Who Am I

Baru balik dari Kesaksian "Masa Depan Bumi". *Pa Radiman bersikeras kalo ini bukan seminar :P*
Wow... speechless... dunno what to say...
Baru menyadari betapa BESARnya jagad raya ini dan betapa keciiiillllllllnya manusia yang tinggal di bumi. Ga bisa digambarin. Terlalu luar biasa.
Oh Lord, I feel so insignificant... I feel like nothing...
YOU, GOD that creates the universe. The unfathomable GOD.

Menyadari betapa HIDUP itu suatu anugerah yang mengagumkan.
Di antara jagad raya yang luar biasa besarnya ini, TUHAN pilih bumi sebagai SATU-SATUNYA planet dimana manusia bisa hidup.

Bumi, yang kecilllll sekali jika dibandingkan dengan bintang-bintang....
Bumi, yang intinya adalah magma super panas, tapi dilapisi oleh permukaan selebar 40 km supaya manusia bisa tinggal....
Bumi, yang sebenarnya kapan saja bisa hancur karena tabrakan komet, KAU lindungi dengan Jupiter sebagai perisai...
Bumi, yang bisa hangus karena semburan kecil matahari... yang bisa kiamat karena badai es...

Oh, betapa rapuhnya keberadaan manusia... dan betapa hebatnya pemeliharaan Allah atasnya...

Sungguh, keberadaan manusia di bumi tidak mungkin sebuah kecelakaan.
Ada tujuan. PASTI ada tujuan.
SEMUA MANUSIA harus sadar akan hal ini. Mereka HARUS DISADARKAN bahwa mereka dicipatakan oleh Sang Pencipta dengan suatu TUJUAN. Manusia tidak boleh hidup sembarangan.

Suatu hari bumi akan berakhir. Dan hari penghakiman akan datang. TIDAK ADA yang bisa menerka. Bisa terjadi KAPAN saja.

Semuanya ini mengingatkan saya akan apa yang dikatakan Kitab Yakobus....
4:13 Jadi sekarang, hai kamu yang berkata: "Hari ini atau besok kami berangkat ke kota anu, dan di sana kami akan tinggal setahun dan berdagang serta mendapat untung",
4:14 sedang kamu tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi besok. Apakah arti hidupmu? Hidupmu itu sama seperti uap yang sebentar saja kelihatan lalu lenyap.
4:15 Sebenarnya kamu harus berkata: "Jika Tuhan menghendakinya, kami akan hidup dan berbuat ini dan itu."

Dan mengingatkan saya atas sebuah lagu...




Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.

Bridge:
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Go to Brigde

Go to Chorus

Go to Bridge

Go to Chorus.
I am yours.

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am yours.
I am yours.

Yasmin Ahmad: A Tribute

I have talked a lot about Yasmin Ahmad in this post.
Sad to say, she passed away last July... A huge loss to M'sia & S'pore...
Reminded of her again after a couple of days ago I saw this ad in a newspaper.
There will be a tribute for her. One cinema here will screen her movies.
Never seen her movie before and, of course, considering to go to the screening.

You could also watch below video for more info about her:




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Death or Pain?

During lunch time today I read a news regarding a death of an Australian quadriplegic (def: paralysis of all four limbs usually as a result of injury to the spine) who won a landmark legal battle to starve himself to death by refusing food.

I found one statement from him that's really mind-boggling:
"I'm Christian Rossiter and I'd like to die. I am a prisoner in my own body. I can't move, I have no fear of death -- just pain. I only fear pain."

Lots of questions went through my mind after I read it.

Is pain more frightening than death?
Why didn't he feel fearful of death? Was it because he believed that there was nothing after death? Or was it because he believed that he would definitely go to heaven? Did he even believe that heaven and hell exist?
Could fear of pain be used as a justification to end his own life?
Who owns life? Where did he think life came from that he thought that he could take control of his life (and death)?

...

One question lead to another one that lead to another one....
So on and on and on...

In search for answers...

Peace

Live in Peace. (L.I.P) *not R.I.P :p*

That is how I have been in the past 2 weeks.

Based on my current situation, I've been trying to think some bad scenarios that might happen to me in the future (eventhough I'm not supposed to)
Well... the conclusion is... What should I fear of? What bad thing that could happen to me?
Unemployment? It just prove that GOD gives me more time to be quiet, to search the Truth more deeply, and to set my eyes more to other people. Anyway, I have been there. And I enjoyed every moment of it.
No money as the result of being jobless? I still have family in Bandung that would accept me as who I am. And I could just start a new chapter of life there.

