God is not blind, brethren. God transformed her attitude to one of not fault finding or revenging. She saw her husband as one in need of God, not one full of faults.<br /><br />May God help us realize that much as we would like to own our marriages, marriage is as sacred as life since it is not a man's idea, but God's.<br /><br />If we honor God seriously and care for His institution, we will be concerned and view our marriages not as our own, but God's property.<br /><br />Before we give up on our marriages, have we taken time to involve the Initiator of it all on a serious note?<br /><br />May God help us individually to make a decision to work on our marriages with God as the interested party.<br /><br />In marriage, we sign up to succeed, and the beauty of it all is that one can refer to the Initiator for help.<br /><br />And God is very much wiling to help and is able to sustain a victorious marriage, helping us to understand that love does not give up!<br /><br />by Mumbi Vickie Nganguong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-17756949262528685852011-11-10T20:35:00.000+08:002011-11-11T22:46:17.792+08:00 10, 2011<br /><br />Wilberforce: The Great Parliamentarian Reformer <br /><br />"Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."1<br /><br />To be politically correct many would say that Christians should keep out of the political arena. But think about William Wilberforce (1759–1833), the British politician who became the leader of the movement to abolish the inhumane slave trade. His life is a prime example of Christian political activism par excellence.<br /><br />When he first became a committed Christian, however, he seriously considered withdrawing from parliament, but John Newton (a former slave trader himself) and author of one of the world's best known hymns, "Amazing Grace, " convinced Wilberforce to remain in parliament, as God had placed him there for a useful purpose. It turned out that as a politician Wilberforce had a much greater influence on the social ills of his day, and campaigned fervently for decades to help, with other Christian leaders, end the slave trade. He was actually dying when he received word of his success re the end of the slave trade.<br /><br />Wilberforce said, "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners."<br /><br />To this task this one man committed his entire life … and helped greatly to change a great part of the world. Would that we had such parliamentarian reformers today! There is a desperate need for them. Furthermore, you and I may never become another Wilberforce, but with God's help each one of us can make a lasting and eternal impact on the world in which we live and circulate. Will YOU volunteer today to be one of these persons? Remember, we Christians are called by Christ to be the salt (purifying effect) of the earth.2<br /><br />Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me in whatever role my life is invested to be actively involved in being 'salt of the earth,' and thereby help in a positive way to be a purifying effect in every area of life here on earth. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."<br /><br />1. Romans 13:1. (NIV).<br />2. Matthew 5:13.<br /><br /><:))))><ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-71722738522539449052011-08-17T21:14:00.000+08:002011-08-17T21:16:49.571+08:00敬拜神是人類受造的目的,也是人的本性神創造人時,就已將一個空處擺在人心裡,所以
<br />人會有尋求真理、尋求永生的渴望,直到在敬拜
<br />時遇見這位造他的真神,才得到滿足。「認識你
<br />獨一的真神,並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督
<br />,這就是永生。」(約十七3) 過去我們都是在
<br />敬拜世上各種不同的人事物,但這一切終究會讓
<br />我們失望,那時我們就發現這些不過都是虛幻。
<br />惟有找到我們的造物主、這位創造天地萬有的神
<br />,我們心裡才會得到真實的滿足。人只有在敬拜
<br />神的時候,才會找到他人生的意義,並認識自己
<br />是誰。我們要認識自己,就必須要先認識那創造
<br />我們的神,因為我們是照祂形像所造的。 林大中 ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-60110189421779498922011-05-02T22:27:00.000+08:002011-05-02T22:28:01.118+08:00PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS TO ALL CREATIONJesus said to them, 'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation'. (Mark 16) <br /><br />I feel like praying that my life might become simple enough for me to be able to say 'yes' when Jesus looks at me with love and invites me to leave everything behind and follow him.<br /> <br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-78118740976113374352011-05-02T22:19:00.001+08:002011-05-02T22:21:37.732+08:00LORD, help your servants to proclaim your message with all boldnessAnd now Lord... help your servants to proclaim your message with all boldness. (Acts 4)<br /><br />We seldom fully realize that we have to choose how, where and with whom to live. We act as if we were simply dropped down in creation and have to decide how to entertain ourselves until we die. But we were sent into the world by God, just as Jesus was. Once we start living our lives with that conviction, we will soon know what we were sent to do.<br /> <br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-25869462136331528272011-04-22T19:41:00.000+08:002011-04-22T19:43:02.599+08:00Good Friday - April 22, 2011Like a sapling he grew up in front of us, like a root in arid ground. Without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him. And yet, ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. (Isaiah 52) <br /><br />The enormous anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane is the anguish of Jesus who yearns for the love of his friends, but they don't realize it. He longs to give them love but they haven't opened themselves to receive it. This is the enormous anguish of God who is only love...who leaves people free to accept or reject that love.