Take moment of silence. For just one minute, do not think about your activities, jobs, worries, problems. Instead think about His love and goodness. Sing the song below. Pray.
O Lord, our Lord How excellent Your name is How excellent Your name in all the earth
Your glory fills the heavens Beyond the farthest star How excellent Your name in all the earth
When I think about the heavens The moon and all the stars I wonder what You ever saw in me
But You took me and You love me And you’ve given me a crown And now I’ll praise Your name eternally
***
Tuhan mulialah nama-Mu di bumi Nama-Mu diagungkan di bumi Kemuliaan-Mu di surga mengatasi bintang Betapa mulia nama-Mu Tuhan
Bila kupandang ke langit, bulan dan s’gala bintang Ku heran Kau memperhatikanku Kau pilih dan kasihiku memahkotaiku S’bab itu kupuji Kau s’lamanya
]]>
Q. Jeremy, you’ve been called Linderella. Do you think this is a fairy tale?
Lin: I think this is a miracle from God, the way I would describe it, just because obviously, I don’t think anybody expected this to happen the way it happened. But again, it’s a credit to the coaching staff, the team, everyone, our whole team buying into what we think is the right thing to play. And we’re winning a few games, so we want to keep that up.…
Q. Jeremy, why do you refer to this as a miracle from God, and I’m wondering how your life has changed in the last week.
Lin: I would say it’s a miracle just because anytime something like this happens, a lot of stuff has to be put into place, and a lot of it is out of my control. If you look back at my story, it doesn’t matter where you look, but God’s fingerprints are all over the place, where there’s been a lot of things that had to happen that I just couldn’t control. And you could try to call it coincidence, but at the end of the day there’s 20, 30 things, when you combine them all, that had to happen at the right time for me to be here. So that’s why I call it a miracle.
When you think of it, it is true that God’s fingerprints are over the place in our life.
]]>Some interesting moments: 12:15, 22:25, 28:45.
I sat across Dr. Tong once on a flight from Taipei to Jakarta. I greeted him, introduced myself briefly. Apart from his perspective on reformed theology which has introduced controversy among reformed churches in Indonesia, I admire his hard work and his unwavering commitment to preach the Gospel. I quietly pray that God will use each us to take part in preaching the true Gospel, the one and only from the Bible.
]]>“My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.”
“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”
People come and go, life may not go well sometimes, but I am really grateful for I am going through every bit and pieces of life with my LORD and loved ones. Ah…joy comes in the morning just as sure as the sun rises each and every day.
]]>To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
and here’s the reason why..
I have a God who’s mighty,
Who’s sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful,
Jesus is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God remains the same.
My God knows all that’s happening;
Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort,
He is my dearest friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God;
Into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten
to rob me from my peace;
He draws me close unto His breast,
Where all my strivings cease.
And when my heart melts within me,
and weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.
The great “I AM” is with me,
My life is in His hand,
The “Son of the Lord” is my hope,
It’s in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my God;
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.
I’m looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven’s throne above;
My prayers have reached
the heart of God,
I’m resting in His love.
I give God thanks in everything,
My eyes are on His face;
The battle’s His, the victory is mine;
He’ll help me win the race.
Author: BJ George
]]>Some nights it would be so forceful to wake up either of them, “Uh, papa ngorok ya”, or “Uh, mama ngorok ya tin” they said. Ah..these sounds indicate to me that my parents are still with me.
Some days, papa would not stop telling stories or expressing his opinions. The topics vary from politics, business, my childhood, etc. Ah..I know that when papa talks, it indicates he feels happy.
Some other mornings, before heading off to work/school, mama would squeeze (read: hug) me and tell “duh, sayangku” and I’ll tell her, “duh, mamaku”. Ah..she has been doing it since I was still in elementary school.
I don’t get the chance to see them everyday but I’ll definitely keep them close to my heart.
]]>Fukushima daiichi plant NO.2 failed, pretty significant possibilities of radioactive leakage, some of tepco’s employees have been evacuated from the site. It seems that this one is more serious than the hydrogen explosion at plant 1 and 3. Let’s pray for our family and Friends in JAPAN. Also, does any one in tokyo have any feasible plan to prepare for the worst? Please share..
He sent a message to his brother two hours ago, he and his family are evacuating to the south:
“RI, please inform dad and mom that me and family are fine. Gue, AYUMI, Alex and Alicia ngungsi ke arah selatan(hamamatsu) mungkin gabung dgn ferdy hari ini”
Please take a moment and pray for people in Japan. It seems that things are getting tough there…
]]>Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to see
Their chains were loosed and they were free
Some midnight hour if you should find
You’re in a prison of your mind
Reach out praise, defy those chains
And they will fall in Jesus’ name
I found this passage interesting. It’s from Rework, a book from the founders of 37signals, a software company.
“That would never work in the real world.” You hear it all the time when you tell people about a fresh idea.
This real world sounds like an awfully depressing place to live. It’s a place where new ideas, unfamiliar approaches, and foreign concepts always lose. The only things that win are what people already know and do, even if those things are flawed and inefficient.
Scratch the surface and you’ll find these “real world” inhabitants are filled with pessimism and despair. They expect fresh concepts to fail. They assume society isn’t ready for or capable of change. Even worse, they want to drag others down into their tomb. If you’re hopeful and ambitious, they’ll try to convince you that your ideas are impossible. They’ll say you’re wasting your time.
Don’t believe them. That world may be real for them, but it doesn’t mean you have to live in it. We know because our company fails the real world test in all kinds of ways. In the real world, you can’t have over a dozen employees spread out across eight different cities over two continents. In the real world, you can’t attract millions of customers without any salespeople or advertising.
In the real world, you can’t reveal your formula for success to the rest of the world. But we’ve done all those things and prospered.
The real world isn’t a place, it’s an excuse. It’s a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you.
Well…although the book can be completely categorized as a business book, as I’m reading this article, it empowers and reminds me of the verse from the Bible: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).
We live in this world. The more we know Christ, the deeper we realize that this world has strayed away from God. We tried to make difference in the world, trying to put Christ in the center of our life but we may have failed many times. The lesson I learned today is that if people have such passion to “ignore the real world” and stick to their original ideas. Their hearts don’t grow cold to make a difference. Why should our hearts grow cold to know Jesus?
May this be a blessing to you.
]]>It is true that I know that I have a sovereign God. I learned the hard way the importance of the Bible: sola scriptura. I am grateful for the grace of God, salvation by faith not by works. I read scriptures saying that God is in control of my life, hence I should not be worry. Even I name this blog based on Psalm 18:2: The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower. (KJV)
Yet still if we’re honest…one thing is certain: there will always be uncertainty.
