【译文】 

什么让您着迷呢？有时候最简单的东西可以让人神魂颠倒，不是吗？比如，我喜欢观察蜘蛛网，我觉得它们真的很棒。日常生活中，有许多像蜘蛛网那样不经意的东西，令人惊叹着迷。您有没有想过，阴影的的确确存在，但是，它却没有任何实体。在合适的地点、合适的时间，阴影是把光线阻挡住的实体的准确显现。阴影会随着光源位置的不同，在长度和宽度上产生变形。例如，当太阳在天空中低垂时，阴影又长又瘦。此外，阴影也会随着被投射到的物体形状而产生变形，像楼梯、墙与地面连接处、树干等。阴影不是真实的东西，它只是赋予阴影形状的实体的一种表现。

神 圣灵藉着神的话在您的生命中激励您。今天的圣经章节摘自于【歌罗西书】第二章第13-17节：“你们从前在过犯和未受割礼的肉体中死了，神赦免了你们一切过犯，便叫你们与基督一同活过来；又涂抹了在律例上所写、攻击我们、有碍于我们的字据，把它撤去，钉在十字架上。既将一切执政的、掌权的掳来，明显给众人看，就仗着十字架夸胜。所以，不拘在饮食上，或节期、月朔、安息日都不可让人论断你们。这些原是后事的影儿；那形体却是基督。”

休憩之时，愿神的保守和恩惠伴随您安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

What fascinates you? Isn’t it true that sometimes the simplest things can be very fascinating? For instance, I like looking at spider’s webs because I think they’re amazing. Like a spider’s web there are amazing and fascinating everyday things that you probably don’t think about. How about a shadow? Have you ever thought that a shadow exists, but that it doesn’t have any substance? In the right place, at the right time, a shadow’s an accurate representation of an object blocking out light. Now it can be distorted in length and width depending on where the light source is located. For instance, when the sun’s low in the sky, a shadow’s long and skinny. It’s also distorted by the object onto which it’s cast, i.e. stairs, wall joining a floor, the trunk of a tree. A shadow isn’t the real thing, but simply a representation of a reality that gives the shadow its shape.

God the Holy Spirit has a lot to inspire you with. As you meditate on the Scripture section from Colossians 2:13-17, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.”

God keep you and be gracious to you as you rest. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

耶稣的名字有许多头衔， “主” 是最常用的一种。虽然我们在日常生活中很少使用这个词，但我们都非常熟悉另一个词： “老板” 。这基本上就是 “主” 的意思：拥有权威、权力和控制权的人……就像老板一样。但 “主” 比老板拥有更多的权威、权力和控制权……它实际上是对您生死的权威、权力和控制。圣经将耶稣描述为教会的元首、万物的统治者、万主之主和万王之王。耶稣掌管范围的长度、宽度、高度和深度涵盖了天上、地上、全地、以及全人类所发生的一切，从始至终。没有人（甚至那些否认他存在的人）可以脱离他的管辖或超出他的权力范围。即使死亡也不能将任何人从耶稣的权柄中解脱出来，因为他是生者和死者的主。

圣灵藉着神的话在您的生命中服事您。今天的圣经章节摘自于【腓立比书】第二章第9-11节：“所以，神将他升为至高，又赐给他那超乎万名之上的名，叫一切在天上的、地上的、和地底下的，因耶稣的名无不屈膝，无不口称 ‘耶稣基督为主’ ，使荣耀归与神。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，您的主与您永远同在，绝不背弃您。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

There are various titles attached to Jesus’ name, “Lord” is the one most frequently used. Although we rarely use this term in our daily lives, we’re all quite familiar with another word: “Boss.” That’s basically what “Lord” means: one possessing authority, power, and control … like a boss. But it’s more authority, power, and control than a boss has … it’s literally the authority, power, and control of your life or death. The Bible describes Jesus as the head of the church, the ruler over all creation, and the Lord of lords and King of kings. The length and width and height and depth of Jesus’ reign covers everything that happens in heaven and on the earth, everywhere, to everyone, through all time. No one (not even those who deny his existence) can be free of his rule or outside his sphere of authority. Even death can’t release anyone from the authority of Jesus, because he’s Lord of both the living and the dead.

