Please notice how happy Mr. Oyagi is to snatch a spoon! Precious!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mukade Attacks!
It's rainy season in Japan and that means that the centipedes are here too. These are creepy creatures that make us all crazy! At the end of one of my kid's English classes, we had this uninvited guest. It took about 20 minutes, but we finally got rid of the thing. I was so happy that I brought my camera and got to capture this priceless moment!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
unexpected
This was a most interesting day. I've been learning all kinds of lessons lately about making plans and not making plans and searching out God's best plans for my life. Today's curriculum followed suit.
I had invited the student that I wrote about a few posts ago to a beach party put on by a group of churches. There would be a bunch of young, Japanese people who love Jesus and possibly a baptism or two there. I was surprised that she quickly and gladly accepted the invitation (why was I so surprised!? The Lord's really working on her heart!). She was interested in seeing what this baptism thing is all about and to meet the pastors of some young and exciting international churches in the area. The plan was to meet her at the party and see if she would be open to meeting with me and the pastor and his wife to talk through the experience on Thursday. The pastor and his wife were really excited and I was too because it would be a chance to really tag team this ministry thing.
Well, this morning when I woke up it was raining off and on, so the beach party was off. I emailed her and confirmed the cancellation. I was bummed and felt even worse later because the rain totally cleared up. The party/baptism was probably still going to happen but it was too late to reverse the cancellation! (okay...why am I feeling guilty about this? I know I'm good, but I CAN'T control the weather!!)
I reminded myself that there must be a good reason the Lord was turning things in this direction, and this truth was soon evident. We had a young lady come to the church for the first time. Through some broken English/Japanese we discovered that we both love singing and playing piano. She lives just a minute away from the church but had never been there before. She loves gospel music (as a lot of Japanese people do lately) and wanted to see what the church was like. I asked her if she wanted to come back after the Young Time meeting to sing and play together. She said sure!
I don't have a whole lot of sheet music here with me, so I pulled out a copy of Fur Elise and listened to her play a bit. I could tell that she plays more by improvisation so I thought I'd see what she could do with my Sara Groves book. Of course, she's never heard of Sara Groves so it was a risk. The first song we played together-she was on the base line, I took the top and sang the lyrics. I've never played like this with someone, but it was so much fun. I discovered soon that she has an amazing natural sense and we went through the book for a couple of hours. Wow. Any of you who know me well know what Sara Groves means to me. This was such an amazing time and I feel like it was such a gift from the Lord. There I was with this girl I knew for a total of maybe 4 hours and could barely communicate with through English or Japanese, but it was the language of music that brought us together in a really unique way. I'm still just really blown away by how special this afternoon was to me. A great memory, for sure.
And, the best part: I DIDN'T PLAN IT.
I had invited the student that I wrote about a few posts ago to a beach party put on by a group of churches. There would be a bunch of young, Japanese people who love Jesus and possibly a baptism or two there. I was surprised that she quickly and gladly accepted the invitation (why was I so surprised!? The Lord's really working on her heart!). She was interested in seeing what this baptism thing is all about and to meet the pastors of some young and exciting international churches in the area. The plan was to meet her at the party and see if she would be open to meeting with me and the pastor and his wife to talk through the experience on Thursday. The pastor and his wife were really excited and I was too because it would be a chance to really tag team this ministry thing.
Well, this morning when I woke up it was raining off and on, so the beach party was off. I emailed her and confirmed the cancellation. I was bummed and felt even worse later because the rain totally cleared up. The party/baptism was probably still going to happen but it was too late to reverse the cancellation! (okay...why am I feeling guilty about this? I know I'm good, but I CAN'T control the weather!!)
I reminded myself that there must be a good reason the Lord was turning things in this direction, and this truth was soon evident. We had a young lady come to the church for the first time. Through some broken English/Japanese we discovered that we both love singing and playing piano. She lives just a minute away from the church but had never been there before. She loves gospel music (as a lot of Japanese people do lately) and wanted to see what the church was like. I asked her if she wanted to come back after the Young Time meeting to sing and play together. She said sure!
