Sundays

We rest on Sundays but the Devil works double hard on Sundays.

Let's keep our guard up, Guys, even on weekends!

Hey Bye

My earthly father died last August on the thirteen. He was buried on the seventeenth, right on the celebration of Indonesian independence day. Afterwards Oma Edith Yvonne, an Evangelist, came to stay with us and consoled us for our loss. She also taught us many lessons. I can't help but to write the lessons I had learned.

The first one is about Hello and Goodbye.

We were so grateful and blessed to have her around after Daddy passed away. In the morning she would sit in the living room and held her Bible. She was so ready for the Word of God. We would voluntarily came around and pray together--it was very hard in the beginning for she started it pretty early, especially for Daniel.

Anyhow, we began to get used to the morning devotion together and would regret it if we missed it. Additionally she's got plenty of fun stories and crazy comments that would make us laugh out loud and forget for a moment that we are in still in the mourning period.

Well, Daddy is fine and happy now. We know we should not be sad but we are. So, we are so thankful that God had sent us a counselor who brightened our nights.

The fun thing about her is that she always intentionally switch hellos with goodbyes. Whenever she comes into the house she would say goodbye and vice versa. It sounded strange in the beginning but it made us realize that she wouldn't stay long. Oma isn't ours. She is God's. Just like everything and everyone else in this world.

Our wealth isn't ours. It's God's and He entrusts it to us. So whenever money comes can we actually say goodbye to it if in any case God takes it all away?

Our friends are not ours.
Our parents are not ours.
Our partner is not ours. Mom had to let go of my Dad just over a month ago. When Dad was dying, Oma kept telling her that Daddy was not hers. He is dearest to God. This way it was easier for Mom to let him go.

Now and then I would say hello whenever she was going out of the house and she would smile and I would greet her goodbye when she comes into the house. Doing so I hope it will be easier for me to let Oma go if she would continue her journey to God knows where.

Well now that we know that there is always a goodbye in a hello. What do we do in between those two words?

Also, I'm gonna switch my Hello to Goodbye starting from now. Get ready to kiss me hello, guys! 'til our next goodbye, be well and eat healthy!

Durian

When I was little about 3 or 4 years old, I used to hate Durian. I did not know why I hated it, but I just did. Everytime my Dad would tell me to eat I would refuse. He, then, would scold me for it.

One day, he got very mad. I did not want to eat that expensive fruit but he kept arguing that it tastes great and I am stupid for not liking it. He forced and forced and forced me to eat and I cried, refused, refused, and refused to eat until he opened my mouth and licked me a little of that heavenly fruit.

That moment changed me.

It tastes great. That day I ate the whole fruit. And durian began to be my favorite fruit.

Last night when I was out with GUPta Youth, I shared this story and I was inspired. It can be similar to the presence of God.

Why don't we like the presence of God?

Could the presence of God be your "durian"?

If it is. I really encourage you to go try. I am 100% sure it is the best fruit in the world.

If durian is a love-hate fruit, the presence of God is a love-love fruit. You can't resist his love when you are in. And you won't regret it anyway. It is life-changing.

Small Soft Little

I recently read Benny Hinn's "Selamat Pagi Roh Kudus". He discusses his experiences with Holy Spirit. He writes that He is real. He sees, He hears,  He feels, He thinks, and He acts. He is not less than God but He is God. Benny also reminds us to worship Him no less than the Father.

As I read through the pages, I began to understand that there were a few events in my life, Holy Spirit took control of me. He revealed Himself and prompted me to do a certain thing; to glorify God. I also began to wonder why He does not talk to me in that way that frequently these days.

Yes, it maybe is caused by the fact that I have replaced my times of singing praises and praying exclusively with plenty of book reading and knowledge expansion effort. I grow tired of playing the same songs over and spent precious minutes waiting. I turn to believing that wisdom is the key.

However as it turns out, I am starting to lose the ability to recognize His voice at all. Without dismissing the importance of wisdom, I need to learn to listen to His voice again.

I never knew how. Even though I have experienced events with Holy Spirit but I cannot differentiate His with other voices. I, now, believe that He only talks from the Scripture. Rhyme will do.

But the event this morning was an eye opener for me.

Last night I slept with a small soft little voice reminding me about the alarm. I think it was not necessary to put it on so I did not put it on for mom has asked me twice about my agenda this morning. I told her that I need to be at Kids Church in the morning. She asked twice so I thought she would remember. She always does. Except this morning.

