Eeditorial. AGAPE Christmas

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editorial —————————————————————————————

Shalom,

saudara-saudari yang dikasihi dalam Kristus. Hari Natal sudah hampir tiba, dan tentunya kita akan menerima banyak berkat natal ini. Bukan hanya di natal ini kita akan menerima berkat, tetapi selama sepanjang tahun kita telah menerima banyak berkat dari Tuhan: berkat dikaruniakan seorang anak, berkat diberikan pekerjaan baru, pasangan hidup, dan sebagainya. Hal-hal ini tentu bagus adanya karena kita bisa menikmatinya dan mensyukuri kebaikan Tuhan. Setelah menerima berkat-berkat daripada Tuhan, kita juga harus ingat kalau kita tetap perlu besandar kepada Tuhan: bersandar kepada Tuhan dalam membesarkan anak kita, dalam pekerjaan kita, dan dalam membentuk keluarga yang baru dengan pasangan hidup kita. Kalau kita tidak bersandar kepada Tuhan dalam berkat-berkat yang kita terima, berkat kita akan menjadi beban kita; misalnya, sewaktu adanya kekacauan dalam keluarga kita, sebenarnya yang se-maksimum bisa kita lakukan adalah berdoa. Kalau kita bergantung pada kekuatan sendiri, kita tidak akan bisa memperbaiki keadaan keluarga kita bahkan kita hanya bisa membuatnya lebih kacau. Bertabah kacaunya keaadaan itu akan menjadi beban yang berat untuk kita. Kalau kita berdoa dan bersandar kepada kekuatan Tuhan, Tuhan sendiri yang akan mengubah istri, suami, anak ataupun orang tua kita. Hal berdoa pun dalam meminta haruslah dengan yang benar. Tuhan pasti mendengarkan doa orang benar karena orang benar tidak akan meminta yang salah, “… doa orang benar didengar-Nya”(Amsal 15:29). Jadi sebelum meminta sesuatu haruslah kita menintrospeksi diri kalau kita adalah orang yang benar dan layak meminta daripada-Nya. Berhati-hatilah karena kalau kita salah meminta dan doa kita tidak dijawab-jawab oleh Tuhan, kita sendiri yang akan merasakan lelah. Kelelahan seperti ini kadang bisa membuat kita sangsi (doubt) sama Tuhan didalam hati kita sehingga pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang tidak layak akan muncul. Kita akan menanyakan kenapa doa kita tidak dijawab-jawab kalau Tuhan benar-benar memperhatikan kita 24/7? Tidakah dia tahu apa saja kesusahankesusahan yang kita alami? Saudara-saudari yang dikasihi dalam Kristus. Kristus yaitu Tuhan sendiri telah datang sekitar 2000 tahun yang lalu. Dia sangat menyayangi saudara dan sauAGAPE — Christmas 2007

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dari sehingga Dia telah merelakan diri untuk lahir kedalam dunia yang kelam ini untuk kita semua. Janganlah kita tertangkap lagi doubt sama Tuhan ketika Dia datang yang kedua kalinya. Kalau kita merasa doubt sudah ada didepan pintu hati kita, hal yang pertama-tama harus kita lakukan adalah berdoa minta Tuhan tolong arahkan pikiran dan hati kita kejalan yang benar. Doubt adalah salah satu tanda adanya krisis diantara hubungan kita dengan Tuhan. Maka dari itu hal kedua yang perlu kita lakukan adalah membaca alkitab dan memperbaiki hubungan kita dengan Tuhan. Biarlah berkat-berkat yang akan kita terima natal ini ataupun yang sudah kita terima sepanjang tahun ini bisa kita nikmati dan syukuri tanpa berasa beban. Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Redaksi

AGAPE

CHRISTMAS 2007

Penasehat Ev. Wilson Suwanto Daniel Loe Editor Debbie Wang Janice Atmadja Jocelyn Tindage Linda Zheng Merisa Halim Pency Kinnard Ilustrator/Fotografer/Layout Alvin Sugianto Buddy Yusuf Eva Leony Irma Prasetyo Tjandra Afandi Vincent Yobeanto Kontributor Rev. Kristianto Hosea Ev. Wilson Suwanto Bina Kusnohadi David Wangsa Gamas Sugiarto Maria Pramudito Printing Semiwaty Oei E-mail Redaksi [email protected] Produksi GII Azusa 539 N. Sunset Ave. Azusa, CA 91702 Telp: (626) 812-0326 http://lax.gii-usa.org

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AGAPE — Christmas 2007


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focus:

Overcoming

DOUBT

05 Book Review: The Search for Significance 07 Poem: Lord 08 Article: Doubt 11 Article: Sex or Lust

Anda punya usul, kritik, saran, atau apapun yang berhubungan dengan Agape atau GII Azusa? Silahkan mengirimnya ke [email protected] atau memberikannya kepada redaksi.

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content —————————————————————————

16 Article: Fakta Tentang Saksi Jehovah 19 Role Model: Ruth 30 Tips: 5 Ways - To Be Patient and Kind During Holiday Shopping 31 Cerpen: Winter 39 Parenting: Baby 1st Christmas 50 Christmas Wishlist 52 Children's Corner 54 Menu: Ayam Bakar Limau & Pumpkin Cheesecake 56 Humor

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The Search for Significance Author: Robert S. McGee “An accurate, biblical self-concept contains both strength and humility, both sorrow over sin and joy about forgiveness, a deep sense of our need for God’s grace and a deep sense of the reality of God’s grace.” (McGee, “The Search for Significance”)

The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee is a book explaining the meaning of our lives in the Christian point of view. The death of Jesus Christ affirms our significance to God which gives meaning to our existence. McGee stresses that the meaning of life can only be found in Jesus Christ. Only God can replenish our empty spirits because after all, we are His creation and He knows us best. I highly recommend this book for both the non-believer and the

believer who is in much need of revival. It is easy to understand and enlightening as well as comforting. Overall a great read! This book not only re-directs the life and mind of the wandering non-believer or the weary Christian. It also helps them overcome the daily struggles that come with living in this world of flesh. For example, the issue of loneliness was discussed as a social epidemic that plagues the world today. UnAGAPE — Christmas 2007

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like other worldly books that offer methods to relieve that are only temporary, McGee asserts that only God can provide everlasting comfort. This book’s strongest point is that it really is biblicallybased. Verses from the Bible are given under every instruction to emphasize that the instruction was God-ordained. Every step-by-step to overcoming our struggles are accompanied by verses which not only encourage but reaffirm God’s involvement in every area of our lives, even in our darkest hours. His hand extends to us through the power of His words reiterated by McGeeHebrews.4:14-16 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. In reading McGee’s book, not only did I find guidance, I also found comfort that can only be explained to have come from Jesus Christ. McGee discusses many other struggles that inhibit the Christian or the non-believer from coming to God and finding fulfillment in their lives. He discusses fear of rejection that holds so many people captive- “Our fear of rejection will control us to the degree by which we base our self-worth on the opinions of others rather than on our relationship with God. In Galatians

“In reading McGee’s book, not only did I find guidance, I also found comfort that can only be explained to have come from Jesus Christ.

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1:10, Paul drew the line between seeking to please God and please others. We can not please both. We please one or the other.” God’s answer to this is Justification and Reconciliation. Both of these are Biblical doctrines which are then discussed in depth by McGee. (If you want to know more about it, I highly recommend getting a copy of the text). McGee also discusses the human mechanisms that we employ in effort to overcome these struggles without God. One of them is our belief in the Blame Game- the myth that those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished. McGee replies that there is no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus. God’s answer to the blame game is the doctrine of propitiation: Jesus Himself, who has done nothing wrong has been punished in our stance. God’s answer to erasing our shame and our guilt lies in what McGee summarizes in one word as regeneration. Again for further details I encourage you to get a printed copy of the text. In reading McGee’s book, I became convicted of God’s involvement in every aspect of our lives. God really has written everything we need in the Word of God which we have now as a compilation called the Bible. The book reminded me that God’s Word is a living word, active and audible if only we open our hearts and minds to God. To help us with the conforming of our mind to the Lord Jesus Christ, McGee provides in the book a study guide for those of us who are repetition learners. With a final note, McGee leaves us with this verseAnd do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:2 May this book bring you blessings and comfort only Jesus can give. God bless, Janice

LORD by Daniel loe

Lord, I pray You one thing Please, don’t give me any love. for, When it comes to me It’s turn to be wrong, forbidden and sinful. Lord, I beg You One last thing Please, have mercy on me and grant me Your Agape Love for, Your Agape Love Ask nothing in return So that my heart won’t create any evil and tormented love. yet, I still feel the warmth of Thy Love which is, give me peace in my mind, and beauty in my heart.


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Doubt by Cheryl Stotesbery

Doubt is something all Christians experience. When bad things happen to us, we wonder why God isn’t there making it all better. When people ask us questions about God that we can’t answer, doubt rears its ugly head. How do we overcome doubt and believe in what we can’t see? It’s first important to understand what causes a Christian to doubt God. Perhaps the primary cause is Satan. (Genesis 3:1-6) Just as God, Jesus and the angels work in a spiritual realm to draw us heaven

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ward, Satan and his demons work to drag us away. One of their weapons is to plant the seeds of doubt. When we doubt the existence of God, the power of God, the love of God, or the Sacrifice of Christ, we give the enemy a foothold in our minds. Once Satan has a foothold, he has an invitation to work away at our mind. We’ve given him permission to do so by agreeing with him that there is cause for doubt. At this point, we have a choice, to go on agreeing and be pulled away from God or to seek help in pulling out the weeds of doubt. We don’t give up our feelings of doubt right away; we withdraw the invitation that we gave to Satan by our agreement with him. Once we decide to seek the truth, we regain control of our minds and can pursue those things that would reassure us in our faith. Related to doubt, but not quite the same is the state of unbelief. Doubt says, “I don’t think that can happen.” Unbelief says, “There is no way that can happen.” Zacharias was an example of unbelief. The angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that his wife would conceive, even though she was beyond childbearing years. (Luke 1:18-20) He refused to believe even with an angel standing in front of him! Unbelief is what doubt grows into. Somewhere within Zacharias was a preconceived notion that there are limits to what God can do. When confronted with a miracle, the seeds of doubt bloomed in Zacharias’ mind. This point is important because we never know what God has planned for us. What if He comes to you with a miracle someday and you lose out because your seeds of doubt bloom into unbelief? We must always guard against doubt. All around us is testimony to the power of God. The delicate world that is our habitat

and the amazing bodies that we live in testify to a Creator everyday.