<br /><br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-66094719234829501712011-03-10T15:27:00.002+08:002011-03-10T15:30:47.112+08:00ASH WEDNESDAY - 9TH MARCH 2011A Lenten Prayer<br /><br />The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.<br /><br />I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.<br /><br />I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. <span style="font-weight:bold;">I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions.</span> There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me.<br /></span><br />Amen.<br /> <br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-43239949803779829972011-03-05T14:35:00.000+08:002011-03-05T14:36:45.925+08:00CLERGY FLAMEOUT IS NOT NECESSARY AND MAY BE PREVENTIVEThursday, March 3, 2011 <br /><br />Clergy flameout is not necessary and may be preventable<br /><br />By Bill Ellis<br />Special to ASSIST News Service<br />SCOTT DEPOT, WV (ANS) -- Twenty-four hours after a snowstorm in Teays Valley, WV, I walked out to the highway to pick up the Saturday morning Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper, the largest in the state.<br /><br />Back at the kitchen table and a cup of hot chocolate, I opened the paper to a well-written story by Ron Orozco of McClatchy Newspapers, "Churches confront issue of 'clergy burnout'."<br /><br />Orozco's thought-provoking story centered around Fresno, CA, one of my favorite areas in the United States.<br /><br />There are negatives, but many positives as well. I do not know of anything burning out that was not at one time on fire and burning brightly. I will consider those of the clergy family.<br /><br />Clergypersons are the spiritual leaders, ministers, preachers, teachers and shepherds. Paul wrote to the faithful in Ephesus, "And He gave some apostles . . . and some pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11). The Bible also refers to them as "Ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20).<br /><br />To "burn out" means, we can safely assume, that something or a person was once on fire.<br /><br />A man or woman senses their "call to the ministry" with the deep conviction that this "is what God wants me to do." After some years of preparation, whether it be little or as it is more often in our day, involving a bachelor's degree and then a graduate degree of 45-90 semester hours of graduate study -- the day of ordination may arrive.<br /><br />How does this person of such tremendous possibilities "flameout" or "burnout" after years in the ministry? If I were the speaker for a pastor's conference or seminar for professional and business leaders, as I have been many times, here are a few things I would emphasize to prevent "burnout".<br /><br />1. They may have heard too many sermons on the piety of "wearing out and not rusting out" in God's work. Sounds good, but may be a little on the stupid side of ministry.<br /><br />2. Married clergy members who become distracted by those of the opposite sex are headed for disaster.<br /><br />3. Successful clergy persons, like many narcissistic athletes and politicians, read too many of their own headlines.<br /><br />4. They want to do things Jesus did not do. They want to be present before they are even called. Always being on the job 24-7 does not convey much more than an abundance of ignorance.<br /><br />5. Churches and pastors should see to it that the pastor eats, sleeps, exercises, reads, studies, relaxes as is becoming to healthy and spiritual people. How about a "weigh-in" each month for the pastor? Deduct five dollars from the weekly check for every pound he is overweight?<br /><br />6. Churches should be aware that it is much less expensive to keep a pastor healthy and functioning positively and successfully than it is to go through a church and leadership wreck. "Humpty Dumpty" falls are often beyond repair. All the superintendents and bishops cannot put it back together again.<br /><br />7. Churches should make certain that pastors are on complete vacation with their families at least six weeks of each year. If a pastor's parents are living, send him home to Mom and Dad twice each year no matter how far away they live. A week with parents helps the "greatest preacher" among us get his feet back on the ground. He is still a little boy trying to grow up in their house. Putting your feet three times a day under Mom's table will do more than visiting the counselor's office or the psychiatrist's couch.<br /><br />Samuel Butler defined a clergyman as "A human Sunday." A clergyman is also a human Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.<br /><br />Pastors are human and they need lots of help from other humans so all can succeed and be faithful to the very end.ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-32708500369070045262011-03-05T14:24:00.002+08:002011-03-05T14:26:37.347+08:00GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND OURSWhen God makes a covenant with us, <span style="font-weight:bold;">God says: "I will love you with an everlasting love. I will be faithful to you, even when you run away from me, reject me, or betray me."