What has happened recently makes me have the following ideas:
1. Some "clever" people who are already rich try to get even more money by using some quick ways.
2. When other people know it, the "clever" people say something or do something to make other people think they are doing a "right" thing.
3. A long time ago, a "stupid" person who did not do anything wrong gave up (phrasal verb. 放棄) his life because he loved other people.
4. Many other "stupid" people do a lot of "stupid" things to thank the "stupid" person. They give up a lot of time, money and other things, for example.
Now, you have a choice. A long holiday is coming. You can choose to follow those "stupid" people and think about the "stupid" person's action, or like other "clever" people, make use of the holiday "cleverly" and do something to benefit (v. 使...得到益處) yourself. What is your choice?
3.19.2010
5.01.2009
My wishes after my 11-year-old birthday in Him
I believed in God on 1st May, 1998. It has been 11 years.
May God help me to love Him more, and lead me the road ahead.
May God bless my family, especially my mother, and let them have health and the chance to believe in Him.
May God bless my friends and some of their sick family members. I miss the days I often met them in the past.
May God help my S2 students to understand 'teaching is not easy' after their project learning exhibition, and think about their life goals more when they are still young.
May God slow down the spread of H1N1 flu, and let students, especially S5 & S7 students, continue their learning or prepare for the open exams. Also, may God help our school to carry on different activities in English Week on coming days. We teachers and student helpers have spent lots of efforts.
May God let everyone know our Earth has also been sick for a long long time, and give everyone the wisdom and love to stop wastage and pollution.
May God help me to love Him more, and lead me the road ahead.
May God bless my family, especially my mother, and let them have health and the chance to believe in Him.
May God bless my friends and some of their sick family members. I miss the days I often met them in the past.
May God help my S2 students to understand 'teaching is not easy' after their project learning exhibition, and think about their life goals more when they are still young.
May God slow down the spread of H1N1 flu, and let students, especially S5 & S7 students, continue their learning or prepare for the open exams. Also, may God help our school to carry on different activities in English Week on coming days. We teachers and student helpers have spent lots of efforts.
May God let everyone know our Earth has also been sick for a long long time, and give everyone the wisdom and love to stop wastage and pollution.
11.03.2008
Lessons learnt from the accident in the school picnic
1. If you dislike a teacher, is it because he/ she teaches you poorly, or you do not like the subject he/ she teaches?
2. Teachers often give students homework and may punish them during teaching. But when something bad happened to your teacher, are you an understanding student who worries about him/ her? Are teachers your enemies or friends?
3. An attractive appearance may change easily. An attractive personality does not change easily. Which one do you think is more important?
4. Are bad things completely bad? Can we get some positive things out of a bad thing or even a disaster?
5. (After the accident) No one is perfect. Bad things often happen. What do you do and feel when someone does something bad to you?
6. If something really bad happened to a person you now dislikes because of some arguments with him or her, would you feel happy?
7. If your teacher is willing to sacrifice something so that you can handle your problems or troubles better and have a better future, what do you think?
8. Jesus bled much more. He did nothing wrong. He died and suffered because he loved us and forgave our sins. What do you think?
2. Teachers often give students homework and may punish them during teaching. But when something bad happened to your teacher, are you an understanding student who worries about him/ her? Are teachers your enemies or friends?
3. An attractive appearance may change easily. An attractive personality does not change easily. Which one do you think is more important?
4. Are bad things completely bad? Can we get some positive things out of a bad thing or even a disaster?
5. (After the accident) No one is perfect. Bad things often happen. What do you do and feel when someone does something bad to you?
6. If something really bad happened to a person you now dislikes because of some arguments with him or her, would you feel happy?
7. If your teacher is willing to sacrifice something so that you can handle your problems or troubles better and have a better future, what do you think?
8. Jesus bled much more. He did nothing wrong. He died and suffered because he loved us and forgave our sins. What do you think?
10.31.2008
Please pray!
