Book Reviews 2021 for Koorong

My Book Review Contributions on Koorong Books webpage continued...

#7.

The Christmas We Didn't Expect: Daily Devotions For Advent

Author: David Mathis

The Unexpected Reading
 By Emil Jayaputra, 23 Mar 2021
https://koorong.com/product/the-christmas-we-didn-t-expect-daily-devotions_9781784984762

There are many unexpected things in this book from the unexpected conception, parents of lowly estate, undignified visitors all the way to unexpected joy and that Unexpected Day. Written as 24 daily devotions for Advent, Mathis provides fresh revelation out of deep contemplation from multiple facets of Christmas that most of us might not have focused on. The very fact that His journey of human life started like us: from ovum to zygote to embryo to fetus to newborn. The call to look beyond ourselves. How Christmas will change us if our hearts will be softer or more callous. I bought this book not long after its release as it's highly recommended by John Piper. I'd say that the message of these devotions is to exhort us that the sweetness and essence of Christmas must be drawn and lived daily all year through, not just in the 24 reflective days leading to the D-Day. Above all, Christmas is worth celebrating not just because God came down as human but also because He forever joined our humanity to His divinity. This is truly a book on Christmas I didn't expect.t-sized book which could serve like a sanctuary that keeps ourselves pure in a time of common infection.

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#8.

How Should I Think about Money?

Author: RC Sproul
https://www.koorong.com/product/how-should-i-think-about-money-23-in_9781642890587#product-tabs

Review Title: Profitable must-read for everyone
Review Stars: 5
Book Review by Emil Jayaputra, 26 September 2021

It is interesting that Jesus actually teaches about money more often than other topics like faith, prayer, heaven, or hell. With a keen interest and background in accounting and economics myself, this book offers a fresh insight to how we should be wisely managing our resources especially our finances. What I like about this book is it's small enough so you can read it quickly but still covers a lot of relevant subjects. Poverty, wealth and investments, value, inflation, interest, and owning a business are seated on the Scripture perspective in a separate chapter. At the same time the author also provided stories and lessons from history which help explain the concepts better. Without a doubt, this book will be a useful and worthwhile guide to families, business owners, employees, investors, company management, and everyone because how you handle your own money and/or manage others' money matter to God. Here and eternally.

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#9

Reformation Questions, Reformation Answers: 95 Key Facts

Author: Donald K. Mckim
https://www.koorong.com/product/reformation-questions-reformation-answers-95-key-facts-donald_9780664260606#product-tabs

Review Title: Bite-Size Emphasis on Back to Bible
Review Stars: 5
Book Review by Emil Jayaputra, 31 October 2021

The 95 theses posted on the Castle Church in Wittenberg by Martin Luther have undeniably triggered and transformed the Christian church in Europe and and Christianity the world over. Since then over 504 years have passed. Numerous books and resources have been written in various disciplines on this defining moment of the church history. One of them was this humble 'Reformation Q&A: 95 Key Events, People & Issues' by Donald K. McKim. Starting with questions on the backgrounds like What was the Reformation all about, how did it develop, the author moved on to name 17 people leading and playing meaningful roles in this movement. Various happenings and topics surrounding one of the most studied events of Western world like Diet of Worms, Indulgences, Geneva Bible, Free Will are covered about one-page long each. Finally the author dedicated nine bite-size Q&A on the Reformation contributions to social welfare, modern science, even capitalism, and what it means for us today. It's lamentable that some Christians are still unaware of the importance of this critical episode that actually helped bring back the focus on the Bible as the highest authority and only theological basis for the Church. In an informal, easy-to-read way, this book will reintroduce the cruciality of the great Reformation because these days we are living in come with "every wind of teaching and the cunning/craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming" (Ephesians 4:14). Happy Reformation Day 31 October 2021!

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#10.

Love Came Down At Christmas: Daily Readings For Advent

Author: Sinclair B. Ferguson
https://www.koorong.com/product/love-came-down-at-christmas-daily-readings-for_9781784982898#product-tabs

Review Title: A Perfect Christmas Gift
Review Stars: 5
Book Review by Emil Jayaputra, 5 November 2021

It's not everyday that you would get to read and learn much about the most wonderful and comprehensive definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 from the perspective of Christmas. Sinclair Ferguson linked these two because he said that that best-known chapter written by Paul is basically a description of Jesus Christ Whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. So Christmas is all about love. And what is love? "Love is simply being like Jesus". Naturally this book would be perfect for daily devotion use starting December 1 leading to Christmas Day as there are 25 chapters including Introduction. Each chapter is a comfortable reading that's about five-page long. The author finished every chapter with a brief contemplative reflection and poetic prayers composed by various famous theologians/authors like Augustine of Hippo or Charles Wesley. I can also recommend that you gift this book as a Christmas present for your family, friends or colleagues this Christmas because I know I will. May our God Who loves us so much with gifting His only Son to redeem us grant that we long and get to know more of Him, what Love looks like, and what Love actually means by musing on this truth that "real love always comes down" for Love came down at Christmas.
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Book Reviews 2020 for Koorong

My Book Review Contributions on Koorong Books webpage continued...

#3.

Counterfeit Gods: When the Empty Promises of Love, Money, and Power Let You Down
Author:  Timothy Keller

Highly relevant and crucial reading
By Emil, 29 Feb 2020

https://koorong.com/product/counterfeit-gods-when-the-empty-promises-of-love_9780340995082

What I love about this book is that it actually identifies and dismantles our inherently acute conditions. Generally speaking, more obvious idols are money, sex, and power. But Tim Keller fleshed the idea out from biblical perspective that the idolatry enslaves and distorts our lives like the culture of greed that eats away at our souls and brings down economic collapse. Idolatry is not just a failure to obey God but a setting of the whole heart to replace God with the idols even when it sounds positive like family, work, career. Tim also advised how to replace our counterfeit gods, i.e. that Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart than your idols. Rich of relevant quotations from Jesus Himself and influential thinkers like Martin Luther, C.S.Lewis, R.Niebuhr, he wraps all his messages around the real life stories from the Bible and modern times like WW II and the GFC 2008. For all intents and purposes, this book is highly readable and crucial to every serious Christian at each stage.

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#4.

The Great Gain of Godliness
Author:  Thomas Watson

A must Puritan reading
 By Emil J., Mar 12 2020

https://koorong.com/product/the-great-gain-of-godliness-puritan-paperbacks-series_9781800403093

In the midst of such degenerate era as this where being godly, pious, or even just the word religious could become a source of mockery, The Great Gain of Godliness advised Christians to be like a living fish swimming against the stream. Not a dead fish down the stream. Thomas Watson reminds us in this book: "The looser others are, the stricter we should be. The more outrageous others are in sin, the more courageous we should be for truth." For those longing to be an upright person who shines in the dark and holds fast his/her integrity (Psalm 37:37), I would highly recommend this compact-sized book which could serve like a sanctuary that keeps ourselves pure in a time of common infection.