The world will try to tell you that the notion of a Creator is foolishness. (1 Corinthians 1:18) Some people will try to make you feel silly or even stupid for your faith. For all of us who are Christians, there was a reason why we chose to follow Christ. When others belittle us or avoid us because of our faith, it is important to remember why we chose Christ over the things of the world. James gives sound advice: 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (James 1:2-8) Spiritual instability will cause the seeds of doubt to bloom. To combat this, we must be diligent students of Christ. Just like the disciples, we must follow Christ, learning His teachings and learning His ways if we are to ever become stable in our faith. How can anyone make a wise choice if he is uniformed? How can anyone make a decision about something she knows nothing about? Before you can doubt, you must first examine all the evidence. To do so, you must know the Word of God and the claims of Christ. To know these things, you must study and discuss the AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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teachings, seeking clear interpretation from knowledgeable teachers. Only when we have done this can we fairly decide whether there is room for doubt. To do otherwise is to allow someone else to decide for you. The Bible gives us instruction on how to deal with doubt. In Judges 6:36-40, Gideon put God to a test asking Him to show a sign. Gideon threw out a fleece on the ground and asked God to surround it with the morning’s dew but let the fleece remain dry. Gideon’s challenge was met and the fleece remained dry. When Christians ask God for a sign now, it’s called throwing out a fleece. You should be cautioned, though, not to test God frequently. He demands faith and putting Him to the test on everything is not evidence of faith. Acts 17:11-12 encourages us to search the Scripture for answers. There is nothing new under the sun and God’s Word gives us instruction on everything. When you know the Word of God, then you have the knowledge to decide about its validity. The answer to any question is in the Word, you only need to know where to look. If you don’t know, a mature Christian can help you. Seek the help of those that can guide you to answers. Prayer is the best way to get answers. When we reach out to God in prayer and take our doubts and

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concerns to Him, He gives us answers and guides us to help. Don’t try and hide your doubt from Him, question Him and seek answers. When the disciple, Thomas, heard of the risen Christ, he refused to believe until he touched the wounds of Christ himself. (John 20:25-31) When we ask Christ to let us see His wounds and prove His victory over death, He shows us in amazing ways. Don’t withhold anything when you speak with the Lord, He answers our sincere questions. The brilliant mathematician Blaise Pascal (1632-1662) addressed the issue of doubt in a work of Christian apologetics. He came to the conclusion that while God could not be proved or disproved conclusively, that it was safer to wager on God’s existence. If, after death, the believer is wrong, he has lost nothing. However, if, after death, the non-believer discovers he is wrong, he pays for his error for eternity. This is known as Pascal’s Wager and it addresses the issue of doubt nicely. If all other attempts to overcome doubt fail, you are still safer to believe than to not believe.

Edited By: David Wangsa

Sex or Lust

1. DUKE RAYNALD III There once lived a duke named Raynald III, who lived during the fourteenth century. Raynald III had lived a life of indulgence and was extremely overweight. In fact, he was commonly called “Crassus” which means “fat”. After a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward led a successful revolt against him. Edward captured Raynald but did not kill him. Instead he built a room around him in the Nieuwkerk Castle and promised him he could regain his freedom as soon as he was able to leave the room. The room had a near-normal size door and it was not locked or barred. The problem was Raynald’s size. To regain his freedom, he needed to lose weight. But Edward knew his older brother, and each day he sent him a variety of delicious foods. Instead of trying to lose weight so he can leave the room, he instead

grew fatter. He stayed in the room for ten years, till his brother died in battle. But by then his health was so ruined that he died within a year, a prisoner of his own appetite. Many men and women today are prisoners to their appetite for lust. That’s right not only men, women are not immune to the snare of lust. Like Raynald, they look free, maybe even happy. They’re doing what they want and what feels good. But the sad truth is when we indulge in a life of sin and do whatever feels good, we’re not free. We’ve slaves to our sin. 2. IS SEX SAME AS LUST? Before we moved any further let us first get the biblical understanding of lust. Is lust a sin? Is sex a sin? Is sex equal to lust? Let us see the biblical verse that AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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is often used when a pastor marry a couple. Genesis 2: 24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”. In addition, in Genesis 9:7 God commanded mankind as follows, “Be fruitful and … multiply”. Based on these verses we can conclude that God is pro-sex! Moreover, he invented sex. Song of Songs is an entire book in the Bible dedicated to celebrating pure sex in marriage. God gave us sex drive. Based on these, here are few examples of what lust is not: • It’s not lust to be attracted to someone or notice that he or she is good-looking. • It’s not lust to anticipate and be excited about having sex within marriage. • It’s not lust to experience sexual temptation.

fore marriage? Is it extra marital relationship? I think these two examples are pretty obvious. How about Internet pornography or sexually involved & active with a boyfriend or girlfriend? Maybe these examples are also still pretty clear. How about masturbation? Joshua Harris, a pastor of a church outside Washington D.C., have a simple definition for lust: “Craving sexually what God has forbidden”. Let me further quote his statement, “To lust is to want what you don’t have and weren’t meant to have. Lust goes beyond attraction, an appreciation of beauty, or even a healthy desire for sex – it makes these desires more important than God. Lust wants to go outside God’s guidelines to find satisfaction”. I think according to this definition all of the above examples can easily be included into the lust category.

The important thing is how do we respond to the urges or desires mention above. A sexual thought that come out into your mind isn’t necessarily lust, but it can easily become lust if it’s entertained and dwelled on.

3. NOT EVEN A HINT What does the bible say about lust? What is God’s standard when it comes to lust? How high is God standard regarding our purity? Is it ok to lust just once in a while? After all it is part of our biology to have strong sex drive, God will probably allow us to lust occasion-

What is lust then? Is it sex be12


ally as long as no body got hurt, right? Well let see what the bible has to say about this in Ephesians 5:3: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.” That’s right God demand us not to even have a hint of lust. Is God reasonable to have this demand? Does He know what He was asking? God knows that lust never stays at the level of “just a hint”. Once you lust upon something or someone and you fulfill that lust, the next time you do it you won’t feel the same kind of excitement anymore. You or the lust will always want more to satisfy its desire or excitement. In Ephesians 4:19, Paul describes this endless cycle of lust: “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” I want to quote Joshua Harris’ statement about this particular fact: “Even when you indulge in every kind of impurity, you’re still filled

with a continual lust. You won’t be able to fantasize enough to quench lust. You won’t be able to sleep with enough people. You won’t be able to view enough pornography. You can gorge yourself on lust, but you’re always going to be hungry. You’ll be trapped in a never ending pursuit of wrong desires --- always reaching for something that cannot be grasped.” Hopefully by now you are convinced that Sex within marriage is good, Lust is bad & can never be satisfied and God’s standard is “Not even a hint”. Now the next question is do you want to be freed from it? 4. DO YOU WANT TO BE FREED FROM LUST? Most of us Christians after committing sexual sin would feel down, unclean and guilty. Usually after that we would pray to God, ask forgiveness and promised not to do it again. Unfortunately, several days pass by, we forgot our promised and we fall into sexual sin again. And then this cycle continues to be the history of many Christians. Does this sound familiar?


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In one of C.S. Lewis book, he told us of a story of a ghost of a man afflicted by lust. Lust is incarnated in the form of a red lizard that sits on his shoulder and whispers seductively in his ear. When the man despairs about the lizard, an angle offers to kill it for him. But the fellow is torn between loving his lust and to be freed from it. He fears that the death of the lust will kill him. He makes excuse after excuse to the angel, trying to keep the lizard he says he does not want. Finally, the man agrees to let the angel seize and kill the lizard. The angel grasps the reptile, breaks its neck, and throws it to the ground. Once the spell of lust is broken, the ghostly man is gloriously remade into a real and solid being. And the lizard, rather than dying, is transformed into a breathtaking stallion. Weeping tears of joy and gratitude, the man mounts the horse and they soar into the heavens. Do you feel like you are torn between wanting to let go of lust desires, but at the same time feel you cannot live without it? Are you tired of living in this vicious 14


cycle of falling into the same lust sin over and over again? God has in stores far greater thing that what lust can offer. Lust can offer fun or excitement for a season, but its consequences that follow are devastating. Lust can affect your spiritual life, family life, financial life. Even worse lust can affect negatively people around you. Job 31:11-12 (NLT Version) said: “For lust is a shameful sin, a crime that should be punished. It is a devastating fire that destroys to hell. It would wipe out everything I own.” God however offers us peace, hope and eternal pleasures. Psalm 16:11 says: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand”. Are you ready to replace a life of guilt of shame with a life of peace and eternal pleasure? 5. WHAT SHOULD I DO? Just as we have discussed earlier, God’s standard for sexual immorality or impurity is “Not even a hint”. Do you feel this is an overwhelmingly high standard? This quickly brings our might and strength into an end. Don’t feel bad if you are thinking this way. We need God’s

strength and power and grace to achieve this standard. This is clearly something only God can bring about in our life. You will find His strength in your weakness. If you are living victorious life in this area remember that it is not because of your strength or might but it is because of God’s grace.

him about his own areas of temptation.

