Blessings in disguise

About a year ago, our church was ready to renovate our hall. It was a major undertaking. We would basically tear down the existing structure and build almost a brand new one. It was very expensive. I think the whole cost, including the sanctuary and a gym was close to two million dollars. Needless to say, our church doesn't have that kind of money. But we put it before the Lord in prayer. We felt that whatever God's will is, that is what we will do. The church felt strongly that we should do this in bits and pieces. First would be the hall. Then the sanctuary. And if its feasible, a gym. We felt pretty confident that our loan would be approved. We didn't have a co-signer. But all signs looked positive. In fact, we even moved out of the hall and secured another building. That was a blessing of itself. One of the deacons of the church decided to donate the use of the building. He and his wife owned several properties and they let the church use the facility free of charge. All we had to do was pay for our utilities. What a blessing.

But a funny thing happened on our well layed out plans. At just about the time of our loan application, the bottom began to fall out of our economy. Most of it was in the banking sector. Mortgages and loans were defaulting all over the place. Banks, in turn, stopped most lending. And we were caught in the middle of it. As a result, our loan application was denied. Talk about a devastating blow. Here we were ready to build, and then word comes down that our loan was denied. If you've ever had a loan denied, and I have, it's not a nice feeling. It's like someone telling you you're not worthy. Seeing your dreams dashed before your eyes.

As a result, there was a lot of soul searching. Some felt we moved too soon. Others felt we reached too high. Our loan application was for close to three quarters of a million dollars. We were filled with so much doubt and anxiety. Needless to say, our faith was being challenged. Big time. We spent the last ten months going back and forth with the bank to see what else we could do to secure financing. Finally, in December the bank said if we could raise $60,000 of reserve funds in three months, we would get another shot at our loan. We were happy that we finally got a concrete answer from the bank. But then we looked at the task before us and said, WOW.

But at December's church meeting, there was a real calm and peace about the whole ordeal. Almost to a person, every one in that meeting gave a testimony of why they thought this goal was achievable. No wobbling. No nervousness. No fear. Just a steely determination that this was a test, not from the bank, but from God. It was like He was telling us, "go do it." It was during the Holidays, one of the most financially stressful times. But the Women's Fellowship was the first one to jump in and said they'd donate the proceeds from their fundraiser in February. Then the other branches pitched in. Pretty soon, we had pledges to match the amount needed. But pledging is easy. Doing is harder.

Almost five months later, the deal is done. At four o clock tomorrow, April 30th, our church will close the loan. God was faithful to us. He put us to the test, and He saw us through. In retrospect, being denied that loan was the best thing that could have happened to us. It humbled us. It tested our faith and in the end, it made us stronger. If we would have gotten the approval last year, I think a little bit of pride would have sunk in thinking, "we did this." But the last year taught us a lot. About how to rely on the Lord when all around you is falling apart. About how to rely on each other, to see a common goal through. About how it strengthened the bond of fellowship between our church members. We may be small in numbers, but we are large in spirit. Everyone pitched in. From the person with the most to the person with the least. From the strongest to the weakest. From the oldest to the youngest.

So if you're a member of this church, take a couple of minutes today and thank God for His blessing. But more important, thank God for the journey He's put us on. If you're not a member of this church, pray for us as we embark on this phase of His ministry. Pray that we have the right goals, the right desires and the right heart for His ministry. Pray that all of our best laid plans are also God's plans.

GOD IS GOOD!!! ALL THE TIME!!! ALL THE TIME!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!

Trust and obey

Have you ever felt that God wasn't listening to you? That many of your prayers go unanswered? I often feel like that. I'd pray and pray about an issue, sometimes even fast, yet I get no clear discernment about His will. I feel like the psalmist who cried out, "How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever?"

