For God's Sake... Take a Break!

"Jesus, tired from the journey, sat down there at the well." (John 4:6)

Man, I like this verse!! It really depicts Jesus' limitation as a human being. He who is omnipotent chose to be limited for our sake.

I like the fact that even Jesus have enough sense to take a rest whenever he feel tired.

Often times, as faithful Christians, we can be ridden with guilt when we feel that we need rest. We feel that we are being idle, we feel that we are neglecting our families, works, or ministries. Furthermore, there is this sick pride that we have on being busy. The busier we are, the more important we feel.

Let me tell you: taking a break and pausing is a good exercise in wisdom, humility, and above all faith!!!

Often, when Jesus was taking a break, there were still a great multitude of people waiting to talk to him, to be healed, to be fed, and so forth. However, he is wise enough to know when he needs a break. He has a great faith in the wisdom and love of his Father. His Father also love the people as much as he does. And his Father will take care of the people.

In our case: God loves the people, our families, more than we can ever love them! Sometimes we are unable to take a break not because we have a great devotion to our families and ministries. It is pride!!! We are only the extension of God's loving hands, serving the people. However, it is God who heals them, who comforts them, and who fed them. Not us. The world had been going around before we exist and it will still go around without us.

Then again, why serve?

We are the one who needs to serve. Jesus knows this. That is why he gave us the parable of the three servants who were given some talents to invest. Does the master needs the result? No. He was rich already, and he would still be rich even if he lost the talents altogether. However, the work that the servants did was a proof of their faithfulness to their master, their integrity to their jobs, and a proof of their love to the master. Give the master his due, and he will give to us even more than we can ever imagine.

Remember that God is the wisest and the most compassionate Father and Master that we can ever have. He knows when we need rest. He knows when we were "broke" and need more time to give His due. He understands. He does not put undue burdens on us. He does not care about the offering. He cares about our hearts, our humility, our passion, and our love.

What is the use of having thousands of "good" deeds if they cause us to love less? The Father does not want a grudging-hardworking children (see the older brother of the prodigal son). Rather, He wants us to have wisdom and faith that He will bless us in our limitations. He is the one who start loving us first, and He will be the one who finishes the work!


God bless you all,
Adrianus Indra Setiadi


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Childlike Determination to the Father

Fourth of July. Fireworks. For me it was “just” another year, another fireworks season. Not for my son. He asked if we could go get some fireworks. I said I could not promise him anything. He asked again. I told him again I could not promise him anything. He asked about five more times with more and more determination each time. Okay, okay, I yielded. We made a special trip to get his fireworks so I could continue running my errands in peace.

That was not the case.

After getting the fireworks, he then asked when we could light it up. I told him I could not promise him anything. He asked again. This time not just for a few times, but for over twenty times throughout the remainder of the day. He could not fall asleep thinking about it. While in bed, he still asked when we could light his fireworks.

Finally at 10 pm, we got down on the street to. I was grumbling on the edge of losing my patience. However, when we lit up the first one, my son’s eyes lit up even brighter then the fireworks itself. Suddenly, all the barrage I had to go through that day was worth it. Seeing him so happy and excited touched my heart.

My son gave me an example of faith. I asked God to teach me that kind of determination in pursuing His promises in my life. The way my son told me thank you and said that I was the best father in the whole world melted me and made me want to buy him more fireworks. I also asked God to teach me that kind of gratitude towards His blessings in my life.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened – Matthew 7:7-8

Father, teach me the childlike way to approach You the way my son did to me. Amen!

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity,
Bro Chan


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Admonition from God

I got an admonition from God a couple of days ago:
"Be faithful on little things then you can be faithful on the bigger things"

Yeah.... been too busy focusing on the bigger things in life and ministries: marriage, prayer meetings, articles, projects at work, and so forth, that I start to lose passion in the little things in my spiritual life such as giving small prayer of gratitude to God throughout the day, or even my daily prayer. I am still doing the routines, but the routines were just for the sake of.... routines. Worst of all, I realized it but did not even want to summon the will to fight it.

