Do you remember?

When was the last time you play video games with your son or daughter?

I remember the time when my dad played with me a business simulation game, building airports and setting up prices for the flights, which seems to happen just yesterday.

I don't know if he would still remember it, but I remember it now.

It's a bit strange, I always think that my parents had never spent enough time with me while I was growing up.

There were only few short moments where I can meet and talk with my dad. In regular days, I would bump into him as I leave for school, and you can count by hands where I would see him at night time as he comes home from his second job working at the theater.

And I wonder why sometimes he sleeps until late afternoon on Sundays, where he catches up his sleep.

When it comes the time to actually spending some quality time with him, he probably wonders what to say or what to do with his youngest son.

Now my dad is battling with a brain tumor, and God knows why he has this tumor.

It's been a while since I've seen him. He came to visit me in NY about three to four years ago, and while he was staying here...I was busy with my work schedule.

I believe that it happens only by God's grace that I remember the time where my dad played with me, that I can write this.

There is one common theme in spending time with your loved one or spending time with God, which is to spend time aside of yourself.

If I have the privilege to say that: when Christ came to earth, he is spending time with us and forsaking His heavenly dwelling to be with us (Philippians 2:1-11).

Honor your parents..spend time with your love one..get to know them..their likes and dislikes..when time allows.

Children's Learning

An adult and a teenager were asked good idea and bad idea questions. How many people think that riding your bike down a staircase is a good idea? How many people say that doing laundry is a good idea? PBS NewsHour Science Unit did a report on the difference between teenage and adult reasoning. The participants would answer the questions, and the brain scanner would identify which parts of the brain were used. They found out that “while adult used the part of the brain that processes visual imagery to form answers”, “teenager use their frontal cortex, the cognitive part of their brains.”

We can infer from the aforementioned study, how when teenagers/adults make a decision, they would base their decisions on past memory or experience.

When asked, adults would automatically recalled a picture of someone they know or a news they have seen that depicts a person who is riding a bike down a staircase, and would easily come up with an answer. However, when teenagers were asked, they had to think hard and find the connection between their own experiences and the questions.

And based on the study, a girl explained her reasoning, “It was like five stairs so it wasn’t too much. But, it was kind of interesting. It was fun.”

In other words, their brains are not fully matured yet to make that kind of decision. (“Most scientists believed the brain was a finished product by age 12, but according to the brain imaging, it doesn’t fully mature till about 25.”)

Television which sometimes can be seen as evil by many and as the greatest innovation by others has a big role in this case depending on how much time were spent in front of the big tube. In other words, children can learn about a lot of things from what they have watched on TV, at the same time, if they were never put to practice, they would remain just on the fantasy land.

According to another report produced by PBS – Frontline, Ellen Galinsky, a social scientist and the president of the Families and Work Institute, concluded from her interviews with more than a thousand children, “teens were yearning for more time and more communication with their parents, even when they seemed to be pushing them away. Even though the public perception is about building bigger and better brains, what the research shows is that it’s the relationships, it’s the connections, it’s the people in children’s lives who make the biggest difference.”

In conclusion, we now understand how children can learn from many mediums, whether it’s television, radio, computer, however, they also need to get the interaction from their peers, parents, or teachers. And it would be the greatest learning when it is actually applied in their life, hence it would be a lasting memory for them.

Work Cited
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/july-dec04/brain_10-13.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/etc/synopsis.html

Our strength

Our strength comes from the Lord…

Our joy comes when we serve and love one another

Our faith grows when it faces trials and tribulations

Dear brother and sister…

We pray that your joy may be completed as we serve and love one another

And your faith to grow, as you endure persecutions and trials.

(ref. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

Responsibilities that comes with our job/ministry

Sometimes we ask God, Lord, why is my brother or my family not saved yet..or Lord why is it that I never get the job that I like...in other words we are basically asking God, O God… How come you work very slowly or why do I have to work to live?

Remember the story about the parable of the talents; the Lord gives each and every one of us talents that we are responsible of and would be accountable for.

Some would grow and use the talents that God has given them wisely, while others would hide them, because they are probably too afraid of what might happen to them or to the talents. What if nobody would appreciate it? Or what if people would just laugh at me?

It requires faith, determination, and focus to grow the talents.

When God is asking us, His children to do something, do we believe and trust that God knows what we are capable of doing and that He never wants us to fail, but to succeed.

Are we giving our 100% to make sure that we are doing what God wants us to do? Do we compromise our heart and worry that if we focus too much on the Lord that we might not able to gain the things of this world?

