Everyday is a lesson

I am learning to be safe and secure, that everything I CAN control the things I feel and see and think. It is hard but I am trying. Will write more soon. For now, my daily reminder for me:

I am loved.
I have love and joy in me.
I have Christ in me so there is immense love for me and for others.
I have Christ in me so there is nothing to fear.
I have Christ in me so I do not flare up in irritation, anger nor self-defense.
I have Christ in me so I am not sad, not even a little bit.
I have Christ in me, so I am neither stupid nor slow.
I have Christ in me, NOTHING can hurt me, not looks nor words.
I have Christ in me so when I fall or falter I can get up and keep walking a better person who looks forward.
I have Christ in me so there is always faith, love and hope in me, around me and everywhere.

Christians matyred yearly

The featured article is from The Gospel Herald. 

The only place i have ever heard of Muslims being persecuted is in the Hindu-Muslim rivalries in India, and in Tibet, the Buddhists are in danger. I have seen many footages on youtube and both ´secular´and underground tv stations showing persecutions of Christians all over the world. Why is this so? Why are people persecuting others and forcing them into or out of something, if not killing them because of differences? All through the ages, it seem to me, evil has proven its bloodthirsty grip runs through mankind so easily. So much hate. 

Let us not forget to pray for our brothers and sisters. 

May the Lord always be our light, in our hearts, minds and spirit. Thank you Lord for your blessings, your lessons and your everlasting love.

Shocking Figures Reveal 105,000 Christians Martyred Each Year

By Daniel Blake  Christian Post Correspondent   Thu, Jun, 09 2011 05:28 AM PT

An international interfaith conference has revealed that 105,000 Christians are being killed every year simply because of their faith.

The shocking figures revealed at the “International Conference on Inter-religious dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims,” held in Hungary, show that a Christian is killed every five minutes somewhere in the world because of their faith.

Massimo Introvigne, representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, added that these figures did not include the victims of civil wars, or wars between nations, but only the people put to death because they are Christians.

According to the “Catholic Culture” publication, Introvigne said, “If these figures are not cried out to the world, if this massacre is not stopped, if it is not recognized that the persecution against Christians is the first worldwide emergency with regard to religious discrimination and violence, dialogue between religions will only produce wonderful symposia but no concrete results.”

Metropolitan Hilarion, who is the foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church, highlighted to the delegates that of the Christians being persecuted every year “at least one million” were children.

The event was hosted by the Hungarian government as a highlight of its EU presidency of the European Union, and religious representatives from across the world, and from across various faiths, gathered.

In a hopeful sign, the Egyptian diplomat Mahmoud Aly told congregants that the North African country was preparing to pass a number of laws that would protect the Christian minorities in Egypt.

Aly explained that new legislation would ensure those that commit hate speech, or gather in hostile groups outside churches, would be prosecuted.

Cardinal Péter Erdo of Budapest commented: “But the danger is for many Christian communities in the Middle East to die out for emigration. For all Christians will escape feeling threatened. And Europe should be preparing for a new wave of emigration, this time of Christians fleeing persecution.”

Sesame wonder

We were just talking about sesame seeds and sesame oil when i came across this article in Ode magazine. I love the smell of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. We had a breakfast burrito of an omelette with quick-boiled spinach, mushrooms, garlic and onion, with crushed toasted sesame seeds. Yummmmy!  And so, reading this article makes me want to come up with more recipes using sesame seeds 🙂

Open sesame (oil)!

The healthy properties of sesame oil are no fairy tale.

Elbrich Fennema | June 2011 issue

Most fairy tales contain universal truths about good and evil, growing up, quests, the truth, the grail. For the most part, the truths lie hidden in parables and metaphors. And sometimes the truth lies so much on the surface that we can easily overlook it. For example, the idea that sesame is so healthy that it opens the path to hidden treasures. Ali Baba’s famous spell—Open sesame!—is pretty much literally true, but with all the robbers and caves around, the fact can escape our attention.

