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Where to find what you are looking for

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I am a cross-cultural missionary and I work with three cultures daily; Japanese, Filipino and American. I find great joy in my role as a bringer of Christ because all men, no matter what their culture seeks, no matter what they think is important, find that thing they seek best in knowing Jesus.

Ravi Zacharias, noted Christian speaker, often mentions that in Bible times the Hebrew people pursued LIGHT, the Greeks pursued KNOWLEDGE, and the Romans pursued GLORY. He goes on to explain that true fulfillment in life is not found in mere abstractions like light, knowledge and glory, true life is found in a PERSON – the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul addresses all of these in this verse: 2 Corinthians 4:6 “…the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. “ True fulfillment and life is found in THE FACE OF CHRIST. The answer to everything we are searching for is Jesus.

My Filipino friends often seek fun and friends. They will find true fun and true friendship totally fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. My Japanese friends often speak of a longing for peace, beauty, safety or honor. All these things are ultimately fulfilled in the person of Christ. You will find true peace, true safety in Jesus. My American brothers seem to be looking for freedom and liberty. There is true freedom only in Jesus.

Whatever your worldview is, whatever you are searching for, whatever you believe will give you fullness of life and contentment; you will only find the true fulfillment in the face of Jesus Christ. He created you and he alone knows what you need. He holds the universe together and he is the ultimate personification and fulfillment of all Truth (with a capital “T”).

Have you taken an honest look at Jesus? It will change everything.

My recollection of what happened two years ago…

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When the earthquake started I was in the church building with James and Alishea. When the building started to shake my first concern was for the new speakers and lights we had just installed over the platform. But as the tremors continued and intensified I began to realize that this wasn’t the typical earthquake that one becomes accustomed to in Japan. I began to think about getting my kids out of the building and also about helping the grade-school kids in the floor below us.

After the first quake, we all came down the staircase and into the street. Immediately the ground started quaking again. The first thing I noticed was that the traffic signals were out. Then we watched in amazement as the street seemed to roll like the ocean and the large traffic signs above the highway moved up and down on the waves. After a few minutes it was all over and the retired men who volunteer for crossing guard duty on the corner every afternoon amazingly moved out into the intersection and began directing traffic like they had been planning for this type of thing their whole lives. I was glad that we were in Japan.

Over the next several weeks and months, God used our church to help people in the same way he used those volunteers. We didn’t know the extent of the earthquake, the tsunami, or the nuclear meltdown for a long time. But we didn’t have time to think about that. We just kept moving forward and allowing God to use us to help others. Many others did the same and even though there were times when we were even more afraid than when we ran out of the building after that first jolt, we knew that God was working because so many doors of opportunity miraculously opened up before us.

Sometime between one and two months after the earthquake I was in the shower and I finally felt the weight of it. 16,000 souls just north of us were gone and hundreds of thousand of homeless people had lost their homes, loved ones and even their future because of the radiation. That was the first time I cried after the earthquake. It would not be the last.

Change is now coming to Japan. It needs to come. But change is not without a price. Please keep praying for this nation. We need Jesus no matter what the cost.

Mere Christianity

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OK, I will start off this section of reviews with a classic tome from C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. This has slowly become my favorite of his many great works.

In my younger days I preferred The Great Divorce and his Science-Fiction trilogy Out of the Silent Planet. I loved those even before I understood Christianity or even that Lewis was a Christian. When I became a Christ-follower I read them again with renewed interest.

As a side note, the Sci-Fi trilogy has so much influence from Greek Mythology that as a young Christian I stumbled over all the references to gods and goddesses. I wondered if it bordered on idolatry and stopped reading it for a time. Later I realized that (among other impressive titles) Lewis was Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University and his love of literature made him so familiar with these fantastic characters from mythology that he used them as familiar friends; as containing faint echos of truth to point to the real, ultimate Truth. But if you want real straight talk about Truth and not just allegory, there is no better place to go in Lewis-land than Mere Christianity. Here is a link to the 1953 first U.S. published edition for $950. If you like this review feel free to buy me one :-)

Satomi and I read through Mere Christianity together, some chapters with the whole family, when our children were younger. It was at least the third time I had read through this book, but each time it spoke to me in profound ways. After the experience of reading this together I am confident that the best way to read this book is out loud (the same way he originally did, over the radio on the BBC in England during World War II) and then discuss the contents with someone. Lewis grew up debating great ideas and philosophies which he gleaned from books and he is a master at presenting things in a way that makes you think.

