Hawaii Weekending

Our first full week in Hawaii was busy, busy, busy.  Les was at work while I was dealing with car stuff.  We hadn't been to Hawaii in 11 months, so first thing was getting the car washed so we could see out the windows.  I then had to get a safety inspection and oil change.  From there I headed to the satellite city hall to pay our car registration, then it was back to Jiffy Lube to get our safety inspection sticker!  Hawaii is pretty easy going about this stuff, but I don't want to drive around in a car that isn't legal.

Of course we were up early every morning while we were there.  Les joined me for a few runs and also rode his bike while I was running solo.  By the time Saturday rolled around we were ready for some R&R.  Les rode his bike to the north shore.   After my run, I drove our car there to meet him. 

We headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant on the island - Cholo's.  They never disappoint.  We then spent several hours relaxing at our favorite beach park - Kaiaka Bay Beach Park.  This park is usually just local families with kids and extremely mellow.  There were several giant sea turtles in the water very close to the beach and I enjoyed watching them while Les took a nap! We were there for over two hours, just relaxing and enjoying a pleasant breeze.

 

We then headed in to Haleiwa and Matsumoto's Shave Ice.   We both ordered SMALL shave ices that aren't actually small!

 

I got watermelon, lilikoi (passion fruit) and sour apple over vanilla ice cream.  Les got banana cream, coconut cream and blue pineapple with azuki beans over vanilla ice cream.  SO yummy!!

 

On Sunday morning we took our time getting out and about.  When we finally did, we headed to my favorite mountain - Tantalus.  I have been running and Les has been riding this loop for a decade.  This time we packed our trail shoes and explored some of the trails.  It was quite an adventure but so beautiful!  For the most part we were in the shade.  A little over 8 miles with lots of climbing over rocks and roots.

Although I didn't take any pictures, the real highlight was being at church on Sunday afternoon!  We have missed our First Church ohana and were happy to give and receive lots of hugs.  And of course hearing Pastor McGriffin preach is always a treat.

Repost: Is He Your Shepherd?

My Bible reading this week is a study of the twenty third Psalm.  I'm sure it must be the most well known of all the Psalms.  It's such a beautiful, yet simple passage.  I have a couple of posts that pertain to Psalm 23 and I wanted to re-share them.  The first one was written in 2016:

Last night was a tremendous Bible Study at New Life Pentecostal.  Pastor McGriffin read just the first two verses of Psalm 23.  He said this is a very familiar passage, but many of us suffer from short term memory loss so it's a good idea to take notes in church.  I'm so glad I was taking these notes!

The Lord is my shepherd...

This is a personal and interactive relationship.  It becomes a relationship based on our confidence in who our God is.

I shall not want...

Because I have confidence in His shepherding skills I do not have to worry about my needs or wants.  When my focus is correct I do not have to fear.

Is He your Shepherd? Or are you, in your mind, just one of the flock? When there is daily interaction with the shepherd the automatic by-product is the sheep trust the shepherd and have no fear.

Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  That needs to be repeated.  Anxiety should speak volumes to us.  Are we really trusting the shepherd?

There is a difference between receiving what God has for me and not getting what I want.  The vast majority of Americans don't know what it is to be in want.  We take things for granted.  Sheep that are confident don't get distressed over what they don't have.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures...

God doesn't make us do anything.  The word "maketh" here does not mean to force but to have made provision for.  God made a place for us to lie down.  Sheep do not like to lie down - they sleep standing up.  We are the same way when things aren't going our way.  The Lord maketh (provides) a place of rest.  

Because of the faithfulness of the shepherd, the sheep trust him.  We repeated several times, "The Lord is my shepherd and I trust my shepherd."

There is no need for anxiety.  For sheep to lie down there has to be a tremendous amount of trust.  Sheep are vulnerable when they lie down, but they look to the shepherd for protection.

He leadeth me beside the still waters...

Still waters are hard to come by in our busy, over-scheduled lives.  There is a place of rest in a busy and crazy world.  We need both physical and emotional rest.

God wants us to have time to recuperate.  We need times of recuperation.   

We need to value hitting the pause button and taking trips by the still waters. We need to learn what it is to calm ourselves.  When we're hurting and feeling stressed, we must find a place of rest.  We need rest and calm to navigate life.

The opposite of still waters is a place of explosion.

God is doing everything to create a place of rest.  The biggest mistake you can make is believing you can work through every problem of life on your own.

There is a great need for spiritual lifeguards.  People who are looking for those who are drowning in the sea of life, who can bring calm to others.  We can't do that if we don't have calm and rest in our own lives.

We have the ability to be calm and bring calmness.  The church is a place of calmness.  This is a place to come in and lie down.