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#5. [unrecorded / deleted by Koorong]

Most likely one authored by Ravi Zacharias

#6.

ANGELS

Author: Billy Graham

Spiritually Comforting
By Emil Jayaputra, 25 Jun 2020

https://koorong.com/product/angels-billy-graham_9780849938719

For some reason I have long been inquisitive to learn more about angels as this topic is not usually discussed in depth in sermons or daily talk. This book called "Angels (Ringing Assurance that We Are Not Alone)" is fit for its purpose as it quenches my thirst for many aspects of these ministering spirits. Plus it was written by Billy Graham, possibly the most prominent and influential Christian preachers in 20th century. The book assures me of angelic protection over God's children in times of hardship and danger. (Read the strange Christian bookroom incident as told by Dr. Nelson Bell, Dr. Graham's father-in-law, in 1942 in Shanghai China in one morning that lasted for two hours to be "enchanted".) Dr. Graham wrote some people strongly believe that each Christian may have their own guardian angel which possibly begins in infancy according to Jesus in Matthew 18:10. It also offers great comfort reading numerous accounts of heavenly escort of angels when believers cross that thin veil (death) from natural world to spiritual world... into the presence of the Lord. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book to my fellow believers especially those who, due to this ongoing pandemic COVID-19, are sick or dying, under economic/mental pressure of everyday living, or frustrated by events of present challenges. Thank God for the ministry of His blessed angels.
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Book Reviews 2019 for Koorong

My Book Review Contributions on Koorong Books webpage

#1.

CEV the Big Rescue Bible (Cover & Illustrations 2014)

Publisher: Bible Society Australia

A Great Starter Bible for an Early Reader
 By Emil, 05 Nov 2019
https://www.koorong.com/product/cev-the-big-rescue-bible-cover-illustrations-2014_9780647519103

I bought this Big Rescue Bible for my son in Year 1 because I think it fits someone who just starts learning how to read: Font size not too small, not too heavy (hence avoided hardcover version), got introduction of each book, footnotes, side space for note taking, mini-dictionary, 20 pages of full color pictures, CEV text (which retains the form of and captures the spirit of King James version). And guess what, my little boy loves it so much that he reads it fervently (like unseen before) whatever the reason might be. We can only thank God, hope and pray that his early enthusiasm would be rolling like a snowball into the future.

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#2.

A Praying Life: Connecting With God in a Distracting World
Author: Paul Miller

Fresh, Balanced View on Prayer and the Pray-er
 By Emil, 26 Nov 2019

https://koorong.com/product/a-praying-life-connecting-with-god-in-a_9781631466830

If you are bored with how any typical book on prayer shells out practical tips on how to pray, you've come to the right place. Like its title, it does talk a lot about prayers which shape our Christian life, hence the title "A Praying Life". Aspects of our spirituality that hinder our praying life, and how the state of our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ are actually determined by our prayerfulness. The author also cites many real life stories in his own family which put the readers in perspective. In one story, for example, Paul tells of how prayer influenced what car they purchased. If you are struggling in many a life decision, you will certainly learn much from this book while at the same time being strengthened by its solid biblical theology which helps form your knowledge and understanding of God, self, and prayers in between.

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In Memoriam – Pak Andar

Tukang Ngantar Selamat: Tetelestai

 

SENIN kemarin hape saya dihujani berita dukacita bahwa Pdt. Em. Andar Ismail telah berpulang ke rumah Bapa di surga pada 25 Agustus kemarin. Tak terbendung, aliran kenangan tentang Pak Andar membanjiri benak saya. Meluap. Berebut untuk keluar.

 

Pengalaman paling berkesan dan tiada henti saya syukuri adalah ketika saya (ditemani mama mertua) berkunjung ke rumahnya di bilangan Kelapa Gading. Sekitar enam belas tahunan yang lalu. Apartemennya kecil. Hanya kurang dari empat puluh meter persegi. Sederhana. Rapi dan sejuk. Kami disambut dengan sangat ramah oleh Pak Andar dan Ibu Stans. Beliau selalu memanggil nama saya dengan jelas dan mata berbinar: "Emil!"  Saya membawa beberapa edisi buletin Reformedia yang saya kerjakan di gereja kami di Sydney. Beliau nampak girang kalau mengetahui passion-nya menulis menular ke orang lain. Kami berbincang santai dan berbagi updates setelah cukup lama tak bertemu.

 

Beberapa bulan sesudah itu, Pak Andar menulis surat kepada kami dalam bahasa Inggris (menjelang kehadiran anggota baru keluarga kami) dengan tulisan tangannya sendiri. Senang sekali rasanya. Surat itu masih ada di laci bedside table saya hari ini. Baru saja saya baca ulang. Beliau menulis "Dear Natalia and Emil, we rejoice with you for the gift of life from God you're now preparing through the birth of...." Kalimat penutupnya berbunyi "Please note that Bab 22 "Dua Doa Teman Hidup" in Selamat Berteman are two prayers with/for you, one for the pre-partum, one for post-partum. Sincerely, Stans and Andar" dengan ciri khasnya di mana huruf r dari namanya digores buang amat panjang ke kanan. Dulu Pak Andar pernah memimpin Pemahaman Alkitab dalam bahasa Inggris di GKI Samanhudi (di ruang konsistori). Yang tentunya menjadi acara favorit saya. Salah satu topiknya, kalau tidak salah ingat, membahas Ecclesiastes. Pak Andar mengatakan bahwa kitab Pengkhotbah bukan ditulis oleh raja Salomo, melainkan oleh seseorang yang menempatkan diri dan menulis seturut dengan jalan hidup dan pemikiran Salomo.

 

Needless to say, saya adalah pencinta buku seri Selamatnya yang legendaris. Practically, setiap tahun Pak Andar mengeluarkan satu buku baru sejak Selamat Pagi, Tuhan! terbit di 1992. Saya selalu usahakan mendapatkannya, baik membeli sendiri atau nitip ke sanak/teman yang akan pulang ke Indonesia. Tak heran, jumlah buku Selamatnya sudah mencapai 33 judul yang tiap judulnya berisi 33 renungan. Jadi Pak Andar sudah menghasilkan paling sedikit 1.089 tulisan. Masih ditambah buku-buku lain di luar itu seperti Awam dan Pendeta: Mitra Membina Gereja, Tuhan Ampunilah Kecerobohanku (buku anak), dan yang amat saya gemari Witnessing for Jesus: Reflections by an Indonesian Pastor karena ini satu-satunya yang berbahasa Inggris. Bukan kumpulan renungan, namun isinya enak dibaca. Sangat memperkaya perbendaharaan kosakata dan frase bahasa Inggris saya. Pernah saya bertanya langsung ke beliau, kenapa tidak lebih banyak menulis buku dalam bahasa Inggris. Tidak akan ada banyak yang tertarik, demikian kira-kira respons beliau. Hmm, bener juga. Lebih baik bikin tulisan yang dampaknya  bisa lebih maksimal.

