Carpe Diem

As many of you know, I am now in Bali, pastoring a wonderful and rapidly growing community here. While I am excited to embrace Bali’s unique culture and slower pace of life, I must admit that, even after a few months, I still find myself operating in the fast-paced rhythm of Singapore. Katanya hidup di Bali santai, selow, banyak bengong liat pantai sambil hirup teh chamomile. Yah, terus-terang saja itu semua blom pernah terjadi sejak datang sampai hari ini, ke pantai cuma 3 kali kyknya dan ga dalam situasi yang tenang tapi dengan kafein sedang kencang-kencangnya ha!.

Ngapain ajah di Bali? Nah, pertanyaan bagus. Aku terus ketemuan orang—one on one, one on two, two on two, two to many, one to many—you name it, I’ve done it. Ngapain? Pertanyaan bagus lagi. Ngobrol. Ngobrolin apapun but ministry. I don’t really concern myself with other people’s ministries, that’s personal. What I care about is the people themselves—their lives, how they’re coping with struggles and problems. Yes, being a believer doesn’t make life free of challenges, but the difference is that we have God and a sure hope.

My role in the midst of all that? To be a friend. Sometimes a debate partner, sometimes just someone who listens. At times a mentor, other times a coach, and sometimes simply a buddy to hang out with.

So, do these meetings have no agenda? Oh, they definitely do. Discipleship is a relationship with an agenda. The agenda is to help people grow into the best version of themselves. Cliché? Maybe. Pokoknya saya hampir ga pernah bahas pelayanan saat one on one, kalo bahas pelayanan jatuhnya meeting bukan one on one. Saya tanya hidupnya, keluarganya, anaknya, mimpi-mimpinya, pergumulannya. I am energized to build people’s life, not people’s ministry apalagi my own. And as far as I know, the Bible is pretty clear: Go, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. Gitchu.

Well, it’s not like I have all the knowledge and experience when it comes to church growth. But hey, this is my blog, right? I can write whatever I want, and it’s totally up to you whether you read it or just skip through. No pressure, hahaha. In my experience as a pastor, there’s nothing quite as impactful as those one-on-one conversations—ngalor ngidul ngobrolin hidup dan mimpi-mimpi. That’s where the real depth of connection happens.

Banyak orang suka dengan jurus atau formula tertentu sebagai kunci dari pertumbuhan. Well pertumbuhan itu kuncinya di proses, tidak ada proses yang mudah, murah dan cepat menghasilkan sesuatu yang baik, tahan lama dan susah ditiru. Kalo prosesnya lama, one on one, one by one hasilnya pasti lama. Tapi juga tahan lama dan tahan uji. Dalam pelayanan Tuhan Yesus, dia punya “jurus” untuk orang-orang yang tidak begitu dekat, kerumunan orang kalo bahasa Alkitabnya. Tuhan juga punya hubungan dengan yang Dia panggil murid-muridnya. Dia makan, tidur, melaut, traveling, dan mengajar bersama-sama mereka. At the end of the day yang punya impartasi lebih besar tentu saja yang terus bersama-sama dengan Dia.

Buat saya pertumbuhan itu bagian Tuhan, tugas saya cuma menanam dan menyiram, saya suka bagian saya, menanamkan benih Firman dalam hidup orang, dan ketemu over meals or coffee untuk menyirami benih yang pernah ditanam itu. Making sure benihnya tumbuh dengan baik. For me, that’s pastoring. That’s what I do, and I love doing what I am doing now.