However, the more I get closer in my walk with the Lord, I've found that perspective to be backwards. It's like I'm putting God on MY timetable...answer me NOW. I need to know NOW. Yet God has His own timetable, His own purpose. I'm reminded of the story of Lazarus. His sisters had sent urgent word to Jesus that their brother was dying. Yet Jesus delayed going and Lazarus died before He got there. When He finally arrived, Mary and Martha said if only you'd gotten here sooner, our brother might still be alive. We know the rest of the story. Jesus raised His friend from the dead.

A couple of things about this story stood out to me. The first is our needs are not always Gods needs. Martha and Mary didn't want their brother to die. But God had a greater purpose than that of the sisters. So I try to keep that in mind when my particular wishes aren't granted. What purpose does God have for closing this door to me? There are things that are greater than our own personal needs, even if its a life or death need, like the sisters.

The second thing that I take from this story is Jesus' humanity. He wept at the tomb of His friend. He wasn't a robot that had no feelings. He wasn't a superhero that came to do all these miracles and save humanity. He was first and foremost, a man. With flesh and blood and real emotions. With real tears. That's why I can relate to Him, because He was able to relate to me. He got angry in the temple, He felt compassion for the adulterer, He thirsted for water, He was saddened at Peter's human frailties, and He even had a good time, with some adult beverages, at a wedding reception. Those are all emotions and feelings I've experienced. Jesus was human. Perfect. But still human.

Jeremiah says that He knows our every desire and wants. But more importantly, He knows what's best for us. He knows the plans that He has for us. Good plans. So wait on Him. If He closes a door to your prayers, there's a reason for it. Trust Him to do what is best for you in your life. Surrender all of our needs to His will. Be blessed.

Kolaches and the lessons from them

My daughter and I have a unique morning routine. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays, we go to the donut shop here in town and get her a kolache. If you don't know what those are, you must not be from Texas. ;-) I think the rest of the world calls them pig in a blanket. Anyway, this is one of her favorite things in the world. For some reason, she delights in them. It started out as a teaching moment. I thought it would help her learn her days, to follow the calendar. It worked. But it became a thing of joy for her. Every night she'd count down the mornings until her next kolache. She'd say, "daddy, tomorrow kolache." Or "two more days and I get kolache."

Well, this morning, she decided to throw a fit. She didn't want to wear a certain pair of shoes that was picked out for her. We tried to convince her, but to no avail. Finally she took a shoe and threw it. As a result, I told her she's not getting her kolache for the morning. That did it. The fit quickly ended and the tears welled up. She cried and said she was sorry and would never do it again. Off course I'd hear this every time punishment was threatened. I was now faced with a dillema. Will I cave and teach her what she did wrong and get a promise out of her never to do it again? Or do the hard parenting thing and show some "tough love." To my suprise, because I'm the softie of her parents, I decided that this was an important lesson for her to learn. And through the tears and the cries of agony, I drove past the donut place and to her school. The cries of desperation as we passed the donut shop have been ringing in my ears ever since.

But as I've thought about it, the more I'm convinced I did the right thing. I sowed some seed of discipline now, that I hope to reap later on. All of you who are parents understand what I'm talking about. I also thought how much my dilemma was similar to God's. How often had the people of Israel come to him in repentance and promised never to stray again? How often did God send messengers to tell his people to return to the Lord? I also know who hurt he was every time he had to show "tough love" to his people. And then He finally sent His Son to make the ultimate sacrifice to open up heaven for us.

I know when I get home tonight and ring that doorbell she'll come running to open it. She'll hide behind the door and wait for me to "find" her. She'll crawl up my back and give me my hug and kiss and then she'll ask me to "pretend" to be whatever she decides. Isn't that how we are with God? After all of our backslides, our sins and our getting off track, He is always there for us. Be blessed.

