What Does "Abide" Mean Anyway?

This past weekend we had a local Youth Event where over 60 of our denomination's Youth gathered for a night filled with fun, spaghetti, duck tape, and a cool message on abiding with God. As I listened to the message I caught myself asking, "What does 'abide' mean anyway?"

The speaker explained that Jesus was saying he wanted to be by our side when he spoke of abiding. Hmm...I like that answer. I decided to let that one go and move on to other things. Of course, God being God, this morning I feel as though I won't be able to let the meaning of "abide" float past me that easily. I say this because the theme assigned by the United Church of Christ for this week's lectionary is "Abiding In Love".

Dictionary.com defines abide as "to remain; continue; stay." Let's see where this week's thoughts take us. Should be interesting.

We start the journey with Psalm 22:25-31. After reading the Psalm I must admit I feel pretty small. Not small as in insignificant, but small as in I'm one out of six-billion who depend on the earth to provide for my life's needs. I realize there are so many things which make up creation that every part of creation must somehow be dependent on another. Further meditation on the passage has me in awe of God as I acknowledge it's because of God everything exists in the way it does. It honestly made me want to tell everyone I meet today about my wonderful God and all the great things God is.

And I guess that's the hope of the Psalmist. The real question is, "Will I tell anyone, today or any day, of the amazing things God has done in my life?" I do know one thing, I'm certainly going to try, remembering that even the simplest act of kindness and compassion will be telling others about the amazing things God is about. I think I'll practice abiding with others today, maybe that'll give me a small (very small) idea on what the Psalmist hoped his words would lead to.

Putting The Week Together

As I sat and re-read my postings for the week then stopped in the silence to connect with what God is saying I came to a simple yet fulfilling conclusion. Before we take a look at that conclusion, though, I want to tell you a story.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She is a beautiful, youthful 71 years old. She is full of energy, in full control of her senses, bright, spunky and the embodiment of love. She does have a few health issues, but not enough to stop her. Sometimes I wish I had her energy and view on life. My uncle, her brother, passed away about a year ago and when we had his celebration of life she and my dad were on the mainland visiting family for their 50th anniversary. The fact that she never got to say her goodbyes really bothered her, until yesterday.

Her and my dad went to the beach where my uncle's ashes were placed in the ocean. This beach was my uncle's most favorite and he and my mom used to spend time there together, sitting on a bench under a wide-spread shade tree as they looked out into the water. My mom told us of how it felt great to sit on that same bench and look out into that same water. She went through her day there and spoke of putting her feet into the water as she walked along the shore.

Then, as she told us of how she threw two lei representing the family on the mainland and her and my dad into the ocean a big smile and look of peace came over her. She began to cry tears of joy and for the first time in a long while my mom felt pono (I don't know how to best describe this word except to say its meaning is to be right with everything).

We began the week remembering what it feels like to lay in open meadows beside still waters. Our journey then had us remembering how we hold on to anger and how easy it is to spread negative feelings. We were then reminded to show love so that people will know what love is supposed to look like and then our journey took us to a call to live as one people who are unified in one thing; love.

We will always go through pains and sufferings. Life will never be fair to us 100% of the time. How we react to these "trials" will let those around us know God is with us and it's when we allow God to lead we will find our peace. Our duty as Christians, then, becomes one of compassion as we walk along with those around us, sharing in their pain. It really is as simple as Jesus said; love God, love others, love yourself.

Thank you, mom, for bringing it all together for me.

A Call For Unity

You know, I will never tire of how God is revealed to me...never.

Yesterday I was having a great conversation with my mentor and tutor about the Apostle Paul and his basic theology. Of course there's nothing basic about Paul, but we attempted it anyway. No matter how we dissected Paul's writings, contested or not, one theme kept coming up; unity. Paul honestly just wanted everyone to live together in harmony, without placing restrictions which promoted exclusivity. In other words Paul's hope was that everyone in his time can be one people under God.

I became passionate as I began to speak of the Hawaiian ideals of ohana (loosely translated as family but really translates as a community of loved ones), and ahu'pua'a (the idea that we need to provide for one another). The indigenous people of Hawaii fully understood that they must be in unity to ensure the survival of their people. My guess is so did those who lived in 60 CE. Living in unity is something we've forgotten in today's culture. Think about the last time you went out of your way to help someone without them asking.

