Dan's snack

I know some of you are wonder what do I eat? I thought I'd share one of my snacks with you.

 Jalapeño Cheese Toast

This one is my Jalapeno Cheese Toast. I usually eat a 300 to 400 calorie breakfast. So around 10am I get famished. I usually reach for my low calorie low salt Polish Pickles but I get tired of that or sometimes I enjoy whole lemons. If you take 20 minutes to suck on lemon slices and eat the flesh they can be very satisfying.

Lately, we found at one of our foreign food stores a jar of sliced Jalapeno peppers. So I make this under 200 calorie snack with a piece of toast a slice of cheese and I top it with bell peppers and Jalapeno peppers. Then I toast it a second time melting the cheese. Oh it is so yummy. I almost ate this one before I had the thought to share it with you all.

Cheese I use is a Japanese torokeru or processed cheese... it is 58 calories a slice.
Bread White: 122 Calories a slice
Jalapeño's 27 calories. (although I am using only a table spoon say 1/2) so 14 cal
Bell peppers 30 calories also only a table spoon of one so 15 calories.


  58
122
  14
+15 
199


There are those times when I get the bug and just stand for 5 minutes in front of the fridge. I don't know what I want or am looking for but it is a habit. So to guard against eating harmful or it could be healthy but high calorie I like to have ammunition available in the form of pre-cut items. I take a whole Yellow Bell Pepper and a whole Red Bell Pepper and dice them up and save them in tuperware in the fridge. I'll cut up a whole head of lettuce ready for an instant salad. Our bodies need to burn fuel but do we get the cheap fattening stuff? Like gassing up your car at a generic no name gas station that makes your car engine knock. The same for our bodies. If we can eat satisfying efficiently burning fuels our bodies will do better. If we load it down with additives and salt we will feel bad and in many cases feel the need to eat more because of the deficiency in our body. Sometimes I wish our bodies had a pop up computer screen that could tell us what our body exactly needs. Body is deficient in potassium so eat a 1/2 a banana. But instead I used to reach for Pringles and diet soda. Hope you all enjoy the Jalapeño Cheese Toast and eat well so that we can serve well.

Why is that?

    WHY IS THAT?

I expected a repair on our Nissan headlight to be a couple of hundred dollars it was 2000 yen (or $24.00). Why is that?

You make a plan to go to a nice restaurant and get all ready and make the trip only to find out it is closed that day. Why is that?

Amazon is known in Japan for shipping things real fast within two days most of the time. The one time you needed it fast it comes in five days. Why is that?

You know how somethings are so odd they can make you wonder why is that?

So many times what we have expected is just the opposite. Whether it is that Murphy's law or just coincidence everyone has times that what they have expected didn't happen. Or something happened that they didn't plan on. I often wonder about things like when the Wise Kings of the East took all that time to come and worship this great king who had his own star, expecting palatial royalties only to find humble accommodations. Still they rejoiced.


Paul standing on the temple steps finally able to give his grand testimony only to have them riot and he gets beaten and thrown in jail. He must have wondered what is going on? This isn't what I planned. God may have shown him the things he must suffer but it appears he had the expectation of a different result.


Jonah sitting on that hill giggling to himself…"Hee Hee Hee, any minute now the fire of God is going to wipe out the Ninevehites. I had better get my marshmallows out." Only to find they don't get wiped out but they repent and turn to God. What? Jo was fuming mad. He was mad at God why? Because he did what he expected which he hoped wouldn't happen. When it did he has that "I knew it." My mortal enemy is saved by my preaching just great he wanted them dead.

So for the Bolinger's on the mission field our coming over here we expected it to not be easy, we'd within a few years plant a church and originally go back home after two years or so. We are passing the or so point and in July we will be going into our 5th year here. Medically, I Dan feel like I am not doing that great. The Doctor says, "Man you're doing great." Mihoko says, "Wow honey you're doing great." I am getting better. I sure don't feel like it. We came to the mission field expecting God to do great things. I didn't expect that would include a sickness.

What's Next:  As Mihoko and I have prayed we have never been ones to sit back to listen to secular common sense. So we are praying forward for a venture of faith. The English school is continuing.  The Church is continuing and people do come wow. God brought us here to do a work to glorify him. How can we not expect God to bless another venture of faith? Pray for us in this venture. We are going to Lord willing rent a facility. This process can take up to a month or more. We will let you know when we know.

