Picts….

May 18th, mini concert with Alex

Me reading books at Starbucks, yesterday.

Seeing Dan and Tina off to Hawaii, today.

(Momose's praying)

I felt my heart strangely warmed.

Blaise Pascal had an extraordinary experience of the love of God…. 

This day of grace 1654

From about half past ten at night, to about half after midnight Fire!

God of Abraham, God of Isaac God of Jacob

Not of the philosophers and scholars.

Security, feeling, joy, peace

God of Jesus Christ . . .

Greatness of the human soul . . .

Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy . . .

Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ

May I never be separated from him.

A. W. Tozer speaks of this experience too….

We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found him, we need no more seek him. . . . In the midst of this great chill there are some who will not be content with shallow logic. They want to taste, to touch with their hearts the wonder that is God. I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God.

John Wesley also experiences God's grace….

About a quarter before nine, while he (Luther in his commentary on Galatians) was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Jonathan Edwards wrote of his extraordinary experience…. 
I had a view, that was for me extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God . . . and his wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love.

"Oh, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge (experience) of him." Ephesians 1:17 

This place is the Cross of Christ.

"If it is I who determine where God is to be found, then I shall always find a God who corresponds to me in some way, who is obliging, who is connected with my own nature. But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24 

Recent picts

Speaker's meeting last week primarily for Abundant Life Church and Azumino Family Chapel. We rotate our speakers.

This Sunday, barbecue at Jon's w/ Dan and Tina. They will be returning to Hawaii this month.

Monday, walk on the town w/ Naho's sister Minako and her husband Makoto. We visited Nakamachi, Nowate and the former Kaichi School. 

Manhood Restored….

Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole: Eric Mason: Amazon.com: Books 

"In Manhood Restored a section on the Problems in Manhood analyzes the false icons that lead to cultural caricatures of men - the businessman, the thug, the playboy, the athlete…In Christ men are pointed toward the gospel as the vision for renewal…"

Check out these Vimeos on Manhood by Doctor Mason….

Part 1 "Manhood, Purity, and the Gospel" Eric Mason on Vimeo 2011

2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence…." 

Part 2 "Manhood, Purity, and the Gospel" Eric Mason on Vimeo 2011

Only before the cross

"The world trembles only before the cross, not before us." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14 

"I believe we must not only pray for revival but also for reformation that will restore our lost confidence in the Cross…. Have we- I speak to those of us who are committed Christians- have we forgotten that God’s power is more clearly seen in the message of the Cross than any political or social plan we might devise?... The Cross is nothing less than the self-substitution of God for us…. He chose ‘to direct against his own very self in the person of his Son the full weight of the righteous wrath which they deserved.’…. We become so overburdened with social/political agendas that our message is lost amid these cultural skirmishes. The church has always faced the temptation to modify the gospel or make it secondary to a given political, philosophical, or cultural agenda. When this happens, Christians have exposure to the culture, but the Cross does not. Again, it is hidden…. Salvation, it appears, is electing conservatives to national and local office. Important though this might be, we must always remember that God is neither Republican nor Democrat. When the Cross is wrapped in the flag of a political party, it is always distorted or diminished. Even for some who have experienced its power, the Cross has become an addendum to what is thought to be more pressing agendas…. We must be involved in the political process but also keep our distance, fighting evil and encouraging good wherever it is found. Ultimately the ballet box cannot save us; only God can. And the Cross is the centerpiece of His agenda…. Only the Cross stands alone, unencumbered with other religions, philosophies, or political ideologies, does it retain its power…. Let us not be so naïve as to think that this (organizing a moral crusade etc) is American’s hope. Darkness can only be dispelled by light, and light come through the gospel of God’s grace…. What have we won if people are not introduced to a Savior who can reconcile them to God?....We (must) conduct ourselves in such a way that we have credibility in sharing the Good News…. And if the choice would be between winning our ‘cultural war’ and maintaining our committment to a pure gospel, we must let the cultural battles take second place so that the Cross gets a hearing in the hearts of men and women.” Erwin Lutzer

Hitler's Cross: The Revealing Story of How the Cross of Christ Was Used As a Symbol of the Nazi Agenda: Erwin W. Lutzer: 9780802435798: Amazon.com: Books

Why does God allow suffering?

"Jesus asked me…'Can you thank me for trusting you with this experience even if I never tell you why?'" Dr. Helen Roseveare, medical doctor and missionary

She was abused and raped in the then Belgian Congo. Listen to her story of dealing with real suffering.

"That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." Philippians 3:10 

Why Does a God of Love Allow Suffering - Dr. Helen Roseveare - 4 part series on YouTube Part 1 of 4,  Part 2 of 4, Part 3 of 4, Part 4 of 4

Her book Give Me This Mountain and He Gave Us a Valley (Biography): Helen Roseveare: Amazon.com: Books