Since there will always be uncertainty, there is no point to act as if there is no uncertainty. We cannot ignore uncertainty. It exists. As I mentioned in my previous post, I tend to embrace uncertainty by applying several techniques. But I guess I forgot to mention the underlying principle of embracing uncertainty is actually embracing God in uncertainty. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away (1 Peter 2:24, KJV)
If we’re honest…we cannot ignore the existence of God in uncertainty.
As I recall in the Bible, uncertainty existed in both Old and New Testaments.
- Abraham was called to unknown place. Yet later we know the great plan God has prepared for him. God promised three things: land, seed, and blessings. (Abrahamic Covenant)
- The story of Moses. He spent 40 years of uncertainty in the desert. God shaped his character. You can read the detail at this article I posted a while ago. God made covenant with Moses (Mosaic Covenant)
- The nation of Israel wandered in the desert for forty years. They did complain. We know that God did not allow the to enter Canaan.
- The story of Elijah, one of many great stories I admired in the Bible. He fought all the baal prophets on Mount Carmel. He was so brave at a time, yet he felt so miserable and uncertain of his life when Jezebel chased him down. He was so depressed so that he even asked God to take his life. We know that God protected Elijah. God fed Elijah through the crow. Isn’t amazing?
- The story of David. Uncertainty and doubts were in the mind of all people but David! He defeated Goliath.
- The story of Paul, Peter, John, and other disciples. Even they believe in Christ, uncertainty still existed in their life.
If we’re willing to learn from the past, God did not take away uncertainty from our life, even after we believed in Him. But one thing for sure, God has plan and purpose uniquely prepared to each of us. If we were certain of everything in life, we wouldn’t trust in God the way we should have.
Uncertainty in life should bring our focus back to God.
]]>Ahh, don’t let “me” be the center of this thought.
]]>
This is something I’m currently contemplating. Some times, the hardest part of building a software system is deciding precisely what to build. 2 out of 3 projects are failing. Whether that number is accurate or not, it is pretty concerning as I’m working in the IT industry. Perhaps that is one of many reasons my interest in business analysis (BA) world has grown recently. BA role is to gather what the users need. Typically a BA would write user stories using this kind of template:
As a [role], I want to [do something], so that [blablabla]. For example, as an artist, I want to create some paintings, so that I can sell it and meet my ends. This sounds simple, right? Now…it seems logical that we need to know what we want in order to estimate its construction and get it on schedule, right? I want to get a brush, a canvas, some paints, and start painting. Things sound simple until we’re actually doing it.
So here myself, as an artist starts painting. I know what I want, now there are two approaches I can take: paint it iteratively, or paint it incrementally. While these two terms are actually common words used in IT project, I will try to explain them in simple way.
If I were to paint incrementally…it will look like this:
Incrementing calls for a fully formed idea. And, doing it on time requires dead accurate estimation.
While if I were to paint iteratively…it will look like this:
A more iterative allows you to move from vague idea to realization making course corrections as you go.
See the difference? Incremeting is basically build a bit at a time. While iterating builds a rough version, validates it, then slowly builds up quality. Now do you see why many IT projects fail? Well, one of the reason is because they’re doing the project incrementally, instead of iteratively. Some of you may raise your eyebrow and say “how come?”
Let’s imagine if a customer asked me to build a car within a year. I know all cars will have an engine, brakes, transmission, suspension, seats, steering wheel, etc. If I were to build it incrementally, I would build a Mercedes Benz. But I need to have a dead accurate knowledge of how a Mercedes Benz car is like. That’s pretty hard since I have little knowledge on Benz cars. I start building the engine, make it perfect. Then build the transmission, make it perfect. Then the body, and make it perfect. Then by month 12, I will have all perfect parts built except the brakes. The car has no brake! Oops…this project failed.
If I were to build it iteratively, my first goal would be to get a functional car which has engine, brakes, transmission, etc. I build a functional brake, not the best in the class but it is functional. Then I continue on other parts as well, they don’t have the best quality but they will meet your basic expectation for a car. At the end of month 12, I may not have a Benz, but I have a Mazda! Working and functioning fully as a car.
Often times, at least in IT projects. Customers come with several essential goals they would like to achieve. But usually, we want to build it perfect with one shot, resulting we cannot deliver all of the bare essentials.
***
So, what are my take aways from the story above? Well, I realize with my current knowledge, situation, and experience, it is very hard to decide precisely what my life would be in the future (We’re talking 5 years and beyond). I know in general what my goal is, but I don’t know precisely how to achieve that goal. Generally, I would love to let God use my life to glorify Him. It’s pretty generic, isn’t it? What do I mean by glorifying God? What do I need precisely to achieve that? No clue. Well, some of you may say, this goal is too abstract to talk about, it is not tangible.
Well, same thing when I say I want to have the ability to love my future wife. Do I know precisely how? Not really, but I’m trying it iteratively. Haha, this sounds geeky. Well the point is, I’m not really trying to have the top-of-the-line quality of a husband to be. I’m trying to have whatever I need to start with then iteratively go from there, making corrections as I go.
When I say I want to have the ability to be self-sufficient. Do I know precisely what I need to do? Not really, but I started back then when I chose my major. I choose what I enjoy (somewhat) which is IT. Then slowly trying to get my foot into the door of IT world. There are some learning pains.
***
Now, as a Christian I don’t know what my future would be. There are so many uncertainties, many things I don’t know, many things I don’t understand. But I know that only God knows precisely what my future will be. Hence, I need to ask God and keep praying and ask for His guidance in life. But I also do know that God has given me the wisdom to actually do my best to seek His will and plan in my life. To summarize, here are three things I learn so far to embrace uncertainty:
- See the big picture of life, then prioritize your goals: you hear it often. You gotta start somewhere in life. At least you can define some goals in life, right? You don’t necesarily know how to achieve that goal for now. But at least you know that those goals are important. As you prioritize them, re-think…the essentials of the goals themselves. Are they really important in life (or after life)?
- Don’t choose your solution too early and get yourself familiar to the word “change”. When facing uncertainty, it is critical to make decision. I understand that part. But it is also important not to get “stuck” with one decision. Should you face any difficulties along the way, it is a good thing to have alternatives. Imagine this: I would like to dig a hole to put my flower in. To dig a hole, I can use small spade, spoon, or even an excavator. If I decided to use a spoon, and along the way I’m facing a giant rock, I would have regreted and wished that I keep the excavator with me.
- Build up quality iteration by iteration….don’t give up. Keep learning.
- Know that above all these things we can do, I believe that God is sovereign in my life. Every learning process/pains I go through, God knows and understands. This article is not intended to build up your confident so that you can face uncertainty with your own power.
