Monday, March 30, 2020

Let me talk to you about my story -- a key in pastoral care

Telling personal stories to the pastor is one of the keys to facilitate the successful ministry of pastoral care. Not knowing the parishioners' life and history it is not easy for the pastor to get inspired not even mobilized. 「把自己的故事講給牧師聽」是促成「牧會/牧育成功」的關鍵之一。不曉得會友的生命跟生活史,很不容易引發牧師的靈感與動力。
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Try to re-write the story:

Three days before Christmas Eve, the priest noticed at the flea market a beautiful tablecloth, ivory-colored, with a large cross embroidered in the middle. The doily was just enough to cover the peeling paint on the church wall.

He bought the doily and went back to the church.

At this time it was snowing in the sky. An old lady came across the street to take a bus, but failed to catch up. The next bus will have to wait for 45 minutes, so the priest invites the old lady to wait in the church to avoid the snow and snow, and to be warmer.

The priest started to move the ladder and hung the big tablecloth that he had just bought to the wall, just covering the peeling place. "Thank you! It's perfect!" The priest looked at the hanging tablecloth with satisfaction!

Suddenly, he noticed that the old woman came to the front, staring at the doily, her face pale. "Pastor, where did you get this doily?" The old lady asked. The pastor explained to her the cause and effect.

"Can you see if the lower right corner of the tablecloth is embroidered with EBG?" The old woman asked with a trembling voice. This is the abbreviation of the old lady's name. The priest checked the lower right corner of the doily and it turned out that these words appeared. Doily was embroidered by the old lady 35 years ago in Austria.

The old lady told the pastor, "Thirty-five years ago, my husband and I lived in Austria and we were rich. After the Nazis came, we were forced to leave. I went first, and my husband left after a week, sent to the concentration camp, never saw my husband again, and never went home again, "she said.

The priest listened and wanted to return the tablecloth to the old lady, but the old lady asked the pastor to keep it for the church. The priest insisted on driving the old lady home, thanking her for the doily.

A few days later, the church smoothly reopened on Christmas Eve. The whole church is almost full, and the music and atmosphere are very good. Many people say that they will come back next Sunday. The worship was over, and a old gentleman from the neighborhood keep sitting without showing the intention of leaving, and the priest recognized him.

"Pastor, where did you get this tablecloth?" The old man asked. "When I lived in Austria before the war, my wife embroidered a tablecloth like this. It is amazing that there are actually two identical tablecloths in the world!" He told the priest that thirty-five years ago he and his wife were separated because of the Nazi invasion of Austria. He asked his wife to leave first, and then he left. Unexpectedly, he was arrested later. He never went home and never saw his wife again.

The priest froze. "May I drive you for a ride?" Asked the old pastor. "Okay! Let me talk to you about my story, if you are interested." The old man answered.

The priest drove the car to an apartment on Staten Island, where he only brought the old lady back three days ago. He helped the old man to climb the three-story stairs and rang the bell on the old lady's door. The priest witnessed a touching Christmas reunion.

553 words

改寫看看:2020330 18:27

聖誕夜的前三天,牧師在跳蚤市場注意到一張很漂亮的桌巾,象牙色的,桌巾中間繡著一個大大的十字架。桌巾的大小剛好可以蓋住教堂牆上那片油漆剝落處。
他把桌巾買了下來,折回教堂去。

這時天空下起雪來。一位老太太從對街跑來要搭巴士,但沒趕上。下一班巴士要再等四十五分鐘才來,於是牧師請老太太到教堂裡等,避避風雪,也可溫暖一點。

牧師開始去搬梯子,把那張剛買的大桌巾掛到牆壁上,剛好蓋住剝落的地方。「感謝主!簡直太完美了!」牧師看著掛好的桌巾,滿意極了!

突然,他注意到老太太走到前面來,盯著桌巾,臉色發白。「牧師,你哪來的這張桌巾?」老太太問。牧師把前因後果解釋給她聽。
「你可不可以看看桌巾右下角是不是繡有EBG字樣?」老太太聲音顫抖地問。這正是這位老太太名字的縮寫。牧師檢查了桌巾的右下角,果然有這幾個字樣。桌巾正是三十五年前老太太在奧地利時親手繡出來的。

老太太跟牧師說:「三十五年前,我跟我先生住在奧地利,家境富有。納粹來了以後,我們被迫離開。我先走,我先生隔一個星期走。」「後來我被送到集中營,再也沒看到過我先生,也從此沒再回家過。」她說。

牧師聽了,要把桌巾還給老太太,但老太太卻要牧師留著給教堂用。牧師於是堅持開車送老太太回家,謝謝她的桌巾。

幾天之後,教堂順利地在聖誕夜重新開幕。整間教堂幾乎全部滿座,音樂及氣氛都很好,很多人都說下星期天會再來聚會。禮拜結束了,有一個鄰居的老先生坐著還不離開,牧師認得他。

「牧師,你這張桌巾哪裡來的?」老先生問「我戰爭前住在奧地利的時候,我太太繡了一張這樣的桌巾,世界上居然有兩張這麼相像的桌巾!」他告訴牧師,三十五年前他跟太太是因為納粹入侵奧地利而分散的。他要太太先離開,他隨後就走。沒想到後來他就被抓入牢裡去了。從此沒回家,也沒再見到太太。

