digging

i once heard john piper say something like: you can rake for leaves or you can dig for gold...he was talking about studying the bible...and his point is obvious...

...tonight, members of our gakuentoshi church came over for dinner and bible study...this being our first time hosting a dinner for japanese friends at our place, we were a bit nervous about what to make and how to arrange our place...at the very least, we knew what to do with the slippers! : )...

...but tonight, as they have been since the moment we arrived, our church family lavished grace on us, and -- with each person pitching in -- they assumed most of the burden of cooking and hosting...

...to help claire, (left to right) yoko, mikiko, and izumi came ready to work their collective wizardry in the kitchen and prepare a delicious meal of chinese style tofu-and-rice, sauteed shrimp, and japanese noodle salad (oi-i-shi-des! tasty!)...



...after digging into the food, our attention turned to bible study and we started digging for gold...

...sister kotomi (front right) led us in a brief time of praise and a thorough inductive study of acts 12:1-25...

...the groupthink was focused...we raised many good questions re the narrative and distilled many points of application regarding church unity and prayer in the midst of trial...

...we are so encouraged by the way our church family studies and savors scripture...they don't rake for leaves...they dig for the gold of God's truth...