Go with peace! God is at the Lighthouse all the time!!

 As I am getting end the time of my life at the Lighthouse, I have many thought and feelings every single day.  I praise the Lord for being able to see His presence every day in wherever I go and in whatever I do.

 Tonight was one of the Friday nights, I just could not stop thanking God for His presence at the Lighthouse and for the Lighthouse community God gave into my life.  I was full of joy. I was in charge as a "Staff" tonight (other staff were gone), so my brain was everywhere to make sure everything goes well.  Though I had peace whole time as I know He is the one who is doing all.

 God IS the provider.  He provided all help I needed.  Praise the Lord!  He provided us two new worship members! Praise the Lord!! This was a quick answer for our prayers.  God surprised me by bringing some sailor back which is I did not expect she would be back till next month.  Praise the Lord!  God amazed me by some sailor who supposed to fly back to the ship 5 days later his new baby girl was born but he was told yesterday that he can stay longer with his family. Praise the Lord!  God gave me such a joy to meet the new born baby girl.  Praise the Lord!  We had 6 new people tonight. Praise the Lord!!  Many things that I see His presence, His power, His faithfulness, His gentleness.... and His love!

 To be honest, I am not able to have this perspective (to see even a little blessings) every Friday nights or whenever we have ministry.   Tonight was one of the days and I thought that God is giving me more peace about leaving Lighthouse.  He is telling me, "I will be here all the time even though people comes and go all the time. I will always watch over people at the Lighthouse. This is MY place and MY people.  Go with peace!"

 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
  Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
 Know that the Lord is God.
 It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

                                                                        Psalm 100

Desert Song

Desert Song

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames


And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong/the_desert_song.html ]
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here


And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here


All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Know that the LORD is God!!

"Shout for joy the LORD, all the earth.  
 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  
 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; 
          we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  
 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 
           give thanks to him and praise his name. 
 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 
           his faithfulness continues through all generation."
                                                                                                   Psalm 100

 Last night 6 sailors gave their lives to Jesus and two sailors got baptized at the Lighthouse.  Two sailors who got baptized shared their testimonies.  Their testimonies were so powerful.

                                       

 Last 4 weeks, I have been able to see some one came to Christ each week.  What a joy the Lord has given!

 I know many many people are disappointed, discouraged, hurt,angry... by some incidents with U.S. Military  in Okinawa, Japan.

 I pray that we will continue praising the Lord for His amazing works and His great love for us, that we will continue praying and loving one another and that we will continue encouraging each other to be the light of this world.


 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 
                   that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"                       John 3:16

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" 
                                                                                        Luke 19:10

"You are the light of the world..... Let your light shine before men, 
           that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven"
                                                                                        Matthew 5:14, 16
  

We never know how God uses us to show Himself!

 Last Saturday I had TOEFL(Test Of English as a Foreign Language) test.  This test is the most widely respected English-language test in the world, recognized by more than 8,500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries, including Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the United States and people who speaks English as their second language are required to have enough score to apply the university or college.

 Anyway this was my second time to try this test.  The first time was about four years ago.  I did remember that it was very difficult and I was so disappointment and discouraged.  I don't have any plan to apply to any school right now but as I always have a desire to study at Christian school, I wanted to see if God will open the door for me or show me His will for my next step.  

  It was a long test. (About 4 hours) Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing.  From the very beginning, I was not able to answer for any questions with any confidence.  It was just so DIFFICULT!!!  I started being discouraged.....  Satan started telling me some lies.  I stopped and prayed.  I was reminded why I wanted to take this test and that I decided to enjoy this test.  I told myself "You know what?  It really does not matter if I get a good score or not.  And you know what? Yes, my english may be not better than so many people who are taking this test.  But it is OK because I know that God gives me ENOUGH skill to be able to share His word & His love to others.  This is all matter to me!"  That brought me peace into my heart. :) 

 The very last two questions were for writing skill.  The first one, I had to read some article and listened to some lecture and then summarize them by writing.  It was very difficult and I even could not know how to answer.  I was just hoping that it gets over.  One more question.  The last question was  "Do you agree or disagree with the following statement.  Read it and explain why you agree/disagree.  You can answer from your experience or opinion".  This was the statement.  

 "The most important problems affecting today will be solved during my lifetime."

 The problems affecting today??  Immediately what came to my mind was "So many people does not know Jesus Christ which means they don't know the purpose of life.  And that has been affecting and causing many problems today!"  So I pointed one of biggest problem here in Japan "suicide" out as an example and started writing down whatever the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart.  I wondered for a moment what whoever read this would think and even if they would give me any points or not.  "It does not matter!!"  I just prayed that the Lord would be glorified by this answer.   I got pretty excited by being able to tell about Jesus!!  We NEVER know how God uses us to show Himself.  Whoever reads my answer may come to know Christ.  Who knows!  One scripture came to my mind.

