A Journey of Becoming

The God Who Sees Me

2012-01-25T19:15:00.001-08:00

This morning during mydevotional time, I read Genesis 16. This is the story of when Sarai, unable tohave children, gives Hagar, her maidservant, to Abram. Then when Hagarconceives a child, Sarai begins to take her hurt, insecurity, jealousy andanger out on Hagar.

Talk about dysfunctional!

Hagar must have felt sobetrayed. So unloved. So used. So alone.

After the angel appears toher, “she gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who seesme.’” Genesis 16:13

When I hurt. . .

When I cry . . .

When I feel all alone. . .

You are the God whosees me.

Why Do I Serve?

2012-01-09T11:58:00.001-08:00

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord and not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does." Ephesians 6:7-8

Too often I look for my reward to come from men, not from the Lord. I want the recognition, I want the encouragement, I want the honor. Isn't this what the hypocrites were desiring too?

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1

Ouch. I want to live for a reward that comes from God.

A Heart at Rest

2012-01-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

"My soul finds rest in God alone..." Psalm 62:1

It's easy to "seek rest" in things other than God, isn't it? A job, financial stability, good health. But when chaos and uncertainty swirl around us, how often are our souls truly at rest?

David was surrounded by people that wanted to dethrone him. Through the years, he had learned to trust God and find rest in Him. May that be said of us as well.

Is Anything too Hard for the Lord?

2011-04-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

As I was reading in Jeremiah this morning, I came to chapter 32 where Judah is being taken over by Babylon. War is raging and the people are being carried into exile. In the midst of all of the uncertainty, fear and turmoil, God tells Jeremiah to buy a field.

Seems like a silly request, doesn’t it? How irrational must this seem to Jeremiah? How foolish must Jeremiah look to the Israelites. Why would anyone invest in land when their future in that place looks so bleak and hopeless?

It was through this request to Jeremiah that God illustrated to the Israelites that He can be trusted and that His promises are true, regardless of the circumstances surrounding them.

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah was, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Jeremiah 32:27. In the midst of the darkness and uncertainty, God wants us to trust Him and actively depend on Him even when things don’t look the way we’d hoped or expected.

God assures Jeremiah and the people of Israel that they can trust Him to do what He promised. “I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul…so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.” Jeremiah 32:41-42

You can trust Him. If there’s a dream that He has placed in your heart, don’t let go. He will fulfill it in His way, in His time.

It Came from Within!

2011-03-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

If a monster was freely roaming, destroying and terrorizing our city streets, you’d probably want the city to do everything in their power to stop it, right? This morning, Gregg introduced us to some real-life monsters that we’re not always so aggressive in eradicating from our life. These are monsters that seek to invade our hearts.

While we learn from an early age how to monitor our behavior and filter our words and our actions in order to make life work, it’s not enough to monitor our behavior; we have to learn the art of monitoring our heart.

That’s why Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk the earth, said this:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

Above all else…before you do anything, do this one thing because everything in life emanates from your heart—your words, your thoughts, your actions and your relationships.

You guard your heart by watching what goes in and keeping an eye on what comes out. How’s your heart? Don’t be afraid of the monsters. God has given you specific weapons to fight and defeat them.

It’s going to be a great series. You won’t want to miss it.

Three C's-Connection

2011-03-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year, Gregg took some time to expound on three of Grace Honolulu’s core values— we’re calling them the three C’s. Since I’ve been lagging in my blogs, it looks like I kept you hanging for over a month to reveal the third “C”.

Well, here is it: connection. Connection is experienced when we’re devoted to loving God’s people and growing through relationship with others. Two of the main ways we do this in the church is through participating in a small group and serving on a ministry team.

How are your relationships in the body of Christ? Are you getting connected with other believers by sharing your life with them in a small group? Are you a part of something bigger than yourself and your own schedule through serving on a ministry team?

As Christ-followers, these are three important groups of relationships for us to have in our life if we’re going to partner with God in becoming all that He’s created and called us to do.

Christ—being devoted to loving Jesus and experiencing relationship with a living God.

Community—being devoted to loving people and influencing our culture by following Jesus into the places where we live, work and do life.

Connection—being devoted to loving God's people and growing through relationship with others in small groups and serving with a team.

Tsunami Adventure

2011-03-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

Finally, we are home safe and sound. After watching the news from Japan about the earthquake and tsunami they experienced, we’re so thankful and grateful to God for watching over and protecting Hawaii. Please continue to pray for the people of Japan. What a devastating series of events and long road to recovery they have ahead of them.

My minivan conveniently broke down Wednesday evening and was still in the repair shop when the tsunami warnings went off last night. Having no other alternative, we crammed all seven of us—and the dog—into Gregg’s tiny car. It was already past 10pm, when we left our home in search of higher ground.

