Gordonjapn

G.E.M.s Gordons' Equipping Ministries Brochure

2011-12-03T00:57:00.001-08:00

G.E.M.s: Gordons' Equipping Ministries

“…equipping the saints for the work of service, to the

building up of the body of Christ” Ephesians 4:12

G.E.M.s represents the combined work and ministries of the Gordon family living in Japan. This family photo was taken at the wedding of our daughter Micah Joy to Akihiro, 8/6/11. Sarah is to the left & Ricky to the right of the couple.

Living Way Church (LWC)

Ricky & Sarah work together as missionary-pastors of LWC overseeing the life of some 100+ believers from 10 different countries. The church, which celebrated its 23rd Anniversary May 12, 2011, is the foundation for all the other ministries that follow.

Loving Decisions [Ai no Kesshin]

Sarah is the Director of this all-volunteer agency that helps women and children in crisis. Ako is Sarah’s

indispensable assistant and interpreter as they have to continually deal with hospitals and city and state governments. We have placed 180+ infants and children with Christian adoptive families. For the past two years we’ve averaged 7 babies at a time in foster care in our house. Everyone helps with the babies (out of necessity).

Shachah & Performing Arts

Catherine and Elizabeth have taught ballet classes and choreographed performances for church. 8 years ago they formed Shachah, a modern dance troupe commu-nicating the gospel through music and dance. For the past 8 summers they have performed throughout Japan and toured Indonesia in 2009.

The Shulamites, an Unreached People

Our church is partnering with other churches to reach the Shulamites, code name for an ethnic group of almost 20 million people who do not have a single church among them. They suffer under the oppression of two demonic forces: one anti-God & the other anti-Christian.

Central City Ministry (CCM)

For over 3 years now our church has reached out to the ever increasing homeless/jobless population of our city. About 12 men have received Jesus. Some have been baptized and attend church faithfully.

Indian Evangelical Team (I.E.T.)

LWC is the Japan home base for I.E.T., India’s largest indigenous Christian work. All funds from Japan to support orphans and Christian workers in India are channeled through the church.

To contact the Gordons in Japan:

Mailing Address: TelPh/Fax: 81-54-247-9411
2-13-7 Karase, Aoi-ku Cell(Ricky): 81-90-8957-8152
Shizuoka-shi 420-0937 Cell(Sarah): 81-90-2578-4074

U.S.# rings in Japan: 205-533-8726

Ricky’s Blog for more Detailed accounts of life & work:

http://gordonjapn.blogspot.com/

Podcasts of Bilingual messages: http://www.lwcshizuoka.com/Living_Way/Home.html
Check out Ricky & Sarah’s FaceBook sites, too!
E-Mail: Gordonjapn@gmail.com

All contributions should be sent to:
DCF-Missions
2054 John D. Odom Road
Dothan, AL 36303 For: Japan__
[All contributions are tax-deductible]

2011-02-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ricky's Updated Blog

2/17 Thu 14:00 Atlanta Bread Co./Sean Nix

17:30 Marshall & Mikelyn Bolden at their home

2/18 Fri 19:00 Sean Nix Home Group/Harvest Ch.

2/19 Sat

2/20 Sun 10:00 New Covenant Fel./John D. Reese

18:00 Lakeside Fellowship/Mickey Skinner/Abbeville

2/21 Mon 12:00 Lunch with Larry & Marilyn Adams/Webb

2/22 Tue 18:00 dinner with Larry Bolden at OLD MILL

2/23 Wed 18:00 Calvary Baptist Ch./Abbeville

2/24 Thu Travel to Birmingham/Jesse & Gary Pevear

2/25 Fri 14:00 Dental Appt./David Powell, Huntsville

2/26 Sat

2/27 Sun 10:15, DCF/Dothan

18:00, Blackwood Cong.Ch., Headland/Chuck Campbell

2/28 Mon

3/1 Tue

3/2 Wed

3/3 Thu 08:30 HSV to ATL to NRT

Ricky's Itenerary Feb. 11-Mar. 4, 2011

2011-02-03T22:38:00.000-08:00

Ricky’s Itinerary Feb. 11-Mar. 4, 2011

Date Event

2/11 Fri Leave Japan, NRT, 15:40, arrive Huntsville, 19:17, Tucker’s house/Decatur

