Our God is a great God! Let the name of the Lord be praised!

When I am obedient, God shines His light into my life.

How sweet His words are!

A Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

活的盼望

愿颂赞归于我们主耶稣基督的父神，他曾照自己的大怜悯，藉耶稣基督从死里复活，重生了我们，叫我们有活泼的盼望，可以得着不能朽坏、不能玷污、不能残衰、为你们存留在天上的基业。你们这因信蒙神能力保守的人，必能得着所预备、到末世要显现的救恩。因此，你们是大有喜乐。但如今在百般的试炼中暂时忧愁，叫你们的信心既被试验，就比那被火试验仍然能坏的金子更显宝贵，可以在基督耶稣显现的时候，得着称赞、荣耀、尊贵。你们虽然没有见过他，却是爱他。如今虽不得看见，却因信他就有说不出来、满有荣光的大喜乐，并且得着你们信心的果效，就是灵魂的救恩。（彼前1：3-9）

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; (1 Peter 1:13)

Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “you shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15)

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

所以要约束你们的心，谨慎自守，（彼前1：13）

那召你们的既是圣洁，你们在一切所行的事上也要圣洁。因为经上记着说：“你们要圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。” （彼前1：15）

你们既因顺从真理，洁净了自己的心，以致爱弟兄没有虚假，就当从心里彼此切实相爱。（彼前1：22）

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation. (1 Peter 2:1)

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

所以，你们既除去一切的恶毒、诡诈并假善、嫉妒和一切毁谤的话，就要爱慕那纯净的灵奶，像才生的婴孩爱慕奶一样，叫你们因此渐长，以致得救。（彼前2：1）

主乃活石，固然是被人所弃的，却是被神所拣选、所宝贵的。你们来到主面前，也就像活石，被建造成为灵宫，作圣洁的祭司，藉着耶稣基督奉献神所悦纳的灵祭。（彼前2：4-5）

惟有你们是被拣选的族类，是有君尊的祭司，是圣洁的国度，是属神的子民，要叫你们宣扬那召你们出黑暗、入奇妙光明者的美德。你们从前算不得子民，现在却作了神的子民；从前未曾蒙怜悯，现在却蒙了怜悯。（彼前2：9）

God is going to get back what belongs to God, and a major way God does this is through you—through your words, your witness, and your life.

Those who are willing to let God change their lives will find themselves “led by the Spirit” into participating with God in moving society toward the glorious future.

The Kingdom of God is a transformed people living in a transformed social order.

Jesus calls us to be a transforming leaven in each of these sectors of society. To do so is to be an evangelist, because through word and deed you are an instrument and an expression of what God is doing to make His Kingdom come on earth.

Evangelism is making this good news known. Anytime you speak or live out that good news, you are an evangelist.

The more preoccupied with self you become, the more sense of spiritual fulfillment associated with personal salvation slips away.

Cited from “God’s revolution and our response politically” adapted from the survival guide for Christians on Campus by Tony Campolo and William Willimon

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshy body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (Colossians1:21-24)

你们从前与神隔绝，因着恶行，心里与他为敌。但如今他藉着基督的肉身受死，叫你们与自己和好，都成了圣洁，没有瑕疵，无可责备，把你们引到自己面前。只要你们在所信的道上恒心，根基稳固，坚定不移，不至被引动失去福音的盼望，这福音就是你们所听过的，也是传与普天下万人听的。我保罗也作了这福音的执事。现在我为你们受苦，倒觉欢乐，并且为基督的身体，就是为教会，要在我肉身上补满基督患难的缺欠。（西1：21-24）

Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2Timthy2:3)

你要和我同受苦难，好像基督耶稣的精兵。（提后2：3）

God’s love is not a feeling but a choice and an action.

Obedience may have to come first. I am convinced God made me to be a missionary, and He was willing to work with whatever raw material I offered Him-including my negative emotions-to get me there.

That’s good news. It means failure to feel love for the other is not the end of the road. Even if we don’t “feel loving”, we can just do the next thing God leads us to do –approaching those around us with godly attitudes as much as we are able-and leave the rest to God.

Only God can create concern. We can’t develop a heart for those we are not able to love by telling ourselves we should have one or by trying to produce one on our own. However, because such concern is God-produced, we can pray for it with great confidence.

