Gleanings for the “New Normal” “新常态”的重点

The pandemic requirement to stay home and maintain social distancing has revealed both the better and worse in life. While we hear lovely stories of families growing closer as they cook meals together, we also hear stories of domestic violence that sadden us. And I suppose the bizarre toilet paper saga has left many of us bewildered. Nevertheless, these stories surface two crucial gleanings for the "new normal.”

First, we must prepare to cope with transition, change, and uncertainty in the "new normal.” As Benjamin Franklin once remarked: “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” Such successful navigating necessitates a willingness to embrace and adapt to changes. We took five years to convince the college the values of blended learning but it took only one pandemic crisis to shift everyone to teaching and learning online. What we saw as impossible is now a new reality as we embrace and adapt to changes.

Second, we must seek to invest in our inner life in the "new normal.” Whether we work from the office or home, we need to take care of our inner life. There is a tendency to be caught up in presenting the best visible behaviour in public with less consideration for the invisible inner life. To help us grow in our inner life, the college has prepared a series of seven devotionals on “The Inner Life of a Minister/Leader.” The guest lecturer, Rev. Dr. David Lim, is a veteran minister with over fifty years of experience in pastoral ministry and education. This series of devotionals is available free for everyone to download from June 1, 2020 (www.facebook.com/actscollege). You can also join us for the live seminar on "Self-Management: The Inner Life of a Leader" by Rev. Dr. David Lim on June 6, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon [SGT](www.facebook.com/actscollege).

The "new normal" can be challenging, but it should not freeze us into inaction. We are standing at the threshold of exciting new experiences and opportunities. With a renewed mindset and strengthened inner life, we can confidently step forward to embrace God’s destiny for our lives and his people.

疫情的原因，大家都得待在家里，在外须保持社交距离，这些措施让生活变得更糟或更好。 我们听说一些可爱的故事，家人的关系因为一起做饭而越来越亲密;我们也 听说家庭暴力案件增加的故事，这些故事让我们感到悲伤。 我也认为那奇怪的卫生纸 故事让我们许多人都非常困惑。 然而，这些故事却浮现出“新常态”需要注意的两个重 点。

首先，我们必须预备去应对“新常态”中的过渡期，期间充满了各种变化和各样的不确定性。 正如本杰明·富兰克林(Benjamin Franklin 所说:“变化是生活中唯一的常态 。一个人适应这些变化的能力将决定您的生活是否成功。” 达成这种成功的过程需要 一颗愿意接受并适应变化的心，我们花了五年的时间说明大学中混合学习的价值，但一场疫情就使每个人都转向了在线教学。 如我们所见，之前的不可能成为 了现在新的现实状态，我们拥抱并适应了这些变化。

其次，我们必须在“新常态”的状态下注资我们的内在生命。 无论我们是在办公室还是 在家工作，我们都需要照顾好自己的内在生命。目前有一种趋势，就是在公共场合表 现出最佳的外在行为，而对有隐秘性的内在生命关注却比较少。 为了建立我们的内在 生命，学院准备了七篇一系列关于“牧者/领袖的内在生命” 的灵修文章。 客座讲师戴维· 林牧师博士 (Rev. Dr. David Lim) 是一位资深牧师，在牧养事工和教育领域拥有超过五十年 的经验，从2020年6月1日开始，该灵修系列免费提供给任何需要的人下载 (www.facebook.com/actscollege)。您现在也可以参加由林牧师博士于2020年6 月6日上午9:00至中午12:00举办的关于“自我管理: 领导者的内在生命”的研讨会直播。 (www.facebook.com/actscollege)

“新常态”对我们来说可能具有挑战性，但不应让我们无法动弹做不了事。 新的经验和机遇更让我们兴奋并充满期待。 有了新的思维方式又增强了内在生命，我们可以自信 地向前迈进，拥抱上帝在我们生命和他子民的旨意。

We bid farewell to our beloved registrar-educational assistant, Sis Angela Loh, and thank her for her faithful service to the College. We welcome Bro Edmund Chua, who has joined the college team as the new registrar-educational assistant.

我们向深爱的教务注册助理Sis. Angela Loh 道别，并感谢她对学院的忠诚服务。我们欢迎Bro. Edmund Chua。他已加入我们的团队，新的教务注册助理。