Friday Findings

A Special World – Sheelagh Lennon

A special world for you and me

A special bond one cannot see

It wraps us up in its cocoon

And holds us fiercely in its womb.

Its fingers spread like fine spun gold

Gently nestling us to the fold

Like silken thread it holds us fast

Bonds like this are meant to last.

And though at times a thread may break

A new one forms in its wake

To bind us closer and keep us strong

In a special world, where we belong.

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." – C. S. Lewis

"Because in the school of the Spirit man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence, how to live by dying." – Johannes Tauler

"Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves." – Virginia Satir

"As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because I never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took away all my ambition too." – Johnny Depp 

Watch Yourself

Luke 14:1, 7-14

One of the things we talk about a lot with our youth in church is how people will watch you closer when you "proclaim" yourself a Christian. People have this specific idea about what they think a Christian is supposed to look like and how they're supposed to act. For these people anyone who says they are a follower of Christ is supposed to become a mirror image of what their idea of a Christian is supposed to be. The problem becomes, then, that their ideas about what a Christian is supposed to look like varies widely.

As a Christian our words, actions, and decisions come under deep scrutiny. I remember a conversation with one of the science teachers in our school. He asked me what I thought about some Christian's claims that the earth was made in six days. I simply smiled widely and said, "Do you know what I say to people who ask me why dinosaurs aren't mentioned in the bible? I say that dinosaurs weren't yet discovered when the bible was written."

He looked puzzled at my answer so I further explained that when the creation story he mentioned was written the people's science was very limited. As a result the story we see in the first creation story presented in the bible is both a retelling of the best science they have as well as an explanation which reinforces the different festivals and holidays those people celebrate.

This science teacher then told me how much more confused he had just become. "What did I mean by 'that particular' creation story?" "You said first creation story, are there more? "How does the creation story remind the people about different festivals and holidays?"

We had a very interesting conversation about culture in the the 6th century BCE and how I view science as God's revelation to  us. We talked about the compatibility of science and religion for just over an hour, and we were still in Genesis 1. At the end of our conversation he said, "You don't know how refreshing it is to have this conversation with a Christian like you."

People base their Christian beliefs based on what they see, hear, and witness. If all they know is what they see in the news or on TV and if all they hear is what's on the radio their ideas about what a Christian is might be skewed towards the conservative extreme side of our religion. That's not who Christ is.

Christ is the one who takes the seat of the less important at a banquet. Christ is the one who would invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind to the banquet. Christ is the one who would sit with someone who is prepared for a fight and share in the peace that comes with understanding.

Be the Christ people don't expect. Be the Christ of compassion. Be the Christ of understanding. Be the Christ of acceptance. Be the Christ of conversation. Be the Christ of love.

The Feeling Is Mutual

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

I'm not sure if it's fair to read today's passage in this way: look only at the first verse. More is said about how to live our lives than what those 4 words say. If you need more explanation, or if you need to have those words better defined go ahead and read the rest of the passage, but I tell you the first 4 words say it all.

Let mutual love continue.

If you will indulge me I want to give you the definitions of the Greek words as used in this passage.

Let - meno

• To continue to be present, To last and endure, To remain as one (people in unity)

Mutual Love - Philadelphia (The KJV uses "Brotherly Love".)

• Love among each other as one brethren, or one family.

Continue - meno

• Same as above.

The message really is that simple. Never stop living as one people in unified love.

That's all I got.

Where Did You Go?

Jeremiah 2:4-13

One of the stories which shaped who I am today comes from my high school years. In fact it comes from no more than a week before I graduated. It's not a story I'm proud of, but what happened in that moment has stayed with me since that day.

As some of you know (and if you didn't now you will) my life's journey took me through years of dependence on drugs and alcohol. The reasons I began doing drugs had more to do with accepting myself for who I was than wanting to be accepted by a particular group of people. I had good friends, in fact I had great friends who would do anything to protect me and give anything to heal me.

As my drug use increased my school studies and school work decreased. Throw in a severe case of Senioritis and I can honestly tell you that if it wasn't for the grace of a teacher or two I would never have graduated with my class.

One day, as I was standing in the band room joking around and having fun, a junior approached me. He asked if he could talk to me and we walked aside. He looked me in the eye and asked what had happened to me. He wanted to know why I was doing drugs and failing high school.

I had no answer.

I can still see this next moment as clear as it was happening now. As I stood there in silence he quieted his voice and said to me, "I used to look up to you, now I don't know who I can believe in."