There are times when we are so stressed, our thinking is so messed up, we don't think we can even pray.

When we are in stillness God can send things to cleanse us of the parasites of life.  It takes the calm place to clean off what does not belong.  We have to learn the value of quiet time, a time to take a deep breath, listening for the still small voice.

At this point of the lesson, the Great Shepherd, the Prince of Peace took over.  There was such a beautiful, calming move of His Spirit that I put my pen down and closed my eyes, just listening to Pastor McGriffin.  He continued teaching a few more minutes.  The spirit in the building was so sweet as Pastor McGriffin began to sing...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

The congregation joined in, singing softly with no instruments, but with such a spirit of calm.  It wasn't a time to shout, but to quietly absorb the Word that was spoken.  Pastor McGriffin closed with these words, "In a world spinning out of control, we need to find the place of rest in the calm of God."

I knew I would be blogging about this subject this morning.  I just didn't know I would be put to the test before I got a chance to write about it!  Les rode his bike to work this morning.  No big deal, I can watch his progress on my phone... unless he leaves his phone here like he did this morning!  So I had a choice, spend the next 45 minutes anxiously waiting to hear from him, or trust the Shepherd.  I chose to trust.  I prayed and said, "God, You were going to watch him whether he had his phone or not."  And I was able to calmly wait to hear from him.

30 Days of Thanks, Day 16: Stillness

I did a quick search on my blog for the word stillness and found a beautiful post!  The post is titled, "Is He Your Shepherd?"  This came from notes from a Tuesday night Bible study in Hawaii in 2016.  You can read the entire post by going here.  I'm including my notes about one part that fits today's word perfectly.  If we've ever needed a place of stillness, it's now, in 2020.

 

He leadeth me beside the still waters...

Still waters are hard to come by in our busy, over-scheduled lives.  There is a place of rest in a busy and crazy world.  We need both physical and emotional rest.

God wants us to have time to recuperate.  We need times of recuperation.   

We need to value hitting the pause button and taking trips by the still waters. We need to learn what it is to calm ourselves.  When we're hurting and feeling stressed, we must find a place of rest.  We need rest and calm to navigate life.

The opposite of still waters is a place of explosion.

God is doing everything to create a place of rest.  The biggest mistake you can make is believing you can work through every problem of life on your own.

There is a great need for spiritual lifeguards.  People who are looking for those who are drowning in the sea of life, who can bring calm to others.  We can't do that if we don't have calm and rest in our own lives.

We have the ability to be calm and bring calmness.  The church is a place of calmness.  This is a place to come in and lie down.

There are times when we are so stressed, our thinking is so messed up, we don't think we can even pray.

When we are in stillness God can send things to cleanse us of the parasites of life.  It takes the calm place to clean off what does not belong.  We have to learn the value of quiet time, a time to take a deep breath, listening for the still small voice.

At this point of the lesson, the Great Shepherd, the Prince of Peace took over.  There was such a beautiful, calming move of His Spirit that I put my pen down and closed my eyes, just listening to Pastor McGriffin.  He continued teaching a few more minutes.  The spirit in the building was so sweet as Pastor McGriffin began to sing...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.

The congregation joined in, singing softly with no instruments, but with such a spirit of calm.  It wasn't a time to shout, but to quietly absorb the Word that was spoken.  Pastor McGriffin closed with these words, "In a world spinning out of control, we need to find the place of rest in the calm of God."

 

I'm thankful that I know where to go to find stillness!

Soaring in Praise and Worship

As soon as Sis. Gallimore asked me to speak about Soaring in Praise and Worship, I started thinking and praying about what I wanted to say.  We arrived in Hawaii on Sunday, August 4th.  That Tuesday morning I went out for a run and came back with inspiration! 

My spot on Saturday morning as I prayed and reviewed my notes.

I decided to use the word SOAR as an acronym and teach from that.  This isn't my complete lesson, but here are my four main points:

S = Sacrifice

This means as a slaughter, the flesh of an animal.  In the Old Testament sacrifice always involved death.  In the New Testament Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Albert Barnes commentary said this, “A sacrifice is an offering made to God as an atonement for sin; or any offering made to him and his service as an expression of thanksgiving. It implies that he who offers it presents it entirely, releases all claim or right to it, and leaves it to be disposed of for the honor of God. In the case of an animal, it was slain, and the blood offered; in the case of any other offering, as the first-fruits, etc., it was set apart to the service of God; and he who offered it released all claim on it, and submitted it to God, to be disposed of at his will.  We must devote ourselves to God, as if we no longer had any claim on ourselves; to be disposed of by him; to suffer and bear all that he might appoint; and to promote his honor in any way which he might command.”