2/12 Sat 16:00 Open House at Vic & Laura Tucker’s

2/13 Sun 15:00 Huntsville Japanese Bible Study

2/14 Mon 08:30 Dental Appointment/David Powell

Travel to Birmingham/ Henry & Judy Barclay

2/15 Tue Birmingham & Travel to Gadsden/Bryan Grissett

2/16 Wed Prattville/Montgomery, AL w/Doug & Jeanie Arnold

2/17 Thu Dothan, AL

2/18 Fri Dothan, AL

2/19 Sat Dothan, AL

2/20 Sun 10:00 New Covenant Fellowship/John D. Reese, Dothan

18:00 Lakeside Fellowship/Mickey Skinner, Abbeville

2/21 Mon Free/Dothan, AL

2/22 Tue Free/Dothan, AL

2/23 Wed 18:00 Calvary Baptist Ch./Abbeville

2/24 Thu Travel to Prattville, stay with Arnolds

2/25 Fri Dental Appt./David Powell, Huntsville

2/26 Sat Return to Dothan, AL

2/27 Sun 10:15, Dothan Christian Fellowship/Dothan

18:00, Blackwood Cong.Ch., Headland/Chuck Campbell

2/28 Mon Free

3/1 Tue Free

3/2 Wed Return to Decatur/Huntsville

3/3 Thu 08:30 HSV to ATL to NRT

3/4 Fri 15:55 arrive Narita

Our Ambition

2011-01-16T08:15:00.001-08:00

Paul wrote, "Our ambition is to be pleasing to Him in all things." Today at church we tried a different approach. We had Ando, who was leading the worship today, plan many more songs than normal and we instructed him to just keep going as the Holy Spirit led. We sang and worshipped and I never preached or taught. I'm a teacher, both in the natural and in the church, so it really goes against my bent and my gifting NOT to teach. I had two different messages prepared--I did used to be a Boy Scout (our motto is "Be Prepared") and I am a speech teacher. So I was prepared. But, I felt that if I had said anything, other than guiding us through communion, I would have interfered with what the Holy Spirit was doing. Now, at the end of the day, all I can say is, "I feel the Lord was pleased." That is enough!

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2011-01-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

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Coping Strategy 4: Don't Get Mad, Get Your Camera

2010-09-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

I open the door, step inside, and look up the 18 steps leading to our second floor. At odd angles and different positions, on almost every step, are shoes of various colors, shapes, and sizes--no two matching. The boys have been enjoying their favorite game! By the boys, I mean Shota and Ma-kun, both three and a half years old Down's kids. We have a gate at the top of the steep stairs to prevent them from tumbling down. So, they love to take the shoes arranged neatly in rows at the top of the second floor entrance and throw them through or under the bars of the gate as far down the stairs as possible. They've done a particularly outstanding job today. Instead of getting angry, I go for my camera. We've never had any children do this before!

Coping strategy four: Don't get angry, get your camera! How many times do we explode and obsess over an event but later laugh as we tell friends and family about the disaster that is now a treasured memory. I wish I had learned this when I first had children, not now, thirty-three years later!

When Jason was three and Matthew two, we were keeping a small boy, about one and a half, while he awaited moving to his adoptive family. All the ladies of the house left me and Chris, who was 17 at the time, to babysit. I got distracted doing something in my office area and assumed that Chris was watching the three boys. I suddenly realized I didn't hear anything. Silence is NOT golden in such circumstances.

I rushed into the living room and didn't see anyone. Then I heard joyful laughter in the corner of the kitchen. [For those of you who don't have children or it has been too long for you to remember, "joyful laughter" may or may NOT mean all is well.] Rounding the corner I found the source of all the "joy." Jason was holding a plastic honey bear over the heads of the other two boys squeezing the remaining honey over their heads. Matthew and Matti were gleefully slapping their hands in the honey on the floor. Their hair and most of their bodies were covered in the sticky, sweet fluid.

My first thought was not, "Where's my camera?" but rather, "Sarah's gonna kill me." My second thought was, "Where's Chris?" Then I heard him pounding on the metal door that blocked off our staircase from the first floor. It seems he had stepped out for a moment and Jason had locked the door behind him. Because I was in my study, I couldn't hear his pounding on the metal door.

Unfortunately, in our panic and fear of the women returning, Chris and I cleaned up the boys and the
kitchen before we thought about taking a picture. Gone forever is that prize winning photograph. So next time, before your anger deletes the scene, make a memory!

"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." (I Cor. 10:13, The Message)

COPING STRATEGY 3: Let God Define Normal

2010-09-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

“… being normal isn't necessarily a virtue. It rather denotes a lack of courage.”

“Dad, are we normal?” Jason asked me a few months back.

“No, Jason. We’re not normal in America or Japan. Normal people don’t have ten children and live in a foreign country.”

These days, I could add a lot more reasons to that answer. For instance, January 3, 2010, the first Sunday of the year, Sarah and Micah stayed home with one or two sick babies and they kept a few more so the rest of the family could go to church without too much strain. We just happened to have friends visiting from Australia who were coming to lunch after church. Sarah and Micah thought they would also have a little extra time to prepare the meal.

A few minutes into my New Year’s message, I saw Elizabeth jump up in a panic and run out the front door. Ericah ran out the side door. It was only after the rest of us arrived home we learned what happened. The following story is as accurate as I can piece it together.

Micah was kneeling on the floor changing one of the babies who had deposited a massive BM in his diaper. Ma-kun crawled over, grabbed a handful of the solid waste, and started sampling and redistributing the dark matter. Sarah picked him up and headed for the shower. In the mean time, Shota, who loves popcorn, started stuffing his mouth as fast as he could. Choking on the kernels, he began throwing up beside Micah and the baby. Micah, in her not so delicate way, yelled for her mother. Sarah came flying out of the bath area, tripped on something [she still doesn’t remember what happened] and landed face down in the living room. That’s when Micah called the church and franticly requested immediate backup.

