Moving at the Speed of Light

16 August 2020

Dear Phyllis,

Praise the Lord, the screws are getting tighter. Last week Tucker Ca.rlson observed, “America is a radically different country than it was seven months ago”. Man howdy, that is true! A year ago, if you had predicted that America would be what it is today everyone would have said, “Impossible”. It is not only America, but world wide. The entire world got slam shut down. America, Thailand, the Philippines, Pakistan; you name it, the entire world got shut down. Today Covid-19 is not a health issue but a black and white political fight. Trump wants to open the country up and the bad guys are determined that the country stay closed to destroy the economy. The arguments are ridiculous. A good doctor posted an article on line why the schools should be opened and his message got taken down.

Last week I saw a paper written by John MacArthur and an interview by Tucker Carlson, where he has thrown down the gauntlet and defied California law to have church service and sing. He said, “I will not allow a civil government tell me who, when, where, and how to worship Jesus Christ”. The California governor put out a mandate restricting how many could attend church and singing was illegal. UNBELIEVABLE! There is a gym owner in New Jersey who is in jail. First they told him he couldn't open his gym – he did it anyway. Then the authorities locked his doors – he tool the doors off. Then they threw him in jail. It will be interesting to see if MacArthur goes to jail.

Matt. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 all cover the same issue – what will it be like at the end of the world. We all know what Jesus answered about earthquakes, natural disasters, wars and rumors of wars. false prophets, the fig tree, etc. But listed in there is a warning of intense persecution. Revelation 6 is as clear and any passage in Scripture about the end of the world. In heaven there is a Book with Seven Seals. The first four Seals are four horses; white, red, black, pale. Volumes have been written about these four horses. The 5^th Seal is souls under the alter. These are millions who have been martyred. Persecution is one of the most dominate features of end times. There is no question but what Rev. 6:12-17 and Rev. 16:17-21 are the same event. The only difference between chapter 6 and 16 is that the 7^th Bowel, in 16:17-21 is before Jesus gets off His horse and the 6^th Seal, in 6:12-17, is after Jesus gets off His horse. In chapter 16 men curse and blaspheme God, and in chapter 6 men are terrified and calling on mountains an rocks to hide them from the Lamb. The answer to the question about the 7^th Seal is that the 6^th Seal tells us the end of the story, and the 7^th Seal goes back to the beginning telling us how we got there.

We all know the big picture. We all know that the world will go to globalism and a super man will take over – the anti-christ. He will have a seven year rule; and, man howdy, will there be persecution. The world will have the 666. Without that you are economically shut out. Then there will be Armageddon in Israel. Clearly that is Ezek. 38 and 39. We have a better picture of that in Rev. 19:11-21. That is when Jesus gets on His horse and comes back to clean out the anti-christ, and saves Israel. That is the time I want a horse to ride with Jesus.

There is nothing I have written here that is news. I have written about this many times. Anyone who knows the ABC of eschatology is familiar with all I have written. But if the world is shutting down and the sun is setting on humanity, what is such good news about that? Everyone is terrified by all these horrible things coming. It all depends which side of the field you are sitting on. The earth side is grim. Mens hearts failing for fear. But on the other side of the field, in heaven, they are celebrating. (Rev. 14, 15) More than that Jesus told us, “When these things come to pass, then LOOK UP, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. … When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away until all be fulfilled” (Lk. 21:28,31,32). Maybe, if they are having a celebration in heaven we should start to cheer down here.

Let's be serious; what we are seeing now is only the beginning of the final act. The party is going to get rough. Like it is going to get real rough. John Heggie said that the carona virus is the dress rehearsal for 666. He may be right. This isn't the real thing, but it sure is a good practice. Who would have believed that the entire world could be so dramatically transformed is such a short time?

What is going to happen to America? It doesn't take a prophet or a political annalist to observe that an unbelievable transformation has already taken place in America. Sixty years ago who would believe that today we have nationally sponsored the slaughter of 40,000,000 unborn babies. The governor of Virginia is a medical doctor. He openly declared that we should have healthy babies, after they are born, resuscitated and made comfortable, that the doctor should be able to have an intelligent discussion with the mother whether or not to keep him or destroy him. Fifty years ago that man would have lost his medical license immediately and probably put in jail. Today he is elected governor of Virginia. Hillary Clinton is blatantly one of the most criminal women in America and she got the majority of the votes to be president. The media has abandoned all pretext of being honest news and has openly demonstrated that they are the propaganda wing of the devils political program. Cities in America are on fire and the majority of the residence have elected some of the most unimaginably bad people to be in charge. What we are seeing today in unimaginable. It defies sanity. But here we are.

