Be proud of your country

I'd like to start my post by asking you this: what would you tell somebody if he or she asks you about what Indonesia is like? The natural inclination for many of us would be to tell him or her about how greatly corrupted our country is. Some of us might even choose to talk about the terrible poverty that our country is in. But in truth, there are many reasons for us to be proud of our country.

Now that America is in a crisis of its own, no thanks to the greed of executives, there is no reason why we should look down on our country and place great admiration for the Europeans and Americans. You may not realize it, but Indonesia has jumped by about 40 positions (for the better) in the Corruption Perception Index compiled by Transparency International. It's still not a very pleasant figure, but you have to admit that this jump is a huge step forward for the future of our country.Indonesia is still a developing country, but all it takes is for a willing individual to make a few choices to turn the country back to the right direction. It is no coincidence that these improvements came in a time when individuals like SBY and Sri Mulyani took office.

So I'd like to point out to you that nothing is impossible in Indonesia. Especially when we have a big God leading and backing us. Indonesia can be the next America, but only if we Indonesians choose to. And we will never make the right decision if we look down on our country all the time. Many of us are afraid in being disappointed that our hopes of change may never be realized. But hey, I believe that's the same way Sri Mulyati and SBY felt when they were about to embark on this journey of remedying the current situation in Indonesia.

So, let us keep in mind the following verse:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

- Hebrews 11:1

Our hope is not in SBY. Our hope also lies not in Sri Mulyani. But our hope lies in our faith that our Father is able to do exceedingly and abundatly above all we can ask or think. Amen.

p.s.: I have a school blog on how America could get out of the financial mess it's in by learning from Indonesia if you'd like to check it out: http://myportfolio.usc.edu/robingun/

Cheers!

today

Hi people. I'm back in US. never thought I'll be back so fast, but here I am.
Been enjoying myself in my brother's new house in MOuntain View, Ca. His housemates are hospitable, funny and cute. hahaha.
cant wait to catch up with all of you in LA.

The past few months have been different; some became eye-opener, lots of learning, swallowing pride.
today is yet another significant day.
don't know it, but might be the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart.
So I was struck by the realization of how important family is.
not only my closest ones, but also my extended ones.
these past weeks, I've met with my extended family and looking at their lives, I feel that I'm much much more privileged than them. I say my life is so blessed and I feel I have to do something to bless them.
I feel that restoration needs to happen in my big, big family.
so, i wanna start praying for them, doing little things that hopefully will bring impact to their life.

Ps. Danny Tumiwa said a few weeks back in his sermon that God is looking closely on families now.
so, maybe it's time for your families and mine to experience RESTORATION and ABUDANCE.

amen-

the Pencil

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS :

1.) EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK..

2.) YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.

3.) WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

4.) IN LIFE , YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS,
WHICH WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON.

5.) TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF
TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.

Gbu!

believing is a decision

Hi guys, I got this great message from Fanny Mandik's (aka Mrs Sammy Mandik) facebook msg.

It's something I need to be reminded of today =D and i wanna share it with you.

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How was you Monday??? Great? Smooth? Tough?
Well, no matter how tough your Monday was, give yourself a big smile!

God reminded me about something that I posted last week.

"Those who choose to believe in and cling to God and His grace,
shall prosper in everything they do. So, choose to believe."

I used the word 'choose', because TO BELIEVE IS A DECISION,
not based on feelings or situation or what we see right in front of us, and
THE PERFECT TIME TO BELIEVE IS WHEN THINGS ARE IMPOSSIBLE!!!

When we decide to believe, we decide to go against the current. We go against our own feeling, we go against the situation, we even go against the possibilities. But, BY THE TIME WE DECIDE TO BELIEVE, WE HAVE ACTUALLY ACTIVATED THE PROMISE OF GOD TO COME TO PASS in our lives! Hebrew 11:1 talks about what faith is. My interpretation of Hebrew 11:1 is simple: Faith is seeing the unseen =)

Don't miss God's best, just because of our unbelief.
We still have the rest of our lives to enjoy God's best, every step of the way. God has the best in store for us =)

Choose to believe!
Fanny
(Oh, by the way, if you say that it's hard to believe when everything seems impossible, I can only say: just enjoy the experience =))) I am enjoying that experience too at the moment! Everything I write in this group message is what I've been or I am going through. So it's real, and God (only God) gives us the ability =)))

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Ameennn :D

Oh, have fun for those of you who're going to big bear hehe

Just keep at it

Hello!

