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Sunday, September 7, 2008

"Integrated Life, Integral Mission"

FES National
Conference 2008
The Salvation Army,
4-6 September 2008
Without taking any leave from office, I could only attend 4th and 5th night's sessions, and the whole day on the 6th.

I was touched by the sharing of an IVCF staff from Philippine who presented their ministry there. She told us on the stage how she almost took her own life last year -- as a child of a pastor, she's not immune of grief after her father passed away.

Seeing those presentations, I was overwhelmingly thankful for IVCF staff in Indonesia who worked closely with our campus ministry. Through them God has given me the best environment, resources to grow in Him during my university stint. I owe them.

I missed 1 plenary session by Vinoth Ramachandra. Hix hix hix. Wow... he was brilliant, answering questions during Q&A. Rika says, he's "extremely too smart". Hahahaha.

And he refused to be called "Dr Vinoth" =) Fonny and I took note of one of his sentences. A controversial answer...
"To say Calvinism is the whole Gospel is idolatry."

Bravo, Vinoth!!! And I'm afraid Rika has become one of his fans... ^__________^ I envied the student, a girl who sat beside him, 'cos we saw that Vinoth prayed for her after the conference was over ^o^

Again, I learned about obedience... As Vinoth reminds me, that what Jesus teaches is about obeying Him... if we can't be His disciples, how can we make disciples for Him?

I didn't really "like" or "enjoy" the Expository sessions... but the speaker has shared a lot from his exemplary life... his love and passion to serve a people-group in a particular country. He suggests us, not to only find His will, but also to consider whom we're going to marry, and how we handle our finance.

I was so grateful to be on a workshop led by Jim (but I missed the other two. Hix hix hix). I had another new perspective in short-term MTs. Wow... there's a truth in what he said, in his opinion. He regrets how billions of USD have been used for this short-term MTs in this very "all-is-getting-shorter-and-shorter-and-instant" world. But, as what he says, we should see it differently on a case-by-case basis -- long-term perspective, follow-up are important points for short-term MTs. I spoke to him for awhile after that and he said that his wife's name is Elizabeth, too ^________^

At the end of the conference, Jim asked us to lift up high our mobile phones and Bibles in our hands. It represents our partakings in God's mission in this world... be here to influence the world, in every aspect of our lives.
There's a call going out across the land in every nation
A call to those who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ
A call to true humility, to live our live responsibly
to deepen our devotion to the cross at any price

Let us then be sober, moving only in the Spirit
as aliens and strangers in a hostile foreign land
The message we're proclaiming is repentance and forgiveness
The offer of salvation to a dying race of man

*** To love the Lord our God
is the hearbeat of our mission
the spring from which our service overflows
Across the street or around the world
the mission's still the same
Proclaim and live the Truth in Jesus' name

1 comment:

Agustina Sadikin said...

hehe tyt bebeth punya blog toh.
gile foto yg sama vinoth dipajang..