Our man in Japan

Jesus said to him 'Feed my sheep' John 21:17 Most sane people understand Hamas are odious but starving Palestinian kids in an attempt to put pressure on the terrorists is not good PR for the Israeli government..

Dead in your trespasses.. Colossians 2:13 Only Jesus can save me now. 

Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart .. 2 Corinthians 3:15 I actually bought a Jewish book recently, by Menahem Nahum.  A 'classic of Western spirituality', at least according to the Catholic publishers. While there is wisdom, there is also word games with Hebrew. I don't claim to know the Hebrew language, but it is pretty clear to me some interpretations of the OT are off base. For example, in writing about Genesis 25:28, where Esau feeds his father Isaac game, Nahum writes, "the "game" in his mouth were those holy souls trapped there with him" (Toledot VI, The Light of the Eyes)..Dr Wenham, an evangelical scholar, writes of the same patriarchs: 'It is a story of a family broken by feuding, whose members meet God in their distress & eventually achieve reconciliation.." (Genesis, IVP New Bible Commentary) Jews reject Jesus, and so fail to fully understand their own book, which writes a lot about Jesus, mostly in t...

The mystery of God .. Colossians 2:2 The mystery of why God allows such evil acts to be carried out will remain with us til our dying day- but His purposes are good, and His knowledge sure & perfect. 

Mary remained with her about 3 months .. Luke 1:56 So Elizabeth & Mary were probably chatting every day for 3 months, but St Luke only includes their initial conversation in his Gospel. This is the kind of situation where a screenwriter would be tempted to fill in the gaps, and they usually try to, which is why most Jesus films are imperfect. The Book is better! 

Peace through the blood of His cross.. Colossians 1:20 The Israelis have now killed almost 4 people for every Israeli killed. What is their target ?  "If Cain will be avenged 7 times,  Then Lamech 77 times ... (Genesis 4:24) I repeat: Muslims have the Koran, which justifies violent jihad, & Jews have the OT which justifies revenge wars, but only Christians listen (sometimes) to Jesus who said 'Love your enemies ..' (Matthew 5:44)

Patience & longsuffering with joy... Colossians 1:11 2 game 7s in America to get to the World Series! Rangers win big, but who will they face? 

Take my yoke... Matthew 11:29 Loyalty is prized in Japan. But it is better to be loyal to Christ, the Only Son of God, than any mere earthly boss. 

We should not trust in ourselves but in God.. 2 Corinthians 1:9   English voters are clearly unhappy with Rishi. They didn't vote for him, the City & Tory MPs selected him. Hence the disastrous by-election results this week. But if the Tories get back to being the social conservatives they used to be under Thatcher, who was unafraid to take on the loony left on gay issues, they can still pull out a narrow win next year: Muslim voters, an important part of the urban Labour vote, are extremely unhappy with Starmer.  

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on... Philippians 3:12

Even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written... John 21:25.  You can't hope to truly appreciate or understand what is happening in the Middle East right now if you haven't read the Bible. Sure, there are plenty of books on Israel & Palestine but Genesis is where it all starts...

I lay down My life for the sheep... John 10:15 It's easy to be cynical about the church & Christians, because yes we are sinners and far from perfect. But there still are people who are, as Christ did, laying down their lives for the sheep. A church leader in Palestine has just offered to swap places with a Jewish hostage captured by Hamas. 

I have no one like-minded.. Philippians 2:20 Anglo-Catholics are rare in suburban Japan. 

Woman, why are you weeping?  John 20:15 Did Hamas kill your family? Or did the IDF kill your son? 

The babe leaped in my womb for joy.. Luke 1:44 Despite the terrible news on TV, there is still joy in the world. Joy comes from understanding who Jesus truly is, & what He has done. 

Not in any way terrified of your adversaries.. Philippians 1:27 Today is world Jihadi day. So watch your back. 

Having a desire to depart.. Philippians 1:23 My mum was dead at the age I am now. God has spared me so far for some reason. 

Blessed are the peacemakers... Matthew 5:9 Ultimately, although I can absolutely understand Netanyahu's desire for revenge, I cannot support Israel killing women & children in Gaza. Long term it is counter productive anyway. Biden hiding behind the Israeli flag is, as is usual for him, a clumsy diplomatic position, especially when there are people in his own party that clearly hate Israel. I cannot support the waving of the Palestinian flag either, but ultimately there are human rights concerns. Giving another generation of young Muslims any kind of moral ground is very unwise. There is no true moral ground for supporting Hamas' tactics of killing as many Israeli civilians as possible, but we have to recognize that is the enemy we are dealing with - most Muslims see Israel as unreservedly bad, Western nuance is seen by both sides as betrayal. But we have to insist that the killing of civilians by both sides is equally murder. 

Approve the things that are excellent.. Philippians 1:10 Islam is an evil religion because its very nature approves violence against non Muslims. Jews reading the Old Testament have a tendency to justify "an eye for an eye". But Jesus taught us a more excellent way, the way of forgiveness, of loving one's enemies. This is the only lasting solution to Middle East peace. 

Carry you where you do not wish .. John 21:18 Given how heavily Japanese TV promoted this Rugby 🏉 World Cup in France, I have to believe it didn't end up how they wanted. 

His righteousness endures forever.. 2 Corinthians 9:9 God is good. People not so much. I am sympathetic to those suffering in Israel tonight but let's not pretend either Jews or Muslims have the whole truth, or justice entirely on their side. 

The body ..is sown in weakness .. 1 Corinthians 15:43 I'm getting to the age where aches & pains are a near constant thing ..

The mystery of the gospel.. Ephesians 6:19 I watch Agatha Christie mysteries but the real murder I know of wasn't so mysterious- when I worked in Chichester a man was murdered for his money by heroin addicts. All three were clients of my office. What is mysterious is how God sometimes rescues people from such degrading addictions, including a Welsh friend of mine.  

Fathers do not provoke your children.. Ephesians 6:4 My dad when I was young took us on long car journeys into the heart of rural Essex. These days I would appreciate it- some beautiful scenery out there, in the tidal marshes. Nice villages, beautiful old churches. At the time I was too young to really appreciate it, God rest him. Now I would do just about anything to have one more day with him. 

They will by no means follow... John 10:5 Kevin McCarthy as Speaker chose to prop up Biden's irresponsible spending with the help of the Dems instead of listening to the right of his own party & exercising fiscal restraint, so he pretty much got what he deserved.  

Wives, submit to your own husbands .. Ephesians 5:22 St Paul is demonized for this, but much of why the west has gone off the rails is down to feminists undermining it. Can this verse be abused? Yes, but clearly rather than turning your marriage into a zero sum power struggle isn't it better to just be more careful who you marry in the first place? It is common sense that in a marriage of two people someone has to have the deciding vote. 

Nor give place to the devil.. Ephesians 4:27 The devil is real, but so many people doubt him these days. If you are against Jesus & the Church, you are basically working for him unpaid at this point. 

Why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Luke 24:38 When something is too good to be true, it usually is, except when it comes to Jesus, who is Good all the time..