Yup I tried to write this entry using Bahasa; I gave up after two paragraphs.
Today, I face 3 exams next week and 4 papers next2 week. Tough and tiring journey ahead but I always remember how God always get me through this kind of situations.

In LA, before my GMAT test, Easter preparations and practices kept me from studying GMAT. However, God still opened up ways for me to pass the test and get into a university. Before the winter holidays, I had to balance school work with church ministry and, my, it was a disaster. Unending papers and exams gave me a hard time, while church ministry during the christmas events added on to my stress. One would wonder why would I accepted the tasks when I have so many school work to do? The answer is simple- I asked for it. Soon after I settled down in Tokyo, I prayed and fasted for God to use me. Apparently, not only does He want to use me, He wants to train me.

Nonetheless, everything ended well. The event was successful and I completed all my assignments. And the grades I got so far, are nothing less than a miracle. 2009 ended well and 2010 began with events to organize and tasks to complete. Again, I prayed to God to use me more. And again, I got it.

So with finals and events coming up, I have to balance again. Call me dumb but you just can't reject what you asked for. But I know everything will end well again, like it had previously, because God doesn't engage in "trade-offs" like the world does- He gives us the best in every aspect.

So for all of you balancing your lives right now, remember: snatch opportunities you asked for and believe God will give you the best in every thing (not in overall-- it is "every individual thing").

Kenji Theodore Kusuma

not given up yet

A big hello to all from jakarta! hee-

So, holiday's over for most of you all now.. hohoho. Just wanted to drop by and share something short today! I was in the midst of reading this book called The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (which I heard it's great.. i agree so far!) and stumbled upon this one line:

"When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you."

This sentence got me thinking about my life. hehe. and realized the many times God is telling me to turn back to Him when I screw up. Sometimes the things that He has let happened to discipline are not that great, I admit. haha but that's because He cares.

How many times have you felt God telling you to stop doing something that's not in His will? How many times has He nudged you?

That means He hasn't given up and I'm thankful for that. :)

As written in Hebrews 12: 5-6

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

So, I just want to remind all of us to not forget that He has and will never give up on us!

God bless you all!

Treasure Hunt

If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord. —Proverbs 2:4-5

On January 1, 2008, Keith Severin and his 7-year-old son, Adrien, agreed that they would spend at least 15 minutes every day that year searching together for treasure. Carlos Alcalá’s article in the Sacramento Bee described how they went out each day in every kind of weather to see what they could find. A year later their collection of coins, golf balls, recyclable bottles and cans, and various other items had yielded more than $1,000. In the process, they enjoyed many hours of companionship and fun.

If we decided to spend 15 minutes a day searching for treasure in the Bible, what would we find? Solomon wrote: “If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. . . . Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path” (Prov. 2:4-5,9).

Growth won’t happen all at once. But gradually, day by day, we will be changed through reading God’s Word and obeying Him. And think of the privilege and pleasure of spending time with our heavenly Father.

It begins with a willing commitment, continues with exciting discoveries, and leads to the treasure of wisdom and life. — David C. McCasland

Rich treasures of God’s truth are waiting to be discovered.

Benjamin Generation Devotional: Series on Ruth - Don't Run Away

Heyy all, here's the new devotional hehe been a really long timee hahaha...hope u'll be blessed by it! :) GBU!

A time for miracles

And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, "The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" (Matthew 14:15-16)

I was told that this coming year was going to be a year of miracles for us, and that we were going to see some of the greatest miracles we have ever witnessed because we are going to need them! 

Many want to see miracles, but how many are willing to be put in a place where they need one? Miracles are not given for our entertainment, neither are they given to build our faith. They are the result of our having faith. Almost every miracle was the result of a desperate need. The greater the need, the greater the miracle. 

How great would the miracle have been to feed the five thousand if the disciples had hundreds of fishes and loaves, and just needed a little more? It was a great miracle because they had so little in their own hands with which to do what they were asked by God to do. 

