Bay Area Tour - Indonesian Evangelical Church, USA

Transcription

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editorial —————————————————————————————
Tahun demi tahun
GII Azusa merayakan hari ulang tahunnya. Tidak terasa
tahun ini GII Azusa telah berusia 23 tahun. Perayaan HUT yang ke-23 ini telah diramaikan
dengan peperangan yang bergejolak di Timur Tengah, telah pula dikuatirkan dengan
harga bahan bakar yang melambung ke langit. Karena hari ulang tahun GII Azusa jatuh
pada bulan September, hal ini akan membuat perayaan Ulang Tahun Azusa tidak akan
terlupakan. Karena sekitar lima tahun yang lalu.... pada tanggal 11 September, teroris
telah menyerang Amerika. Setiap tahun Amerika menjadi kuatir setiap memasuki bulan
September. Takut kalau-kalau teroris akan menyerang balik Amerika, sekaligus Amerika
sendiri akan menangis mengenang hari dimana tragedi itu terjadi.
Kita sebagai penghuni Negara Amerika ini juga seharusnya turut bersedih dan menyesali
bahwa tragedi yang besar itu terjadi di bulan dimana seharusnya kita bergembira, karena
di bulan September inilah GII Azusa dilahirkan. Memang hampir tidak ada wujud yang
nyata yang kita bisa lakukan terhadap negara di mana kita tinggal, kecuali sebagai Anak
Tuhan kita mendoakan supaya Negara Amerika yang terkenal sebagai tempat di mana
kita bisa melakukan ibadah kita dengan leluasa tanpa larangan-larangan atau batasanbatasan dari pihak hukum ini diberkati dan dipeliharakan oleh Tuhan dan tetap dipakai
oleh Tuhan sebagai negara pembawa damai dan penetralisir di tengah-tengah bangsabangsa yang jahat dan tidak percaya akan Tuhan.
Tetapi sudahkah GII Azusa sungguh mendoakan Negara Amerika? Sudahkah kita yang
tinggal di Amerika sini sungguh menjadi warga negara yang baik tanpa melanggar ataupun
mempermainkan hukum? Sudahkah kita perduli akan keadaan sekitar kita? Bukankah kita
sering mempunyai pikiran terhadap Tragedy yang terjadi ini bahwa itu bukan urusan kita,
dan bahwa yang menjadi sasaran adalah orang-orang Amerika asli bukan kita orang-orang
Asia? Bukankah kita juga sering memanfaatkan kelemahan-kelemahan hukum di negara
ini untuk keuntungan pribadi kita? Kalau keberadaan kita sebagai Anak-Anak Tuhan atau
Anak-Anak Terang tak bisa berfungsi sebagai mana kita harus berfungsi.... untuk apakah
kita mendapat gelar Anak-Anak Terang? Bukankah Tuhan akan menilai kita gagal menjalankan fungsi kita sebagai Anak-Anak Terang dan gagal memberikan kesaksian yang
baik dan mempermuliakan Nama Tuhan? Jikalau kita gagal menjadi Anak Tuhan yang
Tuhan inginkan bahkan gagal pula memberikan sumbangsih kita sebagai Anak-Anak
Terang pada Negara ini apakah artinya merayakan HUT yang ke-23 ini?
Mungkin kita akan berdalih dengan mengatakan bahwa pekerjaan kita atau apa yang
kita lakukan itu diberkati oleh Tuhan, buktinya GII bisa berdiri sampai usianya yang ke23? Tetapi hati-hatilah dan janganlah lupa di Alkitab cerita yang sama pernah dikatakan
oleh Tuhan sendiri. Dimana pada hari hari terakhir kambing dan domba akan dipisahkan..
bukankah kambing-kambing itu berkata kepada Tuhan bahwa mereka sudah melakukan
ini dan itu demi nama Tuhan? Tetapi apa yang Tuhan katakan? Bukankah Tuhan menyuruh mereka enyah dari hadapan Tuhan oleh karena Tuhan tidak mengenal mereka dan
Tuhan memanggil mereka sebagai pembuat kejahatan?
AGAPE — Anniversary 2006
1
Sekarang yang menjadi pertanyaan bagi diri kita
masing-masing adalah; Siapakah kita ini di mata Tuhan? Apakah kita termasuk kategori kambing atau
domba? Apakah yang kita lakukan di dalam dunia
ini bahkan kita mungkin melakukannya demi nama
Tuhan berkenan atau tidak di mata Tuhan? Rasanya
jawabannya ada di dalam hati kita masing-masing.
Kalau apa yang kita lakukan itu berkenan di mata
Tuhan maka kita akan dipuji dan akan mendapatkan
pahala. Akan tetapi jikalau apa yang kta lakukan tidak
berkenan di hadapan Tuhan bahkan merupakan suatu
yang menjijikkan di mata Tuhan maka sia-sialah kita
merayakan HUT ke-23 ini, karena kita tidak lebih dari
pada orang-orang fasik yang diciptakan Tuhan untuk
Hari Penghakiman nanti!
Seorang yang normal dan sehat adalah mau menerima dan melihat kenyataan apa adanya diri kita sendiri
dan tidak membohongi diri kita sendiri hanya untuk
mengelabui orang lain. Sampai di mana dan sebesar
apa iman kepercayaan kita kepada Tuhan, cuma kita
sendiri yang tahu. Kalau kita selama ini hidup sebagai
orang Kristen dan melayani Tuhan bukan dengan cara
yang benar dan diperkenankan Tuhan, sudah saatnyalah kita bertobat dan berbalik dari jalan kita yang
salah dan jahat, sehingga pada saat kita merayakan
HUT kita yang ke-23 ini bermanfaat besar dan yang
pasti tahun-tahun yang akan datang kita pasti akan
mengalami sendiri berkat dan anugerah dan pujian
dari Tuhan yang sebenar-benar nya di dalam hidup
kita, bukan pujian dari manusia atau berkat-berkat
palsu yang mungkin pemberian dari si Jahat yang
selama ini kita terima di dalam hidup kita.
Truth always hurts
But we need the Truth
in our Faith, Hope and Love
SELAMAT ULANG TAHUN YANG KE-23,
GII AZUSA. BIARLAH KEBERADAANMU DI
DALAM DUNIA INI MEMPERMULIAKAN
NAMA TUHAN !
redaksi
2
AGAPE
Anniversary 2006
Penasehat
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Daniel Loe
Editor
Debbie Mandaliba
Evelyn Sunarko
Janice Atmadja
Merisa Halim
Rachel Atmadja
Ilustrator & Fotografer
Buddy Yusuf
Eva Leony
Layout
Alvin Sugianto
Buddy Yusuf
Eva Leony
Rachel Atmadja
Tjandra Afandi
Kontributor
Rev. Kristianto Hosea
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Ev. Julia Suwanto
Ny. Joy Simona
Ny. Sinta Sandjaya
Yesaya Adidjaja
Fairlyn Soetojo
Pency Kinnard
Jessica Kawilarang
Printing
Semiwaty Oei
E-mail Redaksi
agape_gii@yahoo.com
Produksi GII Azusa
539 N. Sunset Ave.
Azusa, CA 91702
Telp: (626) 812-0326
http://lax.gii-usa.org
Gereja
Injili
Indonesia
Azusa
539 N. Sunset Ave,
Azusa, CA 91702
LOKASI
LAINNYA:
Jadwal
kegiatan:
Gembala Sidang:
Rev. Kristianto Hosea
Minggu Pk. 09.00 Sekolah Minggu Dewasa
Pk. 10.30 Kebaktian Umum (IndonesiaN & English)
Sekolah Minggu Anak-anak
Pk. 16.00 Chinese Service
(diterjemahkan ke bahasa Indonesia)
Jumat Pk. 19.30 Kebaktian Doa (Indonesian & English)
Bible Study Anak-anak
Sabtu Pk. 18.30 youth fellowship (Indonesian & English)
GII San Jose
GII Seattle
600 W. Campbell Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 343-1314
(c/o First Christian Reformed Church)
14555 25th Ave. N.E.
Shoreline, WA 98155
(425) 357-5928
GII Sacramento
(c/o Chinese Grace Bible Church)
6656 Park Riviera Way
Sacramento, CA 95831
(916) 692-3756
GII San Francisco
400 Brussels St.
San Francisco, CA 94134
(415) 656-0886
3
focus:
Is your faith growing up in church?
07 Have You Grown Complacent?
Rachel Atmadja
09 What Do You Mean By That?
Yesaya Adidjaja
12 The Exclusive Expose'
Merissa Halim, Fairlyn Soetojo, Pency Kinnard
19 Arti & Tujuan Gereja
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
22 Petunjuk Praktis Bergereja
Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Anda punya usul, kritik, saran, atau apapun yang
berhubungan dengan Agape atau GII Azusa?
Silahkan mengirimnya ke agape_gii@yahoo.com
atau memberikannya kepada redaksi.
C
content —————————————————————————
05 Renungan: Jadilah Murid Kristus Yang Sejati (Pdt. Kristianto Hosea)
24 Pelayanan: Panggilan Menjadi Guru Sekolah Minggu (Ev. Julia Suwanto)
27 Parenting: Toddler Reading Time (Laura Bailet, Ph.D)
31 Sharing: Toddler & Library (Evelyn Sunarko)
33 Book Review: When Your Past Is Hurting Your Present (Janice Atmadja)
36 Cerpen: The Party Of Three (Daniel Loe)
41 Poem (Tante Mona)
42 Liputan: Bay Area Tour 2006 (Jessica Kawilarang)
45 Resep: Tekwan Palembang (Ny. Sinta Sandjaya)
46 Children's Corner
47 Humor
4
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renungan ————————————————————————————
Jadilah Murid Kristus yang Sejati
——————————
Pdt. Kristianto Hosea
D
i dalam rangka HUT ke-23 GII Azusa, hendaklah kita
semuanya penuh pengucapan syukur kepada Tuhan Yesus Kristus,
Gembala kita yang agung. Dimana Dia telah memimpin dan
memberkati GII Azusa selama 23 tahun lamanya. Dan apakah yang
harus kita lakukan untuk membalas segala cinta kasih Tuhan? Ada
satu hal yang sangat penting bagi kita sebagai panggilan dan
perintah Tuhan kepada kita yaitu jadilah murid Kristus yang sejati.
Apakah kita adalah murid Kristus yang sejati? Dan bagaimana kita
boleh menjadi murid Kristus yang sejati? Hanya satu cara yang sangat
penting dan yang sangat sulit dilakukan
yaitu perintah-Nya. Apakah perintahNya yang harus kita lakukan sehingga
kita boleh menjadi murid Kristus yang
sejati?
Pertama, kita harus saling mengasihi;
“Aku (Yesus Kristus) memberikan
perintah baru kepada kamu yaitu supaya
kamu saling mengasihi sama seperti Aku
telah mengasihi kamu demikian pula
kamu harus saling mengasihi” (Yohanes
13:34). Tuhan Yesus memberikan kepada kita satu kunci yang paling
penting untuk boleh menjadi murid Kristus yang sejati yaitu “Harus
saling mengasihi.”
