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The weather was wonderful for our March Tozan Club. There were only a couple of us but we really enjoyed out climb. About half way up the mountain snow appeared and there was snow falling the whole time. We are hoping for a bigger turn out in April. See you then. Paul Sunde
明日、金剛山登山に行きます！Ｙさんも行くらしいですよ！皆さんいかがですか？一時に教会を出ます♪
I have finally gotten up the courage to try my hand at actually making comments that can be freely read by people on the web! I wll be 56 this year but I guess late is better than never. Being a bit of a process person I am going to try to stick within the boundaries of the following subjects.
Good Books
Things Japanese
American Primitive Guitar
The Church in Japan
Japanese Mountains
After saying that, as time goes on I may of course expand this list but at this point these are the subjects I hope to comment on. If this list is of interest to you, I hope you will visit often-I will try to post new comments as often as possible.
As this is a Monday (my day off) I am off to climb Mt. Kongo (the highest mountain in Osaka) as soon as I enter this. I am hoping to see possibly the last snow of the season before spring arrives!
In the last 6 months I read "The Dust of Death" by Os Guiness twice. The last two chapters are realy worth the price of the book. Let me quote his final three sentences.
"The Christian life is not just difficult; it is impossible. But it is exactly here that humanism leaves off and the Christian faith begins.
That is also why only this uniquely "impossible" faith-with a God who is, with an incarnation that is earthly and historical, with a salvation that is at cross-purposes with human nature, with a resurrection that blasts apart the finality of death-is able to provide an alternative to the sifting, settling dust of death and through a new birth open the way to new life."
Amen!
今年のイースター礼拝は、4月8日です。洗礼式・昼食会（無料）があります。ぜひ、いらして下さい。時間は10時半amからです。お待ちしています。
今日はいい天気でしたね♪先日の事なのですが、昨年父の畑に植えた「ふき」が、冬にすっかり枯れて、もうダメかな〜と思っていたら、なんと小さい葉っぱがあちこちに出ていたんです！神様はすごいですね☆もう数ヶ月したら、ふき料理を礼拝後の昼にご馳走できそうです。お楽しみに☆
I and eight other church members spent today in Shiga Prefecture where I grew up checking out a camp site for our annual Japanese Bethany summer camp. There are presently four Bethany churches in the Kansai area but our annual summer camp is about the only time that people from all four churches can get together. Last year, nearly 60 people gathered at a camp site near Lake Biwa (the largest lake in Japan) for a wonderful two days of fellowship. Lake Biwa is located about an equal distance from all four churches and so is an ideal location. This year we hope to hold our camp on the 10th and 11th of August and feel we found the perfect location today. When August rolls around I trust you will remember us and our camp in your prayers.
今日シニアズ会をもちました。新しい方が２名こられ、賛美、お話し、食事会と楽しいひとときでした。ぜひ一緒に集いましょう。
I recently read a classic that I have wanted to read for a long time. It is "Mountaineering and Exploration in the Japanese Alps by Rev. Walter Weston. This book was first published in 1896 after he had served in Kobe, Japan as a British Chaplain and missionary. I had known of this book for many years but had never seen a copy. Amazon said they only had 2 copies left in stock and so that clinched the matter-now they only have one copy in stock! This book is a must read if you have done some climbing in Japan and have lived here some years. Otherwise, it might be a bit hard to relate to.
It is Rev. Walter Weston who made the term "Japanese Alps" famous outside of Japan and even within Japan he is called the Father of Mountain Climbing inJapan. To the Japanese he introduced the concept of actually climbing a mountian for enjoyment. It is in the same spirit that I also try to approach my own modest climbs.
At any rate, an interesting read..
This year I read an excellent book about Japan called "Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation" by Michael Zielenziger. If you are seriously interested in Japan, this is a must read. The auther lived and worked in Japan for many years and is an American with a Jewish background. He does not claim to be a Christian but does clearly approach things from a JudeoChrstian perspective. It is an alarming book and a challenging book.
