Treasures for the "Unlearned"

Some teach a person needs formal education and say there will always be danger of Christians who haven't been to seminary going off on tangents and doctrinal error, getting off-balanced, etc.... (At least "that kind of person" KNOWS he hasn't been officially schooled so will be more receptive to correction.) I think it was Mommy who said the danger lay in the exact opposite direction, in pride of academic learning. And she'd been to seminary so knew what she was talking about.

Actually, I get afraid for laymen and people who've not been to Bible School when there's mention of the use of concordances and lexicons and Greek and Hebrew origins and Hebrew History and developments of various translations, etc...; almost sounds like "You can't enjoy Christianity to the fullest unless you have head knowledge!" What about people who can't read or write? Can God not give them insights more profound than He gives those with more education? Jesus' birth was announced to shepherds, after all!

* * * *

[I was just reading what I wrote and will negate the above paragraph. Perhaps excitement in talking about cross references, searching scripture, etc..., is something God can actually use to convey to others the fact that Bible Learning can really be fun--something God can make so interesting to a person that he actually loses himself in it!]

When I Look Up, It's Pretty

I looked up and saw the snowflakes...so pretty! How can something so
beautiful get ugly, I said to myself. But I pictured the snow melting, cars
and boots sloshing around in the grayish mush, people complaining about
shoveling.... That's what I often do. God gives beautiful blessings, and
what do I do with it? turn it into a destructive idol and source of misery!
If only I'd keep looking UP.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning." (Jas. 1:17)

Not What I Really Want

A lot of Christians talk about how there's so much garbage on TV so we SHOULDN'T watch it and should discipline ourselves not to fill our minds with trash. True--kinda.

The opposite is also true, Christians have perfect liberty to do anything they want--but I think most Christians have been fooled into what that really is. Deep down inside, we "really want" the Lord, and nothing else can really satisfy, but we're fed all sorts of lies as to how sin is really more enjoyable thus must be denied if we're to be moral, how we MUST walk uprightly altho' it may not be as much fun...and WE BELIEVE THIS STUFF! My Mother used to say that deep down inside every Christian was the desire for God, not the desire to sin; I didn't really know what she meant then; now I think I do. When the Bible talks about Christian LIBERTY, it's not even giving thought to "free to sin" ("I don't have to obey the law anymore")--altho' it's true--but I think it's saying we are "free to REALLY enjoy now and don't have to sin" ("I GET TO ENJOY A LOVE-RELATIONSHIP with HIM!")

Sure, I'm "free" to feel frustration, anger, depression at seeing evil win most of the time as happens most of the time in Dallas and 50 mins of other suspense-type programs often resolved in the last 10 mins of the program; sure, I'm "free" to feel the sadness of hearing vain aspirations of the unregenerate--wanting to be rich, wanting to be talented, wanting to be popular, etc...; sure, I'm "free" to sense the deceit of lives claiming courage, integrity, selflessness, large-heartedness, goodness, purity, APART FROM GOD (this happens in MOST "good" programs portraying "Christian" characteristics)... And, in the process, I'm "free" to feel irritation at interruptive clamoring for my attention from family ("Mommy! Look!" Not again...), house (I HAVE to clean now? Wait until this scene is over), responsibilities (I can do that LATER; this is more interesting). But do I really WANT frustration, temporal values, self-righteousness, things that make reality look interruptive?

Nah. Not really.

Rom. 8:32

Many see Rom. 8:28 (this was in the book) and don't go onto verse 32 (no, this wasn't in the book; just came out while I was teaching). About the ROCK-HARD GUARANTEE that all things MUST work together for good! Jesus' suffering: It wasn't just his earthly mother, His Heavenly Father had to watch all that too. And no doubt, He really wanted to spare His Son all that pain! BUT HE WASN'T SPARED ONE DROP OF AGONY--HE FELT IT ALL--THAT WE MIGHT HAVE PERFECT RECONCILIATION WITH GOD, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ALL BLESSING.

