In the Way Everlasting

Advent

2011-12-05T11:17:00.000+09:00

Luke 1:28

Our pastor taught us that this also applies to every Christian. Whatever our situations may be, we are told that the Lord is with us.

A New Alarm Clock

2011-10-15T15:58:00.000+09:00

I bought a new alarm clock yesterday. This morning I woke up well before it went off. :-)

RefTagger

2011-10-01T14:48:00.002+09:00

I have added a java script named RefTagger to this blog. It is a tool that lets your website visitors instantly view a Bible passage by hovering their mouse over a Bible reference.

Let's see how it works:

Philippians 4:6-7

Status

2011-09-29T17:54:00.000+09:00

Contemplation is in Your Big Picture

It's likely that you have a lot to sort out right now, and your mind has already begun the process.

Things seem incredibly complicated at the present moment. You know you need to take a deep breath and slow down.

Whatever you are turning over will work itself out, and you trust yourself to come up with the right answers.

For now, you've pulled over from whatever journey you're on, but you'll be back on the road soon enough.

What's In Your Big Picture?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

What Color Apple Are You?

2011-09-28T10:52:00.000+09:00

You Are a Green Apple

You're a pretty traditional person. You believe that if something has lasted, then it's probably good.

You think that living the good life is pretty simple. If you behave responsibly and ethically, good things will come to you.

You are a loner and prefer to keep to yourself. You love solitude.

You are super productive. People are amazed by how much you are able to get done.

What Color Apple Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

What I Had for Lunch Today

2011-09-25T13:58:00.001+09:00

    After the worship service I went to the supermarket nearby. Tired of cooking, I had been thinking of buying some sandwiches for lunch. On my way to the familiar shelf, however, I noticed a special table with a number of box lunches from various places in Japan. Above them was a banner saying “The Ekiben Fair –September 24 and 25--.” The ekiben means a local box lunch sold at stations. On the table were nearly a dozen different kinds of ekiben, most of which contain sushi. I observed each of them carefully. Among them was my favorite masu-zushi (sushi with marinated trout) from Toyama. I have loved it since I had it on the train at the age of 5. Should I put one in my shopping cart immediately? Wait. The box was too large for me. I needed something smaller. It being a warm day again, I wanted to avoid box lunches with too much raw fish, just in case. I looked around the table again. Finally, I chose a box of mackerel sushi from Fukui Prefecture. 1) The mackerel on the sushi was grilled. 2) The box was the smallest of all. I spent about five times as much on my lunch as I had planned.

     As soon as I arrived home, I made green tea and sat down at the table. Though the package was small, the rice was densely packed and the grilled mackerel was oilier than I had expected. At first, I had wondered if I would be able to finish it at one sitting. – It reminds me of the typical Japanese folk tales in which the humble protagonist who chooses the smallest gift box of the three gets the most expensive and precious present.

     As it turned out, the mackerel sushi tasted very good. On the rice were not only grilled fish but also shiitake mushrooms and marinated ginger. In fact, I have enjoyed it so much that I find it to be “something to write home about”, though I am still full.

   I wish I had taken a photo. Instead, This is the link to the shop's website that has some photos. In addition, This page will show you the pictures of my favorite masu-zushi, which I would have bought if I had had a visitor to share it with today.

It's been ages...

2011-09-15T20:46:00.001+09:00

Well, my older computer has been running down, and it has been so slow that I can no longer stand it. Now that I have installed a security program in my newer computer, which in fact is more than two years old and had never been connected to the Internet, I can write in my blog again. :-)

Writer's Block

2011-05-17T21:27:00.000+09:00

You know I have writer's block when I resort to a thing like this:

You Are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.

You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.

Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

"Kikotowa"

2011-05-11T20:20:00.001+09:00

I borrowed from the school library Kikotowa, a book written by Asabuki Mariko, which has been most recently awarded the Akutagawa Literary Prize. I finished reading it in an hour or so, and found the story somewhat creepy. If that is what the author intended, I think she is successful; her diction, probably her idiolect, seems to help the readers feel uncomfortable.

