May 2008

First thing first: I like to acknowledge mistyping a word in the January’s Newsletter. I quoted an article from Mercury News about a drunk driver. I mistyped that Bill Cole is the husband of Sara, but instead should be ex-husband. I apologize for the error.

Pastor Larry

My wife and I went on vacation to Dallas, Texas for a week. It was a refreshing time for us to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of ministries. We really enjoyed the slower pace of life. During the week, we had a chance to reflect on our walk with the Lord, the way we do ministries, and affirming our calling as pastor and pastor-wife. We also had a chance to visit and worship in a striving “traditional” church. We spoke with the senior pastor, Charles Swindoll, very briefly, and I told him that I am one of his secret mentees, who really appreciate his authenticity and transparency. Truthfully, what makes Christians different from the rest of the world is our authenticity and transparency. This is particularly true for leaders of a church. Our laughs, our cries are all done in ways to show that we are normal people, even though we have been born again. Though our spirits are enlightened, yet we are still bounded by many of our daily struggles, and we suffer the limitations of having a depraved emotion and a fragile life.

Then we have to come back to face reality after a short week! Of course, it doesn’t take too long after we get back to turn up our gears to once again dive back to a much faster pace of life. I think most of you agree with me that Life can be stressful. It doesn’t matter at what stage of life you are in; you will still face many challenges. Therefore, it is best to learn some stress management strategies. If we can identify the stressors, which are things that produce stress, it may help us to enhance a manageable control over them. Counselors tell us that it is impossible to remove all the stressors. About the only thing we can do is to manage them. After years of struggling, I’m still learning. But one thing I experienced over and over again is that if I have a calm spirit, I can handle much more stress. Since I can’t control the number of stressors, therefore, I need to learn to handle my very own emotional state. How can we develop a calm spirit? It is by having a positive attitude, because negativism draws a lot of energies, and thereby eliminates what is in our “tank”. We also need to set our priorities. We often spend a lot of energies on the non-essentials, and leave us with not enough strength for the essentials. “Trim-line” our works and make them effective is helpful. Of course, ask for help and learn to say no also help. I think the most important element is learning to forgive—ourselves and others. Set ourselves free of any bitterness because having a bitter spirit certainly will crush our souls, and affect our outlook of life. Our mental and physical health is important to us.

Before I sign off, I like to mention that the Bible have already given us the best remedy. It says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) Therefore, develop a cheerful heart because God loves you. If you haven’t done so, pick up a bible and read the Word of God because in it, you will find treasures of Life.

Pastor Larry

首先我要更正在一月份的通訊所寫的錯誤。我從水星報錄取一段有關醉漢駕車的新聞。Bill Cole應該是受害者Sara的前夫，而不是她的丈夫。在此為這錯誤向各位致歉。

唐牧師

上 月師母與我去德州達拉斯市作一星期的渡假。能夠暫離繁忙的事工真令我們心曠神怡。我們都享受較為緩慢的生活節拍。在那星期中，我們有機會去反思與主同行的 境況、事奉的運作及再次肯定我們在南灣作牧師和師母的呼召。我們更有機會去拜訪一間前衛而又「保守」的教會，亦拜會了那教會的主任牧師Charles Swindoll。 我告訴他，我是他從未見過面的一個學生。我很欣賞這位長者的真誠與透明度。真的，一個基督徒與其他人不同的地方就是我們的真誠及透明度。作為教會領袖的就 更當如此。我們笑、哭是表明我們雖然是已獲重生得救，但仍然與其他人沒有兩樣。雖然我們的靈已被光照，然而我們每日仍然會都被生活的壓力所捆綁，亦會被低 落的情緒及脆弱的生命帶給我們多方面的限制。

可 惜光陰似箭，一個星期很快就過去了，我們又要再回到現實，要在很短時間內重投快速的生活節拍。我想你們都會同意生活是充滿壓力的。無論你是在人生那一個階 段，你都要面對很多挑戰。所以最理想的還是去學習一些如何處理壓力的技巧。如果我們可以知道哪些是「施壓」的事物，便可幫助我們去處理及控制它。心理輔導 專家告訴我們要除掉所有的施壓事物是不可能的。唯一可以做的就是盡力去處理它們。經過多年在這方面的掙扎，我現仍在學習當中。但我有一個常有的經歷，就是 如果我有一個寧靜的心靈的時候，我會能夠承受更多的壓力。既然我不能控制那些「施壓」事物的多寡，我就必須好好的去處理自己的情緒。我們如何去培養一個寧 靜的心靈呢？我們需要有一積極的態度，因為負面的人生實在消耗我們很多的精力，所以很容易會使我們油盡燈枯，以致筋疲力竭；我們亦需要定下先後優先次序。 很多時候我們花很多的精力去做一些次要的事情，而再無力去應付那必要做的事。精簡事情亦是上策。當然，求助及學習講「不」亦是方法之一。然而我認為最重要 的還是要學習饒恕，這包括自己及別人。將自己從怨毒中釋放出來，因為怨毒的靈會將人的心靈壓碎，以致影響我們對生命的展望。保持我們的心理及生理的健康都 非常重要。

收筆之前，我要提的是其實聖經早已給我們最好的靈丹。聖經說：「喜樂的心，乃是良藥；憂傷的靈，使骨枯乾」(箴言十七：22)。所以你要培養一顆喜樂的心，因為神愛你。如果你沒有讀神話語的習慣，請拿聖經來讀讀，因為在這書中你將會找到如何去經歷豐盛人生的珍藏。

唐若愚牧師