monthly update
...as family and friends who are also our ministry partners, on a monthly basis we want to share how we are doing (spiritually, emotionally, physically)...we feel that it is important for us to share this with you -- our ministry partners -- because we believe that God's work in our inner lives goes hand-in-hand with His work in our ministry lives...and boy do we need your prayers and concern for God to continually transform and renew our lives for the sake of His gospel in this unreached nation...while picking up the phone and calling each one of you would be more effective, for now -- given our constraints -- we'll provide these monthly updates...
...so, for the month of January, here is a brief question-and-answer snapshot of our welfare and work in japan...
Q: How are you doing spiritually?
Claire: "I am continuously growing. Prayer has been the area in which I have been growing. I am continuing to read through Richard Foster's book on prayer and the lives of friends back home and here in Japan have reminded me of the necessity for and the sweetness of times of prayer."
Bobby: "I am growing and groaning in Christ. My times of meditation, study, and prayer in the Word have been consistent (daily) and meaningful. At the beginning of the year, I decided to make Paul's admonition to 'put on' or 'take up' the 'full armor of God' (Eph. 6:10-20) as my theme for the year. I love the richness and relevance of this passage. I have also started putting 1 Peter to memory. Fitting well with the foregoing theme, the epistle's first chapter has been good for my mind and soul. In the last two weeks, God has revived my interest in singing a "new song" to the Lord (Psalm 96:1-2) as I've devoted regular time to songwriting. As this relates, then, to usefulness in ministry, I trust that God has prepared works for me to walk in. Shaped by various hard trials that friends in Japan and in the States are experiencing, God has led me into deeper times of intercession and groaning. God has drawn me into regular times of groaning and weeping in prayer, not only for people I know, but also for this nation. I do not think this is spiritual depression, however, for in these times, God leads me back to the unfading truth and hope of his promises."
Q: How are you doing emotionally?
Claire: "I am healthy. As mentioned above the times of prayer and focus on other people have helped in this area."
Bobby: "On the whole, I am balanced and positive."
Q: How are you doing physically?
Bobby and Claire:
"We are both feeling healthy with no illnesses this month."
Q: How has ministry been this month?
Bobby and Claire:
"Recently a wise, experienced Japanese pastor stayed at our house, affording us a good chance to receive valuable counsel from him. When we asked him what our ministry focus should be during the first six months of our term, he said without hesitation, 'Bond with your church family. Do nothing else. Just enjoy time together.' This month our ministry has taken the form of this pastor's sage advice. In recent weeks, God has allowed Claire and me to bond well with our Gakuentoshi Chapel family.
This bonding has been taking place in festive times. During the holidays, we spent considerable time together as a church family -- both in terms of outreach and body-building. This is not including our extended times together after church on Sundays. The formation of a mid-week prayer meeting has been a positive ministry development.
This bonding has also taken place in difficult times. God is using adversity to teach us about the primacy of prayer and the power of being one body in Christ. These two lessons have converged in the ongoing condition of one of our key members who successfully underwent major surgery last week. We joined many people from our church family to bring her food and flowers, make her laugh, and share her tears. Claire and I have made several visits to the hospital to comfort and pray with this dear sister and her husband. We had the distinct and delightful sense that God brought us halfway around the world just to be here for this family at this time of their lives. However insignificant it may seem to us now, we are truly honored to be used in any way for God's glory. Our joy deepened this week when we learned that this sister is cancer free, an awesome answer to the prayers of many!
Q: Any surprises these days?
Bobby: "A couple things. First, learning Japanese has been really fun and rewarding. I don't particularly enjoy learning a new language. In seminary I didn't spend my free time going over Greek and Hebrew paradigms. But learning Japanese has me excited to learn and eager to make mistakes.
The second thing really shouldn't come as a suprise, but sometimes it's the basic things that are consistently surprising. It's being reminded of the fact that God's Word is THE difference-maker. Not well-crafted arguments, not polished methods, not personality traits. It's the Word that transforms lives and renews minds and reveals the fullness of God's rest and wrath. Let me give a couple of concrete examples:
...so, for the month of January, here is a brief question-and-answer snapshot of our welfare and work in japan...
Q: How are you doing spiritually?
Claire: "I am continuously growing. Prayer has been the area in which I have been growing. I am continuing to read through Richard Foster's book on prayer and the lives of friends back home and here in Japan have reminded me of the necessity for and the sweetness of times of prayer."