How did we get here? I believe the devil's first move was to take over the seminaries with bad theologians who have raised several generations of liberal pastors. I wonder if John Wesley, Johnathon Edwards, Charles finny would have believed that the denomination and schools that they founded would be ordaining lesbians and sodomites for pastors, sponsor same sex marriages and be cheer leader for some of the most radical social positions. And the amazing thing is that conservative, biblical pastors are intimidated to speak out against it. Then the devil took over the universities and the public education system in America. Today those institutions are dominated by some of the most radical, anti-traditional American advocates going. Small wonder that tens of thousands of crazy young people are looting and burning down our cities. And there is a strong national movement to defund police. Great ideal. If we can get rid of the police we can eliminate crime. Where in the world are we?

Hold your hat Hanna, we are moving at the speed of light. We all know what Jesus and the Bible have clearly told us what the world will be like when He comes back. This is not news. But the thing that is so breath-taking is the speed that this is happening. Thank God for John MacArthur. Go for it, brother. He probably won't go to jail because he challenges the criminal governor of California, but there are, and will be a number of people in jail for lessor offenses – like not wearing a face mask. We are not quite there yet, but we are almost to the place where pastors will be in prison for speaking against sexual perversion. Then it will get worse. Which way the pendulum will swing is anybodys guess. The good guys in the white hats might win again and the some of the bad guys might go to jail, but what we are seeing in many states today will be law nation, and probably, world wide real soon. I get sick to my stomach looking at the news. But really that is good news. If we are where we are today, that only means we are not far from the final act. That is really good news. If there ever was a time to stand strong and get tough for Jesus it is now.

Let's do it, bill

 

Suffering

 

9 August 2020

Dear Phyllis,

A couple weeks ago when I wrote to you about Job and Peter, there was a funny Ron Blough story that I wanted to share but space did not permit.

In 1966 Ron and Marlene came back to Japan after a one year furlough to find the Church of the Open Door had virtually collapsed. The next day the land lord told him the land had been sold. That was the guidance he needed. “I'm going to Hokkaido.” Ron checked shipping cost and was told it would cost him $1000 to ship his things to Sapparo. Ron found a used truck for $1000 and went 50-50 with Ed Scalf to haul his belongings up to Sapporo himself. He would use the truck, and when he was done the truck was Ed's. Three months, three blown engines and 17 flat tires later Ron got as far as Sendai when the engine gave up the ghost for the third time. Ron got out, called a tow truck to haul him into town. While he was waiting another tire blew for the 18^th time. He thought, while he was waiting for the tow truck, he might as well change the tire. As he was getting out his tools a little bird flew over and dumped slam on his head. When Ron told me that story I roared. He looked at me grimly and said, “Brother, it wasn't funny. That was something that came from heaven. There are 120,000,000 people in Japan and that little bird had to pick me to dump on.”. Ron said, it was just like the angel Gabriel was talking to the Father in heaven and asked him, “What do you think of Ron Blough?” And the Father said, “Let Me show you”. Then He sent an little bird to dump on Ron's head.

In Job's case, when the second disaster fell on him the servant told him, “Fire of God is fallen from heaven and burned up all your sheep” (Job 1: 16). Sometimes that is the way it looks. The fire came from heaven and the little bird's dropping came from heaven. But with Job, the six trials that came on him was the greatest blessing of his life. That horrible time saved him from self-righteousness and made him a genuinely transformed man. And in Peter's case when the devil sifted him like wheat, the only thing he lost was his self confidence and arrogance, that made him a truly humble servant to be the great apostle.