What else that I could think of?
Suffering? Sickness? Loneliness? My experiences with those kind of things just made me closer to GOD as well as grew in faith & hope in HIM
Persecution from people around me? Not afraid. I will hang on to GOD. Just do what HE wants me to do. In the end all people will see how great is my GOD.
Death? Even death is considered gain for me :) Well.. if I could choose, I would choose to live. But... "my times are in Your hands" (Psalm 31: 15a)

How can I come to this state of peace?
Read Bible. Read good books. Don't read rubbish.
And reflect on what we read.
These are a few (from many many many) important and useful things that I learned from reading:
1. Psalm 56:3 says "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." But, Isaiah 12:2 is better to say: "Surely God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid" (this one thanks to Pastor Warren Wiersbe)
Trust first, then I won't be afraid. But, even if I feel afraid, there's a way out, which is to trust in HIM. Amazing rite? I'm currently in the process to trust everything in God's hands. All I need to do is obey.
2. As usual, Elisabeth Elliot has always been my inspiration! I'll quote her again: "We are meddling with God's business when we let all manner of imagining loose, predicting disaster, contemplating possibilities instead of following, on day at a time, God's plain and simple pathway. "As thy days so shall thy strength be" (Deuteronomy 33:25). God knows how to apportion each one's strength according to that day's need. Faithfulness today is the best preparation for the demands for tomorrow."

Apart from reading... Listen to good songs. Hymns & worship songs. Don't listen to rubbish.
I would just close my eyes and let myself absorb every word to be my prayer to GOD.

Well... it is too good to be true. Therefore I believe GOD is preparing me for something "big". Most probably a huge storm. Hmm... let's see...
For now, I would just equip myself with 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 ^"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

How beautiful a life lived in, with, and for GOD! :)

Living Victoriously - IEC Singapore Revival Meeting

3 Oct - in Bahasa only
4 Oct - in Bahasa & Mandarin

One Soul

A Christian should never believe in coincidence.

No, it's not a coincidence.
It is absolutely an opportunity given to me to share the Good News.
One opportunity taken.
One soul won.
Praise the LORD!
Revival in my spiritual state.
Thank you, LORD!
Next, the Revival Meetings! Onward! Yosh! :)

Seminar "Masa Depan Bumi"

Benarkan Bumi kita akan berakhir tahun 2012 seperti yang diramalkan suku Maya? Secara scientific Seminar ini akan memaparkan keadaan Bumi menjelang 2012 dan tahun-tahun mendatang. Bumi dengan 6,8 milyar manusia berada dalam keadaan irreversible state dimana kerusakan lingkungan akibat aktivitas manusia yang tidak bertanggung jawab. Hal ini mengakibatkan bumi yang dahulu nyaman ditinggali, kini menjadi buruk. Tanda-tanda kerusakan bumi datang dari iklim yang setiap saat berubah dan tidak dapat diprediksi serta global warming dimana kenaikan suhu muka bumi mencapai 1ºC dan diperkirakan meningkat 3ºC di tahun 2030.Dunia saat ini bukanlah dunia sebagaimana dahulu mula-mula diciptakan. Kita menyaksikan eskalasi bencana-bencana alam yang semakin terakumulasi menggambarkan ketidakberdayaan manusia. Apakah yang akan terjadi di kemudian hari?

Seminar "Masa Depan Bumi" akan diadakan pada:
Waktu: Sabtu, 26/09/2009 pkl 17.00-19.00
Tempat: YMS Arts Centre Level 2 - 54 Waterloo St. S187953 (Choral Studio)
Speaker: Pnt. DR. Iratius Radiman, Associate Professor, Institute Teknologi Bandung

Be there. It's coming sooner than you think...

Untuk kalangan tersendiri.

A Change in Me

Another post for today! ^.^

Well... this weekend I took a lot of time alone.

Yesterday, after half-day work, I went home, had lunch, clean carpet, took a nap *for 3 hours! Haha*, read books *for 3 hours also! what a privilege!*
Today I went home early from church. Read books *again! Haha... Yea... just can't get enough of it! so thirsty la...)

And of course... more time alone means more time to reflect about anything that I could reflect of... (it's a good habit! I would encourage all of you to reflect and write journals - everyday - in the midst of this hectic life)

And... I reflect about why lately I talked less, generally, but especially at home...
When I arrived at home, I dun wanna talk, just wanna read books, write journals, go online, and sleep... no talk. *this is started by the conversation with my room mate a few days ago*
And... why I lately rejected some invitation to hang-out...