When I pay for something at the store, I don't leave the item at the counter; I take it home with me! It's mine! God paid for everything good for us with that awful death on the CROSS; there is no way He would NOT claim it for us; it's already been paid for! Circumstances, on the outside, may LOOK undesirable, but we KNOW that it has to be good, because God paid for it! with Calvary!

Kuwagata Koncerns

We're still keeping a pet kuwagata beetle. It has one really funny habit. It sticks its head (I was about to say "snout", but insects don't have those, do they?) down into the gel-like food then feels too lazy to move so sometimes goes to sleep in that position. At first, my children and I panicked. "He's getting too old and weak to pull himself out; he'll suffocate to death like that!" Until a neighborhood playmate came and laughed, commented it was just like this other pet kuwagata beetle she saw who seemed content to go to sleep like that. Sure 'nuff, when left alone, the critter woke up and went his merry way as if nothing had happened. All that worry and hullabaloo for nothing.

Why do we worry? Because it's so much fun to make all that hullabaloo? Can't change one hair black or white!

I just looked over at the beetle. It had fallen over onto its back and was flailing its six appendages in the air. Serves it right, for trying to climb up the plastic wall to get out of the cage. No, I ain't going to worry and try to help; I'll let him right himself; he always does. (I should be saying "she" since it's female!)

(If you really want the parallel the Lord just "zinged" home to me, read. If not, skip this paragraph. When we try, in our own reason and by our own efforts, to "get out of" uncomfortable situations, we only make matters worse. We really should leave that up to God.)

Scares in 1997, 1998, 1969

When my son was 2, he jumped out into the street & was met by a blaring noise. The loud honk scared him back to the side of the road & had him crying; I'm not sure it registered that he almost got hit. I gave him a scolding, then we thanked the Lord right there for protecting him.

The next year, when my daughter was in 1st grade, she had an encounter with an attacker in an underpass on the way home from school. The afternoon-evening was taken up talking with other mothers, school personnel, police, and four phone calls to my husband at his workplace. She wasn't hurt at all--she kicked, hit, scratched, and finally bit him until he let her go (from what I can gather, the entire thing lasted only a few seconds). And she's perfectly fine now. The best part is that she gives God credit for protecting her and enabling her to fight back.

The next day, my husband picked up something at the store for Emily: an alarm-emitting accessory. The place where the incident took place though, has a parking lot on one side and a park on the other. I don't think there will be anyone near enough to hear any noise. A heart cry of, "Help, God" would be more sure of being heard.

When I was in the 5th grade, I almost touched the car I almost got hit by. I wrote about it in one of my first prayer letters. I contemplated asking the mission Home Office if they still had it on record, but that was a long time ago; so instead, here's a concise version of what happened then:

I'd seen a visiting missionary on the other side of the street & began to dash across when he waved. I was running full speed when I saw a car coming at me. The laws of inertia say this can't happen, but I not only stopped; I found myself jumping BACK. I felt the vehicle slap my dress as it whizzed by. The missionary had seen me head his way then seen an auto blur; he'd heard a slight thump then heard screeching brakes. Needless to say, he was sure I'd been run over. It took awhile for him to realize it was me, standing half-frozen but still alive, in the middle of the road.

We bowed our heads by the side of the street, & the missionary prayed, "We know You have a definite purpose & plan for June's life, & until that purpose is fulfilled, You'll protect her, as You did today. Thank you."

So whether it's me or my children, I know God has a special plan for our lives. Nothing in the Christian's life slips by God's attention; everything is for a purpose. And it's HIS RESPONSIBILITY to direct; the human part is only to "trust and obey".

Daddy's Remarriage

My Dad, sister Janice, & I were in Orlando one Christmas. We stayed at a hotel of the Agape Players--they're a Christian musical group that tours the country. I remember that's the time I fell in love with popcorn--came free with any order in the restaurant. (When it's air popped without all that extra oil or salt, it's not fattening like other snacks but filling because of its "puffiness". There. That commercial's for free.)

