Meal

I took this photo from my dinner at home from July 22th, 2016:

It is a parsnip soup with grape juice and a bread. A very simple meal to dinner but delicious.

I can not keep my life without eating and drinking.

Jesus is the bread of heaven that came to feed me.

I can not keep my life without Him.

seed

Saturday, 23th, I took this photo:

It is a seed from a pine tree.

It takes some time to a seed becomes a pine tree in a good soil.

My heart is the land.

The Word is the seed.

It takes some time to the Word develops in my heart producing love, peace and joy. I know my Lord is patiently looking his seed growing in me.

Sun

I really like the sunset as in this photo from July 20th:

I just listened to a version of "Amazing Grace" which sings:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow;
the sun forebear to shine.
But God, who called me here bellow,
will be forever mine.

Although there were sun worshipers in old times, today, scientists know that the sun will not last forever. How wonderful it must be, for me, to survive a sun that shines no more.

Chaos

I took this photo from a garden of Psychology Faculty: 

The weeds are growing very fast turning an abandoned garden into an ugly place. We need a gardener here to take off these weeds and plant some flowers. My heart always need the Gardner to take off sins and plant faith instead, otherwise my sins will lead me to chaos.

 

Patient

I became gradually averse to a person at church. Yesterday I could not get near her. I was wondering if she is some kind of pharisee that I have to avoid. Was I right?
Today, I was upset having to wait in line to receive my laboratory exams for my health check up. I confess I was a little hostile to the attendant because, in my head, she was not attending well.
Was I right?
My Lord rebuked me: "Love is patient". No, I was wrong. However, my Lord is patient with me. 

After my impatience in the line, my lunch package was about to fall from my bicycle  because I did not place it properly. Had it fallen, I would have some trouble eating today.
Here is my lunch package almost to fall from the "bike" (shown by my hand):

Despite my sins, He took care of my lunch.
Love is patient. My Lord is patient. Let me be patient too.

Investment

Save for the rainy days is, generally, a good idea; however this prudence may not work in Latin America which is plagued by bad governance. When a country has a great debt, money is taken from the savings of ordinary citizens.
I was wondering about this phenomena this morning when I went to this camping:

 The superintendent was very kind to show all the area which has a water spring, sewage treatment, water heaters among many facilities. He is putting his talents to improve the camping. For instance: he developed three water heaters which use wood as energy. He sees the camping as a seminary that teaches children the christian faith. Thus, his water heaters are used in Jesus's service.
It opened my eyes to a new kind of investment: people aiding instead of Latin America bonds.

Imagination

This photo is from Saturday, 16th of July.

As the train does not make any noise by itself, he gives life to it by his mouth. He imagines whatever he wants: the train is carrying soldiers to a battle but the driver must be careful. The enemies want to sabotage its way. He is moving the train very slowly next to a bridge when his mother calls him to lunch. He gladly abandons everything and have lunch. Does a child worry when playing? Not at all. He can play, rest and sleep with no worry because he knows his parents are in control of everything he needs. While a worried person has a blocked imagination, the one who has faith in Jesus can be creative.

River

This photo is from rio Pinheiros (Pine river) at July, 7th:

The waters bring life. Sao Paulo is a very crowded city without wild life, but near this polluted river it is possible to find different species of birds and even "capivaras" (capybaras). Plants and trees grow along its margins. The one who believes in Jesus is like a dry land that receives a river. When a hard heart receives love, sooner or later, joy and peace begin to flourish.

House

I took this photo on Monday, 18th of July:

It is a nest built by a bird named "Joao de Barro" (John of clay). It is a house in heaven for the bird's children. Despite my sins, my flaws, my Lord is building a house in the Kingdom of Heaven specially suited to me. Hope to see you there, my brother!

City

I took this photo on Monday, 18th of July:

It is so easy to hate Sao Paulo city. It is crowded and not secure. People are, generally, not polite mainly in the traffic jam. However, depending on how you look, Sao Paulo is really a beautiful city. This photo is from "Parque do Povo" (Park of People). Let Jesus make me see the beautiful Sao Paulo. Let the Master make me love my own city.