Bagaimanakah caranya supaya kita bisa saling mengasihi? Firman
Tuhan memberikan kepada kita cara yang paling indah supaya kita
dapat saling mengasihi yaitu ada dua cara yang sangat penting yang
diberikan oleh Tuhan Yesus Kristus sendiri.
a. Kasihilah Tuhan, Allahmu dengan segenap hatimu; “Jawab
Yesus kepadanya: ‘Kasihilah Tuhan, Allahmu dengan segenap
hatimu, dan dengan segenap jiwamu, dan dengan segenap akal
budimu.’” (Matius 22:37). Pada dasarnya, cara supaya kita bisa
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saling mengasihi adalah kita sendiri terlebih dahulu mengasihi
Tuhan, Allah Bapa kita, dengan segenap hati kita. Akan tetapi,
apakah kita sungguh mempunyai satu hati yang murni sewaktu
kita mengasihi Tuhan Allah kita? Biarlah di dalam rangka HUT
ke-23 GII Azusa, kita bersungguh-sungguh dengan segenap hati
mengasihiNya.
b. Kasihilah sesamamu seperti diri sendiri; “Dan hukum yang kedua,
yang sama dengan itu, ialah: kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti
dirimu sendiri” (Matius 22:39). Pada dasarnya, bagaimana supaya
kita boleh saling mengasihi adalah kita juga harus mengasihi
sesama kita seperti mengasihi diri kita sendiri. Biarlah di dalam
rangka HUT ke-23 GII Azusa ini, kita juga memulai mengasihi
sesama kita seperti mengasihi diri kita sendiri. Demikianlah kita
baru bisa saling mengasihi dan baru bisa menjadi murid Kristus
yang sejati.
Kedua, orang lain juga boleh menjadi murid Kristus; “Dengan
demikian semua orang akan tahu, bahwa kamu adalah murid-muridKu, yaitu jikalau kamu saling mengasihi” (Yohanes 13:35). Jikalau kita
sungguh-sungguh saling mengasihi di dalam rumah Tuhan, maka
Tuhan dan orang dunia yang tidak percaya dapat melihat bahwa
kita sungguh adalah murid Kristus yang sejati. Dan sewaktu mereka
yang tidak percaya melihat kita saling mengasihi didalam rumah
Tuhan, mereka pun ingin menjadi murid Kristus dan boleh berada
di dalam rumah Tuhan bersama dengan kita menikmati kasih Tuhan
yang sejati dan anugerah keselamatan Tuhan yang kekal.
S
ebagai akhir kata, di dalam rangka HUT ke-23 GII Azusa,
biarlah kita tetap memelihara kesatuan dan saling mengasihi di
dalam rumah Tuhan sehingga kita sungguh menjadi murid Kristus
yang sejati, dan orang-orang yang tidak percaya pun boleh menjadi
murid Kristus juga.
Kasihilah Tuhan, Allahmu, dengan segenap hatimu dan dengan segenap
jiwamu dan dengan segenap akal budimu. Itulah hukum yang terutama dan
yang pertama. Dan hukum yang kedua, yang sama dengan itu, ialah:
Kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri. (Mat. 22:37-39)
6
A
nother week, another Sunday is here.
She goes to church, like she does the
Sunday before and the Sunday before
that. Her mother wakes her up every
Sunday morning so they can make it
just in time for the church, but for
some reason they are always late, and
this morning was no exception. Slowly
she woke up, took a shower, and looked
into her closet to find something nice
to wear. The ride to the church was
short. Once again she made her way
to the front rows of the sanct
uary because all the backseats
were taken. At first, she found
it embarrassing to walk down the
aisle and make her way to an
empty seat, but overtime, she
became used to it. She had
tried to make her way
through the side aisles, but it
was harder to find seats that
way. She sat through the
sermon and gave her offering
when the offering bag came her
way. After several bites of food
and a series of conversations; she
and her family drove back home.
7
The weekdays also passed by in a similar fashion, except for
the occasional variation now and then. Between school, friends,
and family, it was hard to find time to spend alone with God.
She knows that she needs to read her Bible regularly, but for
some reason it was easier to sit down on the couch and watch the
latest episode of her favorite show. She keeps telling herself that she
will read the Bible later on at night, but when the time came, she
always felt too sleepy and tired to open the Bible. The next day,
the same exact thing happened again, until another weekend came
her way.
Bible Study is fun; she looks forward to seeing her friends
at Bible Study. But once she left the church, all that desire just
evaporates. A Sunday becomes just another Sunday, and every
week the same routine repeats. Time will tell how much longer she
could go on repeating the week over and over again. It is all too
easy to listen to a sermon and forget about it an hour later. Week
by week, she grows more numb to the Word of God than the week
before. She calls herself a Christian, but she
does not even get excited about hearing the
Word of God anymore. Her friends
describe her as a religious person, but she
is not even sure what that meant. She once
knew what it is like to follow in His foo
tsteps, but somehow she grew stale. She still
comes to church, but with each passing
week, she asks,
why do I still come here?
Does her question sound familiar
to you?
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Jesus gives us a stern
What does it
mean to be a Christian?
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If a person professes to be a
Christian, what does he mean by it?
warning in Matthew 7:21-23
about being a Christian on the
outside but never on the inside.
he says he is a Christian
He says:
If
because he believes in
“Not everyone who says to me,
God, what does he
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
mean by ‘believe’?
heaven, but only he who does the will
of my Father who is in heaven. Many will
Also, what does
say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we
he mean
not prophesy in your name, and in your name
by God?
drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.
Away from me, you evildoers!’
To understand these verses in context, we need to look at the previous
verses of Matthew 7. In verses 15-20, Jesus was warning His disciples
about false prophets. During Jesus’ ministry, the disciples weren’t the only
ones following Jesus. The Pharisees also traveled with Jesus, witnessed the
miracles, heard His teaching but they were rebuked by Jesus for knowing the Law
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but never come to repentance. The Pharisees were the epitome of wolves in sheep’s
clothing. They were more concern of being righteous than receiving the righteousness that is of Jesus Christ.
We can be living the same lives as the Pharisees today. We might profess to be a
Christian, we attend church every week, we’re involved in ministry, and worst of
all we know what the Pharisees did to deserve the rebuke from Jesus but we
never have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Being a Christian is about relationship with God through Jesus
Christ. This relationship does not begin with us where we
do good and God wants to be our friend because of
it. It begins with God initiating the relation
ship because we are apart from Him and
He wants us to have fellowship with
presence
Him. It begins with the knowl
on our own
edge that God is righteous
because of our sins.
and we can never
To begin that relationship,
come to His
we need the righteousness that
holy
is offered to us through Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, when He died on the
cross for our sins.
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Once we acknowledged our sins and received Jesus as
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our Lord and Savior to begin the relationship with Him, what
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happens next? The moment we genuinely repent of our sins and
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receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, the sanctification process begins.
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Sanctification means that God knows we need to be more like Him, so from
the moment we receive His Son, He begins changing us in all aspects of our lives.
This is a lifelong process until we die to be with the Lord. Like a father who disciplines his child, we will receive disciplines from God to help us grow. A child
might be stubborn and needs more spanking to help him/her grow, God, too, will
discipline us. He disciplines everyone He accepts as a son. It is a sign of love.
10
So what’s the sign that we are a Christian, that we are in Christ? Jesus says
that “by their fruit you will recognize them”. What does Jesus mean by
fruit? The moment we receive Christ, we are “born again”. Not natural
born, but born of the Spirit, so we are a new creation in Christ. Having been
born again of the Spirit, the fruit that we bear is the fruit of the Spirit. The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
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To bear fruit of the spirit, we must grow spiritually. Like a seed
needs to grow into a plant in order to bear fruits, we are to
grow to bear fruit of the spirit. We grow by spending
time with our Lord in prayer, reading the Bible,
having fellowship with our brothers and
sisters in Christ, and being involved in
ministry. Again, these things are
not done to earn our way to
heaven, but they are
done as a result of
being saved.
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11
Are IEC Azusa church members
“complacent” Christians?
Obviously, we have no time to
interview or “test” the entire church
congregation so, the Agape Team
has decided to ask two sisters in
Christ, Fairlyn and Pency, questions
about their spirituality and how
they think this church & themselves
are doing after 23 years (more or
less) of serving the Lord.
A small introduction of our two
participants:
» Sister Fairlyn Soetojo was born into
a Christian family and is brought up
in the church. She has been coming
to IEC Azusa for 9 years.
» Sister Pency Kinnard is a new
member to this church and she
was recently brought to Christ by
husband, Levi.
By interviewing these specific
two, we’ll be able to see answers
regarding questions about the
church, Christianity, etc. through
two different points of views, an
“old believer” and a new believer.
12
1. Q » Since when did you start going to Church?
P » I started going to church about 2 and half years ago. I got saved a Sunday afternoon right after
my very first visit to a Christian church. (meaning I accepted Jesus Christ into my life).
F » Since birth.
2. Q » Have you been baptized? If yes, when?
P » Yes, it was in 2003, a month after I got saved.
F » Yes, when I was 17 years old.
3. Q » When you are baptized, do you think it means that you will surely be saved?
P » No, Accepting Christ saves you, not baptism.
F » No, because baptized by water doesn’t mean that you’re saved. Spiritual baptism does.
4. Q » Why did you decide to be baptized?
P » My pastor in Savannah Georgia told me that baptism is an outward expression of my faith in Christ.
F » Back then, I thought that as a Christian, I must be baptized as a proof that I’m a Christian.
5. Q » Do you consider yourself as a Christian? Why or why not?
P » Yes, because I believe Jesus Christ saved me from my sins.
F » Yes, I believe in God and have a relationship with Him.
6. Q » Do you consider yourself as a believer? If yes, what do you mean that by believer?
P » Yes, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I am a “believer” of Jesus Christ.
F » Yes, because I believe in Christ as my savior, and I’m very hard to obey Him every single day.
7. Q » Do you believe that you are saved and will go to Heaven? Why or why not?
P » Yes, because Jesus Christ paid for my sins.
F » Yes, because the Bible tells me so.
8. Q » What activities in the Church do you do? Do you think that you will get more involved later?
P » I was in choir when I was going to a church in Savannah, Georgia. Now, I’m working on
incorporating apologetics into the youth fellowship. We’re going to be watching Dr. Kent Hovind’s
creation science videos this Saturday, Aug 4.
F » I’m in the vocal group, a pianist and the leader in the Indonesian fellowship. Yes, I want to get more
involved later. Because right now, I want to focus myself on the Indonesian Youth because that’s my
responsibility as a leader, but if someday, there is someone that can replace my position, I would like
to serve God in other sorts of duties also.
13
9. Q » Do you sometimes feel tired of serving the Lord? If yes, what do you do/ what is your reaction to
this?
P » No, choir was great!
F » Honestly, I’m not tired of serving the Lord, but I’m tired of serving others. Yet, serving the Lord is to
serve other people. I will pray to God so He will give me strength to just focus on Him not to other thing.
