Question

As a missionary, how are you supposed to treat the church that you are serving in?

We are trying to be a part of the body, but we DONT understand what's being preached, or prayed. 

We can't spiritually fellowship with people there. We can friendship fellowship with them, but we can't invest in them spiritually because we don't understand what was just said so we can't  encourage them in how God spoke through the message.

The Biggest thing really though is:

We ourselves want to go to church to grow, serve, fellowship, and learn. we don't have anything to pour out into people because we don't get poured into. 

Are we just being selfish, or prideful? Or is this something we shouldn't worry about?

The reason I'm asking is because today after service, The pastor asked Amanda if she learned any new words from the message. Amanda told him that it was honestly hard to concentrate through the heat and she can't really piece together anything and she doesn't want to treat church like a Japanese class. After he went on to lecture about learning Japanese, and then encouraged us to start having vision for events and whatnot.

I personally was bothered that the question was about Japanese and it completely ignored ANY spiritual investment in us. Is it wrong that I'm teaching kids messages bilingual because my daughter doesn't speak or understand Japanese? Is it undermining his ministry? Should I stop? If so then what do I do with my daughter who i want to make sure knows Jesus in her heart, mind, and spirit? Because all those things have clearly stopped for us, should I do the same with my family at church?

If we are serving at the church, are we separate from the body? We certainly feel like it.

Please share your thoughts on the subject.

Christ or Comfort

The Christian community is largely asleep and only thinking as far as their own comfort. The Christian community needs to truly live on faith. How can a believer spend so much time on his comfort and himself and yet say "I live by faith". The world has no Idea what that means because we have greatly allowed ourselves to focus on it. The excuse come down to ourselves really. A lot of Christians say "I know what you mean but what about my family? My parents need help" and stuff like that. Which they are all valid but in saying and thinking that, they are pretty much confessing that God isn't going to do it so I have to do it. What message does that send to the world? If believers cannot live in faith, then why would the world. Like you said the lines are blurred and the definition of faith made worthless. We pick up our cross but seldom deny ourself and defeat the purpose of picking up the cross.


I do not mean that you should quit your Job, I'm not saying become Amish and shun modern society. What I am saying is that if your decisions are made by whether or not you will be comfortable, and not on whether or not God has told you to, then you are not living by faith. We need to be willing to drop what God tells us to drop when He tells us to drop it, and to pick up what God wants us to pick up when He wants us to pick it up.


We get the finger pointed at us all the time because we are are guilty of hypocrisy. We tell the unbelievers that we have great faith in God, but when it comes time to show our faith we don't step out of our comfort, we won't share, we wont leave, we wont try. It doesn't matter what it is that makes you uncomfortable, remember that our God is bigger than anything that we can encounter. God can give you the courage and boldness, God can give you the food you need, God can give you the money you need, God can give you the comfort you need, and so much more, all you have to do is HAVE FAITH AND PRACTICE FAITH.


Romans 1:16

A venture in Faith

Step out in faith.

A statement that holds a lot for a believer. It holds fear, excitement curiosity, anxiety.

I am waiting for the next step of faith that God has for me. There are things that I have been asked about for here in Japan and back in the states and yet through all my prayers and waiting on the Lord, I feel led in neither way.

Now for me a step of faith is confusion. Things that I wanted to do so much have dissipated in my heart. Now I rest on wanting to know what's next. I cannot be hasty in choosing but I cannot be indecisive. I have to wait for God to say so, but he has not said so. Should I be praying about other things? My step of faith is for me and me alone, should I allow my sway to come from man or wait on the Lord to sway me. The answer is clear, man will sway you his way and God will sway you His.

What will the next venture in faith hold? My biggest step is going to be missionary life as a father. My heart feels that maybe God wants to work more there before another big step.

Comparison In Matthew 26

Comparing the woman who poured oil on Jesus' head, and the man who betrayed Jesus.

First the woman pouring oil:
In doing this she showed love, sacrifice, faith, understanding, and affection.