In the Middle East, where this tale from The Thousand and One Nights originated, people have eaten sesame seeds and tahini (a sauce made from sesame seeds) for centuries, so they knew whereof they spoke. Now science confirms the benefits of sesame and particularly of sesame oil. Roasting sesame not only makes it aromatic and nutty, but because of its great number of antioxidant phenols, the oil that results is a strong antioxidant. The result is a phenomenal type of fat that does not clog arteries but keeps them clean and open.

Look for high-quality roasted sesame oil exclusively from sesame seeds and not cut with any inferior oil. Because of its delicious aroma and ability to tolerate high temperatures, this oil is perfect to use in stir fries. A couple of drops on cooked broccoli are also delicious; a couple of drops in vegetable soup give it a fragrant strength; and it does wonders for a salad dressing. Then sesame’s magical effect will begin to work on the inside.

Bishop fears genocide in Sudan

The featured article is from Christian Today India. Please read and pray and fast with us as you are able for a solution to this crisis: Reading that message seem to make me want to read more and try and make sure many other people read and pray and fast as much as we can for others. It is so awesome to know that we can and should pray for others. I used to think that one can only pray and fast for oneself, as that was what i was taught. You can pray for others but essentially, one prays and fasts for oneself and one´s sins; but in our Lord Jesus, i pray and fast for others now, with faith that He will help. It is beautiful. So please, read and pray and fast with us as you are able for a solution to this crisis. Our brothers and sisters in Sudan are literally being exterminated, slowly but surely. Please also pray that the advent of Sharia law is stopped worldwide.

May the Lord be with us all.

¨Bishop fears genocide in Sudan
By: Karen Peake
Wednesday, 22 June 2011, 17:23 
The Bishop of Kadugli is calling upon Christians worldwide to pray and fast ahead of South Sudan’s secession next month.

Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail has warned of a possible “genocide” in the Nuba Mountains region, where violence has broken out in recent weeks.

The region, home to many Christians, will remain under the control of Khartoum and the Muslim North when South Sudan gains its independence on July 9.

As Sudanese tanks and artillery move in, hundreds of thousands of Nuba are fleeing their homes and development agencies have withdrawn their staff.

UN officials and eyewitnesses escaping the bloodshed tell of elders being executed by the Sudanese Army and bombing campaigns that have destroyed churches and homes.

With Khartoum ordering the UN peacekeeping mission out, there are serious concerns that atrocities will spiral unchecked across the state of South Kordofan.

“Once again we are facing the nightmare of genocide of our people in a final attempt to erase our culture and society from the face of the earth,” said Bishop Elnail.

“It is not a war between armies that is being fought in our land, but the utter destruction of our way of life and our history, as demonstrated by the genocide of our neighbours and relatives in Darfur.

“This is a war of domination and eradication, at its core it is a war of terror by the government of Sudan against their people.”

He expressed concern for the future of Christians in the North, which President Omar al-Bashir declared will be ruled by Sharia law after July 9.

The bishop said that President al-Bashir’s refusal to recognise the legitimate presence of the Christian minority in the North was a “declaration of their determination to also end the remembrance of our Christian heritage that dates back two thousand years”.

The bishop is asking that Christians in Sudan and around the world join in praying and fasting for the country on June 26.

“Please pray and fast with us as you are able for a solution to this crisis,” he said.¨

christians being persecuted

please look at this…christians being persecuted  & christians being persecuted II .

my thoughts: Praising God: 20 Bible quotes for Thanksgiving

— I have a lot to be thankful for. I have been called to hear God´s word – Thank you Lord God. My heart has been opened to Him – Thank you Jesus. I live with a wonderful, beautiful man (with specific characters i personally need) in a wonderful, beautiful land where i learn something new every day. I am blessed with learning about patience and sacrifice, humility and reminders of giving, wonders of prayers and worship and loving the people He has made – Thank you Holy Father. I am blessed with wonders of God´s creations everywhere i look. I feel loved; fear does not dominate me and I feel the breeze of peace every now and then. – Thank you God, how I love you. Thank you for all your blessings and love. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. — 

Praising God: 20 Bible quotes for Thanksgiving

¨Thanksgiving is a time when we consciously sit back and reflect upon the good things in our lives and remember why we should be grateful for what we have. But if you’re religious, you are probably taking stock in your life and praising God on a regular basis—instead of waiting for the holiday season to show your gratitude. This collection of quotes is for people to thank God for what they have—this Thanksgiving and beyond.