It took almost 15 years to understand what he meant with those words. I see how my actions, words, and decisions affect more than just me. I realize how our lives are all connected and when we let ourselves down we can bring down others around us. I had to live through days of self-denial and denial of those around me who cared, as well as in denial of a God who loves me unconditionally, before I understood the power in those words spoken to me that day..

I've since reconciled with my self and those around me. I've since reconciled myself with God through Jesus Christ. Because of this whenever I think of that story instead of self-doubt I think of how I came through and became strong in mind, body, and soul.

What are the words you're waiting for?

Listen To Their Voices

Psalm 81:1, 10-16

One of the more difficult things to do as an adult mentor, coach, or parent of a teenager is to let them make their own decisions. As adults we have learned to extend the decisions we're contemplating to its most likely outcome. If we're trying to decide whether to relocate to a new city or state we think about everything that might come with that decision. If we're trying to decide whether or not to take a promotion at work or to change our career all together, we think about as many ramifications of that decision as possible.

However, a teenager will most likely only see how the decision they make benefits them, and only them, for the immediate or very near future. Last Wednesday I was privileged to meet with the program director of Hale Kipa's Youth Outreach (YO!) program. As he took me around the drop-in center and explained how their program works I couldn't help but think how these teenagers get themselves into a situation where a life on the streets becomes the alternative.

We talked about how the age of teens who come through their doors can be as young as 12 and as old as 22. We talked about how the younger ones usually stay away from home for only a few nights at the most and how those chronically on the streets tend to be in the 17-22 age range. Then he threw me the number that hit me the most - the program helps an estimated 1000 unduplicated teens a year. That means that about 1000 teens on the island of Oahu make the decision to run away from their homes and end up on the streets at some point in their lives.

As we discussed the reasons teenagers run away from home YO!'s director said these words, "Whatever the reasons are it's a sad statement when a life on the streets is better than their lives at home." How true those words rang. I replied with, "Yes, and I'm sure running away isn't their first option, but what can they do if nobody is listening to their cries for help?"

Today's Psalm brings that conversation home for me. What I read in the Psalm is that there were a people, a nation, to whom God called out to, but the choice the people made was not to listen. As a result God "removed" God's self from the people of Israel, leaving them to fend for themselves.

In much a similar way the teenagers who decide to leave home do so because they honestly see that as their only alternative. As a teenager it's very difficult for them to let people in on the things that are bothering them, especially if those things include abuse at any level. As their adult friends it really is up to us to listen and watch for the clues they give us in their cry for help. This can only be accomplished through building a relationship with them so that we can see and hear the subtle differences in their voice and actions.

Our youth are crying out for help, they want to contribute their gifts as best they can to their communities. It's up to us to help them find that gift and guide them along the way as they grow that gift into one they can, and will share with their communities. Let's find ways to better listen to our youth as they cry out to be seen.

Friday Findings

I sincerely hope you've had a good week.

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares. – Henri Nouwen

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth. – Bradley Whitford

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. – Aristotle

And I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. – Black Elk 

You Can Lead A Donkey To Water, But...

Luke 13:10-17

I am of the belief that one of Jesus' biggest pet peeves is hypocrisy. Although as a word it only appears a dozen or so times as being said by Jesus, the stories attached to that word show Jesus' in a more than usual irritated state of mind.

Take today's reading as an example. While teaching in a local synagogue, Jesus sees a woman who is visibly in deep pain, and according to Luke she's been this way for a very long time. Jesus pauses from his teaching and calls the woman over and, with a single touch, heals her. The woman is so filled with joy from having her pain taken away she enthusiastically praises God.

Enter the bad guys.

The leader of the synagogue becomes so "indignant" at the healing he stands up and tells the woman, and anyone else who may be in hearing distance, that absolutely no healing should be done on the Sabbath. As the great Dr. Moreau would say, "What is the law?!"

Jesus' simple, yet frustrated reply: "I get it about the Sabbath, but seriously, don't you untie and take your donkey to drink water? Why then should not these people be untied and given the relief they seek?" (Yes, that was paraphrased.)

These days I'm paying a lot more attention to what the experts say about why the 20 and 30-year olds aren't in our churches. The reason most given is because our churches are irrelevant. They say we aren't providing the thing young people are seeking: truthfulness. These young people, churched or unchurched, understand that the true mission of Christ was to heal the relationships which were torn apart by a rigid adherence to things which really didn't matter.

