The tip of the iceberg...

July 29th, as I was watching NHK news, Banri Kaieda, Japan's MInister of Economy, Trade and Industry, broke down crying. "I doesn't make any difference what happens to me." A member of the Liberal Democratic Party had been attacking him, calling him to step down. (Youtube in Japanese)

Some would criticize Kaieda, but I see this as merely the 'tip of the iceberg.' After the March 11 devastating earthquake, tsunami and then the prolonged dealing with the Fukushima nuclear plant, the stress continues to mount. And it is not only affecting the people of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate, but the nation as a whole.

Some may be indifferent, but those who are concerned are starting to break down. Kaieda did it on camera. I know that many Christians serving up there are starting to burn out. We know it is true with the people of the devastated area who have lost family, house and work. There is the the uncertainty of not knowing the future. It is affecting the whole nation.

I am reminded of Christ's word. 'Blessed are those who weep. For they will be comforted.' Matthew 5:4. Because of weakness, sin and trouble, there are those who weep. They are broken and humbled. So they can not look to themselves for help, but they look to the Creator and Savior Jesus Christ. And they find in Him true comfort.

Please continue to pray for Japan as a whole, for the needy of northeastern Japan and and for Japan's leaders. Do also remember my wife as she seeks to serve up there from in August. May Japan experience Christ's 'shalom.'

Kokubunji Christ Church

July 17th, I spoke at Kokubunji Christ Church from 1 Peter 1:10-12. If the the prophets and angels so value Christ and His gospel, we ought also to value it, carefully searching, inquiring and longing to look into this great salvation. Please pray that I, my family and the Kokubunji Church would glory in Christ and His grace.

'I will evacuate to the grave.'

"A 93-year-old woman, dejected over the ongoing nuclear crisis, was found hanged at her home in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, in late June, leaving behind suicide notes that said in part, 'I will evacuate to the grave. I am sorry.'" The Mainichi Daily

"When people are grieving, the feelings that lead to suicide are strong. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, suicide rates in the Tohoku region have gone up sharply. In Fukushima Prefecture, 217 people killed themselves in May. In 2010, there were 49 suicides there during the same month."　the Japan Times

View Youtube video: Suicide Plague- Japan swept by Fukushima depression.

Of Christ the scripture says, ”A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Matt. 20:20.

D.M. Lloyd-Jones comments on the above passage. “One of the most gracious words, I think, in the Gospels is that precious word spoken by our Lord where he quotes Isaiah and says, ‘The smoking flax he will not quench.’ When you look at that flax you may wonder whether there is any fire there at all; it seems absolutely lifeless. But it is all right- there is fire, there is something there; and the smoking flax He will not quench. He will, rather, fan it until it becomes a flame. Though you may have but little life, hold on to the fact that you have life, and thank God for it.”

Please pray that many* would serve the broken people in the Tohoku area with supernatural compassion and that the broken would put their hope in Christ. I am concerned that the hopelessness will affect other parts of Japan too. Pray that the church would be 'awakened' to Christ's grace and then show and proclaim it with great humility.

* My wife plans to serve up there August 8-12.

Soya Festival

July 16th, we enjoyed the local Soya Festival. While we were enjoying some 'kakigo-ri' (chopped ice w/ syrup), we enjoyed watching some dancing. One of our students (front right) is dancing too.

Checking out the stalls.　Did you notice Hosahna's 'kimono' - traditional Japanese dress?

I rise up and go forward on my journey

“There is nothing, then, that so enables me to overcome as that deliverance from sins and failure, from that sense of despair that tends to overwhelm me when I feel I have gone down and cannot rise again. The blood of Christ will cleanse me, and I rise up and go forward on my journey.” D.M. Lloyd-Jones, referring to I John 1:9, 2:1-2 and 5:4-5

Touching the elderly...

July 16th (Sat.), at a local elderly folks home, Naho played some Japanese traditional songs and the kids greeted the people. The last song Naho played was 'Amazing Grace' and we all sang it in English. We do this to teach the children to honor the 'weak.' I sense that the elderly are often very lonely. We teach the kids to greet them, touch them and smile. The elderly folks eyes brighten especially as they see the children. We don't preach, but we do it 'in Jesus' name.'

Out of his side

"So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." Genesis 2:21.

“Not made out of his head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”　Matthew Henry

English

We are blessed with a little under 30 English students. Kindergarten, 1st-3rd grade, 4th-6th grade and adult. Above is the kindergarten class. Since it is hot, after the class, the kids are enjoying popsicles. (The majority of our income comes from English and Naho's piano.)

People without Christ....

“People without Christ go to hell- if you really believe that you’ve got to take risks, take a chance and be prepared to fail.” Frank Retief

Jack of all trades.

As many of you know, pastors and missionaries have to be a 'jack of all trades.' I pray, preach, lead Bible studies, counsel, teach English, do correspondence, administrate and etc.. I also work on the house and yard- mowing, fixing and trimming, as above.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

That they may know God....

“Throughout Israel’s history, God’s purpose was that Israel should know him. This one of the most moving notes in biblical theology: the transcendent Creator, the only self-existent Being in the universe, wants his creatures to know him. Why? Because only through the knowledge of him is there any hope of our reaching the possibilities for which we were created. Thus in the Exodus God says that it is all in order that they may know him. Thus it was also in the establishment of Israel in the promised land, the return from exile, in the coming of Messiah, and now here in the culmination of all things at the end of the age. What is it that God’s activity on behalf of his people will teach? That he is the Savior, the Redeemer! All creation shouts of its Creator, of his beauty, his order, his power, and his truth. But what of God when his creatures have corrupted their way and turned his beauty to ugliness, his order to chaos, his power to oppression, and his truth to lies? Will he abandon us to our well-deserved fates? No, he will not. God is not only the Creator- he is the Savior… God, the Mighty One of Jacob…reaches out to us and offers us the means in the Servant-Messiah of transcending sin, failure, guilt, and shame.” John N. Oswalt

Joshua

Every week on Saturday evenings, Joshua practices basketball at his elementary school's basketball court. Haruki, thanks for the invite.