And I have a close friend whom I can share all of my struggles with and I believe she won’t talk about
my struggles to others. Because for me, sharing with a friend who is spiritually mature and whom I can
fully trust, is another way to get support and advice besides praying. Remember that God also speaks
through sermon, devotion, and through your friend too. :D (happy face)
10. Q » Have you sometimes denied yourself (sacrifice) when serving the Lord? Can you give an example?
P » I would go to the Church on every Sunday rather than go out with my friends. So, I sacrifice my time
with my friends for the Lord.
F » Yes, very often. Usually, I have plans on Saturday, but I choose to go to church for the Saturday
youth service.
11. Q » Why do you think we need to be at church instead of at home listening to the sermon? We can
listen to a sermon at home too, right?
P » Because it’s important to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. We encourage one
another to live for the Lord and to not get caught up in the world.
F » To have a fellowship.
12. Q » Do you do your daily devotion/renungan?
P » I don’t do it daily maybe two to four times a week. I work a lot, so I prefer listening to sermons or
the audio bible while driving to or from work. But I do pray every morning.
F » Yes.
13. Q » Do you believe God has a purpose for you? What do you think it is?
P » Yes, to have fellowship with Him and to glorify Him.
F » Yes, because I have read the book “The Purpose of Driven Life,” and Ko Edgar also spoke about that
book a while ago in the fellowship; it is to worship Him and to serve Him.
14. Q » What is your biggest struggle in your Christian life at the moment?
P » Trying to live a righteous life. There is even more pressure when you are a Christian because people
are watching you constantly. And also having an answer to every question people ask about my reasons
to choose Christ over all the other “religions.” There’s a lot of material I have to present to them.
F » I think Christians are just humans and their old characters are still with them, but non-Christians
expect you to be Holy all the time. It’s like everybody is watching you, especially in the work place.
So I must be very careful in what I do. It’s the process to be more like God in character wise.
14
15. Q » What are you looking for in the Church you go to every week?
P » I want to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ, and how He wants us to live in the world. Mostly,
I like the Saturday youth fellowship here in Azusa since the whole point of going to the Church is to
have good bible teachings and fellowship.
F » Looking for the sermon, the brothers and sisters in Christ, and the food. Haha …
16. Q » Have the pastor and other spiritual leaders in this Church help you fulfill your spiritual needs? What
is your spiritual expectation and hope?
P » Yes. My spiritual goal as a Christian is to produce the fruits of the Spirit, and mature spiritually so
that I can lead others to the Lord.
F » Yes. To become like Christ.
17. Q » Is there anything in this church that makes you uncomfortable?
P » Haven’t found anything that really bugs me.
F » No.
18. Q » Do you ever find it difficult to understand when a pastor or a teacher is giving a sermon about
characters in the bible?
P » No. If I don’t know a certain character that the Pastor is talking about, then I just continue to listen
and find out more about that character!
F » No.
19. Q » Have you ever questioned what the Pastor says?
P » No. I prefer him preaching with bible verses so I can look it up later to make sure he’s teaching the
bible and not something else.
F » No. Once, there was this pastor that gave a sermon that was too extreme and not based from the
Bible.
20. Q » How will you react if a Pastor rebukes you?
P » I will reevaluate his comment and see if that is an area in my life that needs improving.
F » First impression: (tersinggung karena disinggung...)
2nd step: think about it when I got home and see if I’m like what he said. And thirdly, if really I’m
wrong, then I will correct myself.
21. Q » If your brothers or sisters in Christ are doing something against the Bible, what is your reaction?
P » I will surely rebuke them, in a loving way of course.
F » First, pray for him/her before talking to him/her face to face so that when I talk to him/her, s/he
won’t feel rebuke. But if the situation is really bad, I leave it up to Ko Wilson or Ko Hosea. Haha…
15
22. Q » Does being a Christian mean that your life will go smoothly? No hardship, no stress, no worry, etc.?
P » Of course not!!!
F » No. Yet, a lot of hardship because I have to live a brand new life in Christ, which means the old
habits have to be torn away (this is very hard..a lot of times bad habits come again..but I ask God’s
forgiveness and move on because guilty feeling can make yourself down and don’t want to try
again).
23. Q » If your prayers are not answered, how do you feel towards God?
P » No, that’s never happened to me. If my prayers are not answered, I wouldn’t feel bad. I learned at
my church in Savannah that God sometimes doesn’t answer my prayers immediately because He is
waiting for His perfect timing. And, sometimes He doesn’t open the door I want to go through because
He has another door opened for me.
F » Back then, when my prayer was not answered, I became bitter about it. But now I learn to leave it
up to God because He will give the best for me.
24. Q » Do you sometimes blame God or have you ever blamed God for the hardships in your life?
P » No, I think the hardship in my life is from my own decisions. I think I produce hardships in my life by
not doing God’s will but my own. For example, I’m in debt because of my own financial decisions.
F » Back then, I usually ask ‘Why’ God let this or that happened in me. But now, the question is not
‘why’ instead it’s ‘what’ God wants me to do. If I this or that happen to me, what do You (God) want
me to do with it?
25. Q » Do you think you can be saved by having good morals? As a Christian, what else do you think you
need to be saved?
P » No. You have to have Christ in order to be good enough for God.
F » No. The most important for me is to maintain an intimate relationship with God.
26. Q » Should you become a Christian just because you want to go to Heaven? If not, why?
P » No. It was because I wanted to know God intimately.
F » Part of it, because I don’t like Hell especially because of the gnashing of teeth – “kertak gigi”
(Matthew 8:12) that just been sermon in the Indonesian youth yesterday and the topic was ‘Eternal
Punishment.’
27. Q » Should a Christian be “perfect”? No mistakes or wrong doing, etc.?
P » No, being a Christian doesn’t mean that you are perfect. I think Christians are more aware of sin and
of what’s right and wrong according to the Bible. So in a way our iniquities are intensified because
of our awareness to sin.
F » Impossible. Christians are still human beings. We will be perfect later in Heaven.
16
…
28. Q » Does the Bible bore you? Why?
P » No. There is so much truth in it, you can read the same passage at different times and find new
meanings each time you read the passage. But then, sometimes when I read it everyday, I feel like I’m not
reading it right because I can’t relate what I’m reading in the bible to my current situation in life.
F » No. Because everyday, I got blessings from the Bible. Everyday I face problems and struggles, and
every night I read the Bible, and from there, I always got rebuked.
29. Q » Have you or do you sometimes question the authority of God? Why?
P » No. I haven’t found anything in the bible that sounds shaky.
F » No.
30. Q » Do you sometimes take advantage of God’s blessing? If yes, how?
P » No, I don’t. I’m extremely aware of God’s mercy and grace in my life.
F » Sometimes. I waste most of my free time in watching movie/ TV drama.
Pency’s sharing is about faith and believing
P » I just want to say that you don’t have to have blind faith to believe in Jesus Christ. You can bring
your logical and practical thinking to the bible and see that it is in sync with science and the natural
world. Go watch Dr. Kent Hovind’s Creation Science Videos and find out what I’m talking about!!!
Fairlyn’s sharing is about her experience growing up in the church
F » Hm… I think I got lot of blessings in this Church. Not only spiritual growth, but also in digging and
expanding my talents. Perhaps people here know me as Church-pianist, but I want to once again
mention about what make me still serving the Lord as a pianist until this moment. One of the reasons
is because of my Mom.
My parents insisted me to be a pianist at my Church in Indonesia when I was 13 year old. I was once
screwed up very badly in the Sunday Service. I was so upset at myself and I wanted to quit serving the
Lord. I told my Mom about that and she asked me why. I told her that I embarrassed by my performance
at that Sunday service. I asked her: “Didn’t you feel ashamed at me too?”.
But her response surprised me, she said: “Not at all. I am proud of you because you try your best to
serve the Lord even though the outcome wasn’t good. But at least you have tried. Remember that
God doesn’t see the result, He sees your heart and your willingness to serve Him. I feel ashamed if I
have spent so much money on you to have piano lesson, but you don’t even serve the Lord with your
talent. That’s I will feel like a loser.”
17
I believe my Mom forgot what she said to me, but her words are in my mind all the times. Every time
I am lack of confidence, I remember that God doesn’t see the result. He sees my heart and motivation.
So, it’s really helpful for me to always remember to leave the result up to God. Thanks, Mom for your
wisdom! This reminds me that in all things I do, it has to glorify His name, not my name (so I can
prevent to be self-centered or arrogant. Hey, you know what, as doctor always says: prevention is way
better than treatment).
To end my sharing, I want to encourage you to start serving the Lord if you haven’t. If you are looking
for a job, you will get interview first and you have to have full list of experiences and requirements
and skills. If you don’t meet the requirements and have no skills, most likely that you won’t be hired.
If you meet all the requirements, you’ll get hired and the benefits are: health, vision, dental, and 401k
after 90 days probation period.
There is a job that doesn’t require your skills and experiences nor even need to get interview. The
requirements are: humbleness and willingness. The benefits are: spiritual growth (Christ-like) and
100% Life Assurance in Heaven - effective right away. Job title: A Servant after God’s own heart. To
apply: 1-800-4-CHRIST
We would like to give a huge thanks to these two devout
and on-fire-for-the-Lord sisters who have participated
in our interview. We have been truly blessed by your
knowledge of God and your experiences. As our form of
appreciation, Agape would like to treat you to free icecream after church (from the ice-cream truck)! Look for
Janice Atmadja. Once again, God bless you and God bless
you readers. May our passion for Christ be rekindled and
our questions answered. Ask, seek, and knock. Jesus will
be just outside the door of your heart.
18
��
� � � � ��
��
adalah
persekutuan
orang-orang percaya
sepanjang zaman.
Berdasarkan definisi
ini, kita dapat menarik beberapa implikasi-->>
� � � � � �
�
��.
Organisasi terbatas hanya pada
masa kini. Gereja mencakup masa
lalu, masa kini, bahkan masa depan (perhatikan kata “sepanjang
zaman).
��
��
�� Yang
disebut gereja adalah “persekutuan,” bukan “lokasi” atau “alamat.”
��
��Perhatikan bahwa yang
bersekutu adalah orang-orang percaya pada Yesus, bukan sembarang
orang. Meskipun ada perkumpulan
yang menamakan dirinya “gereja,”
tetapi kalau mereka tidak percaya
pada Yesus, mereka bukanlah gereja sejati.
�ebagai
persekutuan, gereja bersifat lokal dan universal. Gereja
lokal adalah persekutuan orangorang percaya di sebuah tempat.
19
��
Dalam Roma 16:5,
“salam juga kepada jemaat (gereja) di rumah mereka.”
�ahkan Paulus menyebut persekutuan di rumah tangga
sebagai gereja. Jadi yang terpenting bukanlah tempat
tetapi persekutuan orang-orang percaya.
