Dear Prayer Partners,
Faith comes by hearing… at least that’s what Paul writes to the believers living in Rome in the 10th chapter of his well-known letter. Of course faith comes to each of us as a gift, through various channels – sight, smell, touch & taste as well as by hearing. But there seems to be a special emphasis in Paul’s words about the power of HEARING good news. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had the same opportunity to hear the message about Jesus Christ and the truly abundant life that is freely offered to each of us!?
On January 1, 2010 we began a small project called the “Daily Audio Bible – Japan”. You can read more details about it here. Although our progress has been slow, we have continued to faithfully produce this short daily 5-minute podcast which includes the reading of a new testament portion of scripture followed by a brief message. The host is Pastor Kogure, our colleague, and the reading is done by his daughter Akari, who will be graduating from high school this month.
Next week (March 2,3,and 4) there will be a special series of large concerts and gatherings put on by Franklin Graham and the Samaritan’s Purse relief organization in the city of Sendai. These are to commemorate the one year that has passed since the earthquake and tsunamis devastated much of the coastal areas of Tohoku. The event is billed as a “Celebration of Hope” and we pray that it will be just that for many Japanese who have suffered so much. Various flyers and materials will be distributed during those concerts and on one of the printed postcards (produced with the help of CRASH Japan – a Christian relief organization) DAB-J will invite folks to listen to the Bible. A small QR code (like a barcode) will be printed on the card and by scanning the code with their cell phones Japanese will be able to go right to the mobile site to hear the Bible read or to subscribe to the podcast. Will you pray with us that many will somehow find this resource, click on the links, and begin the adventure of faith that starts with HEARING THE GOOD NEWS? Will you forward this email to any of your Japanese friends (wherever in the world they may be living) who might be interested in this resource?
I’ve included a couple links below that you might want to check out. I know of many wonderful Bible reading resources – such as YouVersion – that are out there and being used by many. I can also highly recommend the English version of Daily Audio Bible and encourage you to try listening sometime. Here are those links.
Daily Audio Bible (host organization for DAB – English plus many other languages)
DailyAudio Bible Japan (This is the page in Japanese that explains the podcast and offers several links and suggestions for how to subscribe and listen)
Mobile apps are also available for iPhone, iPad, and Android (Daily Audio Bible App)
Well, that’s enough links and tech-talk. Honestly, we’re really not interested much in the media itself – what we’re passionate about is God’s Word. Thanks for specially lifting up this project in your prayers over the next month. May many Japanese become listeners, hear the good news, and be led into faith.
Your partners in prayer and mission,
Tim & Andrea Johnson
(Sam, Lilla & Sky)
