7.31.06 - speechless? (warning... this is gonna be a long one!)

it's a weird feeling . . . when you work so hard for something, or look forward to something so much. and when it's done, our lives that have been previously consumed by said thing are left exhausted, yet looking for the next thing. so much work was put into the newhope japan - feel the spirit hawaiian and gospel concert @ zepp tokyo. the event has been covered in prayer and carefully planned the past 6+ months. we were expecting maybe 700-800 people to show up. as the week leading up to friday's concert progressed, people gathered from all over japan & hawaii to serve at this outreach event.

wed night, hiro, sally and i (newhope tokyo worship core members) met and had dinner with tim (nh oahu evangelism director), dane (nh oahu music director), and niki (nh oahu worship core member). it was such a blessing sharing with them and hearing their stories. we talked a lot about ministry and worship, and we were so encouraged by their insights and observations.

fri, i received the day off from work. went and had a sushi breakfast @ tsukiji w/ josh and timmy. josh and i then headed out to musashi-kogane to meet up with the agape team from peninsula. we took them to meet up with timmy and toshi @ gakushuin university to take a look at one of the places josh & some of the other ccc'er do ministry. it was cool walking around and praying for the campus and the students. next we headed down to odaiba. josh and i had to get to zepp practice, so timmy took the team exploring in the shopping areas.

they asked me to help take photos of the event, so i was happy to be on "kameraman" duties. the sheer number of people involved with putting on a production like this was in itself amazing. it was so well organized! i could instantly see the servant's hearts that each person carried, and i was blown away by the selflessness, love & passion displayed. as the practice started to wrap up, there was an excitement in the air, like we are about to experience something monumental. boy, did god not dissapoint! as the doors opened, people started filing in... they kept coming, and coming, and coming . . . the venue was set up with seating for 1200 people, but as i entered the main room, i quickly noticed that the seats were quickly filling up. a quick peak upstairs revealed the same. the next thing i knew . . . the place was packed out. people sitting in the aisles and standing along the walls. as i said earlier, what we had hoped to be 800 people had suddenly ballooned to over 1200! huwhaaat! i paused with pastor talo for a second to take a deep breath and share a "this is amazing!".

there were cabin attendants, gospel choir, awesome band, hula dancing, hawaiian folk songs, sign dancing, flag team, hip-hop dancing, breakdancing (yeah josh!), rapping ,and so much more . . . yet, it was all worship! 1200+ people, many of which had never heard the gospel . . . talk about a tremendous harvest field. the magnitude of something like this is mind-numbing. god is huge, and he's doing astounding things here! minasan otsukaresama deshita!

wow, that was just friday! sat, we had a worship ministry workshop lead by tim, dane, and niki from newhope oahu. it was cool having a discussion about different things that different worship leaders have a hard time with. it was nice hanging around and meeting/talking with other newhope worship leaders from all over, tokyo, chiba, sapporo, osaka, yokohama, & oahu.

sun . . . woke up early to go see the agape team at tokyo free methodist church in musashi-kogane. they lead the service (worship & kats' gave the message), and i was really happy & encouraged to see the impact that they are making! after service, i headed down to newhope. the spirit of excitement from the zepp event had carried over, as everyone was still amazed at how well everything had been put together. i undoubtably attest the fact that church was also packed out to god working through the zepp event.

josh, tim and i left church early and headed down to the tokyo dome. we met up with terayuki to catch a game between the nipponham fighters and the softbank hawks. the game started at 6, but we got there @ 3. why? you ask . . . well, josh knows the manager of the fighters, trey hillman! he met him through aia and baseball chapel. we recieved field passes that allowed us to go on the field during batting practice. trey came by and chatted with us for a while. he's a really down to earth guy, who you can sense is very genuine in his love for the lord, the game, and for other people. when bp ended, he was nice enough to take us back into the locker area. we sat in his office and chatted. i really appreciated his openness with his faith and his struggles. we talked about cultural differences in baseball and in general. plus, he told us some absolutely hilarious stories! really really nice guy! it was also neat seeing some of the players (shinjo & ogasawara) goofing around and eating a pre-game bento! we stayed for the game, and nipponham powered ther way to a win. good luck! we'll be cheering on the fighters in their playoff push!

fhew . . . what a weekend! hopefully things will slow down this week. weather forcasters have determinded that the "tsuyu season" has now ended. meaning, temperatures are gonna start rising and rising! uggh. anyways, a few prayer requests: this past saturday, our friend yuka's mother went home to be with the lord after a battle with cancer. please join us in prayer for the family. also, please pray for timmy, as well as the peninsula agape team, as they wind down their time here and head home. also, i know camp starts this weekend. i regret not being able to make it, but i will be lifting the preperations & camp up in prayer this week!

miss you all! have a great week!

