The Essence of Beliefs October 21, 2009
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I was just opening the news when I saw this article in The Age “Cyber Attack Smite Atheist Websites”. The article was about a hack attack on the atheist foundation website – probably in relation to the upcoming Atheist Convention in 2010.
That aside, however, what struck me was the photo that was shown in the article. It was a picture of Richard Dawkins (the famous author of “The God Delusion”) standing beside that advertising campaign which says, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. And it just struck me how even at a global advertising campaign, apparently atheist dare not claim for sure that “There is no God” – they dare only to say that “There is probably no God”.
The whole point of Atheism was the claim that there is no God, there is no Creator, that we all are here just by chance. So what’s the point of atheism if even the people who hold it don’t dare to stand and claim for sure the essence of their beliefs? “Probably” is a strong word, it signifies likelihood, but on the other hand, it also signifies that however strong that likelihood is, there is still a chance of it being false. Therefore, it signifies doubts. I just think that somehow it is ridiculous (sorry if this is a strong word) to base your belief on something that you, yourself, have even the slightest doubt about.
While I was writing this, it just occurred to my mind how we, as Christians, need to act in comparison to this. If we, as Christians, do not dare to claim for sure that there is one and only God; that there is one Savior – Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us; and that He is the ONLY way to salvation – then what is the point of us becoming Christians? Isn’t He the very foundation of Christianity? And if dare to say that we “believe”, it is not enough yet. We have to base our actions on what we believe in, live according to what we believe in, and defend what we believe in when necessary.
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak
- 2 Corinthians 4:13
Just a thought that I need to put down.
A Mighty Fortress is Our God July 21, 2009
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I did not realise that it’s been half-a-year since I last posted here. I really should write more.
I’m currently reading this book called 101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck – it briefly describes the stories behind the writings of 101 classical hymns. The first song that Osbeck put in his book is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, written by Martin Luther, who was the father of Reformation.
1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevaling. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. 2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle. 3. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him. 4. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill; God's truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever.
According to Osbeck, one of the important significance of the Reformation was the discovery of congregational singing. Luther expressed his beliefs in the importance of hymns in many statements including this, ” If any man despises music, as all fanatics do, for him I have no liking; for music is a gift and grace of god, not an invention of men.” and “I wish to compose sacred hymns so that the Word of God may dwell among the people also by means of songs.”
This song itself was based on Psalm 46, and has become a great source of strength especially during Reformation time, for those people who were suffering for their convictions in Christ. The song was based on Luther’s own hardships, having confronted the corruption of the church at the time. He constantly lived in struggles, being marked as an outlaw, and at the time – going against the church meant death. However, despite all the fears, despite all the hardships, Luther survived it all and continued to stand firm. He confided not in his own strength but in God’s.
Living in the world that is going against us more and more each day, Christians are faced with the burden of having to stand firm. There are and will be days when we feel weak, where we no longer have the strength to stand. But let us constantly be reminded that the source of our strength is not from ourselves, but from Him who has risen from the dead.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.- Psalm 46:1-3
First words on 2009… January 1, 2009
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First of all, happy new year everyone!
Before I moved on, I just wanted to jot down a few rantings on how noisy yesterday was around my house. I couldn’t sleep a wink until about 1:30AM because somewhere close to my house people appeared to be having fun with fireworks. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…again and again…*sigh…I know it’s new year and all but didn’t they realise that some people needed to sleep!
Anyway, aside from all my rantings…let’s think about this new year. 2009 would be a difficult year, many people are predicting, especially in regards of the world economy and stability. In my own country, there will be a presidential election and from past experiences pre and post-presidential election are not good times to be around. And this year it will be more than 10 years after the May 1998 riot and the past pattern seemed to show that in every 10 years time there were chaos victimising Chinese Indonesians. So 2009 doesn’t look very promising nationally and internationally, does it?
However, while the future seems so bleak, I would like to come back to my family’s quiet time yesterday. My father was reading from some parts of Genesis, looking at Abraham’s life. It is shown in those parts of Genesis that throughout Abraham’s life, God gave him a lot of promises. “I will make you into a great nation”, “I will bless you”, “I will make your name great”…(Gen 12:1)…and throughout Genesis we can find lots of “will”, “will” and “will”. Lots of promises and no evidence of it happening soon! Abraham was blessed with Isaac not 2, 3 years after the promise, but about 25 years afterwards! And moreover, for most of the promises, Abraham didn’t even live to see them (e.g. Gen 15:5; Gen 17:6,8).