So, what about the revelation you might be asking. Today's lectionary passage is from John 10:11-18. It has Jesus talking about being the Good Shepherd and what a Good Shepherd is. Another passage I've read and heard preached about many, many times. So many times, in fact, that I forget to actually read it. 

(This is where we pause while you open your bible to this passage)

Look at the third sentence in verse 16. If you don't have a bible handy here's what verse 16 says, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."


One flock, one shepherd.


I will never tire of how God is revealed to me.

They Will Still Know

Sing along with me..."They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love."

Or will they?

I have to admit I'm a victim of believing the vocal minority. I, as do most of the people around the world, tend to accept what we see on TV or on our computer screens as absolute truth. What these images show, however, is one that is rarely in the best interest of truth as much as it's in the best interest of what's in it for those who show it to us.

Visions of missile launches, power-hungry dictators, murder, abuse, deteriorating societies and other such negativeness seems to be what we, the average human, is being told we want to see and what we should be interested in. Speaking as one of those average human beings I say nothing could be further from the truth.

I find myself turning the station during the news these days to other channels and watching something that makes me laugh or cry or, wait for it.......think. I'm getting a little tired of the hate, division, and overall love-bashing that goes on with today's "news". I want to see and feel something that touches my heart and mind in a way that gives me inspiration to do something for others and not makes me separate myself from my relationships.

1 John 3:16 (the other John 3:16) tells we know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us, so should we not also give our life for one another. The rest of the passage, through verse 24, does the most wonderful job at reminding us how to love; through action, in truth, and by simply loving one another. Enough with the "but-their-not-like-us bashing". Seriously, it's getting...no, it is old. Remind the world how we're to be known; I'm not just talking about Christians either.


So sing along with me again, "They will know we're united by our love, by our love, they will know we're united by our love."

What Are You Breeding?

Sometimes we really just have a very difficult time letting go of things that anger us. We find it easier to blame those we feel are responsible for our pain than to accept what happened and find a way to move our lives forward; or at least put our anger and hatred on pause.

A cursory look around our communities shows us how dangerous it can be to continue blaming others for the things we don't agree with. It's our government's fault we pay too much taxes - never mind we're the ones who vote them in every year. It's our company's fault we're not getting any raises - never mind our bad attitude is causing us to have a poor work performance. It's our school's fault our children aren't being educated - never mind we don't participate more in their upbringing.

Acts 4:5-12 gives us a look at Peter as he's obviously still going through the pain of losing his friend and teacher. No, I'm not pushing aside the fact that he's been arrested and prosecuted for crimes against the establishment. What I'm noting, strictly from the passage, is the anger and hate Peter obviously still feels towards the religious leaders of that time.

There is a saying I learned while going through management training which speaks of the best way to resolve an angry customer - "Behavior Breeds Behavior". How we act towards others will always be how they re-act to us. I just wonder if things would have come out different if Peter had found a way to forgive and show love. Maybe the divisions between Jews and Christians, or maybe Jews and the world, would never had been created. Maybe.

Now, before any of you get upset with me, I admire Peter's bravery as he stood before the church leaders. The way he looked the possibility of death in the eye and defended Jesus in front of these men is nothing short of courageous. I sometimes wish I could have half as much courage to stand up for my beliefs. It's just that a small part of my mind went in the direction of love and peace and acceptance so we have what we have.

Laying In The Grass

This will be a very busy week for me. Our Youth program at church is having its annual Steak Plate Fundraiser on Sunday and there's still planning, shopping, and organizing to do. Of course our church is amazing and will help wherever and however they can and our Youth are even more amazing, already getting excited about all the steak they get to make.

It seems as though this year has been one thing after another starting with Advent. I don't think our church, or our Youth for that matter, has had a decent break in our activities. Don't get me wrong, we absolutely love the work we do and thoroughly enjoy doing it for our church family and surrounding community, it's just that we need rest.

In keeping with what I am currently being shown to do in this blog I took a look at this Sunday's lectionary. Today it has me reading Psalm 23, a Psalm that always brings me peace. The images of God guiding me along still waters to lie in green pastures always calms me, no matter what I'm going through.

Now that I've read the Psalm and had time to let its meaning sink in I no longer see my week as "busy" as much as I see it "filled" with opportunities to be with God and others. This will be a week where many will come together in one purpose and that's truly something to celebrate. I'll find time to rest soon; for now let my cup overflow.

The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need...