After stopping at Wal-Mart for emergency supplies (Oreos, beef jerky, Cheezits, Spaghetti O’s and a toothbrush), we pulled up to our friend’s house around midnight.

Thanks to our dear friends, Darrin and Jo, for opening up their home to seven stranded people, their dog and all of the stuff each person brought because they were determined they could never live without it.

Three C's-Community

2011-01-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

Christianity is more than a religion--it's a relationship with God. During our series, Connecting the Dots, we've discovered that too often there's a disconnect between our faith and how we live our everyday lives. We can compartmentalize God, keeping Him as a "Sunday thing" we do, instead of seeing Him as real and actively involved in the world in which we live.

We've been learning about three important groups of relationships--the three C's. The first is our relationship with Christ. The second, is our relationship with our community. God desires for us to take this incredible relationship that we have experienced with Christ and share it with the community where we live, work and do life.

Community is being devoted to loving people and influencing our culture by following Jesus into the broken, hurting world around us.

Three C's - Christ

2011-01-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

This month, we began a new series, Connecting the Dots. Too often there’s a disconnect between our faith and how we live our everyday lives. Yet, God is real and He is actively involved in our lives and our world.

Throughout our series, Gregg will be discussing the three most important groups of relationships for us to have as Christ-followers—we’re calling them the three C’s. The first is our relationship with Christ.

We experience how real and reliable God is when we trust Him first. Going to God should not be a last resort, but a first resort. Here are some practical ways to trust Him first in your life this year. At the first of each day, seek God. At the first of each week, gather together for worship. At the first of each month, give God your tithe. And at the first of each year, set aside time to seek God through fasting and prayer.

As for the other two, you'll have to come back next week, or see you Sunday!

A New Normal

2011-01-13T17:48:00.001-08:00

A new year. Time to reflect and re-evaluate for the year ahead.

The Christmas season is a special time of year when God’s presence invades our culture like no other time of year. People are thinking of him, talking about him and celebrating His goodness.

Once January hits, the temptation is to settle back into our old routine—the busyness of life in which God becomes less noticeable.

My hope this year is that I would adopt a “new normal”. The active, visible presence experienced through December would naturally continue throughout the year.

A new year. A new normal. Serving a real God who is actively involved in my real life and world.

Peace On Earth

2010-12-22T10:31:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-25T14:51:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-07T01:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-25T23:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-09-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-08-04T00:45:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-24T23:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-17T23:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-27T01:02:00.000-07:00

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)

No Perfect People Allowed

2010-03-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, we’ll begin a new series, No Perfect People Allowed. If that disqualifies you from coming, I am terribly sorry. We’re really excited to have Lynette Lewis with us to open our series.

Lynette travels and speaks extensively all around the world and is one of John Maxwell’s Maximum Impact Speakers. With over 20 years of marketplace experience, Lynette has served in the corporate arena in various capacities, more recently as a senior marketing leader with Deloitte and Touche in New York City. Lynette is also the founder of Stop Child Trafficking Now.

Lynette will be talking about the Deception of Perfection. If you’ve never heard her speak before, she’s a powerful communicator who’s able to connect with her audience in an intimate, personal way.

Hope to see you there! Unless, of course, you’re perfect. Then you’re not allowed. J

U-turns Allowed

2010-03-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

When you’ve strayed so far, how do you even begin to find your way back? Sunday, Gregg interviewed our youth ministry director, James Webb, about his difficult journey through abuse, anger and drugs to a finding a relationship with Christ.

James mentioned that at one point in his life he thought it was too late for him to turn his life around. He felt that he’d gone too far and didn’t even know where to begin to find his way back.

During that season, someone told James something that stuck with him. Something that he couldn’t shake.

To find out what happened and what gave him hope to change, you can listen to his entire story here.

It’s never too late to get a fresh start. God offers us hope and allows u-turns. In doing so, God graciously wipes our slate clean and gives us a new start on the inside, in our hearts.

Outta Control

2010-03-12T23:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my husband, Gregg, for co-writing this post with me.

Since Gregg spoke last week on Losing Control, we’ve received several emails, questions and comments. God is in control and although He gives us a limited authority for a limited time, ultimately, He controls the outcome.

While Gregg’s message was about acknowledging that God, and not I or you, is in control, the most frequently asked question we received this week sounded like this: “How do you move forward after spending years in an unhealthy, controlling relationship or environment?”

Good question.

From our experience, here’s a couple of thoughts that have helped us move out of these types of situations and forward into what God had for us.

