Listen, the Stones Are Telling Stories…
One New Year's Eve more than ten years ago, after a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, my wife and I invited the children to my study. When the door opened, I saw many fist-sized stones placed on a special wooden frame in the middle.
A family of five sat down to share the most impressive things this year. Suddenly, they discovered that it was really a climax! Each time you talk about something, the person who brought it up must explain why this thing is worthy of gratitude, and then stack a stone on the stone that others have already placed. Half an hour later, 12 stones were neatly stacked into the shape of an altar. I no longer remember what we shared at that time, but the experience of the whole family building a miniature altar that was visible to the naked eye, and eventually transforming it into a spiritual altar, left a deep impression on every family member, and they still talked about it many years later!
What story are the stones telling?
There are many records in the Bible of "hearing stories told by stones". What stories can God’s people tell through stones? In other words, what stories can be heard from the stones? At least the following three types can be told/listened to—marks for God’s great deeds; evidence of covenant with God; and memories of man’s interaction with God.
First, the great deeds of God can be told/heard from the stones.
Exodus 17:8-16 records the Israelites’ first war after leaving Egypt. Moses sat on the stone, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands and held them up all day until the Amalekites were completely defeated. So Moses built an altar and named it "Jehovah Nisi", which means "Jehovah is my banner."
Joshua Chapter 4 describes that when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, God commanded them to take 12 stones from the river and set them up at Gilgal. When your descendants ask in the future, you can testify to them about God’s great deeds in dividing the rivers, and “so that all the people on the earth may know the power of the hand of the Lord, and that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
The altar built by the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel also described God's great deeds. 1 Kings 18:38-39 records that when all the Israelites saw fire coming from heaven and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and dried up the water in the trenches, they fell down and said, "The Lord is God! The Lord is God. !”
Second, the evidence of the covenant with God can be told/heard from the stone.
Deuteronomy Chapter 27:8, before Moses died, he specifically instructed the Israelites to build a stone altar on Mount Ebal and to "write the covenant with God clearly on the stone."
There are countless records in the Bible where stones were used as evidence of covenants with God. Just the covenant of Noah (8:20), the covenant of Abraham (12:7), the covenant of Isaac (26:23~25), and the covenant of Jacob (28:18~20; 35) in Genesis : 7,14), they all built altars with stones to serve as evidence of their covenant with God.
Third, the stones can tell/listen to the memories of the interactions between people and gods.
In Exodus 39, God commanded Moses to inlay two onyx stones on the shoulder straps of the high priest's robe, engrave the names of the sons of the patriarch Jacob, and make them a memorial stone for Israel, and inlay them on the breastplate of the high priest. 12 stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. These precious stones powerfully convey God’s cherished love for each tribe of Israel.
From a spiritual perspective, you and I are God’s people; our new high priest is Jesus Christ. He also carries us on his shoulders and in his heart as treasures. Hebrews 4:14-16 clearly describes the eternal High Priest’s love for us—
“Since we have a high priest who has ascended to heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted to be with us. The same thing, except that He did not sin. Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Describe the Lord’s grace with a moral testament
Stones tell stories. Even if the characters at the time when the story took place are no longer around, the altars or monuments they deliberately built to tell about God’s great deeds, evidence of their covenant with God, and memories of their interactions with God will still continue to tell and bear witness to God’s amazing grace.
Of course, we cannot keep silent just because stones can tell stories. Stones are just evidence and supplements. The most important thing is that you and I deliberately bear witness to God’s truth and true love in our personal lives, family lives, church lives, community lives, and workplace lives with our words, pens, hearts, and deeds. , and pass on this way of thinking and lifestyle from generation to generation.
As 1 Peter chapter 2 verses 4-5 emphasizes:“The Lord is a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious by God. When you come to the Lord, you also, as living stones, are built up into a spiritual house to serve as a holy priesthood, Jesus Christ offers a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God.”
I once saw this 44-character jingle on the Internet, trying to explain a person's life:
When you are 1 year old, you have to go on stage; when you are 10 years old, homework comes first;
When you are 20 years old, your emotions are rippling; when you are 30 years old, you are bumping into things;
At the age of 40, there is confrontation in the workplace; at the age of 50, the figure is out of shape;
When you are 60 years old, you will be strong; when you are 70 years old, you will often be forgetful;
At the age of 80, I am wobbly; at the age of 90, I am lost;
At 100 years old, hanging on the wall.
