The Landmark

Recently, I am reminded with this scripture..

“Do not remove the ancient landmark 
which your fathers have set.”

-Proverbs 22:28  

The landmark mentioned on this scripture is more than a “common” landmark. This landmark means law that had established by our ancestors. Law that God gave to Israelites. As we see today, there is so many chaos that we don’t know how it start and become very complicate. There is no more respect. No more love. No more fear of God. Why? Because human being are too proud inviting God to be the leader. It’s not only in the US that gay and lesbian are allowed to get married. Free sex is not only exists in the US. It’s everywhere around the world.

This semester I am taking women in American society class. On that class we learn about women’s right. Back then, Bible was the law of a family. Men worked outside the house, and women stayed home nurturing children. Period. That’s the rule. Long short story, women wanted to have a right to vote, and they fought for it. They won the case, and they had their rights to vote. Todays, what’s going on with women? Women are equal to men. Pastor Roland mentioned at once, there is no more feminism. Women, somewhat, want to be like men, but we want to be treated like women. Oh well, it’s complicated.

What about dress? Back then, the dresses were long and had enough fabric I would say. It couldn’t be seen through, it wasn’t short like today. Year by years, dresses are getting shorter and shorter, blouses are getting tighter and tighter. And now, it’s starting to be loose, but it’s transparent.. We can’t believe this, but that’s the ugly truth. The world today doesn’t have the “landmark” that our heavenly Father set. Women don’t respect their brothers and even themselves. We believe that we know what we are doing; but in fact, we are not. We forget about the law, or even God Himself.

It’s almost Christmas, but how many people that remember about Him? People are busy preparing gifts, dinner, and vacation. Christmas is changing. It’s no more about the birth of Jesus Christ, but it’s one of holiday seasons. People have changed Christmas to xmas because they reject the fact that Jesus was born for us. That’s something that too big to understand; something that is nonsense. Too bad! Yes, Christmas is a “season” of presents. Yes, Santa Claus was a real person who gave presents for poor people. But, many people today starts to idolize Santa; many people starts to be greedy to get presents. They believe that it’s a shame if they don’t give and receive a presents in Christmas. I just read a news in CNN that 45% of American choose to skip Christmas because they don’t have enough money to buy presents. This statistic shows us that people give presents is not because they have the source to give, but it is a must tradition. 

Santa Claus, Christmas tree, and giving presents tradition in Christmas moment are not wrong things to do; but, it is not the most important. Don’t erase Christ in Christmas. Here I have a poem that we need to remember that Christmas is all about Jesus who humbly enough to leave His throne for us. He doesn’t need to save us, but He chooses to. He gave Himself for us, that is the greatest present that we can receive! What we do with it? On this Christmas month, are we celebrating Christmas for who He is? Or we remove the “landmark” and go with the world to celebrate holiday? 

***  

I had a birthday party, most everybody came..

They danced and ate and had a ball..

But no one spoke My name..

They gave each other presents, as nice as they could be..

People came from far and near,

But no one mentioned Me..

The stores were filled with shoppers,

The restaurants crowded out,

But no one seemed to really know

what the party was about..

They talked about a reindeer..

I think Rudolph was his name..

Then someone mentioned “Jesus”..

And they hung their heads in shame..

You see, it was My birthday!

They didn’t even know..

That is why from heaven My heart is grieving so..

I came to earth from heaven on that first Christmas day--

Born in a lowly manger from sin to show the way..

I died one day on Calvary, on a cruel Roman cross..

To save a world of sinners From a life of awful loss..

When you next have a party,

with presents, friends and tree,

Remember Me, your Savior..

Whose birth has set you free..

Jesus

PS: I am coming again soon.

by Donald Arey, Sr.

***

The Beautiful Earth

Please check this out! This is the planet where we live in.. :) I thank you to those brave guys who made this documentary. Because of them, I can see my awesome God's work.. hehe..

See! How wonderful the Earth is! Indeed, it is "only" a partial of this huge universe.. This is the creation that God made by His words! Only by His words (read in the book of Genesis), and it came out this beautiful. Whoa! What about human being? We are created by His hands.. By the hands of the King of kings.. Woohoo! What an honor! So, be grateful for what we have! We are wonderfully made by the hands of the Lord.. To God be the glory! :D

Every Little Thing

God is the creator of universe, do you agree? He is too big to be understood.. Waaayyyy too big.. We need eternal time and effort to know Him deeper and deeper. Even though He is almighty and wonderful, the good news is He loves us soo muchh.. He cares every little detail of us. He will never be very busy for us! Indeed, we are the one who always too busy wuzzy for Him.. DUH! -_-  Today, (again) He showed me how much He cares of me.. 3 things happened today, and yes I praise Him for that! haha..

#I
I was late to go to campus, and I need to take 3 freeways to go.. I take 10 fwy, 60 fwy, and then 57 fwy. Those three freeways are usually crowded, especially in the morning. I was so desperated when I drive, I couldn't imagine how bad the traffic would be. I would be so late.. bla.. bla.. The traffic was 'okay' at 10 fwy.. But when I was about to go to 60 fwy, there was quite bad traffic because of out-of-nowhere fog. For a year I have been driving through that freeway, I have never seen that kind of fog (even though when it's raining). I couldn't see in distance. I was so scared to drive through that freeway because there was usually so many big trucks passing. I was late, and then this fog. aarrgghh.. -_-  So, I forced myself to go through.. By the time I went into the freeway, the fog became more clear and clear. Praise the Lord! Our God is awesome yes! hahaha.. What if I was not late? I might be caught on the bad fog, and came late to my class.. Thanks Father! :p

#2
When my Mom has days off, she will go with me to campus. As I mentioned before, the freeways to my campus are super crowded, so I need to go in carpool (it needs 2 people or more to go in carpool lane). Because of that matters, my Mom always accompany me when she has days off (what a blessed daughter I am! :p) Okay, back to the main topic.. Yesterday when my Mom went to campus with me, I told her that was curious about the fifth floor parking--I used to park at fourth floor. I was wondering if it's just a deck or it has roof just like the other floors below it.. And my Mom had the same thought as me.. So, when I went to my class, she went upstairs to check it out.. lol.. On our way home, she told me that she was checking the parking on the fifth floor, and it was just a deck bla bla bla.. I was just nodding my head and saying "ooohhh.." And today, God let me to see the fifth floor of the parking lot by myself! I was late to go campus, so that I parked on the fifth floor (the parking is always bad -_-). Right after my Mom and me went off the car, she reminded me about our conversation yesterday. She reminded me, how curious I was about the fifth floor.. And today, God brought me to see it.. Well, not only see it, but also experienced it! lol.. It was sooooo hoooottttt to park outside.. hahaha.. Anyways, I thank God for that.. He always listens to us, so beware of what we say peeps! hehehe..

