Billy Graham is one of my heroes in the sense that I admire the man of God that he is, his integrity, his character, and his heart for the Lord. If you have time, I would encourage you to read his autobiography, Just As I Am. In another book he has written called, The Journey, Billy Graham writes, “Prayer shouldn’t be a burden but a privilege – a privilege God has graciously given us because He wants our fellowship.”
How do you approach prayer? Do you see it as something that you are supposed to do or have to do? Or, do you see it as a time to meet and fellowship with God? Or is it a combination of both?
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He told them, “This, then, is how you should pray”: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matthew 6:9).
Jesus taught that we should begin prayer, our time with God, by focusing on who God is. As we focus on who He is, we focus in our relationship with Him. He is our Father in heaven. As we hallow or honor God’s name, we see Him for who He is. The Bible tells us that God is called or described by different names, such as El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Elyon (God Most High), Jehovah Rohi (the Lord my Shepherd), and Emmanuel (God with us).
One of things that the Lord has taught me recently through this very familiar passage in the Bible is to take my time when I come to God and address and acknowledge who He is. To take my time praying Matthew 6:9. To think about who it is I’m coming to meet with. To focus on my relationship with Him.
Here are some ways to know who God is and His names: As we read the Word, take note of the ways God reveals Himself. See the names He is called. There are books on the names of God, such as Lord, I Want to Know You, by Kay Arthur. Last Sunday, we sang some worship songs (“You Are Holy,” “El Shaddai” and “These Things Are True of You”) that focused on the names of God and His character. You can sing these in your “face times” with Him as a way to praise Him and to remember and acknowledge who He is.
One more quote from Billy Graham from The Journey: “True prayer begins with seeing God as He really is – and that is why praise should be a regular part of our prayers.”
I hope that when we come before God, we will take the time to focus on, remember, and to give praise to the One we are meeting with. It can change how we approach prayer and how we pray.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Ron

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8

The Apostle Paul wrote that our minds should dwell on things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Another way of putting it is that we need to focus on the right things and not the wrong things. We need to focus on the things that are excellent and not on the things that are trivial. We need to focus on the things that are praiseworthy and not on the things that are just noteworthy.

What does it mean to focus on the right things rather than the wrong things?
Tom Friends of The New York Times asked Coach Jimmy Johnson what he told his players before leading the Dallas Cowboys onto the field for the 1993 Super Bowl.
“I told them that if I laid a two-by-four across the floor, everybody there would walk across it and not fall, because our focus would be on walking the length of that board. But if I put that same board 10 stories high between two buildings, only a few would make it, because the focus would be on falling.”
Johnson told his players not to focus on the crowd, the media, or the possibility of falling, but to focus on each play of the game as if it were a good practice session. The Cowboys won the game 52-7. Focus on the right things and not the wrong things.
What does it mean to focus on things that are excellent and not things that are trivial?
A student once asked Albert Einstein, “Dr. Einstein, how many feet are there in a mile?” To the utter astonishment of the student, Einstein replied, “I don’t know.”

The student was sure the great professor was joking. Surely Einstein would know a simple fact that every schoolchild is required to memorize. But Einstein wasn’t joking. When the student pressed for an explanation for this hiatus in Einstein’s knowledge, he declared, “I make it a rule not to clutter my mind with simple information that I can find in a book in five minutes.”

Albert Einstein was not interested in trivial data. His passion was to explore the deep things of the universe. His passion for mathematical and physical truth made him a pivotal fixture in modern world history. Focus on the excellent and not just the trivial.

Finally, what does it mean to focus on things that are praiseworthy and not just noteworthy?

All of life is noteworthy. Life is a privilege and everything in life is noteworthy. So what exactly is praiseworthy?

I’ll let you figure this one out on your own. Here’s a hint. Read Psalm 145 through Psalm 150 and you will discover the one thing in life that is infinitely praiseworthy.

Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

On the second Sunday of Advent, I shared a message on Alzheimer’s Disease. I said that we would reprint an Online article I wrote a few years ago that related to the message. Here it is.
Christmas is a time of seeing loved ones and enjoying their company in an atmosphere of joy and giving. I love it.
I love it, that is, unless I’m visiting my Aunty who resides in an Alzheimer’s home. It’s a lovely home. They have Christmas decorations everywhere. They take good care of her. But no amount of Christmas lights and tinsel, no amount of excellent care can change the condition in which I find her.
Last week, I tried to feed her the lunch that was prepared for her. Her meal included pureed meat, pureed vegetables, pureed potatoes, chocolate pudding, milk and orange juice. She wouldn’t eat. She just stared at me.
My Aunty no longer talks very much. She just stares. Sometimes, she eats well. Sometimes, she doesn’t. She can no longer walk or take care of her needs. She needs twenty-four hour attention.
What’s so difficult whenever I visit her is that I don’t know what to do. I try to go during meals so that I can feed her. It’s something to do with her. But when she doesn’t eat, it’s awkward, to say the least. I don’t know whether to cry or to run.
Yesterday, I listened to a song entitled, Christmas Carol. It’s about a man who visits a woman who is suffering from Alzheimer or some form of dementia (there’s a line in the song, which says that “her mind was nearly gone”). They call her Christmas Carol, in other words, her name is Carol and the only thing she can do is sing Christmas Songs. The last thing my Aunty was able to do coherently was sing. Now she just sits.
The words of the song encouraged me. Here are the words (I think it is accurate).
“Last time that I saw her, she didn’t recognize me. Her hair was thin, she was frail; and she couldn’t even speak. But I could sit down next to her, Sing her favorite Christmas song. Somehow, God only knows how, she could still sing right along. Sing, O Sing Christmas Carol, sing with all of your might, Sing ‘Joy to the World’, sing ‘O Holy Night’. You’re closer now to Jesus, than you’ve ever been. Sing, O Sing Christmas Carol, sing your songs to Him.”
When I visit my Aunty this week, I’m going to take some Christmas CDs and ask the staff to play it in her unit. I think I will try to sing Christmas Carols with her. I hope it’s not a solo.
I shared this past week that we needed to ask ourselves the question of Advent (“Then what shall I do?”) and move from self-absorption to expectation. We need to do some good deeds, which can only happen if we become less self-absorbed.
The Lord is good…no, great. He has blessed me with something to do which necessitates me becoming less self-absorbed. I have no idea how it is going to turn out, but that’s what’s wonderful about a faith journey and you know what? Maybe, she is closer now to Jesus than she’s ever been. I hope so.
Merry Christmas in Jesus,
Pastor Cory, d.v.
d.v., deo volente: God willing

Dear Church Family,

It’s time to celebrate that most wonderful time of year. There is nothing like the Christmas Season. I personally enjoy March Madness and all the thrills of the NCAA Basketball Championship Playoffs. But, there is nothing that really compares to the feelings of Christmas.

I love to go shopping for family and friends. I enjoy the sensations of the beautifully decorated malls and the hustle and bustle of the frantic and frenetic Christmas shoppers that surround me. I thoroughly enjoy cooking our traditional family Christmas morning breakfast of omelets and all the trappings. I look forward to preparing the prime rib roast we enjoy for dinner. I even enjoy wrapping all my gifts to others with tissue paper, a lot of scotch tape and red or green ribbon. I love it all.

All that being said, what’s the best way of celebrating Christmas? The Christmas narrative in the Bible is very helpful and really the final authority. What was it like the very first Christmas? What can we learn from the scriptures?

Here are few things from Luke 2:1-20 that may help us fully enjoy Christmas:

First of all, Joseph and Mary spent the first Christmas together with baby Jesus as a family. There is nothing better than spending the Yuletide Season with those whom you love and who love you. Being with family is so very special. There are some who do not have the ability to be with family. Hopefully, there are opportunities to spend time with a surrogate family or the Church Family.

Secondly, there was a proclamation of a message of “good news of a great joy… for all the people.” Another way of spending a blessed Christmas is by somehow sharing the message of Christmas with others.This can be done through Christmas cards with a message, a devotional before Christmas festivities or simply sharing Jesus with someone you love.

Thirdly, there was the giving of gifts on the first Christmas. By all means, give and receive gifts on Christmas. But at the same time, think about giving a special gift to God. After all, the gifts given on the first Christmas were given to the Christ Child.

Finally, the first Christmas was wrapped in worship. Angels appeared to herald the coming of the Messiah and to worship God, the Father. The shepherds came to worship the Christ Child. So did the Magi. I can think of no better way of celebrating Christmas than worshipping the Lord.