When we are called by God to do a task, we often begin to look at what resources we have to perform it. This can be the beginning of our fall from the faith that will be required to do the true works of God. It is at the point that we see our resources running out that we will experience the power of God. What we need to do the true works of God will not be found in our own resources, or our own wisdom, but in the limitless resources of God. 

We know that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (see James 4:6). However, there is a false humility that is an offense to God, and can keep us from being useful to Him. It was this kind of false humility that Moses displayed when God first called him at the burning bush.

When the Lord told Moses that He was sending him back to release His people from bondage, Moses responded by saying that he was not adequate for this great task. This seemed humble, but it caused the anger of the Lord to burn against Moses. The Lord was angry because this seeming humility was actually an ultimate form of pride, and an affront to God. Moses was saying that his inadequacy was greater than God's adequacy. He was focusing on himself instead of the Lord. This is the one thing that may have caused more people to fail to fulfill their calling than any other single factor. 

We will never be adequate within ourselves for what the Lord calls us to do. In our flesh, which is our natural strength, we cannot accomplish one thing for the Lord. That is why Paul the Apostle told the men of Athens that the Lord is not served by human hands. Only the Spirit can begat that which is spirit. We are utterly dependent on the Lord to do His work. We will never be adequate within ourselves for His work, and if we ever start to feel adequate we will almost certainly be in the midst of a fall from grace. 

True faith is not a feeling of adequacy in ourselves, but rather of our focus on the adequacy of God. True faith is not a faith in our faith, but a faith in Him. The greatest faith is that which can see and believe in His provision in the time of the most pressing need. We need to see every circumstance that is beyond ourselves as an opportunity to see a miracle. If we are faithful in the little opportunities, He will bless us with greater ones. And yes, those blessings are trials. 

We are about to see great miracles, because He is going to allow us to come into places where we are going to need them. Let us determine now that we are not going to focus on the need, or ourselves, but on Him. Let us prepare for these opportunities by focusing on Him today.

Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;
while it is said, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me" (Hebrews 3:12-15).

resource by :
http://morningstarministries.org/Groups/1000022226/MorningStar_Ministries/Media/Daily_Devotional/Daily_Devotional.aspx

BenjaminGen Devotional: The sun never fails to shine :)

Hey peeps! This is supposedly last week's devotional hehe sorry kl telat yaa.. God bless you!

The sun shines everyday

Have you ever taken some time to look at the behavioral paern of the sun? This has never come across my mind before until one day, I received wisdom from the Spirit as I was driving to church. I just felt the Holy Spirit teaching me this:

The sun doesn’t care what day of the week it is; it still shines every day, from Monday to Sunday! Granted, there may be rainy days where the sun is covered by dark clouds. But, the sun is always there! The

presence of the dark clouds doesn’t change the fact that they sun is always shining every single day!

Jesus - the Man unmoved by circumstance

If there’s one man in the Bible who resembles the sun, that man is Jesus. No maer what situation He was in, His light will always shine through. Whenever He passed by the sick, He never fails to heal them. A woman with an is- sue of blood for 12 years? A man bound by leprosy for 18 years?No problem for Jesus! In an instant, they were completely healed! Jesus’ triumph over the curse of this fallen world is independent of His surroundings, but is de- pendent on who He is! The healer isn’t shaken by the different kinds of diseases, but every disease falls under the healer! He is just like the sun, whose light shines brightly every morning regardless of which day it is!

Granted, there are times when we can’t see the sun’s rays because of the dark clouds. But, the sun still shines (albeit behind the clouds). At the end of the day, no maer how heavy the rain is, we will always see the sun’s rays when the rain stops. This is exactly what happened when the waves came crashing in against the boat of Jesus and His disciples. No maer how ferocious the waves are, they had to obey the orders of the Prince of Peace. Why? Be- cause the Prince of Peace had peace that was much more domineering than the ferocity of the waves!

Beloved, your circumstances change according to what’s in you! Just like how Jesus calmed the storms that came crash- ing in, He will do the same for you! Allow Him to dwell in your inner being, and see you outward circumstances change! Hallelujah!

Thought of the Week: With Jesus in you, you WILL have dominion over your circumstances!

BenjaminGen Devotional: Your God is a God of hope

Hi fellas! I'm really sorry for posting this so late; this is the devotional for the 4th week of October and I'm currently working on the 5th's and the 1st week of November's. Apologies for the wordiness and the lack of any graphics on this devotional, but I hope that you could take time to read it :) Thanks!

