Honoring Sexuality

Here is a link to my sermon from this past week. I shared the role of sexuality in the Life God Gives series here at Keystone Church of the Nazarene here in Okinawa Japan.

Just in case the link above doesn't work, here it is ready to copy and paste into your browser.

http://ftp.keystonenazarene.org/audio/2016-5-15.mp3

And here are some others if you are so inclined.

https://hospchap.sermon.net/main/main/20677191

Living without Subtitles

Let’s face it, we all get a little lost at times and need signs, directions, or subtitles.

So, you can imagine that living in Okinawa, Japan can be very disorienting to a gal raised in western culture.  The Japanese have three alphabets. You read that correctly, three! 

So, what does a person do when you can’t read Japanese and the signs have no subtitles? Well, you can sit and cry because you’re utterly and completely lost.  Or you can look for someone who speaks your language.  Or you can attempt to venture out, watching for landmarks to give you directional awareness. 

Staying alert in a foreign country is a must! I watch where I’m going and leave ‘bread crumbs’ to find my way home.

I wonder if Jesus had this in mind when he gave his disciples warnings like “it will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes”.  How about, “you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

There are signs all around us.  In order to interpret the present times, we need Jesus, plain and simple.  He interprets the signs for us.  He gives us directional awareness.  He instructs us to be alert and watchful as we travel from our unknowns to the knowns, from this earth to our eternal home. 

If you’re feeling lost today, adrift in your new residence, remember that Jesus was already there waiting for you.  He wants to be your guide.  Jesus cares about your feelings of “lost-ness” and says, “I am the way, the truth and the life”.  He is the way and He’ll show you the way. 

Any day now, He may be coming back to take us home. Whether it be the fulfillment of prophecy or the final moments of our time on earth, He says “be ready”.  Keep watching the signs of this present time and be about pleasing our Savior, Jesus.

No subtitles needed when Jesus shows us the way home. 

Walking In A Fog

As we walk around and drive around we are bombarded with communication. There are signs everywhere. Every shop has signs covered in words. The streets have words written on them. The traffic signs have words. There are banners and placards everywhere.

But for me, it looks like squiggly lines. I am sure for the average Okinawan it all makes perfect sense, but for me, I am lost. And yet I know that the squiggly lines have meaning, but the meaning is hidden to me. They are in plain sight, but I don't know how to understand them.

The Scriptures tell us that the things of God are hidden and unable to be understood by someone who isn't a Jesus-follower. We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit."

It is as though the Spirit acts as a translator for the believer. The Spirit opens the heart and mind of the believer enabling them to accept the things the Spirit wants to send. They are able to see the wisdom in what seems to others foolishness.

To the non-Jesus-follower, many things that happen in life are a mystery. Even when the LORD shows up in tangible ways, there is confusion and an inability to accept a different reality. Their thinking is locked into seeing the world one way, and one way only.

For those of us who have the Spirit, life is full of new and exciting possibilities. We can see His presence in so many places. We see Him working. He has opened our eyes and hearts. It has nothing to do with us other than yielding to His influence.

As I try to decipher the characters of the three Japanese alphabets (you read that correctly, three alphabets) I need a translator desperately. By the way, there are over 2,100 differently characters taken from Chinese used by the Japanese language. They learn all 2,100 as part of their primary school education. And to top that off, they assign different meanings and different pronunciation than the Chinese equivalent. So even if I was fluent in Chinese, it wouldn't help me much in Japan.

So even though I don't know what the thousands of signs are saying, I can be confident of the LORD's direction in our being here. We sense His fingerprints all over our interactions. We are right where the LORD wants us to be.

Please pray that we would be like the many banners along the streets, willing to move at the slightest movement of the wind of the Spirit.

Standing At the Sink

As I was standing at the sink filling ice cube trays with water, I realized I was in Okinawa. I am in Okinawa.

No words can describe the overwhelming sense of God's presence right now. Tears are literally welling up in my eyes. He would grace me with the privilege of serving Him and His people here in Okinawa.

And I get to fill ice cube trays in Okinawa.

God's presence seems to show up in unusual places and times. You see, that is the way God speaks, in extra ordinary ways and in the every day moments. He speaks through ice cube trays, the still small voice, the thundering storm, the rose petal, the prophets words, the death-defying Son of God.

I believe that the Creator of the Universe is still involved in His creation. He didn't step back and become uninvolved. On the contrary, He became more involved.

And I believe He is involved in making ice cubes in Okinawa.