Our Lord,
1. Please help everyone to understand the positive messages from the accident.
2. Please help Kelvin so that he really has no problem with his head.
3. Please help me to sleep easily at night, because I could not sleep last night because of the wound and the bandage.
4. Please help my wound to recover quickly and don't give me a scar, though having a scar is not so important.
Amen!
1. Please help everyone to understand the positive messages from the accident.
2. Please help Kelvin so that he really has no problem with his head.
3. Please help me to sleep easily at night, because I could not sleep last night because of the wound and the bandage.
4. Please help my wound to recover quickly and don't give me a scar, though having a scar is not so important.
Amen!
Thank you, God!
Thank you God for giving me a chance to have a picnic with my students.
Thank you God for giving me a chance to play some sports though I have a lot of work to do.
Thank you God for letting me know the happy and unhappy things from my dear students.
Thank you God for telling me ‘accidents often happen’ and ‘I cannot control my life’.
Thank you God for making me but not my student injured.
Thank you God for protecting my skull, which could have been broken.
Thank you God for giving me only two but not more injections.
Thank you God for giving me anesthesia so that I didn’t feel lots of pain.
Thank you God for giving me only five stitches, but not ten or more.
Thank you God for letting me still hear noises of using scissors, stitching and making knots after I had anesthesia, and so making me pray more eagerly.
Thank you God for arranging a skilful nurse, though she sometimes chatted with the other nurse when sewing my wound.
Thank you God for telling me to treasure what I already have.
Thank you God for giving me an imperfect but undamaged face in the past.
Thank you God for giving me caring colleagues who took care of me and my students.
Thank you God for giving me great students who worry and pray for me.
Thank you God for giving me a wife who truly loves me, though I may be uglier in the future.
Thank you God who continues my useless life so that I can do some useful things for Him.
Thank you God for giving me a chance to play some sports though I have a lot of work to do.
Thank you God for letting me know the happy and unhappy things from my dear students.
Thank you God for telling me ‘accidents often happen’ and ‘I cannot control my life’.
Thank you God for making me but not my student injured.
Thank you God for protecting my skull, which could have been broken.
Thank you God for giving me only two but not more injections.
Thank you God for giving me anesthesia so that I didn’t feel lots of pain.
Thank you God for giving me only five stitches, but not ten or more.
Thank you God for letting me still hear noises of using scissors, stitching and making knots after I had anesthesia, and so making me pray more eagerly.
Thank you God for arranging a skilful nurse, though she sometimes chatted with the other nurse when sewing my wound.
Thank you God for telling me to treasure what I already have.
Thank you God for giving me an imperfect but undamaged face in the past.
Thank you God for giving me caring colleagues who took care of me and my students.
Thank you God for giving me great students who worry and pray for me.
Thank you God for giving me a wife who truly loves me, though I may be uglier in the future.
Thank you God who continues my useless life so that I can do some useful things for Him.
9.13.2007
Destiny
After reading Professor Chan's article, I have deep thoughts about destiny. Now I share with you his key points and some of my opinions.
閱畢陳耀南教授的文章後，對命運一題大有感觸，現將他的重點加上自己的少少見解與大家分享。
Do you believe in destiny?