Intro

In the Bible, God is recorded with different names. He is called God the Father, God the Healer, the God of peace, among others. This day, I believe that God wants to manifest in our lives as the God of hope! When everything seems to be crumbling down, He wants to know that there is still hope! And that hope can be found in Him! Why? Because He loves you too much to let you be stuck in your own rout!

The first mention of God as the God of hope is in the New Testament under Romans 15:13. The preceding verse, actually talk about Jesus reigning over the Gentiles’ (us) lives. Now friends, if you put them together, God can now manifest in our lives as the God of hope because of Jesus!

When you surrender everything to Jesus, the God of hope will surely redeem you from your troubles!

Miracle at the Red Sea

When the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, Pharaoh didn’t let them have the easiest way out. He continued pursuing them till the Red Sea. When the Israelis saw that the Egyptians were coming to get them, they were “very afraid”. Guess what they did? They blamed Moses for bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness! Because of fear, they have forgoen the fact that God was with Moses to lead them out of slavery from the Egyptians. But what Moses said at the Red Sea was very interesting. He said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord...” The following verse says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the miracle that God performed after was remembered as one of the most memorable miracles of God in the Bible. God divided the Red Sea and the children of Israel crossed over safely on dry land.

Something interesting was also mentioned in the same chapter. Verse 19 said that the Angel of God was behind them. Do you know that the Angel of God actually speaks of Jesus? Jesus was watching their backs as they moved!

What can we take away from this?

Do you notice how Moses instructed Israel not to be afraid, and asked them to hold their peace? Friends, that is the same thing that God wants us to do as we wait for our hopes to come to fruition! When we are not in ease, it is very easy to see the bad side of things, just like how Israel forgot that God has freed them of slavery. Not only that, we tend to blame others for our circumstances, just like Israel blamed Moses although he did no wrong. So friends, let us hold our peace as God fights for our victory! And how do you do that? By giving prayers to God in all things [Phil 4:13]! Make your prayers known to God and see God’s peace manifest in your hearts!

God also wants you to pay no aention to what is at your back. I believe that is why Jesus [the Angel of God] was standing behind their backs as they moved. God wants you to focus on what’s ahead and forget what has already passed! If you place too much focus on the past, you will try to reason all you can to convince yourself that no good will come in the future. How can you hope then? Surrender everything - past, present and future, to God and see Him work wonders with it!

Lastly, the chapter also talks about how God had Moses “stretch his hand over the sea.” Translate that into real world terms, and God is saying to you to speak faith to your troubles! Jesus said that with faith as small as a mus- tard seed, we will be able to move the mountains. Friends, that is the same thing that God wants you to do! You don’t need to have a great deal of faith to speak to your troubles. With faith even as small as a mustard seed, speak victory over your troubles and see God’s miracle in your situation! Hallelujah!

Thought of the Week: A hope in God is a hope that will never disappoint!

© Benjamingen.com

When you have to define life and death.

Hi Teman2,
I promise God that I will share this testimony with as many people as possible. To be honest, I have been keeping this to myself and not even my family knows about this.

Last month, all Waseda student has to undergo a compulsory full body check-up. I attended the check-up, thinking that it will be just like a regular medical consultation to make sure I do not have chronic illnesses. Everything went well in the beginning until my urinalysis report came out. It turn out that they found protein in my liquid waste and this was highly abnormal. However, since it was only a coarse test, they wanted to re-examine this issue two weeks after that day.

So last week, I went for the re-examination thinking that it will be a routine re-test to confirm that I am healthy. I did not feel the need to be concern because I feel perfectly healthy! And the report came out; it turned out that this time, protein level is higher than previously tested. The nurses were alarmed and quickly referred me to a renal specialist. It was at that time that I started to feel worried, and to some extent, scared. I rushed to the computer lab to learn more about this problem and internet information confirmed my worst expectation. High level of protein in urine is a sign of the beginning of kidney failure. It stated that many people with kidney diseases do not reach the kidney failure stage but I was still disturbed by the possibilities of needing to go through dialysis to preserve my life.