A lot of Christians know that lust is a constant temptation in their life and say they want to change. However unlike Andrew, they have never taken the time to think through how the process temptation unfolds for them. Many ChrisLet us now see some practical ways tians know that they are constantly being tempted when they on how to fight sexual immoralisee certain cable channel after ties: midnight, but they never consider of cutting their cable subscription. 5a. Where Am I Weakest and Many Christians know that when What Can I do? they are together with their girlOne night two guys went to rent friend or boyfriend in the evening a video. At the door to the video without anyone else are constantly store one of the guys, Andrew, tempted to get physical in their stopped and said, “I’ll wait out intimacy, but they never consider here.” The other guy, Joshua, or not willing to avoid that kind of asked why he did not want to go situation. Many Christians know in. “I don’t want to go in“, Andrew replied. He explained that God had when they watch MTV channel, convicted him about looking at the they are constantly being fed explicit covers of many videos. His with celebrities gossips, sex-filled life style and divorced-glorifying way of fighting back was not even story, but they refuse to move to enter. Joshua knew Andrew their finger to switch to CNN or felt a little silly standing outside the video store waiting for Joshua Fox News channel. Many Christian Men know when they see lingerie to bring different videos to the ads in the newspaper their mind window to have him help make a selection. But that did not matter starts undressing those women in the ads, but they refuse to throw to Andrew. He was seeking to be obedient to what God was showing away those ads section. Instead continued to page 26 AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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FAKTA TENTANG SAKSI JEHOVAH Pendiri: Charles T. Russell (1852-1916) Percetakan: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (berdiri sejak 1896) Alkitab: New World Translation 16


Ajaran Saksi Jehovah: 1. Menolak adanya Allah Tritunggal 2. Menolak Yesus sebagai Tuhan 3. Menolak adanya Roh Kudus 4. Menolak keselamatan oleh anugerah 5. Menolak kebangkitan Yesus 6. Menolak adanya Neraka 7. Yang bisa diselamatkan hanya 144.000 orang

Ajaran Saksi Jehovah: 1. Menolak adanya Allah Tritunggal Mereka menganggap ajaran Tritunggal berasal dari Iblis, bukan dari Alkitab. Mereka percaya hanya ada satu pribadi Allah, namanya: Yehovah.1 Fakta: Alkitab dengan jelas mengajarkan keberadaan Allah Tritunggal (baca Kej. 1:26, Mat. 3:16; 28:19, Yoh. 14:16; 15:26) 2. Menolak Yesus sebagai Tuhan Bagi mereka, Yesus adalah ciptaan Allah, bukan Pencipta.Yesus seperti seorang dewa yang lebih tinggi dari manusia, namun lebih rendah daripada Allah.2 Fakta: Alkitab (PL dan PB) menegaskan bahwa Yesus adalah Tuhan (Yes. 9:6, Mik. 5:2, Yoh. 1:14, 8:58) 3. Menolak adanya Roh Kudus Bagi mereka, Roh Kudus adalah seperti Aliran kuasa dari Tuhan. Ini bisa digambarkan seperti Angin yang punya kekuatan, tetapi tidak mempunyai kepribadian.3 Fakta: Alkitab menegaskan bahwa Roh Kudus adalah Allah (Mat. 28:19), dan Ia mempunyai perasaan seperti Bapa dan Tuhan Yesus (Ef. 4:30). Roh Kudus adalah Pribadi Allah, bukan hanya aliran kuasa seperti angin. 4. Menolak keselamatan oleh anugerah Keselamatan datang dengan menjadi anggota organisasi Saksi Yehovah dan setia melayani dalam

organisasi itu.4 Fakta: Keselamatan terjadi ketika seseorang percaya pada Yesus Kristus sebagai Tuhan dan Juruselamat (Rom. 10:9). Ini adalah hubungan antara setiap orang dengan Tuhan Yesus, bukan dengan organisasi atau gereja. 5. Menolak kebangkitan Yesus. Mereka percaya bahwa hanya roh Yesus yang bangkit, bukan tubuhNya Waktu Yesus menampakkan diri kepada murid-muridNya, Ia hanya menggunakan tubuh bayangan!5 Fakta: Murid Yesus bernama Tomas pernah meragukan fakta kebangkitan. Ia berkata kalau ia belum menyentuh bekas luka paku di tangan Yesus dan di tulang rusukNya, ia tidak akan percaya. Yesus mengundang dia untuk menyentuh bekas lukaNya (Yoh. 20:27). Yesus tidak pernah menggunakan tubuh bayangan. Kalau Ia menggunakan tubuh bayangan, tentu Ia tidak akan mengundang Tomas untuk menyentuh! Selain itu, setelah Yesus bangkit, Ia makan bersama dengan murid-muridNya (Yoh. 21:12-15). Kalau tubuh Yesus hanya bayangan, bagaimana Ia bisa makan? Tentu ini membuktikan bahwa tubuh kebangkitan Yesus adalah tubuh jasmani, bukan bayangan. 6. Menolak adanya Neraka Bagi mereka, istilah “Neraka” hanya berarti: kuburan.6 Fakta: Dalam Luk. 12:5 Yesus berkata bahwa Tuhan sanggup melemparkan jiwa ke dalam neraka. Neraka diciptakan Tuhan untuk menghukum Iblis dan malaikat-malaikatnya (Mat. 25:41). Namun orang-orang yang menolak Kristus juga mendapat hukuman kekal di tempat yang sama, yaitu: neraka. 7. Yang bisa diselamatkan hanya 144.000 orang Hanya sekelompok 144.000 orang yang bisa ke sorga dan memerintah bersama Kristus. Hanya sekelompok orang itu yang benar-benar mengalami lahir-baru.7 Fakta: Mereka melakukan salah-tafsir terhadap Wahyu 14:1-3. Wahyu 7:4 menegaskan bahwa jumlah 144.000 datang dari 12 suku Israel yang masingmasing berjumlah 12.000 orang. Tentu saja, maksud Alkitab bukanlah hanya orang-orang suku Israel yang diselamatkan. Jumlah itu hanya melambangkan AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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bahwa orang-orang Perjanjian Lama juga beroleh keselamatan dalam Kristus. Angka-angka demikian melambangkan kegenapan, dan tidak boleh dilihat secara harafiah. Kalau harafiah, tentu sangat sedikit sekali orang yang diselamatkan. Dari 6-7 milyar manusia dari zaman dulu sampai sekarang sampai nanti, hanya 144.000 orang yang diselamatkan?

kecil bagaimana Saksi Jehovah membelokkan terjemahan Alkitab untuk mendukung ajaran mereka sendiri. Kiranya Tuhan mencurahkan anugerahNya bagi begitu banyak pengikut ajaran ini. Kita berdoa biarlah Tuhan boleh memimpin mereka kembali ke jalan yang benar; ke dalam pengenalan yang benar akan Anak Allah, yaitu: Yesus Kristus Tuhan kita. Amin. Consulted Source: Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the

Catatan:

Cults (Minneapolis, Bethany House Publishers, 1997).

Saksi Jehovah mempunyai terjemahan Alkitab sendiri, yaitu: New World Translation (NWT). Terjemahan

1 Let God Be True, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and

NWT adalah terjemahan yang keliru, tidak didasarkan

Tract Society, 1946 ed., 100)

pada pengetahuan bahasa asli yang benar. Terjemahan mereka dibelokkan agar sesuai dengan ajaran

2 The Truth Shall Make You Free, Brooklyn: Watch-

mereka. Maka NWT tidak pernah diterima sebagai

tower Bible and Tract Society, 1943, 47)

terjemahan objektif oleh kalangan manapun kecuali oleh kalangan Saksi Jehovah.

3 Let God Be True, 108

Perhatikan perbedaan antara NIV dan NWT dalam Yohanes 1:1

4 The Watchtower, February 15, 1983: 12

NIV: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

5 From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, 144

NWT: In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god

6 Let God Be True, 98-99

Saksi Jehovah (NWT) menganggap Yesus sebagai “a god” atau dewa. Padahal semua terjemahan (NIV, King James, NRSV, NASB, dsb) menerjemahkan kata itu sebagai “God” atau ALLAH. Ini hanyalah contoh 18


7 Let God Be True, 136.

Who was this lady? Ruth was a daughter of Moabites tribe, who were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Her name means “Friendship” or “Lovely Friend”. Ruth’s in-laws are Naomi and Elimelech, who had 2 sons: Mahlon and Kilion. Other than Ruth, Naomi had another daughter in-law, named Orpah. After the death of all males in her family, Naomi plan to go back to the city of Bethlehem, which they left before due to famine. This city’s name means “House of Bread”. Naomi told the 2 daughters in-law to go back to each family, however Ruth choose to stay with her mother in-law. (Ruth 1:16-17). This is when the fairy tale began, to make it short: Ruth met and got married with a great guy named Boaz, and has a son named Obed, who is the father of Jesse, King David’s father. What’s so special about her? 1. She’s the great grandmother of King David, the greatest king in Israel’s history, a man of God’s own heart. 2. Her name was mentioned in genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:5. There are 4 other women mentioned in Matthew chapter 1, they are: Tamar, Rahab, Uria’s Wife (Batsheba), and Mary 3. Ruth and Esther are the only two women, whose names used

as title of a book in the Holly Bible. 4. Ruth 4:14-15 : _______________ (so true.., breaking the Chinese Philosophy ^___^) Can we be a lady just like her? Five Qualities of a Godly woman: 1. Lady of Reckless Abandonment a. Reckless Abandonment = totally surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. b. Ruth Reckless Abandon AGAPE — Christmas 2007

Key Scriptures: Ruth 2-4; Matthew 1:5

Ruth

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ment: Ruth 1:16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.”

she was a stranger from Moab to cause her to fear while she was gleaning in a strange field. Ruth was the ‘new girl in town,’ an obvious newcomer, but she was not afraid to walk into a totally unfamiliar situation. Ruth was a widow, but she did not use her time sponsoring pity parties for all unhappy single women to gather and compare the misery of datelessness. When she and Naomi moved back to Bethlehem, Ruth did not waste a moment feeling sorry for herself. She went right to work. Instead of being drained by her discouraging circumstances, she took advantage of them and diligently embraced each day.

Ruth had just such a determined heart, and the Lord honored her faith to move away from all that was familiar and take a journey toward the completely unknown. Ruth did not allow her friends, her old surroundings, nor her culture’s dead faith to keep her from running hard after God. She did not use the excuse of a dark past to keep her from a bright future that began with her firs critical choice: reckless abandonment to Jesus Life is satisfying only when you diliChrist. gently serve the Lord, whatever your circumstances. (John 10:10) 2. Lady of Diligence Understanding God’s promised 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, provision for widows, Naomi sent my dear brothers, stand firm. Let Ruth to gather grain in the field nothing move you. Always give of a kinsman. Ruth was willing to yourselves fully to the work of the use her life working diligently at Lord, because you know that whatever her Lord called her to your labor in the Lord is not in do. She would not be paralyzed vain.” by her lack of a husband. She also did not allow the fact that There’s no time in your life more 20


perfect than now. Single Christian women are not Sleeping Beauties who wait for Prince Charming to kiss her and wake her up. 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.” 3. Lady of Faith When Naomi told her 2 daughters in-law to go back to their own families, Oprah finally followed her advice after Naomi gave reasons that she would not have any other children to be married to those 2 ladies. Oprah thinks logically, since it’s more “market” available in Moab among her own people, rather than be a stranger in Israel. However, Ruth remained with Naomi and her God. Ruth certainly must have considered the probability of remaining single if she went with Naomi. Even though it promised no prospects of a husband, she chose to follow Naomi and her God back

