Jane missed riding her bike at Grandma's house

 She spent a long time getting reacquainted with her bike wait that is Nathan's bike she is riding.

 Jane that bike is too big for you....

 Ahh you caught me...hey don't take my picture...

Things don't change much. Jane don't leave the bikes in the driveway especially behind Grandma's car... Jane? Jane? JANE!

Friday Night Home Fellowship

 Friday Night Home Fellowship was started about 6 years ago with 3 guys seeking Jesus. Mihoko and I ministered to many through this time of being in the word. Jesus was always the center of our time together. He is the glue to keep us and sustain us. So after 2.5 years of ministering in Japan we are so blessed to see the fellowship continues and it is still centered on Jesus. Praise God. We had some special guests that blessed everyone. Hanna Sakurai from CC Kokobunji came in and sang some worship songs for us and it was amazing. About 1/4 of the group remember Hanna when she was 4 years old here in Cali while her dad attended Fuller and SOM. She was such a delight then and now wow what a blessing. She started out singing timid and quiet. People were mingling and talking but then she closed her eyes and sang to Jesus. There was a ferocious lion of a singer in that girl the place got real quiet and then all were enraptured to worship along with her. All were stunned at the focus of singing to God and even those who did not know Japanese were moved to tears. Judy Kimura is with Hanna singing in this picture. She is a Professor at UCI who teaches Japanese. She loves to sing and was so blessed by Hanna's gift.

 Our long time friend Yumiko Takada was there as well. She has been so supportive in all we do. Her heart is to serve Jesus. It was an honor and blessing to see her and hang out.

 The Arendse Family have also been such a blessing over the years. They were one of the first families at CCCM we hung out with. Nathan and Luke are best friends and it was so fun to see these young men together again. Luke is tall like his brother but he is only 12 like Nathan. Wow Roger what did you feed that boy. Thanks for coming guys God bless you.

After some great food we moved into a time of sharing. We were so blessed to have Tommy Ruiz's son Zach Ruiz come out and lead some worship. Like his dad he is so gifted and he is one of those guys that can take a rowdy group of Jesus loving people and get them to come together and all begin to worship. Zach is serving with his dad at CC Ginowan in Okinawa. They started the CC Bible College Japan and it has been growing so much. It brings tremendous joy to my heart to see the brothers and sisters seeking Jesus and just to blessed each other in anyway we can.  We wanted to take a group picture but that would minister to my pride. A lot of people came and were in the kitchen while we were beginning here. It was a blessed time.

I shared my heart as to what God is doing in Japan and more specifically what is Jesus doing in my heart. In John 6 the feeding of the 5000 Jesus escapes them trying to make him a King prematurely. He is found by the thousands later the next day as they were working hard to find Jesus. The people who were fed the bread were working and laboring to find Jesus. Jesus says labor not for the bread that perishes but for the bread that leads to eternal life. He also told them you are not seeking me but the bread.

Today in the church so many people are being sold a bill of goods claiming life enhancement in exchange for religious devotion. Many are being taught; "Come to Jesus for riches." "Come to Jesus for a better marriage." "Come to Jesus for drug rehab." "Come to Jesus for a job." ETC. The problem is as Jesus points out in the passage that the people are not coming to Jesus. He says, "Your are not seeking me you are seeking the bread." Those reasons to come to Jesus are not bad per-se but they are not the real reason of why we should come to Jesus.

This caught my attention as I have been guilty in the act of planting a church to try to turn people on to church or turn them on to the benefits of attending the church. I have been guilty of trying to turn people on to the benefits of coming to church more than coming to Jesus.  I have been taught not to do that I have been taught to focus on Jesus but in my carnality I think if only I can convince them of this they'll come to Jesus. To which Jesus says later in the chapter. "No one can come to the father unless he draws them." I am trying to draw people in without the work of the Father. Ouch. It is true. I am working to draw people into the church my focus is well meaning and the benefits do happen yet that is not how God the Father wants us to believe and come to faith. I can take a robotic arm that mixes powerful chemicals to make medicines that cure and I can use that robotic arm as a back scratcher. I can then tell people to get the robotic arm as a great back scratcher and it make medicines. But that is wrong. So too with the way churches are being built. But How does the Father draw them? V29 "This is the work of God that you believe in Him He has sent." Believe in Jesus! Preach Jesus, Live Jesus, Love Jesus. When Peter made his glorious confession saying, "Thou art the Christ the Son of God." Jesus said upon that confession is what he will build his church. Jesus even called it a key to the kingdom. Jesus unlocks many things for us but we are not to focused on the things we are to focus on Jesus himself.

