Amazing Design, Amazing God

Technology inspired by biology! We serve an awesome creator God!

Biomimicry: inspired by nature GOD's creation

(Biomimicry: the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes.)

"Ever wondered how Japan's super-fast Shinkansen Bullet Trains got their distinctive beak-shaped noses? It's not just about smooth aerodynamics. Older trains caused a build-up of pressure in tunnels, which resulted in ear-cracking noises as the train burst out. Engineer Eiji Nakatsu was inspired by a kingfisher's smooth entry into the water to catch prey for his novel design." - info taken from CNN article

The world has blinders on. God continually amazes me by how His ways are best, yet the world ignores this and continually credits "nature" for things. If it is something good... "nature." If something bad happens like a 'natural' disaster... "God", it's "an act of God!" I, however, KNOW that God is responsible for both. :)

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."   Psalm 139:14

"...the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,..."   Nahum 1:3

"19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."   Roman 1:19-25

Missionary Life: Dealing with Differences

I have been reading an interesting book about missions. It is basically about problems of the field. Here is an interesting excerpt:

"In dealing with this problem of differences, I have found out that if you will act without prejudice, if you will eat with them, sympathize with them, and do your best for them, they will accept you as you are, and will give ear to what you say. But if you are arrogant, touchy, bossy or rude, they will resent you for what you are. We must work to preach Christ in spite of our differences. We must learn to use the situations of life that we find ourselves in, to the glory of God."

I am not Japanese, and the Japanese are not American. Of course! So there are cultural differences. Sometimes the missionary is richer than the nationals, but sometimes he is poorer. So there can be economical differences. The key is to adapt as much as you can, accept the differences as best you can, and try to foster a mutual respect for one another so that the Gospel will be heard and hopefully accepted.

"Bad weather linked to train suicides in Japan: study"

Today I saw an article about a report recently done on how it seems that bad weather/darker days for a number of days in a row seem to have an effect on the number of suicides. You can read this article below. Maybe this could be true but it does not address why a person takes their life. It is not because of  bad weather/darker days! I believe it is because people are hopeless or what they have hoped in fails them. For Christians, Jesus is our Hope!!! He never fails!

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" Titus 2:13

"7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Jeremiah 17:7,8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NATIONAL SEP. 29, 2013

The study said railway operators should increase the use of blue or white light at stations to discourage suicides
AFP
TOKYO —
The number of suicides on Japanese railways increases after several days of bad weather, according to a study, which urged train operators to increase patrols during rainy periods.

The study, which chimes with commonly held beliefs about mood and weather, was an attempt to find reasons behind some of the deaths that make up Japan’s relatively high suicide rate.

A team led by Hiroshi Kadotani of Shiga University of Medical Science reviewed 971 instances where someone had taken their own life, or attempted to do so, between 2002 and 2006 in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Osaka, Japan’s main commercial hubs.

They cross-referenced this with weather records and found that a high proportion of incidents happened after three-to-seven days of reduced sunlight—days that had been cloudy or rainy days.

However, the weather on the day of the suicide had no significant impact, said the study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

“We observed an increased proportion of railway suicide attempts after several days without sunlight,” the study’s abstract said.

Japan has one of the developed world’s highest suicide rates. Last year marked the first time in 15 years that the number of suicides fell below 30,000.

The study said railway operators should increase the use of blue or white light at stations to discourage suicides.

Previous studies have shown that use of blue lights on train platforms has lowered the number of suicides at Japanese stations, although the exact psychological mechanism for the trend remains unclear.

“Light exposure (blue light or bright white light) in trains may be useful in reducing railway suicides, especially when consecutive days without sunshine are forecasted,” the latest study said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Man continues to try to find answers to life's questions but trying to do so minus God's help. Sad.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/bad-weather-linked-to-train-suicides-in-japan-study

Haunted by trauma, tsunami survivors turn to exorcists

This article (below link) detailing life for some tsunami survivors is so sad. Please give it a read. 

People are having all kinds of spiritual and emotional problems which also lead to physical problems. People are looking for help in all the wrong places. What people really need is the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts and lives. HE can bring real help and healing.

Haunted by trauma, tsunami survivors turn to exorcists

The Bible says in 2 Corintians 1:3-4 "3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." 

The problem is that the one true God in Heaven, who is the God of the Holy Bible, 

is not their god...Satan is.

