ベサニー・キリスト教会

本当に大事なこと

　『忙しい』ということばは言い訳にもってこいですが、好きではないので使わないで、代わりに『することが多い』というようにしていました。　では、なぜ『することが多い』のでしょうか。　『しなければならないこと』と『したいこと』、『どうでもいいけど気になること』など、人それぞれにいろいろなことがあります。　私の場合はこれら3つに、『したくないからギリギリまで放っておく』が加わり、それはもうたいへんな状況でした。　この７月は、２週間を南ノルウェーで過ごすという機会に恵まれました。　ちょうどノルウェーの夏休みの時期とも重なり、短い夏を外に出て、家族や友人とゆっくり楽しむ人々の暮らしを見ることができました。　見ていて思ったのは、彼らは人間には休息が必要であるということをよく知っていて、それを実行しているということでした。　私の滞在した南ノルウェーでは、朝４時頃から明るくなり（実際にはまだ寝ていましたが・・・）、夜１０時半に夕焼け、１１時頃に日没というような１日で、到着した次の日から腕時計をはずしました。　ゆったりとした休暇に、いろいろな方との出会い、２回出席した日曜礼拝のメッセージで考えたことは、『本当に大事なこととはなんだろう』ということでした。　旅先ですから、日常生活のさまざまな作業や働き、責任がなく、気楽なのは当然なのですが、それにしても大阪での日々の暮らしがバタバタしすぎていることがとても気になりました。　そして『なぜそんなにすることが多いのか』と思ったのです。　旅行に出るときは、所持品はカバンに入るだけになり、そこで訪れたい場所やしたいことも限られた時間の中でしなくてはなりません。　自然と、本当に大切なもの、必要なもの、どうしてもしておきたい、または行って見ておきたいことだけを選択することになります。　この選択を日常にすることの必要性を実感しました。　また、最後にお世話になったオスロの方は、以前に日本でも宣教師として滞在されたことのある方で、『日本人の忙しさ』をよく知って折られる方でしたので、ことあるごとに『ゆっくりしてくださいね。　ここは私にとってとてもゆっくりできるところだから、あなたたちにもゆっくりしていただけるとうれしいです。』といってくださいました。　おことばとおり、ゆっくりさせていただき、広くて美しい庭（整えられ過ぎていない、快適なお庭）で聖書を読み、みことばを黙想しました。　本当に大切なことはこのことです。　わかっていながら『すること』を優先し、おろそかにしていたことを、日常と切り離された時間と場所で実践することができました。　次の私のチャレンジは、この大事なことを日常生活の場で、続けていくことです。　そのためには正しいものを選択するという知恵が必要です。　この知恵も与えてくださいと祈りつつ、自分の置かれた場所でいつも主とともに、そしてゆったりと暮らしていくことを願っています。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ｙａｍａｋｙｏ

"The leaf hanging from the tree does not fall, nor does either of the two sparrows sold for a farthing fall to the ground, nor does anything else whatsoever happen without God's providence and will either intending it as a particular or permitting it as a particular."

Luis Molina, Concordia (Page 554 of Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview by J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig)

Reiko and I were able once again to attend the annual Takarazuka Bluegrass Festival. This is a four day day festival held in the mountains of Hyogo Prefecture and features non-stop bluegrass music from early morning on into the wee hours of the next day. What is interesting is that a majority of the music is basic Gospel music. Typical themes are sin, salvation, Heaven, prayer, Jesus, and church.Every other song or so is of this type. Most of the songs are sung in English and so it is possible to be blessed by a whole lot of Gospel music in a short time. Of course the question that a Christian asks is, "Are the singers Christians?". And the answer is no. However, it is significant that hundreds of people have decided that it is better to spend their time singing about Jesus than it is to sing rock or folk or popular songs. They have found something in this music that touches their hearts.