Our churches talk about a God that loves everyone, but lives in a way that shows the opposite. Our churches say you are welcome, unless you're different than us. Our churches preach we will all go to heaven, except those who don't live by our rules. Our churches teach community and all-accepting love, but not for those of you who don't conform to our ideas.

If the Christian churches are to remain a viable pathway towards God we need to take a good look at ourselves and understand that if we take our donkeys to get a drink of water on the days we're not supposed to, then it's okay to do the same for our brothers and sisters.

Shaken, Not Stirred

Hebrews 12:18-29

I'm confused. Of course those who know me will say that's nothing new, but what makes this one different is I'm not able to make sense of that which is confusing me. Let me tell you what's confusing me and maybe you'll make better sense of it than me.

Verses 27-28 of today's reading tells us that all things created will be removed from earth and all we'll be left with is things that are not created, for which we should be thankful. If we're to read this at face value we are to accept that God will leave us with nothing and we're to be happy about it. Do you see my confusion?

My confusion is made deeper because of what I've learned about the Hebrew bible and the word "create". According to the books I've read and the people who've taught me about the Hebrew bible the word "create" is only used in conjuncture with God. In other words only God can create - produce something from nothing. That logic leads me to think that everything God has made will be taken away and we'll be left with, well, nothing. See my confusion?

However, I must also remember my New Testament teachings and apply the understanding that the book of Hebrews is written in a Greek-world. The word used in this passage is not defined as create, but rather "make". So, is this passage then talking about things which are made, which is something humankind does?

What we have now is the author of Hebrews telling us that God will once again shake - disturb, topple, agitate - the earth so that the things which are made by humans is removed, and all that will remain is that which is unshakable; that which is not made by humans - that which is made by, or created by, God.

This is beginning to make more sense.

What I read now is that when our world falls apart around us it's through our understanding of God's love through Christ that we will have the things which are truly important to hang on to. It's when we lose our jobs that through Christ we understand we are still alive and help is available through our different communities. It's when someone close to us passes from this earth that through Christ we understand they are in a place where pain and sorrow are no longer a part of them. It's when our closest relationships shatter that through Christ we know there will always be someone who loves us more than any earthly relationship could have.

Things such as a job, house, partners, and material belongings are made by humans. That which is created lives in our hearts, and that thing is unconditional acceptance by God. Everything else created by God or made by humankind becomes that which leads, or tries to lead, to helping us understand that acceptance. The things which are made by humans can eventually crumble, but the things which are created by God will be with us forever.

Okay, maybe I'm not so confused any more.

For Me? Awww, You Shouldn't Have

Jeremiah 1:4-10

In another church I served as the Youth Director we had enough young people for a choir. It was a really good choir filled with the exuberance of youth. We had the perfect mix of youth who were good and knew it and youth who were weren't as good, and knew it. The choir was a great way to not only worship God, but to also build confidence and humility.

During rehearsal one Sunday I walked around the choir as they practiced their upcoming song. I smiled as I listened to a boy or two try to reach the high notes with voices trying to pull through puberty. I smiled even more as I watched girls roll their eyes when the choir director asked them to repeat a section again. These were typical teens willing to worship God through song and that's what made it a wonderful choir.

As I walked past the front row of girls I heard what I thought was the most angelic voice I've heard in a while. I paused to find the voice but had a difficult time because it was a very faint sound. It was as though this voice didn't want to be heard, but could not hide. Then, as my eyes met with those from which this voice was coming, the voice went silent and her eyes went down. Everyone noticed the absence of that voice and turned to see why it went silent. Instead of attracting more attention to her I walked away and didn't bother rehearsal again.

After rehearsal I approached this young lady to tell her how much I appreciated her voice and she shouldn't shy away from it. I explained it as a gift from God that she should happy to carry for God. Time went by and we had more Sundays to talk about what a gift from God was and how we're given certain gifts which God hopes we'll use to help make God's kingdom on earth a better place.

Then, one Sunday during rehearsal, out of nowhere a voice, angelic and loud, rang above all other voices, stopping the rehearsal midway through the song. Cheers from the choir rang out and a tear formed in the eyes of the choir director and myself. Later this young lady told me that she finally understood what it meant to have a gift from God and she just wanted to share it with everyone in God's name.

