Mom

She was a doctor's daughter. Had a privileged life, married a minister, raised four children, had a fairly tough life. Fragile physically and hurt emotionally.

Mom is beautiful, intelligent, spiritual, honest and dedicated. But she is also a little wounded, bitter, fragile and stubborn.

She taught piano. She painted. She did yoga and chi-gong. All she wants is peace.

Remember her cooking live eel, trying to steaming it by placing in a pot, but the eel escaped, fell to the floor and she chased it through the kitchen.

Remember my brother and I getting caught picking up leftover watermelon from the garbage can.

Remember thermometer incident. She was teaching piano.

Remember moving to new home, sister discover an old scrapbook filled with mom's exercise drawings from high school.


Her hands:

Remember her playing Chopin nocturne late at night.

Remember her painting chinese and water color. Practicing strokes faithfully.

Remember her washing washing board to wash clothes.

Remember cutting vegetables and cooking. the smell filling the house makes me feel loved and secure. (home)

Remember her making eggrolls at the restaurant.  Washing dishes. Cleaning. Hair pulled back. fatigue on her face. (restaurant)

Remember her hands massaging her shoulders, holding accupuncture magnets to ease her pain. Heating pad on her back, always taking a nap trying to recover.

Remember her complaining of pain of hand and wrist from her job as data processor, typing on the keyboard all day long.

Remember her gardening, planting and pruning. But now she has not even one plant.

The best way I can thank her is to be totally obedient, talk and visit her frequently and pray for her constantly.

I can never make up (no sons nor daughters can) make up for the huge chunk of life she sacrificed for me. Because of her I am who I am today good or bad, and I am eternally grateful, and will do anything for her.

一人犯罪, 全家受罰

聽 Charlene 說在主日學，因為她問了為什麼神因一人的罪要懲罰整家人，興起了熱烈的討論. 神如是愛, 那自然的如果一個人得救全家人也得救，是合情合理的.但是為什麼要懲罰無辜的家人呢?

神的公義不會讓有罪的逃過審判, 也不會讓無辜的傷害沒得補全. 但祂更是愛我們的神, 祂願意犧牲自己而解救我們. 只要我們從舊約與新約兩個盟約觀點來看這個以家作單位的意義, 神的旨意就很清楚.

家的代表就是我們與神的關係. 因神是完美聖潔的, 所以我們也必須完美聖潔才能與神合而為一. 以神的標準, 就算我們九項遵守(家), 而只一項(一人)不成 (罪:射偏), 就全都不能親近祂 (死的懲罰). 而從恩的盟約, 只因虔誠的信(一人)全部的罪(家)都被赦免(接受得救). 這是小範圍的解釋. 大範圍的可在羅馬書 5章19節找到:
Romans 5:19 因一人的悖逆、眾人成為罪人、照樣、因一 人的順從、眾人也成為義了。 
因亞當一人的罪, 他後代每一人都有罪, 因罪的生命由他而入; 但是神要救贖我們, 讓我們從耶穌的犧牲, 祂為一完美羔羊的寶血裡得到新生命, 永遠的生命. 罪沒有逃過, 罪已經在耶穌血淋淋的身體上受懲罰了!

這就是神在 "一人犯罪, 全家受罰" 和 "一人得救, 全家得救" 的精神與教導我們的認知; 要我們把生命交給耶穌在十字架達成的救恩, 而不是由不能完全的順服使自己和一家得救.

James

赦免他們

耶 穌 說 、 父 啊 、 赦 免 他 們 ． 因 為 他 們 所 作 的 、 他 們 不 曉 得 。" 路加: 23:34

如今,我們所作的,說的,我們曉得嗎? 安心，因為耶穌還是說，"父啊，赦免他們。"

他們是誰? 是你? 是我? 是特選的人? 是懺悔的人? ...還是出賣耶穌的,謀殺耶穌的,不信耶穌的,也有份?

Amen

Garden of Gethesmane

I would like to share something just learned that reveals more the love of Jesus Christ. The word "Gethesmane" in Hebrew means "olive press." In order to extract the precious oil from the olives, it needs to be crushed and pressed to release the essence.