Glasses

Here you see my thick glasses:

My view of the world comes from them. Every time someone discerns what is right from wrong, he is using some kind of glasses. The Word of God is such a kind. However, it is not so easy to discern through the Bible: how do I must behave when I see someone sinning deliberately in the Lord's house? I must have compassion and at the same time, I must confront a sinner by the zeal to the Lord. How to make it? I have to pray and meditate continually so that compassion and discipline go together, so that two different images become one. Let the right glasses lead me to the right decisions.

Sunset

Friday (yesterday), I took this picture when coming back:

John, once a christian, was told that the different colors at sunset are easily explainable. There are many different light rays: one for each color. Normally, only the blue ray can cross the atmosphere while other color rays are reflected by different angles. At sunset, the human eyes are in position to capture these reflected rays. John loved to see the sunset because it always reminded him about the Invisible One. However, after this scientific explanation, John left to believe in the Creator and decided to believe only in sounded theories.  Although I am inventing John's story,  no scientific theory fully explains the sunset magic. The one who believes in God, has praise in his lips, has music, has life! Glory to the Lord!

Spikes

Yesterday I took this photo when coming back home at sunset:

There are spikes in the leaves of these trees (the trees are 2 to 4 times taller than a man) for self protection. The idea is: "keep distance". This plant does not want to be eaten by animals. Although, I am still this plant being aggressive to protect myself , I am gradually becoming meek. My Master shows me generosity when He himself is the bread that came from heaven to feed me.

Hidden

I was returning home when I took this photo:

Can you see the car under the trees? These trees are in a quiet street. They are almost hidden from the public. But how such great trees are hidden? 

People are always in a hurry. It is unusual that someone stops, breaths and observes what is around. Most people are preoccupied with their own interests. They have eyes only to themselves making them blind. The Kingdom of God is like theses trees. It is powerful, it demolishes human kingdoms and despite that, it is hidden. 

Road to hell

This morning I took this photo:

It is my usual way to work, but the sky was very different. I thought it would be a nice picture which I name it: the road to hell. By the way, can you see the road under the photo?
According to Jesus, many follow the road to perdition that is large and attractive. A road to hell has no signs as: "Hell in 6 miles". By the opposite, the road has signs such as: "Heaven in 6 miles". Just a foolish, a lost man, would walk in this road. After the foolish walks for 6 miles, he reads: "Sorry, you will need more 6 miles". His sings: "I can get no satisfaction!" with all his heart!
Is there a person who consciously walked the road to hell? My Master did it. He was already in heaven, but he left his glory and consciously suffered hell in my place so that I could change direction: leave hell and get heaven. He is the Redeemer.

Gardner

This morning, I took this photo from the university:

It is not the wild nature. The plants are arranged in pleasant way for us. Adam and Eve were in a garden called Eden. They had dominion over God's creation: animals and plants. I am called to be a gardener. A gardener is aligned with the Lord's will over his creation. Although he does not bring anything to life, he rearranges nature in a creative way and gets satisfaction from it. I teach in a faculty. I have some pleasure when I grow students.

Sedated

Today I was sedated for endoscopy. I must be healthy but it was for cancer prevention.
I did not see anything when the doctor was examining me. Even after, when I arrived home, I profoundly slept for many hours. Amazing.
"Religion is the opium of the people" said Karl Max, as opium was used to sedate people.
Does religion make me live with a smile in my face as a drunk that does not know he was beaten?
In some sense, yes. Saint Paul wrote the "Letters to Philippians" from a prison, probably from Rome. The great theme is "Rejoice in the Lord" despite circumstances. It is really a blessing to see the Lord's hand guiding my life, even when walking through the valley of the death as David said.
In some sense, no. When I was sedated, I did not see anything, I thought nothing. The one who rejoices in the Lord is not sedated. He looks what is happening. He feels the pain, but he looks above what is happening, certain that even his pain is some kind of medicine provided by the Lord for a greater cause.

Father

Yesterday I walked with my parents. They are around 80 years old. My mother is with Alzheimer. My father is healthy. The walking was a very long journey of 2 Km mainly because my mother was feeling pain in the hips but she insisted on walking.

My father has strong opinions about everything. For him, everything is expansive. 

He enjoys staring at things and ask: what is this? He appointed to some kind of concrete cube at the top of a building and asked me: why was that built?