Perhaps, you can have a time of singing Christmas carols and reading scripture before you open all your treasures under the Christmas tree or in your Christmas stockings. Join us for Sunday morning worship on Christmas Sunday and prepare your hearts for Christmas morning by worshipping with us on Christmas Eve (9:00 PM at Alhambra First Baptist Church, which is just south of the corner of Atlantic Blvd. and Main St.).

So have a very merry and blessed Christmas. May you and your loved ones experience the presence of God in your Christmas celebrations.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

God has been giving you a heart of worship. I am so encouraged by how our church worships the Lord on Sundays. As a worship pastor it is encouraging to hear you magnify the Lord with all your heart and see lives transformed by the glory of God.

Did you know that you were actually born to give praise to God? “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Ps 150:6. There are so many goals we chase after in life, a good education, a loving family, a successful business, that kitchen remodel, a winning fantasy team, a vacation to Maui, or a good deal at Nordstroms. As much as we all do these things which are simply part of life, none of them are worthy of our worship. Jesus Christ the Son of God is the only One who is worthy to receive all of our worship “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power.” Rev 4:11.

True worship is our response to coming face to face with God’s greatness and His glory. So the best way to grow deeper in a heart of worship is to simply make your relationship with Jesus Christ the number one priority of your life. Grow in your devotions through meditating on God’s Word by reading for heart application. Ask the Lord to reveal His character and His ways to you as you spend time in the Word and you will begin to worship the One you have been fellowshipping with throughout the week.

As you begin to bend your life around the worthiness of God you will find your worship becoming so much more than a song. Rather, it will be your entire life bringing glory to Christ. More important than singing for 30 minutes on Sunday worship is the way that we live our lives Monday through Sunday. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Col 3:17. Worship is bringing the glory of God into your everyday events and activities. Worship turns something as mundane as sitting in traffic, grocery shopping, washing the dishes, filling up your gas tank, or your workplace into your place of worship. Make the glory of Christ Jesus your motivation throughout your day. May the riches of God’s grace bless you!

His grace alone,
Kyle Shimazaki

Dear Beloved,
Thanksgiving greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As I continue to live life, I have fully come to the realization that life is not a bowl of cherries. There are those seasons when we have to deal with the pits.
I have seen and continue to see people, with whom I am close, struggle through inordinate trials and sufferings. I have pastoral friends who are fighting cancer and praising God through it all. We have members in our church family who are undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy who are thankful for all that the Lord is doing in their lives.
How is that possible? How can one go through the fiery trial of disease and potential death and remain thankful?
The very first Thanksgiving happened in 1621. It was a unique holy day for the Pilgrims. We tend to see pictures of them gathered with smile on their faces and food on the table.
However, in the period prior to that first Thanksgiving dinner, they had suffered through a horrible winter in which great numbers of their precious babies, children and adults starved to death. Some boarded their ships to sail back to England when an oncoming ship with supplies met them.
In the midst of discouragement, disillusionment, disease and death, they inaugurated Thanksgiving Day for all of us.
It is in the midst of the dreaded events of life that we realize that we are insufficient in ourselves. It is in those moments that we cry out to a Living and Holy God and He, and only He, satisfies the parched nature of our wounded souls.
It is when we are stricken by disease or laden with grief that we cry out “Abba Father!” and our daddy in heaven meets us and we become thankful in the midst of all that troubles us.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, may you be reminded of the goodness and the presence of the Lord no matter what is happening in your life. God always purposes to take what is horrible, what is hurtful and what is harmful in our lives and give it meaning. Once we embrace the redemptive meaning, we become a thankful people.
Wherever you are in your life, may the Lord fill your life and heart with thankfulness and may that thankfulness bless those around you.
With Thanksgiving,