#3
As usual, I filled up my gas today at Costco. My Mom suggested me to fill it on our way home from campus. But I refused because I wanted to study for my exam the first, and I would fill the gas before I picked up my Bro. At afternoon, I went to the gas station at Costco.. When I was on the line, couple of cars in front of me were "running away" from the line. I didn't know why, but I was wondering what if Costco run out the gasoline because it was so crowded today. And yes, it was true! They run out their gasoline! They have two kinds of gasolines, they are unleaded and premium, and they run out the unleaded gas. That's why some cars were cancelled their plan to buy gasoline.. And I knew it when the time I put the nozzle into my gas tank -_-  I was so..... DUH! I had been waiting at a very berry long line for nothing.. Aarrgghh.. >_<  Finally, there was a service person who in charge on the area, and I asked him for help to cancel my transaction (because I had already insert the credit card etc). And then he said that they run out the unleaded, but I could buy the premium with the same price.. I was like, "huh? really?" Well, it seemed a very little thing and unimportant, but here I was reminded that even a little thing, God (still) gives the best..

So many things happened today (indeed it's more than 3.. hehehe), but yes His grace is enough for us.. To God be the glory! :)

10 Things Before 30

Uda lama kaga nulis blog, and this time I have got a challenge for a friend of mine.. lol.. So far, gw belom pernah mikir sampe luamaaa begini.. Palingan untuk 1-2 taon ke depan doank. That's why I need to sit and think about it bener2.. hahaha.. So, here is my 10 things before 30 :)

1.    Pertumbuhan rohani keluarga gw (spiritual growth)

I was born and raised in a Christian family (what a blessing!), but somehow spiritual growth kita2 baru tumbuh akhir2 taon ini. My Dad admitted, meskipun dia udah menganut Kristen dari jaman masi kecil (ikut Sunday school gitu juga), tapi ga pernah mengalami jamahan Tuhan secara pribadi. He knew that God is good, but it was just according to others testimonials. Nah kalo my Mom was a Catholic, and sejak married dia lebih sering ke gereja Kristen ikut Bokap gw. Meskipun Nyokap gw lahir di keluarga Katholik, dia juga ga pernah mengalami jamahan Tuhan secara pribadi. So, both of my parents went to church because of tradition.. because their parents told them to go to church. Waktu gw and ade gw kecil, our parents taught us about Jesus, but once again ga terlalu deep. They taught us to pray, read the Bible, read Christian books; even though, I had never seen they read their Bible.. They always pray, but I had never seen they read their Bibles back then.. hahaha..

Nahhh beberapa taon terakhir, Tuhan mulai berkarya dalam keluarga gw. Satu per satu dari kita mulai mengalami Tuhan secara pribadi. Finally, last year, my Mom declared herself as a Christian, and she was baptized! I was overjoyed, but ternyata itu ga stop sampe disitu. Gw masi harus terus bergumul dengan proses2 yg keluarga gw alami personally. Bokap, Nyokap and Ade gw, satu per satu gantian ngalamin hal2 berat. Sometimes, mereka hampir jatuh and give up, akhirnya ga mao Tuhan2an lagi. Itu yang bikin gw sakit (and I believe that He’s hurt too). Karena itu, before 30, wish gw ya supaya mereka bisa lebih berakar lagi dalem Tuhan and mereka bukan hanya tau kalo Tuhan itu baik, tapi bener2 mengalami itu semua. It’s hard for me to see my loved ones ngalamin hal2 yang berat buat mereka. Terkadang dalem hati gw menjerit ke Tuhan minta Tuhan kasi keringanan buat mereka, but He reminds me that He loves my family more than I do. So, yeaa.. Gw sekarang cuman doa’in meskipun seringkali nanges kalo liat mereka lagi in proses. Eh bukan berarti gw uda free of proses loh! Gw juga masih.. hahaha..  Well, praise God kalo sekarang ini gw mulai liat perubahan di masing2 mereka.. hihihihi.. Ga ada doa yang sia2! Amen! :D

2.    Do children ministries

Both art and children are my passion. Jadi gw suka banget combining both two. Hehe.. Desire gw seh pingin volunteer ke children hospital around here. Kebetulan (well, emang ga ada yg kebetulan, but I can’t find other transition word.. lol) ada children hospital di deket campus gw, tapi gw masih belom bisa committing as volunteer karena beberapa personal matters. Jadi ya sekarang gw masih bekalin diri gw sama knowledge tentang children. Thanks God, di kampus gw yang sekarang ini ada beberapa kelas yang pas sama apa yang mao gw dalemin.. hehehe.. Hopefully it will be fulfilled before 30 ya.. Please kindly pray for me! >_<

3.    Pelayanan ke daerah terpencil

Well, dulu gw pingin banget buat pelayanan ke daerah terpencil gitu, but todays pikiran gw uda terbuka kalo semua itu panggilan. Bukan asal gw mao, gw pergi. Hehe.. Yang pernah gw jalani, melayani orang2 yang ‘terpencil’ aka dikucilkan.. Is that considered as pelayanan ke daerah terpencil? Hahaha.. Maksa benerrr.. Oh well, nama’nya juga wish, sapa tau dikasi kesempatan.. Hehehe..

