Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Would you please help?

I am currently working on one of my research projects, and need your help to fill out a short survey for me. They are only 9 to 10 questions long. You would fill out only one of the two. Would you help?

A. If you are a regular internet user and had NOT had any interactive online church experience (such as lifechurch.tv and second life church), please fill out this survey - http://www.polldaddy.com/s/D45E6C712101184E/

B. If you had interactive online church experience before, then please fill out this survey - http://www.polldaddy.com/s/82850BEA77C77B8E/

My research topic is "the E-culture and the Church." I would like to look into the impact of the prevailing internet culture to the Church. Since the topic is rather big, I would mainly focus on the emerging interactive online church ministry. Your help in filling the survey would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you very much!

Monday, June 09, 2008

"有感而慟" 之後 ... Post Lament Youth

走出士浸, 走出有感而慟的音樂賑災晚會, 回到家後便立刻在網上尋找這一個深深感動我的她 - 她的故事, 及屬於她的歌.

她便是袁文婷, 一個只有二十六歲的小一教師 ... 她的優越不只在她的課堂上的教導, 更在她的生命中流露出來 ...

這是她的一剪影 ...

82年出生的她, 幼年喪父, 至幼與母親相依為命 ...
在民主小學任一年級語文老師, 平時較沈默 ...
但對她的工作卻是至誠, 滿有抱負 ... "“每一個學生都是我的孩子,他們都才六七歲,好像一張白纸,他們的未來都在我的手中,我是他們的啟蒙教師 ..."

二零零八年五月十二日 ... 當地開始搖動, 袁老師大聲吼叫: "地震了, 大家快跑 ... " 但很多學生都因驚慌呆站, 走不動 ... 她快速的奔跑, 抱著小孩往外跑 ... 一個 ... 兩個 ... 三個 ... 一次又一次走進教室把孩子救出來 ... 總共是十三次!! 當她放下第十三名小孩吳佳輝後, 又一箭步走進教室 ... "嘭" 的一聲教室倒塌了 ... 被救的小孩都哭嚷著: "袁老師還在裡面 ... "

一個小時後, 緊急救援部隊在癈墟裡找到她, 她身下還有九名小孩 ... 她頭朝下, 雙臂張開, 手都是撘在孩子們身上的 ... 她的青春定格在二十六歲 ...

除了袁文婷和九個孩子, 一年級一班的其他學生全都安全!!

她的朋友及同事作了一首歌"讓我為你點燃一盞燭光"記念她, 其中以下的歌詞最為吸引我 ...

勇敢不是簡單一句語言
勇敢不是只有戰士的陽剛
勇敢是人生價值最美麗的閃光點
....
是你 把死亡留給自己
把希望留給了別人
....
是你 用生命告訴我們
有一種愛叫做永恆

相信在今次四川地震中, 配得我們以歌頌揚記念的又何止一位呢? 可能有更多動人故事都未為人知, 又怎或是永無人知. 但他們的用心 - 把別人的生命燃亮, 帶給這世界一點點的希望, 這一個勇敢的決定是我們不能否定的 ... 但不要讓這決定停止, 讓我們繼續燃點, 繼續燃亮吧~~

袁文婷在地震短短的兩分鐘作了一個勇敢的決定 ... 你我在這世代活著的決定又是什麼? 是否為著自己的學業, 前途, 家庭, 健康等問題仍卻步不前? 是否因擔心, 憂慮, 忿怒, 失望, 不願面對明天? 年輕人, 讓我們都鼓起勇氣, 不再瑟縮家中, 沈醉在自我的夢境裡, 昂然踏上前路吧!! 與各人一同前行吧! 這世界需要你我~~ We are the world!

"一宿雖然有哭泣,早晨便必歡呼。" (詩三十: 5)
這黑夜可能是艱苦漫長, 但深信因有拯救的神, 因有同行的人, 我們有力量迎接早晨!

