No Money No Work

"Arek-arek sekarang yooo... gak mau kerja nek ga dikasih uang..." Gitu kira-kira komentar salah satu temen kantor abis telponan ama freelancer penulis yang masih kuliah. Aku jadi pengen nulis ini di blog hihihihi...

Gini ini dah mindset "ministry" yang ga pada tempatnya. Kalo ngomong soal "doing extra mile 'n give more than what is expected", itu porsinya orang yang ngelakuin, harus lahir dari kerelaan hati, dari impian atau visi yang sama. Bukan ukuran yang kita tuntut dari orang lain. Bagian kita terhadap orang lain itu ya harusnya menghargai waktu dan usaha dia dengan ngasih imbalan uang. Ya orang hidup kan juga butuh makan, butuh biaya hidup, masa kita nuntut dia serahin waktu dia buat ngelakuin kerjaan trus kita pengennya dia mau-mau aja ga dibayar. Yang fair lah...

Lain soal kalo misalnya kita ada di posisi orang lain itu. Ada tawaran kerjaan tapi ga ada bayaran, trus kita memilih mau 'n rela coz kita pengen memberkati dengan usaha kita tanpa minta imbalan. Kita mau doing extra mile. Sikap kayak gitu itu ya keputusan kita sendiri. Itu hak kita untuk memutuskan kita mau doing extra mile atau give our efforts without being paid, mungkin karena biaya hidup kita udah cukup, mungkin karena kita emang satu visi 'n pengen ikut jadi berkat makanya ga minta imbalan, dll... Tapi kita ga berhak untuk menuntut orang lain punya sikap yang sama, karna kondisi mereka kan beda ama kondisi kita (kondisi ini juga termasuk kondisi keuangan, kondisi hati, kondisi keluarga, kondisi iman, dll).

Bisa jadi mereka lagi butuh uang, bisa jadi mereka ada tawaran job lain, bisa jadi mereka ga sevisi makanya mereka pola pikirnya cuman berdasarkan pertimbangan uang, banyak lagi alasan-alasan lain yang kita ga tau pasti. And it's not our rights to judge other people. Only God knows the whole view and the depth of the hearts, thus only Him is qualified to judge.

Cute Overloaded

I have just watched some videos on Youtube and got heart struck by seeing these cute dog and cats! Awww... totally cute!!!

This is a cute Welsh Corgi


And these cats are talking to each other before snuggling, how cute!!!


Makes me think of having both cat and dog >.<  Can't stand seeing those adorable pets!

Dashed Hope

(By Max Lucado)
“I had intended …”
David had wanted to build a temple. And who better than he to do so? Hadn’t he, literally, written the book on worship? Didn’t he rescue the ark of the covenant? The temple would have been his swan song, his signature deed. David had expected to dedicate his final years to building a shrine to God.
At least, that had been his intention. “I had intended to build a permanent home for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God. So I had made preparations to build it” (1 Chron. 28:2 NASB).
Intentions. Preparations. But no temple. Why? Did David grow discouraged? No. He stood willing. Were the people resistant? Hardly. They gave generously. Then what happened?
A conjunction happened.
Conjunctions operate as the signal lights of sentences. Some, such as and, are green. Others, such as however, are yellow. A few are red. Sledgehammer red. They stop you. David got a red light.
I had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, “You shall not build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.… Your son Solomon is the one who shall build My house and My courts.” (1 Chron. 28:2–3, 6 NASB, emphasis mine)
David’s bloodthirsty temperament cost him the temple privilege. All he could do was say:

I had intended... I had made preparations... BUT God...
I had intended …
I had made preparations …
But God …
I’m thinking of some people who have uttered similar words. God had different plans than they did.
One man waited until his midthirties to marry. Resolved to select the right spouse, he prayerfully took his time. When he found her, they moved westward, bought a ranch, and began their life together. After three short years, she was killed in an accident.
I had intended … 
 I had made preparations … 
 But God …
A young couple turned a room into a nursery. They papered walls, refinished a baby crib, but then the wife miscarried.
I had intended … 
 I had made preparations …
 But God …

I had intended …
I had made preparations …
But God …
What do you do with the “but God” moments in life? 
 When God interrupts your good plans, how do you respond?
The man who lost his wife has not responded well. At this writing he indwells a fog bank of anger and bitterness. The young couple is coping better. They stay active in church and prayerful about a child. And what about David? When God changed David’s plans, how did he reply? (You’ll like this.)
He followed the “but God” with a “yet God.”
“Yet, the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.” (1 Chron. 28:4 NASB)
Reduce the paragraph to a phrase, and it reads, “Who am I to complain? David had gone from runt to royalty, from herding sheep to leading armies, from sleeping in the pasture to living in the palace. When you are given an ice cream sundae, you don’t complain over a missing cherry.
David faced the behemoth of disappointment with “yet God.” David trusted.
His “but God” became a “yet God.”