God has a purpose for us all. Chances are we know what our gifts are, but for some reason we're afraid to use it. Just as God said to Jeremiah, "I am with you to deliver you." God knows the gifts God has given to us and God is there to guide us in developing these gifts in order that someday we'll be able to use these gifts to help God in realizing God's intent for us; to be in relationship with God, others, and ourselves.

Shelter In Place

Psalm 71:1-6

Our church's 57th Annual Luau was held this past Saturday. It's what we call a take-out luau because the luau plates are pre-sold and picked up on a certain date. This take-out luau is the culmination of almost a year's worth of planning, months of concentrated organizing, weeks of finalizing plans, and days of old-fashioned hard work.

I try to be there when we dig the imu (a pit in which we cook food, in this case pigs and sweet potato). I'm also there when we drop the pigs into the imu and take them out. Of course there's a lot more to it than just dropping and removing pigs, but instead of going into the details of everything that's involved I'll simply say that these "work days" are intensive in the amount of physical labor one puts in.

I want to blame the amount of work I do during these work days for the body aches I feel for for about the next week, but in all honesty I have to say it's age. I'm finally comfortable in acknowledging I'm not physically as young as I want to be. However, I have good health and a sharp mind, so I guess it all evens out.

Another labor-intensive duty I took part in this year was the assembly of our take-out boxes. Imagine if you will a gathering of over 100 people working together to assemble 8 different items into a box, 3400 times. It takes a little over 7 hours to complete and when we are done the mental and physical fatigue is astounding. I really don't have words to describe it except to say the rest of the night consists of a hot shower and a very long slumber.

Of course one would not be able to continue for the combined work days without finding the space to rest. Each person has their place to hide - some go into the shade of a large tree to lie on the grass, some find a chair in a breezy hall, others go completely off the church grounds and sit in their air-conditioned cars. Wherever the choice of rest and relaxation might be, one thing is certain: the peace one finds there is extremely welcomed.

The same kind of peace is what I imagine the writer of this Psalm felt while describing the sanctuary of being in God's "fortress". The peace God brings to us when we need a place to take refuge can be just what one needs to escape the daily, and sometimes day-long, pace which our schedules demand. We get very busy going from one place to another, never finding time to just sit and be.

Today, as you go from place to place, trying to finish your daily routines as fast as you can, take a moment to reflect on how much you have to be thankful for. God is waiting for you to say hello and to simply give you a hug and to whisper a kind word in your ear.

Light It Up

Luke 12:49-56

In case I've never mentioned it I have the most caring, loving, conscientious step-son in the world. Okay, I might be biased, but I'll stick to my claim forever.

He knows I work late on Wednesdays and he also knows my wife doesn't really like to be home by herself at night. In his caring way he makes it a point to visit his mom for dinner every Wednesday. They sit, talk, and eat together until I get home. He usually stays until the late night news is over then goes home.

On one of those nights I had come home earlier than usual and was able to share in part of their night. They had already eaten dinner so I sat at the table and ate my wife's amazing meatloaf while they watched TV and talked. When I was done eating and cleaning my dishes I sat with them and he asked me what I wanted to watch. I told him whatever they wanted to watch was fine with me.

We ended up watching a reality show which highlighted survivalists hiking through the mountains. On the show the groups are divided by skills. There are the hunters, the guides, and the shelter-makers. Each group has their own instructions and the others depend on their decisions and skills. The task for that particular night was to cross a ravine, find a pre-determined sheltered spot, and catch and cook dinner. My guess is that's pretty much how every show goes.

The survivalists each have the same things on them: a knife and water container. This made it interesting when it became time to light a fire. The fire was necessary for important reasons; to cook, for heat, and for light to name a few. The fire-lighters didn't have a flint, or stone and metal, or any other trick known to start a fire. All they had were were 2 sticks and slightly wet kindling.

They took quite a long time to get the fire started which got them worried as they knew without the fire they wouldn't eat that night, or worse they might freeze. Through the magic of television editing we also got a glimpse of the hunters trying to catch fresh-water eels to eat. As they were catching their food comments such as "I hope the fire is lit when we get back because I'm cold and hungry" were made.

It was obvious that without the fire it was going to be a miserable night.

In this passage from Luke, Jesus makes the comment that he wishes the fire he came to spread was already lit. Jesus recognizes that his work on earth is difficult and if just a little bit of God's love existed his work would be that much easier. Unfortunately he came into a time when the world in which he lived was very divided.