今、主人と私はＭちゃんの結婚式に向かっています。この新しいカップルに祝福がいっぱいあるよう祈りながら車を走らせています。一方、昨日は命の限界を告げられた方のお見舞いに行きました。家族の方々の痛みを感じて帰って来ました。とても複雑な気持ちです。けれどもこの二つの状況に、同じ言い尽くせない感謝があります。それはいずれにも神様の臨在があること。イエス様、ありがとうございます！
今日の河内長野での男性ライフセミナ-は大変参考になりました。元住友商事の竹川さんが仕事の経験を使って、今、神様の奉仕活動に活かしています。次回のセミナ-を楽しみにしてます。。今度の４月21日のMen's Supperに向けて計画中。。皆さん是非参加してください。 西山マ-ク
今、Ｎ兄の病床洗礼を終え、帰りの車中でこのメールを送っています。洗礼は、神様の祝福いっぱいの中、無事終わりました！神様のご愛を再確認する素晴らしい洗礼式でした！「この首がとばされても、信仰を守り通す」とＮ兄。どう表現していいのかわからなかったのでしょうが、命の限界を告げられたとは信じられないような明瞭なことばに、そこにいた私達全員が圧倒され、拍手が起こりました！皆さんのお祈りを心から感謝してご報告します♪
A few weeks ago, Mr. N was rushed to the hospital and his family was told that he might not last the week-end. However, he came out of his coma and Reiko went to pray for him. After refusing at first the family relented as they figured that prayer would at least not hurt him. Reiko's prayer opened the way for me to pray for him a few days later. In spite of being known as a non-religious person, at that time he seemed to find his peace with God. A week later, the hospital allowed him to return home for a few days and at that time he expressed faith in Jesus and a desire to be baptized. He also gave me a charm which he said he no longer needed as he now believed in the true God.
This morning, myself and Reiko and a half dozen church members and Christian family members gathered at his home for a bedside baptism followed by communion. It was a wonderful and joyous time. Mr. N was supposed to be in pain but he said he felt fine and has not needed to take any pain medication at all. The swelling in his upper body and in his legs has also gone down. We do not know what the future holds, but it is times like this that make the missionary life worth living.
Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therfore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. Amen
To answer your question, Kent (and others who I suspect will ask the same question in the future) American Primitive Guitar is usually connected with the names John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Peter Lang, and Leo Kottke-in other words the guitarists connected with the legendary Tacoma label. The best example of the genre would be the late John Fahey's album, America, which was recorded in 1971. However, the genre has not died out even though two of the most famous players have-Robbie Basho and John Fahey. Peter Lang and Leo Kottke still play and operate out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area while I am happy to report that there are many younger players who play in this style. My current favorite is the German guitarist, Steffen Basho-Yunghans. I highly recommend two of his CDs-"Rivers and Bridges" and "Late Summer Morning". If you have not listened to any of these fine guitarists, give them a listen sometime.
昨日、Ｋ兄が金剛登山100回記録を達成されました！Ｋ兄はお仕事で日曜礼拝に参加できません。でも、何年か前から、牧師である主人と一緒に金剛登山にチャレンジし始められました。登りながら、神様の話や証しをし合っているそうです☆これからも頑張ってください！又、一緒に登りたい方、ご連絡ください！(それとみちこさん、書き込みありがとう☆皆さんの書き込み、待ってます(＾-＾)
Yesterday, I accompanied my good church member Mr.K (Barry, you used to call him Captain Wacky) on his 100th ascent of Mt. Kongo, the highest mountain in Osaka. Both he and I started mountain climbing as a result of close calls with death-in my case, with cancer, and in his case, a serious head injury. For the past several years we have been climbing together on almost a weekly basis. After celebrating together over cups of good coffee at the mountain hut, I fell into conversation with the man behind the counter. It turns out he was Mr. Katsuragi and is the 134th member of that family to live and work on top of Mt. Kongo. For over 1,000 years his family has lived and worked on the peak of that mountain. In fact, the old name for Mt. Kongo is Mt. Katsuragi. 100 climbs seemed awful small when compared to over 1,000 years of climbing lasting from generation to generation. On the other hand, all things are small when compared to God and to eternity. The Bible tells us that for God, one thousand years are like one day....
Last night Mr. N who was baptized on Monday went to be with the Lord. How wonderful at a time like this to remember Jesus' words in John 14:1-2. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Mr. N has now gone to the place that Jesus prepared for him. Reiko and I are already looking forward to seeing him when we also get to Heaven. PTL
先日書き込みをしましたN兄は、３月29日召されました。今週月曜日に病床洗礼を受け、火曜日にお誕生日会、そして木曜日に緊急入院、その日の午後9時に家族全員に見守られて、愛する主の元へ凱旋されました。この一週間を振り返るとはっきりと主の御手の軌跡が見えてきます。もう地上ではお会いできない悲しみを思います。同時に天国がうんと近づいて感じられるようになります！ご家族への神様の慰めを祈りましょう！