Honor God in all that you do and refuse to hold on to offense and bitterness. This is always much easier to say than to do. With sadness, I know some who have rejected God altogether because of the way another person (Christian) treated them. Sin is real, our world is broken because of it; hurt and pain are a common part of our human experience. Refuse to blame God when others hurt you. Hold to God, forgive and let go of offense.

Get into a healthy environment. Before I got glasses, I thought I could see clearly. It wasn’t until I put on the glasses that I began to realize how distorted my vision really had become. Controlling environments are usually isolated environments. Move forward by getting into a healthy environment where you can begin to see clearly and live with the freedom Christ offers.

Take responsibility. It’s important to take responsibility for your life. Desiring to please people and avoid tension can lead to surrendering decisions as to how we live our life to others. We’re responsible to God, not someone else, for how we live our lives, the way we use our gifts and talents and the choices we make. Choose wisely. Choose to please God.

Dream. God has big plans for your life. Love God, love people and make disciples. It’s all right to dream big and go for it!

Oh yeah, remember that He really is in control.

Losing Control

2010-03-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel as if your life is spinning out of control? During difficulty and times of testing, we can feel as if we’re losing control and our circumstances are too much for us to bear on our own.

Through these seasons, God works in our life and teaches us to trust him. God is in control of our life and we can put our trust in the One who controls all things.

Oh, but it can be so hard, can’t it? Especially when (if you’re like me) you thrive on being the one in control. In reality though, it is freeing to be able to entrust the details of our life to God. His presence in our life makes the difference even when we feel that we’re too small and the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against us.

This is something I’ve been considering this week: If you were absolutely confident that God was in control, what would your life look like? How would you respond to challenge and difficulty?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Your Much-i-ness

2010-03-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

Last night, Gregg and I took the family to see Alice in Wonderland. My favorite line of the movie was when the Mad Hatter looked disappointedly at Alice and noted, “You’ve lost your much-i-ness. You used to be much-i-er.”

It’s easy to forget that God created us for great things. For much-i-ness. Our hopes and dreams can easily become sidelined as we settled into the routine, responsibility and comfort of daily life.

God desires for us to experience the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary; the uncommon in the common; the meaning in the mundane.

Don’t lose your much-i-ness.

Isn't Grace Enough?

2010-02-28T23:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-02-24T17:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-19T21:52:00.001-08:00

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

2010-02-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-15T23:09:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-02-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-05T23:53:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Our Grand Opening!

2010-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the official Grand Opening of Grace Bible Church Honolulu! After months of planning and preparation, the “eve” of the “big day” is finally here!

This week, Gregg was sharing with me his heart for tomorrow’s services.

Frequently, when our children have had a big birthday celebration, we’ve ended their “big day” a little unsettled. We invest so much time and energy to make the event fun and engaging that we neglect to pause, honor and enjoy the child for whom we’re giving the party.

Gregg’s hope and desire (and mine, too), is that in the midst of celebrating the opening of this church, amidst all of the fun, food and activity, that we wouldn’t fail to honor and enjoy the One for whom we’re doing this.

Tomorrow, and every Sunday for that matter, we’re really celebrating Jesus. He makes this possible. It is Jesus for whom and by whom the church exists.

You’re invited to join us tomorrow! We’re going to have a great time. Gregg will be sharing “In the Real World, the Church Really Matters”. There will be special guests sharing, lots of food, and even a bounce house and shave ice for the children. (Last time, we had the shave ice machine, my boys overdosed and ate at least three each and got sick).

To the next step in our journey . . . hope to see you there!

Same Old Boring Stroke

2010-01-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Justin and Jordan started tennis lessons. They received tennis rackets for Christmas (2008), and have been hitting balls against the garage door for over a year. Armed with rackets, they headed to their lessons and began to learn the basics of tennis.

Last Sunday, Pastor Steve shared about an experience that his boys had with a tennis coach. Let me attempt to explain it to you.

He said that their coach would drill them on the “same old boring stroke” and encouraged them not to come up with something new, fancy, tricky or spectacular. Just the same old boring stroke, executed strong and well.

The church can host a lot of events and do a lot of things, but if we neglect the necessary and foundational things—the “same old boring stroke” (not really boring, but you know what I mean)—we will fall short of what God desires for us to be.

Every believer should be a disciple and make a disciple—nothing fancy, tricky, new or spectacular, but the essential ingredient to demonstrate God’s love to a needy world.

Same old boring stroke executed strong and well, and the world will never be the same.

Keep Running!

2010-01-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

Note: For this post, I unashamedly offer this one excuse: I am a mother talking about her children.

