Love In Action

1JOHN 3:18

Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

This is one of the "project" that we are doing together as a church this month. We call it "Love In Action". And I also want to encourage all of us to involve in it. This is not only for our church, but actually God has called all of us as His children to show His love to the world and to the people around us everyday.

Here is just some example of the actions that you can do:

Let's think of one person who you want to bless today, pray for them and ask God what you should do to show the love in action. Maybe it's just a simple thing, but I'm sure it will be a great blessing for the people who receive it :) Let's stop thinking about ourselves, and start becoming a blessing for others.. xoxo

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:16, NIV

Prayer For Your Husband

(From "Wife After God" book by Jennifer Smith)

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Dear Lord,

Thank you for my husband. Thank you for his heart, his health, and his love for me. I lift him up to you and ask that you would bless him. Use people around him, including me to affirm him.

I pray that he would be encouraged to seek after you and lead like Jesus. May your Holy Spirit transform his character so that he reflects you Lord.

Help him improve in the areas he is weak and continue to strengthen him each day. May he draw close to you Lord and may your will be evident in his life.

I pray against the powers of this dark world, I pray against temptations, I pray against the schemes of the enemy that try to attack my husband. I pray for protection in Jesus name!

Reveal to him your wisdom and your truths. May his soul know you well. I pray that I can help him and inspire him everyday.

In Jesus' name, AMEN!

***

Spend time praying for your husband. Share with God why you are thankful for him, lift up any needs he may have, pray for his character to reflect Christ, and petition God to protect him.

My Life in Melbourne (Part 5)

Udah hampir 18 bulan tinggal di Melbourne and so far belum pernah balik ke Indo. Kangen or home-sick sama Jakarta sih pasti.. But I know that Melbourne is my home now and aku harus bisa belajar untuk bersyukur di mana pun Tuhan tempatkan aku untuk tinggal saat ini. Aku juga bersyukur karena selama + 18 bulan ini udah banyak banget pengalaman suka-duka yang aku alamin bersama Tuhan and bersama suami.. Mulai dari pernikahan kami, pindahan rumah, bisa punya pengalaman kerja plus bisa sekolah juga di Melbourne, kenal banyak orang-orang baru, punya gereja lokal baru, dan juga kejadian misscarriage (keguguran) yang gak bakal terlupakan.. Through every season, God is so faithful to us!

Another exciting thing yang terjadi di awal bulan June ini, God added a new member in our family and in our house :) Her name is Stefanny, dia salah satu anak binaan aku dulu waktu di Indo dan dia dapet kesempatan untuk tinggal di Aussie selama 1 tahun (working holiday visa). Seneng banget rasanya bisa punya temen dari Indo yang dateng ke sini, and we treat her as our family member, as our little sister and our "daughter" in Christ, hehe..

She has stayed with us for almost 2 weeks, and please pray so she can get a job soon. Becoming her host jadi bikin aku inget pengalaman aku dulu waktu tinggal 1 tahun di Amrik with my host family.. what a precious experience.. Who knows nanti after Stefanny, ada anak muda lainnya lagi yang bakal Tuhan kirimin ke sini to stay with us.. Hayo, siapa yang mo ke sini? :p

Marriage life is also wonderful.. Meskipun banyak ups and downs nya kayak roller-coaster (haha..) tapi seru, and makin hari malah makin tambah sayang rasanya (uhuy!) But tetep terus support kami dalam doa ya, supaya pernikahan kami bisa terus menjadi berkat buat orang lain. Doain juga supaya aku bisa cepet lulus sekolah nih (udah gak sabar pengen cepet2 selesai rasanya, haha..)

Oya satu hal lagi yang bikin excited di bulan ini.. Hillsong Conference 2015!! Impian aku dari dulu yang soon bakal jadi kenyataan, hehe.. I will post about it later, ok :)

I miss you so much, Indonesia! I will see you in December! xoxo

Your Spouse Is A Gift

(From "Wife After God" book by Jennifer Smith)

Your husband is a gift from God...

It is important to see your husband and yourself as gifts to each other everyday you have together, for that will influence how you treat each other.

The marriage relationship is also a magnificent gift in that you and your husband have the opportunity to bless to others. Your marriage is a ministry where you and your husband can work together as a team to fulfill the needs of people around you, to show hospitality, to pray for people, to show compassion, to love by reflecting Christ's love as you mirror His image.

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for the gift you have blessed me with, my husband and our marriage. Please forgive me for not always receiving this gift with thankfulness and joy. I pray that you would transform my heart and my perspective so that I may always recognize this powerful gift.

