Tuesday, July 18, 2017

When I have fears that I may cease to be, by John Keats




When I have fears that I may cease to be, by John Keats


When I have fears that I may cease to be

  Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact’ry,
  Hold like rich garners the full-ripen’d grain;
When I behold, upon the night’s starred face,
  Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace Their shadows,
  with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
  That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
  Of unreflecting love!—then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

---
Alice

Monday, July 10, 2017

Ombak Pergantian Hidup

Sebagai manusia, sangat wajar bagi kita untuk mencari keamanan dan kedamaian hidup. Namun, segala sesuatu di dunia ini senantiasa berubah tanpa hentinya. Maka kita sering berpikir bahwa pergantian adalah sesuatu hal yang negatif dan sesuatu yang tetap, konstan dan stabil mendatangkan keadaman dan kedamaian. Pernahkan anda mendengar kalimat, "Kamu sudah berubah! Tidak sama seperti dulu lagi!" Apakah yang salah dengan kalimat ini?

Pertama, ada kemungkinan, sang subyek berubah secara negatif. Dahulu, ia orang benar dan sekarang, orang jahat. Namun, ada kemungkinan perubahan subyek adalah perubahan yang baik. Dahulu ia kurang baik dan sekarang ia menjadi lebih baik. Dalam hal ini, perubahan subyek sangat penting dan malah semua orang pun harus berubah! Satu-satunya individu yang tidak memerlukan perubahan, ialah individu yang sudah sempurna adanya. Sesuatu yang sempurna, tidak bisa menjadi lebih sempurna lagi. Angka 100 tidak bisa menjadi lebih mirip dengan angka 100, karena ia adalah 100 adanya. Lain dengan angka 80, yang bisa berubah menjadi 81, 82, 83 dan seterusnya untuk menjadi lebih mirip dengan angka 100.

Demikian pula, kebenaran tidak pernah berubah. Manusia tidak sempurna, maka kita harus senantiasa berubah. Akan tetapi Allah tidak berubah dari kekal sampai kekal. Allah berfirman kepada Musa, "I AM who I AM", "AKU ADALAH AKU" (Keluaran 3:14). Perfect Goodness is perfect and Is with no blemish.

Namun, pengertian ini tidak lepas dari pengertian bahwa Allah bekerja secara dinamis di kehidupan kita. Hanya karena Ia menolong engkau hari ini, bukan berarti Ia akan menolong engkau besok, bukan berarti engkau akan diselamatkan. Semua sudah ada di dalam masterplan Allah yang kita tidak bisa tahu. Demikianlah Yesus bukan saja Yesus yang telah mati bagi kita, tetapi juga Yesus yang telah bangkit, mengalahkan maut. Dengan demikian, iman kita kepada Kristus tidaklah sia-sia.

Image result for resurrection
Alexander Ivanov - Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection
Kutipan di bawah ini membahas isu yang serupa, diambil dari kotbah Pdt. Dr. Stephen Tong:

Lalu dia (Maria Magdelena) ingin memegang, ia ingin menjamah, memegang tubuh Yesus Kristus. "Betulkah Engkau bangkit? Betulkah ini bukan roh? Betulkah ini bukan arwah? Betulkah ini bukan suatu bayang-bayang? Saya ingin pegang Yesus, mempertahankan Dia. Engkau jangan pergi! Engkau jangan mati! Jika Engkau sekarang sungguh-sungguh ada, apakah Engkau seperti dulu?"

Yesus tidak lagi sama seperti dulu. Sebelum mati, Ia mempunyai tubuh jasmaniah melalui inkarnasi. Setelah bangkit, Ia mempunyai tubuh kebangkitan yang melampaui tubuh jasmaniah inkarnasi.

"Janganlah Engkau memegang Aku, sebab Aku belum pergi kepada Bapa."

Kalimat ini mempunyai arti jauh lebih dalam dari 'Jangan pegang Saya'. Karena di situ, istilah 'pegang', bahasa Yunaninya 'jangan mempertahankan saya lagi seperti dulu'. Kita ingin agama kita, iman kita, pengalaman, pengertian daripada kerohanian kita sama seperti dulu.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

The New Hope

Mary Magdalene learned and knew that the LORD is that LORD that is risen. Therefore, we went to tell the story that she has seen Him. This was the very first testimony of the resurrection of Jesus. After Jesus' death, the first to enter the Paradise was a robber who was crucified beside Jesus. After Jesus was resurrected, the first to preach the gospel was a woman who used to be possessed by seven demons. These show us that our LORD is the LORD who loves the sinners that for those who have greatly sinned could be saved, you who had been demon-possessed could preach the gospel. Do not set a standard: such kind of person is not worthy of becoming a pastor and such person is best to be a pastor. The LORD works extraordinarily within each person. I am waiting for prostitutes to repent and be the LORD's witnesses. I am waiting for robbers to repent and be the LORD's witnesses. And are there drug addicts who return to the LORD and be the LORD's witnesses to win the souls of sinners? Christianity is not about God from heaven come looking for the righteous to be His people. The gospel is God come looking for the sinners so they would repent. Jesus came down from heaven so He could bring people from the sinful mud so they are to stand on the cornerstone that God has provided.

