GospelRest

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

Almost two years ago, we had the large tree in our front yard cut down because it was causing problems with the electric wires and was keeping any sun from getting to the front of the house. The stump that was left is about 2 feet tall and hidden behind a bush so you can’t even see it.

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Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. John 16:13-14

Map reading in Tokyo is so much different from map reading in a U.S. city. In the U.S. the streets aren’t always laid out in a nice grid formation but they do have names and an indication if they are north, south, east or west of whatever the central point is. I often joke that Tokyo streets were laid out by a drunken snake. In truth, the ancient system of streets was to confuse the enemy and make it more difficult Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

A few years ago we purchased a house. We are like most in that we paid for part of it and took out a bank loan for the rest. The day we signed the papers, we moved into our new house. What an exciting, terrifying, wonderful and exhausting day. We were now the proud owners of a house with all of the responsibilities that go along with ownership. Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

In our nearly 23 years of living in Japan, we have come to enjoy watching sumo. At first it was a substitute for American football, but eventually we learned to appreciate it on its own merits.

Recently we had the unusual opportunity to visit a sumo stable. This is where the sumo wrestlers (rikishi) live and practice. We were able to watch them practice from 6 AM to 9:30AM. These practice Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert, Psalm 95:7-8

Japan is known for its crowded commuter trains. I experience this occasionally, but every time seems worse than the memory of the time before. Since I don’t commute into work, I don’t ride very often during the early morning rush hour. The other day I wondered if my arm would be broken before I got off. (For a horrifying video, not taken Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. Psalm 36:6-8

When we first moved to Japan, ladies always wore hats in the summer to keep the sun off their heads and especially off their faces. Over the last several years hats have been replaced with parasols. At first I thought, “Who would want to carry an ‘umbrella’ Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:18-19

 Once a year our neighborhood association sets aside a day to clean the storm sewers. This involves lifting off the grates and scooping out the rotting leaves and other putrid matter that has accumulated over that year. Clean water is then poured into them Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

             From the bus window I saw the sign that said Smile Search, a realtor. What a wonderful name for a company that helps people find the place that will bring a smile to their faces. I remember what it felt like when we looked at the house that we bought in the States. I hated the curtains, the walls were dirty and in need of paint, the sellers Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way

Elaine Mehn

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

I recently received a letter encouraging us as we serve Jesus. I appreciated the encouragement as there are times when I wonder if anyone cares but the letter did not use the name Jesus. Rather it used the letter J. Using “J” instead of typing out Jesus did Read the rest of this entry »

Thoughts Along the Way©

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for walking to the post office. As I stepped out the front door, I thought, “It is so nice I really don’t need my coat.” A few steps from the door; the sunshine was blocked by other buildings and the wind that had been blocked by the house now hit me. I was now thinking that maybe I needed a warmer coat and a hat and gloves. It was only two steps but they made a world of difference.

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