Namun gereja tidak hanya terbatas pada persekutuan
orang-orang percaya di sebuah tempat. Gereja mencakup
persekutuan orang percaya di segala tempat. Maka gereja juga bersifat universal. Perhatikan Kisah 9:31,
“selama beberapa waktu jemaat di seluruh Yudea, Galilea dan Samaria berada dalam keadaan damai. Jemaat itu
dibangun dan hidup dalam takut akan Tuhan. Jumlahnya
makin bertambah besar oleh pertolongan dan penghiburan
Roh Kudus.”
Ketika kita berdoa untuk gereja, kita tidak hanya berdoa untuk gereja lokal tetapi juga universal. Gereja
lokal adalah bagian kecil dari seluruh Kerajaan Allah,
dan itu sebabnya kita berdoa “KerajaanMu datanglah.”
Keanggotaan kita di sebuah gereja seharusnya mendorong
kita untuk berdoa bagi Kerajaan Allah secara luas.
��
��
Gereja adalah persekutuan orang percaya untuk menyembah Allah. Paulus menasihatkan gereja di Kolose untuk
menyanyikan mazmur dan pujian dengan ucapan syukur
pada Allah (Kol. 3:16). ucapan syukur pada Allah (Kol.
3:16). Tuhan menetapkan kita sejak semula untuk memuji kemuliaanNya (Ef. 1:12). Kita harus melihat ibadah
sebagai pelayanan kita kepada Tuhan. Ibadah bukanlah
untuk melayani kita, tetapi Tuhan. Tentunya ada berkat
20
��
Tuhan mengalir bagi kita dalam ibadah. Namun Tuhanlah
tujuan utama.
��
��
Pelayanan Paulus kepada gereja di Kolose adalah untuk mengajar dan menasihati agar setiap orang menjadi
matang (sempurna) di dalam Kristus (Kol. 1:28). Paulus
juga menulis di Efesus bahwa Tuhan memberikan orangorang yang penuh karunia (talenta) untuk memperlengkapi orang percaya dalam pelayanan, untuk membangun
tubuh Kristus sampai kita mencapai kesatuan dan kedewasaan penuh dalam Kristus (Ef. 4:12-13).
��
��
Yesus memberikan amanat agung kepada kita untuk memberitakan Injil (Mat. 28:19). Selain itu, gereja juga
perlu membantu saudara-saudara yang berkekurangan
(Kis. 11:29; 2 Kor. 8:4; 1 Yoh. 3:17). Bahkan bagi
mereka yang ada di luar Kekristenan, Tuhan memerintahkan kita untuk menjangkau mereka dengan kasihNya (Luk.
6:35-36). Tentu saja prioritas utama adalah penginjilan, bukan pelayanan sosial.
�etiga tujuan ini harus dipertahankan dengan
seimbang. Melalaikan satu aspek akan mengurangi
efektivitas gereja sebagai saksi Tuhan. Dengan
bekerja sama sebagai sesama anggota tubuh Kristus,
kita akan sanggup memenuhi panggilan Tuhan untuk
melayaniNya, melayani saudara seiman, dan melayani
dunia dengan baik.
21
F
focus
a,
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Jason C
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Christians, our desire for
growth prompt us to search for a
community, for support; it leads
us to the Church. However, if
our purpose in going to church
is to look for God, why are there
so many different “types” of
churches? Isn’t God found in all
churches? Might differences in
denominations of churches have
something to do with our true
reasons for going to church? Let
us reexamine our motivations.
petunjuk praktis
bergereja
by Ev. Wilson Suwanto
Kita menemukan banyak alasan mengapa orang pergi ke gereja, antara lain:
1. Menyembah Tuhan
2. Mencari teman
3. Melewati hari Minggu
4. Menghapus rasa bersalah
5. Mengikuti teman atau keluarga
Tentu saja, tidak semua alasan di atas
benar. Hanya alasan no (1) yang sesuai
Alkitab, dan alasan-alasan lainnya tidak
sesuai dengan semangat Alkitab. Tentu
saja, ketika orang pergi ke sebuah gereja,
ia akan mendapatkan teman baru. Tetapi
22
persahabatan di dalam konteks gereja
sangat berbeda dengan konteks dunia.
Kalau seseorang bertujuan mencari
teman, ia harus mengerti bahwa persahabatan ini bersifat Kristen, bukan duniawi.
Persahabatan ini mencakup sisi rohani,
bukan hanya sosial.
Demikian pula dengan alasan no (3),
yaitu: menghabiskan waktu. Memang
lebih baik menghabiskan waktu di gereja
daripada di tempat lain. Namun, kita
bukan sekedar melewati hari, melainkan
menggunakannya untuk menyembah
Tuhan. Orang dengan motivasi no (3)
tidak bisa menikmati berkat Tuhan pada
hari Sabat sebab ia tidak mengerti tujuan
beribadah.
Mereka dengan motivasi no (4)
mempunyai pemikiran yang keliru. Hadir
di gereja tidak bisa menebus kesalahan
seseorang. Kita ditebus hanya oleh darah
Yesus, dan kita ke gereja untuk bersyukur
atas kasihNya. Orang yang hanya ingin
menghapus rasa bersalah, hanya ingin
membersihkan hatinya dari rasa bersalah,
tetapi tidak mengisinya dengan ucapan
syukur kepada Tuhan. Dengan kata lain,
hatinya tetap kosong sekalipun ia sudah
ke gereja.
Dan, mereka yang ke gereja hanya
untuk mengikut teman, keluarga, suami/
istri, juga tidak mendapat manfaat rohani.
Ke gereja bukanlah untuk kebaikan keluarga/teman kita, itu juga untuk kebaikan
kita. Ke gereja bukanlah untuk menyenangkan teman/atasan kita, tetapi
untuk menikmati berkat firman Tuhan
bagi diri kita. Jika kita kehilangan ini, kita
kehilangan hal yang terpenting dalam
hidup.
GEREJA MANA?
Beberapa orang tidak ke gereja karena
mereka bingung harus memilih gereja
yang mana. Memang ada ratusan aliran
atau nama gereja yang bisa membuat
orang bingung. Sebelum kita menjawab
pertanyaan ”gereja yang mana,” kita
perlu menelusuri sejarah gereja sehingga
kita mengerti mengapa ada banyak aliran
dalam gereja.
Sepanjang ribuan tahun, gereja
bersatu. Hanya ada sedikit gangguan
terhadap kesatuan gereja, sehingga
gereja menikmati masa damai dalam
jangka waktu yang panjang. Aliran
baru mulai muncul ketika Martin Luther
mencetuskan Reformasi Protestan tahun
1517. Luther tidak ingin membuat gereja
baru, ia hanya ingin memperbarui gereja
Katolik, namun ia ditolak dan dikucilkan
oleh Vatikan. Tidak ada jalan lain, Luther
harus memulai gereja baru (Protestan).
Demikian pula, Gereja Anglikan di
Inggris mempunyai perbedaan pandangan
dengan Vatikan. Mereka bermaksud
menyelesaikan dengan damai. Namun
Vatikan dengan tegas mengucilkan Gereja
Anglikan pada tahun 1570, maka sejak itu,
Anglikan berdiri sendiri sebagai aliran
baru.
Di dalam gereja-gereja Protestan
sendiri, ada begitu banyak aliran, seperti:
Metodis, Baptis, Presbyterian, dsb.
Memang perpecahan gereja pada zaman
dulu disebabkan karena ajaran yang
berbeda. Ini adalah alasan yang sah untuk
berpecah. Ketika sebuah gereja sudah
menyimpang dari Firman Tuhan, dan tidak
ada jalan untuk mengembalikannya, maka
perpecahan tidak terhindarkan, bahkan
diharuskan.
Tetapi pada zaman sekarang, banyak
perpecahan gereja disebabkan oleh alasanalasan pribadi, seperti: tidak suka kepada
pemimpin gereja, tidak suka kepada cara
beribadah, dsb. Perpecahan seperti ini
sangat destruktif dan harus dihindari.
Selama ajaran sebuah gereja berada
dalam jalur Alkitab dan moralitas dijunjung tinggi, tidak boleh ada perpecahan
dengan alasan apapun.
Bagi kita, gereja mana yang harus kita
pergi? Sederhana; gereja yang memberitakan Alkitab tanpa kompromi, dan
menjunjung moralitas
KE HALAMAN 26 ►
Kristen. Ketika sebuah
23
P
pelayanan ————————————————————————————
PANGGILAN
MENJADI
GURU SEKOLAH
MINGGU
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TRAINING
MARCH 12, 2006
by: Ev. Julia Suwanto
Dalam 1 Timotius 4:16, Paulus
menulis, “Awasilah dirimu dan awasilah ajaranmu. Bertekunlah dalam
semuanya itu, karena dengan berbuat
demikian engkau akan menyelamatkan dirimu dan semua orang
yang mendengar engkau.”
Dalam ayat ini, Paulus menasihatkan Timotius untuk mengawasi diri
dan ajaran. Perhatikan bahwa “diri” disebutkan dahulu, baru kemudian “ajaran.”
MENGAPA?
24
►
Paulus
hendak
berkata
bahwa hidup seorang pengajar
harus menjadi cermin atau
contoh bagi pengajarannya.
Hidup seorang guru berbicara
lebih jelas daripada sekedar katakatanya. Pengajaran seorang
guru akan menjadi efektif
jika itu didukung oleh teladan
hidupnya. Joseph Butler, seorang
Bishop dari Inggris, pernah
berkata, “Takutlah lebih kepada
dirimu daripada kepada dunia.”
Ketika seorang Kristen menjadi batu sandungan bagi orang lain, akibatnya akan
jauh lebih besar daripada kalau seorang
yang non-Kristen melakukan hal yang
sama. Itu sebabnya teladan hidup seorang
guru sangat penting. Tidak heran Paulus
menomor-satukan
“hidup”
sebelum
“ajaran.”
Setelah itu, Paulus baru berbicara
mengenai “mengawasi ajaran.” Yang
dimaksudkan adalah isi pengajaran
seorang guru. Memang pada zaman
sekarang, penekanan lebih berat pada
metode mengajar daripada isi. Padahal
sebenarnya tekanan harus jatuh pada isi,
daripada metode. Sebagai contoh, ada
seorang guru yang mempersiapkan cerita
dari Yohanes 2:1-10 tentang perkawinan
di Kana. Sang guru tidak lagi membaca
bagian Alkitab tersebut sebabnya sudah
terlalu akrab dengan isinya. Ia banyak
menghabiskan waktu untuk metode dan
alat peraga. Padahal kalau ia kembali
membaca bagian itu dan mempelajarinya,
ia akan lebih mengerti dan bisa mempersiapkan alat peraga dan metode yang
lebih efektif.
Mengapa pengajaran yang kuat itu
penting bagi anak-anak Sekolah Minggu?
Ajaran yang solid adalah dasar bagi hidup
kerohanian anak-anak. Membekali anak
dengan ajaran yang kuat sama halnya
dengan membekalinya dengan kemampuan untuk membedakan yang benar dan
yang salah, yang asli dan yang palsu. Solid
teaching will give the child a discerning
ability.