I told him: it is a water tank. 

But how? It can not contain water.

Obviously he knew I was joking, but he wanted to keep the conversation.

Can not you see? They are feeling the walls with glasses in order to keep the water!

Anyway, this building is at Av. Paulista. You can see MASP at the right which is a very touristic point in Sao Paulo. 

I am blessed because I can keep such kind of silly conversation with my parents! Anyway, what is that cube on the top?

I live, I die, I live again! - part II

The slave in Mad Max is able to be evil in name of his master - he kills innocent people for him. Jesus lived as a Jew under the Roman empire dominion. The religion leaders in Judea were expecting the Messiah, the Anointed One as the great king David that would free the Jews from Rome and would also exalt them as faithful to the Lord. In fact, Jesus did not free the Jews from Rome and also humiliated the pharisees. They envied and also despised Jesus to make him be crucified by the Roman dogs.
Religion is powerful and dangerous. You will die if you believe in lies, so where is the truth?
Religion is like training a dog: a reward process.
If you follow some strict orders, you will live.
If you do not follow some strict orders, you will die.
But, what orders? How strictly should I follow?
In the 10 commandments we are ordered to keep the Sabbath, to rest in the Sabbath.
What is exactly to rest in the Sabbath? How can I really obey this law?
The pharisees began to create rules above rules:
If you carry some heavy weight, you broke the law but if you carry a very light object you did not.
But, how can I define a heavy weight? Easy! The one above a given minimum weight.
A slave of the pharisaic system would be glad to find some small tender gesture from his master such as a glance of him shown in the film. The pharisee was not merciful, but could a pharisee says that the Lord's mercy endures forever?
Sadly, Jesus has been used by christian pharisees to enslave people and put them under their commands. There are problems in Christian hood? Sure. A lot. But the problem remains, we need redemption. That is what Furiosa was looking in the film when searching for the green place.
Redemption is not attained, is given by my Redeemer.
Glory to him.

I live, I die, I live again!

In the movie "Mad Max Fury Road", a slave was about to give his life to the master as a kamikaze would give his life to the Japanese emperor. In order to gain inner strength he was repeating: "I live, I die, I live again!". 

His master is an evil one. He enjoys power. In a desert future planet Earth, water is a very scarce resource. The master has water, thus he has power. He seems generous as he gives water to the slaves, but enough to keep them alive, to keep them subjugated. When giving water, the master yells from a mountain to the crowd under him: "I am your redeemer!".
A simple glance of the master makes the kamikaze slave to feel as a chosen one, as a very special slave, as the one who is chosen by the master to a sacrificial mission. As he fails his mission, he is almost to kill himself in sorrow, but he recovers his mind when he receives affection from a beautiful girl. He becomes a traitor.
In the film, all slaves are bald and dresses in the same way. They are pictured as dumb guys that have a very narrow reasoning. They are brain washed.
Well, any similarity with Christianity is a mere coincidence, I guess.
Anyway, why am not this dumb slave? Am I not a brain washed man?
In some sense, I am this dumb slave and I am brain washed. I do not think that is natural for any human being to abandon his own interest and seek the Master's interest. It is necessary some Master's intervention in my brain to make me believe.
By other hand, I know my Master is good and the only one who is worth of praise. He is indeed the Redeemer because he really gives water to me in this desert world. But he created this living water by his sacrifice. He was crucified to make me alive, to make me drink and be satisfied.
Jesus changed the way I look my city: Sao Paulo. How can I see such beauty now, here in Sao Paulo, as in the photos I am posting? I am a paulista, but I have been hating this place for a long time... how can I say it is MY city? Here goes another photo from the "Ponte da Cidade Universitaria" at the end, taken in the morning:

Identity

When I was adolescent, I was bullied in school. I was the best pupil in class, Japanese descendant, with heavy glasses. Almost everyone seemed stronger than me. Since my childhood, I did not know to deal with others. In fact, my parents did not have almost no relationships outside our family. Now it seems to me that I was really a great target for bullies. Everyone seemed to make fun of me calling me by other names, yelling when looking at me, confronting me and even physically harming me. I had no friends. Who in the world would stand by my side? It was hard times.