Providentially, at about the same time we started this book, Satomi and I visited our first Alpha Course. I realized that the contents of the video message at the Alpha Course contained a great deal of influence from C.S. Lewis, especially the chapter we were currently reading. I found out later that the creater of the Alpha Course, Nicky Gumbel, became a Christian while studying at Cambridge. No doubt he was heavily influenced by Lewis (who was a seminal professor at Cambridge and Oxford) as a young Christian and the fruits of this have really been amazing. The Alpha Course is growing into a worldwide evangelism and discipleship movement.

So why should you read this book? It will provide a good foundation for understanding those basic Christian beliefs which all denominations agree on. It will help you articulate your belief in a Creator and in Jesus, the Redeemer, in a modern world which wants to dismiss any belief in God as “backwards” and even “illogical.” C.S. Lewis is a master of the English language and the thoughts he skillfully conveys through the words of this book are still relevant today. The cinematic adaptation of his Narnia series is currently making millions of dollars at the box office and it is a delight to read any of his works. But the book where he applies these great skills in expounding his most profound insights is Mere Christianity.

You don’t have to pay US$950 to read this book. There are paperback editions on Amazon for under $5. In fact, if you don’t mind reading from a monitor, you can find the full text online in several places. I hope you give it a read!

My Story (How I Became a Christ-follower)

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At the age of 17 I found myself in the church parking lot in Redding, California pondering the amazing series of circumstances that had brought me to this point in my life. I had been through a lot for one so young and my outlook on life was already more jaded that many men over twice my age. In the past year I had, in rapid succession, been arrested because of my hoodlum associations and illegal activities, dropped out of a prestigious charter high school that I qualified to enter only a year earlier, and then gone through two expensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs; a 40-day in-patient hospital program in San Pedro and a 30-day stay at a treatment center in Idyllwild. The results were the same after each; the head of the program pronounced me incurable and recommended that I be institutionalized.

I had avoided church for years and scoffed at anyone who tried to share the Gospel with me. I felt that I was certainly brighter than any of those weak-minded people who fell for the Bible and I enjoyed arguing with (or just telling off) anyone brave enough to broach the subject of God with me. But eventually my extremely self-centered, passive-aggressive, rebellious lifestyle caught up with me and with all other doors shut, I finally went to my praying mother’s house asking for help. She showed so much undeserved forgiveness that even I could not refuse her appeal to go to church with her “just once.”

And so here I was, alone in the parking lot, and wondering what it was that had just happened. I had finally gone to church with my mom but as the preacher began to speak I had felt the whole room begin to close in on me. It was as if every word was directed at me. Suddenly I realized that there might actually be a Creator God and even further, that He might care about me personally, right here and right now. I left the building in the middle of the meeting suddenly before the preaching was finished, even though it felt that all eyes were on me, because I just had to escape. Now outside, finally alone and able to think, I found myself praying to God and asking Him directly, “If you are real then please show me.”

As I prayed that simple prayer it was as if I had opened my heart just a crack, and it seems that this is all He was waiting for. I felt a peace that was greater than anything I had ever experienced before. I suddenly knew beyond a doubt that God was there and that He would take control of everything. In a flash I knew that, yes, I had really made a mess of my life but that Jesus was giving me a second chance and that He could and would do a lot better than I had. Suddenly my countenance changed. I felt intense joy because I knew that I was doing the right thing. I could not stop smiling. I think I smiled for a week straight from the sheer happiness that was now in my heart.

Later, a pastor read the book of Romans with me and explained the meaning of life from God’s perspective. As we read together about all men being hopeless sinners and about God sending Jesus to help those who would accept Him I experienced physical sensations which were not pleasant. I realized later that I was actually being healed of my drug and alcohol addiction. When we read about Jesus paying for my sins, I was more than willing to admit that I needed to humbly ask God for help. By the time we had finished reading and the pastor had prayed with me, I felt totally clean and spiritually alive for the first time. Amazingly, since that day I haven’t been addicted to alcohol or drugs even though I was diagnosed by several different respected professionals in more than one hospital as an incurable alcoholic/drug addict just less than a year prior. I am really amazed and thankful for this miracle in my life and I don’t know why God chose to give it to me – I just know He did.