牧師愣住了。「您能讓我開車載您去兜兜風嗎?」牧師問老先生。「好啊!跟你聊聊我的故事,如果你有興趣的話。」老先生答。

牧師把車子開到史塔登島一間公寓前,三天前他才送老太太回來的地方。他扶著老先生爬了三層樓的階梯,在老太太的門上按了門鈴。牧師親眼目睹了一場感人的聖誕團圓。



轉分享<屋頂的裂縫>
一對年輕牧師夫婦被派到紐約布魯克林區為一間老舊教堂重新開幕。
那老教堂的確很破落需要大力整修。
他們訂下一個計畫時間表,每天做一點整修,準備聖誕夜舉行重新開幕的禮拜。
聖誕節前一星期,所有的工作幾乎都照著進度差不多完成了。
但是突來了連續兩天暴風雨。
聖誕夜的前三天,牧師去到教堂時,看見屋頂裂了一個縫,祭壇後的牆壁油漆剝落了一大片,大概有二十呎長八呎寬。
牧師心冷了半截,把掉落地上的油漆掃乾淨,心裡盤算著該怎麼辦。
「是不是必須把聖誕夜的禮拜取消?把重新開幕的時間延後呢?」他左思右想。
後來他釋懷了:「我相信一定可以解決這個問題的!」
在他回家的路上,剛好碰到當地一些企業聯合擺攤子舉辦的一場像跳蚤市場一樣的義賣會。
他信步走進去瞧瞧。
他注意到一張很漂亮的桌巾,象牙色的,桌巾中間繡著一個大大的十字架。
桌巾的大小剛好可以蓋住教堂牆上那片油漆剝落處。
他把桌巾買了下來,折回教堂去。
這時天空下起雪來。
一位老太太從對街跑來要搭巴士,但沒趕上。
下一班巴士要再等四十五分鐘才來,於是牧師請老太太到教堂裡等,避避風雪,也可溫暖一點。
牧師開始去搬梯子,把那張剛買的大桌巾掛到牆壁上,剛好蓋住剝落的地方。
「感謝主!簡直太完美了!」牧師看著掛好的桌巾,滿意極了!
突然,他注意到老太太走到前面來,盯著桌巾,臉色發白。
「牧師,你哪來的這張桌巾?」老太太問。
牧師把前因後果解釋給她聽。
「你可不可以看看桌巾右下角是不是繡有EBG字樣?」老太太聲音顫抖地問。
這正是這位老太太名字的縮寫。
牧師檢查了桌巾的右下角,果然有這幾個字樣。
桌巾正是三十五年前老太太在奧地利時親手繡出來的。
老太太跟牧師說:「三十五年前,我跟我先生住在奧地利,家境富有。納粹來了以後,我們被迫離開。我先走,我先生隔一個星期走。」
「後來我被送到集中營,再也沒看到過我先生,也從此沒再回家過。」她說。
牧師聽了,要把桌巾還給老太太,但老太太卻要牧師留著給教堂用。
牧師於是堅持開車送老太太回家,謝謝她的桌巾。
她住在史塔登島,只有每星期到布魯克林區做清潔工。
幾天之後,教堂順利地在聖誕夜重新開幕。
整間教堂幾乎全部滿座,音樂及氣氛都很好,很多人都說下星期天會再來聚會。
禮拜結束了,有一個鄰居的老先生坐著還不離開,牧師認得他。
「牧師,你這張桌巾哪裡來的?」老先生問
「我戰爭前住在奧地利的時候,我太太繡了一張這樣的桌巾,世界上居然有兩張這麼相像的桌巾!」
他告訴牧師,三十五年前他跟太太是因為納粹入侵奧地利而分散的。
他要太太先離開,他隨後就走。
沒想到後來他就被抓入牢裡去了。從此沒回家,也沒再見到太太。
牧師愣住了。
「您能讓我開車載您去兜兜風嗎?」牧師問老先生。
「好啊!跟你聊聊我的故事,如果你有興趣的話。」老先生答。
牧師把車子開到史塔登島一間公寓前,三天前他才送老太太回來的地方。
他扶著老先生爬了三層樓的階梯,在老太太的門上按了門鈴。
牧師親眼目睹了一場感人的聖誕團圓。
這是一位美國牧師敘述的真實故事。
上帝讓人團圓的方式實在大奇妙了!
人海茫茫,尋尋覓覓,唯有上帝知道在哪裡。
一個屋頂的裂縫,一對團員的夫妻。
誰知道你或許就是下位見證奇蹟的人呢?
當你碰到不如意的事情時,不要意氣用事,更不要發怒或是悲傷,
誰知道接下來會發生甚麼事呢?
或許因為你的汽車被刮,碰到你生命中的另一半呢?
或許因為你考試沒考好,在新學校碰到你生命中的貴人呢?
又或許因為你被人誤會沒有動怒,而被老闆拔擢為主管呢?
我們永遠不知道下一秒會發生甚麼事情,當不如你意的事情發生時,仔細觀察看看,或許神蹟就在不遠的前方!
永遠用正面積極的心,來面對你所遭遇的每一件事情!

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