I saw my enemies and I had a thought: I will have a bright future because I will study hard. I will get good scores to be approved in a good faculty, but they will have a dark future.

And so it happened.

I decided to create a name for myself, to have an identity, to be respected by my intelligence. I enjoyed very much chess, perhaps to show how good I am (although in faculty, I knew some others much better than me).  As I graduated, it was like I have proved my point: I have won. 

At that time, I was a dumb guy: I felt superior to others who graduated by inferior schools. I was very arrogant.

Now, I think that I accomplished too little in life. I have always chased my self interest. I have always thought what great thing I could do to benefit myself. 

I am quite sure that after my death, my name will be forgotten in years, or in less than one year.

I took this photo today.

I am like a shadow in this world. The few achievements of my life that may survive my death, will not be really my achievements. May the Lord work on me.

Doctor Doug

A physician is supposed to have a noble character: sacrifice himself to save lives that are dying. In this real world, physicians are generally very proud of themselves and demand respect from others. My daughter was born with a serious problem. We were appointed by many others physicians to the same surgeon. It was very strange how he negotiated the price. He told us: the price is this one, in dollars (our currency is real), take or leave it. I told him that he was very well regarded, thus I would pay it. But something seemed very wrong. In fact, if I could go back in time, I would not take the same decision. The surgery was not a success.
Yesterday night we went to the doctor Doug' s house. He is a member of our church. His life is the opposite of most physicians. He has a lot of histories to tell in his old age. He was graduated from one of the most prestigious faculties, post graduated, became a professor in this same faculty. Thus, he was in position to be a physician for the wealthy, but somehow he was eager to help people in general, that are generally poor. So, he had to work for public institutions. He treated prisoners with tuberculosis,  took students to aid others in under living conditions, discovered that a famous clinic, devoted to in vitro fertilization, was also in the abortion business and left his job, among many other histories.
I asked myself: what is the secret behind those stories?
I would like to say that is Jesus. But he made a lot of things before knowing Jesus.
In some way, his secret is some kind of inner motivation provided by the Lord. Dr. Doug is eager to help others wherever he is. In other words he does not calculate the pros and cons. For him, helping is not a way to earn money. I must learn this.

I have just taken this picture in the university this morning.

Choose

Today I took around 10 photos: some in the morning going to the school and some in the afternoon. I chose this one:

It is similar to the one I took yesterday, but here I managed to take the few minutes of the twilight. I was just leaving the faculty by bicycle when I remembered I had forgotten my documents. Therefore, I had to lock my bicycle again and return to my room. I wasted some minutes, but this delay was very important to this photo. Had I arrived at this point some minutes earlier, I know this photo would be very different because the colors in sunset varies a lot. Thus why is this photo on the blog? Is it because the Lord made this happen? Is it because I chose this one among many? Both answers are correct: the Lord made it, I made it.

Chosen

A lot of people was locked in the traffic jam while I was taking this picture:

If nothing happens by accident, I was chosen to do it. It is really a privilege, as a paulista, to appreciate the sunset, the job of my Creator. I may see things in a different way, when I believe that God is really taking care of me. For instance: today, a guy that I have never met before provided me an account with root privilege in a machine with GPU/cuda. Certainly, my Lord takes care of me. If nothing happens by accident, my Lord is taking care of me even when I am not publishing scientific papers.

As time goes by

It is a music in the Casablanca movie. Really, time flies. When I see pictures from our children, I ask: where were I? Certainly, I was wasting time preoccupied about things that did not mean anything to me while I should be with my children, my family. You know?! I always think that I have good priorities in life, but it is not really true. I know what are the good priorities but I do not put them in practice the way I should. Help me Lord to accomplish it!
Today I walked with my 2 younger children: Ken and Juji to a shopping center nearby. I took this picture when coming back:

Sao Paulo

5 minutes before the photo I showed you yesterday, I took this photo:

The sun is over "Joquei clube" and its image is reflected over Pinheiros river. It is really very difficult for some "paulista" (the one who lives in Sao Paulo city) to recognize his city by this photo. As I said yesterday, my life is much better than 10 years ago, although I live in the same city, same house, with the same wife. I am quite sure that only a few people saw this sunset yesterday because we are always in a rush. The Holly One drew this sunset to me. Why? Because He loves me.