terkampring

Hari ini baca di detik.com katanya Sinetron "Tersanjung" masuk MURI krn udah lewat 356 episode. Ckckckckck.... MURI... MURI.. situ kurang kerjaan apa? Tayangan gak mutu gitu...yg maennya aja udah bosen, apalagi yg nonton. Heran, itu cerita gak ada menarik2nya tapi kok bisa ya bertahan 7 thn. Kampring deh.

ouch!

Ada yang pernah ketemu sama orang yg iritating sekaligus inescapable? Nah, ceritanya gua lagi dihadapkan dgn 1 orang yg demikian. Say, he's my friend, Mr X. Hmm... ceritanya rada kompleks. Intinya si X ini junior di gereja yg 'dititipin' sama si Pastor spy gua bisa train, kasi sedikit nasehat, under the music dept which I'm responsible for. Belakangan, si X ini makin gak nurut, hmm mgkn bukan gak nurut, dia lbh prefer bawa karep sendiri. Dlm hal2 teknis kadang dia suka paksain keinginan sendiri berdasarkan apa yg dia tau sementara, gua dah tau cara dia itu salah/gak match, dan....BENER aja. Tapi dia tetep gak denger. Malah kadang kalo gua anter dia balik, dia yg suka ngritik n komentar ttg 1. gua, 2. pastor - dgn pake pesan sponsor dulu, "Uhm, sorry though, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but...... blablabla." Misalnya, si Pastor khotbah kaga pake persiapan dulu lah, si ini beginilah, si itu begitulah... termasuk gua jg dikritik dia. Hmm sptnya terdengar simple kasusnya, tapi kalo dah ngalamin sendiri, kadang suka bingung, sebetulnya Tuhan maunya apa sih sama ni orang, or sama gua.... oiya, sampe cara nyetir mobil pun gua dikritik, padahal dia baru pegang DL setahun, gua dah nyetir 5-6thn di lalu lintas negara Indonesia kita tercinta yg kacaunya ujubile.
Read Filipi 4:12 - disitu dibilang, kalo di Alkitab bhs Indo: "Aku tahu apa itu kekurangan, aku tahu apa itu kelimpahan." (abased & abound) Well, ternyata dlm bhs asli arti literalnya sama sekali beda. Sebetulnya ayat itu bilang ttg pengalaman Paulus, baik "di atas" maupun "di bawah." Dua kata yg penting: "tapeino" & "periseuo". "to be being humbled" and "to be exceeding."
Humble itu salah satu kata yg paling susah dilakuin, mgkn krn semua orang pinginnya "exceeding" everybody else. Hmm Paulus adl WN Roma, sekaligus tahanan/buronan yg diborgol, dilempari batu, dll. Kepala penjara di Filipi bilang dia bertahun2 berusaha utk "beli" kewarganegaraan Roma. So, Paulus ngerti bener, gmn jadi org yg "diatas" org lain, tapi dia jg "humble", sampe bilang dari semua rasul dia yg paling "hina."
Setelah dipikir2, case yg gua hadapi ini ga ada apa2nya sih. Jauuuh banget. Hmm, yg namanya dibentuk emang sakit. Anyway thank you Lord for Your shaping in my life. Teach me to be more humble so that others may see You in me. Above all, through these things I'm pretty sure You're up to something that will glorify Your name.

The Joy of Resurrection

RECHARGED! I'm recharged today! Akhirnya, setelah bbrp minggu ditunggu2, hari ini Seminary Ignite pertama di thn 2006 (our special chapel service). Biasanya kita tiap Rabu (wajib) kebaktian/convocation di Vines Center yg isinya 10.000 orang, mhs seminary "nebeng" ke anak2 undergrad dan faculty/staff. (Tuh liat gambar di atas). Memang sih, convo kita pasti selalu di-packaged dgn rapi. Ada full-music, beberapa special songs, yg solo, quartet, artis tamu dll. Cuma saking banyaknya, org2 jadi seolah ga ada reverence n gak worship, mgkn jg krn mrk "bosen" gara2 ilustrasi Dr Falwell yg "itu2" aja. Khotbahnya bagus, tapi ilustrasinya selalu balik lagi ke jaman baheula.
OK, enough with convocation. Skrg Seminary Ignite. Ini chapel utk mhs seminary yg jumlahnya ga lbh dari 400 orang. Tapi chapel kita yg hadir mungkin 200 org, no more than that. Hari ini yg bicara Dr. Gary Habermas, dosen Apologetics. Tadi ada kesaksian, ternyata itu temen gua yg selalu duduk di sebelah gua tiap kelas Selasa&Kamis jam 11-12 siang. Kami duduk bareng di dpn krn sama2 selalu bw laptop dan colok "electric plug". Ron Slepecki namanya. Ron orgnya pendiam, tapi keliatan pintar, oh btw he's about 40s, so udah bapak2 dia. Gua ga nyangka ternyata kisah kehidupannya luar biasa jg. So, he used to be an associate pastor di grj yg paling gede di Alaska, megachurch, kira2 5000 org. Thn lalu dia putuskan utk pindah ke Lynchburg utk studi di LTS. Wkt dia pindah, dia jual rmh dan barang2 lalu berangkat kesini. Dlm perjalanan, di Ohio, mrk sekeluarga kena musibah kecelakaan. Anaknya yg kesatu, Nathan, meninggal dgn tragis. Ron dan Hyeung (istrinya yg org Korea), patah tulang (fractured) disana sini, belasan jahitan, dan Hyeung lost her memory. Singkat cerita, yg selamat gpp cuma anak bungsunya. Mrk hrs dirawat 2 bln, dan dlm keadaan lumpuh mrk hrs menyaksikan funeral anak mrk sendiri.

