timely conversations

::: two recent conversations have encouraged and inspired us...

...first, we were delighted and honored to have as our overnight guest, kawasaki-sensei...

...with decades of pastoral experience, kawasaki-sensei is a leading figure in japanese church planting as a "coaching mentor" to hundreds of pastors all throughout japan...christ-like grace and child-like enthusiam exude from this john wooden-like figure among pastors here...

...he advised us that during the first year of our term, we should resist the temptation of starting ventures at every turn as a way to justify being in japan...telling us that there would be many times when we would feel useless or ineffective, kawasaki-sensei advised us to focus single-mindedly on (a) the discipline and dimensions of prayer; and (b) becoming of one mind and sharing the same love with our church planting team...

...another conversation took place with janice, a friend and former classmate at gordon-conwell...

...we just love her and her husband's refreshing zeal for the Lord...sharing about how God -- in the year since we were last together in seminary -- has closed doors in order to provide the "perfect" ministry opportunity for them -- heading up international justice mission's vital work in india (www.ijm.org) -- janice testified to the value of trusting God in his timing and clinging onto contentment as we trust in uncertain times...agreeing that this is God's work, she reminded us of the privilege we have in being part of God's work in japan...