The unusual title of this novel comes from the combination of the names of its two protagonists, Kiko and Towako, middle-aged women who meet each other for the first time in twenty-five years. They were close friends when they were children.

The name Towako, which literally means 'eternity-child' in Japanese, is strongly suggestive of one of the key words of the story: time. --In addition, her father is a watch mender.--I don't know what is symbolized by the name of the younger woman, Kiko, that is, 'noble child.'

Some of the other key words of the story are dreams, memories, and strangely, hair.

Though this novel can be analyzed and interpreted in different ways, it surely presents the readers with some cross sections of the women's lives, and their mothers'. The book may also serve as a catalyst for evoking memories of our close friends in our childhood, whom we lost touch with decades ago.

The author's idiosyncratic diction, and some rationally inexplicable episodes described in it seem to be what make this prize-winning novel extraordinary. I do not mean that I personally like the novel, though. It is a weird story.

A Strong Cup of Coffee

2011-05-09T18:54:00.003+09:00

Now that the consecutive national holidays plus the weekend are over, everything is expected to get back to normal.

In order to adjust my internal clock to the workday mode, I need a cup of strong coffee, which, in turn, reminds me of Gibbs in NCIS, who is addicted to coffee.

The TV series have been rerun over and over on FOX Japan, and I watched a number of episodes during the holidays. I watched the intriguing drama for the first time in my life about this time last year, just because it was in the English language. Soon I got fascinated with the characters in the series. I like every member of the team, and I especially like Gibbs. Though he is very impatient, there is something attractive about him. I am also fond of the beginning of its theme song, whose composer must know how to grip the attention of the audience.

Nowadays, I watch NCIS just because I want to watch Mark Harmon play the role of Gibbs.

The Holidays

2011-05-02T23:20:00.001+09:00

I didn't have many things accomplished during the long weekend. I did have my hair cut, and did a few chores, but I spent most of the time relaxing myself in my apartment.

I have started reading A RESILIENT LIFE by Gordon MacDonald, which Rodney talked about in his blog. So far, I have read about a quarter of it. Being no athlete, I may not fully understand the daily rigorous training the author went through as a student, but I cannot help admiring his coach, Marvin W. Goldberg. As a teacher of English as a foreign language, I wish I could be as competent as the coach before I retire.

We had school today, and another series of three consecutive national holidays start tomorrow: The Constitution Day (Tuesday), The Greenery Day (Wednesday) and The Children's Day (Thursday). I hope to finish reading the book during the holidays.

In Full Bloom

2011-04-28T21:40:00.001+09:00

The tulips are now in full bloom.

I wish I could write more in my blog, but somehow, I have been feeling too tired to think of anything interesting to write about ... Tomorrow is a national holiday here in Japan, and I am glad I can get some rest. I don't think I will be able to stay home all day long, though. I badly need a haircut, and I also have to go shopping.

More Flowers

2011-04-26T20:52:00.000+09:00

I sometimes wish I could look at the flowers all day long instead of going to work.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:16:00.000+09:00

In the morning, I found one of the tulips finally in bloom. I am thankful that God made this happen on the very morning of Easter day.

I went to church by bicycle. The sermon was based on Matthew 28. We praise the Lord, who has risen from the dead and who is with us always, to the very end of the age.

Happy Easter!

Expectancy

2011-04-20T20:20:00.000+09:00

I wonder when the flowers will come out. Tomorrow? On Good Friday? Or, on Easter?

It has been almost two months since the tulips sprouted. All I have been doing for them is watering them from time to time. It is God Himself that has given the plants life and the power to grow.

Crocheting

2011-04-18T20:44:00.000+09:00

I am crocheting some flowers to crystallize my sorrow.

Cherry Blossoms and Dumplings

2011-04-17T18:37:00.002+09:00

I went to the hill with my family to view cherry blossoms in the afternoon. The cherry trees were not in full bloom yet, but the park was crowded with people. We had some dumplings at a small restaurant there.

The dumplings were covered with sweet bean paste, soy bean powder and sesame.

Growth

2011-04-16T16:28:00.001+09:00

tulips are growing:
so are her abnormal cells
the doctor has said

how many more springs
will I be allowed to spend
with her in this world?

The Buds of The Tulips

2011-04-14T22:28:00.000+09:00

I have been so busy and tired that everything I can do is to take one day at a time, while my tulips are growing quietly.

Part of Our Everyday Lives

2011-04-12T19:55:00.000+09:00

Uncomfortable earthquakes are again part of our everyday lives. There can be big, long earthquakes at any time of the day. We now know that the ground on which we are standing is no longer stable. Whenever the earth begins to shake, I think of Deuteronomy 33:27a.

The eternal God is your refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms.

I imagine myself leaning on "the everlasting arms" and wait for the earth to stop shaking. This is how we live these days, amid the hectic days at the beginning of the new school year.

I Saw This on TV

2011-04-09T20:01:00.002+09:00

hit by tsunami
these cherry trees still standing
come into blossom

Unusual Names

2011-04-07T19:34:00.000+09:00

At the beginning of the new school year, teachers are given the lists of the students in their new classes. The problem is that there have been more and more names that are difficult to read year by year. Most Japanese names are written in kanji, ideograms borrowed from China, each of which can often be read in more than one way. Japanese children's names these days are made up of a variety of unconventional combinations of ideograms, and they are often pronounced in unusual ways. Looking at my new roll book, I cannot help wondering if their parents competed against each other, trying to invent for the children the most difficult-to-decipher names with some of the ideograms pronounced in nonstandard ways.

In order to find out how to read these names correctly, we need to do either of the following: (1) ask the students themselves, or (2) log on to the school computer network and access the lists of their official names with the phonograms showing how to read them.

If you ask me, I do not like this tendency for Japanese parents to give their children unusual, difficult-to-read names deliberately. We write characters and letters for the purpose of letting others read them. People's names are no exception.

A tip from a teacher: short names that are easy to spell can be more advantageous than long, complicated ones when it comes to taking exams, say, in Math, where a split second can be important for getting better marks. :-)

The Tulips Are Thriving

2011-04-06T21:13:00.000+09:00

When people around me make me tired, I feel like sitting by the plants and watch them grow.

What Kind of Cloud Are You?

2011-04-05T21:10:00.002+09:00

You Are a Cirrus Cloud

You're a bit mysterious and reserved. You mostly keep to yourself and do your own thing.

Some people may even consider you allusive. You're hard to track down at times.

People who know you find you to be very transparent. It's always easy to tell what you're thinking about.

You tend to drift more than most people. You're always trying out new ideas, friends, and even personalities.

What Kind of Cloud Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Into the Dazzling Sunlight

2011-04-04T22:52:00.001+09:00

riding my old bike
into the dazzling sunlight:
the new school year starts

Feeling Relaxed

2011-04-02T17:29:00.001+09:00

Finally, it is Saturday, and I stay home all day, feeling relaxed.

It has been a long week. We have been very busy preparing for the new school year, which starts on Wednesday, April 6. On March 31, we said goodbye to the teachers who were to be transferred to different schools, and we welcomed some of the new teachers yesterday.

The picture above shows one of my teddy bears, Chocolate, wearing a dark red suit that I have made of my mother's old clothes. Looking at the teddy bears makes me feel relaxed.

The Tulips

2011-03-31T18:19:00.000+09:00

The tulips are growing.

"The Little Tern"

2011-03-30T22:01:00.001+09:00

I read The Little Tern, written by Brooke Newman. I had read it several years before. I wanted to read it again partly because the textbook we are going to use in the new school year has a unit based on this story, and partly because I thought of a passage in this book, which was to the effect that losing something is one thing and misplacing it is quite another, while I was looking for my USB flash drive yesterday...