Talking about being lukewarm: there it was

Thank you God for the warning


God bless you all,
Adrianus Indra Setiadi


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When the Day is Uninspiring, Help Me God!

I woke up and said my morning prayer. I sat down and had my 15 minutes silent moment. I got up, showered, did my affirmations. I put on my clothes. I uttered my prayers to God asking Him to be my Clothes for the day. I reviewed my to-do list. I got myself ready mentally. But I hit a wall.

I was flat. I was uninspired.

It reminded me of Indonesian food lacking of hot sauce. That was the kind of experience I had. I was about to engage my day through my talents and charisms. I was about to soar to conquer my day with God’s goodness. When I was uninspired, there was no way I would inspire others either. Before I shed my light, I needed to shine first. That morning my light was dimmed.

I stepped back. Something needed to be done.

While maintaining the atmosphere of prayer, I engaged my spiritual diary. I did an inventory of my emotions. I wrote down the murmurs of my heart. I was being honest with myself. I put on my headphones and listened to my favorite inspirational songs to spice me up. I looked at holy images to remind me why I exist on Earth. My calling in life is to be the conduit of God’s Love. When the conduit is clogged than it is my duty to clear out the debris.

As I was doing inventory of my emotions, I found out that my focus on God’s promises in my life had withered for about a day and a half. It was the culprit that drained the inspiration out of me.

I got back to silence. I asked God for forgiveness. I implored His mercy to lift me up once again. While looking at my favorite inspirational holy images and listening to my favorite inspirational songs, my heart started to show some life. The fire started burning brightly again.

I got up with sparks on my eyes. My day schedule might have been one hour behind, but that was insignificant compared to lack of heavenly swagger in me.

I uttered the words from the two disciples who were on the road to Emmaus, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32).

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity,
Bro Chan


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The Kingdom of God is Here

“What the Spirit gives is the glimpse of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus said is among us right now.” – From The Seekers’ Guide to the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk. 17:21)

There are many spiritual views on how the world is inherently bad, that the world is created by God as a place for “punishment” because we are not worthy of heaven yet. I have no brain capacity to say nor have I the courage to say whether it is totally right or wrong.

However, yes, Jesus reminded His disciples, and us, that the Kingdom of God is here among us. I think the world is not a place for punishment, rather, it is a place where we have the opportunity to know God’s love. We have the opportunity to know God’s faithfulness in the midst of all the hardships that we face in this world. If we never face any hardships and face them with faith, how can we be sure of the true love that God has for us?


By: Indra

I happen to be on the road of marriage, and the episodes that made me so sure that my wife is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with is when I had the opportunity to go through hardships together with her. We stayed faithful to each other. We made each other stronger to face the hardships. With her, even hardships did not feel all that bad (Imagine how we are in happy times then.. hahaha). That’s when my heart became so sure about her love for me.

Does God intentionally create a dreadful environment for us in this world? I do not think so. God intentionally creates us with a free will out of His love. He gives us the opportunity to achieve and to feel a perfect love, not a robotic love (which would have happened if He creates us without free will). We have the opportunity to learn and to struggle to achieve perfect love.

With freedom, also comes responsibility, and many times, we use our freedom irresponsibly, and that what makes this world to be full of hardships. However, it is my personal choice that I refuse to just throw up my hands and relent and just accept that this world is a terrible place of punishment, so there is nothing that we can do to make it better. I choose to believe that this world is created good, for nothing created by God, who is the supreme Goodness himself, can be inherently bad. This world is full of blessings. We just need to give our heart to God so that he can open the eyes of our hearts so that we can see him in all things, and feel him in all things, for better or for worse.

To throw-up our hands and give up on this world, that is what the devil wants. He really wants to trick us into believing that this world is a place of punishment, that there is little hope to make this world better. He wants to trick us into believing that we can never feel the Kingdom of God until the afterlife. When we fall to this trick, then we are opening ourselves and this world to all kinds of temptations. We are just accepting... we are on the defensive... we just roll over and play dead. We no longer tries to make this place better because we keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the blissfulness of the Kingdom of God to come.