The Scripture section is Philippians 2:9-11. The Holy Spirit is with you to apply it’s truth to your life. “Therefore, God elevated him [Jesus] to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Your Lord is for you, not against you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

【译文】 

与令人敬畏的浩瀚夜空、波澜起伏的茫茫大海、峰峦雄伟的落基山脉相比，我们会感到自己是多么的渺小，我想，这种油然而生的感觉应该是人类共有的经历。有谁不会被婴孩出生的那一瞬间所震撼呢？类似这样的体验，揭示了我们内心某种难以用言语描述的渴望……然而，人们渴望的是一种比“你是谁”或者“你在哪里”更重要的东西。这种神圣的“异类”感觉告诉我们 “这一切的背后有那么一位，有一位造物主。” 毫无疑问，有些人对此有异议，他们会说：”嗯，这种感觉可以有不同的解释……没有什么造物主。“ 但是，如果仔细想想，在那些时刻，他们选择漠视自己正在经历的合乎情理的感受和体验。每一位有过这种经历的人，都必须决定是否有造物主。而那些寻求造物主的人会发现，受造之物表明造物主的存在……所有这一切绝非偶然。

神 圣灵对您了然于胸，藉着神的话开启您的心思意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【希伯来书】第十一章第1-3节：“信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据。古人在这信上得了美好的证据。我们因着信，就知道诸世界是藉神的话造成的；这样，所看见的，并不是从显然之物造出来的。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，那造物主与您同在，永不离弃您。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

I suspect it’s a common human experience of being in places and times when you have an overwhelming sense of your smallness when compared with the awesome vastness of the night sky; the world’s oceans; the Coastal or Rocky Mountains. Who isn’t impressed when you witness the birth of a baby? There’s something about these and many other experiences that reveal a longing within you that’s difficult to pin down or describe … but there’s a longing for something bigger than who you are or where you are. It’s this sense of holy “otherness” that says, “There’s someone behind all this. There’s a Creator.” To be sure there are some people that’ll deny these thoughts and say, “Well, that feeling can be explained by other explanations … there is no Creator.” But if you think about it, in those moments they’re making a choice to ignore what they’re very legitimately feeling and experiencing. Everyone who has had this kind of experience has to decide if either there is a Creator or not and those who look for it discover that creation points to evidence that there is a Creator … that all of this isn’t just a result of chance.

God the Holy Spirit knows all about you and will speak to your heart with the Scripture section. It’s from Hebrews 11:1-3, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

God your Creator is for you, not against you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

在您的成长过程中，您得到过怎样的管教呢？希望不是严苛、而是充满爱的管教方式。然而，现实是，做为成年人，如果您有意选择没有约束的生活，或者，出于某种原因，您并不真正明白自己的所作所为究竟错在哪里，那么，您注定将自食其果。后果是您每天要去经历的，并且，我认为，我们骨子里知道后果是怎么回事。艾萨克 · 牛顿爵士用物理学理论来如此解说后果：“每一个作用力，都有一个大小相等、方向相反的反作用力。“当然，牛顿是在谈论我们周围的物理世界，但以此类推，适用于物理世界的原理也适用于精神和道德世界。您所做的决定和所做的事情都会产生后果，如果您对此不以为然，那么您该明白您的生命近乎毫无意义，因为，后果赋予意义。

圣灵藉着神的话开启您的心思意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【罗马书】第一章第18-20节：“原来，神的忿怒，从天上显明在一切不虔不义的人身上，就是那些行不义阻挡真理的人。神的事情，人所能知道的，原显明在人心里，因为神已经给他们显明。自从造天地以来，神的永能和神性是明明可知的，虽是眼不能见，但藉着所造之物就可以晓得，叫人无可推诿。”

休憩之时，愿神的爱、怜悯、恩慈、和宽恕伴随您安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

How were you disciplined when you were growing up? Hopefully it wasn’t harsh, but loving. As an adult, however, the reality is if you intentionally choose to live without discipline, or if for some reason you don’t really understand how what you’re doing is wrong, there will be consequences to your decisions. Consequences! Consequences are what you experience every day and they’re something that I think we understand intrinsically and at a very deep level. Sir Isaac Newton put it this way in the realm of Physics, “For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction.” Of course Newton was talking about the physical world around us, but by analogy what’s true in the physical world is also true in the spiritual and moral world. You get consequences to the decisions you make and the things you do and if you don’t think that, then you understand that your life is approaching meaninglessness, because consequences bring meaning.