When we are doing our job/ministry, do we focus on the Lord?

Let me share with you a verse from the scripture, from 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

This letter was written by Paul to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them and tell them how Paul longs to come and visit them.

Earlier on the passage, Paul wrote, “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6)

Paul knows that his ministry is not for his own gain; Paul knows that his ministry is not of a counterfeit (“because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.” – 1 Thessalonians 1:5); Paul knows that His goal is to glorify Jesus Christ with His life.

When Paul realizes about his responsibilities that God gave him, He did it wholeheartedly and full of conviction.

Instead of looking at the future, and worrying about God’s timing, Paul focuses on what he has on his hands and asking God to multiply and to help him to use them wisely.

When we decide to marry someone, hasn’t Paul warned us that there are many responsibilities that come along with it? (1 Corinthians 7)

When we decide to follow Christ, don’t we know that we would be persecuted or hadn’t Jesus warn us that before we build anything, we have to calculate everything form cost, time? (Luke 14:25-34)

May God bless you in your job and ministry!

passion

What is your passion…

When we are struggling and striving so much to accomplish something…we wonder why we struggle as much as we do…

Numerous times we ask and see for ourselves that we are putting our hope and dreams at the wrong direction, but we kept going at it.

Learning from the Lord…it is well when we come to the Lord and ask Him to guide us in our understanding and our approach on things in this life.

What is your passion…

What is your destiny…

What is your obligation…

Many times we have failed - failed to see where we ought to

The Lord is waiting patiently to embrace and console His children

Bring your burden unto the Lord and leave it there…

Shine and arise all of you, God’s beautiful children.

He is coming soon to pick you up.

Decision, decision, decision

This morning God reminded me of His precious word about decision making.

Back in old testament, a priest appointed by God would use something called Urim and Thummim to help them decide on certain issues. These items (which likely to be in the form of a jewel) were put on the priest's garment which would be near the priest's heart.

"Also put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD." (Exodus 28:30)

Then, God would use his elect which are also known as prophets to deliver His message for a period of time.

Here is an excerpt when Saul was inquiring to God, but didn't get an answer back:

"He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets." (1 Samuel 28:6)

Lastly, before Jesus resurrected, He promised the disciples (us) of His Holy Spirit who will guide us in our daily walk.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

Sometimes when we are making decision, we are afraid of making the wrong choice. There are a lot of what ifs and buts.

As He has commanded us, we have to test everything that comes into our mind, whether it is from the Lord or what He wants us to do.

When we commit our decision to the Lord, we are committing it to the end.

Hence, when the end time comes, the Lord will look at us and able to say, "my faithful servant, come and join Your Master's happiness"

God bless

Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5

1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

6This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

9We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

16If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. 17All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

To save and not to judge

Jesus healed a man born blind.

The Pharisees, legalistic-religious rulers at that time, didn’t believe in His miracles. They questioned the man to describe how he was healed, and invited his parents to testify whether he is their son who was born blind.

The man testified before the Pharisees how he was healed by a man, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.”

The Pharisees was still hardened in their heart and didn’t believe in his testimony. They threw the man out of the premise.

Just outside, Jesus met the man again, and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

The blind man who didn’t recognize him said, “Who is he sir? Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus replied, “You have now seen him; in fact he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him.

Not long after, Jesus raised a dead man, named Lazarus.

The news got out that Martha’s brother was dead. Jesus came to their dwelling place. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him halfway and said, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whosoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord, “she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

At the entrance of the tomb, Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” Then He said, “Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out, with his hands and feet still wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

I want us to think about what Jesus said in the following chapter of John:

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But, if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

“When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words, but does not keep them, I do not judge for him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”

“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Bibliography
- excerpt from John 9, 11, & 12 (NIV)

Where do you live?

Where do you live?

It was seven years ago, when I left the town where I grew up, Pamulang, Indonesia.

Many challenges and obstacles I have had to face. Thank God, I didn’t have to face the fights by myself. My older brother was with me. We flew together from Indonesia, transited at Singapore, then many hours later we landed into a city, called the Big Apple, New York.

We had the privilege to stay at my mother’s older sister house. We both share a room, which once belong to my aunt’s eldest son, who then had to find his own apartment.

I continued where I left off my education. I took and passed some of the high school requirement tests and finally graduated and entered into an undergraduate business school.

My brother and I, finally were ready to be living independently, looked and found our own place to live. It was a basement in Brooklyn.

