Peace On Earth

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14

The other day while checking out at the post office, the woman helping told me that she’ll try to be efficient because “I don’t need any more stress in my life this time of year.”

Something doesn’t seem right. The season of year that should be the most joyous and peace-filled can often be the busiest and most stressful.

Imagine the scene…imagine the stress two thousand years ago. Augustus had issued a decree that everyone must travel to their hometown to register. The roads were crowded, the city was crowded, everyone was in a hurry. Who had time to pause and recognize the birth of a baby in a smelly stable?

God reveals himself to those who have the time to listen. Could it be, perhaps, that lowly shepherds were the few people who weren’t too busy to pause and notice?

God’s peace entered the busy, stress-filled town of Bethlehem. Holiness dwelt in the midst of the hectic.

But did they pause to notice and consider the amazing gift God had given them? Will we?

“Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Joy

My blogs have been sparse lately. I started a new job as our Children’s Ministry director. It's been great, although it has eaten up the little bit of “blog time” that I had.

This month our kids are learning about Joy: finding a way to be happy even when things don’t go your way. Sounds like a message for all ages, doesn’t it? When things don’t work out as we expect—we lose our job, experience health problems, it can shake our faith. We don’t even realize it, but we begin to base our joy on our circumstances instead of the faithfulness of God.

Even in the difficult, unexpected seasons of our life, we can have joy because God keeps his promises and nothing is impossible for Him. Sometimes our plan looks a lot different than God’s plan. That’s when we need to trust that He loves us and His plan is always best.

God’s message is good news of great joy for all people! He gave us what we need the most—a Savior! And because of that, we can have joy even when things don’t go the way we expected them.

The Purpose of Christmas

The Purpose of Christmas

This Sunday, we’re beginning our Christmas series, The Purpose of Christmas.

I love the Christmas season, yet it seems that there is a disconnect between the story of Christmas and the message of Christmas. The story is familiar and when stories become familiar, the original message can lose its power and potency.

When an angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds the night Jesus was born, the Bible says they were terrified. I wondered why their first reaction was one of fear, yet then thought, would my response be any different? I used to dread getting in trouble at school. How about you? When your boss calls you into his office, is your natural response one of fear? 

Paralyzed by fear, the shepherds assumed God had bad news, but the news He had to share was magnificent. The message of Christmas is good news for all people! In spite of what you’ve done or haven’t done, God sent what you needed the most—a Savior. When you embrace the message of Christmas, God gets all the glory and you get peace. That’s good news!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

The Unfamiliar

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them… Isaiah 42:16

I don't like walking in the dark. I always bump into things and stumble around. I'd much prefer to see where I'm going...there's more security in that. 

Sometimes our life can feel as though we’re walking in the dark. We can’t see where the path on which we’re walking will end. It’s scary, unsettling. Yet, God says that He’s there with us, guiding us through the uncertain and unfamiliar. And we just need to trust Him.

Thanksgiving for Everyone

I urge you, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all who are in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

As I was reading this scripture this morning, I was considering Paul’s urgent plea to offer thanksgiving for everyone. Often my prayers focus on thanking God for my stuff and the special people in my own life. 

How often do I say thanks for everyone? 

For all people?

Even people that I find difficult. 

Even people with whom I don’t agree. 

My life can be so microscopic, and myopic, so self-centered and inward focused. 

How often do I turn my gaze outward and even attempt to see people as God sees them? To thank God for their lives and for the love that He has for them?

Lord, help me to see people as you see them, through your eyes of love, compassion and worth. 

And to offer thanksgiving for everyone. 

Jessie's Big Day

Jessie's halau had their first performance tonight. Nestled in between our final two soccer games of the year and the festivities that accompany that, she was so excited to take the stage. Here are some not-very-good-but-she-sure-looks-cute photos. 

Loving the Church

I just read this post on Henri Nouwen's website, Bread for the Journey: 


"Loving the Church often seems close to impossible. Still, we must keep reminding ourselves that all people in the Church - whether powerful or powerless, conservative or progressive, tolerant or fanatic - belong to that long line of witnesses moving through this valley of tears, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving, listening to the voice of their Lord, and eating together from the bread that keeps multiplying as it is shared. When we remember that, we may be able to say, "I love the Church, and I am glad to belong to it."

Loving the Church is our sacred duty. Without a true love for the Church, we cannot live in it in joy and peace. And without a true love for the Church, we cannot call people to it."

I Am What I Do

This Sunday, Gregg will conclude our Identity Theft series with I Am What I Do.

I have found myself believing the powerful lie that says my worth comes from what I do. This mentality for years led me to live as if my performance was what made me valuable. I would do, do, do…add, add, add wearing myself out to prove my worth and significance. This mentality kept me in bondage through most of my high school years as I battled an eating disorder. I thought if I looked a certain way and accomplished a lot of great things, then I would be content.

