【译文】

您是否听过一些人谈论他们对未来的盼望，而这似乎只是现在遭受苦难和不满的原因？他们会说，“哦，总有一天都会实现的，一切都会很美好。”不幸的是，对于他们中的一些人，这种盼望并没有改变他们的现状。当然，对未来充满盼望没有什么不好，但是，现在的他们将痛苦不堪。这可不是耶稣跟随者的立场。我们确实期待着比我们现在拥有的更美好的东西……但是，神不希望我们可怜巴巴、满腹怨言地等待着它的来临。因为您的盼望是绝对确实的，所以神 圣灵要这种盼望从未来逆向作工，并展现在您现在的生活中。未来寄托在神身上的那种盼望，能够在此时此刻给您带来喜悦和平安。【罗马书】第十二章第12节告诉我们：“在指望中要喜乐。”

神 圣灵以其自有的方式藉着圣经给您的生活带来启发。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第六章第9-11节：“你们岂不知不义的人不能承受神的国吗？不要自欺。无论是淫乱的，拜偶像的，奸淫的，作娈童的，亲男色的，偷窃的，贪婪的，醉酒的，辱骂的，勒索的，都不能承受神的国。你们中间也有人从前是这样。但如今你们奉主耶稣基督的名，并借着我们神的灵，已经洗净，成圣称义了。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，无论您是怎样的人，神都爱您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Have you ever heard some people talking about their hopes for the future and all it seems to be is a reason for misery and discontent now? They’ll say something like, “Oh, one day it will all come together for me and it will be wonderful.” Unfortunately, for some of them, that hope doesn’t change their present. Sure they have a hope for the future and that’s good, but right now they’re going to be miserable. But that’s not the position of the follower of Jesus. We do look forward to something that’s far better than what we have here … but God doesn’t want us to wait for it miserably, full of discontent. Because your hope is an absolute certainty, God the Holy Spirit wants that hope to work backward from your future and inform your life now … today. The hope you place in God for your future can stir up joy and peace now. Romans 12:12 tells us to, “Be joyful in hope.”

Know the God the Holy Spirit will inspire the Scripture section to you life in his way. It’s from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

God’s interested in everything about you and he loves you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

今天晚上，我想请大家为莉齐·麦考密克（Lizzie McCormick），就是戴夫（Dave）和艾丽西亚（Alicia）的小女儿向神献上特别的祷告。她染上了新冠病毒，本来一直康复顺利，直到周日晚，她开始咳嗽不止。这个还有其它一些症状让人有些担忧。请大家为她祷告，求神医治她。

在这一生中，如果痛苦或者失败伴随着您对耶稣的顺服，请不要急于自责，认为自己做了错误的选择… … 无论是此生还是神所应许的那将来的生命，请顺服并将结果交在神的手上。有一首圣歌对此有很好的描述：“当我见主耶稣，一切不徒然，当我见主基督，已胜试炼；一见主慈爱面，所有忧愁不见；故要勇敢奔跑，到见主面。”基督教信仰不是我们想要去抓住、毫无根基的空想，而是一种确实的、且能吸引我们的期待…..盼望占据着我们！圣经意义的盼望指的是：“基于确定性的充满信心的期待 – 它取决于神的确实应许”。在这场大流行中任何所遭遇的事情上，请您保持对神的盼望。

神 圣灵与您同在并且为您作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第三章第18-23节：“人不可自欺。你们中间若有人，在这世界自以为有智慧，倒不如变作愚拙，好成为有智慧的。因这世界的智慧，在神看是愚拙。如经上记着说，主叫有智慧的中了自己的诡计。又说，主知道智慧人的意念是虚妄的。所以无论谁，都不可拿人夸口。因为万有全是你们的。或保罗，或亚波罗，或叽法，或世界，或生，或死，或现今的事，或将来的事，全是你们的。并且你们是属基督的。基督又是属神的。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，那良善之神爱您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

This evening I’d like to ask you to pray for Lizzie McCormick, Dave and Alicia’s little girl. She’s had COVID and things were going well with it until Sunday night when she developed a cough. So there is some concern about this symptom and any others. Please pray God will heal her.

