二○二一年十月三十日／三十一日
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「八號颱風」有話說
程續戰牧師
我們最近曾在五日內經歷了兩次八號颱風，風暴來得急，很多事情無法如常運作，這令我想起去年同樣在 10 月 13 日襲港的八號風球「浪卡」，在那一天，我與主、與同伴一起走過了一段奇妙的旅程。
去年10月14日是教牧同工營，我被邀請帶領同工們一起作「彼此認罪」的屬靈操練。我本打算在之前一天回教會作最後的預備，但八號風球突然造訪，而我所需要使用的兩本參考書卻都留在教會裡，我心裡頓時感到很徬徨和慌張。人生的風暴有時會像颱風突襲，來得令人措手不及，我於是立刻向主發出緊急的呼喚：「主啊！救我！為我預備參考書！」
在風暴中，天父讓我知道我需要主，同時也需要弟兄姊妹的扶持，主不想我孤單獨行。我聯絡了一位姊妹，她有很多藏書，卻可惜沒有我要的那兩本，她提議即時為我在網上訂購，我心裡感動但卻不敢勞煩她。我無意中想起另一位姊妹，在沒有太大期望下，我詢問那姊妹有沒有我需要的書，她感受到我的焦急，馬上為我找……然後，她說：「你很久之前遺漏了一本書在我家裡，就是你需要的其中一本書。」我當下不禁汗毛直豎，不敢相信主的安排是如此奇妙！姊妹用手機拍下我需要的幾頁，傳送給我。
但我還需要另一本叫做 Life Together 的書，神學院老師推介給我時，只提供了這書的英文名稱，我並不知道中文的書名。正當我仍在躊躇的時候，心裡突然出現一道聲音：「Life Together 的中譯本會否就是《團契生活》？」我翻開手上的《團契生活》，一看，正正就是 Life Together。我登時愣了一愣，不敢相信自己的眼睛，我一路要找的書，原來一直在我這裡。感謝恩主和我的同伴與我同憂同喜。
在人生的風暴中，我們需要神，同時也需要弟兄姊妹的同行同禱，需要與他們一起經歷主耶穌是平靜風暴的主（可四 37-39）。求主賜我們渴想與神、與人進深相連的恩惠，讓我們在每個順逆的日子中，一起體驗主給我們的應許——只管坦然無懼地來到施恩的寶座前，好讓我們可以得著憐憫，尋見恩惠，作為適時的幫助（來四 16）。
主平靜了外面的風暴，也平靜了我內心的動盪，當「浪卡」遠離香港之際，我已預備好了「彼此認罪」的屬靈操練內容。
Pastor's Sharing "Typhoon Signal No. 8" Has This to Say
Rev Jenny Ching
Recently, we experienced typhoon signal no. 8 twice over a span of five days. The typhoons moved fast and many aspects of life cannot operate as usual. This reminds me about another typhoon signal no. 8 last year – a storm named Nangka, which also hit Hong Kong on Oct 13. That day, the Lord, myself and my companions had a wonderful journey.
Oct 14 last year was the pastors' camp. I was invited to lead co-workers to practice the spiritual discipline of "mutual confession." I was planning to go back to church the previous day for preparation but the storm came all of a sudden. The two reference books I needed were both in the church, which made me worried and anxious. The storms in our lives are in a way like the passage of a typhoon. It catches us unprepared. At that time, I made an urgent call to God: "Lord! Help me! Please prepare reference books for me!"
In the storm, the Heavenly Father made me realize that I need the Lord and also the support from brothers and sisters. The Lord does not want me to walk alone. I contacted a sister who keeps a lot of books. But she did not have the two I needed. She offered to buy them for me online right away. I was touched but I would rather not bother her. Then I thought of another sister. Without much expectation, I asked her whether she had the books I needed. She could feel my anxiety, and quickly started searching… Then, she said, "Long ago, you left a book in my home. It is exactly one of the books you need." I literally had goosebumps at that moment and could hardly believe the Lord’s wondrous arrangements! The sister took photos of the pages that I needed with her mobile and sent them to me.
But I still needed another book called Life Together. When my seminary teacher recommended it to me, he only provided the title in English and I did not know the Chinese name of the book. Just as I hesitated, a voice appeared in my heart: "Would 團契生活 be the Chinese translation of Life Together?” I opened the book 團契生活 I was holding in my hands and found that it was indeed Life Together. I was a bit shocked. I could not believe my eyes. The book I was looking for was actually always with me. Thanks be to our gracious God and my companions who share my joys and sorrows.In the storms in life, we need God. We also need brothers and sisters to walk and pray with us. We need to experience with them that the Lord Jesus is the one who calms the storm (Mark 4:37-39). May God give us the grace of the yearning for a deeper connection with Him and with man so that whether in good times or bad, we can experience together the promise of God: "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
The Lord calmed the storm outside. He also calmed my inner storm. When Nangka left Hong Kong, I had finished preparing the content of the spiritual practice of "mutual confession."
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