We moved a couple times in Brooklyn, before we decided to move to Queens, to an area that is closer to my brother’s girlfriend.

Now, it is seven years later. I thought to myself, time really has passed rather quickly. It seems like yesterday, where I and my brother were living together with our parents, and now we are both adults ready to start our own families.

Will we ever forget the past? Will we ever forget how much love, encouragement, money, time spent by the people around us for our upbringings?

We might forget a little, just because of the nature of our physical mind, but one thing that we know for sure. God never does.

Soon, my brother is getting married to his fiancée. And I am just about ready to meet with my girlfriend in Singapore.

Some people like to describe life as a wheel that goes around, but I like what my pastor say how life is more like a railroad. Our life has a destination ahead, and it will always moves in forward direction.

We are growing every second, whether they are our physical bodies or they are our spiritual lives.

God is holding our hands daily, directing us into the way He wants us to go, whether it is Singapore, whether it is in Pamulang, Brooklyn, Queens.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

Joy

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:22-24, 33

When I read this passage of scripture in the morning on my commute to work, I was amazed.

Yes, I was amazed by the wonderful works of God on how God has been faithful to me and how He longs to share His heart and blessings.

I might not realize it the day I was born. But, thank God for His revelation, that I may know Him personally – my Savior, my Comforter, my Everything – today.

If you read carefully the scripture above, it is said that God wants us to have a complete joy, which can only be found in Him.

At times, I think to myself, “God, You are great; I just can’t begin to describe how much You have done for me. You have blessed me financially, spiritually, and life as a whole.”

And this is true: that only through Him that our joy would be completed.

But, also pay a close attention to verse 33 on John, Chapter 16.

At times, we often face oppositions and hardships, but look at the end result and the why. It is to draw ourselves to God, the only true peace giver.

I pray that your joy may be completed in Him, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Fishing

Believe and trust the Lord with all your heart.

Have you ever caught yourselves thinking that everyone in this world is going against you, maybe your parents, your friends, or coworkers or even worst putting the blame on God? You might say, well since God created us, wouldn’t He be the one responsible for the planning for our lives.

Well, I want to be honest and say that I have been guilty of both cases. However, I want to show you today what God says in His Word about this matter.

But, before that, let me start you of with a story:
I am currently in the process of planning my marriage with a person whom I love dearly. We have been together for exactly a year on February 6, 2007. A lot of things have happened in our relationships.

We’ve dealt with issues ranging from honesty, patience, trust, sacrifice, selfishness to personal tastes.

I’ve gone to fishing once, and I felt the way we are handling our relationships is very similar to the way we fish.

Let me explain the best that I can from an amateur fisherman point of view.

Fishing takes patience and perfect timing.

Of course, it would take many other things such as preparation, looking at weather forecast, renting a boat, etc. But, today I would like to focus on patience, and timing.

You throw bait to the water and wait for a fish to eat it. Someday you might catch a fish just half an hour after you threw the bait, other days, you might go home empty handed.

I wonder why Jesus had picked some of His disciples who have a fishing background. Patience is one of the main key to a Christian lives, whether when we minister to others or when we wait for the answers to our prayer.

Maybe, you are not like the traditional fisherman that you prefer to use fishing rod than using a net, but this principle works both ways.

I can use the most expensive fishing rod, thickest line, shiniest hook when I fish, however, if I don’t know how to fish properly, even a small fish won’t even bother looking at my bait.

Knowing when to reel and drag is important to prevent your line from snapping.

And knowing the proper handling of your fish, when you caught one is also significant in the whole process.
Let us go back to our main problem: These are what our prayers may sound when we are in doubt:
“Lord, what is going on with the winds?”
“Lord, what happened to all the fishes, You know how hungry my families are?”
“I think the fisherman who is sitting next to me is stealing all my fishes.”

I want to take a moment to read the following passages of scripture from Isaiah, chapter 62:

“1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
5 As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.
6 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest,
7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
8 The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: "Never again will I give your grain as food for your enemies, and never again will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather the grapes will drink it in the courts of my sanctuary."
10 Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.
11 The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.' "
12 They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.”

I want to briefly summarize the above passages to some few lesson points that I believe the Lord wants to teach us today:

- God promises to impregnate our lands with His blessings as a show of how much He cares and loves us.

- We as God’s children should be patient and endure the journey proclaiming God’s Holy Name until His second return.

- God rewards those who dilligently seek Him.

I hope this letter has been a blessing to you. Have fun fishing!