As I’m writing iteratively, I may have wrong opinion in this article, but I will be happy to re-iterate and correct it 
If only I had the right to ask, I would really ask You for that one day. The day I’ve been looking forward to. The day when happiness and joy will be experienced in a whole new level beyond my thought. The day we shall meet, Lord…
This day was one of the exhausting day where I didn’t have the strength to give my life to You. It was one of those days where I clung to my own dreams and plans that You want to take out of my life. Though I know Your plan is gazillion times better than mine.
Lord, please take from me my life when I don’t have the strength to give it away to You. Please take away the “if only” attitude as well…
Amen.
]]>Bono: Yes, I think that’s normal. It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.
Assayas: I haven’t heard you talk about that.
Bono: I really believe we’ve moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.
Assayas: Well, that doesn’t make it clearer for me.
Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas
Well, despite the clouds, it’s still a beautiful day in Vancouver 
]]>
I once heard that our life is shaped by our beliefs, how we see things in life. For instances, you can believe that the moon is made of cheese. Everyday you put more efforts to prove or realize that the moon is actually made of cheese. Perhaps someday when you can go to the moon, you will establish a kraft dinner factory there. You have the right to hold your belief and I will defend your right to believe it. If you believe that one thing is more important than anything else, then you priorities shift. You will focus on doing action towards what you believe. Days and night your mind will be filled with thoughts of that one thing. You will also have different thinking, attitude and behavior towards what you believe.Sometimes, I think that life consists of many phases. One phase is when we were born, we gained education and care from our parents. Second phase is when we learn to stand on our own fit (i.e. early career life). Third phase is when (if God permits), we establish family. Forth, fifth, and so on…is when we grow our family, experience life lost, and finally that day when we met God face to face.
During these phases of life, our beliefs are shaped, so is our life. For example, if you believe that there is no God since you were young. You will never pray to God because you believe that God doesn’t exists. You will also act like there is no God for the future days of your life. Perhaps you will not care about sin, then you will do whatever you want without much thinking of the consequences.
Or…if we would like to take it a little bit into daily life. If your mind is set on your belongings, your action will reflect that as well. I just got myself a car. I spent months considering to buy a car. How’s that possible? Well, what made it so long is that I want to assure myself that I’m getting a car, not “a car is getting myself”. I need to set my mind: I’m buying the car I need, not the car I want. I need a car that I can treat as a car. I notice that some people treat their car better than they treat other people, or even close friends or family. I don’t want it to happen to myself. So thankfully, I’ve found a car I can drive with peaceful mind. See…my belief on cars can empower all the thinking and actions for few months.
Another examples is church life. You know…unlike Catholic church, there are so many denominations among Christian churches. Some church believe that as Christian, God really wants to bless us with material blessings abundantly. So that belief will reflect on their prayers. “Lord, please multiply this offering by hundred times and so and so”. A friend of mine is getting sick and tired of debates across churches. He posted his status on facebook once: “Jesus is the ONLY way to God but we are not the only way to Jesus!. A simple message to those who claimed their teaching is the righteous one”. The sentence triggered my mind to think: what is righteous? whose standard of righteousness?. What I think righteous can be different with what you think. Oh well…good news: we have the Bible that tells God’s truth!
What we need to realize, our life is shaped by our beliefs, our view of reality. Our beliefs determine the way we look at the world. Our beliefs determine the way we feel about ourselves and other people, and the way we act. However, that doesn’t mean what you believe is the truth. Which truth? God’s truth. Why is that? Well, God is the One who created us, He has planned the purpose of our life, He knows uniquely what processes we need to go through in life. He knows what priorities we should have in life.
It is absolutely critical that we not only seek to know the truth but we also examine our beliefs and bring them aligned to the truth.
]]>Assistant Professor at the School of Computing University in Utah
Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:
By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:
By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:
With a bachelor’s degree, you gain a specialty:
A master’s degree deepens that specialty:
Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:
Once you’re at the boundary, you focus:
You push at the boundary for a few years:
Until one day, the boundary gives way:
And, that dent you’ve made is called a Ph.D.:
Of course, the world looks different to you now:
So, don’t forget the bigger picture:
Keep pushing.
]]>The more we understand, the better the chances for us to make a right decision
]]>~Corrie ten Boom
a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II
Alone at Your “Jordan” ( Kings 2:14 ). The Jordan River represents the type of separation where you have no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.
Alone at Your “Jericho” ( 2 Kings 2:15 ). Jericho represents the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things. Yet when you come alone to your “Jericho,” you have a strong reluctance to take the initiative and trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you. But if you remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,” you will receive a sign, as Elisha did, that God is with you.
Alone at Your “Bethel” ( 2 Kings 2:23 ). At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (see 2 Kings 2:13-14 ). Make a determination to trust in God, and do not even look for Elijah anymore.
Source: My Utmost For High Highest – August 11
***
This is not the first time I have to say “till we meet again” to my “Elijah”. But certainly, it’s never been easy. God, You are my God and I am thankful for all the people You bring into my life. Things I learn in the past one year:
- Don’t ever think to be a hero in serving God
- Honor our parents whatever the situation and condition was/is/is going to be.
- We just happen to be slaves who were allowed to enjoy the goodness of God.
- There is much we can do – especially for others less than we are and who need our help.
- Continue to serve others – and God will be responsible for all of our lives.
Neraka dapat direngkuh, kartikapun tergapailah.
Kar’na kasihNya agunglah, Sang Putra menjelma,
Dia mencari yang sesat dan diampuniNya.
Reff:
O kasih Allah agunglah! Tiada bandingnya!
Kekal teguh dan mulia! Dijunjung umatNya
Pabila zaman berhenti dan tahta dunia pun lebur,
meskipun orang yang keji telah menjauh dan takabur,
namun kasihNya tetaplah, teguh dan mulia.
Anug’rah bagi manusia, dijunjung umatNya.
Andaikan laut tintanya dan langit jadi kertasnya,
andaikan ranting kalamnya dan insan pun pujangganya,
takkan genap mengungkapkan hal kasih mulia
dan langit pun takkan lengkap memuat kisahnya.
***
The Love of God
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Reff:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When hoary time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
]]>Be still and know that He is holy
Be still, O restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still
Be still, and know that He is God
Be still, and know that He is God
Be still, and know that He is God
Be still; Be speechless
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His breast
Listen to the rhythm of His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still, Be still..
