andresha1 - Tumblr blog

[andresha1]

Went to Surabaya with my family. Maybe we just didn’t go to the right places but it was quite unimpressive.

We ate at a very famous duck restaurant called Bebek Sinjay, I found it less than OK. Very spicy.

And then we went to this granite mountain area, loved the nature but not much to do/see other than white mountains.

But here’s to the new year! Hope it goes uphill from here!

[andresha1]

and when He asked me...

I was having my quiet time, reflecting on my reading (Luke 1, the part where Mary questioned the possibility of her carrying a child as she was a virgin) and the recent "storm" that's been hitting my life, while listening to The Creed.

As the song went "I believe in God our Father, I believe in Christ the Son, I believe in the Holy Spirit... for I believe in the name of Jesus...", God asked me softly: "which one do you believe more? your ability to navigate through the stormy weather, or My power to still the wind and waves?"

I'll figure it out...

is probably the phrase i use the most in life. I always think that if I just spend enough time thinking things through then I'll be able to figure things out, sort out whatever situations that are going on. But at some point, just like when Mary encountered the Angel and was told that she was going to carry and give birth to the Son of God, I find myself in a situation where in my flesh I can only say "that's not possible", "I can't think of a way how that can happen".

He says "leave it to Me"

In response to Mary's doubt, the Angel said "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you...". The Angel didn't tell Mary "you have to do this, then do that, then you'll get pregnant". The Angel shifted Mary's focus from what she can't do to what God can accomplish, from what she can't comprehend to what lays in God's sovereign hand.

I believe in You

I repented, and sang along quietly - this time when I sang "for I believe in the name of Jesus", I meant every single word.

[andresha1]

Feels like a really long time ago. Caleb cried because he didn’t recognize us with our helmets on 😭 . #outdoor #extremesports #city #cityscape #citylife #throwback #sports #shotoniphone #tangerang #indonesia (at BSD Xtreme Park)

[andresha1]

I love ribs!

[andresha1]

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans‬ ‭8:38-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[andresha1]

God is the God of the impossible. Reasoning your way out of an impossible situation is not as effective as reminding yourself that God does impossible things.

John Piper

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-battle-to-remind

[andresha1]

A powerfully moving song. Your love surrounds me when my thoughts wage war When night screams terror, there Your voice will roar Come death or shadow, God I know Your light will meet me there When fear comes knocking, there You'll be my guard When day breeds trouble, there You'll hold my heart Come storm or battle, God I know Your peace will meet me there

[andresha1]

All in all, today was a pretty good day :) celebrated a friend’s birthday, and went out for some outdoor activity. Tired, but happy!

[andresha1]

Trying to end this year with this mindset!

[andresha1]

“I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it. Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.”

Psalms‬ ‭119:75-76‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He disciplines me because i do nees to be reminded from time to time. Whenever i sin and fall short, i need Him to remind me that it’s wrong.

He does it out of His unfailing love, not as a form of punishment.

[andresha1]

“I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:59‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Turning to follow Christ is a reflective decision one needs to make for themselves. Not a decision that others can make for him/her.

[andresha1]

It's almost a decade ago since i left the comfort of these buildings. I remember being impatient and excited to leave, to get a taste of the so called real world. Now that i have left, i sometimes miss the sense of familiarity they provide. The predictability of day-to-day campus life within them. 8 years is quite a long time, and these buildings are still quite the same. I am, on the other hand, not the same person i was back then. And am thankful for every meaningful strides, step-backs, life-lessons, and the handful of self-made-mistakes His grace brings along the way. Looking forward to the next 8 years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #campus #university #alumnus #reflection #lookback #life #jakarta #tangerang #indonesia (at Pelita Harapan University)

[andresha1]

Now this is the kinda pictures that @abraham_viktor would approve of. @albert_hidayat meant to take us to a chinese food stall in an HDB complex in toa payoh but we couldnt find it. So we ended up eating somewhere else in the area and turned out the food there is great! These are shrimp ball, pork ribs with salted egg sauce, and stir fried venison. Not pictured here are green beans with caramelized lotus roots (came later than the rest of the food, and i lost my self control already to remember to take picture of. It tastes great tho!), and 4 treasures bean curd (looks gross in picture but tastes pretty great too). . . . : : : . . . . . . . . . . . #iphoneography #chinesefood #food #singapore #dinner #shrimp #venison #porkribs #travel #travelasia (at Toa Payoh)

[andresha1]

A friend dragged me along to bike with him, and we ended up tracing the 15km long east coast park. Havent biked in a while, or that long, but it was worth it just to be among trees and also to get a bit of exercise. Got to plane watch for a bit too since the other end of the park was close to changi. . . . . . . . . . . #travel #travelasia #singapore #beach #coast #park #sky #skyview #city #cityview #cityscape #sea #ocean (at East Coast Park)

[andresha1]

After the long bike, he dragged me to walk all the way to Gardens by the Bay. I'm fine with walking but doing so with laptop, charger, and all the stuff strapped on my back made it much more challenging for my aging back! But somewhere along the way we actually got to see this, so it made the back pain more bearable. . . . . : . . . . . . . . . . . #travel #travelasia #city #cityview #cityscape #sunset #sun #singapore #cloud #sky #garden #park #gardensbythebay #iphoneography (at East Coast Park)

[andresha1]

This is the truth: we are sinners. And that is a difficult fact for us to come to terms with. Why? Because it means accepting. Accepting the fact that we are broken, that we are not all good, that the life we're living right now is not a picture perfect one, but rather one that is heavily damaged and irreparably torn. Sometimes i even find it difficult to reach deeper inside, too scared of what i might find inside, the sin that lurks there, or the damage that it has caused on me. Fooling myself is such an easier alternative. It is that much easier to turn a blind eye, pretend that things are ok, and continue living like that. I've been listening to Kelly Clarkson's It's Quiet Uptown, there's a line in the song that says "there's a grace too powerful to name... we push away what we can never understand" Sometimes it is difficult to accept that the things so dirty that we dont even want to touch, God goes after those things inside of us, cleansing them, cleansing us, so that we can be made new. It is not easy for me to fully comprehend that that's how grace works.

[andresha1]

The answer for a down-cast soul is this: hope in God.