Author: Ron Baker

Japan and Canada are not that different.

OK — one is an island, the other stretches for miles surrounded on three sides by water.

But in other ways we are similar.  Perhaps it is the last few decades that are bringing us together.

The pressure of the job is tremendous.  And now, in Japan, the “company” cannot be counted on to give security.  Youth are not always looking for a career when they graduate — a MacDonald’s job is fine (their parents still have to support them).  Hope is a commodity not easily assimilated into daily life.

Japan is not a poor country.  Citizens love to travel.  But money does not overcome loneliness.  The bonds of family loyalty are being stretched.

As I have listened to, interacted with, and shared life together with Don and Carol Love and their family, I’m surprised at how Japan, their adopted country, mirrors a number of Canadian quandries.  As they spoke of religion, the civil society was exposed.  We too live in  a country where we have relative stability.  And yet the veneer of civility could easily be stripped away.  There is little foundation for love of neighbours or family loyalty.  The secular person refers back to religion to appease powers and gods.  Only Christianity brings a reason for love that is based in forgiveness and a loving God.

As our societies continue to collapse, the true distinctiveness of Christianity will be exposed.  Not without opposition.  Not without defiance.  But the contrast will grow more evident.

Don and Carol Love arrived this evening.  As missionaries from Japan, they brought with them various curios (a visual display of the culture of Japan – I think that would be the more politically correct way to describe it – the word “curios” has this imperialistic sense to it!).

As if curios aren’t enough, they opened up a laptop computer (Gateway) and on it was the Japanese version of Windows.  Now, I don’t read Japanese, but I know how Windows works.  So, as Carol navigated through the various tabs and windows, I’m looking at squiggles.  Nothing that I can connect the graphics to, at all!

Reminds me of the first few days of reading Hebrew (at least Greek looked somewhat familiar).  As I looked at Hebrew, and realized you read it backwards (or do we read things backward, and they are reading things forward), I wondered if I would ever understand the language.  8 months later I had a rudimentary grasp and years later I can still pick up an Old Testament (Stuttgartensia is the one I use, for you afficianados of language) and read the basic text, with a lexicon in hand.

Tomorrow we get further instruction on Japan at an 8:00 breakfast, and we will take the family (they have four children) to the Goose Festival parade.  In the afternoon we will talk a bit about a possible short term trip to Japan.  On Sunday will be more exposure to Japan, along with a potluck.  When all is said, and done, I’m looking forward to a greater understanding of Japanese culture and of how we can be a part of entering into that land with the good news that Jesus brings.

Well, today I am 53, and born in ’53.

That should make me healthy, wealthy and wise.  OK, I do have bad knees, but otherwise I’m in fair shape.  The wealthy part is debatable.  Wise — I don’t know whether that part is true — although they say that wisdom is admitting you don’t know.

In past years I have shared my birthday with Candace Bighead, a teen friend of mine in Prince Albert.  We started having birthdays together when she was around 5 or so.

So, to my amazement, when we moved to Kindersley I met Matthew Kehrer.  He also has the same birthday and turned 5 today.  We had lasagna and corn, sherbet and cake.  I watched with great glee as Matthew opened presents and played with new matchbox toys and take apart vehicles.

As well, Tyson Kennedy also had a birthday today — he’s grade five and entering those double digit years.  I dropped of a present for him before he arrived home from school.

All three of us got YoYo’s — I can hardly wait to see how well we can work them! 

i guess we are just a bunch of YoYo’s!

You’ve probably heard of the deep sleep –  REM sleep.  Generally we enter into 1 1/2 hour periods of rest, awaken and fall immediately back to sleep.  When we our sleep is fulfilled, we awake refreshed.

Now, you’ve heard of the Einstein syndrome, where you sleep for 15 minutes and awaken refreshed (based on the “cat naps” the Albert Einstein supposedly took during his daily routine).  There was a pastor who used to close his door, tell his secretary he was busy, and drop off for a few minutes.  I’m not sure how refreshed he was afterwards, but he claimed he was.

So today, I came home and lay down for 20 minutes.  I usually turn on talk radio — when I’m tired that immediately puts me to sleep.  As the 20 minutes came to an end, I heard the news just beginning. 
Great alarm clock.  At the same time the phone rang and I jumped from bed.

I felt very refreshed.  Of course, you have to put the day in context.  I had pulled in front of one car, couldn’t quite get the car to park properly, and somehow my mind was wandering.  All signs that the sleep battery is slowing down.

Now, if I hit the sack at 11:00, I’ll awaken at 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, 5:00, 6:30 and 8:00.  Of course, I usually get up at 3:00/3:30 for about an hour — read the Bible, journal and pray — so that sets the schedule off by an hour. 

When all is said and done, it takes more brain power to figure out the sleep schedule than to just do it! 

Maybe that’s why most people could never be accountants  — most of us are more interested in spending the money than in figuring out how much we have to spend.

Maybe that’s why we need more accountants — at least we wouldn’t be quite as broke!!