That was the Christmas after my mother passed away, the Christmas my Dad asked Janice & me for "permission" to get remarried. It was to one of the first Bible School students in our churches in Okinawa, who'd actually babysat for us--no stranger to the family! (Later, I found out my first Mom had actually suggested her to Dad to be the new helpmeet for the work in Okinawa, and they had prayed about it together.) I was so happy--I couldn't think of anybody better--but it took a little bit (a day or so?) for Janice to get used to the idea. God must've prepared our hearts; it had been only a few months after Mommy had died, so it should've been much more difficult to accept, humanly speaking.

Awhile after they were remarried, I found an old postcard to my sister. It had been written when I'd gone to Okinawa in '80 due to illness. To make a long story short, my present mother had been emotionally resting up at our home while I was getting medical treatment. Her unquestioning obedience to the Lord had prompted me to write: "I know she'll be used greatly of the Lord for our family". Little had I known then that she'd someday BE FAMILY!

I think both of my Moms: Kimiko and Kiyo (Even their first names sound alike!) have ready smiles. My new mother, when she was younger, canceled her wedding three days before the ceremony, feeling it wasn't God's will (although the groom-to-be was a Christian)...I think how I wouldn't have her as a new mom now if she hadn't done that then.

Both mothers have shown me the most important thing is THE WILL OF GOD. Anything else comes second. (Incidentally, my first mother was 34 when she got married; my new mom was 44!) Psalm 37:4 was my first Mom's life verse.

Divinely Engineered Setbacks

God's Plan is FRIGHTFULLY WONDERFUL. Sometimes, He witholds specifics from the future to protect us, I think. If we could see everything, it'd be too scary, & we'd think, "There's no way I could go through that!"

I've gotten REAL SICK before. My 3rd year in college, the doctor told me to go home, that I couldn't finish the year in school. I was diagnosed with borderline low normal hypothyroidism then & told to get it checked at the hospital back home. I ended up staying out of school three semesters & staying on Okinawa for a year before my condition was adequately treated. I found out later that the year-long procedure of trying medication, drawing blood, mailing a sampling to a hospital in mainland Japan for testing, waiting for the results, trying another dose for another month, drawing & mailing blood to mainland Japan, etc, ALL COULD'VE BEEN DONE IN ABOUT 45 MINS AT ANOTHER U.S. HOSPITAL!

When I got better and on an even keel, I went back to school and resumed studies. After several weeks in summer school, I was notified that my mother had been　diagnosed with cancer & flown to Hawaii for surgery. She passed away that summer. I could see then that God's Plan had been: He knew that my mother & I needed to be with each other during her last earthly year; He'd touched my body with illness then picked me up & taken me clear across the Pacific to a tiny island...and made sure I stayed there for a year. I learned then a truth I don't think I'll forget all my life--it's so clear in the Bible, too--"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and LEAN NOT IN YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING." (Prov. 3:5)

If God had shown me ahead of time what He planned to do, I think I would've been too afraid to "trust and obey", so He protected me.

I need to mention the change in physical activity after I got back to studies. I've refrained from participation in sports since then, & although I used to do work in the cafeteria to help pay my way through school, that exertion was too much so I couldn't work the remainder of my college years either but had to piggy back on my sisters' work. A friend who knew me before & after my throid problem once commented, "And June, look at you now."

Again, after that incident, I had another "talk" with God, in which I told Him He could do whatever He wanted if He'd leave me with a heart to love Him.

Witnessing Boldness vs. Love

I'm a naturally timid person, but I think it's when I have a personal concern for the individual that I can talk with her about the Lord. It's a personality difference, I guess--some can walk up to total strangers on the corner of the block & start witnessing; that just doesn't work with me.

I remember one Christmas during my college years, I spent weeks before the holidays praying for boldness to witness during those winter weeks. That was one vacation I witnessed more than any other, usually due to an overwhelming love for the person on the receiving end. When those few weeks were up, I said to myself, "I should've prayed for more LOVE, not BOLDNESS, in witnessing!" It occurred to me there's scripture "and some of COMPASSION, making a difference" (Jude 22). Boldness is only a natural result of the love God floods our hearts with.

