5.30.06 - simple things

it's prolly not that big of a deal to most of you, but let me preface this by saying that there's a long list of things i miss about america, and food only comprises a part of that list. for a few months now, i've been really craving chili-cheese-fries. i can find fries and cheese at my local supermarket, but the only place i've seen chili was at wendy's (which isn't very close to me). after a long search, i finally found an international market that carries hormel chili! i'm not a very complex guy . . . i find great joy in sitting at home, on a rainy saturday evening, watching japanese-tv, and polishing off a large plate of chili-cheese-fries. word!

this week is going to be crazy. we have another trade show for work, so i'll be on "booth duties" the rest of the week. in other news, colleges are starting to let out, meaning summer missions are starting up. there are a few teams already out here, with many more preparing to come within the next few months. they are in for an adventure, as god is moving in amazing ways in japan. pray for the ccc'ers as they're really busy with the summer missions teams. also, please join us in prayer for all the summer missionaries and the students they're gonna be interacting with.

ps. - i can't wait for the conference teams to arrive . . . i could really use a little bit of "home" out here.

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words that you say (excerpt)
something like silas

breathe in me, holy spirit
the will when my tomorrow comes
to follow when this song is gone

so i await the words that you say
i open my life
i am longing just to hear these words
that you say, that you say

shape me with words of wisdom
free my torn heart from this world
renew my mind and form my will

teach me to wholly offer
more than words that i can sing
so i become the song i bring

so i await the words that you say
i open my life
i am longing just to hear these words
that you say, that you say

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talk to me |

5.22.06 - obedience

[ confusion ] [ dissapointment ] [ surrender ] [ peace ]

xtreme worship night was such a blessing. it's really neat when people of all backgrounds gather together to worship. different songs, different languages, different styles, yet the same purpose. last week was pretty hard on me. i had a lot of questions about some things that i had been thinking over. that on top of the normal stresses of work/life in japan, made for an exhausting week. but god continues to be my source of refuge, and the worship night provided a great outlet to regain focus.

i'm always praying, "more of you, less of me", but i'm continually being tested whether i really mean it or not. praying for something is only a part of it, accepting and being obedient is where faith really comes into play. man, it sure can be hard sometimes . . .

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shine for you (excerpt)
hillsong united

and i want to live
i want to love you more
i want to be used
father in all of the world
may your word be heard
may it stay on my lips
live what i speak
until your kingdom come
look across the world
and let us shine for you
and let us shine for you

look across the world
and let us shine for you, lord
the whole world is yours
and i want to live for you
look across the world
and let us shine for you, lord
the whole world is yours
and i want to live for you
and i want to live for you
and i want to live for you

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talk to me |

05.15.06 - non-stop

it's already mid may . . . and time is just flying by. we have another show coming up at the end of this month, and i'm keeping busy with preperations for it. weekends continue to be my refuge. god has blessed me with a wonderful community of brothers and sisters that regularly encourage me and lift my spirits. i love hearing all the stories/testimonies of how god is working.

this past saturday, i had worship practice in the morning. i stuck around afterwards to listen to another team practice as well. i ended up playing/singing along and we had a great time worshipping. the next thing i knew, it was past 6:30, and the day had flown by. worship has a tendancy to make me loose track of time. this saturday night, the young adult ministry (xtreme) is putting on a worship night. there's gonna be 3 sets, each lead by a different team. i love this format becaue each team has their own character/personality. i'll be leading the third group along with yuka and jeremiah. our group is the "acoustic group". it's awesome leading with a band, but i have to admit that acoustic is more "my style". i'm really excited about our set. after some discussion and much prayer, i feel like the lord has given us a great set to close the worship night. while still contemplating which songs to play, god was guiding us as the songs ended up just falling into place. we'll be doing 3 songs, but each flows right into the next, almost like the whole set is one song. above all, when all is said and done, it's not about the music or the bands, and it's not about the worship night . . . but all about the one we worship.

here's our set . . .
[ god of wonders : strength of my life : heart of worship ]

please join us in prayer as we prepare our hearts for this worship night. blessings this week!