The people of Jerusalem had forgotten God's commandment to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Instead of sharing God's unconditional love he found Pharisees who condemned, tax collectors filled with greed, priests hungry for power, and a general feeling of oppression at some level by everyone else.

Jesus Christ came to this world to spread a fire of passion for God, instead he spent his ministry gathering wet kindle and doing his best to light a fire with nothing but 2 sticks. At the end of his earthly ministry that fire Jesus tried to light exploded at the foot of his cross. In the years that followed that fire grew larger and stronger until, some would say, it grew out of control.

We are living again in a time of division, greed, and love of power. The fire-light of Jesus is slowly dwindling to embers. Do not let it go out and instead fan the flames and help that fire grow bright and strong once again. Be the kindle God needs in this world, others are counting on you.

And I Complain When Traffic Is Bad

Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2

Okay, so...after reading today's passage I really feel bad for complaining about anything that's happened in my life. I mean, at least I'm still alive, right?

Sure, I've had tough times in the 51 years I've been on this earth, but nothing even close to what is being described for us in Hebrews. I'm not talking about the list of cool stuff - conquering kingdoms and quenching fires - I'm talking about the other list.

Torture, flogging, and stoning are not really my idea of a good day, you know what I mean? And yet, when I take a look at what is being said in this passage I realize that there are leaders, if not heroes, from the Judeo-Christian history who have been through all of that, and more.

What I admire about these people is that have been through the things they have in order to stand and fight for that which they believe strongly in. Which of course makes me think how much I am willing to go through for what I believe.

I know that the culture I live in doesn't stone people to death anymore, but I also know stoning still exists in the world. I am blessed to live in a society that doesn't promote public displays of humiliation as a punishment for crimes, but I know the practice still exists in the world. I live in a country where speaking your mind and living in freedoms of choice is encouraged, but I know that those same comforts are not enjoyed across other places on the globe. Yet, as I sit in my home with food and water and electricity available at every turn I do nothing to discourage the lack of those same things for billions of others.

So, once again, what am I willing to do in the name of Christ in order to ensure God's love is shared equally by all? I guess that's where the thought for today will lead me.

Break Down The Wall

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19

The youth from our church are at the beginning stages of planning our annual Penny Carnival. I would tell you how many years it's been going on, except that I can never remember. I do know it's somewhere between 15 and 20, maybe a little more than 20. Either way, the Penny Carnival is something the community has come to expect as an alternative to walking door to door on Halloween night.

Every year we select a non-profit organization to whom we will donate the proceeds from this community event. This year our youth have chosen the Youth Outreach program at Hale Kipa. This program helps teens and pre-teens who are living on the streets. The youth who use their program are mostly runaways who come through the foster care system. Not all of them are runaways, though, there are those who have been kicked out of their homes because of one reason or another.

To listen to the stories of the youth who call Hale Kipa family, is to understand how the walls of division really need to come down. One young man told me that he was kicked out of his house simply because he wanted to stop lying to his family about his sexual choices. The courage it took for him to tell his family he was gay was met with the hatred he never believed existed in his home.

This young man was immediately kicked out of the house at the age of 16 and forced to live a life of prostitution and drugs on the streets. As he sarcastically said, "Because that's so much better of a life than being in a home where those you expect to love you don't even want you around."

Today's Psalm is written in response to the destruction of Israel. Some of the people in that city were living with the same kind of un-love the young man felt in his own home. If one wasn't a part of the upper societies within Israel, they were treated as a lesser member of the community. Maybe this forced separation is why God "tore down the walls" of that great city; to bring the people together and to help those who built the walls to see what really lives on the other side.

I haven't seen the young man I spoke about for close to 4 years now, but I do know he was part of a community who believed in him regardless of the person he chose to be. He was already clean and sober and no longer prostituting on the streets by the time I heard his story. In fact, he was building up the courage to talk to his family again. Somehow I have the feeling that the walls in his home had come down and he would be together with a family who would be, at the least, willing to talk things through.

Restore us O Lord God of hosts, let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Sing A Song Of Grapes

Isaiah 5:1-7

About a dozen years ago I attended a half-day workshop that talked about the present course of Youth Ministry. The workshop took an honest look at how the youth of the early 2000's were, or were not, actively participating in their church's overall worship experience. The data they presented was alarming but not yet tangible, so we took the information with us and put it in a drawer.

As most things we "put in a drawer" it was forgotten about and when the time came to clean out the desk it was looked at and believed to be not important. In the year 2013 I see how a lot of the information given to us on that day is valid now. If we had taken what was given to us a little more seriously maybe we wouldn't be in the place we are in today's churches.

