Obama, a Muslim or a Christian?

What a ridiculous question!

Watching this "rumor" evolving into a hot topic debate in the Media is understandable, because Media make their profit by flaring anything or everything into a public sensation. But, watching Christians and Church Leaders, falling into this dirty and political debate is plainly wrong!

I have never seen such an event when a person professed to be a Christian, and some of our fellow Christians would say "NO, YOU ARE NOT!", because your middle name is "HUSSEIN", because your father is Muslim, because you grew up in the Muslim country, because you are liberal, because "I DO NOT SEE YOU GOT BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF HOLY TRINITY!"

Thankfully that our faith is based on our profession of our faith in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14, Romans 10:10) not based on our name, physical appearance, parents, races, economic status, political affiliation, etc. Who am I to judge someone's sacred, private and personal encounter with Christ? Who am I to determine someone is a fake and real Christian? It is not my duty to investigate if someone is born again or not. I believe, it is my duty to making sure that ME, MYSELF, NOT OTHER PEOPLE, that I live and follow Christ.

My fellow Christians,

We are facing a great challenge in our lives which to reminding ourselves daily that we may live peaceful and quite lives in all godliness (1 Timothy2:2) not letting rumors, controversies, contentions, and arguments to tap the worst of us, instead of the best of us which is to pray for our rulers.

Regardless, what is our political stands, what kind of perception and fear do we have on Obama Presidency. We still have Biblical guidance to live for such as "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent and praiseworthy, think about such things" (Phillipians 4:8)

"Do not judge or you too will be judge" (Matt 7:1-2).

In this raucous times, we should not let rumors and political talking points - taking advantage and shaping our characters into becoming a slanderous, mean-spirited, judgmental, self-righteous, and unforgiving Christians, because we bear the name of Christ. Instead we should be rooted much deeper in Christ and trusting in His Sovereignty over all circumstances. No event and Phenomenon happened outside of His Will, somehow God allows Barrack Hussein Obama to be the President of the United States.

Wisdom of seeing glass half empty....

This season have been very hard for my husband as he has been working very hard on his way in getting his tenure. It requires, as he puts it, many, many, many, many hours in writing and editing, writing and editing, writing and editing until it gets published....

As for me, a newly wedded wife, I found my self in an unfamiliar territory; not only being a spouse and a companion but also as a cheerleader and a supporter of my husband. I found that I am not used to with the idea of being a "cheerleader" because I am used to with the idea of being a "player."
I love the challenge of being a "player", setting the goal, getting the score, and taking the prize. I enjoy taking the impossibility and making probability into reality.

My definition of living in faith has been defined since I was sixteen years old; I remembered when my sister was trying to dissuade me from going to study in the United States. She challenged me, "do you have twenty millions rupiahs? that will be the cost to fly and to go to the United States!", right in front of my face she asked, and I replied "No!", but inside of me I took her words as a challenge. On August 13th, 1994 - I landed on Los Angeles, CA with $1 in my pocket which helped me to survived for more than four years through Bible College.

Once I finished Bible College, I was ready in setting for another goal but again I faced another person who tried to dissuade me from going to continue my study at Portland State University. She challenged me, "Portland State music program will be too hard for you! do you know it costs $6000 per term? do you have any financial support?", "No!" I replied, but I took her words as a challenge. I worked really hard, and on June 2006 I graduated from Portland State University.

My musical journey has been marked by "responded challenges" as well. I remembered when I was sixteen years old, I found my self in a prayer group, we were all singing and there was no musician accompanied us with guitar or piano, I took that situation as a challenge. Even though I never had guitar or music lesson before, I took a guitar and I started to play by ear. Since that day, everything became so obvious with other instruments. When I was sophomore in Portland State University, my professors tried to dissuade me from taking new instrument such as String Bass and learning classical music. They said "It is impossible to learn string bass at your age, and to graduate with two programs jazz and classical, and if it happens, then it will be a phenomenal!" I was stubborn and I took their words as a challenge.

The way I see it, there is always new challenge as we breath the air and every day presents new opportunity to yield. I have been busy as a "player" for the past twelve years, accomplishing one challenge to the other. It was tiring journey but yet satisfying and full of adventures, and I love it!

This season I play a different role. Sitting and cheering my husband in accomplishing his goal, not mine. Standing and applauding my husband in making his score, not mine. Yielding and supporting my husband in taking his prize, not mine. This season presents a new and unfamiliar challenge for me; it is the season to understand that "It's not all about me and mine!"

This morning, as I prayed, "Dear God please give me new challenge!" somehow I realized that "THIS IS IT!." The challenge of this season for me to overcome is to learn to yield, after all it is not all about me and what I am capable to accomplish, it is all about HIM!

