Ashes for beauty

Another song to share, this time from Kathryn Scott:

Now I can trade this ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down at the foot of the cross

What a liberation Jesus brought to the lives of those who believe in Him!

Lord of my life

Last week, financial expert Dave Ramsey was featured as guest at KLOVE on 8 o'clock airtime. Unfortunately during that week I mostly came to work at 8.15 so i didn't get to hear much.

One of the thing I heard and truly blessed my heart was about tithing. He mentioned that in budgeting, no matter what, tithing should be the first thing we do. Tithing has helped him to say "money is not the lord of my life, God is".

While managing money certainly challenging for me, time management has been even more challenging. I found myself running out of time too often that I start to wonder what would happen if I apply the same principle every morning. From the moment I wake up, I surrender the day into God's plan, that I would say "my time is not mine alone, it's God's"

Romans 14:7-9 (New International Version)

⁷For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

How would Jesus respond?

The day after labor day 2010. I was stuck in traffic for the longest time. It took me 1.5 hours to travel 15 miles! Interestingly, I was not mad. On the contrary, I was pretty patient with the super slow traffic, singing songs with KLOVE. And then I thought...."Oh, maybe God wanted me to use this time to pray" (I pray as I drive because it's just a perfect time to pour out your heart content to God and it is much safer than calling a friend as you drive!) So I lifted up prayers for friends and family for a couple seconds and then my mind started to wander around again. (Yes, I know, I need to be more disciplined in my thought life)

As I get home, I learned from my aunt that there's a person trying to commit suicide by jumping from the overpass onto Highway 87. No car hit him, and he did not died instantly. When I checked that night, he was taken to Valley Medical Center and was in critical condition. I heard he died at the hospital.

At the point when my aunt told me what happened, I was mad. My thought was: are you kidding me? That's why I was stuck in traffic for so long? How selfish! Does he realize the amount of inconveniences caused by his action?

But then the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit started to rebuke me: That's your respond? You said you're a follower of Christ, how would he respond to this news?

That's when it daunts me that I'm still far far away from having a heart like Jesus. I asked God's forgiveness for getting mad when I know I should be praying for that man and his family. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who faithfully teaches us His way.

One of my favorite verse these days:
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)

May God always humbles our heart to receive instructions from the Holy Spirit

car breakdown

It was end of July and I was doing errands right after work. I stopped by supermarket to buy groceries and then go to ATM to take some cash. Next thing I know, the car won't start =(
I actually had a jumper at the trunk but I did not know how to use it and I was too shy to ask for help. I happened to left my cell phone at home that day so I couldn't call anyone for help either.

I decided to walk home (it was only 15 min away, thank God!). After dinner my uncle went with me to try to jump start it, but it won't budge. We called AAA and they tried to start it too, yet it still didn't work. So they towed it to the shop and replace the battery.

Last Friday, as I drove home from work, I notice that dashboard lights for battery and brake were on. And I kinda feel like the car has no power. Prayerfully, I drove home and made it! My uncle take me to the car shop right away that day. It turned out that the alternator is broken. For those who don't know (like I did before Friday), alternator is used to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy (i.e: it is used to re-charge your battery to store power).

I was thankful that I got back home safely that Friday, but I still kinda complain to bu guru about the car. But then she reminded me to be thankful. To think about it, I guess it's good to get a brand new battery. If I didn't have a brand new battery last July, the car might not have enough power to drive 15 miles from office and I will get stranded by the freeway and cause major inconveniences for my uncle.

God's timing is perfect!

By our love

Here's a song I would love to share with you after the last post. Hope it can be a blessing!

Blessed....again?

I feel so blessed this weekend.

• Not just because Leo and Lucio's mom and dad are here and we have feast almost every night (dear God please protect me from gaining weight!)

• Not just because the weather is beautiful this weekend (but I do thank God for that!)