Christianity is the new hope for sinners. The kingdom of God is built up with the broken hearted of the sinners who has experienced the true repentance. Not built up by the intelligent, the great, people who have never committed any crimes, whose morality excels the others. If you have greatly sinned, be not disappointed. The power of Jesus is able to save you, pardon you, change you, make you whole again and make you His servant, His witness.

-Excerpted from Kebangkitan Kristus dan Penginjilan Yohanes 20:19-29 | Pdt. Dr. Stephen Tong
Translated by Alicia Angie Wiranata

In Christ,
Alice

Thursday, May 25, 2017

The Attributes of God

If God is Love, why does He punish people in hell?

God's attributes: Holy, Just and Love do not contradict each other.

God is Holy and righteous. In fact, He is the Truth Himself. And Someone who is so Holy, righteous and pure should not be able to tolerate the tiniest sin or error. Therefore, He must also be a Just. A God that is righteous and holy acts like a sieve, separating the dirty from the clean. The fact that He punishes implies that He is a God of both justice and holiness. Moving on to the third attribute: Love. God is not only loving, but He is Love Himself. He is very much disgusted by the slightest hint of sin, yet He is constantly exposed to the sins of the world and many generations. The ones He loves so dearly are the ones who pierce and crucify Him. Yet, He isn't just a God of justice, but also of Love. He is a merciful God and His grace overflows. He loves His people so much, He sent his only begotten Son to die to wash away the sins of the world, which has been predicted and prophesized long before it happened.


Now imagine a god who brings everyone to heaven (cause people believe a loving god must not condemn). Then he cannot be a just god, for what kind of judge rights the wrong? He cannot also be holy, for how can he tolerate sins in heaven, his dwelling place? Finally, he must not be Love. Because he loves the righteous and people who believe in him the same way he loves people who despise him all their lives.
Now when I say He washed away our sins, this doesn't mean that Christians today are without sins. We still are all sinners. But we should not live in sins, dwell in sins and enslaved by sins. Our chains are gone and we've been set free. When we confess our sins and repent, He is a loving Father who pardons His sons, He is a Shepherd who collects His sheep although His sheep are always prone to running away. He is a Groom who pardons us, the Lovers of His soul. And what kind of good Father rewards and never punishes? What kind of Shepherd not set walls around His sheep? What kind of Groom does not embrace His bride when she begs for forgiveness? Surely I tell you, there are no other gods like this. Or there are no other gods period. There's only Him or not him, and everything that is not coming from Him is coming from the devil.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul,    and all that is within me,    bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul,    and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity,    who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's".-Psalm 103:1-5 (ESV)
In Christ,

Alice

Thursday, May 18, 2017

My Music Tree

I recently found out my music tree! Music tree means finding my teacher's teacher's teacher's teacher's and on and on. And turns out JS Bach and Mendelssohn were on the tree! But I guess I'm not half good enough to be called Bach's student. My piano teacher would agree. But anyway, it's just interesting to know. Here's the tree:

Richard Loqueville (Cambrai)
Guillaume Dufay
Gilles Binchois
Johannes Ockeghem
Josquin des Prez (Saint-Quentin)
Jean Mouton
Adrian Willaert (Venice)
Andrea Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli (Venice)
Heinrich Schütz (Dresden)
Johann Theile (Lübeck)
Dieterich Buxtehude (Lübeck)
Johann Sebastian Bach (Leipzig)
Johann Philipp Kirnberger (Berlin)
Carl Friedrich Zelter (Berlin)
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Leipzig Conservatory)
Carl Reinecke
Robert Teichmüller
Günther Werner Hans Ramin
Eduard Müller (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis)
Gustav Maria Leonhardt (Amsterdam Conservatory)
Ton Koopman (Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag)
Billy Kristanto (International Reformed Evangelical Seminary)
Stanly Maria Iskandar
Alicia Angie Wiranata

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Rhett and Link Graduation Speech

From a young age, we're told how important it is to love ourselves, believe in yourselves, have confidence in yourself, help yourself. But I don't think the problem in our culture is due to lack of self-love. On the contrary, it might be an over-abundance of self-love. French philosopher, Fenelon said, "the origin of our trouble is that we love ourselves with a blind passion that amounts your idolatry." Make your life not about yourself, but about self-sacrifice.

There's an easy way to make sure your life sucks: make it about acquiring as much stuff as you can, in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the king who had everything says, "whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. The sleep of the laborer is sweet, whether he eats a little or much. But the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep".

And finally, pursue faith. Do not live life without asking the question, "why am I here? And why am I here even asking that question?" For us, our faith has been the key piece in the puzzle of life that when put into place, give us purpose and meaning.

Rhett & Link give the commencement address at their former high school, Harnett Central, located in Angier, NC. It includes a special song and the violent decapitation of a Pokemon Piñata. The ceremony was held at John Pope Convocation Center at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC, to a crowd of more than 3500.

Watch full speech:

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Dutch Baby

Pancakes are my go-to breakfast! This is especially true during my busy college days. You just need to mix the batter up, fry it, flip it and freeze it until you need them. But I'm getting tired of the old-fashioned pancakes. So I tried out Dutch Baby. The first time I got a taste of these babies was at the Original Pancake House in Palo Alto California.

A year later, I tried making a Dutch baby from scratch. The result is quite satisfying actually.