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Manna issue 67 - Writing for God 為主寫作

Discovering the writer in you.
by T. Chen

發掘你自已的寫作天份

作者 T. Chen

What comes to your mind when you
think of “writing”? For many of us today,
writing a letter, let alone an article, seems
like a very demanding task. Yet in this
age of mobile phones, e-mail and the
Internet, we do a lot of writing everyday!
We write text messages, e-mails, blogs,
comments… the list goes on. Why, then,
do we find difficulty, or even dread,
writing articles?

當你想到要"寫作"的時候，你會想到什麼事呢？
對今日我們許多人而言，
寫一封信，更不用說寫一篇文章，
看起來會是一個非常吃力的要求。
然而在這手機，電子郵件和網際網路的年代裡，
我們每天都會寫很多文！
我們會寫短訊，電子郵件，部落閣，留言...
會有一大串有關寫作的事。
然而，為何我們會覺得，要寫一篇文章的時候，
會覺得很難，或是覺得很可怕呢？

We may think of writing a proper article
as a very serious matter. We feel we
cannot write an article because it is not
as “casual” as an e-mail or blog writing.
We are afraid that we may not be able to
write beautifully or coherently and may
end up making a fool of ourselves or not
benefiting anyone.

我們或許會認為，要寫一篇合適的文章，
是一個很嚴肅的事。
我們覺得自已寫不出一篇文章，
因為文章不能像電子郵件或部落閣一樣的"隨性"。
我們害怕自已不能寫得很漂亮，
或是文章內容可以連貫，
或許最後搞得自已看起來很愚笨，
對任何人都沒有益處。

WRITING TO SERVE GOD 用寫作服事主

However, have you ever thought of
writing as a way to serve God? The
ancient saints wrote down God’s word
according to His commandment and
inspiration so that countless people after
them could get to know God through
the Bible. Many have come to believe
in the true gospel of salvation through
the written word in the form of flyers,
leaflets, magazines or books.

然而，你有沒有想過，寫作是一種服事神的方式？
古聖徒根據神的命令和啟示，寫下了神的話，
所以在他們身後的無數人，可以透過聖經來認識到神。
許多人可以來相信，這真正的救贖的福音，都是透過了寫作所留下的字，
不論形式是傳單，小紙條，雜誌，或是書籍。

A closer look into the Bible reveals that
God Himself wrote: He wrote the Ten
Commandments on stone tablets (Ex
34:1, Deut 10:2). God also commanded
His chosen people to write His words on
the doorposts of their own houses (Deut
6:6, 9), on large stones after entering the
land of Canaan (Deut 27:1-4, 8), and on
the tablet of their hearts (Prov 3:3, 7:3).
He wanted Israel to remember His words
so that they would guide them in their
faith journey. God even told Israel how
they should write:

若深入的看入聖經，就能得到啟示，神親自寫下：
祂寫下了十條誡命在石版上。
(出 34：1，申 10：2)
神也命令祂的選民，在他們自已居住房子的門柱上，
寫上祂的話語，
(申 6：6，9)
在進入迦南地之後，在大石上刻上神的誡命，
(申 27：1-4，8)
在他們的心板上。
(箴 3：3，7：3)
神要以色列人記住祂的話，
這樣這些神的話可以在他們信仰的旅程中，指引他們。
神甚至告訴以色列人，他們應該寫些什麼：

“And you shall write very plainly on the
stones all the words of this law.”
(Deut 27:8)

8你要將這律法的一切話明明的寫在石頭上。
(申 27：8)

God wanted His people to write down
the commandments “very plainly”, i.e.,
in a clear and simple manner, so that
everyone could understand them.

神要祂的百姓，寫下這些誡命"用非常白語寫下來"，
這個意思就是，用一種清楚，簡單的方式寫下來，
這樣每個人都可以了解這些神的話。

These examples show that God places
great emphasis on writing about His word
because through writing more people can
learn about the path of salvation, believe
in Him and be encouraged in their faith.