A not so normal day

Today was a normal Sunday for my family. We got up, put our IPOD on full blast, today's choice was some old school Puluvaga (thanks again Ve'a for loading the IPOD) and went about our normal routine. I was getting the bulletin and slide show ready while Tile was doing Rise's hair. Belive me, I've tried to do Rise's hair but she threatens me with the curling iron. LOL We went to Sunday School, service, had a nice to'ana'i and relaxed a bit, getting ready for the work week. I was just about to turn in for the night when I got a text from my brother Sivia. I was curious because I don't get that many texts from him. I flipped the phone and pressed the read button. Six words in, and I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. He said, "we took flowers to the cemetary..."

I immediately knew. This was no normal day. It was April 26th. Thirteen years ago, my family was shattered. Via and his wife Tita's only child drowned in our parents pool. It was, to say the least, the most devastating ordeal our family had been through. He was the only grandchild. We'd had grandparents die, uncles and aunts die, but this was the closest death that ever visited our family. It had changed our lives immensely. Each of us, not just our family but our whole community, was touched by his death. Everyone dealt with it in different ways. What I will always remember from his death was that it solidified my faith in God. Not immediately, but after a long bout of soul searching. One night, about a year after his death, my grandma Tua told us about a dream she'd had. She said shortly after he died, she saw him with angels around him. He was telling her not to cry, that he was with all our relatives that had gone before to heaven and that he would be waiting for us. From that moment on, I knew there was a heaven. And if there was a heaven, then there must be a God. And I slowly made my walk with the Lord. And I have Kamahele and Grandma Tua to thank for bringing me back to the Lord.

Now, thirteen years later, I forgot about April 26th. I feel awful. I feel like I wasn't there for my brother and his family. But I also realize that even if I'm not there, even if I forgot, God was there. And God remembers. He always remembers. He remembered David when he was hunted by Saul. He gave David comfort. He remembered Hannah and her prayer and sent her a child. And He remembered the prisoner that hung with His Son and gave him eternal life. God remembers us wherever we are. Our concerns are His concerns. Our pain is His pain.

To my dearest nephew Kamahele - Thank you. Thank you for introducing your uncle to Jesus again. Thank you for looking after all of us all these years. Look after Salina and we will see you again someday. I love you.

One front after another

Sometimes we're just in a funk. Just when you think you've come through the storm, another front hits you. Just when you think you've cleared the last hurdle, something jumps out in front of you and causes you to swirve and knocks you off balance. I guess that's just more trials to shape and mold us into what God wants us to be.

We often ask ourselves why do we suffer, or go through hard times. As Christians, sometimes we feel a little entitled. Entitled to a smooth journey. Entitled to a smooth ride. But the Bible teaches us differently. In fact, it teaches us the exact opposite. Jesus said we must leave the world and bear His cross. He didn't say, "come and have an easy life." Following Jesus is hard. It's difficult.

I've been thinking about King David lately. He had many sleepless nights. Chased up and down Judah by Saul. He hid in caves, chased through valleys, up hills and into the hinterlands. I bet he had very few nights where he got a good nights sleep. Whenever I can't sleep, when my mind is occupied, I often reflect to David and his words. Psalm 16:8 says, "because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." Through all that David was going through, he still felt strongly that nothing would happen to him because God was with him, at his right hand. He says even though he may lay his mat on the floor of hell, the Lord is with him. I'm just humbled by that. What a great example for us. David had his weaknesses, but his faith was unfaltering. He said, "as the dear panteth for the water, so does my soul hunger for God."

As we roll through what life throws at us, let's keep that focus that David had. He realized that his troubles were "temporary and momentary." And that it would all work out in the end. There is a purpose in everything we go through. Our challenge is to discern God's purpose for us and to gain perserverance, and then character and then hope. Be blessed.

A new day

Yesterday, I shared with you the tough day I had the day before. When everything seemed to go wrong. I was frowning a lot, I guess, because my daughter looked at me on the couch and said, "Daddy smile." She does that to me a lot. She likes to play pretend and one of her favorite pretend games is pu'e ata. She pretends she has a camera and pretends to take pictures.

