Matsumoto Castle again...

We looked around a little. Joshua loves Japanese castles.

"O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress." Psalm 59:9

Give me the strength to seek you....

"Give me the strength to seek you,

since you have made me in order to find you, 

and have given me the hope of finding you more and more."

St. Augustine

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:1-11

Azumino Family Chapel...

Last Sunday, the 20th, I preached on 'forgiveness by Christ's sacrifice' from Hebrews 10 at Azumino Family Chapel. My parents started this church. My brother Jon and Pastor Koiwai have build it up. Please pray that in this church also the Spirit would lift up Christ to the glory of the Father


"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." I Peter 2:24 

Neediness

“The gospel, if it is really believed, removes neediness- the need to be constantly respected, appreciated, and well regarded; the need to have everything in your life go well; the need to have power over others. All of these great, deep needs continue to control you only because the concept of the glorious God delighting in you with all his being is just that- a concept and nothing more. Our hearts don’t believe it, so they operate in default mode… If you really want change, you must let the gospel teach you- that is to train, discipline, coach you- over a period of time. You must let the gospel argue with you. You must let the gospel sink down deeply into your heart, until it changes your motivation and views and attitudes.” 

Timothy Keller

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

You limp.

”How do you know you have met with God? You limp." D. M. Lloyd Jones


“He will bring you down if he is going to use you.” Tim Keller


Please read this most interesting passage on encountering God.
And Jacob was left alone. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.  Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."  And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."   Then he said,  "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh. 
Genesis 32:24-32


"So in essence, God was voluntarily allowing Jacob to prevail so that He could show him mercy and not destroy him. But there was a day when God did not allow Jacob to prevail. There was a day when God did not voluntarily hold back His power on Jacob. There was a day when God did pour out His wrath upon Jacob. That day was at Calvary when Jesus Christ stood in Jacobs' place as his representative and substitutionary atonement." 

Adrian Warnock

Song Solnamoo

May 13th, we joined local Matsumoto churches in welcoming Song Solnamoo and his flutes. It was amazing, again. We had already heard him the beginning of this year near Takase. He is a graduate of Julliard, prepares music for Korean TV dramas and has done over 60 concerts in northeastern Japan where the devastating earthquake hit. He hopes to actually live in Japan and serve the Japanese through music and message.... This was very special to Naho who also plays the flute. 

For the love of Him who is greater than the world

“The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new one… Thus… it is not enough… to hold out to the mirror of its own imperfections. It is not enough to come forth with a demonstration of the evanescent character of your enjoyments… to speak to the conscience… of its follies… Rather, try every legitimate method of finding access to your hearts for the love of Him who is greater than the world.” Thomas Chalmers


Read the full article The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmbers


"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

Mother's Day

Our Abundant Life Church celebrated Mother's Day the 13th.

I am preaching from Jonah 4, 'The most gracious and merciful God.' I quoted my mother in the message: Since we live because of God's grace, we desire that others around us taste that grace."

The sinner....

”I more fear what is within me than what comes from without.” Martin Luther

 ‘God, have mercy on me, the sinner.’ Luke 18:13

An encounter with God

The cure for our self-absorption is an encounter with God. The real God is infinitely glorious, weighty, and beautiful. When God moves from being a concept to a reality, he changes our beliefs and priorities by displaying his beauty, man’s sinfulness, and purifying man by grace. Once changed, we can live new lives for him.

Listen to a Tim Keller sermon: The Gospel and Your Self 

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3

Tsunami Aftermath: Second Chances in Japan

'There is no country in the world where the church has sown the gospel so generously, yet reaped so sparingly.' Doug Birdsall on Japan


But because of the massive 9.0 earthquake, the destructive tsunami and the nuclear melt-down at Fukushima, brought the Tohoku (north of Tokyo) area to it's knees, this area of Japan is more open than ever to the gospel of Christ. For the missionary, pastor, follower of Christ and the non-believing Japanese, we can pray,  "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God..." Psalm 42:5

Please read Tsunami Aftermath: Second Chances in Japan | Christianity Today. There is hope for even Japan.


Pict: Relief workers Naho worked with, last August. Pict taken by Naho.

We praise Thee, O God!

   We praise Thee, O God!
　For the Son of Thy love,　
For Jesus Who died,
　And is now gone above.
   Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
　Hallelujah! Amen.
　Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
　Revive us again. （Refrain）
   We praise Thee, O God!
　For Thy Spirit of light,
　Who hath shown us our Savior,
　And scattered our night.
   All glory and praise
　To the Lamb that was slain,
　Who hath borne all our sins,
　And hath cleansed every stain.
   All glory and praise
　To the God of all grace,
　Who hast brought us, and sought us,
　And guided our ways.
   Revive us again;
　Fill each heart with Thy love;
　May each soul be rekindled
　With fire from above.

William Mackay


"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:19-20

School...

On April 25th and May 2nd, our schools (Kasei Junior High & Namiyanagi Elementary) had a parents visitation day.

Hosahna's (4th grade) painting- cherry blossoms. Of course I'm a little biased, but I thought her's was the best.

Shane (5th) is on the left.

'However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise),  "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.' Ephesians 5:33 - 6:4　＠ Note how the husband / wife relationship precedes the parent / child relationship. True parenting begins with a quality husband / wife relationship.

Silence...

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls." 

Mother Teresa

But Mother Teresa also experienced another 'silence.' The silence of God. "The dark night of the soul." Read A History of Darkness. Is it painful! Sometimes we can only know the affection of our Father through this pain though. Then as we look to Christ crucified and risen, by this grace, we can touch souls in a more compassionate way.

 As the deer pants for streams of water,
   so my soul pants for you, my God.
 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
   When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
   day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
   “Where is your God?”
These things I remember
   as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
   under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
   among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
   Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
   for I will yet praise him,
   my Savior and my God.....

Read more of Psalm 42 & 43