This might sound crazy to some. But to me they are the most beautiful words, spoken to the heart of a very humbled servant.

How Long Is That Trip Going To Take!

We can take distance for granted. You hop on the highway and at 70mph it only takes an hour to get to where we need to go. A 400 mile trip takes 6 hours, right? Or if you are out West, it only take 5 hours at 85mph. And that is if you observe the speed limits. And we all stick strictly to the speed limits, wink, wink.

So if you have looked at a map of Okinawa you have discovered that the main island is only 66 miles long. The whole chain of hundreds of islands which make up Okinawa Prefecture (their equivalent of a state) is over 600 miles long. We are on the main island. Sixty six miles long. Not that far, right?

Well, that was before we arrived. Sixty six miles. It shouldn't take us more than 1 1/2 hours to get from bottom to top. We should be able to see everything easily.

And then we arrive. The main road North and South where we are is three lanes each direction. And this is the populated section. When we get away from the population the road narrows to two lanes, and then to one.

And the traffic lights. Did I mention there are 1.4 million people on this island with what seems like 1.6 million cars! And I think maybe a million traffic lights.

Being from Florida we are familiar with Snowbirds and the traffic they bring. We are all happy when they head back up north. We can breathe as we drive. The lines are gone.

Jesus was walking with two disciples after His resurrection. They were still struggling with trying to understand the events of the previous week. Jesus opens the Scripture to them in answer to a question. He explains from the Old Testament how the events of Jesus' life fit with Scripture. But I don't know if the journey that day seemed long or short.

This I do know, after Jesus revealed Himself to them and then disappeared, something about their journey became evident. They said that their hearts had been warmed as Jesus had talked with them on the way. (Luke 24:32) We have no indication that they noticed the warming at the time. They only noticed it when the significance became evident. Jesus had changed everything.

Many of us have experience this shift in time. We have been talking with someone as we traveled and then we remark, "Where did the time go?" You arrive at the destination without really being aware that time has passed.

We have also experienced the "are we there yet" of kids, who seem to make every minute traveling seem twice as long.

I don't know whether it will be a short or long journey here on the Island, but I do know that traveling it with my wife, and with the LORD's presence will make the journeys seem short.

Two Shirt Day

It was a two shirt day. I expected to have to change shirts. I do put a clean one on in the mornings. But I didn't expect it so soon.

Maybe I had better start at the beginning.

I took a shower in the house where we are staying here in Okinawa. Everything seemed fine. So I got dressed as usual. No problems yet. Then I started into the living room to continue my prep work for our first service here at Keystone Nazarene, the congregation with whom we have the privilege of sharing life this Summer.

And then it happened. The sweat started running. I turned on the fan and placed myself in front of it. But the sweat continued. I tried to ignore it, but to no avail. And then I made the mistake of moving.

As soon as I moved the evidence of the monsoon of sweat that was taking over the local weather system under my shirt became evident. What had been my secret was now revealed to the world, or at least to my wife and our host. The sweat had penetrated my shirt and was making its presence known to everyone who cared to look.

Sometimes in our spiritual life we try to hide the turmoil in our lives. We try to make the outside look better than our inside. We put on the happy face and pretend, at least to the outside world, that all is well. But we can't hide this turmoil from ourselves. And eventually it shows up to the outside world.

We all know people who pretend everything is OK, but are completely unaware that everyone around them knows something is wrong. They think they are hiding it, but it is plain to see.

Paul wrote that he was strongest when he was weakest (2Cor 12:10). When he was willing to live in that weakness, not trying to hide behind some fake facade, then God's power could take over, making the impossible possible.

So in defeat I went to my bedroom and put on a different shirt, one that would hide the sweat. The sweat is still there, but people can't see it. I guess I just became better at hiding my real self! Yikes! That isn't what I want. I want people to see the real me. But I hear in a voice in my head reminding me of what my loving wife might say, "Yes, but they don't want to smell the real you!"

I put on more deodorant!

You Want Me To Do What?

The Japanese people are the most polite people I have ever met. This is woven into the fabric of their culture in so many ways, ways I can only imagine at this point since we arrived here in Okinawa only six hours ago.

Here is an example from the flight from Tokyo to Okinawa. As the flight attendants started to do the safety briefing ( you know the one about exits, oxygen masks and life jacket’s) they gave us the gentle bow or respect. They turned and in unison bowed to those of us who had entered their airplane. In that moment I felt very respected, important, honored.

