Japan 2011
I'm on week 2 of a 2 week mission trip to Japan. This country is a striking mixture of cultural heritage, customs, incredible natural beauty and 21st century technology. Against this backdrop is damage and devastation beyond imagination. The immense power of the March tsumani is only imaginable viewing from the aftermath or from Youtube video accounts. In contrast to the rubble, gutted out stores and homes are a beautiful people with an incredible spirit will , courage and the will to rise from the ashes of this tragedy. It has been and is a privilege to be a small part of helping them get back on their feet.

We've had numerous opportunities to serve.  Initially we planned to work alongside a local church, but that didn't happen. Instead we have gone to the Kesennuna volunteer center daily and taken jobs alongside numerous other volunteers. We are fortunate to have 3 people on our team who speak Japanese, so we've been able to manage quite well. Our jobs have been varied. The dirtiest would easily qualify for the TV show, Dirty Jobs. Most of the street drains in Kesennuna are filled with decayed muck, sludge, and who knows what else. We've “mucked” out drains for a day. You must wear masks because of the overwhelming smell of decay. In the midst of “dirty day” we made friends with shop owners adjacent to the property. They allowed us to wash off. We met a wonderful, friendly golden retriever, Corella. We spent a day at a local gym where thousands of photos have been found in the mud, undergrowth, etc. It is estimated that there have been in excess of 1 million photos found. Each one is hand washed and restored as much as possible by volunteers. People come in daily searching for photos of their family. We cleaned bolts at a local business. We spend the day at a home helping clean drains, washing damaged windows and doors. Every job is a drop in the bucket – yet an important drop.

Japan has historically been very cold to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe we have been able to share His love in tangible ways. In several instances we have made genuine friendships which I hope will continue beyond this visit. The Japanese people are so remarkable, innovative and disciplined one can only imagine the world wide impact they will make as they turn their lives over to Jesus Christ. I believe it's coming. That's my prayer.

I thought this blog entry was over,yet walking back to the camp the ground began to shake...and shake....and shake.  Another earthquake.  It is nearly a daily occurrence.  The best way to describe the sensation is to walk under the tracks of an (elevated) train in NYC.

I've uploaded some pics from the trip.  Check them out in the photos section.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rob

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One definition for narcissism is "A psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation."  All of us are probably guilty of self-preoccupation to an extent.  When we aren't careful, we tend to evaluate things by what brings us pleasure or satisfaction and judge as wrong, that wish doesn't.  Having served as a Worship Pastor for many years prior to becoming a Senior Pastor, I've been caught in the middle of various "worship wars."  In 25 years of worship ministry I saw every criticism imaginable.  In one service there were responses that the music was too traditional and the music was too contemporary - in the same service.  Was one right and the other wrong?  Were both right?  What makes this attitude objectionable to me, other than the damage it does to a local church because people are judging their brothers and sisters in  Christ, is that it unveils a consumer mentality - even a narcissistic approach to worship.  If I approve of the music or the worship order, it must be spiritual.  If it is too loud, too soft, too fast, too slow, too whatever to my taste - it can't be worship.  Or even better - this is performance, not worship.  I always wince when I hear that because that statement reveals one is judging the heart attitude of the person on the platform.  I would suggest that heart attitudes should  be examined, but not of the one on the platform.

I don't believe music has any inherent spiritual value in and of itself.  The music we worship with isn't spiritual or theological.  It is cultural.  To impose a musical language which is a disconnect from our culture is to create a dichotomy between the secular and the sacred.  I see no such division.  God doesn't want to be Lord over our lives only on the Sunday portion, but on all our life.

I find it interesting that many of the hymns we have grown up with and which I love were written to secular tunes.  Ken Gabrielse, chairman of the church music department at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary says these hymns were written to honky tonk tunes of the 1700s.  Prior, congregational singing was restricted to the Psalms and many people greatly resented Charles Wesley and Isaac Watts for taking dance hall music into the church.  Think of the hymns "At the Cross" and "We're Marching to Zion."  These were both taken from dance hall songs.  As Gabrielse points out, by today's standards "these were yesterday's rock songs!" 

What I've observed is when one person complains about music others are equally blessed.  Is God blessed or offended if we use a loud organ or a loud electric guitar?  Neither. Because worship is not about us, our instruments or our preferences.  It is about God.   It's time for us to move beyond narcissism and concentrate on what we can GIVE GOD during our worship rather than what personally receive.
Soli Deo Gloria!

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