I think I have been asked that question more than a few times. I think Christians often miss a chance at a logical answer, because we have been taught that logic and God can’t go together… Maybe we just speak of emotion or feeling, or ‘just knowing’ that He is there.

And I do ‘just know’ he is there and that’s valid. But it’s not really valid for explaining to my friend who doesn’t ‘just know’ about God.

I totally get this argument. I used to make it myself.. We want to experience things. It’s very difficult to take anyone’s word at face value. We want to understand and learn for ourselves. That’s part of being human and having curiosity…

But what if we do experience God?

Think about this. When you see order, organization and complexity, what do you assume about it?

When you see a beautiful painting, or look at a combustion engine, or a well-written book, don’t you blindly assume that someone painted it, someone designed and built it, and someone wrote it? Do you need to look at the book and see the author line to know that it was written by someone??

Why is this? Because we know by experience, that a book is always written by someone, that a painting doesn’t paint itself, that an engine doesn’t build itself. We know that order implies design and we don’t need to be taught that..

So you say you can’t see God, or touch God, or smell God, or experience God with any of your senses, and thus you can’t believe…

But if we see from experience that order implies design, then why not the natural world around us? Why not a sunset? Why not a human body, the most complex and sweetest engine there is? When you actually take a close look at the world around us, and its complexity and order, it’s harder to believe there is not a designer than to believe that there is. It’s like looking at an engine and determining that it just appeared, only because you didn’t see it on the assembly line.

The Bible actually talks about this. The apostle Paul, at the beginning of his letter to the Romans, says the following:

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

What Paul is saying here, and what I am saying here, is that it’s easier to see creation and believe in a Creator than it is not to. But by our pride, we refuse to believe this. We don’t believe because we are set against God in sin, and we don’t believe because the consequences of believing mean we must submit to His authority…

More to come…

9 little words. So easy to read right over the top of it. Don’t miss it though. It’s not at all easy to hear the Lord, and then trust him implicitly and do what He tells you.

Lots going on in our life right now, as you may or may not know, but one is that we will be housing a family in our townhouse, a family that is taking a long journey at God’s call to Birmingham to study in our church, and eventually plant a church that works to make God known among all nations. So my prayer as I read Genesis 12 is for them today, and that God’s promise to bless His people as they seek Him and follow His plan for the world will be fulfilled.

Long few days. Dealt with a sinus infection that has now almost gone, and some pretty heavy lifting on preparation for marriage. It’s been so encouraging though. It’s such hard work but also so awesome to be completely different from someone else and yet figure out ways to come together. Reconcilliation. I believe it’s at the core of the gospel, that we are reconciled to God, and to be reconciled to others is a way of showing the gospel to the world.

I will say this… and I’m sure I will say it more. If you’re getting married, don’t just figure that love will carry you through. It might. But you are completely different in many ways from that person. Get counseling. Go to a class. Preferably one that will show you the way God created marriage and what that means for both of you. Do it. It’s not easy. Nothing that is worth it is…

So the weekend is near, and the plans are not nearly as thick as normal. That’s good. I’m ready for a little sleep. The big marathon is next week, #1 for Heather and #11 for me. I am just ready to survive it and get my medal.

The race Saturday went great. I meant to post a longer note. I wanted to run 1:45, I did 1:41:03, and it felt good. Short of a sinus infection that’s something to build on. Keep my friend Brad in your prayers as he goes to Chicago this weekend hoping to break 3 hours in his marathon. We’ve been working together on that for a long time. I think he can do it! GOOOOO!!!!

Ok, all for now. Welcome to the new web space, similar to the old space. Nice to see you!

It’s looking like a beautiful Saturday to be outside and to go for a run. Sunny, low in the 50s, high around 80, can’t beat that! So Heather and I are about to pack our stuff in the car and head that way. Wish us a good race!

It was a little wait, but I’m excited to say that I have been chosen to be one of the bloggers!

I’m really excited. This will be the largest audience that has ever read anything I have written. I am really pumped to get started!