4.   Expert playing guitar

Ini nih yang berat.. Almost like mission impossible for me.. lol..  -_-   Dulu pas masi SMP gw perna belajar maen gitar, tapi cuman 8 bulan aje karena mao UNAS jadi ga les2 lagi (sampe sekarang wkwkwkwk). Sejak itu, gw practicing by myself. Dengan modal 8 bulan kursus itu, gw belajar lagi deeper. Ada kemajuan she, tapi ya belom sampe expert. Gw masi belom tau gimana mao ganti kunci, gw juga masi belom bisa maen dengan smooth. Masi kayak abang2 yang ngamen itu deh.. lol.. -_-  Pas di sini, gw beli gitar lagi dengan harapan gw belajar lagi deeper. Tappiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.. Susyehh bangettt.. Selalu ada aja yang bikin gw ga bisa practicing (emang dasar gw’nya aja yang males kali ye -_-) Gitar gw aja sampe kadang berdebu kalo mao dibuat maen.. hahahaha.. Ampunnn dahh.. Semoga before 30, gw bener uda expert on it and I can join music ministry at church hehehe..

5.   Expert on cooking

Sejak jaman di Indo, gw anti masuk pasar. Sampe Bokap gw marah2, “masa cewek ga mao pergi ke pasar? Gimana toh?? Nanti gede mao gimana?” Huahahaha.. Gw ga tahan sama bau’nya daging2 mentah, and something yang amis2.. -_-  Thanks God, He brings me here yang notabene ga ada pasar! Hehehehe.. Anyways, I believe that learning how to cook is a must for women. Kalo ga, anak’nya apa mao dikasi makan daon? *emang anak kambing hahaha* Nah sejak gw tinggal di US sini, gw mulai belajar masak dah. Belom expert sih, but untuk gw sendiri ya (at least) gw masi bisa idup.. Ga sampe keracunan.. hahahaha.. Oh dulu pernah sekali gw masak nasi goreng, kebanyakan pake garlic.. Ya elah.. Alhasil orang2 satu rumah pada rebutan pake restroom.. -_- Cuman itu seh, belom ada kejadian ‘keracunan’ laen.. hehehe.. Well, jangan sampe ada kejadian gitu2 lagi lah! Kasian amat.. Hahaha.. 

6.   Get a job that related to children and art

Well, cita2 orang yang masi kuliah ya begini lah ya? Pingin dapet kerja di bidang yang dipelajari. Tapi ya kebanyakan malah menyimpang kesana-kemari, pada banting setir sana-sini *untuk ga nabrak haha* 

7.    Buy my parents tickets to go vacation abroad or anywhere they wish

My Mom has desire to go somewhere by cruise, tapi belom terwujud. Hahaha.. Kalo sekarang gw beliin’nya, mereka selalu bilang ga usah ato ga mao. Tapi ntar kalo gw uda kerja, I will have plenty of reasons to pay their vacation. Lol..

8.   Getting married and having children

Rasanya kalo ga ada ini, rada2 ga afdol. Hahaha.. Dulu gw mikir’nya, married is a must; it’s a part of life circle. Tapi sekarang (setelah ditempa api’nya Tuhan.. halah..), gw ga mikir marriage as a must thing to do. Both marriage and single life are God’s calling, and I don’t want to mess with this matter dah pokok’nya.. I will let my Lord guide me.. hehehehe..  Everything is in His hands and time :)

9.    Stargazing on a beach or mountain alone

My fav thing is stargazing. Karena saat gw liat bintang2 itu, gw bisa ngeliat keagungan Tuhan. Rasa’nya gimanaaaa gitu.. peace bangettsss.. hehehe.. Gw pingin banget bisa devotion under the stars hehehe.. My pastors told me that he had a great experience when he went sailing on the sea, and stargazing at the middle of ocean. I want that toooo!!! The thing is mana berani gw pegi sendirian ke tengah2 laut! hahahaha.. -_-  Jadi ya wish gw before 30, I can go stargazing alone.. Just me and God.. hehehe.. Anyways, ga harus ke tengah laut seh hahaha..
 

   10. Having a heart like Jesus

Last but not least, gw pingin banget bisa jadi serupa dengan Dia. Gw pingin punya hati yang mampu mengasihi orang laen tanpa pandang bulu, tanpa pamrih, tanpa alesan macem2. Gw pingin punya hati yang teguh meski direndahkan, dicaci, dimarahin orang. Gw pingin jadi seperti Dia yang obey sama Bapa sampe di atas kayu salib. Coba kalo Yesus ga nurut (bandel kayak gw gini haha..), ga bakalan ada keselamatan itu. But, praise the Lord our God almighty, Dia patuh meskipun sampe doa berpeluh darah. And we have our salvation todays :)

A Letter For Girls

I just found this 'letter' from Lia's blog.. and I am very blessed with it; so, I want to share it to all girls in the world.. Take your time to read it; it is worth.. To God be the glory! :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Girls, 

There are two kinds of men: Godly men, and worldly men. 

What kind of man do you want? 

I’m betting most of you said “a Godly man.” 

Someday, you want to marry a man who loves God with every fiber of his being 

because he will be an excellent husband and father. 

He will honor and be true only to you.

Most women want a Godly man or at least think they do. 

Well, I think I have found a way to tell you exactly what kind of guy you will get. 

I don’t even have to know you! All I have to do is look at you.

The kind of guy you want or will get is advertised by the clothing you wear.

I know what men want.
Trust me, I am a guy. I know more guys than you do and I know them better.

I know what we think, what we talk about, what we want, and what we look for, 

and it is different for each one of us depending on our relationship with God.

I’m sure you already know this, but men were created differently than you. 

We have different desires and priorities. 

Our eyes and minds react very differently to some things than yours do. 

It isn’t disgusting, perverted, or wrong; it is wonderful and good!

It is how God made us. It’s how we handle these differences that separate a Godly man from a worldly man.

A worldly man doesn’t control himself, rather, he looks at anything that attractshis attention or gets him excited. A worldly guy has no problem when girls wear clothes that show off skin, like boxers, high or low-cut shirts, low-rise jeans, and “cute” little swim-suits. 

He’s a fan of tight-fitting shirts and pants that show off your form, he thinks they’re fine! 

Worldly guy watches a lot of TV and R-rated movies, isn’t really offended by sexual content or nudity and secretly dabbles in pornography. He’s a “Christian” and makes up a significant portion of your church and youth group. He’s a really nice guy and sees you mainly for your body. 

If you were to marry worldly guy, he’d bring lots of baggage into the relationship, have intimacy problems, entertain thoughts of other women, and possibly cheat on you.

A Godly man is in control of his drives and desires. 

