I am convinced that God kept my stomach to the minimal state of queasiness for Nicole and Neile's wedding on Saturday. I felt yucky all day, but I did not throw up all over the piano!!! I woke up early that morning and prayed, "Lord, please heal me!!!" I was able to sing and play, and to do it at my best. All I can attribute it to is God's GRACE!
I have found myself returning to this desire to serve God with my voice in the last year. For so long I avoided using this gift because I had allowed pride to come in and muddy-up my motives. But, I feel like there's a piece of me missing when I don't sing and play.
I'm putting my neck out there and taking the opportunities that I can to use my voice--even when my motives aren't 100% pure. I'm asking that God redeem these gifts so that I can serve Him with ALL of myself.
exciting to think of what possibilities await in Japan...
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
a new % of Christians in Japan?
I heard a blip about this new Gallup poll completed in Japan and then had this article sent to me today. Stats are not my favorite thing--they don't seem to really capture the true HEART of people, but I thought I would share this with you all anyway.
Christianity on upswing in Japan
Gallup poll: Traditional religions show decline among teens
Posted: March 18, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Michael Ireland ©?2006?Assist News Service LOS ANGELES, Calif.
"A poll conducted by the Gallup Organization has yielded some surprising statistics on Japanese attitudes toward religion, morality and spirituality. According to a media advisory obtained by ANS, among the findings from one of the most extensive surveys of the country ever taken was a Christian population of 6 percent, a number much higher than reported in previous surveys. Researchers were also surprised by high numbers of teens who claimed the Christian faith, while the traditionally dominant religions, Buddhism and Shintoism, though still claimed by many adults, suffered declines among teenagers. Some respondents answered that they belonged to more than one religion. Of the 30 percent of adults surveyed who claimed to have a religion, 75 percent considered themselves Buddhists, 19 percent Shintoists, while 12 percent considered themselves to be Christians. Researchers were especially surprised at the large number of Japanese youth who claimed the Christian faith. Of the 20 percent who professed to have a religion, 60 percent called themselves Buddhists, 36 percent Christians and followers of the traditionally dominant Japanese religion, Shinto. Calling the numbers "stunning," George Gallup Jr. who assisted with the poll, noted of teenagers: "These projections mean that seven percent of the total teenage population say they are Christians." The poll was conducted in association with American Trademark Research and MJM Group in 2001 for use in a documentary that is expected to be released later this year. "According to the social scientists in Japan, this was the single largest study ever attempted," said Bill McKay, one of the documentary's producers and project research director. "The entire study examined preteens, teens, young adults, adults and seniors." "In my 50 years of polling, there has been no study that I would consider as important as this one, because it provides insight into a fascinating culture," added Gallup. "When they saw the design of the questionnaire, Japanese experts argued that the Japanese would never answer the socially delicate and/or the highly personal questions," observed McKay. "However, it was our professional hunch that the Japanese were ready to talk and when they did they told us more than we had asked for. The data is the most revealing look behind the face of Japan and shatters many WWII myths of the Japanese culture." The poll also delved into popular attitudes toward a variety of subjects related to morality, spirituality and general views about life "Most Japanese, judging by their responses to scales on happiness, are neither 'very happy,' nor 'very unhappy,' noted Gallup. "There is a degree of fatalism in their somber mood. Teen's perspectives on life tend to a sense of nihilism to an alarming degree. A note of hopelessness is found in the responses to a number of questions. And there is little evidence of eternal hope, although a considerable number do believe in some form of life after life." On matters of morality, Gallup noted a strong relativistic streak: "Like much of the rest of the world, the Japanese tend to take relativistic views on ethical matters. There is little belief in 'absolutes,' and this is true across the all-generational groups. In the 'hierarchy of crimes,' those related to economic and family matters far outweigh those related to sexual activity." Researchers were also surprised by teen attitudes which reflected an especially pessimistic outlook on life. While 22 percent of U.S. teens in previous Gallup surveys often wondered why they existed, the number for Japanese teens was 85 percent. Similarly, while 76 percent of U.S. teens always see a reason for their being on Earth, only 13 percent of Japanese teens agreed with the statement. A surprisingly high 11 percent of Japanese teens wished they had never been born, a figure that comes in at 3 percent for U.S. teens."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49337
Christianity on upswing in Japan
Gallup poll: Traditional religions show decline among teens
Posted: March 18, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Michael Ireland ©?2006?Assist News Service LOS ANGELES, Calif.