So, as you can guess, I woke up very late to make it to Church. I felt terrible and silly. Yes, I shouldn't count on my mom to wake me up, at least not again. And yes, I should have listened to that small soft little voice.

Is it really a coincidence that it happens when I just read this book?

I believe it is a sweet reminder to end the year and to start 2016 with God. God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

He knows what we need--just like He knew that I needed that alarm this morning. He is for us. We should not be repulsive to Him. He is not our enemy.

Following Him requires new habits. Just like any great changes in life, they require plenty of new ways of life. Are we up and ready for those?

I pray so. We can! For He is with us.

stretch.

reblog from Kaka's true, warm, insightful, Jesus-inside heart and soul blog.

In any season in our lives, there are two things God wants to do simultaneously:
1. Expand His kingdom
2. Stretch our minds

The GROWTH is in the STRETCH.

– Steven Furtick (I’m Up for It – Stretch Marks Part 1)

No Passing On the Relay Stick

Hello World,

Two things tickle my mind today:

1. Philippians 4:4
2. Double edge sword

Actually the two are interrelated to make a point in this post. It happened that I needed the reminder to rejoice in the Lord always, like what is written in Philippians 4:4. I say it again, rejoice. 

When I first read that verse this morning I was quickly reminded of the people who might need the exact reminder. I did not realize that I was the one who needed it the most. 

In this generation, we grow accustomed to share all the thought-provoking, sweet, heart-felt information and motivational quotes we encounter along the day. We saw it on Path or Instagram. It was funny. It was moving. It was mind-changing. It was motivational. So we touch the share button. Share via Line. Share to group. Share to Whatsapp contact. We hope that the ones who read will get entertained, be reminded, or even change his ways. 

But do we first change our ways when the reminders come to us? Or do we just take it as an relay stick and pass it quickly to the next person? 

Yes there is an overload of information in this generation but can it also mean that God is speaking louder to us? Have we found time to actually stop and think that it is for me? I should definitely keep this letter. I should definitely save it into my core memories. I should begin to do what the message tells me to do. 

Anyway, my friends need to rejoice but more than them, I need to rejoice to. I need to choose joy. Sadness is important (watch Inside Out from Pixar). We should embrace sadness. But should we dwell in sadness all the time? No. Joy should also come in and make good memories together. 

When we can't shake sadness off (well, she is there for a purpose), will we still choose to rejoice? To have joy again? To search for joy again? 

I want to Re-Joy. 

Resist the resistance

Mrs. Tin, a good friend of my mom, remarks Christian life as easy to be understood but difficult to implement. She adds, "We know everything we need to know to be a follower of Christ. But why does this body keep refusing to do the right thing? We know we need to rejoice, we know we need to forgive, we know we need not to worry and fear, but we keep doing it anyway."

I have never really thought about it and what it really means. I presume that applying what we know is pretty easy as long as we have the desire to do it. But as this week goes by, I began to agree with her remarks.

This week started with a pretty strong message about winning life's battles. The locations of the hidden bombs have been identified too. The locations are summarized in the acronym HALT.

H - Hungry
A - Angry
L - Lonely
T - Tired

These are the red zones. The zones where the devils have set their shooters on. The zones where we should watch out. The zones where we really should open our eyes wide.

To avoid being hungry spiritually and physically, of course, we need to eat. And as we become angry, we should not let our anger stay for too long. Sunset means new clean slate, forgiveness. Surrounding ourselves with good company also avoids us from being lonely. And as for tiredness, we can try to live healthily by exercising and having enough sleep.

See, it was a good start of the week, right? A simple yet very practical message. But then I still am finding it hard to do all that. I sleep enough but have no spirit to work. I eat more than I used to but I have no energy.

It feels like every time we are trying to change our bad habits into good habits, there is always bigger resistance. Well in Physics it is natural. The greater the force exerted to move an object, the greater the force resisting the object to be moved. So, I conclude that this is us moving in the right direction. If there is a force trying to stop us to move forward, it is only natural. It is not natural if we gave up while we are just staring to move.

We need to keep trying even if we fail the first, second, seventh and eighth times.

Feeling lazy again? Useless again? Worthless again? Guilty again? Not in the mood again? It is natural! But do not stay there, keep forcing ourselves until we become purposeful, free from the devil's shackles, children of God.

Yes, it is difficult to form a new good habit, but people say it is well-worth it. Don't give up yet, brothers, don't.