Sometimes my life is so far beyond what I see in others, beyond how I grew up, and even beyond what it was a year ago, I almost scream, “Lord, I just want to be normal.” But, immediately, I know the problem with that cry: “Who defines what is normal?” When Paul wrote the Corinthians, “Let all things be done decently and in order” he was not giving us license to define what is “decent” and what is “in order.” We have used that verse in every generation to define what is acceptable in a meeting and even what is an acceptable way to preach and teach. I am convinced that only the Holy Spirit can accurately define what is “decent and in order” in any and all situations. AND, only HE knows what is “normal” for “me” at any given point in time. You can relieve a lot of stress by letting HIM determine what is normal.

In my Oral Communication class at the university I asked a young girl on my left, “Are you a normal Japanese girl?” “Yes,” came the immediate reply. I turned to a young girl on my right and asked the same question. “Of course,” she said confidently. The student to my left, who had very limited English skills, was wearing black and gray clothes, no make-up, and black-rimmed glasses. The girl to my right had short cropped hair which she dyed a different color every week, played drums in a punk rock band on weekends, and spoke very fluent English. Looking at one and then the other, I asked, “How can both of you be normal?” I couldn’t shake them. Each was convinced she was the typical Japanese girl. It is very important here to be considered “normal.” The Japanese proverb says, “The nail that stands up gets hammered down.”

“To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful.” Carl Jung

Photo: Jason say, "Man with 3 hands play mean drums!"

Coping Strategy 2: Giveing Tangible Thanks

2010-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

COPING STRATEGY 2: Giving Tangible Thanks

Rushing out the door with a cup of coffee you spill precious ounces of caffeine down the stairs and onto your pants. You step in dog pooh the kids didn't clean up from the darling beagle you never wanted but they all swore they would take care of if you'd only buy her. Sitting your cup on the dash you look up from starting the car to see that the birds your wife so dearly appreciates for raising their young every summer in your garage have anointed your windshield with their excreted offerings. Your pants are stained, the car smells like doggie do, you can't see out the windshield, and you are late again for class.

The scriptures tell us to give thanks "in" every situation and "for" every situation and do it with a grateful heart. We can always give thanks that Jesus died for our sins, our sins are forgiven, we have entered into eternal life from the moment we are born again, we have abundant life, etc. and I could go on and on. However, those benefits and blessings don't seem very real when you are exhausted, constantly not doing what you want to do because of the demands of others, and animals (both domesticated and wild) seem to have joined a conspiracy to get you. So, how do I give thanks and how does this spiritual imperative change my attitude in the here and now?

Babies crying, siblings at war, bills to pay, unsatisfied mates, and unrepentant creatures are all way too real. So, make your thanks real, tangible. I really like this word, "tangible." It means "able to be touched or perceived through the sense of touch; capable of being understood and evaluated, and therefore regarded as real." Too often the spiritual blessings noted in paragraph two, are not really "capable of being understood" at a visceral level and therefore don't always relieve stress when I give thanks for them. When you are at the survival level, you don't philosophize very well. When your stress inducers are all too tangible, start your thanks at that level!

My "tangible thanks" include:

"Thank you Lord, I don't come home to an empty house."

"Thank you Lord, I have a car that's paid for. It may not be a Ferrari but it works and it's mine."

"Thank you Lord, I have food and I don't have to worry about breakfast tomorrow morning."

"Thank You people care enough about my ability or wisdom or approval to interrupt me--again and again and again..."

"After reading Spurgeon's Eccentric Preachers, I thank you Lord I was born in 1952 and not 1852!"

"Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to see that I am truly blessed with REAL, Tangible people and things!"

The picture shows our Ai No Kesshin/Loving Decision Office (our dinner table). Sarah, Lew, & Ako are working frantically to get a finance report ready for the Shizuoka City Hall.

Coping Strategy 1: Seeing One-At-A-Time

2010-07-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

The noise is almost deafening at times. The activity on the floor is constant and doesn’t end until almost midnight then starts again by eight. Two new borns adapting to life without the touch and voice of the mother they experienced inside the womb. Te-chan is on life support. Eight children in foster care, five of them Down’s. Overwhelming is not an adequate word. None of my former coping skills are adequate for this situation. Paul said, “…momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…” (2 Cor. 4:17-18) But, with Hitomu drooling on me as he tries to crawl up my leg while I am feeding Rin in her high chair and Shota screaming because Ma-kun pushed him over, it is almost impossible to see the unseen. How do I handle the “seen” when it’s in constant, demanding motion?

“See” each as an individual. No one spontaneously breaks into dance like Shota. Tomoki is alive to each and every experience and gives unrestrained vent to any and all emotions. When Ma-kun jumps from the coffee table into your arms, he throws his head back, looks heavenward, and leaps without ever doubting someone will catch him. And, Rin…while she is wary of strangers, delights in the appearance of “daddy.” Last night as she sat on my lap facing me, I interrupted one of her favorite activities, bouncing her head off my stomach, when I broke into song. She stared, almost blank faced, as I sang an old scripture song to her. When I finished, without changing her blank stare, she started clapping. That was priceless.