Last weekend was packed with sporting activities for our family. Jessie’s ballet classes started again and the boys are immersed in soccer and football. Justin scored two incredible goals during his soccer game; Brandon scored a touchdown and forced an interception; and Jojo, in his flag football debut, scored two touchdowns!

During halftime at Jordan’s game, we asked him how it felt to run the entire length of the field and score his first touchdown. He replied, “Good, except I forgot to ask my coach where the end zone was. I didn't know where it was so I just kept running.”

Jordan took the ball and ran. As he looked back, he saw the other team was still chasing him and his parents were still frantically yelling, "Don't stop!"; so he kept running.

Years ago, Justin had a soccer coach who would tell him, “If you move the ball down the field, good things will happen”.

A big determinant in our success will be our ability to persevere and fight through difficulty. I believe that if we refuse to quit, if we’ll continue to move forward and keep running this race, we’ll experience the fullness of all that God has for us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

One Mission

2010-01-23T16:10:00.000-08:00

We’re just one week away from officially planting Grace Bible Church Honolulu. It’s been an eventful few months and the excitement continues this weekend as we host Every Nation’s President, Steve Murrell.

Gregg and I are so thankful that he and his wife are here to stand with us as we begin this new adventure. Over the years, Pastor Steve has been a mentor, an inspiration and encouragement to us. We’re looking forward to hearing his wisdom for our and church this Sunday.

If you’re anywhere near Honolulu this weekend, come join us as Pastor Steve shares with us about having One Mission.

Our mission at Grace Bible Church Honolulu is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Sounds good. But how do we practically do it? We'll explore that tomorrow. Hope to see you at church!

Do They?

2010-01-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you a couple of questions. These are some things that I’ve been considering myself this week.

-What difference does the presence of Jesus Christ make in your life?

-What are some distinct differences between living the Christian life and allowing Christ to live his life through you?

Our lives should show the world what Christ is like. It should attract others to him. God wants people to see Christ in you everyday.

At work.

At home.

At school.

Even when we’re tired.

Even when we’re hurting.

Even when we’re treated unfairly.

Do they?

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

My Daily Challenge: Balsamic Chicken with Creamy Pesto Sauce

2010-01-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in one of my Rachael Ray cookbooks. She posts the recipe as a 15-minute meal. I haven’t been able to complete it that quickly, but it is fast. My whole family enjoys it and the presentation is beautiful. In fact, my children said that it looks like something you would order at a restaurant.

2 T. balsamic vinegar

4 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

4 small chicken breasts

About 6 cups of spinach

Juice of 1 lemon

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1/3 cup half & half or cream

¼ cup store bought pesto

Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, 2 T. of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and turn to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 T of the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side.

While the chicken is cooking, in a large bowl combine the spinach, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to your taste.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Add the butter to the skillet, and when it has melted, add the flour and cook for a minute or so. Whisk in the chicken stock and cream and bring to a simmer to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Slice the chicken and arrange on dinner plates. Pour the pesto sauce over the chicken, then top with the spinach and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

One Missing Piece

2010-01-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, I bought a 1000 piece Thomas Kincaide puzzle. Every Christmas since, I’ve dusted it off, opened it and attempted to assemble this incredibly difficult puzzle. And every year, I fail to finish it . . . until this year.

After hours of work, days of neglecting housework and feeding my children cereal, I finished! Well, almost. One darn piece was missing.

Thankfully, after searching around a bit, I found it and officially finished the puzzle.

It made me think of Gregg’s message yesterday, The Power of One Life. He talked about the value of one person’s life—their potential to make a powerful difference in the world.

Even before God fashioned you in your mother’s womb, He knew you. You are valuable to God. Before you did anything, accomplished anything, achieved anything, you had value to God. God has a unique purpose for your life!

As I looked at my puzzle that was missing one piece, I was reminded that every life is valuable to God and necessary. Just one person living separate from God’s created purpose, makes a big difference.

God knows you intimately and designed you for a specific work. It’s a work that stretches beyond your own life and invites you to share with God in his compassion and concern for the people in your city.

Don’t be that random puzzle piece that’s hiding on the floor somewhere. Allow God to use your life to create something beautiful.

Pray for Haiti

2010-01-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

While driving my children to school this morning, I heard that the news reports say the death toll in Haiti could reach well into the thousands. One report said it could reach as high as 500,000. That’s one fourth of their population. Gone. I can’t even begin to fathom the magnitude of the destruction.

How devastating and heartbreaking. It made me pause this morning to reflect on how God has truly blessed our nation.

Four women from our Every Nation church in Raleigh, North Carolina traveled to Haiti yesterday for a missions trip. Their plane landed just two hours before the earthquake hit. No one has been able to reach them. Please keep them in your prayers.