"不可叫人小看你年輕,總要在言語、行為、愛心、信心、清潔上,都作信徒的榜樣。" (提前四: 12)
袁文婷沒有因為年輕退縮, 她的行為, 愛心都作了多人的榜樣 ... 唯眾人所敬重~~

在聚會終結前, 大會向眾人發出一個挑戰 ... 叫我們都把繞著黃絲帶的手伸出, 感受一下在瓦礫中伸出軟弱的手盼望被救的災民的感受 ... 我們只舉了短短的十數分鐘 ... 他們卻是在黑暗中等候了數十小時 ... 雖然這真是微不足道, 但讓我們真的不要忘記去感受, 不要被過度的資訊痳林. 願我們不要忘記: "與哀哭的人要同哭" (羅十二: 15). 就如今早牧師說: "若一個肢體受苦,所有的肢體就一同受苦." (林前十二: 26). 讓我們不要再活在自己的小世界了~~

共勉之~~

有關更多袁文婷的資料: http://baike.baidu.com/view/1600966.html
收聽"讓我為你點燃一盞燭光"
Flash http://xcb.suse.edu.cn/drzg.swf
mp3 http://xcb.suse.edu.cn/让我为你点燃烛光.mp3


Walking out of SCBC, out from Lament Youth Concert, I quickly went home, and the first thing I did was to get on the internet and research more about this girl - her touching story, and her song.

Her name is Yuen Man-Ting, 26, grade 1 teacher. She is outstanding not only on her teaching, but on how she live out her life ... The following is an "abstract" of it.

Born in 82, lost her dad when she's little and lives with her mom since ...

Teaching Grade 1 Chinese in "Man Zhu Primary School", was kinda quiet ...

She is full of passions and expectations towards her teaching ... "Everyone of my student is my child. They are only 6 / 7 years old, like a white sheet of paper, their futures are all in my hands, I am their mentor, their inspiring teacher ... "

May 12, 2008 ... when the ground started shaking, Teacher Yuen shouted: "It's earthquake, run quickly!!" But many of the students were shocked and stunned ... not knowing to fled for life ... She quickly moved, grabing a child and went out of the building ... one ... two ... three ... again and again, going back and forth to save the children one by one ... for a total of 13!! When she put down the 13th child "Wu Kai Fei", she ran quickly again into the classroom .... "BANG!" ... the roof collapsed ... the saved children all cried and shouted: "Teacher Yuen is still inside ... "

An hour later, the crisis recovery team came and found her and 9 children in the debris ... Face down, arms open, over the bodies of the children .... Her time stopped at the age of 26 ...

Other than Teacher Yuen and the 9 children, all the other students from the Grade 1 class were safe!!

Her colleagues and friends wrote a song - "Let me light a candle for you" - to memorialize her. The following except lyrics especially touched me:

Brave is not a simple sentence
Brave is not merely the strength of the warriors
Brave is the most beautiful spark of one's value
...
It's You leave death to yourself
leaving hope for others
...
It's You use your life to tell us
there is a love called eternal

I believe there are many more who worth our praises and memorial for their actions in this disaster of Sichuan. May be a lot more touching stories not yet known, or would never be known ... but they all have a message - to light up others' lives, to give a bit more hope to the world. Their brave decisions aren't what we can deny ... Don't let this decision stop, let us continue ... continue to light up!!

Yuen Man-Ting made brave decisions during the short couple-minutes of earthquake ... What about you and me? What are our decisions for those who are alive? Are we still stuck and troubled by our school, career, family, or health problems? Do we refuse to look at tomorrow for our worries, anxieties, anger, or disappointments? Young people, let us be courageous, not hide behind our comfy homes, not be drowned in our own dreams ... march onwards!! Step forward with everyone! This world needs you and me~~ We are the world!!

"Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)
This night may be rough and long, but due to the Saviour, due to many companions, we will have the strength to wait till the morning!

"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." (1Timothy 4:12)
Yuen Man-Ting did not back off due to her youthfulness, her action, love became an example of many ... she's being respected by many~~

Before the end of the concert, the organizer gave us all a challenge ... a challenge to stretch out our arm with the yellow ribbon - to feel how those waiting to be saved under the debris felt as they awaited to be saved ... We did this for a full 10 minutes, but they ... they did it in complete darkness for tens of hours ... This is really nothing in comparison, but let us not forget to feel even by little ... let us not be indifferent due to the flooding of information we get each day. Let us not forget to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). Just as Reverend said this morning: "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it" (1Corinthian 12:26). Let us not only live in our own little world~~

Let's keep reminding each other about it~~

More info about Yuen Man-Ting (but in Chinese): http://baike.baidu.com/view/1600966.html
Listen to "Let me light a candle for you" (Mandarin)
Flash http://xcb.suse.edu.cn/drzg.swf
mp3 http://xcb.suse.edu.cn/让我为你点燃烛光.mp3