Dear readers, is life really just like this? In fact, you and I would both agree that besides facing the reality of birth, old age, illness and death in the material world involuntarily, there is another possibility! That is the conviction that in addition to the short-term and limited physical life, humans also have eternal spiritual life. Because of this, every day you and I are alive, we can receive from the Creator the heat, love, and vitality that transcends setbacks and difficulties, and overcomes illness and pain.
"Life is a gift given to us by God; how we use it is our gift to God."This is a saying that my parents always remind me. It is precisely because they have lived their lives with this belief and tried their best to pass on this outlook on life to their descendants. Therefore, although their bodies have passed away, their examples remain, and they are still speaking through the words, writings and lives of their descendants' family service teams. . Isn’t this the invisible altar or monument they built with their lives before God?
這就叫「品德遺囑」（ethical will）。 Ethical will的確可以當作無形的家族祭壇或紀念碑，代代傳承下去。想想看，當我們離世後，家人整理遺物時，除了這一生積存的錢財、物品、書籍、用具，及一些衣物外，若是沒有留下任何可令家人與子孫回憶、思念的事，不是很可惜、很可悲嗎？
Although the body passes away, the example remains
The 93-year-old father of KRC founder/CEO Gao Lili, Pastor Gao Yaomin, was a senior in the Lord whom I sincerely admire. He passed away on Christmas Day 2023. Teacher Li Li’s son Andrew shared during the memorial service. This young man in his thirties has been practicing kendo diligently since he was a teenager.
Andrew said that the ultimate test of kendo training is one person fighting against a group of people taking turns. At the end of the battle, he was so exhausted that he could no longer focus on strategies and moves, and relied solely on instinct to fight to the end. This was the time to test how solid and deep his basic skills were! In his mind, his grandfather, who gradually became disabled and mentally disabled 15 years after a stroke, was exactly such a "swordsman" with very solid and profound basic spiritual and pastoral skills! Let’s take a look at a one-and-a-half-minute video shot on a mobile phone in 2022.
俐理老師當時分享這段視頻時附註：「父親中風15年，24小時需要照顧，最近食慾越來越差，身體瘦弱很多，精神也不太好。但是，只要請他禱告，依舊充滿上帝的大能與權柄。」親愛的讀者，忘了自己幾歲？沒關係！ 搞不清楚現在在吃早餐或午餐？也沒問題！他的存在，他所展現出來的靈命和牧養的基本功，就是在見證神的愛，就是在做信仰傳承， 就是最好的ethical will。
After Pastor Gao passed away, Teacher Li Li shared:
"My father passed away. Even though it was expected, his death still caught me off guard! For a few days, I felt depressed every day. I couldn't accept why God allowed my father to spend the last 15 years of his life full of suffering and suffering, losing the motivation and freedom of life. Surprisingly, my son Andrew's sermon over the weekend, especially the parable of the sword, untied this knot in my heart. I can begin to see how God is using His battle-hardened old servant. Showing in front of all of us that even if we lose all our abilities and minds, we can continue to bear witness to the Lord through prayers and blessings through our internalized life. It turns out that those 15 years of suffering are meaningful!”
What a wonderful ethical will this is!
國際真愛家庭協會葉高芳會長夫人李懷恩師母指出，大部分的人都知道應當立遺囑把生前財物交代清楚，免得讓親人產生困擾、紛爭。近年來越來越多人除了財物分配，更努力、刻意把一生的信念、價值觀，以及人生功課、夢想、盼望，與所蒙的恩惠……，記述下來，留給後代，這就稱為ethical will。創世記 49章中，雅各為他12個兒子所作之歌，就是 ethical will的範例之一。
主耶穌離世前，對門徒說了許多肺腑之 言，都記載於約翰福音13～17章裡面，尤其是 「你們要彼此相愛，像我愛你們一樣，這就是我的命令。」這個交待，成為跟隨祂的人一生 的召命。這可說是最有力的ethical will。
The story of a husband and wife loving each other and supporting each other; the filial behavior of caring for their elderly parents; the example of practicing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with God, and implementing faith in life... All this will not only remind future generations, but even affect their lives. Mrs. Wynn compared it this way: We are like standing upstream of a river, while our children are downstream; if our water is kept clean, their water will become clean and sweet.
