Ambassadors for Christ

Bluebonnets

2010-03-18T00:16:00.002-05:00

Springtime is almost upon us. In Texas, we mark the arrival of spring with the blossoming of our beautiful state flower, the bluebonnet. If you've never been to Texas, these are beautiful wild flowers that grow all along our highways and fields during the springtime. I was driving down to San Antonio today and saw them all along the road. Spring had arrived.

But in order for the flowers to bloom, there had to be a seed planted. You can't have the beautiful flower without having to plant the seed. The Bible tells us that we 'reap what we sow.' That means that whatever we plant, we will reap. If we plant love, we'll get love in return. If we plant patience, we'll get patience in return. But if we plant anger, we'll also get that in return. My pastor wisely put it in a sermon that still sticks with me. Your actions are like an ATM. If you show love, you're depositing money into your account. Everytime you show patience, you're making a deposit. And when you need those virtues, you can go to the ATM of life and withdraw them. But if you plant jealousy, that's all that will be in your account when you go to make withdrawals.

Don't expect a rose if you planted a cactus. The seeds we plant today will determine the types of flowers we reap tomorrow. Be blessed.

Finish it

2010-03-10T22:59:00.002-06:00

My to do lists seem to get longer every day. I don't know if its the winter weather thats caused me to fall behind. It's been cold. Then it's been hot. It's rained. And then it has snowed. I come up with many excuses as to my sluggishness. One things for certain, I'm not getting as much done as I should.

As I sat in church for communion on Sunday, I was reminded that Jesus too had a to do list. Jesus had a purpose He came into this world to serve. He came to heal the sick, to restore the broken and to free the sinner. And in his last words from the cross, He uttered 'It is finished.' Those were words of victory. He shouted those words. After all the beatings He received, with his last breaths he summoned up the strengt to utter those words. He had done everything His father assigned to Him. He is the only human to have completely finished His to-do list.

Jesus died to give us an opportunity to finish our to-do lists. So we must take advantage of that precious gift. Don't put off to tomorrow what can be accomplished today. To tell someone I'm sorry. To tell someone I love you. To tell someone thank you. He died so we can forgive and let go and finish the unfinished. Don't let Him die in vain. Finish it. Be blessed.

God's timing

2010-03-08T23:18:00.003-06:00

I ran into a former student of mine the other day. I asked how he was doing since he graduated from high school. When he was a student of mine, he had big plans. He said he wanted to own his own business and make lots of money. He shared with me his frustrations about how he was falling behind the timeline he laid out for himself. He expected to be a certified technician and well on his way to owning his own business. Here's was a young man, who is only 25, and already he feels he's behind. It gives us a sense of the crazy speed our word goes by.

I told him that the Lord knows what time is best for us. That all would be worked out in His right time. Sometimes God puposely delays things that are harmful for us. Or sometimes he steers us in a differnt direction to fulfill one of His purposes.

If you have an unanswered prayer or an unfulfilled promise, dont give up. God hasn't forgotten you. He said He will never forsake us. When the time is right, He'll show up. God's timing is always perfect. Be blessed.

Trust and obey

2010-03-07T22:36:00.002-06:00

Our pastor spoke about trusting and obeying God. These are two critical ingredients for a Christian. He spoke about two examples the Bible gives us; Abraham and Bartimaeus. The story of Abraham is well known. God told him to leave his land, where he had been successful, and move. He was old in age, yet he trusted God knew best and obeyed the call. When he arrived at his new home, God now asked him to sacrifice his only son, the one he'd waited nearly a hudred years for. Yet, he trusted and obeyed. He was rewarded by God for his faith

In the New Testament, blind man named Bartimaeus begged Jesus to heal him. He called out to Jesus knowing full well Jesus could heal him. People rebuked him telling him to stop, but he persisted. Finally, when Jesus called him, he jumped to his feet. He didnt hesitate. He was blind, yet he jumped with the faith that Jesus was going t heal him.

God calls us to a life of faith. Faith is believing what is not seen and trusting God. When he calls us, our only response is to jump. We may not see solid ground or where we're going to land. But we must trust that the One who called us will provide a safe landing spot for us. Listen for His voice, trust His calling and obey His instructions. Be blessed.