When we live this way, we wrongly derive our identity from what we accomplish, what we have and what people think about us. What we do shouldn’t define us. The one who created us should define who we are. If we are not allowing the truth of God’s word to define who we are, then something else will define us.

Our culture sends a lot of messages about achieving success and attaining “outer” beauty, but very little guidance is given as to how we can develop inner peace, beauty and contentment. We’re left to figure a lot of it out for ourselves. Developing this worth doesn’t come from trying harder. It’s not about doing more. It’s believing the truth about God and how He sees you. It’s about becoming the woman that He created you to be. 

Parenting Beyond Your Capacity

Last night, Gregg and I began a small group for parents. We’re reading and discussing a new book called, Parenting Beyond Your Capacity by Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof. It was a great turnout: 20 adults and 12 children!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve often felt as if the immense job and responsibility of parenthood stretches me beyond my limit. The job requires far beyond my capacity to give.

A couple of months ago, I was painfully reminded of how ill-equipped and incapable I am as a parent and how dependent I am on God and others for help, wisdom and encouragement.

About 6am one morning, Gregg and I were awoken from our sleep by the sound of someone knocking loudly on our front door. Gregg pulled himself out of bed to go to the door to see who was disturbing us so early in the morning. It was our 14-year-old daughter, Rebecca, covered in a blanket, looking disheveled. When Gregg opened the door and Becca announced, “Thanks a lot, you locked me out of the house last night and I had to sleep in the car!” We thought she had gone to sleep, but apparently she had gone outside to look at the stars before heading to bed.

Thankfully, I’m slowly learning and realizing something which we discussed at length last night: God isn’t holding up a perfect picture of a perfect family; He’s writing a bigger story.

I find that very refreshing. God doesn't have this unattainable standard for me. He wants to, and is more that able to use my family just the way we are. Here are just a few of my book notes from last night’s group:

• It seems like God is more interested in using broken people that He is in creating a better picture.
• If you were to invite God into your less-than-ideal story and learn to cooperate with whatever He wants to do in your life, the dynamic of your family could radically change.
• What if our purpose as parents is to illuminate the bigger story, to influence the next generation to experience God in a more genuine way.
• The family exists, even in its imperfection, to display the heart of God to every generation.

It's not to late to join! Call the church office to register. 

Great to Be Home!

I just returned from a wonderful week in Nashville. It was an incredible time of seeing old friends and making many new ones. The retreat of which I was a part inspired and encouraged me to continue to press on in my role as a pastor’s wife and church planter.

I don’t leave town often…rarely alone. The last time I did was over three years ago. While I was away, Gregg conveniently lost two of our children at a water park. (In his defense, the boys were standing in a long line and Gregg ran to the car to get something. While he was gone, lightning struck and they closed the park and evacuated everyone.)

Upon handing Gregg the children’s sports and school schedule before leaving he commented, “It will be a miracle if I don’t lose someone, somewhere.” Comforting.

Thankfully after this trip, all of our children are accounted for. The only casualty seems to be a bird that Jessie found and hoped to nurse back to health. The dog discovered it this morning in the backyard. 


I just found out why all of my children smell. Jessie says they didn't take baths all week. Great to be home. 


Editor's comment: Gregg adamantly just assured me that all of the children were thoroughly bathed while I was away. 

I Have to Be Strong

Tomorrow, we’ll begin a new series, Identity Theft. Did you know that you have an enemy who desires to steal your identity and mar your self-image. In John 8:44 the devil is described as a liar and the father of lies.

When we fail to believe what God says is true about us, we can never become all that God desires for us to be. A lie, when believed as a truth, will affect you and influence your life as if it were true.

I’ve believed a lot of lies about myself over the years. One of them, Gregg will be sharing about tomorrow. It’s the lie that I have to be strong. For some reason, I sometimes feel this great pressure to always be strong—that it’s wrong to show weakness and imperfection.

Whether it’s the pressure to be emotionally, professionally, or spiritually strong, God says that it’s not in our strength but in our weakness that His strength is made perfect in our lives.

When we’re strong, the tendency is to rely on our strength. It’s when we’re weak and broken that we look to God for His strength to work through us.

My strength is extremely limited; but God’s strength is unlimited. As I embrace my weakness and trust God, I find that His unlimited strength is more than enough to meet my every need.

The Perfect Combiniation

What a great combination! Hawaii Five-0 and the USC marching band!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJs2crKlZmU&feature=player_embedded#!

Watch Out for that Tree!

I have fond childhood memories of watching the cartoon, George of the Jungle. I can even remember the opening song, George, George, George of the jungle, strong as he can be. George! Watch out for that tree!