More Japanese youth wearing surgical masks to hide their face

I found the below article interesting. I thought you would too. Please give it a read and let me know your thoughts. The intended use of the face mask is a good idea and can help cut down on the germs and sickness, but other "uses" for them is sad. People without the Lord can end up doing some pretty strange things. Without the Lord things get outta whack! The result is not just spiritual problems, but emotional , physical, and mental problems come about as well.  What people really need is Jesus in their heart, not a mask on their face. :(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More Japanese youth wearing surgical masks to hide their face

By Steven Simonitch

LIFESTYLE DEC. 04, 2012 - 06:27AM JST

TOKYO —

First time visitors to Japan may be surprised to see so many people wearing surgical masks in public.

There are a few reasons for this, the most common being that they are sick and are wearing a mask to keep their nasty germs to themselves in consideration of those around them. Likewise, many people also wear a mask to guard themselves from whatever illness is going around. Others use it vainly to shield their faces from the onslaught of cedar pollen that descends upon the masses every spring.

Then there are those who wear masks because they’re self-conscious about the way they look or have something they want to hide, like a pimple or even their emotions.

In particular, wearing surgical masks for cosmetic and comfort purposes has become so popular among young people in Japan over the past few years that the media has begun labeling it as a “fashion trend.”

In March 2011, News Post Seven surveyed 100 people wearing surgical masks in Shibuya, Tokyo’s most popular fashion district, and found that roughly 30% of them were wearing them for reasons unrelated to sickness or allergies.

Adding to that data, earlier this month Japanese news program ZIP! aired a special about young men and women who wear surgical masks as fashion items, in which they counted the number of people wearing masks as they walked down a Tokyo street and found that the number has increased 14-fold compared to previous data.

ZIP! also surveyed the reasons why people who aren’t sick or have allergies wear masks. The results, beginning with the most popular answer, are as follows:

  1. They’re not wearing any makeup and want to hide their face
  2. To keep their face warm
  3. To make their face look small
  4. It comforts them
  5. To keep their throat from drying while sleeping

According to info-gathering site Naver Matome, some women see the mask as not only a way to cover up their face on a bad makeup day, but also as an accessory that can make them more attractive.

“It gives you a mysterious appearance since only your eyes are showing,” says one high-school girl. “Wearing a mask makes me look cuter!”

Some companies are even seeking to capitalize on this new fashion trend, such asPicomask, which has been selling stylish and colorful surgical masks since 2010.

Other testimonies by those who say they wear masks for the comfort it provides suggest that there is something psychologically deeper than self-image issues as work.

“I don’t want to show others my true self,” “Since my face is covered, people don’t know how I’m really feeling. It’s comforting,” and “I don’t like having to create facial expressions for people” are some of the reasons given by Japanese high school students who mask up regardless of the season.

According to Yuzo Kikumoto, author of “Date Mask Izonsho,” a book discussing why young people may have begun “hiding” behind masks in public, explains that many Japanese students wear a mask to keep them from standing out among the crowd: “They have an abnormal fear of showing who they really are to their peers.”

Others believe that having to rely on a mask to feel comfortable in public is a byproduct of Japanese youth becoming too accustomed to using e-mail and social networks to communicate with each other; they can’t interact with others unless there is a protective “wall” that offers them some degree of anonymity.

“The nail that stands out will be hammered down” is one of the better-known proverbs in Japan. Japanese are educated from childhood to put the group before their own interests, and many people feel reluctant to do anything that would make them stand out—the most famous example being the Japanese student who deliberately gives the wrong answer when called on during class for fear that “showing off” will lead them to be ostracized by their classmates. Surgical masks give these young people another way to blend in with the crowd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Serving Jesus,

Bro. Alan

Link to the article: http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/more-japanese-youth-wearing-surgical-masks-to-hide-their-face

Shibetsu City's Snow Shoveling Competition

Wow! I haven't done a post in awhile! Well, here is something that might interest you. A video of our city's annual snow competition. It is held every year during the snow festival. We would like to see it sometime but it is always on Sunday morning. Oh well, I'd rather be in God's house! :) Someone posted this video of the last competition from February. The action starts at about the 1 minute mark. Enjoy! (Looks a bit dangerous and if it was me I would definitely need to train for this!!)




http://www.youtube.com/embed/BjD3LgFqAns

This and That!

