12.26.06 - meri kurisumasu

'tis the season to be jolly! too exhausted to update right now, but here are the pics from the new hope christmas program. hope you and your families all had a wonderful christmas!

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light a candle
avalon

light a candle
for the old man who sits staring
out a frosty windowpane
light a candle
for the woman who is lonely
and every Christmas is the same
for the children who need
more than presents can bring

light a candle
light the dark
light the world
light a heart or two
light a candle for me
I'll light a candle for you

light a candle
for the homeless and the hungry
a little shelter from the cold
light a candle
for the broken and forgotten
may the season warm their souls
can we open our hearts
to shine through the dark

and in this special time of year
may peace on earth surround us here
and teach us there's a better way to live
and with every flame that burns
we must somehow learn
that love's the greatest gift
that we could ever give.....

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talk to me |

12.19.06 - the bay area's finest

a few months back, ryan sent me a package containing a jar of everett & jones bbq sauce (thanks ryan!). at first i couldn't wait to grill up some beef or chicken with my foreman grill, so i could smother it with this awesomeness. hey, i was even tempted to pour some out in a cup and take a few sips of the sauce. (yes, i miss bbq that much) but it occurred to me, this sauce is too good to keep to myself. so, in the true spirit of an eastbaybbq, i decided to save it to share with my newhope family. our first attempt to 'q it up was thwarted by a business trip (see entry for 11.06.06). and with temperatures quickly dropping, i wasn't sure when i would be able to taste the e&j goodness. well, this past sat, the time was finally right to bust the jar open.

we had a blaze(teens) and xtreme(young adult) joint christmas party at narimasu. i know christmas usually conjurs up images of turkey, chicken, and ham . . . but in my book, any day is a good day for some ribs! so i was in charge of the christmas bbq. sat morning, i went out to costco and picked up my order of 2 cases of vacume-packed baby-back ribs. here was my main dilema though . . . narimasu is about 1.5 hours away from costco, by train. and this includes about 45min of walking, whilst carrying about 50lbs worth of ribs. i was contemplating bringing my rolling suitcase with me to carry all the stuff. ultimately, i bought 2 costco bags (in costcojapan, they sell shopping bags for about $1.50 when you checkout), and made the trek carrying these. boy did i work up an appetite!

the christmas party was a blast! worship, games, skits, hula, message, and of course, bbq! the ribs and the sauce were a hit! also on the menu was ceasar salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and soup. woot! it meant a lot to me to be able to share a part of my home with my new family here. of course, it's always nice to eat good food, but the time spent preparing/eating with brothers and sisters is what it's really all about.

this weekend is the new hope christmas program(s). *deep breath* i'm practically speachless when i think about how much work everyone is putting into this. i'm really excited about sat, when we finally get to piece all the parts together. we're having 3 services, 1 sat night, and 2 on sun. we're expecting about 1000 people total, and i know a lot of them have never heard the gospel before. please join us in keeping them in your prayer. arigato gozaimasu!

have a great week everyone! blessings this christmas season!

[update] - i forgot to plug this . . . if you guys get a chance, please check this out: "my life disoriented". it's a tv pilot for a series written by my friend claire, and features a cast of many asian americans. my friend karin is also one of the main characters. it airs on dec 26th on your local pbs network. please spread the word to anyone that might be interested!

btw, check out this hilarious clip from last week's snl w/ jt. nbc's pretty snobby about uploading clips, so i don't know how long the link will work. youtube has already taken some versions down. hope this one lasts.

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voice of truth (excerpt)
casting crowns

oh what i would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
to climb out of this boat I'm in
onto the crashing waves

to step out of my comfort zone
into the realm of the unknown where jesus is
and he's holding out his hand

but the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
reminding me of all the times
i've tried before and failed
the waves they keep on telling me
time and time again. "boy, you'll never win!"
"you'll never win!"

but the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says, "do not be afraid!"
the voice of truth says, "this is for my glory"
out of all the voices calling out to me
i will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

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talk to me |

12.11.06 - warmth

as temperatures continue to drop, i can always count on a nabe party to warm me up quite nicely! saturday, the new hope men's ministry had a nabe party at narimasu. i had spent all afternoon practicing for this week's worship & and also for the christmas program. chillin and eating nabe was a great way to relax and chat with some of the other brothers of new hope.

fukubi-san shared his testimony, and talked about how he came to know the lord through a friend that was willing to listen to his problems. i know in all the busy-ness of the holiday season, it's easy to really get consumed by everything. for me, it's almost instinctive for me to go on auto-pilot mode and focus on all the tasks i have before me. i need to remember to be aware of my surroundings and be sensitive to when god might be using me to minister to someone.

after a weekend filled with rehersals, i really feel like the christmas program is coming together really well. i'm excited to see how it's going to turn out, and how god is going to be moving. please keep us in your prayers, especially the people feeling a little under the weather. also, pray for the teen's band, as we'll be leading worship this weekend.

christmas is coming up on us real quick! reeeaaalllly quick!!! hope you're all doing well! have a great week!

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yearn
shane & shane

holy design
this place in time
that i might seek and find my god
my god

lord i want to yearn for you
i want to burn with passion
over you and only you
lord i want to yearn

your joy is mine
yet why am i fine
with all my singing and bringing grain
in light of him

oh you give life and breath
through him you give all things
in him we live and move
that's why i sing

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talk to me |

12.05.06 - it's begining to look a lot like christmas

can't believe it's already december! for a country that doesn't officially recognize christmas as a national holiday, they sure do a good job of putting up christmas decorations! lights are going up all over tokyo, and everyone's getting into the "holiday spirit". the city is abolutely beautiful this time of year! not to mention c-c-cold! makes me wanna sip chocolate mint mocha while eating kk.

this is a busy time of the year for everyone. it's so easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle. i'm constantly reminding myself to take a breather every now and then . . . even if it's only for a moment. i've been walking to/from shinjuku station and the office everyday instead of riding the bus. it's about a 30-min walk, but i often stop every now and then, just to take a breath and look around in my surroundings. there's something calming about staying still while masses of japanese businessmen herd to the numerous high rise skyscrapers.

god places us in certain situations for a reason. i find myself having more and more conversations with brothers and sisters about how some things are more than coincidences, and can only be explained as "it's god". i wish i had the time (and strength) to share everything i've been experiencing here. feel free to hit me up on aim or email though.

anyways, blessings this week! let's worship the lord with a joyful heart!

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joyful joyful (excerpt)
arranged by charlie hall

we sing in jubilation, adoration to a joyful king
you are spinning and you are singing
zealous love over all your children

joyful, joyful, we adore thee
god of glory, lord of love
hearts unfold like flowers before thee
opening to the sun above
melt the clouds of sin and sadness
drive the dark of doubt away
giver of immortal gladness
fill us with the light of day

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talk to me |