 "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"     Colossians 3:17 

 I was full of joy after this test.  My life is still good even I could not get done well with my TOEFL test.  Finding the purpose of my life has totally changed my life.  I praise the Lord!      

   

I am 6 years old Christian!

 Today 21, October is my spiritual birthday.
6 years ago, I made a biggest decision I have ever made in my life to give my life to Christ.  I prayed with Paul&Stacy Cassidy who were the Lighthouse director back then and Mayumi Sorrels who is one of my Japanese sisters in Christ I met at the Lighthouse.  I was sitting exactly same place where I am sitting right now (Main living room at the Lighthouse, Yokosuka in Japan).  I remember that day and that moment just like it was yesterday.

 It has been 6 years.  I cannot imagine how my life would have been if I still did not know Him as my savior.  It is so true what some Christian friends told me. "Your daily life would not be perfect or better even you become a Christian".  There is always some trials & challenges in my daily life just as the life I had before I became a Christian.  So what is the difference?  Now I have a place to go when I feel lonely, when I am tired, when I cry... I have a best friend whom I can share everything with, I can laugh together, I can go anywhere together..... His name is Jesus. He gives me peace & joy I had never experienced before. Sometimes I can't feel He is right there with me or I can't see He is listening to me.  But I KNOW He is ALWAYS there with me and ALWAYS listening to me.  How do I know that?  I know that by remembering what He has done for me.  I believe that by faith. There was one time when I was angry with God.  But I have never wanted to run away from Him.  As I have tasted His great love, I will never want to run away from Him.  As David said in Psalm 63:3,"Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You."  I don't know any more how I can live without His love.

 I was reading a book of Luke this morning.  Luke 4:47 is a great one to describe my love to God.
Luke 7:47 "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much." 

 I don't deserve to receive anything God gives me.  But because of His great love, He gives me so many blessings. 

 I am only 6 years old Christian.  There are still so many things to learn. I know that for sure.  So many trials & challenges are waiting for me.  I know that too.  But I also know that my Savior, my Lord, my Father, my Best friend, Jesus is always with me. No matter where I go, He is going to be there and no matter what I do, He still loves me.  

 God has sent many many people into my life. I read some pastor said, "God send people to our lives to allow us to learn something and also to love".  I know that I could not be here without God but also I could not be here with out all people God has sent to my life.  So I want to thank you to all my friends & family as well!  



"Blessings"

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Forgiveness Will Transform Your Relationships

Please listen to this speaker's testimony first.
Forgiveness Will Transform Your Relationships

 This speaker's testimony's is very similar with mine.  I could not have forgiven my father before he passed away.  I had regretted.  I was so scared to loose my mother without being able to forgive her who was my biggest enemy in my life.  But I did not know how to forgive her. I did not want to forgive her.  It was so difficult.  Even after I came to Christ and I heard how God has forgiven my sin, still it was hard and I could not forgive her.  It took for a long time to be able to forgive my mother and to ask her to forgive me.  
 For God's love and grace, I was able to forgive her.  I would have not be able to do it, if I wanted to do for myself or for her.  But I wanted to do it to bring a glory for my God.  He knew my heart so he allowed me to forgive her.  That set me free from the burden a lot.  I learned that to forgive someone is to set me free from the burden.  Is it easy for me to forgive someone now then?  NO!  But it is easier than before because I know that to forgive is to set me free and that I can do it with God's love and grace.

 I really like what the speaker said.

"There is nothing that is unforgivable" 

"To forgive is to set the prisoner free only to discover that the prisoner was you"    

Colossians 3:12-13
^" Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."


 I know so many people are struggling with forgiveness.  I pray that God will speak to the readers and give strength to forgive through this speaker's testimony or my testimony so that they will be set free from the burden.

So this is how our mighty God works in our lives!

 God always amazes me how He works in our lives.

This is one of His ways how He showed me His will in the amazing way. 

 I received a mail today from my sister who lives in Korea.  I was expecting this mail as she mentioned the other day that she found some book she wants to give me for my birthday.  I had some idea what kind of book she is going to give me as I know her personality.  I opened the package and I was just amazed.  

 A while ago when I went to some Christian book store in Tokyo, I found one book I was really interested in.  I really wanted to read it but for several reasons I decided to not buy it.  I remember I was  holding that book for a while and just asking God if I should get it.  My decision was "I should wait since I am not sure. God will provide me on His time if He wants me to read it" 

 Yes, that is the book I received from my sister today.  What in the world I would ever think my sister would give me that book?  Totally God does in His way and on His time.  I emailed my sister and asked her how she found that book.  She told me that she remembered our conversation we had a while ago. I told her that I am still suffering with my past. My old wound from long time ago.  About the same time we had that conversation she heard about this book and she wanted to give to me.  God provided me this book thorough my sister who is not Christian. 

 So I know it is a book God wants me to read now, this season of my life. 

"Remember the former things, those of long ago; 
 I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. 
 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.

 I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please"

                                                                                                  Isaiah 46:9-10