The Shepherd's Voice

"I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  

I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me . . ."   John 10:11,14

Song:  "The Good Shepherd"  by Fernando Ortega

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.  His love for us is amazing.  It goes deeper than we can comprehend.  It has the power to heal people, to set them free, and to transforms lives.

As I look back over the years I am in awe to see God's plan in placing people, places and experiences in my life to teach me more about His amazing love.  In the summer of 2008 God brought me to Mount Carmel Ministries.  My relationship with Jesus was profoundly deepened that summer.


It was there that I was first introduced to the Shepherd's Voice.  The Shepherd's Voice is a daily practice of reading God's Word and hearing His personal promises for you, and by doing so experiencing His love more and more deeply every day.

One way that has helped many people to hear our Shepherd's Voice is to insert their name into the promises that God has given us in the Bible.  If you have a friend or loved one with you, ask them to read these personal promises to you.  Close your eyes and soak in God's love from these verses.


"I have made you, Eric, and you are very good."  (Gen 1:20)

"I have called you, Eric, to be mine and I have redeemed you.  Eric, you are honored and precious in my eyes." (Is 43)

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on you, Eric, that you should be called God's son!" (1 John 3:1)

“But while Eric was still a long way off, his Heavenly Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.  He ran to his son, Eric, threw his arms around him and kissed him."  (Luke 15:20)

"You, Eric, are my son, in you I am well pleased."  (Luke 3:22)

"My son!  You are loved.  You are so valuable to Me."

These words of Truth hold such promise and abundant life.  I need to know (to experience) this Truth every day.  I believe that experiencing God's Word goes beyond simply reading Bible verses.  I believe that hearing God's Truth is something that can be learned, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and practiced throughout our journey of life.

I like the image that Johan Hinderlie often shared at Mount Carmel:  being transformed by the Word of God is like a cucumber being transformed into a pickle:  it doesn't just happen overnight, but it is a slow, on-going process in which the vegetable must soak in the brine.

Sonja and Johan Hinderlie

This Memorial Day Weekend the Hinderlies celebrate their 28 years of ministry at Mount Carmel Ministries in Alexandria, MN.  Mount Carmel is a place of grace that believes in transforming lives through "Jesus Only."  It's been like a home to me ever since 2008.

I can't even begin to describe the how deeply I have experienced God's grace at Mount Carmel.  I've always felt welcome there.  I always knew that f I was thirsty to hear the Gospel of Jesus' love, Mount Carmel was there, with open doors.  "Welcome Home!  Rest and be renewed with God's GRACE - His gift of love, forgiveness, and new life."

I know I do not stand alone as I express my thanks to Johan and Sonja Hinderlie for their 28 years of humble service to God at Mount Carmel.  The seeds they have planted and nurtured in my heart will remain for a lifetime, and beyond!

Johan and Sonja,

I am in awe of the way God has blessed the lives of many through your witness.  I praise Him for the gift of knowing the two of you personally.  Pastor, Mentor, Friend.  These images fall short of describing how much the two of you mean to me.  Thank you for everything.  God bless you!  As you go on your way may Christ go with you . . .

With Much Love,

Eric <><

This carved wooden statue of the Good Shepherd sits on the altar in the chapel at Mount Carmel Ministries.

To learn more about the Shepherd's Voice, found in the Daily Texts devotional books, visit the Mount Carmel Ministries website.

Annular Solar Eclipse

I was pretty excited when I woke up this morning.  There were a lot of other people living in Japan who were pretty excited, too.  Today at approximately 7:30am (Tokyo time), the moon passed completely in front of the sun to form an "annular" solar eclipse.  Don't confuse the name with "annual" (or "anal"). . . This particular astrological event does NOT happen once a year.  It's quite rare, in fact.  The last annular solar eclipse visible from Japan occurred in 1839. 

What does "annular" mean?  There are three types of solar eclipses:  Partial, Annular, and Total eclipses.  A partial eclipse is when the moon only blocks a portion of the sun, like this:

 (BTW, thanks, Wikipedia for all of this useful information)

A total eclipse is when the moon completely covers the entire circle of the sun.  When this happens you can see the corona of the sun (like a burst of flame) that surrounds the center orb of the sun.  It's pretty cool:

An annular eclipse is when the moon passes completely in front of the sun, but its apparent size is not quite large enough to cover the entire circle of the sun.  A small ring of the sun remains, giving this type of eclipse the nickname:  "Ring of Fire.  (Yes, Haidee and I both immediately thought of Lord of the Rings).  Compare the annular eclipse with the Ring of Power from Tolkien's LOTR.  I think you can see the resemblance is quite obvious: 
 

                

This Ring of Fire eclipse is a pretty spectacular phenomena.  And, because it's so rare, people made special arrangements in Japan.  Schools even opened early so teachers could view the event with their students.  The Japanese economy enjoyed a nice boost with approximately 24 billion yen (308 million dollars) of sales of equipment like solar filter glasses, to enable people to view the eclipse without damaging their eyes. 

Ever since third grade (when I made a Quaker oatmeal container planetarium that projects constellations on the ceiling) I've loved absolutely loved astronomy, so you can bet that when I heard about today's eclipse from my students I started making plans.  A couple nights ago I started dreaming (literally, while I was asleep) about what the eclipse would be like, and how I would protect my eyes - like using multiple pairs of sunglasses, or just taking a picture of it with my digital camera).  I was so excited that I probably woke up 3 or 4 times this morning before my alarm went off at 6:30am. 

The eclipse that I witnessed in my last dream was so incredible:  I could even see constellations and galaxies behind the sun!  (probably not possible, even during a total solar eclipse).  When I finally got out of bed at 6:30am and pulled back the curtains, here's what I saw:

Alas!  A completely cloudy sky in Fukushima City obstructed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  I was pretty disappointed.  I spent the next hour surfing the internet looking for the next time in my life I would have the opportunity to view such a spectacular astronomical event.  I narrowed down the search criteria to annular or total eclipses occurring in either the USA or Japan.  The good news:  there are about 10 more occurrences in the next 70 years that I might possibly have a chance to see.  The bad news. . . . I might need to travel to northern Alaska or the UP of Michigan to see one.  And then there's always the probability of cloudy weather. . . .

Click here to see my list of the next 11 eclipses in Japan and the USA.

Click here for instructions on how to make a planetarium out of an oatmeal container.

Mountains

Every morning when we push back the curtains in our apartment we look out to see the mountains to the west of Fukushima City.  Mount Azuma Kofuji (pictured below) is an active volcano, with occasional plumes of steam rising up out of a vent in the mountainside.  Because of this, there are several onsen (Japanese Baths) spas on the mountain, using water from the hot volcanic springs to fill their baths.  This makes Mount Azuma Kofuji a very popular site for Japanese visitors. 

Mount Azuma Kofuji (and a view of the river near our apartment)

  

A plume of gas rising up from the mountain (picture taken last summer)

We've actually driven past the volcano crater several times.  Last July when I was visiting Haidee, we hiked up to the crater and looked inside!  (no, there's no bubbling lava or anything like that, but there's a great view of Fukushima City)

Haidee and me at the top of the volcanic crater (it was very windy)

A view of Fukushima City from the top

Mount Azuma Kofuji is also well know for the famous "Snow Rabbit" that appears every Spring as the snow is melting.  The farmers call it the "Seeding Rabbit" and use its appearance to mark the time when they should sow their fields in the Spring.  Apparently, if you wait to plant until you see the Snow Rabbit, there's a much lower risk of frost.  Nomura Sensei, our pastor, told me all about the snow rabbit during my first visit to Fukushima in Nov. 2010.  Ever since then I was also hoping to see it myself.  Last year Haidee sent me a picture, but I couldn't find the rabbit.  Can you?  Look at the picture below.