 

Satu lagi kenangan saya mengenai Pak Andar adalah ketika mengikuti rangkaian Seminar Bina Jurnalistik yang diselenggarakan oleh GKI Samanhudi pada tahun 1998. Salah satu acaranya, selain melakukan kunjungan ke kantor harian Suara Pembaruan di Cawang, adalah seminar Menulis Resensi Buku yang dipimpin oleh Pdt. Andar Ismail.

 

Berbeda dengan kebanyakan pembicara/penceramah, poin-poin yang diajarkan beliau di seminar itu, istilah sekarang, isinya daging semua! Satu tips penting yang beliau bagikan adalah ketika menulis book review, kutipkan satu dua kalimat dari buku itu secara utuh. Tujuannya agar pembaca bisa mencicipi secara langsung keindahan tulisan sang pengarang. Wow! Saya terapkan semua prinsip dan tips yang beliau bagikan ketika mengikuti lomba menulis resensi buku pada tahun yang sama. Alhasil, resensi buku saya terpilih sebagai salah satu finalis. Tidak menang. Penentuan juara dilakukan melalui wawancara lisan dengan beberapa orang juri di GKI Gunsa. (Agak mengherankan, gumam saya, alih-alih diminta menulis lagi untuk kemudian dinilai pada babak final, kok malah dihadapkan ke judge panel seperti sidang skripsi atau job interview padahal ini lomba menulis, bukan lomba bercakap.)

 

Sebelum bertolak ke Australia sekitar pergantian Y2K, Pak Andar sempat memperkenalkan saya dengan seorang anggota jemaat senior GKI Samanhudi yang sudah lama tinggal di Sydney. Mungkin itu terakhir kali saya bertemu beliau sebelum di kemudian hari kami bertandang ke rumahnya. Kalau Anda perhatikan sampul belakang dari beberapa buku Selamat, ada gambar karikatur wajah beliau. Gambar karikatur jenaka itu pula yang ditempel di pintu rumahnya. Tak pelak, saya pun meminta foto bersama dengan beliau di sana. Ahh, Pak Andar, tak disangka rupanya lumayan banyak memori indah bersamanya dulu. Kalau dipikir-pikir, siapalah saya ini, sedangkan beliau pendeta senior, dosen STT, doktor ilmu PAK, pengarang buku terkenal pula! Tapi itulah dia. Sangat humble dan lembut, tapi amat excited ketika pembicaraan beralih ke soal buku-bukunya. Ia bahkan pernah meminta saya (dan banyak fans Seri Selamat lain tentunya) untuk tidak segan mengusulkan judul buku Selamat berikutnya ke beliau.

Bersama Pdt Andar Ismail di pintu depan rumahnya dengan karikatur wajah beliau.

 

Sebagai seorang penulis, Pak Andar mempunyai memori yang kuat. Beliau masih ingat banyak hal-hal detail di masa lampau seperti misalnya tahun keberangkatan saya pertama ke LN. Padahal saya hanya seorang anggota jemaat biasa, bukan mantan muridnya di sekolah teologi, bukan anak petinggi gereja, bukan rekan kerja BPK Gunung Mulia yang menerbitkan buku-buku beliau. Masih krucuk pula (meminjam istilah beliau di bukunya). Pak Andar juga ingat nama adik saya (Adam) hanya karena dia pernah ikut menghadiri 1-2x English Bible Study-nya di GKI Samanhudi lebih dari 7 tahun sebelumnya. Beliau pun masih ingat pertama kali saya meneleponnya dari Sydney. Selain itu, beliau juga masih mengingat alamat lama Pdt Robby & Ibu Inge Moningka di Jakarta ketika saya memperlihatkan foto IRC. Di akhir kunjungan, sebelum berpisah Pak Andar berdoa untuk keluarga kami. Doanya begitu teduh. Perlahan. Jelas. Kata demi kata.

 

Sebagai pembaca dan penggemar Seri Selamat, saya ingin merekomendasikan 33 buku Selamat karangan Dr. Andar Ismail jikalau Anda belum tahu atau belum pernah membacanya. Tiga di antaranya yang bertengger di atas menurut versi saya ialah sebagai berikut. Selamat Panjang Umur (1995) mencakup begitu banyak aspek hidup dan dimensi iman. Sudah beberapa kali saya menghadiahkan buku ini kepada kawan yang berulang tahun. Kemudian Anda tak bisa melewatkan Selamat Mengikut Dia (1994) yang paling bernas doktrinal mengajak kita mengenal Kristus secara mendalam lewat pelbagai tulisan pendek yang dikemas menarik. Sebetulnya sulit untuk menentukan yang ketiga karena begitu banyak calonnya, tapi mungkin saya nominasikan dua, yakni Selamat Berkarya (1998) dan Selamat Melayani Tuhan (1996) sekalian Anda mencicipi nikmatnya bagian akhir dari bab 33 "Sampai Sumbu Penghabisan" di bawah ini.

 

Sebetulnya, buku terbaru beliau berjudul Tukang Ngantar Selamat: 33 Renungan tentang Percaya Diri (terbit 2023) yang merupakan kelanjutan Seri Selamat karena dinamai "Seri Selamat Sambung" dan ini buku pertamanya. Akan tetapi, pada akhirnya, "seperti batang lilin hidup dan pelayanan kita juga pada suatu waktu akan berakhir. Ada waktu untuk menyala, ada waktu untuk padam. Nanti ada lilin lain yang akan menggantikan dan meneruskan. Tetapi selama kita masih bisa bersinar, kita bersinar terus… Selama Tuhan masih memberi kesempatan… Terus melayani. Terus bersinar sampai sumbu dan batang lilin yang penghabisan."

Pak Andar sudah bersinar sembari meleleh dan akhirnya tiba pada "sumbu penghabisan". Meninggalkan kita semua. Kembali ke keabadian menempati ruangan yang sudah dipersiapkan oleh Sang Kyrios in the Father's house (Yoh 14:2). Thankfully, ia juga tetap di sini bersama kita dalam kelestarian karya dan karsanya. Ternyata inilah rahasia hidup abadi dua kali. Mengikut Kristus itu abadi (Yoh 11:25). Di kekekalan baka. Berbuah meninggalkan karya pena itu abadi (Ayub 19:23). Meniti di hati insani. Menyusup menuju kalbu para pembaca. "Karena buku itu pintu kalbu", bisik Pak Andar seraya tersenyum menjejaki hari pertamanya di pelataran firdaus.  (EJ – 26 Agustus 2024)

Buku itu Pintu Kalbu, tertulis di pintu salah satu ruangan di rumah Pak Andar.