這些例子告訴我們，
神對寫下祂的話語，很重視，
因著寫作，有更多的人可以得知得救的道路，
相信神，在他們的信仰中得到鼓勵。

CAN I WRITE FOR GOD? 我能為主寫作？

What does it take to write about God
and His word? Do we have to be deacons
or preachers with profound theological
knowledge? Do we need to be particularly
good with words? You may laugh, but
the answer is: no, not really!

要寫作有關神和神的話語，要付出什麼代價嗎？
我們是不是要像執事或是傳道，
要有神學的知識呢？
我們需不需要，對文字有特別好的恩賜呢？
你或許會笑，但答案是，
不用，真的不需要有文字的天份。

Why not? 為何不來寫呢？

When we write for God, we are simply
putting our reflections, experiences or
teachings that we have gathered from
the Bible onto paper. Our aim is to
encourage the readers in their faith—
not to entertain. Our tool is the word of
God itself—not our eloquence. This is
the greatest difference between secular
writing and writing for the church.

當我們為神寫作，
我們只是簡單把自已的反省，經驗，教導，
把這些從聖經裡面收集的訊息，集中在紙上。
我們的目標，是在他們的信仰中，鼓舞讀者 -
而不是用寫作來娛樂他們。
我們的工具是，神的文字本身 - 而不是我們的口才。
世俗的寫作和為了教會寫作，
這就是最大的不同之處。

For this reason, anyone can write for
God as long as we have the heart to
serve Him. We don’t have to worry about
language, style or grammar—our work
can still be edited afterwards. However,
our content must be based on and firmly
rooted in the word of God. In fact, the
Bible connects all believers because
it is the basis of our common faith.
Sometimes, our personal experiences
alone cannot edify others if they have not
had similar experiences. But if we base
our writing on the Bible, readers will be
able to identify with our message much
more easily, since it is God’s word that we
all believe in and that binds us together.
Moreover, what can edify more than the
word of God?

因為這個原因，任何人都可以為神寫作，
只有我們有一棵服事神的心。
我們不需要煩惱，有關語言，文章風格，或是文法的問題-
因為我們的作品，後來還是可以再從新編輯過。
然而，我們的內容一定要基於神的話，深深的札根在其中。
事實上，聖經會連結所有的信徒，
因為這是我們共信之道的基礎。
有時候，若自已我們個人的經驗，是不能造就別人的，
若他們沒有類似的經驗。
若我們的寫作是基於聖經，
閱讀的人就可以更加容易的辨認出我們的訊息，
因為這就是神的話，我們大家都這麼相信，
必且把我們大家緊緊的團結在一起。
不僅如此，還有什麼能比神的話，還更可以造就人呢？

GETTING STARTED 開始吧

So, how do you get started? A first
step might be to write down reflections
during personal Bible study time. Putting
thoughts on paper is a good way to train
us to organize our thoughts. In addition,
whatever touches us concerning God’s
word has the potential to touch others
too, so don’t let it slip into oblivion!
Another way to start writing for God
is to attend the International Assembly’s
annual English Writers Retreat (EWR).

所以，你要怎麼開始寫作呢？
第一個步驟，就是在個人查經時間時，
寫下個人的感想。
把想法寫在紙上，是訓練我們組織自已想法的好方法。
此外，無論有什麼神的話，可以感動我們，
也有可能可以感動別人，
所以，不要讓這些感動流過而被遣忘！
開始為神寫作的另一個方式，
是參加聯總一年一度英文寫作靈修會(WER). 

WHAT IS THE ENGLISH WRITERS
RETREAT (EWR)?

什麼是英文寫作靈修會(EWR)？

Simply put, the EWR aims to train up
new writers for the church, as well as
to produce new devotionals and articles
for publication on the IA website and
in Manna (magazine). Attendance is
open to all—the International Assembly
welcomes all brothers and sisters who are
interested in serving God in the English
Literary Ministry.