I desire to have a deep appreciation for my husband that helps me treat him really good. May your Holy Spirit remind me daily of this precious gift. I pray for my husband to understand that I am a gift, as well. Reveal to him this truth like you revealed it to me.

Thank you for caring about us so much that you would give us the opportunity to experience marriage. May we live as a team to minister to others. May our hearts be sensitive to where you are calling us and to whom you are asking us to bless. May we be prepared to give as you ask of us, regardless of how big or small. I pray that others would see your love story reflected through our love.

In Jesus's name, AMEN!


When you see your husband next, picture God handling him to you as a gift, and receive your gift by hugging your husband.

What's The Most Important?

Beberapa waktu yang lalu (waktu lagi saat teduh kalo ga salah), aku dan suami sempet diskusi tentang earthquake yang terjadi di Nepal plus sambil ngebayangin gimana ya kalo misalnya kita yang ada di posisi mereka..

Dalam sekejap semua yang kita punya hilang.. rumah, uang, baju, sepatu, pokoknya semua harta benda yang selama ini kita udah susah payah beli and kumpulin tiba-tiba hilang lenyap dalam sekejap.. Pernah ga ngebayangin kayak gitu? That must be really hard.. but aku yakin dalam situasi kayak gitu kita jadi mengerti what is actually the most important things in life.. Orang-orang yang lagi dalam bencana, ga mungkin mikirin baju or sepatu yang baru mereka beli, or mikirin karir mereka, popularitas dll. Kalo menurut aku ada 2 hal paling penting yang pasti langsung muncul saat itu..

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1. KESELAMATAN. Bukan cuma keselamatan jasmani, tapi juga keselamatan rohani kita. Sama seperti orang-orang yang ada di dalam pesawat terbang. Aku inget banget di tahun 2012, aku pernah naik pesawat (sendirian) dari Jakarta ke Bangkok. And itu penerbangan paling ngeri yang pernah aku alamin so far.. di tengah-tengah perjalanan, pesawatnya sempet goyang dan kita bisa berasa kalo itu pesawat kayak lagi going down, mau jatuh ke bawah. Orang-orang udah pada panik, ada yang sampe nangis, jantung udah pada deg-degan and semuanya langsung pada berdoa.. Aku bisa denger orang di belakang aku ada yang langsung teriak-teriak, "Jesus!!" And buat aku pribadi, aku juga jadi bisa ngerasain kalo di saat itu bener-bener ga ada hal lain yg lebih penting dari keselamatan. Semua orang juga pasti langsung jadi mikir, apa yang bakal terjadi nanti kalo mereka ga selamat. Aku waktu itu juga doa, but doanya gini.. "Lord, is it time for me to see You face to face?" But ternyata belom waktunya, hehe.. Tuhan belom selesai beurusan sama hidup aku :p But di saat itu Tuhan cuma ingetin kalo ga ada hal lain yang lebih penting dari keselamatan (hidup kekal) yang kita peroleh di dalam Kristus. Hubungan kita dengan Kristus itulah yang terpenting!

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38)

2. PEOPLE. Hal kedua selain keselamatan, kita pasti akan langsung mikirin orang-orang yang penting dalam hidup kita. Kita akan berusaha sebisa mungkin untuk menolong mereka supaya bisa selamat dari bencana. Suami-istri yang lagi berantem, mungkin bisa langsung jadi baikan and maaf-maafan kali ya, haha.. And pasti ada orang-orang yang nyesel juga karena selama ini mereka terlalu sibuk and gak spend more time with their spouse or their family. Aku bilang ke DM, kalo sampe kita ada di posisi orang-orang yang ngalamin earthquake, di saat kita udah ga punya apa-apa lagi.. "one thing that I want is I want to be with you." :)

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)

#Selfie Generation

A selfie is a self-photograph, a style of portraiture that became popular in the 2000s. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter and MySpace. They are usually flattering and made to appear casual. -Wikipedia

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When I grew up as a kid and as a teenager, I never heard the word #selfie before. I even didn't have a mobile phone.. until I was in the senior high school.. but I never used it, I just left it at home because I didn't need it at all and not many people had it. At that time we only used mobile phone to call someone (no SMS, no camera, no social media, no applications, and no touch screen of course, we can touch but nothing happen, haha..) And I still remember when the first time I received an SMS from the provider, I was so surprised.. "Wow, what is this??" :p

I also remember at that time, it was so hard to get an internet connection. I need to go to a place called "warnet" (warung internet) and I need to pay to use their computers to check my email, or sometimes I did chatting with mIRC.. It was so exciting because we were able to use the internet only once in a while.. Hmm.. I'm kinda miss those old times.. LOL.