Cory Ishida, d.v.
d.v., deo volente: God willing

In 1 Timothy 2:2, Paul exhorts Pastor Timothy, “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” This is the theme verse of our pastoral internship program. This is not the only format for our overall internship program, but this is the one that I am involved in directly.
I have always felt the burden and the blessing of raising up men to be pastors, especially senior pastors, although not exclusively. It has been a wonderful experience and an extraordinary pleasure to see God raise up both men and women to be trained for different forms of pastoral ministry. Since 1977, the ministry of Evergreen has seen over seventy full-time ministers emerge from within its ranks. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.
This past week, I participated in a pastoral interns retreat. I, along with Matt Tsushima (our senior intern), Victor Chen and Ian Nagata spent two nights and three days seeking the Lord regarding pastoral ministry. As I listened to their concerns and questions, I envisioned their future in service to the Lord.
It always amazes me how the Lord provides candidates for the pastoral interns program. He is faithful in His provision. I suppose the thing that blesses me the most is seeing our former interns training up others according to the mandate from the Apostle Paul.
Recently, we had lunch with the staff from Lighthouse Community Church. It was a blessing to meet the two interns who are now serving under Pastors Kim Kira and Gavin Kajikawa. It almost felt like watching your sons raise their sons (makes me feel even more like a grandpa).
I would like to thank the church family for allowing this ministry to take place. Your support and encouragement is incredibly important for this ministry. I know that whenever a pastoral intern enters into the pulpit for the first time, you are with them and for them. How wonderful to have a supportive church family.
It is my prayer that the Lord will continue to use us to raise up and train those who are called to full-time pastoral ministry.

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

P.S. Darryl Jung is currently serving a short-term intern assignment in the area of Outreach.

There is a very popular series on television entitled, LOST. I’ve yet to see an episode, but the basic premise is nothing new. People are lost on an island and want to be found. People come and go from the island, but the principals never get saved. How do I know these things? I have seen several episodes of Gilligan’s Island.
Ever lose something valuable? It’s a terrible feeling. Ever lose something that didn’t belong to you? It’s the worst feeling.
A few weeks ago, I asked one of our worshippers, Phillip Chu, with whom I am also related by marriage, if I could display the clay vessel he made at our All Church Conference. I personally thought it was a beautiful piece of art and wanted to display it at our office.
This Sunday, Phillip gave me the vessel in a cup covered with a napkin. I went to give it to our trusted office staff at their table when I was interrupted and engaged in a conversation. I placed the cup on the table with every intention of handing it over to our staff member when I was again distracted from my mission.
To make a long, painful story short…the cup was mistaken for a remnant of Yet’s Retirement repast and was thrown away.
Sunday night, Reine mentioned Phillip and May by name in a conversation about their son Jonathan. I immediately thought of the cup and began to look for it. I remembered setting it down, but couldn’t remember if a successful transfer had been made. I thought that if I had not completed the transaction, it was probably a good candidate for the trash bin.
I was absolutely mortified. A piece of someone’s creative handiwork may have been thrown into the trash heap.
I could barely sleep that night. I got up early and went to Rio Hondo Community College and went through all the trash cans in the vicinity of Campus Inn (both inside and outside). I’m sure the students who were there early were wondering what this Asian homeless man was doing in their trash cans (using a CSI-type flashlight and wearing surgical gloves no less).
But, alas, the vessel was no where to be found. When the office staff arrived later in the morning, they confirmed that in their constant zeal to keep Campus Inn clean, the cup had been thrown away.
I called Phillip and May and told them what happened. They were gracious and forgiving. May said that Phillip could make me another one… in fact, a bigger one (no doubt so I wouldn’t lose it). I was so relieved to be forgiven so readily.
Upon later reflection, I thought of the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son and how the Lord seeks after those who are lost. I’m not sure exactly how the Lord feels as He seeks the lost, but I know how I felt seeking something that was lost. How much greater must His feeling be.
I think the Lord was showing me through this living parable the importance of seeking the lost. I was wiling to go through trash cans for the lost vessel. What am I willing to do to for the lost of this world?
Something to think about.
Blessings,

Pastor Cory, d.v.

WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT

These words of Jesus echo in my mind as I ponder the retirement of our Church Administrator, Yets Saguchi. Yets and I have been serving the Lord together at Evergreen for over twenty-seven fruitful years. As I reflect over the years, I realize that some things change and some things never change.

Prior to hiring Yets, she lived in Japan and returned to a church, which had tripled in size, which meant that she had to meet and interact with a lot of new people.

Some things change – today, we are several times larger than when she first started. Some things never change – she has met and probably knows more people than I do.

When she first started, I used to dictate letters to her, which she would faithfully transcribe, correct and send out via our mail carrier.