But regardless of it all, Abraham put his trust in God! So God counted it as righteousness.
“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
–Gen 15: 6
Let us learn from Abraham’s faith in God, who knew nothing of what would befall him but followed God’s orders regardless.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we can trust The One who holds the future.
- Our Daily Bread
May all of us have a blessed and faithful New Year. God bless.
Reflection on 2008 January 1, 2009
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In about 3 more hours 2008 will pass…well, it is still another day in some parts of the world but in where I am now soon I will be facing a new year.
So, before I start rambling about what I will be doing in 2009 tomorrow I shall start by doing a bit of reflection on the year 2008. 2008…what a year. So many things happened in the year: the drama of U.S. Presidential Election, Heath Ledger’s death, the downfall of the world economy, the bizzare wheather in Melbourne where I was spending most of my time this year…and so many other things.
But for me personally this year has been a year of blessings. I, for the first time in my life, was placed in a church where I belong, where I do not just receive but can also contribute. Probably that is the first thing that I am so thankful about to Him this year. Not just a church, but new friends, new community, a new cell group, and spiritual growth – which although slow but is present.
Another thing would be about my living arrangement in Melbourne, I had to move out earlier this year but I managed to get a good place and up till now am still living there (I’m hoping that I can stay there for another year). What’s more is that, despite all troubles with my studies (mostly caused by my laziness, I shamely have to admit), I could still pass all my subject (aside from the one subject that I have to withdraw from because of the timetable thingy). And me getting a job at a good place, and me getting to spend more time with my parents this year because of my dad’s Sabbatical semester (which he used partly to visit us in Melbourne). And also, I’m very thankful for another year of health, more-than-enough living, and most of all the presence and health of my parents and brothers, and all my relatives.
So many things I was blessed with this year, and I can’t credit it to anyone else but Him.
Of course it hasn’t been an easy year. I have a year of downfall in my study (which I am now so ashamed of), a year of up and down in my spirituality growth, a heartbreak, etc. But through it all, I am mostly glad of the chance that He still has given me: another year of life, full of love, family and friends. When I reflected back to all the things that He has allowed to happen in my life this year, I can’t help but to be amazed by how wonderful His love and works are on me.
Now, now, let me get away from my computer for a while to think and start making a list of resolutions that I can keep for 2009.
Every Day I Love You November 8, 2008
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I was just dropping by a friend’s house today and when I was there his computer was playing songs from my high school times, music such as Boyzone’s and Westlife’s. I miss that time.
This song was my favourite song from Boyzone. I saw it on TV long time ago but never knew the title until 2-3 years ago. I really love the lyrics. I even thought before, that one day I want my husband-to-be (well..still a looooonnng time in the future) to play this song when he proposed or something. Haha…that was like my high school imagination.
‘Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don’t you know that I do)
And you’ll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul.
__________________________________________________________________________
Everyday I Love You
by Boyzone
I don’t know, but I believe
That some things are meant to be
And that you’ll make a better me
Everyday I love you
I never thought that dreams came true
But you showed me that they do
You know that I learn something new
Everyday I love you
‘Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don’t you know that I do)
And you’ll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul.
It’s a touch when I feel bad
It’s a smile when I get mad
All the little things I am
Everyday I love you
Everyday I love you more
Everyday I love you
‘Cos I believe that destiny
Is out of our control (don’t you know that I do)
And you’ll never live until you love
With all your heart and soul
If I asked would you say yes?
Together we’re the very best
I know that I am truly blessed
Everyday I love you
And I’ll give you my best
Everyday I love you
ducit Dominus October 24, 2008
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This past one week has been one week in which I learned a lot of things.
First of all, I was heartbroken.
Well, not really heartbroken as in rejected by the person I like. It’s just that I realised that this attraction that I’m feeling is not doing me any good. Also, because, in line with what I have been feeling but won’t admit, the person whose judgment I trust the most told me that he is just not the one for me (or at least, that i shouldn’t hope for him).