I started reading the book very carefully. The bird who has lost his ability to fly inevitably makes me think of the numerous people affected by the earthquakes and the tsunamis on March 11. I was deeply moved by the poetic expressions describing the scenery, and also by the beautiful illustrations by Lisa Mann Dirkes. Though I am familiar with some of the passages quoted in our textbook, I felt as if I were reading the rest of the book for the first time in my life. I am especially impressed by the last part of the story in which the little tern realizes the difference between "waiting and wasting time" and "waiting and learning from time." Believe it or not, that passage and the pages following it, where the writer talks about finding a "sand dollar", almost brought tears to my eyes.

Late in March

2011-03-29T18:39:00.000+09:00

a thin overcoat
light low shoes instead of boots
despite the cold wind

countless particles
sparkling on the dry pavement
in the morning sun

from the river bank
fly away, of a sudden,
a flock of sparrows

birds sing and plants grow;
the reactors keep spreading
hazardous atoms

mourning for the towns
wiped off the face of the earth
by the tsunamis

"Beneath the Cross of Jesus"

2011-03-27T14:42:00.001+09:00

During the worship service, we sang the hymn, Beneath the Cross of Jesus in Japanese. This is one of my favorite hymns. I love both its melody and its lyrics. I like this song so much that I would like them to sing it at my funeral in the future.

I especially like the phrase, "O trysting place where Heaven's love and Heaven's justice meet!"

Just before going to church this morning, I read this devotional article in Our Daily Bread. The writer, Julie A. Link says,

Today there are people who portray God as angry, vengeful, and eager to punish people for every minor offense. God, however, describes Himself as "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth" (Ex. 34:6). Others show the world a picture of a loving God who is too kind to punish wrongdoing. But God describes Himself as one who exercises judgment and righteousness (Jer. 9:24). He is both a just Judge and a loving Father. If we emphasize one over the other, we paint a false picture of God.

The most important thing we can know about God and proclaim to the world is that God does not want to punish people; He wants them to repent so that He can forgive (2 Peter 3:9). But to be truly loving, He must also be absolutely just.

After coming home, I sang Beneath the Cross of Jesus in English. The Japanese version has only three stanzas, while the original has five. In the Japanese translation, the third stanza is completely omitted. The first stanza is a summary of the first and the second of the original.

In any case, "I fain would take my stand" "beneath the cross of Jesus," exposed to a high dose of depressing information on the nuclear disaster.

Waiting

2011-03-23T20:26:00.000+09:00

I have finished reading Waiting on GOD, written by Andrew Murray. This book has made me realize how often the phrases like "wait on God" and "wait for the Lord" are used in the Bible. Andrew Murray also repeats the sentence, "My soul, wait thou only upon God," at the end of every chapter of this book.

Every time I turn on TV and watch the news about the aftermath of the earthquakes, especially the news of what has been happening in and around the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, I cannot help feeling sad, angry and concerned. It seems to me that everything I can do now is to "wait only upon God."

Kyrie

2011-03-22T21:18:00.000+09:00

     I am listening to Mass in B Minor by J. S. Bach (BWV232) now. I love its first part, Kyrie, the best. It is so poignant and beautiful.
    Thousands of people have been killed in the tsunamis, and tens of thousands of people have lost their houses and everything in them. There is no denying the fact that the damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima are spewing radioactivity.
    The government has been urging us to use as little electricity as possible. I wonder if I can afford to listen to the CD, but I need to listen to the exquisite piece of music now, turning down the lights instead.

Kyrie eleison

(Lord, have mercy.)

If they Have No Bread...

2011-03-19T19:12:00.000+09:00

   If they have no bread in the shops, let's make some ourselves.
   When I went to the supermarket the other day, I found many of the shelves almost bare. Bread, canned foods, instant noodles, pouch-packed foods and other easy-to-cook foods had been sold out. Everyone was concerned about the "planned" power outage, more earthquakes, and possibly, the nuclear power plant crisis.

