Our man in Japan

For edification & not for your destruction.. 2 Corinthians 10:8 So many teachers these days seem more interested in corrupting children instead of educating them. 

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.. 2 Corinthians 10:4 North Korea is obsessed with rockets & missiles. But their government is doomed anyway, sooner or later. As long as little old Catholic nuns are praying for regime change,  what chance do thermonuclear missiles have against angels? Angels are spiritual beings- physical weapons cannot hurt them! Sure, evil totalitarian regimes can kill Christians in the millions, but they cannot kill the church completely, as the Bible tells us & history shows us.  And that goes for people in Silicon valley who think they can silence Christian truth also. Judgement awaiteth! You can block my tweets & Wikipedia edits (for a month now, ongoing, but they won't tell me what I am supposed to have actually done that was so terrible) MY PRAYERS ARE STILL COMING AT YA, Masti! GOD KNOWS WHERE YOU LIVE! Sure, I'm a sinful man, & as St James says, only "the prayer of the upright man has great power" (James 5:16) but Go...

Your zeal has stirred up the majority.. 2 Corinthians 9:2  It's the political activists that move the needle. What are you zealous for? There is a definite effort in Japan by the extreme left to legalize gay marriage. Myself, I think given the demographic time bomb, it would be much wiser to tighten down on abortion. Of course, it is not merely pragmatic, it is also the right & moral thing to do. How is it just that Japanese doctors that kill Japanese babies are richly rewarded in this society? That is simply doing China's dirty work, whether they realize it or not. 

Blessed is she who believed.. Luke 1:45 Did you watch the Miracle of Okinawa last night? Never ever discount the power of faith! Incredible comeback from the Japanese squad. 

To kill & to destroy.. John 10:10 I liked Pence in the debate this week but he's wrong on Ukraine & it is costing him votes. 

We spoke all things to you in truth... 2 Corinthians 7:14 Less than 4 months til Christmas! 

God, who comforts the downcast.. 2 Corinthians 7:6 The Japanese government may have given up on the fishermen of Fukushima, but as a matter of fact fishermen have a special place in God's heart, so He will never give up on them. See the Gospels for details. 

Signifying by what death he would glorify God... John 21:19 When you are young it is easy to believe you are immortal. Once you are over 50 you start thinking increasingly how it is gonna end. Because end it will. 

Opportunity to boast .. 2 Corinthians 5:12 Wait, I hear the casual Japanese footy fan crying: Is this the same Spanish team Japan beat 4-0 that just won the Women's world cup? Well not quite- after that match the astute Spanish coach unsurprisingly replaced the goalie. Another thing to note- in 2011 when Japan won it's only world cup in Germany (on penalties v the US), it was beaten in the group stages by guess who? England, 2-0. (England came top of that group).  

We know that his testimony is true.. John 21:24 I feel sorry for atheists but they are very hard to like. When you talk to them as a Christian most have so much stubbornness & personal invective, they are simply not interested in hearing the truth. But there you are, we are called to love our enemies. 

Not knowing what he said.. Luke 9:33 Bad arguments for atheism number 666: "Jesus is like Spiderman- they're both fictional."  This is really a very stupid argument. Almost not worth bothering to rebut. It shows a complete ignorance of the historical evidence for Jesus. But not only this- a little reflection would recognize this is actually an own goal for a scientific materialistic view of the world. Peter Parker is fiction. Spiders are not, and guess Who created them? (See Genesis for details) Radioactivity is not fictional either, but has Hiroshima, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima etc etc produced a Spiderman, or merely toxic carcinogenic pollution?  

Things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal.. 2 Corinthians 4:18 God is invisible, but present. In technical terms, He is immanent but transcendant.

Whose minds the god of this age has blinded.. 2 Corinthians 4:4 Marx, Freud, Darwin, Nietzsche, Woolf- these are all names from an earlier age, but they continue to harm minds today. Darwin has probably done the most damage in the Japanese education system. Far too many men trust in science instead of God. This doesn't end well. 