Sebagai contoh, ada seorang anak
high school yang ditawarkan untuk
mengikuti ajaran Jehovah Witness (Saksi
Yehovah, red.). Meskipun ia belum tahu
apa itu Jehovah Witness, pengajaran
Sekolah Minggu menolongnya untuk
mengambil keputusan menolak ajaran/
tawaran tersebut. Betapa pentingnya
ajaran Alkitab bagi anak-anak.
Merangkum apa yang Paulus katakan:
hidup seorang guru adalah fondasi,
pengajaran adalah bangunan, dan metode
mengajar adalah aksesoris. Berdasarkan
pengertian ini, kita akan melihat
bagaimana seorang guru Sekolah Minggu
menjalankan peranannya di gereja.
GURU SEKOLAH MINGGU
Apa artinya menjadi guru Sekolah
Minggu? Menjadi guru Sekolah Minggu
adalah sebuah panggilan. Ini berarti:
1. Lebih dari sekedar “suka anak-anak.”
2. Lebih dari sekedar ”suka mengajar.”
Definisi
seorang
guru
Sekolah
Minggu adalah seorang anak Tuhan yang
mengalami kasih dan anugerah Tuhan
yang menyelamatkan hidupnya, dan
selalu ingin untuk terus belajar Firman
Tuhan dan senantiasa rindu membawa
anak-anak kenal Kristus secara pribadi
melalui pengajaran/teaching.
Seorang guru Sekolah Minggu mempunyai beberapa peranan yang penting:
1. Model
Selain belajar dengan mendengar,
anak belajar dengan melihat. Anak
melihat kehidupan sang guru, kasihnya,
kepeduliannya kepada mereka, dan
semua ini akan membekas di hati anak.
Kebenaran yang diajarkan kepada mereka
akan menjadi nyata dalam tingkah-laku
ang guru. Seperti ada pepatah: ”A picture
is worth 1,000 words, an example is worth
1,000 pictures.”
25
2. Bible Student
Sebelum bisa menjadi pengajar Alkitab
(mengajarkan anak tentang Firman
Tuhan), kita sebagai guru perlu lebih dulu
menjadi murid Alkitab. Misalnya, untuk
mengajar anak didiknya mencintai Alkitab
dan menghafal ayat-ayat penting, sang
guru harus terbiasa membaca dan menghafalnya. Dari situ, anak bukan hanya
belajar menghafal, tetapi juga mencintai
Alkitab.
3. Hamba Tuhan
Dalam pelayanan, kesetiaan lebih
penting daripada keberhasilan. Keberhasilan itu penting, tetapi kesetiaan adalah
segala-galanya. Tuhan sendiri melihat
hati kita lebih daripada keterampilan kita.
Keberhasilan tergantung banyak faktor,
tetapi kesetiaan bergantung pada satu
faktor, yaitu tanggung jawab kita pada
Tuhan.
4. Pendoa Syafaat
Seorang guru Sekolah Minggu akan
mendapat kekuatan untuk mengajar kalau
ia adalah seorang yang berdoa. Bukan
hanya ia mendoakan diri, tetapi juga anakanak yang diajarnya. Hanya Tuhan yang
bisa memakai dia
untuk mengubah
hati
anak-anak
melalui Firman
T u h a n .
Memang ini
juga bagian
yang kurang
ditekankan
p a d a
z a m a n
kita, tetapi
A l k i t a b
26
menyatakan bahwa hanya kuasa Tuhan
yang sanggup membawa perubahan
dalam hati orang-orang, termasuk anakanak. Seorang guru Sekolah Minggu
hanya mengajar satu jam per minggu,
dan selebihnya dari hidup anak berada di
luar kontrol seorang guru. Itu sebabnya,
seorang guru Sekoah Minggu perlu menyerahkan anak-anak tersebut dalam doa.
Bila Anda terbeban untuk melayani
sebagai guru Sekolah Minggu, silahkan
hubungi Ev. Julia Suwanto untuk konsultasi
dan keterangan lebih lanjut. [ES/TA]
► DARI HALAMAN 23
gereja
memberitakan
“injil
yang lain” daripada Injil Kristus,
kita tidak bisa berada dalam
gereja demikian. Ketika sebuah
gereja
mendukung
tindakan
amoral/imoral seperti aborsi,
pembunuhan, perzinahan, dsb,
kita harus meninggalkan gereja
demikian.
Selama sebuah gereja setia
kepada firman dan moralitas
Kristen, setiap anggotanya harus
setia beribadah dan melayani di
gereja tersebut selama mereka
bisa (kecuali mereka pindah ke
luar kota, atau mengalami cacat
fisik yang menghalangi mereka ke
gereja). Hanya dalam persekutuan
dengan Tuhan dan jemaatNya,
iman Kristen kita bisa bertumbuh.
Hanya dalam kehidupan bergereja,
kita
mendapatkan
kekuatan
untuk menjadi saksi Tuhan yang
efektif dalam dunia ini. [JA/TA]
http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/reading_toddler.html
��
Toddler Reading Time
By: Laura Bailet, PhD
Reviewed: April 2006
From Toys to Books
Gabrielle takes a break from playing at her
kitchen set and reaches into her basket of
books. She roots around until she finds her
current favorite by Richard Scarry, then delivers the book to her mother, who knows
just what page to skip to. Gabrielle sits in
her mom’s lap as the two of them examine the page - her mom names the orange
juice, milk, and waffles and Gabrielle points
to the pictures.
Soon, Gabrielle slides off her mother’s lap
and moves over to her stuffed animals. Her
mom knows better than to try to finish
the book. For Gabrielle and lots of other
toddlers, these little bits of reading are
just right.
27
Why Should I Read to My Toddler?
Studies show that children with active
exposure to language have social and
educational advantages over their peers
- and reading is one of the best exposures
to language.
Reading to your child lays the foundation
for later independent reading. But before
your child can read independently, he or
she needs a set of skills called emergent
literacy skills. These include:
• having a large vocabulary of words and
knowing how to use them
• understanding that words are made up
of smaller sounds (this is called phonemic
awareness)
• understanding that marks on a page
represent letters and words
• knowing the letters of the alphabet
You don’t need games, flashcards, or special instruction to help your child gain these
skills. You just need books, your child, and
you. Reading to your child as often as possible is the best thing you can do to help
him or her learn to read independently.
I’m Not a Baby Anymore!
Reading aloud is also an important way
to help your child make the transition
from babyhood to toddlerhood. Between
the ages of 1 and 3, your child will have
triumphs and challenges. It can help for
your child to hear stories about other kids
and how they managed fears about what’s
under the bed and tackled the challenge of
using the potty.
28
Your child will make big leaps in vocabulary during this time, and will learn about
letters, shapes, colors, weather, animals,
seasons - all of which can be reinforced
through books. Choose ones with many pictures your child can point to and name.
But while eager to learn about the world
and experience it, your toddler also needs
a strong connection with you. Reading
together regularly can strengthen that
connection, helping your toddler feel safe
and comfortable.
When and How to Read to Your Toddler
Experts recommend you read to your
child as often as you can and that you
strive to have at least one scheduled
reading time each day. Choosing regular times to read (especially before naps
and bedtime) is a way to help your child
learn to sit with a book and relax. But
you can read anytime your child seems
in the mood.
If your toddler will let you, hold him
or her in your lap when you read. It’s a
great spot for:
• helping your child feel safe, happy,
and relaxed
• giving undivided attention
• showing new things
• inviting participation
You’ll find that your toddler has a mind
of his or her own and wants to be independent and successful. Nurture these
instincts by offering three or four books
to choose from, praising your child’s
selection, letting your toddler help you
turn pages, and asking for help as you
find things on a page. Your child will
love to finish sentences in books with
repetitive phrasing or rhymes.
Here are some additional reading tips:
• Read whatever books your toddler
asks for, even if it’s the same book every
night for weeks and weeks (and weeks
and weeks).
• Read slowly enough for your toddler
to understand.
• Read expressively, using different voices for different characters and raising or
lowering your voice as appropriate.
• Use puppets, finger plays (like the “Itsy
Bitsy Spider”), or props while you read.
• Encourage your toddler to clap or
sing when you read rhythmic, sing-song
books.
• Talk about the illustrations with your
child. Point to items and name them.
Then ask your child to name them with
you and offer enthusiastic praise as he
or she does so.
• Ask open-ended questions - “Why
do you think the lion is going into the
woods? What do you think will happen
next?” This encourages your child to
think about the story and to ask questions.
• Substitute your child’s name for the
name of a character in the book.
• Have fun! Show your child that reading
is enjoyable.
Busy Bodies, Busy Minds
Trying to read to a toddler who just
won’t sit still can be frustrating. It’s
important to be patient and keep trying. Find a book or a few pages that
capture his or her interest. If you can’t
do that, don’t force the reading but be
sure to try again later. Remember that
toddlers love repetition - if your child
seems uninterested in books, you may
need to find a favorite and read it over
and over again.
Some busy toddlers like to stand up
while you read to them. Others like to
look at a page or two before moving
on to something else. Keep the book
out - he or she may want to return to it
later, which you should encourage. Don’t
worry if your child can’t sit still for an
entire book - his or her attention span
will start to get longer soon. You might
want to keep reading even if your child
moves around. Before bedtime, allow
your child to touch and play with favorite
toys while you read aloud. The sound of
your voice will be a soothing reminder
of your bedtime routine and that books
are a part of it.
You may find that your child
sits still better while coloring or playing with a favorite toy while you read.
Don’t assume that
because your child
isn’t looking at you
or the book that he
or she isn’t interested
or listening.
You want your child to have positive
associations with reading, so if you are
feeling tense or your child is resisting,
consider setting the book aside and
returning to it later.
beyond board books. They are also
beginning to understand the mechanics
of reading and like books that are
repetitive and easy to memorize so that
they can “read” along.
If your child really doesn’t like to spend
much time reading, remember that
reading to your child is just one thing you
can do to encourage emergent literacy.
You also can limit TV, talk to your child
throughout the day, sing songs together,
play rhyming games, and make up your
own stories together. Don’t forget to
provide paper and crayons so your child
can practice writing.
By now you will start to know what your
child’s passions are - whether trains,
trucks, or stuffed bears, find books about
these things of interest. Children this age
also like books about children, families,
and animals.
Choosing Books for Toddlers
Toddlers want to feel included and
competent; choose books that your child
can follow along with, especially those
with repetitive text so he or she can fill in
words. Maintain your toddler’s interest
by choosing books with small amounts of
text on the page and books about topics
that you know are of interest.
For younger toddlers (12 to 24 months)
you’ll want sturdy board books with
pictures (especially photos) of kids doing
the things they do every day. Books
about bedtime, baths, or mealtime are
all good choices; so are books about
saying hello or good-bye. Keep active
hands busy with lift-the-flap pages and
textures to feel.
