FOUNDATIONS #3: The Bible

Here is the last part of the Foundations Class. Hope you'll be blessed.
To read it clearly, give a right-click on the picture, select "Open Link in New Tab".
In new tab, you can zoom in the picture.

Behind the SKRIPSI: Part 2 - He returns my focus to Jesus

Di postingan sebelumnya, aku sempat cerita bahwa pergumulanku selama pengerjaan skripsi ini justru diawali dengan hilangnya fokusku kepada Tuhan. Parahnya, aku bahkan tidak menyadari bahwa fokusku kepada Tuhan sudah lama hilang. Butuh waktu sekitar 4 bulan sebelum benar-benar menyadarinya. Cukup unik, Tuhan menggunakan kondisi laptopku untuk menegur dan mengembalikan fokusku kembali kepada-Nya. Setelah aku rekonsiliasi dengan Tuhan dan laptopku balik normal, aku mulai berdoa meminta supaya Tuhan singkirkan satu per satu setiap hal yang membuatku tidak fokus lagi kepada Tuhan.

Obedience on Good Friday

My friends and I (TC Students) have mandatory chapels every Tuesday morning, Friday night, and Sunday morning. Last year, we (TC Students who become Church-members of HMCC) asked Ps. Andrew to write a letter of permission for us to miss the Friday Night Fellowship so that we could join the Good Friday Service at our church. This year, we tried to do the same, but the leader of dormitory and the rule were changed. As the result, we are not allowed to miss the Friday Night Fellowship so that we can join the Good Friday Service at church. All TC Students in our church are sad about it, including me. As we are committed to our home church, it is our desire to attend the Good Friday Service.

Foundations #2: THE FUNDAMENTAL

I joined Foundations Class during last month. I posted the first part about the Gospel here. This is the second part about the fundamental. Hope you’ll be blessed!

Behind the SKRIPSI: Part 1 - He remains faithful!

Setiap mahasiswa/i tingkat akhir pasti bergumul dengan skripsi. Sejak Juli 2012 lalu, skripsi menjadi salah satu beban pikiran yang utama. Selama internship 4 bulan di Batam, aku harus melakukan Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (PTK)/Classroom Action Research (CAR) yang menjadi bahan penulisan skripsi. Bersyukur, skripsiku sudah terkumpul hari Jumat (22/3) lalu! Masih ada sidang tanggal 4 April 2013 nanti, tapi aku bersyukur satu langkah sudah dilalui! Yeeeey!!! Ada banyak pergumulan, doa, bahkan air mata, namun yang pasti selalu ada Tuhan yang setia dibalik pengerjaan skripsi ini. Jadi selama beberapa minggu ke depan, aku mau coba tuliskan pergumulan-pergumulanku bersama dengan Tuhan. Kebenaran yang sesungguhnya adalah bahwa Tuhan yang telah dan terus bersamaku. Dia tetap setia, bahkan ketika aku tidak setia.

The Most High God is with the one who is lowly in spirit

When I was meditated on Isaiah 57, I found that in verse 15, the Lord said that He lives in a high and holy place but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Every time I read this verse, I always feel amazed. How could The Most High God wants to be with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit? Why does he want to revive the spirit of the lowly and the heart of the contrite? Does not he know that we are nothing? This is really beyond my understanding!

FOUNDATIONS #1: THE GOSPEL

I joined Foundations Class during this past month. Here are some notes that I put here so that I will always remember it and be able to read it anywhere, anytime. Hope you’ll be blessed!

Meditation on Isaiah 51-55

In my time alone with God this morning, I meditated on Isaiah 51-55. Here are some highlights that the Holy Spirit emphasized for me.

1.     LISTEN to the LORD. Give your ears and LISTEN. --> this is the calling that I need!

2.    The Lord comforts you, don’t forget your Maker. God wants me to always remember Him.

3.    Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and he was crushed for our iniquities. Our punishment was upon Him, and by His wounds, we are healed.

4.    We are like sheep, have gone astray, have turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all.

5.    It was the LORD’s will to crush Jesus and cause him to suffer. He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

6.    Novi, do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth, Novi. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD Almighty, the Holy of Israel is your Redeemer and he is called the God of the earth. --> this is the comfort that I need!

7.    Yes, Novi, you deserve God’s wrath. But with deep compassion the LORD will bring you back, with everlasting kindness He will have compassion on you.

8.    My unfailing love for you, Novi, will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed. --> this is the promise that I need!

9.    My thoughts are not yours. My ways are not yours. My thoughts are higher than yours. My ways are higher than yours. TRUST ME. --> this is the rebuke that I need!

