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Jerusalem יְרוּשָׁלַיִם القُدس , the Holy City

Friday, August 7, 2009 at 10:22pm

This portion of the lyric of the song Holy City stuck in our minds each time we mention Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim) (Arabic: القُدس al-Quds)

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Lift up your gates and sing,
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna to your King!

This is the city where our Lord triumphantly enters on Palm Sunday, the city where the Lord has His last supper, the city where our Lord was arrested by the temple guards, faced the trial in front of Sanhedrin and then from Pontius Pilatus, the city where our Lord was sentenced to death but not before He suffered the sadistic flagellation and crowned with thorns, carried His cross along Via Dolorosa and the city where our Lord was crucified and later resurrected on the third day, gave us the Holy Spirit and our great commission before He ascended up to heaven.

We pray for peace in this holy city and for the Christians brothers and sisters here to be able to live in their homes, own lands and freely worship and practice their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour
Abba Immanu'el
Undeserved Forgiven Sinner

An article on Pope Benedict XVI visit to the Holy Land, May 2009

created by Ashraf Abdalla Dabain, 19 Feb 2009

زيارة وتبعات ما قبل الزيارةمع الاعلان الرسمي لزيارة الحبر الروماني للاردن فلسطين واسرائيل في شهر آيار القادم فتحت شهية المقالات والتعليقات على الخبر في المواقع الالكترونية العربية إخبارية كانت ام منتديات او حتى مواقع التعارف والتسليه. ان المطلع على هذه التعليقات او المقالات ليرى تشابهاً فيما بينها شكلاً ومضموناً وكان شخص واحد يكتبها هنا وهناك وبأسماء مختلفه. فالغالبية العظمى من هذه التعليقات تدين الزيارة وتتهم البابا بالعدائية للاسلام والعرب لا بل لقد وتمادى البعض منهم ليفتح مواضيع دينية ونقدية هجومية على المسيحية كدين والتهجم على الرموز المسيحية المقدسة ومن هذه التعليقات نقتطف بعضاً منها :" بإذن الله .. سيستعيد المسلمون فلسطين ... ولن تحلم بأن تطأها أقدامك ... طالما قلت أن فلسطين لليهود والمسيحيين دون المسلمين ؟!!! ستعض أصابعك ندما أنت أو الباباوات الذين من بعدك على ما فعلتموه ... ثم هل كان عيسى عليه السلام يلبس هذه الملابس التي تلبسونها من الحرير و الذهب وما لا عين رأت ؟!!"" الذين روجوا لما سمي بحوار الأديان ، واهمون ، فعلى أي أساس سنتحاور مع اليهود ، الذين يقتلون ويغتصبون وينتهكون الحرمات ، كل هذا باسم دينهم ، فأين هي الأرضية المشتركة بيننا وبين النصارى الذين يستهزئون من نبي الإسلام عليه الصلاة والسلام برسوماتهم وكتابتهم ، ولم نر استنكارا من كنائسهم"" من اين تاتيه العظمة انتم لم تصفوا هذا الوصف للقرضاوي لماذا تصفوه للباباهم او مجرد شي قالها الله سبحانه وتعال "لن ترضي عنك اليهود والنصارى حتى تتبع دينهم"" فهذا الشخص أساء كثيرا للمسلمين والأردن اليوم بلد اسلامي هاشمي يضم نصارى شرفاء وهم أهل ذمة وانا متأكد أن نشامى الأردن من العرب النصارى لا يرضون أبدا بزيارة من أساء للمسلمين"" اريد ان انبه الى خطا شائع الى الذين يقولون حوار الاديان فلا يوجد هناك شىء يسمى اديان باستتناء الدين الاسلامي. والمسيحية واليهودية ليست الا شرائع سماوية استنادا لقول الله جل جلاله (ان الدين عند الله الاسلام) وقوله ايضا (ما كان ابراهيم يهوديا ولا نصرانيا ولكن كان حنيفا مسلما )اما بخصوص هذا البابا الذي هو اعظم شخصية عند المسيح فالله سبحانه وتعالى يقول ( ان كثيرا من الاحبار والرهبان لياكلون اموال الناس بالباطل)"وغيرها الكثيرلا يمكن للقارئ هذه التعليقات وغيرها الكثير الا ان يؤكد انها موجه مجنونه ومسعوره قد بدأت ولا نعلم متى ستتوقف... لقد بدأت كحملة منظمة ضد البابا وزيارته ولكنها في طياتها حملة متحامله على المسيحية ورموزها... التي تطالها الاساءة يومياً في المواقع الالكترونية العربية والاسلامية دون ان تجد من يشير اليها لا من قبل المسيحيين العرب او من الغرب...ودون ان نسمع عن جهة ما تهدد وتعربد وترهب بسبب هذه الاساءات ضد المسيحية ورموزها.ولا يقتصر الموضوع على العرب...