The Holy Spirit will minister in your heart as you meditate on the Scripture section. It’s from Romans 1:18-20, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

God’s full of love and mercy and grace and forgiveness for you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

几年前，“英国达人秀”节目中，在两个不同的赛季，有两名选手在众参赛者中脱颖而出。他们是保罗 波茨和苏珊 博伊尔。他们备受关注，不仅仅是因其所展示的惊人天赋，还因为他们 “其貌不扬” 。他们成了网络红人！在深层次上，他们代表了我们喜欢的关于弱势群体的故事，一个其貌不扬的人，出其不意地做出一些事情，超出我们以貌取人对他们的判断。我们喜欢他们，因为他们是现实版的梦想成真的童话或寓言，即 “丑小鸭” 。那么，我想问，如果您是神，决定投身为人，您会想投身为怎样的人呢？我们的梦想常常与财富、美貌、健康、良好的人脉和舒适度有关。但是，当神真正降世为人于这个星球上时，人们谈论他说：“他无佳形美容，我们看见他的时候，也无美貌使我们羡慕他。” 神道成肉身时，没有引人注目的颜值或财富…他是凡人，如同你我。

神 圣灵与您同在，藉着神的话语服事您。今天的圣经章节摘自于【以赛亚书】第五十三章第2-6节：”他在耶和华面前生长如嫩芽，像根出于干地。他无佳形美容；我们看见他的时候，也无美貌使我们羡慕他。他被藐视，被人厌弃；多受痛苦，常经忧患。他被藐视，好像被人掩面不看的一样；我们也不尊重他。他诚然担当我们的忧患，背负我们的痛苦；我们却以为他受责罚，被神击打苦待了。哪知他为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。因他受的刑罚，我们得平安；因他受的鞭伤，我们得医治。我们都如羊走迷；各人偏行己路；耶和华使我们众人得罪孽都归在他身上。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，耶稣是为您的罪而舍命的”神的羔羊”。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Years ago on a show called “Britain’s Got Talent,” on two different seasons, two individuals shone out among all the other contestants. They were Paul Potts and Susan Boyle. The reason they were noticed was because of the amazing talent they showed, but also because they were physically “unattractive.” They went viral! At a deep level, they represent the stories we love about the underdog, the homely person, who surprises everyone and does something way beyond what we judge them for because of what they look like. We love them because they’re a real life fairy tale or fable that’s come true, i.e. “The Ugly Duckling.” So let me ask, if you were God and decided to incarnate into your creation as a human, what kind of human would you incarnate as? Our dreams for ourselves often have to do with wealth, good looks, health, great relationships and comfort. But when God actually did incarnate on this planet, it was said of him, “There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him,” (Isaiah 53:2). When God incarnated as human, he wasn’t noticeable because of his good looks, or wealth … he was just a plain human being.

The Scripture section is Isaiah 53:2-6. God the Holy Spirit is with you to minister it to you. “My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”

Jesus is the “lamb of God” sacrificed for your sins. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

对于”耶稣是谁“，人们各持己见。时不时某位名人会提及耶稣的话题。这里，援引爱尔兰著名的摇滚乐队U2主唱博诺的话：”耶稣到处宣扬他是弥赛亚，这就是为什么他被钉十字架。他被钉十字架，因为他说自己是神的儿子。所以，在我看来，他要么是神的儿子，要么就是疯子。可是，我感到难以接受的是，2000年来，千千万万的人们，地球的一半，经历或者体会到他们的生命被一个疯子所感动和激励。我真的……无法相信。“博诺用简短的几句话概括了“耶稣是谁”的整个问题，这也是您应该思考和回答的问题。

圣灵藉着神的话语在您的生活中服事您。今天的圣经章节摘自于【马可福音】第二章第1-12节：”过了些日子，耶稣又进了迦百农。人听见他在房子里，就有许多人聚集，甚至连门前都没有空地，耶稣就对他们讲道。有人带着一个瘫子来见耶稣，是用四个人抬来的。因为人多，不得近前，就把耶稣所在的房子，拆了房顶，即拆通了，就把瘫子连所躺卧的褥子都缒下来。耶稣见他们的信心，就对瘫子说：’小子，你的罪赦了。‘有几个文士坐在那里，心里议论，说：‘这个人为什么这样说呢？他说僭妄的话了。除了神以外，谁能赦罪呢？’耶稣心中知道他们心里这样议论，就说：’你们心里为什么这样议论呢？或对瘫子说’你的罪赦了‘，或说’起来！拿你的褥子行走‘，哪一样容易呢？但要叫你们知道，人子在地上有赦罪的权柄。’就对瘫子说：‘我吩咐你，起来！拿你的褥子回家去吧。’那人就起来，立刻拿着褥子，当众人面前出去了，以致众人都惊奇，归荣耀与神，说：‘我们从来没有见过这样的事！’“