In this life, if suffering or failure follows your obedience to the way of Jesus, don’t be too quick to assume you’ve chosen wrongly … obey and leave the outcomes to God either in this life or the life he’s promised you that’s coming. These sentiments are described in the words of a hymn: “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus / Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ / One glimpse of his dear face all sorrow will erase / So bravely run the race till we see Christ.” Christian hope isn’t mere wishful thinking (without any foundation) that we’re clutching onto, but a sure expectation that actually takes hold of us … hope possesses us! Biblical hope is, “a confident expectation based on solid certainty — it rests on God’s sure promises.” Keep up your hope in God throughout everything that’s going on with this pandemic!

God the Holy Spirit is with you to minister to you through the Scripture section from 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, “Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, ‘He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.’ And again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.’ So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”

God keep you in his loving care as you rest. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

在我们玩的每场比赛中都有一种衡量取胜的方法。例如，在高尔夫比赛中，得分较低的赢得比赛；在足球比赛中，得分较高的则赢得比赛。棋盘游戏“大富翁”，则是依据积累的金钱和财产来判定输赢。在我们日常生活中，我们听到许多这样的评论和讨论，例如：＂我的薪水比您多吗？我比他应该得到更多，因为我更努力＂、＂工作时间更长＂、或者＂成果更多＂； ＂我的房子/车子/船/摩托车/假期比我邻居的更大、更棒吗？＂在生活的游戏中，必定也有一种衡量成功的方法，否则，您怎么知道您的生活是否有意义，或者，您做了些有意义的事情？但是，您真的认为耶稣会羡慕您的薪水、房子、车子、衣服、或者您所用以衡量成功的任何其它东西吗？我们终究想要取悦谁呢？

神赐给我们圣经是为了救赎、个人成长、鼓励、以及许多其它益处，圣灵将为此作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第二章第7-10节：＂我们讲的，乃是从前所隐藏的， 神奥秘的智慧，就是神在万世以前预定使我们得荣耀的。这智慧世上有权有位的人没有一个知道的。他们若知道，就不把荣耀的主钉在十字架上了。如经上所记，神为爱他的人所预备的，是眼睛未曾看见，耳朵未曾听见，人心也未曾想到的。只有神借着圣灵向我们显明了。因为圣灵参透万事，就是神深奥的事也参透了。＂

休憩之时，愿全能的神以爱环绕您，伴您安然入梦。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Isn’t it true that in every game we play we have to have a way of measuring success? For instance, a low score in golf wins and more goals in soccer/football wins. In the board game Monopoly you measure success by how much money and property you’ve accumulated. Around us what we hear a lot of comments and discussions like: “Is my paycheck bigger than yours?” “I deserve more than him because I work harder,” or “longer,” or “produce more”; “Is my house/car/boat/motorcycle, vacation bigger and grander than my neighbours?” In the game of life there has to be a way to measure success, doesn’t there? How else will you know whether your life has had meaning or that you’ve done worthwhile things? But do you really think Jesus is impressed with the size of your salary, house, car, your clothes or anything else that you grasp for as a way of measuring success? Who exactly are we ultimately trying to impress?

God’s given the Scriptures for salvation, personal growth, encouragement, and a lot of other benefits. The Holy Spirit will minister these as you read the Scripture section from 1 Corinthians 2:7-10, “No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’ But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.”

