捨不得

為「點樣做好呢份工」系列的最後一堂敬拜預備的時候，
沒有覺得捨不得的感覺，
因為我知道接下來仍有數不盡的敬拜同樣要編排，
直到剛過去的週日終於來到系列的最後一堂了，
當我在敬拜中奏出最後一首歌「再遇祢」的前奏，
莫名的捨不得湧至，
强忍仍留在眼洭的眼淚，
叫我要用心的彈完那首詩歌。

回望這七星期裡，
感謝上帝給我不少美麗的回憶：
牧者在敬拜隊的教導…
牧者為敬拜隊開始新blog，並附上靈修資料…
與隊工一起參與編排敬拜流程…
與隊工一起奏出音樂敬拜上帝…
看見拍攝隊的勞苦…
看見很多很多新朋友的來臨…
看見有新朋友信主…
看見每次敬拜後牧者為很多新朋友和弟兄姊妹個別禱告…

我深信這些景象會繼續出現，
歌鄰人，繼續努力呀！

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.27 (II)

終於來到系列的最後一堂了，感覺如何？ 覺得自己成長了嘛？
不如來一個重溫：

Week 4: 延續學習弧線

“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.” (Jesus)

耶穌說：

"Are you tired?

Worn out?

Burned out on religion?

Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life.

I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

馬太褔音 11:28-30

你人生的 Overarching learning curve 是什麼？

今天的你和兩年前的你有什麼分別？

兩年後的你和今天的你比較會如何？

期望自己在那一方面進步？

Week 5: 營建支持網絡

你們當以基督耶穌的心為心。
他本有神的形像、不以自己與神同等為強奪的．
反倒虛己、取了奴僕的形像、成為人的樣式．
既有人的樣子、就自己卑微、存心順服、以至於死、且死在十字架上。
所以神將他升為至高、又賜給他那超乎萬名之上的名、
叫一切在天上的、地上的、和地底下的、因耶穌的名、無不屈膝、
無不口稱耶穌基督為主、使榮耀歸與父神。
腓利比書 2:5-11

你帶著什麼心態來為自己建立網絡呢？

歌鄰這網絡和你所認識的其他網絡分別在那裡？

Week 6: 辦公室政治

王的心在耶和華手中，好像隴溝的水，隨意流轉。(箴言 21:1)
我們曉得萬事都互相效力叫愛神的人得益處 (羅馬書 8:28)

你能夠安然地面對今天遇上的困難嗎？

你會越來越像耶穌嘛？

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.27 (I)

終於來到系列的最後一堂了，感覺如何？ 覺得自己成長了嘛？

不如來一個重溫：

Week 1: 我在這裡作什麼？

主耶穌說：「所以凡聽見我這話就去行的、好比一個聰明人、把房子蓋在磐石上。雨淋、水沖、風吹、撞著那房子、房子總不倒塌．因為根基立在磐石上。凡聽見我這話不去行的、好比一個無知的人、把房子蓋在沙土上。雨淋、水沖、風吹、撞著那房子、房子就倒塌了．並且倒塌得很大。」 太7:24-27

今天你人生的基石是什麼？

有把握抵擋雨淋、水沖、風吹嗎？

Week 2: 個人實力評估

所羅門王早年認識自己的限制 (limitation), 挑戰 (challenge), 業務 (business), 核心價值 (core values) 。卻因忽視自己的危機 (threat) ，行到人生的盡頭，聖經給他的結語是：

他不願全心順服交托上帝，以違背上帝心意的方式 (3:1-3；11:1-10) 去鞏固自己的國力，最終國家走下坡，自己的人生也失敗收場 (11:4，6)。

你有多了解自己呢？

在人生的盡頭，你最希望得到評價是什麼？

Week 3: 知識型經濟生涯

「凡勞苦擔重擔的人、可以到我這裡來、我就使你們得安息。我心裡柔和謙卑、你們當負我的軛、學我的樣式、這樣、你們心裡就必得享安息。因為我的軛是容易的、我的擔子是輕省的。」 太十一28-30