When I told Elizabeth I was learning to look at the individual instead of the group, she commented, “God doesn’t look at YOU as a group! He looks at you as one person.” Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto ONE of the LEAST of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” I’m learning to do it unto ONE at a time and see ONE at a time. Now, if I can just teach the babies to scream, need a diaper change, and get a bottle one-at-a-time.

The picture above shows 7 of our foster care babies on the sofa.

2010-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

It is now 1:55 A.M. July 6, 2010. I am very tired. Nearing the end of the most difficult 12 months of my entire 58 years. I'm still alive, still married, still sane [relatively], and still walking with God. It is amazing what humans can handle. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The problem is, "I don't want to do all the things Christ strengthens me to do." It is not a question of Christ's sufficiency, it is a matter of my "will." Christ is not limited. His resources are available. The choice is mine. Will I "choose" to accept "His strength provided?" If you read this, let me hear from you.

Hidden Myths and Unknown Expectations

2009-10-12T05:46:00.000-07:00

Until I reached this age in my life I never realized the hidden myths and unknown expectations that were buried beneath my conscious level of thinking. I guess growing up in America when I did caused this “myth” to be implanted in my subconscious. The Myth was “when your children turn 18 or 21 (or complete school) the parent is free of responsibility.” I don’t know where I got that. I guess I heard over and over that when you finish high school or college you are old enough to be on your own and you should get a job and support yourself financially. I imagined that the mother and father were then free to concentrate on their latter years with utter disregard for their progeny who were now successfully weaned and independent. If you still think my “myth” is true, wait a few years.

Only very recently have I realized I had an expectation that had never surfaced. I really felt, or anticipated, that at this point in my life (age 57 and married for 36 years) I would be financially secure and set for my senior years. At an even deeper level I think I felt that I would also be independent in that I no longer had to trust God for my “daily bread.” “Give us our daily bread,” was for young people just starting out—not for educated people with good jobs and successful careers. That sounds terrible when you write it down. Theologically I would have agreed you will always have to acknowledge God in all things and not lean on your own understanding and prowess. But that wasn’t the reality at the core of my subconscious.

Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The Greek word for truth, alethia, can be translated, “that which is real.” Only when we see what is truly real can we be set free. More than at any time in my life I have to pray and exercise faith when I pray “give us this day our daily bread.” I, my wife, and our family are more dependent on the goodness of God now than at any point in our lives. With my mind I know this is a good place to be but my will and emotions still get really shaky some days! All too often I feel like the man with the demon possessed mute son when Jesus told him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

I do believe and have enough experience to back up my belief. So, I shouldn't need to ask God to "help my unbelief" so often--but I do! I also need to ask the Holy Spirit to search me and reveal any more "hidden myths" and "unknown expectations."

Cars & Kiwis: Victory in the End

2009-10-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

The afternoon of the big earthquake in Shizuoka Sarah and Ako were on their way to Children's Hospital to visit one of our babies there when a van ran coming out of a side street ran the stop sign and plowed into their car. I rushed to the scene and took Sarah to the emergency room. She had been knocked out for a few seconds and does not remember what happened. She was fine and still is. However, our car was severely damaged.

After weeks almost 2 months of hassling our 2 insurance companies have still not reached a settlement. We are hoping they will pay 80% of the repair cost. Without our go-ahead to repair the old car, it got repaired. Without knowing this, we signed all the papers with our old friend to purchase a very nice 8 year old Nissan Station wagon. So, we have bills now on two cars. If the insurance company pays the 80% we still need about $6,500 to pay off all the cars. [We've been trying to sell our repaired car but so far NO one is interested.] BUT, based on years of trusting the Lord in many unexpected situations we have learned to expect this to be a blessing (in the end) and not a disaster. Like Joseph told his brothers in Egypt, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result..." (Gen.50:20)

When we first moved into our church’s present location we had a kiwi orchard behind the church. One day the owner complained that some of the church boys had "destroyed his crop" and demanded that we "buy his entire harvest of kiwis." This was totally absurd but he insisted. We learned that some of the boys had shot holes in the leaves of 1 tree with rubber bands. The farmer pitched such a fit that we purchased his entire harvest just to keep up good relationships in the neighborhood (this is the Japanese way--or maybe the Asian way--whoever screams the loudest, the longest, gets his way).

One of our members who grew up in the neighborhood told his father what happened. His father remarked, "I'm not surprised. His father was a crook before him."

However, since we serve a Great God who causes all things to work together for our good we actually came out ahead on the kiwi debacle. We sold enough of the kiwis to recoup all our money and still gave away many baskets to anyone who had helped us or the church, not to mention eating kiwis at church every Sunday for weeks. They were some of the best kiwis I have ever eaten. Actually, in the end we made a profit!

I am expecting the same with this car deal. God is good and has always been faithful. Thank you for participating in His workings.

Psalms 112:7-8 says, "He [the righteous man] will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. ⁸ His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."

