Japan Part II

"What is our focus supposed to be these next few months?"  "Who are the people we are supposed to be pouring our time, prayers, and energy into?"  Lindsey and I have been asking these questions individually and together the last couple weeks.  Our general conclusion was that there were 2 groups of people that God had really "given" us to focus on.  (1) A group of young, committed Christians longing for/needing a place for worship, prayer, discipleship, Bible Study...several of us who need a place where we can strengthen and be strengthened...instead of just leading.  A place where we gather together to be ministered to by God as a group.  (2) Second is an assorted group of people in various stages of drawing near to God.  There are many who are openly asking questions and wanting to know more of God...not necessarily just more about God, but wanting to know God.  Some have stepped into the water of trusting him and starting to love him.  Some are still a little wary and so ask their questions and look on with great interest from the shore - wanting to see what happens to those who wade (or dive) into the water, but not yet willing to get wet themselves...yet.

We agreed to pray for God's direction and had already set up a time to meet and talk...next week.  Well, God's funny sometimes...okay, a lot of the time.  I expected Saturday Bible Study to be "normal" today...whatever that means.  Instead, God just took the whole thing and turned it all into a perfect, balanced ministry for that second group.  I just stood watching it all, shaking my head at God and thinking "How do you do that?  Amazing!"

A theme of my summer seemed to be "Soaking Prayer/Worship."  I had several conversations with different people about it.  It isn't actually a new thing for me, but it had been awhile.  One girl that I met and who told me about a Soaking Prayer Conference that she had attended suggested Psalm 84 for me.    Well, she didn't actually connect those dots...they were 2 different parts of the conversation...but I instantly felt a nudge from God to "soak" in that psalm for the month of August.  I did and there are so many insights and blessings that I received from it.  So, I decided to postpone diving back into Acts during the Saturday Bible Study (which is what we are studying) and instead last week gave them an introduction to soaking prayer...and a challenge to try it for the week.  Totally unrelated to that (but completely related to God's perfect timing) we had a dozen people today - including Pastor, Lindsey, and James (new missionary).  I intended the first 1/2 of class to be a brief recap and debriefing from the week's "homework", but instead it became a time of actual soaking, but then great sharing in small groups.  The din in the room, and the quality and content of the conversations being had was awesome.  They weren't conversations of intellect or grammatical points, but conversations about God's character and what it means to be in relationship with him.  Several people commented about how they were so refreshed just by reading that psalm several times a day every day. 

We listened to the song "Better is One Day" by Chris Tomlin, which is basically just Psalm 84 to music.  One of the students who does not profess to be Christian was in a group with Lindsey and started asking her if there was Japanese worship music like that also (not just the old style hymns...she is middle aged).  I tried playing a few songs that I have on my computer, but that wasn't going over well.  Megumi was there and so we grabbed the songbooks and walked across the hall into the sanctuary to sing some of the newer worship songs written by a couple different Japanese pastors.  This woman was singing boldly and joyfully (and amusingly told Megumi that she was singing too quietly and needed to be louder).  About 5-6 of us sang for an hour and a half.  The 2 "non-Christian" ladies who joined us both responded with excitement and joy when we suggested doing the same thing each week after Bible Study.  So, next week, we will have worship after Bible Study. Voila!  Without a strategy session, but simply with prayer - God birthed what he wanted us to be focusing on...all in 1 afternoon!

(James is teaching the afternoon English class that I used to teach.  Since he is teaching that class I can stick around with the group downstairs.  I can't lead/produce worship that involves music, but I can be a "doorkeeper"...opening the door and guarding it from the people who are just looking for a social hangout or default into those things and making a way for those with the gifts to lead.

And so I think we have a new pattern (at least for awhile).  Soaking time, Bible Study/discussion, and then worship.  Yay for God's great ideas and perfect timing and orchestration of those great ideas!