你渴望得安息嗎？

記得如何可以得安息嗎？

Handling Criticism

Handling Criticism

Contents come from Rory Noland's The Heart of the Artist (chapter 5)

The dangers of defensiveness

• It alienates us from others
• Defensiveness keeps us from the truth
• Defensiveness keeps us from being all we can be

Why it is difficult for artists to receive feedback

• To be vulnerable is a price every performer pays.
• Because art is such a personal thing, it’s difficult for us to separate ourselves from our work.
• Another reason we feel vulnerable is because we are constantly being evaluated.
• And it doesn’t help that critiquing the art is, more often than not, very subjective.

Responding to feedback

Be quick to listen
· Listen as a beloved child of God

Be slow to speak
· Our first response should not be a defensive one.
· Our first response should be to ask ourselves: Is any of this true?

Be discerning

Have a teachable spirit
· No matter what age you are, you always have something to learn

Learn how to fail graciously
· No one’s expecting perfection (except maybe us), so we don’t need to defend ourselves every time we fail.
· When we mess up, let’s swallow our pride, admit it, learn from it, and move on.

Giving feedback

• Give your overall impression first
• Try to say something positive
• Acknowledge effort and hard work
• Avoid hyperbole
• Avoid negative comparisons

心繫歌鄰

昨天晚上，
牧者如常的來到敬拜小組的練習中，
牧養我們更親近上帝，
他帶領我們用約二十分鐘去安靜自己，
當中發出一些問題讓我們安靜思想。

第一個問題：
「今天已是今個系列第六次練習，
還有多一次練習便到本系列的尾聲，
環顧這六次的事奉、敬拜或種種的經歷，
你第一件事想起甚麼或者你有甚麼感想？」

我以為自己第一會想起數星期的練習和敬拜，
而我的腦海中第一卻是浮現了一些新朋友的臉孔，
我的心很關心他們在這七次後還會否繼續參加歌鄰或信主？
因為他們願意進入教會已是一件不容易的事，
何況他們不只是來一次聚會，
而是來多次聚會，
我真盼望他們來歌鄰，
不是單單學會做好他的工作，
也能夠認識和經歷到我們的上帝。

我更關心第七次後歌鄰會怎樣，
人數會維持現狀？
還是會退回這系列前的人數？
雖然參與歌鄰不在乎人數，
這一刻我的心對歌鄰很著緊，
我卻真真實實地感受我真的是屬於歌鄰的一份子，
我心繫歌鄰 -- 一間建立基督身體的群體！
我深信上帝在掌管一切，
上帝的時間和上帝的祝福是最好的！

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.20 (II)

Thursday
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

• In what ways have you delighted in competition, rivalry, jealousy, winning, laughing at other people’s weaknesses?
• What serious effort have you put into community building recently?
• Name three significant efforts that you have put into building the fellowship of God’s people this year so far. How do you feel about your contributions?
• Making peace – is the identity and job description of the sons and daughters of God.

Friday
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

• Think about the faces and events (persecutions) that happen in your home/office everyday.
• Read this passage again
• How would a “blessed person” respond in those circumstances?
• In what ways can these persecutions “drives you deeper into God’s kingdom”?

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.20 (I)

八福的餘下四福

Tuesday
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

• Try to become more aware of God’s caring for you as you care for others
• Try to remember how God had cared for you the last time that you cared for others

Wednesday
"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

• We all have an inside world and an outside world.
• Isn’t it interesting how our inside world can be totally different from our inside world?
• Sometimes we put so much effort into maintaining our outward image (how we talk, how we behave, how we appear to others, and most commonly, how we perform) that we ignore our spiritual health, our spiritual wellbeing, that is, our relationship with God.
• Is there such a gap in you?
• When we single-mindedly focus on performance, we lose sight of the relationship that makes the performance meaningful.
• No wonder we can’t see God sometimes.
  