Be grateful

2010-03-02T00:21:00.002-06:00

I had an application rejected the other day. I had worked hard on it and thought I had it. When I got the notice it was rejected, it hit me like a punch in the stomach. It kinda took the air out of me that day. It depressed me all day because I had looked forward to what it would provide for me and my family. I kept thinking about what I did wrong.

Getting into my car that evening, a co-worker said, 'nice car Al.' When I heard the words, a feeling came over me. I stood there and felt as if God was talking to me. Then it hit me. I had focused all day on what I didn't have. I was moping around feelng sorry for myself. But when I really thought about it, my problem was minor. There were people without a car, who lost there homes to foreclosure, who are unemployed due to the recession. I know people that are batting cancer. I have a friend, a member of our youth group who just lost her mom. I have students whose parents are deployed for the fourth of fifth time. And here I was being ungrateful all day. I felt really guilty.

At that moment, I thanked God for my blessings. I asked him to forgive me for being selfish and not appreciative of the things I had. Yes, my life would have been easier if I had gotten what wanted. But in my disappointment, I wasn't seeing all the blessings in my life. The pain of disappointment is soothed by a heart of gratitude. Be blessed.

Our Goliaths

2010-02-28T23:01:00.003-06:00

During the Olympics, we were reminded again of the Miracle on Ice, when the US defeated the Russians for the first time in hockey. This was the top upset in US sports history. They compared us to David taking down the Goliath of Russia. This was the height of the Cold War

That story of David and Goliath continues to inspire people. It is the ultimate upset in history. A small teenage boy who had no training as a soldier or warrior, takin down the most feared giant in history. And he did it with no armor. Not spear. No shield. Bus just his slingshot and five pebbles.

Each of us face our own figurative Goliaths today. It may be an illness, or a broken relationship. For others in this tough economy, it could be financial hardship. Many people have been layed off, don't have health insurance or have lost their homes. At times it may seem that your Goliath seems unbeatable. We seem overwhelmed at times not able to see how we can take down this giant. But attack him as David did. Tell your Goliath that he may have a spear, armor and a shield but that you come at him in the name of the Lord and this day the Lord will deliver you into my hands. The name of our Lord and our faith that He will deliver your Goliath into your hands is more powerful than any weapon he may have at his disposal. Dont be scared. The Lord is with you. Be blessed.

Empty piece of paper

2010-02-26T00:00:00.003-06:00

Many of us use calendars or appointment books to put our daily schedules in. If I didn't have one, I don't know how I'd function. Now with modern conviniences, many of us have them on our phones, PDA's and other devices.

A few month ago, I read about a person who took a different approach. This person that has a blank page every day. He would not write anything down, but will fill out his "calendar" throughout each day. Each morning he prays that the Lord gives him strength and uses him as God wishes. Then whenever he does something good, he writes it down on that blank paper. He would put 'to day you enabled me to help comfort someone' or 'today you enabled me to overcome my fear.' He uses the word enable because he knows he couldn't have done those things without God. It also allowed him to stay humble. By writing down that God had enabled him to do great things throughout his day, he was deflecting praise for his actions and returned all the glory to God.

As you enter each day, ask God to strengthen and use you. If we allow it, God will use us as His vessels for His purposes. God's strength is greater than our problems. Be blessed.

He's waiting for us.

2010-02-22T00:39:00.002-06:00

My pastor spoke about the unconditional love of God yesterday. He used one of my favorite stories, the prodigal son. Each time I hear this story, it speaks something different to me depending on the stage I'm in at that time of my life.

I've identified with both brothers in this story at one stage of my life or another. I was the younger son who was disobedient and brought shame to my family. There are things that I've done that I am deeply ashamed of. And for a long time, I thougt I would never be forgiven. I've also been the older brother who was angry at the attention others were getting. I've been bitter about the blessing that others got and was envious at times. But what was always the same was how my father treated me. My father always loved me, whether I was the prodigal or his older brother. I always wondered how he could love me after all the things I've done in my life. Today, for the first time in my life, I could empathize with my dad.