1. “Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead!”
–I Peter 1:6

2. “Be content with what you have, for God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’”
–Hebrews 13:5,6

3. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence.”
–Jeremiah 17:7

4. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
–Psalms 119:105

5. “Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.”
–Job 37:14

6. “God has poured out his love into our hearts.”
–Romans 5:5

7. “In the Lord, put your trust.”
–Psalms 11:1

8. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
–Proverbs 3:5,6

9. “A merry heart doeth good like medicine.”
–Proverbs 17:22

10. “O, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.”
–I Chronicles 16:34

11. “I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and sing praises unto thy name.”
–Psalms 18.49

12. “To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
–Psalms 30.12

13. “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the most High.”
–Psalms 50.14

14. “Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.”
–Psalms 75.1

15. “Let us thank God for his priceless gift!”
–2 Corinthians 9.15

16. “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
–Ephesians 5.4

17. “Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and songs; sing and make music from your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God.”
–Ephesians 5.19-20

18. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
–Colossians 3.17

19. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God.”
–I Thessalonians 5.16-18

20. “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
–I Timothy 4.4-5¨

my thoughts: be positive

— i was reading this blog: be positive! by Moment with Jesus. great blog. learning some new words. learning bible chapters in Bahasa Indonesia. ..

being positive, especially being positive all the time, even when bad things happen to us. it is truly a reminder and an encouraging to read the bible of people who are patient, positive and preserver. i  have to remember that God does not measure time as we do, He works in eternity mode. being positive helps us cultivate patience and hopefully understanding and wisdom, not to mention living righteously. 

Thank you so much for this. 🙂 —

¨Baca: Kejadian 50:15-21

Banyak orang bilang, “Think Positive!” ato “Be Positive!” kepada orang yang lagi putus asa dan butuh dihibur. Sayangnya seringkali kalimat seperti itu enggak dianggap terlalu serius. Padahal kekuatan sikap positif enggak sekedar membuat perasaan kita jauh lebih baik, melainkan sanggup mengubah keadaan ato situasi yang kita hadapi. Bersikap positif enggak berarti kita sedang menenteramkan bagi ato menyangkali kenyataan pahit. Kalo kita berpikir bahwa bersikap positif berarti menyangkali kenyataan, maka kita salah besar!

Bersikap positif adalah soal cara pikir kita. Cara pandang yang benar sangat menentukan reaksi kita. Waktu temen lupa ngembaliin CD yang dipinjamnya, kita bisa menduga dia sengaja pengen nilep ato kita berpikir dia lagi sibuk banget ampe kelupaan ato enggak sempat. Negative thingking membuat reaksi kita negatif juga. Kalo kita menganggap doi sengaja enggak ngembaliin barang kita, maka kita akan merasa jengkel, bersikap ketus dan memarahi dia. Sebaliknya kalo kita berpikir positif, reaksi kita pun akan jadi positif. Mungkin kita bisa SMS ngingetin sebelum ketemuan untuk membawa CD itu ato nyamperin rumahnya mengambil barang tersebut sekalian main kesana.

Kalo kita masih menganggur sampai hari ini, masih jomblo, masih nyusun skripsi yang enggak kelar-kelar, ato tengah menjalani kondisi apapun yang enggak kita harapkan-tetaplah bersikap positif. Bersikap positif adalah modal yang kuat untuk kita bertekun, terus berusaha dan akhirnya berhasil. Bersikap positif membuat kita semangat menghadapi hari seberat apapun. Bersikap positif membuat kita menjalani hari dengan ucapan syukur. Bersikap positif membuat kita punya banyak teman. Bersikap positif membuat kita melihat tangan penyertaan Tuhan dalam setiap aktivitas kita. Yusuf memberi kita teladan bersikap positif sepanjang hidupnya. Saat menjadi budak, saat dipenjara, saat dilupakan bahkan saat ada kesempatan untuk membalas dendam baik kepada saudara-saudaranya, kepada isterin Potifar ato kepada siapapun yang telah menyakitinya selama ini. Sepanjang hidupnya Yusuf bersikap positif sehingga ia bisa memahami rencana Allah dalam kehidupanya untuk memelihara kehidupan bangsanya. Bagaimana dengan kita?¨

my thoughts : “Every truly Christian household is a church”