The workshop pointed out that one of two things had to happen if we wanted mainline churches to have any kind of sustained growth. Either churches had to begin holding services that closely reflected youth worship or youth worship had to begin reflecting the style of worship our churches were having. The workshop went on to help us realize that it is no longer a good thing to have the youth separated from the rest of the church.

In those days we called it the one-eared Mickey Mouse theory. If you drew an outline of Mickey Mouse with one ear connected and one ear disconnected you could label the 3 circles in this way: the large circle would be the church, the smaller circle that was joined to the head was all other ministries, the disconnected circle was the youth group.

The point of workshop was to help those coming to the age of millennial-worshipers understand that if we continue to build a wall around our youth we are encouraging them to never be able to find a church that replicates their current experiences as they move on in their lives.

The truth is that with the upbeat music, multimedia presentations, and comedic-like messages all we have done to/with our youth is provide such a specific type of experience that they aren't comfortable with anything else. We had forgotten that the best way to honor our God is to honor the true meaning of what being Christian is - to be inviting, not invited.

To use the language from today's passage we have built a great vineyard and now that the grapes have come to fruition we see that they are wild grapes, or grapes not suitable for either wine-making or eating.

The question for us today is what are we to do? Isaiah's answer was to clear the entire vineyard and start over. I don't think we need to go that far - not yet. I do think we need to take a very good look at how we cultivate the soil from this point forward, though. We do this by honoring God's love by living God's grace; be unconditionally accepting of all people and go out of your way to help those who are oppressed.

And, if you want better grapes at the next harvest, teach our youth to do the same. This time try it without the multimedia and comedic-messages.

Friday Findings

Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement. – Golda Meir

Trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish. – Barbara Smith

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit. – Emmanuel Teney 

Put It In A Coin Purse

Luke 12:32-40

In 2009 my wife came with me to my seminary's summer sessions. It was a great trip for us as we were able to be with one another for our 10th wedding anniversary.

The seminary program I attended was the Native Ministries Program at the Vancouver School of Theology in Vancouver, Canada. The program focuses on working within the different cultures of indigenous peoples from across the world. The summer school community in which I spent 6 summers comprised of First Nation People of Canada, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Marshall Islanders, and people from Korea, Africa, Australia, and more. It is a vibrant program which allowed for each person to voice their individual concerns of being Christian in a world of cultural duality (Native or Christian, you can't be both).

As one might imagine, families were abundant and welcomed. There was even a special program for the children and youth who came with their families. This program used arts and crafts to show that it is possible to be both Native and Christian. The arts consisted of cultural dances, playing musical instruments, and learning different languages. The crafts included mask making, clothes painting, and jewelry making.

My wife wasn't there to attend classes, but she wanted to be a part of the program so she helped with the youth and children's program. She jumped right in and made things like leather bracelets, beaded necklaces, sequined handkerchiefs, and leather medicine pouches. As an anniversary gift she gave me one of those medicine pouches, but since I don't have medicine to carry around I use it as a coin purse.

I keep it in a secure place and try my best to ensure it doesn't get damaged or lost. Sure, it's a little beat up, but there are no holes in it so that nothing can fall out. I want to be sure that whatever I put in there can be held safely until the time it's needed.

My coin purse is kept in the same place so that it's very easy to get to and I am always ready to use a penny when needed or put away a penny for future use. The place I keep my coin purse doesn't really allow for it to be stolen unless the thief decides to take a lot more than just the coin purse; a lot more.

I tell this story because I want you to know that I will forever hold this anniversary gift made for me by my wife and given to me with all the love a life-partner possesses in a place that no harm can come to it. I also tell this story to point out that this is the same way we should keep that which is most entrusted to us - God's kingdom.

God has entrusted to us the care of his creation and all that dwells in it. Every blade of grass and trunk of a tree has been entrusted to us. Every drop of rain and every teaspoon of the ocean has been entrusted to us. Every bird of the air and beast of the ground and fish in the sea has been entrusted to us. Most importantly, every human being that lives within God's creation has been entrusted to us.

What does the coin purse you keep God's gifts in look like?

Faith Is...Leaping Off A Cliff

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Last night I attended a memorial service for the husband of a friend and colleague. I had met him, but never had the opportunity to actually sit and talk with him. As I listened to the stories being told about his love for God and his zeal to share that love with everyone he met, I found myself wishing I had known him better.

