樹、鳥、草花、這個人 -- Vivid Impressions

#2014-0226

Here are vivid impressions of life:

(1) An old tree near my house; (2) beautiful tall trees in the park where I go for a walk sometimes; (3) red leaves on the branches; (4) a bird eating an insect or something; (5) wild flowers in very different shapes and colors; (6) clusters of tiny fruits produced by a particular kind of plant which my father called "Vong Tien Ki" (literally, Yellow-Vine-Brunches) in the Hakka dialect; and --

(7) the shadow of a tall man walking with a walking stick.

Note: The old tree that I mentioned above and marked "(1)" is called "Tua Ang Ch'iu" (literally, Big Red Tree) in my mother tongue, the (Taiwanese) Holo dialect.

Now it is clear to you, isn't it? -- that my parents can actually speak two different dialects. My father is better at Hakka while my mother is better at Holo. This is my impression, too!

Meeting in the Private Garden -- 私房 の Garden

#2014-0224

私房 の Garden, or what I translated as "Private Garden," is a restaurant not too far from my house. All my family, including my grandson Little Bee, like it so much that we come and eat here every other week at least. So, when Jean and I thought of inviting some of our "good old friends" to us, we just agreed that we could invite them to the Private Garden for lunch before their coming to our house for "afternoon tea."

Now our invitation has been accepted; our plan for the lunch and afternoon tea has been carried out. But all the visitors made a decision: They wanted us NOT to pay for their meals, saying that we must "go Dutch" to make it easier for us to meet in this way on a regular basis. No matter how Jean and I tried to persuade them, they insisted that we start to go Dutch right away, without delay, to make this kind of meeting go on and on.

Oh, how wonderful it will be to have more meetings like this! Jean and I have really had a great, great time chatting with our good old friends in the Private Garden!

2014 退修會 -- Our Retreat at "The Villa of Sacred Love"

#2014-0222

台灣聖公會台中聖雅各堂 2014 牧區議會暨執委會退修會，時間為 2 月 21-22 日（週五、六），地點在天主教位於太平區長龍路一段內城巷 43 號的「聖愛山莊」；這兩天一夜（其實只有 1.5 日左右）的退修會，在主任牧師林立峯牧師的帶領下，無論是詩歌敬拜、聖餐禮拜，或是專題講座、分組討論等等，都進行得十分順利，讓每位參與此會的教友［核心同工］都獲益良多，滿心歡喜。

此次退修會的主題是「創意與領袖」。會中特別觀看了由詹姆‧柯林斯 (Jim Collins) 主講的「選擇卓越」 (Great by Choice)；以及由喬瑟夫‧葛瑞尼 (Joseph Grenny) 主講的「掌握影響力」(Mastering the Skill of Influence)。前者［柯林斯］提到成功的企業領導人具有 (1) 狂熱的紀律 (Fanatic discipline)、(2) 實證的創意 (Empirical creativity)、(3) 有建設性的疑慮 (Productive paranoia)，因而即使在失控的環境中，他們仍能引領團隊突破重圍，獲得成功。而後者［葛瑞尼］談影響力 (influence)，特別談到六種影響源 (six sources of influence)，包括：(1) 個人的動機 (personal motivation)、(2) 個人的能力 (personal ability)、(3) 社群的動機 (social motivation)、(4) 社群的能力 (social ability)、(5) 結構的動機 (structural motivation)、(6) 結構的能力 (structural ability)。這些專題講座，內容精闢，加上主講人流暢的演說風格，聽了讓人直呼過癮----真的很「讚」！

可是主耶穌說："Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully!" (飢渴慕義的人有福了！因為他們必得飽足。) ［馬太福音 5 章 6 節］這裡中文《合和本》所說的「義」字，現在英文版 Today's English Version 譯作 "what God requires" ---- 我不禁要自問：今後，我該如何行（或做什麼）才是「義」呢？What does my Father in heaven want me to do?

馬太福音 7 章 21 節，主耶穌說：「凡稱我主阿，主阿的人不能都進天國；惟獨遵行我天父旨意的人才能進去。」 ("Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.") 由此可見，對每一位基督徒而言，明白 what God requires of each of us 是個極為重要［必須捫心自問］的課題！

Please see (請點閱) #2012-0317

for the previous retreat here at Sheng Ai Villa

Sharing Our Stories in the Evening (茶敘之夜)

#2014-0217

A-Chang Ge, Liqing, Lao Zhan, Xiuchen, San Jie, haiyou wo han Yueqin -- zhe "hao you qi ren zu" jinwan xiangyue zai Caotun de Shihua Zhiwu Gongfang Chuyi Huiguan (世華植物工坊廚藝會館) yongcan. Yuanben dasuan wancan hou qianwang Zhongxing Xincun (中興新村) kan jinnian quan-Taiwan zui qiangyan de "Yuanxiao Denghui" (元宵燈會). Buliao shijian mei zhangwo hao, dang women laidao Denghui jiaotongche jiebozhan, yijing chaoguo jiesong-wufu de shijian le. Soyi women zhihao huitou, zhuandao Lao Zhan han Xiuzhen de jia paocha liaotian.

Zhe yi ye, women bici fenxiang le haoduo haoduo de "xinshi". San Jie geng weiweidaolai, jiangle yize yinrenrusheng (huo nairenxunwei) de jiazu gushi, yinwei gushi benshen hen zhenshi, jiashang San Jie shuo-gushi de fengge shifen qiaomiao, women tingle yinxiang tebie shenke!

以下照片：前三張攝於草屯「世華植物工坊廚藝會館」，後五張攝於好友老詹的家。