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January 2007
I was captivated by the caption on the front page of Time Magazine earlier last month: “Why we worry about the wrong things”. I thought it was an intriguing article. It showed how Americans were displacing their priorities. In the article, it provides for us some of the comparisons. For example, it reads, “We agonize over avian flu, which to date has killed precisely no one in the U.S., but have to be cajoled into getting vaccinated for the common flu, which contributes to the deaths of 36,000 Americans each year. . . Shoppers still look askance at a bag of spinach for fear of E. Coli bacteria while filling their carts with fat-sodden French fries and salt-crushed nachos.” Risk taking is part of human’s behavior. Everyone knows the real danger of smoking, yet there are still 20% of adults who still smoke, and I think the number is not any lower for teenagers. This article explains this strange phenomenon in term of The Emotional Brian that reacts to danger—to fight or to flight.
To say the least, I think human’s mind is complicated and difficult to analyze. Some people like to take risks while others are paranoid if anything is out of the ordinary. People look at “Risk” and “Fear” very differently, and will respond according to their temperament. The title of this article, “Why we worry about the wrong things” led me to think that many people do have their priorities switched. When priorities are displaced, they will eventually bring more harm than good. When we pursue instant pleasures and ignore their consequences, we will certainly reap disaster.
When you read this newsletter, 2006 was part of your history. If you had a good year, you can savor fond memories, and build on your successes. If you had a bad year, you need to know that you can’t “forget” the past, but you can replace the bad memories with good ones. Learn to erase mistakes by improving yourself.
2007 is ahead of us. Anytime we face “tomorrow”, there is a certain mystery that goes with the unforeseen future. There are always certain risks we have to take. Unless we have set a proper priority, we may worry about the wrong things for the wrong reason. What do you think is your top priority in life at this moment? This is a soul-searching question you want to spend some time thinking. Is it your career? Your family? Your relationships? Your God? Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is definitely the priority we should consider.
Before I sign off, I wish all of you a successful year in 2007. I would also like to encourage you to build stronger relationships with God and your family because that will determine your well-being. Happy New Year!
Pastor Larry
在上個月初，我被時代雜誌的封面標題「為什麼我們會為不正確的事情而憂慮呢？」所吸引。我想它是一篇引起人興趣的文章，它顯示美國人如何轉移他們的優先次序。在文章當中，它提出一些比較。例如，它這樣寫「雖然時至今日禽流感仍未有令到在美國本土有任何人死亡，但我們卻已為之而感到困擾，卻要被哄騙才去注射普通流感疫苗，因每年則有三萬六千的美國人因流感而死亡……….購物者仍然因為懼怕E. Coil細菌而不敢在那些袋裝菠菜多看一眼；但他們的購物車卻裝滿浸透肥油的〝薯條〞和那些咸脆〝玉米片〞。」冒險是人的天性一部份，每一個人都知道吸煙的真正害處，但仍然有百分之二十的成年人在吸煙，而我想青少年的數字亦不下此數。這文章以〝情緒腦袋〞對危險的反應─面對或逃跑來解釋這種奇怪的現象。
退一步說，我想人的思想是複雜和難以分析的。有些人是喜歡冒險，而有些人在事情超越正常的時候就會變成〝恐懼狂〞。人們看〝冒險〞和〝害怕〞是很不同的，他們會因著自己的性情而作出反應。 這文章的題目「為什麼我們會為不正確的事情而憂慮呢？」引至我想很多人實在是將他們的優先次序掉亂了。當優先次序被掉亂之後，他們最終只會帶來傷害多於好處。當我們追求短暫快樂而不顧後果的時候，我們一定會招來災禍。
當你閱讀這通訊的時候，2006年已經成為你歷史的一部份。如果你渡過了好的一年，你可以享受美好的回憶，和建立你的成就；如果你的一年過得不如理想，你要知道你不能〝忘記〞過去，但你可以用好的回憶來代替不好的，學習以改進自己來抖正錯誤。
2007年在我們的面前，每當我們面對〝明天〞的時候，在未知的將來中都會有一定程度的神秘感，也有一定程度的冒險要面對。除非我們已經正確的將優先次序定好，否則，我們就會為不正確的事情而憂慮。在此刻，你認為在你生命中最重要的是什麼呢？這是一個你要化一點時間去思想的自我反省問題。是你的事業嗎？你的家庭？你的神？主耶穌說：「你們要先求祂的國和祂的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。」這實在是我們最優先要考慮的。
在我擱筆以先，我期望你們都有一個成功的2007年。我亦鼓勵你們與神和你的家庭建立更好的關係，因為這是決定你幸福與否的因素。新年快樂！
唐若愚牧師
Past Issues
January 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
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November 2007
December 2007
January 2006
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March 2006
April 2006
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June 2006
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August 2006
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August 2001
[reference September 2001]
September 2001
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