Zech 4:10 Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that see everywhere around the world. TLB

Rom 12:13 When God's children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. TLB 1 Peter 4:9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night. TLB

Let me rephrase that, Please pray for us. Yes, we are asking you to pray for us. We really would appreciate it if you would pray for us on a daily basis. It is not so hard to do. We will give some brief suggestions and guidelines on how best to do this. Thank you very much and God bless you richly!

Prayer changes things! Join us in intercessory prayer for Japan. Click the link: Prayer for Japan
Or you may choose to pray along with the Prayer for Japan Video. God bless you as you pray!
Government leader attacks Christianity! Click this link to read the news article.

Gain – To come into possession or use of; acquire; to attain in competition or struggle; win; to obtain through effort or merit; achieve.Gideon's Army IN Japan. GAIN Japan! In order to “gain Japan” for the kingdom of God something powerful, unique and new must be found and employed in sharing God’s Love here in an effective manner. The past century of western-style evangelism and mission’s strategy has been found to be sorely wanting in results and long lasting change.

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a character in the well-known work of the English novelist Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. The Ghost of Christmas past was the first of the three spirits (after the visitation by Jacob Marley) that haunted the miser Ebenezer Scrooge in order to prompt him to repent. He showed him scenes from his past that occurred on or around Christmas, in order to demonstrate to him the necessity of changing his ways, as well as to show the reader how Scrooge came to be the person he was and his particular dislike for Christmas – most of the events which negatively affected Scrooge occurred around the Christmas holiday season. Wikipedia

Judges 7:7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. KJV  In Judges 6-7 we can read the well-known account of Gideon being used by God to defeat a powerful military force of thousands of Midianites and the Amalekites in the Valley of Jezreel. He accomplished this amazing feat with a small handful of 300 men who had been selected from a larger force of at least 32,000!

A full-court press is a basketball term that refers to a defensive style in which the defense applies man-to-man or zone defense to pressure the offensive team the entire length of the court before and after the inbound pass. Some presses attempt to deny the initial inbounds pass and trap ball handlers either in the backcourt or at mid court. A full-court press takes a great deal of effort, but can be an effective tactic. Often when teams are behind late in a game, they will apply full-court pressure as a means of attempting to produce turnovers as well as tire opponents. Wikipedia

Attrition – war of attrition plural wars of attrition [countable] a struggle in which you harm your opponent in a lot of small ways, so that they become gradually weaker. Longman Dictionary.

Early this morning I decided to cut our grass before the temperature got too high. It takes about one hour to cut and trim the whole yard. Before starting I made sure that I put mosquito repellant on the exposed parts of my face. To my dismay, I found myself relentlessly pursued by hungry “Tiger Mosquitoes” bent on taking some of my blood. I soon began to wonder why God decided to create such pests!

Control - the process of limiting or restricting somebody or something, or the methods used in this, to exercise power or authority over something such as a business or nation, dictate, manipulate, influence, dominate, oppress, have a hold over, hold sway over, restrain.

Psalms 85:6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. NIV

Nope! This is not a confession of sin and moral failure. This is not a juicy and sordid tale of a minister falling into sin. This is just a simple report of physically falling down today.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; KJV

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. KJV

Rom 15:20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."  NIV

Priority – something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives. Merriman-Webster

Those words are like music to our ears in certain circumstances of life. Recently, while visiting the USA Sharon found herself on a busy expressway in a heavy snow storm. Suddenly the car she was driving had a flat tire. She pulled over to the side and eventually found the spare tire located under the back of the car. After some effort she got the tire down and found the jack to raise the car. Just then an Ohio State Patrol car pulled up and a uniformed officer got out and offered to change the tire for her.

It is 4:00 am in southwestern Japan and boisterous gale force winds are shaking the house and trees. This setting is appropriate for writing about the anger issues of men. This blog has been simmering for a couple weeks waiting for just the right time to launch out into and explore the dark and tumultuous waters of anger.

1 Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  NIV 

The title of this blog sounds like a contradiction or oxymoron. How can there be a witness if there is silence? Actually God has employed this principle since the Creation of the world.

Protect, Preserve, emPower, emPloy, Promote, Provide and Plenty are powerful prayer promises that can be utilized in effective intercessory prayer.

JPN Prayer Watch Live!

Matt 18:19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." NIV

Network- “An extended group of people with similar interests or concerns who interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support” Answers.com

 That definition describes the relationship between those who have chosen to be a part of the Japan Prayer Network (JPN).  Co-founded by Daniel and Sharon Corbett, JPN seeks to unite those who have a common interest in reaching the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The primary and initial focus of outreach is the nation and people of Japan. The core activity of JPN is simply prayer, intercessory, passionate, united, informed, and consistent prayer.

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Challenge - A demanding or stimulating situation. A call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition.  A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking.Synonym - invite, bid - ask someone in a friendly way to do something. provoke, stimulate - provide the needed stimulus for a difficult task. appeal - take a court case to a higher court for review.

Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. KJV

Worst Crisis Since '30s, With No End Yet in Sight!

This is an internet headline of news for Sept 18, 2008. There are few people who are living in a conscious state that have not heard this news. Early this past year the cry was the “subprime loan crisis”. Before this, was the Black Monday of 1987 when the stock markets crashed all around the world. But first of all, was Black Thursday, October 24, 1929 which is said to have started the famous Stock Market crash of 1929 and led into the The Great Depression.

Intercessory Prayer – intercessory prayer is the act of one person praying for or on behalf of another. The prayer intercedes on behalf of the subject, believing that God will answer the prayer accordingly. In some evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic churches, the role of "Intercessor" or "Prayer Warrior" is believed to be a divinely appointed spiritual gift or ministry. The intercessor agrees to take on the burden of another; this kind of prayer is often an intense religious experience. A notable intercessor in Christian history was Rees Howells, a Welsh minister about whom Norman Grubb wrote the book Rees Howells: Intercessor. Wikipedia  Click the Read More button below and the following page number to begin reading the article.

  Why not Africa or India? Why not South America or Russia? That is a good question. Why should we devote our lives to Japan and then present the nation and people of Japan to you for your financial help and prayer support. Isn’t Japan very wealthy, clean, and has a stable and healthy society? Isn’t their way of very life happy and prosperous?

Most statistics list Japan as the second wealthiest country in the world after the USA. The Japanese are also known as having the world’s longest life span. The cities and streets are very clean compared to many other nations of the world. These are some of the positive aspects of Japan but, these factors give no indication of the spiritual well-being and emotional health of this nation but, help hide the dire conditions that exist here.

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the English term for the Imperial Throne of Japan. In this book we intend to address the relationship or rivalry that may exist between the authority of the imperial throne and the God of the Bible. How can these two powers coexist within the boundaries of culture, language, society, government, and daily life? Besides the larger picture we will be looking through the eyes of a missionary family as they struggle to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Japan beginning in 1968 for 18 months and then again from 1979 until the present. New addition Feb 11, 2008 Click the following link to read the new material. Page Two