Just picked up Justin from the Health Room at school. Apparently, during recess he ran full speed into a tree. Thankfully, he’s all right. He has a nice red bump on the right side of his face and a small headache.

I couldn’t help but ask him, “How did you manage to run into a tree?” It’s not like they’re very hard to miss, right? Justin’s response, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Justin’s response made me consider the series Gregg has been doing at church over the last several weeks, How to Wreck Your Life. No one sets out with determination to wreck their life and yet, it happens. We make little choices and take small steps in the wrong direction. Gradually, over time we find ourselves crashing head first into a tree.

The prophet Haggai strongly warned the Jewish people as he saw their lives and priorities straying from God and the purpose for which He created them. Haggai said, “Give careful thought to your ways.” Haggai 1:5,7) 

In my own words, “Watch out for that tree!”

What are You Doing?

Yesterday, I was reading in the book of Exodus about when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, pays him a visit. After observing Moses and his interactions with the people throughout the day, Jethro asked Moses this question:

“What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Exodus 18:14

Moses responded, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.” v.15

To which Jethro responded with a strong dose of fatherly wisdom that transformed the way Moses led God’s people,

“What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” v.17-18

Moses was wearing himself out. He had taken a burden of responsibility that God never intended for him to carry alone. How often do I find myself doing the same thing? Saying “yes” because I think if “I don’t, it won’t”.

While God won’t give us more than we can handle, sometimes we take on more than we should. The reality is that when I do that, I only enable other people. I rob them of the opportunity to serve, to lead, to grow and to learn something new. 

Lessons in Missional Living from a 5-Year-Old and My Little Pony

Last Saturday marked the opening of soccer season. Our youngest daughter, Jessie, eagerly comes to the games, not to watch her brothers, but for the fellowship opportunities. In what our other children see as a just a game, Jessie sees potential—many of these soccer boys have little sisters.

Here’s how it usually goes down:

Jessie prepares irresistible girl fun. This includes, but is not limited to a variety of Polly Pockets and My Little Ponies. On occasion, she’s also been known to bring her own pink play tent (because nothing says party like a pink play tent). 

Jessie spies out the area and situates herself in close proximity to another little girl. Watching the girl out of the corner of her eye, Jessie begins to unpack her impossible to resist bag of fun. 

The other little girl begins to drool. She didn’t come prepared with fun and has to sit and watch the game while Jessie begins to thoroughly enjoy herself with her toys.

Jessie invites the other little girl to come and play with her. And for the rest of the season, Jessie has secured the friendship of every little girl on all of her brother’s sports teams.

She’s going on her third year of doing this and I’ve yet to see her plan fail to begin a friendship. What if we, as adults, learned to do the same?

Here’s what I’ve observed from my 5-year-old and her Little Ponies:

Be willing to travel outside your comfort zone. Or, as Bill Hybels would say, “Just Walk Across the Room”. It’s easy to stay within our circle of comfort relationally and never make the effort to venture out to build new friendships. When I’ve made the effort to do this at my children’s sporting events, I’ve been continually blessed to meet incredible people and have made some great friends too.

Make room for margin. Relationships happen in the margins of our lives, not when we’re rushing around with an overextended schedule. This one can be hard for me at times because I thrive on productivity and maximizing every moment. However, it’s when I slow down, and schedule time to pause that I am able to appreciate and build relationships.

Gotta run. Tonight’s sports schedule includes soccer, volleyball and football. Now if I can only remember where I put my Little Ponies!

Catching Birds

Today, a bird flew into my house. As much as I tried to help it, the little bird was just so scared that she kept flying away from me. After two hours of pursuit, Brandon and I were able to catch a terrified little bird in a net and gently lead her to freedom.

God desires for us to be free; to live in the freedom in which He created us to live. So often we’re like that little bird. Scared to trust the One who can actually rescue us. As a result, we choose to stay in captivity.

Once we’re still. Once we allow ourselves to trust Him and receive help, He’s more than able and willing to set us free.

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5

Agents of Influence

This Sunday, we have the exciting privilege of having Stephen Mansfield minister at both of our Sunday morning services!

Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and he is quickly becoming one of America’s most respected voices on religion, culture and politics. He has authored many books including, The Faith of the American Soldier, The Faith of George W. Bush and The Faith of Barrack Obama, and is a highly sought after teacher and speaker.

If you’re in the area, please join us! Stephen Mansfield will communicate a different topic in each service. At our 8:30am service, he will speak about the importance of reaching the next generation. At our 10:30am service, he will share how God can use our lives as agents of influence the marketplace and culture. 

It's An Emergency!!!

School started this week. Summer’s officially over for our family.

This morning after my morning round of drop offs, I returned home to find that I had missed several calls from Brandon, along with a text that read, “It’s an emergency!”