Or help me clean my room all day
Why would you let me use your stereo
Or save me the middle of your Oreo
Why would you always try to be
there when I really really need you there to care
You’re always willing to share
Love makes a friend be a friend like you
Love takes a friendship and turns it into
Something to last your whole life through
Love makes a friend be a friend like you
What makes you wanna give your heart away
What makes open up and say
All of the feelings that you hold inside
All of the secrets that you try to hide
Why would you always try to be
There when I really really need you there to care
You’re always willing to share
Love makes a friend be a friend like you
Love takes a friendship and turns it into
Something to last for all life through
Love makes a friend be a friend like you
Love makes a friend be a friend like you
Love Makes a Friend Be a Friend Like You from GII Vancouver on Vimeo.
]]>Two days ago, it was the kick-off the event. Early in the morning, alerts were released that the store was down. Suddenly the first thought we had was we got attacked by irresponsible hackers around the world. The traffic to the site has inclined tremendously.
After analyzing the traffic logs for hours, we know what the cause. It’s not even from hackers or any other parties. It turned out that the huge traffic was related to Google. On that day, Google changed their logo to reflect the big event. Hence when people clicked the Google logo, it will search for “the big event”. And surprisingly, the first sponsored link that appeared on the page is a link to our store! For example, if we search “Bali” there are many sponsored links appears on the right pane, right?
And to make it worse, the link was configured to hit our search servers. So just imagine this, millions of people opened Google that day, they clicked the Google logo, and some “small” percentage of that millions click on the ads we have, and that has brought our servers down.
Haha, we took out the ads immediately. The lesson learned, often times we are well prepared to external threats, we forget to “configure” our internal settings. Good game!
]]>Not too much – just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.
I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust.
I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.
I want ecstasy, not repentance;
I want transcendence, not transformation.
I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races – especially if they smell.
I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.
I would like about three dollars worth of the gospel, please.
(D. A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians, pp. 12-13)
]]>Wimar Witoelar
After the disastrous machine gun attack on the Togolese national football team’s bus on the Angola border, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said the African Cup of Nations should continue despite the fact the attack killed several people. “I don’t believe you can just stop a competition because of an incident as I think that would reward the people who provoked the incident and could mean that any competition is stopped at any time,” added Wenger, who has Arsenal players Alex Song (Cameroon) and Emmanuel Eboue (Ivory Coast) playing for their national teams in the finals. Arsenal Wenger has got it right. It’s not only about winning. It’s about doing the right thing.
There is more than a touch of surrealism in the events unfolding today. We remember that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) won his second term with a majority of more than 60 percent. In addition, he has done nothing wrong. Even if he was at fault in the Bank Century allegations, it happened in 2008, the year before the political parties initiated the parliamentary proceedings supported by the media group that is owned by tax evaders.
Many parliamentarians who now allege fraud in the Bank Century bailout agreed with the bailout decision at the time it was taken. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani and Vice President Boediono should be the last people in any Indonesian government to be accused of dishonesty, with clean records for the lifespan of their careers. So why are these good people being vilified by politicians, student activists and people on the street?
You need search no further back than 2001 for a possible answer. The night before last New Year’s Eve, the nation lost a great man who held the presidency for less than two years until he was ousted in 2001. In those brief years, Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid succeeded in launching the greatest reforms in Indonesia’s civil society. Through his leadership and the support of many good people, Indonesia became an overnight leader in the promotion of pluralism, democracy and humanity. Gus Dur is by all measures a hero.
Although he lost the presidency, Gus Dur was elevated to become the keeper of the nation’s conscience. He was a victim of a cabal, a small group of secret plotters. Who were the plotters? Parliament leaders, the media, big money, misguided students and paid activists. There is a strong sense of déjà vu. The cast of characters in 2010 is a bit different from 2001 but the story is the same.
SBY is not Gus Dur, but they are both popular leaders facing vindictive politicians. Substitute Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie for Amien Rais in the leading role and you have the same scenario now as we had back then. Bulog-Bruneigate was the excuse for wanton attacks on the president in 2001 and Bank Century is the issue in 2010. Buloggate was never proven as a crime and neither will the Bank Century case. Amien Rais went for straight impeachment instead, explaining that it didn’t matter what he was guilty of, he had been removed. Aburizal may yet desert Century and aim at impeachment, all or nothing.
According to the press, student groups and activists plan to hold rallies to pressure President Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono to step down. They demand that SBY and Boediono resign because the students feel they can no longer expect anything from them. Many do not agree, but they do not have the funding to resist, nor do they own political parties and television stations. The economy needs the smart and impeccably clean finance minister, but she is drowned out by meaningless screams.
Where are the anti-Wahid activists of 2001 now? Everybody mourns the passing of Gus Dur whom the demonstrators derided, insulted and forced out of office. Students joined demonstrations led by Amien Rais in March of 2001. Where have they all gone? Will the activists of 2010 also disappear once their cynical job is done? Activists announced they would take to the streets in a force of 100,000 people last month on International Anti-Corruption Day. Fears disappeared when only 5,000 demonstrators showed up in Jakarta. A group of 50 threw stones at a KFC outlet in Makassar believing the neoliberal corporation was involved in Bank Century. Why such a disappointing turnout? It was raining, the leaders later explained.
The political battle could become serious if a TV expose gathers momentum, if a station presents a clinical overview of the tax fraud cases pending against the Bakrie Group. To make a long story short, it involves an amount that may well reach Rp 10 trillion (US$1.09 billion) in tax and royalty debts and fines for tax evasion. The Bakrie Group has declined to comment so we do not know their side of the story. But if the allegations are true then the money is much greater than the alleged Bank Century bailout cost, which is clearly retrievable. So where are the criminals? In the Century case, in the Bakrie case, in both, or in none of the above? As the chorus lament in Sophocles’ Antigone: “Who is the slayer, who the victim? Speak”.
The public wants to know. Not because we want to choose one above the other, not for the sake of picking the winner. The public has no partisan agenda because it’s not only about winning; it’s about doing the right thing.
The writer is a public relations consultant with InterMatrix Communications and the host of WIMAR Live, a public affairs talk show on MetroTV.
]]>In this time of fear when prayers so often proves in vain. Hope seems like the summer birds, too swiftly flown away. Yet now I’m standing here. My heart’s so full I can’t explain. Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I’d say.
]]>Hosanna in the highest and
All glory to the King of kings
No words can fully express the journey of Jesus
Killed on the cross, and was born in the cradle
Savior’s love for the world… ]]>
Isn’t it life we live? Sometimes a sad day comes right after a happy one. Sometimes we praise the Lord, and the next day we complain to God. Some people have this idea that crying and complaining to God is a sign of poor faith. That if you have strong faith you should not feel weak. Some pastors and teachers convey the idea that good Christians don’t cry, they are always happy and upbeat. So some churches and home environments become places where people engage in denial, bottling up pain that life brings up for them. Some pastors lead people to believe that we should always be positive and happy and upbeat, no tears here, we are strong people, we are people of faith. For me, that is simply unreal and it is not what I found from the Bible.
