Small Group

Yesterday we gathered together and have had a great time of sharing and fellowship. It´s so good to hear from each other and meeting together. Everyone faces new challenges and changes this year, but we trust, that with God´s help we can master it. One is going back to Australia soon and is looking for a new job, another one want´s to stand firm in the company and be strong in her own opinion, one is praying for guidance towards her future work and another one want´s to express her feelings more honest and not hesitate. How about you? What are your plans for this year?

Biblevers 2011

Every Year there is an annual biblevers choosen. For this year it is Romans 12, 21: „ Don´t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good!“ Let´s first have a look to this nice card. There is at first the tear of the „Evil“, which we do experience daily in our life. The Evil= Satan did his first bad work, when he could convinst Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit. Then, the tear between human and God was born. Thats why every human been naturaly seperated from God. You can read about it on the very first pages of the Bibel gen 3. Adam and Eva didn´t listen to God´s command. This has led to the quarrel between the first children of Adam and Eve: Cain and Abel. The results are: Fight, wars, unforgivness and revenge. Do you see the precise glance of the warm yellow light, which shines in the background of the tear. The light is a symbol for God, his glory and his greatest miracle: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. On the cross almost 2000 years ago he, Jesus, defeated Satan (the one, who destroys everything). The Evil is already defeated! The victory is in Jesus Christ! The light shines deep in the ditch and gives hope for a change. Do you see the tender red bridge over there? This means the dear love of Jesus Christ on the cross for us. Where are you focusing your eyes right now? On the big tear which means „conquer evil by doing evil' or are you looking to the bridge of love, which means „ conquer evil by doing good“. Conquer evil by doing good, this is the solution and the content of our annual slogan. Paul want´s to remind us: conquer evil by doing good! Unfortinatelly I have to say, to write down this trues is much easier than to do it in every day life. We fail, if we wnat to do this through our own strength. Which tears of Evil are there right now in your life? Do pray to f Jesus Christ, that he will help you to overcome evil with good. In this sense I wish you a sucessful NEW Year and the rich blessing of God. May He strengthen you and give you the willingness to forgive each other daily. 

Christmas is more than a nice wrapped present

Christmas is more than something like a nice wrapped packege! In Japan the outside looking is the most important thing, the good packaging. Every year all the Christmas preparations are wonderful even so in Japan. At the railway station, the Nagoya city, the castle, the streets, the shops and even some houses are nice decorated. In the shops you can hear the famous Christmas music, for example " Jesus Christ our Savior is born ... ", and still 99% of the population does not know, why we are celebrating Christmas every year. It looks like a wonderful wrapped present, but without content. Here it is again: just only focusing on the proper outside looking only! But this is a big mistake. What should be celebrated? It is the  "Child in the cradle, which we adore ! Yes, the most important thing on Christmas is still " the child in the cradle, Jesus Christ! Who wants to celebrate Christmas  without him, is someone who is only focusing on the packaging, not on the content. I do pray that in all the many Christmas- celebrations around Japan this will be come through: Christmas is to adore Jesus Christ, our saviour, who came 200 years ago to us on this earth. Thanks be to HIM! 

Missionary meeting

Let´s celebrate! At our last missionaries- meeting we have celebrated some jubilees. The missionaries Barbara and Günther Wolke celebrated this year their 30. and I by myself my 20. years jubilee. I am thankful for these 20 years of ministry in Japan. Ulrike has baked us a wonderful cake. Ulrike, thanks for your love to us!

Meeting for Pastor´s wifes

A special meeting for Pastors wifes

In September we organized with a pastor's women-meeting with the guestspeaker Judi Fold's from Tokyo Baptist church. She gave testimony about how she has recognized as a pastor's wife at the side of her husband that her major task is to support her husband through her daily prayers. It is a prayer which contains the following points: she asks God for *wisdom for her husband *daily strength from the Bible *joy in his ministry * the right decisions he has to make everyday *a good witness for her husband before God and men *his health *the blessings of his sermons  and finally she thanks God for his love to her. Judi and Dennis are the 'senior' pastor of a big church in which on every Sunday about 1400 people come to worship. The church has a total of six different services on every weekend. That day Judi has encouraged our pastor's women to pray more specific and faithfully for her husbands. It was good to see that many pastor's women from different congregations joined sshared and talked together. This meeting is going to continue next year, maybe in Sept. If you are a pastors wife, please come and join us.  

A Superhot summer!

Have you known that Japan his year has experienced the hottest summer since beginning of the weather recordings in 1898. In August the temperatures rose in many places often more than 35 degrees centigrade in the shade. More than 170 people have died and more than 54000 people should have been delivered to hospitals. I am glad that the hot summer is over! How have you spend your summer?

Japanese Holiday

Today we have in Japan a holiday. Do you know which one? It is the day of the sea.  What does this day signify?

It means: „A day of thanks for the gifts of the sea, linked with the wish for the prospering of Japan as the nation which maintains narrow relations with the sea.“

I was reminded of the following biblical story. Jesus drove with the disciples over the lake. And because he was very tired he was sleeping in the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Suddenly a violent storm came and high waves threatened the disciples. They where afraid and shouted shouted: „ Teacher, don´t you care that we are going to drown?“. ( Marc 4: 35-41).

This story has always fascinated me. Wind and waves hit the disciples. It could mean. That they have a hard and busy daily life and right in the middle Jesus ist there and  sleeps on a soft cushion. Great. This calmness and rest in the midst of the storm. In which storm are you put in tody? Which waves are hitting you today? Is it an illness or the fear of unemployment? Or some worries with your children? Or any temptation which you cannot resist?... It doesn´t matter! Please remember that Jesus is sitting with you in the boat. If you ask him to help you, he will help you for sure! 

And how did the history continued? When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the water: „Silence! Be still!“ Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 

I wish you in your daily business and many activities this calm rest and peace. Be alway aware, that Jesus is with you in the boat. Have a blessed day!