Please help us find them and as well help with relief efforts by following the link below:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3o8jz

P.S. Our team was contacted and all are fine. They're working to provide aid to the region. Their update: http://bit.ly/7pIjkQ

Oneness

2010-01-12T18:29:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend, we had friend and mentor, Kevin York, in town to meet with our leadership team. Here are just a few of my random notes from our time with him:

-There are about 400,000 churches in America; 360,000 of them have hit a plateau or are in decline.

-Oneness can only happen with maturity.

-For maturing Christians, church should be less and less about us, our likes and preferences and more about how we can engage those who don’t know Christ in a way that is relevant to them.

-Our goal should not to become a “crowd” but a church that can influence culture and transform a city.

-It is love that compels us to do this. A love for God and a love for people pushes us beyond convenience, beyond comfort to reach others in need.

Compelling Love

2010-01-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

This morning during my devotional time, I read this passage from 2 Corinthians.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

It’s easy to become comfortable and to build our life around our preferences.

I believe God calls us to live differently.

Christ’s love is a compelling love. His love is active. Moving. Outward focused.

The love of Christ, ignited in our hearts cannot remain quiet. It cannot remain stagnant.

It is a compelling force that changes our focus, our priorities and the direction of our life.

Christ’s love compels us to sacrifice.

Christ’s love calls us out of our comfort zone.

Out of convenience.

Christ’s love compels us to live for something greater than ourselves.

Christ’s love compels us to forgo our own preferences with the hope of seeing others embrace Christ, to be eternally changed by his compelling love.

Adventures in Church Planting: Lots to Do, So Little Time!

2010-01-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

In just three weeks, we will officially launch Grace Bible Church Honolulu. We have been operating as an extension of our Pearlside church, but on January 31 we will officially become our own church!

It’s an exciting way to begin a new year. To help us in the final preparations and process, our friend and mentor, Kevin York, will be visiting us this weekend. Kevin is the Director for Every Nation churches and he’ll be helping our team plan, build and strategize for the coming year.

Values, mission statement, web design, logo design, operations to get up and running, office space set up,. . .Lots to do with so little time!

One More Thing

2010-01-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, Gregg spoke about investing our lives in the one thing that will make the biggest difference in our lives—pursuing a relationship with God. Gregg gave me the opportunity to share some thoughts as well. Here’s a little peek at what we discussed.

As a vital part of our relationship with him, God invites us to join in conversation with him through prayer. I received a new little devotional for Christmas, Experiencing God Day By Day. To my surprise, today’s thought was similar to what we shared on Sunday:

“God gave us prayer so we could have conversation with him, but we often distort this by “saying prayers” and hurrying off without ever listening to what is on our Father’s heart.”

Luke tells a story that illustrates this idea. It’s a story about two sisters who had the privilege of hosting Jesus, yet each responded differently during their evening with Jesus:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

I can identify with Martha. I’m task oriented and enjoy being productive. In fact, my sense of responsibility can actually hinder me from relaxing and enjoying an event. Martha’s problem wasn’t her productivity or commitment to excellence; it wasn't her work ethic or sense of responsibility. She was distracted. That evening at their home, Mary and Martha both had a choice to make as to how they would invest their time.

Martha was so busy serving and producing that she was unable to enjoy and appreciate the presence of Jesus in her home. Mary chose the one thing—the important thing. Mary chose to break away from the busyness, to pause and listen to what was on her Father’s heart. And when the evening was over, she received something eternal that could never be taken away from her.

One Thing

2010-01-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Gregg shared about one thing that could make the biggest difference in your life. By pursuing this one thing our lives gain greater clarity, possess greater peace and gain greater perspective.

We were encouraged to not enter the New Year without this one thing. Because without this one thing, our lives can lose focus and become stripped of meaning.

It is this one thing that we were created to pursue.

This one thing is a relationship with God. God is a real person who invites into relationship with him. And it’s the one thing that should be our priority in this New Year.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,  to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

Snap, Crackle, KABOOM!

2009-12-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

While we were waiting in line for fireworks this afternoon, Gregg's dad reminded us of our favorite fireworks story. Gregg was a young boy and his dad had continuously warned him NOT to go near the box of fireworks with his lit punk.

As a young curious boy, Gregg did just the opposite. Too excited to see a box of explosives within just a few feet of him, he inched closer and closer. His punk ignited the entire box of fireworks. Everything went up in flames.

Fast forward 35 years. . . Gregg now has three boys of his own, two daughters and a nephew over for New Year's Eve. (In Hawaii, New Year's Eve is like 4th of July--times 10!)

Something fishy is going on in the driveway. The children all look incredibly suspicious. I call to the curious one and ask what's going on. "Nothing. . . really, Mom."

