Last Wednesday Tante Siem found Oom Arthur gasping for air and unable to talk.  Immediately she called 911 and thank God, Oom Arthur got the help that he needed.  The doctors put a stent to take care of a blocked artery, the reason for his respiratory distress and possibly, a heart attack....

On Sunday in the wee morning hour Our Blessed Lord came and took Tante Margaret home.  And on Monday evening, or Tuesday morning in Jakarta, Our Blessed Lord came and took Oom Arief home.  Two faithful members of our church are now attending worship in the House of the Lord along with othe...

Those of you who already attended our church in the late 70’s and early 80’s might still remember Oom Po Djin, later knowns as Gene Ho, or Pastor Gene Ho.  On Monday Our Lord Jesus came and took him home.  The last few years had been hard for him as he was beset by physical […]...

Thank you for your love for my family and me which you showed me on my birthday.  I appreciate every bit of it. Now I can proudly say that I have officially joined the Medicare Club of FIBC.  We are one! On a different and sad note I must inform you that Tante Margaret, Roni’s […]...

Once upon a time a wealthy man comes to a Bible school in a small town.  After touring the facility, he then expresses the purpose of his visit: He wants to enroll his son in that school.  The problem is that not only is the son engaged in a sinful life, but he is also […]...

In his book, Maps of Meaning, Jordan Peterson writes, “Something we cannot see protects us from something we do not understand.”  I cannot agree more.  God knows that we are not as ready as we think we are in knowing something.  He knows that knowing before our time might prove to...

C. S. Lewis writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”  I can see the point that Lewis tries to make but I must also say that the fact that God shouts in our pain doesn’t make it easier for us to understand the message of […]...

Yesterday our sister Shinta and our brother Pardi celebrated their golden anniversary.  Congratulations!  The fact that they have been together—lovingly together—for 50 years is nothing short of great.  But what makes this union special is also the fact that for the past few years...

Life is full of struggles, but some have more than others.  Days ago, I spoke with someone who has been struggling over the course of decades.  The thoughts of suicide have come and gone; it is the fear of the Lord that has kept these desires at bay.  Ever since I first met him over [...

God uses men and women alike. Years ago, when I visited a small town in Java, I was told by the pastor of the church that they had a ministry up in a mountain outside of town. But the ministry was not started by him or the church that he pastored; it was started by […]...