The omnipotent God has you in his loving care. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

妈妈们，母亲节快乐！

作为耶稣的跟随者，藉着神的恩典，我们已经与我们的造物主和救世主”形影相随“。信仰向我们展示并且告诉我们，我们之外的世界与神”格格不入“，并且，作为耶稣的跟随者，我们是外邦人、我们是客旅、我们是渴望回家的流亡者。跟随耶稣意味着，您要竭尽全力效仿耶稣，并藉着住在您里面的圣灵的力量，您将持久忍耐并且宽恕那些冒犯您的弟兄姊妹。因着圣灵活在您里面，您将展现出盼望、谦卑和温柔。您对外部事物做出的反应，会与尚未跟随耶稣时不一样，而是要让圣灵的果子成为您生活的标志，即：仁爱、喜乐、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、温柔、信实、节制。

神 圣灵尽己力用圣经里的话来激励您的生活。今天的圣经章节摘自于【哥林多前书】第一章第27-30节：”神却拣选了世上愚拙的，叫有智慧的羞愧。又拣选了世上软弱的，叫那强壮的羞愧。神也拣选了世上卑贱的，被人厌恶的，以及那无有的，为要废掉那有的。使一切有血气的，在神面前一个也不能自夸。但你们得在基督耶稣里，是本乎神，神又使他成为我们的智慧，公义，圣洁，救赎。“

休憩之时，愿您心定神凝，因为神从来不错过任何一件事，神爱您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms!

As followers of Jesus, by God’s grace, we have come “into synch” with our Creator and Saviour. Faith shows us and tells us that the rest of the world is “out of synch” with God and that as followers of Jesus we’re aliens, we’re sojourners， we’re exiles who long to go “home.” What following Jesus means is that you’re endeavouring to be like him and by the power of the Holy Spirit living within you, you’re going to be patient and forgive your sisters and brothers whenever you’ve been offended. You’re going to exhibit hope, humility and meekness because of the Holy Spirit living in you. You’re not going to react to external stuff the way you did when you weren’t following Jesus, but allow the Holy Spirit’s fruit to be what marks your life: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.

God the Holy Spirit will inspire the Scripture section to your life because that’s what he does. It’s from 1 Corinthians 1:27-30, “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.”

God doesn’t miss a thing and he loves you still so much! God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

在我的一生中，许多时间是在基督徒圈子里度过的。因此，我常常认为，我的想法以及周围其他人的交谈方式是很正常的。但是，当我与其他人交谈，或者阅读文章，或者收听电台节目、看电视时，我意识到我与人们通常的交谈方式和想法格格不入。作为耶稣的追随者，我们与世俗文化背道而驰……，不是因为我们刻意为之，而是因为我们效仿的是耶稣，这也是贯穿【新约圣经】的一个主题。例如，彼得提醒我们，我们这一生是”客旅，是寄居的“。许多人对这一点感同身受，作为移民，他们来自另一个国家，在新的栖息之地经受语言和文化的挑战。彼得想要表达的是，要跟随耶稣，就得与这个世界的”语言和文化“角力。

请敞开您的心怀，神 圣灵将带领您来阅读今天的圣经章节【哥林多前书】第一章第21-24节：”世人凭自己的智慧，既不认识神，神就乐意用人所当作愚拙的道理，拯救那些信的人。这就是神的智慧了。犹太人是要神迹，希利尼人是求智慧。我们却是传钉十字架的基督，在犹太人为绊脚石，在外邦人为愚拙。但在那蒙召的无论是犹太人，希利尼人，基督总为神的能力，神的智慧。“

休憩之时，愿您明白，智睿至极的神视您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Throughout my life, I’ve spent so much time in Christian circles that a temptation I have is to believe the way I think and the way others around me talk is what normal is. But then I talk with someone, or read an article, or listen to the radio or TV and I realize that I am out of synch with how people generally talk and think. As followers of Jesus, we’re going to be counter cultural … not because we’re seeking to be, but because we are following Jesus. And this perspective is a consistent theme throughout the New Testament. As an example Peter reminds us that in this life we’re, “temporary residents and foreigners.” There are many folk who can relate to that idea because they are immigrants from another country and are challenged by the language and culture of the new place they live. Peter’s point is that we’re going to wrestle with the “language and culture” of this world when we follow Jesus.

