Reinhard Gouw's Journal

It's an hour to new year.
 2011.
It's been a year full of great things, I learned so much things this year. I got to know God, and my self more too. Much love of Him has been popping and showing in my life.

One of the things I learned this year is that everything changes constantly. Environments, people around you, even yourself. Might not realize it, but we have our resolutions day by day. We're getting mature and mature, we start to learn how to avoid being bad. We learn our friends better. We do our talents better. These changes keep happening, 'till the end of our life. There's a quote saying, "The only thing that remains constant in this world is change."

For me, I have some resolutions for next year:
1) Give a time for God everyday, and always put Him on the first line before everything.
2) Workout routinely
3) Nicely arrange incomes and outcomes
4) Stop pleasing my lust
5) No overuse in computer
6) Sleep well

Some hopes as well.
Next year I'll be entering university life and I hope I will have a great life there and be blessing for everyone.
I hope I will be able to always control my emotions.
I hope I won't mess up like I always did these 3 years.

You know, if you got the chance to read this post, and realize that you're breathing; It means that He still has His work to be done on you. It means that you still have the chance to fix everything, to be a better person. It means mercy. It means He still considers you as a special one, that the world you're living in still needs you. People around you needs you. He needs you for His amazing plan for your life.

What do you plan for 2012?
All this time, it's this one question: Have you been living, or simply existing in this world?
We only live for awhile.
It's been 17 years for me and now, I think to live is to inspire.
Generally, we live to fulfill God's plan in our life. How do we know what His plan is? Search for Him, live to be close with Him. Spend a sharing time each day with Him. He doesn't need you to be praying 3 hours or more. He needs you to remember that He's beside you 24 hours a day, and you can talk to Him whenever you want. He is always there for you.

The world may offer greater and greater fun as the time passes, it's good, but not everything is useful.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. - 1 Corinthians 10:23
Doing fun things without purpose is time wasting.


For 2012, let's try to remove our bad habits, clear our sins, and let's LIVE.
This year was awesome. Let the next year starting be double awesome.
May you have a new chapter, and that*your life be renewed. May you share joy always with your family, friends, and yourself.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

God bless you.

You can ask anything about me. :) http://www.formspring.me/ReinhardGouw

It's the day in the year, the day of His birthday!

This is the first time for me to spend Christmas in another country, and in a Chatolic Church. Just an info, I'm a Christian, while my cousins are Chatolics, and our family's spending Christmas holiday with them so we followed them to the church. So, we went along with the religious service.

Started with worship songs, 15 mins before 25 December.. Then I suddenly cried, There was His presence there. I was glad that I was able to worship and come to Him. In my mind, "God, I am an awful sinner, a really awful one. Yet You are always there to forgive me, let me down your feet, call me Your son, and even love me.. You really are kind, Lord. I'm glad to have You as my Father, and I know that You are always with me, it's just that most of the time I ignored You. I'm sorry Lord for forgetting You through the day and put You aside. Thank You for still letting me feel Your presence and having You as my Father.."

Then I felt sorry that I didn't event really care about Christmas, all along the day I didn't even thought anything about the real Christmas. Just then I realize that it's the birthday of my Father. And I haven't prepared anything to give Him. "What should I present to You, Lord?" I couldn't take myself to commit anything, I was afraid I would disappoint Him, like I always did.. Then I just say, "I give up my arrogance to You, Lord. I give up my dirty minds, I give up all my sins to You. Sorry for being a burden in Your born day, and I'm putting my life in Your hands." That's all I could give, I don't have anything else..I'm just a sinner.

I had this thought, that this could be the last christmas, not just because all the bad prophecies on 2012, but any Christmas could be. He's really coming anyway.. I wanna be close to Him before the time comes. And I wanna get my dear ones to be close to Him so that they won't get lost, before it's too late. I hope that I won't mess myself up too..

World, thank Him for descending to this dirty place just to LOVE you, and for sacrificing Himself over to the pain of being crucified and humiliated. It's His birthday and let's give our best gift to Him, our LIFE. No more playing fun with this world, the time is not long anymore. Be sure You are in His hands when it all ends.

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Sorry for the serious talk but for me it's real talk, mate.
Hope we have a wonderful Christmas with everyone daring to us, and have a new chapter for the next awesome year. May our days always be bright, and JOY AROUND THE WORLD, unexceptionally! Rich, poor, bad, good, everyone.
The Baby King loves you! :)

Our personality shows who we are, and we often think that we are born with it. Or "Born This Way". No, actually it is made out of our daily basis. How we let our self do or feel something, will eventually create something out. It is how we respond to the things we face.

"Action turns into habit, habit turns into attitude, attitude turns into character."

We can create our self. Before you take an action, especially bad ones, stop a while and think. How do you feel if you see other people do that action? Do you want to be that kind of person in the future? If it is leading you to a bad personality, force yourself to stop. It is hard since our feeling is strong enough to make us do so, but actually it is NOT impossible to control our feeling, it's just hard.