The challenge of yielding my status from being a "player" unto "supporter" is that I am tempted to loose sight. Instead of seeing the glass half full, I tempted to see glass half empty "what about me and mine attitude" and the irony is that I did not even realize this as a challenge until this morning...

I will always see glass half empty because I am hunger not pessimistic. I will always see glass half empty because I am eager not indifferent , and I will always see glass half empty because I am passionate not full of apathy. The wisdom of seeing glass half empty is as good as my attitude....

Merry Christmas and have a wonderful new year!

Once upon a time when we were the underdog...

Once upon a time when we were the underdog. We, Christians, were minority because we made our choice of our faith, to believe and to devote to His Lordship. When an Empire issued an edict to torture and to kill anyone for being Christian. We, Christians, were the underdog when soldiers captured men, women, and children of the Faith; dragged them into the colosseum, made them shameful spectacle of sporting events and fed them to the beasts. For more than 300 years under Roman Tyranny, we, Christians, were the underdog.

Once in many places, we, Christians, were and still are the underdog. In many places we were and still are the minority and the forgotten ones. Where Christians are not the majority, and where Christians do not have political capital to bargain for any political advantage. Where we, Christians, do not have luxury to argue in regard of word usage or "war on words" between "Merry Christmas" or "happy holidays", and to argue in regard of symbolic display of the cross. Some would argue that this will be "Freedom of Religion", but to me it looks like political advantage of Christian majority that none of Christian minority would ever enjoy.

Please allow me to invoke our consciences. Regardless what your political stand on the issue of homosexuality, but I believe that the proposed Uganda Anti-homosexuality bill is wrong! Under the proposed bill a person who convicted of being gay is liable to life imprisonment, but if a person is found being HIV positive would be penalize by death. The bill also seeks to punish by up to three year imprisonment anyone including heterosexual people, who fail to report within 24 hours the identities of everyone they know who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. The implication of this bill is horrendous, this bill will not only criminalizing homosexuals but also criminalizing people who befriended gays and lesbians such as my husband and I.

Regardless what your conviction will be on the issue of homosexuality; Most of us, Christians, believe that homosexual behavior is a choice, and some argue it is by birth. Some would propose different clauses psychologically, domestically, religiously and politically in regard of homosexual orientation. I, myself, do not care what will be the arguments either by choice or by birth; whether it is psychological deflect, or domestic disfunction. It is not my position to condone or to condemn. One thing that I know that we, humanity, all have sinned and only by grace that we are saved not by our deeds and righteousness. It is our cause to serve not to judge, to heal not to deny healing, to forgive not to condemn. We tend to fight for the right clause instead of the right cause.

My hope is that we will not switch our position from being the "persecuted" into the "persecutor" because once upon a time we were the underdog.

Pray for Obama with Ill-intentioned?

My husband and I certainly pray for President Obama. We pray for the Obamas' safety; we pray for godly wisdom and strength be upon President Obama to lead this nation, especially during this hard times.
1. We pray because we do understand he needs God's grace, wisdom and strength to govern this great nation in the midst of great crisis of this decade. The times are turbulent with the economy in jeopardy, high unemployment, and two wars. No man can successfully tackle those problems without God's intervention.
2. We pray because we certainly understand the Bible says "Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have a quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God (1 Timothy 2:2).
3. We pray because we understand that God is sovereign, and it is He who sets the nation's boundaries and appoints its leaders. There is nothing could slip away from His hands and His will, and it is He who sets the nation's story and its history.
4. We believe that prayer is sacred because it is a" personal and private" relationship between man/woman and the Creator.

I believe, as a Christian, prayer should be above the fray it is not about liberal or conservative agenda, is not about proponent or opponent of Health Care, Pro-life or Pro-choice, Pro or Anti Gay Marriage; Prayer is about believing God's sovereignty above our political intrigues and contradictions. I believe prayer is about confessing that regardless the "noise of political drama" we believe that God is in control and let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I honestly feel disgusted whenever I read news such as this morning "Pray for Obama, Psalms 109:8 Funny or Sinister?" (Christian Science Monitor) This citation is being passed around the internet; Psalms 109:8 says "Let his days be few; and let another take his office". My disgust feeling does not stand as a defense for President Obama, but as an abhorrence and annoyance to see how distasteful this "not so funny sinister" using sacred scripture and sacred "prayer" practice of Christian faith with ill-intentioned?

As a Christian, I have to admit, it is heart-wrenching to see how easy for us to pull ourselves into the mud of political arguments, political intrigues and contradictions. Instead of following the teaching of love, mercy, and forgiveness such as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", "If someone strike you on one cheek, turn him the other cheek", love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" we tend to turn into vengeance, "if you are not with us you are against us" attitude, unforgiving and mean-spirited; we are reluctant to converse, and unwilling to engage.

