"My Sayuri"

"I had better pull over." It was a sunny day in Seattle, but I could hardly see the road in front of me as my tears blinded my vision.
I had just said goodbye to my dear friend, Sayuri.
Goodbyes are always hard. This is one that is especially so. Sayuri has lived in the ISI House for nearly a year now, and we have grown to be very close friends as we have desired more of the Lord together. And, well, she's just alot of fun with a great sense of humor. As a result, we've had some pretty funny adventures/moments that I think will be forever remembered in the ISI House Histories. We'll just leave it at that.

I'm so excited for all that Jesus has in store for her -- she will be a blessing wherever she goes. It's been our prayer for the past several weeks that those in Japan -- her parents, friends and co-workers -- would truly see the Gospel lived out in front of them. I know that this is her prayer also. It's for this very reason that she wants to return to Japan at this time in the first place. What a sweet heart and burden she has for "the land of the rising sun." We've prayed together that the hearts and lives that she comes into contact with would see "the Risen Son." May it be.

I'm going to miss "my Sayuri," though...

The Mid-March Paradox

It feels like winter but looks like spring at the ISI house in Seattle.

Missions Quotes

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."
~C.T. Studd

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart"
~Bob Pierce

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."
~John Stott

"I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
~Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf

The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become."
~Henry Martyn

"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed."
~Hudson Taylor

"A congregation that is not deeply and earnestly involved in the worldwide proclamation of the gospel does not understand the nature of salvation."
~Ted Engstrom

"Missions is the overflow of our delight in God because missions is the overflow of God's delight in being God."
~John Piper

"If I had 1,000 lives, I'd give them all for China."
~Hudson Taylor

Romans 10:1

I was reading earlier in Romans 10 when Paul writes: "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved" (ESV). And I agree whole-heartedly with Paul. The quarter is nearly finished. Already. Today is my last day of lecture. Next week by Wednesday evening, I'll be done with finals. Is time supposed to move as fast as it did this quarter? I don't know. But one thing I do know -- my heart's greatest desire and prayer is that my classmates be saved. I'm grateful. Grateful for the contact that I've had this quarter and the conversations that have taken place. I believe some seeds have been planted. Even yesterday in class I was able to again publicly identify with Christ in front of English lit. classmates whom I have taken several classes with and as a result have formed great relationships with. But I want them to find their identity in Christ too. May it be. May there be a cry and hunger in the hearts of my friends. We've read all quarter long in our English lit. classes and history classes about the struggles of man questioning the seeming lack of redemption in the downward spiral and chaos of sin. But where sin is great, redemption is greater still in the Savior. May they see it. May they know it. And may they be saved.

This is beautiful

This is perhaps one of the most moving tributes I have ever read -- John Piper's father passed away the other night, and Piper posted a precious journal entry of the night honoring his father. Here's an excerpt that I especially appreciated:

"Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for sixty-one years of faithfulness to me. I am simply looking into his face now. Thank you. You were a good father. You never put me down. Discipline, yes. Spankings, yes. But you never scorned me. You never treated me with contempt. You never spoke of my future with hopelessness in your voice. You believed God’s hand was on me. You approved of my ministry. You prayed for me. Everyday. That may be the biggest change in these new days: Daddy is no longer praying for me.

I look you in the face and promise you with all my heart: Never will I forsake your gospel. O how you believed in hell and heaven and Christ and cross and blood and righteousness and faith and salvation and the Holy Spirit and the life of holiness and love. I rededicate myself, Daddy, to serve your great and glorious Lord Jesus with all my heart and with all my strength. You have not lived in vain. Your life goes on in thousands. I am glad to be one."

Read the rest here.

A must see

I usually don't make it a habit of recommending films here, but I have to do it this once: If you haven't already, go and see Amazing Grace. It was amazing. Literally. It's a rare day when I walk out of a theater having to wipe tears from my eyes so I can see the door in front of me. Tonight I did. As our group walked the few blocks from the theater back to the house after the film, a conversation was attempted many times, but was never accomplished. And whenever someone did manage to get a few words out, they ended up stopping mid sentence anyways... it really was that good.

Okay. Enough said.

Here's some helpful resources on William Wilberforce.

Reunion

Last night at ICF, we had an unexpected ISI House Reunion as Eve (on the left) from Taiwan came for a visit! And that's my dear friend Christine in the middle... the three of us lived together for several months in 2005, and it was good to be a threesome again.