tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1 2008-05-10T05:47:09Z 大阪府堺市のはずれにあるベサニーキリスト教会 Movable Type 3.33-ja tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.201 2008-05-10T05:30:03Z 2008-05-10T05:47:09Z

I climbed Mt. Kongo today and was surpri...

I climbed Mt. Kongo today and was surprised to see that the cherry blossoms were all in full bloom Of course the cherry blossoms at the park peaked about a month ago but I thought that the cherry blossoms at the peak of Mt. Kongo would also be be gone by now. The Mt. Kongo Cherry Blossom Festival is held on the 3rd of the May and so that is usually when they are at their best. However, this year they seem to be late. I was especially excited to be able to see the Kongo Cherry Tree in full bloom. This is a type of cherry that is only found on Mt.Kongo and the official name of the type of tree is Kongo Cherry. The blossoms are almost blue-a very strange and beautiful color. At any rate I had a wonderful time taking pictures of flowers and had the experience of being able to see early spring twice this year-once in the New Town where I live in April and now once more at the peak of Mt. Kongo. I also went looking for KATORA flowers but I was too late for them-all I could see were the leaves and even the leaves will soon disappear till next year when they again will pop out of the ground and delight us with their purple flowers. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.200 2008-05-07T17:26:47Z 2008-05-07T17:33:32Z

Next Sunday, May 11, 2008, will be a bus...

Next Sunday, May 11, 2008, will be a busy Sunday at our church. First of all, it is Pentecost Sunday and so my message will be about the Holy Spirit. We are hoping that Mr. Y will be able to share a special song with us at that time. It is also Mother's Day and so should be a time to appreciate our Moms. Then, in the afternoon, starting at 4pm we will be having an English Service for those of you who speak English or who are interested in speaking English. Mr. Y will also be singing and sharing his testimony at that time also. You are all very welcome to join us this coming Sunday-join us in our morning service at 10:30 am or join us for our English Service at 4pm. I hope to see you all then. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.199 2008-05-04T15:57:50Z 2008-05-04T16:01:09Z

数日前に経験したことをお話したいと思います。 同じ社宅に住む小学校２年生の男...

数日前に経験したことをお話したいと思います。 同じ社宅に住む小学校２年生の男の子が、同じく２年生の女の子を訪ねてきたところに居合わせました。 ２人の会話から察するに、男の子がいっしょに帰ろうと約束したのに、女の子がその子を放ってほかの友達と走って帰ってしまい、 その理由を訊きにきたということのようでした。 男の子はよほど悲しかったのでしょう、眼にうっすらと涙をうかべて、自分の気持ちを伝えていました。　 女の子のほうは少しバツの悪そうな顔をしながら、「約束した覚えはない」と答えていました。 結局、『自分がされて悲しいことを、ほかの人にしてはいけない』ということをお母さんに諭された女の子が、 ごめんなさいと謝り、男の子は少しほっとしたような顔をして、階段を上り家にもどっていきました。 約束をしたのか、したという自覚がなかったのか、それはわからないことですが、あいまいなままにしないで、 気持ちを伝え、また相手の考えを確認しようとした男の子の純真な思いと、素直にあやまった女の子の気持ちとを、私はほほえましく感じていました。 また、自分の勝手な解釈で事態を納得しようとしたり、なかったことのようにふるまおうとしたり（もちろん、それもときには必要なことでは あるのですが）する自分の思いを省みたりしていたのです。 が、ここでもっと大事なことに思い至りました。　それは、この男の子のように、私は神さまを悲しませてはいないだろうかということでした。 　 聖書には、『心を尽くし、精神を尽くし、力を尽くして、あなたの神、主を愛しなさい。』という教えがよく出てきます。 申命記6：5や、第２列王記23：25に、また、聖書のなかでどの戒めが一番大切かと訊かれた主キリストが、 『神を愛すること、そして隣人を愛すること、これ以外に大事な命令はない』とお答えになる場面があります（マルコ12：29-31）。 『御子キリストのいのちと引き換えにしてまで、罪を赦し、愛してくださっている神さまと交わした、神さまを一番にして生きるという約束』を、 私は『したつもりはない』とか、『していない』などと、のらりくらりとかわしては神さまを悲しませてはいないかと思ったのです。 残念ながら今の私には、『悲しませてはいない』と、言い切る自信がありません。 悲しませるようなことをしていた自分を赦してくださいと、この女の子のように素直に謝りたいと思います。 そして、決して変わることのない神さまの約束を信じ、神さまへの約束をいつも守る者でありたいと願い、その力をも与えてくださいと 祈りたいと思います。 　すべての良い贈り物、また、すべての完全な賜物は上から来るのであって、光を造られた父から下るのです。 父には移り変わりや、移り行く影はありません。　　　ヤコブの手紙　1：17 　イエス・キリストは、きのうもきょうも、いつまでも、同じです。　　　　ヘブル人への手紙　13：8 tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.198 2008-05-01T21:54:18Z 2008-05-01T21:58:29Z

On the 11th of May we will be holding an...