Some things change – today, we have computers and e-mail. Some things never change – through it all, she has always been diligent in her responsibilities.

Yets used to formulate, type and reproduce the church bulletins and newsletters, which would then be run off on an offset printer by one of our members who was a printer by trade. We actually owned and operated an offset printer on site.

Some things change – today, she oversees a wonderful office staff that does the work with copiers and color printers. Some things never change – Yets has been always able to adapt to the ever changing environment of a growing church and an ever changing technological world.

In the early days, she helped manage a budget of around $60,000.

Some things, change – today she helps oversee a budget of over $2.5 million. Some things never change – Yets is always concerned with stewardship and the proper management of all funds, no matter how small or large.

We started with a staff of two.

Some things change – on Mondays, we can have a full-staff meeting of up to twenty people.
Some things never change – Yets has always been a great care-giver and listening ear to our entire staff, ever reminding us of proper protocol.

Twenty-seven years ago, Yets was extremely reluctant to lead a Bible Study.

Some things change – today she oversees a Branch Ministry in Monterey Park in which all of the ladies do homework and help lead.

Some things never change – Yets has always loved the people in the church and desired for each of them to grow in the Word of God.

The more I reminisce, the more I come to understand that in the midst of change, some things never change. And because Yets has been so consistent in the things that God has called her to do and to be. I can echo the words of Jesus to her, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.

P.S. We will be celebrating her retirement on Sunday, October 8, 2006, with a cake reception between services. There will be a Retirement Dinner in her honor for all those who wish to attend. More news forthcoming.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14
We’ve got a huge Macadamia tree that bulks up with nuts every summer. When the nuts arrive, so do the squirrels.
I used to ignore them. I figure they have a right to a few nuts and no harm done. I figure their mommy raised them to be polite little vermin and they’ll just eat what’s fair.
But they strip mine the tree! So I put a cage in the tree, and so far we’ve caught four of the furry rodents.
You probably think that squirrels are nice little critters, but I’m here to tell you that they’re really bushy-tailed, tree-climbing pit-bulls. Those fuzz-balls have tried to tackle me when I’m in the tree collecting nuts, they’ve cussed me out in squirrel language that I can’t repeat here, and have even tried to urinate on me. (My wife, Leila used to think they were okay until one tried this maneuver on her. She changed her mind.)
We stuck those squirrels in the car and drove them off to Lacy Park. So next time a disgruntled squirrel mugs you in Lacy Park, blame me.
How did we catch all those squirrels? Instant gratification! Those squirrels got caught because that cage was baited with unshelled peanuts. The squirrels were eating yummy, expensive macadamia nuts, all free, but they’re hard as rock! You ever try to crack a macadamia nut? We had to get a special nut-cracker from Maui to open those nuts!
So the squirrel weighed his options. Spend ten minutes gnawing open one mac nut, or go for the easy peanuts. He went for the peanuts. If he’d stuck with the mac nuts, what would he have lost? Nothin’. In fact, it would’ve built his little squirrely character.
When he went for the peanuts, what did it cost him? His career, his house, his neighborhood, his friends, his freedom!
All ‘cause he went for instant gratification! Remember this: whether you’re a squirrel or a human: no matter what the circumstances, usually the quick and easy way is the wrong way, and the time-consuming and hard way is the right way.
I’ve listened to a single friend tell me that she was going to marry a guy, knowing it was wrong, believing even that God didn’t want her to marry him, yet she couldn’t imagine life without him. Maybe it’ll work out. Most times, it doesn’t.
More times than I care to remember, I have sat and listened to people tell me about one heartbreaking decision after another in which they were willing to take the quick and easy way out of a situation, and turn a blind eye to the potential consequences down the road.
What we don’t seem to grasp is that sin is easier up front, but it gets harder down the road, while living righteously is harder up front, but much easier down the road.
For those able and willing to look far enough down the road, good decisions are often easy to make. For those unwilling to look down the road, good decisions don’t pay off quickly enough, and the only attractive way out is to satisfy their immediate desires. It’s a “Buy-now! Pay later!” mentality. And you will pay later! Big time!
Funny how the narrow gate that looks like a cage leads to ultimate freedom, and the wide gate and broad road leads ulitmately to a cage. Better to listen to Jesus.
Blessings,
Pastor Mike