The eulogy was given by a good friend of this man who had shared in many adventures to far-reaching places of this earth in order to share the Gospel with the people who lived there. One of the stories he shared really had me thinking, "This man had faith."

Rob, the man who had passed, thoroughly enjoyed traveling to the most remote parts of the world. He loved it so much that he had a long-standing request to volunteer to go to the places that nobody else would consider going. On one such occasion he was asked to go to a corner of Africa where people still practiced cannibalism. Never mind the absence of electricity, running water, shelter, or any of the other amenities we've been trained to expect as a modern society - these people will eat you. Rob was excited to be there and find a way to share God's love.

We were told that the only way to get to this particular village was to fly to a close runway with a small plane then hike a day to the village. The runway was literally built on a hillside at the edge of a cliff. We were told that as the plane landed it went up the hillside at about a 45-degree angle and that the runway was just long enough for the plane to land, stop, and turn around. The speaker went on to tell us that the plane then takes off by going down this hill, propellers at full speed, and leaps off the cliff-side to get enough wind under its wings to fly.

I ask you, which part of that trip sounds the most appealing. Is it the landing on the hillside, hiking through the jungle-habitat of local cannibals, living with no amenities, or sitting in the plane as it takes off to come home? Whatever the choice you make is, you're going to need a lot of faith.

This passage in Hebrews gives us a great definition of faith: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It's through Rob's faith that God would bring him through whatever might happen in that jungle that Rob was able to accept this mission and go to one of the furthest corners of our world to share the love of God.

That story really made me think how deep my faith went. Am I really at the mercies of God in accepting everything God will give me? Am I willing to go the corners of our earth in order to share God's love? Would I be able to take a leap off a cliff in order for one person to come to God through Christ?

My hope is that when the time comes I will be able to do whatever it is God asks of me. My faith tells me I will.

Really! God Said That

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Yesterday my co-workers and I met the new students who will be coming to our classes. These are juniors and seniors who have transferred in from another school. It was an eclectic group with a couple of them coming from a small private school on our island, one coming from Japan, and the rest coming from various states within the US.

We sat and talked about who they were and where they were from. We gave them an insight as to what we expected as teachers and asked them what they expected as students. We didn't get too deep into these expectations because today, when we meet all of the juniors and seniors who will be in our classes, we plan to go over all of the rules and regulations more in depth.

Our rules are not over-bearing. As a group of teachers we don't believe in pomp and circumstance. We say the same thing every year to every group of young people we meet - "Just do your work to the best of your ability, striving to become better as the year progresses." You see, it's not so much how you do it, it's why you do it. This is something the people of Judah had forgotten.

Within the first chapter of Isaiah we are told exactly what the rest of the book will be about. We are introduced to the themes of "death and destruction if you, as a people, don't change" and "yet, in the end, everything will be okay." Isaiah gives the people of Judah, and to an extent us, the message that things are going to get bad because you aren't doing the right things for the right reasons, but if you start doing the right things for the right reasons, life will be good again. The message continues, however, to tell us that either way, God is with us and hope lives eternal.

I find it interesting that in the middle of today's passage is an invitation by God to "argue it out." The presence of God is eternal. God never leaves our side. Ever since the stories of God walking with humankind in the garden at the very beginning of the bible we find that what God really wants is to be in relationship with us. All God wants is to walk with us and talk about the things that are going on in our lives; good and bad.

God isn't interested in our personal gifts to God. God isn't interested in how large or ornate our churches are. God isn't interested in what we give to God in the name of God. God is interested in how we "seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow." In other words, God wants us to take care of each other and to allow God to be there along the way.

In the next few weeks my job at the high school will become more focused on helping students fill the gap between where they should be and where they are academically. I will build relationships and hope that the students will come to understand that I'm there to help, not to condemn. I hope I can consistently remember that God wants to be along the journey with me.

Shhhh, God Is Talking.

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

Today we meet the Freshmen who will be attending the high school I work at. This will be my fourth time at a new student assembly, and if history has anything to teach me it's that the gym will be hot, crowded, and loud, very loud.

While most attending teachers and staff complain about the noise level, I will feel the wonderful energy those kids give off. They're excited to begin their high school journey. They're seeing friends they may not have seen in a couple of months. They want to show off their new clothes and talk about what they did over the summer.