Toddlers from 24 to 36 months are
beginning to be able to turn paper
pages, so this is a good time to expand
30
Toddlers love to look at homemade
books, scrapbooks, or photo albums full
of people they know (try adding simple
captions). Poetry and songbooks are
good choices for this age group too.
You may find that story time turns into
sing-along time.
Books, Books, All Around
Read-aloud time isn’t the only opportunity your child should have to spend time
with books - toddlers love to choose and
look at books on their own. Keep books
in a basket on the floor or on a low shelf
where your child can reach them easily
and look at them independently. Keep
some books in the car and always have
a few handy in your bag for long waits
at the doctor or lines at the post office.
Take your child to the library or the
bookstore and let him or her select
books to read at home. Many libraries
and bookstores have toddler story times
that your child might enjoy. And let your
child see you reading - he or she is sure
to imitate you.
TODDLER & LIBRARY
Reading to your toddler is a must.
Everybody knows it. If you are against it, you are on the wrong side. Books can be
one of our ways to teach our toddler about many things. They can be a tool to introduce not only the wonder of the world such as animals, but also the greatness of
our God. Not only books, now we have motion films and musics to teach our toddler.
OUR ISSUE
The issue for us as Christians is to choose what kind of books and films that we can give
to our children, especially Christian ones. However, if you have limited budget like me,
buying every single book that attracts you will be a big problem. Adding to the quotation is the price that can cost you $15 just for a 30 minute sing along CD.
Well, worry no more. Our Church
Library comes to the rescue!
Our library has many varieties of books, films, and music for toddlers. Having a toddler
myself, I really thankful for it. My kid really enjoys the books and films from our library.
Let me share with you several of his favorites.
Veggie Tales
You will be surprised by our library collection on Veggie Tales. If your toddler always moves a lot, I guarantee that this one will make him/her
sits nicely. Basically, this movie tries to introduce Christian story in an
amusing way, full of colorful veggies and funny music. It tells not only
stories from the Bible, but also stories about Christian living. And if you
want to know how silly their Silly Songs are, go check them out!
31
The Beginner's Bible
This film series is about
popular stories in the Bible
among kids such as Jonah,
David and Goliath, Daniel,
etc. They are presented
using cartoon characters
and beautiful colors and
music. I do not know why, but every time
my kid watches this, he simply freezes in
front of the TV. I think it’s better for him to
watch this kind of video compared to other
films in Cartoon Network. It is an easy way
to tell him about the bible story too.
The Series of Bible Story
If you your kids like Alice
in Wonderland, they will
like this series too. Like the
Beginner’s Bible film, these
book series also contain bible
stories, but in different form.
The story will lead us to the
inside of the story―if you
know what I mean.
McGee and Me (Focus on Family)
It’s entertainment with
the excitement kids love
and the biblical values
parents applaud! Your
kids will have so much
fun, they won’t realize
they’re learning valuable
lessons about lying, honesty, jealousy,
helping those in need and making choices that can shape their character.
32
Adventures in Odyssey (Focus on Family)
This series are more for
older toddler. It will take
us to different worlds that
will teach our kids about
Christian way to live.
See You There Soon!!!
If you have a toddler and never been in
our church library, this is the time to have
a new habit. Visiting our library does not
need a big effort. It does not cost a single
penny to use it. It is located next to the
sanctuary and is open every week after
the service. Believe me, your toddler will
love its collections.
too rich in knowledge and wisdom
that I can’t possibly do it justice by squeezing
all of its truth into perhaps three measly pages."
"This book is
A book review by Jan.
Sue Augustine is the author of 5-Minute Retreats
for Women and With Wings, There Are No
Barriers. She is an internationally known speaker
and leader of dynamic workshops on issues such
as stress survival, time effectiveness, and clutter
management. She lives in Canada.
Most “self-help books”, as they are
labeled (sometimes with a negative connotation), do nothing more
than simply restating what may be
to some of us, common knowledge.
Although I can’t say that this book
does not possess quite a number of
cliché’s, there is one major difference that makes it unique to the
rest: God’s involvement in the
healing process of the individual.
Healing from bitterness, a traumatic
past, or simply a lifelong negative
self-image requires strength that
can only be given from above.
Sue Augustine, the author of
When Your Past is Hurting Your
Present, wrote this book as a means
to give hope to the hopeless, to
uplift those in despair, and to show
freedom through God for those
who are imprisoned in their past.
Sue Augustine is easy to understand
and she uses encouraging words to
teach us lessons about the reality
of life. She herself was a victim of
an abusive and alcoholic husband.
Through her sharing of her own
experiences the readers are brought
closer to a more realistic solution.
She assures you through her own
life as an example, that God is the
answer to all things. Whatever your
past may be, however hurtful or
33
shameful it is, however bad your relationship was with someone, now is the time to
“let go and to let God.”
According to Sue Augustine, here are
a few of the most common hindrances
when it comes to letting go (excerpted and
summarized from page 856-865):
- Our memory keeps bringing it back to
our mind.
- We are conditioned to believe it’s just
not that easy. We think if we’re serious
about letting go, it might mean we’ll
end up in therapy for years.
- Letting go seems too simple of an
answer. We are certain that if it’s going
to be effective, clearing out the old must
be a complex undertaking.
- We feel we’ll be loosing control by
letting go. In reality, the opposite is
true – whatever you cannot release has
control and power over you!
Letting go is one of the major cornerstones of being liberated from your past.
If you are ready to be set free, make a
decision to release whatever is holding
you back. Don’t hang on to anything that
is not empowering you to move forward.
In reality, you always have the option
of choosing whether you will focus on a
hurtful past or fill your mind with uplifting
thoughts of the present and all its blessings.
Your mind cannot focus on both negative
and positive ideas at the same time. The
Bible says, “you will know the truth and
the truth will set you free (John 8:32)”.
There are many things we need to
experience true freedom. This book takes
you through the process of healing with
the help of Jesus Christ step by step. It is
divided into three parts:
1. Relinquishing your past
2. Renewing your present
3. Rebuilding your future
34
Here are a couple steps to begin with
in relinquishing your past.
1. Let go of past regrets. You are not your past.
2. Let go of…”should have, could have,
and if only”. If we do, we’ll begin to
live in the fantasy world of “if only”.
3. Let go of putting life on hold. Don’t
wait for the “perfect” condition to
change your lives. Take control of your
life TODAY.
4. Let go of yearning for the “good old
days”. We can become prisoners of our
perception of a positive past. This can
affect us just as much as a negative past.
5. Let go of believing it’s your lot in life to
suffer.
6. Let go of the addiction to drama in your
life! Chaos, confusion, and commotion
can become a familiar and habitual
way of life.
7. Let go of unproductive thoughts. Lord
Halifax said, “A man may dwell so long
on a thought that it may take him prisoner”. Here’s some good news! When
you change your thoughts, you change
your world!
8. Let go of unrealistic expectations. It
doesn’t work to expect to go through
life without struggles, adversity, loss,
and hardships. It’s also unrealistic to
expect the strength to go through
those trials without God’s presence,
assurance, and help.
“In this godless world, you will continue
to experience difficulties. But take heart!
I’ve conquered the world” (John 16:33)
9. Let go of setting impossible standards
for yourself. We live in a world that
promotes perfectionism and idealism.
Especially for women, the soccer mom,
the business mom, the stay-at-home
mom. We must be all of this at once!
Avoid comparing yourself to impossible
standards! You will only feel disappointment in yourselves and let down
by your own performance.
10. Let go of feeling responsible for others’
reactions. You are responsible for yourself- to be the best person you can be
with the tools you have available to you.
11. Let go of pessimistic associations. Your
own negativity can bring you down,
but “negaholic” people will keep you
there. The Bible says to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”
(Romans 12:2). You can renew your
mind by focusing on the hope that God
gives by reading His promises over and
over and committing them to memory.
12. Let go of wondering what other people
think of you. Yes this is hard, but being
controlled by the opinions of others is
a sure way to miss all the unique plans
God has for your future!
13. Let go of trying to change other
people. When you can see that change
would be beneficial in someone’s life,
the best thing you can do is to be a
positive example, role model, mentor,
encourager, and effective influencer.
Then accept others for who they are…
learning, growing, and developing.
14. Let go of bitterness. “To worry yourself
to death with resentment would be a
foolish, senseless thing to do” (Job 5:2).
Bitterness always hurts you more than
the person it’s aimed at. Usually the
offender forgets the wrongdoing and
goes on with life while you continue
to seethe in your anguish, keeping the
past alive.
You really can start over. Indeed the
best starting point, after forgiving others ,
is to forgive yourself. New beginnings and
forgiving yourself are strongly linked. The
reason to forgive ourselves is not because
we feel like it, or because we want to see
ourselves as blameless, but because we
limit what we can receive from God when
we hold on to our past. In the Bible we are
told, “This then is how we know that we
belong to the truth, and how we set our
hearts at rest in his presence whenever our
hearts condemn us. For God is greater than
our hearts, and he knows everything.” (1
John 3:19-20)
If you are having difficulties letting
go, seek help! God is the God of new
beginnings. You should also confide in a
friend. When we admit our wrongs, first
to ourselves, then to God, then to another
person—this three step process can be a
powerful, life transforming experience.
The book then continues to dive more
into the healing powers of forgiveness,
forgiving others and yourselves, possessing
resiliency-bouncing back after adversity,
getting over our fears that keep us stuck (like
the unknown), fear of accomplishment, fear
of failure, fear of rejection, and many more.
It discusses assertion as a positive means of
communication and provides suggestions
and guides into building a positive future.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
It is a whole different experience when a
book is empowered by thousands of sharings
by women. At first I was strongly in doubt
of reading another “moving on yada-yada”
book, but I only gained newfound courage
and encouragement to be a more positive
person.
“Now that you know these things, you
will be blessed if you do them.” John 13:17
“Forgetting what is behind and
straining forward to what is ahead, I press
on toward the goal to win the prize for
which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 [JA/TA]
35
I
BUNYA MEMBERINYA NAMA YANG
UNIQUE
DAN
”VANDETTA.”
MENYERAMKAN...
ALASAN
IBUNYA
MEMBERIKAN NAMA VANDETTA BUKAN
BERARTI DIA TIDAK MENGETAHUI APA ARTI
VANDETTA TERSEBUT. IBUNYA MEMANG
TAHU DENGAN JELAS APA ARTI DARI
VANDETTA ITU DAN DENGAN SENGAJA
IBUNYA MEMBERIKAN NAMA VANDETTA
KEPADA
36
PUTRI
TUNGGALNYA
ITU.
Pada masa ibunya melahirkan Vandetta,
setiap orang tua yang melahirkan anak
berusaha mendapatkan nama yang unique
dan tidak “ber-bau” Indonesia. Mereka
ingin anak mereka menjadi lain dari
pada yang lain, dan jika orang-orang
melihat nama anak mereka, maka orang
tidak akan menduga kalau anak mereka
adalah orang Indonesia, mungkin orang
akan mengira anak mereka adalah orang
Eropa, Amerika bahkan mungkin orang
British asli.