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.13 (II)

Friday, Saturday

Understand the Scripture behind what you sing: Let Your Glory Fall

Ruler of the nations

the world has yet to see

the full release of your promise

the church in victory

以弗所書 3:5-13
這奧祕在以前的世代、沒有叫人知道、像如今藉著聖靈啟示他的聖使徒和先知一樣．
這奧祕就是外邦人在基督耶穌裏、藉著福音、得以同為後嗣、同為一體、同蒙應許。
我作了這福音的執事、是照　神的恩賜...

叫我把基督那測不透的豐富、傳給外邦人．
又使眾人都明白、這歷代以來隱藏在創造萬物之　神裏的奧祕、是如何安排的．
為要藉著教會、使天上執政的、掌權的、現在得知　神百般的智慧．
這是照　神從萬世以前、在我們主基督耶穌裏所定的旨意。

Turn to us Lord and touch us
make us strong in your might
Overcome our weakness
that we could stand up and fight

我們因信耶穌、就在他裏面放膽無懼、篤信不疑的來到　神面前。
所以我求你們、不要因我為你們所受的患難喪膽．這原是你們的榮耀。

Follow Scripture: Learn to pray like Paul for the church.

Pray after him...

Pray for Koinonia.

以弗所書 3:14-21
因此。我在父面前屈膝、
求他按著他豐盛的榮耀、藉著他的靈、叫你們心裏的力量剛強起來、
使基督因你們的信、住在你們心裏、叫你們的愛心、有根有基、
能以和眾聖徒一同明白基督的愛、是何等長闊高深、
並知道這愛是過於人所能測度的、便叫　神一切所充滿的、充滿了你們。
　神能照著運行在我們心裏的大力、充充足足的成就一切超過我們所求所想的．
但願他在教會中、並在基督耶穌裏、得著榮耀、直到世世代代、永永遠遠。阿們。

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.13 (I)

Wednesday, Thursday

Romans 羅馬書 8:18-26
我想現在的苦楚、若比起將來要顯於我們的榮耀、就不足介意了。
受造之物、切望等候　神的眾子顯出來。
因為受造之物服在虛空之下、不是自己願意、乃是因那叫他如此的。
但受造之物仍然指望脫離敗壞的轄制、得享　神兒女自由的榮耀。
我們知道一切受造之物、一同歎息勞苦、直到如今。

• Allow pictures of "受造之物、一同歎息勞苦" comes to your mind.

不但如此、就是我們這有聖靈初結果子的、也是自己心裏歎息、等候得著兒子的名分、乃是我們的身體得贖。

• Allow also "自己心裏歎息、等候..." come to surface.

我們得救是在乎盼望．只是所見的盼望不是盼望．誰還盼望他所見的呢。
但我們若盼望那所不見的、就必忍耐等候。
況且我們的軟弱有聖靈幫助、我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告、只是聖靈親自用說不出來的歎息、替我們禱告。
鑒察人心的、曉得聖靈的意思．因為聖靈照著　神的旨意替聖徒祈求。

• Let the Holy Spirit lead you to pray...
• Let hope arises out of this prayer.

Let Your Glory Fall

Father of creation

unfold your sovereign plan

Raise up a chosen generation

that will march through the land

All of creation is longing

for your unveiling of power

Would you release your anointing

oh God let this be the hour

Let your glory fall in this room

let it go forth from here to the nations

Let your fragrance rest in this place

as we gather to seek your face.

(c) 1991 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing

Wilbur's Sharing to Worship Team - 2007.05.08

As worship leaders, we have accustomed to living in a weekly pattern of planning, practice, rehearsal, and performance, planning, practice, rehearsal, and performance…

When everything becomes mechanical and we have adjusted to this rhythm, it is easy to lose sight of the significance behind all these exercises, i.e., worshipping God, and leading, ministering, and witnessing to the congregation.

We need to disrupt this pattern. We need to insert a time of reflection into this rhythm.
Tonight we will go through a time of silence and reflection together.

Silence can be threatening. Fifteen minute can feel like an hour if you are not accustomed to spending time in silence. Your mind may wander away. You may be bombarded by many images or random thoughts. Tell yourself that it is okay. Rejoin the reflection when you are ready. Remember: silence is your friend not your foe.

