My View of Adventism

I’ve come across the discussion with a person in church of what actually the meaning of being Adventist….yes we are the remnant, the special people with special message…yet it think we miss the whole point

I will go down hard here and forgive for being arrogant….

We Adventist has become too proud for our theology, our uniqueness, our distinctive belief, until become so cold, proud, and ignorant to the needs of this world

what the world need now is not of so much differences, separation. and distinction.....

what they simply need is people that have enough love for everyone....

that is simply what Jesus brought to this world when he was here

when there no love for leper, Jesus gives

when there no love for prostitute, Jesus gives

when there no love for tax collector, Jesus gives

when there no love for children, Jesus gives

when there no love in government, Jesus gives

when there no love in the society, Jesus gives

when all the world was cold, unloving, selfish, arrogant, ignorant, the only thing Jesus give is love....

I think that what Adventism is all about, that what make us a remnant, the chosen one...

that when there no love for sinner, Adventist gives

that when there no love for drug abuser, prostitute, etc, Adventist gives

that when their church member fail to obey the law, we love them....

and when all the world was cold with fight, war, hatred, selfishness, anger, materialism - we rise as that light bearer as one loving community proclaim the original love of Christ - the only thing Jesus brought on the first time he was here - and the only character we have to have - So we can become like him - has this perfect love as one body - one church

how we Adventist falling so short from that - yet we claim to world that we are the remnant

The Untouchable are everywhere

Gandhi is my hero, and he always will inspire me to see the meaning of humanity and our existence here on this earth. His view and insight always impress me upon how beautiful and great God is in creating human with all diversities and characteristic.

Yet I wont forget what happen with Gandhi during his lifetime in India.

Caste system was at the peak of society then, and even now trough some extend that is still the case. Yet Gandhi has break the common courtesy by cleaning on of the Untouchable toilet.

This is what I learn from there, that it doest take caste to create Untouchable. Untouchable are everywhere if we can open our eyes wider….

This morning a man came to my church and I think he was one of the “big” man somewhere. He went in into the church, and everyone just come and shake his hand, greet him, and so on and so forth.

Yet there are hands in my church that never, or seldom perhaps being shaken, some ears that never hear personal greetings for them, and even eyes that never see any smile thrown at them. For me, they are also untouchable, because we fail to notice them…

21st Centuries Slavery….

I went out yesterday on visitation. And as I went out from the hospital, one of my colleagues called me. It was because he forgot his key card on his house and just realizing it on the way to the office.

Security, everyone needs security. That’s why people has done such an extensive research just to find the best way to secure properties. At first, it was locking system with key and lock. Then it come with those advance locking system, CCTV, digital keypad, fingerprint, and maybe one part of it – keycard.

When people still using key and lock, it was difficult. You must insert the key into the hole, twist it, and sometimes it was difficult. My friend (the same one that let his key card at house) just broke one door simply because the key decide to stop working already.

But now, what you have to do is just to tap your keycard on the reader and there you get the door open. Everything is just very comfortable, fun, enjoy, and easy. Each one of us get very used into the system until when one of us forgot the key, then it happen. We just locked up and don’t know what to do. If you broke one door with simple lock and key system it might cost you 40 dollar, but when you broke one electronic security system the bills can boost to thousands of dollar.

This is the dilemma, we become slave to our own comfort. To make communication easier, more comfortable people invent telephone, but now the sense of privacy is really rare thanks to the advanced cellphone. In the past, we don’t have to worry of being impolite not answering any call, but now that reason became harder to resist simply cellphone is part of most people.

We have invent many things that we thought will make our life easier, but now all of those invention enslaved us into a virtual slave of technology.

What a pity, yet a reality

To The Least One of Them

Appreciation....each human need that. Like it or not, every human being was created with ego. Some have very fragile one, the other solid like stone. For whatever kind of ego they have, each one to be touched at least once in life.

However in service, in life, in anything there are always people that not appreciated despite they need one..

what i mean here is simply a reflection on how we often appreciate people around us...

we clap our hands for people that speak in public but not for those who listen to it....

we appreciate people that cook the food, laying it down on plate but not for those who wash it....

we shout for the champion in sport, games, science, etc but not for those who make the champion

often we limit our appreciation, based on the "impact" that they do for society....

we lifting up those who can cure cancer, or any deadly disease...but we seldom appreciate each mother who heal their children cough, flu, fever, every single times these children got sick.

However personally, i dont think "impact" can only be the measurement of service in life....

some might only done a small impact, yet their effort of doing so is more that can be asked from them, their sacrifice probably beyond those who had done great "impact" in life....

we look up on evangelist who visit around the world - giving powerful sermon - convert many people - looking from "impact" point of view they have done a good job but effort? often they have a team that already prepare everything for them

how about small church pastor in rural area? Not only they have an evangelistic team, they have limited time, resources, comfort, etc. They might never fly on jet, crossing around the globe, sleeping in luxury hotel, meeting important people, and so on, and so forth....
but their sacrifice? i believe they have done more sacrifice than any other servant...

These preacher, might only preach for their villager for 20 years, no grandeur conversion in hundreds, but yet each of these church member, these villager has been feed each day and taken care every single aspect of their life...

im looking this from pastoral point of view- but yet in any aspect of life this thing always happen. We salute President, Manager, CEO, etc - but how about those who wash their clothes, clean their toilet, dump their garbage?

how about a loving father that struggle every day collecting rags, waste so his son can eat - he might never sit on throne, doing bilateral discussion with other president, but yet his effort and sacrifice for their children is more than what a president can do for their country...

they say that big name come with big responsibility - i dont think so...

Just another answer for question nobody ask...

New Land Same Life

I remember one famous quotation during Vietnam War, said by many soldier that went trough the day of combat in Vietnam. Each day they said life is "SSDD" - Same S#*t Different Day" - (sorry for my rude language)

But yet - life sometimes has the consistency part - where thing is quite similar even though at the different place.
The interesting thing is this similarities is focus on religion:
and there are only two religions in many of rich countries - Materialism and Individualism

Writing Another New Pages of Life

Well, life really change now! Im really start my work as a pastor and not theology student anymore!
i move to Singapore and being a youth pastor for once church at Balestier area....
reflection is become more and more interesting....
Im going to write the novel again...novel that only God knows the end...