Our man in Japan

 He looked for a city which hath foundations Hebrews 11:10 I would argue the prosperity of Fukuoka and Tokyo post WW2 is based not on Shinto or Buddhism but on the American inspired constitution of Japan which has kept them out of conflicts. Meanwhile my home city of London seems determined to reject the Christian values that made it a world city in the first place. This first Muslim mayor has not solved the epidemic of knife crime on the streets. Woke values have not helped LA or New York- people continue to flee Democrat run urban nightmares. Shohei may love LA but I doubt he visits South Central very often..

 Follow after righteousness.. 1 Tim 6:11 It’s amazing: on Insta the more dubious the account, the more followers they seem to have…? 

 Mindful of that country from whence they came out.. Hebrews 11:15 It might be different had I left England as a young child, but I spent 30 years in the UK, 🇬🇧 so I of course still care about it. 

 Yet a little while, & he that shall come will come, & will not tarry..  Hebrews 10:37 December next year is not guaranteed for any of us. 

 Sins every year..  Hebrews 10:3 Will 2024 be different? 

 Verily he took not on him the nature of angels..  Hebrews 2: 16 Jesus is fully God & fully Man. 

 Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.. Matthew 1:20

 In dens and caves of the earth.. Hebrews 11:38 Was Jesus born in a stable or a cave? Or a cave used as a stable? I don’t know. What we do know is what St Luke tells us- that Mary ‘laid him in the manger, because there was no place for them in the inn’ (Lk 2:7)

 Having no hope, & without God.. Ephesians 2:12 Christmas can be a very empty experience if it refuses to include Christ. 

 For now shall he be great until the ends of the earth.. Micah 5:4 The secularists may be trying to undermine & replace Christ with woke or green ideology- they won’t succeed. 

 King of Salem, which is, King of peace.. Hebrews 7:2  Jerusalem will not have peace until everyone, Jews & Muslims alike, recognizes Christ as King of Kings & Lord of lords. 

 The doctrine of Christ.. Hebrews 6:1 Indoctrination is a negative word, but it goes on in many secular schools. Darwinism is taught in Japanese schools, by many teachers who don’t even have a degree in biology! And it is worth remembering Darwin knew almost nothing about 🧬 genetics, and was a dire racist by 2023 standards. So far better to teach the doctrine of Christ than the doctrine of Darwin! 

 Unto us was the gospel preached.. Hebrews 4:2  The birth of Jesus, the true Christmas story, is in the gospels of Matthew & Luke. Matthew has Joseph’s point of view, Luke is closer to Mary. Please read them this Christmas if you haven’t yet! 

 Christ as a son.. Hebrews 3:6 At Christmas Christians remember Jesus as a baby. He is the reason for the season. 

 Continually in the [Jewish] Temple, praising and blessing God.. Luke 24:53 So the science is in: Christmas music is good for you! According to neuroscience reported in the New York Times last week, unless you have trauma specific to Christmas, most people benefit psychologically from cheery songs at this dark and cold time of year. So LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!🎄👍🏻

 The hope of his calling.. Ephesians 1:18 If you struggle with hopelessness or suicidal thoughts this time of year, please know God is calling you to better things. Hurting yourself is not the answer.

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.. Titus 2:2 I would urge Japanese men to carefully consider what they do on New Year’s Eve. Do you have rational reasons and evidence to back Buddhism & Shinto, or merely tradition and nostalgia? 

 Unto them that are defiled & unbelieving nothing is pure.. Titus 1:15 It’s easy to be cynical about the church. Much harder to be good without it. Sadly people like Stephen Fry have far too much influence in British society right now. But it won’t last, and nor will they. 

 As gold in the furnace he hath tried them.. Wisdom 3:6 Modern women: Patriarchy this, patriarchy that, blah blah blah.. St Lucy: Hold my mead..

 They shall turn their ears away from the truth, & shall be turned unto fables.. 2 Tim 4:4 How is it that most Japanese parents are far happier I talk to their kids about flying reindeer than the Baby Jesus? 

That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil.. 2 Tim 2:26 Do we really want a war with China over uninhabited and uninhabitable islands? As Hamlet says: a little patch of ground that has no profit in it but the name?

 A vision of angels.. Luke 24:23  So Shohei has chosen the Dark Side. Sad. His best years are behind him, I suspect. The Dodgers may be favored to win the World Series, but the Braves may still be a better bet. 

 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.. Galatians 5:23 My dad told me that when he was in the Merchant Navy he once was given a report from a Captain that said he was a ‘sober’ mate. And it was true, unlike my grandfather, I never saw my dad drunk. We had white wine with Christmas dinner in our house, but alcohol was never much of a feature the rest of the time. 

 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.. 2 Tim 1:8  There are a lot of things I wish I hadn’t done over the course of my life of 54 years. I never understand people who say they have ‘no regrets’! But two things I have never regretted is going to church & reading the Bible. 

 Be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God.. 1 Tim 6:17 Having read nearly 200 pages of one of Trump’s books, he hasn’t mentioned God once. I continue to believe that Christians can do much better than Trump or Biden in 2024…

 The mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.. Proverbs 10:32 ‘Transphobic’ is a lazy insult and is usually not deserved. Standing up for women’s rights or the protection of kids doesn’t mean you want to stab the nearest man dressed as a woman. Were the kids murdered in Nashville by a trans shooter transphobic? 

 Vexed with unclean spirits.. Luke 6:18 A teen girl who once identified as a Satanist is now accused of murder in North West England. Many people scoff at the idea of devils these days, but this is not a game. Which is why I would urge you not to get involved with Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples this or any other New Year..

 Intreat.. the elder women as mothers.. 1 Tim 5:2 My wife is actually slightly older than me, though she doesn’t look it. 

Two men stood by them in shining garments.. Luke 24:4  Went to Fukuoka library yesterday. They had a Christmas tree, with an owl on top. Now the more traditional trees around Hakata station have a star, or nothing, on top. What none of them have, but what we had in my vaguely Anglican family home in London, is an angel at the top of the tree, which I feel is significant. After all, the Christmas story in Luke starts with 2 visitations by Gabriel the archangel, to Zechariah and to Mary.  There are NO OWLS. Now owls are clearly created by God in Genesis chapter one, along with all the other birds, so it’s not 100% inappropriate to have a creature created by God on a Christmas tree. But owls are subhuman. Christmas is supernatural. Please take note, librarians of Kyushu. The supernatural tends to be played down in secular approaches to Christmas. Japanese people can cope with Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, and a few reindeer. But messengers from God get short shrift, unl...

 The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.. Galatians 3:8 If you hate Jews, it’s first of all self destructive. 

 Every creature of God is good.. 1 Tim 4:4  Do hope that roach is gone for good tho..last seen taking an interest in my collection of Shakespeare plays.. this household is so intellectual even the roaches are well read!?!