Character is easily build when we were a kid, 'cause it's a phase where we absorb just about everything to build our mind. As human ages, his personality is hardens. While we are young, we can still build this personality of ours. It is part of searching who we really are.

Confession time. Here's a short story that makes me learn this.
These last 2 days I was extremely busied by some works. Arranging my high school farewell, shipping some goods, etc. And I was doing them all alone. I thought I had narrow time because I'm going to depart to Australia today. So along the days I was a touch-and-die machine. I was acting like this super busy guy. I talked with my family like I have no time for them. Then I thought to myself, was I really that busy just to have a friendly chat and with them? I remembered that I didn't like this one figure, someone close, he is always treating others ignorantly when he's busy, and easily gets mad. I realized that I was copying that person. If I keep letting myself act like that, I will turn exactly into that someone in the future.

The key is just to stop and think. Don't let your emotions and environments control you. You have the hold of yourself, and you're the one who makes you who you are in the future. Be sure to make it a great one.

Each person has their own portion.
We cannot make demand.
All we can do is do good things, make people happy.
It's not about the material.
It's about..love.
Not how much you wanna give, but how willing you are to give what you have.
Not everyone is born rich.
But it is certain that everyone is capable to spread love, be blessing.
Life isn't for our self.
Life is about finding the method to bless other poorer people, in material, and in soul.
How much are you willing to give?
How much is your value of life?
How many people can feel God's love through you?

A change on my future path happened about a month ago. When I was busied by UC Sense Dance Competition. By the way O4 got the 2nd place thanks to Him! We didn't thought we'd make it, 'cause it's not one of our best performances but God works so strangely that this was the result.
Here's the preliminary vid.. O4 at UC Sense Dance Competition - Prelims.
No more thinking and questioning, it's just one of His miraculous gift for us! :)

Back to the title, so it was about my next stage of life, the university life. I already chose Petra Christian university, in Communication Science major. Then, in a lazy night on Friday, mom said that UC called to offer a scholarship test. I ignored it till the next day. Then my friend told me to just try, at least trying would let me know how far I could achieve. The test was an essay test, writing about business idea, and how it brings the effect of psychology in it. Then the scores would lead to 3 results, grade A, grade B, and C. My mom and I made a condition. If I were able to achieve grade A, which means score above 90, I would enter UC. But if I got grade B or below, I would enter Petra. So on Saturday night, I called UC and registered for the test on Sunday morning.
Sunday morning, 5 a.m. I just got started to think about the business idea and noted them on my BB. It's a very long writing, about an oldie and vintage cafe & beauty, + a rehab. Then I was super ready. So I went to UC and at 8, the test began. The test wasn't exactly as I expected. It was to write three parts of writing, about the idea, the superior points of the idea, and the use of psychology in it. I started to get pessimistic about my writing, 'cause I should write it all over again in three parts! I should change the arrangements, and the words I used wasn't as perfect as the first writing on BB. The rule set that it should be about only one business idea. I had two right, a cafe and a rehab! Then I didn't care, I wrote things about the rehab on the back of the paper. And I asked the the tutor if the result could come out before 12 o' clock the following day, because I should pay for Petra before the bank closes at 3! He said the result should come out in a week, he couldn't promise to have it out tomorrow. Perfect.
I said to God, "God, the test wasn't as I expected, and the result actually should come out in a week. Now I leave it in Your hands, whatever the result is and when it comes out..You're the One to decide my path this time."
Then just the next day.. Suddenly a text from mom, saying congrats and humoring about setting up a party that night. Then another one from UC, saying that I got grade A!!!!!!!!! MEHN! It was a shocking and euphoric moment for me, 'cause I got to make my parents proud, make me proud, and mostly, that because it's an answer from GOD! I believe He's planning something BIG for me there. :)

You know, I asked God to help me choose my university since July. And no real tough answer in me. I thought it's always gonna be me to choose for myself. Then suddenly, an answer just in few days..that's freakin' awesome. And what I just realized is: 1) The idea of vintage cafe is from Kopitiam, a cafe where my mom took me to just a week before. 2) Preachings at church, just a few weeks before, after a long time I hadn't gone to church. Coincidence? No. I believe it's only one of His handworks for this answer.

What I learn here, is God answers your prayer if you keep believing and don't stop praying. Even in the last seconds.. He'll do. And when you get that answer, it will feel extraordinary, 'cause it's God's answer, and that you get to know that it's His plan for you..His plans are absolutely amazing for sure, He's a daring God and Father anyway. When you know that He arranges your path, you won't be afraid to get lost anymore. He's walking with you in every steps of the way as long as you hold on to Him. He's just all wonderful! :)






     UC, I'm coming your way!