It has been an eventful year for me. I have gone from living in a remote area of Africa as a missionary to being in the Navy as a Chaplain. I am now living in Japan for the next six months which means I had to leave my family in Ventura, California. God works in mysterious ways indeed. Most of the time I don't really know what God's plan is in all this. I sometimes see what his plan was in hindsight. Essentially, I know I am here to be a witness to a lost world and wherever it is He puts me I am called to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While writing this blog the words of the Apostle Paul came to mind, "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law though not being myself under the law, so that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the Gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."(1 Corinthians 10:19-23) I know that I do not live up to these words as I should, but I can sure give it a good try. Paul is no doubt a man of men that I really admire. In the Navy I am able to freely share the Gospel as a Chaplain without any problems. I have a Baptist service every Sunday night and a Bible study every Thursday night. What a great country we live in that allows freedom of religion.
It was a real encouragement to me the other day when a young troop came into my office and said that he felt God had brought him on this deployment to bring him closer to Himself. This young man has been coming to both my Sunday night service and my Thursday night Bible Study. I believe that if this is the only young man I impact for Christ this whole deployment it will be well worth it. I used to look at numbers when I was younger. I was on staff at small churches as well as a 2500 member church before I went to the mission field in Zambia for nearly six years. I have taught the Bible to the very educated of society as well as to the tribal groups of the third world. I have come to a conclusion from these experiences. It certainly should have been obvious seeing as how Jesus focused on twelve disciples that would later take His message to the world. Numbers are not part of God's design. His design involves individuals reaching other individuals through the process of multiplication. The design the church seems to be focused on today involves human robots sitting in the audiences numbering in the thousands in mega-churches that have no intention whatsoever of going out and reaching someone else with what they are learning. What a shame, they are really missing out on being a part of God's plan for our world.
I talk to my wife every night through Skype. What a wonderful piece of technology. I can see her as well as talk to her as long as I want for free. I wish I could be at home with her and the children. I am concerned about my son Ben. He does not seem himself since his daddy left. I wish I could have a moment where I could give him a big hug and wrestle with him which is our daily ritual after I get off work. It rains a lot here in the Japanese Islands. I wish the sun would come out. No sun makes life pretty depressing at times. The other night at church I preached about John, one of the disciples of Jesus. He was exiled to the island of Patmos to work in a quarry by a Roman emporer for preaching about Jesus. It was no doubt a lonely isolated place. However, it was during this time that God saw fit to give John a vision which inspired the book of Revelation. It is my goal while I am on this Island to really grow closer in my relationship with God. Lord, you are worthy of glory and honor. It is you who deserves all praise and worship OH King of Glory. Let your light shine through me and give me the boldness to proclaim your name to the multitudes. In your holy name I pray. Amen.