He constantly seeks God and reads his Bible. 

He “walks in the Spirit” and isn’t set off by everything he sees. 

When immodestly-dressed girls, magazine covers, or risqué advertisements come into view, Godly guy quickly “bounces his eyes” away from the image. 

He’s constantly guarding his thoughts and what he allows into his mind.

He hates being around girls that disrespect him and his struggles by wearing inappropriate attire. 

Godly guy doesn’t watch much TV and is selective about the movies he sees. 

He views you as a person, knows you and respects you. 

He has your best interests in mind and guards against inappropriate thoughts of you. 

If you were to marry Godly guy, he would give you the emotional attention you need, 

he would ignore other women and remain faithful to you no matter what.

Unfortunately, there are more worldly men than Godly men. 

And to make matters worse, to the untrained eye, a worldly man can look a lot like a Godly man. 

So what can you do to only attract a Godly man? 

An important way of delineating between them lies in how you dress. 

As mentioned before, the clothes you wear advertise what kind of guy you are looking for. 

If you dress immodestly, you will attract worldly guys and scare away the Godly ones. 

It all comes down to the kind of man you want to spend your time around and eventually marry. 

You cannot afford to be complacent in this area of your life! 

You will pay the price someday.

This issue isn’t limited strictly to you and your future relationship. 

The way you dress directly affects other men and women and their relationships. 

You don’t see the struggles, the pain, the tears and the sin that you cause, but I can promise that you would be shocked if you did! 

Ask any Christian young man; we’ve all seen it. It’s kept hidden but it is definitely there. 

By dressing immodestly, you effectually spit on the struggles of our weaker ranks, appearing to care more about toying with us than helping us. 

You’ll never know how many broken relationships and lifestyles of sin you’ve contributed to simply by the way you dress. 

You want to marry a Godly man someday, well so do many other women.

Don’t just help yourself and your future, help all women and their relationships by showing discretion in your dress.

Of course, I understand the desire to look stylish, attractive, and “cute.” 

It’s important to fit in and get attention. Trust me, it can be done modestly!

I also understand that it is easier for some girls to find stylish and well-fitting clothes than it is for others. 

This is an area where guys really don’t understand what you are up against. 

But just remember, for every sacrifice you make to honor God with your image, Godly men are making sacrifices in their lives that are just as hard, if not harder! 

They will and do respect you so much for choosing to be modest! 

A real lady is conscientious of the image she presents, and real men want a real lady. 

And you can forget about any guys missing out on how attractive you are because you don’t wear revealing clothing. 

You could wear a circus tent and we would still know; it’s a gift we have.

And so the question still remains: 

What kind of man do you want? 

Answer me with your clothes.

Perkataan Tuhan = Jalan Tol?

Apa yang berasal dari Tuhan, pasti bakalan berjalan lancar. Is it true? Nope. Apa yang berasal dari Tuhan, bukan berarti kita ga memerlukan effor to make it happen. Kita tetep punya bagian kita untuk kita kerjakan. There's a saying, we do our best and let God do the rest. Ya kan? Kan bukan Let I do all of the things for you.. Tuhan ga mao spoil kita. Dia mao kita jadi anak2Nya yang tangguh dan berani. 

Seperti pas Tuhan memilih Daud untuk dijadikan raja bagi Israel, apa Daud langsung jadi raja? Apa tiba2 Tuhan bilang "wahai bangsa Israel, inilah rajamu yang baru *tadaaa*" Ga kan? Tapi Tuhan mempersiapkan Daud. Tuhan bawa Daud ke istana raja Saul sebagai pemain kecapi; sebagai pemuji dan penyembah Tuhan di istana. Saat Tuhan menjanjikan Israel tanah Kanaan yang berlimpah susu dan  madu'nya, apakah Tuhan langsung membawa mreka kesana? Seharus'nya iya, they need 4 days/weeks (sorry, I always miss this part), but at the end they spend 40 years turning around in desert. Itu karena Israel yang bersungut2. 

Nah tapi even udah sampe ke tanah Kanaan, apakah mreka langsung bisa bagi2 tanah sebagai pusaka mreka? Apakah mreka bisa langsung bangun rumah disana? Kaga. Mreka harus BERPERANG dulu ngelawan penduduk asli disana. Hah? "Loh Feb, kalo emang Tuhan kasi Kanaan buat Israel, napa mreka harus perang dulu usir orang2 Kanaan dan sekitarnya? Kata'nya dari Tuhan.." Nah itu point'nya. Tuhan ga mao spoil kita karena Tuhan amat sangat mengasihi kita sekali! *amat, sangat, sekali.. kata2 yang uda pasti bakalan bakalan dimarahin guru bahasa Indo gw dulu hahaha..*  Tuhan ga mao kalo apa2 langsung memberikan tanpa kita berusaha. Kalo kita baca di kitab Yosua 12, Israel mulai merebut daerah Kanaan dari merobohkan Yerikho sampai perang merebut negeri2 di sekitarnya. N semua itu atas perintah Tuhan, bukan kemauan mreka sendiri. Mreka berperang ga putus2 dan tanpa lelah. Pokok Tuhan bilang apa, mreka lakuin. Berkali2 Tuhan bilang ke bangsa Israel supaya ga takut karena bangsa2 itu udah diserahkan kepada mereka. Well, itu juga salah satu pembuktian kalo Tuhan uda memberikan sesuatu, ga ada yang bisa menahan ato mencurinya. Kalo Tuhan udah buka pintu bagi kita, ga ada 1 orang pun yang mampu menutup. How amazing He is! :)

"Bukankah telah Ku perintahkan kepadamu: 

kuatkan dan teguhkanlah hatimu? Janganlah kecut dan tawar hati,

sebab Tuhan, Allahmu, menyertai engkau, ke mana pun engkau pergi." - Yosua 1:9

"Tetapi kamu, janganlah kamu berhenti, 

kejarlah musuhmu dan hantamlah barisan belakangnya;

janganlah biarkan mereka masuk ke dalam kota-kota mereka, 

sebab Tuhan, Allahmu, menyerahkan mereka kepadamu." -Yosua 10:19

"....Tidak ada seorang pun yang berani melemparkan kata-kata ancaman terhadap orang Israel." -Yosua 10:21b