I don't buy it. "Please come inside, son. What are you really doing?"

"We haven't done anything. . . yet." His hands are holding a bunch of shredded up paper.

"What are you planning to do with the shredded paper?" (They were supposed to be outside throwing their poppers around.)

"We've been taking the powder out of the poppers to stick inside all of the shredded paper to make an EXTRA BIG ONE!"

Please pray that I make it through the night without a trip to the ER.

Nerf Wars

2009-12-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, I made the mistake decision to buy the children nerf guns. Consequently, my home has been transformed into an ongoing "war zone" for the past four days (and believe me, it looks like it). To make the experience even more fun, Gregg bought the mega-pack of darts at Wal Mart that come with artillery belts.

Just when I think I've found a safe place to read and drink my coffee, I find myself in the midst of an intense nerf battle with foam bullets grazing my head. Furniture has been moved to pose as "bunkers" and piles of laundry have been used as ditches.

So much fun to watch and thankful to have these moments to pause and play. Ah, but reparations must begin soon. Gregg's mom and dad arrive in just a few hours. Need to get cleaning.

When the Time was Right

2009-12-27T23:58:00.000-08:00

Having to wait for something that you desire so badly can be a difficult thing. And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not as good at waiting as I’d like to be.

I thrive on being productive and to wait. . . well, let’s just say, that’s difficult because it seems so unproductive.

It’s a lesson I’m continuing to learn. Maybe that’s why this scripture has been helpful to me.

“When the time was right, God sent his Son. . . “ (Galatians 4:4)

God didn’t rush or shortcut his plan. He was patient for the perfect time to bring forth his perfect plan. And as I and grow in my trust in God, I’m learning that He will do the same in my life as well.

Christmas Services

2009-12-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

This morning, our Grace Bible Honolulu 'ohana celebrated Christmas together. We had lots of music, lots of food and a great time.

Gregg talked about The Gift of a Savior. Jesus is our savior! We can now approach God, not because of what we have or haven't done, but because of what God did for us through his Son, Jesus!

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)

I'm so thankful that I don't have to journey through life alone, but have others with whom to walk. I've linked the photos and hope you enjoy them.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131658&id=85054433235&ref=mf

Mele Kalikimaka!

A Gift

2009-12-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

For the most part, the “external conditions” of my life are rarely peaceful. I don’t wake up to a quiet, serene home; I don’t have butler to cook my breakfast or bring me my morning coffee. Neither do I awake to the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the seashore, or to the view of the majestic snow covered mountains.

No, my days are probably a lot like yours—filled with appointments, commitments, carpools, sporting events and children needing love and attention.

While most of us don’t have the opportunity to ease into our day, but are instead, thrust into it, it doesn’t mean that our lives should be absent of peace. Yet, why does it so often seem elusive in our lives?

I think the answer lies where we look for peace.

Several years ago, I read a story about two artists who were asked to paint pictures of peace as they understood it. The first, painted a quiet lake, far back in the mountains. The other painted a raging waterfall, which had a tree hanging over it with a bird nesting on one of the branches.

The first picture, although relaxing, doesn’t as accurately represent peace as the second one. True peace is that which is present in the midst of difficulty. True peace in our lives, is not the result of the absence of conflict, but being able to find peace in the midst of challenging times. It’s an inner peace that’s not determined by our external circumstances.

God offers us the gift of peace through his Son, Jesus. It’s a gift that we experience as we learn to enjoy each day, accepting what cannot be changed instead of worrying about it, trusting in God’s loving care and wisdom, and surrendering to his purpose and plan for your life.

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John14:27 TLB)

Zucchini Bread

2009-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this isn't actually a meal, but it sure is good!

3 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. grated zucchini

3 c. flour

1 c. chopped walnuts

Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Then add zucchini and flour. Fold in nuts.

Turn batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake 1 hour 20 minutes at 350. (If using 3 smaller pans, check at 1 hour.

A Football in a Palm Tree

2009-12-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I met a friend at the park so our girls could play. Because it was a furlough day, the boys came along to play football.

While heading to the field, Brandon grabbed Jordan’s football and began throwing it in the air to try and knock some coconuts off of a palm tree. The ball never came down, nesting firmly on one of the fronds.

So Brandon decided to throw a water bottle up to knock it out. Guess what? The water bottle didn’t come down.

So Brandon got another water bottle and threw it into the palm tree. THAT water bottle didn’t come down either!

Then another boy came walking by with a bucket of tennis balls. After losing two of his tennis balls to the tree he gave up and headed to the courts.

Next, Brandon got my umbrella and attempted to javelin the football out of the tree. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?