I look at my daughter and I see instantly what that Father went through. No matter what she does, I will still love her. I will never abandon her or forsake her. Sometimes I need to punish her and redirect her behavior. But it doesn't mean I will stop loving her. My prayer is that I am as merciful and full of grace towards her as my father was to me and God is to all of us.

Paul said nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God. Nothing makes Him happier than for us to come home. Let's not keep Him waiting. Be blessed.

Stand in the gap

2010-02-18T22:34:00.002-06:00

A friend wrote asking what I meant by saying we must 'stand in the gap' for people yesterday. In the days of Ezekiel, God was going to punish Israel unless someone stepped forward to stand in the gap, to be an advocate for the people. God said He would not punish the people if anyone could make a case as to why they shouldn't be punished. Sadly, no one came forward.

Let's not repeat the mistake. There are so many people that need our prayers. Let's continue to stand in the gap for a relationship to be restored, for the health of a loved one to be renewed, for the heart of a loved one to change. People in our lives, whether family, friends or co-workers need our prayers. People in our church need our prayers. Particularly those that are in leadership positions. They're the ones attacked the most by the enemy. And also those in other positions of leadership, like our political leaders.

God didn't give up on the people until no one stepped forward. It's not too late. There's still hope if we stand firm in the gap for each other. Be blessed.

A milestone

2010-02-18T00:08:00.002-06:00

This week has been a milestone for our text ministry. We went over a hundred people on the list. This all stared last year as a way for me to encourage members of our youth group during Lent. We were fasting and I sent out little words of encouragement to them. We started out with seven. When you add the close to 400 friends on Facebook that see these messages daily, thats close to 500 people.

I had prayed to God to use me as a vessel to get His Word out. And that was His answer. Afte Lent, the kids from our Youth asked if I could continue to send those out. And they told friends and they asked to be added to the list. And the rest, a they say, is history. Praise Him.

Then about 6 months ago I read a story about a girl who prayed for people in her address book on her cell phone. I decided that that was the next step in this text ministry, I would start to pray for everyone on the list. So every morning as I'm sending the messages out, I pray for each person on the list. We're called to stand in the gap for others and praying for them is the best way. I encourage you to do the same. Pray for God's blessings upon the people on your phone. Be blessed.

Prayer and fasting

2010-02-11T23:56:00.003-06:00

I've been away from the blog for too long. So many of you have emailed and asked if the blog was inactive. It isn't. I'm glad I'm free enough now in my responsiblities to be able to blog again. I promise I will try to blog daily.

My family has started a fast. We have a lot of prayer requests to put before the Lord. We fast from 4Am-4PM. I encourage you to join us. Fasting is when you refrain from eating, but you can drink. You use all the free time you have to come before the Lord in earnest prayer for whatever your heart desires. At 4PM CST, our family has alloted for everyone to pray together. We've chosen this time because it's lunchtime back home in Samoa, our homeland. So it's 4PM where I live, but if you want to participate, you can figure out what time it is where you live. If it is at all possible, stop what you ar doing and go before the Lord in earnest prayer.

God desires a relationship with us. He wants to know the intimate desires of our heart. The Bible says that we should, by prayer or request, present our requests to God. Jesus said to ask and we will receive. But often when we don't get an answer right away or don't get the answer we desire, we begin to question or doubt God. But we must remember that God has a plan and His plan is perfect. We must trust His answer to our prayers will meet our true need. He always hears our prayers. But keep in mind, though, some of the biggest blessings in life are unanswered prayers. Be blessed.

Day 40: Living Wih Purpose

2010-01-26T21:12:00.002-06:00

We've finally come to the conclusion of the book. It's taken us way more than the 40 days allotted. We've hit a few bumps on the road, picked up readers and lost some readers. But I thank God for this journey. It has taught me so much and God has opened new perspectives into His Word that I had never considered before. So grateful for all the input and different perspectives. The great thing about this is that there's a permanent record for anyone that wants to read the book to come on here and take the journey anytime they want.