"A poll conducted by the Gallup Organization has yielded some surprising statistics on Japanese attitudes toward religion, morality and spirituality. According to a media advisory obtained by ANS, among the findings from one of the most extensive surveys of the country ever taken was a Christian population of 6 percent, a number much higher than reported in previous surveys. Researchers were also surprised by high numbers of teens who claimed the Christian faith, while the traditionally dominant religions, Buddhism and Shintoism, though still claimed by many adults, suffered declines among teenagers. Some respondents answered that they belonged to more than one religion. Of the 30 percent of adults surveyed who claimed to have a religion, 75 percent considered themselves Buddhists, 19 percent Shintoists, while 12 percent considered themselves to be Christians. Researchers were especially surprised at the large number of Japanese youth who claimed the Christian faith. Of the 20 percent who professed to have a religion, 60 percent called themselves Buddhists, 36 percent Christians and followers of the traditionally dominant Japanese religion, Shinto. Calling the numbers "stunning," George Gallup Jr. who assisted with the poll, noted of teenagers: "These projections mean that seven percent of the total teenage population say they are Christians." The poll was conducted in association with American Trademark Research and MJM Group in 2001 for use in a documentary that is expected to be released later this year. "According to the social scientists in Japan, this was the single largest study ever attempted," said Bill McKay, one of the documentary's producers and project research director. "The entire study examined preteens, teens, young adults, adults and seniors." "In my 50 years of polling, there has been no study that I would consider as important as this one, because it provides insight into a fascinating culture," added Gallup. "When they saw the design of the questionnaire, Japanese experts argued that the Japanese would never answer the socially delicate and/or the highly personal questions," observed McKay. "However, it was our professional hunch that the Japanese were ready to talk and when they did they told us more than we had asked for. The data is the most revealing look behind the face of Japan and shatters many WWII myths of the Japanese culture." The poll also delved into popular attitudes toward a variety of subjects related to morality, spirituality and general views about life "Most Japanese, judging by their responses to scales on happiness, are neither 'very happy,' nor 'very unhappy,' noted Gallup. "There is a degree of fatalism in their somber mood. Teen's perspectives on life tend to a sense of nihilism to an alarming degree. A note of hopelessness is found in the responses to a number of questions. And there is little evidence of eternal hope, although a considerable number do believe in some form of life after life." On matters of morality, Gallup noted a strong relativistic streak: "Like much of the rest of the world, the Japanese tend to take relativistic views on ethical matters. There is little belief in 'absolutes,' and this is true across the all-generational groups. In the 'hierarchy of crimes,' those related to economic and family matters far outweigh those related to sexual activity." Researchers were also surprised by teen attitudes which reflected an especially pessimistic outlook on life. While 22 percent of U.S. teens in previous Gallup surveys often wondered why they existed, the number for Japanese teens was 85 percent. Similarly, while 76 percent of U.S. teens always see a reason for their being on Earth, only 13 percent of Japanese teens agreed with the statement. A surprisingly high 11 percent of Japanese teens wished they had never been born, a figure that comes in at 3 percent for U.S. teens."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49337
Monday, March 13, 2006
a new friend
I love the way God brings people together!!
I met a young woman at the Body Builders seminar named Shannon. I went over to introduce myself because her name tag said that she would be serving in Japan. Our introductions quickly revealed that she was a recent graduate of Wheaton Grad School and that she knew someone serving with Asian Access!! She will be in Japan hopefully in October of this year. We were able to go to dinner together and to share about our callings and hopes for Japan. So amazing!! I anticipate Shannon being one of those people who God uses to strenghten me, and hopefully someone that I can pour into as well!
God is awesome!
I met a young woman at the Body Builders seminar named Shannon. I went over to introduce myself because her name tag said that she would be serving in Japan. Our introductions quickly revealed that she was a recent graduate of Wheaton Grad School and that she knew someone serving with Asian Access!! She will be in Japan hopefully in October of this year. We were able to go to dinner together and to share about our callings and hopes for Japan. So amazing!! I anticipate Shannon being one of those people who God uses to strenghten me, and hopefully someone that I can pour into as well!
God is awesome!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
みんな昔は子供だった
Or, "We were once children."
This is the name of a Japanese drama series that a friend lent me the other day. It's completely in Japanese, no subtitles. These dramas are very popular in Japan. They are kind of like a mini-series (11 or 12 shows) airing for one season. I absolutely loved seeing the Japanese countryside--a different view from what I've experienced so far in Japan myself. Even though I understood hardly nothing of the dialogue, I caught a glimpse of some culture. AND, Japanese commercial breaks are a ton shorter than ours! So many car, coffee, and contact lens commercials!!
Here's a link to a page that gives a synopsis and info about the actors:
www.jdorama.com/drama.863.htm
Enjoy!
This is the name of a Japanese drama series that a friend lent me the other day. It's completely in Japanese, no subtitles. These dramas are very popular in Japan. They are kind of like a mini-series (11 or 12 shows) airing for one season. I absolutely loved seeing the Japanese countryside--a different view from what I've experienced so far in Japan myself. Even though I understood hardly nothing of the dialogue, I caught a glimpse of some culture. AND, Japanese commercial breaks are a ton shorter than ours! So many car, coffee, and contact lens commercials!!
Here's a link to a page that gives a synopsis and info about the actors:
www.jdorama.com/drama.863.htm
Enjoy!
on my way to body builders bootcamp
Wanted to let you all know that I am attending "bootcamp" tomorrow and the next day sponsored by The Body Builders. hehehe... NO, really. That's the name of the organization.
www.thebodybuilders.net
The "Body" they are "building" is, however, the Body of Christ. This is a seminar for fund raising. So, definitely be praying that the Lord would teach me some skills and new attitudes. It's been a great journey so far. I'll tell you more later when I don't have to get up at 5:50 am the next day!
www.thebodybuilders.net
The "Body" they are "building" is, however, the Body of Christ. This is a seminar for fund raising. So, definitely be praying that the Lord would teach me some skills and new attitudes. It's been a great journey so far. I'll tell you more later when I don't have to get up at 5:50 am the next day!
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