Casual Correspondence

"Stuggling with an attraction" came my sophomore year in college, when I'd met a short-term missionary the summer before. He was 25 and ahead of me spiritually too. And I remember feeling bad that he popped up in my thoughts far too often while I wanted to keep God first.

My sophomore year in college, a former roommate gave me a piece of advice which I clung to. Since a spiritual bond usually develops into an emotional one too, she suggested any spiritual sharing we did by correspondence--that was the only way then, since he had already graduated, whereas I still had a few years left--be kept casual. In writing, I disciplined myself to keep it down to a few paragraphs at most, although I felt like I could go on "talking" with him for several pages (during the summer, we'd had lots of that, only in person and not on paper). Much happened that following year. In retrospect, I'm so glad for my roommate's advice. He got married later, and we didn't feel awkward about communicating with each other about it.

Providential Provision for College

My younger sister happened to win a scholarship from military wives on Okinawa. My older sister--despite the scholarship she'd turned down after graduation from high school--won another music competition earning her one semester's worth matriculation. We did some work through school...but I really can't tell you where all the finances came from; considering my parents' income, it doesn't add up. What can I say--the Master of the Universe undertook for us lowly earthlings!

Good Things

My freshman year at college, I remember hearing something surprising. It was that choosing to take a class you didn't like would be good for building character. My senior year, I did just that: I chose for an elective a course called Hebrew History, that sounded like a boring accumulation of facts about Israel. And right now, I don't regret having done what I did. The knowledge attained wasn't a needless waste, either.

Something my Dad said before I started college was that ALL of college experience: campus life, extra curriculars, friendships formed, AS WELL AS ACADEMICS, was important and not to be treated lightly. He was so right!

Personally, I think a good sense of humor can be a big help in a Christian's life. My Dad used to say it was an ingredient absolutely necessary to be a missionary; without it, there are too many times one feels like crying and giving up.

"All of Empty Me"

This happened a few weeks before my freshman year at college. I'd been listening to another student practice on the church piano. She was not only talented and skillful, she was careful to play brightly for worship and joy then to finger pensively for dedication and repentance.... It made me want to cry, when I thought about the years I'd lost--I'd quit piano lessons during my "Slough"; my fingers could no longer move the way they used to.

I remember praying, "Oh God, I have nothing left to offer you. Talents, grades, friends, personality...I lost all of that. I have nothing left to give you." I remember holding my empty palms up to the ceiling. "But if you'll take me, all of me--and that is all I have now--you can have it."

Now I realize God WANTED that prayer, not an offer of something I held in my hands, but my hands themselves.

Joel 2:25

Tho' my greatest longing is to serve Thee, Master

Sinful is my heart; I slowly threw away

All the gifts You gave to me; I can no longer

Serve and please You: empty hands I bring today.

"I am Master of all time and of all 'losses'

What seems gone is but an offering to Me

Sweet aroma of 'lost years' will bathe your service. With

Empty hands and single heart, come, follow Me."

Surprise Party Before Leaving Oki for College

After I'd graduated, my sister planned a surprise party for me. About the second semester, the Lord showed me what school He wanted me to go to. Leading in that area was clear for me. My problem was in lack of finances. And plans were that I'd stay out to work for college money, but the Lord seemed to want me to go in the fall.

I prayed, "Okay, God, if it's your will, YOU provide the money, because we just don't have it."

A few days after I'd prayed that prayer, a letter came from our home church in the U.S. My Mom read it & called me out to the living room. She was all excited, & I knew what it contained. Yup, the church had voted that if the Lord wanted me in school that fall, they'd provide whatever finances were needed.

I remember telling my Mom, "I was actually waiting for that letter."

And she couldn't believe how calm I was.

The Sunday I was to leave Okinawa, Janice had a party all planned, with cake & refreshments for the church folk in the backyard. I received a phone call just before going outside, so she was petrified I'd see everything through the window, but I guess God kept me from facing in that direction, because I didn't see anything. (If our God can make blind eyes see, He can also make seeing eyes blind!)