It is academic; we can argue whether God sends trials or allows bad things to happen to us from the devil, but the fact remains we all are going to have to walk through thorns to get to heaven. Samuel Rutherford was defrocked from his pulpit in Anwoth and sent to Aberdeen in exile and eight years of silence. At first Rutherford chaffed badly and said, “The Lord has cast me as a dry tree over the wall and will use me no more”. Like Job, he had some hard things to say about Jesus. But later we wrote, “My enemies have sent me here as my prison but they didn't realize this is my palace. I was a child before, but the Lord has brought me here to show Me the beauty of Jesus.” He never stopped chaffing over his “silent Sabboths”, but his letters are filled with praise and thanks giving for what Jesus had done for him in Aberdeen. Rutherford never stopped grieving over his silence, but little did he realize that for the next 400 years hundreds of thousands of Christians would be enormously blessed by his letters. The Letters of Samuel Rutherford are absolutely unique in all of Christian literature. He later went on to be a famous professor in a seminary and had an extensive ministry. Some of his letters are during the post-Aberdeen experience, but they don't have the same flavor. Hands down, his greatest ministry was during his eight years of silence.

Afflictions are basic to the Christian life. Paul warned the Thessalonians, “That no man should be moved by these afflictions; know that we ARE APPOINTED thereunto. We told you before that we should suffer tribulation” (1 Thes. 3:3,4). Peter wrote to the believers of his day that when we “endure grief, suffering wrongfully,

to take it patiently; for even hereunto WE ARE CALLED, because, Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example example, that we should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:19-21).

Do you want to follow the steps of Jesus and be like Jesus? Try poverty, persecution, and a violent death. Jesus was homeless. He said, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has not the where to lay His head” (Lk, 9:58). Jesus was broke. He didn't have the money to pay His tax. He had to tell Peter to go catch a fish and take a coin out to pay their taxes (Mt. 17:27). He probably only had one garment. He was persecuted and run out of one town after another. And in the end He suffered a horrible violent death. Maybe Peter didn't rally mean we should be like Jesus and follow in His steps. That was just for Jesus. But all but one disciple were martyred, and millions upon millions upon millions of Christians have followed Jesus with serious poverty and violent deaths. Perhaps it might be corectly said that a CROSSLESS CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A CHRISTLESS CHRISTIAN LIFE.

I don't know what these prosperity gospel preachers are talking about. They tell us it is the will of God that we all drive Mercedes and live a illness free life for 91 years and then peacefully go to heaven to receive our great reward. Maybe they are right. Most of them live in million dollar homes and fly around in private jets. It sure is a good way to raise money. It is a strange day we have come to in Christianity. I wonder what Peter or Paul would think if they were with us today. My sisters gardener got saved in a Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles many years ago. When I met him I said, “I heard you got saved last year.” He didn't know what saved meant. I went on, “I heard you went forward and accepted Christ. Has your life been much different since then?” He lit up and said, “Oh yes. Since then my business has boomed and I have made a lot of money. My daughter won a beauty contest and is going to be a fashion model.” “What church do you go to?” “Saint Mary's” Poor turkey. When He meets Jesus in judgment I believe he should plead “False advertisement”.

One of the few Christian groups that I believe have it right is the Jesus Family in China when their invitation was SACRIFICE, ABANDONMENT, POVERTY, SUFFERING, DEATH. That sound pretty much like what Jesus was offering and talking about.

Suffering is not a bad thing. Paul said, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproches, in persecutions, in distress for Christs sake, for when I am weak then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations”. Then he lists the positive results that come out of having a bad time. Fire is not a bad thing. All it did was burn the ropes off the three Hebrew heroes (Dan. 3:25). All fire does to gold is take the impurities out. It takes a lot of hammering to shape a block to fit it in the temple. It takes a lot of filing to sharpen our swords. Suffering is as much apart of the Gospel as salvation itself. It might be said that without suffering we wouldn't be perfected to be altered for heaven. Looking back over my life I can pretty put down a zero for a final score. But I thank God for that zero. I dread to think what would have happened to me if the Lord had given me half a dozen of the successful ministries I asked Him for. Of course I wanted to do it all for the glory of God, but I am afraid I would have been badly sun burned basking in the glory of such successful works. Now at the end of the road I can honestly say that I see things in Jesus that I never saw before. Like Rutherford in Aberdeen, these years of silence have probably been the best years of my life. Jesus has never been more real. Oh, He is wonderful!

Some of Ron Blough's 3 burned up engines and 18 flat tires might have been self-inflicted. I don't know about the bird dropping. It may not have come from heaven, but the Lord has a purpose in all He send us and we can thank Him again for Rom. 8:28.