Yu kun 2 Miracles? 2 Healings? God be Glorified

2009-06-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yu-kun came to us when he was 5 months old. Other than being a Down Syndrome child, he was diagnosed with a 4mm hole in his heart and undescended testicles and hearing loss. When his heart was checked about 4 weeks ago he did NOT have a hole in his heart. Today, he had his testicles checked. The doctor said, “They’re where they are supposed to be now. This happens sometimes.” So, do we have 2 miracles? 2 healings? 2 answered prayers? Or, was all this a natural occurrence? Only God knows for sure. The facts are simple though. He came to us with 2 significant problems diagnosed by doctors (his birth father is a doctor, too). He doesn’t have those physical problems any more. We give God the glory! And, we are believing for there to be no hearing loss!

Healing Breakthrough from April 5, 2009

2009-06-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

We had 3 meetings the only day the Bethel team was with us. They not only taught about healing but sought to impart and energize the believers to minister to others. We had several significant breakthroughs for members of the church. Jason had severely bruised the knuckles of both hands. Off-and-on he experienced great pain and was unable to lift and hold heavy objects. Walking through the “fire wall,” (leaders line up on 2 sides and pray for people as they walk between them) Jason’s pain was instantly gone and his hands restored—much to his surprise! Pitia and his wife, Gloria, (both from The Sudan) received healings. Pitia had not been able to eat normal food for over 1 year without terrible reflux and had a constant burning sensation. He was healed and ate lunch with the church for the first time in many months. Gloria was healed of constant back pain from falling off a bicycle. Akihiro had suffered from knee pain for the past 4 years after having knee surgery. He was unable to do certain exercises but after prayer could again perform a one legged, deep knee bend. Others received partial healing or improvement and continue to contend for total recovery. I’ve posted several videos of testimonies on my Facebook site.

Internationally Blessed

2009-05-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

We've experienced the international fragrance of the Body of Christ in the last two months! It started with Hagan Gabrielson who is Swedish but has spent the last 18 years in Singapore as he ministers throughout Asia. A few days later Eric Johnson, son of Bill Johnson, led a team from Bethel Church in Redding, CA. Eric (American) brought a lady from London, a young man from Norway, and a young woman from South Africa. The next week, Peter Helms, who was born and grew up in Amsterdam but now has a ministry based in Canada, was so encouraging as he ministered among us for two days. David Abbott, from Cornwall, England taught the children and church for the 3 weeks he was with us (his 25th visit to Japan). Just before our long holiday weekend the first of May, Claude and Michelle Ezagouri came. They were both born in Algeria but had to immigrate to France when they were thirteen. They met and married in France but have lived and worked in Israel for the past 33 years and have pastored a church in Tiberias for the past 18 years. Claude is Jewish and Michelle's family is Italian. To top it off Graeme Fawcett (New Zeland) and his wife Lucy (Malaysian) spent the week end with us. They brought a lovely couple from The Congo with them. We have been so blessed to have such a variety of God's children among us. I remember growing up in Abbeville, AL and meeting only one foreigner my first 18 years there! I do enjoy getting to know so many from so many different places and each one has something unique and special to express as the Life of Christ shines through them.

NAOTAKA'S JOURNEY TO HEALING

2009-01-12T23:18:00.000-08:00

About 18 years ago Naotaka was a foreign student in America when he had a car accident that left him in a coma with little hope of any recovery. His parents quickly flew to America, hoping to see him one last time before he died. When he didn’t die the doctors pronounced, “He will never regain consciousness.” The family flew him back to Japan, still in a coma. When he came out of the coma the Japanese doctors told the family, “He’ll be bedridden the rest of his life.” When he was able to get out of bed and into a wheel chair, the “official word” was, “He’ll never walk again.” Naotaka was befriended by a former Marine sniper turned missionary who took him to the gym. The guys at the gym helped and encouraged him to regain his strength. Slowly Naotaka was able to walk again. He was still unsteady, but he was walking. Then his family returned to the father’s hometown—our city. Naotaka has been a faithful member now for about 12 years.

A few years ago he began to shake, almost uncontrollably. It made me very nervous to watch him try to get a cup of hot coffee to his mouth. About 3 years ago the doctors tried an experimental electrical implant into his brain hoping to stop the tremors. Naotaka actually got worse. Through all this we have prayed. We have prayed for Naotaka hundreds of times over the past 12 years.

I once asked him, “Don’t you get discouraged having people pray for you all the time and seeing such little results?"

He responded, “No. I’m supposed to be dead!” Even though he had extensive brain and nerve damage his English has remained far better than most of my university students! His attitude has remained positive most of the time as he remembers all the doctors predictions that did NOT come to pass.

Last Sunday, Naotaka called my wife and I over to him at lunch. He asked us to look at him and tell him what was different. At first it didn’t hit us. Then we realized he wasn’t shaking. Naotaka said the doctor had confirmed that 90% of his shaking had stopped. Indeed, as he talked to us and we stared at him, he was as steady as anyone else in the room. He did NOT shake at all. The doctors have no explanation. He should be getting worse—not better. But, if we listened to them he should be dead or bedridden or wheel chair bound or shaking himself to pieces.

Believe with us, with Naotaka, for a full recovery. Agree with us that God will be glorified through His son and through His church!

