Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2014

Thankful Thursday

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬ NLT)

Counting God’s blessings in our lives is one way to remind us what God has done and who He is to us. Every gift He gives to us is too wonderful for word.

I love spending every day at the end of the day, after I put the girls to bed, to just sit and think back what God has done for us. I write them down in my 1000 gifts Journal to remind me that no matter it is small or big thing has happened in that day still I give thanks to my God, the Father, who loves and cares for us.

Last weekend, we spent our Labor’s Day weekend with my brother-in-law, his wife and her family. They hosted us for 3 days and we were so blessed!

We got to see God’s goodness in their lives and we could spend time to enjoy each other companion.

On Saturday evening, they took us to see Bloom Music Concert and it was totally a blast! The girls super excited because it was their first open concert and they played Disney’s songs, including Let It Go. At the end there was fire works.

On Sunday, we had time to hang out with Dave’s brother and his wife. They also took us to see the Blue Angels air show. And in the evening we spent time with the whole family.

Then we left to spend a night camping at Geneva State Park. That is one pretty town by Lake Erie. And on the way back home on Tuesday, we stopped by a beach to enjoy some fun time at Lake Erie.

I am still working on more pictures from the trips, hopefully I will be able to put some on my Facebook album next week 🙂

Did you all also had a fun Labor’s Day with your loved ones? What is your favorite thing to do on holidays?

Posted on Friday, July 11, 2014

Don’t Be Afraid and Don’t Be Silent

Every time I read the book of Acts, God teaches me different things from the same book, He is unlimited source of knowledge and wisdom! He speaks differently to His children to meet their needs. Isn’t He the amazing Father?

God knew how to speak to the people Paul visited. He knew their hearts and how they would react to the truth that Paul shared with them. He knew that they would reject and oppose Paul and the message. But God had prepared Paul for all of these, he said to Paul clearly,

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” (‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭18‬:‭9-10 NLT)

We all can read the result after that. Paul extended his staying for another 1,5 year just to continue preaching and teaching God’s word among the people.

This portion of passage speak a lot to me this morning that there are many Christians here and in my home country have heard about Jesus, the Messiah, but they have no idea that they only know “about” Him, not knowing Him personally. We are sent to share the Gospel not only to those who have not yet heard of the Good News, but to those also who have heard but have not yet having relationship with the Father.

I grew up in a small where you can literally see a church in every one mile! But watching their every day life that did not show what they told others about Jesus or what the Bible says. They just tried to get people to go to church, but not never leading them to understanding that they need to repent and leave their old life style and have relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.

As a non-Christian, I though, well then if they lived like that, what’s wrong with my life style? I could just go to church and not changing my life so people could see the outside.

That was sad. Sad because I got the wrong ideas of what being a Christian is. Sad because there was no one came to me and taught me the truth. Sad because I had to wait for 21 years of my life to finally came to know the giver of my life who loves me so much and even gave His so that I may come to life. Sad.

But this is truth I read in Acts 18 this morning confirmed what God has put in my husband’s heart and mine that we need to go to preach and teach the truth not only to the people who never heard of it but also to those who have heard of it but not yet understand the truth. It is not by our human wisdom, but by God’s wisdom. It not by our own knowledge, but by the knowledge of the Holy Spirit given to us.

It is only God can lead people to repentance and change their hearts. But He will use each of us – you and me – to go and tell them this Good News!

This can be hard. For this kind of ministry can be tough and we can be rejected, but important. Their lives mean a lot to God. He wants them to repent and walk away from their old lives. He wants them to walk in the truth, not just knowing the truth. He loves them too.

Let’s not forget them in our prayer today. Ask God that they may come to see His face, seek repentance and run back to His loving arms.

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Posted on Friday, July 4, 2014

The True Freedom and The End Goal

“Jadi sudara-sudara, torang kase tau pa ngoni kalo ngoni pe dosa-dosa bole dapa ampun lantaran Yesus so mati di kayu salib.” (Cerita Yesus Pe Utusan-utusan 13:38)

“Sebab itu Saudara-saudara, haruslah kalian tahu bahwa melalui Yesus ini berita tentang pengampunan dosa diberitakan kepadamu;” (Kisah Para Rasul 13:38, BIMK)

“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.” (Acts 13:38, NLT)

This is why we wanna go to SEA*, to proclaim among the people of SEA* that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. There are about 18 million people who speak about 400 languages and have not yet have God’s word in the language their heart languages.

How can they hear about this good news if there is no one go to there to translate the Word, share with the people and teach them the truth?

How can they be saved if they never heard of this news, believe in their hearts and confess with their mouth that Jesus is the Lord of their lives?

How can they know that they can have eternal life through Jesus if there is no one tell them about it?

How can they live their lives in righteousness and please God’s heart when they have no instructions how to live in God’s way?

pd_photos_woman-reading-bible-220x150 These are fundamental questions asked to us every day. We are who are new creations in Christ and called ourselves as God’s children and Jesus’ followers receive the same commands when we read our Bible, the God’s Word to us. He command us to be the salt and light to the world. Jesus said that the world will know us as his followers and friends through our love to each others. And we are commanded to go and share the Good news with every people, in every tongue and language, in every land, and teach them so they may come to believe in Christ and be baptize in His holy name. The end goal of all of what we are called and commanded to do are:

God will be known among the nations.
God be the God of all people.
God is the one who will receive all the glory from every people, tribe and nation in every tongue and language.