Then when I went out to say goodbye to everyone going home...I thought...party poppers went off. Surprise! The church folk--about ten of them--had gathered about $300 for me which they handed to me then, saying, "This is for June to use wherever God leads her. We believe right now He's leading her to college."

MK life isn't all parties & cake, but I think you can see it has plenty of unexpected goodies. And whether it be specific leading or monetary provision, God is able to provide.

Don't Deserve to Belong to the Family

Once, in 10th grade, I remember saying to my Mom, "I don't deserve to belong to the family."

After a long pause, she replied, "Maybe you don't." (!!!!!)

But then she followed that up with, "But can ANY of us ever say that we DESERVE to belong in the family of God?"

Of course she continued to tell me that as a mother she still loved me and all, but the most important thing that night was she helped me take my eyes off myself & placed them on the cross. That awful, sinful, life I so abhorred--called June Oshiro--was NAILED to the cross, she helped me see, and CHRIST'S LIFE was what He wanted to live through me! (2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 2:20)

I can't really pinpoint a turning point in those three years, but if I had to choose one incident, it would be that night. Good personal habits started coming back, my grades improved, & I hope my personality got a bit brighter. I just have to marvel that it was then also that the Lord somehow used me to lead another highschooler to Himself, altho' she'd seen me in my really rotten times, too.

"Anything" Prayer, Epilepsy-Slough Of Despond

I think it was seventh grade, when God seemed to ask me if I'd really want Him to do ANYTHING in my life to make a difference to me, as I'd seen in others' lives who had vibrant testimonies. Usually they were saved as adults, & they had a 180 degree change in their lives. I was scared stiff because I knew deep in my heart He'd take me up on my word, but after a long heart-battle, I told him Yes, I was willing for ANYTHING. That prayer was confirmed in high school & in college too.

The WAY God answers prayer is often VERY DIFFERENT from what we had in mind. When you pray an "anything" prayer, God will start, I think, by BREAKING you to be what He wants you to be...and that can be very painful.

I told you I asked God to work in my life--no matter what it took--to make Christianity real to me. That was 8th grade. In the 9th grade, I was told I had an epileptic condition I'd been born with that showed up in adolescence. My emotional response was VERY negative. In three years I found everything around me crumbling: good habits--like brushing my teeth & washing my face in the morning--disappeared; my formerly bright personality got bitter & pessimistic; my withdrawing into myself led to--I think--losing my many friends; & my straight-A average in school slipped to having B's--and I remember one C.

My Mom referred to this time as my "Slough of Despond" (from Pilgrim's Progress). So things most girls learn during their teen years are difficult for me--who never had those experiences since I was in a shell most of those years. This may sound funny, but I think I used to be a cute little girl--my mother told me once she thought I'd grow up to be pretty, but by the time I was of college age, I'd stopped caring for myself and become an overweight girl with greasy hair & poor sense of personal grooming.

(Yup; the team photo above was taken during our furlough in Oak Park, MI; #22 is Yours Truly. And the family posing in front of the living room piano--that's me in front of Dad & Mom.)

Styles' Bible Clubs

There were other missionaries on Okinawa when I was in 2nd grade. I remember the Style family, with Far Eastern Broadcasting Company. They had children's Bible Clubs at their home, and candy was given out to kids who came. Adults jokingly said clubbers didn't come to hear the Word as much as to get candy. But whatever means were used, I'm just glad I went to that club. I remember enjoying the Christian radio children's stories then.

One week's emphasis was on the armor of God. I don't know what the story was, but I do know after Bible Club I stayed behind to pray with several other children; I didn't want to "just be a Christian", but be a "strong soldier who would live to please God". People can talk about "primary pleasers"' actions/decisions not being very reliable because much of the time, they're just trying to make the teacher happy. But I also believe in the ability of the Holy Spirit to work in childrens' hearts. That afternoon's decision, for me, was real, and in adults' words, I think you'd say it was a prayer of dedication.

Growing Up as an MK...

I'll be posting some more "Family on the Field" articles, ok?