As soon as I know more about when I will be able to start writing, I will let you know. Thank You to those who read me, and who have been watching and waiting patiently to hear more from me. Believe me, I have a lot more to write, about Auburn and about what God has been doing in my life in 2009. It’s all amazingly big and awesome and I can’t wait to share!

Waaaaaaaaaarrrrr Eagle!!

2. Defense – Remember how solid Auburn’s defense was early last season? Many of the key players remain, and if the offense does play better, then the defense should be right behind. The implosion of the defense last year had a lot to do with Auburn’s offense putting them in hole after hole, week after week, until they simply cracked.

3. Schedule – Auburn has eight home games this year, including two of their three toughest games. Four of the five most difficult games are also late in the season, meaning they have some time to find an identity on both sides of the ball. Auburn could be a much improved team by the time they play LSU on October 24.

4. Talent – The media has a way of shaping opinions. By all accounts, Auburn’s cupboard is bare this year. There’s just no talent. The problem is that the core of this team is the same core picked by many to play for the SEC Championship last year. By all accounts their offseason strength and agility training has been solid, and they will come into fall practice with a massive chip on their shoulder. Auburn is thin at some key spots, but they have playmakers on both sides of the ball, especially if the freshman wide receivers come through for them. Don’t underestimate the level of talent at Auburn, even if it’s thinner than normal.

5. Underdog Factor – Doesn’t Auburn always play better as an underdog? I remember 2003 and all of the hype, and then the season fell flat on it’s face. And then in 2004, the team went under the radar and talked on the field, reeling off 13 wins and an SEC Championship. Auburn will be a legitimate underdog in seven of its twelve games this season. This is a proud program with proud kids that came here to win, and the coaching staff’s enthusiasm will have them flying high. Auburn will surprise some teams and win games they aren’t expected to. Maybe even that last one at home against a team who has already been declared state champion on July 10th?

We will soon find out. But nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to Auburn Football.. War Eagle!

Even Steve Spurrier tends to be forgotten in the coaching hotbed that is the SEC.

Yes, it’s a ‘new SEC’ today. The coaches are obsessed with winning. The recruiting landscape is like nothing we’ve ever seen. The television dollars are flowing like wine. There is no longer a margin for error or patience with losing. Everybody wants the prize. And the prize is not the SEC Championship, but the National Championship, which an SEC team has claimed each of the last three years.

This new environment provides a challenge for the Auburn Tigers. Gene Chizik arrived on campus with one of the biggest disadvantages in college football history. He landed at the airport in the midst of controversy, with many media members crying racism over his hiring, and even more complaining about his record at Iowa State.

In addition, Chizik arrived at the height of recruiting power for Alabama, Florida, LSU and Georgia. Each ranked in ESPN’s Top 6 in 2009 recruiting rankings. Each school is taking care of it’s territory. And since Auburn’s territory has historically overlapped these schools, that means potential trouble for the Tigers’ recruiting efforts.

It seems Chizik is set up for failure. But an interesting thing has happened on the Plains. Gene Chizik has won over many loyal Auburn fans. While many fans hid their faces in shame, Chizik assembled what most analysts have praised as a solid coaching staff. Then the coaches got creative, and that’s where the excitement begins.

There is hope for today and hope for tomorrow. The hope for today rests in the abilities of the new coaching staff to get more out of the current Auburn players than Tommy Tuberville’s staff could last year. Gus Malzahn and Ted Roof both have a track record that leaves fans optimistic that better days are on the horizon on both sides of the ball.

The hope for the future rests in recruiting, where Chizik’s staff, led by Curtis Luper and Trooper Taylor, has come up with creative ways to make Auburn relevant in a difficult recruiting environment. Big Cat Weekend, and the Tiger Prowl tour, were both large in terms of media hype, but larger for Auburn in terms of building the important relationships you must have with coaches and players to succeed consistently at recruiting. And Auburn is challenging seriously for top recruits, something that has not happened much in the last five years.