</span> In our society we don't speak much about covenants; we speak about contracts. When we make a contract with a person, we say: "I will fulfill my part as long as you fulfill yours. When you don't live up to your promises, I no longer have to live up to mine." Contracts are often broken because the partners are unwilling or unable to be faithful to their terms.<br /><br />But God didn't make a contract with us; God made a covenant with us, and God wants our relationships with one another to reflect that covenant. <span style="font-weight:bold;">That's why marriage, friendship, life in community are all ways to give visibility to God's faithfulness in our lives together.</span><br /><br />Henri Nouwen's Societyong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-32034928198968790702011-03-05T14:03:00.000+08:002011-03-05T14:04:20.447+08:00TEN THOUGHTS1) Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble. It is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.<br /><br />2) Do you know why a car's windshield is so large and the rear view mirror is so small? Because our past is not as important as our future. So, look ahead and move on.<br /><br />3) Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.<br /><br />4) All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it; it may not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry; it may not last long either.<br /><br />5) Old friends are like gold! New friends are diamonds! If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold! Because to hold a diamond, you always need a base of gold!<br /><br />6) Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, God smiles and says, "Relax, it's just a bend, not the end!"<br /><br />7) When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.<br /><br />8) A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."<br /><br />9) When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.<br /><br />10) Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace.<br /><br />--author unknown AllWorshipong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-5711717554951209692011-03-03T18:32:00.002+08:002011-03-03T18:35:11.713+08:00HIDDEN GREATNESSThere is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society. Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.<br /><br />Still, <span style="font-weight:bold;">real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive.</span> It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility. Some of the greatest works of art and the most important works of peace were created by people who had<span style="font-weight:bold;"> no need for the limelight</span>. They knew that what they were doing was <span style="font-weight:bold;">their call</span>, and they did it with great patience, perseverance, and love.<br /><br /><:))))><<br /><br />Henri Nouwen Societyong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-56001448191237958272011-02-11T19:13:00.002+08:002011-02-11T19:15:38.156+08:00Another Second ChanceI have another second chance to to stop being self-centered, and treat every human being with love.<br />To stop expecting to receive and start giving.<br />To stop hiding my sins from God and start living fully in Him.<br />To listen more and talk less.<br />To enjoy the world more in Thanksgiving to God, the creator of it all<br />To take my eyes off my watch and listen to God's timing and leading.<br />To stop criticizing and show more love in acts and in prayer.<br />To be less forgetful and be more committed.<br />To be less angry and swallow my pride.<br />To share with the world what I have inside.<br />To stop hating and be more loving.<br />To give a little more of my precious time to the needy around me.<br />To give more encouragement and a lot more compliments.<br />To do a lot less judging for the log in my eye is bigger than my neighbor's speck.<br />To get my priorities in order and straight.<br />To stop hopelessly chasing after the wind.<br /><br />From this point on, I begin to seek God more.<br />To find my way back to the God's humble grace.<br />Never again to lose my place.<br />Oh God, I thank you for giving me another second chance.<br /><br />--author unknown <br />AllWorshipong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-24020736312524277852011-02-11T19:04:00.000+08:002011-02-11T19:06:31.637+08:00GIVING AND RECEIVING CONSOLATIONConsolation is a beautiful word. It means "to be" (con-) "with the lonely one" (solus). To offer consolation is one of the most important ways to care. Life is so full of pain, sadness, and loneliness that we often wonder what we can do to alleviate the immense suffering we see. We can and must offer consolation. We can and must console the mother who lost her child, the young person with AIDS, the family whose house burned down, the soldier who was wounded, the teenager who contemplates suicide, the old man who wonders why he should stay alive.
<br />
<br />To console does not mean to take away the pain but rather to be there and say, "You are not alone, I am with you. Together we can carry the burden. Don't be afraid. I am here." That is consolation. We all need to give it as well as to receive it.
