

Archive for January, 2012
Baptism in the Bathtub?
Author: Amanda
One of the women in the Saturday Night Young Adults group became a Christian recently. She is so excited and wants to be baptized and asked if we could baptize her right then in the bathtub!! (We advised her to talk to the pastors at her home church.)
read comments (0)The Woman Who Stopped God from Killing
Author: Amanda
Moses has his first argument with God. God decides to kill him. Zipporah, Moses wife, steps in and saves her husband!! I’d say that’s a pretty good wife!
Snacks from English Class
Author: Amanda
Not only do my 4 Japanese grandmothers feed me and pay me when I teach them English, they send me home with snacks!! Rice crackers with peanuts and rice paste with sweet bean inside (taste good to me).
God’s motive is always Love
Author: Amanda
God is love. It is impossible for his motive to be anything other than love. His judgments are all love. Everything he does is to advance his Kingdom of love. He removes everything in the way of love. When we think he is doing something because of anger (although he may be angry) or because of judgment (although he may be judging) but not because of love, we believe a lie. In his anger and in his judgment, love is the motive. He loves us. Everything God does is for love. God is love.
Snow in Tokyo
Author: Amanda
The snow is really pretty – I just keep saying it over and over when my bike tires spin because I still ride my bike to work and when the trains are late because there is no snow removal system and of course when my washing machine doesn’t work because it’s outside and the water in the pipes freeze (I can’t dry my clothes anyway as I hang them outside to dry). It is pretty though, isn’t it?
A Personal Ministry
Author: Amanda
I understood recently that my ministry is mostly a personal ministry. I meet with people and we talk and I pray for them. I go with people to the doctor or hospital, help them find a counselor or a place to live and pray for them. When I’m alone with God, I mostly pray for family and friends. Of course, I teach groups of people and lead worship however, I mostly have personal relationships with everyone in the group. I give a lot of big sister advise (when asked). I’m so glad my Japanese has improved as a lot of this happens in Japanese and people tend to talk fast when they’re upset!
Enoshima Beach
Author: Amanda
Here is a slightly dark picture of me at Enoshima Beach. You can see all the surfers in the water behind me!
My New Apartment Building
Author: Amanda
How Many of Each Animal did Noah take on the Ark?
Author: Amanda
Gen 7:2-3 – He took 7 (pairs in some translations) of each clean animal and bird and 2 of every unclean animal.
How did he know which animals were clean and which were unclean? There was no law yet… It didn’t come until Moses years later.
God is looking to Redeem Japanese Culture
Author: Amanda
Often times when Japanese become Christians, they are taught not to participate in much of Japanese culture. For example, they don’t take their children to the shrine to be blessed when they turn 3, 5 and 7 and they don’t participate in praying to their ancestors at Obon. It’s good that they don’t do these things anymore.
I do feel that God would like to redeem the culture instead of changing it. For example, it would be great if we blessed children in the church when they turned 3, 5 and 7. It would be great if we had a time to remember our ancestors and what they did for us and to be thankful for it.




