Tuesday
According to a official survey, only eight percent of the people in China believe the charities of the country are transparent enough. Half of those surveyed said they donated money or materials to charity regularly but ninety percent of them said they never received a response from the organizations. The report showed that people expected to be told how their donations were used. In general Chinese believers have a trust issue with the way their offerings are being used by their churches. We pray for a new beginning, for church leaders to desire to regain the confidence and trust of their members by being more open and transparent with their church finances. We pray, too, that there will be a rebuilding of trust between lay people and their leaders in the church, especially in the area of offerings and the appropriation of funds.
Wednesday
A survey interviewed ninety-nine charitable organizations in China and sixty-four percent of them admitted that they have never published any information about how the donations are distributed. Most said it was due to staff shortages and the fact that there is no legal requirement to do so. In the past year there has been a series of major scandals which have significantly damaged people's confidence in all public charities. Mistrust or a lack of confidence in the way the churches handle finances if one reason that people who work in churches in China are not adequately compensated. We pray that believers will take great pride in treating God's servants properly and well. We also pray that Christians in China will not only trust God but will find a restoration of faith in their church leadership.
Thursday
The incumbent held on to win the reelection in the closely contested Taiwan's presidential election. This bodes well for the future development of China-Taiwan relationship in the near future, and people expect everything to stay the course. Judging from the election results, Taiwan is clearly split into two halves, the north-central and the southern half according to the party affiliation. Unfortunately, election politics does spill into churches as well. We pray that Christians will put aside political differences and come together in a genuine unity, seeing how the Lord has done a great things among believers of different backgrounds in dialects, denominations, cultures and political preferences.
Friday
A fictional character, Du Lala, has become the embodiment of China's new female middle class. As the first novel ended, she was already the manager of human resources and earned an annual salary of 230,000 yuan. In the third novel she was earning an annual salary of 300,000 yuan, an amount rivaled by few elite Chinese (men or people?).People who work for foreign or international companies have become China's new middle class in recent years. Churches in China should seriously reach out and minister to and equip these young professionals. We pray they will be a bridge for churches to minister to young people helping to provide resources and context so the churches can attract the younger generation.
Saturday
A couple of years ago there was no such thing as a novel depicting the work place. Then Du Lala's Promotion became a runaway bestseller. Now there are many readers who buy books written about professionals. The author who started this genre was actually a seasoned manager in an international company himself. Churches in China are known for having many female believers, old people, peasants, and illiterates but lacking workers. We ask the Lord to raise up workers who have a burden for young professionals, are able to understand them, and will reach out to them.
Sunday
The year 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Sino-Japanese diplomatic relationship. However, even yet the anti-Japanese or anti-Chinese sentiment in each respective country is almost palpable. Little sensitive incidents can quickly trigger widespread protests and evolve into confrontations. It is fair to say that even Chinese believers, especially those who lived through World War II and witnessed the brutalities during the Japanese occupation, do not have a high view of Japanese. May the Lord help us and remind us of the love of Jesus Christ so we are able to forgive those who hurt us and bless even our enemies.
Monday
It is hard for the Japanese and Chinese to come to terms with each other. Japanese people as a whole have difficulty accepting the size of China and Chinese people cannot really accept Japan as a more affluent, stable, and orderly country than theirs. There is a persistent knot in the minds of the citizens of both countries. The recent economic boom in China has given the people there much of which they can be proud and such pride is often seen in the churches as well as outside of them. We pray for humility in church leaders with the Holy Sprit removing ethnic pride and replacing it with the compassion of Christ. May they see how much Japan needs the Good News of Jesus and how the churches in China can be a part of God's plan in taking it to them.
星期二
在慈善信任風暴背景下，只有8%受訪民眾對中國慈善組織的帳目公開狀況表示滿意。約有一半表示他們有固定捐贈，但高達90%的民眾對慈善捐款透明化的程度是介於不滿意和不太滿意之間。一般而言，中國信徒對教會管理奉獻有某種程度的不信任。求神給我們一個新的開始，讓教會領袖們運作教會財政更公開及透明，重建信徒與教會領袖們之間的信任。尤其是能信任教會在神的帶領下, 能有效運用奉獻的款項在神的事工上。
星期三
每年中國政府對99家慈善組織，有固定的跟踪監測，其中64%的組織宣稱從未公佈如何使用捐贈，乃因無足夠的人手來發表報告。再者，政府也沒要求將資料透明化。今年官辦慈善機構陸續曝出醜聞，使得民眾對慈善機構產生全面性的質疑。會眾對教會財務處理缺少信任，是中國教會傳道人沒能得到好供應的一大原因。求神幫助信徒們能以厚待神的僕人為自豪，基督徒除了信靠上帝外，也應對神的僕人有相當程度的信任。
星期四
台灣大選塵埃落定，國民黨繼續執政，選舉結果可以預料對台灣與兩岸關係發展，未來大的政策不會發生過激的變化。從選舉的結果看南北台灣選民的政治觀點很不同。教會裡也常受政治選舉的影響，我們禱告所有信徒能在主裡有真正的合一，雖然我們有不同的方言，文化背景及政治理念 總是要心存謙卑，看別人比自己強，也看見神在我們當中做了奇妙的大事。
星期五
小說主角杜拉拉成為中產女性的典型。首部小說收尾時，她升至人事行政經理，年薪稅前二十三萬。到小說第三部時，她的年薪已達三十萬，步入由中產向上層的過渡階段。外企中產階級是近年來中國的新生力量。教會必須靠主來造就這些靈性與知識並進的一代，幫助他們成為神國合用的器皿，使神能藉著他們供應神家中資源上和屬靈上的需要 。能成為承先啟後、世代交替間引導年輕一代的重要橋梁
星期六
中國在文學區塊中，一直沒有「職場小說」的分類，直到《杜拉拉升職記》的出現才橫空出世。從「杜拉拉」開始，人們逐漸接受「職場小說」這一概念。該小說的作者是位在外企工作的職業經理人。一般中國教會常有「四多一少」的困境﹕「婦女多、老人多、農民多和文盲多」，而「一少」是「工人少」。願主幫助我們知道如何向職青傳福音，對他們的需要有更多了解，引導他們看到主耶穌才能真正滿足他們心靈上的需要。
星期日
2012年是中日建交四十週年。然而，中國人的「厭日」和日本人的「厭華」，或說中日兩國民眾對對方的「抵觸」和「警惕」隨處可見，無時不有。一旦「敏感事件」突發，就立即浮到水面上來，民眾護國情緒迅速升溫，並開始盲目攻擊對方。許多信徒對日本或日本人有負面的感受，尤其老一代經歷中日戰爭，親睹日軍殘暴占領的信徒們。求主幫助、提醒我們，能以基督的愛來寬恕曾傷害我們的人，更能有主的恩慈，為他們祝福。
星期一
從現狀看日本人難以接受正在崛起中的中國，中國人也受不了比自己更加富裕、穩定、有序的日本。在此情況下，兩國國民之間的相互認知很難「正常化」，中日民眾的「心」還在掙扎中，此結仍有待解開。中國近年的經濟發展帶來的民族自豪，也常在教會裡出現。我們求神賜給教會領袖們有謙卑的心，挪走不合祂心意的民族驕傲，而能體會基督的心腸，看到日本實在多麼需要中國教會承接神的使命，去分享福音。
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