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Sunday Hymn 01.20.13

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount-I’m fixed upon it-Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

Robert Robinson, 1758

taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #314

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Legoland

We started 2013 by going to the Legoland in Carlsbad.  We left on the 1st, and stayed for three nights at our friend’s house in Carlsbad, just 10 minutes away from Legoland.  We were at the Legoland on the 2nd and the 3rd.

We have planned this trip for almost a year, and originally we were going to spend Tryphena’s birthday there; however, due to her school schedule we decided that it would have been too tiring if we leave on the 6th.  So instead of having her birthday, I had to celebrate mine there.  “It’s not fair” she said.

We enjoyed our time there and our visit with the Sasmitas.  It was hard for Tryphena to leave, and she said, “I wished I lived here so I can go to Legoland every day.”  Click here to see the pictures.

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Happy New Year 2013

We welcome 2013!

(Click here for the sound)

Another year is dawning: Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress, Another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, Of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, Of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training For holier work above.
Another year is dawning: Dear Father, let it be,
On earth or else in Heaven, Another year for Thee. Amen.

Text: Frances Ridley Havergal

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Merry Christmas 2012

The case was certainly desperate, if the Godhead itself did not descend to us, it being impossible for us to ascend.  Thus the Son of God behoved to become our Emmanuel, i.e. God with us; and in such a way, that by mutual union his divinity and our nature might be combined; otherwise, neither was the proximity near enough, nor the affinity strong enough, to give us hope that God would dwell with us; so great the repugnance between our pollution and the spotless purity of God.

-John Calvin in “Institutes of the Christian Religion” book II. XII.I translated by Henry Beveridge

Another year is dawning, so we’d just like to wish you Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnachten Buon Natale, Selamat Natal, Shana Tova, or simply Seasons Greetings!

Time flies, and is gaining speed in 2012.  Where does time go?  It just seemed like yesterday when we entered 2012, and now here we are at the close of it, surviving the Mayan doomsday.  2012 was filled with ups and downs, and we are grateful for God’s many blessings in our family, blessings that in many ways we do not deserve.  We are grateful for all of you, our friends and family. Continue reading “Merry Christmas 2012”

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Celebrating 18 years together

Today we are celebrating our 18th anniversary.  We’ve gone through a lot of things during the 18-year period- job changes, a couple of moves, the birth of Tryphena- to mention just a few.  We also grew older physically.  I, for one, am thinning on the top.

We fought
We cried
We laughed
We hugged
We played
We prayed
….. and we are still madly in love.

Thank you, Lord, for the good 18 years.  Thank you for your many blessings, and for guiding us.  We beseech you, Father, to grant us your love so that we will grow in our love to each other, and to you.

Here are some pictures of then and now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sunday Hymn 11.25.12

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure: Save from guilt and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no languor know, Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grade;
Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyelids close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

Augustus M. Toplady, 1776

taken from the Blue Psalter Hymnal, #388


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Happy Thanksgiving 2012

You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, I will exalt You.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.

We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks!

-from Psalms 118:28-29; 75:1 (NKJV)




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Connecting the Dots

Welcome to a new America!  Yesterday we re-elected President Barrack H. Obama.  Yay to an Indonesian President and his powerful machine!  I believe this will inaugurate a new era in our country and his 2nd term will fundamentally transform this country into a new country, dare I say USSA?!

Many things are working together to transform this once a great country.  Among other things in the last decade I have noticed the following changes took place:

What is going on here, and where are we going from here?  Last night I watched this movie that a good friend of mine sent me.  It is a long movie, but it helped me connect the dots.  If you’re concerned about the future of our country, you gotta have to spare a little over an hour to watch this movie!  It is worth watching, and it will prepare us to stand guarded.  Please read these posts that I wrote in the past, too:

  1. In Search of Spirituality
  2. Children Education:  Public or Private?

Click below to watch the movie:
AGENDA:  Grinding America Down

 

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Reformation Day

Reformation Wall in Geneva

(Originally posted in 2011, reposted in 2012)
Happy Reformation Day!  What are you talking about?  What is being reformed, and what do you mean by “Reformation Day”?  Last year I wrote this post to answer all of these questions: http://gunawan.net/blogn/happy-reformation-day-2

The event that triggered the Christian Reformation movement happened almost 500 years ago, and many have changed since then.  The question now is:  “Is the Reformation Over?”  Dr. R.C. Sproul of Ligonier Ministry answers this question here.