Mookoo's Home (木咕子的家)

2026年10月27日星期二

We Felt So Blessed ~ 感謝陳牧師和師母...

#2026-1027

Today, Jean and I felt especially blessed.

The Rev. Charles Chen, our rector emeritus at St. James’, and his wife, Joe, invited us to lunch at Wa Cheng (瓦城), a Thai restaurant inside Kuang San SOGO Department Store. Our neighbors, the Rev. Sam Cheng and his wife, along with Brother “Can Ge” (燦哥) and his wife, Diana Wang, joined us. There were eight of us in all.

Jean and I hadn’t visited a department store in Taichung City for at least ten years, so it was a special outing for us. We enjoyed the restaurant’s warm, inviting atmosphere, delicious Thai food, and lively conversations filled with laughter.

Many thanks to the Chen couple! Over the past several decades, the six of us who joined them for lunch today have received so much love and care from them. They have truly been like spiritual parents to us. Now in their nineties, they continue to hold a special place in our hearts. May the Lord bless them with good health, joy, and all that their hearts desire! Amen.

Today’s blessings didn’t end with the lunch. We also received an AI-generated cartoon portrait of our son, his wife, and their two children, sent from Kaohsiung via LINE. What a lovely 全家福—a portrait of the whole family!

Then Facebook brought another pleasant surprise: a memorable image and a little poem I had posted exactly six years ago, on October 27. It reminded me of a similar gathering at the 92 Cafe in my hometown of Guoxing.

That memory made me wonder: What will Jean and I be doing six years from now? What memories will October 27, 2032, bring? Will Facebook remind me of today’s wonderful lunch at Wa Cheng?

Only the Lord knows what the future holds. For now, I am grateful for the blessings of today, the precious people in our lives, and the memories that connect our past, present, and future.

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2026年10月25日星期日

A Wonderful Sunday Together

#2026-1025B

After attending the Sunday service at St. James', the three of us joined our good friends downstairs for coffee hour, chatting with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When coffee hour came to an end, some of our friends stayed for the Bible study led by Rev. Ben Simmons. The three of us, however, headed to a nearby restaurant, Chun Shui Tang (春水堂), for lunch. The restaurant seemed especially busy on Sundays, and we had to wait quite a while before being shown to a table.

Despite the wait, we enjoyed a lovely lunch together.

Both Jean and I were delighted that our grandson James wanted to join us at church this morning. He had missed several Sunday services over the previous months, so it was especially nice to have him with us again.

All in all, we had a wonderful day, enjoying not only a meaningful worship service at St. James' but also a delightful lunch at Chun Shui Tang. It was a joy to share both experiences with James on the same Sunday!

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) 生活＆學習：Living in God's Love (2026)

2) Wufeng Summers, Then & Now (2026)

3) Happy Birthday to You, James! (2026)

4) 高雄 (打狗) ～以圖紀實 (Coll. B) (2026)

生活＆學習：Living in God's Love

#2026-1025A

Today is the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. To review and reflect on what I have heard and read during the English-language service at St. James, I would like to share the Collect of the Day, Psalm 90:1–6, 13–17, and today’s Gospel reading, Matthew 22:34–46, as follows:

The Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 Domine, refugium

Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God.
You turn us back to the dust and say, *
"Go back, O child of earth."
For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *
and like a watch in the night.
You sweep us away like a dream; *
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
in the evening it is dried up and withered.

13. Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? *
be gracious to your servants.

14. Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15. Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16. Show your servants your works *
and your splendor to their children.
17. May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.

The Gospel of Matthew 22:34-46

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Living in God's Love: Reflections on the Three Readings

The central theme connecting these three readings is living a life of love in response to God’s everlasting love. The Collect asks God to strengthen our faith, hope, and love so that we may not only obey His commandments but also learn to love what He asks of us.

Psalm 90 reminds us that our lives are brief, but God remains our eternal refuge. Aware that our days are limited, we should seek His loving-kindness and ask Him to bless the work of our hands, making our lives meaningful and fruitful.

In the Gospel, Jesus identifies loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbors as ourselves as the two greatest commandments. These teachings show us how to live out the faith and love expressed in the Collect and the Psalm. Jesus also invites us to recognize more deeply who He is as the Messiah and Lord.

Together, the three readings remind us that, although our time on earth is short, we can make it meaningful by trusting in God's enduring love, growing in our relationship with Jesus, and expressing our love for God through the way we care for others.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) "The Cross in the Heart" (2025)

2) Our Final Sunday Worship at St. Luke's (2026)

3) A Full Sunday at St. James' (2026)

4) The Sunday Right After Our Father's Day (2026)

5) The 16th Sunday after Pentecost (2026)

2026年10月18日星期日

Happy Birthday to You, James!

#2026-1018

Jintian shi wode da sunzi Yifeng de shiliu sui shengri. Women yiqi chang "Shengri Kuaile Ge" -- xian chang Zhongwen ban, zai chang Yingwen ban.

"祝你生日快樂, 祝你生日快樂......

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

Genju jiaohui de chuantong, mei nian de 10 yue 18 ri chengzuo "Sheng Lujia Ri" (聖路加日／聖路加瞻禮日／聖路加聖史慶日), tebie yonglai jinian Lujia Fuyin han Shitu Xingzhuan de zuozhe -- Sheng Lujia.

Wǒmen wèi Yìfēng gǎn dào gāoxìng, yīng wèi tā de shēngrì yě jiù zài zhè tóngyī tiān. Qiú Zhǔ jìxù zhùfú Yìfēng, ràng tā suízhe niánjì de zēngjiā, qí shēnliang yǔ zhìhuì yě dū yuèfā chéngzhǎng!

(祝福......隨著年歲增加，其身量與智慧也都越發成長。)

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) 十五歲的喜悅 / Fifteen, with Thanks (2025)

2) A Bilingual Post for James' 15th Birthday (2025)

3) March, Our Month (2026)

2026年10月17日星期六

走！回國姓～喝點什麼...

#2026-1017

Back to Guoxing Agaian!

About two weeks before the Mid-Autumn Festival—which fell on September 25 this year—Jean and I returned to my hometown of Guoxing and enjoyed a coffee break at Niksen Cafe, located on the edge of the courtyard of a well-known local temple called Leng Yan Temple (楞巖宮).

Before I left Guoxing to pursue further studies, the temple was better known as Yu Shan Tang (玉善堂). I have always had a story or two to tell about this place. For a glimpse into a particularly memorable part of my teenage years, you may wish to read my short story “In the Pupal Stage,” originally published in 2000.

So much time has passed since then! Today, Jean and I returned to Guoxing, this time accompanied by our grandson James. Our destination was Niksen Cafe (妮珂森咖啡), where we hoped to spend some pleasant time together.

On our way, the three of us stopped by my second sister Xiuqing’s home in Caotun and invited her to join us. We then drove her to Niksen Cafe, where the four of us enjoyed a light midday meal and coffee together. Afterward, we drove her home.

What a blessing it was to spend such a wonderful day together!

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相關文章 (See also)：

1) Back in Guoxing (2026)

2) In the Pupal Stage (2010)

3) We Took a Photo Together (2021)

4) Iron Hat Cafe (又來鐵帽咖啡) (2021)

5) An Outing: 到 "國姓" 走走！ (2024)