Only

'She was his one and only child...' Judges 11:34

There are a lot of only children these days... being one myself, I am not at all sure it is entirely good for them.

Forgiveness

'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent...' Luke 24:47

I am a bad person, a nobody. But God is Good.

Own

'Each heart knows its own bitterness,

and no one else can fully share its joy.' Proverbs 14:10

Ultimately, we all die alone.

What?

'What crime has he committed?' Luke 23:22

No comment.

King

'the LORD is a great God,

a great King above all gods.' Psalm 95:3

There are many 'gods' in Shinto. But few outside Japan know their names.

Wise

'A wise woman builds her home...' Proverbs 14:1

My wife cleaned the entrance this week. In Japanese homes, shoes are taken off before entering the house, so until recently we had to climb over numerous pairs of shoes just to get in. Each time I go in or out now I am enjoying the lack of clutter...

Jerusalem?

'as soon as you enter Jerusalem..' Luke 22:10

On this Saint George's Day, British people are thinking about who to vote for but have no real choice.

Signs?

'Terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven' Luke 21:11

A volcano that effortlessly stops 21st century technology in its tracks- large deadly earthquakes in Haiti, China and Chile- is this the beginning of the End of the World?

I don`t know. Read the Bible for yourself- go to church- pray to Jesus. It might be...we will all die sooner than we think. Even the scientists say Tokyo and California are accidents waiting to happen...

Truth

'The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows the truth..' Joshua 22:22

One of the most depressing things about these child abuse cases (here in our city a teacher was arrested recently) is that these men are able to get away with it for so long, fooling parents, bosses, even the police...

God, however, is not deceived.

Escape

'no way of escape' Psalm 88:8

In 2003 I would not have returned to Japan if I had had a choice.

Sinner

'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner..' Luke 18:13

'Love has pitched his mansion in

The place of excrement..' W.B. Yeats

Rest

'rest from war' Joshua 11:23

There`s a real battle going on- in the hearts and minds of all of us- between good and evil. I am really tired of trying to do the right thing, and so today I lost that battle and gave in to my demons. I long for the day when I won`t have to fight anymore...

Commanded?

'Set the town on fire, as the LORD has commanded...' Joshua 8:8

Liberal Christians like the curate that conducted my wedding have real difficulty with some of the violence in the Old Testament, so often their solution is to take a low view of Scripture, questioning whether God really did order such horrific things.

More conservative Christians like myself who take the authority of the Bible seriously are left trying to explain why God would give such repugnant orders. The first thing you need to know about the context is that these were real enemies of Israel who would have had no qualms about killing women and children given the opportunity- indeed their pagan cults encouraged barbaric child sacrifice to placate their own angry imaginary gods. Is that enough to justify this? Many of us would still say no. But at the end of the day, it was never our call to make. If we think we can judge God, we are arrogant indeed.

Where does that leave us? Christians have the New Testament command:

'love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44)

What that really means in a world where Obama is getting rid of some nukes, while still killing children in Afganistan, is still open for debate. Enemies of the west have no such commands. There are no easy answers. And before you write me off as a bigoted right wing blowhard, let me ask you- have you ever worked for a peace organisation? Because I have- Pax Christi. However, nearly all of us fail to truly:

'turn the other cheek' (Luke 6:29)

But Jesus didn't just talk the talk, he walked the walk.

Riverbed

'dry ground in the middle of the riverbed' Joshua 3:17

The local river, the Mikasagawa, is very different depending on recent rainfall. There are usually small islands within the river which are only rarely covered with water during periods of heavy rain, so grass can be seen growing on them much of the time. I guess this may be common worldwide in hilly or mountainous areas but being from the rather flat south east of England I can`t remember seeing anything quite like it back home, where differences in rainfall are generally not so extreme. In England I seem to remember small islands with thick vegetation where moorhens and other water fowl make their homes among the reeds. I do see ducks and egrets in the river here, but I haven`t seen them nesting.

East

'People will come from all over the world-from east and west, north and south-to take their places in the Kingdom of God.' Luke 13:29

The Japanese church may be growing slowly, but it IS growing. Thank you Jesus!

Work

'Work hard and become a leader,

be lazy and become a slave.' Proverbs 12:24

When I worked for a Christian organization back in the UK I was really zealous, and I got promoted after 6 months in the job to a leadership position.

These days, in Japan, where even to mention the name of Jesus at work is usually frowned upon, I often struggle with motivation, and so my career suffers...

Perverse

'they act so perversely' Deuteronomy 32:5

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section8.rhtml

Anew

'Each generation should set its hope anew on God..' Psalm 78:7

My daughter starts 3rd grade today. I hope for her sake her new teacher isn't an atheist.

Wonders

'the God of great wonders' Psalm 77:14

It is easy to see God at work on a sunny day in spring: flowers, swallows, a lark of some kind, a bird of prey, thrushes, grass, the riverbank, clouds, mountains...

Vows

'Make vows to the LORD your God, and keep them.' Psalm 76:11

One more month and we will have been married 10 years.

Childlike

'O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.' Luke 10:21

Easter Sunday is the day the world struggles with. Only someone who knows nothing about history would deny Jesus lived and was crucified. But resurrected? It sounds like a fairy tale... But is anything too difficult for God? Have billions of people worldwide throughout 2000 years of history ALL been deluded when they say they have experienced the Living Christ?

No to both questions. Happy Easter. Christ is risen.

Cursed

'Anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God..' Deuteronomy 21:23

Jesus died the death I deserve.

It is amazing how many Old Testament prophecies, written hundreds of years earlier, His life and death fulfill.

Risen

'When you arise, O Lord,

you will laugh at their silly ideas

as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.' Psalm 73:20

The carefully constructed 'reality' that atheists build for themselves is as durable and solid as a house of cards.