• Not just because I made it home from work with the brake and accumulator signals on, last Friday (I almost forgot to thank God for this until I shared with bu guru. Thank God for friends who reminds us to give thanks to God! will post more on this later)
  

I feel blessed especially because God has been blessing my dear friends:

• Last weekend ci Nana shared with me how God answer her prayers for reaching out to a sister
  

• This weekend Jonathan Lie shared with me how God blessed him through pemuda

• Today ci Clara shared with me how God provides the need of Children's Ministry

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Oh how precious is the body of Christ! I felt really encouraged by their testimonies that I write this entry to tell all of you. God is indeed good.

Aug 14 - Stevens Creek County Park

Here it is, the hiking review. Overall, it is a nice spot to hike. I love the fact that it is very accessible (10 min away from De Anza College). Supposedly we pay $6 for parking but the machine broke down and we don't know where else we can give the money to. So that's another added plus. The downside of this trails is 1/2 of them are not dirt, so it is kinda hard on your knees and it may cause little blisters here and there.

Somewhere at the beginning at the hike, not sure what Lucio's doing. We are fortunate that it was cloudy that morning, otherwise it's probably burning hot.

Looking at the view of the Bay

The leaves are starting to change colors. The trail would probably look even prettier in Fall.

The reservoir. We saw people kayaking here.

Hopefully more reviews to come!

Busy weekend

One of my co-workers always said to me "Fonda, I see you have too many activities." She's probably right. I feel the need of good time management more and more these days. Sometimes I was tempted to say to God, "God, there's not enough time to do all things I want to do". I imagine God would reply, "But there is always enough time to do all the things I want you to do, so why don't you try to start aligning what you want with what I want for your life?" Hmmm.....it would be interesting to see how it turn out when I start to align my will with His, wouldn' it?

Anyways......

Last weekend was pretty busy, but super fun! On Thursday night, we (Fonda, Nana, Lucio, ko Otis) got a chance to see meteor shower from Mt. Hamilton. It wasn't shower like what you'll see in the movies. You kinda have to wait and watch out for the split second moving object (light) in the sky. But really, they are so pretty and worth waiting for! God has been very good to us. On that night the sky was crystal clear, no clouds whatsoever. Padahal the night before and the night after the sky was full with clouds, you can't even see the stars.

Then on Saturday, we (Fonda, Lucio, Indri, Annette) got a chance to go hiking at Stevens Creek County Park. It was a good hike and the scenery was so pretty. I guess it will be even prettier later in fall, when more leaves changes color and the creek is not dry. Maybe we'll go there again later =) Details and pics in next post.

After hiking, we went on lunch. Then Annette and I headed to the Jazz festival at downtown. It was actually better than I thought it would (well....I didn't have a high expectation to begin with). But to have a chance to listen to plenty good musicians are really motivating for me. Jazz is interesting in a sense that you can distinctly distinguish every single instrument, each one of them really stand out, but you can expect to enjoy good harmony at the same time.

That night, we end the day with Juju's last dinner in San Jose. I'm excited for her as she moves on to the next chapter of her life but also sad at the same time that she won't be around us anymore. But we all believe that God knows the best, Amen?

Today, I was so tired that I took the wrong highway to go to church band almost hit a car next to me because I did not see the blindspot when I tried to change lanes. But as Nana said in smallgroup last week, sometimes we can be very clumsy yet God still delivers us from disasters. God is good!

Hope you have a blessed weekend! Don't forget to start your week with the LORD =)

John 15:5

Lately God has been putting this lesson in my heart. Last Friday at Pemuda we learned about how we can share the blessings. I happened to be the worship leader that day and upon preparing to lead God reminded me that I need to receive from Him before I can give to others.

God also reminded me of my conversation with a sister in Christ years ago about being blessing for others. She told me I should not be afraid, for it is from the overflow of God's abundant love for me that I can share with others. Last month I wrote about how my view about God influence my attitude. I guess the same rules applies here. Do I believe that He has enough for me to share? God is always ready to shower us with all spiritual blessings if only we are ready to receive them. I know that! But do I truly believe that it's true?

Today at ES, I was reminded of John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

I want to share this song with you. A song that God's been singing in my heart. And I believe he's singing it to you too.