“Every truly Christian household is a church” 

— Read this blod from The M Blog the other day. Its is wonderful. To have God with us all day long at home ( and wherever we are), to consciously invite Him be with us throughout the day: as we wake up, as we do our chores and work, as we eat, as we walk, talk about Him to each other, learn and worship all day everyday is something we must all strife for I think. It is always the littlest things that add up and become great. I think church is a time for true fellowship with the people and the Lord but everyday is the time for fellowship with God personally and with family. 

p.s need to work on making home ¨a palace of joy¨too. —

¨I am indebted to Alan Knox for pointing out the following April 5, 1874 excerpt from a message entitled, Building the Church: Additions to the Church. At the end of the quote is the name of the well known pastor who preached these words.

I want you to notice this, that they were breaking bread from house to house, and ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. They did not think that religion was meant only for Sundays, and for what men now-a-days call the House of God. Their own houses were houses of God, and their own meals were so mixed and mingled with the Lord’s Supper that to this day the most cautious student of the Bible cannot tell when they stopped eating their common meals, and when they began eating the Supper of the Lord. They elevated their meals into diets for worship: they so consecrated everything with prayer and praise that all around them was holiness to the Lord. I wish our houses were, in this way, dedicated to the Lord, so that we worshipped God all day long, and made our homes temples for the living God… 

Does God need a house? He who made the heavens and the earth, does he dwell in temples made with hands? What crass ignorance this is! No house beneath the sky is more holy than the place where a Christian lives, and eats, and drinks, and sleeps, and praises the Lord in all that he does, and there is no worship more heavenly than that which is presented by holy families, devoted to the fear of the Lord.

To sacrifice home worship to public worship is a most evil course of action. Morning and evening devotion in a little home is infinitely more pleasing in the sight of God than all the cathedral pomp which delights the carnal eye and ear. Every truly Christian household is a church, and as such it is competent for the discharge of any function of divine worship, whatever it may be. Are we not all priests? Why do we need to call in others to make devotion a performance? Let every man be a priest in his own house. Are you not all kings if you love the Lord? Then make your houses palaces of joy and temples of holiness. One reason why the early church had such a blessing was because her members had such homes. When we are like them we will have “added to the church those who were being saved.” 

–C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) ¨

Belajarlah Dari Sang Elang (via tweenty9)

What an inspiring story. Thank you so much for this! Amazing are the creations of the Lord, much much more so the Lord God our creator. Blessed be your name O Lord Jesus. Off with the old man and long live the newborn. Help me empty myself of the old me Lord, fill me with your Spirit Lord. Create in me a new heart, a clean heart and a good spirit O Lord, so that I may make You smile always.

Kawan, saya membaca dari sebuah artikel tentang kehidupan elang yang penuh dengan tantangan hidup yang dapat kita ambil pelajaran untuk kita terapakan di kehidupan kita. Seperti yang kita tahu, Elang merupakan lambang pemberani dan keperkasaan yang merajai langit. Dengan paruh yang tajam, cakar dengan cengkraman kokoh dan sayap yang lebar, Elang terbang dan menjalani kehidupannya dengan berani. Elang mampu hidup hingga 70 tahun melebihi umur makh … Read More

via tweenty9

Thinking about: an article from Ode magazine

I read an article in Ode (henceforth in bold). I have always liked Ode but some stuff written in this article is unbelievable. How can anyone write such nonchalant questions and statements such as these (no matter how well-intended)?

“Has this death changed anything for the families of those who lost loved ones through 9/11 or other such atrocities?