Mrs. M's Battle for Sustained Healing

2008-12-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able

to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 4:11

Wednesday night, 12/10/08, four of us were gathered at the beginning of our prayer meeting. Mrs. M shared that she had arrived one hour early because she was in so much pain she couldn’t stay at home. She has had a battle for the healing of her teeth and gums. This was a new pain she had never experienced. I laid hands on her and prayed for her healing and the pain to stop. Ms. H hugged her and began to pray. As Ms. H prayed she began to laugh. She was laughing, praying, and hugging Mrs. M for several minutes. Finally Mrs. M fell to the floor on her knees crying, lifting her hands heavenward, and thanking God for taking the pain away. She had no more pain the rest of the evening.

Sunday, 12/14/08, Mrs. M came for prayer again. This time she said her mouth felt as if it was on fire. She was obviously in great pain and cried as she explained. We laid hands on her again and prayed. The fire went out and she was fine.

Some relevant history would be helpful to understanding Mrs. M’s battle. When she was growing up her parents continually ridiculed and belittled her. They particularly targeted her mouth, saying her teeth were ugly and misshapen. When she became an adult she spent a considerable amount of time and money with dentists trying to correct her problem. Unfortunately, as planned by our adversary, she contracted a very painful infection under one of the bridges in her mouth. For over a year she had suffered with pain and treatment. She sounds a lot like the woman described in Mark 5:25-26, " A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years,and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse--"

Sunday morning before church, her husband had gotten very angry with her and had been verbally abusive. After the tongue lashing by her husband, the pain started again. She had the good sense to come to church anyway and get prayer.

Please stand with Mrs. M and our church as we believe for total and continuous freedom from these attacks and for the salvation and healing of her husband.

Dancing Again--Pointe to Pointe!

2008-12-11T03:14:00.000-08:00

For the past 4 summers young women, and two young men, have come to Japan to dance with my daughters’ modern dance troupe, Shachah. In the summer of 2008 we felt we really needed to pray for their safety and that what had been stolen from them by the devil would be restored. Several of the ballet dancers had injuries that hampered, inhibited, and/or prevented them from doing all they needed to or wanted to do in dance. We particularly prayed for two of the ladies who had lost the ability to dance on pointe shoes because of surgery. I just received MG’s testimony and want to share it with you as part of my spiritual journey.
“When I was 17 [2003] my left ankle started to really hurt while I was dancing and I started to lose range of motion very quickly to where I could not point my foot. That whole year I was going to doctors and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. Four days before going to college I had surgery on that ankle. All of my cartilage had worn away in that joint and scar tissue had built up (hence the loss of motion). They filed one of my bones down and tried to replace some of the cartilage. I didn't dance at all for several months while it healed and I did physical therapy. Two years later I tried a semester of pointe work just to see if my ankles could handle it. Then the right ankle started having the same problems and the whole semester was very painful. I basically just gave up and tried to accept that this was never going to be a part of my dancing again, even though I really loved it.
This summer in Japan I really felt the Lord restore and heal a lot of things inside of me, and He renewed my sense of purpose in my dancing. "I am good at this. I know this is what God has called me to do." This fall, five years after the injury began to get serious, I put my pointe shoes back on just to see what would happen. I started taking more and more classes waiting for them to start hurting. Then I forgot that I was waiting for them to start hurting. Suddenly two months had gone by. One night I prayed for a lady with a tumor in her breast. I found out that she had gotten healed the next day. I just told the Lord that the injury was over and I needed my ankles back to do what He had called me to do. That was a big faith moment for me. "Yes. they're healed. Tell people that they are healed."
Now I have the lead role for the ballet in the spring, and it's a part that I have only dreamed of doing. God is so good to me.”

Handkerchiefs, A Baby, & Puzzled Doctors

2008-12-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

"God gave Paul the power to do unusual miracles, so that even when

handkerchiefs or cloths that had touched his skin were placed on sick people,

they were healed of their diseases..."Acts 19:11-12 (NLT)

Baby Tet-chan, one of our 4 Down Syndrome foster children, has been in the hospital most of the 7 months of his life. He has had one heart surgery and is waiting for the 2nd to repair a hole in his heart. He has used all his energy to breath and stay alive and thus has had calories left to help him gain weight. The doctors said that once he reached 5 kg (11lbs.) they would do the surgery. They did not expect him to reach that weight any time soon. He also has many complicating factors.

Sarah, Ako, and I pray for him every time we go to the hospital. In addition, Sarah has been bringing handkerchiefs to church and having as many people as possible lay hands on them and pray for healing for Tet-chan. For months she has been taking the handkerchiefs to the hospital. We have been amazed that the nurses are very careful to keep these handkerchiefs on the baby as much as possible. Yesterday, Tuesday, 12/9/08, the doctors did a catheterization on Tet-chan to determine the current condition of his heart. They also ran other tests.

Regarding the tests on Tet-chan. The doctors are puzzled, and I have to be very careful how I explain this so as to be accurate. 5 improvements the doctors can’t easily explain:

1. He has gained weight much faster than expected. He is now almost 5 kg.

2. His liver function was abnormal but now is within acceptable levels.

3. Based on his current condition and medical history he should not be able to produce red blood cells. Now his body is producing red blood cells.