فحتى اسرائيل بدأت حملتها ضد البابا بعد الاعلان الرسمي مباشرة:فالقناة العاشرة الاسرائيلية بثت برنامجاً عن قداسة البابا الراحل يوحنا بولس الثاني صورته فيها كشاذ جنسي كما شملت حملتها الكنيسة الكاثوليكية والعقائد المسيحية... وطال النقد والتجريح والاساءة البابا بندكتوس نفسه بصفته معادي للسامية بعد ان اصدر قراراً بسحب الحرمان ضد اربعة اساقفة منهم واحد رفض الاعتراف بمحرقة اليهود ايام النازية ولقراره السير بتكريم البابا بيوس الثاني عشر وثم التراجع عنه تحت ضغط اللوبي الصهيوني.فإذا كانت الهجمة المنظمة من طرفي النقيض العرب واليهود تستقبل خبر زيارة البابا للاراضي المقدسة بشقيها الشرقي والغربي فماذا سيكون ردة الفعل عند زيارته الفعلية؟ما دورنا نحن مسيحيو الشرق رغم انقسامنا الطائفي؟طرف يقول انه على البابا إلغاء زيارته او على الاقل تأجيلها بسبب الكراهية العمياء له شخصياً ولموقعه وللدين الذي ينادي به.وطرف وانا منهم نشجع على الزيارة ونؤيدها لماذا؟لانه لا بد ان نثبت لمن هم حولنا من عرب ويهود اننا نحن كمسيحيين لنا وجود في هذا الشرق منذ عشرين قرناً واننا كمواطنين كاملي المواطنية ويجب ان نكون كاملي الحقوق واننا لسنا اهل ذمة او عبيد او ضيوف في هذا البلد وفي هذا الشرق... شاء من شاء وأبى من أبى.اشرف الضباعين
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additional info:
Pope to Visit Jordan Mosque During Holy Land TourAMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI will visit Jordan's largest mosque during his first papal tour of the Holy Land in May, a local Roman Catholic priest said Tuesday.The Pope's stop at the Hussein bin Talal Mosque in Amman will be his second visit to a Muslim place of worship since becoming pope in 2005, said Rifat Bader, a Catholic priest in Jordan who is the spokesman for the Jordanian leg of the Pope's Holy Land tour. In 2006, Pope Benedict prayed at Turkey's famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul."He will also meet there with Muslim leaders and religious scholars at the mosque, underlining the coexistence between religions," Bader told The Associated Press.The mosque, built in outskirts of Amman nearly four years ago, is named after the late King Hussein, who died in 1999.Jordan will be the Pope's first stop on the Holy Land tour from May 8-15, Bader said. He will also travel to Israel and the West Bank, making stops in cities including Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Bader said discussions were under way to possibly add Gaza on the Pope's itinerary.During his three-day stay in Jordan, the Pope will also visit Biblical sites including Mount Nebo, where Moses had first seen the promised land, and a spot on the Jordanian River, where Jesus had been baptized, Bader said.The Pope also plans to hold a public Mass in Jordan, where 3 percent of the country's 5.8 million people are Muslims.Pope Benedict will then travel to Israel, where President Shimon Peres is expected to escort him. Bader said the Pope will stop at the recently renovated Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum during his visit to Jerusalem and will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.The late Pope John Paul II came to the Holy Land in a 2000 pilgrimage, visiting Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.The visit to the Mideast comes at a time of strained relations between the Vatican and Israel. The fragile relations worsened last month when the German Pope reinstated an excommunicated bishop who has questioned the extent of the Holocaust. Pope Benedict later condemned the bishop's remarks and spoke out against anti-Semitism.Relations between the Vatican and the Muslim world have also been tense in recent years. In 2006, Pope Benedict made remarks on Islam and holy war during a speech in Germany that angered many Muslims, leading him to backtrack and declare himself "deeply sorry."
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and then my reply on this is as follows:
Ephesians 4:2-16 (New International Version)2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.8 This is why it says:"When he ascended on high,he led captives in his trainand gave gifts to men.9 "What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
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Immanuel Aritonang, my firstborn, my handsome son

