While were were in Japan, a Christian television station did a special on the Iverson and church life.  The camera men came to several of our family times to film us interacting  (a pleasant, unified family is very foreign to Japanese culture).  Below, is something my father-in-law wrote about the video…at this point i would just like to interject that I managed to marry into an absolutely incredible family (BY THE GRACE OF GOD-both that i married into it and that they are so amazing).  I am extremely blessed, and it is one of those things where God answers prayers immeasurably more than we could ask or even imagine. 

 

“In Dec the TV show came out to visit us about doing a show about our church.  As we talked about what interesting themes we might find in our church/ church people, and we got talking about family and family hurts in Japan, and I mentioned that we were having “IverFestJapan08” in Feb when all the kids, spouses, and grand babies were coming to Japan, the director said “lets make that part of it.”  It

became a major part of it.

 

The outline of the program is “4 Fs about life, family, and church.

The Link is below.

 

#1 F: Fun- God made us to enjoy Him forever (did not go into “and 

glorify Him forever”… due to time, and it being a very 

difficult and new concept for Japanese people.”).  Talked about 

“TRUE fun and joy” which 

included real relationships, crying together as well as laughing

together, etc.  Lots of the film is our family having fun together,

as families are hurting in Japan, NOT having fun together, generally. 

Also shows our church black gospel music group (30 folks, half

non Christians, singing Matt 11 “come to me all you who are weary

and heavy laden… black gospel music is a craze in Japan right now), 

our church kids dance group, kids “after school program” for 

neighborhood kids, etc.  When it shows Carol in the kitchen with 

daughters and daughters/wives of sons, her cute expression is saying

how much fun it is to have them in Japan cooking together. 

#2 F:  Family-  The importance of Family, and that church is like a family too.  

Good stuff about couples loving and forgiving each other for the sake of

their kids (our adult kids sharing about that), about confessing and 

owning up to our sin and failure in our families, and how church needs

to be the same kind of family (this was good, a felt need in Japan where

families are really hurting).  I share that my dad taught me: “you love your kids?

Then LOVE CAROL!”

#3 F:  Fujuubun (inadequate)-  That we are all weak, needy, fail, in every relationship, and

before the true and living God.  That in Japan the pursuit of perfection and 

perfectionism may be great for building cars, but it is terrible for husband

wife relationships, raising kids, etc, for we are all “fujuubun”.  More than that,

we are all sinners.  Before God… very needy, really.  Then, Danny and Joel

singing Danny’s version of “Spirit of the Living God, Fall fresh on me.”  They 

used this in the program to say in the Japanese writing that we who are

inadequate need outside help, from God. 

 

#4 F: Fukuin (gospel, good news)- Sharing that the gospel is for inadequate people, us, sinners.

In Christ’s gospel, our sins are forgiven, AND God helps us to grow.

 

Description: A 25 minute long Japanese Christian television show that was broadcasted on March 8th, 2008. It is a brief documentary of the Iverson family in Japan and Oyumino Church, located in Chiba, Japan”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A JAPANESE TELEVISION SPECIAL ON THE IVERSONS IN JAPAN