It will take another level of creativity, and a lot of hard work, for Auburn to stay competitive in the new landscape of the SEC. Auburn’s challenge will be to continue to find innovative ways to carve out a recruiting base that brings a solid flow of good players. We will also soon discover if Chizik and his staff are as impressive on the field as they have been off of it.

Because as we discovered with Tommy Tuberville and Phillip Fulmer, in today’s SEC, not moving up means moving out. And ultimately the truth on Gene Chizik will be made clear on Saturday afternoons.

Most of us are cautiously optimistic.

This was one of those days that was a test. I had plans at 3, to do some evangelism in Shibuya, like Times Square. But I didn’t have any other plans. And what plans I had went wrong. :)

I couldn’t find anything, I got lost twice. I was tired. Homesick. Ready to pack up and head out.

I made my way back to my hostel, and had lunch and some ice cream. Then I got a headache. :) ARGH!

So I was a little stressed as I headed to the train for Shibuya. But I moved on nonetheless.

When I got there, it was crazy! This is the busiest intersection likely in the world. It’s like a huge Times Square type of area. And it’s mostly hip kids shopping. It’s a must see for anyone coming here, and it was totally great!

So I was there early, and I walked around looking at the shops, and trying to find a Japanese-English Bible. Then 3pm rolled around, and I headed back to the entrance. I sat down and waited for my crew.

After a couple of minutes I was approached by a guy in an orange jacket. He is a member of a cult here called Happy Science. They believe something about a Japanese guy that is god, in the 9th level of enlightenment, with Jesus and Buddha under him. I read him John 1, about how nothing was made outside of Christ. He was kind of a brick wall. I gave him a tract, and went to meet my friends, as they had arrived.

Brian and Sonya were there, and we had signs that said ‘Free Bibles’ and ‘Would you like to read the Bible with us?’ And we called for people to come over. Every traffic light hundreds of people would walk by and have an opportunity to get one.

Let me explain how big a deal this actually is. I went looking for a Japanese Bible. I couldn’t find one. To see the word of God here is a big deal. You can probably go and get one if you wish at a bookstore, but they likely have one copy, or none, and they just don’t sell. Less than 1% of this population is Christian, but they are all looking for answers. The cool thing about the Japanese people is that they are open to hearing and open to really contemplating life and its ultimate meaning.

So people started to come up. We were there between 3 and 6pm, and we gave out probably 25 Bibles and tracts… and then… one kid came to Christ right there in the park! Brian talked to him for like 30 minutes. The cool thing about all those is they specifically came to get them. A few walked by, thought about it for a few minutes, then came back! That’s very encouraging. God is drawing the Japanese people to Himself, I could see it so clearly yesterday! You could literally see the Spirit working. SO COOL!!!!

So we got to 6, and Brian agreed to help me find some Bibles. So we went to a couple of bookstores and I found a parallel English/Japanese New Testament and a Japanese only, but written with the alphabet character. I’m hoping I can learn to read Japanese and then use the Bible for practice. :) Funny I will be able to preach the gospel but not be able to order food! LOL we will see…

So then Brian helped me overcome my earlier frustrations, he dropped me by a rotating sushi bar! Yeah! I ate about 830 yen worth, 8 plates. They had this one, it was fried tofu pockets with rice inside. Man it was so yummy! And another that was raw fish, but not sure what kind, with a sweet sauce. It was maybe my favorite meal since I have been here! Might try to sneak another one in for lunch Friday!

So Brian lives here with IMB, and he didn’t have anything going on, so he asked if I wanted to go back to the park. I came here for Jesus, and He’s blessed me so greatly with life changing experiences… no way I was saying no!

So we went back and stood in the square for another 2 hours. If you would have told me a long time ago that one day I would stand in the busiest foot traffic area in the world and preach the good news of Christ, and see one kid come to faith in Christ, and hand out about 45 Bibles, I would have called you crazy. But it happened.