The ministry of condemnation had glory.. 2 Corinthians 3:9 I'm no fan of the Chinese government- Xi is an anti Catholic zealot- but just as a stopped clock is right twice a day, occasionally they get things right. Today, in their condemnation of Kishida's thoughtless & inconsiderate act of donating to Yasukuni, is one such occasion. 

Those who are perishing.. 2 Corinthians 2:15 My dad wasn't even Catholic, but buying fish & chips on a Friday was one of the most Catholic things he did. Going up the road to The Captain's Table is a loved memory from my youth. The Table in Goring by Sea is gone now, sadly, (It's still a chippy kinda- it sells fries as a KFC) & it seems the whole industry is in trouble- increased energy bills are driving many shops to the wall. Get your fish & chips now before it dies out completely! 

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  1 Corinthians 1:20  Who is the Governor of Hawaii & how do they still have a job? 

Plunged into the sea .. John 21:7 Been to the beach yet, this ⛱️ summer? I haven't. I was blessed to spend my teens about five minutes walk from the South coast of England, truly a beautiful part of the world. These days the beach is a train ride away, or a very long walk. But I think it is good for us to see the sea at least once a year. It's good to be confronted with the immensity of God's Creation. 

With joy, by the will of God.. Romans 15:32 In the men's footie, Japan got beat by a small Catholic country, Croatia. Just to mix it up a little, this year the women's national squad got beat by a small Lutheran country with a cross on its flag, Sweden. And I could not be happier! Great match, watch it all, not just the NHK "highlights". 

Our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience.. 2 Corinthians 1:12 The liberal western media are never going to admit this, but could it be one of the reasons that the Japanese ladies squad is one of the best in the world (if not THE best so far this tournament according to actual goals scored) is that they are less openly lesbian than many of the Western teams that have already gone home? In fact they are the only team left in the tourney without an openly homosexual player.  The American Megan R boasted you couldn't win without a gay player- how is that working out for you Megs? 

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.. Luke 1:41 Unlike most things in life, you can never get too much of the Holy Spirit. 

Not a hair of your head will be lost.. Luke 21:18 Can't help but feel NHK's coverage of this typhoon is anxiety inducing.  I think the managing editor needs to read 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' again. Yes, probably someone somewhere will die- so let's terrify millions of viewers in the meantime? 

I have fought with beasts at Ephesus.. 1 Corinthians 15:32 Christians were thrown to the 🦁 lions during the early Roman Empire, but I think St Paul is referring to pagans here.  See Acts. 

Your faith is futile.. 1 Corinthians 15:17 The devil sure would like us to believe this. 

Peace to you.. John 20:21 Japanese Hiroshima rhetoric sounds hollow at the best of times to a Brit like me, who remembers what happened to British POWs in WW2, but even more so this year with Kishida cheering on Biden's corrupt Neo Nazi war against Russia. 

Mary..returned to her house.  Luke 1:56 I hope this 🌀 typhoon doesn't stop my wife from getting back safely next week. 

If anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.. 1 Corinthians 14:38 Zen Buddhism has a profoundly anti- intellectual streak. I can't speak for all Japanese as I only really get to talk to a tiny subsection of the population that is interested in learning English, but certainly it seems to me that most Japanese men are more interested in food & baseball than Catholic philosophy. But I guess that may be true for a sizable number of Americans too. 

If I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner.. 1 Corinthians 14:11 23 years later, & for me communication in 日本語 is still like swimming through treacle: a total mess &  almost certainly creating incredibly sticky situations. 

Physician, heal yourself!  Luke 4:23 It is always easy to point out the flaws in Christians who tell you about Jesus. But if you wait for a perfect messenger before you accept Christianity you will wait a long time. Christians admit they are flawed sinners and know no amount of self belief will get the job done, only God's grace. 

My yoke is easy.. Matthew 11:30 There's many a person who is convinced teachers have it easy because of those long summer holidays. Try it then, is my suggestion. But if you are interested in teaching because you think it is an easy life, I think you will be very disappointed..