I know it is part of their job. I did some things when the boss told me to that were different from my inclinations. The Army consistently told me to show up much earlier that I ever wanted to! We called it “zero dark thirty.” It always seemed earlier than any rational human being would show up. But I would be there, along with a few of my closest new friends.

We often do things in life that seem to us out of place.

Jesus was talking to His disciples one day He told them to do something very unusual. In Matthew five He was giving them insight into the extent of the reach of the Gospel into the human heart and will. Or as they say in the South, He started meddling.

Retribution isn’t the answer. Neither was justice. “38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’” Justice is nice. Retribution might even feed some deep part of us that gets hungry when justice seems slow.

But Jesus tells them to stop resisting the evil person’s actions.

“39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”

I can hear those listening say, “You want me to do what?” “This is crazy. They will take advantage of us.” “No way I’m doing that! I have my dignity to consider. I have my rights.”

Our enemies, Satan, sin and selfishness, want us to hold onto our dignity, our property and our time.But that is the lie. We don’t deserve respect, being the confirmed sinners that we are. The things we have aren’t ours to keep, since heaven is our new home. And our time is not our own, we were bought with a price.

As followers of Jesus we must live as Jesus did. “42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Yikes, this is hard! No it is impossible. We might be able to do it once or twice, but to do it consistently and with the right attitude, that is another story. And that is what I see as I encounter the Japanese people. They didn’t have to bow, but they did. They know from seeing Western values and culture that life doesn’t consist in the bows given or received. And yet they continue to bow. Even as we walked through the airport. Every time an encounter with another person started, there was the bow.

How can I bring this bow into my heart and mind? How can I prefer the other person ahead of myself? 

Sleep

If you haven't traveled by plane over a twenty four hour period across fourteen time zones, you haven't lived! My brain doesn't seem to be functioning.

Sleep is a great gift from the LORD.

Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Having been deprived of sleep for the last day, it will be a great blessing to rest.

Nothing in Proverbs 3:24 promises that you will be comfortable when you lie down. Or even that you are promised a good place to lie down each day. I was neither comfortable, nor did I have a good place to lie down during the flights.

So what is this verse trying to say? When we are in right relationship with the LORD, we don't need to be afraid. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die. And if we die we enter the LORD's presence. No more tears, or sorrow, or pain. All things will have become new. 

When we rest in Him, trusting that He will care for us, as He has promised, then we can breathe a sigh of relief that we made it through another day, and that a new day is coming. He will sustain us.

Well, time to catch a few winks in our new time zone.

Tight Spaces

I don't know about you, but I don't like tight spaces! And long flights, over oceans, no leg room, no elbow room, no stretch space.... Ugh! And we volunteered for this!

I know what you are thinking. Why didn't we pay the extra for the sleeping seats? It would have only been a couple of extra thousand a piece. You only live once.

Needless to say, we are glad you weren't talking over our shoulders when we were purchasing the tickets. Who knows how high you would have pushed our budget. Do you work for the airlines?

I didn't expect too much luxury, and I wasn't disappointed. It is just a flight. It will be over soon. I have to keep telling myself these things as the hours tick past. The shower in Tokyo airport will feel so good. And then just one more three hour flight and we will be there.

The funny thing about life is that it is filled with tight spaces. Even people who purchase land in the middle of nowhere end up in tight spaces. Their wood supply runs short for the winter and it is still below zero. That is a tight space. They don't catch as much fish as they need, so their protein levels drop below what is needed to survive.

Or when the payments on the toys are due, and the money went for food. Tight space.

Or the job ends abruptly and no one is hiring. Tight.

You see, we must all learn to deal with tight spaces. God calls us to some tight spaces. When He points out some area of darkness in our life and asks us to open it up to His light, it can feel like He is breathing over our shoulder. It can feel like He is hemming us in on every side trying to get us to yield.

Sometimes as we follow the LORD the path becomes so narrow that we only have one option: move forward in faith. We can't move left or right and turning around can't happen. So we must continue through.

Psalm 23:4 speaks of the darkest valley, the valley of the shadow of death. It is a pretty dark place, an uncomfortable place, and perhaps a scary place. But the promise exists that He will be with us in those tight spots. Tight spots don't limit the infinite God's ability to be there. He doesn't take up much space, even though He fills the whole universe.

So as I sit in this seat, hemmed in on every side, my bride at my side, heading to a place we have never been to minister to people we have never met, we know we are right in the middle of God's will. We are excited to see how He will use these broken vessels to display His treasure.

2Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Lord, may you be seen. Hide us behind the glory of your presence. Please hide us, and what we  do, in such a way that people will see the Only One, Jesus our Savior.

Blessed are the Feet … Pedicure Moments

We are flying to Okinawa, Japan in just a few short days from today.  

My husband and I have settled into a wonderful, retired rhythm here in the Sunshine State.  We are near our grown children and their families.  Life is good. This post-Army life was our new normal.  

Out of the blue, we were shown a need and then offered an opportunity to serve a congregation in Okinawa, Japan!!  

It happens to be surrounded by American military.  The fit seemed right. God began confirming things for us three months ago when it was in the planning stage.  We were getting a repeated "YES" at every turn.  

But now and then, you just want to make sure you heard God correctly.  Japan, Lord?  You want me to go to Japan?

And just like our Heavenly Father, He brings a lovely retired Air Force spouse into my life.   She sat down beside me for a pedicure!  This lovely lady, with a sweet Southern drawl, and I began the 'normal' conversation thing..."how long have you lived here" ..."where are you from" ... etc. Within a few minutes, she told me they were retired Air Force.

Well, that opened the FLOOD GATE. And what are the odds that she just happened to retire out of Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan???!!!!!!!!!!

I'd say it's 100% in this ONE encounter! I looked at her and said, "This is not accidental. This is truly providential that you were sat beside me for a pedicure."  (Did I mention we will be able to see Kadena in the distance, from our temporary residence?!).  

This sweet 84 year old lady named Charlotte and I became bonded immediately. We shared stories about our kids' experiences and living in foreign lands. We swapped stories of hardship and war. We knew each other well, by the time our pedicures were finished.  I was beyond blessed by the end of our conversation.

In Japan, we will be sharing the Good News. We are looking forward to showing the love of Jesus to this congregation and those beyond the walls of the church.  

Romans 10:15 says, "And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!" (NLT).  I love the King James take on the latter part of the same verse, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"  

God really has blessed our feet as we bring His Good News!  Doubly blessed because I have an awesome pedicure!  God continues to bless my socks off as friends and family have sent their love through support, encouragement and prayers.  Wow, God! You're going to do good and great things!  

Thank you Lord for sending that confirmation through Charlotte today, along with the emotional hug! I am ready for Okinawa, Japan!  Have you had a pedicure lately?  I think your feet will be blessed by it!

Between Two States

Well, I find myself in a strange place. The suitcase is packed, but I need some of the things in the suitcase to continue to live before the trip. What do I do?

I could go out an buy the things I need, or I could unpack some of the suitcase. I really don't want to do either. I have invested time and energy in placing the things in the suitcase in a way that makes sense. Things fit. If I take something out, it will mess up my system.

But I need to keep living now and I need some of those things that are tucked away, ready for the flight.

The early followers of Jesus had a similar problem. The had heard Jesus' message and taken it to heart. He was going to return, and they felt it was very soon. So why, they asked, should we invest in our life in this world. Why should we work! Why should we marry or stay married! It will all be over so soon, that we need to just prepare for heaven. Every earthly pursuit is empty and worthless.

But then the years ticked by and Jesus didn't return in the expected time frame. They would have to live in light of His coming, but they still had to live a life here on earth. They had responsibilities to fulfill. And they needed to live in a way that honored Him, reflecting His glory to the world.

They had become so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good. Their lives weren't impacting their culture because they were withdrawing from it. They had their suitcases packed already, and they weren't willing to unpack enough to live. They were so prepared for heaven that their ability to live godly lives in Christ Jesus was restrained.

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15. We must live. We can't let the election, or anything else for that matter, distract us from our primary function as Image-bearers. We need to allow the LORD to so permeate our lives that people see Him when they see us. We need to live holy lives. We can't let anything, including idleness stop us from this pursuit.

We live lives of dual focus. We are preparing for heaven while we live here on earth. We have our suitcase packed and ready to go, but we also live productive lives now.

Are you investing enough in heaven? Are you investing enough in life now? How do you figure out the balance?

Getting Ready

Reading in the Scriptures this morning Jesus' charge to His followers to be ready for His return. There are a number of different ways He illustrates the need to be ready, but each one points to the tendency of all of us to get lazy, apathetic, disinterested, disconnected.