John 15:5

I'm the vine and you're the branches
Remain in me and I remain in you
Then you will bear much fruit
For apart from Me there's nothing that you can do

So come to Me, child
and I'll give you rest
For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light

Copyright (c) 2010 by Fonda Jong

Post July 17th Biking

So what happened after the ride? For me it's 2 things: sunburn on my face and sore all over the body.

Let's talk about the first one, sunburn. I foolishly only applied SPF 15 because I thought it's going to be cloudy. It was cloudy most of the part, but the sun managed to find way to burn my skin. If you saw me this morning and commented on how burned my skin was, you should have seen me last night. It was 3 times as worse! 3 times! How did it get better so soon? It's the healing "magic" of aloe.

My aunt quickly gave me a piece of aloe last night and told me to get the juice and applied it over my face, let it sit overnight. I was skeptical at first because I used to apply aloe all over my hair when I was a kid, and it's really hard to get rid of the juice even after shampooing a couple times. I tried it anyways (because my cousin Berton said I can have ice cream after I use the aloe). It's really soothing and it really works!

Now about the soreness. My lower body are hurting from the trip. Last night, I barely can climb the stairs (and my room is on the 2nd floor!). While sleeping, I kept waking up every time I want to change position because it's hurting. I can see my clock that I wake up almost every hour.

Now in the past, when that happens, I would cry out to God demanding "God, PLEASE! You know I need sleep....How can I get to work tomorrow? Can't you help me out here?" Well, that doesn't sound like a good prayer, does it?

Last night I had a much better attitude. I couldn't sleep through the night, but I manage to give thanks that I had a wonderful day. Aching body is a little price to pay, and I woke up refreshed. The muscle-pain is going away (not completely, but at least it's not as hurt) and it is the LORD's day!

July 17th Biking

Last Saturday, the Prasetyas organized a biking trip at Monterey. The email calls for a casual biking, which Yanny defines as "no one left behind". They invited kids as well for the ride, so I thought it would be pretty safe for me to join.

I haven't been a sporty person my whole life. In my family, my sister and my brother are the sporty ones, not me. I'm always be the one who read books and stays indoor because I couldn't stand the heat in Indo. This year, I started doing aerobics up until Chinese New Year (Feb) and stopped exercising afterward. So, I should say I was not in a very good shape to do a long ride, but there's when grace enters the story.

With bike borrowed from Yanny and helmet borrowed from ko Chris, I bravely joined 6 experienced bikers: Marcel & Yanny, Ci Sukma, Ci Fenny, Ci Marlene, Ko Otis. God has been sooo good to us throughout the day.

Firstly we can't figure out how to load the bike I'm going to use to the bike rack, because there's no attachment from the bike to the rack. We ended up mounting ko Otis' bike to the rack instead so we can start going to Monterey. Yay for creative minds & flexibility!

Next, upon arrival, ko Otis' rear end tire was broken. The air kept on leaking out after pumping. We left the parking area and started to ride the on the trails while he went to bike shop to try to fix the tire. About an hour later, he texted Yanny telling that the tire is getting fixed and he's going to catch up with us. And catch up he did! Man, he's fast!

Third, upon arriving to the gate of 17-mile-drive, ci Sukma started to feel weak. We stopped and rest and had lunch at the site. Laughing at each other and having a good fellowship time. Ci Sukma seems to be fit for the rest of the trip. Thank God for taking care of each one of us during the trip!

As for myself, through this trip, I learned:

1. that God is way bigger than what I encounter daily. Being out in the nature simply reminds me of the great God who created universe. Monterey Bay never fails to leave me in awe of God's wonderful creation. Our God is an awesome God!
   
2. that God always takes care each one of us. Look at ko Otis' situation. Look at ci Sukma's. And there's me who rides super slow (thanks for being so patient, everyone! Especially Yanny who always watch over me from the back!) But we all manage to finish together and enjoy the trip by God's grace. He is a good God.
3. to be more caring for others. I'm in awe of how much patience these people are showing and the amount of grace they are showering me with. I bet that's one of the reason I did not get cranky during the trip ;) God, help me to learn from them.