On the 11th of May we will be holding an English Service here at the church starting at 4pm. We hope to have a couple special guests. Mr. Y who now lives in the States will be back in Japan for GW and so we are hoping he will be able to share some songs with us and also to share a testimony. If you are interested in Englsih, please join us. Mr. T from our church will translate everything into Japanese so you will not miss anything even if your English is rusty. We are all hoping to see you then. Please come. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.197 2008-05-01T21:23:48Z 2008-05-01T21:52:34Z

The first church service at Bethany Chur...

The first church service at Bethany Church was in 1980. However, the seeds for this work were planted in 1974 and 1975 at the Omega Coffeehouse in Umeda. My original vision for evangelism in Japan was not through a church but through a Christian coffeehouse. Over a dozen young Christians from various local Osaka churches joined me in this venture. However it was not long lived and I realized that God was calling me to a more traditional type of outreach-in other words church planting and pastoring. However, to go from running a Christian coffeehouse to pastoring a church is not an easy process. I am forever thankful that this group of young Christians that gathered at the Omega coninued to support me with prayer and advice and all manner of other help. As a result, in 1980 I was able to start the Bethany Christian Church. However, the Omega people continued to pray for and support Reiko and I. and this support has continued to the present. One of our main co-workers at the Omega was Shin Chan. He is a Christian Singer/Songwriter and often gave lived gospel concerts at the Omega. Last week he called me up and suggested that we get together to record some of the songs that we used to sing back in the 70s. And so, yesterday, he brought all his recording equipment and we set up a bit of a recording studeo in our upstairs spare room. We ended up recording 4 songs. The first was "Glory Glory". This was a song that really sustained me throught the first 2 or 3 years of my missionary work. It is a simple song that I could sing anytime to encourage myself and also if I was placed in front of a crowd of people I could alwasy share a bit about my relationship with Jesus Christ and then sing this song. Besides Shin Chan and I we also got Reiko to join in on this song. The second song ended up being a secular song-"Country Roads" of John Denver fame. It was a song we sang an awful lot back then and so decided to record it even though it is not a gospel song. The third song we recorded was "Since I Opened uo the Door" by Lovesong. The only problem was we could not remember neither the melody nor the words! I went searching and found an old tape with the song in Japanese. Through that tape we were able to remember the melody and also the English words of the chorus. So, we recorded it in Japanese with the chorus in English. Finally, as kind of an afterthought, I recorded "I've Got Peace Like a River"-another simple song that we sang often at various and sundry meetings. Recording these songs was a wonderful experience as it was a chance to think back about all the help and guidance that God has given us over the years. All the members of the Omega group are serving God in the place where He has put them. It is wonderful to realize that God is alive and He never stops working-the same God who was working in the 70s is now working in 2008. Praise the Lord! tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.196 2008-04-29T04:28:44Z 2008-04-29T04:50:01Z

When I came to Japan as a missionary in ...

When I came to Japan as a missionary in 1973 I had no idea what Golden Week was. Either the term was not used in the 50s and 60s when I was living in Shiga Prefecture or it just had no relationship to the Sunde family schedule. At any rate I had no knowledge of Golden Week-usually spoken of as GW. What Golden Week is is a period of time in Japan where there are so many national holidays that the whole work force pretty much takes it easy for a week. The holidays are April 29th, May 3rd, May 4th, May 5th, and May 6th. Whap happens during Golden Week? Basically, people that can afford it take long trips while others take in a lot of day trips or just spend their time taking it easy at home I have done all of the above. Some years ago, Reiko and I and the Dugan family took a very nice trip to the Shinshu area of Japan during GW. Shinshu is kind of like Minnesota and so it was a lot of fun. This year, so far, I only have one special event in my schedule. On the 1st, Shin Chan, who I used to do music ministry with back in the 70s, will be coming over and we hope to do some music together and actually do some recording if possible. Many years on the 3rd of May I head to Mt. Kongo for their annual awards ceremony. Last year, I received an award for climbing Mt. Kongo 1500 times. My friend and fellow Bethany Church member, Mr. K, received a medal for climbing 100 times. I may or may not make it this year. Interestingly, because Mt. Kongo is over 1,000 meters high, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the 3rd so that event is known as the Mt. Kongo Cherry Blossom Festival. At any rate, if you know people in Japan and are having a hard time contacting them, it is probably because of GW. Wait a week and try again and they will be back on the job.. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.195 2008-04-24T23:44:35Z 2008-04-24T23:49:19Z

