“Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:4-5
(I took all photos at Jalan Salib Suci Mahawu, Tomohon)
I am grateful for God’s wonderful works in me..
I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made..
Like this small green island,
I believe He has equipped me with so many potential..
Though sometimes it could be storm arround
But I know on which I stand
I am built upon the rock, the Living Rock!
There are times when I have to go through a process
Where my inner being need to be refreshed & renewed
To let the stream of His living water flowing in & cleanse me once again
And in His due time, the seeds He sows in me will grow
Under His loving care
But I have to give all my total-being under His control
A heart and willingness to learn from Him
Unless I will not bear good fruits in harvest time
Enjoy the bright days,
Endure the gloomy days,
In the end, when my tent shrinks away like the hut above
I could smile to see the harvest & the legacy I leave
Yet, I will not stop exploring more potentials & gifts
As long as it’s daytime
Every second counts
Every minute is too precious to ignore
Till it’s time when He considers me ready and said,
Welcome Home
Welcome Home My Child My Son;
Your work on earth has been well done.You have been a witness to many while on earth;
And you’ve shared the story about the miracle birth.You never hid the fact that you loved Me,
You shared the Word no matter what the need be.You spoke of Me often to family and friends;
And you showed how faith can strengthen and often mends.You did your best to always give glory to Me;
And for this; you will live eternally.And now the time has come for you to rest;
I’m taking you home as My special guest.Welcome Home My daughter; My child; My son;
Your work on earth has been well done.(c) Danny Hahlbohm
(All photos were taken in Padang, West Sumatera – Indonesia, back in 2008)
In Minahasa Highland Tour, pottery industry in Pulutan village, Tondano (less than one hour from Tomohon), is always on the list to visit. Located not far from Tondano Lake, the local people here use the raw material of clay in their land to make some traditional pottery works like pots, a set of small round-table and chairs, and some other things.
Looking at the way the potters form the clay into a certain shape of art work, I can imagine that firstly they already have a clear picture in their mind of what the final result would be look like. So, there he is, a craftsman, sitting on that set of a self-made simple equipment, working at the wheel, and start enjoying his precious time with the clay on his hands. In some points, I see the potter squeezes the clay before adding it to the half-way part.
The potter’s working at the wheel
Give the clay its shape
After having the specific form, the clay must go through some other process of drying, firing, brushing, painting, and every little thing in between. And the clay is in a full surrender to the potter’s hand, like a verse in Isaiah 29 says, “…Can the pot say of the potter,”He knows nothing”?”
This reminds me of a passage in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 18) about the LORD asked Jeremiah to “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” Like Jeremiah, I have also learned a lot just by stopping by Pulutan village for several times.
I think of so many ups and downs I’ve been through so far. I’ve been struggling with health issue recently: a cyst as big as an adult fist in my right-hand ovary. Not to mention, my struggles to overcome my failures in the past and try to stand up again.
As I look at myself today, I can’t thank God enough for His faithfulness to carry me on His loving arms so I can survive every hardship this life offers me. I know, like the clay in the potter’s hand, I am, too, going through the same process in order to bring out the very me by which God has planned according to His purpose for my life. And, He is not finished with me yet!
There is nothing I can do than surrender into His hand, endure the difficult times, lean on Him all the time, be the one that He wants me to be, and do what I suppose to do as His child. Of course, without setting aside the reality I have to cope with wisely & gently till I see the complete form of His work in me. 🙂
Ready to promote
Look at these tiny cute souvenir from the clay
“…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I took this photo at Padang Beach in West Sumatra in 2008. The address of my blog is actually inspired by this photo. It really speaks up for my purpose in writing every single post here. I love looking at this photo, imagining any possibility it depicts and soaring high above my wildest dreams for my life…
I know God has a purpose in me through every talent and ability He’s entrusted me. It’s my part now to walk it through, live it, gain more, and bring it back to Him when the twilight comes my way.
One thing for sure, I am not going to bury all my potentials and bring it all to the tomb. Though sometimes I fail & fall, but I know He is always there on the other side watching over me & always ready to raise me up again.
(Image credit: http://www.jotravelguide.com)
“You’ll never know that you love a thing until its gone!” More or less, that’s what I’m feeling right now as I pick these old pictures from my computer. I’m talking about the flowers as well as a Nikon D80 camera, which used to be my unexpected-gift ever, a couple of years ago..
The flowers are gone and so is the camera..there is a story behind it, which I think is unnecessary to share here.. and the fact is I feel so sad remembering that I was once going everywhere with that camera..
But I learn something that I lost the camera for a greater gift in my life: a family..so at least, it’s worth-it.. I could try to save money & try to get another one someday..hope soon, of course..
Loosing something special is preferable than loosing someone special 😉 I believe I could get a better camera soon & will use it to its maximum function: keep capturing the beauty of this nature, universe, people around me, and could be anything…anywhere…anytime..
So, below are some flowers I took at my house yard couple of years ago. I’m just trying to cherish them, the camera, and that old time of my passion in photography!
My World 