Wow! Hebat'nya Allah Israel yang dahsyat itu jugaAllah kita semua! Yayy! :D  Well, meskipun bangsa Israel uda perang bertaon2, tapi belom semua area direbut. Oh my.. Betapa luas tanah perjanjian itu.. >_<  Sayang sekali, bangsa Israel missed 1 bangsa karena Israel termakan tipu muslihat mreka. Semua bangsa takut kepada bangsa Israel karena Allah yang mreka sembah sanggup membebaskan mereka dari perbudakan di Mesir, sanggup membelah laut Teberau n sungai Yordan dll deh.. Sapa yang ga gentar coba? Nah termasuk bangsa Gibeon ini.. Saking takut'nya, bangsa Gibeon pingin menjalin persahabatan aja dengan bangsa Israel. Cari selamet lah bahasa gaul'nye.. hehehe.. Israel ga nyadar kalo uda di-bego'in sama Gibeon. Karena apa? Karena Israel ga nanya Tuhan dulu saat mreka mao menerima upeti persahabatan Gibeon. 

"Lalu orang-orang Israel mengambil bekal orang-orang itu, 

tetapi tidak meminta keputusan Tuhan." -Yosua 9:14

Akhir'nya bangsa Israel nyesel karena ternyata mreka kena tipu n ga bisa menduduki ara tersebut.. Tapi apa daya, janji adalah janji.. Dsini kita bisa belajar, how important to involve God in every decision we  make! Ga ada keputusan besar ato kecil di mata Tuhan. Buat Tuhan kita adalah segalanya; so apapun yang kita bawa ke Tuhan, Dia pasti menanggapi kita dengan serius! :)    Seringkali kita merasa sok tau.. merasa kalo hal itu terlalu kecil untuk ditanya ke Tuhan.. merasa yakin kalo keputusan yang kita bikin udah the best of bests.. Apa iya? Cuman Babeh yang tau.. Jujur, gw sendiri masi dibentuk dalam hal ini. Akhir2 ini beberapa kali gw dapet something dari Babeh yang ga relevan sama realita. Doubt? Pasti.. Gw kadang mikir, apa bener ini dari Babeh? Apa bener ini yang Dia mao? etc.. Kalo uda begitu, jalan satu2nya adalah menguji'nya.. Kalo emang itu kehendak Babeh, kita pasti bisa ngelewatin. Bukan berarti kita menjalaninya dengan bebas masalah. Nope. Tapi kita bakalan dikasi kekuatan yang melampaui akal kita. Meski kita yakin kalo kita ga mampu, but somehow kita bisa lewat.

Ini yang mao gw share.. Apapun yang berasal dari Tuhan, bukan jaminan kalo kita bakalan terima itu instant. Meski kita udah diyakinkan melalui Roh Kudus, dan orang2 percaya lain'nya (kek pastors, parents, etc), itu bukan jaminan kalo kita pasti ngelewatin dengan mulus. Nope. Saat kita percaya apa yang Tuhan katakan, pegang itu erat2 dan imani. Meskipun itu ga sama dengan realita yang ada sekarang, just believe it that someday everything will turn to what He said. Allah kita bukan pendusta. JanjiNya ya dan amen. So, kalo Tuhan berjanji sesuatu sama kita, don't doubt on it! *I talk to myself too.. lol..* Pegang teguh janji'Nya dan tetep melekat sama Dia. Sisitu, kita akan liat kemuliaan dan mujizat2Nya.. To God be the glory! :)

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Kita mah uda sering bangettzz denger kata2 diatas, tapi apa bener kita ngelakuin? Kemarin gw pegi makan sama my bro di deket rumah sini. Kita udah tinggal di area ini for almost 6 years, tapiii kita belom perna makan di tempat itu.. hahahaha.. Asli padahal dueket bangettt, jalan kaki juga bisa, tapi malah ga perna didatengin. Nah itu tempat, dulu tuh biasa banget kek resto kecil yang jual pizza ala Italy gitu lah. But sekitar 2 taon lalu, mreka renovasi resto itu n jendela2 yang tadinya bening2 jadi dikasi kaca film n ditutup blind gitu. So, yang dulu'nya kita bisa liat ke dalem resto, jadi ga bisa lagi sejak renovasi. Nah kan.. Gw tau dimana letak resto itu, bahkan gw kapan direnovasi'nya, tapi gw ga perna kesana.. Why? Karena letak'nya yang ga gitu strategis, n juga kecil. Jadi'nya bikin gw ga kepikir buat kesana. Nah kemarin adek gw iseng ajakin kesana, ya udah kita mampir deh jadi'nya. Kita orang malah muter2 bingung cari pintu masuk'nya karena ga meyakinkan banget.. hahahahaha.. *untung ga roboh kek Yerikho karena diputerin.. haha* Singkat cerita, setelah kita masuk, jiahh.. Impression gw berubah. Resto yang dari luar keliatan kecil n ga strategis, ternyata di dalem didekorasi sedemikian rupa jadi kek fine resto yang mahal2, n harga'nya juga mahal ternyata! hahahaha.. n yang pasti, makanan'nya juga enak :p

Pas gw di dalem resto, gw jadi mikir.. Banyak kali kita denger n bahkan ngomong "don't judge a book by its cover", tapi kita ga sungguh2. Kita seringkali punya stereotypes yang ga bener. Dideketin orang jenggotan di bus, udah mikir kalo dia bakalan ngerampok, jadi'nya pegangin tas erat2.. Keliatan ada anak2 kampung lewat, udah kepikir kalo mreka mao baretin mobil.. Ada co pdkt, udah mikir kalo ntu co sama kek mantan2 kita (I was like that hahaha.. >_<) Padahal semua itu belom tentu! Emang bisa aja kejadian, but kan ga 100% bener? Emang belajar dari pengalaman orang laen itu baik, tapi jangan sampe diri kita jadi ga secure mao ngapa2in. Tuhan udah karunia'kan kita keselamatan, kita punya mulut untuk doa dan menyembah. Do it! n give all of our burden, worry, n doubt to God. Cuman Dia our hiding place. Cuman Dia sumber kekuatan kita. Ga ada yang bisa lindungin kita 24/7 like Jesus do. Ayo baca Mazmur 121. Itu sangat nguatin gw.. hehehe.. Well, kalopun kita pernah ngalamin hal2 yang ga enak, ask Him to heal us. I do ask Him to heal me for many things. Ga ada hal2 di dunia ini yang ga mengecewakan kita, bahkan orang2 terdekat'pun juga. Apa lagi yang mao kita pegang? Sapa lagi yang mao kita percaya? Cuman Dia yang bisa kita jadiin sandaran. Cuman Tuhan yang memandang kita melalui hati kita. Cuman Dia yang ga melihat dan menghakimi kita secara mata dunia.