"The flesh and the Spirit are the two po...

"The flesh and the Spirit are the two powers. Under the rule of either, every act is done. Let our every step be a walk after and through the Spirit." page 190 of The Spirit of Christ Amen tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.194 2008-04-21T08:18:50Z 2008-04-21T08:30:14Z

It is that time of year again! This morn...

It is that time of year again! This morning I just could not get myself to head in the direction of Mt. Kongo.It is still cold and the leaves are not yet out at the peak. Instead, I took down my rock climbing shoes and headed off towards Mt. Makio. There, all the leaves were out and the late cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The sky was blue and the sun was warm-a perfect day to start the 2008 rock climbing season. Because of my weak body, it took me a bit of time to get to the main rock climbing area. However, that was just more time to enjoy the scenery and to take pictures. The rock was just like I remembered it from last year-nice and dry and just waiting to be climbed. I had a very enjoyable climb up to the main ledge where I enjoyed the view and a cup of coffee for a long long time. I then headed up to the peak to again enjoy the breeze and the view and a second cup of coffee. I'm sure I will still continue to climb Mt. Kongo but at the same time I am pretty sure that when the weather is good, I will mostly be climbing the rocks at Mt. Makio. After the snow and the cold it is great to enjoy a different kind of mountain and a different kind of climbing. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.193 2008-04-14T07:37:07Z 2008-04-14T07:45:28Z

"The really hard life is the one lived i...

"The really hard life is the one lived in opposition to Jesus' path. All you need to do is to look at how hard life is for folks who cannot forgive others, who desperately need to be the focus of attention, who have to be in control of everything, who are driven to succeed to prove they are significant. This is the hard life, not the life of self-denial. As one gets good at self-deial for the Kingdom, life gets prgressively easier." Page 148 of "Kingdom Triangle" tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.192 2008-04-11T19:54:51Z 2008-04-11T19:58:46Z

On Sunday the 13th we will be having an ...

On Sunday the 13th we will be having an English Service. The service will start at 4p.m. From now on we will be having an English Service every second Sunday at 4p.m. Everyone is welcome! We hope to see you there. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.191 2008-04-10T20:45:19Z 2008-04-11T00:08:18Z

On the 8th of April, Reiko and I celebra...

On the 8th of April, Reiko and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary by taking a three day trip to Okinawa. It was a wonderful three days of relaxing and thanking the Lord for all these years together. However, I realized that it was also my 30th anniversary of being involved in Christian Church work here in Japan. I had at first been involved in youth ministry and also in music. However, God clearly spoke to me that the need in Japan was for more churches and that church planting and pastoring was what I was to do. When I was younger, I had decided that being a missionary was the one thing I would not do. However, if I did become a missionary, Japan was the one country I was going to avoid. Finally, if in spite of everything I became a missionary to Japan, church planting and pastoring was the one thing I would not do.Well, God had other plans and in 1978 I gladly entered into my new ministry of church planting and pastoring. It has been a wonderful 30 years and I can see God's grace throughout. Of course there have been many battles to fight. 20 years ago I had my first fight with cancer and now I am in the midst of the second round. Developing local leadership in the church has taken time and I have made many mistakes. But, overall, more than my mistakes and more than any hard times the church may have gone through, these 30 years have seen the guidance and the power and the grace of God at work. I am looking forward to God's continuing guidance and can't wait to see what God has in store for me and for the church in the next 30 years. Praise be to God! Romans 1:16-17 tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.190 2008-04-05T05:41:38Z 2008-04-05T05:57:06Z

After 30 years Mark Fosson has finally d...

