becoming

Once again we are at the end of the year. It is time for me to look back and share with you some of the highlights which happened in my life in the year 2006.

In chronological order:

1. Feb 14 2006 marked our 10-year dating anniversary. I wrote a little poem for the occasion.
2. My life as a full-time pastor began on Feb 16 2006. All I can say is that it is a dream come true, a prayer answered, and a life offered.
3. Wrote a post on spiritual discipline. Those concerns still stand today.
4. Beginning in March, I started my sermon series on minor characters in the Gospels, the first one being Herod Antipas.
5. Blog about whether “Interpretation should be considered as part of the Creative process“. This post stirred quite a lot of discussions and remains as the highest commented post.
6. Celebrating Jocelyn’s first birthday.
7. To celebrate Mozart’s 250 birthday anniversary, I attended a live performance of Requiem K.626. Although it wasn’t a top-notch performance, I enjoyed it nonetheless.
8. Attended NT Wright’s lectures at UT. Almost feel like I was in a pilgrimage.
9. Was quite upset when I wrote the post about the church “expected” response in the midst of the DVC phenomenon in May.
10. Wrote some reflections after 4 months serving as a pastor.
11. Discovered that Cc begins to blog!
12. In July, my pulse went up to 125 for a few days. Triggered some thoughts about life.
13. Started a series on “Pastor: Proclamation, Word and Person”. (I hope I can go beyond the 3rd post in 2007, ha!)
14. Guest post by Peggy on Faith & Detective Stories. It is an eye-opener for me.
15. Spent 2 weeks in Brazil for Short-term mission. My first overseas mission trip.
16. Exhorting in Margaret & Kevin’s wedding.
17. It was our fifth wedding anniversary on October 13.
18. Went to Vancouver to enjoy a 1 week vacation with my 2 girls!
19. A parachurch fund-raising event prompted me to ask the relationship between Christianity and pop culture.
20. Cc received her Christian Education diploma from ABS Centre of Canada.
21. My reflection on the meaning of Christmas and “silent night” was surprisingly referenced by a number of bloggers.

So, what are the highlights of your life in 2006?

Jocelyn says:

Tonight we had buffet with auntie Alvena & uncle Raymond. We had lots of fun tonight. Hurray!

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Jocelyn says:

Tonight we had dinner at Gramdma’s place. See the big Turkey! I’ve got a feeling that I have seen it before…. um.

Video Clip:

1. Ice-Cream
2. Where’s the monkey?

Photo:

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Karen在香港看完The Nativity Story，有話要說。

話說教會的英語同工和普通話同工正預備聯合聚會的詩歌，要找的是「有一位神」的英文歌譜。

因為不知歌名的翻譯，所以經過很長的時間也找不著。最後，英語同工終於找到了歌譜，於是興高彩烈地跑出房外大聲說：

"I've found it!!" 他用英文解釋道，

"There is a God!!"

立時，辦公室裡的人都靜了起來，跟著不約而同地笑了—

並為神向我們英語同工的啟示「感恩」…

Because of Ben’s referral, people are flooding to read my previous post on shutting up for Christmas. I am really in awe!

What I have expressed is really nothing new. It is just another way of saying out one of my favorite hymns:

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Listen [ Real Audio | Mp3 ]

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

And here is one of the many Chinese translations available:

凡有血氣，皆當靜默，敬畏謙恭同肅立，
莫想絲毫世俗事物，因主基督正臨格，
親手施天福賜神恩，接受我們恭敬拜。

萬王之王童女所生，血肉軀體現人間，
萬主之主竟成人形，救主臨世恩澤長，
甘願捨聖身流寶血，賜與信者作天糧。

千萬天軍排列成行，前隊先鋒步伐壯，
光中之光周圍環繞，親從天堂降凡塵，
消滅地獄權除毒鉤，驅散黑暗顯光芒。

晝夜俯伏主足前，撒拉弗與基路伯，
崇拜至尊，翅膀遮面，不停頌讚獻歌聲，
唱哈利路亞，主至聖，哈利路亞，主至聖。

Jocelyn says:

禮拜六爸爸媽媽帶了我去剪頭髮，我一路坐著小飛船，一路望著電視的卡通片，個個都話我乖！

剪完頭髮 ，梗係要整杯ice-cream補充下啦！

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