My UMBRELLA got stuck up there too!

By now, Brandon had spent about an hour wrestling with this tree. He had tried “Bear Grylls-ing” his way up the tree; he and his brothers had attempted a human pyramid to reach the numerous items that are stuck.

Finally, a parks and rec. man came to Brandon’s aid with a basketball. He didn’t lose his ball to the tree but gave up, telling Brandon, “That’s not comin’ down, dawg.”

Later that afternoon, my friend went home and got her mango picker. (A mango picker is a long pole with a metal hook on the end).

Guess what? She was able to recover the football!

For the past day, I’ve been trying to rewrite The Twelve Days of Christmas to go along with my mini-adventure. 3 Brenes boys, 2 water bottles, and a football in a palm tree. J

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Taquitos

2009-12-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

My children enjoy these chicken taquitos. They’re much better than the frozen ones. I adapted this recipe from a Rachel Ray version.

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded.

1 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles

2 handfuls of pre-shredded cheese, 4-cheese Mexican blend. (I just get the big bag at Costco.)

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

About 12 soft taco flour tortillas

In a big bowl, combine the shredded chicken, green chiles, cheese, cumin and oregano.

Heat a little bit of oil in a pan and lightly warm and soften each torilla. (It only takes a about a minute on each side.)

Place a thick row of the shredded chicken mixture in the middle of each tortilla and roll them up. Bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 until they’re lightly brown and crisp (about 20 minutes).

I serve them with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!

The Meaning of Life According to Jojo

2009-12-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

This morning, Gregg asked our 6-year-old, Jordan, what he thought was the meaning of life. Without hesitation, Jordan shot back, “To spend time with each other.”

Not bad for a 6-year-old. Something so simple, yet so easy to miss and overlook. Sometimes it takes children to remind us of the things that are truly important. We can invest so much time in the urgent needs, tasks and responsibilities that we push aside the things that should matter the most: our love for God and people.

Amidst the activity of this season, I hope you are able to pause and reflect on God’s amazing love for you revealed through the gift of his Son, Jesus. And as well, to make the time to enjoy those special people God has placed in your life.

Gotta go. Going to take the two little ones to ride the Christmas train at Ala Moana.

Making Room for Christmas

2009-11-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel as if you have more things on your schedule than you have time to do them? Too often I succumb to the pressure to get the most out of my life by cramming my schedule with as much as possible and stretching myself to the limit. I say, yes, to the sporting activities for the children, then I say, yes, to volunteer at the school. And I say, yes, again to coffee dates, play dates, sleepovers, . . ..

I add, add, add,

plan, plan, plan,

schedule, schedule, schedule;

and then wonder why I’m not really able to enjoy anything.

This Sunday, Gregg will be talking about creating margin in our lives. Something of which I continually need to be reminded to do because I thrive on being productive.

God created us with limits and when we approach these limits, we squeeze out the margin and run the risk of burning out ourselves and those around us.

God invites us to live differently–to live with margin. Margin is the leftover, the extra, unhurried, unscheduled space. It is in the margin of life, where we are able to experience and truly enjoy life and relationships.

As the Christmas season is upon us, I want resist the temptation to spend it running from activity to activity—rushing around, stressed out. I desire margin. Time to reflect, time to pause, time to value people, time to enjoy and appreciate life.

Most importantly, to take the time to slow down and consider the precious gift of God’s Son, Jesus, who entered a little, stressed-out, margin-less city of Bethlehem that was just too busy to even notice.

Thanksgiving for Everyone

2009-11-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

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.

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Bruschetta

2009-11-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

This recipe is one of our family favorites. It meets my “daily challenge” requirements because everyone in our family likes it. In fact, it’s one of Gregg’s favorites. It’s also quick and easy enough to fix on a weeknight. Here’s how you make it:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper and garlic powder

2 T. olive oil

1 8oz. pkg. of presliced mushrooms

1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into bite-size pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped tomato

1/3 cup chopped red onion

½ cup chopped fresh basil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese

1. Preheat your broiler.

2. Pound the chicken breasts until they are thin and then sprinkle them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray and broil for about 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove the chicken from pan and keep warm.

3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato, onion, basil and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes. Serve the vegetable mixture over chicken and sprinkle with the cheese.

I usually serve this with a side of pasta. Hope that you enjoy this as much as we do!

Now God

2009-11-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, we will continue our series Choosing to Cheat with part Two: Now God. Here’s a sneak peak:

In the Old Testament, a man named Daniel faced a dilemma. Daniel had to decide who he was going to be loyal to—his Heavenly Father or his earthly king. He couldn’t have it both ways. He had to choose whom he was going to cheat.