to Bethlehem. Ruth chose to trust God with her future. She looked not with sensual sight, but through “eyes of faith.” Even though Ruth was young in her faith in the God of Israel, she chose to trust with her heart for the future her eyes could not yet see. Remember, God has already taken care of your greatest need – your salvation – and as Romans 8:32 remind us, “ He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will he not also with Him freely give us all things? Whenever the “unanswered question” captures your mind, take a moment to commit that care where it belongs, I Peter 5:7 “Casting your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 4. Lady of Virtue One of life’s most costly and beautiful objects is born out of pain and irritation – the pearl. In fact, the greater the irritation, the more valuable is the pearl. Like the oyster, Ruth experienced many irritations of trials in AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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her young life. She grieved the deaths of her father-in-law and husband. She bravely faced the turmoil of change in the direction of her life as well as move to a foreign land with a bitter mother in law. When she arrived in that strange land, the trials did not end. She was immediately thrown into a new working situation among total strangers with new customs. Through all this stress, her new faith began to wrap itself around the painful situations. The by-product was a pearl from the washbasin of Moab. Don’t view the trials as irritating grains of sand to be discarded as quickly as possible. Realize that God has them there to create something beautiful in you. James 1:2-4. He’s developing pearls of character in your life. 5. Lady of Patience Waiting isn’t easy when we are young, and it can be terribly hard as we get older. At certain point of our life, we are waiting for something or some22


one. But most important part is to wait for God’s perfect timing in every aspect of our lives. Ruth was a wonderful example of a Lady of Patience. Ruth did not allow her circumstances or lack of male companionship to cause her to be impatient. Instead she concentrated on developing companionship with her heavenly Father and chose to let Him bring a husband to her if He saw fit. Concern over the ticking of her “biological clock” did not make her fearful of the future. Instead she concentrated on being a lady of character, not on getting a man. She took one day at a time, knowing that God was not bound by circumstances nor her age. She used the wait to become the woman God wanted her to be. At the end of this personal preparation God chose to provide her with a husband. In Ruth 4:13, we see the end to their love story, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife…” God did not supply all my wants, instead through the waiting time, He changed my wants and supplied all my needs, better than I could have imagined.

God would not leave us waiting any longer than necessary. We only need to patiently wait on God’s timing. You don’t know what tomorrow holds, but you do know who holds tomorrow. Put your hope in God.

may have made. Source: • Life Application Study Bible NIV • Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler & Jean E Syswerda • Lady in Waiting by Debby Jones & Jackie Kendall

Conclusion: To some people, the book of Ruth may be just a nice story Women of the Bible – Ruth about a girl who was fortunate, July 14, 2007 – IEC Azusa Youth but in reality, the events reFellowship corded in Ruth were part of God’s preparations for the births of David and of Jesus, the promised Messiah. Just as Ruth was unaware of this larger purpose in her life, we will not know the purpose and importance of our lives until we are able to look back from the perspective of eternity. We must make our choices with God’s eternal values in mind. Taking moral shortcuts and living for short-range pleasures are not good ways to move ahead. Because Ruth’s faithful obedience, her life and legacy were significant even though she could not see all the results. Live in faithfulness to God, knowing the significance of your life will extend beyond your lifetime. The rewards will outweigh any sacrifice you AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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Sex or Lust - continued from page 15 of anticipating and being on their guard, they’re surprised by the same attack over and over. Do you know precisely where your weak points are? And more important, do you have a specific plan not only for defending yourself, but also for actually taking proactive measures to protect yourself from lust? Your problem is unique and so is your lust triggers. Just because your friend never gains any weight when he or she eats a lot of meat, it does not mean you won’t gain any weight when you eat a lot of meat. Your weakness is different from other people’s weakness. You have to spend quite some time figuring out specific situations and objects in your life that can easily entrap you in the sexual temptation. Once you find out your specific triggers, you can create a custom plan specifically for you to avoid the temptation. Let me list out some lust triggers for you to consider: 1. Time of day. Are you more susceptible to lust when you wake up or go to bed, after work when 24


you are tired? 2. Tempting locations. A friend’s house where you know there’s pornography? Video Rental place? In the beach? 3. Television. Nowadays our TV is filled with sex-themed commercial. From lingerie all the way to burger’s commercial, you could find sex-themed commercial in all these industries. Be alert to these commercials. Immediately switch to some safe channel, such as CSPAN or CNN, when you start noticing certain suggestive commercial. Some people have decided not to watch TV at all if their wife is not around. Even be more alert when you have paid cable channels. Some people even cancel their cable subscription all together to avoid seeing some porn movie in their cable channels. 4. The Internet. Besides being “window to the world”, the Internet, unfortunately is also window to many impurities. For many men and women, the Internet is a constant battle ground. Internet pornography is a daily ensnarement of sexual temptation. If this is your situation, don’t lose hope. Many

men and women have found victory over this specific temptation. Do not allow sin to gain a foothold. Be radical. Don’t go on-line alone late at night or at any time when you’re feeling weak. Install parental control to your computer and have your spouse or trusted friend secure it with his/her password. Put your computer in the living room. Position your computer monitor to face toward door so others can see what they’re viewing when they walk by. If all has failed, cancel your Internet subscription. 5. In public. When you are out in public, guard your eyes. Immodestly dressed men and women are always going to be around us. We have to choose to honor God with our eyes and not gaze on others lustfully. A girl named Tatiana told her story of how God showed her that her “harmless” pastime of checking out guys was really a dangerous hobby, fueled by lust. Another girl named Lauren confessed, “I have never been in a relationship in which my eyes haven’t wandered, looking for something better. It truly scares me, because I know if I don’t stop now I’ll do it even after God blesses me with a godly husband. This is a real struggle for me. I

literally have to look the other way.” Remember a Chinese proverb that says, “You cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” You cannot control which people that you are going to encounter in your daily life, but you can control your eyes and mind from undressing them and having sexual fantasy in your mind. The list above of course not the whole list of all the things or situation that can trigger lust. You have to spend time yourselves figuring out these things yourself. But whatever the trigger is, you have to be willing to do some action to avoid yourself from it. Canceling cable subscription or canceling the Internet seems like a bit extreme. However, sometimes radical actions are needed to free you from the grip of sexual sins. In Matthew 5:29-30 said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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body to go into hell”. These two verses are obviously not suggesting you to do body mutilation. These two verses, however, are suggesting you to do whatever things necessary to prevent yourself from doing evil.

find in the bible, cuts through the confusion and hazy half-truths that our sin generates. It reveals our wrong desires, corrects our selfish human thinking. It points us to God’s goodness and faithfulness when we’re tempted to forget.

5b. The Sword of the Spirit

Here are several scriptures that can help you in your battle against lust:

After you learn the specific lust triggers in your life and learn how to deal with it, your mind will no longer be fed with new things or objects to play around. However, our mind can easily, pull out something which we’ve seen 20 years ago. That’s why we have to learn how to combat the lies of lust with the truth of God’s word. Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God the “sword of the Spirit” Your Bible is no lifeless book. It has power. When you read it, speak it, and memorize it, the Holy Spirit uses it against sin like an offensive weapon. Hebrews 4:12 says: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any doubleedge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Word of God, which we can 26


Lie: A little sinful fantasizing won’t hurt Truth: 1. “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6, ESV) 2. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8, ESV) 3. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14, ESV).

Lie: Taking radical action against sin isn’t necessary Truth: 1. “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it our and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30). 2. “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22) Lie: God won’t mind a little compromise Truth: 1. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5-6) 2. “But among you there must not

be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3) Lie: It’s my body. I can do what I want with it Truth: “Flee from sexual immorality, All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that you body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Lie: I can’t control my sex drive. Truth: “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6) AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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Lie: Looking at a few pornographic pictures won’t effect me. Truth: “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” (Proverbs 6:25-27) Lie: I won’t experience any consequences for indulging in my lust. Truth: 1. “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12) 2. “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Hebrews 12:6) 3. “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:15) Lie: God is keeping something good from me Truth: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a door keeper in the house of my God than dwell in 28


the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (Psalm 84:10-12) 6. SOW TO THE SPIRIT Winning sexual temptation is a battle that you have to do everyday. Fill your mind with the things of God. The more you read & meditate in the word of God, the stronger your mind will be in defending against the lie of sexual desires. The more you gather with fellow believers in the church, the more support you will get from your fellow brother and sister. The more you serve in the church; the chances of you to get tempted will be much less. The more you listen to Christian song, the stronger your faith will be. On the other hand, the more you feed your mind with unholy things such as Internet pornography, looking at other people lustfully, getting more physical with your boyfriend or girlfriend, the stronger the devil’s foothold will be in your life.

If you need more help about winning sexual temptation, I suggest you get a hold of book by Joshua Harris titled, “Sex is not a problem (Lust Is)”. The content of this article is a summary of this book. This book will give you more examples and details on how to deal with lust and sexual temptation. As a closing verse I will quote the following: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8, ESV)

AGAPE Staff wishes you

Merry Christmas 2007 & Happy New Year 2008

Don’t be a fool. You will reap what you sow. The choice is yours now, what do you want to sow in your life?

God Bless You All


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5 Ways

To Be Patient and Kind During Holiday Shopping It doesn’t have to be an unpleasant task to shop for gifts this year. Before you go out and tackle the world of department stores, relax, take a deep breath, and tell yourself, “I will not be in a hurry. I will be patient and kind to others.” And it will happen! Don’t think of yourself as being “one” with the crowd of other shoppers; be separate from the herd and make your shopping enjoyable. 1. Be Kind While Shopping

garage at night.

As we all know, holiday shopping can be hectic and grueling. It tends to make some people frustrated and short tempered. The best thing you can do is don’t get nasty back. Put your smile back on and tell yourself, “I will be kind to others no matter how they treat me.”