休憩之时，愿您明白，那良善的造物之主认识您、爱您。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

There are many people who have opinions about who Jesus is. Sometimes a famous celebrity says something about him. Here, rock star Bono of the group U2 is quoted as saying, “[Jesus] went around saying he was the Messiah. That’s why he was crucified. He was crucified because he said he was the Son of God. So, he either, in my view, was the Son of God or he was nuts. And I find it hard to accept that whole millions and millions of lives, half the Earth, for 2,000 years have been touched, have felt their lives touched and inspired by some nutter. I just … don’t believe it.” He’s able to put the whole question of who Jesus is in a few sentences. And it’s a question you need to consider and answer.

As you read the Scripture section, the Holy Spirit will apply it to your situation. It’s from Mark 2:1-12, “When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, ‘What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’ Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, ‘Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk”? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.’ Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’ And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before!’”

You’re known and loved by your Creator. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

您听说过耶稣是谁吗？在我的一生中，我与一些决定让我了解耶稣真相的人进行过几次对话，他们声称耶稣是一个伟人，但不是神……他也没有自称为神。有些伪基督教也有类似的说法。问题是，他们…在某种程度上…是对的。在福音书中，耶稣从没有说过”我是神“。但是，他说了许多关于他自己的事情，听到他的人当然明白他是在言之凿凿地宣称自己就是神。尽可能地透过”历史的“眼光来阅读圣经故事是非常重要的。受21世纪文化影响的我们，在阅读福音书故事时，应该尽力去了解福音书写作当初，作者所言或所记载的对最初的听者或读者要传讲的原始意义是什么？

圣灵藉着神的话开启您的心思意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【约翰福音】第十章第22-33节：“在耶路撒冷有修殿节，是冬天的时候。耶稣在殿里所罗门的廊下行走。犹太人围着他，说：‘你叫我们犹豫不定到几时呢？你若是基督，就明明地告诉我们。’耶稣回答说：‘我已经告诉你们，你们不信。我奉我父之名所行的事可以为我作见证。只是你们不信，因为你们不是我的羊。我的羊听我的声音，我也认识他们，他们也跟着我。我又赐给他们永生，他们永不灭亡，谁也不能从我手里把他们夺去。我父把羊赐给我，他比万有都大。谁也不能从我父手里把他们夺去。我与父原为一。’犹太人又拿起石头来要打他。耶稣对他们说：‘我从父显出许多善事给你们看，你们是为哪一件拿石头打我呢？’犹太人回答说：‘我们不是为善事拿石头打你，是为你说僭妄的话；又为你是个人，反将自己当作神。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，耶稣如此爱您，他为您的罪舍弃了自己的生命。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

What have you heard about who Jesus is? I’ve had a few conversations in my life with folk who’ve decided to set me straight about Jesus and they contend that Jesus was a great human being, but he wasn’t God … nor did he claim to be God. There are pseudo-Christian religions that say this kind of thing. The thing is they’re right … to a certain point. No where in the Gospels did Jesus utter the words, “I am God.” But he said many things about himself and the people who heard Him certainly understood he was making assertions that he is God. It’s very important to read the Bible stories through the “historical” eyes as much as possible. What’s the meaning of what this person said or wrote to the people who originally heard it or read it? We have 21st century culture that we read these stories with.

The Holy Spirit will minister into your heart as you read the Scripture section from John 10:22-33. It’s one of the times Jesus claimed to be God. “It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’ Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, ‘At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?’ They replied, ‘We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.’”

Jesus loves you so much he gave his life for your sins. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

在圣经关于创造的故事中，神委托亚当并且赋予其权力来给神造的所有动物命名。给物体取名带来一种掌控感。我曾经在《纽约时报》的一篇文章中读到这样一句话：”心理学家发现，控制情感的最佳策略之一就是给情感命名。“如果是这样的话，那么给大流行中突现的愤怒、羞耻、沮丧、和其它情绪命名并作说明，可能对我们管理我们的生活有帮助。我认为，这是神设计并赋予的策略，可以用来最终克服因为新冠病毒带来的问题。请恒切祷告，寻求神帮助您应对您的天然情绪并得以施展鸿图。

圣灵服侍您的心，您可以全然信靠祂。今天的圣洁章节摘自于【历代志上】第十六章第31-33节：“愿天欢喜，愿地快乐。愿人在列邦中说，耶和华作王了。愿海和其中所充满的澎拜。愿田和其中所有的都快乐。那时，林中的树木都要在耶和华面前欢呼，因为他来要审判全地。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，休息是神美好的礼物，因为您把生命全然交托在神的掌管之中。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

In the Biblical story of creation, God gives Adam the task and authority to name the animals God created. Naming something gives a sense of mastery over it. In a NY Times article I saw this sentence, “Psychologists find that one of the best strategies for managing emotions is to name them.” If that’s true, giving names and descriptions to things like anger, shame, frustration and other emotions that have popped up in the pandemic may help you to manage them in your life. I think this is a God designed and given strategy to eventually overcome the things you’re dealing with because of COVID. Prayerfully ask God to help you in dealing with your natural emotions and to get to the point where you’re able to thrive.

