A band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake

“The church is… made up of natural enemies. What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together… because they have all been saved by Jesus Christ and owe him a common allegiance… They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.” Don Carson

Preaching

“There is no room for a preaching devoid of ethical directness and social passion, in a day when heaven’s trumpets sound and the Son of God goes forth to war.” James Stewart

I can already sit at the banqueting table

“We taste the first fruits, so that here on earth, according to this promise (of life eternal), I can begin the great feast that will keep me through the countless ages of all eternity. What a wonderful truth, that here in this world of time I can already sit at the banqueting table and begin to partake and go on without end.” D.M. Lloyd-Jones

Naho: To Tohoku & back

Tohoku is the area that was devastated by earthquake and tsunami. Naho left August 8th and came back the 12th. *All picts were taken by Naho.

The church they stayed in while up in Higashi Matsuyama city.

One of the devastated homes.

Naho and team worked on this home. They first day they cleaned the yard. Then the following two days they worked on the house. They not only worked on the building, but comforted the owner by listening to her, praying for her, hugging her and giving her a portion of the Bible.

News: As I was watching TV last night, we were made aware that the Tohoku area is still being hit by earthquakes (Quake strikes off Japanese coast).

Again in the news, "Not so many people think of killing themselves shortly after such a massive disaster, because they feel grateful to have survived," said Hisao Sato, head of Kumo No Ito, a suicide prevention and counselling group. "But as time goes by, people start to consider suicide as they face the reality, lose momentum and feel tired and discarded, while support from the outside diminishes. You can't live on hope alone." (Suicides stalk Japan disaster zone)

Please continue to pray for Japan.

For the love of God

"I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God."　Mother Teresa

Cry to God for their ministers

"If some Christians, that have been complaining of their ministers, had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers -- had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them -- they would have been much more in the way of success."

Jonathan Edwards

Part of my job description!

Part of my job description! It's been pretty hot this year too. The yard is pretty big for Japan.

Nothing less than the life of Jesus Christ

“The life that is offered to us is nothing less than the life of Jesus Christ; the life you see in Him is the life that He offers.” D.M. Lloyd-Jones

Nelson and Easter

A few Sundays ago, Nelson and Easter blessed our Takase Church with their presence. We enjoyed some pizza after the worship. "Thank you Nelson and Easter for coming!" Please pray that the Lord would bless their weekly fellowship with other Filipinos.

Joy

“When joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul. Pessimism is at best an emotional half-holiday; joy is the uproarious labor by which all things live.” G. K. Chesterton

Japanese TV ads with US celebs

Check out these entertaining Japanese TV ads with American celebrities. 11 most ridiculous Japanese ads with American celebs – The Marquee Blog - CNN.com Blogs. CNN picked up on a most curious part of Japanese society. Celebs like Sylvester and Arnold doing some crazy things. They missed Tommy Lee Jones though. He does these very amusing ads on Boss Coffee. He' an alien, learning about Japanese society. Alien Jones Complete Series for Can Coffee BOSS CM‬‏ - YouTube It can give you some insight into unique areas of Japanese habits. Can you figure them out?

Concerned, but not too excited

“Christians must never become too excited about politics, and for this reason, that they know perfectly well that there is no solution to the ultimate problem of mankind in politics. So people who believe that, as a result of a win for one party rather than another at an election, everything is going to be fundamentally different- those people are either not Christians or else they are very ignorant ones. No; nothing that can happen at an election will touch this problem. The parties are all equally in sin; they are all under the domination of sin…. Now, Christians should be concerned about these things; they have a duty as citizens, and let them exercise it. But if they become excited, if they believe that one rather than the other is going to make the vital difference, they have never seen the truth about the world. Men and women who believe that ‘Jesus is the Son of God’ have seen through the world….” D.M. Lloyd-Jones

The heat!!!

The heat is getting to us.... Joshua, Daddy, Shane and Hosahna.

Naho's OK. She's been using the air conditioner. (Joke)