Tryphena gave her 2nd piano recital last Sunday. She played “Songbird Band”, and “Jingle Bells”
Happy Thanksgiving 2010
I hope your thanksgiving day was happy and that you had plenty of things to be thankful for. Ours was fantastic! We had Thanksgiving service at church this morning, and we’re reminded to be thankful for having God who not only created us, but also sustains us and re-created us in his Son Jesus Christ! The Psalmist in Psalm 100 reminds us not only to shout with joy to the LORD, and to worship him with gladness, but also to know that the LORD is God.
We then had some friends came to our house where we had plenty of good food and we enjoyed the company of each others.
Despite the current economic and political turmoil, we thank the Lord for sustaining us and for his many blessings he bestowed upon us, things that we don’t deserve.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Happy Reformation Day!
What comes to mind when you hear “October 31st”? Most people in America will say, “Halloween”, or “Trick or Treat”, or “Candies”. You will rarely hear “Reformation Movement”, or “Martin Luther” even among professing Christians. Many Christians today don’t know their root, or for that matter the 16th century history of the Reformation movement.
It was October 31, 1517 when the Reverend Father Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses onto the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. This simple act started the reformation movement that changed the face of religious life and politics of the western world. His movement was quickly spread throughout the Europe and was carried on by men like Philipp Melanchton, John Calvin, John Knox, Huldrych Zwingli, Theodore Beza, and others.
The tenets of the movement, known as the 5 Solas of Reformation are Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria.
The formal cause of the Reformation movement was Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) where the reformers believed that Scripture is the sole authority in doctrinal matters. The material cause of the movement was Sola Fide (Faith Alone), that is justification is by grace alone through faith alone. The conflict over justification by faith alone boils down to the difference between the words “Imputed” and “Infused”. Is the ground of our justification the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, or the righteousness of Christ infused within us? Sola fide declares that the ground of our justification is solely the righteousness of Christ. It is apart from or outside of us, not a part of us. Continue reading “Happy Reformation Day!”
God Bless America
Tryphena sang “God Bless America” in this video.
Singing
In the video below Tryphenae is singing “Indonesia Raya”, national anthem of the Republic of Indonesia.
In Loving Memory of Duke
Today at noon Duke has returned to his creator peacefully in his sleep. There were no dry eyes in our house, and when the mourning has subsided I will chronicle his last week on this earth. It’s suffice to say for now that we will always remember him and he will always be in our hearts.
He was by my side almost all the time when I’m home. I will GREATLY miss him.
I will miss him when I wake up in the morning
I will miss his escorting me to the door whenever I am leaving the house
I will miss his greeting by the door with his excitement and wagging tail every time I come home (even when he was very sick and could hardly get up he would still try to go to the door)
I will miss his trying to get onto the treadmill when I exercise
I will miss him when I wash the car
I will miss his wet nose reminding me to stop working and to go to sleep whenever I work late in my study
I will miss his whimpering in the middle of the night wanting to “go potty”
I will miss feeding him even spoon feed him when he’s sick
I will miss filling his water bowls
We will miss his from-sleeping-to-the-door-in-3-seconds sprint when the doorbell rings
We will miss him when we play in the yard, yes, even I will miss him chasing the water from the hose
We will miss him whenever we take a walk around the block
Duke,
you are now is a better place where there are no more suffering, no more pains, and no more tears.
IF you’re in heaven with the Lord (our theology isn’t clear on this), just wait for us there, buddy.
One day we will see you again over there!
Just wait for us at Heaven’s pearly gate as you always had done: waiting for me by the door.
When I see you there I promised you we will play water to your heart’s desire. We will take a looong walk in the garden, and
then I will once again hug you.
Thank you for your loyal friendship, our unfailing love, your fierce protection, and your ever-present companionship!
Often I yelled at you, mad at you but never once were you angry at me. Right after I yelled at you, you would always come to me wanting me to pet you and love you. (And I always did….. because I loved you).
Farewell my best friend!
First Piano Recital
Tryphena just had her first piano recital this afternoon, Saturday, July 24. She was a little nervous, but we think she did well considering that she was the youngest child, and that she was the first person to perform. The hardest part was the transition from keyboard to piano. Her practice- in class and at home- was on keyboard. Here is the video clip from the recital:
Click on the photo album to see the pictures.
Children Education: Public or Private?
In the last couple of years we have been thinking and searching for wisdom as to what kind of education we’d like Tryphena to have. There are basically three alternatives that we have been considering: home schooling, private school (parochial or non parochial), and public school. We have been and continue to wrestle with this issue. Each has its own pros and cons.
While home schooling may be the best option for us because we can get both quality education without having to pay a lot of money, it is not for fainted hearts. It takes a lot of discipline- both for parents and the children- to do home schooling. While many people have many concerns about home school especially in term of social development of the children, we are not too concerned about it. Kids can still have healthy interaction with their peers at church, at the home school support group meeting, at home with neighbors’ children, etc. Home schooling let parents choose the curriculum that they see fit for their children. There are vast arrays for curriculum available, including classical education. In term of cost, parents can give private school education (or better) for much less compared to private school. Our objection with this option is discipline, or rather the lack of it on our part.
Public school in Clovis California is one of the leading district in the nation. In term of academic accomplishment Clovis Unified School district provides good education for (almost) free. However, we struggle with the direction of public school, and for that matter the direction of the nation. From my own daily experience working in a public school entity, and from reading lots of articles, news, and books on public school, we have great concerns for sending Tryphena to the public school. Broadly speaking, my overarching concern with public education in the US is what I would call “Brainwash.” Please note I’m not pointing fingers to teachers or any particular school. I cherish the work of many school teachers who labor sincerely to teach children! Many times, however, their hands are tied and they can’t do much against the system. Below are some of many links that you can click to see what I mean: Continue reading “Children Education: Public or Private?”
Arizona Vacation
On Friday, June 25th we left for Sedona, AZ to take a 1-week vacation. We went to Arizona despite the boycotts and travel advisories issued by those idiots in Sacramento and some other California cities. O yeah….we spent our hard-earned dollars in the wicked state of Arizona!! Politics aside, it was a blast.
We stopped for one night in Las Vegas on the way to Sedona, and then another one on the way back. In Las Vegas Tryphena wanted to see the white tigers, so we went to Siegfried’s and Roy’s Secret Garden at the Mirage Hotel. We also went to the Venitian in the morning. Leaving Las Vegas, we drove passed the Hoover Dam where we stopped for photo ops. Click here for Las Vegas pictures. Continue reading “Arizona Vacation”
New addition to the Gunawans Household
We’re glad to welcome the newest addition to the Gunawans family!! No, it’s not what you’re thinking. 🙂
After a little over 2 years, it was time to part with my beloved Civic. We said “good bye” to each other about 2 weeks ago. Farewell, my old faithful little car! Hope you’ll be of good use to your new master as you’d been to us.
Ever since I had been searching for a used Volkswagen diesel up and down the state. Finally the search was over yesterday when we picked up Vicky (yes, that’s her new name) from Newark, California. Vicky has a lot of miles on her, almost 200,000 miles; however, her age is not that old. She’s only 7 years old, and if you look at her appearance, you wouldn’t have guessed that she has already accumulated so many miles. Her body is in almost perfect condition with only 2 little dings that are barely noticeable. She has a chipped windshield that I already fixed. Inside, she’s very very clean. Click here for more pictures of hers.