Agoraphobia (English version)

Streetview Portraits of the Traveller 

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. —Francis of Assisi

Image: instagram.com/streetview.portraits/

TODAY I encountered and learnt a new word. Agoraphobia. It's a feeling of anxiety leading to panic when leaving a comfortable environment. Usually one's own home. An agoraphobic person perceives outside places to be unsafe whether at the mall, the school, or simply being in front of their house.

On this 2021 International Women's Day, Google featured a woman with this condition. "Meet the artist who photographed the world without leaving home," goes the tagline of the 4-min video.

I turned curious. How did one get to be a world photographer if she never went outside her house? Even acknowledged for her work as an artist on this important global event!

Jacqui Kenny used Google Street View to snap numerous weird yet wonderful streetview portraits shot by Google car camera in various countries. She'd upload and display them in her Instagram account. Two horses kissing in a Mongolian savanna. A man in red walking while leading a cow by the roadside in Kyrgyzstan with towering green and reddish plants in the background. It's like a painting. In Veracruz, Mexico a man was seen wearing blue shirt and red pants with a pail of paint in his right hand standing atop a ladder leaning against a totally white wall clouded with blue sky above. Resembles a maestro painting.

Then I came across another piece which I found adorable. Jacqui named it The Irrelevant Gate. Located in Arizona, USA the small gate is only as wide as a one-person footpath. Standing at a distance from an elongated house. Surrounding it is free unhindered by neighbor, fence or any other barrier. (See the picture above.) Last but not least, there's also a series of snapshots of a dog chasing the Google camera car in Tacna, Peru running for a mile even whilst scuffling with another dog.

Suddenly this massive planet earth that we're living in turns into such a small world. The scenes of which are explorable and enjoyable from behind a computer desk. Admirable too when someone diligently gathered all the pictures from unique and interesting perspectives. This observation is actually redolent of life being laden with paradox. Massive yet small. Wonderful and refreshing. Yet we realise how ugly and depraved it is (or could be).

But perhaps that is the 'art'. How we should occasionally take a step back to try to obtain an unusual point of view in the midst of chaos frequently worse than what meets the eyes. All the while us hanging on and choosing to move on this short journey called life. Traveling here and there carving out some achievements. Despite only from sitting on a chair. Like the agoraphobic traveller. Happy International Women's Day!  (EJ - 16/03/21) Baca dalam Bahasa Indonesia

References:

https://about.google/intl/ALL_au/stories/agoraphobic-traveller/

https://www.instagram.com/streetview.portraits/

Agoraphobia

Potret Jalanan Sang Petualang

A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows. —Francis of Assisi

Image: instagram.com/streetview.portraits/

HARI INI saya bertemu dan belajar satu lema baru. Agoraphobia. Artinya perasaan cemas menuju panik ketika meninggalkan lingkungan yang nyaman. Biasanya rumah. Penderita agoraphobic menganggap keadaan di luar sana tidak aman. Mau ke pasar takut. Mau ke kantor ngeri. Mau ke sekolah kuatir. Bahkan ke luar rumah pun ada rasa waswas.

Dalam perayaan Hari Perempuan Internasional 2021 ini, Google menampilkan seorang wanita dengan kondisi itu. "Temuilah sang seniwati yang memfoto dunia ini tanpa meninggalkan rumahnya", demikian tagline Google dari video berdurasi empat menit tersebut.

Saya langsung terpancing. Bagaimana caranya bisa menjadi fotografer pelbagai belahan dunia jikalau tidak pernah keluar rumah? Dinobatkan sebagai artist pula pada hari sepenting International Women's Day ini!

Jacqui Kenny menggunakan Google Street View untuk menangkap begitu banyak pemandangan jalanan aneh tapi menakjubkan (weird but wonderful) yang terpotret kamera mobil Google di berbagai negara. Lalu dikumpulkan di akun Instagram-nya. Dua kuda sedang berciuman di savana Mongolia. Sesosok berbaju merah berjalan kaki menggiring seekor sapi di tepi jalan berpagar di Kyrgyzstan berlatar tanaman-tanaman hijau dan merah menjulang bak lukisan. Bertempat di Veracruz, Mexico seorang pria berbaju biru bercelana panjang merah dengan satu ember cat di tangan kanan berdiri di atas tangga yang bersandar pada tembok putih total dengan langit biru di atasnya. Juga menyerupai painting seorang maestro.

Lalu ada satu foto yang nampak menggemaskan. Jacqui menamainya The Irrelevant Gate. Berlokasi di Arizona, Amerika Serikat. Gerbang itu kecil hanya selebar jalan setapak satu orang. Berdiri jauh di depan sebuah rumah memanjang. Sekelilingnya lowong tak dibatasi oleh tetangga, pagar atau penghalang apa pun. (Lihat gambarnya di atas) Last but not least, ada rangkaian jepretan seekor anjing yang berlari mengejar mobil kamera Google di Tacna, Peru hingga sejauh satu mil sambil berkelahi dengan seekor anjing lainnya.

Planet bumi yang sangat luas ini begitu menjadi sempit. Bisa dijelajahi dan dinikmati dari belakang meja komputer. Dan pada saat yang sama bisa dikagumi ketika seorang dengan tekun mampu mengambil semua gambar itu dari perspektif yang menarik dan unik. Saya jadi teringat lagi bahwa hidup ini sarat dengan paradoks. Luas tapi sempit. Teramat indah dan menyegarkan. Meski kita sadar teramat buruk dan bobrok.

Barangkali itulah seninya. Bagaimana sesekali kita mundur satu langkah untuk coba memperoleh sudut pandang yang tak biasa memercik kesejukan di tengah kekalutan dunia yang kerap lebih buruk daripada keburukan yang selama ini nampak. Seraya terus bertahan dan bergerak maju di perjalanan singkat bernama 'kehidupan'. Bertualang ke sana-sini menorehkan prestasi. Meski hanya dari duduk di atas kursi. Seperti sang agoraphobic traveller. Happy International Women's Day!  (EJ - 8/03/21)  Read in English

Referensi:

https://about.google/intl/ALL_au/stories/agoraphobic-traveller/

https://www.instagram.com/streetview.portraits/

The problem with comfort and success

Eyes To See

August 11, 2012 — by Julie Ackerman Link

Read: Joshua 3:1-11

I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land. —Psalm 143:6

Bible in a Year:
Isaiah 46-48

My first glimpse of the Promised Land from the hills of Moab was disappointing. "Did this look a lot different when the Israelites got here?" I asked our guide as we looked toward Jericho. I was expecting a dramatic contrast from the east side of the Jordan. "No," she answered. "It has looked the same for thousands of years."