How does it feel to be told by someone you trust the most the thing that you least wanna hear? I must tell you, it doesn’t feel nice. It was a horrible feeling. But it was a wake up call. So I’m stepping back, or at least, I vowed to myself to step back.
I was feeling horrible inside for at least a day but as always, God was too kind to me. He reminded me on this resolution that I wrote during a seminar last July through ways that I never expected. Firstly, it was through my own dad’s sermon. It was a sermon on Jonah, and how like all of us always do, we shape our own “God” according to what we want. And one point that was talked about was regarding God’s will, and somehow the resolution that I made just flashed through my mind.
Resolved, to make God’s will mine.
Meaning: I want to follow whatever God’s will is wholeheartedly, not because it is forced on me, but because I am His servant only, and His will shall be mine as well.
The second part of His answer came during my KTB (bible study group) session this week, through the prayer of the preacher leading the session. We were talking about Psalm 127 in the opening of the session and then just suddenly when she prayed, she spoke some sentences which I will not be telling here but which just stroke me right on the heart. It is another answer that I got to calm my troubled heart.
And God’s reminder and answer did not stop there. I was going to the university the other day and while waiting for my parents in the city, I went to the bookshop, looking for this Beginner Latin book which I just couldn’t seem to find. I checked and checked the shelf again and after I gave up, I took this Latin phrase book and opened the book. And guess what sentence suddenly went highlighted on my sight?
ducit Dominus. The Lord leads.
I was stunned. For me now, this kind of problem seems to be a very silly problem in God’s sight. But still He cares that I cried. He cares that I’m troubled. He cares. And He reminded me of the most important thing: that He knows what is best for me and that He is in control of everything. I just have to follow His lead.
This week, I learned how to admit things that I don’t want to admit. I learned how it feels to be “heartbroken”. But above all, I learned more about His kindness; and I learned to be led by the best shepherd.
September 11 September 11, 2008
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= September 11 =
__________________________________________________________________________
Photographer: me
Location: my house, Indonesia
Editings:
Saturation
Levels adjusted
Framed & Signature
This photo and manipulation was originally done 2 years ago in 2006, but I adjusted the levels again just now.
I was having lunch just now and I turned on my TV to see Dr Phil, and afterwards there was Oprah – and it was her special show in Sept 11, 2007 – and I realized that today is 7 years after the event of 9/11 (not exactly 7 years with the time difference and all but well…) so I decided that I’d put this picture up just to again remember the day when the world mourned.
Being a younger girl at the time (I was in my junior high at the time) and living quite far away, the only thing I remembered from the time is that I was still living in the other house (I have now moved to another one), and it was around 8PM that day and I felt so sleepy or sick that day so I decided to go to bed early. Around 9PM I was still awake and I heard my dad calling my mom to his room and I heard his TV on. I didn’t know what that was about until the next day when I saw the paper with the front page full of horrible pictures of the two towers and a big title on it: “America’s Doomed”.
From there on, I knew. Not much but well there’s no way you’d forget that kind of day I reckon, and I can’t imagine being one affected directly from the event. Listening to the first 5 mins of Oprah today, with her presenting some children of the victims, I can’t imagine being them having to live with the loss exposed to them every year of their lives.
7 years from the tragedy, the world has been affected greatly by the event. I was reminded on the question that the title of Philip Yancey’s book proposes, “Where is God when it hurts?”. I have yet to read the book so I have no idea about the answer. I personally don’t think that it is to my right to question Him on why He allows sufferings so I don’t really think much about it. But I guess whenever we see something like this, sometimes we just can’t help but to wonder.
If It Ain’t You September 10, 2008
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I know that is not the title of the song, but that part of the song is currently stuck in my mind for some reasons that I won’t be putting up here.
I don’t really listen to Alicia Keys but my best friend is a big fan of her. And I personally love this song of hers up till now.