O = Oblation

This is not a word we use these days.  It is only found in the Old Testament, but the concept of an oblation is very interesting.  It means something brought near the altar.  It denotes any offering that is not a “bloody” sacrifice - a thank-offering; an offering of incense, flour, grain, etc.

In Numbers chapter 31, the children of Israel went to battle against the Midianites.  Twelve thousand men of Israel went to battle.  All the men of Midian were killed, but not a single Israelite was lost.

Numbers 31:49-50 says, "And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.   We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD."

This was a freewill offering, out of the spoil, over and above what was expected.  If we really want to soar in praise and worship we need to go over and above our reasonable service of sacrifice and bring an oblation.

A = Adoration

The words adore and adoration are not found in the Bible, although one of the definitions of worship is adore.

From Webster’s dictionary:

to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

to regard with loving admiration and devotion.

to be very fond of 

Mathew 8:2 says, "And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."  The leper worshipped before the need was met

Mathew 14:33 says, "And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."   Those in the ship worshipped after Jesus calmed the storm

It doesn't matter if you're in a storm or just coming out of a storm, it's always the right time to adore Him!

R = Rejoice

To brighten up, be gleesome, joyful, exceeding gladness, to shout for joy, to spin around

Full of cheer, calmly happy

I thought calmly happy was a very interesting definition.  It's not what we normally think of when we think "rejoice," it seems deeper than an outward demonstration.

1Samuel 2:1-2 says, "And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God."

Mathew 2:10 says, "And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."  The definition of this word rejoice is calmly happy.

Conclusion:

To SOAR in worship and praise we must:

Bring the sacrifice of our lives,

Bring an oblation that is beyond what is expected

Adore Him because He’s worthy

Rejoice for all He’s done!

Soaring

A few days before we headed back to Hawaii I received a call from Sis. Gallimore.  Sis. G is the ladies leader for First Church Hawaii and she was calling to talk to me about a ladies retreat.  On August 23-25, about 15 ladies from First Church gathered at Nimitz Cove Cottages.

Our theme for the weekend was Soaring:  Soaring in Faith.  Soaring in Praise and Worship.  Soaring in Prayer.  Soaring in Peace.  Sis. G asked me to speak about Soaring in Praise and Worship.  I'll share some of my thoughts about that tomorrow.

We had a wonderful time connecting with the Lord and each other.  There are some ladies who are brand new in the Lord.  Others have been walking this way for a long time.  Each of us received blessings and encouragement through the Word and from time spent together.

I spoke about Soaring in Praise and Worship on Saturday morning.  We then took a break for an amazing activity.  We flew kites!  We spent a little time decorating them first, then we started soaring.  I probably haven't flown a kite in 45 years and this was so fun!

There was a lot of laughter as we got our kites off the ground.  But as our kites soared, the things we were focusing on became clearer.  Thinking about the effort it took to get the kite up made me think about how important it is to keep trying so we can soar in prayer.  Seeing our kites soar, watching as they stayed in the air, with little to no effort, made me think about soaring in faith.  As the kites floated safely in the air, I thought about what peace feels like.

Once the kites got up, they stayed up.  We soared!  That's what I want my life to be like!  Who knew that flying a kite could bring so many revelations?

Resurrection Power!

We had an amazing Resurrection Sunday!  We are currently in Hawaii and Pastor McGriffin was asked to speak/preach/teach to the Samoan congregation that meets in our building.  Their service starts at 1:00 and ours starts at 4:30 so it was a back to back kind of Sunday.  The Samoan Pastor and a few other members of their congregation have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  They are hungering for more of God and asked Pastor McGriffin to preach on that subject.

The Samoan service was filled with worship.  It was genuine and I know the Spirit of God was in the house.  The Sunday school children did an Easter skit and one darling girl did an amazing job speaking bilingually.

Pastor McGriffin gave them the full gospel and then it was time to respond.  The people flooded the altars with hungry hearts.  They did not go home empty!  Eight people received the gift of the Holy Ghost!

While the service was winding down I noticed a young girl near me.  She continued silently crying and I could see that God was really touching her.  When I next turned around she was gone.  After the service I found her and had a sweet conversation with her.  My new friend is Mary Ann and she is nine years old.  I told her that I received the Holy Ghost when I was 10 and she wasn’t too young.  She touched my heart so much!  There was a tenderness about her.  I told Mary Ann that I am looking forward to the Sunday when she meets me between services to tell me that she received the Holy Ghost.

We are believing God for a great revival in this congregation.  There are so many hungry hearts and I know God is going to fill them.