At long last I have a son.

My beautiful wife Lola gave birth to my firstborn on the night of April 13th, 2009 in St Elisabeth.
I have waited for a son for God knows how long. At this moment, time after time I can only smile at their lovely faces and wonder what have I done so right to deserve such a blessings.
Blessings do come in floods of happiness -that is what the Holy Bible tells us.
Now and forever, nobody can say any less than Abba Immanu'el to address myself, while Mama Immanuel to address my wife Lola.

Immanuel was born 4.2kg and with length of 52 centimeters.
Yes, Lola delivered him on caesarean section in St Elisabeth. Nobody can deliver such a big baby normally under the circumstances.

Little that we know about Immanuel problem arriving in this world. For we always check with dr. Zuherdy but found no problem prior to the last check.
Initially we were scheduled to have the birth on 23 February 2009 but after 2 weeks of induced birth nothing happens. Immanuel was not going anywhere, still playing and moving around but no sign of prenatal activities.
So when the time comes for our "2nd overdue obgyn check" the doctor gave 2 choices for us.
1. to go to operating room immediately and undergo Caesarean Section
2. to go to delivery room and induce birth by way of drug injection
Either way Immanuel's placenta has already turn white because of the increase in calcium.

But the clinch here: Immanuel for sure was tangled in his own abdominal cord. If Lola and I chose to induce his birth by drug injection, Immanuel would have been strangled to death on the delivery room.

But Lola my beautiful and daring wife, cried her heart out for 2 minutes and then bravely choose the Caesarean Section. Sitting beside her I was dumbfounded and tears welled up in my eyes.

We are not mentally prepared for this, absolutely not. People take 1 whole week to mentally prepare for any operation and on the last night before any operation people always 'fast' in order to remove gastric effect post operation.

But no, Lola bravely went back to the reception desk to check in for immediate operation and walked with me to the Emergency room in order to have the IV inserted into her vein.

Wincing from the pain, she was wheeled into the delivery room to prepare her for the Caesarean. Clothes bundled into her bags and all forms filled up, she was then given initial sedation there.

I said our prayers with Lola and Immanuel and then ask our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to have His will in this instance of our lives. Ending with the Lord's prayer I said let's get it on to Lola on the wheeled bed. It was 2100 hours Monday night on 13 April.

21.15 hours, dr. Zuherdy walked by and smiled to our stressed faces, sitting on the floor of that hospital. With me was my brother Edward and both my mother Ria and my mother in law Risma. All silenced and feel daunted. All our hearts in our mouth. Nobody in their right mind was up to this, we were coming in for check up and instead prolonged into the night waiting outside the operating room.

Come 21.45 an empty baby box was wheeled into the operating room. Sure enough, we run up and find a beautiful and big baby boy was there sleeping. "This is Mrs. Lola's baby" said the nurse. "You got that right, sister - that is my baby boy there". Ehehehe, Immanuel was fast asleep, exhausted after the operation. Cleaned up afterwards we could not believe how handsome he is, there in the baby room. Big boy, 4.2 kilos and 52 cm, shouting at the top of his lungs ordering the nurse to bring him his milk on the double.

Meanwhile Lola was in the operating room for another 2 hours and it was 23oo hours when we received her outside the operating room, still heavily under anaesthetics and thus accompany her regaining consciousness in the ward. Not long, by 0200 she drowsily was asking me where Immanuel is sleeping to which I answered there in the next room but he shall be with us in the morning. Ah, she hold my hands, smiled her beautiful smile and said "I am so happy, we have a success and Immanuel is here with us, I am not going to sleep my husbang because I am so happy"

Now, 15 May 2009 Immanuel has passed his 1 month and he is learning to adjust his vision and enhance his hearing ability. Lola and I are so proud of our Immanuel. Such a handsome boy, such a genius, such a strong leader.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Jesus Christ has answered our humble prayers.
Amen, amen and amen

Bethlehem Border, West Bank, 1 June 2008

From Indonesia,We were in the Bethlehem IDF border wall security embankment one day early last June, passing the wall in order to return to Jerusalem to continue our prayer and pilgrimage at Via Dolorosa, one of the agenda for that day.We didn't know that the IDF border guard was looking for somebody specific returning back from Bethlehem or going to Jerusalem. There is where this thing happens.Our bus was redirected to the border control parking lot and we got down for the passport check and x-ray. Everybody in that 30+ people group is not sure what is happening because we have been going and returning to the Intercontinental Hotel in Bethlehem without any problem whatsoever for the past 5 days.In the confusion, my wife mistakenly put her wristwatch on the conveyor without putting it on a plastic basket. Surely enough, her watch got stuck and the conveyour was jammed. I told the IDF soldier to stop the conveyor machine in order for us to retrieve the watch.Unfortunately for us, the IDF girl scout didn't understand this simple english and instead call another IDF soldier to come forward and check what is wrong, which leads to my talking to her from across the thick heavy plastic partition.This IDF grunt just shouted at us to get back then ask the conveyor x-ray operator what is wrong. He then proceed to talk to me rudely shoving his automatic assault rifle in my face. Wrong choice boyo.I shouted back at him and at his sargeant at the gangplank 3 meters above and to his fellows squad members nearing up to where we all stand. Getting my wife’s watch intact from the conveyor and still in good condition I kept on shouting on these people for a good 5 minutes.It is just unbelievable how these youngsters act toward Christian pilgrims, US dollar paying ones, who happens to be a respected visitor in this holy land. Even Achmed the bedou up in Sinai respect his visitors.That settled, the IDF soldiers was harshly admonished by their sargeant above and got back to their stations with their tails behind their legs. We are all released from the underground security checks after the sargeant apologize profusely. Our driver Sameer just laugh his ass off and would told his friends about the whole commotion. I was informed later by the IDF major running our security that Shin Beth was trying to catch an individual known to have attacked a watchtower with stones and bee bee guns. Imagine that, they are trying to catch a delinguents- when their intell on Hezbollah and Hamas cannot be more shallowWow, I told him -we are Indonesian Christians who live day by day in a third world country violence and mayhem, anybody shouted at you and point their rifles to our face ought to know better and do better. Indonesians Christians stands to and never retreats, let alone by these green 18 year old rambo wanabees