A Religious Canine

Doggy lives just across the street, in a mansion with spacious backyard and many fruit trees. He’s a good friend of mine, and he treats me as if I’m one of his masters. His owners are seldom home and the caretakers know almost nothing of canine health, so whenever I’ve got spare time, I’d go to his house to bathe him and give him his monthly dose of vermicide.
He loves every visit I give him because there’s no one around who pets him. I like befriending him -- he’s a very sweetly-disposed Dobermann and the most religious dog I’ve ever known.

Religious???

Oh, yes. Believe it or not, Doggy always prays five times a day!
Whenever the muadzin in our village's mosque begins chanting the adzan (prayer call), he would lift up his head and howl – and he won’t stop until the chant ends!
Sometimes, I am embarrassed when noting this habit of his, because I often forget to say my prayers!
“Shame on you!” I sometimes say to myself. “Even the neighbor’s Dobermann is more faithful in keeping the religious duty, though he’s got no idea what religion is!”

There are plenty of blessings in store for those who are faithful in keeping God’s law and requirements: the blessing of eternal salvation, the blessing in the afterlife, the blessing in the present life, the blessing of long life, the blessing of offspring, the blessing of prosperity, and the list goes on.
Nevertheless, amid the trials and sufferings of life, we sometimes falter and begin questioning whether or not God’s promises stand: the promise that He preserves the lives of those who are faithful to Him, the promise of His never-ending blessings.
God is not man that He should turn back on His word!

· Malachi 3:16-18 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

· Malachi 4:2 “But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.”

· Number 11:23b “Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not."

Take Doggy for instance!
This dog, who has never missed a single prayer for more than nine years (FYI, a Dobermann living over nine years of age is OLD), has had many companions before. But through all those years, he always outlives each and every companion he ever had: his mother, his old friends, even his young puppy-friends.

Last year, Doggy got run over by a speeding family wagon.
Guess what?
It didn’t kill him!
He managed to get up and walk home with a fractured leg. His owners didn’t take him to a vet, either. He recovers by nature.
Now he can run and play as before, as if nothing had ever happened.
He survives!
The Lord, who gives breath to all creations, is merciful to him.

Now, if that’s the way God rewards a canine for keeping the praying times, how much more will He reward us, “O, ye of little faith?”


UPDATE:
Doggy passed away out of incurable malignant tumor on a late, Thursday afternoon, October 13, 2011 -- at 12 years old.

Music and Wholesomeness

What can be more soul-nourishing than listening to Debussy’s CLAIRE DE LUNE with a cup of hot coffee-milk in front of you, an apple in one hand and a pen in the other, ready to pour ideas into a sheet of paper? At least, that’s what I’m doing at present.
Music is said to have influence on people’s soul and mind, and they in turn affect the wholesomeness of one’s physical aspects. Each kind of music brings about different effects, however. Studies in botany show that seeds exposed to soft, instrumental music tend to sprout and grow faster than those that are not. But seeds exposed to country music seem to show similar growth rate to those that are not given any portion of music of whatsoever. And, guess what happens when they’re exposed to rock-and-roll? They don’t grow much at all!
If that’s the case with plants, how much greater the influence music has on human beings! It doesn’t merely affect people’s mood, but health, character and social behavior as well.
In some hospitals’ maternity wards, they play soft, classical music in aiding women in labor. The effects such music brings upon laboring mothers include the diminution of pain and a more relaxed, favorable atmosphere that prove to be much help in the delivery process.
Classical, romantic and impressionist music might help accelerate post-surgery recuperation process and benefit patients with chronic illnesses. On the other hand, hip-hop, contemporary rock and rap are best to be avoided!
Like said above, every kind of music brings about different outcome. While some heal, others may degenerate health. Some music drive people to be clear-headed, but some spread the root of rebellion. It can be said that what you hear determines who you are and what you’ll become.
I, for instance, play Beethoven’s MOONLIGHT SONATA and love Ravel’s PAVANE POUR UNE INFANTE DEFUNTE. What does that make me, then?

De-expressing Our Faith

A careless driver zigzagged on the streets, endangering others and causing a bunch of people hurled curses at him/her. Upon arriving at the traffic light, we discovered that a pathetic sticker had been stamped on the rear window, saying: JESUS’ BELOVED’S ON BOARD!
Sounds familiar?
Here’s another example:
A young friend of ours stated in his Facebook profile that the Bible is his favorite book and serving the Lord is his activity. Not so long afterward, we found out that he’s a fan of Maria Ozawa (Japan notorious porn actress)!
Expressing our faith should never turn us into a laughingstock for the watching world – as in the cases of the above examples. When we proclaim our faith to others (no matter what we are – Moslems, Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, etc.) it is ultimately expected of us to live up to our faith! Many believers fail to understand that expressing one’s faith includes a great demand of living a prudent life in the eyes of the beholders. The failure in fulfilling this prime expectation will rank us no better than political campaigners!
Christians are demanded to have their light “SO SHINE before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by SO GREAT a cloud of WITNESSES, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our FAITH, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
As for you who are not Christians, take heed what Chuang Tzu once said, “If you cannot utter words more beautiful than silence, HUSH!”

Chandra Wilwatikta

Have you ever visited Taman Chandra Wilwatikta in Pandaan?
I have.
It’s located right in front of Dewi Sri Restaurant, on the border of Pandaan and Prigen (Pasuruan – East Java). You won’t miss the eye-catcher of the site: they’ve got a pack of deer confined right at the gateway. On weekends, parents take their children to see and feed these animals, as we often observe. In fact, the impression has taken root in my mind for years that I thought of the site as a sort of wildlife preservation.
I was badly mistaken!
Last week, I took a walk to the site and found out it’s got a main office, a large seminary room, a dining hall, some cottages, and an outdoor amphitheatre that can take in 1,000 audience! I took a long time strolling around the amphitheatre, wondering what could possibly have happened to the site. Grand and spectacular it must have been! Even the two gigantic giant statues and the two humongous banyan trees (one on each side of the theatre) seemed small compared to the whole stone seats surrounding them.
But now, the place seems to be deserted. Moss and thickets overgrow on the stony paths and isles. The breeze sweeping the leafy trees around it whispers the coldness and forlornness of the site, as if weeping and recalling a long lost past.
Chandra Wilwatikta used to be the centre of art exhibition in East Java, from dancing, theatre, and wayang orang to music concerts. But its popularity began to diminish post-monetary crisis in 1998. More and more interests were drawn toward the recuperation of East Java’s economic condition that eventually art lost its importance and became mere accessory. Chandra Wilwatikta was then abandoned.
Nowadays, it is mostly used to hold seminars and trainings for civil servants. On several occasions, it also holds dancing and concerts, but none too often. In the midst of East Java’s busyness and financial growth, the site lies dormant – as still as a slumbering giant…