Well, I spent more than a year at a church where failures are seen as results of poor faith. I was one of the people who believe “speak it, believe it, receive it”. As a result, really, my relationship with God was empty & full of denial. People don’t embrace honest worship to God. Thank God summer last year God came to rescue me although the rescue plan came at a cost which includes broken-hearted relationship, being abandoned, and lost of friends. Today, the more I realize that those hardships really has brought my relationship with God to a whole different level. It is said that the dark cloud of troubles is often the shadow of God’s wings. Be still and know that He is God =)
These laments in Psalms tell us that God wants us to be honest in our worship. When we lost our loved ones, when a spouse leave a marriage, when we lost our health, it is ok to not always smile, it is ok to not always jump up and down and worship, it is ok to be still before God and grieve and cry to face our pain and disappointment and to pour out our heart to God in prayer.
Make no mistake, while God wants us to share our complaints, our doubts, and our pain with Him, He does not want us to stay there. Some people (including me many times) seem to get stuck there. God does not want us to get stuck there.
Living in this fallen world, we are not intended to handle a lot of stuffs on our own. So God wants us to take it to Him in prayer. In all of these laments, the Psalmists admit there are some unpleasant realities that we as child of God live: there are not always quick solutions to our problems. Jesus himself mentioned that we will face problems in this world. And often those problems will cause us to complain to God. And that is ok. But like King David here, at some points, we need to move past our lament. Notice first half of Psalm David is weeping complaining but that changes in the second half of the Psalm (But I trust in Your unfailing love! Psalms 13:5)
David focuses on what he knows to be true, not his feeling. He begins to do what he needs to do. Ecclesiastes says there are times for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15). And so it must be with us. We come to Him with trust believing Him in His goodness. There are a lot of people we cannot trust. But we can always trust God. When our lament flows out of deep trust with God, He will use our complaints to heal our spirit and to draw us closer to Him.
My life makes no sense in many occasions. It feels like that my life has been put in jeopardy. There are big doubts in most areas of my life (family, jobs, friends, relationship, etc). But it is also very true that in the midst of this, God still loves us. After going through some difficulties, it is beautiful to understand and sing a hymn “turn our eyes upon Jesus.” Also, God has graciously give so many heroes to stand beside me in life. Hope I can be one too for them somehow.
We trust, we pray, we obey, and then we just hold on, we may raise hard questions and complaints but we don’t walk away from God. We hold on to Him, we refuse to let go. Even when life makes no sense, we don’t let go. Even when pain persists, we hold on. Even there is no quick answer to our prayers, we hold on because we know that God holds us. He hold us in the name of Jesus Christ who himself went ahead to the cross to give us salvation. We hold on and we look ahead the day when Jesus Christ will come again, and we will experience full and complete resolution of all these difficulties in life.
Amazing love how can this be that You my God would die for me? And how about your life? Grace and Peace to you…Amen! =)
Vancouver, 3 weeks to Christmas 2009.
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Life can be very hard. “…no matter how hard we try to bring order and peace into our lives, there are moments when everything seems to be falling apart and times when we not only feel we are drowning but are sure someone or something is holding us under” (Paul J. Wadell, Becoming Friends, 112-113). Already we are seeing increasing incidences of depression, suicide and domestic violence as the global economy continues to tank. A closer look at the stats however, suggests that it is not the blows of life that finally get us. It’s having to face them alone.
My fear is that the pace and the structure of modern society leave many of us bereft of even one true friend much less two. Unfortunately the church community can be as lonely as the world. There is a prevalent triumphalism that teaches, or at least implies, that if you are walking right with God, you should have no problems, and that if you do have difficulties, you should be able to overcome them easily. Such an attitude leads to much superficiality in church-based relationships where people hardly know each other much less share their deepest struggles. We note that Jesus, truly God and truly man, and our model of what it means to be truly human, did not shy away from sharing His deepest struggles and His need for community.
[Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go over there to pray." He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (Matthew 26:36-38 NLT)]
We need our friends in good times, to share our joys, and we surely need our friends in tough times, to help give us the courage to carry on. Paul J. Wadell cites Aelred on this aspect of friendship.
[A second reason Aelred says we need good friendship is that life is often hard for us, more than any of us can handle alone ... None of us can navigate the perils of life alone, and we shouldn't try to do so. Sometimes we need to be rescued. Sometimes we need others to lean on, someone to take our hand and guide us along when our luck runs out, and this is what friends do for us. At moments of chaos and confusion, suffering and loss in our lives, they do not want us to be alone. They want to be with us and help us though our tribulations. (Becoming Friends, 112-113)]
I say a loud “amen” to Aelred and Wadell. As I look back on my life, I note the times of deep brokenness and despair. For each of those moments I can name the names of the friends who were there for me. Without them I would have been lost a long time ago. I cannot thank them enough. I can try to pass it forward. I can try to walk with my friends in their times of “chaos and confusion, suffering and loss…”
Do you have life-giving friends in your life? The thing is, you can’t treat friends like a fire extinguisher, “breaking the glass” to get to them only in times of crisis, when we need them. We value our friends for whom they are and not for what we can get out of them. Therefore in good times or bad we need to make time for our friends. We need to meet up with them regularly to share our lives. In good times we may fool ourselves into thinking that we can go it alone. One of the redeeming features of tough times is that it reminds us that none of us can go it alone. We need God. And we need our friends.
Book cited. Wadell, Paul J. Becoming Friends. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2002. The quotation above I read in a presentation file given by a Navigator last month.
***
My brother wrote the above to me when I faced hard times in life. I truly believe that every problem will bring us closer to Lord Jesus, especially the unspeakable problem, it will make us strong. And I am thankful to be able to name the names of friends who were there for me
It’s October 17 in Indonesia which means my nephew Joshua is turning one today! Time does fly. Last time I saw him, he was 8 months old inspiring me with everything he does. Now I heard that he has 7 teeth and is learning to express his interest/needs by mumbling. Can’t wait till next year, I hope I got the chance to see Joshua. I called home the other day and was speaking to Joshua. Though he cannot speak yet, he was just smiling knowing that it’s my voice. Oh, the beauty of being an uncle.
My brother is also in Bandung for the weekend. Lucky him…Bandung – KL is only two hours away. This weekend my family is going to celebrate mom’s and Joshua’s birthday. Wish I could join them but oh well…
]]>Having said that, every time we changed something in Salesforce, we need to regenerate the API code so that our front-end stuffs are up to date with the functionality. And it’s been a while since last update. My company is still running API 6, while the latest API is version 16.