Open your heart to what God the Holy Spirit is going to minister through the Scripture section. It’s from 1 Corinthians 1:21-24, “Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Rest knowing the all-wise God loves you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

习惯是一种强迫性重复的行为，会给人的一生带来积极或者消极的影响。杰夫·希曼牧师写道：”有些人是工作的奴隶，有些人是嫉妒的奴隶，有些人是闲言碎语的奴隶，有些人是他人观点的奴隶“……这些都是同一种束缚的不同形式。习惯性行为常常会影响一个人的幸福感。有些习惯是好事，比如坚持锻炼；有些习惯则是坏事，比如吸烟或者吸毒。我们常常把这些习惯叫做“成瘾”（但是，显然，成瘾不仅仅是一个“习惯”而已！）通常一个不良习惯很难改，因为它是精神和情感上的奴役形式。作为耶稣的跟随者，我追崇的是“摆脱、免于”某物，而不是“受奴役于”某物。

当您冥思默想神的话时，圣灵将在您心里作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【历代志上】第十六章第28-30节：”民中的万族阿，你们要将荣耀能力归给耶和华，都归给耶和华。要将耶和华的名所当得的荣耀归给他，拿供物来奉到他面前。当以圣洁的妆饰敬拜耶和华。全地要在他面前战抖，世界也坚定不得动摇。“

休憩之时，愿神的慈爱伴您安然入睡。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

A habit is any activity that a person repeats compulsively that can have either positive or negative consequences to a person’s whole life. Pastor Jeff Seaman writes, “Some people are slaves to work, some people are slaves to jealousy, and some people are slaves to gossip, some people are slaves to people’s opinions” … different forms of the same bondage. Habitual activities usually affect a person’s well-being. For instance, some habits are good things to have, like consistent exercise. Some habits are bad things to have, like smoking or drugs. We often call those habits “addictions” (but obviously there’s often far more to an addiction than that it’s “just” a habit!). But a bad “habit” is often difficult to break and it’s form mental and emotional enslavement. As a follower of Jesus I’m about “freedom from” and not “slavery to” something.

The Holy Spirit will work in your heart to inspire you as you meditate on the Scripture section. It’s from 1 Chronicles 16:28-30, “O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.”

As you rest, be confident in God’s loving kindness. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

布伦内·布朗博士对羞辱进行了研究。她在TED演讲中说到：“羞辱带来两种感受，“永远不够好”和“你以为你是谁？”她还指出：“羞辱与成瘾、抑郁、暴力、侵犯、欺凌、自杀以及饮食失调有高度关联性。而愧疚则与上述因素有着相反的相互关系。”“羞辱的感受与性别无关，但是羞辱的表现方式则与性别有关。对女性而言，羞辱就是‘事无巨细，尽善尽美’ ，而且‘永远不要让别人看到你流汗。‘对男人而言，羞辱就是’懦弱‘”。论及羞辱和基督徒时，务必要小心，因为，提及人类的罪性可能会使人听起来好像我们自身就是错误。关乎人性的真相在于，当我们受造时，神就宣称我们是“好的”；可是，人在灵性上的“堕落”改变了一切。这意味着，我们是不可能凭借己力来拯救自己的。也许我们可以自我安慰地认为，我们“不配得”，但并非”不值得“。神的救恩就是每个人都可以进入”新造的天地“。

当您沉思默想神的话语时，圣灵将鼓励您并开启您的心思意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【历代志上】第十六章第23-27节：“全地都要向耶和华歌唱。天天传扬他的救恩，在列邦中述说他的荣耀，在万民中述说他的奇事。因耶和华为大，当受极大的赞美。他在万神之上，当受敬畏。外邦的神都属虚无，惟独耶和华创造诸天。有尊荣和威严在他面前，有能力和喜乐在他圣所。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，创造万物的神视您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

Dr. Brené Brown has done studies on shame. On TED Talks, she’s said, “Shame drives two big tapes: ‘Never good enough,’ and ‘Who do you think you are?’” “Shame is highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide and eating disorders. Guilt inversely correlated with those things.” “Shame feels the same for women and men, but shame is organized differently for gender. For women, shame is ‘do it all, do it perfectly’ and ‘never let them see you sweat.’ For men, shame is ‘weak.’” When it comes to shame and the Christian, it’s important to be careful because referring to human sinfulness can make it sound as if we ARE mistakes. The truth about humanity begins with our creation and God declared that we were “very good,” but things changed when humans “fell” spiritually. That means there’s nothing in us that we can do to save ourselves. It may be helpful to think of it this way: we’re “unworthy,” but not “worthless.” God’s salvation is for everyone to come into “new creation.”

