Beggars beware, technology wants your job. It's fascinating to consider that nearly every aspect of humanity may one day be replaced by a robot. While I'm sure this experiment had a humble beginning, I can see how this can be exploited all in the name of charity without any of the proceeds going to the intended recipients. Nevertheless, this video does show some interesting cultural differences between Japan and other nations.

Labels: culture, economy, webtech

Words cannot express how completely amazing this weekend was. Peoria is the farthest church that supports our ministry, and Weiling opted to stay in town in order to visit Living Water, so it was just me that flew up to Illinois. It was a perfect trip even with a connection in Atlanta that had adjacent gate departure (what are the odds)? The Kyle family hosted me for the weekend in what has to be the oldest house I've ever stayed in - 101 years old farmhouse. It was great. What was perhaps the best thing all weekend was getting to share life experiences with the other missionaries. Most mission conferences bring in one or two families on a weekend, or spread them out over an entire month. Northwest opted to bring 10 missions in on the same weekend with 6 speaking opportunities. I can't express how very cool that is. It is important to reconnect with your supporters and share how God is moving in our ministry, but it is vitally important to also be able to be with other Kingdom builders who have similar struggles. Shouts to Kathy Becker, BJ and Crystal, Deron and family, the Tatum family, Brenda Lewis (missionary to India), Larry and Diana Owen, Dan Wilson, John Kunkle, and so many more that visited with me. Please check out a few of my favorite photos.

America and Japan are both time-oriented cultures in that we value time greatly. The faster, the better. But the Japanese have perfected the morning routine to make every last second count. Be sure to watch this insightful video to the end and you'll learn several masterful techniques that refine 'morning rush'.

Labels: culture

We were blown away by the outpouring of love and interest in our mission work in Japan while we shared at Tomoka Christian Church in Ormond Beach. As one of the largest Christian churches in Florida, Tomoka Christian is known for being a very strong supporter of missions. It was an honor to be invited to speak. We are fast approaching 500 active prayer warriors in this mission to Japan! We even ran into Craig and Natalie Leslie from Lake Eustis Christian who were vacationing. Shouts to Pat Bolles who made our stay an absolute blessing, Ralph Gossman, Doug in the Holy Ground cafe, Ed Townsend, James, Yolanda, M.J., Ed and Barbara, Don and Joyce, Erika, Sam and Karen Kohler (missionaries in Japan for nearly 30 years!), Barbara Shoner and 2 dozen other folks who visited with us. Tomoka is already planning a short-term mission trip to Japan in May of 2010. We continue to pray for the harvest and the workers.

We were prayed for during each of the five weekend services.

Labels: outreach

The April edition of our monthly mission newsletter is now available for the sushi bar.