We can read about all of these from the beginning of the book of Genesis until the last page of the book of Revelation. This is the end goal of all….

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Nothing that the men could do to save themselves from the eternal death. Jesus is the answer to their hope! They have been waiting too long to hear this good news and it is only a good news until it is shared with them.

You know the truth from God’s word will set you free (John 8:32). And the very same truth they will know in their heart languages will also set them free. This is the true freedom that they have been looking for!

What can you do?

You can pray from where you are sitting right now. PRAY for the people in the world and especially those who are in SEA*
You can get involved with God’s work through your church or mission organization to reach out the people locally and globally.
You can be financial partners to support God’s work through missionaries. God use His people and churches to provide the needs of His projects all around the world!
You can be the one who answer the calling to go to these Bibleless People Groups and Unreached People Groups.

In the last 2,5 years we are waiting for God’s specific assignments to us and finally, last month we got the answers. We got accepted as Wycliffe Associates volunteers. Dave and I will be working close and side by side with the local organization to equip, motivate, mobilize the workers, volunteers and churches. And also while we live among the people, reach out to them. God can use anybody with any skills and any education backgrounds. There are so many needs out there in the mission fields! You might one of the people God has called to meet the needs of the workers… Would you be praying for that?

So, my dear friends and families… What will you do?

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Posted on Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Prayer, Where It All Starts

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Always be one of my 1000 gifts every day that I am able to read God’s word in my heart language! We’re still waiting for the completion the whole Bible. But there are about 200 million people who speaks over 2000 languages are still waiting to have 1 verse of God’s word in their heart languages.

Today’s HelloMornings reading is from Acts 11:1-30, It’s all begins with prayer. In the whole passage Peter explain to the Apostles in Jerusalem what had happened and why he ate with Cornelius, the Gentiles (Acts 10:4) that is because the Angel of God had appeared to both of them at the same time, different places.

Pe degar itu, tu orang-orang Yahudi yang percaya pa Yesus so nyada se sala pa Petrus. Dorang puji pa Tuhan Allah kong ba bilang, “Jadi, orang-orang bukang Yahudi lei Tuhan Allah so kase kesempatan for bertobat supaya dorang bole dapa hidup kekal.” (Kisah Para Rasul 11:18, Manadonese)

Ketika mereka mendengar hal itu, mereka menjadi tenang, lalu memuliakan Allah, katanya “Jadi kepada bangsa-bangsa lain juga Allah mengaruniakan pertobatan yang memimpin kepada hidup.” (Kisah Para Rasul 11:18, Terjemahan Baru)

When others heart about this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” (Acts 11:18, NTL)

This happened because Cornelius were praying and God heard him. God gave Peter a mission to go and reached out Cornelius and his households. God changed Peter’s perspective of sharing the Good News not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. God showed Peter that what God knew Peter would understand the best.

This is one of the prayer I have been praying for since I went to a small village in East Borneo, Indonesia. A group of people who speak the language I couldn’t understand and cannot speak. They do not understand Indonesian at all because there is no school at all there. Nothing. They were left behind. God showed me the way I could understand best what He wants me to see. He showed me the needs. He changed my perspective and motive to go back to school and finished my study. God leads people because He hears others prayer. He hears the people calling out to Him.

Would you be the answer today to end this Bible Poverty? How about start with praying?

Would you join me in prayer asking God to send more workers like the Apostles in the book of Acts to go translating, preaching and teaching God’s Word to them?

Would you pray for us asking God to open doors & provides the needs for us to go to SEA*?

THANK YOU for saying “Yes, I will be praying.” God is listening and will answer all your prayers according to His will and His glory in Jesus Christ!

Posted on Thursday, June 5, 2014

Under God’s Mighty Hands

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:6-11)

These are the truth, great reminder and practical instruction of how we, as Jesus’ followers and believers, should live out our lives. And God’s promise of deliverance when we submit to Him and His Lordship and mighty hands.

Humble ourselves. Why? The answer is simple. It is because we are just human, made out of dust. We are nothing out of Him. I am nothing without Jesus. I thought I could do things then I failed. Often I forget that He is the one that I need be He has created me and to do what He has called me to do as a wife to my husband, a mother to my daughters, a daughter to my parents, a sister to my younger sisters, a friend to my friends, or just to be someone out there to those who are in need.

Humbling myself under God’s mighty hand is not as easy as I read in it in the Bible. Real life example, happened many times, was when I carried all my problem and worried to much. The moment I took my anxieties on myself, that very moment, I put God aside. Nothing I gained by being worry and carry every load on my on.

Jesus invites everyone who has burden to come to Him and He ask us to give Him our own burdens. How’s that for a help comes from the Lord? This kind of help we cannot find in this world.

God’s mighty hands are there for us. We just need to humble ourselves.

Humbling ourselves under His mighty hands leads to victorious life. That’s the promise in 1 Peter 5:7-11. When He has given His promises, He won’t let it fail (Isaiah 55:11).

So… would you humble yourself under His mighty hand today?

My prayer for us today that The Holy Spirit will help us and give us the desire in our hearts to enter His presence with humble hearts and seeking Him to have intimate fellowship with the Father.

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