拿撒勒那小村莊

那天，我花了好一點時間在拿撒勒那小村莊。 
回家時天已晚了。 
像往常一樣，我拿起日記本子，那也是一種與上帝的對話。
奇怪，那種熟悉感，好像我跟祂已談了好一天...

That day, I spent quite a while in the Nazarene village.
It was late when I got home.  As usual, I jotted down a few thoughts in my dairy, a way of dialogue with the Lord.
Strange, there was this sense of familiarity, as if we had spent a whole day talking already...

為什麼上帝派他的兒子到上來,生在木匠約瑟家中，在拿撒勒小村莊裡長大？

為什麼耶穌在這裡度過他一生的大部分時間，公開傳道卻祇三年？

耶穌是好牧人，甚至會為了尋求一隻羊而暫時放下其餘的99隻

木板鑲嵌石粒作打麥用

肚子餓了嗎?加把勁才有吃的啊！

水，更要珍惜

用吊桿和重石壓出橄欖油

醡酒池
 葡萄必須徒足踩踏以免過度損毀
假以時日
美酒釀出來了

要吃一頓可真不容易！

路4:14

耶穌來到拿撒勒、就是他長大的地方．在安息日、照他平常的規矩、進了會堂、站起來要念聖經。

有人把先知以賽亞的書交給他、他就打開、找到一處寫著說、

『主的靈在我身上、因為他用膏膏我、叫我傳福音給貧窮的人．差遣我報告被擄的得釋放、瞎眼的得看見、叫那受壓制的得自由、報告　神悅納人的禧年。』

 

於是把書捲起來、交還執事、就坐下．會堂裡的人都定睛看他。
耶穌對他們說、今天這經應驗在你們耳中了。

眾人都稱讚他、並希奇他口中所出的恩言．又說、這不是約瑟的兒子麼。

看似平凡卻何等非凡的一生

捨棄天上的榮華的神子竟與我們同住，並在十架結束他的一生

復活的主已回到了父神那裡

耶穌又對他們說、願你們平安．

父怎樣差遣了我、我也照樣差遣你們。(約20:21)

你們是世上的光
你們的光也當這樣照在人前、叫他們看見你們的好行為、便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。
(太5:14-16)

My house, 100 years ago

If you were to visit me 100 years ago, Bethlehem would still be part of the Ottoman Empire with started their rule here in___ and this is how my house would likely look.

我們剛剛得到去耶路撒冷的許可證

打電話請可忠學校同學過來玩。

「哦，我們剛剛得到去耶路撒冷的許可證，我們隨時要過那邊去。」同學的媽媽說。

她的興奮從電話另一端都可以感覺到。

可以理解。

噢，耶路撒冷，在牆的另一邊，多麼近，卻多遙不可及。

在聖誕節期間，巴勒斯坦基督徒都會用宗教理由趁機辦個許可證，嘗嘗「放監」的感覺。是的，他們的興奮，可以理解。

且慢，為什麼他們要申請許可證才可回家？牆另一邊的土地原是他們歷代家園!

「你知道耶路撒冷Hadassah大學醫院嗎？這是建在我們家土地上的。從奧圖曼帝國時期的地契我至今還保存著。現在，猶太人他們建了醫院，我們家的房子，他們把它建成博物館... 」那次我們在他家中喝咖啡, 他的父親告訴我。

當猶太人歸來重建家園時，全世界多少基督徒都很興奮，殊不知對於巴勒斯坦人來說，那正是他們喪失家園之時，巴勒斯坦基督徒問道: 「我們歷代相信的上帝單愛以色列嗎?」

詩133:1「看 哪 、 弟 兄 和 睦 同 居 、 是 何 等 的 善 、 何 等 的 美 。

」

大家不可都享有自己家園嗎？
耶路撒冷怎樣才能有平安？

We've just got the permit to go to Jerusalem

Called a friend of Franklin from school to come over to play. 

"Oh, we've just got the permit to go to Jerusalem, we may go anytime," his mom answered.

I could feel her excitement even over the phone.  Understood.  Oh, Jerusalem, on the other side of the wall, so close, but so unreachable.  It is only during Christmas and Easter that Palestinian Christians could apply for a permit to go for religious reason.  And it is an opportunity they do not want to miss!

Yes, I can really understand their excitement when they are able to be let out of this "prison" on the other side of the wall. 

But, wait a minute.  Why would they need a permit to go home? 

They owned their land over there on the other side of the wall! 

"You know Hadassah University Medical Center at Ein Kerem?  The big hospital in Jerusalem?  It was built on our family land.  Huge, I still have the deeds of the land from the days of the Ottoman Empire.  Now the Israelis have their hospital there.  And, our family house, they made it into a museum..." his father told me when we visited their home before.

We might have rejoiced when the Jews once again returned to build their home, but for the Palestinians, it was exactly then their home was taken. 

Does it have to be the only way for peoples to have their homes?

Psalms 133:1 See how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to be living together in harmony!

When do we see the day?  Why is it not happening?

伯利恆麵包之家

伯利恆意思就是麵包之家

先將麵團壓扁

拿去”過”一轉烤爐

一個個脹卜卜的口袋麵包出來了

可想試試? 好新鮮啊!!

星期天下午往商場走走

星期天下午往商場走走
"找個家庭節目吧!" 星期天下午不如往商場走走, 也算個節目。拿著護照往關卡駛去, 不過十分鐘就到最近的大型商場, 感到很幸福,卻又有些歉意。
"老師問我們週末去了裡, 我本想舉手後來作罷…" 可忠放杲學回來說, 唉, 連他也知其他同學聽到他過了耶路撒冷祇有羨慕的份兒, 對巴勒斯坦人來說, 沒有特別准許, 他們不能回去, 縱使那是他的出生地, 縱使那是他的祖業所在! 生活在一群沒有護照, 家園的人中, 我從我英語教案中,刪去了"旅遊"那一課, 取而代之的應是甚麼呢?

Real Life in an Exotic Place

Real Life in an Exotic Place
Finding an apartment, getting a bed, a table, a shelf or two, some plates and cups, then pots, a washing machine, getting a telephone line that works (still unsuccessful, not to mention internet connection), knowing the right names to contact, asking for favours, meeting people and trying to make friends, dealing with a plugged drainage, getting the shower to work and accepting that it won't, getting gas so that you can finally boil some rice, getting water so that you don't have to choose between doing laundry or taking a bath…Some of these problems are finally solved (AlHamdulillah, thank God).Some are still waiting (Inshaa'alla, If God wills it).  And then there are the challenges of working with and ministering to people who may try to avoid speaking English, which happens to be the only way of communication for us, as least for now.  I am still not talking about culture differences, social and political differences…
These challenges remind me to thank God for every blessing, and there are plenty of them: 

• A kind word from my landlord, "don't worry about water, let me know when you need more."
• An email from a friend asking if she can send a parcel of goodies from home.
• Finding a used toaster at a ridiculously low price and have been able to enjoy a good breakfast every morning.
• Visited a neighbour and on my leaving, she mustered her limited ability to speak in English, "you are family."
• ...