The Scripture section is from 1 Chronicles 16:23-27. When you think about it, the Holy spirit will encourage you. “Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.”

Know that God your creator loves you. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

神把人类共有的基本情感写在了人的遗传密码中。人类有七种基本情绪，这些基本情绪与人的出生年代、地点、年龄、以及成长的环境或者方式无关。任何人，都会或多或少地表现出以下的某种情绪：愤怒、恐惧、厌恶、蔑视、喜悦、悲伤、惊奇。关于是否应该将羞愧列为其中，存在一些争议，因为科学研究观察到，骄傲和羞愧也很普遍。羞愧与个人和文化有关，世界上有许多文化是“以羞愧为本”的。在这种文化中，家庭或者群体的声誉优先于任何个体的权利。愧疚常常被误认为是羞愧，其实，两者有本质差别。当人们犯了错误时，会感到愧疚；而当人们觉得自己本身就是一个错误时，则会感到羞愧。羞愧犹如“巨人”，耶稣来就是要战胜您生命中的这个”巨人“。

圣灵即神，住在您心里，并且用圣经激励您的生活。今天的圣经章节摘自于【历代志上】第十六章第8-13节：“你们要称谢耶和华，求告他的名，在万民中传扬他的作为。要向他唱诗，歌颂，谈论他一切奇妙的作为。要以他的圣名夸耀。寻求耶和华的人，心中应当欢喜。要寻求耶和华与他的能力，时常寻求他的面。他仆人以色列的后裔，他所拣选雅各的子孙哪，你们要记念他奇妙的作为和他的奇事，并他口中的判语。”

休憩之时，愿您明白，没有什么受造物可以让神的爱与您隔绝。神祝福您。

上帝与你同在。上帝祝福你。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

God has wired universal emotional expressions into our genetic code. There are seven universally accepted emotions and it doesn’t matter where or when you were born in history, how old or young you are or how you were raised, if you’re human you’ll exhibit each of these emotions to some degree or another: anger, fear, disgust, contempt, joy, sadness and surprise. There’s some debate about whether shame ought to be added to that list or not because it’s been scientifically observed that gestures of pride and shame are also universal. Shame is individual and cultural because there are many cultures in the world that are “shame-based,” where the reputation of the family/community takes precedence over the rights of any individual. Often guilt is mistaken for shame and they’re different. Guilt is something you feel when you’ve MADE a mistake while shame is what you feel when you feel like you ARE a mistake. Shame is a “giant” Jesus came to overcome in your life.

The Holy Spirit is God and within you to inspire the Scripture section to your life. It’s from 1 Chronicles 16:8-13, “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.”

God is with you right now. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】

您一生中看到过多少次“日落”？这辈子，我已经活了22000多天，我敢说，看过的日落不下几千次。有些时候是特意去观赏日落，大多数的时候是不经意的。无论是有意还是无意，日落余晖总是让我惊叹驻足。五彩斑斓的云彩及天空，真可谓“落日熔金，暮云合璧”。日落和其它美好的事物是如何形成的，令人费解。如果您有心观赏，这些美好的事物会让您着迷。神也是这样。我们对神永远心向往之，且眠思梦想。

当您阅读神的话语时，请敞开心怀，让神 圣灵在您心里作工。今天的圣经章节摘自于【诗篇】第十九章第1-4节：“诸天述说神的荣耀，穹苍传扬他的手段。这日到那日发出言语。这夜到那夜传出知识。无言无语，也无声音可听。他的量带通遍天下，他的言语传到地极。神在其间为太阳安设帐幕。”

休憩之时，无所不能的神爱您，视您为眼中的瞳仁，愿您安睡在神的爱中。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

How many “sunsets” have you viewed in your life? In my life, I’ve lived over 22,000 days and I’m sure I’ve viewed several thousand sunsets. Sometimes it was intentional, but many of them were unintentional. The thing I’ve noticed is they almost always make me stop in wonder. They’re beautiful with their colours and clouds and surroundings. Isn’t it funny how that works with sunsets and other beautiful things? If you’re intentional, they’ll always amaze you. And it’s that way with God. You’ll never, ever get enough of him and he’ll always amaze you.

