Hey, guys, are we going to let Satan win this one?

I have really exciting news! Mrs. Nishi, the lady who has joined our Bible study, has asked to study twice a week instead of once. She is interested in the lessons, and wants to know more about God!

Mrs. Nishi is just one lady, but this is so much bigger than it looks. Mrs. Tsubakihara is sitting in on every lesson, and already teaching them to her sister, and unsaved mother. And the whole church is watching this drama unfold. It’s a kind of beta test to see if Bible studies outside the church could be one solution to church growth.

One other factor has me convinced this is very significant. Satan is doing his best to throw a monkey wrench into things.

My daughter, Elizabeth has developed strange and unexplained lumps all over her body, and has a chronic fever.

I’m having serious problems with chronic fatigue.

And for some unexplained reason, the bottom has dropped out of our finances. It all looks the same as usual on paper. Same number of English classes. Same bills, same ravenous teenagers on weekends, same amount of unexpected expenses... But inexplicably, I seem to be going under. Currently, I have about $1500 in outstanding bills, and no idea where the money’s going to come from.

The stress is adding to my fatigue, I’m sure.

This is all a bit surprising, as usually it’s the unsaved person who falls under attack as they start to show and interest in the gospel. That may come a little later as well, but for now it’s definitely my daughter and I who are the target.

So now it’s up to you. Remember Moses and the battle with the Midianites? Moses had to keep his hands raised throughout the entire battle. Whenever he dropped them, the Midianites started to win. But as long as his hands were raised, the battle was in Israel’s favor.

Moses got awfully tired, and Aaron and Joshua (I think) had to stand next to him, and help prop his arms up.

Will you help lift me up in prayer right now? Pray that:

• satan’s purposes will be thwarted,
• that my daughter and I will both be blessed with health,
• that the doctors will be able to find what’s wrong with her,
• that I’ll have the strength and wisdom to teach a good lesson tomorrow,
• that Mrs. Nishi will be able to understand and believe,
• and that God will send the financial provision that we need.

Thank you ever so much, and I know one day Mrs. Nishi will be thanking you as well.

Regards,

Debbie Penner

PS. Do you drink coffee? If you’re wondering how you could help without hurting your budget plans, check out the World’s First Healthy Coffee. You would have bought coffee anyway, and if you buy it from my link, I’ll get a small percentage of the retail price.

I mean, you’re going to buy coffee anyway, right? Get the free sample and taste it. If it tastes comparable to the coffee you’re drinking now, you can switch, knowing that the proceeds are going to help people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ

Doom and Destruction - a meditation

The other day I came across one of those doom and despair underground newspapers that talked about how the government is planning to declare a national emergency, fabricated or real - it doesn't matter - and confiscate our guns, houses and property, then herd us into concentration camps they call "community centers." It outlined how they are directing the pastors of traditional Christian churches to preach on Rmans 13, the passage about submitting to authorities in order to prepare the populace to be compliant when the time comes.

Who knows? There might be some truth in the stories. Living way off in Japan, I don't sense the subtle changes in American culture that perhaps make this type of thing more plausible than just an Orwellian horror fantasy.

Actually, it had me a bit troubled. I didn't sleep so well that night. Whether the reports have truth in them or not, it's a certainty that the world is a major mess at the moment.This morning I read John 12, and verse 16 jumped out at me. Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on a donkey amid great acclaim and songs of praise. The disciples didn't recognize that prophecy was being fulfilled before their eyes.

Perhaps we are even now in the last pages of prophecy. There are distinct parallels between Bible prophecy and our newspapers, and if the disciples didn't realize what was happening then, the last days might not be so obvious either.

Suddenly I remembered that indeed, God has everything under control, and hasn't changed at all. He is still the God who cares every time a sparrow falls. I found a small Japanese Beetle with his shell stuck in the window sash yesterday. He was flailing with all his might to get free. Amazing. Our God was aware, and cared about its distress. He's not going to let any one of us be lost in the great movements of the ages.

I just pray that I'll be able to lead even just one more person to Christ before there is no more time. Please continue to pray.

A New Baby Now?

The Watanabe's have gone to the hospital!
That means Mrs. Watanabe is in labour, and their 4th baby will arrive soon.

I'm reminded of the second verse of the song "Because He lives". It says the world is a mess, and it seems unfair to bring a new baby into it to grow up with all the uncertainty and suffering that is sure to come, but it's because Jesus Christ is alive that the new baby can face uncertain days.

Indeed. Have you been following some of the prophecy teachers about what's happening in the world? I have, and it's not a pretty picture. We don't have much time left.

I got goosebumps last night. I was teaching English to an anesthesiologist at the University Hospital in town. He has no knowledge of the Bible, and frankly most Japanese don't even know where Israel is on the map, but he was saying, yes, it looks like there's going to be a war with Iran within the next 5 months, and it's going to change all of our lives. I'm very frightened.

On the other hand, I'm just listening to a song that says "I'll give you peace when the wind starts blowing". Aren't we blessed to have a firm foundation in Jesus that guarantees we will be alright regardless of what happens in the world?

The Summer Has Ended, and I'm Still Not Posting

Wow. I've been a lot weaker than I had anticipated this summer. I just don't do heat well at all.
Next summer I'll have to move to Antartica and spend the summer with the penguins.

Biggest news: I've started my very first ladies Bible study! The second session was yesterday, and there are three of us studying together. I'm really very excited about this. It's not a very big beginning, but it's solid. The material we're covering is "Firm Foundations" by New Tribes Mission. Were going through the entire Bible in 50 weeks, and covering everything that's needed to make a salvation decision. Then when that's done, we'll go back through from the beginning, and cover who we are in Christ.