Something I learned about it was not to stress about the reaction. To trust God. Because He is drawing people out of the crowds. I don’t have to have amazing words or be anything more than faithful. He is so faithful with the rest. I think this will help me at home for sure. I never felt nervous or self conscious or worried about what anyone would think. I just prayed and held the sign, and waited for God to draw people out. And time after time He did. It was the best and climactic experience of my trip, and I will never forget it, and pray I will stand in that square again one day with that sign, and a little bit of Japanese language mastery as well. :)

So it’s Friday morning now. I leave today. I am about 29 hours away from home. I want to do some more shopping, hoping to eat rotating sushi again, and getting packed up and ready to make the long journey home. Maybe a Tylenol PM for the plane. :) And masks for Dallas for the swine flu. And changing my money to coins to give to people at home. And stocking up on some Pocari Sweat. :)

I’m coming back here. Japan is my country. Decided. I miss it and I am still here. The people are so wonderful and nice and loving and caring. I don’t want them to run from Buddhism and Shinto into American materialism. I want them to see the truth. It’s a war here and I am praying for all the saints, many of whom I got to meet this week, and their work here, and that God would continue to carve out a people for Himself here. AMEN!! AMEN!!!

I probably won’t blog again before heading home, but I thank you all for reading, and I love you. A’ishiteru!

So it’s Thursday morning and I am worn out! The short rundown of Wednesday..

I got up, and had nothing in particular to do until 11:30. So I went to Shinjuku and walked around there. There’s a sweet store called Tokyu Hands.. think a 7 floor Sears when Sears was awesome. So I shopped there until it was time to meet with the group for the orphanage. I jumped on the subway and got off at the Shin-Koenji station and headed over to McDonalds.

I thought I was running low on time so I ate there. I think what I had was a shrimp patty burger. Ha Ha… I just picked the weirdest looking thing on the menu and went with it.. so slowly the people started showing up, about 20 in all..

We headed out, like herding cats, and walked to the orphanage. The group was such a sweet mix of people.. some older Japanese, some American kids, some kids from the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, all over, working on missions teams. And my new friend David from the UK. He’s been here 8 years, and I met up with him at McDonalds.

So the time at the orphanage was so sweet. There were about 10 kids, some had gone on a field trip to Tokyo Disneyland.. but that was great because we got to play with the kids one on one. My favorite was Aoi. Think Ah-wee… she was 5. We met by the basketball goal, she was trying to shoot, and couldn’t make it up, so I started to help her. She was so excited when we made a basket. Then I found her a lighter ball and she hit two on her own. She was so excited she was trying to show everyone else. :)

Then we played on the slide and she would slide down and I’d pick her up and carry her back to the slide. Then we were racing, one of the other missionaries would slide down after her and chase her, and I’d grab her and run her back to the slide. It was hard. :) I got my workout in.

Then she got up on my shoulders. Yeah I spoil little girls, what can I say? I’m used to it. We just walked around and walked around and she would direct me, with someone translating. :) It was great!

Then we presented the gospel. It was so awesome. 4 of the kids raised their hands to accept Christ. Pray that they understood well, and that as they grow, they will receive teaching in the orphanage and that they will have a community of Christ followers that will come around them.

So David had to leave, and I was going to walk with him to the subway. Turns out he is a journalist, a photographer, and was going to do a photo shoot. Turns out he was going to a little bar in Iddebukuro named Polka Dots… to photograph… yes the Japanese Bob Dylan.

There was no question in my mind that this was a divine appointment :)

So along the way we got to talk a lot, and David is an awesome guy, walking with the Lord, doing work here, married to a Japanese woman whom he met at church. Our stories are similar and yet so different. It was one of the best times I have had on the trip, just exploring the subway with a new friend in Christ.

So we get there, and have a beer and a sandwich, and right at 7… the Japanese Bob Dylan arrives. You laugh. I did a little… He is awesome And his band. They were rocking the faces off this place. It was so good. I loved every minute of it.

