Isn't Grace Enough?

When we began to develop our church logo a few months ago, we spent a few days experimenting with ideas and images that we thought would accurately express our church. After wrestling through piles of images and sketches, Gregg finally said to me, “Isn’t grace enough? Do we really need anything else?”

After crowdsourcing our idea we decided on this:

Grace. Strong. Powerful.

This weekend, our staff attended the HNL Leadership conference hosted by Hope Chapel West O’ahu. John Bevere was the featured speaker and he talked about grace.

He explained that when we think of grace, we often think of it as meaning the gift of forgiveness and divine God’s divine favor. Which is is. However, the greek word for grace in the New Testament, charis, also means the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace (Stong’s Concordance).

God’s grace empowers us to live like Jesus—to live the life He created us to live. Grace is enough. In fact, it’s all that you need.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Tsunami Sirens and Other Saturday Morning Stuff

My alarm wakes me up at 6am every morning except Saturday. Saturday I get to sleep in a little. 


Not this morning, though. This morning at 6am I awoke to a very loud tsunami warning siren. Because our house is just two blocks from the beach and backs up to a flood canal, we're in the evacuation area. And while it's highly probably that absolutely nothing will happen, just to be safe, we're taking the family to higher ground. 


Looks like cell phones are starting to have sketchy coverage and twitter is down.  I'll keep you posted as best as I can. Thank you for your prayers for our islands! Gotta go pack up the car. 

What's that Smell?

Several months ago, I remember being disrupted when a strange smell suddenly entered the room. (It was much different from this one.) Because Jojo and Jessie were MIA and the house was mysteriously quiet, I figured that I had better go and see what was up.

When I found them, they were in my bathroom spraying each other with a wide array of hair products and perfumes. They stunk! These products and perfumes have very appealing scents when used alone, but when they were all mixed together, the smell was overwhelming and repulsive.

Which got me thinking as I read 2 Corinthians 2 this morning . . .. As Christians, we are to be the aroma of Christ. A sweet, attractive fragrance that is appealing and attractive to others. Yet, if our lives are filled with all sorts of junk and mixed with other competing “odors”, the simplicity and beauty of Christ radiating from our lives can easily become lost and muted. Instead of drawing others to Christ, we can actually repel them.

Lord, help me to live a clean life so that others are attracted to You. I don’t want to stink.

“But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Fellow Moms: You're Not Alone

The other day while driving my daily drop-offs and pick-ups from school, one of my sons thought that it would be really funny to repeat everything that everyone was saying. After about 20 minutes of mimicking from the backseat, another child eventually shot back at him with some joke.

Adrenaline rushing, my son unfastened his seatbelt, leaped over the backseat and began pummeling his brother! I’m driving—on the highway—for that matter, and two of my boys are duking it out in the back seat.

I enlist my third son to attempt to pry the boys apart—did I mention that I was driving. . . on the highway? By the time I arrived at home there was a massive dog pile of wrestling boys in the back seat.

I share this very raw window into my day to encourage you. Fellow mother, you’re not alone!

Sometimes in the activity of motherhood, it can be difficult to stay focused on the bigger picture of what we’re truly building—the hearts of our children. In our weariness we can reduce motherhood to child management instead of discipleship. Stay encouraged. Stay the course.  

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up  (Galatians 6:9)

First Impressions: Lessons from Foodland

I just returned from the grocery store. For the last six months, my nearest store has been closed for renovations. I used to avoid going to this Foodland. It was old, outdated and, at best, functional—they didn’t even have a deli, bakery or meat department.

Now they’ve reopened, and it’s beautiful with the best of everything. In fact, the very store that I used to avoid, I willingly go to everyday. They took something that was old, outdated and functional and made it compelling and inviting again.

What can the church learn from my grocery store experience?

I once read that when people visit a church for the first time, they will determine whether or not they will return within their first 7 minutes. That’s before the service even starts! This means their first impressions are formed mostly from their interactions with the people they meet or don’t meet and their experiences (good, bad and ugly) from the parking lot to the meeting area.

It’s not usually the paid staff, but people just like you and me that play an important role in helping someone who may be apprehensive about visiting church, feel welcome. To remove obstacles that can hinder them from experiencing the love of Christ. 

I don’t think it’s the church’s job is to entertain people. However, I do think that we have a responsibility to God to create an environment that is loving and compelling enough to which people will gladly return. To create an environment where people can belong before they believe. 

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Cheese Soup

I’m embarrassed to admit this—especially when so many of my friends  on the mainland are buried in snow. I am cold! This is one of our favorite cold-weather soups. My children like this soup so much that in the summer they ask me to make it and they eat it while they sweat.

Chicken Cheese Soup

3 large chicken breasts

Poach the chicken in a pot of water along with ½ an onion, 1 stalk of celery and 1 bay leaf. When done, cool and shred the chicken and reserve 2 c. of the broth.

2 stalks of celery, chopped

sliced mushrooms, as much as you like

about ¼ c. butter

2 cans, cream of chicken soup

2 c. reserved chicken broth

½ c. milk

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

½ c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

After you’ve poached your chicken, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and sauté the celery and the mushrooms.

Add the reserved chicken broth and cans of cream of chicken soup. Stir until combined.

Fold in the shredded chicken and add the milk. Add the Velveeta and the cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.

Ladle into bowls and serve with salad and bread.

This soup is our family’s favorite. It’s very rich and filling comfort food, but so good!

Finding the Two

Yesterday, Gregg asked me to speak with him for the second part of our relationship series: Goin’ All the Way: Relationships that Go the Distance.

In the first part of our series, Finding the One, Gregg talked about how God created us for relationship. He said that to be truly fulfilled in life, we have to find the One. Jesus is the One—our most important relationship; and our spouse is the two. Yesterday, we talked about Finding the Two.

Sadly, many relationships fall short of the fulfillment that God created them to enjoy. The new normal in our culture has become higher divorce rates and lower moral standards.

We encouraged everyone yesterday that, “If you want something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.” If you want a relationship that looks like the broken, hurt-filled ones that many people have in this world, then travel the road that everyone else travels. But, if you want something different—something far better and more fulfilling—you’re going to have to take a different route.

If you’re single, I encourage you to have a higher standard on whom you will see, what you will do, and what you will expect in a relationship. Asking a simple question like, “Will this relationship lead me toward greater devotion to God?” can help you decide whether the relationship is a healthy one to pursue. 

To hear the entire series, our audio messages are up and running on our webstite: http://gracehonolulu.org/

Feeling Crafty?

This week, one of the mom's at Jessie's ballet class was telling me about a fun art project she had done with her daughter for Valentine's Day. Yesterday, I did the same project with Jordan and Jessica. They loved it! And the added bonus is that it's quick and easy. 


Here's what you need: 
    - a silicone heart-shaped muffin pan
    - Crayola crayons (other brands don't melt well)


Here's what you do: 
    Peel the paper off of the crayons and break into 1 inch pieces. Fill the hearts with a variety of crayon pieces. (I wouldn't recommend using a lot of the darker colors, we left out all of the browns, blacks and dark blues.)


    Place the silicone pan on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Once the crayons have melted, put the silicone pan immediately into the freezer. Once they have set, pop them out.


Here's what you get: 

My children loved doing this! A great use for all of those broken crayons. 

Finding the One

Last Sunday, we kicked off our new series: Goin’ All the Way, Relationships that Go the Distance, with part one, Finding the One.

Many people are searching for the one. God created us for relationship—to experience friendship, intimacy and community. He even said in Genesis, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

To really be fulfilled in life, you have to find the one. Unfortunately, many people nowadays are getting married later in life, with more reservations and less success. 

Gregg encouraged us last week that if you want something different, you have to take a different road. Could it be that most people are looking to the wrong One? I believe that God has something better for his children. 

Could it possibly be that many of us are looking to their spouse to fulfill a need that only God can fulfill? 

Jesus taught that God should be our most important relationship. Jesus should be The One, and your spouse should be The Two. He desires to be The One, and until He is, The Two won’t work out the way God created it to work.

This Sunday, we’ll look at Finding the Two. Gregg has asked me to speak along with him so I’d better hele on and get my stuff together. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and then everything else will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Catching Mice

Last week, Rebecca called me adamant about the fact that she had just seen a mouse in the kitchen. I calmly assured her that it probably wasn’t a mouse, just a gecko or cockroach. She was SURE that she had seen a mouse, not just once, but twice!

Then, I saw the little critter shoot across the kitchen floor. And then Gregg saw it run into my closet. Oh no, my shoes!

Living in Hawaii, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing geckos and cockroaches in my kitchen and finding frogs in my yard. Shoot, I’m even used to the goose in our backyard that “honks” all night. (Actually, that’s still pretty frustrating). But, I draw the line at rodents, so Gregg and I spent almost two hours tonight buying and setting traps.

Several years ago, Gregg, wanting to buy the children an animal to care for, somehow convinced me that these little furry creatures would make great pets. He and the children went to Petco and returned with two domestic rats. He assured me that I wouldn’t have to care for them . . . because they’re the children’s pets. (Now I don’t know how I keep falling for that line, but I do.)

The only problem was the fact that the rats that they picked were (unbeknownst to us at the time) PREGNANT! Within two weeks, we had 16 “domestic” rats! Gregg conveniently had a business trip during that time and one night they all escaped from their cage and began running around the house. Thankfully, my friend was able to help me capture them and we returned the babies to Petco.

I’ll be sleeping with one eye open tonight. 

In the Real World, the Church Really Matters

Yesterday began a new chapter at Grace Bible Church Honolulu with our grand opening services. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the weather was beautiful!

Our amazing team of volunteers helped to make everything possible. We had a team in the parking lot, a bouncer and shave ice machine for the children, tents and tables set up outside for food and fellowship, and the cafetorium was nicely decorated. It was exciting to see a great turnout for the next step in our journey as a church—we even ran out of bulletins!

Gregg spoke briefly about the value of church in culture. He taught about the church being, not a building, but a people working together, not individuals doing their own thing.

When we lived in Tennessee, people would say y’all a lot. Even if they were only referring to one person! When referring to a group of people, they would say “all y’all”. God designed the church to be “all y’all” working together to be salt and light in our community. 

Here’s the link to some pictures from yesterday’s services.

Here’s the link to our new website.