Our man in Japan

These dumb idols... 1 Corinthians 12:2 Japanese TV still promoting Shinto & Buddhism like they're good. 

Woman, why are you weeping?  John 20:15 Far be it from me to "mansplain", but I  would hazard a wild guess that the vast majority of the women on 🌎 who are miserable to the point of tears today  haven't been nudged into that emotional position by some boy who identifies as involuntary celebate. 

Because of this you also pay taxes.. Romans 13:6 Unless you're Hunter Biden...

I am the good Shepherd .. John 10:18 There's a lot of cynicism these days about priests & pastors. If you believe the media they're nearly all child rapists or in it for the money. The Chesterton-based TV show Father Brown is a notable exception, although even that seems wokified in a way that is sure to have Chesterton rolling his eyes in heaven.  Some of that media malignity is deserved, but most of it I suspect has a lefty secular agenda at heart as it still seems to me that 90%+ of Christian leaders are basically good caring dudes. The young Anglican curate that married my wife & I wasn't perfect, sure, but he spent his time in Birmingham in one of the poorest parishes of England trying to endure his parishioners got decent housing, & that involved long boring hours on housing committees. Ours was his very first wedding, & I have to assume God listened to SOMEBODY'S prayers at that wedding as 23 years later against all odds we are still married. No p...

The head of woman is man.. 1 Corinthians 11:3 It seems to me that wives that actually respect their husbands lead happier lives. 

I do not want you to have fellowship with demons .. 1 Corinthians 10:20 Shinto and Buddhism are dangerous: I cannot stress it enough.

The lowly state of His maidservant.. Luke 1:48 I guess Obama is gonna have to eat out tonight. May his personal chef RIP.

Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel.. I Corinthians 9:16 It's crazy to be ashamed of being a Christian. Christ is nothing to be ashamed of. I have lots of bad choices in my life to be ashamed of, but choosing Christ wasn't one of them! 

They both ran together .. John 20:4 How people run in this summer heat I don't know. It's sweaty enough walking! 

That good & acceptable & perfect will of God.. Romans 12:2 There isn't much perfect in this life. Certainly neither Labour nor the Tories nor the Lib Dems got a perfect score yesterday. I love it that God saw fit to humble all three of them. 

A city of Judah .. Luke 1:39 I know it makes economic sense for Japan to do deals with Muslim countries, but how does it make sense for Kishida to condemn Russia for human rights abuses while saying nothing about Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Chad, Western Sahara, Iraq, Iran, etc? I would rather live in Russia as a Christian than any of the others ...

This world is passing away .. 1 Corinthians 7:31 The Buddhists and the Christians kinda agree on this. But I have to tell you guys, reincarnation is not a thing. 

Do not become slaves of men .. 1 Corinthians 7:23 It's better to be self employed, but with higher reward comes higher risk. Certainly it's good to have other sources of income rather than be totally dependent on a wage. 

Come to me, all you who labour.. Matthew 11:28 Kier has a North East problem. A high profile lefty mayor has just left the party when Kier's stooges deselected him. He's now running against Labour. 

He who endures to the end will be saved .. Matthew 10:22 Did you watch the Wimbledon men's final? 5 sets! The young Spaniard got humiliated in the first set, yet had the endurance to win out in the end. I'm not one to tough it out on a job I regard as meaningless or not worthwhile, and probably I have left jobs I should have stuck out, but I am toughing it out on the most important things- my marriage & my faith. To see a gen-Zer at 20 tough it out like that is impressive. Sadly I could only watch the first 2 sets, but I could see which way the wind was blowing. 

Remission of sins .. Luke 24:47 Remission is an interesting word. We most often hear it these days in a context of cancer. She's in remission means she is in the clear for now, though the cruelty of cancer is that sometimes the patient dies anyway, later, when it comes back. The other context is probationary: if you are a model prisoner you sometimes have the last period of your sentence reduced or remitted for good behaviour. And it is this 2nd context that applies to the Gospel reading today. The difference is Christ's remission of our sins is something we do not deserve, but can only be grateful for. 

I have great sorrow & continual grief in my heart .. Romans 9:2 There are lots of things to like about Japan. It's a beautiful country with great railways, clean public toilets & nice food. It hasn't gone down a woke rabbit hole, yet, though Kishida & some extreme judges seem determined to push it in that wrong direction. It's just not my home, & I still struggle with the language. But when I look at what has happened to my own country, the UK, over the last 23 years, there is little to rejoice over & much to mourn also. Blair did much damage, & Cameron doubled down on it. Can Sunak or Kier save us? I don't think they can. 

What do you have that you did not receive?  I Corinthians 4:7 "Self-made man" is a rather ridiculous expression in English. Which man or woman creates themselves? 

The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God 1 Corinthians 3:19 Whether it is science or humanities, once you get away from a Christian understanding of man & the universe you are getting further away from the truth. I would like to note here that one of the most productive areas of science of recent decades, genetics, was founded by a Christian, developed by a Christian, and proved much of godless evolutionary theory completely wrong. 

When they had eaten breakfast.. John 21:15 Oatmeal! I finally got my oats. 

Blessed is the fruit of your womb.. Luke 1:42 Feminists like to talk about toxic masculinity, but every violent male, man or boy, had a mother. Did she enable him? What did mummy do to reduce or ease his violent tendencies? Or did she even help create his rage & resentment? Feminists hate Freud with good reason- but how much of what he said about early childhood experience is actually true? 

The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Romans 16:20 Good news: the good guys may finish last, but they win in the end. But just be careful who you demonize. Is Putin Satan? No, he isn't! 

Slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken.. Luke 24:25 To believe in the prophets of the Old & New Testaments, you first of all have to believe there are such things as prophets. 

We cry out 'Abba, Father'.. Romans 8:15 Christians like the Archbish of York who are so into feminism that they find the word "Father" problematically patriarchal need to get a clue. God is our daddy. Sure, no earthly daddy is perfect, despite us perhaps thinking so when we are little. But Our Father in Heaven IS perfect, and Jesus knew full well what He was talking about.  

The child grew.. Luke 1:80 Somebody in Wimbledon lost a little daughter yesterday. May God grant them peace. 

The babe leaped in my womb.. Luke 1:44   Feminists please note Elizabeth does not use the phrase 'clump of cells'! 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy & peace.. Romans 15:13 It is never wise to take your own life. Tomorrow is another day. 

The kingdom of God is not eating & drinking.. Romans 14:17 But the 🍉 my wife bought was very 👍 nice. 

Do not be overcome by evil.. Romans 12:21 Feel for French Catholics right now. 

They were greatly perplexed about this.. Luke 24:4 Japan's demographic time bomb 💣 will not be solved by making morning after 💊 pills easier to get. What are they thinking?!

Why is this granted to me..?  Luke 1:43 We don't get all the answers in this life. But God is good, all the time, even when we don't understand His plan..