I think... think... and think... and came out to a conclusion that... it's because of my current job.
It's about BALANCE.
At work, I did a lot of talk. I teached. Almost talk the whole day. And afterwork, of course, I'm getting tired of talking :p
On the contrary, my roommate is an Accountant. Her work doesn't need her to talk. That's why after work she really wants to talk.
So... in our bedroom... she would do the talk... and i would be quiet. Haha.

Yup. Life. Must have balance.
There's a time to go out and meet people. But there's also time to be alone.
There's a time to talk. There's also time to listen.

Well.. as simple as that..
Keep the balance, guys!

Process & Purpose

"The older you get, the tougher life is..."

Just reflected on the past week...
Struggling with the new responsibility at work, the "Mission Impossible" .
Why struggling? First, it's boring. Really.
I prefer to do my previous responsibilities. I would be able to meet lots of different people in need and I know that I made a difference in their lives.
This new responsibility? I must teach the same people everyday. Teach the same thing.
The worst part is... All of us realized that it is impossible to pass the assessment. No, this is not a negative thought. This is actually based on facts & experiences. How could you expect a Malay-speaker to pass a Bahasa Indonesia assessment while the Indonesian themselves cannot pass?!?!
The people I teach now are very reluctant to learn. They just do it because the boss asked them to.
Very discouraging...

But... it didn't stop there...

"The older you get, the tougher life is...." It's true.
"But that is how life supposed to be if you want to grow. The tougher it is, the more lesson you learn"

Well... here is what I learned:
1. Process
It is the process that matters most. Just enjoy it.
Results will depend on other people's assessment, but as long as I do my best, no regret eventhough I have to bear the consequences of failing (scolded? pushed to resign?).
Yup, I will feel sad or down, but not regret, coz I have given the best according to my abilities & experiences. And you know what? These 5 past days the office has been merrier (coz more people from other office came to be taught). And... I could build relationship with the people that I was not closed with previously... And... I got to try so many new kind of food! (they really know how to eat! Haha)

2. Purpose
It is easy to feel bored. But I learned that even the things that seem routine or small ALSO happened for a reason... serve a higher purpose...
This thought came up to me when I read through a book in my quiet time. It says "God has divine purposes to accomplish in this world... There is nothing in this world that is outside the influence of the purposes of God" (Warren W. Wiersbe)
WOW. It means: EVERY ACTION counts! Every action serves a purpose! And for most of the time I just forgot this truth!
I got up... brushed my teeth... took a bath... had breakfast... waited for the bus... on the way to work... arrived at office... clocked in my time... teached... finished work... went home... slept...
Seems very everyday thing and boring rite? But if I change my perspective, it does make a huge difference in my life.
If, for example, when I brush my teeth, I make myself realize that it would help me to be more confident in smiling and talking with people...
If, for example, when I have breakfast, I make myself think that it will give me the strength I need to teach more energetically so that the students will respond more positively to what I teach...
Could you see the difference? Yup. I will do it happily and seriously (coz it has a purpose!).
Well... the struggle now is to constantly remind myself that every action - even the smallest one - serves a purpose. And the ultimate purpose is: to glorify God.
Not easy, I believe. But even a struggle serves a purpose, doesn't it? :)

3. I missed my previous responsibilities so much! Thank God He let me do it again yesterday. And it was a wonderful class, coz they asked so many questions and we have quite a lot of discussion (just an ideal class I would have!)

As a closing, I would like to quote a prayer that I found out yesterday on the way to work (a help that is in time!):

"Almighty God, we bless and praise Thee that we have wakened to the light of another earthly day; and now we will think of what a day should be. Our days are Thine, let them be spent for Thee. Our days are few; let them be spent with care.

There are dark days behind us: forgive their sinfulness. There may be dark days before us: strengthen us for their trials. We pray Thee to shine on us this day - the day which we may call our own.

Lord, we go to our daily work; help us to be faithful in doing it. Let all we do be well done, fit for Thine eye to see. Give us strength to do, patience to bear; let our courage never fail.

When we cannot love our work, let us think of it as Thy task and by our true love to Thee, make unlovely things shine in the light of Thy great love. Amen. "

-George Dawson (1821-1876)-

(taken from "Secure in the Everlasting Arms" by Elisabeth Elliot)