Camping

These last few weeks, I've been battling with "depression", or so I thought. I constantly felt blue, lonely, homesick, all the negative emotions came and overwhelm my day and night. I was discontent, but couldn't name out the problem. I tried to escape by going shopping, watching dramas, playing piano, do manicure.....nothing really worked. I would forget for a while but then at night when I go to sleep, I kept having bad dreams and woke up tired.

When ci Kiki invited me to go camping with the Rustams, Wijayas and Gunawans, I was hesitating to go. I wanted to try camping since last year, but never had the opportunity. I was hesitating because the participants are all families and because I was not in a very good mood at that time and was trying to avoid people. At the end I asked for days off and my boss excitedly agreed to give me some time off.

Big Sur is very very pretty. Being out in nature, listening to the sound of the streams and waves calmed my soul. Our campsite was right by the creek, and every time I hear the streams of water I was reminded of Psalm 23, the LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. I actually slept better in the camp compare to my own room (despite the cries of the babies, I woke up refreshed).

Sand Dollar Beach

The Creek by our campsiteThe Creek a little bit upstream from our campsite



Taking some day off from work, being out in nature, hanging out with good friends and wonderful kids really lifted up my spirit. Watching the kids' interactions are actually really therapeutic for me =)

I learned to pause and to let God reminds me of how much He loves and cares for me.


SMILE! Jesus loves you!

Confess and Renounce

Proverbs 28:13 (New International Version)

¹³ He who conceals his sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

I was going to share this verse at English Service yesterday. But it was sooo hectic that I couldn't find the verse when I was leading. If you were there yesterday, I just want to clarify that the Bible says confesses and renounces them.

Renounce (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary) means:

1 : to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration
2 : to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any further

At worship training yesterday, I was also reminded to build a habit of confessing sin to prevent it from accumulating and from desensitizing our hearts.

Leading ES this week was a bit interesting, started from last week when we started to do preparation.

As we prepare for English service last week one of the musician asked if he can join for practice on Sunday right before the service because it was kinda hard to find time to practice in weekdays. At the end we managed to squeeze in some practice time in the weekday, right before they have practice for pemuda.

On practice day, one of the musician who has the keyboard was running late because he had to commute to SF that day. Had he gone home first to get the keyboard, we would have started practice really late and would potentially disrupts the other practice too. Thank God for our sister Kathy who kindly let us borrow her keyboard (and who happen to live in the same complex with ko Roy, where we had our practice) so we can start practice on time!

On Sunday, we noticed that we missed bringing the projector. We thought we can borrow from Indonesian Service, but it turned out that no one brought that one either. Thank God for Ping2 and Leticia who kindly picked it up from storage so we can have projector for English Service. There are still other obstacles on that day....I am so amazed how God use them all to humble me.

Last week at our smallgroup I learned about owning our responsibility. Honestly, as these things happens I was very very tempted to point fingers to others and to put blame on circumstances. Yet God gently teaching me to be more prepared next time =)

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Shrek the final chapter

Caution: may contain spoilers.

Went to watch shrek yesterday......It was ri-donkey-lously good! Well, at least I enjoyed it a lot!

I loveeeee animated movies, simply because they usually have a simpler story line (although they don't always make sense) and have simpler take home messages.

One of my favorite lines was when Donkey asked Shrek why would he traded his real life if he had everything he cherished. Shrek answered, "Cause I did not know it (my life) was perfect until it's gone."

I know it's just a movie (an animated one!) but when I heard that line, I couldn't help but to reflect on my own life. Yes, sometimes life can seem to be a boring routine, but God never waste our time. In every season of life, I believe God provides us with enough stuffs to carry on. Hope we all don't have to learn it the hard way like Shrek :p

Let me share a prayer I found in Proverbs 30 with you.

Proverbs 30 (New International Version)

⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:

⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

Unity

Last Saturday, my cousin asked me to take him to De Anza so he can study with his friends. Since his birthday was coming the following Sunday, I thought it's good to do something nice for him, although I have to drag myself out of the house and take about 40 min drive round trip.