We have to be connected with people in significant ways in order to care about them. Developing real, interdependent relationships with them-because we want to know them, not solely because we want to convert them-is essential. Building this type of relationship takes time.

Cited from “I know they are lost, but I can’t seem to care” by Joan Henry

Jesus said it’s no credit to us if we love those for whom love comes naturally—our kind of people. We don’t need God to love our kind of people. What comes naturally is sufficient. But Jesus said, love your enemy. Now that takes God. It takes a supernatural subversion of our own prejudice and a supernatural infusion of God’s prodigal love to truly welcome those for whom we feel no impulse of attraction. For whom we feel a strong impulse of revulsion.

Cited from “This is it” by Mark Buchanan

“God responds to us when we are aware of our deep need of Him. Over and over He assured me that He was giving me courage. Without His gift of strength and boldness” I could never left the security of the arms of parents and family to go alone to a foreign country.

He would make me bold and stout-hearted.

Though I would walk in the midst of trouble, He would preserve my life.

He would fulfill His purpose for me.

His love for me would endure forever.

Cited from “The widow’s might” by Marie Ens

过了春节才感觉真正过了新年。除夕，我们组织了大型的party，70多人，包1200多个饺子，还有很多让人直流口水的美食。第一次和这么多人过除夕，虽然整整一天都没怎么休息，没有工夫享受口福，还莫名其妙被人说长道短，一肚子委屈，可是，I am serving God through serving people.  上帝给的喜乐是人无法给予的。人很多，我一向不是一个有群居倾向的人，人多会让我喘不过气来，整整一晚上，我不知跑到卫生间多少次，一个人暂时喘口气。可我还得出来，外面有无数的事情需要有人做，这个时候，我已经顾不上和人social、照顾朋友、拍照留念、嬉戏玩耍。我依旧很开心，我不再是那被人服侍的人，而是那服侍人的人。没有什么可以与之相比，70多人，来自不同国家，来自不同文化，有幸聚在一起，相见相识并成为朋友。更是因为有上帝的爱在我们当中，才有如此美妙的聚会。

第二天，party 继续中……

教会结束，就马不停蹄的和朋友赶往Catherine家为她过生日。人总算不多，六、七好友在她整洁温馨的小家中为她庆生。我喜欢这样的聚会，可以认识新的朋友，可以有沉静深入的聊天，可以看清楚每个人。我们畅谈，我们欢笑，玩累了我就躺在柔软的地毯上。

这就是2009年的新年，其实不仅仅这些，只是有很多我仍需要思考的，倾听的。

Even during the New Year season, I still have to walk in the dark valley.

Even in the midst of happiness, I still have part of grief and affliction.

As a matter of fact, I have nothing, NOT AT ALL!  

All I have is YOU!

I miss YOU, I need YOU, I long for YOU, I crave YOU!

YOU are my all in all!

Heavenly Father, help us to walk in your truth today and understand that we are building your kingdom that we are your body, you hands and your feet. Show us today, Holy Spirit, where we are supposed to go, who we are supposed to touch, what are greater purposes other than just normal life. Help us to look further and understand there are some things far greater than that we see today. Lord, help us stand in love so that everyone that we touch, everyone that we look at, everyone that we speak to today doesn’t remain the same, even though we might not notice it clearly. Let there be a subtle change because of your love and your kingdom that has been crushing into their lives.  Guide us today, Lord, as we walk the path of righteousness. We trust you to take care of tomorrow and our food and our clothes and our well beings. In Jesus’ name, Amen!  

I enjoy, enjoy being with friends, talking about life, easy or hard, dull or fun, I enjoyed.

I am still waiting, a little desperate, a little uncertain, yet I have to be waiting.

I dreamed, dreamed about many people, people who I know, love and care about.

I don’t know when I can talk with you.

I hate it. I hate it I have no idea how I am supposed to answer you.

I sorrow, sorrow for our vague relatedness.

father, I wish we could understand each other.

father, I wish I could know you.

I don’t know, hearing your voice, I heard strangeness, indifferences.

I am wondering, I am wondering.

I don’t have full conviction that … love.

I don’t feel like hurting you ever.

I wish the wall will be broken.