The Broken Leaf invites you to explore the beauty and gospel images found in Japanese art and culture. Through ten short meditations, discover for yourself just how God might be revealing his story in the everyday objects of your life whenever and wherever you may be.
Roger W. Lowther is founder and director of Community Arts Tokyo, assisting church planting through the arts. Roger is also director of faith and art at Grace City Church Tokyo and coordinator for the MAKE Collective, a global network of missionary artists. He has been serving with Mission to the World in Japan since 2005. Roger received degrees from the Juilliard School and Columbia University and is currently studying at Reformed Theological Seminary. He lives in downtown Tokyo with his wife Abi and four boys.
“Roger Lowther is a cultural missionary to open up Japan as a treasure trove of God’s presence in wider cultures for all to learn from. This Juilliard-trained organist turns out to be quite an able cultural ambassador to unlock Japan’s hidden treasures toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission.”
—Makoto Fujimura, artist, author of Silence and Beauty, and director of Culture Care Initiative at Fuller Theological Seminary
“The Broken Leaf is a gem of a book. It shines the light of the gospel through different facets of Japanese art and culture. It is in itself a work of art.”
—Lloyd Kim, coordinator, Mission to the World
“What a delightful read! Roger Lowther takes us on a journey into the beauty-drenched values of Japanese culture, revealing enigmatic, gospel-infused portraits of truth in everything from a humble tea leaf to gold-veined kintsugi pottery. This book creates a deep appreciation for how brokenness can reveal beauty and lead to heartfelt worship. It is the perfect collection of devotional reflections expressing the core idea of ethnodoxology—that Christ-followers in every culture can come to know and worship God through their own artistic expressions.”
—Robin Harris, president, Global Ethnodoxology Network; chair, Center for Excellence in World Arts at Dallas International University
“Roger’s work in the arts continues to be a light shining on the unsearchable depth of God’s beauty. The book is a wonderful testimony to the power of art and beauty in the context of faith. Here you will find inspiration, encouragement, and awe. Take up, read, and prepare to have your perspective deepened and expanded.”
—Pierce Taylor Hibbs, author of Finding God in the Ordinary and The Speaking Trinity
“‘Artists in the church’ is a riddle for many these days, and an oxymoron for others. Fortunately, The Broken Leaf gives deep and biblical insight—with wonderful influences from Japanese believers in Jesus. . . . This book is important, provocative, beautiful, and creative.”
—Byron Spradlin, president, Artists in Christian Testimony International