Needless to say, I was a little worried. This was Brandon’s second day at middle school. A big school. 6th grade. I saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid! What could’ve possibly happened in the 20 minutes since I had last seen him?

I tried calling and texting, but Brandon”s phone went straight to voice mail. Finally, I went to the school to find out what was wrong. Thankfully, Brandon was all right. He thought he had left his schedule at home and with different classes all over campus, he was nervous about getting lost. He had found it buried in his binder.

Yet, even with schedule and campus map in hand, when I picked Brandon up from school, he confessed that he got lost three times! In fact, Brandon sat in one class for the entire hour before he realized that he had attended the wrong class!

But, he assured me that’s nothing for me to be concerned about because his friend got so lost that he was in an “off limits” area.

Hopefully, Brandon will find his way around tomorrow. Although I told him not to text me, “It’s an emergency!” without any details. 

Where's the Power?

We’ve had an electronics meltdown at our house recently. Within the last two weeks, our computer has fried, our cable box has gone kaput and Gregg left his phone in a cab in the Philippines.

While Gregg was in Manila at the Every Nation conference, I was feeling quite confident of my capability to fix the cable box. How difficult could it be to plug in a few cables, right?

I attached all of the cables, and turned on the box. Nothing. Thinking that I probably did something wrong, I tried again. Still nothing. Kept trying, but only becoming more and more frustrated. Finally, I gave up and blamed the cable company for giving me a defective box.

When Gregg came home and looked at it, he realized that he’d forgotten to tell me about this tiny outlet that was buried beneath the videos in our entertainment cabinet. Once he plugged in the cord to the hidden power source everything began working properly again.

This made me consider the kind of experience that many people have in their relationship with God. They do all of the right things, yet live without experiencing the power of God in their life. They become frustrated with Christianity, possibly even blaming God for His lack of presence in their life.

Yet, they’ve failed to connect to the power source. They’re trying to serve God on their own strength, on their own terms instead of surrendering and trusting in the grace and power that God supplies.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Opportunities

When someone prays for patience, does God automatically give them patience, or opportunities to practice patience? When someone prays for courage, does God automatically give it to them, or an opportunity to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God would automatically give them warm, fuzzy feelings or an opportunity for a family to draw close and support one another?

God said this. I mean, God, as played by Morgan Freeman in the movie Evan Almighty. 

Isn’t it funny how God can use the messiness in our lives to produce something beautiful—something that wouldn’t have been fashioned in our everyday comfort and routine of life? At Becca’s former school, they called their tests and quizzes “opportunities”. It is during the challenges and tests of life that we are given a wonderful opportunity to learn, to grow closer to God and to allow him to bring forth a greater measure of the likeness of Jesus in our lives.

The Crime Scene

This evening, Gregg took me to see the place from which he fell. I've linked the pictures here. 


In hindsight, it looked to be about a 15-foot fall. We're very thankful that he was able to walk away with as few injuries as he did. God truly protected him and it's a miracle that he's still alive and walking. 

One Month Later

Thank you for your continued show of concern and prayers for Gregg.

It’s been almost one month since Gregg took that 10-foot fall while climbing at Makapu’u. Today, he had a follow-up visit with a maxillofacial doctor (skull and face specialist) to see how his recovery is coming along.

The doctor said that it will take about three months for the bones in his face to heal. Until then, he needs to avoid all contact sports. His wrist is still causing him pain and restricted movement, but seems to be gradually getting better. 

Gregg is still experiencing numbness on the left side of his face. The doctor called this partial paralysis and said that it may dissipate over the course of six months; however, he indicated that there were no guarantees and damage may be permanent. Please pray for complete recovery of his facial muscles and movement.

Gregg sees a dermatologist in a couple of weeks about the scarring on his face. Pray for the scarring to fade. The more he stays out of the sun, the better chance the scars will have to heal and fade. (But it’s summer and we live in Hawaii!)

He also still needs to follow-up with an orthodontist to determine what needs to be done to rectify the movement of his teeth and jaw. The doctor said it looks all right, but should be checked by a dentist.

Thank you for your prayers, love, support and encouragement. We’re thankful to have you in our lives!

Airport Security

Well, we made it! After seven cities and many miles, we arrived back in Hawaii. It was a great trip, but it’s always good to come home.

The real miracle was that we actually were able to get all of the stuff that we acquired along the way back with us. It took an extra suitcase, but we managed to squeeze it all in. (What can I say, Bath and Body Works was having a great sale).

After packing all of the children’s scooters, helmets, stuffed animals, I reminded the boys to pack the weapons they bought in their suitcases and not to carry them in their backpacks. Spending time in Tahoe, they had picked up a variety of weapons at “boy heaven”, Sheels—air soft guns, nunchucks, ammunition pellets, a pocketknife. Even though all of them were carefully packed, we still managed to be stopped twice by airport security.

