Prayer Requests for Japan: After the East Japan Great Earthquake Disaster

My heart goes out to those who are suffering greatly because of the disaster in Japan, those who are inconvenienced, and those whose heart is aching with them.

At my home church, a Japanese Church in California, a special prayer meeting for Japan was held. I made this prayer list for the meeting. Please feel free to use it and adopt it as you like ...In fact, they were partially copied & pasted from other sites, then were categrized. (Special thanks to Prayer Chain for JAPAN and Claycomo Baptist Church Missions Blog.) If you have more requests, please send them to me and I may add them on. (Please understand that I won't be able to make a minute-to-minuite update, so please keep it fairly general. Thank you!)

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

For God:
－For God’s name to be glorified, not to be blamed.

For Natural & Human-generated Disaster:
－To control the sea, the earth, the wind and weather and bring calm as only He can.
－For the nuclear plants to be cooled down, not meltdown. Stop radiation from spreading further and more.

For the Government & People suffering:
－For Japanese government leaders, Self-Defense Force, relief agencies, enterprises, and each individuals to have the endurance and knowledge to respond most effectively.
－For the right information about actual situation of the nuclear plant to be disseminated and a sensible response from people in and out of Japan.
－That people will have wise discernment as to the validity of information.
－For the individuals who are facing grief, from loss of loved ones, livelihood, possessions and opportunities to be comforted, and to overcome grief eventually and find hope.
－Protections and provisions for those who lack shelter, food, water, and other supplies.
－For the local community leaders and people to rebuild their lives in the damaged areas.
－For the people in less effected area to care, to stop storing up unnecessarily, but send supplies and donate money to people in need.
－Secondary disasters, such as accidents from power stoppage, looting and frauds to be prevented.
－For the government and individuals to make realistic long-term plans to rebuild the country and their lives, and for strength to carry them through.

For the Christians & Spiritual Needs in Japan:
－For Christians to listen more to God than to what is out there, to stay calm and hopeful.
－Empower Christians to contribute through relief efforts, donations, care and the gospel.
－That Christians will be sensitive to the Spirit when taking action to help.
－For revivals in churches to prepare and proclaim the soon coming of Jesus.
－For spiritual transformations of people to be more receptive to God’s works and messages.

For Nation & People Outside of Japan:
－To be generous in providing troops, relief agencies, giving donations, supplies, prayers and other supports, and for the givers to be blessed through the act of giving.
－That the political barriers between nations and prejudice of people will be done away.
－That this disaster may be a spiritual wake-up call for people around the world.
－For other disaster victims not to experience the flashbacks, but to empathies and care for those with similar experience. That long-term support and donation for them will not be forgotten.

Dear Giving Tree

I was in junior high when I first heard of a book called “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. A pastor (then a girls’ dean) used the story in his sermon, as a metaphor portraying the giving God. Spoiler warning: A tree and a boy were very close friends. They’d play and have a good time. But the boy grew up and seldom came to the tree unless he needed something. The boy as a young man asked the tree for apples to sell in the city. The boy as a family man asked the tree for branches to build a house. The boy as a troubled middle-aged man asked the tree for a trunk to build a boat and sail away. The tree was happy to give, but lonely actually. Then the boy returned as a tired old man needing to rest. Having nothing to give, the tree offered him to sit on his stump. The boy did, and the tree was happy. The end.

When I first heard the story, I felt disconsolate. “Is THAT okay, the giving tree!?” I wanted to say. Maybe giving too much is not worth it, I said. That’s being generous to a fault, I thought. ...Yet deep in our hearts, we all want somebody who would give unconditionally. But we, as imperfect human beings, cannot continue on giving like that. We naturally want something in return. But God is there to give, give, and give, just to give. When we rest on His stump, we receive the peace that passes understanding.

Thinking about such a giving God, I wanted to write to "The Giving Tree". So I did and it became another poem.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Dear Giving Tree

I loved you because
I could get your apples,
I could have your branches, and
I so needed your trunk.
I am sorry, but
That was my kind of love.

You loved me because
You wanted to give,
You wanted to love, for
I was who I was.
Thank you, but
I hurt you back instead.

Even so,
You are still there.
As a stump,
You await for me.

Though you’ve gotten small
You look big to me now,
For I am so unworthy of you.

May seeds of the apples
I've swallowed inside
Someday sprout and grow tall,
Like you, the giving tree
Bearing fruits abundantly.

Then I will give you
The apples I bear,
The branches,
The trunk, and
Even the stump.

Our trip was blessed, so Happy Sabbath!

“Kindness within words produces confidence.
Kindness within thoughts adds depth.
Kindness within deeds bears love.”
- Lao Tzu

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure.
It is also peace loving, gentle at all times,
and willing to yield to others.
It is full of mercy and good deeds.
It shows no partiality and is always sincere.”
James 3:17 (New Living Translation)

Have a “kind” week! - kuriks

Sing and dance for Happy Sabbath!

“To be saved from sin and to rejoice in love of Christ
is the true essence of the gospel.
A true prayer is inseparable from praise.
A true prayer always contains thanksgiving.
A man of prayer is always praising.
Whether he is in comfort or affliction,
Whether things are going his way or he is in crisis,
he praises all the time.
He thank God for everything that’s happening,
regards them as they’re from God,
accept them joyfully only for God.
In everything, he only considers
whether it’s according to God’s perfect will or not
when deciding to choose it or reject it, like it or dislike it.”
- John Wesley
(Notes on the New Testament)
(Not exact wording)

“Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
- I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have a “thankful” week! - Kuriks

Sorry for skipping last week, so happy Sabbath!

“When you look back on life,
what you will have left with you will be
what you have given, not what you have gathered.”
- Gérard Chandre (spelling?)