I rephrased the question. "What did the Israelites see when they got here?" "The biggest oasis on the face of the whole earth," she replied.

Then I understood. I had ridden across the barren desert in the luxury of an air-conditioned bus stocked with cold bottled water. To me, an oasis was nothing spectacular. The Israelites had spent years wandering in a hot, dry desert. To them, the sprawling patch of pale green in the hazy distance meant refreshing, life-sustaining water. They were parched; I was refreshed. They were exhausted; I was rested. They had spent 40 years getting there; I had spent 4 hours.

Like an oasis, God's goodness is found in dry and difficult places. How often, I wonder, do we fail to see His goodness because our spiritual senses have been dulled by comfort. Sometimes God's gifts are seen more clearly when we are tired and thirsty. May we always thirst for Him (Psalm 143:6).

Dear Lord, may our desire for You be like that of
a deer panting for cold, refreshing water. Please
don't allow comfort or worldly success to keep us
from seeing You in every detail of our lives.

Jesus is the only fountain who can satisfy the thirsty soul.

A little accounting story

EPILOG: An Accounting Story

Setelah menghapus hutang 10 ribu kantong emas dari salah seorang pelayannya, raja ini akan mencatat demikian dalam pembukuannya:

1. Dr Provision for doubtful debt 10,000 bags of gold

Cr Accounts Receivable 10,000 bags of gold --> written off

dan sang pelayan akan membukukan:

2. Dr Accounts Payable 10,000 bags of gold --> written off

Cr Gain on Debt W/off 10,000 bags of gold

Tapi setelah dilepaskan & mencatat gain sebanyak 10 ribu kantong emas, sang pelayan malah tidak mau menghapus hutang temannya yang hanya berhutang 100 koin perak. Ia menolak untuk membukukan jurnal no.1 di atas seperti yang dilakukan majikannya. Mungkin ia berpikir ia tidak pernah melakukan pencadangan atas piutang tak tertagih (bad debt allowance) sebelumnya sehingga apabila harus menghapus hutang temannya yang noncollectable, maka ia harus menanggung Beban dalam laporan Laba Ruginya sbb:

3. Dr Bad Debt Expense 100 silver coins --> affecting P&L

Cr Accounts Receivable 100 silver coins

Padahal semestinya seratus koin perak hampir tidak ada efeknya terhadap kinerja dari Statement of Financial Performance-nya yang akan mencatat keuntungan besar sebanyak 9,999.9999 bags of gold (ini pun hanya estimasi karena kita tidak tahu ada berapa koin emas dalam setiap bag of gold dan tidak jelas pula 1 koin emas = ??? koin perak).

Moral of this little accounting story: Sesungguhnya setiap kita adalah pelayan yang dihapuskan hutangnya demikian banyak oleh sang master - sedemikian besarnya sehingga kita tidak mungkin sanggup melunasi hutang itu, meskipun kita sudah membuat cukup banyak "provision for allowance of bad debts" dengan pelbagai kebaikan, kebajikan, dan mungkin extinguishment of other people's debts di sepanjang kehidupan kita. Namun, di mata sang raja yang mahabesar dan kayaraya itu semua amatlah kecil dan nyaris tak berarti sehingga tak ada pilihan lain bagi kita selain memohon dan menerima hadiah "redemption" nan gratis namun priceless itu dari segala hutang kita yang secara natur memang "irredeemable" dan "irreconcilable". (EJ - 07/05/11)

-the story-

SETTLING THE ACCOUNTS

Once upon a time there was a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of GOLD was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 SILVER coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.'

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. (JC)

Angels and friends

LEARNING OF THE DAY

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." - Anonymous

I STILL can't figure it out as to why Abraham would without any doubt welcome and serve the three complete strangers standing in front of his tent one sweltering day (Genesis 18). It is said that weary travellers in that time were not as fortunate to find an inn as we would be these days. Hence what Abraham did, out of his lovingkindness, was simply entertain these men in the heat of the day. 

If this is resolved, there is still one thing unaccounted for when he also acts condescendingly by bowing low to the ground when meeting them and greets them "my lord". Biblical records quickly clarify that one of them is actually the LORD Himself (v.13).

Much further down the centuries following this piece of scene, we know that the writer of Hebrews advised us: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (13:2)

Upon learning that these two parts of the Bible make reference to one another, it was like a clanging bell going off very loudly in my ear. I was astonished. This is just breathtaking that a verse talking about angels is not just talking but showing us the real example when it actually happened and how the situation might look like when it happened!

Then I paused to keep my head down in reflection on how far I have remembered to extend hospitality to strangers and friends in need. I was thinking through this new find that ought to be the base of my doing so in the past yet more importantly the days to come.

Automatically my mind wandered to the often-quoted sayings that angels are said to be those good friends or perhaps anyone around us who come our way... supporting us, protecting us, and caring for us. (EJ)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him. And rescues them. -David in Psalm 34:8

Superbia

When man at the peak of his life, intelligence and eloquence, insists he is "god" for himself, be subject to none other than himself and blatantly rejects his Creator and Redeemer, what can we say other than he is necessarily doomed at the lowest point of life for he's fallen prey to one of the seven deadly sins. Of which is in fact the most deadly one, namely superbia or pride.

As a learner, one can really learn from anyone or anything even including from the notorious history of Lucifer. It was indeed pride, excessive love of self, desire to compete with God, that resulted in his fall from heaven and transformation into Satan. Perhaps this is why pride then becomes acknowledged as the most serious of all the seven deadly sins originating from the father of lie himself. Which unsurprisingly turned out later to be the same sin that caused the first stain to contaminate the whole mankind through Eve and Adam.

The question now is: Shall we want to learn from history? Or we would rather be running around aimlessly in circles down the thousands of years of civilisation in full, active increasing openmindedness yet obliviously succumbed to a lethal consequence that we should have otherwise been able to avoid? Well, whatever happened to man saying he is the most rational creature? (EJ)

The 'ugly' flying blacks

RIVER BLINDNESS

I have most recently been struck by another grim reality where you can be made permanently blind, yes, physically I mean, by a particular insect called river black flies.

Strangely, though, these black flies do not live among us or the society with decent standard of life. Instead, these Onchocerciacis parasites appear along the levee of swiftly flowing rivers inflicting their horrific infection to the detriment of the already poor and underdeveloped peoples in Central and West Africa. It is thus named 'river blindness'.