Be open to the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in your heart as you meditate on the Scripture section from Psalm 19:1-4, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”

Almighty God loves you and you can rest in his care. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff

【译文】 

在下班回家的路上，有一个人在一家杂货店停下来，为太太买些东西带回家。他漫不经心、毫无目标地在店里转悠着，寻找所需要的东西。就像在杂货店常常发生的那样，他几乎在每个过道都遇见同一位顾客。那是一位父亲，他的3岁儿子坐在购物车里，完全不合作。第一次擦肩而过时，3岁的男孩不厌其烦地要买巧克力棒。他听见父亲说：“好了，比利，不会太久的。”在下一个过道遇见时，他听见3岁孩子的哀求声提高了几个八度。倒是父亲小声地说：“比利，安静点，还有一分钟就搞定。”当他们在奶制品售区再次不期而遇时，孩子正在失控地大声尖叫。父亲依旧保持冷静，低声说：“比利，镇静，我们马上就走。”父亲和儿子刚好在他前面先到达收银处。父亲看起来丝毫没有失控。男孩哭叫着、踢着。父亲非常镇静，一遍又一遍地说：“比利，一会我们就上车，一切都会好的。”这个旁观者被震到了。付完款后，他赶紧赶上那位极富耐心和自制力的楷模，刚好又听见他说：“比利，好了，都完了。没事的。”他轻拍这位耐心的父亲的肩膀，说：“先生，我实在忍不住，一直在观察你是如何对待小比利的，你太厉害了。”这位父亲回答：“你没搞明白吧，我才是比利！”

神 圣灵通过圣经服侍您的心思意念。今天的圣经章节摘自于【提多书】第二章第1-3节：“但你所讲的，总要合乎那纯正的道理。劝老年人，要有节制，端庄，自守，在信心爱心忍耐上，都要纯全无疵。又劝老年妇人，举止行动要恭敬，不说谗言，不给酒作奴仆，用善道教训人。”

休憩之时，愿您知晓，良善的神视您如眼中的瞳仁。神祝福您。

亲切的问候，

杰夫牧师

【Original】

There was a guy who stopped in the grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a couple of items for his wife. He wandered around aimlessly for a while searching out the needed groceries. As is often the case in the grocery store, he kept passing this same shopper in almost every aisle. It was another dad trying to shop with a totally uncooperative three year old boy in the cart. The first time they passed, the three year old was asking over and over for a chocolate bar. He heard Dad say, “Now, Billy, this won’t take long.” As they passed in the next aisle, the three year old’s pleas had increased several octaves. Now Dad was quietly saying, “Billy, just calm down. We will be done in a minute.” When they passed near the dairy case, the kid was screaming uncontrollably. Dad was still keeping his cool. In a very low voice he was saying, “Billy, settle down. We are almost out of here.” The Dad and his son reached the checkout just ahead of our observer. He still gave no evidence of losing control. The boy was screaming and kicking. Dad was very calming saying over and over, “Billy, we will be in the car in just a minute and then everything will be OK.” The bystander was impressed beyond words. After paying for his groceries, he hurried to catch up with this amazing example of patience and self-control just in time to hear him say again, “Billy, we’re done. It’s going to be OK.” He tapped the patient father on the shoulder and said, “Sir, I couldn’t help but watch how you handled little Billy. You were amazing.” The dad replied, “You don’t get it, do you?” I’m Billy!

The Scripture section is Titus 2:1-3. God the Holy spirit will minister to your heart through it. “As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good.”

God loves you deeply. God bless you.

Kind regards,

Pastor Jeff