Our merciful God, as always, never WASTE our time. As I was driving home, I tuned in 88.1 FM (CSN International Broadcast). I listened to message taken from Ephesians 4, which is exactly what I needed to hear. There's 2 section of the verse that spoke very strongly to me:

²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace

we need to be humble, gentle, patient, bearing one another in love because we are not working alone in the church. We are working and laboring hand in hand with other believers whom God has called to serve.

¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

There are many gifts but one Spirit. As we use the gifts for the works of service, the body is built up till we all reach unity in faith and become mature.

Please pray for unity in body of Christ.

We Thank You

We Thank You!

We thank You Lord for all the things that You've done
We thank You Lord for Your loving kindness
We thank You Lord that You died on the cross
to give us life

We thank You Lord for being with us
When all else have failed and our world falls apart
We thank You Lord that Your mercy seeks us through
Lord, we thank You!

What are you joyful for today?

Holy

One of my favorite verse of all times:



Lord, search my heart
Seek through my thoughts
see if there's anything offensive in me

I want to be close to Your heart
But I know that You can't stand my sin

You are Holy, Holy
Set apart from all impurities
You are Holy, Holy
Make me holy just like you are

Psalm 139

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

wrinkles

Last Friday, the Rustams brought Max to Young Adult Fellowship. To me personally, as I play music for the fellowship that night, his presence was such a joy! When we sang praises to the LORD, Max's face shines the brightest and he would be the first one to clap his hands enthusiastically! Thank you, baby! You wouldn't be able to imagine how wonderful God has used you to bless auntie Fonda.

Lately, Max and I love to take our pics with camera. We count "one, two, THREE" so by the count three, Max would be looking at the camera with big smiles. Way easier than to have someone holding the camera and hoping for Max to smile at it.

This weekend, I used one of the pics as my desktop background and I started to realize that Max's skin is so smooth and tight, while mine started to show wrinkles! (hiksss) I was not completely sad, but I guess God thought I could use some "cheer me up"

On Sunday afternoon, as I was getting food in the doughnut shop, one of the customer thought I am still a student. He asked me what subject I am studying and how much longer until I finish my study. I told him I graduated 2 years ago (to which he replied, 'good for you, school is getting really expensive now'). Anyways.......I take it as I still look young although I looked wrinkled compare to Max.

On top of that, the doughnut man gave me a free doughnut: "You're studying biology? My daughter studies biology too, here's one doughnut for you!"

Blessed.....

Last Saturday, God grant me a chance to serve at Innvision with some of my dearest friends. I've been there before and I served before, but last Saturday was special for me.

We had enough people that day, so when I arrived with my cousins, I can focus on the musical part of the ministry. Thank God we had plenty of time to practice and to really engaged in worship even before we start serving the food. Ko Chris led us in prayer before the people start coming to the room.

As they enter the room, we sang "He has made me glad" (I will enter His gates). I noticed some people were clapping their hands to the rhythm as they were waiting in line for the food. Among the songs we sang, "How great Thou art" and "Amazing Grace" were some of the songs that really stood out. Here's why:

As we sang "How great Thou art", I noticed there's this one lady who sang the chorus with us as she was getting the food. Later on, after we're done, this lady came up to us and told us how much she enjoyed the songs. She said she came with no appetite but she was leaving that place "full".

There's also this one gentleman who enjoyed the songs so much that he wanted to sing with us. Since he did not really know how to sing the song we were singing, he requested for us to sing "Amazing Grace" again. He ended up keeping the music sheet and info about our church.

It's just awesome for me to see how God was at move that day. He touched the hearts of the people we were serving as well as all of us as the servant. That day, again I thank God for the gifts that He had given each one of us. For me, and some of the people in the group that day, I know it is the gift of music. For other people in the group, I can clearly see the gift of hospitality, which I don't think I possess. In either case, God can use the gifts He has given us to bring glory to Him when we lift them up into His hands.

Our God is an awesome God!

your labor is not in vain

I was cleaning up my files when I saw this writing, dated September 8, 2008. I don't even remember what prompt me to write this, or where I learned it from (Most likely from truthforlife broadcast, or as a response for the video from nooma). I just know that it bless my heart today. So, as you read it, I pray that you may be blessed too.

