Jun 30th, 2008 by Peter |
On Sunday we went out to lunch with some friends, and they introduced us to a small bakery/cafe, called Esquerre, located in Nishinomiya. I am always skeptical when someone invites us to a hamburger place, because it usually means something like Bikuri Donkey. (We call it Bikuri Burp, because that’s what you get when you eat there.) However, today I WAS BLOWN AWAY!
Hands down, I ate the best bacon cheeseburger served in Japan. THE BEST! Everything from the bun (freshly baked) to the thick slices of bacon (they make it special) to the 150gm patty was delicious. It was the best burger I have eaten in years. Here I am tasting a bit of heaven!
If you are in Kansai, make the trip to Esquerre, it is worth it. The cafe is small, and has a great atmosphere. Hey, they even have root beer!
http://www.yakitate-pan.com/
Jun 18th, 2008 by Peter |
We are pleased to announce that Asian Access has a new president. Head on over to the Asian Access web site and meet Joe Handley. We are thrilled to have him bring fresh vision and leadership, and to have him join the Asian Access family. Praise God!
Jun 12th, 2008 by Peter |
It is the rainy season in Japan right now. Being from Seattle, Wendi does not mind it much. However, it kind of drives me crazy. But there is a trade-off.
This is the time of year that the hydrangea bloom. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and the colors are magnificent. Next to our front door is a small hydrangea, and while not as vivid purple as some in our neighborhood, it brings a smile to my face every time I pass by.
So for the next few weeks, I welcome the rain and the beauty it brings.
May 29th, 2008 by Peter |
Life is full of “firsts”. Personally, I like new things. There is an excitement surrounding the unknown and finding new potential.
Yesterday, Nina made her first attempt at putting on make-up by herself. We don’t think Sophia appreciated Nina’s foray into her make-up drawer, but then again, this father wants to know why his eight-year-old daughter has a make-up drawer! It was a nice first for Nina, who also raided her sister’s ballet clothes.
Last week, we had another first. The church we partner with is looking for ways to reach further into the local community. One avenue we are exploring is a partnership with the local YMCA. One possibility is a “conversation cafe” where patrons can freely come and go and speak English. The first trial run was dubbed “Peter’s Cafe” and was a fun time of serving coffee and cakes and speaking lot’s of English with the patrons.
Overall, it was a success in terms of seeing the potential. I enjoyed serving up the coffee and cake, though have no desire to begin a new career as a barista. Hanging out and talking with people was a blast. Loved the chance to let Jesus shine though me. Now we are praying about if, how and when we should move forward.
Why don’t you go out and make a new “first” this week!
May 18th, 2008 by Peter |
Kendrick and I have been learning karate for the past two years. We started for a bunch of reasons:
- To make friends in the community.
- To learn more about Japan.
- To get exercise.
- To spend time together.
- To learn discipline
- To learn to kick butt.
It has been a fun part of our overall strategy of becoming full members of our community that we may incarnate the love of Christ.
This weekend we had tests to advance in belt color. Ken advanced a level, but will stay an orange belt. I advanced 2 levels and will become a green belt.
Follow this link to watch Ken’s recent karate sparring match. He did a great job and won his match!
ken-kumite.mov (1′40″)
Follow this link to watch Kendrick do his “kata”, a set series of moves.
ken-kata.mov (40″)
I don’t have any video of me, but here is a picture from my match. Besides getting kicked in the head and punched in the face (thank goodness for helmets and knuckle pads), I was able to score some points and had a great time. Didn’t win, but lived to fight again!
May 7th, 2008 by Peter |
This past week was “Golden Week” here in Japan. A number of national holidays fall right after the other, giving many people an extended vacation. It is an incredibly expensive time to travel, and at the peak, the Bullet Trains run at 160% capacity. So we decided to go local and explore more of our Osaka region.
On Monday we went to Osaka Castle. The outside looks like a traditional castle, but on the inside is a modern museum, complete with elevators. The castle was originally built (and destroyed numerous times throughout its 500 year history) in the late 1500s by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Toyotomi’s story is interesting because he rose from being born to a peasant family to be one of the most powerful men in Japan’s history.