The disciples ask in Matthew 24 about the things they should look for to signal the approach of the time when Jerusalem will be destroyed. Jesus tells them some specifics, but also the severity of the situation that will arise. They will be in mortal danger. Yikes, what a message. I am sure it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

But Jesus doesn't stop there. He takes the opportunity, through Matthew's weaving of his narrative, to tell of an even greater event, one that is still in the future, even for us.

And one thing stands out to me. If we are aware of the event coming, we can be ready. We can be watching, anticipating what will happen, and when it does we will be able to say, "I told you so." (Not that "I told you so" will be important at that moment.)

We can be ready. We can live lives anticipating Jesus' return, Judgment Day, and full restoration of relationship with God. Knowing His is coming should affect every moment of our lives. We can't afford to fall asleep at the wheel. We need to prepare.

As we get ready to head to Okinawa there are many details, small things that need to be handled. We obtained International Driver's Licenses. We have our passports. We have our TSAPrecheck Global Access Cards. We have our plane tickets. We have someone to drive us to the airport at 5AM (Thanks, Craig). We have someone to pick us up there in Okinawa. We have all the medications we need for the three months. We could go on and on.

But we also prepared the "just in case" things. Our wills are in place. We have talked over the details with our children, shown them where the important documents can be found, given them the combination to the safe and important passwords.

We have said "I love you."

We know Okinawa is approaching. We know Jesus is returning. We are preparing for  both.

How are your preparations going?

Highlights

We often remember our lives through the "highlights," those moments when we felt the best. Or at least that is the way we would like to remember our journey. But for many of us we have some pretty painful bumps along the road. So what do we do when our "highlights" turns into "The Greatest Disasters of ...."?

It is very hard to not get consumed by the difficult things in life. Most of us have gotten sucked up into sadness, depression and perhaps even despair at some point in our lives. We allow our minds to drift between those painful moments as if flipping through the old photo album, turning pages almost out of obligation, feeling compelled to dive deeper.

One of the most powerful things we can do to keep our heads up in life is to follow the example of Scripture. The LORD instructed His people to "remember" repeatedly. They would be facing a time of uncertainty and change. The LORD would tell them to "remember" His faithfulness and take courage.

I think we all need a way to remember the highlights of our journeys. Perhaps today is the day to begin that list of things to remember. We can begin with Scripture and read of His faithfulness to His people down through history. Then we can take an honest look back and focus on those moments when the LORD showed up in our lives. Then we can gather the moments from others who are also traveling this pilgrim road.

But having the list is not enough. We must choose "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2) We can move our minds. We can "take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ." (2Cor 10:5) We don't have to drift aimlessly in our thought life. We can take charge.

We are now eight days from our flight to Okinawa, eight days to a new adventure with Him. We could focus on the fourteen hour flight from Dulles to Tokyo, sitting in coach. Or we could see the faithfulness of the LORD to place a supportive community around us, ready to support our launch into the direction of God. We can choose to see His hand at work and anticipate His working through us. We can choose to remember the times when He showed up and received the glory, and get ready to pass the glory back to Him.

I say to you, "Remember!"

Inevitable Events

Well, the days are ticking by. Our suitcases are officially out of the closet. Many odds and ends around the house are getting finished. We can almost pull the car into the garage for storage during our trip! I think this is going to actually happen. Okinawa, I hope you are ready for us.

Sometimes life's events take us by surprise. They just flash into our lives like a bolt of lightening and throw us into blindness and disorientation. Most of us have had those experiences. And if not, don't worry, you will before it is over.

For some people, they act as though the inevitable events just won't interrupt their lives. They will somehow escape if they just ignore it. Like some cultures won't make eye contact with you, because to make eye contact means you exist, and they don't want you to exist and mess up their chosen path through life. So some people just ignore the inevitable.

How many times I have seen people do a career in the military and act surprised when the certificate of retirement is handed to them. They haven't sufficiently thought about, let alone planned for what comes next. They wander aimlessly. Some die suddenly under the lack of purpose and direction. Some are forced in directions that are not of their choosing because they didn't plan.

One of those inevitable events is death. If Jesus doesn't return, we will all hit that brick wall. And yet some people don't say the things they need to say before they don't get a chance to say it. The "I appreciate" statements that are left unsaid. The "I love you" moments that just aren't expressed.

Hebrews 9:27 "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." We can try to run from this truth, or we can embrace it.

For us, Okinawa is one embracing moment. We don't know how many more we will have. We don't want regrets. We don't want to say, "I wonder if we should have?" We want to say, "Thank you, LORD, for what you did through us."