Kita selalu dihadapkan pada pertanyaan yg satu ini, kenapa pd saat kita baru mulai mau berkomitmen dan ambil langkah utk serving the LORD, fully, tiba2 kita dpt musibah besar, sampe kehilangan yg paling kita kasihi? Kenapa? Why me, LORD? Why is it now? Why is it like this? Why???? Why?? Why??? Kita selalu pake ayat kojo Roma 8:28 sbg ayat penghiburan, tapi masih tetap simpan kekesalan dan mungkin bisa sampai kecewa kpd Tuhan, scr ga sadar. Ron tadi bacain Mazmur 121:2, "Pertolonganku ialah dari TUHAN yang menjadikan langit dan bumi." Ini ayat yg dipasang di ceiling/langit2 kamar RS waktu dia dirawat, kepalanya gak bisa gerak, badannya apalagi. Jadi dia cuma bisa tatap itu ceiling tiap hari. Dan suster disana yg anak Tuhan dgn baik hati pasang ayat2 Alkitab di seluruh ceiling kamar utk Ron dan istrinya yg lumpuh. Long story short, dlm 2 bln ingatan istrinya pulih kembali. Ajaib. Dan percaya ga percaya, Ron keliatan spt org yg sehat, ga ada tanda2 pernah patah tulang sana sini or dijahit 22 biji. Gua aja gak nyangka tiap 2hr sekali sekelas sama dia duduk disebelahnya. Tau2 td dia kasi kesaksian yg so powerful n touched many people. Dia gak undur, malah dia makin semangat, dan dia tau, Tuhan punya maksud yg jauh dr yg bisa dibayangkan manusia, di balik semua tragedi itu. Kesaksian ini nguatin banyak org yg sedang gundah gundala di dlm lika liku pelayanan maupun spiritual journey. Hmm.. jadi, boleh dibilang gua blm sampe melewati hal2 yg berat spt itu. Wah, kadang suka ngeri sendiri kalo mikirin itu. Tapi, setelah itu, dikuatin sama khotbah Dr Habermas.
Bagus, refreshing, and empowering. Dia khotbah dari 1 Korintus 15, ayat2 yg luar biasa. Resurrection!
This is the most solid foundation of our faith. Paulus bilang, kalau Kristus tdk bangkit dari antara org mati, sia2lah pemberitaan Injil. Pernah gak kepikir bhw Christ is the only Human who once lived in this earth, then died, then resurrected.
Banyak org agnostics dan atheist yg tdk mau ikut Tuhan, mrk bukan gak tau. Dlm hati mrk sebetulnya tau. Di Roma 1:18-23 dibilang bhw segala sesuatu sdh disingkapkan, apalagi yg kurang. Banyak org yg sdh "Kristen" pun gak mau say "Yes, Lord, I do" kpd Dia. Kt Dr Habermas cara utk menjangkau mrk sama sekali bukan utk didebat, mungkin itu yg dibilang dgn "menindas kebenaran dgn kelaliman" - ay. 18b. Balik ke 1 Korintus 15 itu, dari pesan Paulus ada 3 hal yg penting ktnya, dari ayat terakhir (15:58).