As with other mosquitos, these swarms of flies do bite human. The difference is they aren't exactly after your blood. If you get bitten, they form colonies and live under your skins throughout your body for up to 18 years. They would then grow into worms and when they die cause grotesque inflammation, intense itching (to the point of 'unbearable'), agonising pain, and finally lost of sight since the worms' attack lead to a strong immune system that can destroy nearby tissue such as your eyes.

It was reported that about 18 million people are currently infected with this parasite and approximately 300,000 have been permanently blinded. To make matters worse this blindness cannot be reversed.

One good thing amid all these bad things is that such needless suffering is easily avoidable with an effective defence in the form of Mectizan tablets. When taken by adult or children, it can provide complete protection from this deadly infection for a whole year.

The thing is that there needs to be constant huge operations covering health workers reaching the affected areas hashing out the details of this medication, wide distribution of Mectizan to the remote communities as well as educating and training of the farmers and villagers in this unfortunate continent.

One second good thing these days is that for every single gold coin we share with these vulnerable people, the Australian government will match it by THREE dollars (making your $1 to be $4) towards this approved project through the Matching Grant Fund. A recommended AUD38 on our part (to be turned fourfold into $152) by CBM (Christian Blind Mission) Australia will go quite as far as ensuring 461 villagers receive enough tablets for bulwark against fatality right under their nose on a day-to-day basis. (Emil Jayaputra - 07 May 09)

Struggle & hardship make strength: Edward Kennedy

From struggle & hardship, we learn to gain strength. Strength that wheezes out from a pressurised cooker pot with hissing sound being at the edge of overflowing - much to the fortification of the herbs inside for this wavering flesh of ours. / EJ

The 2009 No.1 TIME 100 

Edward Kennedy

By Arnold Schwarzenegger

How do I describe Uncle Teddy? Everyone knows him as the Lion of the Senate, a liberal icon, a warrior for the less fortunate, a fierce advocate for health-care reform, a champion of social justice here and abroad and now even a Knight of the British Empire. But I know him as the rock of his family: a loving husband, father, brother and uncle. He's a man of great faith and character.

His personal story demonstrates that strength is built through struggle and hardship, and he shares that strength with tremendous compassion and empathy. Channeling his own experiences with tragedy and loss, he has personally touched the lives of countless others who have had to confront their own challenges.

Teddy, 77, is a heroic figure not just in the Democratic Party but in American politics in general. That's because he overflows with energy and passion, and he devotes that intense caring to serving people in need and fighting on behalf of their causes. While he and I do not agree on every political issue, I have always admired his ability to work across the political aisle on matters such as immigration, health care, civil rights, education and the environment.

His expertise in politics is extraordinary. I have personally benefited from his experience and advice, as I know countless others have. As a Senator, Teddy has a clear gift for communicating with people and showing true leadership. Through his actions, he proves that public service isn't a hobby or even an occupation, but a way of life.

The new Administration is bringing health care back to the forefront of the domestic agenda, and there is one man I know who will push tirelessly to make quality health care accessible and affordable for all Americans. With Senator Kennedy leading the charge, nothing will stand in the way.

Schwarzenegger is the Republican governor of California and is married to Maria Shriver, the Senator's niece

Fast Fact: In a recent survey by the Hill newspaper, Kennedy's GOP colleagues ranked him No. 1 among Democrats for bipartisanship

World Book Day Indonesia 2009

Maylaffayza: Membaca untuk cinta

oleh : Rahmayulis Saleh

Untuk kedua kalinya Maylaffayza, violinist, didaulat sebagai Duta Buku World Book Day (WBD) Indonesia 2009. Tahun lalu dia juga dipilih oleh Forum Indonesia Membaca (FIM). "Saya sangat senang bisa terlibat dalam kegiatan membaca dan mencerdaskan masyarakat ini," ujarnya hari ini.

FIM sebagai penggagas perayaan hari buku dan literasi di Indonesia, tahun ini kembali mengadakan WBD Indonesia. Kegiatan yang berlangsung di Museum Bank Mandiri Jakarta, 23 April-17 Mei ini, akan dibuka oleh Menteri Negara Riset dan Teknologi Kusmayanto Kadiman.

Tema yang diangkat adalah Membaca untuk cinta yang mengedepankan cinta kasih, dan keakraban dalam keluarga.

"Pentingnya membaca di lingkungan keluarga tidak hanya membuat orang tua lebih pintar, tapi juga mengasah daya pikir anak untuk terus berkembang. Selain itu, adanya interaksi antara orang tua dan anak, tentu akan memupuk cinta kasih dalam keluarga," kata Maylaf, sapaan akrabnya.

Sebagai Duta Buku WBD, Maylaf akan mengkampanyekan kegiatan Membaca untuk cinta. Hal itu untuk mengingatkan masyarakat tentang kecintaan terhadap membaca, dan pentingnya berbagi kecintaan membaca kepada orang lain di sekitar.

Dia menuturkan kegiatan literasi harus ditanamkan sejak dini dan dimulai dari keluarga. Budaya ini diharapkan mampu membuat banyak orang mau melakukan perubahan dalam hidup melalui literasi.

"Berawal dari kebiasaan dalam keluarga yang kemudian dapat melahirkan generasi penerus, yang mampu melakukan perubahan untuk bangsa dan negara," ujarnya.

Dia mengakui adalah suatu kebanggaan ditunjuk jadi Duta Buku. Pada perayaan WBD Indonesia tahun lalu, Maylaf sudah terpilih sebagai salah satu Duta Buku.

Tahun ini, katanya, dia akan meningkatkan keterlibatannya untuk WBD Indonesia. Dia juga ikut berpartisipasi dalam aktifitas yang dilakukan oleh panitia, termasuk diantaranya ikut terlibat dalam pencarian sponsor bagi WBD Indonesia 2009.

"Artinya sebagai seorang Duta Buku, peran saya bukan hanya sebagai endorser, tapi sebagai advocate dari program ini. Sebab potensi program ini sangat besar dan berdampak positif bagi masyarakat," lanjutnya.

Dessy Sekar Astina selaku Direktur Festival dari WBD Indonesia 2009, mengatakan pengangkatan Maylaf sebagai Duta Buku WBD Indonesia tahun ini, melihat kontribusinya sebagai musisi yang peduli pada pendidikan.

"Figur Maylaf sesuai dalam merepresentasikan WBD, sebagai musisi yang suka membaca dan sadar teknologi. Hal ini merupakan penerapan secara tepat definisi literasi," tambah Sekar.

Pengenalan budaya literasi pada anak, kata Maylaf, dapat dilakukan secara sederhana. Misalnya dengan membacakan buku cerita pada anak, sehingga anak dapat mengerti alur cerita yang sederhana, dan menambah pengetahuannya tentang alam dan lingkungan sekitar.

