Generosity in Scarcity

Listen to Generosity in Scarcity, Tim Keller

Here is some of it.

You should give sacrificially, you should give joyfully, and you should give graciously. You must give and connect that giving to the gospel. I only have what I have because of the unstinting generosity of God, the grace of God, and therefore, I give, radically, this gift to him. If you’ve actually experienced his grace, if you know his love, if you dote on him, if your heart rests in his grace, you will love to give. On the cross, Jesus Christ had everything taken away from him to pay for our sins, to save us. Jesus Christ gave to the point where he lost this life! He lost his life for you. Whenever I see somebody who grasps the grace of God, the costly grace of God in Jesus Christ, it changes your heart so you can give sacrificially and joyfully. See, anything you really, really love, you always have to stop yourself from spending. If you are shaped by the grace of Christ so much that you give radically and joyfully, then your money becomes a form of grace because your money keeps ministries going, which liberates people spiritually. Your money helps the poor and the aliens and the widows, which liberates people physically. Look at what Jesus Christ did by giving himself away. Father, make us a generous congregation. Make us generous people.

Habbakuk 3:17-18, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Prayer in the Book of Acts

”Kingdom-focused prayer is the Spirit-enabled reverent cry of God's adopted sons and daughters, seeking their Father's glory by persistently asking him for other nations, their promised inheritance."

Please listen to Prayer in the Book of Acts by Steven Childers.

"They continued steadfast in prayers." Acts 2:42

Karuizawa again

Visited Karuizawa for a few days.

Enjoyed lots of reading.

The Karuizawa Ginza with Naho

Shaw Memorial Chapel

Please check out Karuizawa Retreat Center for quiet renewal

I "honor the emperor" of Japan

Read about Japan's Akihito pushing imperial boundaries to reach out to Asia. I have met him two times in Karuizawa and have deep respect for him and his wife Michiko.

Below are some quotes.

Friends and scholars credit Akihito’s post-war education with laying the foundations for how he forged his role. Influences included (Christian) Quaker tutor Elizabeth Vining and former Keio University head Shinzo Koizumi, who saw many of his students die in the conflict. “Currently, most Japanese people think that the emperor is gentle and kind,” Mototsugu Akashi, a former classmate, told Reuters. “But that is clearly a post-war phenomenon.”

Akihito’s public remarks are carefully vetted to ensure they don’t violate those rules, with delicate discussions determining how forthright he can be. Akihito strained against those limits, say those who know him. “I know that for one or two speeches, he was angry with the Imperial Household Agency and foreign ministry about the words to be used,” said Michael Barrett, who knew Akihito while head of the British Council in Japan during the 1990s. “It was said that they (the imperial couple) were birds in a gilded cage, but he opened the door of that cage,” he added.

In 2015 he and (his wife) Michiko went to Palau’s tiny Peleliu island, site of a fierce battle in 1944. In 2016 they visited the Philippines and this year returned to Okinawa. On the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat, Akihito expressed “deep remorse” over the war, a nuanced departure from his annual script. Many liberals and moderate conservatives saw it as a subtle rebuke to Abe, who a day earlier had expressed “utmost grief” for the suffering Japan inflicted but said future generations should not have to keep apologizing.

1 Peter 2:17, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

Process Living

"Don't let your living for tomorrow slay your living for today." Elisabeth Elliot

Listen to Steve Childers speak on Process Living

Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"