Faith vs. Trust

Someone made the comment to me about why I start every post with "What2Say2Day?" and I didn't have an answer. So, not being able to defend typing an extra 14 characters I've decided to stop. I hope this doesn't affect anyone (tongue in cheek).

I've spent most of this week debating whether or not the words faith and trust can be used interchangeably. I've also been in search of what others think and how they define or separate the two. The example I ask them to ponder is if we didn't know each other and you were sitting next to me at a bus stop and you suddenly had to get up and leave for a few minutes and you ask me to watch your backpack, bag, laptop, or whatever would you have faith or trust that I wouldn't take it and run.

In every case there was good conversation about what justifies faith and what justifies trust. Most had a difficult time separating the two at first but as time went on they seemed to have come to a decision, albeit an unsure one.

The dictionary defines faith as confidence or trust in a person or thing. It defines trust as reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, etc of a person or thing. A closer look has me noting the word trust in the definition of faith and the word faith missing from the definition of trust. I love dictionaries!

In my conversations with others I had one person who gave a very good explanation to me. He said "Let's say we're at the same bus stop every week, and every week I ask you to watch my things and every week you take it. Yet, I keep asking you anyway. Over time I want to trust you, but I won't be able to, but I've never lost faith because I keep asking."

Faith requires no relationship, it is a personal thing that can only come from within one's self. Trust starts out as faith and develops over time as the relationship grows. Trust, therefore, requires input from others to become reality.

I need to keep letting this thought swim around in my head and find its way into my heart. I have faith it'll happen and when it does I trust the answer I'm given will be the right one for me.

Got Something To Eat?

What2Say2Day? Have I said how much I enjoy Wednesday night faith talks with our youth and young adults? If not, let me say it now. I really enjoy Wednesday night faith talks with our youth and young adults.

Last night we took a look at all of the readings on this week's lectionary. (In case you ever wondered what a lectionary is follow this link http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/) It was a good night, each of us sharing what the passages mean to us. We took in a lot of emotions; guilt, sadness, anger, joy, peace, and others.We also spent a good amount of time on faith and trust, trying our best to determine whether they are interchangeable in all, most, some, or no situations.

My favorite moment was when we got to the gospel reading. Luke 24:36-48 is about Jesus revealing himself to the disciples after the resurrection. It's the second week in a row we get to read a story about this revelation and there are some similarities as well as differences. When we compared the two passages we found things like doubt, fear, the showing of the hands and feet, and the words, "Peace be with you." to be in common. The differences we found were the place of the revelation (not in a locked room) and Jesus making the point that he was not a ghost.

While we were looking for more differences one of our young adults chuckled and told us that he now has a favorite quote from Jesus. In verse 41 Jesus seemingly says out of the blue, "Have you anything to eat?" We all got a chuckle out of that. Think about it, here's a man who just went through the beating of his life, death on a cross, and resurrection; he has to be hungry.

Once again we're reminded of Jesus' humanness. I can't speak for anyone but myself when I say that sometimes I forget Jesus was human while here on earth. To make things worse sometimes I put Jesus being greater than God. It's versus like this, and the chuckled remarks of our youth and young adults, that help keep me grounded and focused.

Thank you God for the teachings of Jesus the human.

We Have To Hope Too?

What2Say2Day? Yesterday was honestly a great day. If you read about and remember what my day's journey was going to be I have to say I was successful. What did I discover? I think I'll wait another day or two to let you know.

In continued preparation for Sunday I read the next passage from this Sunday's lectionary; 1 John 3:1-7. Another interesting read, filled with images of sin and forgiveness and believing in Christ's sacrifice for our sins. Yet, in the middle of all of this hangs one word, obvious in its placement and obscure in its meaning.

Verse 3 says, "And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." This verse ends a paragraph in which we are described as God's children for now, but that we also have no idea what is to become of us. I don't know about you, but that thought makes me a little uncomfortable. I kind of like knowing what's going to happen, especially if it's going to happen to me.

As humans we plan our lives as far out as we can. We choose when to have children and how many to have. We choose which schools they will go to. When they become of age they choose their own school and what they want to become educated in. We choose our careers, retirement, and to a certain extent our death.

But what if things don't go as planned. In today's world it doesn't take much to disrupt those plans. Downsizing by the company we work for, family members who get ill and need our care, a smaller career market and having to settle for jobs, and other things out of our control can attribute to us having to alter our best laid plans for our own lives.