簡單總結一下，英文寫作靈修會，
就是為了教會訓練新寫手，
同時可以產出一些新人去獻身，文章，
讓聯總的網站和嗎哪雜誌可以發表。
所以會開放所有的人可以參加這個活動-
聯總歡迎所有的弟兄姐妹，
對於用英文文字事工來事奉神有興趣的人參加。

Although it is a writers’ retreat, and we
do aim at producing articles during the
one-week event, participants will not be
taught how to “write”. Instead, they will
learn how to study the Bible in greater
depth and focus on spiritual cultivation
through daily Bible study and prayer.
These two factors are key to producing
edifying articles. This is because good
articles are based on good content, and
good content must be based on the Bible
and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

雖然這是寫作者的靈修會，
我們確實設定了目標，要在這一個禮拜的活動中，
產出一些文章。
並沒有人會教導與會的人，如何"寫作"。
相反的，他們會以更深入的角度，來研讀聖經，
透過每天的讀經和禱告，注重在屬靈的靈修。
這兩個因素，是產出令人有造就文章的主要關鍵。
這是因為，好文章是基於優良的內容，
而優良的內容一定是基於聖經及聖靈的指引。

COURSE CONTENT課程內容

The retreat usually starts off with an
introduction to the English Literary
Ministry and a collective brainstorming
session on possible writing topics. This is
meant to give the participants a clearer
understanding of the EWR’s purpose and
to get them ready to do some writing.

這個靈修會，通常開始於介紹英文文字事奉的事工，
還有集體一起腦力激盪，想想有什麼可以寫作的主題。
這個活動的用意，就是要給參與者，對英文寫作靈修會有清楚的認知，
讓參加的人準備好，開始作一起文章的寫作。

During the retreat, participants work
on two types of articles: a devotional and
a full-length article.

在靈修會期間，
參與者會開始探討二種類型的文章：
靈修的文章，整篇文章。

Devotionals 獻身

The first two days are usually centered
on devotional writing. Devotionals are
succinct articles with one main point.
They aim to inspire readers and prompt
them to reflect on their relationship with
God. Since devotionals are short, they
tend to be easier to manage. Apart from
introducing different types of devotionals
and their contents and purposes, the
instructors usually share some tips and
tricks on devotional writing. Participants
also get to read and discuss various
sample devotionals before they start
writing.

一開始前二天，通常集中在靈修方面的文章。
靈修文章是有一個主題的短文。
寫作的目的是要啟發讀者，
促使他們女女反省自已與神的關係。
因為靈修文章是短文，
這些文章是比較容易處理的。
除了介紹不同類型的靈修短文，
所包含的內容和寫作的目的，
指導的人通常會分享關於靈修短文的小密訣和小技巧。
而參加的人，在他們開始寫作之前，
也有機會去閱讀和討論各種不同範例的靈修短文。

Instructors lend a hand whenever
participants need help with the writing,
and participants have the opportunity
to read and provide feedback on one
another’s draft articles.

當參加者在寫作需要幫助時，
指導老師會施加援手，
參加者對彼此草稿文章
有機會互相閱讀，及提出自已的感想的機會。

When we write for God, we are simply putting our reflections,
experiences or teachings that we’ve gathered from the Bible
onto paper. Our aim is to encourage the readers in their faith—
not to entertain. Our tool is the word of God itself—not our
eloquence. This is the greatest difference between secular
writing and writing for the church.
For this reason, anyone can write for God as long as we have the
heart to serve Him.

當我們為神寫作，
我們只是簡單把自已的反省，經驗，教導，
把這些從聖經裡面收集的訊息，集中在紙上。
我們的目標，是在他們的信仰中，鼓舞讀者 -
而不是用寫作來娛樂他們。
我們的工具是，神的文字本身 - 而不是我們的口才。
世俗的寫作和為了教會寫作，
這就是最大的不同之處。
因為這個原因，任何人都可以為神寫作，
只有我們有一棵服事神的心。

Full-length Articles 全文

On the third day, the instructors normally
move on to full-length articles. These are
longer articles that we typically find in
Manna.

在第三天，指導老師正常來說，
就會轉移全篇幅的文章。
這些都是長篇幅的文章，
我們通常會在嗎哪雜裡看到。

After introducing the different article
genres (e.g., testimonies, Christian living
articles, exhortations, etc.), participants
learn how to conduct in-depth studies of
biblical passages and how to use different
kinds of study tools. Together with the
instructors, they learn how to analyze
a passage in the Bible, pay attention to
detail, research historical background and
the original meanings of keywords. This
can be a mechanical task at times, but the
results are usually very rewarding. We are
often inspired as we can gather many
teachings and new insights through this
process.