We had about 45 minutes to catch our breath before our service started.  It was a beautiful Resurrection Sunday.  Our Sunday school department also did a great job.  The littlest ones sang “He Arose” and one little guy arose many, many times!  It was priceless.

I’m so thankful for the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  The cross split time, but it’s the power of the resurrection that changes lives!

Which is Greater - Your Need or Your Faith?

We had a great service last night at New Life Pentecostal.  For the third year Pastor Robert Henson from Michigan has spent the month of February on the island, preaching and encouraging.  He always brings great faith with him and last night was no exception.

Before the preaching, Bro. Henson had a young lady testify.  Sister Sherena was born with only one full lung.  At age 27, she is active and can do anything.  In the past month she got sick and her lung capacity was down to 63%.  She was prayed for and went back to the doctor.  The doctor wanted to operate but she stalled him until her mother could come.  The next time she saw the doctor, her right lung was at 100% and her left lung was at 85%!  The doctor was astounded and could not figure out what had happened.  He tested her lungs again - right lung at 100%, left lung at 85%.  The doctor then sent her to California to see the number one specialist in the country.  When that doctor met her he said, "Are you the young lady who thinks God gave her a lung?"  She replied, "I'm the young lady who knows God gave her a lung!"  The California doctor did a series of test.  During their final meeting her told her that he wept when he saw the results.  He knew it was something only God could do!

Bro. Henson's message was "Which is Greater - Your Need or Your Faith?"  He told the story of the nobleman who came to Jesus in John chapter 4.  The nobleman's son was sick in Caperneum and the father traveled 22 miles to Cana to see Jesus.  Jesus' first response was, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."  Jesus pointed out the father's struggle with faith.  The father didn't even deny it, but still asked Jesus to come and heal his child.

John 4:50-53 says, "Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.  Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.  So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house."

Jesus met the nobleman's need and expanded his faith at the same time!

So many times we struggle with believing and the devil tries to tell us God is not going to answer if we don't have enough faith.  God doesn't work that way!  We don't have to have faith equal to our need.  Just that mustard seed of faith is all we need.  

At the end of the service, Bro. Henson asked for those who needed the Holy Ghost to come forward.  A sweet Samoan sister received the Holy Ghost in about 15 seconds!  There was also prayer for the sick and many claimed their healing last night.  God is still in the prayer answering business!

Tea at 1024

Sis. McGriffin and I have been wanting to get together for lunch for a while and we finally made it happen on Tuesday!  We met at Tea at 1024 for afternoon tea.  This is a quaint place right in the heart of downtown Honolulu.  We got to choose our own teacup from the collection:

There were hats and boas to wear if we wanted, but we passed!  Of course we ordered "Afternoon Tea."

The presentation was beautiful and every bite was delicious.

They gave us the best seat in the house - the window seat!  Along with the fancy chairs, it sat right in the window facing out to downtown Honolulu.  We thought about posing as mannequins when people walked by, but were too busy talking and eating.  And the best part was sharing some time with this sweet lady!

Hawaiian Happenings

Les and I are on our final full day in Hawaii for 2016.  This is our eighth trip for the year.  Les has been busy with work but we've still enjoyed the beauty of our island home.

Sunsets at Waikiki are the best!

Sunrise runs are awesome, too...

Especially when I can pull this guy along with me...

Friday night fireworks from our balcony.

We were here for the New Life Pentecostal Church Christmas banquet.  We love our NLP Ohana!

Little boys in rain boots might be one of my new favorite things!

Acai bowls at Honolulu Coffee

Seen on my run...

The Honolulu Marathon was on Sunday.  I did not run it, but Les got to be on the cycling team that escorted the wheelchair competitors.  They were flying down Kalakaua Avenue:

The winner finish in just over 95 minutes!

About 20,000 runners were on the course.  And the winner set a new course record of 2:09:37!

Christmas, Hawaiian style.

And finally, the full moon has been spectacular the last few mornings!

Coming Soon!

We have had a very busy few days and more to come.  Friday and Saturday was the Hawaii District Marriage Enhancement Retreat.  Dr. and Mrs. James Hughes were our guests and they were outstanding!  I have lots of notes and very few pictures.

Between sessions on Saturday we got new tires on our car.  We found a little lunch place and when we walked back saw this sign.  Some things just make you go hmm....

Last night Bro. and Sis. Banez from the Philippines were with us in service.  A light bulb went off in my head as Sis. Banez testified.  They attended Bible school in Manila in the early 80s.  After service I asked if she was there in 1984 and she was.  That was the year I went to the Phillipines so we felt like long lost friends!

Tonight we have Bible study at the University of Hawaii.  I have been asked to teach, so please pray for me today!