It's really funny that as my health goes south, we turn around and press forward with a venture of faith. People expect us to throw in the towel and go back to California. We are committed to the cause of Christ. My limitations are not totally debilitating. I find courage in some people in the field where one husband had a severe stroke and they continue on with the wife fulfilling the call God has put on their lives. Or like another family I know, the dad died and the family remained on the field committed to the mission. The kids all have gone into missions and carry on their Fathers work. We take courage and will continue.

It is so typical of humanity, we expect one thing and they do the opposite. Why is that? Just when we think God is bringing the curtain down on our ministry he opens a wide door. Why is that? God is good,

Eternal Peace or Piece

Jesus said "peace peace everywhere peace. Then the end will come" well here in our town the city hall has declared eternal peace. Knowing Biblical prophecy gives you insight that people can declare anything they want but it is just empty words. Japan is changing. People like the rest of the world are without peace in their soul. There is a restlessness in the hearts of people they want a change but don't know what or how. They can chant all they want "Peace, Peace, Peace.". But they still inside are wrestling a. The Bible says one day that the world will declare a false peace. Then the end wil come. There is no peace why? Because a war is raging from the beginning of time. Mankind is at war with his maker we are all tired of fighting we see the lifestyles of our predecessors and they are all wounded and damaged. The scars run long and deep. Yes we are tired of fighting. There are two ways to win a fight. One beat your opponent or Two give up. Now fighting against God just isn't a fight you can win. I suggest you give up and repent of your sinful self-centered life. Ask Jesus to come in and direct your life. All your dreams all you ambitions all your fighting with family friends and coworkers let it all go and give up. Jesus says to you come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Jesus gives you peace not as the world gives but a peace that passes understanding The world can't know peace because it doesn't know Jesus. But you can know Jesus simply by bowing your head and pray, "Jesus, I give up. I lay down my life and all throw down my weapons and surrender to you. Forgive me Lord. Come into my life and fill me with your peace. When you do you will discover what others have. God was not mad at you and loves you very much. He didn't want to fight against you that is why he sent Jesus to die in our place to pay our crime debt and give us peace with God. Not just a declared piece, but a true peace that will truly be eternal

Slamming Doors

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; 
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Matthew 25:10

Incident: Laying in bed warm it is 6am and the rumblings of family indicate the day is getting started. There is a door that separates two areas of our Apartment. It has a bent hinge causing it to just barely bump the doorjamb. I have warned the kids many times to not slam the door. Before we moved into this Apt two years ago on our first day looking at the place the wind slammed the door twice which yielded two neighbors to come over and scold us for being Urusai (Noisy). So with this fear constantly in our head I tell the kids don't slam the door. This one morning though there was an unusual amount of slamming. There was loud voices and slamming. When someone has a heart problem the last thing you want to do is startle them and cause heart trauma. As I lay in this warm bed fading in and out of consciousness I am startled awake, SLAM, "Oh those kids." roll over close eyes again. SLAM, "I wish they wouldn't slam the door. SLAM (I have 3 kids) We are going to get in trouble by the neighbors. SLAM (the wife?) Being startled 4 times was all my heart could take anger was the emotion of the day. I shot out of bed opened my bedroom door. I inhale to blast them with both barrels of my teaching on why we should not slam doors. When all of a sudden everything goes blank. The reboot happens while I'm on the floor. My eyes open, I'm hearing my panicked wife calling my name, my oldest son is calling my name they are putting hands on me trying to find out what just happened. My Son was fearful I had just entered eternity. In 10 seconds I stand up say, "Please stop slamming the door." Then I returned to bed for about 20 minutes. This is part of the heart problem now. As the heart is unable to pump normal when an event that causes me to move fast or say I eat a meal and stand up too quickly I get dizzy. That morning with anger being in the mix caused a crumpling to the floor. It was quite humbling. I now have to be careful of really managing my emotions. I have to choose my battles based on how much energy do I have for this. Which has been quite nice as I not having energy usually just walk away and don't say a word. The kids know and are helping to do their part. I must say this our home has been so much more peaceful now. All but the slamming of the door.

I'm working on a new one be patient

Hey gang,
I have been working on many writings simultaneously and none of them are any good. When I get something worth writing or reading I'll post soon. Enjoy the peace of nothing to read. Maybe I'll write about nothing. Like Seinfelds show that was about nothing.