Apparently, light sabers are no longer allowed in your carry on items. Neither are rubber pirate daggers. In fact, rubber pirate daggers have the ability to make the entire airport security staff quite anxious. 

Snowball Fight in July

The kids had a snowball fight today. You’re probably thinking…isn’t it July? While hiking in Tahoe today, we came upon several mounds of snow. What child (or father, for that matter) can’t resist the opportunity to play in snow!

What we thought would be just a two hour hike to Summit Lake ended up taking us over five hours. We wrongly assumed it was just a short two-mile jaunt. It was actually over five miles—probably closer to six because we kept getting lost on our way back. I kept trying to recall Man vs. Wild survival techniques from the Sierra Nevada episode just in case.

At 7200 feet elevation, this was the most beautiful and picturesque hike on which we’ve been. There were tons of rocks and trees to climb and streams to splash; the children felt like Bear Grylls on a big adventure.

Jessie was a trooper, plodding along the entire way. Becca and the boys fell/jumped into a pond during the first part of the hike and had to walk the entire hike dirty, wet and barefoot. Thankfully, with all of the rocks to climb and jump off, no one (including Gregg) was injured.  

Pinocchio and a Lesson in Forgiveness

Last week, during our trip to Southern California, we took the children to Disneyland. It was a great time experiencing Disney Joy through the eyes of our children. Our last trip was three years ago to Disney World in Orlando. Here's a blog I wrote following our Orlando trip three years ago: 


After six long years, Brandon has finally forgiven Pinocchio. You're probably wondering, “What heinous act could Pinocchio possibly have committed to produce SIX years of hostility in Brandon?”

During a trip to Disneyland many years ago, Pinocchio took Brandon’s blankie. No, he didn’t steal it. There was nothing malicious about it. Pinocchio simply borrowed it, admired it, cuddled with it for a few seconds and returned it. However, to three-year-old Brandon, Pinocchio broke the cardinal toddler rule: Never touch the blanket of a three-year-old! This was a direct infringement on his personal space and property and for six years he was resolute in his determination to not let it go.

This summer, while on our trip to Disney World, Brandon decided that in was about time to end his six-year feud with the wooden boy and forgive Pinocchio. Wouldn’t you know that amidst the thousands of people at the Magic Kingdom, amidst all of the characters to meet, Pinocchio was the first saw upon entering the park. After waiting patiently in line, Brandon said his peace to Pinocchio, hugged him and made amends. 

It’s funny how momentary interactions, like Brandon’s incident with Pinocchio many years ago, have the potential to produce such hurt and hostility within us. God gives us a choice as to how we will respond to them. In reflecting on this little incident, this is what I learned:

In the Bible there is a man named Lamech, who in Genesis 4:23-24, vows vengeance seventy-seven times on all who dare to offend him. With every grudge, with every grievance, Lamech chose to get even.

In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus offers us a different way to choose to live. He tells his disciples to extend forgiveness seventy-seven times. Throughout the Bible, Jesus continually seeks after the restoration and reconciliation of relationships. Firstly, the restoration of man’s relationship with God; then, whenever possible, the restoration of our relationships with one another.

I want my life to resemble the way of Jesus, not the lifestyle of Lamech. 

Fight for Your Family

Little behind on my blogs. A couple of weeks ago, Gregg concluded our Parenthood series with a message entitled Fight for Your Family.

I realize that I’m a little biased, but I think it was one of the most powerful messages he’s given. You can listen to it here.

As a parent, I want God and His love to be real to my children. Yet, there are times when the task is so difficult that the temptation is to give up.  

We spend a lot of time fighting for their health and protection, but how much energy do we truly expend in fighting for their spiritual development?

God’s presence and power needs to be at work in our lives before we can expect our children to experience His presence and power at work in their lives. 

In Nehemiah 4, when the Israelites became discouraged while building the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah made a strategic decision.

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:13-14

Nehemiah posted them by families. By doing this, the Israelites were continuously reminded about what they were fighting for. If they became discouraged and gave up, they stood to not only lose a generation, but their very own sons and daughters as well.

Don’t ever give up in the fight for your family. Your children need to know that they’re worth fighting for.

Five Days Later

As many of you know, last Saturday Gregg fell over 10 feet in a climbing accident.

Thank you so much for all of the calls, texts and emails expressing your love and concern. We’re so blessed and very thankful for the outpouring of prayers and support you all have shown to our family.

Gregg is doing incredibly well considering the magnitude of the accident. The doctors okayed his travel to the mainland; so we proceeded with our travel plans and are taking one day at a time. He still looks banged up, but so much better than the last picture I posted. It’s amazing how God created the body to heal so quickly.

The fractures on his eye and wrist are still causing pain and will require some visits to an orthopedic doctor when we return. He’s also experiencing a little discomfort in his left knee that was pretty banged up in the fall.

When Gregg hit the ground, he landed on the left side of his head, causing his face to shift about 2mm. He’s started having some jaw and sinus problems and noticed that his teeth have shifted. Planning to follow up with all of this when we return, but for now…rest.

The Fall

Yesterday, Gregg and Rebecca went on their first rock climbing expedition to Makapu’u. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive.

A couple of hours after they left, I received a phone call from Becca…the kind you never want to get. Here’s what happened.

Their group of six had hiked to the top of the climb to map out their route and secure all of the lines. Heading down to the base, Gregg had just finished securing a line when he stepped on some loose rocks that gave way.

Starting to slide, he managed to stay on his feet, swerving to avoid carrying Barry over the edge with him. Gaining speed and not knowing what was below him, upon hitting the edge, Gregg jumped. (I know what you’re thinking right now, so go ahead and say it, “Your husband’s a STUD!”)

Somehow, he was able to land feet-first on a rock about three feet below. Unable to stop because of his forward momentum, he kept going, this time falling head first off of the rock for about another ten feet or so until He crashed into another large rock. 

Thankfully, Gregg never lost consciousness and remained fairly coherent throughout the day. The total damage: fractured eye socket, fractured wrist, lots of lacerations and bruising. The doctors said that the impact from the fall shifted his face 2mm. They said this shouldn’t cause long-term difficulty; however, this morning Gregg mentioned that his jaw felt out of place and he feels like a truck ran over him.

Please pray for a quick recovery. We leave for the mainland tomorrow morning and not sure how the travel will affect him.  All for now.

Hair Drama, Part Two

I managed to keep Becca away from bleach and hair dye for 24 hours then took her to see Carla at the hair salon.

Carla said, “Wow, it’s really black!” She gave us two options.

Option 1: She could add brown highlights to soften and balance the black.

Option 2: She could completely strip out the black and recolor it.

Becca chose the latter and within an hour she had beautiful dark brown hair.

I asked Becca what she learned from her experience. Here’s what she said.

Becca said that she’s grateful because it could have been a lot worse. She went on to explain that one kid at school put something in another kid’s hair and now it’s orange. Yikes!

Becca also said that this was a lesson in patience. She should’ve waited to get color her hair colored properly, but in her impulsive desire to get it done, she did it herself. Then she added, I still don’t think I’ve quite learned that lesson yet. Oh no!

Hair Drama

Last weekend, Becca  asked me if I could make an appointment for her to get her bangs trimmed before our vacation. Shortly after her request, Becca emerged from the bathroom declaring that she had cut her own bangs.

The next day, trying to fix what she’d done the previous day, she cut them again. (You see where this is going, don’t you.) After her third attempt (and significantly shorter bangs), she asked about that bang appointment again.

But it didn’t stop there. Ooohhh, I wish it had stopped there.

Becca decided to dye her hair. She picked black. I asked her, “Are you sure that you want black?”

Becca replies with the usual “Yes, mom I’m sure (with the teenage I-know-what-I’m-doing tone). Her reasoning was that it really wouldn’t look black…just dark brown, and that’s what she wants.

Well, it looked black.

Here we are again at Longs looking for hair color. Becca seems to think that if she re-colors her hair light brown this time, the light brown will mix with the black and morph into the dark brown she was wanting.

Well, it still looks black.

Now Becca’s on the internet doing some research. Apparently, a mixture of lemon juice and some other ingredients could have a bleach-like effect on her hair.

Time to call in the professionals. Tonight, I called, Carla, my hairdresser. “Hi Carla. It’s Kris. Becca cut her bangs and dyed her hair black. What should we do?”

Carla strongly recommended that Becca NOT do anything else to her hair. Any bleach-like agent would turn her hair ORANGE, not the desired DARK BROWN.

Time to hide the lemon juice. Tomorrow, we go for a free consultation, which according to Carla, could cost as much as $150 to fix!

Good thing Becca’s been saving her money for our upcoming vacation.

Part two tomorrow…

Grace Promo Video

One of our staff members, Clifton, put together a promo video from the video footage from our Easter service. 


Take a look here!

Team Baja

Last Tuesday, Gregg and our oldest daughter, Becca, left for their mission's trip to Baja, Mexico. They've been working in a little village called El Nino. Apparently, one year during an El Nino season, their former village was destroyed and they were relocated to this current location. 


Extreme poverty and lack of clean water are just a couple of the challenges this little village faces on a daily basis. In just five short days, the Ten Days Missions team built 2 homes and a church, which is the focal point of the community. They visited the school and hosted a fiesta where they fed the entire village. 


Here are a few of the pictures they've sent me. They return Tuesday night, tired but rich from their experience.  

Summer Time!

Yesterday, the boys stacked a large pile of moving blankets in the front yard. Then, they took turns running and flipping onto the pile.

While watching them do this well into the night, I realized why I enjoy summer so much. Summer allows margin back into my life. No homework to finish, no endless activities…we can slow down and enjoy life.

Not that we shouldn’t be doing that everyday, but I think summer is a natural break in our routine that allows for adjustment, rest and refreshing that I so desperately need. Enjoy!

I Don't Know What to Do!

While reading my Bible today, I came across 2 Chronicles 20. I love this chapter where Jehoshaphat is outnumbered while facing his enemies.

In verse 2, we’re told that a vast army was coming against Judah. The Bible actually says, they were coming for him! 

Do you ever feel that you’re completely outnumbered when it comes to accomplishing what God has called you to do? Look at how Jehoshaphat responds to his dilemma.

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12

Jehoshaphat acknowledged that he had no power to fight.

He even went one step further and told God that he did not know what to do. (This must have instilled great confidence in those under his leadership).

But our eyes are on You. Jehoshaphat trusted God and looked for God to guide him through the challenge.

Over the years, I’ve found myself praying this same little prayer:

Help! I have no strength left. I don’t know what to do. Yet, I trust You to guide me through. 

Parenthood

Yesterday, we began a new series, Parenthood. I think parenthood is by far the most difficult job you can have. Funny thing, is you get this job without any experience and you often encounter situations that you feel completely inadequate to handle (especially if you have teenagers!)

As parents, the most important thing we can do is lead our family into a relationship with God. Gregg talked about the importance of loving your God and leading your family. He asked parents to consider what their family would look like if they invested the same tenacity in the spiritual development of their children that they did towards the physical protection of them. (Here’s an example).

Children get their understanding of God by their relationship with their parents and it’s the parents who have the most potential to influence their children.

Having a relationship with God should be a priority as parents. By making your relationship with God your highest priority, you then have the potential to influence the lives of your children and those who are closest to you.

Gregg closed his message by offering three questions parents can ask: 1. What do I want my children to become? Imagine the end result for which you’re aiming. 2. Where are they right now? Ask some your children some honest questions. 3. How can I help them take the next step? Be available to them.

You can listen to the entire message here. 

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Prayin' for Nashville

Last weekend, the Cumberland River crested at its highest level in over 80 years. For those of you not familiar with Nashville, the Cumberland River runs right through downtown. Nashville recorded its highest rainfall totals since records began. Many people are saying this is the single largest disaster to hit Middle Tennessee since the Civil War.

It was surreal for me to watch the video footage of our old neighborhood of Franklin. I even saw footage from our old subdivision of people being rescued in boats. Many of our friends were forced to evacuate; some lost so much. 

With all of the destruction, some boys managed to make the best of their situation by wakeboarding in a parking lot! (Unfortunately, it didn’t end up too well for them. Come on, were the handcuffs really necessary?)

Bethel World Outreach, our sister church in Nashville, is partnering with Samaritan’s Purse to assist in the relief and recovery efforts. You can learn more about this here. 

Gotta Have More

Last Sunday, Gregg continued our Hostage series by talking about addiction. God desires for us to break free from things that hold us hostage and addiction is something that destroys our relationships and our lives. Did you know that Hawaii is the worst crystal meth abuser in the nation?

Gregg shared that the downward spiral towards addiction begins when we replace God with something else. We underestimate the power of sin and the desire of our soul. If God is not at the center of your life, something else will be.

One man in our church shared about the high price that his addiction cost him. Bill was addicted to gambling. His gambling addiction forced him into bankrupty more than 40 years ago. Not knowing what to do, he abruptly left his wife and their seven children for three years. Thankfully, Bill surrendered his life to Jesus several years ago. You can listen to the message and the rest of Bill’s sobering story here.   

Only God can break the power of addiction over our lives and satisfy the longing in our soul. The path to freedom begins when we take our addiction to God, take it public and take it down—fighting for our freedom.

Our amazing youth leaders put together a powerful drama portraying the effects of addiction and the freedom found in Christ. You can watch it here. Warning: I’ve yet to watch it with dry eyes!

Transformation!

Yesterday, we wrapped up our first Women’s Transformations weekend! While preparing for our two days together, I’m always amazed as I reflect on the dramatic transformation that God has done in my life over the years. Having experienced this transformation firsthand makes me desire even more strongly to see other women experience it in their lives.

God desires to take you from where you are and bring you to where He wants you to be. We come to God one way and He progressively changes us, liberates us and makes us into something new.

God takes us just the way we are—junk and all; He doesn’t expect us to get all our stuff together first. He takes us the way we are, but doesn’t want us to stay that way. He wants to transform our lives from the inside out, by first changing our hearts.

An important part of transformation comes when we allow what God says about us to begin to shape what we believe about ourselves. Over years of living our lives apart from God, our image of God can become deeply scarred. Through the pain, hurt and difficulties of life, we fail to see ourselves as God truly sees us.

In surrendering to God the brokenness of our lives, He begins to heal us; He begins to repair, restore and transform our lives.

As John Ortberg writes, “The good news that Jesus preached is that it is now possible for ordinary men and women to live in the presence and power of God. It’s not about minimal entrance requirements for getting into heaven, but it’s about the glorious redemption of human life—your life.”

The Possibilities are Endless

The dust is finally beginning to settle after hosting Justin’s 10^th birthday party. This afternoon, we had all of the boys in his class over after school for swimming and a movie.

Unfortunately, our swim party happened to fall on what was probably the coldest day of the year—rainy, windy—I don’t think the temperature even broke 70º! (My sister in Minnesota is probably calling me a wimp right now.) Even all of the boys, who usually don’t care how cold it is, only lasted about 15 minutes outside.

One of the highlights of the party was getting to know Justin’s friend, Nikki. Nikki was born blind. Becca spent a large part of the party talking with him and when he left she commented on how much she learned from him because he is so happy and grateful.

He doesn’t let his circumstances affect his attitude; his focus isn’t on the challenges he faces, but instead looks to the possibilities.

As he was leaving, Becca said, “Let’s go hang out sometime.” Nikki turned to his dad and said, “Is this my first date with a girl?”

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . . (Ephesians 3:20)

A Poisonous Fruit

Yesterday, we began a new series, Hostage. While God created us to live in freedom (Galatians 5:1), there are many things that seek to hold us captive. God desires for us to break free from these deadly things that hold us hostage and hinder us from living the life that God created us to enjoy.

Bitterness is one of them. Bitterness has a dangerous root that starts and grows within the soil of a wounded heart when hurt and offense haven’t been properly dealt with. It is a poisonous fruit that can destroy our relationships and our lives. 

From my own experience, I know that when I’ve been hurt, there is that sense that something has been taken from me. Bitterness says, “You owe me!”

The only way bitterness can be killed in our hearts is by processing our hurt, releasing it and making a choice to forgive. Forgiveness says, “You don’t owe me anymore!”

We had hurt and offended God. We owed him a debt that we could never repay. On the cross, Jesus canceled our debt and said, “You don’t owe me anymore.” He now asks for us to forgive others as He forgave us.

Louis Smedes, in The Art of Forgiving, wrote, “When we forgive, we set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner we set free is us.”

Holding on to our bitterness and anger doesn’t affect the person who hurt us, but it will hold us hostage and destroy our life. The shrapnel from our anger and bitterness will eventually seep out and wound those we love the most.

We find strength to forgive when we shift our focus from what others have done to us to what Christ has done for us.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Happy Easter!

This morning, the Honolulu Advertiser posted a front-page article about the importance of Easter to the Christian faith. 


Gregg was one of the pastor's they interviewed. Here's the link to the article.


Happy Easter!


God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

This is Real Love

The word love can be used in a lot of different ways—we love ice cream, our job, or our favorite sports team. Here’s how some children described love as they see it: 

•       “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy, age 6

•       “Love is when mommy sees daddy in the bathroom and she doesn’t think its gross.” Mark, age 6

•       “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” Karen, age 7

•       “I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren, age 4

•       “I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.” Bethany, age 4

Real love, however, not an emotion or a feeling. It is demonstrated in God’s love towards us. God loved us so much that He sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to live among us and to model for us how we are to live. Jesus died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. He rose from the dead so that we may experience new life—a life of hope, a life of healing and a life of wholeness.

Jesus willingly laid down his life to show us real love. To demonstrate his unfailing love towards us. The message of Easter is that because of God’s unfailing love, we can have hope and experience a new beginning through Jesus Christ. Happy Easter!

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9-10 NLT)

Brandon the Bully Buster

When Brandon started at his new school last fall, he was a little nervous and apprehensive. His big concern was that there would be bullies there who would make his life miserable.

Funny, but God rarely allows us to run away from our fears. Usually, he has us confront them. And often, we find that the very thing intimidating us isn’t that scary after all.

Within the first few weeks of school, a little girl began following Brandon around school picking on him—calling him names, tripping him. Brandon couldn’t believe that this “big scary bully” that he’d had feared, turned out to be a little girl!

Brandon began praying for her. At first, this was a difficult task. Nobody naturally wants to pray for someone who is making their life difficult. For several months, we prayed.

A couple of weeks ago, Brandon said to her in frustration, “I don’t know why you’re being so mean to everyone. I’m just trying to be your friend.”

The next day she came to him and said, “All right, I’ll try to be your friend too.” They’ve been friends ever since.

If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20-21)