According to Jewish custom, there are three pressings that produce oil for different purposes: The first press is for lighting, the second medicine and third for soap. Our Lord is like the virgin olive, perfect and blameless, harvested at the garden of olive, he being the first fruit of God's love, and first crushed to bring light to our dark world. He is then led to the scourging post where His back was lashed open to bring us healing. Finally, Jesus was nailed to the cross so that all our sins are washed clean.

Throughout the Bible, grain, wine and oil are often mentioned together, each need to be crushed and processed tortuously in order to produce benefit for us. They demonstrate God's great love for us that we are not forgiven temporarily by mere decree, but redeemed completely and made righteous forever by the giving of Himself, is pleased to crush His own arm, and paid every legal demand justice required.

On the cross, Jesus was crushed completely, pressed dry and abandoned by God. He took our every sin upon His bloodied frame and became the condemned serpent. The resurrected life that flowed out is like new oil out of Gethesmane, full of His love that lights our way, heals our body and spirit, and washes clean our soul. He is the tree of life, the fruit of love, given in grace...let us receive in faith and praise. Amen

James

彼拉多惡不可赦? / 零分基督徒

Hi...

Your response about Pilate included a copied text about two-types of Christian (see below).

雖然作者提了兩種 基督徒 (六十分, 一百分), 他只針對第一種的做警告, 動機如何他解釋的很清楚. 但是他與(我相信)大部份信徒會對那做很多，但總覺不夠的給予同情, 而甚至有一點欽佩他那謙卑努力的精神. 如有忠告，大致就是提醒他神的喜悅而不要太自責. (我不認同, 因一個虧欠的心帶來的不安，會讓信者離神更遠.)

從我對恩典的理解, 這是世俗的看法，而不是神的旨意. 在祂的眼裏, 只要是算分數的都不及格,不管做的再多或為誰而做. 因耶穌在十字架上已經替我們做了全部了, 我們做什麼都數零分. 只要有 "夠或不夠" 的意念就屬要賺取值得神恩典祝福的動機.

神要我們結果的重點不在果子, 而是從結果上來連接著我們的心, 我們的信. 一顆完全死於耶穌新生命的心自然就會結聖果. 被愛充滿的越多就越如耶穌, 因祂活在我們的心, 改造了我們的心. 真心的感受到那無瑕疵的全愛，就不再憂心做多做少, 夠或不夠, 因他心中只有耶穌毫無自我, 就充滿而流出耶穌的淚耶穌的血, 造福他人, 榮耀神.

如此, 讓我們只仰慕著耶穌而不再衡量自己或他人, 因為只有祂認識我們的心. 而心果不在於我們的認真努力, 乃是在信. 然這信仰的能源並不在我們的盡心、盡性、盡力、盡意愛神, 而是隨時被感動耶穌在十字架上，最真情流露出神對祂兒女盡心、盡性、盡力、盡意的愛! Halleluia!

James

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在繼續講彼拉多之前，我要先提兩種人。
不管是觀察自己，還是觀察別人，我們都很容易發現這兩種情形：


1. 六十分基督徒（明明做得很不夠，卻以為自己已經非常盡本分了）
這種人，明明就做得很差、很多責任都沒認真盡、事情都沒認真做，偏偏卻自我形象良好，標準非常低，動輒就認為自己做事就算沒一百分起碼也有九十分，認為自己已經非常盡本分，只是別人要求太高而已。
對他們而言，六十分就算不是完美，也是非常足以令人滿意。
在他們心中，別人眼中的六十分，已經是他們自己眼中一百分的感覺。
他們永遠是樂天派，天天都過得很快樂，反正永遠都覺得自己做得很夠很好。
而事實上，抱持這種心態的基督徒，他們真正的行為常常更慘，常常是連六十分都沒有，只有二三十分而已。


2. 一百分基督徒（明明已經做得很好，但卻一直有做不好的罪惡感）
這種人剛好和第一種相反，這類基督徒是完美主義者，做事絕對很認真很努力，標準也絕對用很高的標準來要求。
即使已經做到別人眼中的九十幾分了，事實上，可能也確實做到上帝眼中的九十幾分了，但是，他們不僅不滿意，而且還非常有罪惡感，覺得自己沒做到一百分，就是不夠好，會讓上帝生氣。
對這些人而言，別人眼中的九十分，卻是他們自己眼中的不及格。
他們永遠都是悲觀派，天天都活在恐懼裡，永遠都怕自己因為差那一分，就惹上帝生氣，甚至被上帝丟掉。