I don't have a whole lot of sheet music here with me, so I pulled out a copy of Fur Elise and listened to her play a bit. I could tell that she plays more by improvisation so I thought I'd see what she could do with my Sara Groves book. Of course, she's never heard of Sara Groves so it was a risk. The first song we played together-she was on the base line, I took the top and sang the lyrics. I've never played like this with someone, but it was so much fun. I discovered soon that she has an amazing natural sense and we went through the book for a couple of hours. Wow. Any of you who know me well know what Sara Groves means to me. This was such an amazing time and I feel like it was such a gift from the Lord. There I was with this girl I knew for a total of maybe 4 hours and could barely communicate with through English or Japanese, but it was the language of music that brought us together in a really unique way. I'm still just really blown away by how special this afternoon was to me. A great memory, for sure.
And, the best part: I DIDN'T PLAN IT.
June's young time
During our Young Time activity this month, we made a beaded frog cell phone decoration. It was a pretty difficult project but these girls worked really hard till the very end. I was so proud of them! If you want to make one of your own, check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlntLOil64
Our Bible story was the Prodigal Son with a Japanese twist.
Our Bible story was the Prodigal Son with a Japanese twist.Saturday, June 20, 2009
lunch out with some students
Another fancy French lunch with some of my English students. They so spoil me and I so let them!
After lunch, we explored the garden behind the restaurant (which used to be an old mansion used by a wealthy man to entertain business clients).
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
a dream fulfilled/Thank you Alina!
Before I came to Japan, I received updates from a former SAM in Tokyo named Alina, whom I had yet to meet in person, and I was always so struck by the beauty of her heart melting off of her words in her messages. I knew I wanted to come to Japan and work with this girl! While we didn't get as many chances to be together as either of us would have liked, we did have some amazing times together (Bangkok, for starters!) before she left this last March. Today, I went to Kyoto and finally fulfilled a dream that Alina inspired. She shared her photos from Kyoto with me via Picasa (a web photo album) and I latched on to this photo, which I blogged about in May of 2007. This image really captured the pathway of life for me in a neat way back then. Today, I climbed the same path and took my own picture. The cool part is that I didn't realize that I took almost the SAME EXACT shot until just now when I was uploading the files! Freaky, huh?!
Thanks, Alina for inspiring me to walk this path in Japan! It wasn't always easy, but boy oh boy, there were some breathtaking moments of beauty for sure.
Thanks, Alina for inspiring me to walk this path in Japan! It wasn't always easy, but boy oh boy, there were some breathtaking moments of beauty for sure.
Listening
I get an email daily from The Fish Tank, which is a devotional thought written by John Fischer. The writings are hit and miss, as these things usually are, but I thought this one was worth sharing. I know that my ears have been trying to tune in to the voice of the Lord a lot lately, so maybe yours are too.
Listening by John Fischer
Recently at a mountain retreat, I spent some time alone with the Lord. In the morning fog, I walked until I came to a lookout spot where I could climb up on a large boulder and sit in front of a panoramic view. The sun was just breaking through the fog as if on cue, revealing a valley surrounding a deep blue lake. Early boaters were knifing through the water leaving short white streaks in their wake. Too far away to hear their motors they seemed to be tiny toys silently and mysteriously propelled. I was longing for God to speak to me—audibly would have been great, but I would take anything. It wasn't until later that I realized he did.
You see, I asked God to speak to me…
And he whispered with a cold wind on one side of my face,
and warmed me with the early sun on the other.
I will counter the cold in your life with my warmth.
I asked God to speak to me…
And he sang to me in the birds.
I have taken pleasure in you.
Do you not know that I have actually danced over you with singing?
You are mine.
I said, "Lord, speak to me…"
And he warned me with the barking of a dog.
Spirit of fear, leave! Go! Let oppressive things be gone!
I asked the Lord to speak to me…
And he lifted me up and set me on a rock.