Thank God, bill

Great Men of Japan

26 July 2020

Dear Phyllis,

It has been my great privilege to have known a number of the finest Christian men of our time. When I first went to Japan everyone was talking about Joe Carroll. He had been there twice in 1954 and the next year in 1955 as the speaker for the Karuiawa missionary conference and they had had what was probably the best conference in post-war Japan. I thought I would like to hear this man one time before I died. Little did I realize I would later be his disciple and spend many year working and living with him. Yes he was good, in his day he was arguably the finest preacher in the English language world wide. But I have known other men who may have had more of Christ.

Of those men I would have to put Neil Verwey as the finest Christian man I have ever met. Neil certainly was not the best preacher, and perhaps not the top missionary – though he was probably among the top ten in Japan. But I never met a man who was more Christ-like. It was my privilege to be closely associated with him for over 20 years and watched him respond under the most challenging situations.

One of the highlights was a time when we had a serious disagreement. We had an argument over what I have always thought was the most ridiculous issue of my life. To this day I feel Neil's position was incomprehensible, but he sincerely held it. It was an argument over some rent. When we had a squabble over the rent Neil said, “Look I will pay the rent, but in my heart I feel you should”. That was no solution. It went on for a month. One day I went to Habikino to give Neil the money for the rent and we got into a hot go-around. Finally Neil pleaded, “Let's pray”. “NO! We can pray after we get this settled.” We got to an impossible impasse. Then Neil pulled a stunt that has probably never happened any other place on this planet. Neil was a big man (spiritually). He was close to being one of the highest Christian statesmen in Japan and was very well known world wide. He was the founder and director of one of the best mission in Japan. Neil got out of his chair and crawled on his hands and knees to my chair and lay flat on the floor with his head on my feet crying. You talk about motivation. I came out of that chair like it was an ejection seat in a jet fighter and hit the floor with a thud. Pray? Yes we did. We prayed like I had never prayed in my life. I prayed the holiest prayer of my life and couldn't think of another word to say. Neil broke out again and prayed, “Lord, I am the worst man in Japan. I have the hardest head on earth. Bill said he would rather deal with the devil than with me. Lord, my heart is breaking. I long to hear Bill say, 'I forgive you'.” That's it folks. What do you say after that? I can't remember. All I recall is getting up off the soaked floor and embracing. For the life of me I couldn't recall what the problem was. Neil picked up the envelop with rent money and handed it back to me, saying, “I hope this problem is settled”. My heart sank. I cried, “Neil. Please don't bring up that problem again”. He quietly said, “Yes, I understand”, and kept it. Over the years, Neil Verwey gave me thousands and thousands of dollars.

Four years ago I had my back slam to the wall. We were in Laos to get a Thai visa. I was dead broke and didn't have money to get home. I did something I have never done in my life and wrote his son, David Verwey, asking if they could send me some money to get out of this hole. David sent me $1,000. Two years later when I was in Japan I thanked David for the $1,000 he sent me at that critical time. David stunned me by saying, “That money didn't come from me”. On his death bed, Neil had given $1,000 to David with the instruction, “If Bill Cook is ever in a tight spot, please send this money to him”. On his death Neil had given me money to get out of that jam in Laos.

Another time I had a weird experience. I had just returned to Japan from being a long time in Thailand. I went back to Hatoyama to stay in my old room at NLL. That night I had the worst anxiety attack of my life. I don't remember why but it was a zinger. I was absolutely panic stricken but I didn't know what to do. Early the next morning I woke up with my mind racing in all kinds of insane direction. Finally I decided walk to Osaka (500 km). I put on some walking shoes, took my Bible, and left NLL to walk 500 km to Osaka. I went 300 meters and came to the bus stop. I thought, “This is crazy. I had Y100 in my pocket. Why not take the bus the first 30 km to Tokyo?” I was next to broke, but thought, “I still have Y10,000 in my bank account. If I'm going to die I don't need that money. Why not draw it out and buy a bus ticket to Ikoma?” I did and got the night bus to Ikoma.