Just one point I had to thank God, just for giving me the ability to explore, and to make new friends, and to somehow find myself in a Bob Dylan bar in Japan, with an editor from the Japan Times, his wife, a writer for the Japan Times, his girlfriend, and my friend David sitting around a table watching the Japanese Bob Dylan. The editor has bought every record since 1966, and was just flipping out the whole time. You don’t just accidentally get to experience stuff like this. Perhaps it’s something to file away for future thought and processing.

Running a little late getting out of here today, quicker breakfast and shower, then one more full day of fun. Not sure what I’m doing yet, but it will be fun. And then meeting some of the interns for free Bible study in the park at Shimbuya at 3. Praise the Lord!

God Bless everyone, talk to you soon!

I roamed around the Shinjuku section of the city after lunch, not particularly going anywhere, just me and my map and my backpack. I had a meeting set with my contact from the International Missions Board at 3. So for the first time on the trip I did my very favorite thing to do in a large city, board the subway!

Now, one big thing is different about Tokyo. Not a whole lot of English on the subway ticket screen. And the stations are huge, like whole city blocks. I finally got some help buying my ticket, from an employee who was awesome, he even walked me to the entrance to the subway. Sweet!

The other problem was I bought too little fare, so when I got to the other side, I couldn’t get out! And I couldn’t find a way to pay the difference. I finally got that figured out after about 10 minutes and we were well on our way.

Next, to either find Starbucks or a pay phone. I could find neither. Blessing for me, Buddy was looking out for lost Americans and spotted me from 2 miles away :) So we hooked up and headed to Starbucks.

I was so excited to meet him and learn his story and his family’s story and about what God is doing in Japan. We shared our testimonies and talked about Japan and what I might like to do. I asked him a thousand questions. I have a brand new insight on what that life is like, the positives, the negatives, the blessings, and the frustrations, and I’m going to keep asking God to show me if that might be something in my future.

I do know this.. Japan needs Christ. And while streams of missionaries go to countries all around it, Japan is very overlooked by Christians overall. Prosperity enhances the need for Christ, and just because the water’s clean doesn’t mean the gospel is not needed.

I know I have alluded to it, for those reading these updates regularly.. the shrines are pretty to look at. But these gods are not alive. There is one God. Christ says ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’ and that nobody comes to the Father except through Him. Not Buddah, not Mohammed, not your ancestors. They are all dead. Dead people can’t save you. Christ, the living God who rose from the dead, can save you. The true temple now is Christ, and by extension, each believer.

This place is so lost spiritually. No less than the churches of Europe with architecture to end all architecture, but with no worshippers left to give it any meaning. The Japanese people are beautiful and wonderful. And Americans could learn a lot from them on many things. But there is a need for Christ here in a big, big way.

I got to spend the evening worshiping with Buddy’s family and some of the interns that are here helping him in Tokyo. Melanie and Lindsey cooked dinner, and Trent, Audrey and Sonya were there, as well as Ashley, Adam and Avery, Buddy’s children. What an amazing group, and what an experience to be able to worship with them in the heart of West Tokyo. I won’t ever forget this night.

I won’t ever look at missions the same, or my Bible, or God. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend this extra time in Tokyo to meet with them.

Then the subway back with 2 of my new friends, and then back into the room just in time for the lights to go out. Another day in Tokyo done. Two and a half days left on my trip. Tomorrow I will explore the subway in the morning, meet up with some missionaries to go to an orphanage at lunch time, then more exploring in the afternoon. Perhaps sunset at Shinbuya, which is the Times Square of Tokyo. I’ll probably go find Tokyo Baptist Church also and see if there’s any other Bible studies going on. Then Thursday I am meeting Sonya and a couple others for ‘Free Bible Study’ in Tokyo, where we will do Bible study, and give out Bibles and tracts to whoever we can talk to. I’m obviously limited in my Japanese speaking abilities, but maybe I’ll catch a couple of English speakers or be able to have one of my partners translate a few things.

Off to bed for now. What a super day! If tomorrow is any sweeter I might explode with excitement, seriously. Good night everyone from my awesome bunk bed at the Tokyo International Hostel. Sayonara!!