Bobby: "I am growing and groaning in Christ. My times of meditation, study, and prayer in the Word have been consistent (daily) and meaningful. At the beginning of the year, I decided to make Paul's admonition to 'put on' or 'take up' the 'full armor of God' (Eph. 6:10-20) as my theme for the year. I love the richness and relevance of this passage. I have also started putting 1 Peter to memory. Fitting well with the foregoing theme, the epistle's first chapter has been good for my mind and soul. In the last two weeks, God has revived my interest in singing a "new song" to the Lord (Psalm 96:1-2) as I've devoted regular time to songwriting. As this relates, then, to usefulness in ministry, I trust that God has prepared works for me to walk in. Shaped by various hard trials that friends in Japan and in the States are experiencing, God has led me into deeper times of intercession and groaning. God has drawn me into regular times of groaning and weeping in prayer, not only for people I know, but also for this nation. I do not think this is spiritual depression, however, for in these times, God leads me back to the unfading truth and hope of his promises."
Q: How are you doing emotionally?
Claire: "I am healthy. As mentioned above the times of prayer and focus on other people have helped in this area."
Bobby: "On the whole, I am balanced and positive."
Q: How are you doing physically?
Bobby and Claire:
"We are both feeling healthy with no illnesses this month."
Q: How has ministry been this month?
Bobby and Claire:
"Recently a wise, experienced Japanese pastor stayed at our house, affording us a good chance to receive valuable counsel from him. When we asked him what our ministry focus should be during the first six months of our term, he said without hesitation, 'Bond with your church family. Do nothing else. Just enjoy time together.' This month our ministry has taken the form of this pastor's sage advice. In recent weeks, God has allowed Claire and me to bond well with our Gakuentoshi Chapel family.
This bonding has been taking place in festive times. During the holidays, we spent considerable time together as a church family -- both in terms of outreach and body-building. This is not including our extended times together after church on Sundays. The formation of a mid-week prayer meeting has been a positive ministry development.
This bonding has also taken place in difficult times. God is using adversity to teach us about the primacy of prayer and the power of being one body in Christ. These two lessons have converged in the ongoing condition of one of our key members who successfully underwent major surgery last week. We joined many people from our church family to bring her food and flowers, make her laugh, and share her tears. Claire and I have made several visits to the hospital to comfort and pray with this dear sister and her husband. We had the distinct and delightful sense that God brought us halfway around the world just to be here for this family at this time of their lives. However insignificant it may seem to us now, we are truly honored to be used in any way for God's glory. Our joy deepened this week when we learned that this sister is cancer free, an awesome answer to the prayers of many!
Q: Any surprises these days?
Bobby: "A couple things. First, learning Japanese has been really fun and rewarding. I don't particularly enjoy learning a new language. In seminary I didn't spend my free time going over Greek and Hebrew paradigms. But learning Japanese has me excited to learn and eager to make mistakes.
The second thing really shouldn't come as a suprise, but sometimes it's the basic things that are consistently surprising. It's being reminded of the fact that God's Word is THE difference-maker. Not well-crafted arguments, not polished methods, not personality traits. It's the Word that transforms lives and renews minds and reveals the fullness of God's rest and wrath. Let me give a couple of concrete examples:
- while praying with others for a friend in the hospital, i recited and claimed the promises of God in james chapter 1 and a couple psalms...afterward, another person in our prayer circle said that God's Word in my prayer gave her clarity and comfort with respect to a tragedy she has been coping with for several months...
- in a recent session, our language helper asked me difficult questions about prayer and the Trinity...by God's grace, in my daily scripture memorization this month, i have been working through passages pertinent to his questions, and to His glory, i was able to point him clearly to the Word in answer to his questions...
- last month, i talked to a fellow about the Bible's teaching on rest as one primary way to understand the concept of sin...without rush, i was able to walk him through several key passages on God's promises of "rest" in Christ...i was totally surprised to hear him say that my discussion of biblical "rest" addressed questions he had about sin and guilt with which he had been wrestling for twenty years...
- and not only these little surprises, but I have been daily renewed and refreshed by God's Word...memorizing and meditating on -- and ministering through -- the truth in God's Word has been wonderful beyond words...
Claire: "For me, I'm surprised at how tired I am at the end of the day. Even if I am not particularly busy that day, I'm pooped. Listening so intently to others speak drains my brain."
posted by B & C at
10:29 PM
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