Friday, April 25, 2008

Just in from JEMA

GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER...
is a movement based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 to seek the face of God for His harvest world-wide. It has grown to the point that this year it includes over 208 countries involved in ten days of united prayer leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

There is a ten-day Prayer Guide available to help in this united effort. This can be downloaded from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com

To order the Prayer Guide in Japanese email poc@gdopjapan.com or call 06-6768-4385. To order English Prayer Guides go to http://www.gdop-usa.com
You could also download a copy of the prayer guide from that same US site.

Those in the Higashi Kurume area are invited to come to the Seibi Kaikan on May 11th, Global Day of Prayer, for an evening of praise, worship, and prayer. It will have an international flavor. For more info contact Stan (Kanto Point Person [English] for GDOP) at iccsjapan@aol.com

Only a few more days until we start the TEN days of prayer.  Come back each day for a fresh topic of prayer.

Please also remember that THIS Sunday is the International Prayer Day for North Korea.

More on the Global Day of Prayer

GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER is a movement based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 to seek the face of God for His harvest world-wide. It has grown to the point that this year it includes over 208 countries involved in ten days of united prayer leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

There is a ten-day Prayer Guide available to help in this united effort. This can be downloaded from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com

To order the Prayer Guide in Japanese email poc@gdopjapan.com or call 06-6768-4385. To order English Prayer Guides go to http://www.gdop-usa.com

Those in the Higashi Kurume area are invited to come to the Seibi Kaikan on May 11th, Global Day of Prayer, for an evening of praise, worship, and prayer. It will have an international flavor. For more info contact Stan De La Cour (Kanto Point Person (English) for GDOP) at

Sunday, April 20, 2008

BLOOD

Last weekend, I gave a pint of blood.

Looking back, I feel the event really did not change me.  What is one pint to what I have already have in my body.  I heard of a leader of a small country who was shot in resent weeks.  He lost over 80% of his blood.  I gave one pint.

There was no pain.  I got two small cold drinks to refresh my body and was told to drink a lot of water before going to bed.  They gave me two pens, a card that tells that I gave blood, when I gave, and some other medical facts.  I have an ID number and a number to call if I experience any difficulties.  In the Red Cross area of life, I am 19-049*******.  (You don't need to know that!)

This was not my first time to give blood.  I hope to give blood every time I am called upon to give.  Blood is a good think.  I remember the first time I gave blood.  I was 18 and a fellow worker was in the hospital.  He needed blood for his operation.  No one at work gave.  They were not willing to even take the afternoon off from work to give one simple pint of blood.  All except a big truck driver and myself.  He was a BIG man.  When he rolled his shirt up, the health-care givers smiled.  He had tubes instead of blood vessels.  They were almost outside his skin.  They had no problem finding a vain to 'hit'.  

As I sat there and experience a little (very little) pain of the needle, I looked over to the big man.  He was smiling at the ladies around him but no one was watching his arm.  I could see that the arm had 'grown' a large air pocket!  I said to the lady next to me; "Look, is that OK to happen?"  She looked over and the world exploded!  Nurses and doctors and maybe even the hall cleaner came to his aid.  Air had gotten into the site and his arm started to 'blow up!'  Well, I sure was surprised!  They removed the needle from that arm and started the other arm before he could protest.  He was not only a big man, he did not want to look like a sissy so he let them.

After we returned to work, everyone told us that we did good.  They seemed proud of us, but yet they would not give.  When the man returned to work a few weeks later, he thanked me.  He was aware that only two of his fellows helped him.  I was proud to have done that but felt so sad that others did not want to help.

I was told: "To each his own."

I don't believe that.  We are to help each other and look for ways to support each other in times of need.  I was a young believer at the time yet I do not remember feeling it was my Christian duty to help in this way.  

    I was a  human. Some one need help.  I was there, so I helped.  A real no-brainer!

That seemed like a good thing to do, so I did it.  I even got paid for the time away from work.  Back then, it was only $1.25 per hour but still...

Since that time, I have given blood a lot.  Even gave platelets a number of times in LA.  I felt good to do that as I had good platelets to give.  During these times now, I think of another who gave His Blood for me...for us.

Jesus went to His Death for us.  He bled and died for us.  His very life blood was poured out for us all.  No one really asked Him for it.  He was 'working on the clock', as it were.  It was His Joy to obey His Father to give us His Life so that we could be set free.  He died and took my punishment for my sins.  He died and took your punishment for your sins.

What response do you give?

"Nice of Him."
"Wow, I didn't know!"
"I need to thank Him."
"So what?"

Interesting.  I have heard them all.  There is a right answer but it really depends on your heart.  As for me, I NEED to thank Him for His shed Blood for my sins.  Thank Him and live for Him.

That is what He would want of anyone.

Our thanks and our obedience to serve Him.

There is no other wise response.

Romans 5:6 says: 
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."