But now.. internet and social media is everywhere! Mobile phones has replaced so many things in our lives (cameras, books, letters, radios, video games, even Bibles) so everywhere we go, we won't forget to bring our mobile phones. (But honestly, until now I still love and prefer to read my Bible book than the one in my phone :p) Technology is good.. but we also need to be careful with it..

#Selfie is one of the most popular things these days. We live in a #selfie generation. There is nothing wrong with #selfie, but we need to be wise. We have to know that there are things that we need to keep it just for ourself and we don't need to share it on the social media. We have to check our heart and our motivation, "Do I need to post and share this to others?" "Do I only want to impress people, or do I want to impact people through this posting?" "Do I only want to prove myself in front of public?"

Being constantly connected via technology is exhausting and unhealthy. I’m a recovering iPhone addict, but I’m learning that when I can shut down my phone and computer for extended periods of time, I’m more present in the moment and have more focus. When you do use social media, use it as a way to encourage people; not a way to try and impress people. -Dave Willis

I told my husband few days ago that I really really want to be careful with what I post on social media. I don't want to post something just for my own advantage, but I want to bless others and I want to impact people's lives. There are some pictures and moments that I will keep just for myself, or just between me and my husband (for example, we use "Between" application just for both of us).

I know it must be hard to stop posting something that we like to post; something that can make us look good, make people think positive about us, or maybe can make other people jealous :p But let's see what kind of example that Christ has done for us:

Philippians 2:3-8, MSG

Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Christ lived a #selfless life, and he also died #selfless. Can you see the difference?

Let's become a #selfless generation.. and not a #selfie or #selfish generation.. :)

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I want to live to impact, not to impress..

I want to live to influence and inspire, not to intimidate..

Because..

My life is not about ME..

It is about GOD..

Puasa Untuk Apa Yang Belum Terjadi

Hello June!

Hari ini hari pertama di bulan Juni, dan salah satu komitmen penting yang aku buat di bulan ini adalah aku mau ambil waktu untuk puasa. Aku percaya ini salah satu hal yang Tuhan mau untuk kita lakukan lagi, khususnya di tahun-tahun ini..

Hari Sabtu kemarin, entah gimana caranya, ada satu notification yang tiba-tiba muncul di HP aku (dan aku yakin ini bukan kebetulan). Dan ternyata notification itu nge-link ke salah satu khotbah Philip Mantofa di YouTube yang judulnya "Puasa Untuk Apa Yang Belum Terjadi". Akhirnya aku dan suami sama-sama dengerin khotbah ini.. kalian juga bisa dengerin khotbahnya di bawah sini:

Sebelum dengerin khotbah itu, aku memang lagi ngerasa kayak diingetin Tuhan tentang puasa. And setelah denger khotbah, jadi makin mantep rasanya, haha.. And jadi makin ngerti juga apa yang harus aku doain and puasain..

Puasa untuk apa yang belum terjadi:

- visi Tuhan dalam hidup aku dan DM yang belum tergenapi

- pertobatan dan keselamatan orang-orang di sekitar kita yang belum mengenal Tuhan

- pernikahan-pernikahan dan rumah tangga yang perlu pemulihan dari Tuhan

- keselamatan generasi ini, khususnya generasi muda

Aku beberapa hari ini juga mulai ikut prayer movement dari Operation World untuk doain 1 negara per hari, ikutin prayer calender mereka. And aku juga lagi doa puasa buat Australia.. supaya same-sex marriage gak dilegalkan di negara ini. Sedih banget rasanya denger berita-berita yang terjadi di sini and di dunia akhir-akhir ini. We really need to pray and fast for them!

There must be a reason and a purpose why God put us to live in this generation. Let's stop thinking about ourself and let's start thinking about others. Don't be a selfish generation, but be a model of goodness. This generation need us! And they need God!

So lewat post kali ini, aku mau encourage setiap kita untuk sama-sama merendahkan diri lagi di hadapan Tuhan, melalui doa dan puasa. Tinggalin dulu setiap kesenangan kita (makanan yang enak dan hidup yang nyaman) and let's take our time to feel what is in God's heart. He wants us to "work" together with Him. Ayo ambil waktu, khususnya di bulan Juni ini.. biar setiap kita bisa mengalami kuasa Tuhan lebih lagi di dalam kehidupan kita. Amin.