The church today in Japan or in the US is selling the benefits of Jesus but I see (myself included) our focus is not on Jesus and who he is. He is God the Word John 1:1 come in the flesh as the Son of God. He is the second person of the unified God. Col tells us Jesus is the creator of the universe and he holds it altogether. Jesus is so awesome and worthy the Bible even tells us that one day at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is LORD. Jesus is worthy to be worshiped. For HE alone is worthy. Christ the Lord. Let's this season of Christmas seek to worship Jesus for who he is and because he is worthy rather than trying to gain brownie points with God to gain some benefit. When you seek God for healing but not Jesus...When you seek God for a job but not Jesus...When you seek God for provision but not Jesus you are not seeking Jesus you have not because you ask amiss says James. This year let's get our eyes off of self-centered life enhancement and get out eyes on the giver of life and worship him for who he is for HE ALONE IS WORTHY. AMEN

A note of thanks: The Fujikura's Yumiko and Keizo have been wonderful hosts of our meetings and it is such a blessing to know them and see them grow in the Lord. Blessings of God upon your family and home. Also a note of thanks to Toshiko Yokota for coming and blessing us. She is a Professor at CSLA and teaches Japanese. Thank you for the lessons Sensei. God bless you. 

Does this offend you?

John 6:61 Jesus is saying some pretty hard things. The disciples find themselves... murmuring... not singing or praising but murmuring. Not rejoicing in solid truth but mumbling murmurs. To which, Jesus looks at this group of quarreling men vying for position and status. Cutting each other with their words and religiously serving to look devoted and they are murmuring; and Jesus says, "Does this offend you?"

I am teaching English to many different students. One day this week I was engaged with a student about Hoji. This is the tradition where a family who is Buddhist returns one year later to a grave and has a memorial service. We talked of funerals western and eastern. I was able to share with him about the Christian faith. His questions caught me off guard and he can not understand "such a narrow teaching where so many different people who believe so differently are being sent to hell by YOUR loving God?" I have studied many times the apologetic in a classroom or church sanitized setting where the truth is presented in a way that is palatable and God is sovereign and well yes the truth is if someone does not believe in Jesus Christ his work on the cross and resurrection you can not be saved.

I have been teaching this man for 6 months now. Each week he comes in and we share our lives together. I have really grown attached to him more as a friend than as a student. I value his time and respect his person and individuality. Yet at the risk of offending him and loosing his friendship and all I was faced with the reality of the teaching meeting a lost soul square in the face.

I balked for a moment. I really stopped which may have been micro seconds in real time but it was actually feeling like an eternity. As the truth rolled out of my lips something inside me was saying, "Are you hearing this, do you really believe this?" Here is an intelligent man who is a success in society and is very cultured and you are going to relegate him to the teachings of your childhood about  Jesus coming from heaven the virgin birth and resurrection and rapture and new heaven and new Earth? Is this what your going to give to this man?

I realize now this was a spiritual attack. Yet I can't get over all the times before I had thrown the gospel into a "hail mary" type lob into the sea of humanity and who ever gets hit then we go from there. But this was one of the first times where someone I have vested time with someone who is so not saved but I really care about. I can do an out reach anytime anywhere and lob gospel. It feels good. Your doing the work of the Lord. I come from a Christian family, I have Christian friends in the States, When I worked I was surrounded by a wall of Christian customers and vendors. I have been insulated. I have shared with non-believers but it was more in a volley of truth salvos and decimating the relativity of humanistic existential belief.

So here in this moment I balk for the first time truly hearing my message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ come out of my mouth. I have shared and been sharing one on one for many times but there was something different. I was challenged with this truth of the message of Jesus Christ. I, really in that split second, found myself quoting John 6:60 where the disciples say, "this IS a hard teaching. Who can accept it? Especially in Japan?" And then I heard God respond to me clearly, "Does this offend you?"

I went ahead and praise God shared the truth and spoke all I was supposed to say. My friend went away like some of the disciples in John 6 saying this is a hard thing to accept. As I weep over my friends salvation I find myself wanting to color coat the gospel to soften it. I want to give him morsels of truth that will melt his heart like butter and bring him gently like  a 747 landing safely in the arms of Jesus repentant and broken. Yet it doesn't work that way. I want to say just come to church and have fun. Just have a coffee and doughnut and fellowship. Don't worry about the gospel right now let's just get souls to come to church.

There is a church here engaged in the invitation ministry. They are placing thousands of fliers in thousands of mail boxes. They are happy and boast of their faithfulness to "GET THE WORD OUT" campaign. The word on the fliers says come to church and hang out... hear a concert. I am not down playing this at all but when you ask if those handing out the fliers engage the people and have conversations about truth and Jesus they say no. I vehemently oppose manipulation to just get a name on the roster at church. That is deception.

So as I am sitting and reading John 6 again today and thinking on all the ways of truth that are presented for religion and relating to God or a god I found myself rejoicing in the verse of John 6:68 in response to Jesus' question... "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We (I) believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." I am thinking at how frivolous I have been in my approach to presenting gospel lobbing salvos and now am faced with more focus on expert sharpshooting skill and prayerfully approaching each presentation of the gospel. Eternal life is at stake here we can't take it lightly and think, "Oh well ho hum some day the Lord will get through to them. I did my part." Really? I am engaged in the verse where Jesus says to Paul in Acts 26:18. "I am sending YOU to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

He's pretty close

Nathan is studying about King Herod the Great in his Bible class. I like his picture that he drew himself without any influence. He is a good drawer. I am sorry if someone looks similar to this. There was no intention here but just a 12 year olds desire to express what he is studying.