4. The pressure gradient in his lungs is now within an acceptable range although he still has a hole in his heart. His pulmonary hypertension is gone.

5. Previously, they thought two of his heart valves were so deformed they would be almost impossible to repair. Now they have determined they are not so bad and can be repaired.

As a result of all these new factors the doctors now can't decide if he needs heart surgery now or wait until he is a year old!? They said they need to wait and see what happens.

When Sarah said, "We've been praying and will continue to," the doctor didn't know how to respond. Sarah and Ako have shared frequently with the doctors. We are cooperating with them and let them know that we are praying for God to guide and give them wisdom. So, Tet-chan is being healed, it's just not complete yet. We have people praying all over the world for little Tet-chan. Keep praying, thanking God, and believing.

Spiritual Journey toward Miracles & Healing

2008-12-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the atmosphere at Living Way Church was different. I felt as if I was not in the same dimension as everyone else as I shared the Word. When I asked Akihiro what he felt, the only way he could describe it was "brighter. Everything seemed brighter." At the end of the meeting we asked the Presence of the Lord to come, for Him to show us His glory, for the Shekinah to be revealed. I didn't know how to end the meeting. Everyone just sat there in silence for a few minutes before anyone started talking and moving about.

Since March of this year, 2008, we have been actively praying for people to be healed and for them to receive miracles in their finances and work situations. Although we have not had any startling breakthroughs, we have had people get promotions, better jobs, bonuses, back pay they were not expecting, find money, and receive unexpected gifts. Several people who had pain, some for many months, have had the pain stop. Yesterday, we prayed for eyes to be healed and any problems with teeth, gums, and mouths to be healed. Mrs. W. was talking to me after the meeting and suddenly stopped and exclaimed, "My pain is gone. When I came to church this morning, my gums were hurting and now I realize it's stopped."

One lady has tried to get her unsaved husband, Mr. K., to church for years. He has so many physical problems the doctors have trouble treating one without interfering with the others. He has been very hostile toward her beliefs. Any time he found a Bible in the house he would tear it to shreds. For years he would get very angry when she would go to church. In the last few months he has changed. One night she heard him reciting the Lord's prayer in his sleep. He has encouraged her to come to church and not be late. Sunday he brought her but got angry and left when someone told him he couldn't go in and out to smoke whenever he liked. [That wasn't me, by the way. I would have told him he could!] However, he did come back at the end of the meeting for prayer. He let me lay hands on him and pray for his diabetes to be healed. This was a MAJOR break through! I'll keep you posted.

We are on a journey. We have made a commitment we will not stop praying and believing the Living God to confirm His Word with signs and wonders and healings as He did in the first century church. It has been almost 10 months now. I get discouraged sometimes. I've gotten sick and unexpectedly wound up in the hospital for 10 days! At one point we had 4 of our foster care babies in the hospital at the same time! But, we are pressing on. As of today, the doctors are puzzled about the amazing progress of one baby in recovering and the slowing down of a progressive disease in an older lady. Neither of these people is totally healed yet but the doctors cannot explain what is happening in them. The baby should not be getting well so fast and the lady should be much worse than she is. We Thank Our Lord and Creator for the progress and pray that we will totally confound the wisdom of the medical profession as God moves.

Living Way Church Declarations

2008-11-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

Renewal of God’s Deeds
[March, 2008]

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)

Financial Blessing
[May, 2008]
{Taken from Bethel Church, Bill Johnson, Redding, CA}

As we give unto the Lord we are believing the Lord for:
jobs and better jobs
raises and bonuses
benefits
sales and commissions
open doors and opportunities
favorable settlements
estates and inheritances &
the wisdom for proper management
interest and income
rebates and returns
checks in the mail, bank transfers
gifts and surprises
finding money & valuables
debts paid off & cancellation of debts
expenses decreased
blessing and increase
Thank you Lord for meeting all my needs that I may have more than enough to give to the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Abounding Grace Declaration
[July-August, 2008]
“Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds.” (Rom. 5:20)

Lord Jesus, we, your church, proclaim that during this *obon season as sin increases,
Your grace will increase much more!
As demonic activity increases, Holy Spirit activity will increase much more.
Satan shall not have his way this season but The Lord Jesus Christ will have HIS way!
We proclaim:
Grace for salvation will increase!
Grace for healing will increase!
Grace for deliverance will increase!
Grace for finances will increase!
Grace for releasing gifts of the Spirit will increase!
We proclaim that Jesus is Lord of this season in Japan!
*obon is a season in Japan, usually the middle of August, when people believe the spirits of their ancestors are released from Buddhist hell and return home for a few weeks. People light little fires outside their houses at the beginning of obon to show the spirits how to return home. The TV networks run mostly horror/occult type films during this season. Demonic activity definitely increases during this season.

