Have you ever?
13.4.06
Have you ever loved somebody so pure
even though sometime that person never realized it?
Have you ever loved somebody so strong
that you were willing to stand in for that person’s punishment?
Have you ever loved somebody so deep
that you would actually die for that person?
Have you ever?
Happy Easter, my dear friends
May the love of God bestowed upon you
from this day on
pouring salt into a lake
11.4.06
lying there,
feeling the unbelievably salty water of Dead Sea on my back
and gazing the blue sky of Israel,
I started to think about the parable of the salt.
it was said,
“you are the salt of the world”
and I completely agree.
however…
once upon a time,
a friend who knew my load of work and my salary ;-)
asked me why I wanted to be where I am now.
I answered because
here I can do and contribute things
which in other established - and so more comfortable - places,
will be considered as pouring a spoonful of salt into an ocean.
that was then and there.
here and now,
I began to think that what I'm doing is
like pouring a spoonful of salt into a lake
and it’s a big kinda lake, I suppose.
I've heard people said,
so what (getu loh ;-)), you can join hands with others
and pour your many spoonfuls of salt together.
nothing's wrong about that,
but again I feel that almost all the people I work with
have their own lake to pour in.
so what should I do?
I honestly don’t know,
except for continuing and improving what I’ve been doing,
getting into a larger and larger circle
so we can really do something meaningful together,
and, lastly, hoping and praying for leaders,
the kind of leaders who can really pull up and unite
all these incredibly talented people
(Indonesia’s best sons and daughters, so they say)
to march towards something
that all of us really believe in and passionately work in.
what else can I do?
could you tell me, please.
"Let me tell you why you are here.
You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.
If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage”
-- excerpt from Jesus’ sermon in Mt. Beatitudes (The Message)
impossible or I’m possible?*
4.4.06
*courtesy of Rev. Andy Panggabean, our pastor during the Holy Land trip
from the darkest place in the Garden of Gethsemane
to Kayafas’s dungeon
to the narrow streets of Via Dolorosa
to Golgota’s calvary
walking through those places
I couldn’t help not to think about those men and women
the followers, the disciples of Christ
on that Friday evening
all those darkness surrounding them
the emptiness they might’ve felt
the impossibility that might’ve been going through their minds
they have been told of what would happen
but I could imagine how hard it was
to keep on believing and hoping
when troubles are so deep
and seem to choke and burry us in
can we focus our minds and hearts to the words that have been promised?
can we keep our faith and marching on?
on Friday night they crucified the Lord at calvary
but He said,
“Don’t be afraid because in three days
I’m gonna live again, you're gonna see”
so when problems try to burry you
and make it hard for you to pray
let’s think like that Friday night
and Sunday's on the way
-- from "Sunday's on the way" by Take 6
dedicated to Sahat Hutajulu whose father was called Home yesterday morning
so close, yet too far
3.4.06
when Moses stood on the top of Mount Nebo
watching over the Canaan land
I wonder what was going on in his mind.
the land was so close in distance
but he knew that it is too far to reach.
forty years leadership over a nation,
a lifetime dedicated to reach the Promised Land
would not bring him to enter it.
what did he feel?
anger? disappointment? regret?
what would you feel?
when you give your best to reach something,
getting oh so close to it,
but then realize that it would never happen to you.
failed exams, lost matches,
rejected proposals and articles, unsuccesful projects,
neglected leaderships, shattered dreams,
unresolved conflicts, broken relationships, broken hearts
what would go through your mind when those things happened?
in a world where results are more valued than process;
a world where ones are more concerned
about who win the game, who the champion is,
who get elected, what rank you’re at,
etc, etc,
Moses would easily be considered as a failure
but that’s certainly not the case.he is considered as one of world’s most faithful people,
and was honored as one of the two appeared
on the sides of the Lord after His resurrection.
isn’t it lovely to have the assurance
that your efforts will always be considered as valuable
no matter what the results are?
Just do your best and God will do the rest
-- anonymous