1. Stand firm (berdirilah teguh!) - Know what you believe, stick in the Word
2. Tetap setia. Dlm Tuhan jerih payah kita tdk sia2. Wow. Ini salah satu ayat fave gua.
3. Don't forget about others! Ini yg bikin gue rada kaget. Ternyata di text bhs asli, 1 Kor 16 itu gak terpisah tapi masih tetep nyambung dari psl 15. Memang sih topiknya ttg persembahan kasih utk org miskin/fund raising. Tapi itu justru essencenya. Because of that resurrection we have a solid reason to do something to help others. Krn tanpa resurrection, kita gak akan bisa ditolong jg. Wah ini gak pernah kepikir tuh. Sptnya hal yg remeh, tapi sebetulnya sering dilupain. Hmmm. Dr Habermas bilang Paulus ini org Baptist tulen, krn ngomong soal duit, udah khotbah yg dalem n exciting, eh terus belakang2nya persembahan. Nothing wrong with that, instead, we have the most solid reason. Our GOD King Jesus, He rose again and will reign with us in eternity!!! Praise the LORD.

whazup with our planet earth

Hari ini di Lynchburg turun salju utk pertama kalinya di tahun 2006 setelah ditunggu2 dari sejak terakhir sebelum Natal kemarin. "So sad, we won't have a real White Christmas, again." Kata beberapa temen di kampus pas mau Natalan. Yg teringat lagi itu beberapa hari sebelum keluar dari dorm kampus sebelum libur Natal, sempet turun salju dan jadi ice, sampe Michael kecelakaan, mobilnya hancur krn jalanan super licin itu. (baca blog Dec. 17). Tapi selanjutnya hari-hari terakhir December 2005 dan awal January 2006 dilewati dengan temperatur yg cukup "hangat" menurut orang bule, sekitar 40-50'F atau 15-20'C. Wah, kalo kata saya mah itu suhu udara AC.... apanya yg hangat, dingin ya dingin........
Anyway, keliatannya agak aneh juga sih, kata org2 sini harusnya Januari itu dingin2nya musim winter, meminjam istilah temen: "dinginnya amit2 dech sampe ke tulang2!", tapi kok malah matahari bersinar tiap hari (which is good kalo menurut saya jadi kaga beku kedinginan).
Yg lbh aneh, orang2 sini pada seneng banget, salju makin gede badainya makin asyik, lbh bagus lagi kalo jadi es katanya. SENGAJA spy orang2 gak usah masuk kerja, kaya lagi itu pas awal Dec jadi inget, lagi gawe di kantor tau2 dibubarin pdhal msh blm bubaran, gara2 salju katanya, jadi hari itu dpt "gaji buta." Gaji buta memang enak, tapi gaji buta gak bisa selesaikan kondisi spt kalo toko2, restoran, bank pada tutup. Itu baru kantor sekolah, toko, restoran, dan bank, belon lagi misalnya Newark Airport yg hari ini ada 100 lebih flight cancellation. Itu artinya ada minimal 100x4 airplane crew yg dapet gaji buta, blm lagi mechanic/technician, ground officer dll. Itu baru 1 airport di New York, masih ada 2 airport lagi: JFK dan LaGuardia yang guedenya gak kira2, coba sering2 begini flight carrier di Amrik lama2 bisa pada bangkrut semua.

Waktu liat2 "what's going on di negri Indo tercinta", ternyata yg terjadi malah ada keanehan lain jg, hujan yg bertubi2, gak berhenti udah beberapa minggu ini. Cipularang anjlok, Jabotabek banjir-licin, ada kejadian truk tronton pake terjun payung pula di Tomang, sampe terakhir Cirebon banjir badang. Dayeuhkolot di Bandung gimana nasibnya ya? Ada 100 lebih pabrik tekstil/garment di situ, rata2 sistem pembuangan limbahnya blm bener semua. Apa disana masih banjir all the time spt dulu? Bogor gimana Bogor si kota hujan?
Wach wach... ada apa yee ini. Di berita sini dibilang soal La Nina yg bikin climate taun ini jadi aneh, ada yg bilang global warming lah dll. Rektor kampus Dr Falwell sampe ribut sama Rick Warren, pdhal 2 itu dulu akur. Yg satu anti Kyoto Protocol, satu lagi maksa Amerika hrs terima Kyoto Protocol. Hmm... ko sampe kemana2 ya urusannya. Anybody have any idea about our beloved planet? Duh duh duniaku...

(un)Spoken Prayer Requests

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God - Romans 8:26-27

I'm asking everyone to uplift these people in our prayers as they're now facing some 'big' things in their life. When I meet with them, they said that they have unspoken prayer requests yet perhaps I can share some of the things that they are dealing with right now.