Orangtua memegang peranan penting untuk mengajarkan anak tentang perilaku dan perasaannya sendiri, serta memberikan pemahaman kepada anak tentang bagaimana manusia sebagai mahluk sosial harus saling menghargai satu sama lain," jelas Maylaf. ***

Sumber: Bisnis Indonesia, 22/04/09

When you're up against the wall on ANZAC Day

Seraya 'memperingati' ANZAC Day 25 April kemarin, ada renungan yg juga relevan dengan pergumulan kita2 belakangan ini. /  EJ

Ketika Terpojok

Baca: Roma 8:31-39 Siapakah yang akan memisahkan kita dari kasih Kristus? —Roma 8:35

Pada tanggal 25 April 1915, pasukan sekutu Angkatan Darat Australia dan Selandia Baru (ANZAC) mendarat di semenanjung Gallipoli dengan harapan meraih kemenangan cepat. Akan tetapi, pertahanan gigih dari para pejuang Turki mengakibatkan terjadinya pertempuran berimbang selama 8 bulan yang menyebabkan ribuan orang dari kedua belah pihak terluka atau mati.

Banyak dari pasukan ANZAC yang dievakuasi ke Mesir mengunjungi perkemahan YMCA di luar Kairo tempat Oswald Chambers, seorang pendeta militer, memberikan pelayanan dan pengharapan bagi orang-orang yang mengalami kegetiran dan putus asa akibat perang. Dengan penuh pengertian dan kepedulian, Chambers mengatakan kepada mereka, "Tidak ada seorang pun yang tetap sama setelah mengalami suatu penderitaan; entah ia akan menjadi lebih baik atau lebih buruk, dan penderitaan dalam pengalaman seseorang hampir selalu menjadi hal awal yang membuka pikirannya untuk memahami kebutuhan akan penebusan yang dikerjakan oleh Yesus Kristus. Ketika orang itu merasa terpojok, berdirilah Allah di sana dengan tangan-Nya terentang, dan setiap orang yang terbawa ke dalam situasi tersebut sesungguhnya terbawa ke dalam tangan Allah. Salib Yesus adalah bukti paling utama dari kasih Allah."

Paulus bertanya: "Siapakah yang akan memisahkan kita dari kasih Kristus?" (Rm. 8:35). Jawaban yang datang darinya dengan sangat meyakinkan adalah bahwa tidak suatu hal pun akan dapat memisahkan kita dari kasih Allah, dalam Kristus (ay.38-39).

Ketika kita sudah terpojok, Allah ada di sana dan menyambut kita dengan tangan terbuka. —DCM

Allah mengetahui setiap jalan berkelok yang kulalui

Dan setiap kesedihan, rasa sakit, dan kepedihan;

Dia takkan mengabaikan anak-anak-Nya—

Dia mengenal dan mengasihi milik-Nya. —Bosch

Kasih Allah tetap teguh berdiri di saat semua bentuk kasih lainnya telah memudar. 

Source: English version "Against the Wall" is here .

Kartini dan the R-word

Rabu, 22 April 09

 

Kemarin Indonesia memperingati Hari Ibu Kartini, pelopor perjuangan hak-hak kaum perempuan. Penyiar TVRI di Warta Siang yg disiarkan di saluran SBS pada malam hari berpakaian kebaya. Hmm, untung juga masih bisa nonton Warta Siang, paling tidak jadi ingat pada Ibu Kartini, pikirku.

 

Kemarin pula, menyusul pernyataan Kevin Rudd, RBA governor Glenn Stevens mendeklarasikan bahwa Australia sudah, akhirnya, masuk ke dalam tahap resesi melihat perkembangan yg terjadi. Kata R ini (the R-word) sudah dianggap berlaku meskipun data GDP pada quarter pertama 2009 belum akan keluar hingga awal Juni mendatang. (Sebelumnya, PM Kevin masih agak segan menyebut "Resesi" dan sebagai gantinya menggunakan istilah "pertumbuhan ekonomi yg negatif".)

 

Hari ini, akhirnya, tax bonus sebagai bagian dari paket rangsangan ekonomi ke-2 yg diumumkan pemerintah Australia tiba masuk ke dalam rekening kami. Lumayan lega dan happy... karena, paling tidak, ada "kesegaran" baru dalam keuangan rumah tangga kami, dan satu kepastian bagi pemerintah bahwa dana ini akan dimanfaatkan semestinya, sewajarnya, dan seturut dengan tujuannya :-)

 

Berita demi berita, situasi demi situasi terus berkembang dari hari ke hari. Mari kita amati bersama jejak-jejak yg akan ditinggalkan GFC (global financial crisis) ini ke depan. (EJ)

 

Vocabulary of the day: Font

Biasanya kita hanya tahu font dalam bahasa Inggris adalah model huruf (typeface) dalam komputer seperti Arial, Comic Sans MS, atau Garamond. Padahal, kalau Anda menyelidiki kamus, lema font mempunyai arti yang sama sekali berbeda.

font = abundant source of something: somebody or something seen as a source or inexhaustible supply of something.
(Encarta Dictionary - Definition No.3)

Contoh aplikasi nyata dalam kalimat:

'In its censure motion, the federal opposition says the prime minister's aim was to make Mr Bush look like a fool. "[It was] an account so self-serving that it presented him as a diplomatic encyclopaedia, a font of all knowledge, and the president of the United States, the chief executive of our greatest ally, as a fool," Mr Turnbull was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.'

[Sumber kutipan kalimat: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7724524.stm]

Selamat menerapkan kosakata "baru" ini dalam kehidupan komunikasi kita bersama (only if you use English, of course). -EJ

Hari Blogger Nasional

Cukup terhenyak saya dari lamunan malam ini saat membuka e-newsletter dari ICW Edisi 1105 bahwa 27 Oktober dijadikan Hari Blogger Nasional! Semakin bertambah saja hari-hari penting yang terjadi pada bulan Oktober ini.

Signifikansi hari ini bisa dibilang merupakan penanda hari kebangkitan atau revival dunia kepenulisan Indonesia yang memang sudah beberapa tahun terakhir ini saya amati begitu produktif dan kualitasnya meningkat tajam dan beragam. Sungguh perkembangan yang menggembirakan. Komunitas e-buku menjamur amat banyak di Internet, toko-toko buku online berlomba memasang portalnya semenarik dan selengkap mungkin demi menarik para pemburu buku, pameran-pameran buku semakin sering digelar. Beberapa milis yang membahas soal kepenulisan bahkan berinisiatif mendirikan usaha penerbitan sendiri. Keberagaman buku yang dipublikasi juga amat luas mulai dari buku-buku berbau politik yang mengorek 'rahasia-rahasia' di balik si A atau si B, buku-buku sejarah dan budaya yang dulunya tak pernah terpikir untuk diterbitkan, buku-buku sastra dari para penulis muda yang potensial mengusung masa depan kesastraan Indonesia. Salah satu favorit saya adalah buku-buku sejarah yang ditulis ulang dalam format fiksi seperti Gajah Mada, Ken Arok, atau buku macam Ca Bau Kan karangan Remy Silado yang mengangkat konteks masyarakat Tionghoa peranakan, dsb.