Tetapi berfirmanlah Tuhan kepada Samuel: 

"Janganlah pandang parasnya atau perawakan yang tinggi, sebab Aku telah menolaknya. 

Bukan yang dilihat manusia yang dilihat Allah; 

manusia melihat apa yang di depan mata, tetapi Tuhan melihat hati." -1 Samuel 16:7

Itu saat Samuel diminta mengurapi raja yang akan dipilih Tuhan bagi Israel. Tuhan memilih Daud, meskipun dunia bilang "ga banget n ga ada kriteria sebagai raja". Seringkali kita ngerasa takut buat declare as Christian. I was like that, but I will not do it again. Tuhan ga malu mengakui gw didepan Bapa, so I will do the same. Dia juga take me seriously, so I will take Him seriously juga. No matter what people say. Mao dibilang sok suci.. sok radikal.. sok apa lah.. Monggoooo.. Babeh knows my heart :)  Cuman Bapa yang menerima kita apa adanya, dan mao membentuk kita untuk menjadi serupa gambaranNya. Yukzz, mari kita jangan judge others by looking at their appearances, but ask God to open our heart and see them through His eyes.. To God be the glory! :)

Kau Mengenal Hatiku

Hanya dekat kasihMu Bapa, jiwaku pun tent'ram

Engkau menerimaku dengan sepenuhnya

Walau dunia melihat rupa, namun Kau memandangku

Sampai kedalaman hatiku

Tuhan inilah yang ku tahu, Kau mengenal hatiku

Jauh melebihi semua, yang terdekat sekalipun

Tuhan inilah yang ku mau, Kau menjaga hatiku

Supaya kehidupan memancar senantiasa

Melekat Kepada Bapa

Gw ga percaya kalo gw libur hahaha.. Luama bangetzz ga update.. >_<  Actually, I am in summer break now, but somehow I don't have enough time to sit and update my blog.. hahaha.. Anyways, this month is my moniversary with Him. Six years ago was where my new life begin. I was baptized 6 years ago on July 30th, and kalo di Indo sebelom baptis kan selalu ada kek katekisasi gitu; "kelas" khusus yang wajib kita attend buat dig deeper about Him and Christianity. Jujur, hingga saat di "kelas" pun, gw masi belom bener2 serius akan baptisan. Gw cuman ngerti kalo gw mao baptis n jadi Kristen.. So, di "kelas" itu ya gw ngikutin'nya as requirement aja sebelom baptis.. Ga lebih.. Oh my.. -___-  Beberapa bulan setelah gw baptis, gw pindah kemari.. nah, it's when my new life begin. Sebenernya seh sejak we declare as Christians, we start a new life. Tapi somehow, gw ga brasa apa2 at the moment.. N sekarang gw tau kenapa, itu karena gw ga sungguh2.. Saat2 itu saat dimana gw masi banyak compromize this and that. Gw masi ga tau kalo Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus. Gw pake caps in relationship karena itu penting. Christianity bukanlah agama, tapi itu hubungan kita pribadi dengan Bapa.

"Aku tidak menyebut kamu lagi hamba, 

sebab hamba tidak tahu, apa yang diperbuat oleh tuannya, 

tetapi Aku menyebut kamu sahabat, 

karena Aku telah memberitahukan kepada kamu segala sesuatu

yang telah Kudengar dari Bapa-Ku."

-Yohanes 15:15

Wow! Sapa yang ga mao hayo?? Gw mah mao buangett.. hahaha.. Bukan Juli gini, gw biasanya banyak spend time buat reflect saat2 gw masi belom jadi anak Babeh dulu.. hehehe.. Bukan untuk inget2 jaman bahela, but gw make sure kalo gw ga balik kek dulu. Gw ga mao. Well, itu bukan juga berarti gw udah suci n idup gw bebas dari hal2 ga enak. Nope! Jadi Kristen itu bukan jaminan kalo kita ga akan ngalamin pasang-surut idup. Banyak orang mikir kalo kita udah jadi anak Babeh, kita aman dari serangan macem2 aka bebas masalah. Oya? "Loh Feb.. Kan Tuhan sendiri bilang, kalo Tuhan ada disisi kita, siapa berani melawan?" Yup, bener banget. Masing2 anak Tuhan memiliki kuasa untuk melawan iblis n roh2 yang bukan berasal dari Bapa, tapi ga semua sadar akan kemampuan'nya! Iblis itu takut sama anak2 Tuhan, bahkan iblis pun ijin kepada Bapa untuk mencobai Ayub. Kalo ada yang belom tau cerita Ayub, monggo buka dulu Alkitab'nya ya.. hehehe..

Dalam Ayub 1:1 dikatakan bahwa Ayub adalah orang yang saleh, jujur, takut pada Allah, n ngejauhin kejahatan. Tapi kenapa hidupnya juga porak-poranda? Kalo mao ngomongin soal keadilan, apa itu adil buat Ayub? Kaga. Di Ayub 1:1-5 juga dijelasin gimana saleh'nya dia. Dia juga rajin mempersembahkan korban buat Tuhan. Dah pokok'nya anak kesayangan lah.. hehehe.. Tapi saat iblis dateng kepada Tuhan buat mencobai Ayub, kenapa Tuhan ijinin? Itu karena Tuhan percaya bahwa Ayub setia, n sanggup lewatin ujian itu. Kalo seumpama ada buku yang anti api aka ga bisa kebakar.. Kita2 pada penasaran dunks gimana rupa itu buku? Nah skarang gimana cara buktiin kalo buku itu anti api? Satu2nya cara untuk membuktikan ya dengan cara dibakar. Kalo emang dia tahan api, dia pasti bertahan hingga akhirnya. Dia ga akan abis dimakan api. Itu yang Tuhan buktikan kepada iblis. Di ayat'nya yang ke 8, Tuhan udah bangga memuji2 Ayub didepan iblis. Nah trus si iblis minta pembuktian dari kebanggan Bapa. Disitulah kesalehan, kejujuran, dan kesetiaan Ayub diuji. Untuk apa? Ya supaya keliatan kalo emang dia setia kepada Bapa.

