I urge upon you communion with Christ....

"I urge upon you communion with Christ a growing communion. There are curtains to be drawn aside in Christ that we never saw, and new foldings of love in him. I despair that I shall ever win to the far end of that love, there are so many plies in it. Therefore dig deep, and sweat and labor and take pains for him, and set by as much time in the day for him as you can. We will be won in the labor." Samuel Rutherford

Pain and pleasure

“He whose heart is kind beyond all measure,

Gives unto each day what He deems best-

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.”

Hymn Day by Day, Karolina Sandell-Berg

Vince Lambardi

“It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you're not a winner.”

“It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.... The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”

“I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.”

"No, in all these things* we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37

* In the context 'these things' are trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, angels, demons, present, future, powers, height, depth, anything else in all creation.

Happy birthday, Naho!

Hosahna gave Naho some cute children's books for her birthday. All wrapped up (below).

On the wrapping Hosahna wrote in Japanese. Can you read it? "To Mommy, I will give you Jesus' book. From Hosahna. I love Jesus! I love Mommy! Happy birthday."

He draws us out of our isolation and alienation

“The Holy Spirit is the one who transforms us from a collection of individuals into a fellowshipping people. In conversion, he draws us out of our isolation and alienation. In so doing, he knits us together as one people. Indeed, there arises among us a oneness which is nothing less than the unity of the Spirit himself.” Stanley Grenz

Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

My life is dead and hidden in Christ.

Kefa Sempangi… had been pastor of the 14,000- member Redeemed Church in Uganda when Idi Amin (left picture) held control of this country as a ruthless dictator. On Easter morning 1973, more than seven thousand people gathered from miles around to celebrate. Kefa ministered most of the day; when the service and events were complete, he pushed his way through the crowd and arrived at the place where he was staying. He quickly noticed that several men had entered his room and had closed the door behind them. They were Amin’s assassins.

The tallest of the men pointed his rifle in Kefa’s face and told him that they were going to kill him. However, he was going to allow Kefa to share some final words.

Kefa could only stare at this man in shock and unbelief. Fear gripped his soul. But suddenly, he regained his composure and uttered words that could only have come from God’s supernatural guidance:

I do not need to plead my own cause. I’m a dead man already. My life is dead and hidden in Christ. It is your lives that are in danger. You are dead in your sins. I will pray to God that after you have killed me, He will spare you from eternal destruction.

Hearing these words, the hatred in these men’s faces changed to curiosity. The leader directed them to drop their rifles, and they asked Pastor Kefa if he’d pray for them- right then. Amazed and bewildered, Kefa began to pray for their eternal salvation.

When Kefa completed what was a very simple and direct prayer, Amin’s men turned to leave, assuring him of their protection. In fact, these men later became believers and eventually assisted Pastor Kefa and his family in their escape from Uganda.

That evening as Kefa drove home, he was deeply puzzled but had joy in his heart.

Discipleship....

“Discipleship simply means the life which springs from grace.” Clifford Williams

Want of a devotional habit

"There is a manifest want of spiritual influence on the ministry of the present day. I feel it in my own case and I see it in that of others. I am afraid there is too much of a low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us. We are laying ourselves out more than is expedient to meet one man's taste and another man's prejudices. The ministry is a grand and holy affair, and it should find in us a simple habit of spirit and a holy but humble indifference to all consequences. The leading defect in Christian ministers is want of a devotional habit."　Richard Cecil

Charity Concert

June 12th, The Takamatsu Community Church had a Charity Concert with two groups singing. Christ was honored through the gospel music. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, I explained that it is the amazing grace of Christ that motivates us to give to the poor and serve the needy. Luke 10:33, Christ sees us in our condition, feels compassion and gives His very life. The funds will be given to Food for the Hungry.

Be patient

"The man who knows he's going to live for eternity can afford to be patient." Moishe Rosen

The most extraordinary work....

“To bless the people who have oppressed our spirits, emotionally deprived us, or in other ways handicapped us, is the most extraordinary work any of us will ever do.” Elizabeth O’Connor

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.... Do not repay anyone evil for evil.... If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:14-21

Through the comprehensive faith in the saving work of Christ

“Those who are not secure in Christ cast about for spiritual life preservers with which to support their confidence, and in their frantic search they cling not only to the shreds of ability and righteousness they find in themselves, but they fix upon their race, their membership in a party, their familiar social and ecclesiastical patterns, and their culture as means of self-recommendation. The culture is put on as though it were armor against self-doubt, but it becomes a mental straitjacket which cleaves to the flesh and can never be removed except through the comprehensive faith in the saving work of Christ.” Richard Lovelace

Your religion....

“Your religion is what you do with your solitude.” William Temple

“In other words, the true god of your heart is what your thoughts effortlessly go to when there is nothing else demanding your attention. What do you enjoy daydreaming about? What occupies your mind when you have nothing else to think about? Do you develop potential scenarios about career advancement? Or material goods such as a dream home? Or a relationship with a particular person? One or two daydreams are no indication of idolatry. Ask rather, what do you habitually think about to get joy and comfort in the privacy of your heart?”　Timothy Keller

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

Saved by bookkeeping

“If the world could have been saved by bookkeeping, it would have been saved by Moses, not Jesus.” Robert Farrar Capon

A proud man...

‘A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.’ C.S. Lewis