在介紹了各種不同種類的文章類型，
(例如，見証，基督徒生活上的心得文章，勸勉性質的文章，等等)，
參加者學會如何從事有深度的聖經經文研讀，
以及如何使用不同種類型的研讀工具。
同指導老師在一起，
他們學會如何分析聖經裡面的經節，
要多加注意聖經的細節，
研討聖經的歷史背景，以及關鍵字的原始意思。
常常，這可能是一個機械性的工作，
但結果通常是讓人很有收穫的。
當我們透過這個過程，
就能得到很多的教訓，和新的領悟，
常常就能得到啟發。

Now, some may ask, “What do I do
with all my research results?” We usually
organize our findings in a content outline
that serves as the “skeleton” of our
article. A content outline is a structured
way of organizing our ideas and findings,
as it requires us to define our article’s
main message and decide on the content
of its introduction, body and conclusion.
Finally, once we have organized our
ideas, we can start writing.

現在，有些人或許會問，
"我要怎麼處理，自已一切的研究結果？"
我們通常會把自已所發現的內容大綱，重新整理，
當作是我們文章內容的"骨架"。
內容大綱的方式，是一種有結構的方式，
可以組織我們的想法和所發現的內容，
因為我們有必要去，重新訂義自已文章裡面所要傳達的主要訊息，
要決定如何安排內容，
一開始的簡介，文章主體，結論。
最後，一旦我們已經重組了自已的想法，
就能開始寫作了。

As with the devotionals, participants
have one or two “peer editing sessions”
each day where they form small groups
to read and discuss one another’s draft
articles. The instructors facilitate these
group discussions but in most cases
peer editing sessions quickly develop by
themselves. Group members interact well
with one another and everyone usually
receives plenty of useful feedback.

就像在寫作靈修短文，
參加以的人，每天會有一節或二節"同學校訂的課程"，
在課程中，大家會組成小團體，一起閱讀和討論彼此寫作的文章草稿。
指導老師會利用這些群體討論的機會，
但是在大部份的情況中，
同學互相校正課程很快就由同學自已主持。
群體討論的成員，會互相好好的互動和討論，
而且每個人通常都會得到很多有用的回饋。

After each peer editing session,
participants can use the input they have
received to rework and expand their
articles. By the end of the retreat, most
participants are able to submit at least a
complete first draft.

每一次互相校正課程之後，
參加的人都可以用這些得到的投入，
好好修改，及擴充他們的文章。
在靈修會結束的時候，
大部份參加的人，最少都能交出完整的第一次草稿。

WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS SAY
ABOUT EWR?

英文寫作靈修會參加者會怎麼說呢？

After every EWR, participants generally
leave feeling spiritually edified, having
learned and shared God’s word, whether
through writing, discussions during peer
editing sessions, or daily Bible study
before prayers.

每一次英文寫作靈修會之後，
參加的人通常都會有靈性得造就的感覺，
學到一些東西，並且分享神的話語，
無論是透過寫作，
在同學校正課程中，
或是在禱告會之前的每日讀經。

Let’s see what past EWR participants
have said:

讓我們看看過去參加英文寫作靈修會的人，怎麼說：

Devotionals 獻身

“Great tips on ideas, structure and
writing style for devotionals. 1 point,
300 words! Good that we were given
sufficient time to write an actual
devotional. The peer-editing sessions
were extremely useful too. It takes
someone else to look at our devotional in
a different light to get better writing.
Peer-editing also allows for our fellow
writers to play the role of a reader and
it was useful to see which parts of our
writing helped/did not help our readers
understand a certain biblical principle/
passage better.”

