Crescent City Seventh-day Adventist Church

Chains Broken by Grace (part 2 of 3)

November 21, 2025
Dear Friend,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you…”
—Matthew 5:44–45 (NKJV)
Half a world away from Pearl Harbor’s smoke, another warrior wrestled with the
same unyielding code that gripped Mitsuo Fuchida. Jacob DeShazer, born in 1912
in the quiet farmlands of Oregon, was no stranger to American grit. An atheist
peeling potatoes on December 7, 1941, he heard the radio crackle with news of the
attack. Rage boiled over: “Japan is going to pay for this!” He enlisted in the Army
Air Corps, trained as a bombardier, and volunteered for a clandestine mission
under Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle.
Launched prematurely from the USS Hornet on April 18, 1942—spotted early by
Japanese pickets—the B-25s, including DeShazer’s Bat Out of Hell, thundered
toward Japan. Over Nagoya, a bustling industrial heart, DeShazer released his
payload: incendiaries that lit the night in retribution. Fuel exhausted, the crew
bailed out over Japanese-occupied China. DeShazer twisted his ankle on a
gravestone in a Ningbo cemetery and capture followed swiftly. Two crewmates
were executed; another starved in chains. DeShazer, sentenced to life by Emperor
Hirohito’s decree, endured 40 months of hell—34 in solitary, beaten daily, rations
of little sustenance.
Hatred festered in that vermin-infested cell. “These are the monsters who
slaughtered at Pearl Harbor,” he seethed, plotting vengeance in the silence. But
desperation cracked his resolve. Begging a guard for reading material—anything to
pierce the void—he received an unlikely gift: a Bible, permitted for three weeks.
Devouring its pages by dim light, DeShazer stumbled upon the Sermon on the
Mount. Jesus’ words pierced like shrapnel:
“Love your enemies… pray for those who despitefully use you.” The Raider who
rained fire on innocents now faced the Prince of Peace, who absorbed humanity’s
worst without retaliation.
Tears mingled with the filth on his floor. If God could forgive me for my bombs,
could I forgive these guards? Conversion came not as thunder, but as dawn—a
quiet surrender. DeShazer learned Japanese phrases of kindness, shared meager
food with his tormentors. Miraculously, their brutality softened. Meals improved.
Beatings ceased.

“For if you forgive… your Father in heaven will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)
In that POW camp, chains of iron yielded to chains of grace.
Rescued in August 1945 by American paratroopers parachuting into Beijing,
DeShazer returned a changed man. Honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross
and Purple Heart, he traded medals for ministry. At Seattle Pacific College and
Asbury Theological Seminary, he trained as a missionary. In 1948, he married
Florence and sailed to Japan—the land he’d once vowed to destroy. In Nagoya, the
city he had scarred, he planted a church and preached the gospel that had freed
him.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific, Fuchida’s obsession grew. Peggy Covell’s story had
unraveled his Bushido tapestry. Now, in route to another war crimes tribunal in
1946, a tract thrust into his hands deepened the tear: I Was a Prisoner of
Japan—DeShazer’s testimony. The man who had bombed Nagoya, was tortured in
retaliation, now sowed peace there? Fuchida pored over the words, then the Bible
itself. Love your enemies. The command echoed, relentless as a siren’s wail.
Friend, what cell holds you today? A grudge against a colleague’s betrayal? A
nation’s bitterness replayed in endless news cycles? Or the solitary echo of
personal failure? Jesus entered DeShazer’s darkness with a borrowed book and an
unbreakable promise. He wants to enter your frustrated world, whispering:
“Come to Me… and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Forgive as you’ve been forgiven. Let that love compel you to share—not with fists,
but with open arms. Imagine: your act of grace blossoming into a testimony that
circles the globe. Step into His light. The world awaits your cheerful witness.
(To be continued next week)
Verlyn

______________________________

Our Sabbath School and the Worship services are live and viewable via Zoom.
Two Adult Sabbath School classes are presented each week. One of them is
viewable via Zoom. The Junior/Earliteen Sabbath School class meets in the
Pathfinder Room. Cradle Roll and Kindergarten classes are available for younger
children. If you are unsure where the rooms or classes are being held, please don’t
hesitate to ask one of the greeters for directions.
The Worship service is in the Sanctuary and via Zoom. The Zoom Meeting ID#
and Password are listed below.

Zoom access for Crescent City SDA Church meetings:
Meeting ID #: 993 5770 413
Password: 4642738
You can join by going to Zoom.us, click on join a meeting, and then enter the
Meeting ID # and password; or by dialing 1 669 900 9128, entering the meeting
ID# and password as prompted; or accessing through the Zoom app.
November 21, 2025 – November 28, 2025
Friday 21 st Sunset 4:51 pm
Sabbath 22 th Church Worship Leader, Bob Phang 11:00 – 12:00 pm

Sermon, Carole Bliss
Bible Lab 12:30 PM
Sunset 4:51 pm

Tuesday There will be no Bible Study on Exodus this week
Wednesday There will be no Community Services
There will be no Prayer Group

There will be no Bible Study "Focus on Prophecy”

Thursday There will be no Women’s Group
Friday 28 th Sunset 4:48 pm
CALENDAR:
November 29, 2025 – Worship Leader, Ginger Finley; Sermon, Randy Steffens
December 6, 2025 – Worship Leader, Courtney Bliss; Sermon, CCJA Christmas
Special Fellowship Luncheon this Sabbath with CCJA Guests

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The December Church Board meeting will be held on December 1.
Fellowship Luncheons are usually on the first Sabbath of the month, but because of
special Sabbath events, please note the weekly updates for any changes.
Tithes and offerings are being collected during the 11:00 AM Worship service each
Sabbath. Other options include the locked offering box on the rear wall of the
Sanctuary, the link to Adventist Giving on our church website:
https://crescentcityca.adventistchurch.org or you can download the Adventist
Giving app. Tithes and offerings may also be mailed to Crescent City SDA Church,
P.O. Box 1905, Crescent City, CA 95531. Please designate where the funds are to
be deposited: tithe, church budget, Little Red School House (School), special
projects, etc.
Thank you for taking the time to be part of our church family, in person or via
media. Please reply to this email (or ccadventistchurch@gmail.com) if you have
specific prayer requests. The Prayer Ministry team is active and cares about your
needs—let us know!