After 30 years Mark Fosson has finally decided to release the album he recorded in 1976 and 1977. At the time, Mark was working with John Fahey and his record was supposed to be a Takoma Records release. However, things did not work out and the master tapes have been sitting in Mark's garage ever since! They would have stayed there if it were not for Mark's cousin, Tiffany Anders. When she heard that he know John Fahey and had actually made a record she strongly encouraged him to release those recordings. They are now released as "The Lost Takoma Sessions" and are a great example of American Primitive Guitar. Mark seems to play a Martin 12 string that was bought for him by John Fahey. It seems he used to open for John and so his music has that "Takoma" sound to it. If you want to listen to some genuine American Primitive Guitar I would strongly recommend "The Lost Takoma Sessions" by Mark Fosson. Happy Listening! tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.189 2008-03-31T05:25:26Z 2008-03-31T06:01:48Z

For most people in Japan the appearance ...

For most people in Japan the appearance of the cherry blossoms is a sign of spring. However, for me, it reminds me that the last snow of the season is probsbly falling up on the peak of Mt. Kongo. This year was no exception. Today (March31) the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. However, as I headed toward Mt. Kongo the weather slowly changed and by the time I got to the parking lot all I could see was fog. As I started walking toward the peak, the wet ground first turned to slush and then slowly grew whiter and a snowscape started to appear. The closer I got to the peak the more snow I saw and then it actually started to snow. It was strange watching the snow come down knowing that back in Sakai City the sun was shining and people were enjoying cherry blossom viewing. When I finally reached the peak the temperature was exactly 0. Needless to say, sitting by the stove in the coffeehouse felt awful good. I had brought a book along and so as I drank coffee made with local Mt. Kongo water I enjoyed a nice long rest. I suspect that this might be the last snow I will see this season and so I am happy that my health and schedule allowed me to enjoy this last sight of, not white cherry blossoms, but white snow on bare tree branches. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.188 2008-03-30T20:33:50Z 2008-03-30T20:52:56Z

It was in the early 70s that I was first...

It was in the early 70s that I was first introduced to the idea of a "worldview" by Francis Schaeffer. As a result I have tried to develop a consitant Christian worldview for myself and have tried to understand the worldviews of others. However, I am ashamed to admit that I only recently read "The Universe Next Door" even though it was first published in 1973 and is the premier textbook on worldviews. Over 250, 000 copies have been printed so far In this book, James Sire tells us what kinds of questions need to be answered when looking at a worldview. He covers most of the modern worldviews that we would come into contact with. He covers Christian theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern panthiestic monism, New Age philosophy, and postmodernism. Because of recent events, I would hope that in future revised editions he might also cover Islam as a major worldview held by a great number of people today. It is important to realize that we all hold a worldview whether or not we think in those terms or not. James Sire has written a great book to help us understand our own worldview and also the worldviews of others. I would strongly encourage you all to read this important book. tag:www.bethanyjp.com,2008://1.187 2008-03-28T01:31:03Z 2008-03-28T02:11:11Z

　久しぶりの書き込みです。 　桜が花を咲かせるのをむずむずと持ち構えているようで...

　久しぶりの書き込みです。 　桜が花を咲かせるのをむずむずと持ち構えているようです。もう一週間もすれば、一斉に咲き始めるのでしょう。「長い冬が終わったよ。さあ、咲くよ！見ててね！」　もし桜が話せたら、そんな風に言うのでしょうか？ 　先週の日曜日は受洗式がありました。本当に嬉しかった・・感動しました。　受洗されたMさんは５歳の時ポリオにかかられました。彼はそのことを「感謝だった」と言いました。なぜなら、それが彼を造り主である神様に導く大きな動機となったからです。５０年過ぎて、彼は、その造り主なる神が、聖書の神であることを知られたのです。 　Mさんの証詞を聞きながら、私は水野源三さんを思い出していました。彼は９歳の時、赤痢の熱で寝たきりになり、話すこともできなくなりました。皆さんは、水野さんをご存知でしょうか？彼の詩を一つご紹介しましょう。 　　　　　　　　悲しみよ　悲しみよ　本当にありがとう 　　　　　　　　お前が来なかったなら　つよくなかったなら 　　　　　　　　私はいまどうなっていたか 　　　　　　　　悲しみよ　悲しみよ　おまえが私を　 　　　　　　　　この世にはない　大きなよろこびが 　　　　　　　　かわらない平安がある　 　　　　　　　　主イエス様の　みもとに 　　　　　　　　つれて来てくれたのだ 　今日も皆さんの上に神様の必要な力、慰め、平安がありますように・・・