Thanksgiving
With a grateful heart, I proclaim God’s love,
Offering praise and exalting His grace.
Thankful to the Lord for His goodness to me,
A lifetime overflowing with His blessings.
~ "Song of Thanksgiving" by One Circle Limited
In the year 2024 that has just passed, God allowed me to experience much of His grace and mercy. Let me briefly count His blessings in this pastoral letter.
I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to return to Hong Kong, both at the beginning and at the end of the year. During these visits, I was able to spend quality time with my family and in-laws, celebrating the Winter Solstice and the New Year together. I also had the chance to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as friends in Hong Kong. I am also thankful to God for allowing me to enjoy Hong Kong’s amazing cuisine again.
I thank God for enabling me to continue my studies. I completed two units, one on Zechariah and another on the Synoptic Gospels, which allowed me to grow both in biblical knowledge and in spiritual life.
I thank God for helping my wife and me successfully apply for a mortgage and become homeowners. Throughout the process of applying for the loan, finding a house, and bidding at the auction, we experienced God’s care and provision. I thank God for this new home, which we can use to host brothers and sisters, especially the young people we serve.
I thank God for calling me to be a pastor, a full-time servant of the Lord. Serving God full-time has been my dream since shortly after I became a Christian. I thank God for fulfilling my dream in my “mature age”. Before and after graduation, I heard many stories about the difficulties of finding a pastoral position, so being able to become a pastor so smoothly is truly by God’s grace.
I thank God for calling me to be a Cantonese youth pastor, serving university students who are from Hong Kong. It has been over ten years since I had specifically ministered to young people, so it’s amazing that my first pastoral role involves serving youth.
I thank God for allowing me to minister on university campuses. Since graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic, I had not been involved in campus evangelism. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to once again share the gospel on campus and help young people grow in the Lord. Serving in both church and campus has brought some struggles, but it has also brought great joy to me.
I thank God for introducing me to various experienced pastors in both the church and on campus. They have become my role models to learn from.
I thank God for the many adult believers and youth, whose lives and examples have positively impacted my spiritual life.
I thank God for still allowing me to travel, to relax, and to rest.
I thank God for my wife, who supports and encourages me in all things. She supports and participates in my ministry and provides encouragement and prayers when I am worried or lacking in faith.
I recognise that none of the above blessings can be taken for granted. I thank God for His grace in giving me all these blessings.
I lift my hands to You, offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
Praising my eternal Saviour, giving You my all.
~ "Song of Thanksgiving" by One Circle Limited
獻上感恩
心存感恩 述說主愛 獻上讚美 頌讚主恩
感謝恩主 賜我美善 一生一世 主恩滿載
~ 《感恩歌》 同心圓敬拜音樂平台
在剛過去的2024年,神讓我經歷了很多祂的恩典與憐憫,就讓我在這篇牧聲簡單的數算。
感謝神讓我在年初和年底,都可以返到香港,和自己的家人、也和太太的家人一起做冬(冬至)、慶祝新年,也可以同一些香港的弟兄姊妹和朋友見面分享。當然,也感謝神讓我再嘗香港的美食。
感謝神讓我可以持續進修,修讀了兩個科目-撒迦利亞書和對觀福音(或稱符類福音),讓我在聖經知識上和靈命上都有成長。
感謝神讓我和太太成功申請按揭並成為業主。我們在申請按揭、找屋和拍賣的過程中,都經歷神的看顧和供應。感謝神讓我們有這新居,可以招待弟兄姊妹,特別是服侍的青少年人。
感謝神讓我成為牧者,一個全職事奉神的僕人。全職事奉神-是我信主後不久的夢想。感謝神為我在「金齡」成就了夢想。畢業前後都聽到很多關於找牧職的困難,能這麼順利成為牧者實在是神的恩典。
感謝神讓我成為粵語青少年牧者,去服事從香港來到雪梨的大學生。在成為青少年牧者之前,已經有十多年沒有特別去服事青少年。實在很難想像第一份牧職就是服事年輕人。
感謝神讓我可以去到大學校園服事。自香港理工學院畢業後,已完全沒有去到大學校園做福音工作。感謝神讓我可以再次在校園裏傳福音、及幫助年輕人在主內成長。教會和校園的服事帶給我掙扎,但也帶給我很大的喜樂。
感謝神讓我在教會中、校園裏,都認識到不同、有經驗的牧者,成為我學習、效法的對象。
感謝神讓我認識到很多不同的成年人信徒、青少年信徒,他們的生命,他們的榜樣,正面地影響我的屬靈生命。
感謝神讓我依然可以去旅行,去放鬆心情、去休息。
感謝神給我太太在所有事情上都給予我支持和鼓勵,她支持、也支援我的事奉,也在我擔心、信心不足的時候,給予鼓勵和祈禱。
以上所感恩的事情,我知道都不是必然的。感謝神給我這些恩典。
為祢舉起我的兩手 感恩的祭甘獻給祢
頌讚我的永生救主 奉上一切
~《感恩歌》同心圓敬拜音樂平台