Point to Ponder: Living with purpose is the only way to really live.

Verse to Remember: For David...served the purpose of God for his generation.

Question to Consider: When will I take the time to write down the answer to life's five great questions? When will I put my purpose on paper?

This is the great question posed. When are we going to put our purpose on paper? It's one thing to talk about our purpose, but it adds an air of officialness when we put things down on paper. It's like a commitment, a contract.

We want to write it down because it holds us accountable. 80% of the things we say, we don't remember. But we remember what we write down because it's a record. How will we serve God? How will we worship Him? How will we fellowship with fellow believers? How will we take His message to the world? And how will we minister to the needs of others? Each of us has our own answer. I encourage you to write it down here and leave it as a permanent record and as an open testimony to the world that you've made a commitment as to your purpose in Christ.

I commit that I want to serve Christ through ministry to the youth. I commit to serve Christ as a servant to his church in Ft. Hood. I commit to live my life as a living testimony to the grace of God, who sent His only child to die for my sins. I commit my life to Christ and to live according to His will as given to us through His Word. Be blessed.

Day 39: Balancing Your Life

2010-01-12T14:37:00.003-06:00

I'm a person that tries to compartmentalize my life. I try to keep things in their own box. I keep my professional life separate from my personal life. But sometimes trying to strike that balance is difficult. One of my goals this year is to try and balance the physical life with the spiritual life. I know the physical is one of my weak areas and it's something I pledge to change.

Points to Ponder: Blessed are the balanced.

Verse to Remember: "Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning of life but as those who do." (Ephesians 5:15)

Question to Consider: Which of the four activities will I begin in order to stay on track and balance God's five purposes for my life?

My response:

As I started the new year, a cousin of my wife sent us an email about balance. He knows that we are spiritual people and are heavily involved in the ministry. But he has always encouraged us to take a more balanced approach to life. He too is a person of faith. He said that we should balance the spiritual as well as the physical element.

I thought of him when I was reading this chapter. He is correct. The Bible says that we must have balance in our lives. God doesn't want us to lead boring lives. He has given us province over the entire planet for us to take care of and enjoy. We must have balance in all elements of our lives. Even in our spiritual lives, we must have balance. There are different elements of our spiritual life: prayer, meditation, fellowship, worship, evangelism, etc. There are different styles of worship as well. Sometimes I enjoy good gospel music. Sometimes I love the old LMS hymns. Sometimes I worship by studying the Word. Others I enjoy sitting sitting under the sky on a beautiful day and enjoy God's creation.

We must balance the different purposes of our lives: worship, evangelism, mission, fellowship and discipleship. We all have our favorites, but we must balance the others. Some of us are gifted for particular ones, but we must not neglect the others. One of my goals for this year is to live a more balanced life.

One of the best pieces of advice I received early on in my life is to have a couple of hobbies, or things you're passionate about. My priorities are God, family and career, in that order. But two things that keep me grounded are my love of sports and politics. It gives me a good outlet in life. The best of all worlds is when I can combine all areas of my life. I love my daughter. I love the Longhorns. Now my daughter loves the Longhorns. Now if I can only get her to agree with my politics. Be blessed.

Day 38: Becoming A World Class Christian

2010-01-11T13:32:00.003-06:00

My pastor had a wonderful message yesterday about the power of the voice. It can be an agent for good, such as encouraging people and building them up. But it can also suppress people and abuse them. He talked about the baptism of Jesus and how at the end the heavens opened up and a voice boomed from up above: This is my son, whom I love. I am happy with Him. He said in 2010 we will encounter many voices that will demean us and bring us down, telling us what a disappointment we are, what shame we bring. When we hear those voices, try to block them out and think of the voice of God at His Son's baptism. He said we are His sons and daughters and that He loves us. And nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Points to Ponder: The Great Commission is my commission.

Verse to Remember: "Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind." Psalm 67:2

Question to Consider: What steps can I take to prepare to go on a short-term missions experience in the next year?

My response:

This was a very challenging chapter. Throughout the book, we read certain things that make us think, "ok, we're on the right path doing what Christians should be doing." But in this chapter, I'm thinking, wow, I'm no where near fulfilling my calling from God. But the more I read about it, the more I think of each of us having different callings.