The Holy Spirit will minister in your heart and you can trust him. The Scripture section is 1 Chronicles 16:31-33, “Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth.”

Rest is a gift of trusting your life to God’s care. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

大约一周前，我分享了在脸书动态上读到的一篇文章。我对这篇文章感同身受，因为文章描述的正是我在大流行期间时不时有的切身体会。这种体会就是”煎熬“。我认为它非常恰当地描述了复杂情绪。我既没有”开心”，也没有“抑郁”。我却在备受“煎熬”，当然不是一直都这样，但是多到足以使我能够察觉到。每当我想到我所爱的人生活中发生的事情、对教会五个月没有聚会的担忧、还有那些正在悄然发生的变化，种种这些感受惟有”煎熬“能恰如其分地表述出来。我想，因着这个叙词，将来我可能会从不同的角度来阅读【诗篇】中的许多章节。

当您阅读神的话时，圣灵对您的心说话，并且将其应用到您的生活中。今天的圣经章节摘自于【历代志上】第十六章第34-36节：“应当称谢耶和华。因他本为善，他的慈爱永远长存。要说，拯救我们的神阿，求你救我们，聚集我们，使我们脱离外邦，我们好称赞你的圣名，以赞美你为夸胜。耶和华以色列的神，从亘古直到永远，是应当称颂的。众民都说，阿门。并且赞美耶和华。

休憩之时，愿主耶稣基督的恩惠，神的慈爱，圣灵的感动，常与您同在。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

About a week ago I shared an article I came across on my Facebook feed. It described what I have definitely felt for periods of time throughout the pandemic. It’s called “languishing.” I think this is a very appropriate description of complicated emotions. I’m not “up” and I’m not depressed. I’m “languishing,” Certainly not all the time, but enough that I notice it. Whenever I let myself think about what’s going on in the lives of people I love, the concern I have about a Church who hasn’t met together for 5 months, the changes that are occurring, the feeling I have is best described by the word “languishing.” And I think that with that descriptor, I may just read many of the Psalms in a different way in the future.

Read the Scripture section from 1 Chronicles 16:34-36 in anticipation the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and apply it to your life. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, ‘Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.’ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!”

May the grace of the Father, the love of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

在这次大流行的多数时候，我们无法像以前那样聚在一起敬拜。无论您是否同意这项决定，接受它颇具挑战。这也挑战了我们对于教会本质的假定：是建筑物吗？或是其它什么？教会是一群聚集在一起的人，目的是为了敬拜神、然后分散到社会和文化中去。我们聚集在一起唱歌和学习，神喜悦；但是，我们个人在日常生活中以心灵和诚实独自敬拜时，神也喜悦。

藉着今天的圣经章节【约翰福音】第四章第21-24节，圣灵将向您传讲祂的恩典：“耶稣说，妇人，你当信我，时候将到，你们拜父，也不在这山上，也不在耶路撒冷。你们所拜的，你们不知道。我们所拜的，我们知道。因为救恩是从犹太人出来的。时候将到，如今就是了，那真正拜父的，要用心灵和诚实拜他，因为父要这样的人拜他。神是个灵，所以拜他的，必须用心灵和诚实拜他。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，神满有怜悯和恩典，您可以全然在神里面安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

For the majority of this pandemic, we haven’t been able to meet together for worship as before. Whether you agree with that decision or not, it’s challenging to accept. But it also challenges our assumptions about the nature of the Church. Is it a building? Is it something else? The Church is a “people” gathered together for the purpose of worshipping God and then dispersing into the society and culture. God loves it when we’re gathering together and singing and learning, but he also loves it when we’re individuals who worship him in spirit and in truth in our day to day lives.

The Holy Spirit will minister his grace to you in this Scripture section from John 4:21-24, “Jesus replied, ‘Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’”

God is so full of mercy and grace toward you and you can confidently rest in him. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff