我这学期要修一门叫做“事工管理”的课程。（MIN 4536/6536: Management Essentials for Christian Ministries）。这事说来话长。

上学期末，学校发邮件说以后没有dmin专业了，这个专业将会变成一个全新的在线博士项目：Doctor of Ministry Leadership. 我从前学习的15个学分中，可以转移12个学分到新的项目中。

Dr. Harvey给了我三个选项：继续现在的项目，转移到新的DML项目，或者转移到另一个新的PhD项目（只能转移9个学分）。

Dr. Harvey的建议是，我还是继续我的dmin比较节约时间和学费，但是因为9000水平的课程已经没有了，所以我可以选择两门6000水平的课程，充作余下的一门必修课和一门选修课。

Emma一开始想我转为PhD，大概是因为以后就业的范围可以宽广一点。但是我想，究竟没有必要这么夸张地知难而上，再修40个学分，写一篇400页的博士论文。有这么多学费的话，不如存起来让孩子们上大学。

经过祷告和综合权衡，我决定选择在线的MDL，这样尽管多学习几个学分，但是不用来回旅行，还是可能会节约不少费用。所以我提交了转换专业的申请。

过了若干天，注册办公室发邮件说这个MDL要下一学年才开始，转换专业请求驳回。这是离开学已经很近了。我赶紧和导师Dr. Howell联系，希望继续现在的D.Min项目，先选两门6000的课程，尽快完成学习，开始论文。

经过与注册办公室的拉锯战，终于在开学第一天，也就是昨天，才拿到了注册。据Fiona说，这是因为中文项目拖累的缘故，注册办公室最近特别忙碌。

好吧，我没什么好抱怨的，不过多跑了几趟而已。

因为是8周的在线课程，所以这就要开始交作业了。下面是第一个灵修作业，研究尼希米记的事工管理原则：

Nehemiah 1:4; 2:7-8, 11-20

(1:4) 我听见这话，就坐下哭泣，悲哀几日，在天上的 神面前禁食祈祷…… (2:7-8) 7我又对王说：王若喜欢，求王赐我诏书，通知大河西的省长准我经过，直到犹大； 8又赐诏书，通知管理王园林的亚萨，使他给我木料，做属殿营楼之门的横梁和城墙，与我自己房屋使用的。王就允准我，因我 神施恩的手帮助我。 (2:11-20) 11我到了耶路撒冷，在那里住了叁日。 12我夜间起来，有几个人也一同起来；但 神使我心里要为耶路撒冷做甚么事，我并没有告诉人。除了我骑的牲口以外，也没有别的牲口在我那里。 13当夜我出了谷门，往野狗井去（野狗：或译龙），到了粪厂门，察看耶路撒冷的城墙，见城墙拆毁，城门被火焚烧。 14我又往前，到了泉门和王池，但所骑的牲口没有地方过去。 15于是夜间沿溪而上，察看城墙，又转身进入谷门，就回来了。 16我往那里去，我做甚么事，官长都不知道。我还没有告诉犹大平民、祭司、贵胄、官长，和其余做工的人。 17以后，我对他们说：我们所遭的难，耶路撒冷怎样荒凉，城门被火焚烧，你们都看见了。来罢，我们重建耶路撒冷的城墙，免得再受凌辱！ 18我告诉他们我 神施恩的手怎样帮助我，并王对我所说的话。他们就说：我们起来建造罢！于是他们奋勇做这善工。 19但和伦人参巴拉，并为奴的亚扪人多比雅和亚拉伯人基善听见就嗤笑我们，藐视我们，说：你们做甚么呢？要背叛王么？ 20我回答他们说：天上的 神必使我们亨通。我们作他仆人的，要起来建造；你们却在耶路撒冷无分、无权、无纪念。

4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work. 17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim1 in Jerusalem.”

Devotion on Neh. 1-2 A few observations on ministry planning:

  1. when there is a need or an idea, pray for it. (Neh 1:4)
  2. gain support and prepare resources before launching the ministry. (Neh 1:7-8)
  3. understand the situation and make a plan. (Neh 2:11-16)
  4. Gather a team, encouraging them and mobilizing them. (Neh 2:17-18)
  5. Don’t be discouraged by the opposition. (Neh 2:19-20)

尼希米记1-2章，对尼希米计划事工的简单观察：

  1. 当有需要出现或有新的事工想法时，先为此祷告（Neh 1:4)
  2. 在启动事工之前，尽可能赢得支持，预备资源（Neh 1:7-8)
  3. 了解情势，制定计划（Neh 2:11-16)
  4. 组织团队，鼓励他们一起投入事工（Neh 2:17-18)。尼希米通过自己的预备，让百姓可以自愿地参与，“他们就说：我们起来建造罢！于是他们奋勇做这善工。”
  5. 不要被反对的意见所吓倒。（Neh 2:19-20)。如果明确知道了神的心意，不需要恐惧反对者。任何事工都会遇到不同意见，于是前期的祷告和预备相当重要。

This is a good outline of any ministry planning and I feel it’s applicable to my current situation. I will move back to China very soon and face a highly uncertain situation there just like Nehemiah. I don’t have enough fund, no team to work with and no solid plan on what I can do. I don’t know what opposition I may face as the persecution of various religious groups is getting more severe in the place I go.

Sometimes people’s advise makes me confused and I don’t know what to do next. These passages give me some biblical principles I can follow. I pray God will give me clear guidance and courage to take actions He wants me to take.

这些原则都很实用，我目前的情势也需要寻求神的引导，有勇气采取符合神心意的行动。