10. God’s words will not return to Him empty. It will accomplish His will. So Novi, have beautiful feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.

My heart is full with JOY, Lord. Thank you for made me feel honored and precious.

Melupakan Mantan Pacar

"Ce, yapa seh nglupano mantan pacar? " (yang nanya orang Surabaya).
"Ci, gimana sih nglupain mantan pacar?"
"Gimana sih kak caranya nglupain mantan?"

Yah, intinya sih belakangan aku jadi sering ditanya bagaimana caranya melupakan mantan pacar. Jadi supaya tidak berbusa karena berkali-kali menjawab, sebaiknya ditulis aja di sini :)

Ini sih berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi, bukan kebenaran mutlak, tapi aku jamin bisa membantu karena sudah dipraktikkan. Bukan berarti aku sukses sempurna lo ya. Sebaliknya aku pun jatuh dan gagal berkali-kali dalam hal melupakan mantan pacar ini. Tapi toh akhirnya bisa juga dengan kasih karunia Tuhan dan ketaatan! So, let's check it out!

Pancakes for A Sister in Distress

As for me, it was hard to wake up around 7 AM on this morning. I slept late because I had to submit my SKRIPSI on the afternoon yet it had not finished. I did not feel well yet I did not sick. There’s should be an Asian History class in the morning. We already planned to watch Mahatma Gandhi but I felt so weak physically and my spirit just broken. I did not go. Instead, I kept lying on my bed with a head worrying about SKRIPSI and did not know what to do.

At 9 AM, Silvi came to my room with pancakes for me. It was surprised me because she supposed to watch Mahatma Gandhi. She said that her SKRIPSI-supervisor asked her to submit her SKRIPSI on Wednesday (3/13/13), therefore she asked permission to not watch because she needed more time to work on her SKRIPSI. She reported to our lecturer that I was sick and would watch the Mahatma Gandhi with her later (after Wednesday).

I felt blessed as she came to my room. It was not about the pancakes yet I loved it, but her gentle care toward me. After she went out from my room, suddenly I had my strength to wake up, had my devotion time with the LORD, ate the pancakes, had a shower, then worked on my SKRIPSI although I had no idea (aka stagnant). Can you see that this little thing called ‘care’ somehow energized me to rise up?

I thank to God for showing me His tender care through Silvi. If you read this, Silvi, thanks a lot for being God’s extended hands and feet! No one knew that I went to sleep with a great distress around 1.30 AM, but God knew since He was the only one who watched me the whole night. In the morning suddenly you messaged me and somehow brought me pancakes. Thanks a lot, sister! *hugs*

Girls Talk: A Perfect Godly Man

Few weeks ago, two sisters and I talked about a brother in our church. In our sights, he is so perfect. He is a godly man that every single-Christian-woman might dream about. I agree with them. Then one of the sisters said, “But, is he too perfect? Imagine, how can we marry someone like him? We are broken-hearted girls. Will he accept a girl like us to be his spouse someday?”

I was kept silent. I did not know the answer until I shared our conversation to my accountability partner.

“He is a sinner, Novi,” she said. “When you see him so perfect, it is not him that you see, but Christ, the perfect God, that lives in him.”

That’s definitely true. “Then, if he is so perfect, just like Jesus, will it be possible that he accepts a broken-hearted girl like one of us? I mean, he is sooooooo godly.”

“If he as perfect as our God, he must be merciful and able to forgive his future wife’s sins in the past.”

“How if the sin is relate to a sexual relation? It is really serious. Will he forgives?”

“Well, it’s hard for him, since he is only a human being. But since he is a new creation in Christ, I believe he can forgive, just like the God Himself. Only God’s children have power to forgive. And yeah, don’t forget that he is also a sinner, no matter how godly he is. His future wife should be ready to forgive him too. Who knows that he might have bad life in the past? Maybe the one who should forgive is not him, but his future wife.”

I nodded my head, agreed with her answer.

God's Calling To Write

Tadi siang untuk pertama kalinya aku makan siang dengan Kak Anggit, the author of http://queensophiaofwestland.blogspot.com/, yang ternyata satu gereja denganku (gubraaaaaaaaaaaak...). Sebenernya tahun 2011 lalu kami pernah ngobrol sekali di gereja, tapi aku sama sekali tidak mengingatnya. Kak Anggit yang justru inget sama aku setelah kami "ketemu" di blognya. Hehe...