I didn't feel like smiling, but I did anyway. You wouldn't believe some of the pretend games she makes me play. One day I'm Eve, the next day I'm a soldier getting off a plane in Iraq. What can I say, the girl has a vivid imagination.

Often, when we're in the midst of a bad day or going through a rough stretch, it's hard for us to smile. But the encouraging Word of God tells us to count our blessings. When we step back and look at the big picture, it's easy to let the "small stuff" get in the way of our happiness.

When we're having difficulties, it's hard to call them "small stuff." When you don't have a car, it can hardly be called "small stuff." But the Bible says that "this too shall pass." I know, MUCH easier said than done. But as I have reflected on my walk with the Lord, I have seen that it gets a little easier each time. At first, it was really hard to step back and say, "this too shall pass. This will only make me stronger." It was hard. It's still hard. But if we're to be faithful to God and His Word, then we have to have faith that no matter what life throws at us, God's grace is sufficient for us.

Does that mean we smile at everything? No. Ecclestiastes says that there is a time for everything. I time for us to cry. A time for us to be angry. A time for us to be sick. But through all those times, know that God is there with us and will see us through. He will never put us through anything we can't handle and will always give us a way out of our difficulties. And that's enough to put a smile on your face. Even if its forced sometimes.

One of those days.

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seemed to go right? You know what I'm talking about? I had one of those yesterday. In the morning, my computer wouldn't load up. I was scheduled to give my kids a big review for their TAKS test next week and the review was on my hard-drive. It drove me nuts. Not only were we not going to review, but now I had to come up with a lesson plan on the fly with thirty kids staring at me. Thank God for movies. LOL!!

Then I got a call from Tama that the cost to fix my car would be over $1000. My car has been out of commission since December, but Tama thought he found a mechanic that could fix it cheaply. Guess not. So now I have to decide if its worth fixing it or not. And our family is stuck with one car for the time being.

And then to top it off, we go to Bible Study and only one person shows up. We usually have between ten and fifteen. But last night we had one. I slowly said to God, "you gotta be kidding me." What could possibly happen next.

Well, what happened next was more confirmation of the fact that God works in mysterious ways. I was debating whether to go ahead and have the study or wait until next week until the entire group got there. But something tugged at me to have it anyways. And boy was it the right choice. It was like everything we read and studied was speaking directly to my situation. We talked about trials and the suffering servant. We read what James said about how we should consider it pure joy when we suffer. How we should count ourselves lucky to suffer for Christ. Paul said in Romans that our trials are "light and momentary when compared to the glory that awaits us." It was like a slap in the face. Here I was thinking I was having a bad day, yet I wasn't looking at the big picture. What I was going through weren't "trials." They were pesky little inconviniences. Paul went through a trial. Job went through a trial. And we all know what Jesus went through.

As we drove home last night, I just reflected on the lessons God had taught me. That we should embrace our troubles because they give our faith an opportunity to grow. That through trials Gods grace is made evident and His power magnified. And finally, it was humbling because I was thinking how disappointed I was to have such a small turnout, yet God was telling me that the lesson last night was really for...me! So the next time you think you're having a bad day, embrace it, step back and see what God is trying to tell you.

Sharing the burdens of others

Our church community has been touched by death a couple of times in the last two months. First with Bob Brody, and then with a church member from our sister church in San Antonio, Lauli'i Penitani. God wants us to share in the sorrows of others. Part of our Christian faith is to share the burdens of our fellow Christians, and there is no heavier burden than dealing with the loss of loved ones. There are many ways we can achieve this. Through visits, calls, or even kind deeds. We must be God's ambassadors to them. Sympathy is two hearts carrying the same load. Be a blessing today.

Greetings and Talofa...

Thanks for joining us. The purpose of this blog is to provide a forum to share our thoughts and feelings on our walk with Christ. We hope to encourage one another as we strive to do God's will in our lives. It is our hope that you find encouragement and nourishment for your journey everytime you visit here. Please feel free to comment and leave messages on here.

Be blessed.