Declaring God’s Presence with Thanksgiving
[November, 2008]

Thank You Father for enthroning Yourself on our praises.
Thank You Jesus for being in our midst as we gather in Your name.
Thank You for drawing near to us as we draw near to You.
Thank You Holy Spirit for coming upon us and living in us;
for teaching us and guiding us into all truth;
and, for revealing Jesus to us.
Thank You for always hearing and answering when we call.
We declare that in Your Presence we are healed,
we are set free,
and we are blessed.

The Salvation of Mr. M.

2008-11-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

The Salvation of Mr. M.

We returned from Shulam on Friday, August 29, 2008. At 13:00 the next day, Sarah, Ako, Lew, and I met with Mr. M and his wife. His wife has been a faithful member of our church for many years now and has constantly sought the Lord for her husband’s salvation. His son, daughter-in-law, and daughter are all Christians. Mr. M has attended church off-and-on, mostly off, for many years but had never come to a point of decision for himself. However, a few months ago he learned he had inoperable pancreatic cancer. He had now completed his first round of chemotherapy and wanted to talk about his relationship with Christ.
As we talked we learned more of his journey. When he was in his 20’s he was riding a large motorcyle at high speed. A very large truck stopped in front of him. When he applied his brakes, they failed. His motorcyle did not slow at all. In a nanosecond it flashed through his mind, “I’m going to die.” Suddenly his motorcyle stopped, just short of colliding with the truck. He said there was no screeching or skidding and the motorcyle did not shudder in the least. His brakes still had not worked. He and his cycle just gently stopped. He said he knew from that time that there was some god or some being that had saved him. But, since he wasn’t injured he just went on with his life.
Looking back now, some 40+ years later, he recognized that the Living God had saved him. He now believes there is a god. I told him that was good but that even the demons believe there is a God [James 2:19] but they will not humble themselves and repent. I asked Mr. M, “Do you remember ever repenting with your own mouth and asking Jesus to come into your life and take control?” He said he hadn’t. I told him he was not born again and he needed to do that.
We explained that he needed to know for sure that he was born again and had eternal security. He needed a point in time he could refer to and say, “On this day I prayed to receive Jesus.” When we asked him if he was ready, he said, “Yes.” I lead him in a prayer and covered everything I could think of beginning with his belief in the virgin birth and going through the resurrection of Jesus. Lew said he had never heard such a detailed sinner’s prayer. I told him we had been praying for this man’s salvation for almost 20 years and I wanted to make absolutely sure we didn’t leave anything out.
Mr. M’s wife was very excited. We believe he had a genuine encounter with the Lord. Water baptism had been a big stumbling block for Mr. M and he had steadfastly resisted it. Interestingly, Mr. M had insisted his elderly mother be baptized before she died. We were able to lead her to salvation and did indeed baptize her just before she slipped into senile dementia and was unable to communicate. She passed away not too long after her baptism. However, Mr. M resisted for several more years until his conversion August 30.
We had intended to get back with him very soon but got very busy and then I had to enter the hospital. Sarah called on Tuesday, 9/9/08, to say that Mr. M had refused any further chemotherapy and was leaving on Friday for an alternative treatment center that uses diet and natural remedies. He would be gone at least a month and maybe longer. Mr. M was told if he took the 2nd round of chemo he would live for one more year. He decided he did not want to be so sick and would try this other treatment. Sarah was concerned this may be the last time we saw him so he needed to be baptized now. I told her to see if he was willing and she and Ako made the arrangements.
Wednesday, 9/10/08, I got a pass to leave the hospital for 7 hours—officially to visit my 2 daughters leaving for America. After a brief stop at home, we all headed to the church to baptize Mr. M. His whole family was there. We gathered any church people who were available on short notice. Sarah, Hunter, & Mason had cleaned our church pool (a small, kid’s pool) and started filling it with water. We ran a hose from the church shower and turned on the hot water to warm up the otherwise frigid water.
Since it usually takes almost 8 hours to fill this pool we only had about a foot of water in it. Mr. M got on his knees and, after prayer, stretched out face down in the pool. Sarah and I splashed water on any exposed parts to make sure “every part of him” was soaked. Again, we had waited too long for this moment to leave anything uncovered! Mr. M was really a good sport about this and shared a brief testimony at the end in which he genuinely thanked his family for their love and concern over many years.
We completed this momentous occasion inside the church as we all shared the Lord’s table together. We then gathered around Mr. M, anointed him with oil, and prayed for his complete healing from the cancer. And, since this is Japan, we all posed for a photo to commemorate the day. Mr. M and family returned home to prepare for his trip to the treatment center and I returned to the hospital to complete my treatment.
Please stand with us for Mr. M’s complete and total recovery. We are praying that God will grant him many more good years.
As a church we believe Mr. M is the first fruit of what God wants to do in so many families in our church. Almost every Japanese in our church is the first, and only, Christian in their family. Most of our married women have unbelieving husbands. We believe the time has come to complete their families—to bring in all who are yet resistant to the gospel. We see God working in so many of the husbands as they face new and difficult situations. Mr. M said this cancer was one of the first things in his life he couldn’t overcome by himself. Hard work and determined endurance could not heal him or save him. He had to turn to Someone higher and Greater—the Living God. May God bring many others to this point!