Hal lain yang membuat Ibu Vandetta
memberikan nama tersebut adalah karena ibunya sakit hati karena pada saat
Vandetta dilahirkan, ayah kandungnya
tidak berada di rumah sakit melainkan
kemudian diketahui kalau ayah Vandetta
sedang berbuat serong dengan sekretaris
di kantornya. Karena itu ibunya memberikan nama Vandetta kepada anaknya,
sebagai pembalasan dendam terhadap suaminya yang hidung belang tersebut. Sejak
saat itu ibunya menceraikan suaminya
dan tidak pernah menikah lagi.
Tetapi.... percaya atau tidak percaya....
tahyul ataupun tidak tahyul, mungkin
dikarenakan hawa dendam yang diwariskan oleh ibunya atau keadaan yang
dimanfaatkan oleh si jahat (roh jahat,
iblis, setan atau yang sejenisnya) untuk
membuat manusia membenci Tuhan dan
menyembah setan. Yang pasti kehidupan
Vandetta di masa mendatang kelihatannya seperti banyak karang-karang hitam
dan tanah gersang yang panas membara
mewarnai hidupnya.
Vandetta sendiri tidak suka dengan
namanya tersebut. Maka setelah dia di
bangku SMP, dia menyingkat namanya
menjadi V, dan menginginkan semua
memanggilnya V. Vandetta atau V
adalah seorang gadis yang cantik manis
dan menawan hati. Setiap laki-laki pasti
akan menyukainya dan setiap wanita
kalau tidak berusaha menjadi kawan baik
Vandetta pasti akan menjadi lawannya
karena mereka cemburu setiap laki-laki
selalu memuja dan memuji V.
V tidak bisa melanjutkan sekolah atau
pendidikannya seperti kemauannya
ataupun keinginan ibunya, karena pada
saat SMA tingkat terakhir V kedapatan
hamil. V sendiri tidak mengetahuinya
siapa yang menghamilinya karena hal
itu terjadi di suatu pesta Prom, dimana
V out of control setelah terlalu banyak
menenggak minuman keras sehingga dia
pass out. V berusaha menyembunyikan
kehamilannya supaya dia paling sedikit
bisa menamatkan SMA-nya. Lalu setelah
ibunya mengetahui V hamil, ibunya bersikeras supaya kandungan itu digugurkan.
Tapi V tidak tega dan tidak mau menggugurkan kandungannya. Ibunya marah
dan mereka ribut besar.... sampai saat ini
mereka tidak mau berdamai sama sekali.
V kebingungan akan diapakan anak ini
nantinya. Tetapi untunglah... adik lakilaki dari mamanya mau mengadopsi
anaknya tersebut, sekaligus menampung V
di rumah mereka. Paman V mengatakan
dia dan istrinya tidak bermaksud mengambil anak V yang diberi nama Esa itu
dari tangan V. Mereka hanya berusaha
menyelamatkan V dari aib yang terjadi
padanya.... jadi cuma secara hukum saja
Esa anak dari paman V, tetapi secara
37
hidup cuma bertiga dengan
kedua orang putrinya Esa
dan Noella. V bertekad tidak
akan menikah lagi seumur
hidupnya... dan mereka bertiga
seperti tiga sekawan... tidak
ada seorang pun menyangka
kalau mereka bertiga itu adalah
ibu dan anak. Karena mereka
semua begitu cantik, anggun dan
menawan hati.... bagai bunga yang
selalu mekar sepanjang hari dan
tidak akan pernah layu..... mereka
bagaikan “Party of Three” that cannot be separated.
anak V.
V adalah tetap gadis yang cantik
dan menarik biarpun sudah mempunyai anak. Meski V tidak kuliah atau
melanjutkan sekolahnya ke universitas,
tapi V yang cerdas ini mengambil keterampilan-keterampilan khusus seperti
tata buku, komputer dan bahasa Inggris, sehingga dengan mudahnya dia
mendapatkan pekerjaan. Pada saat V
sudah bisa mempunyai penghasilan yang
cukup, dia membeli rumah sendiri dan
hidup bersama dengan Esa. V jatuh cinta
dengan kolega kerjanya yang orang kaya
dan direktur suatu perusahaan... mereka
menikah dan mempunyai anak putri lagi
yang diberi nama Noella.
Tampaknya mereka bahagia... tetapi....
suatu saat V mengetahui suaminya itu
menyeleweng dan mempunyai istri muda.
Seperti apa yang dilakukan oleh ibunya,
V langsung mendepak suaminya. Kini V
38
Namun tidak ada jalan yang langeng
dan selalu mulus buat V. Karena V
menutup pintu hatinya terhadap pria,
dia bergaul terlalu akrab dengan kolega
dan kawan-kawan sejenisnya..... salah
satu dari teman baiknya mulai membuat
kehidupan V bertambah suram dan menyeramkan. V terjatuh pada obat-obatan
yang telarang dan membahayakan. “The
Party of Three” mulai retak... paman V
melihat gelagat yang tidak baik ini dan
berusaha menolong dan menyelamatkan
V dari keganasan obat-obat bius ini.
Beberapa kali V dimasukkan di pusat
rehabilitasi, tapi di tengah-tengah pengobatan V kabur dan mencari teman-teman
obat biusnya lagi. Sesekali V bertobat,
tetapi gangguan dari pengikut-pengikut
setan yang menyerupai pecandu obat bius
ini menyeret V ke tempat yang lebih
hebat lagi.
Ibu V diberi tahu dan berusaha menyelamatkan cucunya dengan menyekolahkannya, dan berusaha menyelamatkan
dari obat bius ini. Tetapi sengketa yang
tak terselesaikan antara ibu dan anak
ini membuat V tidak bisa memaafkan
ibunya.
Tahun demi tahun berlalu... Esa sudah
dewasa dan rupanya Esa bisa diselamatkan sehingga tidak mengikuti jejak
ibunya. Suatu saat Esa mendatangi pamannya yang dikenal dan dipanggilnya
sebagai papa, karena selama ini Paman
V inilah yang menjadi figur ayah bagi
Esa dan Noella.
kesempatan ini mendampingi Esa di
dalam pernikahannya ini dan sekaligus
memberikan kehormatan pada Esa dan
pihak keluarga calon suami Esa. V tidak
bereaksi sama sekali, meski paman V dan
ibunya melihat air mata bergulir dari
pelupuk mata V.
Hari pernikahan hampir tiba. Semua orang
sibuk dengan kegiatannya masing-masing.
Noella akan menjadi pengapit Esa. Paman
dan bibinya V yang akan menjadi orang
tua wali buat Esa. Semua rumah sudah
didesain dengan indah dan cantiknya.
“Pa.... Esa meMeski setelah
pernikahan
rencanakan
ini Esa akan
akan menidiboyong ke
kah....”
istana sua...YA TUHAN TOLONGLAH KEMBALIKAN
Paman V meminya, tetaMAMA V KEPADA KAMI...
mang mengepi tetap saja
tahui bahwa
rumah dari
V sudah demana Esa
wasa sudah
akan keluar
menamatpintu dihias
kansarjananya dalam usia yang relatif dengan menarik dan menawan. Semua
masih muda, dan calon Esa juga dikenal kamar dicat ulang dan dihiasi dengan
sebagai seorang yang berpendidikan dan bunga-bunga. Cuma satu kamar yang
dari keluarga terhormat, sehingga rencana dibiarkan dan tak disentuh, yaitu kamar
pernikahan Esa pun tentu saja disetujui dimana V tergeletak tak berdaya. Noella
serta direstui oleh neneknya. Sekarang mendatangi kamar mamanya dan menpaman dan mama V merasa sedih karena getuk pintunya..
tidak mungkin meminta V atau Vandetta
ini mendampingi dan mengapit Esa di “Ma..... bukakan pintu Ma.... Noella ingin
dalam pernikahannya, karena V yang berbicara...”
drug addict ini sudah seperti homeless
yang tidak merawat dirinya, kurus ker- Tak ada sahutan dari V. Diam dan seing dan tidak secantik dulu lagi. Mereka nyap. Noella mengetuk kembali pintu
berusaha menyadarkan V, dan menceri- kamar tersebut dan dengan tangannya
takan perihal Esa yang akan menikah.... yang putih dan mulus mengusap-usap
dan menantang V untuk tidak membuang pintu kamar tersebut, seperti Noella
39
mengelus-elus peti mati mamanya dan
menangis.
“Ma.... kapan Mama akan sadar dan meninggalkan obat-obat jahanam tersebut?
Ma.....betapa aku dan Esa rindu akan saatsaat dimana kita menjadi The Party of
Three..... Ma.... apakah Mama tidak ingat
akan hal itu? Apakah mama tidak sayang
kepada Kak Esa dan Noella, Ma? Ma....
kembalilah kepada kami Ma...... restuilah
pernikahan Kak Esa Ma...! Ma... mama....
Hu hu... hu.... ya Tuhan tolonglah kembalikan Mama V kepada kami Tuhan..
kami masih ingin Mama kami dan kami
akan selalu mencintai Mama kami.. oh
Tuhan.... hu ... hu... hu...! !”
Karena tidak ada jawaban sama sekali....
dan setelah sekian lama Noella menunggu.. akhirnya Noella meninggalkan kamar
mamanya.
“Ma.... jagalah diri Mama
baik-baik
yaa... Ma... sadarlah dan bangunlah Ma.
Kami tahu Mama bisa dan Tuhan pasti
akan menguatkan Mama kalau Mama
mau bertobat Ma...”
Lalu dengan perlahan-lahan Noella meninggalkan kamar mamanya. Walau dari
luar kamar tidak ada reaksi dan jawaban,
tetapi di dalam kamar V mendengarkan
semua tangisan dan kata-kata Noella anak
bungsunya. V menangis dan menangis...
kenangan manis bersama kedua orang
putrinya kembali terbayang dengan jelas
di depan mata Vandetta. Betapa selama
ini juga dia mengetahui apa yang terjadi
di sekitarnya, tetapi selama ini obat-obat
bius itu telah membuat segala-galanya
menjadi samar-samar dan suram.
“Tu..han... “ katanya dengan suara yang
terpatah-patah “Kenapa... aku... begini...?
Oh.... ampunilah....aakku....! Aku telah.....
mengecewakan....anak-anakku...,malaikatmalaikatku.....! OH...OOOH.... HU... HU...
HU.....HU HU HU.....! KUTUKAN APA
YANG TELAH MENIMPA AKU....YA
TUHAN.....BANGKITKANLAH.....
AKU YA TUHAN.......PALING SEDIKIT BUAT ANAK–ANAKKU....
O OH OO HO HO.... TUHAN........
TOLONGLAH.......!!!”
V atau Vandeta yang selama ini
bagaikan bangkai terbaring di kamarnya tiba-tiba bisa tersentuh
oleh emosi yang disulut oleh Noella anaknya yang tercinta.... Setelah
menangis tersedu-sedu V pingsan....
tetapi sebelum V tidak sadarkan diri
dia masih sempat merasakan ada api
yang seolah-olah membara di hatinya
40
dan lidah-lidah api tersebut seolah-olah
menjilat-jilat sekujur tubuhnya sehingga
segenap tubuhnya dirasakannya seperti
dimasukkan ke dapur api seperti emas
yang sedang diuji kemurniannya di dapur
api.
