4.24.06 - find me in the club

friday night, josh's friend nobu (no balance) had a live performance in shibuya. josh and jeremiah joined nobu for one song, and they held it down! some of the other performers there were pretty good as well. i'll post some video as soon as i get a chance to upload it onto my computer. anyways, it was cool seeing these guys use the gifts that god has given them. [ oh, and don't worry, it's just ice water in the glass =P ]

saturday, i slept in, did laundry, cleaned my place, and went for a "sanpo" (walk). i was thinking of going out to mitaka, but i decided that i needed a day to chill and veg. things have been pretty hectic lately. last week, i swtiched desks. i'm now sitting right in the middle of the sales department. being right in the middle means that i'm surrounded by people, chatter, phone calls, typing, discussions, etc. plus, i'm right by the sink, fridge, hot water pot, and garbage can, so there's a lot of traffic around my desk now. for those of you that know me, you can imagine how overloaded my senses get. plus, everything's in japanese! my brain is working 2-3x as hard, which means i get overloaded 2-3x as fast. just when i thought i had started to get used to my surroundings, i get emeril'd... bam! let's kick it up a notch!

this sunday, in celebration of children's day, the teen's ministry at church is going to be running the whole service. yuichi will be giving the message, and i'll be leading worship along with a few of the other leaders and youth. we've been meeting every week to practice for about a month now, and we're really excited about sunday. above all, we want the congregation to see the excitement and the passion that the youth have for god, and i think it will shine though the time of worship. anyways, here's the set list: [ king of majesty, one way, ends of the earth, all in all ]. if you have time, please remember us in your prayers . . . sanks!

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psalm 19
by terry butler

may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you, pleasing to you
may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be pleasing to you, my god

you're my rock and my redeemer
you're the reason that i sing
i desire to be a blessing
in your eyes
every hour, every moment
lord i want to be your servant
i desire to be a blessing
in your eyes, in your eyes

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4.17.06 - blessed easter

jesus, lover of my soul (it's all about you)
paul oakley

it's all about you, jesus
and all this is for you
for your glory and your fame
it's not about me
as if you should do things my way
you alone are god and i surrender
to your ways

jesus, lover of my soul
all consuming fire is in your gaze
jesus, i want you to know
i will follow you all my days

for no one else in history is like you
and history itself belongs to you
alpha and omega, you have loved me
and i will spend eternity with you

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4.10.06 - sakura

sakura are truely amazing. the trees stay bare all winter, quietly preparing its buds for the spring warmth. with everyone waiting in anticipation for flowers to bloom, plans are made for mass flower viewing festivals and parties. as the flowers slowly start to sprout, everyone keeps one watchful eye on the trees, and the other on the daily weather/sakura reports. once the "blooming" starts, it's an overnight phenomenon the way the bare branches are transformed by the beautiful, pillowy, white/pink blossoms. many different species of sakura provide a mixture of colors, sizes, sights, and textures. once the sakura hit full bloom, it's a race to go and enjoy them. the parks and popular viewing spots are packed with people. it's also a race against time & weather to see the sakura while they're in full bloom. the flower petals usually fall off within a week or two, but the presence of wind and rain can drastically shorten their lifespan. once the petals start falling off, the tree undergoes another transformation. the green/orange/yellow/bronze colored leaves start to sprout, and the only traces of the flowers that remain, are the fallen petals that now lie on the ground surrounding the trees. i never thought something as simple as a flower would be worth waiting all year for . . . but now that i've experienced it, it will be forever embedded in my heart.

[ pictures here ]

makes me think about my time here in japan. that even though it may be short, i want to make the most out of the time i spend here. everyday i pray that i can be a light here, and that god will continue to mold me into the person he wants me to be.

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you are everything
phil wickham

jesus, you're my everything
my heart beats for you
filled with power and mystery
lord, i thirst for you
you are everything
you are everything

lord, you are beautiful
awesome and wonderful
i give you all of my life
lord, you're the song i sing
perfect in everything
i give you all of my life
for you are everything

you're the stone i rest upon
i find peace in you
i love you lord with all my heart
i place my hope in you
for you are everything
you are everything

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4.3.06 - disneysea

this past saturday, a bunch of us went and spent the day at tokyo disney sea. it's basically an add-on to tokyo disneyland, kinda like how they added on disney california adventure to disneyland. i guess it's disney's way of expanding the park while making you pay more. anyways, it was supossed to be one of the top 5 busiest days of the year, due to spring break and awesome weather. disneyland tix were sold out for the weekend! we did catch a little break, since a good number of people were out having hanami parties. well, i was amazed with the enginuity that was put into making an amusement park of this caliber. seriously, just walking around the park and seeing all the different themed "lands" was more exciting to me than the actual rides themselves. it was exhausing, but it was definitely good times . . . good times indeed!

in the midst of some of the busiest/hardest/draining times in my life, god has faithfully sustained me and nurtured me with exactly what i need. every day i'm faced with new challenges and adventures, and with each day, my amazement and appreciation for god grows deeper. there's still a lot i struggle with. feelings of loneliness and discouragement, self-doubt and confusion. there's definitely times i feel like running and hiding. but this is where i need to be, and god is the one i need to seek. sometimes i just need that reminder . . . that it's not about me.

my word of the moment:
selfless - concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own.
[lord, help me to be selfless in everything that i do, so that i may show your love to all those around me.]

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your love oh lord
third day

your love, oh lord
reaches to the heavens
your faithfulness stretches to the sky
your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
your justice flows like the ocean's tide
i will lift my voice
to worship you, my king
i will find my strength
in the shadow of your wings

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