Of course all of this exuberant behavior comes at the expense of listening to whoever may be trying to speak to them at the moment.  One year our Assistant Principal was talking about how, as Freshmen, they were beginning school with a clean slate. He was telling them that none of their past records or grades followed them into high school and so they should take this chance to start new.

Three minutes into his speech it was obvious the kids weren't listening as the chatter in the gym was louder than him. So, he did what every good administrator should do in that situation; he yelled. That got their attention and for the rest of his talk the gym was quiet.

The subject of his talk went from "you have a clean slate" to, "you're going to quickly learn that high school isn't a joke and you will get from your high school experience exactly what you put in." The tone in his voice went from gentle and understanding to stern and authoritative. I simply stood on the sidelines and smiled at the new and improved attention of our youth.

That year I was blessed to work with those same freshmen for 2 or 3 months. It really was a joy. This year I once again get to work with those freshmen as they become juniors. It'll be interesting to see how many of them took note and followed what they were being taught that day.

Either way, I will be another reminder that their rewards in high school come directly from the work they put in - just as it will be for everything they do the rest of their life.

Friday Findings

Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. – P. J. O'Rourke

We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet. – Stephen Hawking

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. – Benjamin Disraeli

"Stop And Listen" – Song by Bethany Dillon

I wake up

Start the rush and pour some coffee

Things to do pile up

Oh so quickly

Too many days I feel like

I run on empty

Does anyone else out there feel like me?

But I’d be a fool to forfeit....

The chance to take a moment....

For You to rise like the dawn....

Over my cold, tired heart....

What I thought I had lost....

Finds me when I stop....

Stop and listen....

It’s the same slowing down lesson we all learn

But I don’t pay much attention

Till I crash and burn

So all together....

Let’s stop and sit at His feet....

My sisters and brothers....

How Much?

Luke 12:13-21

(Note: I'm going to try and do this without giving up the name of the organization I'm going to talk about. However, if anyone from Honolulu reads this they'll know who the organization is. I'm also fully aware that a simple Google search will reveal any information I might be trying to hide. I want to be as respectful as I can to this organization, so I will use words like "that church", or "the church" as I tell this story. I also want to ask that you take the story at its face value and not look for who the church is. That's not important.)

There's a church in Honolulu who has proclaimed that it's God's vision for them to spend 10.5 million dollars to expand their ministries. Apparently this church has outgrown its current space and they now want to go to a place that is permanent and where they can build a bigger church, a bigger school, an auditorium, and more such buildings that can house all of the people God is sending to them.

The church has even found a piece of land it's calling "The Promised Land". They know, absolutely know, that's where God wants them to be. No matter that the land is zoned for agricultural use only - the church says it'll start a farm on some of the land in order to keep the land's agricultural status.

"And he said to them"...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

Please, don't misunderstand me. I know this church is growing and they are in serious need of a new place. Their current building is being sold to another business, so they have to move out. They currently have  4 services to try and accommodate all of their attendees and their school has a very long waiting list. This church is successful in all aspects of its ministries and they really do need a bigger space in which to serve all of their people.

But that's my point; they're serving their people.

What if, just what if, they spent half of their money looking for half the land (because that's truly all they need, they don't need a farm alongside their church, they really don't) and used the rest of their money on, ohhh, I don't know, the needy.

Here's an idea: coordinate with the city as well as public and private businesses and look for a parcel of land to build 12 or 15 units of affordable homes. Better yet, build a high-functioning shelter for the houseless. The land can be sold by the city for a minimum amount, the church can build the building with discounted or donated materials, and a non-profit organization can staff it.

In other words, instead of building a storage space for your personal goods, build storage spaces for as many people as you can. We are not called to eat, drink, and be merry. We are called to take care of one another. Our ministries are not measured in how big our buildings are or how many people attend our services and schools. Our ministry is measured by how many people we help beyond the walls of our churches.

By all means, this church should find a permanent home and build a place large enough to do the work of their church. But, seriously, how much do they need?

Along that same line of thinking, how much do any of us need? If you have so much stuff that you have to rent storage space to keep it all, I know of a few people who can make good use of it. The clothes and furniture and other miscellaneous items you might be holding on to just might be what another family has been doing without because they simply can't afford it.

I'm not saying give up all your stuff. I am saying we need to decide how much is enough, and if we have extra stuff find others to give it to. In Hawaii we have a saying: "Share the Aloha!" It means to treat people the way you would like to be treated, especially looking for those who may need a little more aloha. It's time we start sharing the aloha, don't you think?