Nah gimana dengan kita sendiri? Dulu gw cuman manggut2 aja kalo denger ato baca cerita tentang Ayub. Gw kagum sama Ayub yang sanggup lewatin pencobaan'nya, tapi gw lupa missed apa dibalik semua itu. Gw lupa kalo mata Babeh itu selalu ngelihat gw. Gw lupa kalo Babeh juga pingin gw deket ke Dia, seperti Ayub yang melekat sama Allah. Babeh pingin kita semua bukan cuman deket ke Dia, tapi bener2 melekat! Gw bersyukur kalo Bapa kita adalah Bapa yang baik dan selalu kasi kita kesempatan kedua. Dia ga pernah ninggalin kita sedetik'pun meski seringkali kita bikin Dia menangis dengan kelakuan, pikiran, n ucapan2 kita. Never! Kalo sekarang gw flash back, gw ga brani bayangin dimana gw sekarang kalo Tuhan ga 'jemput' gw. Gw ga brani bayangin gimana gw adepin dunia yang jahat ini. How great is our God! I have no words to describe His majesty. Seriously, gw paling ga bisa kalo disuruh jelasin gimana dahsyat'nya Babeh kita. He's just too marvelous, too great, too wonderful, too beautiful, n many more deh! Kalo ga percaya, liat deh karya2Nya.. The beauty of sunrise n sunset, the calm of ocean, the blue sky, rainbow, and look at those clouds! Everything just perfect! Halah2.. Kita ini sapa koq berani2 nantangin Dia??? Ga takut apa ya.. >_<

Yang pasti, Tuhan tuh mao kita jadi Kristen yang kuat dan tangguh, bukan Kristen bayi yang apa2 bisa'nya cuman nanges n blame God. I was like that. Dulu gw mikir kalo udah baptis, idup bakalan aman karena Tuhan jamin. Yes, Tuhan jamin, tapi bukan berarti aman dari serangan. N juga, kita sbagai anak2 Allah juga punya bagian yang harus dikerjakan. Nah, itu dia yang gw missed.

"Karena itu tunduklah kepada Allah, dan lawanlah iblis, maka ia akan lari dari padamu!"

-Yakobus 4:7

"Akulah pokok anggur dan kamulah ranting-rantingnya. 

Barangsiapa tinggal di dalam Aku dan Aku di dalam dia, ia berbuah banyak, 

sebab di luar Aku kamu tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa."

-Yohanes 15:5

"Kenakanlah seluruh perlengkapan senjata Allah, 

supaya kamu dapat bertahan melawan tipu muslihat Iblis

karena perjuangan kita bukanlah melawan darah dan daging, 

tetapi melawan pemerintah-pemerintah, 

melawan penguasa-penguasa, 

melawan penghulu-penghulu dunia yang gelap ini, 

melawan roh-roh jahat di udara.

Sebab itu ambillah seluruh perlengkapan senjata Allah, 

supaya kamu dapat mengadakan perlawanan pada hari yang jahat itu dan tetap berdiri, 

sesudah kamu menyelesaikan segala sesuatu.

Jadi berdirilah tegap, berikatpinggangkan kebenaran dan berbajuzirahkan keadilan,

kakimu berkasutkan kerelaan untuk memberitakan Injil damai sejahtera;

dalam segala keadaan pergunakanlah perisai iman, 

sebab dengan perisai itu kamu akan dapat memadamkan semua panah api dari si jahat,

dan terimalah ketopong keselamatan dan pedang Roh, 

yaitu firman Allah, dalam segala doa dan permohonan."

-Efesus 6:11-18a

See? Itu cuman sebagian dari sekian banyak ayat2 yang beberin soal ketergantungan kita sama Babeh. We are nothing without Him! Sekali lagi, jadi Kristen bukan jaminan keselamatan. Percuma ngaku Kristen kalo idup masi 50-50. Well, emang ga ada manusia sempurna, yang penting adalah pertobatan kita n kemauan kita untuk diubahkan menjadi serupa gambaranNya. Ya even gw sendiri bisa ngomong begini juga bukan karena gw udah sanggup nempel sama Babeh. Gw juga masi in process koq.. hehehe.. Maka itu, ayo kita saling menguatkan dalam Tuhan! Jangan sampe kita kemakan tipu muslihat iblis! Ga banget deh >_<   Menjelang kedatanganNya yang kedua, ayo kita berlomba2 untuk melekat pada Pokok Anggur yang benar! Bukan hanya mendekat, tapi bener2 melekat eraaatttt kek ranting n pohon.. Smangaaddd!  \(^_^)/

"Sungguh, hatinya melekat kepada-Ku, maka Aku akan meluputkannya, 

Aku akan membentenginya, sebab ia mengenal nama-Ku."

-Mazmur 91:14

God vs. Problems

Many of us say that we have big problems (including me indeed! haha..) Well, yes, it might be a big problem.. but some people.. somewhere.. they have bigger than us.. and the important thing is they still have faith in God.. 

Here is a story about a family who has three kids, and they were gone in a blink of an eye.. They were passed away in a accident.. I just can't imagine how their parents survive, especially the Mom.. It must be hard for a mother to see her child die, and Mrs. Cobel saw her three sweethearts passed away. Geezz! But they have faith in God, and God gave them joy by giving them triplets two years after the tragedy! Can't you believe it?