4. Be Thoughtful While Shopping In The Malls

2. Show Compassion While Waiting In Line You knew better before you went out shopping that there would be three times as many people shopping this time of year. Some of holiday shoppers do not have patience like you do. Let them go ahead and cut in front of you. Put your smile back on and it will help them to see their rude behavior. By slapping back with rudeness you become just like the herd and you don’t want that. 3. Be Patient While Driving! This one is very important. It involves the safety of yourself as will as others. During the Holidays more people are out driving and they become impatient and begin to drive erratically. The best thing you can do is don’t drive like them. Don’t cut in front of them like they are doing. Always drive defensively! Know ahead of time that people are in a hurry and may cut right in front of you. By driving defensively it will ensure a safe park back in your 30


Malls are the busiest place during the holidays. Before leaving your house, remind yourself again of the crowds and the long lines. Ask God to give you that extra needed patience you will need at this time. Keep your smile on and flash it on someone who is having a bad day. By doing this, not only will it make you feel good but it will also make the person who is having a bad day feel better too. They certainly won’t forget your smile. 5. Let The Mob Through First Remember you’re not part of the mob. You just happen to be out shopping on the same day as the herd but you have more patience then they do. Instead of flying up the escalator, dashing into the elevator, or running up those mall steps with the mob, just sit back and let the mob go first. Patience is by far the greatest virtue you can take with you this holiday shopping season. And compassion comes in a close second. Love one another. And have a happy December Holiday and New Year! BY: ANGIE LEWIS-articles.faithwriters.com

Winter

A Fiction by Daniel Loe

Musim dingin tahun ini datang lebih awal daripada tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Thanksgiving days baru saja berlalu, dan bulan desember pun belumlah tiba. Akan tetapi suhu udara akhir-akhir ini sudah turun sampai 39°F. Itu berarti hampir mendekati nol derajad Celcius. Salju-salju sudah mulai menebal lagi di puncak-puncak gunung, dan salju-salju yang tebal itulah yang membuat liburan datang lebih awal. Kharisma, baru saja beranjak keluar pintu untuk menikmati sinar matahari yang pagi ini tiba-tiba bersinar setelah berhari-hari langit di payungi oleh awan-awan hitam. Sinar mentari yang terang benderang itu ternyata masih dikalahkan oleh hembusan angin dingin yang menerpa wajah Kharisma. Sehingga membuat seluruh badan Kharisma menggigil kedinginan. Lalu dengan segera Kharisma berbalik kembali kedalam rumahnya untuk mengambil sweater atau coat untuk membungkus badannya yang ramping dan kecil yang tidak tahan angin dingin pagi itu. Kharisma sangat jengkel sekali, karena berkali-kali dia mencoba mengingatkan dirinya sendiri sebelum dia keluar rumah bahwa dia harus paling sedikit berpakaian rangkap, dan dia harus tanamkan di dalam sel-sel kelabunya untuk tidak lupa bahwa musim dingin datang lebih awal tahun ini. Akan tetapi, lagi-lagi pagi ini dia lupa membawa baju hangatnya, kealpaan-nya itu membuat dia harus membuang waktu paling sedikit setengah jam. Dia kesal sekali terhadap dirinya yang kenapa tiba-tiba dia menjadi pelupa seperti ini. Apa yang salah dengan dirinya? Sebenarnya Kharisma sudah mempunyai jawabannya di hatinya sendiri, akan tetapi dia tidak mau mengatakannya ataupun mengingatnya. Dia berusaha mencari jawaban yang lain yang lebih memuaskan hatinya AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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daripada jawaban yang telah ada di pintu hatinya dan menunggu mulutnya untuk berani mengatakannya. Kharisma berusaha memerangi perasaannya sendiri, tapi lagi-lagi kealpaan-nya pagi ini membuat dia tidak berdaya untuk mengakuinya bahwa dia sudah menjadi seorang pelupa. Bukan seorang pelupa yang sekali-kali saja. Tapi hatinya dengan getaran yang luar biasa mengakuinya bahwa dia sudah memasuki tahap “penuaan” atau “aging”. Pada saat hatinya mengakui bahwa dia sudah lajut usia maka tanpa terasa air mata yang hangat bergulir dari pelupuk matanya. Bibir nya pun secara reflek tertutup rapat-rapat berusaha menahan isak tangisnya yang hampir meledak. “yah..Tuhan.......aku takut sekali.... hu huhu..!” Sambil menangis Kharisma lalu duduk di sofa di ruang tamu rumahnya. Dia menangis tersedu-sedu disana. Karena terlalu sedih maka tanpa terasa Kharisma tertidur di sofanya. Kharisma menyesali waktu-waktu yang cepat berlalu yang telah menyulapnya dari seorang gadis yang cantik menjadi seorang perempuan lanjut usia yang selalu lupa akan segala sesuatu yang harus diingatnya. Dalam tidurnya pun Kharisma menitikkan air matanya. Betapa ingin Kharisma kembali kemasa-masa ketika dia masih muda, masih cantik jelita, menjadi pusat perhatian dari keluarganya ataupun dari teman-temannya. Dan hal paling manis untuk diingatnya adalah ketika dia menjadi rebutan para pria-pria ganteng, baik itu teman sekolahnya ataupun laki-laki lain dari tempat-tempat pesta atau discotic yang selalu minta kenalan atau merayunya untuk menjadi pacar mereka. Tiga puluh tahun yang lalu, Kharisma menjadi sophomore di UCLA, segera Kharisma menjadi pusat perhatian para senior-senior students di Universitas tsb. Karena Kharisma bukan hanya cantik tapi dia juga cukup berotak sehingga dia tidak mudah terayu oleh bujukan dan sanjungan dari laki-laki iseng yang cuma mau me-macar-i dirinya. Dia pintar menjaga jarak sehingga semua laki-laki yang cuma mau main-main doang itu tidak berani macam-macam pada dirinya akan tetapi dilain pihak mereka tetap menjadi teman Kharisma. Ketika Kharisma sudah focus pada majornya, yaitu chemistry, ruang lingkup Kharisma pun agak menyempit, karena hampir menjadi rahasia umum bahwa semua yang mengambil major science, physic, biology, chemistry atau math adalah orang-orang yang termasuk kutu buku. Dan biasanya siswa-siswa yang mengambil major-major menyeramkan seperti 32


ini adalah orang-orang yang serius. Mungkin karena keseriusan mereka belajar dan berpikir membuat penampilan mereka menjadi tidak “komersil” alias “tidak handsome” atau “tidak cantik” biasanya orang-orang seperti ini di juluki “nerd” or “geek”. Kharisma biar otaknya encer tetapi dia tetap cantik menawan, dan yang membuat dia banyak disukai oleh orang adalah dia tidak termasuk “nerd” or “ugly” tetapi dia tetap Kharisma yang baru lulus SMA dua tahun yang lalu yang selalu cantik dan menawan. Dengan pikirannya yang terbuka dan modern, maka Kharisma menjadi gersang dan gerah untuk tinggal di dalam kelasnya dimana tidak ada orang yang bisa diajak bicara tidak juga teman Lab-nya. Disiang yang panas, Kharisma terpaksa harus meninggalkan ceramah chemistry-nya ke cafe terdekat dengan hall lecture-nya. Ketika dia mau memasuki pintu cafe tsb., dia bertabrakan dengan seseorang yang tergesa-gesa hendak keluar. Benturan yang tidak disengaja itu telah membuat Kharisma hampir terjerembab kebelakang. Orang yang menabrak Kharisma dengan sigap memegang pundak dan tangan Kharisma sehingga Kharisma tidak sampai terbanting ke lantai. “ooh... maaf..... maaf sekali... aku dalam keadaan terburu-buru... kau tidak kenapa-napa kan?” “aku tidak kenapa-napa... kalau kau tidak terlalu sigap untuk menarik badanku mungkin saat ini kau harus memanggil 911....” “aku benar-benar minta maaf... karena hari ini aku ada midterm, aku bangun terlambat.. aku belum sarapan pagi sama sekali.... dengan perut kosong aku tidak bisa berpikir dengan benar... makanya aku mampir kesini untuk membeli cookies ini...” “yah aku mengerti makanya kau tidak bisa berpikir dengan jelas sampai-sampai pintu cafetaria pun di anggap jalan tol.....sampai menabrak orang... hampir kau kena tilang yah kalau aku jatuh terjerembab tadi... sudah dimakan sana cookies nya .. ntar bisa-bisa kau salah masuk kelas lagi.... “


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“haa haaa haaa.. kau sangat lucu yah.. jarang aku menemukan cewe cantik seperti kamu pandai bergurau... walaupun kau baru saja aku tabrak.. coba kalau cewe cantik yang model lain...mereka pasti sudah seperti kucing lari-lari je jinkrakan sambil berteriak-teriak.. minta tolong.... ha haha.... ngomong2 siapa nama anda.. namaku... Winston...!” “Kharisma.. namaku Kharisma...., thanks atas pujiannya... , ayoo aku mau beli minuman... dan kau juga bukankah kau ada midterm.. sudah pergi sana..!” “ooh ceritanya ngusir nih..., aku heran apakah aku ini sekarang ada di America negara yang merdeka atau di Asia? “huss... sembarangan biar kalau kau berada di Asia pun mereka sudah merdeka tahu.. kok kau menghina sekali sih dengan negaranegara Asia..., kau tahu di beberapa tempat di Asia mereka jauh lebih maju dari pada LA yang kau kira super modern ini tahu...!” “Oh.. sorry... maaf deh major ku bukan Anthropology yang mempelajari bangsa- bangsa seperti engkau sehingga tahu negara-negara Asia lebih maju dari LA..., maaf ibu guru.. jangan hukum saya...!” Winston mencibir meledek Kharisma. “Kau benar-benar anak nakal yang menjengkelkan... ayo segera masuk kekelasmu.. dan ingat kamu hari ini ada midterm.. awas yah kalau kau dapat D atau F kau harus memutari lapangan sepak bola sepuluh kali....!” “ Maaf ibu guru......Winston akan segera pergi sekarang.....” lalu Winston dengan gerakan cepat segera pergi kekelasnya. Kharisma memandangi kepergian Winston dengan kecewa, sebenarnya Kharisma menyukai sifat Winston yang spontanitas dan ramah, 34