I'm so blessed to have lunch with her. Tadi kami saling share tentang passion kami nulis, gimana kami nulis blog, and how it can really blessed others. From our conversation, I think God really opened my mind that writing is also God's calling to minister others and spread the Gospel. I feel amazed. Writing is not just a hobby. Typing words using our gadgets and publish it in internet (blog, social media, etc) is not just "catch up with technology". God can really use our writings to work in people's heart, in people's life. He is so powerful and everything can be used GREATLY for His glory!

Kak Anggit also shared that God often spoke to the prophets in the Bible to WRITE God's words. God really cares with WRITING. He has concern in what I called "my hobby". The idea of writing comes from the LORD. Remember that God is the one who commanded the authors of the Bible to write! They even did not know that their writing would bless us in the 21st century!

I feel so honored to receive this calling to write. And I want to write as long as God calls me to do it! \(^-^)/ Being a student, single, and young are absolutely provide an opportunity to serve the LORD through writing.
Through this post, I also want to encourage you, yes YOU WHO READ THIS, to write!
Ask The Holy Spirit guidance to write so that you can be glorify God and use your thoughts and talents for His Kingdom's sake!

But, I'm not really good in writing.... I'm not a good writer...

I tell you this truth: God's power works perfectly in an imperfect writing. And who said that God's calling to write is all about you? Definitely not! It is about God when He calls you to write. Why don't just trust that The Holy Spirit can lead you to write anything that glorifying God? ;)

The Beauty of Teaching

Accidentally, I found this video on You Tube that was uploaded a year ago by my (ex) student. She was teaching at Taman Bacaan, Bencongan. It was near to Lippo Karawaci. I knew that place since I had the similar experience, serving some little kids there for few months.

I am so thankful and blessed to see her in this video. I was her tutor for few weeks in 2011. At that time she was in grade 6. She was my first indonesian-but-english-spoken-student. Became her tutor, I have learned how to teach all subjects in English and how to teach her to create a video using Windows Movie Maker, and then upload it to You Tube (I never upload anything to You Tube, but I taught this young girl and she already uploaded two videos!).

I really feel touched by looking on how she had taught little children on this video. Although I contributed very little in her education, I feel so blessed to see her taught little children in this video! To be honest, I could not find any word to express my feeling. It just so AWESOME to see your students teach! I wonder how would my lecturers and teachers feel when they see me teach! And what might Jesus Christ, The Master Teacher, would feel when He saw His disciples teach?

God Works in Everything!

Seminggu yang lalu, ada miskom ketika teman-teman order snacks buat refreshment time after church. Gara-gara miskom itu, kue yang dipesan jadi kedobelan. Tapi kami (refreshment team) bersyukur Tuhan izinkan miskom ini terjadi. Jadi hari Minggu lalu, mendadak kami kedatangan sekitar 50 orang baru di gereja. Mereka ini rombongan mahasiswa yang diajar sama Ms. Tina di kelas Basic English. Nah, mereka itu dapet tugas untuk practice speaking with native speaker. Nggak cuma kasih tugas, Ms. Tina juga kasih undangan buat dateng ke gereja kami yang memang using English karena diimpor langsung from United States. Berarti HARUS ada snack lebih dong untuk mereka.... hehe..sudah mengerti apa yang terjadi?

Praise the LORD! Snacks yang sudah diorder itu cukup untuk semua yang hadir, bahkan lebih 24 biji, yang kalo disajikan itu ntar jadinya 12 plates. WOW! Jadi inget gimana Tuhan Yesus kasih makan 5000 orang pake 5 roti dan 2 ikan terus sisanya 12 bakul! Luar biasa bagaimana Tuhan bekerja dalam segala sesuatu. Kekeliruan, kesalahpahaman, miskomunikasi... semuanya bisa Tuhan pakai untuk mendatangkan kebaikan!

Walaupun sampai hari ini aku masih tidak tahu bagaimana due date skripsi yang maju seminggu itu akan mendatangkan kebaikan, namun aku belajar bahwa dalam situasi yang paling tidak menguntungkan, Tuhan turut bekerja, bahkan Dia peduli pada hal-hal yang tidak bisa kita lihat sekarang. Dia peduli akan hari depan dan masa depan kita. (lho? jadi nyambung curhat ke sini? hehee..)

Apapun yang terjadi padamu dan hidupmu... Entah itu kesalahan, kejatuhan dalam dosa, atau sebuah luka yang dalam sekalipun... tetap percaya bahwa Tuhan memegang kontrol akan segala sesuatu dan turut bekerja dalam segala hal untuk mendatangkan kebaikan!