So, these are the steps required to generate the code from WSDL. Perhaps someone out there are having difficulties as I did earlier.
For my environment, I use Apache Axis 1.4. Please note that Apache Axis 2 generates whole different set of codes. From your Apache Axis’ lib directory, execute the command: java org.apache.axis.wsdl.WSDL2Java –a xxxx.wsdl. And voila! Codes are generated. Keep in mind you still need to recompile the code.
Tips: It is a bit tricky when installing Axis. You might need to add some jar files to it. Sorry I couldn’t remember exactly what the jar files are.
]]>
Realizing that I am currently using 2653 MB (35%) of my 7380 MB, I sometimes wonder what would happen if Gmail crash. So there’s gotta be disaster recovery plan or some sort :p. There are several ways to back-up your Gmail. Easiest way is to use email client (Outlook, Thunderbird, Mail, etc). Second method is to use Gmail-backup program. And last method is to forward all your emails to secondary email address. I use the latter.
]]>And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow
God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone
Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows
Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming
Btw, somehow I think the Bosman is famous among movie/film directors. So far in a month I’ve seen the Supernatural was filmed there, and another movie was also filmed in the crack alley, complete with artificial snow. Hmmmm….
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When all the audience stood and gave applause to Rodrigo, he pointed his finger to the roof trying to say that it is God, not him who deserves the glory. Such a humble and nice musician. Overall the concert was well performed, superb! My fave song in the concert was the old hymn “It is well with my soul”.
]]>To receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us;
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All Your purposes for Your glory.
Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
Holy reverence, true humility;
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity.
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority.
Words of pow’r that can never fail—
Let their truth prevail over unbelief.
Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us—
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises,
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory.
Rest in peace, my smartest ever dog.
“Be thou comforted, little dog. Thou too in Resurrection shall have a little golden tail.” Martin Luther
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The object in the picture is the Calgary Tower viewed from 40th floor of Bankers Hall where I spent four months doing my internship. Back then, cell phone camera was still vga, hence the quality.
]]>If we know we only have one month to live, will our priorities shift? What matters most in this life? Jobs? Relationship? Family? Fame? Pride? Money? Or will you start thinking of God? Will you still focus on so-you-called God’s abundant blessings or you will focus on God himself?
]]>Quick facts of the Bible. It was written in three languages: Hebrew (most of the Old Testament), Aramaic (some sections in the Old Testament), and Greek (the New Testament). Bible was written over a 1500 year span. Written by over 40 authors. Written in different places (from the wilderness, dungeon, prison walls, travelling, up to the isle of Patmos). Written in times of war and peace. Written in different moods. Written on three continents. But…the most important thing we need to know and believe: the Bible was written under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
So, how do they translate the Bible from the original language? In general, translators are using three methods.
- Literal translation: the attempt to translate by keeping as close as possible to the exact words and phrasing in the original language. Examples: KJV, NASB, RSV, ESV.
- Free translation: the attempt to translate ideas from one language to another with less concern about using the exact words of the original. Examples: The Message, LB Cotton Tail
- Dynamic equivalent: the attempt to translate words, idioms, and grammatical constructions of the original languages into precise equivalent in the receptor language. Examples: NIV, GNB, NLT, Phillips
So which one should I read? Sometimes it really depends on where you are in your spiritual growth. Literal translation is good for serious bible study. It best represents the original word for word. While Free translation is food for stimulating fresh thinking on the next, usually for devotional purpose. But keep in mind, there are some poor translations of the Scripture texts in every translation.
My first bible version was in Indonesian. The first english bible I read is King James Version. Although many scholars believe it is the most precise translation, I find it hard to understand the Scriptures since english is not my first language, and secondly it is not the current english. Language evolves over time. Hence, through the work of Holy Spirit, bible is translated to today’s language. Now I’m using NKJV, ESV, ASV, and Indonesian.
Does translation matter? It does. Last year a preacher said his prophecy to me. Although his prophecy sounded biblical since he is using the Scriptures. Yet later I found after studying the verse carefully, his prophecy was not biblical at all since he was interpreting the Scriptures carelessly. It is sad to see if many pastors today do not go to bible school to study the bible. If they themselves lack on good understanding of the Bible, whose teaching they would teach to the congregation? On the other hands, it is also disappointing to see some people who think they understand the bible in and out often use the Scriptures as “playground”. Be careful (John 5:39). If you are a scholar and are yearning to learn the Bible, I’d recommend having Hebrew/Greek dictionary. It is helpful to understand the Scriptures.
Example from 1 Corinthians 6:9. NIV – Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.
The Message version: Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom.
We see that avoidance of speaking directly about homosexuality as being sin (in The Message bible), weakens the text.
Hence, I hope you have the passion to study the Scriptures carefully by reading the most appropriate bible translation for yourself. On the top of everything, the Scriptures are God-breathed, when we read the Bible our focus should be on God, and God only. It takes more than knowledge to understand the Scriptures. But by the grace of God, and the help from Holy Spirit, we can learn to know God from the Scriptures.
Sola scriptura!
]]>
]]>There are currently 17 million iPhones worldwide; 10 million in the US; 400,000 in Canada, and the rest internationally. That’s a pretty small number considering 1.6 billion handsets are sold each year, so the growth potential is huge.
On average, people get a new handset every 14 months.
]]>
An effort to promote Chicago to be the healthiest, smartest and greenest city by initiating and implementing comprehensive, yet practical, environmental policies. From Bandung to Chicago, now serving as Greening Director at City and County of San Francisco.
]]>
There’s a yearning again
A thirst for discipline
A hunger for things that are deeper
Do your best if there is an opportunity to grow your faith and be equipped to serve the Lord!
]]>God cannot solve
There is no mountain too tall
He cannot move
There is not storm too dark
God cannot calm
There is no sorrow too deep
He cannot soothe
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know, my brother that He will carry you
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know, my sister that He will carry you
He said come on to me all who are weary
And I will give you rest
Oh I miss the winery and the lake so much…
]]>Cover me within Your mighty hands
Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know his power in quietness and trust
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God
Cost: $8ish….not so bad at this price.
We sometimes hear a saying: it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. It sounds good, it sounds politically correct, and it sounds so broad-minded. You know…different strokes for different folks. You believe what you believe; I believe what I want to believe. We are both cool. The problem is it’s irrational to hold that belief. That’s because some beliefs are exactly opposites of each other. Therefore, they’re both cannot be true.
Let’s try this. Close your eyes. Take your right hand, point it to the ceiling. With your eyes closed, point in the direction that you believe is true north. You’ll be surprised when you open your eyes. We got people pointing in every direction. Is everyone right? They can’t be, because they contradict each other. The fact is there is only one true north.