tambahan lagi menurut Kharisma laki-laki yang baru saja menabraknya itu sangat menarik sekali...Kharisma senang dengan lesung pipit di kedua pipi Winston, pipi Winston yang kemerah-merahan itu membuat Winston terlihat semakin “Cute.” Setelah berlari beberapa saat Winston tiba-tiba berbalik haluan berlari menghampiri Kharisma lagi, pada saat Winston berbalik, mata Winston bertemu dengan mata Kharisma yang sejak tadi menatap kepergian Winston. Perpaduan mata mereka membuat Kharisma seperti tertangkap basah, lalu dengan cepat-cepat dia memasuki cafetaria untuk menghindari tatapan mata Winston. Winston terus memburunya sampai kedalam Cafe. Lalu berdiri dibelakang Kharisma yang sedang mengambil “Pepsi Cola” dari dalam refrigerator. “Hallo nona manis.. aku tidak yakin kalau majormu adalah Anthropology, aku bahkan sangat menyayangkan kalau majormu adalah Anthropology.. gadis secantik kamu harusnya memilih major Fashion atau Model, jadi kau tidak menyia-nyia kan kecantikan mu...” “hmm mungkin kau akan kecewa kalau aku kasih tahu major ku yang sebenarnya...” dengan muka yang merah merona, Kharisma menjawab pertanyaan Winston. Kharisma sungguh jengkel terhadap dirinya sendiri, yang tiba-tiba kok menjadi tidak tolerance. Biasanya dia tidak pernah gugup menghadapi orang-orang asing. Tapi ini dengan Winston, pipinya saat ini di rasakan sangat panas, karena seolah-olah seluruh darah yang ada didalam tubuhnya mengalir kepipinya sehingga membuat wajahnya terasa terbakar. “aku rasa aku sudah mendengar jawaban yang paling mengecewakan... dan aku tidak akan pernah lebih kecewa daripada engkau yang tidak mau menjawab pertanyaanku...” “Chemistry... dan kau?” sekarang giliran Winston yang melongo tanda tidak percaya dengan jawa AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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ban yang baru saja di dengarnya.... menurut dia Chemistry adalah lebih “membosankan” daripada “Anthropology.” “Wow...!!” “Apa? Major mu “WOW” singkatan dari apa itu.? kalau “WWW” aku tahu.. tapi “WOW” aku sungguh tidak tahu...!” “Oh sorry.... maksudku major ku adalah Music....Classic khususnya...!” “OOOhh.. music Classic.. kau mau jadi Bethooven yah....!” “Ah tidak... aku suka musik saja, semua keluarga ku menyukai music....” “Hmmm.. mudah-mudah-an suatu saat aku akan lihat kau di TV!” “Aku tidak mengerti maksudmu.. melihat ku di TV?” “yah.. mungkin suatu saat kau akan menjadi penyanyi ngetop yang di gandrungi oleh ABG ABG.... di seluruh dunia...” “Ohh kau salah.. major ku music bukan berarti aku harus menjadi penyanyi.. dan biasanya mereka yang ahli di bidang musik jarang sekali yang menjadi penyanyi.. mungkin mereka akan menjadi composer.. atau mereka menciptakan concert – concert. Lagipula seorang yang bisa musik belum tentu mempunyai suara yang komersil yang bisa di beli oleh orang.. sedangkan mereka yang menjadi penyanyi belum tentu juga mempunyai title sarjana di bidang musik....” “Oh aku tidak tahu akan hal ini... “ “Rasanya kita mempunyai Gap-Major yah...”

36


“iyaaa.. hii hiii.. kau allergi dengan major Chemistry ku yah?” “Ah tidak juga.. Cuma rasanya aku hampir tidak percaya bahwa kau di balik wajah yang cantik ternyata.. otakmu uuuullleeet sekali yah.. sampai-sampai kau menyukai kimia....” “hei.. kau sudah benar-benar sangat terlambat loh... bisa-bisa kau tidak di perbolehkan masuk nanti.. sama gurumu...” “biarin.. nanti aku akan kasih tahu guruku bahwa kau yang harus bertanggung jawab.. karena gara gara kau aku telah kehilangan waktu ku hampir setengah jam!” “oo..ooh!” am I a trouble maker to you?” “No...you are a trouble maker to my heart.., Byeee!!!” setelah mengatakan demikian, Winston berlari secepat kilat dan menghilang dari pandangan Kharisma. Itulah saat pertama kali Kharisma merasakan bahwa Winston telah mencuri separuh dari hatinya, membawanya pergi dan meninggalkan dirinya dalam kehampaan. Karena major yang berbeda maka hampir tidak mungkin mereka akan bertemu lagi di kampus yang begitu besarnya. Lagipula hari itu entah bagaimana ceramah khusus mengenai Chemistry mengambil tempat dekat department Musik, sehingga hal itu menyebabkan mereka berdua bertemu lagi. Quarter berikutnya Kharisma bertemu lagi dengan Winston, kali ini di toko buku. Langsung saja mereka saling memberikan no telpon mereka masing-masing. Pertemuan yang kedua ini membuka jalan buat perasaan romantis mereka mengambil tempat di semua kegiatan mereka. Lagi lagi karena major yang berbeda mereka cuma bisa kencan dalam waktu-waktu tertentu saja seperti saat lagi quarter break setelah midterm. Pertemuan-pertemuan atau dating-dating yang terbatas itu justru membuat cinta mereka semakin kental, karena mereka masing-masing saling merindu. Karena itu setiap kali mereka mempunyai kesempatan bertemu, mereka akan menghabiskan waktu mereka dengan se-efisien AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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mungkin. Dan biasanya mereka mengisi waktu mereka dengan hal-hal yang tidak mungkin mereka lupakan. Kharisma selalu men-support pagelaran musik atau konsert yang ingin didengar oleh Winston, begitu juga sebaliknya Winston selalu berusaha mengimbangi MAJOR GAP yang ada diantara mereka. Ketika hubungan sudah semakin intim mereka mulai mau pergi kegereja bersama. Walaupun mereka masing-masing sudah mempunyai gereja sendiri-sendiri. tapi mereka selalu “Criss-Cross” dari kedua belah pihak berusaha mengenal latar belakang keluarga masing-masing dan teman-teman mereka masing-masing. Pihak keluarga Kharisma, setelah mengetahui hubungan anaknya dengan Winston yang majornya totally berbeda tidak menyetujui hubungan ini. Alasan sebenarnya adalah orang tua Kharisma ingin menjodohkan anaknya dengan anak teman baik mereka yang adalah seorang Dokter. Sehingga pekerjaan yang serupa antara suami istri akan membuat rumah tangga mereka berkurang masalahnya karena mereka masing-masing mengerti pekerjaan pasangan hidup mereka. Ketika hal ini diberitahukan kepada Kharisma, Kharisma jelas-jelas menentang akan hal ini dan menolak turut campur orang tuanya terhadap masa depannya. Malam itu Kharisma dan Winston sedang merayakan anniversary mereka yang tidak terasa sudah berjalan dua tahun. Mereka sedang dinner di restaurant yang fancy, dan Winston secara diam-diam meminta temantemanya men-surprisekan dinner mereka dengam mengiringi santap malam mereka dengan ‘mini concert” mereka menyanyikan lagu ciptaan Winston sendiri yang berjudul “You’ve Brought Love to My Heart.” Kharisma menangis ketika mendegar lirik lagu yang diciptakan oleh Winston untuknya. Saat itu adalah saat yang paling tidak akan terlupakan oleh Kharisma; atmosphere romantic yang diciptakan melalui lagu, champagne, dan tatapan mata. Winston telah menghanyutkan seluruh perasaan Kharisma yang menyatu dengan perasaan Winston. Setelah dinner mereka sempat berjalanjalan di sepanjang Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade. Sepanjang jalan mereka bergandengan tangan dan saling mengikrarkan cinta sejati mereka. Buat Kharisma tidak ada apapaun yang sanggup membelah tirai-tirai cinta yang sudah di ciptakan oleh mereka berdua. Hari telah larut malam, Winston mengantarkan Kharisma pulang 38


continued to page 46

Baby{s ‘ 1st Christmas Once again, IEC Azusa is crowded with the coming of new born babies this year. We proudly present the eight new cute comers in the order of their earliest birth. We also interviewed the parents to share their impressions of their new born babies. Enjoy.

Audrey Josephine Tjandra (June 26, 2007)

The day when Audrey was delivered was a big miracle for us. My morning sickness was really bad. Thank God for our brothers and sisters at IEC Azusa that always prayed for me and supported our family. I never imagined that for 2 months we really depended on their love. They sent my lunch every day, warm and tasty. Whenever I shared this experience, everybody would say that they were really incredible. When I entered my fifth month of pregnancy, I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. My OB (Obstetrician) suggested me to have an operation right away. I was scared to death. They did a lot of test to check if it was a cancer. We prayed and tried to hold the operation until the baby was delivered safely. God really blessed us. Audrey was delivered safely. However, two days later she was sent to the NICU. They found her white blood cell was increasing and her bilirubin level was high too. She had to stay for a week. We had an emotional roller coaster when we dealt with this kind of stuff, but God really loves us. She was discharged without any concern. When we rely our live on God, He will take care of it. Our worry cannot do anything good at all, but God can. AGAPE — Christmas 2007 39

Ethan Immanuel Hosea (May 24, 2007)

Kami mengucapkan syukur karena bisa merayakan natal tahun ini dengan baby Ethan. Buat kami dikaruniakan seorang anak adalah the best Christmas present ever.

John Wilson Suwanto (November 16, 2007)

Chryssa Hope Adidjaja

Kita tidak merasakan secapek dan setegang seperti waktu Joel dilahirkan. Sekarang bisa lebih tidur karena tau what to expect. Baby John lebih diem dan Joel lebih aktive. Seneng karena bisa bikin Joel seneng.

(November 14, 2007)

We thank God for our new addition, Chryssa (follower of Christ) Hope Adidjaja. Throughout the pregnancy, we faced with many struggles, challenges, concerns, and worries. All we can do was just to practice our faith and put our hope in Christ. God showed us His promises with the smooth delivery, Wilis’ quick recovery, and many other blessings received. We also like to thank our fellow brothers & sisters who have been praying for us endlessly. 40


Abigail Yunice Chang (August 17, 2007)

Sugi sang joyfully, “Tujuh belas agustus tahun dua ribu tujuh …” Bersyukur & berterima kasih sama Tuhan dikasih Abigail dalam keluarga kita. Walaupun cape bergadang tapi enjoy & Happy dikasih kepercayaan sama Tuhan buat jadi orangtua. Sugi (again) said, “By the way, anaknya mirip kaya gua loh. Kaga mirip Katherine.”

Abigail Phoebe Kusdono (February 22, 2007)

Abigail is the only girl and the last child in the family. It’s a blessing for us. She brings joy and noise to our family. As Hubert said, she’s a forever best Christmas present for him.

Kenneth Moses Eddy (April 07, 2007)

Praise the Lord for our first Christmas baby present, the Merry Little Kenneth. Thank you for all the love and care from all of you.


