The Westboro Baptist in All of Us

"Megan Phelps-Roper is the granddaughter of Fred Phelps, the founding pastor of Westboro Baptist Church. In a recent interview, Megan dropped a bombshell: She and her sister, Grace, left Westboro."

Read more: The Westboro Baptist in All of Us | Her.meneutics | Christianitytoday.com

"The underlying assumption is that my thoughts are God's thoughts; my cause is God's cause. This divine alliance makes me exempt from obedience in order that I might bring about God's purposes." Tim Gombis,  "The Fundamentalist's Error"

"Zealotry is conscious zeal to be radically committed, so radically committed that one goes beyond the Bible to defend things that are not in the Bible…. Zealots…convince themselves that, even though the Bible does not say something, what they are saying is really what the Bible wanted after all." Scot McKnight

"Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ... gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:13-14

Kamaishi 3

I woke up early in the mornng to pray for Kamaishi... and also take pictures. This is truly peaceful and beautiful, but the 4 meter tsunami came from this very direction and devastated a major portion of Kamaishi. 

 Saturday, we helped clean the inside and outside of the New Life Kamaishi Church. Sunday AM, we worshipped with them.... The tsunami became the occasion for this man be baptized. He comes to the church almost daily.

 Sunday evening Pastor Koiwai and the team prepared a delicious soup (onabe) for some men who are still trying to deal with the disaster. One man lost everything- house, place of work and car.

The two pastors fellowshipping and enjoying the soup. Pastor Yanagiya and his wife need an outpouring of Christ's grace. These 'healers' need healing.

Don't forget the people of Tohoku- the area devastated by the tsunami March 11, 2011. Do pray for Kamaishi, New Life Kamaishi Church and Pastor Yanagiya and his wife.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."
 2 Corinthians 1:2-7

Kamaishi 2

Much of our time was spent in just being with them and listening. 

The 8th, we visited the temporary housing. Here we spend most of our time just listening at a local meeting room.

Pastor Takahashi leads in singing traditional Japanese songs and one gospel song at the end. He and his wife came up here to serve and then hopefully to start a church sometime in the future.

Temporary stores were also built.

On this second floor is a coffee shop....

....where I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a good book, Sunday. Being with people 24 hours, I needed a break. 

And I was there just a few day. Just imagine how exhausted the constant givers are. When we visited the above temporary housing, one of the leaders there showed us the 3.11 tsunami. In a few minutes a counselor entered. She was also a victim of the tsunami. But she broke down and had to leave.... The healers need healing.... 'Lord, have mercy.'

Kamaishi 1

Feb. 7 - 11, we- 5 from the Azumino Family Chapel and then myself-  visited the city of Kamaishi, Iwate. Almost 2 years ago a 4 meter tsunami devastated half the city, killing over 1000 people. 

First, take a  look at what happened. Kamaishi Tsunami - YouTube I believe the video is taken from above the church.... Though this is in Japanese, this may be better、釜石市　津波 - YouTube　The cries to 'Run' bring me to tears, even now.

When we got to the New Life Kamaishi Church, it looked like it was in good condition. 

But even after almost 2 years, the church is still in need of repairs.

The pastor and his wife still don't (can't) live in the parsonage next to the church. 

The water covered all the first floor of the church. Note how the lower level of the sanctuary is the exposed dry wall and still in need of repair.

Why has it taken so long to repair the church? There are many reasons, but I sensed that the pastor did not want to move 'a head' by merely return to past 'normalcy.' There must be something they could learn and then change. He wanted to join the city in its suffering. 'Weep with those who weep,' Romans 12:15.... By the way, while we were still there, the church decided to repair the church completely.

More to come...

The stream of God’s grace

“Only by living in the stream of God’s grace will I find the strength to respond with grace toward others.” 

Philip Yancey

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." 
Ephesians 4:3 - 5:2

Seattle

Feb. 2nd, Naho and I had a date at Restaurant Seattle (before I went north to the area devastated by the tsunami.) We enjoyed some pasta.... No, the person sitting down is not Naho.... Next week, I hope to enter picts of our ministry in Kamaishi- one of the many cities devastated by the tsunami 2 years ago.

'Worship and the Word'

Worship Seminar 'Worship and the Word' with TEAM missionary Dr. Nancy Nethercott at Abundant Life Church. February 2-3. 

"Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written (in the Word), '"You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"  Matthew 4:10 

Work....

“Work is the gracious expression of creative energy in the service of others.” Dorothy Sayers

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.... And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.... And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." Genesis 1:1, 31, 2:2,3

Sundae

Naho and Hosahna enjoying a sundae. The other day, we had a great time at Royal Host in Matsumoto, while the boys went to snowboarding up in Norikura (an hour away).

Charles H. Spurgeon- a Movie

Watch this excellent move on Charles H. Spurgeon's life. Charles Spurgeon Movie - YouTube

Read The Personal Testimony of Charles Spurgeon

"The greatest enemy to humans souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation." Charles H. Spurgeon

"But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'"   Luke 18:13