I went home that day feeling slumped and depressed. Though I was not in the right mood to do anything, God reminded me that nothing should hinder the targets that I have set for myself in Japan- to find a job and hopefully become more independent. So, I dragged myself to the nearby campus and applies for a tutoring job. The application went well but it still did not make me happier that day. From that day till today, many thoughts crossed my mind. First, what should I do next. I am only 20 and I have yet to achieve anything in life. Second, how would this affect my family. They will definitely make sure I am completely healthy again. But even if they can afford it, how certain is it that I can leave the operation room alive. Death crossed my mind frequently that week.

I prayed to God everyday and stayed positive at every moment. I was in deep thoughts several time and God gave me strength through my faith in Him. When alive, we honor Him in the world. When we die, we honor Him in heaven. Alive or not alive, we are still in Him; it is merely a transition. True enough, I have no problem leaving this world as long as I hold on to His promises but at the same time, I have big problems going through all the sufferings before I die. I have great faith but I have low tolerance! With kidney failure, I will eventually be weaker, bed-ridden, blind, handicapped and perhaps suffering from pain. Then I prayed to God: "if you are calling me to be your assistant in heaven, can you make it quick?" But God has a different answer.

Yesterday during sunday service, a sudden thought came into my mind; it is as though someone is speaking to me. "Staying humble is the hardest thing you (which is me) can ever achieve!" It is so true in more than one way. There are so many people who can see but are still blinded by corruptions and greed. There are so many people with a healthy body but are spiritually unhealthy. And there are 6 billions people living in this world, but how many are humble? Living a righteous life and being humble are far more difficult that surviving. Yet we are more concerned about how to live more comfortably rather than doing things that put a smile on His face. Upon realizing this, my emphasis is no longer towards my life but towards my soul. I'd rather die a humble man than live an arrogant life. Life and death, strong and weak, at that point of time, are no longer my primary concern.

Today, I returned to the medical center for my consultation. They asked me to take another urinalysis to update my condition. This time, they performed a more thorough test on my sample in order to acquire more data. I still kept myself positive believing that God's miracle is never limited. When the test is completed, I am declared healthy; there is not abnormalities in my urine sample. I heaved a sigh of relieve and praised God for his interference. The specialist said there should be no further problem and I did not need to come back this year. I will still need to undergo another full check-up next year to determine my health status.

God has alleviated the biggest problem in my life. Perhaps the previous two tests were inaccurate; perhaps God healed me instantly; or perhaps the last test was inaccurate and I still have problems. But in any case, I no longer worry about surviving because as long as my focus is in Him, He will keep me healthy, spiritually. He allows me to go through all these for a reason- to release me from the worldly views and strengthen my faith. Also, He allows me to experience the state-of-the-art medical system and world-renowned kidney specialist, everything, for only $6.80. That was 1/100 of the cost to remove my warts from my hand.

My friend, I might sound joking right now but tears are rolling down my cheeks. I am reminded of how GOOD my God is to me. He is so good that I hope I can thank Him face to face. It is only when I am closer towards death that I can realize how much favor I receive just to be a complete person. So I hope that whenever you are in dire situations, think of how Jesus died on the cross about 2000 years ago. He was cursed and physically destroyed but after that He rose from the dead and proclaim our Father's glory to everyone for 2 millennium. We might die but death is no more than a transition from this world, to God's Kingdom.

God Bless all of you!
Kenji T. Kusuma

BenjaminGen Devotional: How do you see God?

Hi peeps! Here's this week's devotional! As usual, if any of you would like the .PDF format of the file, do e-mail me at robingunawan_22@hotmail.com; thanks!

Intro

These days, the main problem that I believe many Christians have is the way they see God. I believe many Chris- tians have been introduced to the names of God: the healer, provider and so on. However, not many know who God really is. Some still see God as an angry god who is ready to unleash His fiery judgment the instant they do wrong. Others see God as a god who must be pleased before He blesses. My friends, I would just like you to know, that God is unlike any of that!

The Bible says that God is love [1 John 4:8]! And love, as the apostle Paul puts it, is long-suffering, kind and self- sacrificial [1 Corinth. 13:4-8]!

Now, why is our perception of God so important, you ask? Because, my friends, the way you see God will affect your relationship with God and how much you receive from Him!