However, usually there are at least two musicians at the festiva who are born again Christains. They are the Singer/Songwriter Morishige San and the banjo player Inaida San. Morishige San writes original songs in Japanese and is a real "messenger" of the gospel of Jesus. Christ. His songs always really speak to the people and leave them something to think about. Plus, on Sunday morning, the festival allows him to be in charge of what they call Gospel Time. It is not exactly church but it does mean that on Sunday morning there is a spot of time set aside to sing praises to Jesus.

Inaida San sings and plays traditional bluegrass music. However, he has a great burden that the message of the songs gets out and so he translates traditional bluegrass gospel music into Japanese and presents these songs at the festival. There are a lot of wonderful songs that most people at the festival know but do not understand the words or the message. It is these songs that Iaida San translates so that people know not only the tunes but also the message of the songs.

My favorite song to hear this year was "Are you Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?" This song was sung with deep feeling-my prayer is that the singers will in time go beyond the feeling to touch the message of this great old song. May the message get out!

It was 55 years ago that I first came to Japan with my parents and settled on the east coast of the largest lake in Japan-Lake Biwa.I grew up wondering what was on the other side of the lake. Well, now I know.

For two days the four Bethany churches in Japan got together on the west coast of Lake Biwa for our annual summer camp. Last year I was in the States and was not able to attend but by God's grace this year I was able to attend and had a wonderful time. Looking out across the lake I thought about the fact that it was pretty amazing that 55 years after coming to Japan with my parents I should be here by Lake Biwa with a group of Japanese Christians.

With the small churches in Japan it is important at times to get together with other churches and other Christians for a fime of fellowship. At our annual camp, we always have the singer/sonwriter Noboru Morishige come and present the message that God has given him through both his songs and his sharing. Our main theme this year was Belief while the small group that I was in had as their theme, Who do you believe? What do you believe? and When do you believe? The answers to Who do you believe were very interesting ranging from Jesus and God to My Mom and Myself!

Camp is also a time to really get to know people as there is ample time to talk. Japan is a busy country and finding the time to really relax and just talk is really quite hard. And of course to really get to know people you need that kind of time and I thought it was wonderful to see people using the camp to do just that-though it seems some people talked all night long which is overdoing a good thing!

At any rate we had a good camp with no accidents and everyone who attended was really blessed. The high gas prices were even a blessing as the roads were much less crowded this year as a result !

Last year everyone at the camp prayed for me in the States that my operation might go smoothly but many people thought I would not be able to make it back to Japan much less attend camp again. And as a result many many people came up to me and told me how happy they were to see me there and that they could hardly believe it. For me personally, one of the highlights was to have everyone lay hands on me and pray for me. As a pastor I am used to praying for people but through my sickness I am learning also how to be prayed for.

Please remember the four Bethany churches in prayer-the Sakai and Suzuka Bethany Churches and the Kawachinagano and Kyoto New Life Churches. All four are Bethany churches but Kawachinagano and Kyoto have decided to use the name, New Life, rather than the name Bethany for their individual churches.

"I have often said that the sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room." Blaise Pascal

On Friday the 22nd I checked into the Kindai Hospital. It was the same old problem, my colon just decided to quit working. One good thing was that my main doctor, Dr. Sato, was on duty that morning and arranged for me to be hospitalized. My bad condition had started at about 10pm on Thursday night and continued on till about 4pm on Friday. At noon, on Friday, they put me on an IV and I was ordered to not eat or drink anything-this continued till noon on Monday. However, around 4pm on Friday my colon started to move again on its own and my doctor said that I was over the hump. However, it would take time to really get my colon moving again as it should so I needed to continue the IV treatment.

Things went smoothly and so at noon on Monday the 25th I was able to eat my first meal since noon of the 21st. I continued to improve and so I was able to come home on Wednesday the 27th.

It will take some time for my colon to recover and for me to gain back my strength and so my next chemotherapy treatment will not be till the 16th of September.

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me and would also like to request that you continue to pray that God will give me the grace and the strength to do all that I am to do here in Japan.

I did not enjoy the IV treatment at all but I did enjoy lots of good fellowship with Christians who came to visit me and I also was able to do a lot of enjoyable reading. PTL

Please continue to pray for me-thanks. Paul