I want to share with you a real-life story of two sworn enemies – Fuchida, a Japanese commander and DeShazer, an American pilot. The setting is in World War II.
"walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
– Ephesians 4:1
Recently I was interviewed by Evangeline Hsiao for her podcast, Care Package for Japan...
The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan!
This post is a little later than I had hoped because our family was hit with the coronavirus variant over the holidays. We are deeply grateful for your prayers and appreciate you for the way we journey together in life and mission.
Hello Everyone!
We want to thank you for your participation and support for our work in Japan.
As you probably know, all the work with the Olympics that we tried to do didn't happen. However, the last few weeks, God has done some amazing things, and that's still ongoing. People are praying. We're signing up people for a million hours of prayer! Can you believe that?
Hello Friends,
What a year you and I have been through and our entire planet. This COVID-19 has just slammed us, as the world has faced this crisis. And for those of us in the U.S., it's getting a little easier and we praise God for that.
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” — Matthew 13:31-32
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
— 2 Corinthians 4:7
The last few years, the idea of leadership has taken a beating. Whether it’s the critique of “elites” in our cultures or the overuse of the word leadership by various training and educational institutions. In many ways I agree with these concerns and it is why Asian Access does what it does in focusing on Christ, Character, and Servant Leadership.
My colleague John Houlette just completed an outstanding book for Japanese pastors. And, the principles and stories are ones that will help you thrive in every season.
I encourage you to get a copy and learn, not only how Japanese church leaders can thrive but also how you can thrive. You can access a copy here:
Resilience:
How Japanese Pastors Can Thrive in Every Season
Dear Friends,
As 2020 wound to a close, the Lord impressed on me the following passage:
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." —John 1:4
2020 was such a disruptive year. Yet the life of Christ is the light of the world. That gives me hope heading into 2021. I pray that your Christmas and New Year’s celebrations brought joy and the reminder of what is most important, even in the midst of the challenges from 2020, some of which continue to persist.
Japan (MNN) — Authorities warn residents of northeast Japan to prepare for potentially strong aftershocks in the days to come. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the region on Wednesday night, killing a handful of people and wounding hundreds.
I want to share with you a real-life story of two sworn enemies – Fuchida, a Japanese commander and DeShazer, an American pilot. The setting is in World War II.
A few years ago when I met with a Japanese Christian leader to catch up on each other’s lives, we discussed the challenges of the spread of the gospel in this nation and dreamed a bit about how to build upon the many partnerships that have been developing between Christian groups here in Japan. During our conversation, he surprised me with an unexpected comment:
In Japan, Fukushima Prefecture is arguably the region most impacted by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In addition to the earthquake damage up and down its seacoast, three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant experienced meltdown when tsunami waters disabled their cooling systems.
The December 2021 Report has been published in Japanese and is now available here...
"walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
– Ephesians 4:1
WHEN I TALKED TO PASTOR YOSHIYA (JOSHUA) HARI, THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR ASIAN ACCESS JAPAN, his church had already been dealing with its own crisis before the coronavirus came. After over 20 years in the same location, in 2019 the congregation of Saikyo Hope Chapel was told they had to vacate the building they were leasing because it would be demolished. Finding a similar facility for the same price proved to be extremely difficult, so from February 2, 2020, they found themselves alternately renting one of two local community centers for services each Sunday.
Japan (MNN) — In January 2020, a group of believers in Japan lost their church building. Little did they know, God would use their “temporary solution” as a growth point when the pandemic turned the world upside-down.
Recently I was interviewed by Evangeline Hsiao for her podcast, Care Package for Japan...
The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan!
This post is a little later than I had hoped because our family was hit with the coronavirus variant over the holidays. We are deeply grateful for your prayers and appreciate you for the way we journey together in life and mission.