Facts 10/11/05: Science Works, Melbourne

I used to view museums as boring. Well… apparently not all of them are. I went to the Science Works Museum. Besides doing silly things like measuring how high I could jump or if my arm span is wider compared to my height, I also found some interesting facts.

*Our body has 600 muscles and 230 joints. Our hand has 27 bones while our face has 14.
*There is 100 m of nerves in a human brain, sending message at 400 km/h!
*Do you know that we have over 100,000 km of veins, arteries and capillaries in our body?
*We shed 20 kg of skin in a lifetime. An adult is covered by 2 square meter of skin.
*Do you know that lung is the only organ that could float?
*Esophagus muscles move downwards. Therefore food would go to stomach even though we stand upside down.
*Do you know that our mouth produces 1.7 kg of saliva a day? And that we eat 500 kg of food a year!
*It needs 40 kilojoules to make a toast… that is the energy we need to climb a 40-storey building!
*Pedaling creates electricity. One person pedaling hard creates 80-120 watts, which could light up one light globe.
*During cycling at 20 kph, half of our power goes into overcoming wind resistance.
*We get more colds in winter because we are indoors and in close proximity more often. In this way germs can transfer more easily.
*Australia has one of the highest skin cancer incidents in the world with 2 cases in every 3 person in a lifetime.
*Record weight of a human birth is almost 13 kg. Average birth is 3-4 kg.

*Toothbrush handle was first made of cow bone and its brush from cow hair! Deluxe version used hog hair until nylon took over in 1938.
*A cockroach could survive up to 10 days without its head! This is because most of its nervous system is held in its body.
*Ostriches have eyes 2 inches across… and each is heavier than its brain!
*American president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt went on a hunting trip but refused to shoot a baby bear. A toy maker honoured the event in 1902 by making a toy “teddy” bear for his shop window.
*The inner core of the world is approximately 7200 degree Celsius.
*Jupiter is so BIG it can fit eight other planets in it!

Testimony 08/11/05: Some Are Meant to Drip

The waters gathered as the wind blew. The sea bulged and waves built up. The walls of water that was formed crashed into the stacks of limestone in the shores of The Great Ocean Road. And so the water showed off its power with a mighty roar.

***

I heard a drip. Then I heard it again… Clear, gentle water streamed down the hill of the Grampians. A great rain has just washed these mountains. And now water was making its way down. Dripping. Flowing down gently. Washing away the rocks along the way. Cutting the edge of stones as it passed by.

***

The views were breathtaking. And just like the water, some people are called to be waves. Others are meant to drip. The waves cut the stones from the front to the back. The drips cut the stones from the top to the bottom, creating the stone’s weak points. The waves alone are not enough to bring the limestone down in time. They need the drips.

Not everyone is called to be pastor with huge congregations. Not everyone is called to be Billy Graham or Reihard Bonnke. Not everyone is called to be a youth president. But we can all be a drip that accelerates the speed of bringing the Word of Christ in our community. Have you been a drip at home? Have you made a difference in Uni? Or at your work place? Have you “dripped” lately?

Testimony 06/11/05: Until I Am Satisfied

I drove down the Southern coast of Victoria. The sky was blue. The ocean was clear and aqua.

The splendor of the sea captivated my eyes. The ocean is so HUGE it overwhelmed me. From the top of the cliff I looked down the beach. The waves. The ocean. And the people! Oh how tiny they were! How small! They were like little dots from up here!

I remembered how quickly I read my Bible. How fast I made my devotion. I always had something else to do. And I felt dry and empty and tired throughout the day.

Well… it is like taking a sip from a cup of water and I’m on my way. But God said that He is not like a gulp of water. Nor is He like a cup of water. God is like the ocean. He is so big and He is more than enough for us. And what do you do when you stand before an ocean of drink? Do you just stare at it? No. Do you take a sip? No. Take a cup of water and drink? No! What do you do? You jump. Jump into the water and soak yourself in it and drink. Drink until you can drink anymore.

Too often I am occupied with work that I rush in the morning. Too often I am too tired at night I rush to sleep. But God doesn’t want me to just take a sip. He doesn’t want me to just drink a cup. No wonder I felt dry during the day. He wants me to soak in His presence until my thirst is quenched. Until I am satisfied. He is the living water.