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If I Ain’t Got You
by Alicia Keys
Some people live for the fortune
Some people live just for the fame
Some people live for the power, yeah
Some people live just to play the game
Some people think that the physical things
Define what’s within
And I’ve been there before
But that life’s a bore
So full of the superficial
[Chorus:]
Some people want it all
But I don’t want nothing at all
If it ain’t you baby
If I ain’t got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain’t got you, Yeah
Some people search for a fountain
That promises forever young
Some people need three dozen roses
And that’s the only way to prove you love them
Hand me the world on a silver platter
And what good would it be
With no one to share
With no one who truly cares for me
[Chorus:]
Some people want it all
But I don’t want nothing at all
If it ain’t you baby
If I ain’t got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain’t got you, you, you
Some people want it all
But I don’t want nothing at all
If it ain’t you baby
If I ain’t got you baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain’t got you, yeah
[Outro:]
If I ain’t got you with me baby
So nothing in this whole wide world don’t mean a thing
If I ain’t got you with me baby
Jeremiah 42-43 September 2, 2008
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I have just finished reading the book of Jeremiah few days ago for my 
quite time reading. It is a very nice book, although quite long but there’s quite some things that I learned from the book.
One part that I still remembered quite clearly from the book is this part of the book Jeremiah 42-43. In the previous parts, Jerusalem fell into the hand of Babylon under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. Then someone called Gedaliah was appointed as the governor of the land. Under his government, he managed to start gathering the scattered remnants of Israel. But one day he was assassinated by a man called Ishmael son of Nethaniah who came from the royal blood; although during his process of capturing the men he was failed by another man called Johanan.
Anyway, Jeremiah 42 started in a chaotic situation with Johanan leading the left people of Israel with their leader Gedaliah dead. They were afraid of the rage of Nebuchadnezzar because his appointed man was murdered. So they planned to flee to Egypt. However, before doing so under the lead of Johanan the Israelites came to the prophet Jeremiah, asking him to pray and ask God so He would let them know what they should do. And they PROMISED they would follow WHATEVER it is God wanted them to do (note this point cause it is important).
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.”
- Jeremiah 42:5-6
Then Jeremiah went to pray and after 10 days God answered Him. God commanded the people to remain in Israel and not to go to Egypt as they intended to. If they stayed, then God would protect them but if they left, then God would surrender them to disasters.
And guess what? They decided that Jeremiah had told them a lie. And they went off with their original plan. And if we continue reading the book we will find out how God surrendered Egypt (and the people of Israel) to Babylon.
There are two sins that brought God’s anger towards them:
1. Disobedience/disbelieve
It was very clear that they had been warned over what would happen if they went with their plan. But they didn’t believe in God’s word through His prophet.
2. Lie
Although this might not be so obvious, but they did tell a lie. They said that whatever God’s will was they would follow even though it was in contrary of what they wanted. But in reality, when God’s will was not according to what they wanted, they disobeyed it.
I guess there are one main thing that I learned from this passage, especially cause it is one that I think applies to everyone of us, Christians. Most of the time we, Christians, are just like the Israelites. We pray for God’s will to be revealed to us and for it to be done over our own will. But deep inside our heart most of the time we already have a set of mind and often we only wish to hear God confirm what we want. How many times do we say, “God, let Your will be done. But again, if it is okay I want it this way.”? Well, I am not saying that it is wrong to express what we want in front of God but sometimes we repeat things over and over again, showing how in fact that is what we want to be done. And when God says no, we rebel.
One of the resolutions that I made around a month ago during the seminars that we had for Christian leaders, my first one, actually says this: ‘Resolved, to make God’s will mine.” pardon the language if it might sound a bit weird, but basically I wish that I can be shaped little by little so that I can really go with His will in everything I do. Not just accepting His will half heartedly, but when God’s will become our will as well, we accept this full heartedly with no doubt that He knows what He is doing and that His plan is flawless.
I was reminded by this passage that we ought to keep looking for God’s will and it is our duty to surrender and follow that now matter what it is, even though it is not what we want. As Christians, one thing we should learn is to have our mind little by little transformed to be more like the mindset of Christ – His will becoming ours too, for we know that He holds tomorrow.
When I Consider Your Heaven August 30, 2008
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= When I Consider Your Heaven =
__________________________________________________________________________
Photographer: me
Location: Bali
Editings:
Levels adjusted
Framed & Signature
I’m not referring to the sky as heaven LOL it’s just that when I saw pictures of the sky somehow I was reminder by this passage in Psalm.
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!- Psalm 8
We were singing the song “Friend of God” this evening at our church’s Youth celebration and there is a part in the song where it says, “Who am I that you are mindful of me?” and that also reminded me on this passage so I decided to put it up here. It is probably one of the better known psalms in the Bible.