你信有命運嗎？
Ecclesiastes 9:11 …under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
傳 9:11 …日光之下，快跑的未必能贏；力戰的未必得勝；智慧的未必得糧食；明哲的未必得資財；靈巧的未必得喜悅。所臨到眾人的是在乎當時的機會。
傳 9:12 原來人也不知道自己的定期。魚被惡網圈住，鳥被網羅捉住，禍患忽然臨到的時候，世人陷在其中也是如此。
世人都認為有很多運數，要贏波要講球運，要家宅興旺要講家運，要發達要講財運，要升官要講官運，國家要強大要講國運。
那麼人又如何呢？毛澤東曾說：「我們自己的命運，完全應當由我們自己來掌握。」
當真？
人生不能自決的因素有不少，例如先天的性格、氣質、外表，後天的教育、成長背景等等。
動物、死物也有不同的機緣際遇。月球注定要環蹺地球轉，狗在不少地方成為人類的寵物，但在一些地方卻可能成為人的食物。
即使偉人也不能主宰浮沉，例子包括拿破崙、亞歷山大大帝、劉備等。三國時代蜀國先主劉備，親手建立帝業，奈何其子阿斗愚蠢無能，斷送江山。不少有才幹的人甚至英年早逝，壯志未籌。
Ecclesiastes 2:18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
Ecclesiastes 2:19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
傳 2:18 我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。
傳 2:19 那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。這也是虛空。
中國人認為 “一命二運三風水”比”四積陰德五讀書”重要。然而，風水最好的，莫如帝殿皇陵，但內裏的寶物尚且被人偷盜。千算萬算，尚且會有差池，那麼人可以靠誰呢？
Isaiah 45:11 …the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?
Isaiah 45:12 I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.
賽 45:11 …耶和華以色列的聖者，就是造就以色列的如此說：將來的事，你們可以問我；至於我的眾子，並我手的工作，你們可以求我命定（原文是吩咐我）。
賽 45:12 我造地，又造人在地上。我親手鋪張諸天；天上萬象也是我所命定的。
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
林前 4:7 使你與人不同的是誰呢？你有甚麼不是領受的呢；若是領受的，為何自誇，彷彿不是領受的呢？
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
箴 16:9 人心籌算自己的道路；惟耶和華指引他的腳步。
人生在世，還是抱著以下的態度比較實際。
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change.
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
(Reinhold Niebuhr)
上帝啊！請賜我安詳寧靜的心，
去接受我不能改變的事物；
請賜我以勇氣，去改變我能夠改變的東西；
以及請賜我以智慧，知道當中的不同。
閱畢陳耀南教授的文章後，對命運一題大有感觸，現將他的重點加上自己的少少見解與大家分享。
Do you believe in destiny?
你信有命運嗎？
Ecclesiastes 9:11 …under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
傳 9:11 …日光之下，快跑的未必能贏；力戰的未必得勝；智慧的未必得糧食；明哲的未必得資財；靈巧的未必得喜悅。所臨到眾人的是在乎當時的機會。
傳 9:12 原來人也不知道自己的定期。魚被惡網圈住，鳥被網羅捉住，禍患忽然臨到的時候，世人陷在其中也是如此。
世人都認為有很多運數，要贏波要講球運，要家宅興旺要講家運，要發達要講財運，要升官要講官運，國家要強大要講國運。
那麼人又如何呢？毛澤東曾說：「我們自己的命運，完全應當由我們自己來掌握。」
當真？
人生不能自決的因素有不少，例如先天的性格、氣質、外表，後天的教育、成長背景等等。
動物、死物也有不同的機緣際遇。月球注定要環蹺地球轉，狗在不少地方成為人類的寵物，但在一些地方卻可能成為人的食物。
即使偉人也不能主宰浮沉，例子包括拿破崙、亞歷山大大帝、劉備等。三國時代蜀國先主劉備，親手建立帝業，奈何其子阿斗愚蠢無能，斷送江山。不少有才幹的人甚至英年早逝，壯志未籌。
Ecclesiastes 2:18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
Ecclesiastes 2:19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
傳 2:18 我恨惡一切的勞碌，就是我在日光之下的勞碌，因為我得來的必留給我以後的人。
傳 2:19 那人是智慧是愚昧，誰能知道？他竟要管理我勞碌所得的，就是我在日光之下用智慧所得的。這也是虛空。
中國人認為 “一命二運三風水”比”四積陰德五讀書”重要。然而，風水最好的，莫如帝殿皇陵，但內裏的寶物尚且被人偷盜。千算萬算，尚且會有差池，那麼人可以靠誰呢？
Isaiah 45:11 …the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: “Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands?
Isaiah 45:12 I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.
