Loneliness in Japan: What Helped Me Through

Loneliness in Japan is real, but it doesn't have to end your time here. Here is what helped me through, from prayer walks to a Friday night prayer meeting.

Making Friends in Japan: What It Takes

Making cross-cultural friends in Tokyo is a privilege and a skill. Here is what my Japanese friendships have taught me, and how they lead to the gospel.

The Cost of Living in Tokyo as a Missionary

Living in Tokyo is not as expensive as many expect. Here is our missionary family's budget, what support goals cover, and where we stand today.

Rural Churches in Japan: Why the Countryside Needs Church Planting

Many rural areas of Japan have no church, and many churches have no pastor. Here is why the countryside needs church planting, and how you can help.

Evangelism in Japan: What Works and What Doesn't

There is significant opportunity to share Jesus in Japan. Read on for effective and ineffective outreach strategies, why follow-up matters as much as evangelism, and how to reach Japanese people even if you don't live here.

A Biblical Take on Ancestor Worship in Japan

We live by a bonsai museum. You can see hundred-year-old works of living art sit among roads and high-rises. Many of Japan's cultural treasures honor God. Ancestor worship does not. Here's how to practice gratitude while saving worship for God alone.

What is church planting really like in Tokyo?

Thoughts on the unique aspects of urban ministry in a dense megacity, strategies to overcome isolation in Tokyo, and a short discussion of strategies we use for reaching out.

Why is Christianity so small in Japan?

People often wonder why the current number of active Christians in Japan hovers at 1% of the population. The figure is surprising. Christian missionaries have labored in Japan since the 16th century. Read on for the historical background, current cultural barriers, and resources to pray for Japan.

Gaming, The Gospel, and The Good Life 🎮

Video games are a powerful media form, and I've enjoyed them on and off for many years. But my experiences with them have led me to ask, why hasn't there been a major game release that promotes the good news of Jesus? Gaming The Gospel and

Blooms and time ⏲️

We pray you are enjoying the spring weather (or fall weather for our southern hemisphere friends). The trees outside our apartment are just starting to show their buds. All around Kanto, you can find the plum blossom trees in full bloom. The next trees to flower are the Sakura trees!

Birth, Seeds, and Life Again

I was thinking about being born again. And also about just being born at all. Jesus told Nicodemus in their famous nighttime conversation that he must be born again (John 3:1–21). David said that he was born in sin and iniquity in Psalm 51, reflecting on his sin

Reflection on 10 years in Japan - Part 2

In an unexpected plot twist, I found a bunch more fuel for reflection on my last decade in Japan. After receiving a somewhat ominous official account email from Google Photos, I finally located the oldest saved photos from my Japan adventures. Praise God for account emails that he organizes at

Reflection on 10 years in Japan - Part 1

With some extra time to reflect this summer break (that I haven't been using to relax with Jess, run errands, hunt for a job, or write for grad school), I've been taking time to thank God for how he has been working on my character and

Prayer more

We should occasionally take time to consider afresh what prayer is. I should ponder prayer more often, too. Because sometimes I forget what this holy habit means and how important it is. In addition to the recent Paz level-up meetings on prayer, I stumbled onto a podcast with Ryan

JOY over YOJ

Joy has been on my mind. Pastor Ben's message on Sunday inspired me to explore the joy we have in Jesus a bit extra this week. What is joy? "A quality or attitude of delight and happiness, which is ultimately grounded in the work of God as

English Teaching Treasure Trove

If you’re an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) or an English Teacher in Japan looking for new materials for your English classes in Japanese schools, here are some of the most engaging and effective resources I’ve found in 10 years of English teaching around Tokyo. This is my personal

Reflections

A Realistic Picture of God’s Word

Careful study of scripture should position our hearts closer to Jesus and increase our admiration of his excellency. We find God’s word in its purest and most reliable form in the Bible. Our Lord inspired different situations and creative minds to communicate his words to us. Most English speakers

Black and Gold Mornings

Each work day Jess and I enjoy (or endure) a brilliant, blinding 7:08 am walk to Mukogaoka Yuen Train station. Our eastbound trail is a radiant golden river of light. A glow illuminates our greyscale streets, casting all the apartment windows in gold. It’s a blessing that the

More God in Stories, Please

It bothers me when God does not inhabit contemporary fictional universes. This drought of profound fictitious deities prompted questions I'm still mulling over. * What should match up between reality and a good story? * How wise is it to separate a fictional universe from reality? In today’s stories,

Articles of the Week

This week, some of the most thought-provoking and faith-inspiring articles I read were on extraterrestrial life, failure, gentle parenting, and raising readers. Ah, the existential extraterrestrial question. "Are we alone in the universe?" Stand to Reason explains we are statistically and positionally the only intelligent life

Reflections

Surprised by Holy Hacker News

Seeing a thoughtful, Bible-inspired post today was encouraging in a place where I never thought I would find one.

Reflections

Noise

Let’s suppose distraction noise used to be low intensity and low powered on old radio speakers. Now, factors like the rise of the smartphone, invasion of the attention economy, and the dawn of AI-juiced distraction networks have changed the noise distribution system considerably.

Recommendations in Autumn (again)

It's autumn again! Someone recently explained to me that autumn and fall are regional language preferences, with Americans generally preferring fall and friends using British English preferring autumn. Hisashiburi (Long time no see) There have been too many fascinating books and encouraging podcasts so far in 2024 for

Autumn

It's getting dark around 4:30 pm these days in Japan- and it's nearly wintertime. Our faithful 5 pm neighborhood chime now follows the sunset. Chimes in the dark aren't nearly as fun as they are faithful. Total daylight (in the Northern Hemisphere) will