Since that time, the Lord has led me on an amazing journey of faith. I have a new friend who guides and encourages me daily. Before I became a Christ-follower I never imagined that one could have an actual relationship with the Creator of the Universe. And I never imagined what an amazing future He had in store for me. I have never regretted the decision I made that day to turn the control of my life over to the Holy Spirit. I can say with certainty that if it weren’t for God’s amazing love for me and awesome restoring power I would have been lost long ago. But now I have a beautiful family, a wonderful church and my life belongs to an awesome God who really deserves all the honor for any good things that come from my life. I also discovered something else – a purpose for my life. I now know there is actually a loving Creator who is watching over us and all of human history. He has a plan and I’m privileged to be a tiny part of making it happen. I live in Japan now where people didn’t grow up in a culture that is based on Christianity and 99 out of 100 people don’t even know much about it. I have Christian friends from all over who have partnered with me and my family to help us reach Japan by telling people here about Jesus, and planting churches.

If you are a Christ-follower and you want to help, let’s talk. Or if you have not yet made a personal connection with this Jesus that I have been talking about then I’d love to hear from you too. It would be my privilege to introduce Him to you! You can reach me at the email here on this site.

February Update

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What is going on?

It has been almost a year since the Great Earthquake hit Japan on March 11th. The church has grown and matured and we have really begun to understand that we are called to be a socially responsible church. Through the outreach we did last year in Sendai we now have a contact at the Kanagawa Newspaper and at the local FM radio station. A friend of mine introduced Satomi to a member of parliment in Uganda who is a Christian and I recently met the Ambassador of Rwanda here in Japan who is also a Christian. As I watch all these connections happen,

I see that Satomi’s burden to bring the African Children’s Choir to Japan will not just be about raising funds to help the orphans in Japan. The children themselves will be ambassadors from God to Japan. Wouldn’t it be just like God to use the faith of poor orphan children to reach the hearts and minds of rich Japanese in Tokyo and across Japan. Thank you for helping to make this possible.

Coming Events

  • Feb 29 – March 4
    James in Sendai
  • March 1-14
    Satomi in Africa
  • March 20
    All-Japan Conference
  • March 25
    Yokosuka Youth Service

March Prayer Requests

James has decided that he wants to finish his Bachelor’s Degree in the United States. He has applied at a number of universities for the Fall, 2012 semester as a transfer student from Sophia University.  Please pray for favor and finances for him to finish college. By making this change he will be able to major in something to do with music and ministry

He will be leaving tomorrow to work five days at the Tohoku Celebration of Hope event in Sendai. He is the translator between the technical team for Franklin Graham and the Japanese company running sound, light, etc. It is wonderful that he can earn some money for college while doing ministry in Sendai. This will be his fifth ministry trip to the disaster zone. He is also excited to be seeing and working with Kirk Franklin and all the other artists.

Satomi will leave this Thursday for two weeks in Africa. She is going to visit the African Children’s Choir (Music for Life) schools in Kampala and Entebbe in Uganda and also take a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa to see the new center they are building there. Her desire is to bring the African Children’s Choir to Japan for the first time and she will also help them with their next Asian tour. I have been amazed to see her burden for this become a reality. God has provided all the money she needs and she already has contacts around Africa who are expecting her. Of course she also wants to visit with our old friends and teachers, the Wagars, who are pastoring a great church in Kampala. We have already seen your prayers make a huge difference. Please continue to pray for her especially during the next two weeks of her first trip to Africa!