Yet, as 1 John tells us, if we have hope, things will be okay. Not just hope, however, but hope in Jesus. So there it is, our word for the day; hope. Just as faith was my "word search" for yesterday, I want to make hope the same for today.

Was it God, or Faith?

What2Say2Day? In continued preparation for Sunday's discussion with our Youth and Young Adults I read Acts 3:12-19. It took me a few reads and an opening of my heart to begin seeing what the message for me was today. The words used are harsh and spoken in anger. Peter is being accusatory, and downright mean. I don't usually begin my days this way, but this is where we start today.

I wanted to understand why Peter sounded so upset in this passage so I read what lead up to it. It just so happens that Peter had recently spoken his first sermon on what we now call the day of Pentecost. Peter is visibly still upset about what happened to Jesus on the cross as he ends that sermon with the words, "this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36b) So when even more people are in amazement of Peter and the apostle's abilities to heal a crippled beggar it seems Peter has had enough of their disbelief and non-understanding so he rips into them.

Okay, so Peter finally gets all that ugliness was building inside him out in the open, and that's a good thing - more of us should do that more often. However it's Peter's words, not the anger, that caught me this morning. Peter never gives the credit for the healing to God or Jesus. What he does say is that the beggars faith in Jesus' name is what cured him. Interesting, isn't it. According to Peter it isn't God or Jesus that heals, rather it's the faith of the one needing the healing.

This motif is found throughout the Gospels. Jesus says more than a few times, "because of your faith..." So I guess the question is what is faith? I think I'm going to like today as I'm feeling I just might be witness to something that will give me the answer. In fact, I have faith it will happen.

Got Negativity?

What2Say2Day? I had a great weekend! On Saturday I rested, helped my wife do housework, did a few things for Sunday School, rested a little more, and went to dinner with my wife. Sunday brought a great day in church followed by yard work and hours of couch-ness. My weekend was relaxing and productive. What more can one ask for.

In preparation for this week I've begun reading the lectionary passages for this Sunday. I'm beginning with Psalm 4 which my study bible tells me is a Psalm asking for help from a bad situation. It reads like it's been written in that tone, filled with words of abandonment and pleas for forgiveness.

Verse 4, however, sticks out to me. "When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent." How often are we tempted to do whatever is necessary to get out of a bad situation regardless of what the ramifications to others are. This verse reminds me we need to take a break when we feel overwhelmed by things. It reminds me we need to stop and think about what we're doing, or going to do, before our actions bring regrets.

There are so many other things we could channel our negativeness to. Try cleaning the house or yard, or maybe have a night out with family or friends. A day thumbing through all the stations on your TV will do wonders for you. If all else fails call someone and talk about the things on your mind. Of course the Psalm gives us what may be the best answer to calming yourself down before acting on your anger or despair. It says, "Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD."

Be still, think about the things which are bringing you down, call a loved one, channel your negative energies into positive actions. If all else fails, or better yet before it gets that far, invite God into your life and give God all your troubles. God will know what to do with them. Hmm...wonder if that's why Creation is so beautiful.

Good? Bad? Does It Matter?

What2Say2Day? Yesterday I posted a few words about how other people around the world live in poor conditions and I made the comparison to how if they didn't complain about their life, why should I. That statement sparked a wonderful conversation amongst my coworkers as to how I can honestly believe that God is with the people in the Congo, or El Salvador, or even urban Chicago. "A God who loves everyone would never make people live in conditions like that." they said.

I agree. A God would never "make" people live like that, or make people do anything for that matter. The God I know is the same with every person in every situation, in every part of this world. This means that no one gets special favors, is loved more or less, or in any way whatsoever is put into situations that make one's life better or worse; not by God.

"So how do you explain all the bad things that happen to good people?" I was asked.

My all time favorite quote is from Mother Teresa. "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." God, by God's nature, does not show favoritism. This would mean God would be capable of loving less; God cannot love less, or more. God loves us all the same, whether we're the worst criminal in the world or the greatest saint. As such the hope for a better world lays within us.


We see suffering in parts of the world on our televisions and we say, "Aww, poor people." Then we click the remote and find a reality show to watch. We read stories of hunger and oppression and war-torn countries and we say, "Something needs to be done." Then we turn to the sports section to see what time the game is on tonight. We partake in conversations about global warming, depletion of the world's resources, untruthfulness of our politicians, and why things are so bad in our world. Then we remember a joke we heard that day and everyone laughs. We know there are people in this world who go days on end without food, clean water, safe shelter, and decent clothing. Then we spend a night out with our loved one, enjoying a dinner and movie after a short trip to the mall, spending what we call "disposable income".