Jesus - God’s gift for you

Do you know that in heaven, God is always looking for ways to bless you? When He realized that the old covenant He made with His people didn’t allow Him to pour out His full blessings, He made a new covenant of grace through

the death of Jesus at the cross [Hebrews 8:8]. Friends, God is al- ways looking for reasons to bless you! Every moment in heaven, He is always thinking of you!

Just like a father, God is always looking for presents to give to His children. Jesus is the best gift that God has, because through receiving Jesus, you have your salvation [John 3;16], peace with God [Romans 5:1], the forgiveness of sins [Matt 26:28] and provision for your daily needs [Matt 6:25-34]! Hallelujah!

If God does not care about you, or wants you to please Him first before He blesses you, He wouldn’t send Jesus to die for you. He would still require you to live under the old covenant, where you must do good first to be blessed. He will want you to fail so that the punishment will come on you, and then you will learn your lessons. But that’s not God’s way! He establishes the new covenant so that you will always be blessed in spite of your circumstances, because of Jesus! Isn’t God good?

When you realize that God is always on your side [Romans 8:31], you will have the strength to go through all of your tribulations, because everything will turn out for good for God’s children [Romans 8:28]! Amen!

Look at your earhtly father

Friends, whenever you are confused as to what God really is like, just look at your earthly dad! God is not called the Father for no reason; He is called our Father because He acts like our earthly daddy, and much more!

Some people think that God is one who is ready to punish the moment we err. Or they see God as someone who needs to be pleased before He blesses. Now, is our earthly daddy like that? Do they ready the cane and whack us the moment we do something wrong? Or do they wait for us to serve them tea and kowtow to them first before they give us our allowance? No! A father’s natural reaction would be to do everything in his might to delight his child!

If our earthly father can be so concerned for us, how much more our heavenly Father! [Matt. 7:11]

Thought of the Week: If God is for you, who can be against you!

What Would You Do?

Please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjb7ZNEDY-Q

Nova's Farewell Message

Nova Farewell Message from roy gunawan on Vimeo.

Relish Today

Hi Teman2,

I have the urge to write something (Just anything) so I better type them up before my memories fade away. In this week alone, everyone in LA witnessed the departure of two very close friends. I was not physically present but believe me- "I feel your pain". Just recently, God seemed to be "shaking" my emotions, calling me to look back and review my past. When I actually looked back, it was rather difficult. Really, it was very difficult to remember the joys and pains of the past. The truth is, we are all living in a world where time only moves one way. We can never be at the 'same place', 'same situation' and 'same time' all at the same instant. Our sensation and perception of that instant will only last an instant- nothing more than that. Beyond that, we have to face the future, and beyond that we create histories.

But my friends, before you condemn that "instant" to a mere split second that preceeds the future and succeeds the history, think again what determines your futures and what carves your silhouettes. God promises us, in Jeremiah 29:11, that He has brilliant plans for us, plans that aim to prosper us instead of downgrading us. Remember the very instant we accepted Jesus as our savior? That was the instant that brought us infinite prosperity today (as promised in Jeremiah). God also called on people to serve Him in His kingdom. Recall the first day of your ministry in church? That was the instant that puts you closer to God today. Recall the first moment of your decision to apply to a university in Los Angeles? That was the very moment that dictated our friendship. Without all these individual instants, nothing will happen. Your life will be different from what it is today. Last Sunday, Pastor Lusi from IFGF Tokyo preached about making the right decisions today. She did not say make the right decision tomorrow, or regret your decision yesterday. But she stressed the importance of involving God in your decision today.

Therefore, I urge everyone to cherish today. Treat today as a day that you will remember 10 years later. When He sees you treating today with seriousness, I am sure that He will give signals that will bless your day abundantly. He will prosper your today such that tomorrow, you will be looking back with confidence instead of regrets. Give your praise to Him today so that tomorrow, you will witness the great things He has done yesterday! So everyone, today is not merely a time to past. It is a time that will determine your tomorrow and yesterday, your futures and histories. And it starts today, this very second. Grab it quick because it only lasts a second.

Remember the movie "Kung Fu Panda"?

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That's why it's called the Present

Relish Today! God Bless all of you!

Kenji T. Kusuma

BenjaminGen Devotional: One thing is needed...

Hey all! Here's this week's devotional. As always, if you want the .PDF file of the devotional, feel free to contact me @ robingunawan_22@hotmail.com.