Our biggest need is your prayer support. Anything that gets accomplished will not be us. Any good will have to be Him. So please pray.

The Lord is amply supplying our needs. But if you want to join us, no obligation intended, here is a link. Opportunity to support

What To Pack

What is the longest trip away from home you have packed for with only a suitcase? How do you choose what to bring and what to leave behind?

We have moved many times as a family, but with a truck, or trailer, or a PODS. In the Army I used a duffel bag and a foot locker. How do you plan for the needs of 90+ days!

Well, the suitcases are coming out this week. The loose ends at the house are being wrapped up. Sixteen days until we catch our first flight.

And we each pack so differently. I could probably fit all I need in one medium suitcase. She needs a few more things, a little more variety, a few more options. So we will each take a large suitcase to check, and a small one to put in the overhead bin. Essentials in the bin. Extras in the cargo compartment.

Life is filled with choices about what is important. We constantly have to choose what we will leave behind, and what we will carry forward. When difficult things happen to us, we must choose. We can keep getting bigger suitcases to carry life's burdens, or we can sort through and discard. Some things are not worth the burden of carrying.

So you might wonder, why the two suitcases if you could fit your stuff in a medium sized one? Well, we want the option to bring a few things back for kids, grand kids, and of course a couple things for ourselves, as a way to remember our ministry there.

You see, life's suitcases carry more than just the negative experiences we have endured. They can also carry the joys and exhilaration. Life is more than just one bad event after another. There are good moments as well.

Maybe we need to spend more time putting some of those positive things in our suitcases and dumping the heavy burdens. Let's lighten our loads.

For those who want to support our endeavor, here is the link. No pressure, just an option.

Invitation to support in prayer

Well, we are one step closer to your departure on the 3rd of May. 

One of our greatest concerns is for your prayer support. If we are to accomplish this mission, we can't do it! It must be the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. 

Although we are not regular missionaries, needing to raise support for both ministry expenses and a salary, we have set up a site to be used if we fund future trips. The one thing we can't afford to do too often is the airfare, about $3600 for this trip. The LORD provided as usual. If you wanted to support this time around, we need $2.25 a day for insurance.

But if you would like to be part of future endeavors, please feel free to give $1 at the following link. That will place you on our mailing list and give us the assurance that you are praying for us. We will be able to send you regular updates as our time in Okinawa progresses. 

Here is our personal link.
http://web.nazarene.org/goto/Stan-Bev_Arnold

Again, we need your prayers.

Stan & Bev

But then God....

Okinawa, Japan

It hardly seems possible that less than two months ago we were planning a vacation with some friends in Europe, Italy in particular. But then God....

This really has been the story of our lives. But then God....

But there we were on Feb 5th, minding our own business. Bev had watched and episode of "I'll Have What Phil's Having" earlier in the week. It was an episode about the food in Tokyo, Japan. And unlike her previous desires to avoid Asia in our travels, she had a change of heart. "I think I could enjoy that!" came streaming out of her mouth. I almost dropped dead in my tracks. "What have you done with my wife!"

So then on Thursday 5 Feb I was up early as usual studying and praying. I felt the LORD say to me, "Begin to prepare sermons." That was odd. We have spent the last two years pouring into our children and grandchildren, as well as providing marriage therapy as part of our church counseling center. But we had no openings for sharing the Word. We had no connections that would facilitate an opportunity. We had put this in the LORD's hands. If something came it would have to be Him. We had no way of making anything happen.

And yet, I distinctly felt Him tell me to prepare sermons. So I began to prepare.

Bev and I were heading to MacDill Air Force Base to do some shopping that morning. As we started out on the journey I mentioned to Bev what I had felt the LORD tell me that morning. "Begin to prepare sermons." She responded, "OK." But how else could she respond. If this was from the LORD, it was from the LORD!

To speed this up a bit, but then God....

That evening we received an email from a friend in our Sunday School class. Their son, a missionary in Japan, needed someone to fill their pulpit for three months this Summer so they could return to the States and reconnect with their supporting congregations. The congregation in Japan was primarily American military and their families.

Bev is ready for Asia. I'm preparing sermons. We are free this Summer. We can afford to travel there. We know the needs of the military. But then God....

We both felt a confirmation from the Holy Spirit that HE was opening this door.

So this is where we are, Okinawa bound.

Do you have any "but then God ...." moments in your life? I hope so.

We'll keep you updated as we go along. Watch for ministry updates, food recommendations, and links to sermons. And lots of pictures of "But then God ...." moments.