Thank you for your continuous support and prayer through 2022. The Lord has truly sustained us through our transition into Tokyo and into a new chapter for our family. It is such a strength to know that we are not walking this journey on our own. Not only do we have Jesus who never leaves us or forsakes us, but the Lord has connected us to you all. I am thankful that the Lord made us to function this way, needing each other.
Winter in Tokyo is very different from our previous winters in rural Tochigi, where we had a house with a beautiful wood stove and drove our car to places, hardly feeling the cold. In Tokyo, we walk everywhere, every day. A lot. And that is not just because of not owning a car. Somehow there is a lot walking when you live in the city. I also add, that Jeremy and I both love summer. Having said all of that, I am learning to enjoy the winter season more and more in recent years. There is more quiet, more stillness, more clarity in the barrenness both in nature and our own souls that we may not feel in other seasons. So our January has been a month of refocusing.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
I first came across this translation of this verse in my twenties and was struck by the expression “unforced rhythms of grace.” Recently the Lord has been speaking to us about this “rhythm.”
In this hour, I believe that in order to be ready and prepared for whatever shakings may come next, it is crucial that we operate at a different rhythm of life than what is driving the world, that we stand rooted in Him. Jesus did tell us clearly that we are not of this world, and that we are “strangers and exiles” (Hebrews 11:13) in this life. We are in a flow and pace of life that is pushed forward by a constant input of information, options, and social pressure, and as much as I love the convenience of technology, it has become increasingly hard to disengage or to not be driven by it. Christians, church, and ministry are not exempt from this either. Our lives are often busy and full.
For many Japanese, becoming a Christian is seen as potentially adding on more commitments to their already overwhelmingly busy life. Entering a new environment or social group can mean having more obligations and expectations to meet. What a shame that this is often a real barrier when people are presented with the gospel. We must lay our life at the feet of Jesus in order to find it in Him, but we want to strip off any unnecessary burden, or expectations that the Lord hasn’t placed on us, keeping the gospel simple and pure.
So Jeremy and I are asking:
- What does a wholehearted and sustainable life in Jesus look like, that would capture the heart of the Japanese?
- What are the rhythms that allow us to stop and slow down enough to deeply connect to God and to our family, and to each other?
- How can we be a family in God, where people can feel safe and find the confidence and strength to live out their life to the full?
As we welcome others to join us, we want to keep it very simple: we meet, worship Jesus, break bread together, and fellowship with each other heart to heart. It is a part of our weekly rhythm, with the purpose of resting and enjoying the day with the Lord and each other.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
-Kumi