I was struck by the emphasis of different mission work and the advantages we have today from a technological standpoint. The book says our world has never been "smaller". What he means is that transportation of people and especially data has never been faster. And with the advent of the internet, we have a unique opportunity to minister across the globe. I've had some direct experience with that over the past year.

The first was with text messages that I send out weekday mornings to encourage people on their walk with the Lord. It started out as messages of encouragement during our fasting period of Lent. When it ended, some of the Youth asked if I could keep sending them out. I was happy to do it. We started with just 17 people receiving them. Then people would tell other people and pretty soon we had over 40 people on the list. Through word of mouth, by the end of the year, we have close to a 100 people receiving these messages directly from me. But I have heard many of them say that they also forward them on to friends.

Another opportunity opened up when I decided to sign up for the social networking site Facebook. I did it mainly to reconnect with old friends and family I hadn't seen or communicated with in years. My friends list started growing fast. I then decided to use these messages as my status updates daily. So now they weren't only going out to the hundred or so people on my phone text list, but they were also going out to the close to four hundred friends I had on Facebook. I thank God for opening these new avenues to do His mission work using new technology.

Then in the end of spring, an idea came forward to expand on the text messages. I found myself spending so much time trying to cut down the text messages to manageable length to send them out. But there was so much I had to edit that I had so many thoughts left out. Then the idea of a blog came up. With the help of my wife, we set this blog up to expand on the daily messages. And then towards the end of the year, the idea of doing this virtual study, where people from Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tennessee, Samoa, California, Texas and Hawaii have all participated. Praise God for opening up these new ways to reach people all over the world and do mission work for them. As of today, the blog has been visited over 15,000 in about eight months.

The challenge for all of us is to find different ways to do God's work for and to fulfill the great commission: Go tell. Be blessed.

Day 37: Sharing Your Life Message

2010-01-07T13:55:00.003-06:00

Last night was an awesome night. The Youth from our church were the speakers for last night's fuifui lotu and they did an outstanding job of giving God praise and honor. Their words of encouragement, testimonials and goals for this year confirm again that God is working through the Youth of our church. It's wonderful to hear it from them telling us about what God has done in their lives. Vi'ia le Ali'i.

Points to Ponder: God wants to say something to the world through me.

Verse to Remember: "Be ready at all times to answer anyone that asks you to explain that hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15-16

Questions to Consider: As I reflect on my personal story, who does God want me to share it with?

My response:

This chapter talks about being ready to witness. After reading it, I went to our youth service last night and it was like this chapter was on full display. The chapter says that you should be ready with your "story" when people ask you why Christ is so important in your life. There should be four parts to your story: testimony, life lessons, godly passions and good news. Each of these plays an important role in bringing someone to Christ. But you should be prepared to share it with people at a moments notice.

Your testimonial tells what your life was like before Christ and what he's done for you since you've accepted Him into your life. And as speaker after speaker went up last night, I realized that all of the Youth had their testimonies down pat. God had done great things in their lives and they see the mercy, grace and love He's shown them. Through all the hardships they've faced. Through all of the troubles, He was there. They said they've been on the road with God, gotten off and want to get back on the road. They declared how some of them have fallen away from the Lord, but many pledged last night to recommit their lives to God. What a wonderful testimony. I pray that the Youth step up and live up to their name, Ambassadors for Christ and are not ashamed to share their story and testimony to the world. Be blessed.

Day 36: Made For A Mission

2010-01-06T00:09:00.004-06:00

I've really enjoyed these last few days as we work towards the end of the book. What a way to start off 2010. And it's really helping to put things into focus. As I said yesterday, this first week is our Praise Services at church. I keep going from one message to another as I'm reading the daily readings. Whatever God puts in my heart to give to the church, I pray that it is given with a humble heart and received as such.

Points to Ponder: I was made for a mission.

Verse to Remember: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

Question to Consider: What fears have kept me from fulfilling the mission God made me to accomplish? What keeps me from telling others the Good News?