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awesome is the lord most high
chris tomlin

great are you, lord
mighty in strength
you are faithful
you will ever be

we will praise you
all of our days
it's for your glory
we offer everything

raise your hands all you nations
shout to god all creation
how awesome is the lord most high

we will praise you together
for now and forever
how awesome is the lord most high

where you send us
god we will go
you're the answer
we want the world to know

we will trust you
when you call our name
where you lead us
we'll follow all the way

hallelujah, hallelujah
how awesome is the lord most high
hallelujah, hallelujah
how awesome is the lord most high

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talk to me |

7.26.06 - kool-aid makes me happy

what do you do when you feel like you're at your limits? when it feels like you have no more strength? turn to god? the one who gives us rest? the one who gives us strength? it's the obvious answer, but why is it so hard to do sometimes?

i think i'm taking a beating by the weather here in tokyo. that on top of my normal busy-ness has multiplied my exhaution level. my japanese language skills are being pushed, and the sights/sounds/smells/tastes of tokyo are overloading my senses. times when i can just veg out are few and far between. i've been blessed beyond expectations by the people here, and i really enjoy all the ministries i'm involved in. but i'm also very thankful of the times when when i can just chill.

sat, after worship practice, i hung out at the church office and worked on some stuff for david. met up with timmy and decided to go watch a movie. just our luck... pirates of the caribbean II opened that day! so timmy, nyika, and i headed over to shinjuku to meet up with josh, josh's friend (i forgot his name), akki, asuka, sunny, and bonnie. one thing i noticed about the theater we went to was that the screen was offset pretty far away from the seats. meaning that the first rows of seats was actually quite far from the screen. genius! you don't have to be weary of having to sit in the "neck-breaker" seats. woot takashimaya times square! oh, one other observation... everyone in japan sits patiently for the end of the credits to stand up and leave. huwhaaat!

sun, after service, timmy, toshi, nami, and i headed over to yoyogi park to meet up with josh. there was a break-dancing competition going on at the outdoor ampetheater. it was pretty sweet! there were quite a few impressive teams there. we then headed over to shibuya to get our mexican food fix @ el torito.

kats and the peninsula youth team are out here and doing well. continue to pray for them and their ministries. also, this friday is newhope japan's hawaiian & gospel night! it'll be taking place @ zepp tokyo in odaiba, a big concert hall that can fit over 2000 people. please join us in prayer for this outreach event, as it's an amazing opportunity for people to be introduced to church and jesus.

anyways... stay cool, drink some kool-aid (ohhh yeeeaaah!!!), and have a great week!

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here i am
shawn mcdonald

i lay myself at your feet
asking you won't you meet
won't you meet me
i cannot do it on my own
i cannot do it all alone
here i am, oh, tonight
with my arms open wide
won't you come inside
won't you come inside, god
come and fill this heart of mine
i'm in need of you
of your touch, of your life, of your love
i need you
i need you

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talk to me |

7.19.06 - "it's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday"

hmmm...where to begin... god is awesome! tokyo is awesome! friends are awesome!

sat - blaze worship team practice in the morning. xtreme was at night. helped lead worship with josh, jeff, and yuuki. colby gave a message on missions, and yukie shared about her calling into the mission field. god calls all christians to be missionaries, and that doesn't mean you have to go to some foreign country to be one... some very challenging stuff.

sun - lead worship @ newhope with josh, jeff, and the blaze worship team. it was such a blessing! it's always funny how lost we can feel as we practice, yet the holy spirit is always there to guide us. this was our 2nd time leading worship in the main service, and i think we've grown tremendously as a team. our practices have been awesome times of worship, and we're continually blown away by god's presence. akki, yuuki, yusuke, gyao, yuka, yuko, mika, kaori, niyka... arigato ne! let's continue to grow as a team, as we seek after true worship! also a special shout out to josh, jeff, & gene! it was such a blessing worshipping with you guys again. it felt like old times, and i was reminded of how much i love leading with you guys! woot!

happi baasuday to yuichi! after church, we had a birthday party to celebrate his 30th b'day. thanks to minna-san & ryota for being such generous hosts.

sun late night - went with a bunch of ccc & newhope peeps to club harlem, a hip-hop club in shibuya to see our friends sunny & bonnie (shyne) perform. they did an awesome job, but their set was way too short! we all had fun dancing the night away, and topped off the night/morning with breakfast at micky-d's.