我點出了，對於個人靈修心得短文上而言，
其中想法，文章結構和寫作風格的好密訣，就是一點寫300個字！
好在，我們有足夠的時間，可以寫出真正的靈修短文。
而在同學校訂課程時，也對大家很有幫助。
用別人的角度，來看我們寫出的短文，
好讓我們可以寫得更好。
同學校訂課程也讓其他參加寫作的同學，
可以扮演讀者的角色，
對於找出那個我們寫作的那個部份是有幫助的，
那個部份不能幫助讀了解一些聖經的原則，
或不能更好了解聖經的意思，
用這個方法就很有用。

Research and Passage
Development

探討和章節建構

“Tedious, time-consuming but
needed. It helped me learn a lot
about the passage, which created more
thoughts and ideas.”

"雖然很沉悶，很浪費時間，但卻有需要這樣作。
這個方式，讓我們學到很多章節的寫作，
而了解這些，更幫我們創造更多的想法，好主意。"

“I learned a lot from the research
and passage development sessions. So
much more can be extracted from a
passage and related verses; this makes
our writing more biblically sound.
TJC articles are different from other
churches’ articles because we are led by
the Holy Spirit and have the knowledge
of the truth. Thank God that we focused
more on the content rather than style.
Found the peer editing sessions useful
as well, as we see biblical teachings
from others’ perspective.”

"我從研討及章節建構的課程中，學到很多。
有很多東西，都可以從章節，及相關的經節中，延伸出來；
這樣可以讓我們的作品，在聖經的道理上，更加健全。
真耶穌教會的文章，和其他教會的文章，是不一樣的，
因為我們靠著聖靈的帶領，有真理的知識。
感謝神，我們注重在內容上，而不是注重在寫作風格上。
也發現同樣校訂課程也是非常的有用，
因為我們可以從別人的角度，來看聖經的教導。"

What Was Most Challenging?

什麼事最具挑戰性呢？

“Trying to make sure that my writing
was relevant to the reader by providing
specific examples and my own personal
experiences. The structuring of the
articles and trying to decide what
information to include and what to leave
out was also challenging.”

"就是要試著確保，自已的作品可以找出特定的例子，
讓讀者感到相關，也符合自已的經驗。
而文章建構和試著決定要包含那些資訊，
而那些訊息要加以排除，這個過程也很具挑戰性。"

“Most challenging? Consolidating the
ideas in my head and writing them out
coherently on paper. I feel like I have
got a whole mind map of information/
ideas but how to bring across my one
MAIN point? And with impact?”

"最有挑戰性的事？
就是要在腦海上，整個所有的想法，
並且可以連貫的把這些想法，寫在紙上。
我覺得，自已有一整個資訊和想法的心靈關靈圖，
但是要怎麼才能促使這些想法在一起，形成主要的論點？
而且要帶出一些影響力？

In General 一般而言

“Excellent platform for developing
critical thinking and writing, especially
for learning how to put spiritual
experiences/insight into articles.”

"這是開發重要想法和作品，很好的平台，
特別是可以學到如何把屬靈的體驗和領悟，
寫成實際的文章。"

“Overall, I think EWR has been
a great experience. I really enjoyed
everything that I learned this time and
I am really hoping and looking forward
to going to next year’s EWR!”

"整個來說，我覺得參加英文寫作靈修會，
實際是一個很好的體驗。
這次我真很喜樂所學到的每一件事，
我真的很希望，也很期待，
明年能參加英文寫作靈修會！"

START SHARING THROUGH WRITING

開始透過寫作分享

Writing for church is very different
from writing for secular purposes. We
are not writing to entertain or to transmit
information; we are writing to share God’s
word of salvation and to encourage each
other in our journey of faith. These are
tasks that God has entrusted to all of us,
so why not give it a try and start sharing
through writing?

為教會寫作，和一般世俗目的寫作，是非常不一樣的。
我們寫作並不是為了娛樂大家，或是傳遞知識；
我們寫作是為了分享神救贖的話語，
為了在信仰的旅程中，彼此鼓勵。
這些都是神已經交託給我們全部人的工作，
所以為何不來試看看呢？
開始透過寫作來分享呢？

Editor’s note:
If you would like to know more about the
English Writers Retreat, please contact us
at manna@tjc.org.

編者按：
若你想要了解更多有關英文寫作靈修會的事，
請與嗎哪雜誌連絡 

manna@tjc.org

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