Perhaps, just perhaps there is no peace in this world because we've forgotten that we belong to each other.

Who Am I To Complain

What2Say2Day? My thoughts continue from yesterday and wondering what I would do if presented with something so overwhelming I would want to only lock myself in a room and stay there forever. I can honestly understand why some people do this, even understand why there is a phobia based on not wanting to leave your home. For the majority of us, though, staying locked up cannot be an option.

So what do we do?

In our bible study last night we read from a few other passages that go along with this train of thought. The one that most caught me was Psalm 33. In the Psalm there is nothing but praise for a God who is the great Creator and Presence of all time. Reading this Psalm and listening to the discussion surrounding it helped me realize how little my problems are when compared to others who fight every minute for some semblance of life.

There are people in this world who need to walk 6 miles without shoes on paths of mud just for their day's water. There are people in this world who dig through heaps of garbage looking for some kind of treasure they can sell or trade in order for them to maybe get one meal that day. There are people who risk their lives meeting in basements and underground caves because their government will arrest them if they had "church" in public.

Who am I to complain if these people don't. These people understand there is a greater force at work in our universe. They accept where their life-path is taking them. The people in the world who suffer only do so because of my warped sense of how life should be for everyone.

God is the great Creator and Presence in this world. God was there before time began and will be there long after time stops. Too me that's a comforting thought.

Now What?

What2Say2Day? I'm finding as the week after Easter goes on the emotions which built towards the Day of Resurrection are beginning to calm. It's almost as though everything in the world is breathing as one. I am sensing a refocus not only on my goals, but on the goals of those around me.

The emails have all but stopped, the social-media posts have dwindled down to almost none, and I'm drinking less coffee during the day. My thoughts this morning send me to the week following Jesus' resurrection and how the disciples dealt with their emotions. John's story of the events following Easter don't give us much information and so we're left to figure out things for ourselves. John 20:19-31 has us believing that for an entire week they stayed in a house with locked doors. 

Which begs the question, what would you be doing?

The one person you gave up everything in your life for has just been put to death, and his tomb is found empty. The leaders of your community and the government are looking for anyone even remotely associated with him and they're out for blood. You have no job, no family, very few friends, and you don't know who you can trust. The life you've become accustomed to is gone, taken away in what seems as quick as a flash of lightning.

Now what?

That's the question, isn't it. Where do we, as individuals and as a community, go from here? Maybe this week, and the weeks to follow are meant for us to figure that out. The distractions will soon grow again and our lives will be just as busy as they were in the days leading to Easter. Whatever it is we're going to do we better get it started soon.

Take this week and the time that follows to discern what it is God is asking from you. It's okay that you lock yourself in a room to figure it out as long as you see it when it comes. It's what the disciples did.

Keep The Flame Lit

What2Say2Day? You know, it really is difficult getting myself together after the week I just had. It wasn't a week filled with stress; quite the opposite actually. I would say it was a week filled with emotional highs and lows. The closer I got to Easter, the more the excitement grew.

Of course I had to get through Maundy Thursday and the reminder that the shadow was approaching, slowly creeping its way into the heart of Judas and the lives of Jesus and those who loved him. Then on Friday I participated in a 1-mile walk through one of the busiest parts of Honolulu, gaining an understanding of what Jesus may have gone through in his own walk.

Saturday brought the Easter Vigil, which was actually way too much fun as our Vigil is actually a Youth sleepover in disguise. To end our Vigil, though, I spoke on what the Vigil meant to me and how it represents the darkest hours in our life. A place where we have no hope, no friends, nothing except that which is our worst fears coming to realization.

It was in that talk I spoke of the women who waited all night, watching and waiting for the first light and refusing to let hope die. It was there, in the lighting of the Vigil candle I saw Christ at work in the room. Yes, hope can sometimes seem bleak if not gone, but somewhere someone holds hope for us, keeping its flame lit.

That person is God. God never leaves us, never stops being the light in our darkness. The light may seem so far away we can't see it, but it is there. We just have to remember to not stop believing, just as the women never stopped.