When I got down there everything was fine. I felt good and had a great time visiting my friends in that area for one week. But I still was very quezy about returning to Hatoyama. When I told Neil about my experience and had drawn my last Y10,000 from the bank because I was going to die and didn't need the money, he secretly put another Y10,000 in my account. The last night I was in Ikoma I had a dream. The Lord told me that the devil had erected some strong holds in my heart that needed to be torn down. I was staying with the Hirotas. The next morning when I went down stairs for breakfast, Miyuki told me that Neil had called and wanted to see me. When I went to see him he immediately got out the Bible and began to show me Bible verses. I said, “Neil, your dead wrong. This isn't about instruction. The Lord told me that the devil has erected a strong hold in my heart that must be torn down (2 Cor. 10:4). We began to pray. It was a prayer like you have never heard. If you ever write a book on spiritual warfare and want to include a chapter on how to tear down spiritual stronghold - and you had a transcript of Neil's prayer, I wouldn't recommend including it. It wasn't a typical in-Jesus'-name-get-out prayer. He didn't command the devil to leave. But Neil cried to God like a mother praying over a dying baby. I don't recall what he said but I will never forget the pathos with which he prayed. I don't know what happened, but I do know that in 20 minutes I was a totally free man. Whatever it was, it was gone. Twenty hours later when I got back to NLL everything was fine. That was as black and white experience with anxiety as I have ever had.

Neil Verwey was not an Impressive man. You weren't struck by his presence when he walked in a room. But he had the tremendous heart of a servant. You couldn't beat him to the dish pan to wash the dishes. He was always the lowest man in his mission. He rode the junkiest bicycle in the days before the had cars.

Roald Lidal was the finest business executive I ever met. In 1997 I said Roald Lidal is probably making the greatest impact for the Kingdom of God as an any man on this planet. New Life League (now called New Life Ministries) was the principle supplier of Bibles for the house church movement that was experience the greatest expansion of the Body of Christ in New Testament history. His vision, his faith, His courage was as great as any man I knew. He ran an incredibly clean ship. And he was a first class Christian. But when he came to down-sizing staff he started with the weakest man in the printing section. When Neil came to the agonizing moment when he had to down-size, the first man he let go was his best man . I was stunned when he told me Endo was leaving. I asked, “Why him?”. Neil said, “Endo is the youngest and the most qualified man we have. He has the best shot at getting a new job.” The difference between Neil Verwey and Roald Lidal is that Roald was thinking first about how to make his organization better. Neil thought about the future of his individual employees.

I have known hundreds of excellent Christian men over the years. I have met some incredibly outstanding preachers. I have known a number of men that you knew a general was there when he walked in the room. But I never met a man that I felt more keenly embodied the Spirit of Jesus. What a goal to emulate! Jesus can do this for anyone if He can find the man with the right heart.

Have a great week walking with Jesus,

                                                      bill

Child Like

2 August 2020

Dear Phyllis,

The other day the Lord spoke to me in a strange way from a verse that I knew very well. The disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And Jesus replied, “Except ye be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 18:3). Anyone who has been saved more than two or three years should have read this verse four or five times. I have known it for many years and it is strange that I have never heard a message on it. The other day it came to me with fresh light. I was amazed that for 63 years I have been misreading it. Jesus said, “You must be converted”. When I read it, I have always thought that what He was saying was, “You've got to get saved”. When I read converted I always interpreted that as saved. The word converted never crossed my mind. Converted mean changed. If you read it that way, the verse takes on a whole new meaning. If we are going to get converted the question might be raised, from what to what? If we are going to get converted to be children it stands to reason that we are supposed to get changed from being an adult to being a child. That doesn't make much sense. That doesn't sound very Christian. If you are really mad at someone you might say, “When are you going to grow up?”. Or. “Stop acting like a child”. I don't know anyone who thinks the system should go the other way. But that is exactly what Jesus said. If that is the way the system works, and we are supposed to move from being an adult to being like a child, I'm afraid heaven is going to be a lonely place.

I have written about this and it is a chapter in The Inverted Kingdom. In that I said, “Some of the best missionaries I know are the most child-like.” Dave Martin was one. Dave Martin was stupid; he would do anything. One time he stood on his head in a pulpit. There is not one normal pastor in Japan would do that, but Dave was just like a child, and he was one of the best missionaries in the country.

But when I think of child-likeness I always think of John Cathcart. John Cathcart has got to be in the top tier of the greatest missionaries in Japan. And he was one of the stupidest. Some of the dumb stunts he would pull would drive a saint to drink. But John Cathcart stands by himself as a pioneer with few like him. It was his simplicity and child-likeness that made him so tremendously outstanding. He would do things that no one else would think of or dare to do. And the Lord usually blessed him for it.