This is the last purpose and the most logical one. We are called to praise God, to worship God, to fellowship with other believers, to serve God and to finally to tell others about God. It's what I call the "inside out concept". Our spiritual journey starts from within. We start by accepting Christ for ourselves. It's a personal thing where we ask Him into our hearts and make Him our Lord and Savior. Then we start to build our spiritual life by reading His Word and finding a good church family to be a part of and to help us on our journey. Finally, as we mature we must begin to manifest that faith through service to others and spreading the message.

Our journey really isn't complete without telling others about what we've found in Christ. We must not only come TO Him, but we must also go FOR Him. We must go tell. The first way to tell is by our actions. Before we can even witness to people with our personal testimony, how we live our lives already has witnessed to them. There is no more powerful testimony than our actions. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

The motto of our youth group is ambassadors for Christ. It makes no sense to represent Christ in word when our deeds don't match those words. And the mission is so vital. It's as if we've found the cure to a disease and don't want to share it with others. So this is the ultimate culmination of the journey. Go tell. Be blessed.

Day 35: God's Power In Your Weakness

2010-01-05T00:18:00.003-06:00

Our New Years Praise services started tonight. We call it fuifuilotu in Samoan. It's a wonderful way to kick off the year. This is the time when members of the church get to stand up in front of the congregation and encourage each other and give messages of hope and words of advise for the new year. I learned a lot tonight and feel fired up for the new year. Praise God.

Points to Ponder: God works best when I admit my weakness.

Verse to Remember: "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Question to Consider. Am I limiting God's power in my life by trying to hide my weaknesses? What do I need to be honest about in order to help others?

The verse to remember for this chapter is one of my favorite verses from the bible. My nephew passed away about 14 years ago. It was the most traumatic thing to happen in my family's life until that point. He was two and a half years old going on 20. He brought so much joy and love to our family. The first grandchild. And then in an instant, he was gone in a tragic accident. My family was devastated. We were grieving for my brother and his wife, but we were also grieving for ourselves. One of the things that stands out to me about the whole ordeal was the strength my father showed. They say one of the hardest things to do in life is to bury a child. But I think my dad had a harder task. He had to bury a grandchild. He not only grieved for his grandson, but more so for his son. And he had to officiate at the burial.

His theme for the funeral was this passage by Paul. He said God's grace is sufficient for us. At the time I was thinking, no it's not. Nothing is sufficient to take this pain away. But as time went on, I realized how powerful and correct those words were from Paul. The pain has never completely gone away, but God's grace was and is sufficient for us. I know His grace enabled the healing process to begin. In the midst of our pain, His grace shone through the love and support of our family, our friends, and especially our church.

When I read this chapter, I thought about that. I tried to be strong for my brother and family. But I realized that weakness is not something bad. Showing our vulnerabilities allows God to heal us and use us for His purposes. The world teaches us the opposite. That to show weakness is bad, because it allows others to take advantage of you. But God doesn't operate that way. He says our most effective ministry comes out of our deepest hurts.

One of the ladies at our praise service last night said that 2009 was a rough year for her. She lost both her husband and her mother. But she holds no grudges. She's not angry. The pain is real, but she said that the love from her church and community is stronger than the pain. Then she closed out her testimony by singing the classic hymn, A Sousou le Vasa. It's a Samoan hymn that says when the seas are rough, and you feel like giving up, think of what Jesus has done and you'll be amazed that He can carry you through. What a powerful testimony of the love of God. Through her pain, she realized that His grace was sufficient for her. Be blessed.

Day 34: Thinking Like A Servant

2010-01-03T22:40:00.004-06:00

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Years. I know our timeline was to finish the book by Christmas, but things happened and I wasn't able to do it. I am sincerely sorry about that. I am committed to finishing the book this week Friday. A chapter a day this week. Thank you to those who sent helpful reminders that I wasn't updating as I should have been. But it has been a wonderful journey and I pray that you're getting as much out of the book as I am. On to today's reading.

Points to Ponder: To be a servant, I must think like a servant.

Verse to Remember: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5

Question to Consider: Am I usually more concerned about being served or finding ways to serve others?