Jesus died to remind us that hope lives. Jesus was risen to show us how hope lives on.

The Morning After

What2Say2Day? Here it is, Easter Monday, otherwise known as the Morning After. For a lot of us who plan, execute, and participate services and events for Holy Week, up to and including Easter, this is the day we can take a deep breath and rest - sort of.

I, for one, have to get to work and am actually looking forward to seeing the students I work with to hear their Easter stories and share some time with them. I will also tell my stories of the Easter festivities I shared with my church family; all of them filled with fun.

Somewhere in the telling of our Easter stories I would expect the story of God's love to also be shared. As for me, Easter doesn't end on the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring equinox but goes on for as many days as I can live it. The "end of the story" has Jesus reminding the disciples to go and tell what they have been taught and what they have seen. So, to me at least, this is what the moral of Easter is; go and tell.

Actually it's more like show and tell. Hopefully I can live my life in the way Jesus taught, and through my life, and my sharing, others will see what it means to be loved by God. A God whose love never dies.

So, go be Easter people and share the story of you with everyone you meet.

Lenten Thoughts - His Family is Our Family (Final Post Until After Easter)

What2Say2Day? This will most likely be my last post until after Easter so please bear with me as I venture off the normal Lenten thoughts. I want to share with you a story that shows what Lent means to me.

Last week there was a tragic accident on the west side of our island. A man was driving home after celebrating his daughter's birthday and lost control of his car, running into a family who was sitting at a bus stop on the other side of the highway. A mother and three of her daughters were sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the father and son to set up a tent for them to sleep in for the night; they were homeless.

The father could not do a thing except watch as the car plowed through the bus stop, critically injuring two of his daughters and his wife and killing his youngest daughter. The car that slammed into the family drove away, leaving them devastated and alone. But not for long. People came out of their homes, the police and ambulances were called. The family was on their way to getting the medical attention they needed.

The man who was driving the car was caught about a block away, parked at a convenience store. He was drunk. To make it worse for him he was also recently released from prison for a misdemeanor. Needless to say his life, as well as that of the father and his family, had changed in a way that will never, never, put them on the same path they had been traveling.

Place yourself in any of their shoes. Families destroyed, friends confused, community members shocked, the media non-stop in their public-showing of the events as the story continues to unfold. Two men, beaten beyond recognition. Two lives no longer livable as they had known it. Two souls carrying a cross so heavy the road before them is unbearable.

And yet, even though we can't see it yet, two lives filled with hope. Just yesterday the family of the man who was driving the car opened a fund to raise monies to help the family that was hit. When asked why they were doing this the only answer they could find was, "Because now we are forever connected because of what happened. Their family is our family."

In the season of Lent we recognize despair, pain, and suffering. Lent is also the journey which leads us to Easter. Easter is where we find hope.

Join in whatever Holy Week activities you can, remembering the final moments of the life of our Christ. Then on Easter Morning celebrate in a new life, risen for all humanity to come together as one people living in a love shared through God.

God's family is our family.

Lenten Thoughts - Do What You Say

What2Say2Day? Today's Lenten reading is from Matthew 21.28-32.

 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

When I was training for my first management job we had a class on the core values of the company. They included things like honesty, trust, and integrity. Of course each value was defined in how the company wanted us to think of them. For example honesty was sharing what was going on whether it was good or not and Integrity was doing the right thing especially when nobody is watching.

It's the definition for trust I recalled when I read today's passage. Trust as defined by this company is to always do what you say you will do. Isn't this how trust is built? If you are in a relationship with someone and they never or rarely do what they say they will do, how much will you believe them as time goes on? As the company also reminded us because we are persons of authority we have a certain level of trust which we are expected to have.

This is what I think Jesus means in the telling of this story. John the Baptizer came and told them all what was about to happen and those in power did not believe him. Instead they just kept on treating people the same way they have been taught; clean vs. unclean. The "outcasts" of Jesus times believed John, especially after they saw what Jesus was doing and how he treated them. But the leaders and those in power did not believe.

Jesus uses the persona of John as an example of someone doing what they say they will do and therefore as someone who is to be trusted. It would seem he is also making reference to the leaders of that time and place by, once again, reminding them they do not do as they say and therefore cannot be trusted.

Take a close look at the people who ask for your trust and think to yourself, "Do they do what they say they will do?" Then take a look at yourself and ask, "Do I do as I say I will do?"

The answer may surprise you.