One of the ladies, Mrs. Nishi, is brand new. She's never really even heard the gospel, and is approaching this from a completely humanist/Buddhist perspective. It's a terrific experiment for me to see if this course will work in Japan. The other lady is Mrs. Tsubakihara. I've given her a teacher's manual, and am using the time to train her to teach her own class in the future.

Please pray for this project. It's small in numbers, but huge in vision and prospective fruit. Satan will try to stop us. Pray that the Lord will protect us from those onslaughts. Also pray for several ladies who will potentially join us. Mrs. Hayashida is a member of another church who has fallen away. It's been 6 months since she's prayed. She had said she wanted to study with us, but is making excuses not to come now. Pray that this will be a doorway back to the Lord for her.

Oh, and pray for me. I'm having a lot of trouble with my health. Went to do an errand a couple days ago, and was so fatigued I had to stop the car and sleep some before giving up on the errand and driving home. I've started cycling and walking in the morning (today was the first time.) so that might help some.

Thank you!

Not AGAIN!!!

Oh, brother!

I have so much to do, and really not enought time or energy to do a fraction of it!

I thought that since God had answered your prayers, and worked so mightily on Kiyokazu's behalf, saving him from the mafia, suicide, and all, and giving him a second chance to find Jesus, that I could take a break from blogging for a few days. NOT

I was praying about what direction this blog should take, and giving it some thought, true, but
mostly I was just focusing on other areas of my life. MISTAKE

I got home tonight to my fax machine flashing furiously about being out of paper. I almost wish I hadn't put any in.

Turns out Kiyokazu was just leaving the lunch room at work, and a co-worker gave him a friendly punch in the stomach. It was his way of saying, "Hi, Can we be friends?" Kiyokazu missunderstood, lost his head, and because violent. I'm not sure how badly he beat up the would-be friend, but it was a big enough event to get him fired.

He has two days to figure out what he will do next and leave the dorm. He can't come back home, as the Mafia is still after him. He's suicidal again, as can be expected, and has no-where to go. He could call Mission Barabbas, a Christian ministry for mafia members and victims...if he thought about it, and could muster up the courage.

I think it's time to pray that he WILL think about it, and that he WILL gather his courage and
call. Also, pray fervently for his mother. She's had some other shocking news as well, there is a new baby in the house, and she had been so sure that God was blessing, at least partly because she had started praying again. Pray that this will not shake her faith, and she will run TO Jesus, and not AWAY from him.

Also, while you're on your knees, Mr. Yoshida, the adorable bass in our choir, has taken a turn for the worse, and hasn't been in church for a couple of months. Everyone seems to be in a summer slump, the Watanabes have two kids down with the chicken pox, and we have family
camp in two weeks.

Remember, the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much! Will you join us in fighting back as satan seems to be launching a serious attack against us?

Thank You.

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Busy Summer

Well, it's just been a zillion years since I've posted! Sorry about that! I've been posting over at my Myspace Blog. If you'd like to read that, it's HERE.

This summer is proving to be a very busy and trying one, as I've taken on summer classes for a nursing school, which adds 6 hours a week to my schedule. I've also been doing coaching for a speech contest the last week or so. That's over, but the nurses school will run until the middle of August, and then we have family camp on about the 12th to the 15th.

Please pray for me, as I'm not handling the heat well this year, and feel about to collapse every time I leave the house. I'm so thankful for the great air conditioner the Lord has provided!

Pray also for camp. The church seems to be in a slump spiritually, and we need a serious infusion of the Holy Spirit's joy and enthusiasm!

I'll try to be more faithful posting here as well as on Myspace.

Thanks for praying!

Quick update and a prayer request.

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've posted. Bad Me!

Since May 8:

We've moved. Our little square house is proving to be very small indeed, and it's going to take months before we can get all the things we need, but slowly, slowly, things are starting to look like someone lives here.

Today, the air conditioners came, so now we can actually breathe! Oh, that was a special blessing in itself. I ordered a fairly large model because the rooms are open, and we will have to cool the living room, kitchen, stairs and hall all at once. It took weeks before the man finally installed it, but after he did, he said, "Oh, I put in one size bigger than you ordered." I gulped. We had barely enough for the smaller model. But then he went on. "We had an extra one at the shop that someone had ordered by mistake, and they said I could give it to you for the same price."

Isn't God good? We'll be cooler for less electricity all summer!

A lot has happened for the Watanabe family. The baby is another boy, so this will make four.

They drove up North for an interview with the Mustard Seed Foundation to see if they were eligible for a grant to start a new ministry in Hoshino where the church has land for a camp. Turns out they were accepted, but only if the church will match the funds. That's not really possible for our little congregation, but there will be a business meeting about it Sunday none-the-less. It's a touchy situation, and feelings are on edge about the matter.

Please pray that the church will maintain love and unity during this important decision, and that no-one will be hurt. Also that God's desires will prevail. Pray that the decision the Watanabes have made to serve God with their lives will remain strong however things turn out.

Hey, there's one more piece of news that's huge for me. Ryota Fukami, a young man we've been teaching Enlish to for years has decided to study the Bible with me once a week! Pray that I will have wisdom about how and what to teach him, and the satan won't be able to put stumbling blocks in his way to keep this from really happening!

AND please don't forget to ask the Holy Spirit to simply overwhelm us in the Sunday service this week. You know what? I didn't get a chance to ask you to pray last week, and the sanctuary was nearly empty! The difference your prayers make is literally visible each week! Church starts at 10:30 on Sunday morning. That's 9:30pm Saturday Eastern, 8:30 Central, 7:30 Mountain, and 6:30 Pacific. Satan doesn't want us to grow as a church, either in numbers, or in faith, unity and love. Your affirmation that Jesus is Lord in Kurume is just as powerful, as our service is. Please, help us to lift the banner high!