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strength of my life
leslie phillips

everyday i look to you
be the strength of my life
breathe on me and make me new
be the strength of my life

be the strength of my life
be the strength of my life
be the strength of my life today
be the strength of my life
be the strength of my life
be the strength of my life today

everyday i look to you
be the strength of my life
you're the hope that i hold on to
be the strength of my life

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talk to me |

5.8.06 - golden week

praise god for holidays! golden week holiday was just what i needed. my only wish is that it didn't end so quickly. here's a short run-down of my golden week activities:

wed - strolled through harajuku/shinjuku/shibuya helping helen look for gifts to take home. had dinner with helen, soojin, mike, jeremiah, and sam @ outback steakhouse. perfect way to start off golden week . . . a juicy rib-eye steak!

thurs - got out of tokyo, and took a day trip to hakone with jeremiah. we bought a pass that gave us unlimited access to all the various forms of transportation in hakone. we took the train, bus, boat, gondola, cable car, a small train, and an express train. not to mention all the walking in between. it was great getting out into nature, and seeing a different side of japan. it was an action packed adventure day, and we were both dead tired, but it was a fun and relaxing day.

fri - finally got to costco japan! the layout was basically the same, and it felt like home. they had a lot of the familiar costco merchandise, but was missing some of the staples... ie. dried mangos. i was happy that the food court has much of the same stuff, hot dog, pizza, chicken bake, churros, soft serve... and a welcomed addition, clam cowder! we then headed over to a park, where we had a church luau/picnic/bbq. a whole bunch of people showed up, and the weather was perfect! good food, good weather, and good fellowship, woot! we ended up worshipping / playing games / hanging out at the park till 10:30 pm.

anyways, check out the pics . . . it was definitely an awesome weekend. back to the daily grind now . . . hope everyone has a great week!

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always
hillsong united

did you rise the sun for me?
or paint a million stars that i might
know your majesty?
is your voice upon the wind?
is everything i've known marked
with my maker's fingerprints?

breathe on me
let me see your face
ever i will seek you

'cause all you are, is all i want, always
draw me close in your arms
oh god, i wanna be with you

can i feel you in the rain?
abandon all i am to have you
capture me again
let the earth resound with praise
can you hear as all creation lives
to glorify one name?

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talk to me |

5.2.06 - kodomo-no-hi service

this past sunday, we celebrated kodomo-no-hi (children's day) at new hope. the teen's ministry lead worship, yuichi (the youth pastor intern) gave the message, nyika (one of the leaders of the teens group) gave her testimony, some of the teens/kids did a body worship, and 10 babies/children were dedicated. it was an amazing celebration! the excitement the youth have was contageous, and the whole church rocked out! it was definitely refreshing, encouraging, exciting! all the preperation that went into planning the service payed off big time, and god used each person involved in his/her own special way. "c'mon church!"

tired . . . mentally & physically. i've never felt so powerless in my life. i've never had to work so hard to do "normal" things. yet, i've never felt so satisfied when i get things acomplished. god has been my refuge and my source of strength. i'm thankful for the way he provides for me, and the way he has brought blessings into my life. it's because of him that i live, and it's because of him that i've felt at home here.

he knows my name
he knows my every thought,
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when i call

the rest of this week is what's called "golden week" here in japan. which means a 5 day weekend for me! it'll be a good chance for me to relax a bit and re-energize. planning on geting out of tokyo for the day on thursday... maybe go down to hakone, near mt. fuji. friday, we're having a church luau/bbq. BBQ! i can't wait! anyways, blessing this week!

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you are my all in all
dennis jernigan

you are my strength when i am weak
you are the treasure that i seek
you are my all in all
seeking you as a precious jewel
lord to give up, i'd be a fool
you are my all in all

jesus, lamb of god, worthy is your name
jesus, lamb of god, worthy is your name

taking my sin, my cross, my shame
rising again, i bless your name
you are my all in all
when i fall down, you pick me up
when i am dry, you fill my cup
you are my all in all

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talk to me |