Tenri City was the spookiest town in Japan. It was the headquarters for the Tenri religion and a city of over 70,000 people. And for 200 years no Christian dared to go into Tenri to proclaim the Gospel. It was one of the few towns in Japan that, if you knew nothing about it, and were passing through on a motor bike, a bad feeling would race up and down on your spine. John Cathcart went into Tenri in 1983 and started the first Christian church – which is thriving today. I have written to you several time about that church.

If you would choose one word to describe John it would have to be pioneer. He was the trail blazer. Gloria has got to stand by herself as one of the greatest missionary wives in the world. They met and married when they were together in Bible school in San Antonio. When John asked Gloria to marry him he told her, “Our first target will be Japan and then our next target will be Russia. That was in 1980 when Russia was still closed.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989 and Russia opened up, John and Gloria began studying Russian with a fine Russian couple that lived in their town. After studying a year and the elderly Russian coupled learned that they were serious about going there, they panicked. The woman cried and pleaded, “Please don't go. They will kill or kidnap your children.” Gloria said she seriously thought about buying a pistol to protect her children. Their youngest son, Johnny had bad Asama. One night he had a serious attack and John had to take him to the doctor in the middle of the night. It was 3:00 AM when they got to the doctor's clinic and Johnny seemed to be settling down a little; so John waited until 7:00 before he rang the door bell. When the doctor learned that they had been there for four hours waiting in the car, he was furious. He sternly told John, “Don't you ever pull a stunt like this again! I don't care what time it is day or night, ring the bell. That boy might have died.” John was greatly chastened by the rebuke by the doctor. He checked on the Asama condition in Vladivostok and found that it was one of the worst places in the world. For a year the devil had some good advice to share with John. Daily, John heard, “If you take that boy to Vladivostok you will be carrying him to his early grave. His blood will be on your hands.” Good advice, but John just kept pushing ahead. They lived in Vladivostok two years and Johnny never had another Asama attack. He was healed.

While John and Gloria were in Russia he pulled a stunt that never has been duplicated. One day he loaded his car with Bibles and tracts and drove 100 km out in the country to a fairly large high school. He walked in the principal's office and announced that he was an American missionary and had come to Russia to share the good news about Jesus. He told the principal that he wanted him to close all classes, get everyone in the auditorium, and he wanted to preach to them for an hour. The room got real quiet. John thought, “Well this is it. I hope someone tells Gloria what happened to me”. After a long pause, the principal raised his head and said, “We have had 70 years of communism. Let's try something different”. He rang the bell, got every in the auditorium, and John preached the Gospel for an hour; he gave an invitation for salvation, did counseling, and then went out to load his car. The principal came out to thank him, and invited him to come back again. Then John got in his car and drove to another school to do it all over again. For weeks and months John reached schools all over that area of the Russian Far East. He got on television and had a weekly one hour prime time TV gospel broadcast. He started many churches and baptized hundreds of believers. Like in Japan, he did many things that nobody in their right mind would think of or dare to try. John was crazy, he was just like a child, but that was what made him great.

He was only in Russia for two years and then came back to Japan for another year. In 1994 it was my great sorrow that he said he was leaving Japan to return to the states to live in Montana. I said, “Brother after you have gotten established and done so much, why in the world are you tossing in the towel and quitting now?” He replied, “I'm not quitting, but I am going home to save my family. My children don't know who they are. They don't know if they are Americans, Japanese, or Russians. After they get sorted out I will be back”. I couldn't argue with that. He was a missionary who put his family first. That was a very good idea. I have seen a number of missionaries who sacrificed their family and lost them.

John went back to rural Montana and started a church called Last Chance Chapel. I thought, that is just like John Carcart to call his church, The Last Chance Chapel, but I was surprised when he told me that was actually the name of the town established by a gold prospector who said, “This is my last chance” and struck gold there. I had the privilege of preaching there ten years ago and found it the best church I have been in in America.

His goal to save his children paid off. Everyone has turned out spectacular. Three came back to Japan as missionaries. Joseph turned out to be better than his dad. He is not as crazy as his father but he has penetrated the culture and has become more one with the Japanese than John was ever able to.

The Lord has not made many like John Cathcart, but John has been a model of what it is to be child-like, and this is the standard for those who want to be in the Kingdom of God. May God help us to be so.

                                        bill