As a believer if I may propose one thing, regardless what you stand on political issues:
Please be spiritual person who prays and lives above the fray (above Republican or Democrats, above liberal or conservative) when you make your political opinion, make it plain and simple without dragging Christian faith into political mud.

Thank you...

Nobel Peace Prize for President Obama

The whole morning what I have been reading about this news have been very raucous reactions. I was pretty much discombobulated by the reactions; instead of congratulating Mr. President, the reactions have been taking a short cut into a personal and political such as "He does not deserve it", "Obama should decline the prize", "Nobel Prize is already a damaged goods", Oh please! I did not vote for this US President, I am not in a position as a proponent or opponent of his agenda; I am not a Republican or Democrat, I am just an outside observer permanent resident of the United States. Can we all just be happy that there is one individual has been granted this prestigious award for his efforts? Regardless that it has been so premature to judge the fruit of his efforts, and it only counted as a rhetorical facade. My takes on this event are: 1. President Obama did not ask for this award, and it was the decision of Nobel Committee. 2. Even if President Obama was being nominated two weeks after he was elected, I believe Nobel Committee have the right mind to decide the reason why they granted the award to President Obama. 3. I prefer to view this event and award as an accountability and leverage for Obama to keep his promise that he will pursue peace and diplomatic engagement rather than wars and unilateralism. You can call me liberal but I believe no country can afford any war or any unilateral aggression. 4. I also think it is a noble thing to do to rejoice over any good news even though that good news might not apply to me personally, because these days are hard to find or to hear any good news. I want to congratulate Mr. President for this award! and I want to rejoice for all those who got job offer or job interview, because I myself still struggle to find a job, or to find any good news! My point is, with all these hardships in our midst, I think we should all focus on giving our efforts to a good cause in improving and building a better future rather than tearing apart and finding faults of this presidency from every corner. I think it is fair to say "give this president a chance".

Community Partnership? A Proposal.

These few weeks I have been riling my brain and trying to come out with some form of an answer on "how should we face this challenging moment?." This season has been a transition for me as a newly married, but it happens to be that I counted my self as one of the millions unemployed. Although I am not under a severe pressure in finding job (thanks to my husband), but the feeling of being unemployed has affected me in a term such as inactivity, out of focus, irregularity, and lack of motivation. This season has taught me one good lesson of what it means the importance of "work" which contributes the sense of stability, dignity, security, focus, motivation, and purpose. Most of all, I know what it means of not having one, and the frustration to find one in the midst of bleak employment prospect. With the numbers of unemployment expected to be rising to double digit, and more business will face closure and bankruptcy; these facts are a harsh reminder it could happen to anyone. This morning I read an article from Newsweek magazine with the title "Is double digit unemployment is here to stay?" (http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1921439,00.html?iid=tsmodule) after reading this article I asked to myself "There must be something that we can do?" "What happens with the term "entrepreneurs" which have been used loosely in the 90s?" "Is it because we have been beaten, and cheated, and we went broke that's why this spirit that driven the economy of the 90s has lost its meaning?" I believe this will be the era that we need real and courageous entrepreneurs, without it we will bend toward what Larry Summers described as "Hyteresis" which means too late, when the economy or an industry reach the breaking point there is no way to restore it. I have no intention writing this note as a mean to coup with my frustration, discouragement, or any prediction that US economy will go bankrupt; I still believe this is not the end of everything, but it is a beginning of something. Outside of politics, we should realize that there is something needs to be done and it should come from all of us, as a community. We, the community, should play "a role" in determining the survival and the rebirth of this decade. Community Partnership, I believe is not a new word and is not a new idea, but it is an idea that needs to be reinvigorated and re-ignite. It is not a social club, but it is a group of community members with a purpose to jump start this weakened economy which will be related to your skills, talents, experiences, and professions. When there have been hundreds of car mechanics laid off in a town whose main economy drives was GM, and Chrysler; we should asked to ourselves what these hundreds of mechanic in our community should do? should they just wait until other car company open and rehire them? or should they start something out of nothing with their own ingenuity? (such as be an on-call/mobile car repairer?) When there are so many restaurants closed their doors and shed hundreds of waiters' jobs; what should we do? how about if we as community come up with fresh idea such as community restaurants that will reinvigorate this city and attract local tourism. Yes indeed we are lacking of money, but yet we still have the essential capital we ever need such as our ingenuity, resilience, and most of all community. As I research in this unemployment season, I ask for help, please give any input, idea, opinion, and beyond that we need "the right connections" to work together for the cause of this decade.