Visiting the castle caused me to reflect on our legacy as Christ’s witnesses here in Japan. We will leave a monument to ourselves, that people look at with fondness but only visit occasionally? Or will we leave a monument that draws people into an awesome love relationship with Jesus Christ. Of course we wish to leave the later, but we also need to recognize where, in reality, we are doing the former.
So this week we are thinking about living legacies, the ways in which we can impact people that will result in transformation throughout generations. Castles are nice to visit, but who wants to live there? We want to leave love.
Apr 19th, 2008 by Peter |
Just wanted to share a few favorite photos from “hanami”, which means to see cherry blossoms. Yes, we have a special word for doing this, which shows how highly the Japanese value the art of cherry blossom viewing.
This picture of the kids was taken in front of one of my favorite trees in Sanda. It is just an amazing tree. So pink! So beautiful!
This is the view when looking up into the trees. On the day we went, the blossoms were just starting to fall. With the wind blowing, there was a glorious feeling of snow falling around us. Like a cotton candy snow.
Jesus made a winner when he came up with cherry trees!
Apr 14th, 2008 by Peter |
When I turned 40, I turned dumb. Not that I entered into a mid-life crisis, but rather I thought about all the things I had not yet done but still wanted to do, and that I was running out of time to do them. Amazing how many silly things ended up on the list. One of them was to run a marathon. Don’t ask why, I really can’t explain.
So about 1.5 years ago I began training with high hopes. When I almost died after running just 3km, I realized that it was going to be a long process.
After a year of training off and on, I ran my first 8km last summer. In the fall I found that I actually was having a good time running, and in November ran my first 10km. That got my hooked and I have been a mini “Forest Gump” since. (Not the young Forest with braces on his legs, but the adult that went through a running phase.)
Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon. I came in 1650th place, out of 2010 other men with a time of 2:10:34. Kind of slow, but it felt great to cross the finish line. I also felt like I was going to die, so it may be another year until I work up to a marathon.
So what’s on your list of things to do? Big things, small things? And what’s keeping you from doing them? Why not pick one and go for it today!
Apr 7th, 2008 by Peter |
Our good friend Joel wrote that the name of our updated website reminded him of the song performed by the group Madness way back (way , way back!) in 1979. And he is right! How many of you can hear that ska rhythm playing in your head right now?
So why did we choose this name? Two reasons…
1. One Step Beyond is meant to take our ministry partners further into our lives and ministry here in Japan. We want to provide more detail (in 60 seconds or less), on what God is up to in Japan. It is a deeper step into what is happening, and opens the door for us to develop an interactive community with you.
2. Following Jesus is utter madness! The world looks at us as foolish, and that we are! Yet in this foolishness we live in a dynamic love relationship with the King of the Universe. Jesus provides this killer tune to which we dance a life of praise to him. For our family, it has led us to Japan. For you, the dance takes you in a different direction. But isn’t awesome to be on the dance floor together!
The cherry trees are blooming in Sanda right now. They are an awesome display of God’s genius. They seem to be just lifting their branches in praise to the Creator. We’re out the door to go soak in their beauty and offer some praise of our own.
Life is madness, in a beautiful way!
We love this madness!
Hear the rhythms and dance!
Mar 30th, 2008 by Peter |
What’s life like in Japan? Well, in many ways the same as anywhere else. Except the fact that we are speaking Japanese and eating raw fish, we do much of the same things that people do around the world.
Last week was a big week for Toby, his first time to ride without training wheels. It took two days of Wendi and me gently holding his seat before he was off on his own. Now he is off to terrorize the neighborhood as “Lightning McQueen”.
Life is full of firsts, and we hope they never stop. The excitement of taking steps of faith, though it times quite scary, is followed by the thrill of charting new territory. Whether it is learning to ride a bike or planting a new church, the adventure we find in a life lived with Jesus is awesome.
Oh, and if you have never tried sushi (real sushi, not California rolls), you just have to believe us when we say it is simply delicious! Go ahead, take off the training wheels and dive into the delicacy!
