8 個月。我最後一個post是在2007年5月1日。當時答應過大家﹐當我處理好一些個人的事情之後就會回來在這個blog再次和大家分享自己的心聲。今日是2007年12月31日。足足八個月了...
8 個月。這段日子﹐發生了很多﹐很多事情。今日的我﹐已經不再是八個月前的我。工作上﹐我今天不再是牧師﹐不會再在神學院任教﹐也辭去了我在不同機構所有的領導職責。家庭上﹐面對很大的困難和挑戰。精神﹐健康上﹐也經歷了半年的掙扎。個人信仰上﹐已經有一段日子沒有返教會。2007年12月23日早上﹐當每間教會普天同慶地舉行聖誕崇拜時﹐我竟然17年來第一次沒有參加任何聖誕聚會。自己一個人坐在McDonald's喝"悶咖啡"。當時的感覺是好孤單﹐好唏噓﹐真的好唏噓...
8 個月。我面對了一生最大的挫折。失去了17年來建立的‘事業’。放棄了一切。痛過。哭過。傷過。憤怒過。但今天的我﹐卻感到自己真的是成熟了。“大個仔”了。經過淚水的洗滌﹐眼睛也雪亮了。今天我看到的事不再是以前單單的“黑”和“白”。今天我所看到的人﹐不再是以前單單的“好”和“壞”。今天我看自己﹐已不再是見到17年來刻意塑造的“形象”。事情發生以後﹐謠言很快便傳了出去。聽到一些難聽的話。也知道自己聽不到的有更多﹐更難聽的。但這些都不再重要。今天我明白了每件事情﹐每一個人的背後都有一個鮮為人知的故事。 今天﹐我真的不知道自己的故事下一頁將會怎樣寫。但在今晚﹐2007年的最後一個晚上﹐心中起了一種已很久沒有感受過的波動。心中浮現了4個字﹕“我不甘心...”
我不甘心我的生命從此只會成為在教會圈子中的“負面教材”﹕“讓我們小心﹐不要像Alfred一樣..."
我不甘心我的生命從此變成了一個沒有信息的生命。我曾經說過﹐生命的價值在乎你和我帶給世間的信息...信息﹐不一定是在教會講台上發表的。雖然從今以後我不會再在教會中“講道”﹐但我相信﹐我需要相信我的生命仍然是可為人帶來有價值的信息...
我不甘心﹐所以我要再站起來。我要再上路﹐再開始。
因為種種的原因﹐毅然決定了徹底離開基督教的圈子。也決定了在教會4面牆以外再重新尋找一個真正屬於自己的信仰生命。做了17年fish out of water﹐覺得是時候自己找尋一個屬於自己的地方。在1月﹐我將會在一個無宗教背景的社區服務機構開始一份新的工作。收入雖然大不如前﹐也再不會有人“林牧師前﹐林牧師後”的尊敬待遇。但心中卻有一份無名的興奮...我希望這新的工作是一個新的開始﹐給我一個新的機會﹐把一個新的信息帶出來。
在未來的一年﹐我希望能夠用這blog和大家分享自己在這段時間對信仰﹐對生命﹐對教會的一些反思。我絕對不是要利用這地方來對任何人發出任何攻擊或批評。也因為這樣﹐我以後所發表的entries是需要經過小心的思量﹐避免自己的emotions使我說出一些傷害人的話。所以大家請給我一點耐性...可能要隔一個星期﹐甚至更長的時間才會見到一個entry。但無論如何﹐希望我所寫的能夠對大家有幫助。
好了。我也要去準備countdown了。在此預祝大家一句﹕Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2007
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13 comments:
Dear Alfred, glad that you'll have a new beginning. I'll be praying for you. Peace be with you.
Praying for you.
Alfred, thank you for be courageous in sharing your thoughts and life again. I'm glad to hear about your direction and hope. You will be in my prayer and hope that our prayers would escort you on your journey :)
kenix
"God, make a fresh start in me,shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life"
(Psalms 51.10, The Message)
This is my year-end prayer, will also pray for you in the same way!!!!
gabriel
我亦曾離開教會的牧師崗位三年了, 昨天是我三年後第一次在自己教會, 在主日講台講道.
看罷你的文章, 我同樣感至很唏噓, 但你的一句話令我非常不能苟同. 你說你過去的事奉時間是十七年[fish out of water].我覺得你美化了這個世界. 其實教會亦是社會的縮影,是罪人的會集. 只不過[一般]以較不直接的方式去表達而已. 這和高層的政治圈... 捌彎傷人, 殺人又有何分別. 只在乎我們看得到沒有. 但教會總是神家.
在我離開教會事奉的日子, 我和你一樣的不甘心, 唏噓...過. 但我從沒有收回我曾對 神應許過的奉獻, 更沒有放棄愛我的 主.
浪子回頭總是家, 若有什麼可以幫助的, 或分享的請在你的部落中留言.
Dear Alfred, our lives, like our voices, will never measure up to a standard of perfection. But God wants us to sing anyway even we are off-key, to live our lives as best we can, knowing that God accepts all our efforts... the music you love remains within you and it's good enough to share... may you allow and accept us to journey with you in this NEW beginning :-)
Peace,
alice
困難,仍然會有。
願你奮力堅持,與主同行,重新開始。
為你禱告。
也渴望在 blog 上,與你一同成長。
只是一月二號加東時間4:22am,短短一日多的時間,你的這個post已經有這麼多的回應了,可見有幾多朋友正在疼你關心你。
希望你有好的新開始!
Thanks for your sharing. "There is a time for everything." God never forsakes you. Take care, brother.
Thank you everyone for your comments and responses! Your encouragement means more to me that you may know...I hope my sharing will bring encouragement to others. Stay tuned :)
All of us have our 'dark side'. All of us have sinned. We work diligently to bury our mistakes so we may tell ourselves we're okay. But it takes more courage to admit your 'wrongs' as what you have done. Who am I to say that you deserve more than I do all the pain and lost you're experiencing? Alfred, what you have done did not discredit the good work you have achieved in the past 17 years. On the contrary, your honesty and courage to take responsibility for what you have done will make you a better pastor if you will ever be one again.
"a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalms 51:17)
and just as Jesus said to Peter... "But I have prayed for you...that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:32)
Alfred, allow us to journey with you. Take care.
親愛的Alfred弟兄,讓我們在往後的日子裡,繼續在不同的崗位上,為信仰,為上帝的國而努力。
Dear Alfred,
I really believe that the end is not the end until it is the end.
You are writing a new page. I have been down and out, I have been hurt and mad but all these are "have been"s and everyday is a new page in front of us.
I still remember your face, your voice....yes, we have our dark side, yes, we have our failures but that is not the end of the story, we can write another new page and please keep doing it.
Not too many will experience what you have experienced, make good use of it (excuse me for saying that) and help those who are the same, wake up those who are asleep, point out the blind spot of those who are arrogant and ignorant, there are so much that we can do.
I never went to a blog and this is my first time because I found it meaningful and even better than many fellowships that I have been to.
Thanks Alfred for your sharing. Learn your lesson and learn it well, then use what you learned to the full extent. I am glad that you said "you are not willing" and that is good, at least it is a start. It is a reflection of your willingness to live a life as it should and not to surrender to the dark side of your life.
Never say never, open a door and there is another side behind the door.
I am no better than you, my dark side is not being exposed yet, may be I kept it well, may be I don't deserved to go through what you have went through...may be...
Your brother and member of the same body.
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