   Unable to buy any bread, I made some griddle scones at home. I referred to the recipe I found in the book, Simple Pudding from Old England, written by Hasegawa Kyoko. It was very easy to cook them.

One Week in Six Words

2011-03-18T20:37:00.004+09:00

Earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear power plant crises.

This reminds me of a well-known Japanese phrase, "Jishin, kaminari, kaji, oyaji," or "earthquakes, thunderbolts, fires and fathers," which is a list of things people fear the most. I suppose this list should be revised and changed into "Jishin, gempatsu, kaji, tsunami." Gempatsu is an abbreviation of genshiryoku hatsudensho (a nuclear power plant).

The Tulips

2011-03-17T19:02:00.000+09:00

It was very cold and windy today. However, the tulips are growing steadily. I am impressed with their vitality.

The Book of Job

2011-03-16T22:59:00.000+09:00

   I have started reading Job.

   I remember studying each chapter in the book with the Rev. K** in the Bible Study Group on Wednesdays many years ago, and I have read it several times by myself. As I am reading it now, I realize how little I remember what I read before...

   In Japan, there are so many "Jobs" now, who have lost everything they used to have. If I were to meet them, I would not know what to say. I would just listen to them, cry with them, and be with them.

An E-card from Rita

2011-03-14T21:45:00.008+09:00

Rita has sent me a beautiful E-card, and I would like to share it with you:

Irish blessing

Irish Blessing

I wish you not a path devoid of clouds,
Nor a life on a bed of roses.
Nor, that you might never need regret,
Nor that you should never feel pain.

No, this is not my wish for you. My wish for you is:
That you might be brave in times of trial,
When other’s lay crosses upon your shoulders.
When mountains must be climbed and chasms crossed,
When hope scarce shines through.
That every gift God gave you might grow along with you,
And let you give the gift of joy to all who care for you.

That you might always have a friend who is worth that name.
Whom you can trust.
And who helps you in times of sadness,
Who will defy the storms of daily life at your side.

One more wish I have for you:
That in every hour of joy and pain, you may feel God close to you.
This is my wish for you and all who care for you.
This is my hope for you, now and forever

Rita is an Internet friend of mine who lives in the USA. We have never seen each other in person. I "met" her when I came across her blog through a link in the blog written by someone else, whom I don't know in person, either. I am grateful for her kindness and prayers.

The Catastrophe ...

2011-03-13T15:23:00.000+09:00

   The TV news programs have been showing the appalling loss and damage caused by the huge earthquakes that have been hitting the northeastern Japan. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by this unprecedented disaster. In addition, there are serious problems with the nuclear power plants in Fukushima.

   We had the worship service as usual at our local church. We remembered the people affected by the catastrophe before and after the sermon in our prayers.

   It is sunny today. I can hear some birds, ignorant of what has been happening in this country, singing in the tree outside the window.

Amid the Earthquakes

2011-03-12T09:49:00.001+09:00

   The long, big earthquakes woke me up very early in the morning. I wondered if I should get up and go out of the house. However, I stayed in bed, covering my head with the futon and the blanket, letting the earth shake everything. Nothing fell off.

   I got up after the sunrise and turned on the TV, learning that what we had felt was a series of earthquakes different from the ones in the northeastern Japan.

   As I am writing this, I keep the TV on, listening to the news on the devastating earthquakes. As of now, more than 1,000 people are either missing or dead. I am praying for their families, people who have been affected, and those who are working hard to rescue them. I am also concerned about the safety of the nuclear power plants in that area. I would appreciate it if you would join me in prayer.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1

Welcome to my New Blog

2011-03-11T20:23:00.000+09:00

Hello. I have finally decided to move my blog here, where it seems much easier to post photos. The new title of my blog is taken from Psalm 139.