Who’s to say yours won’t become the same?

* PS: I've been so blessed by Max Lucado's mailing list, especially this one for now... :)

From The Motherhood Movie


Below are the words from “Motherhood” movie I’ve seen for the second time today. The main character is played by Uma Thurman, act as a mommy blogger. I don’t know why I always like movies involving blogger character LOL… Like this one and also Hillary Duff’s movie “The Perfect Man” :b
Here are the words, spoken (or may I say, written in the blog) at the end of the movie:
----
Things are always changing…
No matter how much we might want things to stay the same.
So seize your days and dwell in them fully.
Look to the children, because they know how to inhabit brief periods of time with extreme passion. And for nothing more, really, than the sake of those moments.
They can help you remember that, if you only slow down and let them. Feel fortunate because chances are good you actually might be.

PS: Do you find those above words inspiring?

The Wisdom of a Woodcutter

(By Max Lucado)

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before - such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not?

You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? 
You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? 
You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?

“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”

The old man was right.
We only have a fragment. Life’s mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life’s storms until we know the whole story.

I don’t know where the woodcutter learned his patience. Perhaps from another woodcutter in Galilee. For it was the Carpenter who said it best:

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matt. 6:34)

He should know. He is the Author of our story. And he has already written the final chapter.

From In the Eye of the Storm
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado


***

Blackberry User Soon

Actually I didn't think I would need it so much before, and I planned not to buy it since I already got 1 GSM phone and 1 CDMA phone working well, enough just for sending short messages and calling. Besides, I got myself online daily through my internet connection at the office and also at my dorm.

But my other 3 girlfriends have just had Blackberry and one of them asked me to buy one so all of us can stay connected and chatting at nights through Blackberry Messenger. At first I still thought that if I buy one, that would be wasting money since as I've told you before, I got my GSM phone working well. So I told her that I would buy a Blackberry if my GSM phone doesn't work anymore (it's a quite old GSM phone, I had it since about 7 years ago).

Then to my surprise, 2 weeks ago my GSM phone started to decline in its function. I couldn't hear any voices either ringing voice or short message tone. I thought it was still ok cause I can set the vibrate mode on. But few days ago when my friend called me I couldn't hear her voice and vice versa. It happened few times. So I got to a final decision, looks like this is the time for me to buy a Blackberry :)

I like a white Blackberry Curve 8520 (Gemini) like one of my friend has... Hopefully will get it soon!

--- fay ---

I Want a Raise

(by Dan Miller)

This message arrived early this morning as the thought for the day
from the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

"Those who do no more than they are paid for have no real basis for
requesting more pay because they are already getting all they deserve
to earn."

If you look around you, it will be apparent that there are two types
of people in the world: There are those who say, "When this company
decides to pay me what I'm worth, then I will do what they want me to
do." The second is the person who says, "I'm going to be the best I
can be because that's the kind of person I am. I also know that if I
consistently give more than expected, I will eventually be rewarded
for my efforts." It is easy to see that the positive person
contributes most to the organization. Yet, very few people are willing
to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve success. Make sure you're
a member of that group.

I know this may seem like a tough concept but the principle is pretty
simple. If you stand in front of the wood-stove of life and say, "Give
me some heat, and then I'll put some wood in" you're going to
experience a long, cold winter. In real life, work is required before
compensation is given.

Expecting a guaranteed salary with benefits before proving your worth
is an antiquated model. Be willing to prove your value with no
guarantee – it will dramatically expand your opportunities.
Expecting a raise because you've been there one more year is an
antiquated model. In today's workplace you get a raise when you add
more value.
Expecting a raise because your personal expenses have gone up is an
antiquated model. Your personal obligations have nothing to do with
your compensation.

Be clear on your value to an organization — and then negotiate a fair exchange.

What Are You Gonna Be?

When you get to heaven God is not going to ask you why you weren't more like Mother Teresa, Billy Graham or Bono.  He's likely to ask you why you weren't more like you.  Your responsibility and source of real freedom and success is to discover who you are. Lead with your own unique talents and personality. Be authentically you and let God use you.
Remember the classic movie,  Forrest Gump.  At one part, Jenny asks, "What are you gonna be when you grow up?" and Forrest says, "Why can't I be me?"

Theologian Frederick Buechner once told a graduating class:  "The voice we should listen to most as we choose a vocation is the voice that we might think we should listen to least, and that is the voice of our own gladness.  What can we do that makes us the gladdest, what can we do that leaves us with the strongest sense of sailing true north…? Is it making things with our hands out of wood or stone or paint or canvas?"  Or is it making something we hope like truth out of words"  Or is it making people laugh or weep in a way that cleanses their spirit? 

I believe that if it is a thing that makes us truly glad, then it is a good thing and it is our thing and it is the calling voice that we were made to answer with our lives."
 
