Pemeliharaan yang bersahaja

Jika Tuhan dapat memelihara bangsa Israel melewati terik-gersangnya padang gurun Sinai dengan manna dan puyuh, tidak heran Ia pun bisa memelihara nabi Elia melewati padang gurun Gilead. Di tengah kekeringan Elia menikmati kebaikan Tuhan, hidangan di padang gurun. Burung-burung gagak dikirim oleh Tuhan untuk memberikan layanan delivery gratis baginya, bahkan tanpa ia perlu membayar tips. Begitu air di sungai kecil itu mengering, pemeliharaan Tuhan datang dengan cara lain. Tuhan menyuruh Elia ke kota Sarfat di Sidon. Ia taat, ia pergi, dan ia selamat.

Gereja dan seni

Berikut ini kutipan yang sangat menantang mengenai seni dan perannya dalam mengomunikasikan Injil.

The Church needs artists because without art we cannot reach the world. The simple fact is that the imagination 'gets you,' even when your reason is completely against the idea of God. "Imagination communicates," as Arthur Danto says, "indefinable but inescapable truth." Those who read a book or listen to music expose themselves to that inescapable truth. There is a sort of schizophrenia that occurs if you are listening to Bach and you hear the glory of God and yet your mind says there is no God and there is no meaning. You are committed to believing nothing means anything and yet the music comes in and takes you over with your imagination. When you listen to great music, you can't believe life is meaningless. Your heart knows what your mind is denying. We need Christian artists because we are never going to reach the world without great Christian art to go with great Christian talk.

          - Timothy J. Keller

Tantangan terbesar seorang pastor terdapat di hatinya

 

Artikel ini mengingatkan betapa perlunya pastor - terutama saya - menjalani hidup pertobatan setiap hari. Jika anda seorang Kristen dan berjemaat di salah satu gereja, jangan abai mendoakan pastor anda.

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