And this one is another story about a mother who has a baby without eyes. Yes, it is not a typo. The baby, named Christian, is blind because he doesn't have eyes. His mother was told to abort Christian, but she had faith that no one was born by accident; and she was going through. It is tough for her and her husband, but they don't give up.. :) 

Well, there is nothing bigger than our God, Jesus Christ! Do you believe it? If so, now is the time to surrender to His mighty hands.. Don't be afraid of tomorrow for everything is in His control! Never give up because Jesus loves you SO MUCH! :) 

He Will Carry You

by Scott Wesley Brown

There is no problem too big God cannot solve it

There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it

There is no storm too dark God cannot calm it

There is no sorrow too deep He cannot sooth it

Chorus:

If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulder

I know my brother that He will carry you

If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulder

I know my sister that He will carry you

Bridge:

He said, "Come unto Me, all who are weary..

And I will give you rest"

What's Greater

This song is one of my fav song. The lyric clearly truly represent my, what is greater than His love? Nothing! His love is everything, and no one can love us with that agape love. >_<

WHAT’S GREATER

Verse 1

What stretches from the east to west

What’s higher than the heaven’s height

What’s deeper than the oceans wide

What’s greater, what’s greater

Verse 2

What brightens up the darkest times

What softens all the wounded hearts

What covers, forgives the greatest sins

What’s greater, What’s greater

Chorus

It is Your love

It is Your mercy

New every morning, unfailing

It is Your word

It is Your presence

Unfailing are You Lord, Jesus

The Love That Changes Us

"Don't marry your lover, but marry your best friend" -Myles Munroe

Love and romance. Today, those two different things that are always interpreted at the same terms. People believe in love at the first sight. Hmm.. Really? How can you love someone you just met? What if he is a playboy? What if she is a hypocrite? Well, we do need time to know each other before we tied in a relationship. But, what the world teaches us today? "Oh don't worry, as long as you find a good guy/lady, you will be fine." "Find a beautiful/handsome person who makes you proud when you walk together." DUH! How can you say that this person is more beautiful/handsome than that person? How do you know that this good guy/lady is nicer than others? How do we love them if we don't know them? Knowing each other is not only knowing their name, address, telephone number, and date of birth. It is waaaaaayyyyyy deeper than that. There's many things we need to learn before we are committed in a relationship. Oh well, I'm off.. Let's back on the topic.. hahaha..


Personally, love is when we do anything for the goodness of our lover, and romance is when we do something in order to fulfill our desire. Love will last forever in good and bad situation, but not romance. We will not have any desire to give our spouse surprise when we face a circumstance, will you? Love is not a feeling.. and it will not come at the beginning of a relationship; yet, love comes softly :)  As written in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8..

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. 

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; 

where there are tongues, they will be stilled; 

where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

"But.. who has that kind of love? That such of love doesn't exist; it is just too perfect!" Yes, it is somewhat true. That kind of love doesn't exist in this world, and it is too perfect to be existed. And the only One who has it is Jesus. There is no other person who love us like Jesus does. His love is unconditional and unfailing. It doesn't matter who we are, Jesus still loves us. I can't imagine how my life runs without Him. I don't know where I ended up to. His love is just soooo amazing for me. It is indescribable!

I was an ordinary Christian girl who read Bible daily but received nothing. Haha.. I didn't know that worship and pray will make a breakthrough. I did all of those "Christian routine" because I was born and raised in a Christian family. That's it! My Dad is Christian, and my Mom was a Catholic. So, I was expected to follow them; but I just didn't know what the point was. Haha.. I was satisfied with with my spiritual life, and had no desire to go deeper. As long as I read Bible everyday, I would be fine. But after years, I realized that Christian life waaaayyyy deeper than that. I do have a almighty God who loves me so much, and He is alive! I still read Bible, worship and pray; but it never be the same like before. 

The first time I felt His presence was when I had my national final exam in my junior high school--it was equal to CASHEE in California, the United States. I was very stressful about the material; the more I studied, the more I forgot. At the night before the exam, I was studying in tears.. I just couldn't bear it. I was very exhausted. On that moment, I was listening a Christian radio  when I studied. I didn't even listened to it, I was just turned it on to make "noise" so I didn't feel alone. And then, the radio played a song "Allahku Yang Setia" that means You are my faithful God. When I heard that song, I cried so hard because He spoke to me through that song. He comforted me, and He reminded me that I was studying hard all by myself. I had never invited Him to blessed me. He said to me not to be afraid of what I faced tomorrow because He would give me a victory. On that time, I just couldn't help my tears. I only could say, "forgive me My Lord, I have been lost this days. Now I surrender all to You, I'm done with it.." Amazingly, after that short prayer I felt peaceeeee.. I was very confident facing my exam. And yes, I passed! Yay.. :p

After that very first moment with Him, He started to mold me more and more. Many things happened, until someday I wanted to be committed to be a Christian. FYI, I was born in a Christian family, but I was not baptized yet :)  Hence, I asked my Mom to get permission, and her answer was shocking me. My "proposal" was denied! hehe.. The reason was I was too young, so I might have not think it deeply; hence, I might be hard to keep my commitment. On that moment, I just obeyed her, and had nothing to say. I was not really sure that I could keep my commitment to Him. I just prayed, and told Him how I wanted to be baptized. Finally, one day, my Mom asked me, "do you want to be baptized?" I was like, "what did you say Mom? Am I dreaming?" hahaha.. I had been waited to His time for four years! But He heard my prayer! I was overjoyed back then.. hehe..

Since then, He mold me more and more. He burns me on the fire hotter and hotter. And yes, until now, He is still working on me so hard.. Haha.. Sometimes I just want to give up, but He comes and comfort me. He convinced me that He will never ever leave me; He promised that He will come where ever I am. Oh Lord.. I just can't imagine how my life will be without You.. I can't describe Him in word. He just too awesome, too great, too almighty, too much for everything! He has been waiting for me to say "yes" to His calling.. Patiently.. And He never forced me to do this and that because He loves me soo muchhh.. He will offer His plan and love to me, but it is all my choice. It will be good for me if I accept His "offer", but once again He gives the the free will to choose.


I'm speechless now.. Totally speechless.. He is my super best friend, He is my Father, He is my everything. Nothing and no one can change His place. He loves me sooo muchh, but what about me? I can't love Him the same way He loves me.. But He still loves me! He is God, the King of kings, the creator of this universe, and He loves me! Whoaaaaa.. What an honor!!!! And the good news is He is not only love me, but He loves you too! That's the Love that changed me.. That's the Love that changes us! :)   Let's share how He has been working on you! Be blessed.. Jesus loves you!