Thanks! Be blessed!

Intro

Have you ever felt real busy in your life? It is as if your whole day is already packed with to-do’s and there is no time for breaks.

But, do you know that being busy with your own tasks is not what Jesus wants you to do? Jesus performed many miracles and accomplished many within a 3-year span before He was crucified; no doubt He was a very busy man going from city to city and ministering to the people. Still, He doesn’t want us to hinge the satisfaction of our day on how much we accomplish. Rather, He wants us to do the one thing that is needful, which is to sit at His feet and receive from Him!

Friends, God wants us to eat from the Bread of life (Jesus) [John 6:35] and be refreshed! And that refreshment will empower us to go about doing what needs to be done for the day!

The Story of Martha & Mary

One day, Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary, two sisters who are friends of His.

Now, what should we do when a visitor comes over to our home? Our instincts will tell us to prepare refresh- ments and make our guests as comfortable as possible. That is ex- actly what Martha did. She did what was customary by serving her guest, Jesus. However, take a look at what Mary did. Not only did

she not help Martha in preparations, but she was having a conversa- tion with the guest! Imagine Jesus’ fatigue after all He had done throughout the day; yet, she still wanted Jesus to speak with her! She did not minister to Jesus, but wanted Jesus to minister to her!

Many of us would think that what Mary did was inconsiderate because she should have allowed Jesus to rest and recuperate. Martha, just like many of us (if we were in her shoes), was naturally unhappy with Mary; not only did Mary not help with the prepara- tions, but she disturbed the guest too!

However, Jesus never rebuked Mary for what she did; instead, He told Martha that Mary had chosen the one thing needed, which is

the good part which will not be taken away from her [Luke 10:42].

Lessons Learnt

Jesus wants to minister to us because that is where He gets His refreshing! A tired Jesus visited a woman at a well in Samaria one day and ministered to her. He was immediately refreshed and His disciples were amazed! And all

He told His disciples was this, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” [John 4:32]. Hallelujah! Friends, Jesus receives His food from ministering to us, and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Amen! Let us all strive to be like Mary, who puts God first before anything else and receive our refreshment from our

loving Savior. Sing a song or two before we start our day, and be in a constant prayer “mode” as we go about doing our activities for the day!

Thought of the Week: Be refreshed as you do the one thing needed for the day!

Teddy Stoddard's Life Story

> > ONE OF THE BEST
> > LIFE STORY !
> >
> > As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of
> > school, she told the children an untruth. Like most
> > teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved
> > them all the same. However, that was impossible, because
> > there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little
> > boy named Teddy Stoddard.
> >
> > Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not
> > play well with the other children, that his clothes were
> > messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition,
> > Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs.
> > Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers
> > with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a
> > big 'F' at the top of his papers.
> >
> > At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each
> > child's past records and she put Teddy's off until
> > last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a
> > surprise...
> > Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a
> > ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...
> > he is a joy to be around..'
> >
> > His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well
> > liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his
> > mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a
> > struggle.'
> >
> > His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on
> > him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't
> > show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him
> > if some steps aren't taken.'
> >
> > Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't
> > show much interest in school. He doesn't have many
> > friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'
> >
> >
> > By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of
> > herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her
> > Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright
> > paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily
> > wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery
> > bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of
> > the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh
> > when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones
> > missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.
> > But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and
> > dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard
> > stayed after school that day just long enough to say,
> > 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used
> > to.'
> >
> > After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she
> > quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she
> > began to teach children.. Mrs. Thompson paid particular
> > attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed
> > to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he
> > responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of
> > the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that
> > she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one
> > of her 'teacher's pets..' A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy,telling her that
> > she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six
> > years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He
> > then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his
> > class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.
> >
> > Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had
> > been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck
> > with it, and would soon graduate from college with the
> > highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was
> > still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his
> > whole life.
> >
> > Then four more years passed and yet another letter came..This time he
> > explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he
> > decided to go a little further. The letter explained that
> > she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But
> > now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed,
> > Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
> >
> > The story does not end there.You see, there was yet another letter that spring.
> > Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married.
> > He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago
> > and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at
> > the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the
> > mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess
> > what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several
> > rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing
> > the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on
> > their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and
> > Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear,
> > 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you
> > so much for making me feel important and showing me that I
> > could make a difference.. '
> >
> > Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you
> > have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I
> > could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach
> > until I met you.' (For you who don't know, Teddy
> > Stoddard is the Doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that
> > has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
> >
> > Warm someone's heart today. .. .Random acts of kindness
> > Just try to make a difference in someone's life today or tomorrow? just 'do it'.
> >
> > "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Sincere Prayer

