Monthly Report

Well,
it's been about a month since my last post, so I felt it was time for an update. For the update to be complete, I would need about another month, but we'll do what we can with what we've got.

First off, I signed another year-long contract with my employer to work at some junior high schools (JHS) in the Yokohama area. Teaching English is not my forte, and it's becoming quite tiresome. Which leads me to my next news.

I've started playing guitar for the praise band at Tokyo Baptist Church. I'd been considering it for a few months; weighing the pros and cons. I know it's my gift; it's the one thing that I know how to do and enjoy doing. I was reluctant at first, though, because there are some "divas" in the singer section, and one in particular that I didn't want to endorse by my presence in front of the church. Eventually though, I was convicted to make use of the things that God gives me, and I know music is a gift.

Another desire of my heart is to be a professional songwriter and musician for the Lord; a sort of travelling music minister. Because of Renata's great encouragement and willingness to bear the burden of a musician's wife's life (and, of course, the aforementioned wisdom from the Lord), I've been convinced to resume recording. She has a lot of recording equipment already in her home (she runs gospelbrasil.com, a webradio station), so, with the stuff that I brought from the US, we have a complete home studio (praise the Lord). I don't exactly know how it's all going to work out, but recording is the first step to getting the music out to those who will listen, so here we go.

Speaking of Renata, we completed the paperwork in Japan for marriage, so we're offically married! The ceremony is still a month away, so I doesn't feel different like I thought it would. It feels good, though. I love my wife!

Therefore, I am in the process of moving, which continues to get more laborious each time. Hopefully, we will be finished moving things by the end of the month. It's going to be expensive, but I'm not sure exactly how expensive yet.

This last part is a prayer request. I've thought about, even dreamed of being a musician for a long time. I have watched my share of rocumentaries about bands who spent years living in squalor to achieve the measure of success they did or didn't maintain. I'm not looking to be rich and famous (I believe the point of good music is to glorify God and the encourage the church), but I am looking to support a family and, eventually, children. I've been very convicted about selling this music to the in-front-of-the-temple-money-changer music corporations and want this to serve God and His people. The point of all that is to say there is a real fear inside me of failure; both the rejection and the financial ruin that comes with it. This is a faith issue, and I need more of it. Please pray for powerful faith that steps out of all comfort zones to magnify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ.

G'night yáll