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
- Acts 20:35

Have a “giving” week! - kuriks

Sorry for no entry this week, but Happy Sabbath!

“Most men would kill the truth
if the truth would kill their religion. ”
- Lemuel K. Washturn

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
- Isaiah 55:9

Have a “truthful” week! - kuriks

Happy Sabbath! - after 6 days of hard working week

“I believe in the sun though it is late in rising.
I believe in love though it is absent.
I believe in God though he is silent. ”
- Anonymous
(From the wall of a Cologne cellar where Jews hid from the Gestapo)

“What is faith?
It is the confident assurance
that what we hope for is going to happen.
It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. ”
- Hebrews 11:1

Have a “believing” week! - kuriks

Sorry for missing 3 weeks of Happy Sabbath!

“If I love God more than the most beloved on the earth,
I would be able to better love the most beloved on the earth.
If I neglect God by loving the most beloved on the earth,
then I'll end up not loving the most beloved on the earth after all.
When first thing is made first,
the second thing is not stifled, but broaden.”
- C.S.Lewis.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
- Matthew 6:33

Have a “God-first” week! - kuriks

P.S. Thank you Pastor Mac for letting me quote from your blog!

Praise God for CC06' !

Been there, done that: CC06’!
I put ad about the Central Conference here at “A Tree of Words” before, but this is a report now. First of all, I must say that God is good. He had blessed me at CC every year, but the blessings were tripled since I joined the prep committee this year! Big thanks to the CC prep gang who have been supportive towards one another for the last five months. Thanks to those who came, thanks to those who prayed. And of course, the biggest thanks goes to our Lord!!!

I finally got a chance to talk to my mom tonight who has been trying to get hold of this crazy, busy, lazy body. Over-excitedly, I shared with her about my new apartment and CC06’ and all, and she told me, “You are loved by God indeed!” You see that too? Though I know that already, it’s not a bad thing to be so obvious to someone so close, huh? “God led you to Andrews University, then to a workplace in Battle Creek. Then He introduced you to Mr. & Mrs. M and N-chan there. Then the circle became bigger and bigger... I can see how God really loves you,” she said. Truly, God wastes nothing while He leads; It’s all meaningful. Once in a while I have a moment of “what if’s”, but it’s as useless as wondering about cut-off branches or never-grown branches. So by faith, I’d like to always think that all has happened for the best. Although it’s hard to get it by emotions or reasons at times.

A little side-tracked there, but what I wanted to convey was that God blessed me so much at the Central Conference. In the past, God helped me through crucial times through those CC’s. Even this year, I heard there were others who felt Satan’s attack right before the CC as me, but God has “crushed” my enemy under His feet once again! (see Psalm 60:12) (The enemy was within me though. <- that’s typical.) I just want to thank those who have been patient with me till I got here. Anyways, so I headed to Chicago afterwards and He made my path cross with good old friends’ as well as many new friends’. How exciting and meaningful time it was! Well, I was a little too busy being Martha though. I have a few personal regrets over CC06’ such as “Why do I always start things at last minute, then get so particular about little things?” or “I didn’t have enough time being Maria.” But overall, it was great. God spoke to me through limited times - at the main sessions, workshops, and fellowships. (I gotta listen to the recorded tapes over!)

What stuck in my mind was the comment the prep committee leader made before the Conference started, “We don’t serve the program, but we serve people.” As I was busy tackling tasks and about to lose my mind, I remembered those words. As I was singing in the worship team, I saw people’s expressions on their faces singing hearts out to the Lord. It really moved me. “Right, what’s important is people,” I thought. Of course for those programs to run smoothly is important, but it’s for the participants’ sakes. My professor once said, “We don’t teach subjects, but we teach people.” (Not that subjects are not important.) Jesus also came down to this earth, not to establish the so-called Christianity, but to love and save people. ...That’s what I kept thinking during the CC’06.

P.S. Since I’ve been around Japanese people living in the U.S., I got something to write on the linguistic topic. (after the move) Oh, I haven’t forgotten about “The Underground Part II” either....

Happy Sabbath! (10)

“Then men will eventually come to love his suffering in the true sense.
Suffering is God the sculptor working on human life with His chisel,
carving out ideal-self out of a material which was lost in sensory stupor.”
- Max Scheler

“My troubles turned out all for the best--
they forced me to learn from your textbook.”
- Psalm 119:71 (Message)

Have a “carved out" week! - kuriks

Happy Sabbath! (9)

“The greatest leader is the greatest servant,
not the one who has the most servants.
The greatest leader in the annals of heaven have been
The greatest follower in the history of earth.”
- Anonymous

“These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”
Revelation 14:4

Today’s sermon was about humility.
That's something to learn....

Have a “following” week!

Happy Sabbath! (8)

“Solitude can be a much-to-be-desired condition.
In silence we listen to ourselves,
and in the quietude we may even hear the voice of God.”
- Maya Angelou

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10

Have a “quiet” week!

Happy Sabbath! (7)

“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne;
no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”
- William Penn

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Romans 6:4

Today, I was able to witness a baptism of a dedicated young man
and a life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Have a “new-life-ful” week!

Happy Sabbath! (6)

“The winds of God are always blowing,
but you must set the sails.”
- Anonymous

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
- Isaiah 30:21

This past week, I was really encouraged & comforted by His words.

Have a “guided” week!

Happy Sabbath! (5)

“The ultimate purpose for learning is to prepare oneself
for the service for God and for your country,
becoming a greater skilled, better person.”
- Mother Theresa

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8

This past week, I could really see God's guidance in my life!
Then this verse was given out of the blue,
convincing me of His leading even more....

Have a great “prep” week for His service!