Canada Day (July 1) and America Day (July 4) have come and gone. With a whirlwind of events, we are looking forward to a bit of a breather - well, maybe after today's morning and evenings studies.Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Date day. Which means we explore Bandung. After lunch, we meet up with Robin at a rattan warehouse. I love these old caves of culture and artisans. I find an old puppet for $1.50 and wonder what stories he told.
The upstairs floors are filled with old sample pieces. Ooooh, how I'd love a few pieces, to replace the broken leather furniture on our porch (leftovers from previous tenants, which are disintegrating with age).
Wednesday
It's election day. I'm conducting an interview in a southern city. On the way, we pass a variety of voting booths. It's a peaceful holiday as people choose mayors and governors in several key areas of Indonesia.
We check out a venue for Community Dinners, a regular event coming up in the fall. Looks good!
A lipstick vine hangs from a hook. I remember my mother-in-law nurturing one of those about 35 years ago ...
Thursday
It's a special day, starting with the women's study in the morning.
In the afternoon, Arga is getting baptized. His friends come together to cheer him on. W does the honors at the pool at their place. His parents make a delicious feast to celebrate with friends afterward.
School holidays only have a few more weeks to go. Many friends are traveling. In the evening, we're missing a lot of regulars but still have a great study.
Sunday
It's Canada Day but it's a small gathering at BIC this morning, so no one mentions it. (Typically laid back Canadian day.) We have lunch with friends after service and then have a few people over later in the day.
The big announcement is that the pastor will not return from furlough, beyond a transition with his leadership team. We will certainly miss Terry and Sandy; they not only were spiritual mentors but also friends. So many "regulars" have moved away this year. Few of the original attendees remain, even from 4 years ago, which is typical of the mobile population of an international church. We are very sad to see them go.
Tuesday
We need a few supplies. After our lunch date, we walk a few miles to find things. It's impossible to separate life and work here. We find a new food wholesaler for tomorrow's movie night. Good - this one is about a half-hour closer to our place.
The most recommendations from movie buffs come in for Sandlot, a baseball/American life film. We decide on a pizza night since it's an American holiday.
Thinking of pizza, I'm totally craving these from Trader Joes. Friends are coming to a conference next week and promise to pack some in their luggage. HURRAH!
An egg seller has a small store along the street. From here, grocers will buy eggs for their little shops around the city--or we can buy in bulk. Eggs are not refrigerated, which is safe because the protective coating hasn't been removed by power-washing. (Thanks for that tip, Rebekah!)
As I check Google maps, it confirms the density of the city. A lot of people live here.
My eye falls on a "snake plant" or "mother-in-law's tongue", a common houseplant in N America. It is blooming with white spikes of flowers. Must thrive in more sunshine.
When we get home, I chop a few inches off my hair and cut in some layers. Wandering onto the porch, I spread moss around a tray of seashells. (I tore some moss off a tree on our morning walk.) That's enough creative living for the day. These little pauses refresh me, especially when we've been around a lot of people or stuck in traffic.
Wednesday
Movie night falls on July 4. I spend the morning preparing toppings - roasting pineapple, green peppers, and pepperoni; chopping olives; canned corn; and filling shakers with parmesan and chili flakes. We order 12 one-meter-long pizzas (under $200, can you imagine?) Prep takes longer than cooking a whole meal. Or maybe I just started later.
After setting up the projectors, W and a helper move the furniture out of the living room and rearrange the room for +70 guests. W takes a picture of the setup; I spend an hour looking up last month's arrangement in my photo feed as we move things here and there. (W forgot to snap the rearrangements last month. We have so much going on, that we can't remember details, except that it worked well.)
I finally get a mini-nap after 4pm. Not a good idea to cut that snooze short - have to store up energy for the evening.
Not a lot of Americans live here. We have mostly Indonesian guests, too ... and their friends from 23 other countries. These two lovelies are the first to show up. Baby, it's cold outside (67oF/20C) and they're prepared for the cold winter winds blowing in from Australia.
"Aren't you too warm?" I ask.
No. They're just comfortable.
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Inside and out, the house fills up. We are saying goodbye to a few regulars, who are returning to Japan and a few "kans" - Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, etc. We will miss these wonderful young professionals and pray God's protection and guidance on them as they head back home.
These wonderful women clean up until 10pm. The bonus is a few bags of food to take home to their families. The last guests leave at 11:30. ZZZZ
Thursday
My office is totally cluttered. The desk is full of papers for 3 projects: upcoming classes, two articles, and a book edit. The furniture from last night's movie night is piled around my desk. Soon, all will be back to order, something the easily-distracted-me craves.
The guys manhandle furniture and chotchkis back into the living room. And I sigh with relief. Onward ho.
On my desk is the calendar our daughter-in-love Melissa makes for my birthday each year. This month, sweet Miss K is featured. At the holidays, we miss our family most.
Mid-morning, three women come to the study. We read John 3, the declaration of Jesus of who he is. There's no middle ground, someone says. Either Jesus is who he says he is ... or he was a lunatic and a liar. Hmmm. Something to think about.
Read more: (John 3)
*There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was one of the Jewish rulers. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. We know that God is with you. If he weren’t, you couldn’t do the signs you are doing.”
Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can see God’s kingdom unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “They can’t go back inside their mother! They can’t be born a second time!”
Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can enter God’s kingdom unless they are born with water and the Holy Spirit. People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised when I say, ‘You must all be born again.’ The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born with the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus. “Don’t you understand these things? What I’m about to tell you is true. We speak about what we know. We are witnesses about what we have seen. But still you people do not accept what we say. I have spoken to you about earthly things, and you do not believe. So how will you believe if I speak about heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven. He is the Son of Man. Moses lifted up the snake in the desert [find that story is in Number 21]. In the same way, the Son of Man must also be lifted up. Then everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not judged. But anyone who does not believe is judged already. They have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil. Everyone who does evil deeds hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen. But anyone who lives by the truth comes into the light. They live by the truth with God’s help. They come into the light so that it will be easy to see their good deeds.
After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptized people there. John was also baptizing. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming and being baptized. This was before John was put in prison.
Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people “clean.” They came to John and here is what they said to him. “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River is baptizing people. He is the one you told us about. Everyone is going to him.”
John replied, “A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven. You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become more important. I must become less important.
“The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything. He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says. Anyone who has accepted it has said, ‘Yes. God is truthful.’ The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands. Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.”
Prayer: One and Only God, though I may not understand the mystery of how You forgive our sins, I accept that You have done it. You loved us so much that You made a way to fulfill Your holiness and justice and bring sinners like me close to You.
Thank you for Jesus, who reconciles us to God by taking the penalty for our sins upon himself. We accept Your divine solution, with thanksgiving. Please teach us how to extend that same love and forgiveness with others. Amen.
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