Every day we make choices as to how we’ll use our time and prioritize our lives. We often face a dilemma similar to Daniel’s. Who’s going to be our priority? Who are we going to cheat?

God takes full responsibility for the life that is wholly devoted to him. If we choose to reallocate our limited time according to God's priorities, we actually make space for God to intervene in our life in an exciting way.

Daniel had a “now God” moment when he did this and proposed a test. Daniel specifically identified what he desired to see changed regarding what was expected of him at work. He presented his plan to his boss and listened to the objections from his supervisor. Then Daniel asked his boss to test him in it for ten days.

There would not have been a “now God” moment for Daniel, if he had not made the decision to step out and trust God. When you decide to order your life, family and marriage the way that God desires, you have no idea what God is capable and willing to do in the arena of your career.

To follow the series, you can download the full messages here.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,… (Daniel 1:8-9)

Mom, I Think I Flushed My Wallet Down the Toilet

2009-11-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, Jordan came running to me with a worried look on his face. “Mom,” he said in a slight panic, “I think I accidentally flushed my wallet down the toilet.”

Now for most 6-year-old boys, the spare change they’ve collected throughout the weeks wouldn’t have amounted to much. But Jordan has learned the value of a dollar at an early age and has somehow managed to squirrel away $115! All from a $1/week allowance!

So when Jordan said he “thinks” he “accidentally” flushed his $115 down the toilet, it sent us into search and rescue mode.

Thankfully, we found Jordan’s wallet on the bathroom floor. There are a lot of unanswered questions to today’s drama, and I still don't know all of the "why's" and "how's". But afterwards Jordan made the comment, “I think I have short-term memory loss.”

Unlimited Patience?

2009-11-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, I wandered into the family room and found my children eating a huge bag of frozen fruit. Not the neutral-colored fruit like bananas, mangoes, or pineapples. No, this was the berry variety of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries! Two of my children were covered up to their elbows in purple berry stains and it was soon to threaten the color of my furniture, walls and carpet.

Just the day before, I had to wash that same berry juice off of my couch. I had asked them many times not to eat food in the family room. Why didn’t they listen to me? I have to admit, I was frustrated.

Then I remembered how many times I have said that I won’t do something, only to find myself a short time later repeating the same habit, same attitude, making the same mistakes.

Lord, help me to be as patient with my own children as you are with yours.

“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1Timothy 1:16

Choosing to Cheat

2009-11-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

In our culture, I think it’s pretty safe to say that work and family make up the two most significant and time-consuming arenas of our lives. It can be a struggle to juggle the demands of maintaining a career and a family. Success or failure in either category directly impacts and affects our lives.

The problem we encounter, is the reality that there is just not enough time to get everything done. We can’t do everything. Someone is going to get cheated. Worse yet, somebody is going to feel cheated.

This Sunday, we will begin a new series, Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Work and Family Collide? For those of us who wrestle with this ongoing tension, it’s going to be an honest look at the reality that although we will need to cheat somewhere with our time, we must make a decision not to cheat our family and the people who matter the most to us.

Get Up!

2009-11-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

Today Jordan, our 6-year-old learned to ride a bike. Before we started practicing, I reminded him that he will fall, but the important thing for him to do was to get up and keep trying.

He did fall . . . a lot. But after each fall, Jordan got up, brushed the dirt off of him and climbed back on his bike. He was determined to ride that bike! It was a huge accomplishment for him and afterwards, Jordan exclaimed, “Now, I’m a big boy!”

Watching Jordan’s determination reminded me that there are times when I will fall, when I will fail. The important thing for me to remember is to get up, to keep trying. Too often in my fear of failing, I avoid the risk altogether. Where’s the joy and satisfaction in that?

I truly think that a large part of our maturity as people is fashioned, and character is developed, when we persevere, endure life’s bumps and scratches, and refuse to stay down when we fall.

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Micah 7:8

My Daily Challenge: Chicken Parm Soup

2009-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today is a soup day in Hawaii. We don’t get too many of them, so I hope to take full advantage of it.

This soup is one that our entire family enjoys and it only takes about 15 minutes to make. I got the recipe from Rachel Ray’s book, Just in Time.

4 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pound of chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

4 garlic cloves, 3 chopped and 1 halved

Red Pepper flakes, to taste

1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

4 thick slices of Italian or sourdough bread

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh basil, shredded or torn

Preheat the broiler.

Heat the EVOO in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken stock and cook until heated through.

While the soup cooks, char the bread on both sides under the broiler. Rub with the garlic halves and drizzle with EVOO, then mound with handfuls of Parmesan cheese. Return to the broiler to melt the cheese.

Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and float the toasts on top. You’re done! Enjoy!