Please understand, you can believe anything that you want. You can believe the moon is made of cheese. And I will defend your right to believe it. But that doesn’t mean what you believe is the truth. You can be sincere, but you can be sincerely wrong. It takes more than sincerity to make it in life. It takes truth, God’s truth.
What we need to realize, our life is shaped by our beliefs, our view of reality. Our beliefs determine the way we look at the world. Our beliefs determine the way we feel about ourselves and other people, and the way we act. For example, if you believe that other people cannot be trusted, then you will tend to treat them with suspicion. Or if you believe there is no God, or if you believe that God is unconcerned about you, then you will not go to Him in prayer.
Here is the disturbing part, your belief determine how you act even if when your beliefs are wrong. So if we want to live our full life that is relatively free of worry, and stress and angers, and the assortment of fears that we tend to carry around, and If we want to avoid disappointments in life that often happen because of wrong thinking, wrong attitude, and wrong behavior on our part, then it is absolutely critical that we not only seek to know the truth but we also examine our beliefs and bring them aligned to the truth.
]]>those stares weaken, sadden me
injustice unjust thoughts that come along with envy
should i stand still?
God, i dont want to fight against them
will You favor me?
just show me, show them who You are, God
You are here, forgive me
this next step i’m thinking
will it be the way?
(haa.. going further from him)
good will come to us
amen
“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Written by Maodor, a college friend of mine who is now working in Papua, Indonesia.
]]>Balon itu berwarna merah.
Balon itu berwarna merah bukan karena anda mengatakan bahwa itu merah.
Balon itu berwarna merah bukan karena pengalaman pribadi anda.
Balon itu berwarna merah bukan karena anda mempunyai gelar professor ttg warna.
Balon itu berwarna merah, karena itulah yang sebenarnya.
While it is tempting for a church to make all of their programs simply for the purpose of strengthening friendship within the church, without an attempt to build religious understanding and a good relationship with God, such programs will be meaningless. Such fellowship programs become merely a time to hang out and hear the latest gossip. Our Bible clearly emphasizes what it takes to have a good fellowship.
~ Saumiman Saud
Quoted from the original article.
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I tried the Japadog at Burrard & Pender St, in front of Scotia Bank.
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FRIENDSHIP…hang together even in the hard situation
]]>LOL.
]]>
Call to Me and I will answer you,
and I will tell you great
and mighty things,
which you do not know.
~Jer 33:3
Life is not getting easier but my joy in knowing You blossoms every day.
Simply treasured!
It seems Coca Cola is a little bit late in keeping up with Pepsi…
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Open source. Light weight. Speedy.
Yup, that’s what Google is promoting its own Google Chrome OS. It was launched few days ago targeted for Netbook users. Most Netbooks are using Windows XP which is 9 years old. XP was built for Pentium 3 and 4. Some people are very excited with this upcoming Google Chrome. I can’t wait to load it into my laptop if it’s good enough to support my apps. yay.
For detail info, click here.
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Chris Tomlin is coming to Calgary this fall.
# Date: August 31, October 8 and October 9.
# Time: 07:30 PM (doors open 06:30 PM)
# Venue: Centre Street Church, Calgary.
For more info, click here.
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I just downloaded Firefox 3.5 today. They said it’s faster, snappier, more secure, etc. Personally I haven’t seen the big difference in term of the speed. But I like the new feature of right-click saving videos. Other features are private browsing which is similar to incognito mode in Google Chrome which I never use anyway since I never keep browsing history, cookies, etc.
Anyway, at least I know Firefox is still being developed and improved. For detail of new features, click here.
]]>An action reaps a habit
A habit reaps our character
Our character reaps our destiny
***
Is it true? It starts with our thought. I sometimes take this even further to something beyond our thought and ability to think. I don’t belive that we are what we think, that’s not our identity and our thoughts are sometimes incorrect, yet imperfect. The one who best describes a telephone is the inventor, I believe….hmmmm.
]]>Early this morning I received email from the choir & orchestra. It’s a message from Pastor Dan, my worship pastor who oversee the choir and orchestra I’m part of. I’ve got the chance to know Dan in such short time, only few months. He and his family moved to South Africa few months ago to be a missionary. He has sold his house, car, and pretty much all of his belongings. So the question is why would a busy pastor in a growing church want to move to South Africa?
He implied that to answer that question he won’t go into a full theology of worship, but the other side of love is that it’s and action. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching,” Jesus said (John 14:23). And we know God’s heart for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the oppressed. In fact, true believers are those who feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, invite the stranger in, clothe the naked, and look after those who are sick or in prison (Matt. 25:41-46). He also implied that singing great songs to God on Sunday doesn’t cut it. His life needs to be an expression of gratitude for what God has done.
Here is his personal story:
Almost two years ago, I started reading a book. The title doesn’t matter (although, if you’re interested, it was “Everything Must Change” by Brian McLaren – www.brianmclaren.net). The book didn’t tell me to go to Africa. But I “heard” (it might as well have been audible) God speak to me, while reading. He said, “Dan, when you get a chance to go to Africa, go. There are some things I want to show you.” Shortly after, I learned that my church (Centre Street Church www.cschurch.ca) was putting a team together for a 2-week mission trip to the Durban area of South Africa. Before I knew it, my wife and I were signed up to go.
God showed me some things, all right. He showed me a people, the Zulus, who are beautiful beyond belief. They are relational, incredibly musical, and love to laugh. God loves them deeply. He is “especially fond” of them (www.theshackbook.com .) But they are enslaved to ancestor veneration, they are very, very poor, and many are dying of AIDS. I believe God has prepared the Church for such a time as this. I believe God expects us, as his body, to reach out and minister to these people. All people, obviously, but God has burdened Kerry and I with these people. I can’t show it in a formula, I can’t defend it from scripture, but we are compelled to love God by loving these people, and to declare the coming of the Kingdom among them.
The journey for us began over 18 months ago. It’s heating up, and I hope you’ll join us for an adventure of a lifetime. It won’t be easy. The life we had will become a distant memory. But in losing our lives, we’ll find the ones God intended all along. Joining us is as simple as following our lives through this blog, and praying for us and those we’re ministering to as you read.
I’m always amazed and encouraged every time I see someone answering God’s call in their life. I hope I will be ready to do the same thing when the time is come for a mission.
]]>I think I will watch this movie this weekend or next weekend. I just happened to know that the storyboard artist is an Indonesian, Jony Chandra. He also wrote the storyboard for Horton Hears a Who movie.