Can you trust what makes you "glad?"  Could that really be the voice of your "calling?"

"A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him….  The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him…." – Thomas Merton

Separated

Gara-gara abis chatting ama someone yang juga pernah ngalamin separation (beda tapinya ga sama :p), jadi diingetin lagi bahwa iblis emang selalu mencari cara buat mengintimidasi kita, lewat apapun, supaya kita jadi "lumpuh" di satu area... yang cepet atau lambat bakal merambat ke area yang lain, coz intimidasi iblis itu kayak virus kanker...

Di kasus kita, itu di area relationship. Aku ngerasain sendiri, dulu aku sering nulis di blog 'n juga baca-baca info tentang relationship, tentang pacaran yang bener, tentang komunikasi... I take this matter seriously... pacaran itu buat yang serius mikirin pernikahan di depan, bukan pacaran yang model coba-coba atau sekedar biar ada temen jalan/kangen-kangenan/have fun bareng... Tapi pas udah putus, aku bener-bener off...

Yah intimidasi iblis kira-kira kayak gini, "Gimana kamu bisa nasehatin atau ngasih saran soal relationship kalo hubunganmu sendiri gagal..." Aku siy ga menyesali keputusan break-up itu sendiri, tapi lebih ke pertanyaan-pertanyaan 'n pemikiran yang menyangkut diriku, "apa yang salah di aku?", "apa harusnya aku begini atau begitu?" "aku udah ati-ati tapi gagal juga, padahal aku pengennya cuman sekali aja pacaran langsung ama orang yang nantinya jadi suamiku..." dan lainnya... Aku kurang nyadarin bahwa dalam hubungan itu ada banyak faktor yang terlibat selain aku, ada orang lain itu, ada Tuhan, 'n ada juga pemikiran-pemikiran lainnya. 

Even setelah 2 taun lewat aku masih males bersentuhan ama area relationship... Aku baru nyadar kalo iblis berhasil (untuk sementara) ngelumpuhin aku di area ini. Aku tulis "untuk sementara" karena sejak detik ini aku mau matahin intimidasi iblis itu. Aku ga mau ngebiarin iblis membelenggu aku di area manapun. Coz God has set me free and abundantly give Himself and His love for me to watch me growing and blooming each day. Apapun yang terjadi, Tuhan selalu punya rencana yang terbaik buat aku, 'n kita semua yang percaya ama Dia.

So, jiayou! :)

The Powerful Prayer

(by Max Lucado)

"Give us this day our daily bread…"

Your first step into the house of God was not to the kitchen but to the living room, where you were reminded of your adoption. "Our Father who is in heaven." You then studied the foundation of the house, where you pondered his permanence. "Our Father who is in heaven." Next you entered the observatory and marveled at his handiwork: "Our Father who is in heaven."

In the chapel, you worshiped his holiness: "Hallowed be thy name." In the throne room, you touched the lowered scepter and prayed the greatest prayer, "Thy kingdom come." In the study, you submitted your desires to his and prayed, "Thy will be done." And all of heaven was silent as you placed your prayer in the furnace, saying, "on earth as it is in heaven."

Proper prayer follows such a path, revealing God to us before revealing our needs to God.

The purpose of prayer is not to change God, but to change us, and by the time we reach God's kitchen, we are changed people. Wasn't our heart warmed when we called Him Father? Weren't our fears stilled when we contemplated His constancy? Weren't we amazed as we stared at the heavens?

Seeing His holiness caused us to confess our sin. Inviting his kingdom to come reminded us to stop building our own. Asking God for his will to be done placed our will in second place to his. And realizing that heaven pauses when we pray left us breathless in his presence.

By the time we step into the kitchen, we're renewed people! We've been comforted by our father, conformed by his nature, consumed by our creator, convicted by his character, constrained by his power, commissioned by our teacher, and compelled by his attention to our prayers.

The prayer's next three petitions encompass all of the concerns of our life:
- "This daily bread" addresses the present.
- "Forgive our sins" addresses the past.
- "Lead us not into temptation" speaks to the future.
(The wonder of God's wisdom: how he can reduce all our needs to three simple statements.)

First He addresses our need for bread. The term means all of a person's physical needs. Martin Luther defined bread as "Everything necessary for the preservation of this life, including food, a healthy body, house, home, wife and children." This verse urges us to talk to God about the necessities of life. He may also give us the luxuries of life, but He certainly will grant the necessities.

Excerpted from any fear that God wouldn't meet our needs was left in the observatory. Would He give the stars their glitter and not give us our food? Of course not. He has committed to care for us. We aren't wrestling crumbs out of a reluctant hand, but rather confessing the bounty of a generous hand. The essence of the prayer is really an affirmation of the Father's care. Our provision is His priority.


From The Great House of God
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado
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