PS. Take a ballpoint and make a dot at the sandy beach in the picture. That’s how tiny ten people appeared from this lookout!

Testimony 05/11/05: A Brush, A Ribbon and A Dead Snake

“I saw a girl… she was playing on a swing… and she looked very happy…” Brenda said, “The girl was about seven years old… and the girl was myself!” she continued, sharing of a vision God gave her.

She went on telling the church that the girl was holding a paper bag in her hand as she held onto the swing. Brenda asked God what was inside the bag and why she looked so happy.

From the bag, God took out a comb. And she saw herself seated in a living room, her grandpa brushing her hair. She felt comfort as she sat next to the one she loved. But then her grandpa passed away. She was left behind. Lonely. Sad. Insecure. But God said that her brokenness and insecurities had been paid for… 2000 years ago.

Still from the bag, God took out a ribbon. When Brenda was young, she felt ugly. And she thought that having a ponytail with a ribbon on it would make her beautiful. But God told her that she is always number one in God’s eyes… and she will always be. Her self-worth is found in Him who restored her… 2000 years ago.

From the bag, again God took out something. This time, it was a snake… a dead snake. And God told her that all the accusations and condemnations that Satan brought upon her have been broken in Jesus’ name. All shame and guilt has been washed away… 2000 years ago.

“And the girl on the swing looks so happy because she has been bought for a price… 2000 years ago,” God said.

Testimonies 04/11/05: She Longed For A Child

Earlier this year, my Aunt Esther shared how much she longed for a child. I could feel her desire so deep within my heart. That night I fell on my knees and pray. God’s presence was so real it brought me to tears. Two weeks afterward my Aunt told me she missed her period. And yes… it was positive!

Nine months later, a beautiful baby was born. And here he is… a trophy of God’s goodness and grace. More than anything else, this baby means “Life and Hope” for me. All glory be to God!

Name: Matthew, the firstborn of Hasan and Esther

Conceived: In the mind of God… long before time (Psalm 139:16)

Prayed for: Wednesday, 9 February 2005

Born: Monday, 31 October 2005

Testimony 02/11/05: The Eyes of Faith

It’s been awhile since the last time I played basketball. So when there was a call for the game, I counted myself in. I had an old injury on my lower back. But I assumed the wound was healed, since the pain is no longer there. But not until the game!

Half way through, I felt the ache on my back. I continued the game but the pain prevented me from running or jumping properly. Man, I felt old!

I wonder if that’s why God calls us to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). I mean… look at the trees in winter. They have no leaves. They look dead. But are they dead? Not at all! Their leaves grow back in spring… and they flower too! In the case of my lower back, the absence of pain was not an indication that the wound was healed. What is seen is not what it actually is.

Too often things do not go the way we think they should. Why this sickness when I get the promotion? Why this tears when I thought the brokenness is healed? Why this miscarriage? Why this loneliness? Why this divorce? Why?

Even Joseph was sold into slavery, thrown into jail and forgotten by friends after getting dreams from God that he was going to be a leader! But does that mean that God was not at work in His life? Does it mean God is not good? No! In His faithfulness, God worked in Joseph’s life. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) And the same God that worked in Joseph’s life is at work in our lives!

Likewise, do not assume that the pain and insecurities you once experienced are no longer there just because you don’t feel them. Ask God to reveal the areas of your life that need healing and let the Healer comes and touches you. Let’s look through the eyes of faith.

News 1-13/11/05: Flying Back to Melbourne

I was very excited. It was Ramadhan holiday, and everybody was racing to get back to his or her hometown. As for me, I was flying back to Melbourne. I went to Jakarta early to anticipate the traffic jam. Apparently, I arrived early enough to jump onto an earlier flight to Singapore. But without any Singapore dollar or MRT card with me, I ended calling up my friends from the airport and sleeping on the bench as I waited for my connecting flight to Melbourne.

There were some boring things I had to do after I reached Melbourne, like renewing my driver license and packing the remaining of my stuff over there… which is A LOT! But all those dull feelings disappeared as I met my friends, as I saw baby Matthew and as I went on a road trip to The Great Ocean Road, The Grampians and Wilsons Promontory National Park.

There are many things I would like to share. I will write some of my testimonies in the following weeks. The trip has blessed me so much, and may the testimonies encourage you as much as they have encouraged me.