Posted January 10, 2010

Tomohisa had reached a coveted status in Japan’s vertically-ordered society: medical doctor. Along with the status came wealth, which he used to buy the affection of women…and lots of booze. His selfishness blinded... [Read More]

Posted December 2, 2011

When the warning sirens went off, residents in a south Sendai neighborhood fled to the local school. Together with panicked children still in class they climbed to the rooftop. Some 600 altogether... [Read More]

Japanese Get "Bach" Hope

Posted September 21, 2011

Who would have thought Bach would be involved in 21st century mission work in Japan? I have frequently read with interest of the strong connection between classical music (particularly J.S. Bach) and Japanese interest... [Read More]

Tsunami Ground Zero

Posted April 7, 2011

I still haven't returned from tsunami ground zero. That is to say, although I've been back several days already, the reality of the scene is still with me. The incredible amounts of mud in once beautiful homes... [Read More]

"Nice Try, Kevin" File

Posted February 9, 2011

This one goes into the "Nice try, Kevin" file. I just thought it was a nice-looking bunch of flowers in the storefront and, on the spur of the moment, decided Kaori deserved to enjoy them. Chrysanthemums, however, are... [Read More]

The Gulliver Complex

Posted November 9, 2007

I'm a giant again. Well, not really. But it sure feels like it again since returning from the States. The first sign was bumping my head in the shuttle bus from the airport. By habit, I normally duck my head through any... [Read More]

Foreigners Don't Get the Point

Posted January 31, 2010

I'm standing in line at a drugstore with other shoppers. The woman in front of me has just pulled out a business card file. Hurriedly she flips through at least a hundred or more cards searching for the right one. It's a... [Read More]

More Powerful than Bombs

Posted July 5, 2008

Fuchida grew up loving his native Japan and hating the United States, which treated Asian immigrants harshly in the first half of the twentieth century. Fuchida attended a military academy, joined Japan's... [Read More]

Ready?

Posted September 14, 2010

I'd been putting it off. Although I knew it was important, taking inventory of our earthquake and disaster gear just wasn't getting done. Japan rests along the "ring of fire" in the Pacific ocean, a stretch of area that is... [Read More]

150 Years Later

Posted March 17, 2009

This spring marks the 150th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Japan. The first protestant missionaries set foot in the port of Yokohama back in 1859. Now they were real church planters -- overcoming all... [Read More]

Rambling Notes from Japan

Here are some blog posts that we hope will make you feel a part of things, and help you understand how to pray better for us and Japan. Please see our external blog in Blogger, if this page does not display correctly.

Brace for Impact?

June 4, 2011 12:17 | Devotional, Earthquake, Technology, Tsunami | Permalink

As small aftershocks keep coming two and a half months after the major 3/11 quake, Japan's hi-tech Earthquake Early Warning System is getting increasing scrutiny.

The hi-tech system was rolled out to much fanfare just a few years back. It's set up to ring, vibrate and flash the 125 million plus cell phones throughout Japan when an earthquake is imminent. Sounds great. Makes me feel more secure. Technology is infallible, right? The problem is that technology, and this system, still depends on a fallible human link.

The biggest failing of the system was with the 3/11 quake. No early warning from cell phones. Several hours later, long after the tsunami had done its worst, the cell phones spewed out their first warning of the day. No doubt the person asleep at the switch with this one paid for the mistake with his job.

Since then the person in charge of pushing the button to alert all cell phones seems to be overcompensating for the 3/11 early warning boondoggle. The alert sounds. The cell phone vibrates off the table, lights flashing. We scatter away from windows. We open doors that might get jammed. We grab something solid and wait. And then...and then...nothing.

It's not that we're disappointed there wasn't another aftershock, it's just that these "cry wolf" false warnings that rattle us out of bed and our days activities are making it harding to trust the early warning technology at all.

Create technology so we needn't depend on God. Find comfort and security in buttons and gizmos and transistors. This is the natural direction of man, full of himself and his desire to master and rule his world. There's nothing wrong with using God-given wisdom to create technology to better our lives. But when dependence on technology moves us away from dependence on God, a problem emerges in our heart. Japan has long had this unhealthy dependence on technology to the exclusion of God. Its spiritual awakening starts with realizing the limits of man's wisdom and abilities. Pray that this disaster will open Japan's eyes to the need for a dependable source of security, the unshakeable ROCK, our God.

[See Older Posts]