Kokubunji Christ Church

January 30th, Naho and I both served at Kokubunji Church. We all felt very 'at home.'

Naho is playing the piano with the kids 'singing.'

Mr. Kawamura is leading the worship.

I'm preaching from Esther. "If I die, I die,' Esther 4:16. Esther was willing to give her life for her people to deliver them. However, her Messiah our Savior actually gave His life that we might be saved.

Joy...

”Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” Mother Teresa

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galations 5:22-23

Kamitakase Elementary School

January 25th, I taught two conversational English classes at Kamitakase Elementary School- the school my kids go to. Shane was in one of the classes. We worked on vocabulary about the weather and food. We also played Simon Says. "May the Lord bless this school and may He be glorified there."

"...not to act from party attachments..."

An EXCERPT FROM SERMON PREACHED BEFORE HIS EXCELLENCY SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, GOVERNOR AND THE HONORABLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT

BY JONATHAN EDWARDS, D. D. CONVENED AT HARTFORD

ON THE DAY OF THE ANNIVERSARY ELECTION

MAY 8TH, 1794

“And let me beseech you to remember, that you also have a master in heaven, to whom you, as well as the rest of men, must give an account. The only way to gain his approbation is, to keep a conscience void of offence, and in your political transactions not to act from party attachments and private connections, not to practice intrigue to serve your own interests or those of your friends; but to endeavour to serve the public in the best manner according to your capacity and opportunity. In so doing you will appoint to the several executive offices, men of knowledge and discretion; men that fear God and hate covetousness; men who will be just and rule in the fear of God. By the promotion of such men, virtue will be encouraged and vice will be restrained; by their official proceedings, law and justice will be executed, and “judgment will run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream,” even that righteousness which exalteth a nation. Then shall our political interests be in a prosperous state; then shall we be that happy people whose God is the Lord.”

Naho's delicious pizza!

January 22 (Sat.), we enjoyed Naho's delicious pizza with our friends- the Moriyamas. We enjoyed a good talk with them about the struggles of youth in Japan and the gospel as the kids played together.

Better to remain silent....

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln

"Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him." Proverbs 29:20

Read Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith and Courage, Joe Wheeler

Thou are my loveliness....

“Thou are my loveliness, my life, my light, Beauty alone to me.”　Poet George Herbert

This is the answer to the question Tim Keller asks: “Who can I turn to who is so beautiful that he will enable me to escape all counterfeit gods?”

Counterfeit Gods: the empty promises of money, sex, and power, and the only hope that matters. Tim Keller.

"They will become one flesh."

January 10, Naho and I enjoyed a regional meeting with other Christians.

The kids enjoyed the science rooms in the same building.

Naho's cousin, Junko, sang with the praise team.

Pastor Mizutani* spoke on "Love and Sex." They key verse was "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh," Genesis 2:24.

My thoughts: The husband and wife are not to 'use' each other. But as Christ loved the church especially as seen at the cross and the two experience this love, they will truly love and honor each other. Here is the gospel marriage. And this message needs to be heard in Japan. The gospel of Christ can transform lives, marriages and society.

* Pastor Mizutani is a representative of a pro-life ministry in Japan.

If the heart be chiefly and directly fixed on God...

"If the heart be chiefly and directly fixed on God, and the soul engaged to glorify him, some degree of religious affection will be the effect and attendant of it. But to seek after affection directly and chiefly; to have the heart principally set upon that; is to place it in the room of God and his glory. If it be sought, that others may take notice of it, and admire us for our spirituality and forwardness in religion, it is then damnable pride; if for the sake of feeling the pleasure of being affected, it is then idolatry and self-gratification." Jonathan Edwards

* I recommend Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. I have read it and I will read it again.

Skating

January 4th, the kids enjoyed some skating in Miki town....

Hosahna

Joshua

Shane

....while Naho and I enjoyed some 'coffee' at Gusto.

"You must be my witnesses in Jerusalem..."

Pastor Tim Keller writes of the importance of reaching out to the primary cities of the world. "In today’s globalized world, cities will exercise more power than nations in the previous age." He refers to Foreign Policy's cover story Beyond City Limits by Parag Khanna.

"The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city. In an age that appears increasingly unmanageable, cities rather than states are becoming the islands of governance on which the future world order will be built."

"New York and London together still represent 40 percent of global market capitalization. But look at the economic map today, and a major shift becomes apparent. Asia-Pacific financial hubs such as Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, and Tokyo are leveraging globalization to spur an accelerating Asianization.”

However, most cities with “stunning high-rises are surrounded by ungodly scenes of destitution and squalor…. They are both the cancer and the foundation of our networked world, both virus and antibody.”

“Cities are where we are most actively experimenting with efforts to save the planet from ourselves…. Vertical farming, long in vogue in Tokyo, is spreading to New York.”

“Asia's rising powers sell the West toys and oil and purchase world-class architecture and engineering in return. [But]Western values like freedom of speech and religion are not part of the bargain.”

So we must bring the gospel of Christ to them through intercession, giving and personel. Paul clearly focused on cities and went to Rome- the most primary city of the western world- to preach Christ to Caesar. Acts 23:11, "The Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'" "Christ and Him crucified" is the only way "to save the planet from ourselves."

Christmas and New Year's Day

It is interesting to compare the Japanese and US holiday season. Both celebrate Christmas and the New Year in some form, but the emphasis is different. In the US, schools get out the week of Christmas, but our kids here in Japan went to school on Christmas Eve. Schools in the US have already started school (4th), but our kids start school next week (the 11th). In the US, "Merry Christmas" is a common greeting, but when we went to a Japanese church on the 1st of January, most people came up to me and in what Americans would call 'formal,' bowed and said, "Happy New Year!" In the US, Christmas is emphasized and in Japan the New Year is emphasized.

Pict: We are eating "osechi" at Grandma Kimura's home in Takamatsu.

Missionaries and the Internet

"The real danger is it (the internet) can take you away from the people you've gone to serve.... It's really a huge distraction." Kurt Selles

"If you're homesick, it's easy to keep writing home (via e-mail) instead of being well-connected where you are." Nita Zelenak

"They can be consumed with (internet) communication and not be about their main task.... But that's not a problem that is simply for personnel overseas. That is a challenge we face in our everyday lives." Wendy Norvelle

Read full article For Many Missionaries, More Tech Means Shorter Furloughs from magazine Christianity Today

Pict: the David Junkers