So, this blog has become overlap. We are represented on the web in 4 other places (5 counting our email newsletter.) I have to figure out a schedule to keep all of these news sources updated. I'll list all the sources below so you can check them out if you feel like it.

In the meantime, I'm not giving up on this particular blog since it's tied directly to the website. My hope is that it will continue even if I just copy what I'm writing on other sites. I hope to place more personal thoughts here in the future.

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Well, the time has come. We’re leaving on May 25th. We have our tickets, our visas, our passports and all we need now is peace about leaving the country that we both call home. We have worked toward this end for a while, but it can still be daunting now that it’s here. All we can do is rely on the God that never worries. He is constantly 100% sure of His plans. He never second-guesses. He always follows through. When you stop to think about it, that’s reassuring. If He’s sure of what He’s doing, then we should trust Him to complete what He desires. He’s led us safely to this point and now, as we pack up all our belongings and load up our small family, we need to trust His hand even more. We would ask that you would pray with us. This step is big for us, but we’re anxious to see what He’s going to do in our lives.

A good man’s hard to find. Most of today’s films portray fine characters, but there always seems to be a flaw. Either they are morally weak or they seek their own good over another’s at some point. It seems more often than not, I find myself disappointed with the leads of most modern movies. With this in mind, I went back to the file vault to search through some of the antiquated films that made the medium what it is today. I flipped past the incongruent 80’s, beyond the disgruntled 70’s, to just before the “cultural revolution” of the late 60’s to 1962. The movie I chose was To Kill A Mockingbird. I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t get much better than this one. Atticus Finch shows all of us men and fathers what it means to wear the badge. I nearly found myself wanting to take notes during the show. I felt like every time he pulled Jem or Scout aside, I was following them to hear the sage advice. His words are as relevant today as they were in 1960 when Haper Lee penned them. I doubt many of today’s role models would define courage as Atticus does: "when you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what". Oh, to be more like Atticus Finch.

Well, it’s been a little over a month since we’ve posted anything to the ol’ blog. So, as a reward for being ever so patient, we’ve given you a whole new site to peruse. That’s right, it’s “Crowes in Japan 2.0” We hope that you enjoy the new look. We will be leaving this May and we want something convenient to update as we’re sure to be busy in Japan. This site has much less maintenance involved and (in our opinion) looks a little better than the previous one. So, you shouldn’t need to adjust anything on your end, unless you have our blog RSSed. If you do, switch the RSS feed to the new address.

If there are any problems, email us at jcrowe@fwbgo.com to let us know.;

Greetings to all who actually follow this seemingly forsaken blog. Alicia and I have been quite busy these last few weeks. Most of our time has been spent preparing for the arrival of our child. Well, those preparations have come to an end. On December 4, 2008 at 4:14, we welcomed Ruby Day Crowe into our family. She weighed 8lbs 10oz and measured 20.75″ long. We were astonished by the grace of our Lord through the delivery. Mom and baby are both very healthy and we still marvel that there is a new life living under our roof.

There have been millions of thoughts running through my head over this last week. One of the reoccuring images is that of God as our Father. I look at Ruby and my heart swells. I’m proud of her, yet she doesn’t really “do” anything. She is usually sleeping. Sometimes she lies there and stares up at what ever is in front of her. She’s really good at feeding and filling up diapers. None of these things are the source of my pride though. It’s who she is. She’s my daughter. The essence of our relationship is not in what she does, but who she is. If only I could understand the unlimited extent that this is true in my relationship with God. I’m His son. My deeds may look like that of Ruby’s sometimes, but the essence of His joy in me is who I am in His Son. That’s reassuring.

I’m feeling that this may be the first of many devotional lessons He wants to teach us through our daughter.

I’m trying out a new blog feature: Polls...

So, to test this out I’ve decided to start with a simple one. We want to know what you think we’re having in December. Will it be a boy or a girl? Select one below and see the current results.

Sometimes I’m amazed by the way Scripture speaks to our current context. Today, while reading through Psalm 94, I thought I was simply reading another record of God’s people asking for the wicked to be served the justice that is due them. Then I worked my way to the last four verses:

Can a corrupt throne be allied with you-

one that brings on misery by its decrees?

They band together against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

It was in this context that I thought about our global political situations. Even in America, there is no alliance between the Supreme God and our corrupt throne. God is NOT on America’s side. When I hear someone say that He is, I get nervous. When I hear that Christians place their hope in a mere man getting elected, again, I get nervous. Where is our hope? Where is our trust? Can we say what the Psalmist does in verse 22?

But the LORD has become my fortress,

and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

I was greatly blessed by attending Catalyst Conference this year. It was my first time and I can honestly say that I will make every effort to be back in four years (next time we’re home from Japan.) The speakers were amazing. They focused on the meat of the matter in leadership…personal discipline. Andy Stanely started by declaring that the only (yes, only) authority we have to speak into another person’s life is moral authority. If we’re not doing it, people won’t hear us say, “Do it.” He stated a fact that we all know, but refuse to act on; “A reputation is built by 30+ years of hard work, but destroyed by 30 seconds of bad decisions.” Chew on that for a while…

In addition to the speakers, there was fire in the worship. 12,000 people joined together to ascribe vibrant praise to our Father. The crowd was moved by energy that the Spirit bestowed on us as we worshiped Him. I needed this refueling. I needed this focus. One song in particular that rang out to me was “God of this City.” I know that some of you are thinking, “Josh, that’s so last year.” Well, I had never heard it. That might be a result of traveling around our fair denomination for the few months. The Catalyst praise team sang this song after an encouraging message from Steve Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church. His sermon was on the subject of not quitting the task God’s given us. He claimed that God is not a covenant-breaker. He remembers all of the promises He’s given and it’s up to us to persevere.

It was in light of this sermon that the song hit home:

You’re the God of this city

You’re the King of this people

You’re the Lord of this nation

You are…

As we sang the words, I pictured the land that we long for…Japan. I pictured the millions in Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto. I know that God has plans for Japan. He has plans for the redemtion of the masses and we must hold on to that vision. As I was thinking on this, while singing, the next line broke through:

Greater things have yet to come

Greater things are still to be done

in this city…

Wow…what an encouragement on the fact that God is far from done in our lives and in the lives of those far from Him. There will be a reaping in Japan and we pray that God will allow us to be involved for His glory.

While at Wheaton, we were asked by a professor to recall someone in our lives that truly finished strong. When it was her turn, Alicia began to share about her grandmother, Ethel Hansen. Everyone listened as Alicia told of the immense impact that this dear woman had in her life. She taught Alicia how to trust in, wait for, and pray to our Father in heaven. Being disabled nearly 20 years ago, she was often seen sitting in her living room, though not mindlessly watching TV. No, she would be seen praying. She would often comment that throughout the pain-riddled, sleepless nights she would lie in bed and pray to her only Comfort. Alicia began to cry in the class that day as she shared how blessed she was to have an example of a strong-finisher in her life. She was not someone who only ran the beginning of the race well, but someone who crossed the finish line with more tenacity than she started with.

Ethel “Gram” Hansen crossed that finish line on September 25th (Alicia’s birthday) just before 4:00 PM. I can just imagine how the welcome into her Coach’s arms felt. He had been watching and caring for her from the beginning and had not left her side for a moment, even when the pace became grueling at the end. She is missed dearly, but it’s hard to stay sad when someone finishes so well. It’s hard to cry when someone ran so hard; you just know that the reward outweighs the struggle. As Paul writes, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;” We have that sure hope in finishing strong. May God aid us as we run hard.