賽 45:11 …耶和華以色列的聖者，就是造就以色列的如此說：將來的事，你們可以問我；至於我的眾子，並我手的工作，你們可以求我命定（原文是吩咐我）。
賽 45:12 我造地，又造人在地上。我親手鋪張諸天；天上萬象也是我所命定的。
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
林前 4:7 使你與人不同的是誰呢？你有甚麼不是領受的呢；若是領受的，為何自誇，彷彿不是領受的呢？
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
箴 16:9 人心籌算自己的道路；惟耶和華指引他的腳步。
人生在世，還是抱著以下的態度比較實際。
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change.
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
(Reinhold Niebuhr)
上帝啊！請賜我安詳寧靜的心，
去接受我不能改變的事物；
請賜我以勇氣，去改變我能夠改變的東西；
以及請賜我以智慧，知道當中的不同。
9.06.2007
God's Glory - Narrow Door
After the new school year started, a question may come to students' minds: “Why do we have to work hard in our studies/ in this subject (this year)?” Teachers (at least including me) try to give an answer to their students so that their students won't neglect [v. 忽視] their teaching subjects.
After reading the below story from the Bible, I get some insights [n. 深刻的理解; 洞見].
Luke 13:23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
路 13:23 有一個人問他說：「主啊，得救的人少麼？」24 耶穌對眾人說：「你們要努力進窄門。我告訴你們，將來有許多人想要進去，卻是不能。 25 及至家主起來關了門，你們站在外面叩門，說：『主啊，給我們開門！』他就回答說：『我不認識你們，不曉得你們是那裡來的！』26 那時，你們要說：『我們在你面前喫過喝過，你也在我們的街上教訓過人。』27 他要說：『我告訴你們，我不曉得你們是那裡來的。你們這一切作惡的人，離開我去吧！』28 你們要看見亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各，和眾先知都在神的國裡，你們卻被趕到外面，在那裡必要哀哭切齒了。
Many students in TTC are lucky that they can know a lot about God when they are still young. However, I suspect [v. 猜想] many students may think if there is really a heaven [n. 天堂], they can enter because they 'know' God or 'read' Bible a lot, and the result will not be so cruel [adj. 殘酷的] that they have to go to hell [n. 地獄]. But the above paragraph tells us that the fact is actually 'cruel'.
Similarly, many students may think that they don't have to be so hard-working and get too good results because it will not be so difficult for them to pass all subjects in HKCEE, study in F.6 or at university. However, F.6 and university places [n. 學位] are really very limited, and the picture is very different when you sit for [phrase. 參加(考試)] open examinations [n. 公開考試] together with many bright students from other schools. The marking schemes [n. 評分系統] can also be unpredictable [adj. 出乎意料的]. As a result, each year when HKAL or HKCEE results are released [v. 發表], disappointed students are far more than happy students.
Let's grasp [v. 抓住(機會等)] the chance to believe in God now! Let's take the opportunity [n. 機會] to make efforts in your studies, fight for your future and let God give you the best things!
[P.S. This year I don't teach any F.1 classes. And, feel free to give me negative but honest comments. :P]
After reading the below story from the Bible, I get some insights [n. 深刻的理解; 洞見].
Luke 13:23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
路 13:23 有一個人問他說：「主啊，得救的人少麼？」24 耶穌對眾人說：「你們要努力進窄門。我告訴你們，將來有許多人想要進去，卻是不能。 25 及至家主起來關了門，你們站在外面叩門，說：『主啊，給我們開門！』他就回答說：『我不認識你們，不曉得你們是那裡來的！』26 那時，你們要說：『我們在你面前喫過喝過，你也在我們的街上教訓過人。』27 他要說：『我告訴你們，我不曉得你們是那裡來的。你們這一切作惡的人，離開我去吧！』28 你們要看見亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各，和眾先知都在神的國裡，你們卻被趕到外面，在那裡必要哀哭切齒了。
Many students in TTC are lucky that they can know a lot about God when they are still young. However, I suspect [v. 猜想] many students may think if there is really a heaven [n. 天堂], they can enter because they 'know' God or 'read' Bible a lot, and the result will not be so cruel [adj. 殘酷的] that they have to go to hell [n. 地獄]. But the above paragraph tells us that the fact is actually 'cruel'.