The woman had hardly spent much time with Jesus, yet she didn't need to. She knew He is God, she knew He is going to be her savior, and she understood what was going to take place for this to happen. In that short time she showed her faith, love, affection, willingness to sacrifice and her understanding.

Second the man who betrayed Jesus:
He showed lack of faith, lack of love, anger, greed, lack of understanding.

This man literally lived with Jesus, he did everything with him. He ate, slept, talked, walked with Jesus. He heard all that Jesus was saying day in and day out. Yet he had know idea who Jesus was, he had no true understanding or real grasp of who Jesus truly is. He showed that he did not understand, he did not love, and he did not care.

This is a prophesied in Psalm 41:9. Jesus was going to be betrayed by someone close.

Still this bares a deep thought for all believers to ponder. Those of us who live day by day not knowing Jesus truly, who live like Romans 7:13-21.

We are that way because we don't understand. We know who Jesus is, and we know what righteousness means, and we know scripture...but we don't understand it all. It never drops I. Or clicks on in our minds. There is no depth to our relationship with Jesus, no real investment. That is why we live that way.

It's a heavy reality but it is a reality nonetheless. Go wants no one to perish, He wants us all to know Him.

We cannot let our decision be swayed by the world and the people in it. There are people out there who have "valid" arguments, people who have strong resolve that leads to an ultimately meaningless point. We have seen and heard many great debates (arguments) that in the end all show us the vanity of their pride. None of us will pull those arguments before the throne, you won't be able to tell God "well you see I don't believe in you, I believe that the universe was created billions of years ago and is a product of chance. So I'm sorry but I will not accept your judgement on me and I believe I have the right to enter here". No, that will not do, there will be NO debates about it. There are only two options. Either you are like the woman who poured the oil on Jesus, in worship, love, adoration and self-sacrificing. Or you are the one who has no true love for Jesus, you will betray him at a price.

You see, our life does not need to be lived in shame for how we lack in loving God, or for how we struggle against our flesh.
Our life needs to be one rejoicing in your forgiveness, rejoicing I your savior and rejoicing in God and His great love. You are not lost and too far gone. Jesus forgave your sins, all of them. There is no point of no return. You know what you have to do. You have to come to Jesus, confess to Jesus, and you have to actually have a relationship with Jesus. How can you fall in love and be passionate when there is nothing there to be passionate about! You do not do what the spirit wants you to do because you don't listen or understand what it is saying.

Remember Matthew 7:21 "not everyone who says to me Lord, Lied shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father that is in heaven"

Be blessed and be in a relationship with Jesus and let it grow.

Why this blog title?

I'm sure that the few of you who see this blog wonder what is going on with me. I figure that from now on I will bear it all here. You can leave your own response or advice. I will read it an take it to heart.

So to start it off.
I'm in Nago now for you who don't know and the thing that is constantly on my mind is "what's going to happen next?" it's a thought of fear, wonder, and excite. I don't know which of those three is strongest but I know that whatever comes is going to be a challenge and I will meet it head on with Christ as my strength, as shield, and with the Word as my sword.

In all honesty I don't know what I'm doing, I'm always told that when you get out on your own it's either sink or swim.....I do believe that? it's very true, but what happens when you aren't sinking? You are afloat but you have no heading? When you are a ship with a crew, and everything a ship needs, but there is no wind to fill the sails, the map has no direction to it, you are merely just afloat waiting for the wind to fill the sails.

That's where I am right now in my heart. So many possibilities, so many things to be excited for. Yet all I'm doing is maintaining.....has my presence here become superfluous? Are there more things to be done? Am I just a ship in a vast ocean that is just stating afloat? When will the wind come? When will my map have a direction, a purpose? When will I have my own? Am I ready for it? Or am I just a helper for others?

I will still wait for the wind to come my way, for my sails to fill, for a passion for the destination that lies at the end of the journey. I may not have any idea what it is, I may only be helping on someone else's boat. I will still wait for you Lord, for Your Word to speak, for Your hand to guide, for a passion of my own.