Bless the Broken Road

Bless the Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way, many years ago

Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
wipe my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign, pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream, led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were just northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent, just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost, and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan, that is coming true

Every long lost dream, led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart, they were just northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your loving arms
This much I know, know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into your loving arms
This much I know, know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Yes, God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

This song is very encourage me a lot. It reminds me in the way of many struggle that I have to go through while waiting for His answer in my life.

I was notice with "Every long lost dream, led me to where you are..Others who broke my heart, they were just northern stars" why the writer choose the word of "northern star"? how it relates to the broken heart?

With the curiosity that I had, I directly found it in internet especially for the northern star term. According to the wikipedia, Northern star was used to know direction (west, east, south, north) and it oftens used by people who live in Jesus' period!

When I related that words with the previous sentence, I get that the true love that we dream long time ago until now, it leads us to get closer to Him. In the process of waiting, pressure from society to us, those things make us hurt (broken heart) and it also just a Northern star that turn our life in a certain direction to know what God wants for us or to get closer to His promise.

For most of single, when you are waiting for your "true love" that God intended to be, it requires a lot of passion. maybe people push us to find our bride/groom that cause sometimes we unsure with His promises to us.

But, one thing that i belief in our loneliness and in our singleness is we will get closer with Him. That's the beauty of singleness!

longing for intimacy in our loneliness that only we can get through Him; the source of love and strength coz we know that His love and plan us will never fail!

In the Sacred of Singleness, it says that God wants us to find the ultimate fulfillment in our heavenly pince before we meet our worldly prince in the world!

I wish for those who is single can enjoy their singleness as the gift from Christ to experience deep longing and intimacy with our perfect groom Jesus Christ:)

my last words for u is that single is not because we want it but because we have not found out our true love :)

wish you have a perfect time with our heavenly Prince in your singleness!

Badminton and dancing

Hmmm...saya merasa bahwa ini adalah topic yg cukup unique dan juga merupakan topic yg berbeda yg pernah saya bawakan dalam blog saya ini.

Dua hari yg lalu, saya bermain badminton dengan cicik dan temen saya di CSUF. Sebenernya waktu itu lagi setengah hati, cuma saya mikir yasudalah toh saya uda jarang olahraga semenjak kepindahan saya di dormitory.

Ketika saya bermain dengan cicik saya 1 vs 1, saya merasa gerakan badan saya sangat flexible dan explorable dengan music yg sedang dimainkan di CSUF court. Saya merasa aneh dengan gerakan saya dan akhirnya saya mencoba memperhatikan setiap gerakan yg saya mainkan. saya menemukan bahwa badan saya juga ikutan bermain dengan musik sehingga flexibilitas yg memang dibutuhkan untuk menjangkau bola yg dilemparkan bisa tercapai.

Saya mencoba bermain 1 vs 2 dengan ketakutan yg ada tapi saya mencoba menghadapi ketakutan kalo saya bisa kalah. Dalam permainan ini saya belajar bahwa ketika kita tahu kelemahan dan taktik yg digunakan oleh sang musuh, bisa membuat flexibilitas kita bermain semakin lincah dan lancar. Hal ini juga tidak terlepas dari obersavasi dan belajar. walaupun kita memiliki tenaga tangan yg kuat tapi tidak disertai dengan hal diatas, permainan kita menjadi kurang maximal.

Saya belum expert disini tapi saya memiliki keinginan untuk masih dan harus terus belajar untuk bisa memainkan peranan saya di lapangan dengan baik.

implikasi dalam hidup:

1. belajar apa yg kita jalani dalam hidup baik itu hal yg kurang menyenangkan dan menyenangkan.

2. ketika kita berperan dan berlaku salah dalam hidup, kita akan diingatkan dengan kuesekuensi daripada apa yg kita lakukan.

3. Kuesekuensi tidak akan pernah pergi dalam hidup kita kecuali kemurahan dan anugrah daripada Tuhan bertidak dan diberikan kepada kita. (God is love and justice)

4. first performance dalam hidup kita sangat menentukan hidup kita selanjutnya bagaimana kita melihat diri kita, bertidak dan melihat dunia ini.

Obedience

"dan sekalipun Ia adalah Anak, Ia telah belajar menjadi taat dari apa yg telah dideritaNya, dan sesudah Ia mencapai kesempurnaanNya, Ia menjadi pokok keselamatan yg abadi bagi semua orang yg taat kepadaNya" Ibrani 5:8-9.

Ketika saya baca verse ini, verse ini menjadi begitu berarti dan sangat mengutkan saya.

Bagi saya secara pribadi verse ini mau memberitahukan kepada saya bahwa Yesus yg mulia, tak bercacat dan suci itu aja rela belajar taat sama Bapa didalam penderitaanNya. pernah mikir ga seh bahwa koq Kristus itu mau turun kedunia sebagai bentuk obedient-Nya kepada Bapa karena begitu besar kasih Bapa akan dunia ini sehingga Ia mengaruniakan anakNya yg tunggal kepada kita manusia berdosa ini. Harganya terlalu BESAR dan terlalu BERHARGA tapi Dia Allah Bapa kita rela memberikan itu yg terpenting anakNya bagi kita yg berdosa ini.