1. Pastor Dave & Susan Smeltz; next two days they will fly to Ukraine. Their son, Shawn, is going to be married with Natalie, a Ukrainian gal, right on their anniversary date (02/12), how nice! Pray for their journey as they're going to face an extremely cold temperature there: -8' F. Pray for save trip and the opportunity to share Christ in that country.

2. Mr. Richard Plyter, my boss. He's going to face 3 operation/surgeries. I don't know exactly what kind of illness he's in right now. Surprisingly, today, he got his first surgery although he was just coming to see the doctor but they urge him to do it at the moment. He couldn't move his mouth, there's a nerve problem there, also with his back/joints. Pray also for Timi, his wife, a very godly Christian woman, may strength, encouragement, and comfort be upon her.

3. the husband of my co-worker, Mrs. Joan Saunders, his name is Stuart. He has a serious cancer, now in chemotherapy program, and chances are 50-50.

4. Barbara Johnson, a nice lady at our church. She will have a surgery during this week to overcome a serious tumor on her ear.

5. Jason Tomlinson, our deacon at the church. He works in a construction site and being placed in an old and tall building construction, 90 ft (27 m) above ground, in the midst of a very cold temperature, hangin in the cracked scafolds, just scafolds only, no elevating machine or such. Pray for protection.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to his purpose

LIFESONG: n e w s o n g

We've just learned this song yesterday as we're preparing that SpringFest 2006. The CD has been a best seller for quite a while but I never get it. The words are really something, but, if not joined with my life, as the writer said, "I sing in vain." I don't really like the tunes but I feel that the words are worth listened.


LiFESONG
Casting Crowns
(c) 2005 Club Zoo Music/BMI


Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight

prechorus:
May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

chorus:
Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my life song sing to You
I want to sign your name
to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord, I give my life
A Living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be your hands and feet

bridge:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

it's getting real

My 2nd semester. OK, I forgot to tell you what's going on. Semester kedua ini keliatannya both exciting and demanding. Ada 15 credit yg gua ambil PLUS 15 jam kerja di Admissions Dept. Fhew! Dari 15 credit itu ada 5 course. Spt biasa, OT dan NT II, lanjutan OT dan NT I di semester lalu. Dosen NT tetap sama, dgn kuliah yg maaf, rada2 membosankan, tapi sebetulnya dalemm. OT II kali ini ganti dosen, higss.. napa sih gak tetep si Dr Yates yg ngajar, kan asyik tuh, bisa diskusi panjang lebar sampe kelas kelarrrr ga abis2...hehehe, skrg yg ngajar dosen baru, Dr Pettus. Aduh yg ini kalo nerangin cepet banget ngomong kaya kereta api, mana kelasnya ruangan kecil diisi 60 orang pula.
Evan&Church Growth II, masih dgn Dr Towns, yg tiap pertemuan selalu nanya si ini namanya siapa si itu namanya siapa.... Kelas yg kali ini dikitan, muridnya cuma 12 orang, waduh, ko jadi kaya ...................... Salah satu proyek utama kelas ini, mo praktekin isi buku Dr Towns, "Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough" selama 40 hari. Hmm... menarik2. We'll see.
Kelas Church History, tetap dgn Dr Diemer si filsuf yg jago ngelawak. Lawakannya gak asbun, pasti selalu ada "pesan sponsor" di balik semua guyonan dia. Hmm, btw baru nyadar, hebat ya dia bisa hafal mati itu semua nama orang, taun, tempat, dll. Bawain kuliah kaga pake buku, cuma modal power point doank. Gue aja pelupa gini, gmn ya.
Hmm, ini dia course yg baru, Discipleship Ministries. Dr Dempsey ceritanya lagi sumanget sama model Class 101-401 di Saddleback, n ini kelas emang bagus jg. Cuma sayangnya, jadwal exam sampe skrg blm keluar, aneh nih. Jgnkan exam, assignment-nya apa ai aja masih kaga jelas. Nyantai banget ni dosen.
Hari Selasa n Kamis adl hari pontang panting krn 3 kelas bederetan, cuma jeda 5 menit, dari jam 9 sampe jam setengah 2 siang. No time for lunch! Semua di class room yg sama. Jumlah mhs tiap kelas bervariasi, yg pagi 20 orang, terus 10 orang, siang2 membludak jd 60. Iiiiiiiiiiiiii.
Yah, itulah Spring semester kali ini. Hmm, tiba2 muncul syair gaya bebas tuh spt di bawah ini.


Kini tiba semester baruku.
Menyenangkan tapi juga menantang
Reading report dan paper sudah menunggu
By God's grace we'll make it through.

Semester baru semester cape.
Jadwal padet, duh gileeeee
Doremifasolasidouw.
So far so good, I like it, though.