<br />
<br />Henri Nouwen Society <:))))><ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-19781837688818078452011-02-08T18:38:00.001+08:002011-02-08T18:40:34.101+08:00Returning to God's Ever-Present LoveWe often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn't approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God.<br /><br />God's unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things. God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God's ever-present love.<br /><br /><:))))><<br /><br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-13857138735987942192011-02-07T18:08:00.001+08:002011-02-07T18:10:58.655+08:00GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVEWhat can we say about God's love? We can say that God's love is unconditional. God does not say, "I love you, if ..." There are no <span style="font-weight:bold;">ifs </span>in God's heart. God's love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our success or popularity.<span style="font-weight:bold;"> God's love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died</span>. God's love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances. Does that mean that God does not care what we do or say? No, because God's love wouldn't be real if God didn't care. To love without condition does not mean to love without concern. God desires to enter into relationship with us and <span style="font-weight:bold;">wants us to love God in return</span>.<br /><br />Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love and always more love.<br /><br />Henri Nouwen Societyong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-86071052540419326452011-02-04T23:30:00.000+08:002011-02-04T23:31:37.935+08:00BECOMING KINDKindness is a beautiful human attribute. When we say, "She is a kind person" or "He surely was kind to me," we express a very warm feeling. In our competitive and often violent world, kindness is not the most frequent response. But when we encounter it we know that we are blessed. Is it possible to grow in kindness, to become a kind person? Yes, but it requires discipline. To be kind means to treat another person as your "kin," your intimate relative. We say, "We are kin" or "He is next of kin." To be kind is to reach out to someone as being of "kindred" spirit.<br /><br />Here is the great challenge: All people, whatever their color, religion, or sex, belong to humankind and are called to be kind to one another, treating one another as brothers and sisters. There is hardly a day in our lives in which we are not called to this.<br /><br />Henri Nouwen Societyong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-88282865939065332162011-02-04T20:28:00.001+08:002011-02-04T20:29:47.253+08:00THE SEEDA successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.<br /><br />Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.<br /><br />He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you."<br /><br />The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today--one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."<br /><br />One man named Jim was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.<br /><br />Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.<br /><br />Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.<br /><br />By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure<br /><br />Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues; however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil. He so wanted the seed to grow.<br /><br />A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.<br /><br />Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.<br /><br />He took his empty pot to the board room.<br /><br />When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed; a few felt sorry for him!<br /><br />When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.<br /><br />Jim just tried to hide in the back.<br /><br />"My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"<br /><br />All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure. Maybe he will have me fired."<br /><br />When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.<br /><br />The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim.<br /><br />He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim."<br /><br />Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.<br /><br />"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.<br /><br />Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today.<br /><br />"But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead--it was not possible for them to grow.<br /><br />"All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.<br /><br />"Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.<br /><br />"Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.<br /><br />If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.<br /><br />If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.<br /><br />If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.<br /><br />If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.<br /><br />If you plant hard work, you will reap success.<br /><br />If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.<br /><br /></span>So, be careful what you plant now. It will determine what you will reap later.<br /><br />--author unknownong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-34459673460173832162011-02-03T16:10:00.001+08:002011-02-03T16:13:14.172+08:00FORGIVING IN THE NAME OF GODWe are all wounded people. Who wounds us? Often those whom we love and those who love us. When we feel rejected, abandoned, abused, manipulated, or violated, it is mostly by people very close to us: our parents, our friends, our spouses, our lovers, our children, our neighbors, our teachers, our pastors. Those who love us wound us too. That's the tragedy of our lives. This is what makes forgiveness from the heart so difficult. It is precisely our hearts that are wounded. We cry out, "You, who I expected to be there for me, you have abandoned me. How can I ever forgive you for that?"<br /><br />Forgiveness often seems impossible, but <span style="font-weight:bold;">nothing is impossible for God</span>. The God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond our wounded selves and say, "In the Name of God you are forgiven." Let's pray for that grace.ong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-674043426834706990.post-79614289539534690792011-02-02T17:00:00.000+08:002011-02-02T17:02:58.943+08:00OUT OF SOLITUDE"When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."<br /><br />Henri Nouwenong shhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229538349466461247noreply@blogger.com1