Similarly, many students may think that they don't have to be so hard-working and get too good results because it will not be so difficult for them to pass all subjects in HKCEE, study in F.6 or at university. However, F.6 and university places [n. 學位] are really very limited, and the picture is very different when you sit for [phrase. 參加(考試)] open examinations [n. 公開考試] together with many bright students from other schools. The marking schemes [n. 評分系統] can also be unpredictable [adj. 出乎意料的]. As a result, each year when HKAL or HKCEE results are released [v. 發表], disappointed students are far more than happy students.
Let's grasp [v. 抓住(機會等)] the chance to believe in God now! Let's take the opportunity [n. 機會] to make efforts in your studies, fight for your future and let God give you the best things!
[P.S. This year I don't teach any F.1 classes. And, feel free to give me negative but honest comments. :P]
8.02.2007
Everyone's wishes can come true? [人人期望可達到?]
Yesterday, I read a book for my devotion [n. 靈修] and I found something meaningful to share with you. The writer says there are three kinds of wishes.
- wishes that you can actualize [v. 實現] only with your efforts [n. 努力]
- wishes that you can actualize only with your prayers [n. 祈禱,禱告]
- wishes that you can actualize only with your efforts and your prayers together
The above ideas can help us to know when we should pray for our wishes. For the first kind, we don’t need to pray, or it is even a bit stupid of us to pray. Examples are "I hope I can read 5 pages of this book today" and "I hope I can have a glass of water later". We can simply and successfully do these with our efforts, only if we really make efforts.
For the second kind, we cannot do anything significant [adj. 有效的] to make those things happen, except by praying to our God. Examples are “I hope that the next president of USA can be a good one” and “I hope that it will not be so hot tomorrow”. Obviously [adv. 明顯地], only God but not us can affect the outcomes [n. 結果].
Most of our daily wishes belong to the last kind. Both God and we can affect the outcomes. Examples are “I want to get 90 marks in the coming test” or “I hope I can have a girlfriend/ a boyfriend”. On the one hand, we cannot just pray to God and then do nothing and wait for the desirable things to happen. On the other hand, we are not sure that our wishes can come true only with our efforts - the wishes can be against God’s will [n. 意願] and thus can fail. The right approach is to try our best, and then pray to God, hoping that He will give the best to us. And we should remember - the best things to us in God’s opinion can be different from those in our opinions.
Wish you like my sharing.
- wishes that you can actualize [v. 實現] only with your efforts [n. 努力]
- wishes that you can actualize only with your prayers [n. 祈禱,禱告]
- wishes that you can actualize only with your efforts and your prayers together
The above ideas can help us to know when we should pray for our wishes. For the first kind, we don’t need to pray, or it is even a bit stupid of us to pray. Examples are "I hope I can read 5 pages of this book today" and "I hope I can have a glass of water later". We can simply and successfully do these with our efforts, only if we really make efforts.
For the second kind, we cannot do anything significant [adj. 有效的] to make those things happen, except by praying to our God. Examples are “I hope that the next president of USA can be a good one” and “I hope that it will not be so hot tomorrow”. Obviously [adv. 明顯地], only God but not us can affect the outcomes [n. 結果].
Most of our daily wishes belong to the last kind. Both God and we can affect the outcomes. Examples are “I want to get 90 marks in the coming test” or “I hope I can have a girlfriend/ a boyfriend”. On the one hand, we cannot just pray to God and then do nothing and wait for the desirable things to happen. On the other hand, we are not sure that our wishes can come true only with our efforts - the wishes can be against God’s will [n. 意願] and thus can fail. The right approach is to try our best, and then pray to God, hoping that He will give the best to us. And we should remember - the best things to us in God’s opinion can be different from those in our opinions.
Wish you like my sharing.
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