We can use this space to think more about personal power and what it means to have it? Personal power is a state of grace, or a flow of life that allows us to accept life-traumas and be at peace anyway.

Justice, is Not about retaliation. It is about about being reasonable and receiving what is rightly ours – life and all that it has to offer. This includes, sometimes, pain and frustration. But ultimately it is about peace and grace.¨

Personal power is about helping ourselves to feel justified in accepting life, that is love, into our inner and outer worlds. That does not mean taking from others, but opening up to what is already there for us to access – that is, the “Universal Understanding” that peace comes from within, that it builds when we hold gracious thoughts of acceptance and prayers for those who seek to destroy. It never comes with more fear, nor the depth of fear that allows another life to taken (or on a personal level another person to be hurt) because we feel justified in retribution.

Peace comes to those who have lost a loved one when they forgive and slowly learn to let go of their pain. As challenging as that is, retaliation only ever feeds more pain. It cannot ever heal the past.

Personal power is about challenging ourselves to overcome fear in the face of that feeling we are being hard done by. And to create peace by choosing the example of grace that others before us have been able to present – an eye for an eye only leaves everyone blind (Mahatma Ghandi).

Power inside of ourselves (or empowerment) is generated not in anger, but in the righteousness that such a peaceful stance creates for us. This righteousness is not ego-driven, but says that we can live our lives in peace if we choose to stand back from others’ anger and not engage. Instead we have the chance to simply turn back to our own lives and manifest or build more of the peace and grace that we want to feel.

We can understand how difficult that is, both globally when terrorism is evident, and personally when we have suffered abuse or mistreatment by others – but whoever said that life was simple and unchallenging? It is not either of these things, and it is our very personal choice to build a base of personal power which brings grace into our lives. That is, to choose a peace-based justice, over retaliation.¨

What is justice? The dictionary says justice is: just (based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair; deserved or appropriate in the circumstances ) behavior or treatment. The quality of being fair and reasonable and the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this.

I do not want to ask questions like: has this person ever lost anyone suddenly? Did he/she lose anyone tragically in 9/11? but they kept going round my mind. I agree with some sentences but don’t you need to do something to make sure that some other people don’t get hurt, BY THE SAME PERSON over and over, especially since the person has vowed to do it over and over? Yes, the victims need to acknowledge the grievances done to them, we need to accept them and learn to live with it, learn to be at peace with it and let it go so it doesn’t keep hurting us. Yes, you should and need to try and get to the level that you can pray for people who hurt you. I definitely do not think it right to go rejoicing in the streets if and when responsible parties are caught or killed but i don’t think you should just turn the other way and say ok, i have dealt with it and i´ll let it god…WHILE letting the people or person responsible be free to continue as he is and wishes to be, while he has worse plans! I mean shouldn’t the authorities charged with keeping us safe have to and be made responsible to, put the person away so the cycle is stopped? Im not for personal vengeance but it seems to me like letting lions run free while we, the ostrich put our heads in the sand. I think one SHOULD always strive to live and be righteous, to not engage, not even fall into the trap anger (or any other extreme emotion for that matter) pushes you into but in everyday living, at home with loved ones, at work, with friends…relatively normal people…as it is said, ¨whoever said life was simple and unchallenging.¨But, when we are beaten, forced into a corner, raped and killed? – which is what terrorism is – we have to thread carefully.

I do not presume to know or even fathom what would, or if the putting away of the person responsible help in the healing but from the basis of basic human feelings, I think the apprehension or putting away of the person helps people to have closure, helps to achieve a level of acceptance and the process of making peace within and without, paving the way to healing.

I think personal power is the drawing from and deepening of roots to God; having the courage and strength to simply continue living, to go through the process of healing, to pray. I think it takes a great deal to get up and live, and pray not only for oneself but for others too, even when bad things happen. When we depend on just us, there are so many fractures left; only surface wounds are fixed. When one lets go of self and embrace God, one is in His hands. But it is hard.

More questions in my head: Was it done in the spirit of retribution? What IS the right thing to do?… questions indeed.