The person who meditates...

"Whoever does not meditate, is like someone who never looks in the mirror before going out, doesn't bother to see if he's tidy, and may go out dirty without knowing it. The person who meditates and turns his mind to God, who is the mirror of his soul, seeks to know his faults, tries to correct them, moderates his impulses, and puts his conscience in order."　Padre Pio

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2

Fumiko...

July 12th, a time with Naho's Mom- Fumiko Kimura. Italian food at Ducati. It was one me.

I will make your people come up.

'Jesus came in a dream and said to me, "Don't worry, I will make your people come up." ' Tissani, a Dalit teacher in India

Read more about what the Lord is doing in India, especially among the Dalits. India's Grassroots Revival | Christianity Today

Please pray that the Lord would do something very special here in Japan too. "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised." Psalm 113:3

Credibility

“There is a credibility that comes if you are consistent in your behavior, there is a credibility that comes if people see the gospel transforming you.” Tim Keller

Read Tim Keller's most recent book, Kings Cross- the story of the world in the life of Jesus. Amazon

Credibility for Christianity ultimately is Christ Himself. However, as we 'absorb' Christ Himself in the gospel and are transformed by it, our lives will draw people to Christ, even as we speak of Christ, both in word and deed. In this way, we will also have gospel credibility. Keller assists us by walking through the gospel of Mark.

Chernobyl and Fukushima...

The situation in Japan is 'shakey,' not unlike the March 11th earthquake. Politically, many in Japan are blaming Prime Minister Kan for the nuclear debacle. He will probably have to resign soon. However, it was TEPCO (the company that owns the reactors) that did not respond to Kan's urging to act quickly after the devastating tsuami. (The Associated Press: How first 24 hours shaped Japan's nuclear crisis) Even though the Japanese media did not mentioned it much, the US military acted quickly to help the victims, especially on the Island of Oshima. (Operation Tomodachi: Local Marine helps in Japanese quake, tsunami aftermath - Midland Daily News: News)

The situation continues to not only be 'shakey,' but even very dangerous. The radiation in certain parts of Japan, namely Fukushima, is too high for people to safely live. (YouTube - ‪Daily life in Fukushima: 'It was like visiting another universe'‬‏) A Greenpeace activist, Jan Beranek, says in the video, "I personally find it very disturbing, because on the one hand you see the Japanese authorities forcing people and society to get back to normal... And yet at the same time there are still extremely high levels of radiation and the contamination of the soil, and also potentially in the food.... This is just unbelievable because at those levels of exposure it certainly poses a risk to the lives and health of the people. If you draw a parallel to the Chernobyl disaster, then actually the Soviets decided to evacuate everyone living in the place, where radiation was three or four times lower than what we see in Fukushima City today.... We've actually forced the government to, for example, extend the monitoring of the sea. And we also hear that the government is now revising at least some of the protective measures for children, which is definitely good to see. Yet the government is too slow and doing too little." When we drove to the devastated area, we actually drove through this city of Fukushima. We were only there for minutes. The people who live there have been there for months.

Do pray for Japan! That real radiation data would get to the people, so that they would be able to make wise decisions. That the assistance the people need would get to the victims through His people and even through miraculous means. That the glory of Christ would be known and believed especially in the tsunami devastated areas of northeastern Japan.

Matsumoto earthquake!

My home town of Matsumoto, Nagano was recently hit by a 5.4 earthquake. My brothers Dan and Jon live there. Magnitude 5.4 quake jolts Nagano, leaving 11 injured | The Japan Times Online. They are safe. A few days ago, our home here in Takase was hit by a jolt. Nothing serious.

However, since the great 9.0 earthquake in northeastern Japan, various points on the Japanese archipelago have been hit by earth quakes. Northeastern Japan post 9.0 earthquake still is experiencing small tremors. As mentioned above, Matsumoto and our area of Shikoku. Chiba near Narita, Niigata on the Japan Sea, Okinawa, Shizuoka near Mt. Fuji, Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu, Shiga near Kyoto. It is extensive.

The extensiveness of the minor earthquakes, since the 9.0 earthquake, seems to speak of another 'big one' coming soon. Japan Earthquake Not the "Big One?" Please pray for Japan. The country is struggling as it is. If we are hit with another one, it would be devastating.

Please pray that the Japanese would gain their security not from 'broken cisterns,' but from the true and living God through Jesus Christ. Please pray that the Lord would revive His church in Japan to glory in Him and be quick to serve the needy. Please pray for our safety and wisdom to know how to meet the needs of the people in this vulnerable nation of Japan.

When we went to northeastern Japan April 11th, we served the Oginohama Elementary School (in the backround) with a hot meal. Their area was hit by a tidal wave of close to 15 meters. The village was totally devastated.

Only the power of the gospel itself....

“Those who call for a Christian assault on the worlds of politics and economics often make it clear…that the aim of the attack is to seize the levers of power and take control. We have seen many such successful revolutions, and we know that in most cases what has happened is simply that the oppressor and the oppressed have exchanged roles… The throne is unshaken, only there is a different person occupying it. How is the throne itself to be shaken?... Only the power of the gospel itself, announced in word and embodied in deed… The victory of the Church over the demonic power which was embodied in the Roman imperial system was not won by seizing the levers of power: it was won when the victims knelt down in the Colosseum and prayed in the name of Jesus for the Emperor.” Lesslie Newbigin