by Whitey | Feb 27, 2013 | Thoughts
“As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him. But after that, he will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness.” (Micah 7:7-9 NLT)
Sin is serious. Sin has consequences. When we sin we bring pain upon ourselves. And sometimes God disciplines us.
But the good news is that He disciplines those He loves. And when we repent, He forgives.
God wants what’s best for us. He loves us. Like Micah, Believers can be confident that God is on our side.
by Whitey | Feb 3, 2013 | Photos
Here’s a photo from Friday’s English Cafe. Nice to see some new faces!
by Whitey | Jan 31, 2013 | Ministry News
Hi everyone,
January was a fairly quiet month for my ministry. I did, however, take my usual monthly trip to Shizuoka, where a couple of interesting things happened: I had prepared a short message in Japanese for the Sunday school lesson. Usually this class is mostly high school girls, but this time there were some younger kids involved too. My message didn’t really seem like a good fit anymore, so I improvised. I was thankful for the fact that I had an interpreter, because it’s a lot harder to improvise in Japanese! We talked about the lyrics of one of the songs we’d been singing, which were taken from the Psalms. It turned out to be a great opportunity to talk about God’s greatness and love in a simple, easy-to-understand way. Please pray for God to reveal Himself in these kids’ hearts and lives.
Another highlight of my Shizuoka visit was that we had a first-time visitor to my adult English Bible study in the afternoon. Please pray for God to keep working in this lady’s life, and for her to keep connecting with the Shizuoka church.
As things got back into full-swing in Nagoya, I also had a new student join my Saturday morning English class. Please keep praying for my English students!
As 2013 gets into full swing, I‘d appreciate your prayers for God’s continued direction and provision for my ministry. And pray for Japan, too!
Thank you!
– Robin
by Whitey | Jan 24, 2013 | Thoughts
“Go, and sin no more.”
Jesus said this kind if thing a lot. Yes, He forgives sins. But it’s not because those sins are OK. He forgives because He loves us, and because His sacrifice paid the price.
When we come to Jesus for forgiveness, it needs to be with an attitude of repentance; a willingness to turn from our sins and follow Him. The good news is, as with the woman in this story, Jesus will forgive. He will not condemn. He will say, “Go, and sin no more.”
May we live today in light of this grace, turning away from sin and with thanksgiving following Jesus.
by Whitey | Jan 15, 2013 | Thoughts
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” (John 5:39, 40 NLT)
Scripture is important because it helps us connect with Jesus. Yet it is possible to know a lot of scripture, and to know a lot about Jesus, but not actually know Him personally.
I want more than just head knowledge and wisdom from the Word. I want to meet Jesus in the Word. I want to know Him. May I avoid the trap of going through the motions of “doing devotions” as a merely a daily task or discipline. May I keep its purpose in mind — to know Jesus.