Feeding 5000

The feeding of the 5000 in John 6 is also in the other three gospels. One of the only two miracles that are recorded into all the gospels. It is one of the main miracles to fulfill Deuteronomy 18:15 to show that Jesus was that prophet sent from God greater than Moses.  It also demonstrates God's giving nature. He didn't give to some and not others. All present were filled and satisfied. This really ministers to me in regards to the gospel. I have to question my motives as to why do I sometimes share with a select one or two but not others. I like how God turns to Phillip who is a native of the area and would know best the logistics of engaging in this ministry. Often times we take our ministries to the limits of our resources and then stop because we have no more. God wants to do more but we can stop and stifle what God wants to do. We had an experience one time where because of the facility that was not large enough people were turned away due to logistics. The people turned away were heart broken and had very limited to no more contact with us after that. Those that were invited only 1/2 came and there was plenty of food and plenty of room. Our limitations are God's limitations. Jesus could do no great work there, in Nazareth, because of Unbelief. Jesus tells the man to only believe, to which the man's reply is I do believe but help my unbelief. Which is a round about way saying I want to believe but my faith is weak. When the disciples obeyed Jesus they just went about the logistics of grouping the people and having them sit and then appropriating baskets and ready for the Lord to work and then the miracle happened. It wasn't based on their work but I believe because they obey and were faithful God did the real work. They got to participate in the work. God doesn't need any help but often he deliberately restrains his work until he has our participation. We can protest and say like Andrew there just isn't much here to work with I don't see the possibility.  Yes with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible.  

It is the Christmas season our activities get way too busy and out of control that we do loose sight of the One we are trying to honor. Let's keep our eyes and ears open to what God wants to do this season and obey him. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the miracles of love and feasting that happen. What a thrill and joy it is to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. He loved so radically he touched more deeply he spoke more boldly than any man to date. If we go in his strength we can expect God to do something. The fun part is you don't know what he wants to do but you just do it and wow God is so good. It could be as simply as feeding one or maybe as amazing as 5000.

A note of interest to me is that the barley loaves used were not considered a high quality. The Talmud records it as horse food. But beside that the seed is crushed and flour is made and then baked.  No one in the history of the universe has ever been able to plant a handful of flour and get a crop. But how much more silly for someone to plant a loaf of bread in the ground and expect it to yield. But the person who eats the bread of life Jesus, which means we digest into our heart the word of God, we will see as it goes our of our mouths multiplied in the hearing of those around us. This may be the season to share gifts but I want to pose a challenge for us to try sharing scripture into the hearing of our family. Not our platitudes or opinions but hard core Bible verses and see what God does. I have so many say, "the Bible really says that?" and then I show them and they are surprised. Jesus was crushed and buried and is the fruit of eternal life. How can we expect our family and friends to come to salvation when we are not planting the Bread of Life into their heart. This Christmas give everyone a slice of the Bread of Life and see what happens.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Bump of Chicken

Bump of Chicken is a very popular band now in Japan. They are not Christian in fact they sing about many subject but one song that is popular is called "Karma". I found the lyrics facinating as he describes his life he had dirty hands and no control it speaks to me about the depravity of mankind. I am not endorcing the band or the song but I am one who can appreciate art sometimes and I like all kinds of music. The lyric that really got to me is at the end of the song where it says, "When you build a cross on the sunken reasons the promise will be fulfilled we'll become one." "Shizumeta riyuu ni juujika wo tateru toki yakusoku wa hatasareru bokura wa hitotsu ni naru." I'd be interested to hear what you might think the writer means here?

A single glass ball fell
When I went after it, I dropped another one
There's only enough sun for one
And only one left

As soon as your heart starts beating
You take up space, whether you want to or not
And you protect that space so no one else can take it

The hands I'd kept clean
Now look dirty
Before I can doubt my memories
My memories are doubting me

We'll meet for sure
Using our heartbeats as signs
I'm here and I'm always calling you
When the tired old reasons pile up and start to sway
That's when you know the reason you were born

As long as life exists
We take up space whether we want to or not
Two can't fit
When there's just enough sun for one

A single glass ball fell
And when it did, something shot out
It bathed in the light in the spot it stole

I've been counting my footprints
But at some point it became just a number
Apparently what I mustn't know
Is between one and zero

We'll meet for the first time
Using our screaming flags as signs
Don't forget, I'm always calling you
When we bury all the piled up reasons
That's when we'll make a promise

We're mirrors, both of us
Reflecting each other's karma
Our dirty hands will touch
And well know its shape

I'm here, and I can touch you
We're both here in this sun that's only enough for one

Don't forget, I'm always calling you
From the inside of the same glass ball
Yeah, we'll meet for sure
When you build a cross on the sunken reasons
The promise will be fulfilled
We'll become one