Remember when Elijah was on Mount Carmel and the LORD demonstrated His power in the form of fire that fell and burned up the sacrifice? (1 Kings 18:38). The response from the people was totally understandable: they fell prostrate and cried "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!" (v39). But then when Queen Jezebel heard about the things that had happened on the mount, she had a quite different response: She swore that she would kill Elijah the same way as the 450 prophets of Baal was slaughtered.

Elijah might be wondering, how come after the obvious demonstration of God's power, Jezebel still hardened her heart and refused to acknowledge that the Lord is indeed God. What seemed to be a victorious event turned out to be not enough to lead Jezebel and Ahab into repentance. Then Elijah cried out in frustration and prayed that he might die "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

In similar ways, many of us who are involved in God's ministry often times deals with frustration similar to Elijah's. We witnessed the Lord at work and we know there is no other appropriate response than to worship and praise Him and hail Him as Lord and King of our lives. But not everyone responded to God in the same way. And like Elijah, we started to think that probably all the sacrifices we made for God were in vain because people were not drawn to Him.

Over and over again, God keep reminding us that it is the Holy Spirit who is at work to turn people to repentance. It is not what we do or say. Over and over again God also reminds us that He delights in our obedience above anything else.

Focus on God, and He will take care of the people (learned from Nana)

Her name is Joy

It's almost 1st year anniversary of the piano in the house, yet I haven't really properly named her. So, yesterday (2/24) I decided that she would be called Joy, because that's what she brings to the house.

I remember 2 years ago when I started to consider a purchase. I was not sure that it will be a good investment, since that time we started to have this economic crisis and lots of other people started to lose jobs. I prayed for it for a while and I was so excited when it finally came! In fact, I was so grateful to the LORD that I 'promise' Him that I will use it to bring glory to God. Specifically, I even committed myself to train people be musicians in worship session at church.

There is this one specific time when I started to forgot about this commitment and was being reminded again by God. Once he reminded me, I started to pray that God would direct me to the person He wants to train to serve. Out of the blue, one of my smallgroup girls came to me and told me that she wanted to be trained, even before I asked her. (I have an Amazing God!)

Anyways, all these time, the instrument has helped me to worship God more often with songs and to have a quiet moment of prayer and reflection. We hosted more music practice for young adult and English service. And.....Oh! It helps me to keep Max busy whenever he's in the house. =)

Thank You God, for bringing "Joy" to the house. May You use us to bless more people with the gift of music.

prayer

This week, I've been listening to CSN international broadcast (88.1 FM, 8 AM) from Truth for Life by Alistair Begg. This past week he was teaching about prayer from the book of Nehemiah. You can hear the entire message on this link:

http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/message/nehemiah-goes-into-action/

Here are some points I learned from the series:

1. Nehemiah 1:4 --> when he learned that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, he sat down and wept. His action shows a genuine concern and passion for the people of God.

2. Alistair Begg broke down component of prayer into ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication)

Adoration - Nehemiah 1:5

Confession - Nehemiah 1:6 - he confessed sins committed as a nation

Thanksgiving - I don't remember which part of the prayer he used to explain this point

Supplication - Nehemiah 1:11 --> Before the talked to the king, he prayed before the Lord to give him success by granting him favor in the presence of the king. He KNOWS that God is at work in all situation, therefore he asks God to be at work to grant him favor. When we don't have this concept, we will be constantly at our feet trying to move people around instead of on our knees praying to God to be at work.

3. About 4 months later (chapter 2) he looked sad in front of the king. See verse 1 "I had not been sad in his presence before". Nehemiah does his job Joyfully, Prayerfully, and Thankfully. But that day, his sad face made the king asked him the question.

4. ch2v2b "I was very much afraid". Prayer does not always eliminate fear, but it definitely prepares us to move in the right direction.

5. ch2v3b "May the king love forever!" Before he answered the king's question, he properly addressed the king with respect. Sometimes we just forgot to give respect to whom they are due.

6. ch2v4. Nehemiah again prayed to the Lord before answering the king's question "what is it that you want".