If we want to play logic then fine, let’s play a logical game a little bit. If God is omnipotent, then His authority is also omnipotent, which means, His Kingdom is also omnipotent. Then, would it make sense if we think that this world is not a part of the Kingdom of God? Would it make sense if we think that God chooses to just “partially love” this world to punish us? Because God is omnipotent, there is no partiality in God. He can not only “partially” love something or someone. Rather, He always fully and omnipotently loves you, He omnipotently loves me, He omnipotently loves everyone in this world.

The Kingdom of God does not come automatically because He does not create robots. He creates us to be His family. As a family, each member has his/her own part in bringing a good name and blessings to the family. We need to participate in the work of the Kingdom of God. We need to participate in bringing the Kingdom of God INTO this world. Even the Son of God himself has given us an example. While in this world, he work relentlessly to show them that the Kingdom of God is real, that the Kingdom of God is already here.

Work actively to bring the glimpse of the Kingdom of God to this world. We have the Gifts of the Spirit in us. We complete each other as a Church. The Kingdom of God starts HERE in THIS WORLD. Stop waiting and make things happen. AMEN

God bless you all,
Adrianus Indra Setiadi


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Blessed Messages from the Other Side

I arrived at my wife's Memorial Service. Looking at a closed casket on the middle isle and knowing that someone whom I knew so well was in there, created a lot of mixed emotions. Jesus was faithfully there with me. I let myself felt everything because I did not want to miss anything. I wanted to soak all these new experiences of staring death right in the eyes.

When I was right in front the closed casket, the gentleman standing beside it addressed me, “You are her husband. You are her closest kin. I was waiting for you to arrive before I open this casket.” I nodded in gratitude for his lovely gesture. He opened the casket.

My wife had chosen her own outfit before her funeral. What I did not know was the color she chose. If I had to guess, it would either be green, which was her favorite color, or red, which was mine. It was neither. She was wearing a color that was very familiar to us; the color we named our son after, Cyan.

Then my son’s eyes lit up because of another thing, “Papa, mama is bringing her purse, where do you think she is going?” He then continued smiling.

My wife, the mother of my son, was saying her last goodbye with two very special gestures. The color cyan was to address my son. The purse she was having right beside her in the casket was her message to me. Everytime she came home from work, the first thing I always helped her with was to carry her purse.

Both were significant. And only her could do such little things so meaningful like those. Even until the end on her departure to Heaven, she showed us that her two closest men would always be in her heart.

Thank you dear for always making us special for you. Pray for us always.

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity,
Bro Chan


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Lord, I Want to Please You

But how? Sometimes I feel my best is still not good enough. Regardless of the best thing I am giving, I am still falling short of the mark. There are so much junk in me. So many things needed to be cleaned. I am horribly ugly, wrecked by sin. I am fighting against my own mind. It has been too long that mediocrity has kept me captive. The line must be drawn here. I want it, Lord. I want to please You. Have I? It seems like I am the biggest failure. I am a waste of space in Creation. I am the lowest of the lowly. I am nothing. I am unworthy. There is nothing beautiful in me that You need to spend time to look at.

Then Jesus grabs the mirror.

“Use my mirror instead,” He says gently.

“What do you see?” He continues lovingly.

I see the most beautiful Man ever. His eyes are sparkling brightly with life. His face is spewing the beauty of love. His smile cheers the most down-trodden heart. His nod gives strength to the weary. His voice soothes all depression. He has angels sitting on His shoulder singing psalms to God. His outstretched arms touches the lonely and fills them with gladness. He sits down and takes time to be with His beloved. His eyes are piercing through and find goodness in the person He is with. All the time in the world is His. Whenever He moves, blessing follows. He is wearing the robe of the Sacred Heart. The Immaculate Heart is worn around His waist. He is full of hope. He is Love.

“Lord, You are so beautiful,” I murmur in awe.

He answers tenderly, “You are right, but not entirely. Although whom you see in that mirror is indeed Me, but it’s actually you.” He taps my shoulder. I am looking at Him in disbelief.

He assures me, “It is you. When you are in Me in silent surrender, when people come to you, whom they see is Me. You are beautiful because I am. I love you.”

