LET IS START TODAY Prayer

Father in Heaven,

Please help me to not be controlled by my body.

Please help me to kill every desire 

for the wrong kind of sex.

Help me not to be immoral or indecent.

Help me not to have evil thoughts,

or be greedy,

or worship any kind of idol.

Help me to set my heart and mind

on things above.

Help me to put to death
whatever belongs to my earthly nature

whatever comes from, or leads to,

any sexual immorality

Help me to stamp out

impurity 

lust 

evil desires 

and greed-idolatry..

Help me to rid myself

of all such things

as these:

anger 

rage 

malice 

Help me to get rid of

slander 

filthy language

from my mouth.

Help me not to lie.

Help me to let the peace of Christ

rule in my heart.

Help me to always be more thankful.

Help me put on new habits of

compassion,

kindness 

gentleness 

humility 

and patience 

Help me to bear with others 

and forgive 

WHATEVER grievances 

I may have against someone.

Please hep me to

forgive 

as you forgive me.

Please make your word 

dwell in me 

richly

as I teach 

and admonish.

Please help me to have more wisdom 

to admonish.

Help me to have 

the right attitude

as I sing psalms

hymns 

and spiritual songs 

with gratitude 

in my heart to YOU!.

And please help me 

in whatever 

I say or do,

to do it all

as a representative of the Lord Jesus 

giving thanks 

to YOU

through Him.

Help me to love my wife. 

and do not be harsh with her.

Help me to start again today.

Help me today

so that I will set no vile thing 

before my eyes 

Help me to  hate the deeds of faithless men 

Help me to allow neither those men 

nor their deeds to gain 

a hold on me.

Father, thank you.

Please give me wisdom.

Please be with me

today 

in all the reality 

and substantiality 

that my physical, earthly body 

can stand.

In Jesus' wonderful name, 

Amen

My Winter vacation 2012-13

I taught my last English class on December 22, Saturday.  The next day we had a Christmas  party for our Bible students and parenting group members. It was a lot of work, specially cleaning up.  We had a good time and did a small Christmas drama, complete with costumes.  We even had a visit from Santa Claus.

On Monday morning, we had a small party with a few friends. We did Secret Santas, which means each person buys presents for one person as a surprise.  I got a book I had requested, an Itunes card, and some coupons for baked goods.  I gave my friend a lot of different kinds of foreign food from Jupiter in Okayama Station.

On Monday afternoon we sang some Christmas songs and visited with the elderly people at a nursing home in Kojima.  It was fun. We talked to one lady who will be 100 years old in April. Her younger sister, only 96, is there too.  They are very strong because many years ago they walked every

day from Shimotsui to Ajino Junior High.

Christmas Day was pretty quiet, except we had to finish cleaning up.  And we began to get ready for our guests who were coming on the 29th.

On the 27th, Thursday, we had a bonenkai at Naka Naka in Ajino. Five people ate a lot of different kinds of food. Everybody was driving, so nobody had any alcohol.  We had a good time.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, a beautiful clear day, our friends arrived from Mito in Ibaraki ken.  Erica had been to Kojima twice before.  She came first as a LET'S START TALKING team member 6 or 7 years ago.  Then the next year she came back for 10 weeks as an intern.  She was always very active, sometimes climbing to the top of Ryuozan three times a week. 

Saturday evening, we went to Bikanchiku for a jazz live house at Avenue.  My friend was playing the trumpet.  It was pretty fun, but seemed expensive.  While looking for the place, we walked along the river.  It was very beautiful at night.  We also found a Turkish souvenir store and I finally got to buy some Turkish Delight!!!

The next few days, we enjoyed talking, eating, watching TV, and walking 

around with Ben and Erica.  We had a small New Year's Eve party with snacks, games and talking.  At midnight we went outside to watch the fireworks at Washuzan Highland.  They were better than I expected.

On New Year's Day, we ate sukiyaki and early in the morning on January 2nd, they went back to Mito.  That was Wednesday and my first class was on Friday, the 4th.

Okay, let's have a great year!!

今年もよろしくお願いします。

Jesus on Gun Control, Part 1

Don't judge me! When we say that, does it mean that anything is okay? Or does it mean that I know that you do it, too? Jesus said, Judge not that you be not judged. At the end of this article, I hope you will remember that I am not judging you and I hope you will not judge me. I hope you will critically analyze what I have to say and continue your own prayer and Bible study and thinking as our society and our churches struggle to make positive changes.


When it comes to gun control, I insist that Christians start at a far different place than the general public. Christians are Christ-followers, and Christ gives us a completely new, and radically different foundation for our life on this earth. Jesus said, Turn the other cheek, Jesus said, You can not be my disicple unless you give up all, unless you die to yourself. Jesus says take up your cross every day. Not your gun. Leave, die, deny, give up rights.


I will provide. I can do it! Even mothers, fathers, children will be given to you if you leave them for my sake. Christ-followers die to this world, because we are invested in the next.


Christ, as our perfect example, did not return evil for evil. He took all that they had to give and asked God to forgive them. If you are suffering unjustly, rejoice!!!!

When Jesus said to love your enemy, I suggest that he meant something. When someone is threatening to take my stuff, or break into my house, or hurt my loved ones, he deserves to be considered my enemy. Now, what does it mean to love him in that moment? Kill him, in this un-saved condition? I doubt it.


 Jesus did not just say be nice when it feels nice, or when you feel like it. He said to love your enemy.