7. ch2v7 Nehemiah also asked the king to write him letters for governors and people in power to ease his journey. His prayers for 4 months had made Nehemiah sensible about the details of the needs, hence made it practical to rebuild Jerusalem. We are more often prayed on the spot and our God of mercy answered and helped us instantaneously. Having spend time in prayer for 4 months, however, had better equipped Nehemiah to make a right respond in front of the King.

I think that's all I learned this week (actually I might have learned more, but it will be too confusing to be listed out in writing). I apologize if my writing is too confusing for you to read. I hope I convinced you enough to go to Truth for Life website and listen to the message on your own.

As for what God is doing in my life this year, He had been reminding me to fall on my knees more often.

- I've been spending a lot of time with Max lately. What a prayer warrior he will become....hahaha.....Max lovessss to pray. As we were dining, there will be occasion where Max would bow down in prayer.

- I had a smallgroup meeting with Ko Chris and Tom this morning, and as we were discussing action plans God put in my heart that I need to be praying more (especially because there are not much us humans can do without God's intervention).

- As I ponder about Nehemiah's concern for Jerusalem, I ponder about my concern and involvement in the church building commitment. I am reminded to pray more diligently for our church.

I know it was not a coincidence that last Friday ci Santi was sharing a message about prayer too. God knows I've been having difficulties in my prayer life and he provided me with resources to get started in a more solid prayer life.

Would you care to join with me and hold me accountable?

in Christ,

Fonda

He must become greater, I must become less

During my quiet time, God highlighted a passage from Gospel of John. The reading began after John the Baptist told the crowd that Jesus it the Lamb of God, the Promised One. A lot people started to follow Jesus and some people started to concern about John the Baptist's fading popularity.

Here's John the Baptist's answer to their concern:

'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:28-30, NIV)

In Indonesian Sunday School, we used to sang a song "He must become greater; I must become less". I did not really grasp the meaning of the song until I came to college and started to fall in love with Jesus all over again. But even then, I thought that the song was talking about denying self, and taking up the cross.

During devotion, God showed me another way to look at the verse. He was talking about leaving footprints in people's life. John the Baptist, with no doubt, was a very charismatic preacher. He attracted people to him, he was well received by the crowd (but not by the Pharisees, of course). But when Jesus came, John said "He must become greater; I must become less." While some people concerned about his fading popularity, John knew what matter the most. It didn't matter that he had a lot of followers, but it mattered that he directed as many people as possible to be connected to Jesus.

Since the first time I came to US, God had given me the privilege to join a small group. Recently, He also invited me to lead small group of college students. I've seen people come and go. One of our friends transferred to another state, several sisters went back to Indo for good. Although sense of loss is unavoidable, what matters most is that everyone keep walking with God faithfully.

The passage was an eye-opener for me, since I tend to be emotionally clingy to people. Would you please pray for me to adopt John the Baptist's humble attitude as I continue the ministry of discipleship in the church?

There is a way

I heard this song not too long ago from KLOVE. Loving it!

Hope it bless your heart.....

December vacation

In December, I am grateful...................

that God gave me a chance to spend quality time with my little bro last Christmas. I did go back to Indo earlier in the year 2009, but I have different enjoyment in taking him around Bay Area and Disneyland with me. The moments I enjoyed the most were times when I can see him awed by what he saw and experienced. I enjoyed seeing him so excited to see seals and hawks at Point Lobos, I enjoyed seeing him wanting wait in line to take a picture with Goofy, or to wave at other Disney characters as we watched Christmas parade; or when we ride roller coaster and I can hear him scream at some parts of the ride.

Bottom line is, it is really fulfilling for me to see him enjoying his stay here.

As I reflect on my feelings, I imagine God is also like me. That He enjoys seeing me exploring His creation in awe and seeing me uncovering His plans and purpose with full excitement. Unfortunately, I am not always showing enthusiasm towards His plan nor His creation. I know sometimes God would stir things up around me to get me to react to Him, but my response does not always please Him.

As we start off this year,

let us actively seek Him at work around us, always on alert, make most of every opportunity and seek to respond in ways that are pleasing to Him and

let us receive God's blessing with a grateful heart and by doing so giving the glory back to God.