He stretches His hand, “Will you follow me? Come on…”

I take His hand and get up again. I walk beside Him. I walk in Him. When I say I am ugly, I am insulting Him. When I look at myself as beautiful, it is because He is.

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity,
Bro Chan


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Can We Have a New Start?

The first time I look at you
I just know that you will become a part of me
If only you can see
How I want you to love me too

I will go far and wide
Spend thousand of years
Just to make you realize
That I will always be at your side

It is like a game
Sometimes you easily remember me
In your mind there is always my name
If only it can always be the same

Many things seems attractive
That they catch your attention
You forget my love
My name you no longer mention

Whereas I give you freedom
You are willing to be a slave
You are heirs to My kingdom
That you give up for your crave

I do not want you to be apart
Make you realize what is rightfully yours
I am knocking at your heart
Can we have a new start?

For you I will go all the way
If you don’t answer
If you won’t let me stay
I will wait for you in the manger

I want to give you a new heart
A heart full of true delight
A heart ready to fight a good fight
Can we have a new start?


God bless you all,
Adrianus Indra Setiadi


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Reach Out and Touch Someone’s Life

“Reach out and touch somebody's life today. Little things done with great love mean a whole lot difference.” I put that on my Facebook status in the morning.

Around 2.45 in the afternoon as I was grabbing my mails, my good neighbor said hi to me. His daughter is going to the same school as my son, same grade different teacher. Cyan always enjoys playing bike with her too.

His daughter and wife are going overseas for the summer. He is doing a lot of painting in his home. I took time to reach out to him to chit-chat in front of his garage. He offered some coffee. I accepted gladly. Inside the house, he showed me what he has done with the walls. It was beautiful.

Then we sat around his dining table enjoying our coffee, his very own Espresso French Vanilla blend. We talked about many things. I talked about the way my life is right now. He shared about his.

Give and it shall be given unto you (Lk 6:38).

As I was reaching out to him, it opened up the chance for him to reach out to me too. At the end we enjoyed each other’s company. The good coffee helped too. Our genuine intention to be a good company to each other was felt both ways. God was working through that fellowship.

An hour later, I went home joyfully and gratefully. I thanked God for the way He could use others as His instrument to show me that He is always there.

Glory to the Most Holy Trinity,
Bro Chan


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What Kind of Letter would You Choose to be?

I remembered the first time I fell in love, it was with a girl one year older than me. Because she was one year my senior in high school, she graduated sooner than I did. She then moved to the US for college while I continued toiling in Indonesia :)


By: Indra

The year was 1994, then, the internet was not as reliable as it is now. International calls were still expensive (calling from the US to Indonesia would cost 65 cents/minute even with a deal plan). With no other choice, I had to write my first love letter.

I remembered it was near Valentine's day. I wrote the letter on a Valentine's card. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. I remembered how astounded I was to realize that I was at loss for words. I am seldom at loss for words. However, because I wanted this letter to be perfect so badly, it took me several hours just to write that letter.

It is amazing how that memory still brings smile to my face even right now. I could not believe that I wanted to give someone something so perfect. I felt she was worth the effort.

2 Cor 3:2-3 - You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all, shown to be a letter of Christ administered by us, written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

I was reading this verse when I was reminded of my first love letter. The love letters from God is not only the Bible, we are also letters from God to others. Picture someone that you love the most. Try to feel your love for that person. Now, imagine a love that is a million times greater than that.... even that is still smaller than God's love for us.

If God wants to write a love letter for us, what would it be like? What would a perfect love letter be like? God's perfect love letter would be him presenting himself for only he is perfect.

The Scripture is one way for God to present himself. After all, many called the Scripture as a "love letter from God". However, how about us?

We are created in his image, therefore, it is God presenting himself in us. We are his love letters to others, called to show to what depth a relationship with Christ can lead.

With our free will, we can choose what kind of letter do we want to be, a love letter from God, or a hate manifesto born out of our own sins.

What kind of letter would you choose to be?

God bless you all,
Adrianus Indra Setiadi


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