Build altars with family photo albums and family reunions
在這兒要推介一件大家都可以做的事，就是「整理家族相簿」。所謂「相簿」，除了實體的照相簿，還可以廣義延伸為電子版的相片 集、音頻，或視頻。如果用心好好做，絕對可 以成為家族的無形祭壇或紀念碑，作為傳家寳和ethical will，代代相傳。當然，不用我說， 各位也知道，實體相簿很可能留不下來，一段 年日後即被當作垃圾清理掉。年長者若不會做數位版家族相簿，怎麼辦？可以找兒女、孫輩幫忙，好讓他們在過程中更加了解家族歷史。 過來人指出，傳承無價，即使得付兒孫「工 資」，都絕對值得！
People of a certain age have thousands of physical or digital photos at home. How to select and combine stories into stories that have the value of passing down family beliefs requires a lot of thought and effort. In my hands, I have my grandfather’s edition, my father’s edition, and my mother’s edition, three sets of photo albums that tell the story of faith inheritance through pictures. Each set uses only about twenty photos. The secret is to find out and write down the people, times, places, events and meanings of each selected photo, and to construct a good story with its beginnings and endings. Every family’s story is different. I only use the stories of my family’s faith inheritance that I am most familiar with as examples to give you some inspiration for making family photo albums/videos.
In 1941, God led my father and mother to become lifelong partners. Since then, they have been running a marriage and family together for 66 years, shepherding and cultivating eight children, and forming a family ministry team. Below is a testimonial video derived from a photo album of their faith heritage stories.
時候滿足，2007年，天父在40天之中，相繼帶我的父母回天家，留下「守住所信，完成所託」的美好典範。
But the story doesn't end there. The faith passed down through blood and family ties is a blessing passed down from generation to generation! And every generation has to tell its own story!
家父家母過世後，眾兒女就決心要繼續承擔起這榮耀的使命。維持家父建立起來、兩年一次的家族團聚（family reunion）就是其中最重要的事項之一。以下就是蘇家家族團聚的見證和心得分享。
The theme of the Su family reunion held in central California, USA, from July 8 to 11, 2023, is "Family Faith Inheritance." More than forty people from three generations came before the Lord again, reliving the life story of their parents, "As for me and my family, we must serve the Lord," and re-determined to pass on this way of thinking and lifestyle from generation to generation.
Dear readers, after reading the stories presented in the Su family’s family photo albums and videos, are you also interested in starting to work hard to stack the first, second, or third stone on the altar or monument for the inheritance of family beliefs?
There is treasure in the earthen vessel, which continues to shine
Looking back on the past, we often find that there were laughter, gains, and achievements, but there must also be blood, tears, losses, and setbacks. However, no matter how many times over the years I have determined to pursue physical, mental, spiritual, and collective improvement, and determined to organize family photo albums, I have always given up halfway. You and I must admit that it is extremely difficult to become a better parent or grandparent and to pass on the family faith by relying solely on our own willpower, cultivation or hard work! Only by being connected to the power of salvation and resurrection of the cross of Christ can it be possible to truly transform and create a new situation.
Before setting out again, the most important thing is to make sure not to repeat the same mistakes to avoid suffering the same failure. Second Corinthians 4:7-9 provides you and me with the most effective secret to “terminating failure”:“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this great power comes from God and not from us. We are attacked on every side, but not trapped; we are troubled, but not disappointed; we are persecuted, but not disappointed. Forsaken; struck down, but not dead.”
Yes, although you and I are like the rough and fragile earthen vessels used to light lamps in Paul's time, the Heavenly Father who loves us is willing to pour His powerful energy into them continuously so that the wicks can always be soaked in oil, so that The lamp of life can continue to shine in the years full of challenges and difficulties, becoming a glorious witness of the Father in this dark night and troubled world.
Indeed, we may often be incompetent and give up halfway, or we may be stubborn and easily irritable. However, when an oil lamp lights up in the dark, others will only be attracted by the warm light and will not deliberately look at how concave and convex the pottery is. How uneven, how rough and fragile. Dear reader, if you are willing, you can get this "baby" today!
Pour out your heart to the Lord
I would like to invite you to put your hands on your hearts and come before the Lord together to make a resolution:
Lord, how much we hope that through life, words, words, photos, videos... these "stones", we can build a spiritual altar for our family and leave for future generations the beliefs, values, and life we have received from You in this life. Lessons, dreams, and the special favors You have bestowed upon us, so that they can continue to trust You and look up to You because of our testimony.
Even if some of our descendants have become cold to the faith and alienated from the church, I beg you to allow them to be attracted back to your salvation one day because of the invisible altar we have built.
Heavenly Father, we are willing to work hard, but often we fall short. Please pour out the power of Your resurrection on our weaknesses and limitations, and encourage and urge us to continue running towards the goal. In the name of Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, Amen!
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Religion and Morality
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