常綠11月份聚會內容 Evergreen Nov.Topics

常綠助道會 Evergreen Fellowship

時間 /Time: 每週六 Every Sat. 晚上6:00-8:00 PM

地點 /Place：樂民館 Coleman Hall


11/04
Living a Life of Risks 冒險的生活
Topic Sharing 專題分享
Tim Gillette 紀承恩 弟兄

"11/11" Evergreen Fall Retreat~~常綠秋季退修會~~
本週無聚會 No meeting this week


11/18
Bible Study 小組查經
Small Group Discussion 小組討論


11/25
面對爭議 – 金錢 Facing Issue - Money
專題分享 Topic Sharing
王淑霏 姐妹 Sophy Wang

2006 退修會 2006retreat

Story Behind the Song

"Precious Lord, Take My Hand." by Thomas A. Dorsey's

Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home...

Thomas Dorsey's "Precious Lord" has been called "the greatest gospel song of all time." People around the world know it, sing it, and love it because of its profound message of hope and faith. Written in 1932, it continues to appeal deeply to new generations of listeners. Though composed by a young African American blues pianist, the song crosses the lines of race and culture. Everyone from gospel legend Mahalia Jackson to rock 'n' roll king Elvis Presley has recorded it.
Like so many great hymns of faith, the song was inspired by a horrific tragedy in the life of its composer. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in rural Georgia in 1899, the son of an itinerant preacher.

By age 12, Dorsey left school to become a professional pianist. He played at house parties throughout Atlanta's black districts.

In his early 20s, Dorsey settled in Chicago. There he played, sang, and published blues compositions under the name "Georgia Tom." Music critic Stephen Calt described Dorsey saying he "ranked as the most self-conscious, serious, and accomplished blues lyricist of his time."
In 1925 Dorsey married Nettie Harper. A year later, he experienced a nervous breakdown and was unable to work for two years. To survive, his wife took a job in a laundry to support them. At the urging of his sister-in-law, Dorsey attended a church service where he experienced a spiritual healing. That event, combined with the sudden death of a young neighbor, prompted Dorsey to commit himself more fully to God and Christian music. To mark his new life, he wrote his first gospel song, "If You See My Savior, Tell Him That You Saw Me."

In 1932 Dorsey accepted an invitation to become choir director of Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church, a position he would hold for nearly 40 years. As the Great Depression wore away at the spirits of Americans, Dorsey viewed his songwriting as an important ministry. He believed his songs "lifted people out of the muck and mire of poverty and gave them ... hope."

In August of '32, Dorsey was scheduled to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting in St. Louis. At the time he and his wife were living in a little apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Nettie was pregnant with their first child. He kissed her goodbye and made his way to St. Louis for the revival. The next night, as soon as he finished playing, a Western Union messenger came up to the stage and gave Dorsey an urgent telegram. "I ripped open the envelope," he recounted later, "and pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: 'Your wife just died.'"

Dorsey remembered the evening as a surreal moment. "People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out."

Racing home, he learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. "I swung between grief and joy," he recalled. "Yet that night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together in the same casket." He managed to get through the funeral visitation and service. But when it was all over, he withdrew from family, friends, and even his beloved music. "I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well," he said.

In the midst of despair, a friend visited Dorsey and arranged for him to be left alone in a music room with a piano. "It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows," Dorsey recalled. For the first time in many days, he sat at a piano using his fingers to browse the keys. Soon, the young artist experienced a personal revival: "I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, one I'd never heard or played before, and words [for "Precious Lord"] came into my head—they just seemed to fall into place."
"Precious Lord" was an immediate and permanent hit. Dorsey himself said, "This is the greatest song I have written." He went on to sing and direct "Precious Lord" at churches and concerts around the world. To date, the song has been translated into 32 languages.

Dorsey died in January 1993 in Chicago, but his legacy thrives. With his innovative blending of sacred and secular styles, he is remembered as the architect of modern gospel music.

When People Pray 祈禱時刻

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. —Acts 4:31

Peter and John were in danger. The religious leaders in Jerusalem opposing the gospel had warned them to cease their missionary efforts (Acts 4:18). When the apostles reported this to the other believers, they immediately held a prayer meeting.

What happened next is thrilling. The believers first praised God. Then they asked for boldness that they might continue the work. The results were dramatic. The house shook, and the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. They boldly witnessed, enjoyed spiritual unity, and gave unselfishly to those in need (vv.31-37).

I've never felt a building shake at a prayer meeting, but I have seen God's power at work. When I've tried to help repair a broken marriage or a divided church, I've asked those involved to pray. Sometimes they refused. Other times, though, they mumbled carefully worded prayers. Those meetings failed.

But occasionally someone would pray in earnest. Almost immediately the atmosphere would change. Confession and forgiveness soon replaced charges and countercharges.

When we pray sincerely, praising God and seeking His glory, great things happen. Prayer must always come from the heart. —Herbert Vander Lugt

Dissension's fuse is easy to ignite—It fuels our anger, yet it dims the light;Help us, we pray, to humbly seek Your Name,And in pride's place restore the Spirit's flame. —TLG

Sincere intercession is the key to God's intervention.

金句: 「禱告完了，聚會的地方震動。」（使徒行傳4章31節）

彼得與約翰遇到了危險，因為耶路撒冷抵擋福音的宗教領袖警告他們，不可再奉耶穌的名講論（使徒行傳4章18節）。於是使徒把這消息告知其他信徒，他們就立刻舉行禱告會。

接下來發生了令人震驚的事。信徒們先讚美上帝，然後求上帝賜給他們膽量繼續傳講耶穌。他們的禱告帶來了驚人的效果──房屋震動，信徒都被聖靈充滿，而且放膽去作見證，得享屬靈的合一，並且無私地幫助那些有需要的人（31-37節）。

我參加禱告會，從來沒遇到過房屋震動，但我卻看到上帝大能的作為。我在幫助婚姻瀕臨破碎的夫妻，或是分裂的教會時，總會邀請當事人一起禱告。有時他們不肯與我一同禱告，有時他們會小心翼翼地選詞用字，含糊其辭地禱告，這樣的話，我們的會面往往就會以失敗收場。

但有時我也會遇到熱切禱告的人，這樣禱告時，現場的氣氛幾乎立刻就會改變，隨之而來的是認錯與饒恕，不再互相指責和反駁。

只要誠心禱告、讚美上帝，並尋求他的榮耀，上帝就行奇事。禱告之道無他，唯有從心發出。HVL

衝突火線易點燃，帶來怒氣和黑暗；謙卑祈禱求主名，聖靈火焰代傲慢。TLG

真誠代禱是讓上帝動工的關鍵。

BBQ pictures 烤肉照片