A couple weeks ago, during an exceptionally clear day (usually there are plenty of clouds and rain this time of year) we were walking to church when Cindy pointed out the rabbit on the mountainside.  I looked up and, lo and behold, there it was!  The remaining snow on the mountain really does take the shape of a rabbit!  Now, every time I have a clear view of the mountain, I look for the rabbit.  I wonder how long it will take before it melts completely . . . .


If you're really interested in more detailed information about the history of the Snow Rabbit on Aizuka Kofuji mountain, you could read this 10 page research paper that I found online.  (No, I didn't actually read it myself. . . . but maybe you have lots of time on your hands).  The title (obviously a translation from Japanese):  "The meaning of watching the snow shape of rabbit on the mountainside of Azuma-kofuji:  Just a snow, but it means something."  =)

The "Snow Rabbit"

Kids Camp (May)

Last week I participated in my third Kid's Camp program since living in Fukushima, Japan.  A group of about 25 of us (leaders, volunteers, parents, children) spent 3 days and 2 nights at a national youth camp in the mountains above Lake Inawashiro - the largest lake in the Fukushima prefecture and a very beautiful location!

One of the goals of this Kids Camp program is to allow families an opportunity to rest and have meaningful time together - in a location with a much lower radiation background level than in Fukushima City.  In addition to games and activities (in both English and Japanese), we spend some time singing songs, reading a Bible verse, and hearing the message of Jesus Christ's love for us.


Hands down this Inawashiro Kid's Camp was the most powerful for me.  I know that God will use ALL of our Kids Camps for His glory and purposes, but it was very apparent to me that there was an impact on lives of others this time around.  There was strong Japanese leadership from Mariko Fuyama Sensei - a young lady serving as a church worker in another Christian synod in Japan - and from Nomura Sensei - our pastor at Izumi Lutheran Church in Fukushima.  (Pamela Kuehne, my sister-in-law, and I will be providing some leadership and programming assistance as well).  Whole families (children, mothers, AND fathers) came together - very rare in Japan.  There were some very positive young adult Japanese Christians who volunteered at this camp.  Their presence was a blessing not only to the families, but for Pamela and me as well!

National Bondai Youth Friendship Center - a government run retreat center.  Lodging and meals are very inexpensive, and the site has a lot to offer groups that are visiting!

 

Twice a day - 7am and 5pm - ALL the groups staying at the retreat center gathered to hear announcements, do corporate exercises, and listen to the Japanese national anthem (during a flag ceremony).

 

The "Radio Taisou" exercises that we did every morning at the camp are practiced all over the country by students at school, employees at their workplace, and elderly in the neighborhood parks.  The radio feed in this You Tube video is exactly the same one we heard while we were doing exercises at 7:00am.  Kind of different than what we Americans are used to.

The kids playing games indoors during some free time.  Unfortunately there was a lot of rain during the 3 day retreat . . .

Pamela having a great conversation with the other young adult Christians.

We spent one rainy morning touring the the Aizuwakamatsu Castle.

Mariko Fuyama (left) and Nomura Sensei (right) provided some strong leadership for the event.

It was very significant that both mothers AND fathers came with their families.

The three junior high girls (center) really bonded with the young Christian volunteers.

 

Playing with balloons back at the gym in the retreat center.

 

A paper plane contest, led by the Japanese volunteers, was a big hit!

 

More paper planes.

The men really got into it, too!

  

Nomura Sensei had really good form!

The young children really took to the cute baby that came along.  : )

    

Saying goodbye to the young adult volunteers.  They were really a blessing to me!

As I reflect on the event, here were some of the ways that God blessed me during this most recent Kids Camp:

Fellowship with other young Christians (men and women volunteers and pastors) here in Japan.  Leading kids games and music.  Participating in games (while other Japanese people led)!  Watching families (including the dads) have fun together.  Having Christian conversations that were filling and uplifting.  Praying and worshiping together.  Seeing how the kids really made heart-connections with the other volunteers.

Praise God!  Please pray that He will continue to use this ministry to touch the lives of others here in Japan with His grace and love.