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Winter - continued from page 42 kerumahnya. Winston tetap memperhatikan Kharisma sampai dia masuk kedalam rumahnya dan menutup pintunya. Akan tetapi sebelum Kharisma menutup pintu rumahnya, Winston masih sempat melihat bahwa Papa Kharisma sedang menunggunya, dan juga Winston sempat mendengar suara Ayah Kharisma yang kedengaran tidak ramah. Adegan yang tidak mengenakkan hati membuat Winston ingin mengetahui apa yang terjadi. Ingin Winston mengetuk pintu rumahnya, tetapi tiba- tiba dia juga mendengar Kharisma menjawab teriakan ayahnya. Winston mengurungkan niatanya untuk mengetuk pintu rumah. Di depan pintu itu Winston baru mengetahui kalau ayah Kharisma memandang rendah Winston karena majornya. Rupanya orang tua Kharisma adalah orang-orang yang menyandarkan hidupnya pada materi yang berkelimpahan. Dan music adalah salah satu major untuk orang-orang yang tidak akan menikmati kemewahan dunia ini. Winston sangat sedih ketika mengetahui bahwa orang tua Kharisma tidak merestui cinta mereka. Bersamaan dengan itu, baru beberapa langkah Winston beranjak dari jendela rumah Kharisma, secara tiba-tiba Kharisma berlari keluar, rupanya dia sangat jengkel dengan penghinaan ayahnya terhadap laki-laki yang dicintainya. Ketika tiba di luar Kharisma juga kaget ketika dia melihat Winston sedang berjalan menuju kemobilnya. “Winston.....!” mendengar suara seseorang yang dicintainya memanggilnya, secara reflek Winston menoleh kebelakang dan berkata: Kharisma.....!” “Winston... apakah.....? apakah...?” “Kharisma.....” Winston berlari dan memeluk Kharisma, lalu mereka berpelukan sambil menangis. Lalu Winston mengajak Kharisma ke rumahnya. Orang-orang di rumah Winston sudah pada tidur karena hari sudah lewat midnight. Di kamar Winston mereka dengan kepala yang dingin berembug, membicarakan masalah yang tiba-tiba muncul di hadapan mereka. Winston meminta kepada Kharisma untuk melarikan diri dan melupakan orang tua mereka, membangun keluarga yang baru. Akan tetapi Kharisma tidak mau hal itu terjadi karena dia ingin menyelesaikan study mereka terlebih dahulu, dan Kharisma berjanji bahwa dia akan selalu mencintai Winston dengan atau tanpa restu dari orang tuanya. 42


Itulah saat terakhir mereka bertemu...., malam yang paling manis buat Kharisma sebelum dia bertengkar dengan ayahnya.. tapi.. siapa yang akan menyangka bahwa malam itu juga merupakan malam yang paling kelam buatnya. Pada mulanya Kharisma cuma berpikir mungkin Winston masih marah atas perlakuan ayahnya terhadap karier yang dimiliki oleh Winston. Kharisma menganggap setelah beberapa hari Winston pasti akan menghubunginya lagi.... tetapi kini.. ternyata Winston pergi.. pergi dan tanpa kembali. Ketika Kharisma datang kerumah Winston. Orang tua Winston cuma berkata bahwa Winston ingin transfer kelasnya keluar State. Dan ia ingin mengadakan survey dahulu. Tapi ternyata Winston tidak pernah kembali dan keluarganya pun tidak bisa memberi tahu Kharisma dimana Winston berada. Bahkan beberapa bulan kemudian keluarga Winston pun semua pindah entah kemana. Kesetiaan cinta Kharisma telah membuat Kharisma menutup pintu hatinya dari pria yang lain, juga termasuk pria yang ingin di jodohkan oleh orang tuanya. Kini Kharisma tinggal seorang diri di rumah yang dibelinya dari hasil jerih payahnya seorang diri. Kharisma sengaja juga mengambil pensiunnyanya lebih awal dari sebelumnya. Padahal dengan pengalaman dan pengetahuan nya tentang Chemistry dia bisa mengajar di universitas atau terus bekerja sebagai general menager di suatu kantor yang berhubungan langsung dengan Inspection of Industrial pollution. Tetapi Kharisma ingin mendapatkan ketenangan buat jiwanya. Dia setuju dengan paham kalau Winston berpendapat bahwa money can not win everything, yang paling penting adalah ketenangan jiwa dan kebahagaiaan bathin. Lagipula Kharisma berpikir untuk siapakah uang yang akan dicarinya nanti padahal dia tidak mempunyai suami atau turunan. Karena dia sudah merasa cukup untuk hari tuanya maka Kharisma mengambil masa pensiunannya lebih dini. Beberapa jam kemudian, Kharisma terbangun ketika dia merasakan bahwa dadanya terasa sakit luar biasa, dan seketika itu juga dia merasakan bahwa matanya terasa sangat gelap sekali. Rasanya ruangan kamarnya menjadi sangat sesak bagai tiada udara sama sekali. Kharisma merasakan bahwa ini adalah gejala yang tidak baik, mungkin ini serangan jantung mendadak. Karena itu sebisa mungkin dia mencari telpon dan memutar nomor AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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911. ketika dia selesai memberitahukan dimana lokasi rumahnya, dia merasakan bahwa dia akan segera pass-out. Ketika dia sadarkan diri, dia sudah dikelilingi oleh para juru–rawat dan dokter. “oh kau sudah sadar... bagus...sebaiknya kau tinggal di rumah sakit dulu untuk sementara sampai kami mengetahui dengan jelas apa yang terjadi dengan dirimu ok? Nah sekarang Suster akan membawa kau ke kamar yang harus kau tinggal...” Kharisma tidak menjawab hanya mengangguk saja karena dia masih merasa tubuhnya sangat lemah. Dan bantuan oksigen yang ada di pernafasannya membuat dia segan untuk menjawab pertanyaan dokter. Ketika tubuhnya yang terbaring di ranjang yang beroda empat didorong menuju kamarnya, mereka meliwati beberapa shall baik itu ruang periksa, laboratorium dan kamar untuk pasien laki-laki. Ketika mereka baru saja meliwati ruangan pasien laki-laki dia sayup-sayup mendengar seseorang bersenandung suatu lagu... sebuah lagu yang tak akan pernah dilupakannya “You’ve brought love to my heart.” Hati Kharisma seketika itu juga melompat, dan dia secara otomatis bangkit duduk dari tidurnya. Lalu dia berkata kepada para suster yang mendorong keretanya. “berhenti sebentar .. please...!” semua orang yang mendorong keretanya secara spontan langusng berhenti mendengar permintaan aneh dari pasien baru mereka. Ketika mereka berhenti mendorong, Kharisma mencopot bantuan oksigen yang ada di hidungnya, lalu dia turun dari kereta dan berjalan memasuki ruangan untuk pasien laki-laki... ketika dia sampai di depan pintu kamar pasien untuk pria tsb. Dia langsung memanggil nama laki-laki yang selama ini dirindukannya. 44

“Winston.....engkau kah itu.....yang bernyanyi....” “tidak ada orang yang bernama Winston... disini..” terdengar jawa ban dari salah seorang yang tinggal di kamar itu. “lalu siapa yang menyanyikan lagu “you’ve brought love to my heart” “aku.....” seorang yang lain menjawab pertanyaan Kharisma. “Kau... kau bukan Winston.. kenapa kau bisa tahu lagu ini?” AGAPE — Christmas 2007

“ooh... aku beli disc lagu ini sewaktu aku menonton Orchestranya di Pantages Theatre. “Apakah.. Conductor Orchestra nya bernama Winston?” “Mana aku tahu.. aku cuma diajak oleh anakku yang sekolah music...., yang aku tahu bahwa orchestra tsb. datang dari Eropa....” “Hah....” Kharisma terkesima, betapa tolotnya dia selama ini, bahkan baru tadi pagi pun dia sempat berpikir bahwa negara-negara Eropa adalah negara yang terkenal dengan negara musik. Dan betapa bodohnya pula dirinya mengapa dia tidak pernah memperhatikan pagelaranpagelaran seperti orchestra.. bukankah...mencari jejaknya Winston? “apakah... Orchestra tsb. masih berlangsung?” Kharisma bertanya lagi kepada pria yang menonton orchestra tsb. “sebentar... sekarang tgl. Berapa? Hmm tgl. 17? Rasanya masih berlangsung...dan weekend ini tgl 19 adalah pagelaran yang terakhir... you’d better hurry up if you don’t want to miss him again!” Kata-kata dari laki-laki itu bagaikan sebuah pecutan yang pedas buat hati Kharisma, tapi tentu saja Kharisma sangat berterima kasih pada laki-laki setengah tua yang telah memberikan kabar terbaik yang pernah didengarnya selama ini. Sabtu malam Kharisma seorang diri datang ke Pantages Theatre di Hollywood. Kharisma sudah berusaha melakukan yang terbaik. Dia sudah bersitegang dengan dokter bahwa dia tidak mau tinggal di rumah sakit, dan dia menyatakan kepada dokter bahwa dia tidak kenapa-napa. Setelah dia diperbolehkan pulang dia langsung membooking bangku yang paling depan, sedapat-dapatnya dekat ke conductornya. Kini dia duduk dengan bahagia dan gelisah; bahagia karena dia akan bertemu lagi dengan Winston setelah 30 tahun lenyap tanpa bekas. Di sisi yang lain dia gelisah karena Winston mungkin akan kecewa kalau melihat dirinya yang sekarang bukan lagi gadis yang berumur 20 tahun.... apakah dirinya telah menjadi seorang nenek yang menyeramkan dimata Winston? Apakah Winston masih sama seperti Winston yang dikenalnya 30 tahun yang lalu? Apakah Eropa telah menyulap Winston menjadi seorang yang lain? Apakah Winston telah menikah? Apakah Winston masih mencintai dirinya? Semakin Kharisma AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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berusaha menjawab semua pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini, semakin pusing dia memikirkannya dan semakin bermunculan pula pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang menyakitkan lainnya. Sekali lagi Kharisma berusaha menyakinkan dirinya bahwa Winston yang memimpin orchestra ini adalah Winston yang pernah dan masih tetap dicintainya? Di program booklet-nya, tercantum nama “Winston Brighton” sebagai pemimpin orchestra. Rupanya mimpi Winston telah menjadi kenyataan. Lalu apakah maksud kedatangannya kembali ke USA? Apakah dia ingin membuktikan kepada papanya Kharisma bahwa seorang seniman musik bisa menjadi kaya dan terkenal seperti dirinya? Kalau benar Winston bermaksud demikian maka semuanya akan sia-sia saja, karena pertama-tama ayahnya sudah meninggal. Kedua, ayahnya sendiri telah berkata pada Kharisma bahwa dia menyesal telah mengeluarkan kata-kata seperti itu yang mana telah menyakiti hati banyak orang. Apalagi ketika ayahnya mengetahui bahwa Kharisma tidak mau menikah, maka semakin hancurlah hati papanya akan perbuatan bodoh yang pernah dilakukannya. Lampu di ruangan theatre telah diredupkan tanda bahwa concert akan segera dimulai. Pertama-tama, para musisi masuk terlebih dahulu, mulai dari yang main drum, cello, violin, saxophone, trumpet, flute guitar, melody, bass sampai alat-alat music yang terkecil pun ada orang yang memainkannya. Setelah semua crew orchestra tampil kemuka, maka yang terakhir tampil adalah Winston yang dicintainya. Ketika Winston melangkah keluar, semua penonton bertepuk tangan dengan meriah sebagai tanda penghormatan, kagum, dan rasa bangga karena hari ini semua orang bisa menyaksikan seorang seniman besar yang telah begitu terkenal di seluruh Eropa dan kini datang ke Amerika. Sewaktu Winston berjalan maju kedepan, maka jantung Kharisma seolah-olah berhenti berdenyut. Hatinya melompat-lompat dengan bahagianya. Winston seperti tidak berubah. Dia masih tetap handsome dan dengan rambut nya yang agak gondrong semakin membuat dia terlihat lebih muda. Mata Kharisma sempat melihat bahwa kedua jari manis Winston tidak diikat dengan cincin perkawinan. Hal itu membuat harapan Kharisma menjadi semakin besar. Selama concert berlangsung, beberapa kali Kharisma beradu pandang dengan Winston. Dia berusaha tersenyum tapi dia tidak merasa bahwa Winston membalas senyumannya. Hal itu membuat Kharisma men 46