Every time we find ourselves trapped within a room of troubles, take a step back and try to lean on Him. For the bible promises us, God will strengthen us whenever we need to be strengthened. And when we hold on to our faith firmly, we will find a open door, waiting for us to leave our present state of difficulties.

Excerpts from The Foolish Things on Earth by Jessica Irene. Full text at http://pupupopo.blogspot.com/2009/09/foolish-things-on-earth.html

I have to admit pas minggu2 lalu ini super depressed, I pray harder than any other time in my life, waiting on God’s deliverance. On one of the daily emails that I receive from ci Irene K, there was a good quote that says when you’re down, devastated, and at your lowest point, you wouldn’t have any power left to make up un-sincere prayers. And when I prayed sincerely, God listens. He provides me with the simple things that I need in life and most importantly dearly said that He loves me more than anything else in this world. But now? When everything is so much better than weeks ago, honestly my prayer jadi memble. Prayers setiap pagi and malem cumin jadi formalitas buat say good morning and good night ke Tuhan, which is not the correct attitude! At least starting from this day on, I wanna try making my daily prayers as bullish as possible.

Pastor Sugi just contacted me a few days ago saying that Pinole is building a Nepalian church in two cities in US. Now that is a bullish move! Let’s support it in anyway that we can.

And this is the end of my entry for today.. thaaa ~

God bless u

BenjaminGen Devotional: What's in your hands?

Hey all! Here's this week's devotional; like always, if you'd like the .PDF file, feel free to contact me @ robingunawan_22@hotmail.com;

Be blessed! :)

Intro

Many of us have aspirations and dreams. There are things that we would like to do but we hold back on them not because of laziness or a lack of self-motivation, but because of doubt. Doubt, in my opinion, is the root of laziness and lack of self-motivation. If we doubt that we can be the person we aspire to be in the future, what motivation is there to push us forward?

Often, when we want to take a leap forward, we always look to our deficiencies. We always tell ourselves how we are always under-qualified to do something but we never look towards what God says! Friends, God is looking to work amazing miracles in your lives, but He is asking: what do you have in your hands?

When we give thanks for what we have in our hands, God will work His miracle in that area of our lives!

Let’s look at two amazing stories from “God’s manual for everyday living” (a.k.a the Bible! )

Moses: Vhat God? Are You kidding?

Moses is the man that God gave the 2 tablets of Commandment to at Mount Zion, and a man who was chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt. However, do you know that when Moses was chosen as Israel’s leader to lead them to the promised land, he doubted in his own ability?

Even when Moses was full of unbelief, our beloved and merciful God still had confidence in him. He asked Moses, “what do you have

in your hands?”[Exodus 4:2]Friends, that is the same question that God is asking each of us today! What do we have in our hands? Now, Moses didn’t accomplish everything by himself, but had help from people like Aaron his brother, and others like Joshua and Caleb. Nevertheless, he fulfilled his duty as Israel’s leader. Friends, God will never leave us to accomplish things that may be difficult to achieve on our own; He will send helpers and people who will guide and open the doors of opportunity for us!

Even in the midst of Moses’ unbelief, God still had full confi- dence in him. He could have chosen someone more able, but isn’t like God who chooses the weak things to confound the mighty? When we are weak, He is strong! Hallelujah!

(p.s.: the dialogue in the title is not found in the Bible, so don’t bother searching :p)

Jesus with the 5 loaves and 2 fish

I am sure that all of us here know the story of Jesus feeding the thousands with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Now, let’s look at what Jesus did before He performed his miracle. Mahew 15:36 (NKJV) says: “And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.” In Mahew 14, for a similar miracle, the word “blessed” is used.

Friends, when we give thanks for what we have in our hands, we bless it and allow God’s miracle to work! Amen!

Thought of the Week: Give thanks for what is in your hands, and watch God do miracles with it! Amen!