How to give:

Aloha Team 3

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Doing hula with the children in Fukushima.Doing hula with the children in Fukushima.
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Doing hula with the children in Fukushima.27-Jan-2012 16:28, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.067 sec
Most of the team trying to stay warm with a kerosene heater and swedish fish.Most of the team trying to stay warm with a kerosene heater and swedish fish.
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Most of the team trying to stay warm with a kerosene heater and swedish fish.27-Jan-2012 18:53, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 3.3, 28.0mm, 0.02 sec
Hirofumi and Masahiro at our host church in Kurihara.Hirofumi and Masahiro at our host church in Kurihara.
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Hirofumi and Masahiro at our host church in Kurihara.28-Jan-2012 07:35, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 9.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec
Doing the "Hukilau" in a Tohoku old-folks home.Doing the "Hukilau" in a Tohoku old-folks home.
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Doing the "Hukilau" in a Tohoku old-folks home.28-Jan-2012 10:30, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 4.5, 28.0mm, 0.033 sec
First service in Ishinomaki. Pastor Kishinami is sharing.First service in Ishinomaki. Pastor Kishinami is sharing.
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First service in Ishinomaki. Pastor Kishinami is sharing.29-Jan-2012 10:57, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 3.3, 28.0mm, 0.04 sec
Hiro-san passing out some of the hand-knitted items to a grateful lady in Tohoku.Hiro-san passing out some of the hand-knitted items to a grateful lady in Tohoku.
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Hiro-san passing out some of the hand-knitted items to a grateful lady in Tohoku.29-Jan-2012 11:18, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D70, 3.3, 28.0mm, 0.02 sec

For intellectuals only – resources for answering arguments

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“This site animates select C.S. Lewis essays to make them easier to understand…”
http://www.youtube.com/user/CSLewisDoodle

Great site inspired by a master of apologetics, C.S. Lewis:
http://www.apologetics.org/

Ravi Zacharius answers “How can God be good if…?”
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=902520087497301262

I love Ravi’s podcasts – check his website:
http://www.rzim.org/ 

Moshe Averick answers Dawkins
http://www.aish.com/sp/ph/The_Design_Argument_Answers_to_Atheists_Objections.html

 

X06HT Desire (HTC Bravo) from Softbank Japan – One year later…

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When iOS and Android started making waves a couple years ago, it took a while for a decent Android smartphone to come out in Japan. I waited patiently, for quite a while, until I saw what I liked. I do think I made a good choice with the HTC Desire. I bought the Desire from Softbank in April, 2010 and, because of production shortages of the AMOLED screen, finally got my hands on it over a month later in June. Having used this phone for well over a year now I am still quite satisfied with the specs. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a decent 5MB camera and good 720p quality video.  The only negative I have found with this phone is that the internal memory seems to fill up quickly when installing apps.

After the Froyo (Android 2.2) update came out from HTC and Softbank I expected this issue to disappear because moving apps to the SD card was finally officially supported. While there seemed to be improvement in battery life and new camera features after the update, I still got memory warnings even when I moved all the apps I could to external SD storage and had to finess the phone in various ways when I wanted to install new apps. Later on I learned that this is because a part of the OS called the Dalvik-cache is located in a smallish partition which, in hindsite, HTC maybe should have made a little larger.

During the past year I have applied all the over the air updates from Softbank and, as mentioned above, enjoyed some good OS improvements when Froyo (Android 2.2) came out. I kept everything stock because I hoped that Softbank would continue to support this model. I was hoping for tethering support, skype support, Google Voice support, etc. Softbank delivered on the Froyo, but recently I heard that they will not do an OTA (over the air) update to Android 2.3. You can get it on the HTC Dev Center but when I looked closely I saw this,

The following regional variants are not-compatible with this upgrade: Germany (Deutsch Telekom), North America, South America, South Korea, Japan, Turkey, and Arabic language speaking countries in the Middle East.

Hmmm. I guess it works somewhere, but not in Japan or these other small countries listed?

Rays Login Widget (version 0.2)

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Since I want to learn more about WordPress I am working on a plugin that handles various login related tasks. Version 2 adds the ability to customize the login picture on the wp-admin.php login page. I found a plugin called “Login Logo” by Mark Jaquith which does exactly what I wanted to do and merged that code into my Login Widget (see this post for more info on the first Login Widget).

Now if you upload a graphic named login-logo.png to your wp-content directory the plugin will use it as the logo instead of this one:

I’m not really writing this plugin to share – simply for my own benefit in learning and in customizing my sites. But if it is useful you are welcome to it:
Ray’s Login Widget (version 0.2 .zip archive)

EN Team #6 (April 2nd-4th, 2011)

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