Spiritual minefields

This photo was taken yesterday and is the Shinto shrine that is two lots next to the house we plan to move in to this week.  As shrines go, it is fairly large for a neighborhood shrine.  I have not been able to study it yet but plan to once we are moved in.

One thing abut shrines in Japan is that they are everywhere.  I passed one in the car today that essentially is the size of a small storage shed, and it was located on the triangular corner of a 7-11 parking lot, with streets on both sides of it.  Maybe I'll snap a picture when I pass by it again.

So sure, spiritual warfare is everywhere on the globe, but shrines in Japan pose an overt but complex situation.  It came to me today that these act as small base radio transmitting stations for the enemy.  They are ingrained in the psyche of the neighborhood and the culture.  They are attractive and potent vehicles for distraction from the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ.  They are most certainly temples of idolatry inasfar as people give them their trust and belief.

And yet, are these good locations to meet people on the street and hand them tracts and share the Gospel?  It seems in one sense an obvious yes but still something is holding me back, not sure what that is quite yet.  As I continue in prayer on this, counsel is most certainly welcome.  God bless you this week!

Worshiping at ジーザス ・コミュニティ

What a way to end the week! After many emails with Pastor Chizuo Sakurai well before we left Monterey, our whole family was able to navigate planes, trains, and automobiles (sans planes, actually) and attend Sunday worship service this morning at Calvary Chapel Kokubunji. It is always such a wonderful feeling to feel so welcome in a new body of Christ, we are quite overcome, so much so we forgot to take any pictures while there today!

Please feel free to check out their website, and as the Lord leads please lift us up in prayer as we continue seeking the Lord's will with this body of believers.

http://www.calvarykb.org/index.html

Many highlights for me from today, but one to share now. At the end of service, the entire congregation joins arms and blesses each other with the Lord's blessing as instructed to Moses to the children of Israel, Numbers 6:24-26,

どうか、神様があなたがたを祝福し、守られるように。 あなた

がたを喜んでくださるように。 やさしく親切にし、平安を与えてくださいますように.

²⁴ “The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; ²⁶ The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’

Now that is awesome. Praise the Lord!

Eyes-->Light-->Jesus-->Life

I got to hand out my first tract to a Japanese person this week. For now I wish to look for chances for a brief chat with them, and then give the tract as I part from them. My Japanese is not good enough to explain his tract yet fully, that is certainly a prayer request.

An observation to close this post: I have not seen many people wearing sunglasses, practically none so far, even though the sun has been very bright this week, bright and cold. Americans love to wear sunglasses out and about. Protects our eyes? Puts up a safety barrier against people sharing the light of the body (Luke 11:34)?

Yet making constant eye contact is considered rude here. Eyes open yet not seeing?

Luk 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

Lord, work through me for Your light which is Jesus to shine Your love into dark hearts. In Jesus' name, Amen

A New Year's Prayer, Whole Year's Discipline

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Been a long time since I stood this blog up, and it is finally time to start posting to it. To kick off the new year I have begged God to give me the strength to read the Bible this year in Japanese. I have completed a one-year Bible reading schedule several times before, but this is a first. I plan to use this 1955 Japan Bible Society extra-small Bible for my daily reading; I have a bilingual study Bible for using at church and other studies.

Lord, grant me the strength to stay in your Word each and every day, and train my mind to receive It in the Japanese language that your have given to your children in Japan, who you desire so much to come to you. Allow me to be a witness to what your Holy Spirit is doing in that country. Amen.