We will spend 16 minute on this reflection - divided into four equal sections.

(1) Pay attention to yourself

• What is your body telling you now?
• What is your foot, your arm, your back, your head telling you now?
• Are you tired?
• What is your heart telling you now?
• Are you joyful, sad, angry, burned out?
• Pay attention to these signals coming from your body.
• Acknowledge them.
• Present them to God. Tell Him how you feel right now.
• Listen to His voice.

(2) Pay attention to worship

• Picture yourself going through the rehearsal and set up during the past Sunday. What happened?
• What was the dominant picture and/or feeling during this time?
• Were you focused, nervous, confident, distracted?
• Tell God what happened.
• Listen to His voice.
• Now you walked up the stage. Picked up your instruments. Stood before the microphone. The music began. What happened during the actual presentation?
• What touched you most during those moments?
• Tell God what happened.
• Listen to His voice.

(3) Pay attention to God’s Word

• Reflect on Sunday's sermon.
• What touched you most during those moments?
• How did you encounter God in His Word? What challenge did He give you? What was your prayer?
• Listen to His voice.
• Now you came forward to partake the Holy Communion.
• What went through your mind and body at that time?
• Tell God what happened.
• Listen to His voice.

(4) Pay attention during rehearsal

• Imagine that you have come to this coming Sunday's last song “Let your glory fall.”
  Listen to me as I read you the lyrics…
• What is your heart telling you right now?
• Where will your heart be when you present this song?
• How will you worship with this song this Sunday?
• Tell God.
• Listen to His voice.

As you attend to God (no matter how imperfectly sometimes), be assured that God is paying attention to you all the time.

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.06 (II)

八福過去睇過好多次，唔知道你有冇睇過 The Message 版本？

Saturday

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

• Are you content with who you are in Christ?
• Who are you?
• What is your inheritance?

每一天，無論晴或雨主恩典抱著我，他永遠在我身邊
每一天有不懼怕失去了方向因為神是我路上的光
他是我的盾牌；他是我的保障耶和華我的神，他救我脫離死亡他以仁愛慈悲為我冠冕他用美物使我所願得以知足他的愛叫我福杯滿溢

Sunday

"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat."

• Do you hunger to have more of God in your life?
• Come to worship today with this thought! Your thirst and hunger will be satisfied.

這一天，漫步原野青草處，放下忙碌工作，重整我困惑心靈，
神奇妙信實，全能者施恩庇蔭，我靜聽主安慰之聲。

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
讓我屈膝敬拜，全心讚頌，救主的奇妙救恩，

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
求你再復興我，能讓我再遇見你。

Meditation for Worship on 2007.05.06 (I)

八福過去睇過好多次，唔知道你有冇睇過 The Message 版本？



Thursday

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule."

• Two kinds of attitudes are possible when a person is "at the end of his/her rope." There is the "grasping" kind and the "surrendering to God" kind.
• Learn to realize today that "the end of your rope" is a blessing because it is a wake up call for you to surrender to God.

這一天，漫步原野青草處，放下忙碌工作，重整我困惑心靈，
神奇妙信實，全能者施恩庇蔭，我靜聽主安慰之聲。

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
讓我屈膝敬拜，全心讚頌，救主的奇妙救恩，

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
求你再復興我，能讓我再遇見你。

Friday

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."

• What is most dear to you in this world?
• Live today as if you have lost it.
• Feel the Dearest One's embrace.
• Learn to realize that the dearest thing in life is a Who not a What.
  

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
讓我屈膝敬拜，全心讚頌，救主的奇妙救恩，

主，讓我再度來到你的施恩寶座前，
求你再復興我，能讓我再遇見你。

Psalm 23 for Busy People

The Lord is my pace setter, I shall not rush.
He makes me to stop and rest for quiet intervals.

He provides me with images of stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind.

And His guidance is my peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each dayI will not fret, for His presence is here.

His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity

By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.

Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hour,
For I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His house forever.

Author unknown.