I foreknew you and I predestined you to be conformed to my image.
Were not my plans known even before you were born?
I asked God to speak to me…
And the deep water reflected the blue of the heavens.
Do you not know that I am?
I am that I am; and I am yours.
I asked God to speak to me…
And a large fat blue jay land landed four feet away
and jabbered his head off in my direction.
Do you not know that I have spoken?
Can you not hear me?
Listening by John Fischer
Recently at a mountain retreat, I spent some time alone with the Lord. In the morning fog, I walked until I came to a lookout spot where I could climb up on a large boulder and sit in front of a panoramic view. The sun was just breaking through the fog as if on cue, revealing a valley surrounding a deep blue lake. Early boaters were knifing through the water leaving short white streaks in their wake. Too far away to hear their motors they seemed to be tiny toys silently and mysteriously propelled. I was longing for God to speak to me—audibly would have been great, but I would take anything. It wasn't until later that I realized he did.
You see, I asked God to speak to me…
And he whispered with a cold wind on one side of my face,
and warmed me with the early sun on the other.
I will counter the cold in your life with my warmth.
I asked God to speak to me…
And he sang to me in the birds.
I have taken pleasure in you.
Do you not know that I have actually danced over you with singing?
You are mine.
I said, "Lord, speak to me…"
And he warned me with the barking of a dog.
Spirit of fear, leave! Go! Let oppressive things be gone!
I asked the Lord to speak to me…
And he lifted me up and set me on a rock.
I foreknew you and I predestined you to be conformed to my image.
Were not my plans known even before you were born?
I asked God to speak to me…
And the deep water reflected the blue of the heavens.
Do you not know that I am?
I am that I am; and I am yours.
I asked God to speak to me…
And a large fat blue jay land landed four feet away
and jabbered his head off in my direction.
Do you not know that I have spoken?
Can you not hear me?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
which king am I?
In my morning Bible reading the other day I read about King Uzziah, perhaps for the first time. I don't remember his story before. In case you don't either, check out 2 Chronicles 26. King Uzziah had some major success in his history as a king, but pride was his downfall and he sinned by waltzing into the temple to burn incense in the sanctuary. He stepped outside of God's command and took on a role that didn't belong to him. The act of worship itself was a good thing, but the way he went about it was bad. He ignored the laws that were in place because he thought they didn't apply to him. And when the priests came in and confronted him--he was filled with RAGE. The result: he was struck down with leprosy and was cast out of the temple permanently, even being stripped of the honorable burial of a King, being instead buried in an outer field with the leper title forever following him.
Compare this reaction to that of Kind David, who majorly messed up with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. When the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin, he was immediately humbled and he confessed with no excuses. I love the language of Psalm 51--the utter brokenness of David is so evident. He admits his need and then realizes that it is only the Lord who can renew him. He pleads for the life of his child, and grieves over his sin, but when the child dies, he rises up and WORSHIPS THE LORD. This is simply amazing to me.
How much do I whine when I have to live through the consequences of my own sin? I don't accept the Lord's will so easily. I kick against his discipline and his best for my life because it's uncomfortable and goes against what I want. I don't want to be enraged and bitter against the Lord for difficult times in my life. I want to have a pliable heart like David. A heart that is being shaped into the likeness of Christ.
Compare this reaction to that of Kind David, who majorly messed up with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. When the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin, he was immediately humbled and he confessed with no excuses. I love the language of Psalm 51--the utter brokenness of David is so evident. He admits his need and then realizes that it is only the Lord who can renew him. He pleads for the life of his child, and grieves over his sin, but when the child dies, he rises up and WORSHIPS THE LORD. This is simply amazing to me.
How much do I whine when I have to live through the consequences of my own sin? I don't accept the Lord's will so easily. I kick against his discipline and his best for my life because it's uncomfortable and goes against what I want. I don't want to be enraged and bitter against the Lord for difficult times in my life. I want to have a pliable heart like David. A heart that is being shaped into the likeness of Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