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This is an illustration from Donald Capps in his book, The Decades of Life.
If the optimist says the glass is half full, the pessimist says the glass is half empty, and the rationalist says the glass is too large. The hopeful person says, “Let’s pray that there will be water, and let’s also do what we can do to assure that this will be the case.”
Hope, therefore, is not identical to optimism. Persons who are extremely optimistic don’t need hope any longer, since they believe that everything is going to turn out as they expect it will.
A friend of mine take it further, he use misuses the word “faithful”. For him, being faithful is that believing that everything is going to turn out as they expect it will. For him faithful = optimistic. He surely misunderstood the definition of faith.
Now are you hopeful or optimistic?
If you say you are a hopeful person, then read on and let’s take this even further. At this point I assume you “pray that there will be water”, which means you realize you have limited power in this world. You cannot rely on yourselves. You believe that God can give you water. You also has done your best to assure that there will be water.
My question is, what will you do, after you prayed and did your best, the glass is still not full?
Some of you say, “Nah…God promised that He will pour out water so that the glass is full. So it must be full no matter what happens.” At this point I imagine, some hope is already lost. There are possibilities you will be neither hopeful, optimistic, nor faithful. You may become a pessimist. What is wrong? This is the sad part. Some people follow God because of His promises. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that God always keeps His promises. But when we think a promise is not fulfilled by God, we better check ourselves. Do we understand His promises correctly? Do we follow God solely because of His promises? not because of God “I am I” ?
The problem is not God, but our understanding. God’s love is unconditional, but some of His promises are conditional. Our fault is when we try to switch the two. Be careful in understanding God’s promises. Read the bible in its context. Don’t just read the verses you like and abandon the whole books. On the other hand, don’t just read it, but follow it with actions.
If you have prayed and done your best, be patient. There are three answers to your prayer, “yes, no, or slow.” Whatever the answer, you will still be hopeful. No matter how bitter the experience you may feel, you will still follow God, reading His words, admitting and correcting your mistakes in the past. This is what I call faithful. It is an inevitable phenomenon, no matter what happens, we are positioned so that we only have one choice: to worship God.
Now are you faithful?
I’m still struggling to be faithful.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
]]>No doubt, Internet has changed the way we live our life. I started using internet in 1998. Back then, I learned to created an email address. I remembered my very first email address on www.www.com, it was pretty unique although I actually have only sent one email in the entire life of that email address. Then, there was a time when I used the free sms services provided by Indosat IM3. Years after years, I’ve been using Google, Yahoo, etc.
The video above mentioned several websites like Facebook, Twitter, eVite, Pandora, eHarmony, and Blog. I’m using facebook, especially to keep in touch with old friends. I tried Twitter but didn’t really get the importance of publicly telling people what I’m doing from time to time. I was invited through eVite several times, it was pretty neat. Pandora was excellent, I used three years ago, I’m using imeem instead. I also use Youtube, and last but not least, blog.
One thing I need to learn myself, spend time responsibly on the Internet. Use it wisely and be ethical.
]]>and tomorrow only a vision;
But today well lived,
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope
Look well, therefore to this day!
Date taken: May 9, 2005
Camera: Kodak DX6490
Shutter Speed: 1/181 sec
Lens Aperture: F/3.2
I’ve been using it for few days. The only limitation I found is we have limited emoticons to be used for the messenger. Sometimes the facebook is a little bit buggy, it usually says I have new wall post but actually there is really nothing new on my wall. Overall, it’s really a good free software to monitor and manage all your IM, email, and social network accounts. I rate this application 7.5 out of 10.
]]>And it is not just the ability to bear the hard thing, but to turn it into glory. ~William Barclay ]]>
Sarah Brightman has a beautiful voice! It’s hard to believe that she started as a showdancer. She got divorced (which I think explains the emotion she had when singing this song). Then she started her solo career and last year she performed the Beijing Olympic song theme.
]]>- Add virtue (kebajikan)
- Add knowledge (pengetahuan)
- Add self-control (pengendalian diri)
- Add perseverance (ketekunan)
- Add godliness (kesalehan)
- Add brotherly kindness (kasih akan saudara)
- Add love (kasih akan semua orang)
- Result: Spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:3-10)
Masih banyak yang kurang euy…
]]>“God”, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised me…
“Look around”, He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”
“Yes”, I replied.
“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.” He said.
“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit.” He said.
“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant…But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.” He said to me.
“Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?”
“I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.”
“Don’t compare yourself to others.” He said. “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”
“Your time will come”, God said to me. “You will rise high”
“How high should I rise?” I asked.
“How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return.
“As high as it can?” I questioned
“Yes.” He said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”
I left the forest and bring back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. He will never give up on you. Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences; both are essential to life.
***
Thanks to whoever wrote this article in the first place.
]]>
Oh well, I’m planning to watch the movie this Saturday in Chinook. Hope it’s a good one. Other bumblebee fans around the world are so creative. Here is one fan in China who created the papercraft version from KFC boxes. And also from China, yellow car owners are dressing their car into “bumblebee-look”.
]]>Introducing the smallest and mightiest PSP® system yet. Download rich, immersive digital gaming or the best movies and TV shows saved directly to the ample 16GB hard drive. Browse the incredibly deep lineup of PSP gaming and movie content on the PlayStation® Network. Use built-in Bluetooth support to connect a wireless headset and utilize Skype to talk with friends. But best of all, show off your content via the ultra-crisp 3.8 inch LCD screen on the most portable PSP system yet.
I wonder how much the price will be….and UMD will be gone?
]]>1. Compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
2. The act of excusing a mistake or offence ]]>
It’s only couple block north of the chinatown bridge. First thought that came into mind was, the location is perfect! I can walk to downtown in 10 minutes. I wish they can keep the place cleaner. What turned me down was the smell, and space. The space is small, the bathroom tub was like the one you always saw in CSI where people usually got murdered. Ok, I think I overdramatized that part.lol. Last thing, the smell is the mix of old building smell and (excuse me) mouse pee smell, I think there are mouse (or may be rats) in the building.
After all, I walked one block south and enjoyed the view of downtown Calgary. Hmmm….nice!
June 24 2009
The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ -or- whatever mules do when they fall into wells.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.
Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical.
But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back He should shake it off and step up.
This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up,” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up.
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That’s life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.
The adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us.
Remember that forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise and hope all are excellent ways to shake it off and step up out of the wells in which we find ourselves.
May this be a blessing to you!
]]>80 live in substandard housing
70 cannot read
50 live on less than $2.00 a day
50 are malnourished
1 child under 10 dies every second
6 have half the world’s wealth
THESE 6 LIVE IN NORTH AMERICA
]]>