Howdy folks. Well, we are just about to put out a new prayer letter, but I thought I would add a bit more here. Just some pictures and captions of a few things over the last few months. Kinda of a "Shotgun" approach... a wide range of things! :)


Here is a video of an English class I teach at a local elementary school. This class has two classes combined to make the size about 72 students. We meet in the music room in order to have enough space. The students here are "trying out" what they were taught.

Abigail's 13th birthday on March 6th. She had a butterfly cake!

While Tanya was recovering in the hospital from surgery, the kids visited Mama and boy were they happy to see her! Normally, in Japan, folks are required to stay a number of days (like a week) after surgery for recovery:

Malachi's 11th birthday was on March 17. 

Malachi enjoyed a "bug" cake that his sisters made for him! :)

Zebulun (Zeb) enjoyed his 3rd birthday on March 22nd and got a "frog" cake! Needless to say, he really liked it! Ha-ha! And, yes, March is our busy birthday month!

Hello April 2nd!! April 2nd? Yes, that's right... April 2nd. Lots of good white stuff came our way. :)

In April we were given a used van! Praise the Lord! It is a Toyota "Noah!" Seats eight! LOL! Seriously though, having this vehicle will mean cheaper annual taxes and bi-annual inspection costs compared to our previous van. This saved and will save us hundreds of dollars.

Josiah turned 7 on April 15th. He got a military cake! Cool, huh?

Gideon had his 9th birthday on June 13th. He had "cowboy" cupcakes! Yeehaw! BTW, part of the cowboy hats were Pringle Chips! :)

Working on tract packets in June. Missionary friend Ken Mansell has a Bible College student working with him for the summer. For one week that student, Virgil, stayed with us and we enjoyed his help and fellowship.

Tanya went grocery shopping recently and was greeted by this. LOL! Now THAT'S a BIG fish!!!

June 25. Here is part of a typical class in which I teach English. These students are going around practicing with each other what they were just taught.

For Tanya's birthday on Jun 29th, I took Tanya out for lunch. Shibetsu is famous within Japan for it's sheep farm, sheep museum, and sheep dishes. This is lamb curry soup set meal that Tanya had.

I (Alan) got the lamb over rice set meal. Pretty yummy. In Japanese a sheep sound is not "bah bah," but "meh meh!" :)

Tanya has always wanted a nice album to put our wedding photos in. Well, for the last few months I worked on the below project: I digitized and cleaned up our wedding pictures and had a hardback book made. 

Hokkaido crows are big and pesky! Lately they've been taking a liking to our church/house roof!

On Sunday July 1st, we enjoyed having our church member Mrs. Nishio's daughter Asumi and her children in church. She lives about 4 hours away and is here in Shibetsu after the birth of her 2nd child. It is custom here after delivering a baby for the mother stay with her family (mom and dad) for a month or so in order to rest and get help from "mom!"

Tanya and I with Asumi's new baby girl, "Aoi."

Zebulun and Asumi's son "Taiga" had a fun time playing together!

Well that's my informal "little shotgun" photo/comment update. A little of this and that!!

Lord bless you all.

Take care,

Alan

Feedback from Radio Listeners!

Hi folks! I thought you might enjoy reading feedback from some of Shepherd Radio's (Hitsujikai Radio) listeners who have written in to us!:
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"I thank God for allowing me to find this station. It's wonderful to hear good, soothing spirit-lifting, christian music. May God keep on blessing you and your ministry."


"During the first 2 weeks after the tsunami, I struggled with the question, 'Why do bad things happen to good people.' And it was during this time that discovered your station. You have blessed me so much with your music. God bless you."


"I listen to this as I study the bible, what a fantastic station!"


"Thank you. Such soothing hymns and music is hard to find among my local radio stations."


"I love Hitsujikai Radio and have my earplugs on, listening to its music most of the time I am on the computer.  I just wanted to say Gambatte Kudasai!"(Hang in there!)