Hari Blogger Nasional dapat pula dianggap sebagai Hari Penulis Nasional karena blogger pada dasarnya adalah penulis. Penulis di situs maya yang karyanya bisa langsung dibaca oleh jutaan pasang mata di seluruh dunia pada saat yang sama. Hakikat awal blog adalah menulis catatan harian (diary) online, tetapi kemudian berkembang menjadi apa saja. Dari topik A sampai Z semua bisa dibikin blog-nya. Cuma bagi saya pribadi, terlalu banyak nge-blog bukan keadaan yang ideal karena ibarat pisau apabila terus dipakai maka ketajamannya akan berkurang. Ia perlu diasah kembali dan asahan itu memerlukan waktu dan proses. Dalam konteks ekonomi terlalu banyak uang di peredaran dapat menimbulkan inflasi dan akibatnya nilai mata uang turun. Terlalu banyak kata-kata yg tertabur keluar dengan sendirinya pun bisa menciptakan "inflasi idea" alias penurunan kualitas dari tulisan itu sendiri apabila tidak diimbangi dengan kenaikan produktivitas sumber daya (food for the writer's mind) yang cukup.

Semoga dengan keberadaan dan pencetusan Hari Blogger Nasional se-Indonesia ini dapat turut berkontribusi terhadap kemajuan dunia penulisan setanah air dan lebih luas lagi dunia pendidikan yang masih punya begitu banyak ruang untuk perbaikan dan kemajuan. Cuma untuk yang terakhir ini, menulis bukan hanya asal menulis, asal ngeblog, tapi menuangkan ide ke dalam tulisan yang juga bermisi transformasional alias mengubahkan. Semoga! (EJ)

Reading challenge

My mind is always challenged with a lengthy, almost incomprehensible, sentence that goes like this:

The juxtaposition of the solitary figure working to produce such a modest and harmless-looking object as a book and the explosion this caused in the minds of men and women then and since led me to look for others whose intense preoccupation posted in placid pages had seized the story of our species. - Melvyn Bragg

The challenge of each reading task really lies in having a grasp of what the writer is saying, and to do that, we literally need to determine its S-P-O structure. Which words do you think are the subject? The predicate? And the object?

The root of our hampered communication process be it writing or talking, as a matter of fact, boils down to a failure or reluctance in identification of this structure. A basic building block that we learnt as a young student in school, perhaps many years or decades (?) ago. Which probably explains why we have unwittingly forgotten it. Please let me hear your thoughts. (EJ)

Pembelajar Sejati

SEORANG PEMBELAJAR

Baca: Lukas 2:46-52; Yesaya 50:4-6 Mereka menemukan Dia dalam Bait Allah; Ia sedang duduk di tengah-tengah alim ulama, sambil mendengarkan mereka dan mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan kepada mereka. —Lukas 2:46

Sebuah poster di suatu lorong gereja menggambarkan seorang anak lelaki yang memakai baju Timur Tengah, dengan Alkitab di tangannya, sedang mendaki sebuah bukit menuju ke gereja. Tulisan di poster itu berbunyi: "Yesus adalah bocah lelaki Kristen yang rajin ke Sekolah Minggu di setiap hari Minggu."

Sebagai seorang anak Yahudi, Yesus tidak pergi ke Sekolah Minggu dan ke gereja di hari Minggu. Jadi poster itu tidaklah tepat. Namun, poster itu tepat dalam menggambarkan kerinduan Yesus untuk berada di dalam rumah Bapa-Nya untuk mendengar semua ajaran-Nya.

Ketika Yesus berusia 12 tahun, Dia pergi bersama orangtua-Nya ke Yerusalem untuk merayakan Paskah (Luk. 2:41-42). Dalam perjalanan pulang, orangtua-Nya menyadari bahwa Yesus tidak pulang bersama mereka. Ketika kembali ke Yerusalem, "mereka menemukan Dia dalam Bait Allah; Ia sedang duduk di tengah-tengah alim ulama, sambil mendengarkan mereka dan mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan kepada mereka" (ay.46).

Yesus memiliki hati seorang murid sekaligus pembelajar. Yesaya menulis tentang-Nya sebagai Hamba Yahweh: "Setiap pagi Ia mempertajam pendengaranku, untuk mendengar seperti seorang murid (baca: pembelajar -EJ). Tuhan ALLAH telah membuka telingaku, dan aku tidak memberontak, tidak berpaling ke belakang" (50:4-5). Dalam kemanusiaan-Nya, Sang Putra terbuka untuk belajar dari Bapa-Nya.

Teladan Yesus menantang kita untuk menjadi pendengar firman Tuhan. Kita juga dapat menjadi murid sekaligus pembelajar, jika kita tetap membuka hati kepada pengajaran Allah. —Anne Cetas

Penuhi aku dengan pemahaman
Tentang kehendak-Mu yang mulia;
Kiranya seluruh sukacita dari-Mu
Kau penuhkan dalam diri anak-Mu. —Grimes

Tujuan utama dari belajar adalah mengenal Allah.

(TERJEMAHAN dari RBC Int'l English)

TGIF 8-8-8

Sydney, 8th August 2008

To a great number of people worldwide, today may be an auspicious day thanks to the unusually consecutive 8-8-8 in the numerical system of international date that we use (both AD & BC). And hence these couples intentionally preset this special date as their nuptials & say their once-only sacred vow.

To the greatest nation on earth centred in Beijing, this date marks the end of their long-awaited day being the host of the world's biggest event and the proud beginning of massive demonstration of the rich, splendid Chinese culture and civilisation embedded in the festive Opening Ceremony currently underway at these hits of letters on my keyboard.


To all nations and even a greater number of people, it is time to revel & be merry as mankind are united in this universal Olympic spirit as well as cheer their national sports warriors on to go swifter, higher, and stronger for more golds than any other country to top the medal tally of this Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

To me, I wish it were just another day, another TGIF day to look forward to for the morrow. But somehow I've got myself a bit carried away by the globally ubiquitous delight... with quite a distinct, personal reason, though. That it is on this very day too I have been privileged to officially become a certified practising accountant (CPA).

So, what else to utter than a relieved, lengthy
"finally......
thank You, Lord!
I can't believe this."


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Thank God, it's Friday
Thank God, it's 8-8-8
because every day is the Lord's day
...created by the Lord
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Emil Jayaputra CPA