mon - got home @ 7:30am and crashed out till 2pm. don't worry, i didn't skip work. mon was a national holiday... umi no hi (ocean day). met up with the guys and took them to odaiba. went to the toyota/lexus showroom, totoro store @ venus fort, then to aqua city for some dinner at kua-aina. when all was said and done, we had met up with a buch of friends. i felt like a teacher taking his class on a field-trip. i was exhausted to say the least... but it was good times indeed!

tues - back to work as usual... but i met up to have dinner with the guys for their last night in tokyo. also said saiyonara to mike & justin. this past year just flew by! i'm sad to see the two of you leave, but i'm excited about what god has in-store for the next chapters in your lives! hontoni otsukaresama deshita!

please pray for all those <tear>traveling home this week</tear>. it has been an adventure, and i thank god for placing each of you in my life! see you guys next time around!

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more than life
hillsong united

stand by everything you said
stand by the promises we made
let go of everything i've done
i'll run into your open arms
and all i know

i love you more than life
i love you more than life

fall back on everything you've done
fall back on everlasting arms
when all the world is swept away
you are all the things i need
you're the air i breathe

how can it be
you were the one on the cross
lifted for all our shame?
how can it be
the scars in your hands are for me?
you are the king of all

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talk to me |

7.13.06 - freedom

last thursday, i went to see josh speak at the weekly ccc college fellowship. his message was about being "set free". the past few weeks have been pretty hectic. balancing work, ministry, personal time, rest, and other activites has been pretty challenging. sometimes i wonder at what point i won't be able to take it anymore. but i know for sure that it's not my own strength that allows me to carry on. the working world in japan is highly demanding, and living here is equally tough. but i know that i would be nowhere if it wasn't for the freedom that god gives us. freedom to break free from the bondages of this world.

i've also been able to seek refuge in the freedom that comes from worship. it allows me to take everything and offer it up to the lord. this past sunday, while we were leading worship, it was almost like the congregation was leading the songs. i was in awe of the beauty of the sound of unified voices singing out "i could sing of your love forever... shu yo anata no ai wo tokoshiemade utaitai". i get lost in the splendor of seeing people coming before the lord with praise & worship.

it's been great having the guys here. they're having an awesome time. gene went back yesterday, but he's still here in spirit. it was a blessing that he was able to stay an extra week longer than planned. leading worship with josh, gene, & jeff felt like ol' times, and hanging out with all the guys felt like home. we'd be walking around, and it would feel like we're totally just walking around LA somewhere. this week, i'll be leading worship along with the blaze teen's band. josh and jeff will also be joining us. please pray as we prepare, as we're really excited about leading!

here's our set: [ king of majesty, unchanging, mitsumetsuzukemasu (strength of my life), how great is our god, one way ]

thank you for all your prayers! blessings this week!

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freedom (excerpt)
darrell evans

where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom
where the spirit of the lord is, there is freedom
there is peace, there is love, there is joy.
it is for freedom, you've set us free,
it is for freedom, you've set us free.

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talk to me |

7.03.06 - all grownz up

fri night, went to petra club for newhope's aloha bible study, where josh.g, gene, and jeff lead worship, and wayne & ronnie gave their testimonies. shintaro-sensei asked me to give a short introduction before the guys lead worship. i talked about how i remember these guys back in jr./high school, how much of an influence they've been in my life, and how happy i am to have them here. it's crazy to think that i met them 10 years ago, and now they're out here, all grownz up, following after god's calling. i felt like a proud older brother seeing these guys putting their gifts to use.

sat, had worship practice in the morning, but met up with josh.g, gene, colby, tim, and jeff in the afternoon. took them to the electronics mecca of the world, akihabara. we spent most of our time @ yodobashi-akiba, the mother of all electronics stores. josh picked up a new lens for his d50. we then headed over to kichijoji to meet up with the others for some shabu-shabu at momo-paradise (mo-para). all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu for 90min. we finished off the evening with some of the guys taking the baskin-robbins "tripple challenge". buy 2 scoops and get a third one free!

lead worship on sunday at newhope. after service, a few of us jumped on the train and headed to yokohama. we went down for the 2-year anniversary service @ newhope yokohama. they celebrated their 2nd anniversary since being planted by newhope tokyo back in 2004. the church is filled with young people, and god is doing some amazing things there! it was such a blessing being able to go and join in the celebration. the pastor talked about dreams and aspirations, and how we should continue to strive after them. it's through dreams that god has grown this church so much in such a short time.

japan is alive and kickin . . . please continue to join us in prayer for this nation!

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everywhere i go i see you
every breath i take, i breathe you
everywhere i go i see
oh when your love came down

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talk to me |