Apakah V sedang disembuhkan oleh Tuhan, ataukah V sedang ketagihan obat
bius? Cuma Tuhan yang tahu...!
Apakah V telah diselamatkan dari api
dendam yang disulut oleh ibunya yang
selama ini telah menyelimuti hidup V?
Cuma Tuhan yang maha kuasa yang
tahu semua itu. Dan cuma Tuhan yang
maha kuasa pula yang bisa melakukan
mujizat tersebut.
Satu hal yang pasti semua masih mengharapkan V akan menjadi pendamping
esa di hari pernikahannya. Dan satu hal
yang tidak akan pernah pudar: cinta kasih seorang mama kepada anak-anaknya,
meski itu mungkin tidak diucapkan secara
kata-kata, tetapi hati kita sendiri yang
mengetahui kebenarannya.
Janganlah sekali-kali kita mewariskan
dendam kepada anak-anak kita.
41
L
liputan ————————————————————————————
2006
Bay
Area Tour
______________________
By: Jessica Kawilarang
“It was nice
to get out of the hot, humid weather that we were in!” explains
Ari Arnaldi. Everyone could agree on that! The Bay area’s cool weather was definitely
a welcome invitation to us (IEC’s English youth group) in our first “Bay Area Tour”,
visiting the San Jose and San Francisco sister churches. Our goal was to have fellowship
with the youth from our sister churches in order to gain greater unity and to also
encourage them to join us in our annual Summer Camp. For almost all of us, it was the
first time we saw and met with our sister churches. We also got a great tour of San
Francisco to go with it.
We arrived at Azusa in the morning of Friday, June 30th to find a large, white coach
bus with jet-black tinted windows awaiting our departure. With 30 people filling every
seat (young adults and a few parents), the seven-hour trip to San Jose was definitely
not a quiet one. As some watched movies to pass the time, others played card games,
talked to friends, took random pictures, or just played jokes on each other.
On our way to San Jose, we were able to make a short stop at Solvang, the famous
Dutch community. It was as if we stepped off into another country. Buildings were
fashioned like they were in Amsterdam and all the individual shops and restaurants
were overflowing with Dutch culture, minus the chain-restaurant Subway, which of
course stood out as “foreign” to the entire community. With about an hour to spare,
we broke into groups and enjoyed lunch and quick, light shopping.
42
“Look at the shirt I got!” exclaimed
Jessica Kawilarang; on the front it read “I
‘heart’ Oma” (evident of the mixture of
Dutch and Indonesian culture).
“Oh! I got a mug that said “I ‘heart’
Oma” too… but for my Oma!” shared
Melissa Tindage.
Yet, back on the bus again, we grew
weary and restless as more hours were to
pass before we reached San Jose. By the
time we did reach the community center
(which our brothers and sisters from San
Jose rented in order to hold all of us), we
grew more excited at the fact that we
could finally stretch
out, but even more
than that, we were
eager to finally meet
the San Jose and
San Francisco youth
(who drove down
to San Jose too).
After meeting many
people, and for some,
old friends from the
past, and having a
tasty Chinese dinner,
which was all too familiar here in Azusa,
we gathered together for worship, a short
sermon by Pastor Billy, and a presentation
of our 2006 Malibu Creek Summer Camp.
Even from that short 2-hour fellowship,
friendships between the youths already
formed, and we found that they were just
like us―easy-going, silly, and eager to live
for God! However, as night set, we were to
go on the bus once more for another hour
ride into San Francisco’s Sheraton Hotel.
The next morning, we woke up
ecstatic to see and experience San
Francisco with the help of Emily Hosea
(the daughter of Pastor Steven Hosea) as
our tour guide
for the day,
starting with of
course,
China
Town to get
Dim Sum for
brunch (better
than any other
in California!).
For the rest
of the morning, we walked
around China Town, exploring little shops
and, without any hesitance, stocked up on
all the great food and desserts (what hit
the jackpot were their egg custards).
Next, we headed up to the symbol of
San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge,
where the weather soon turned chilly.
But nevertheless, the red bridge, which
was slightly covered on top with a layer
of white clouds, still grasped our attention
by its beauty. But not one minute extra
was spent there before we decided it was
time to visit one of the largest malls in the
world―Union Square.
Straight out of the bus, we immediately
split up into groups to explore the “mall”
(it is comprised of several blocks of buildings). There, you could find almost any
store: plenty of designer stores, an 8-story
Macy’s made of 3 buildings, several-stories high
Levi Jeans store…etc.
The bus gained a few
pounds after that.
After spending several hours rummaging
around Union Square, in
which most only saw a
glimpse of because of its
enormous size, we got
43
our taste buds running as we headed to
the world-famous Ghirardelli Square,
renowned for their chocolate and
desserts. We were soon sugar-filled
by all the ice cream and chocolate we
consumed; but it was worth it. After
a whole day out, it was time to take a
break at the hotel to end the day.
But of course, that didn’t happen.
Many decided to stay up late to
hang out with each other, talk and
get to know people more, swim,
and even work-out as a fellowship!
The next Sunday morning, we woke
up early, packed all out belongings, and
loaded the bus in formal-wear (some
which were bought the day before) to
attend GII San Francisco. Once again, we
were able to fellowship with our brothers
and sisters and have a Sunday service.
The people welcomed us warmly and we
got a quick tour of their church building.
But of course, no GII is complete without
the delicious fellowship lunch served
afterwards, in which we got to know each
other better before leaving back to L.A.
In all, this trip was not just a time of
fun, but also a blessing for everyone.
First, we were able to gain a stronger
bond within our own fellowship since
we spent 3 days straight together.
People were able to open up and hang
out with those they usually do not
talk to that much; and coming back,
we weren’t the entirely same youth
group as before. But even more than
gaining a stronger relationship within
our fellowship, secondly, we were able
to gain greater unity as a church family.
Now, our “sister” churches are no
longer
“long-lost-relatives”
with
unknown faces to us, but truly family.
44
R
resep ——————————————————————————————
Tekwan Palembang
—————————
by Ny. Sinta Sandjaya
Bahan tekwan:
- 1 cup white fish paste
- 1/2 cup air
- 1 btr putih telur
- garam secukupnya
- sagu secukupnya (1 pound)
Cara membuat tekwan:
- Didihkan air secukupnya untuk
menggodok tekwan
- Campurkan fish paste, air, putih telur,
dan garam.
- Tambahkan sagu secukupnya (sampai
kira kira bisa dibentuk bulat)
- Masukkan bulatan tadi di air mendidih
sampai timbul, lalu angkat dan tiriskan.
Bahan kuah:
- 3 bj bawang merah
- 3 bj bawang putih
- 1 ons udang utuh (buang kulitnya,
ambil daging dan otaknya)
- 1 tbs ebi
- 1 bengkuang (potong panjang sebesar
tusuk gigi)
- daun seledri, iris tipis-tipis
- bawang goreng
- jamur kuping (potong kecil-kecil)
- suun
- garam
- cuka
Cara buat kuah:
- Bawang diulek atau blender
- Daging udang dan otaknya dicincang
atau blender kasar
- Bawang, ebi dan udang ditumis
- Tambahkan air secukupnya untuk kuah
- Masukkan bengkuang, seledri, jamur
kuping, dan suun
- Beri garam dan cuka secukupnya.
- Masukkan tekwan
- Taburkan bawang goreng sebelum
dimakan.
Selamat mencoba!
PS. Resep pernah dicicipi dalam acara
satu bulanan Joshua (putra Heru & Riya)
45
1. Jesus fed 4000 people
TRUE
FALSE
2.
Jesus traveled with 10 disciples
TRUE
FALSE
3. Naomi’s daughter-in-laws are Oprah and Ruth
TRUE
FALSE
4. Metuselah died when he was 996.
TRUE
FALSE
5. Zachary was blind until his son, John the Baptist, was born.
TRUE
FALSE
6. God rested at the sixth day of creation day.
TRUE
FALSE
7. The Ten Commandments were given to Moses at Mount Sinai.
TRUE
8.
FALSE
Saul changed his name into Paul as he became God’s follower.
TRUE
FALSE
46
5. False, he was mute || 6. False, He rested at the 7th day || 7. true || 8. true
By Debbie Mandaliba
1. True, open Matthew 15: 29-38 || 2. False, it’s 12 || 3. False, Orpah & Ruth || 4. False, 969
TRUE OR FALSE
H
humor —————————————————————
These jokes are taken from www.gcfl.net
and jokes.christiansunite.com
"A cheerful heart is good medicine..."
(Proverbs 17:22a)
-The HelperA pastor is walking down the street one day when he notices a
very small boy trying to press a doorbell on a house across the street.
However, the boy is too small and the doorbell is too high for him to
reach.
After watching the boys‛ efforts for some
time, the pastor moves closer to the boy‛s position.
He steps smartly across the street, walks up behind
the little fellow and, placing his hand kindly on the
child‛s shoulder leans over and gives the doorbell a
solid ring.
Crouching down to the child‛s level, the
pastor smiles benevolently and asks, “And now what,
my little man?” To which the boy replies, “Now we run!”
-Between the pagesA little boy opened the big and old family
Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages
as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out
of the Bible, and he picked it up. He looked at it
closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been
pressed in between the pages.
“Momma, look what I found,” the boy called out.
“What have you got there, dear?” his mother
asked.
With astonishment in the young boy‛s voice, he
answered: “I think it‛s Adam‛s suit!”
“What‛s wrong with that?” asked his mother.
“We hadn‛t started eating yet.”
47
-Jesus' Father's NameA Sunday school teacher asked her class, “What was Jesus‛ mother‛s
name?”
One child answered, “Mary.”
The teacher then asked, “Who knows what Jesus‛ father‛s name was?”
A little kid said, “Verge.”
Confused, the teacher asked, “Where did you get that?”
The kid said, “Well, you know they are always talking about Verge n‛
Mary.” (Virgin Mary)
-Good News Bad NewsA man gets a telephone call from a doctor.
The doctor says: “About this medical test I did on
you, I have some good news and some bad news.”
The man asks for the good news first:
“The good news is that you have 24 hours to
live,” says the doctor.
The man, incredulously: “If that is the good
news, then what is the bad news??”
“I couldn‛t reach you yesterday.”
-God's Left HandedLittle Bobby was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a
particularly trying week in kindergarten. His grandmother decided to take him
to the park on Saturday morning. It had been snowing all night and everything
was beautiful.
His grandmother remarked...”doesn‛t it look like an artist painted this
scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?”
Bobby said, “Yes, God did it and he did it left handed.”
This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him “What makes
you say God did this with his left hand?”
“Well,” said Bobby, “we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus
sits on God‛s right hand!”
48

Bay Area Tour - Indonesian Evangelical Church, USA

Transcription

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