Apalagi kita yg sudah jatuh dalam dosa ini, kitalah yg seharusnya belajar lebih giat lagi untuk taat kepada Kristus karena sudah cukup keselamatan yg Ia berikan kepada kita 2000 tahun yg lalu yg ga mungkin bisa dibayar oleh siapa pun dan apapun itu bentuknya. Kita sering kali bersungut2 dan merenget2 akan hidup kita tetang penderitaan yg kita alami. kalo kita coba go through di bible seperti buku "Walk as He Walked" buku itu mengatakan bahwa Kristus itu ga pernah mengasihani diriNya Dia sendiri. Dia hanya menangis 3x dalam bible dan tiga tangisan ini adalah tangisan untuk orang lain dan minta kekuatan daripada Bapa untuk melakukan tugas panggilan yg Bapa telah percayakan kepada Kristus di dunia ini. Even Dia mulai, suci berkuasa dan sempurna, Dia juga adalah manusia yg membutuhkan kekuatan daripada Bapa untuk menggenapi cawan yg Tuhan telah berikan Kristus.

Puji Tuhan, ternyata ketika Dia bangkit, Dia masih mengirimkan Roh Kudus yg tinggal diam didalam hidup kita satu per satu sehingga boleh kita yg terpanggil dan dipilih oleh Allah boleh memiliki iman dan penghiburan daripada Tuhan sehingga kita bisa menjalani rancangan2 yg telah Tuhan berikan bagi kita dengan kuat dan penuh pengharapan yg datang hanya daripada Dia yg telah memberikan dan menyediakan setiap keperluan untuk berperang di "spiritual warfare" ini.

semoga article dan hasil renungan ini boleh menjadi kekuatan bagi saudara dan saya.

Immanuel.

What Grace is Mine

What Grace Is Mine

Words and Music by Kristyn Getty

What grace is mine that He who dwells in endless light
Called through the night to find my distant soul
And from His scars poured mercy that would plead for me
That I might live and in His name be known

So I will go wherever He is calling me
I lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain the hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross, and follow Him

What grace is mine to know His breath alive in me
Beneath His wings my wakened soul may soar
All fear can flee for death’s dark night is overcome
My Savior lives and reigns forevermore

So I will go wherever He is calling me
I lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain the hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross, and follow Him

Ps:

This song very encouraging me. It remains me about He is the only one for everything coz He has already became part of me :)

A Happier Tomorrow

It’s sometimes very difficult
for us to understand
the wisdom and the love behind
the things that God has planned.

But we wouldn’t have the rainbow
If we didn’t have the rain;
We wouldn’t know the pleasure
If we never tasted pain.

We wouldn’t love the sunrise
If we hadn’t felt the night;
And we wouldn’t know our weakness
If we hadn’t sensed God’s might.

We couldn’t have the springtime
or the yellow daffodil
if we hadn’t experienced
the winter’s frosty chill.

And though the brilliant sunshine
is something God has made.
He knew too much could parch our souls
so He created shade.

So God’s given us a balance:
Enough joys to keep us glad,
Enough tears to keep us humble,
Enough good to balance bad.

And if you’ll trust in Him you’ll see
Though yesterday brought sorrow,
The clouds will part and dawn will bring
A happier tomorrow.

His Eyes is On The Sparrow

His Eyes is On The Sparrow

why should I feel discouraged
why should the shadows come
why should my heart feel lonely
and long for heaven and home

when jesus is my portion
a constant friend is he
his eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches over me

his eye is on the sparrow
and i know he watches over me

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
his eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me
his eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me
he watches me, I know,
he watches me.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will-Matthew 10:29

Most people have a hobby of sore sort to provide a healthy diversion from the rigors of work. Long ago, there was a woodworker in Nazareth who counted bird-watching among His diversions. We can make that assumption because Jesus later referred frequently to bird-life in His sermons, saying things like:

- "are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? and not one of them falls to the gground apart from your father's will" (matt 10:29).

- "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (matt 6:26)

- Consider the ravens..." (Luke 12:26)

- "Do not fear...you are of more value than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7)

it was this theme that caused the author of "God will take care of you," to write, a year later, another great hymn on God's care: "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

Civilla Durfee Martin was a Canadian by birth, born on August 21, 1869, in Nova Scotia. She became a school and music teacher, but when she married Dr. Walter Martin, an Evangelist, she gave up teaching to travel with him and assist in his meetings.

This is her account of the writing of this song:

Early in the spring 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle-true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me". The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr.Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.

The day after writing the song, she mailed it to the famous Gospel composer, Charles Gabriel, who penned the music.

Cited: Historical Hymn

Following God

Sometimes I felt why it is so difficult to follow Christ?

Do we have to go through suffering, misunderstanding, loneliness, in follow Him?

I think yah it is. If we watch carefully with many apostles in the bible, they go through these things. that's the reality to follow Christ.

when the decision was made, the test will come one by one.

When I made a decision to fully give my self to God, God give me a lot of things to go through.

How to deal with certain conflict, how to forgive, how to deal with congregation and deal with my self when the world misunderstanding, suspect, and jealous with me.

World is imperfect, so we are.

The unworthiness of who we are cannot compare to Him that are glory, mighty, above all else!

Whatever we have been through in following Christ, let Him be the wants who be proud and award us not this world.

And I belief every difficult and happy moment that we go through will bring glory to Christ!!

Main point from all suffering and difficulty that we faced that can make us stand still before God is the eyes that focus on to God :)

Still My Soul

Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming

Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsXMiysZfNQ