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.