Making All Things New, The New Jerusalem

Yesterday morning, my grandfather Teofilo Layon, finally went to rest in Jesus. He was 92 years old and lived a rich long life. He was a retired minister and his legacy will always be one serving and loving Christ. I will always praise God for this. Megumi and I were able to take our two boys, Sei and Tomoki to see him one last time on Monday. We told him that we loved him, and will see him in Heaven and that I would spend my days sharing Christ with my children and those around me. Tears flowed as I held Baby Tomoki to be near him.

My longing for the New Jerusalem has grown with the passing of my grandfather. This morning, as I was driving Hana to school, she asked "Why can't we live forever?" I told her that we can and we will in Heaven because of Jesus. I told her that we will meet grandpa there. She then asked "With a new body?"

"Yes," I said "with a new body."

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"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying "Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. he will wipe every tear fro their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."

And the one sitting on the throne, said "Look, I am making everything new!"

- Revelation 21

Worship More. Spend Less. Give More. Love All.

Oh No! Only $15 shopping days left! But fear not! There's a conspiracy to take back the Season. Check out the website Advent Conspiracy, where the body of Christ is leading the way to Worship More. Spend Less. Give More. And Love All.


[AC] Advent Conspiracy from Scott Andreas on Vimeo.

Come Lord Jesus to Our Children

Happy Sabbath! Advent is about celebrating a God who came to Earth (Emmanuel) and joined us in our poverty to save us (Come Lord, Jesus Come). Advent is a also season in which Christ-followers (Christians) can celebrate Christ-mas in ways that are radically different. Imagine this - we were saved and blessed to be a blessing to others....

Child sponorship is one way to re-invite Lord Jesus to come into a dark world. Just in case there are any questions if sponsoring a child through a Christian organization makes a difference, check out the video of Michelle T. of the Philippines below. Michelle spoke at the National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego in October 2007 and the two subsequent conferences in St. Louis and Atlanta giving her testimony about how she came to know the love of Christ through as Compassion International Child. Tears flowed and thousands stood up in ovation as they heard her speak.



Our family currently sponsors two children, (through Compassion and World Vision) Brenda from Zambia and Athumani from Tanzania, and we have each of their photos posted along photos of our own three children on our refrigerator, reminding us that they too are loved by a Heavenly Father.

Perhaps this Advent Season, you will also help invite Lord, Jesus come into a life of a child, who desperately needs to know about His love.

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O Jesus Christ,
Emmanuel, come and dwell with us.
Desire of all nations;
Gift to every generation,
Come, make your home with us.
All nations, all chidlren, everybody,
are waiting for you,
Indians and Eskimos
are waiting for you,
People in Japan, India, China
are waiting for you.
Children in Africa, the Philippines
are waiting for you.
Jesus, come to us.

What Would Jesus Buy - The Movie

A true movie for Advent?.....If it's anything like Super Size Me, it should be shockingly good....

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What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!

From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.

Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.

Will we be led like Sheep led to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for.

The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?

Mary's Song of Praise

Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that.
But the angel assured her,

“Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.
He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

Mary said to the angel,
“But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”

The angel answered,
The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.
And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months’ pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”

And Mary said,
Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.

Then the angel left her.

Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,

You’re so blessed among women,
and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that
the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your
greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb
skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said,
believed every word would come true!

And Mary said,
I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

Luke 1 - The Message

Advent Week 1

We are in the middle of our first week in Advent. And as mentioned during our gathering on Sunday, this part of Advent is about longing and asking Christ Jesus to come and meet this longing. What are you longing for these days? Ask Jesus to come! Below is a summary of Week 1 provided on the Creighton University website about Advent:
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When we wake up, each day this week, we could light that candle, just by taking a few moments to focus. We could pause for a minute at the side of our bed, or while putting on our slippers or our robe, and light an inner candle. Who among us doesn't have time to pause for a moment? We could each find our own way to pray something like this:

"Lord, the light I choose to let into my life today is based on my trust in you. It is a weak flame, but I so much desire that it dispel a bit more darkness today. Today, I just want to taste the longing I have for you as I go to the meeting this morning, carry out the responsibilities of my work, face the frustration of some difficult relationships. Let this candle be my reminder today of my hope in your coming."

Each morning this week, that momentary prayer might get more specific, as it prepares us for the day we will face. And as we head to work, walk to a meeting, rush through lunch, take care of errands, meet with people, pick up the phone to return some calls, answer e-mail, return home to prepare a meal, listen to the ups and downs of our loved ones' day, we can take brief moments to relate our desire for the three comings of the Lord to our life.

If our family has an Advent wreath, or even if it doesn't, we could pray together before our evening meal. As we light the first candle on the wreath, or as we simply pause to pray together our normal grace. Then, as we begin to eat, we can invite each other, including the children, to say something about what it means today to light this first candle.

Perhaps we could ask a different question each night, or ask about examples from the day. How am I getting in touch with the longing within me? How did I prepare today? What does it mean to prepare to celebrate his coming 2,000 years ago? How can we prepare to experience his coming into our lives this year? What does it mean for us now, with our country involved in so much conflict around the world? How are we being invited to trust more deeply? How much more do we long for his coming to us, in the midst of the darkness in our world? In what ways can we renew our lives so we might be prepared to greet him when he comes again? Our evening meal could be transformed this week, if we could shape some kind of conversation together that lights a candle of anticipation in our lives. Don't worry if everyone isn't "good at" this kind of conversation at first. We can model it, based on our momentary pauses throughout each day, in which we are discovering deeper and deeper desires, in the midst of our everyday lives.

And every night this week, we can pause briefly, perhaps as we undress or sit for a minute at the edge of the bed. We can be aware of how that one, small candle's worth of desire brought light into this day. And we can give thanks. Going to bed each night this week with some gratitude is part of the preparation for growing anticipation and desire.

Advent Prayer - Day 4

Sometimes God is so loving and gracious, He leads us back towards Him before we fall further away in our sin. Over the Thanksgiving holidays, I had become full of anger towards some members in my family. But God in His goodness, saved me from being utterly consumed by it by immediately giving me Colossians 3. When I read the following passage, I was overcome with peace and a heart of forgiveness. Perhaps Advent season will be a time when you too will make peace with family or friend. May we all show tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience to those who need it most.

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Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.
Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace.
And always be thankful.

- Colossians 3
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O God, I pray that you will
bless our family
and all its members and friends;
bind us together by your love.
Give us kindness and patience
to support each other;
and wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of your peace
come into our hearts
and remain with us.
May we rejoice in your blessings
for all our days.

Amen.