jadi sedih, seolah-olah harapannya hancur berkeping-keping. Dan mungkin pula Winston sudah lupa siapa dirinya. Lagu terakhir yang dipagelarkan oleh Winston adalah sebuah lagu contemporer yang telah diubah menjadi semi-classic,dan lagu itu adalah “You’ve Brought Love to My Heart.” Air mata Kharisma menitik tatkala dia mengingat dimana lagu itu pertama kali dikumandangkan. Apakah ini lagu yang terakhir kalinya dia akan pernah dengar? Bersamaan dengan berakhirnya lagu itu maka berakhir pula pagelaran ini setelah selama dua weekend berturut-turut pentas di Pantages Theatre. Semua hadirin berdiri sebagai tanda kekaguman mereka atas apa yang telah mereka dengar dan saksikan. Lalu Winston lah yang pertama-tama masuk kedalam, diikuti dengan yang lain-lainnya. Semua tetap bertepuk tangan sampai semua crew tampil kemuka sekali lagi sebagai tanda terima kasih. Setelah itu mulailah para hadirin meninggalkan tempat duduk mereka satu persatu. Kharisma sengaja duduk terus, dan dia mengharapkan bahwa dia mempunyai kesempatan untuk menemui Winston. Tapi ternyata Winston tidak juga muncul. Ahk mungkin dia terlalu sibuk untuk membereskan semuanya karena ini adalah pagelarannya yang terakhir. Lagipula pasti banyak pula orang-orang yang ingin minta tanda tangannya atau ingin kenalan dengannya; berpikir sampai kesana maka hati Kharisma menjadi kecil. Lalu dia mengambil keputusan untuk meninggalkan ruangan ini dan untuk melupakan segala-galanya. Dia tidak tahu akan samakah keadaan hatinya setelah dia melihat Winston dan ternyata tidak ada connection sama sekali. Tampaknya bagi Winston semuanya telah terkubur lama dan dia pun tidak ingat lagi akan sedkitpun kenang-kenangan tentang cinta mereka. Kharisma telah siap-siap untuk beranjak dari tempat duduknya, ketika itu dia merasakan bahwa ada seseorang yang menghampir dirinya dan bertanya padanya. “Apakah anda yang bernama Kharisma?” “Benar saya sendiri... ada yang bisa saya bantu?” “Ada seseorang yang ingin bertemu dengan anda.. bisakah anda mengikuti saya?” “Hmm siapa anda... dan siapa yang ingin bertemu dengan saya? AGAPE — Christmas 2007

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Untuk apa saya mengikuti anda?” “ooh... maaf... saya diutus oleh bapak Winston karena bapak Winston tidak bisa menemui anda secara langsung karena mungkin akan terlalu menarik perhatian pada hadirin yang lainnya, karena itulah maka dia meminta saya untuk mengundang anda ketempatnya? Bersediakah anda?” sudah pasti Kharisma akan mengikuti orang utusan Winston tsb., kemanapun akan di turutinya. Dan orang itu membawa Kharisma ke ruangan Winston. Ketika pertama kali mereka bertemu, mereka berdua diam dan saling menatap. Bibir mereka tidak mengatakan apa-apa, akan tetapi sinar mata mereka sudah berbicara lebih banyak dari apa yang dapat dikatakan oleh bibir mereka. Setelah beberapa saat mereka akhirnya berpelukan, Kharisma menangis dengan tersedu-sedu seolah-olah kerinduan selama 30 tahun ini telah tertumpah semua di ruangan itu. Winston memang telah berimigrasi ke Vienna dan mempunyai villa di Paris. Kini Winston mengajak Kharisma untuk pergi bersamanya. Alasan Winston kembali dan mengadakan consert di Amerika adalah ingin menemui Kharisma. Kini setelah dia mengetahui bahwa Kharisma pun tidak menikah demi Winston. Maka semakin bulatlah niat Winston untuk memboyong Kharisma ke Eropa bersamanya. Kharisma berkata bahwa bukankah dia sudah terlalu tua buat Winston, lagipula Winston masih terlihat jauh lebih muda dari pada Kharisma sendiri; ibaratnya Kharisma sudah memasuki musim Winter sedang Winston bagaikan musim Semi dan Summer yang selalu terlihat muda dan bergairah. Kharisma menangis di pelukan Winston, dia tidak menyangka bahwa penantiannya adalah tidak sia-sia. Begitu juga dengan penantian Winston. Kharisma merasa beruntung karena dirinyalah yang dipilih oleh Winston bukan wanita-wanita yang lebih muda, cantik, dan kaya dibandingkan dengan dirinya. Kini dia tahu diantara tangisnya adalah bahwa dia akan terus bersama dengan Winston, lelaki yang pernah mencuri hatinya dan akan selalu memiliki hatinya. Meskipun dia tahu bahwa mengingat dirinya yang bagaikan musim winter, tapi musim winter itu bukan berarti adalah akhir musim tetapi itu adalah awal musim, yang akan diikuti dengan musim 48


semi dan musim panas. Kini selama dia di samping Winston dan Winston selalu berada disisinya maka hatinya akan selalu cerah bagaikan musim semi, dan cintanya akan selalu membara bagaikan matahari di musim panas. Kharisma tidak menyangka bahwa musim dingin kali ini telah membawa kehangatkan yang tidak akan bisa dirasakan oleh siapapun kecuali oleh dirinya sendiri, dan Winston, lelaki yang di kaguminya, seorang pemuda tampan yang telah mendominasi hidup dan hatinya, dan seorang yang telah membawa cinta kedalam hatinya; dan, cinta itu tetap tumbuh sampai kapanpun dan tidak akan pernah layu dalam musim apapun..... because “You’ve Brought Love to My Heart” seperti apa yang telah di-declare-kan oleh Winston kepadanya. Selesai, Early Winter, Nov, 2007


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Christmas Wishlist Jesus has sacrificed himself by incarnating himself into a human being to be our Savior. That is the ultimate Christmas present from God; but, what do we actually want for Christmas this year? Let’s check out what some of the congregations want….

Yesaya Adidjaja: nothing…

Jason Kawilarang: uh, that’s a good question….I don’t know

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Ev. Wilson Suwanto: uh…*thinking*, a book, a Christian book.

Timothy Gozali: *playing with his Nintendo DS* I don’t know

Hannah Wangsa: *quiet* a story book

Janice Atmadja: uh… I don’t know…oh, this pair of shoes from Nordstrom rack, Cole Haan, size 8 _.

Tesia Trisnadi: hm.. Christmas wish... I’d like a nice dinner party for church friends, then school friends. So we can all celebrate Christmas together. And also... for my friends to know Jesus and accept Him as their savior.

Rocky Tindage: for this Christmas, I would like to see growth in our congregation.

Rev. Kristanto Hosea: no present, just praise God.

Jonathan Tjong: world peace and world suffering to end…

Pency Kinnard: I want world peace… no, instead I want the second coming of Christ. Jennifer Tjong: I want no homework, so I can spend time with my whole family... now that’s a merry Christmas ^^

Maria Cindy: *thinking*… same thing every year. I want vacation. I’m so tired.

Arnaldi Rustandi: I want a longer holiday.

Albert Halim: I want a new guitar preferably a martin or Taylor. Umm maybe a new bass, musicman stingray.

Whatever we want for Christmas, never forget its true meaning. AGAPE — Christmas 2007 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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AYAM BAKAR LIMAU Cara Mengolah : 1. Haluskan bawang merah. 2. Haluskan bawang putih. 3. Rendam ayam dalam air jeruk dan garam selama 30 menit. Sisihkan. 4. Tumis bawang merah dan putih yang telah dihaluskan bersama daun jeruk hingga harum.

Bahan-Bahan : 1 ekor ayam, potong 6, memarkan 1 sendok makan air jeruk limau 1 sendok makan garam 2 buah jeruk limau, belah dua 3 sendok makan kecap manis 100 ml santan 4 lembar daun jeruk 2 sendok makan minyak untuk menumis 5 buah bawang merah 3 siung bawang putih

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5. Masukkan ayam, aduk sampai berubah warna. 6. Tambahkan kecap manis dan santan. Aduk-aduk hingga setengah matang. 7. Bakar bersama potongan jeruk limau hingga matang. 8. Sajikan bersama nasi hangat.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnut & Rolled Oat Crust Preparation Directions: Crust: 1. Cream Crisco, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Slowly add flour, oats, and walnuts. Mix well. Lightly spray 9 inch spring form pan with Crisco cooking spray.

Ingredients: Crust: 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup quick oats 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 3 teaspoons water 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour Filling: 2 pounds cream cheese (4 8-oz pkgs) 8 ounces pumpkin pie filling 1 cup sugar 5 eggs 3 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2. Press mixture into the bottom and one inch up the sides of pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Filling: 1. Beat room temperature cream cheese and sugar until fully combined. Add flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Mix. Add room temperature eggs one at a time mixing just enough to incorporate each egg. Do not over mix. 2. Fold in pumpkin pie filling. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 225°F and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes. 3. Turn oven off, slightly open oven door and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours).


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H

jokes are taken from www.gcfl.net humor ————————————————————— These "A cheerful heart is good medicine..." (Proverbs 17:22a)

Santa Funnies What do you call Santa Clause after he’s fallen into a fireplace? Krisp Kringle Where do Santa’s reindeers like to stop for lunch? Deery Queen Which of Santa’s reindeers needs to mind his manners the most? “Rude”olph If athletes get athlete’s foot, what do astronauts get? Missile toe

What is the cow’s holiday greeting? Mooooory Christmas What does Santa like to eat? A jolly roll What reindeer has the cleanest antlers? Comet 56


Eeditorial. AGAPE Christmas

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