Discarded or Surrendered Toy

One of the things I found troubling while reading a book recently was the realization that there had been a part of my life that HADN'T been surrendered to God--and I really thought I had given Him everything! It later occurred to me, I hadn't "surrendered" those things, because those things were never thought even worth surrendering, compared to the desirability of the Lord Jesus. And the following hit me (have I already shared this with you?):
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A child waiting for its mother at a Day Care Center...when he hears his mommie's voice, he doesn't give second thought to the toy he was playing with until then but lets it drop from his lap when he jumps up to go running into his mother's arms. You DON'T expect him to SURRENDER those toys.

Funny thing is, it's the same toddler that will be playing at the park and, when his mother says it's time to go home, he'll reply awww so soon...THEN he'll have to make a willing decision to SURRENDER his playthings. The difference? In the first, he was WAITING FOR his mommie, & his toys were only what he occupied himself with while hoping for her return. Leaving them for mommie was no interruption.

If the Lord really is the delight of our hearts, we'd LET EVERYTHING DROP from our laps at the thought of gaining Him; second thought isn't even given to the word "sacrifice". It's only when we get distracted with ministries, relationships, esteem, more...when we think those toys are actually to be desired and would bring us heart-enjoyment...it's then God has to ask us to SURRENDER them to regain the bliss of relationship with Himself.

Archaic Accuracy?

Something just hit me. I mean right now, on the computer. I used to bristle at the mention of "accurate" knowledge when it came to medicine, psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc...; because 50 years later, that "accurate" knowledge becomes archaic, erroneous, insufficient, even at times harmful! But I realized that's how it can be with spiritual stuff too--our UNDERSTANDING of theology, tho' God Himself never changes--DOES keep changing, and we DO look back on things we used to believe
"12 years ago" as being so wrong, so off the mark, at times even dangerous! That is, I've read stuff I've written twelve years ago and want to tear it up; I see now it's so wrong.

That's why God didn't say "Be Right"; He said only, "Follow ME". Hm.

Shocking Truth

Something else happened a few days ago. I was walking along this pretty new path near our home and saw doggie droppings. Should I try to move them?--but I didn't have anything with me and couldn't see anything around that would help, so I didn't. (I did so last week when I saw a worm had come out onto the path, & deposited it onto the dirt nearby so others taking a walk wouldn't have to see the yucky creature.)

And a funny scene came into my head: what if somebody saw me and asked, "What are you doing that for?" I COULD reply--with a halo above my head, of course--"because I don't want peoples' walks being ruined with unpleasant stuff like this"...or give an HONEST reply--I wonder what their reaction would be if I said--"because I want people to think I'm a good person"!

The heart of man, the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart of man is DECEITFUL above all things, and desperately wicked. Even when we think we're doing good things with good motives, the real reason is we want to feel good about ourselves, and if someone else would think so too, all the better!

Perfect Gift

Just shared with Kinya the following: Emily had asked me for a Bible for her birthday present this year; the design he'd purchased for her was the very one she'd been wanting--GOD KNEW. And then the Lord got a Bible Jacket in hand for me for half price.

At first glance, the Bible Jacket made for my Bible was a bit too small--but when you took a good look, it was custom-made to fit specific needs! I don't know if you remember Susan Bishop (was at the field conference you came to--in 1986?), but she measured my Bible and sewed me one in the U.S., after they were there for Paul's further schooling. Well, by the time it came, I'd lost the front cover of my Bible--long story--so wouldn't have been able to insert it into the jacket's cover pocket even if it HAD been larger, and since it was smaller, I ended up just placing my Bible inside and wrapping the jacket around it, holding it together with the ribbon. The quilted cloth jacket is actually acting like the cover of the Bible itself, and the way it's being held together is best for the pages that seem to be falling apart now!

Sometimes God's choices don't look "fitting and good"--oh but we can KNOW they're the "perfectest" match for our unique needs!

"Every good gift...every perfect gift is from above, from the Father of Lights" and (no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly!" (Jas. 1:17 and Ps. 84:11)