"Hello. I am Christian. I am Japanese. 17 years old now. Shepherd radio is very good. All for the glory of Jesus."
~~~~~~~~~~~
It is because of YOUR support for our family that this ministry can continue on.
Thank you and if you'd like to listen in click this link: http://www.hitsujikai-radio.com
Have a great day,
Bro. Alan

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

We're still here!!

Yes!...We do have a blog and we are still here! Ha! Life gets busy for all of us and this little virtual piece of real-estate has gotten a little run down, a bit neglected. Well! We hope to knock down the cobwebs, dust a bit, and spruce up the "place."

Today, Tanya is in the hospital. She has been for about 4 days (since Sunday afternoon). Thankfully!!!!... she should be coming home tomorrow. (She is so important around here. I can handle survival-mode for a few days but can't live without her!! Whew!) She had laparoscopic surgery on Monday, March 12th as many of you already know. All went well, and so far her recovery in the hospital is going good. Yeah! She told me today through a phone text message that she'd "much more prefer being in the hospital for delivering a baby compared to having surgery!" LOL! But, she and I both know the Lord can and will use each situation He puts us in. Actually, I got the privilege to talk to and witness to a 75 year old lady in the waiting room during Tanya's surgery! PTL. I was glad to do that rather than sitting there dwelling on (and worrying about) Tanya's surgery. We've been visiting Tanya in the hospital each day and will go again this afternoon. It does us all good to have some "together time." :)

The kids have been creative as they are thinking about Mama and missing her. Here is Malachi's Lego creation he made for Tanya:

We took a picture and sent it to her mobile phone.
I sent Gideon out today to tackle a little bit of snow. Normally a whole crew has to shovel, but he was able to get the job done today. It had been "looking" like Spring was trying to come our way, but alas, we live in the northern part of the northern island (Hokkaido) of Japan:

 When snow comes early or late in the season we just say, "Well, that's Hokkaido for ya!"

God bless you all!

Alan and family

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Nov. 5th Renovations Update Video and Pictures

Hi everyone,

Here is an update video and some pictures. Please have a look:

Video:

http://vimeo.com/31645916

Pictures:
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwDchVE

I will be adding more updates over the next 2 weeks, Lord willing, as the work progresses so you all can see it.

Please pray! We may be getting a new English student in one of our English classes and therefore a new contact! Pray that this comes to pass. The student will be coming to "checkout" the class this week.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Serving Jesus,
Alan Minks and family

Building Renovations Continue...

Dear all,

Well, it's been awhile since I have written a blog update. Sorry about that. Renovations are ongoing to the church building and have picked up speed over the last week or so. We scheduled siding and windows to be installed on the building (yea, no more leaks!) so we have been doing a lot of prep work that has to be done before the siding can be put on. Below are some links to photos and videos of recent work. The siding installation should begin in anywhere from a few days to a week from now. Please pray that all goes well with the installation of the siding and windows.

Our pictures on Flickr: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwDchVE

Our videos on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/minksfamily

We appreciate you all for your prayers and support! Take care.

Serving Jesus,
Alan Minks and family

Radio Ad

Hello everyone! Well, I just wanted to let you know that our ad for Shepherd Radio is now out in a missionary directory here in Japan. This ad is listed three times in the phone directory but we only paid for one! PTL more exposure for the station. This directory lists hundreds of missionaries here in Japan and comes out about once a year. Our prayer is that these missionaries will enjoy our conservative music and programming and share it with their churches and unsaved friends. Please pray for the stations outreach throughout the country and worldwide. May God's will be done and to Him be the glory!

Here is a picture of the ad. We just received the directory today:
(The church office/radio studio)

Serving Jesus,
Bro. Alan


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Canvassing June 4th, 2011

Today, praise the Lord, we were able to go out once again and pass out some church info packs containing various tracts. We were accompanied by James and John Wright, and Josh McKenzie from Grace Bible Baptist Church in New Paris, IN. Please continue to pray that God will use these tracts to help folks understand about the true Savior.

In Saku City

Hi folks,

I am in Saku City now. That is west and a tad north of Tokyo. I'm here with Bro. Dan Roberts. We will be preparing, gathering, and loading food and other items tomorrow to take up north to the quake/tsunami stricken area shelters to distribute. Lord-willing we will head out Wednesday, drive 8 hours or so north, and then pass out things on Thursday. Please pray for Dan as he has been "go go go" these last few weeks and now has a cold. Also, please remember our families as we are away from them while on the road. Finally, please continue to pray for the Japanese people. They are hurting in the areas that are destroyed. Pray for God to work in each heart.

I left home in north Hokkaido at 7:00 AM this morning. Flew to Tokyo. Then took the train to Saku City. Here is one of the trains I rode on:


This is a Shinkansen (bullet train). It is very, very fast and smooth.

Thank you for your prayers in advance!!

Serving Jesus,
Alan Minks

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Youth Camp

Hi Folks,

Victoria and I went to a 2 day youth camp a few days ago and had a nice time. Here is a video you might like to see of our friends the Smith family as they sang a special there. It was a blessing to us and I hope it will be to you too...even thought it is in Japanese. ;)

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evE15r-Ogsw

Pray with us as we are still researching and looking for the best way(s) to help in the Japan quake/tsunami relief efforts. Please, please continue to pray for the Japanese and give towards this need.

Serving Jesus,

Bro. Alan

Today's Canvassing March 19th, 2011

Greetings all. Hope all is well in your 'neck of the woods'! Things are going fine here. Our hearts still ache for the Japanese affected by the terrible events of late. (Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Power Plant problems, etc.) We are praying for them and for all of Japan. We hope you all are praying as well. Out of these terrible events and tragedy good things can come! We pray people will really think about life and death and realize that they need our Saviour! May many come to Jesus before it is too late.

We passed out tract packets again today to another section of the city. (Look at our blog page to see the progress on the map posted.) Please pray for fruit from these tracts. Also, we are seeking ways to help the earthquake/tsunami victims. Please pray with us for God's will in this. We are quite far away so that makes it difficult to help, but we are willing and seeking to help people.

Have a great week! Serve the Lord! - Bro. Alan

March 12th, 2011 Canvassing

Howdy all! I am sure most of you, if not all of you, are aware of yesterday's earthquake/tsunami's here in Japan. It was bad. It IS bad. Horrible. Please pray. We are fine though. We live a long way away from the affected areas. We are thankful to be safe and for God's protection. It really makes you stop and think about what is really important. People on T.V. say what is most important is that they are still alive, but that is not it. What is most important is eternity. Are you ready? Houses, lands, and lives can be snatched away in a moment... but not our salvation. Amen!

Well, we got out there again today and passed out some tracts. Glory to God and shame on the devil! We've had our hearts and minds focused on the earthquake/tsunami news and I must say it is quite captivating. I am the kind of person that can easily get wrapped up in the news and stay there (as with 9/11). Now, yesterday's destruction was horrible and our hearts go out to the many folks suffering, but we can't sit around and watch the news. We must carry on. So... me and three of my boys, Malachi, Gideon, and Josiah got out there and pounded the pavement...err, ah... snow! The devil didn't want us to go. He wanted us to sit and fret and watch the horrible events unfold on T.V. But! But! What people need is the Good News, especially at a time like this! I asked the boys "if they had their ammunition?" and "if they needed to reload?" as we went. They said "it is a weapon isn't it?" and "it's sharper than any twoedged sword!" and "maybe after the earthquake and tsunami some might be more open to reading these tracts." I said, "That's right, they may be!" So, we had a good time out today. It snowed a little but no problem. Slipping on the ice was more of a problem! Ha! Josiah fell a number of times! You all have a great week and please continue to pray for Japan and the Japanese at this time. And please pray for those "little preachers" (tracts) that we passed out today. They can keep on preachin' even when we aren't around! Take care!

Today's Canvassing

Greetings from Japan! We went out today (Saturday) to pass out church info packets. Tanya, Malachi, Gideon, Josiah, Zebulun and I went today. Victoria and Abigail were able to stay the night with the Smith girls. So they were in Nayoro. We just found this nifty free program online called Scribble Maps at scribblemaps.com. It allows us to mark on a map where we have been passing out tracts. We thought you might enjoy seeing what's going on so now you can see our recent canvassing progress on the map on our blog's main page. I hope to keep you all posted in this way in the future using scribblemaps.com. I have been doing things the "old school" way by marking a city map on the church office wall! But, since you all can't see it, I thought I'd do it this way and see how it goes. Have a great Lord's day!

(On the map, upper left corner has navigation controls, upper right corner has full screen button)

One More Step

One more "step" in the renovations! Getting some tile installed in the church entry today!







- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

The Church Office Building: Before... and After!

Well, I thought you all might like to see a before and after of the exterior of church entrance part of the building! It took a little while... from Oct. 2008 to September 2010... but it is worth it to see the difference! I would like to thank everyone who had a part in helping renovate this building. Thank you so much! I especially want to thank Ken Mansell whose work and guidance is invaluable and essential!

The back before: (Before we bought the building)

The back after:

The north side before:

The north side after(with new steeper roof): (a summer growth is kinda high at the field next door)

The office front before:

The church entrance after:

Building Before:

Building After:

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24