This chapter is a wonderful illustration of what God expects from us. He wants us to be real servants. And real servants think less of themselves and more of others. Many of us, and I'm guilty of this myself, tend to serve with ulterior motives sometimes. When I was in high school, our National Honor Society had a service component. We were required to do community service work. It had a good purpose, teaching young people the value of serving the community. But I felt that with it being compulsory, it wasn't as valuable as if it were voluntary. But I guess the aim of the program was to introduce us to the concept of service, and then after the program we would do it on our own. Service should never be about you. It should always be about others.

Another important lesson I got from this chapter was not to compare our service with anyone else. Don't get into the habit of saying, well I'm better than so and so because look at all I'm doing compared to that other person. We were all called to serve and we all accepted the call. If my brother doesn't show up for his obligation, it shouldn't mean that I don't have to go either. Don't get mad if other people don't fulfill their service obligations. Worry only about yours. You committed to serve IRREGARDLESS of the commitment of others.

And finally, expect to be criticized. When we serve Jesus, the world will criticize us because they don't understand where our service comes from: a deep, abounding love for Christ. Even His disciples criticized Him. So don't let the critics mute your service. You made a commitment to God. Keep it.

Day 33: How Real Servants Act

2009-12-24T00:46:00.002-06:00

You can learn a lot from a child. The other night my daughter told my wife at practice for our Christmas program that mama, my mom, looks like God's wife. I chuckled when I heard this. When I asked her what she meant, she smiled and said mama is the perfect wife for God. My wish is to have someone tell me that I am the perfect companion for God.

Point to Ponder: I serve God by serving others.

Verse to Remember: "If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." Matthew 10:42

Question to Consider: Which of the six characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?

One of the toughest aspects of being a servant is lowering yourself while elevating others. It's against human nature to lower yourself and to elevate the needs of others. It's against what the world puts out as the model for behavior. Our world teaches us it's all about me. But God teaches us that it's all about other people.

Real servants make themselves available. This is a tough one. It's easy to serve at our convenience. What about when it's inconvenient for us to serve? What about when meeting the needs of others throws off our plans? Being a servant means letting God control our schedules and allowing Him to interrupt it whenever he needs to. That's a hard thing for us to give up, control. We love to be in control. But being true servants means that God controls our lives.

Real servants are also faithful to our ministries. There were so many times when I felt discouraged and just wanted to quit. I cried many nights and asked God to show me what to do. But every time I've been tempted to quit, something always talks me out of it. I'm so glad I didn't give up during those times of discouragement. I believe there's a purpose for everything that has happened in my life, and even those times of discouragement had a purpose for me. Hang in there and continue fighting. Remember, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Be blessed.

Day 32: Using What God Gave You

2009-12-24T00:29:00.002-06:00

Had another bout of the chills last night. I have this nagging medical condition that makes me extremely sick in short bursts. I would be fine one minute, and then twenty minutes later I'm shaking with the chills. I've been to several doctors and they all tell me it's something different. I pray that the healing power of God will cure me and that this is an experience that I will use for His purposes in the future.

Points to Ponder: God deserves my best.

Verse to Remember: "DO your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Question to Consider: How can I make the best use of what God has given me?

This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter. What struck me about this chapter was that we shouldn't force ourselves into ministries. We must serve and see where we best fit and then concentrate on those areas. The only thing that we are commanded to do is to serve. God's ministry needs us.

When I first got married, I encouraged my wife to join all the different ministries of the church. She became a Sunday School teacher, a member of the Youth group. She even joined the Women's fellowship. But she would not join the choir. And I could not convince her. Her answer was always, if we all go to the choir, who is going to sit on the other side of church? I'd always felt it was a cop out. But when I read this chapter, it finally dawned on me that I was trying to force her to do something she wasn't equipped to do. Her heart was for a different ministry and she was more cut out for working with kids. She started the Children's church ministry, which is one of the most important ministries of the church.

We should look at what our strengths are and find a way to contribute using those strengths. Don't force yourself into something you weren't cut out to do. Be blessed.

Day 31: Understanding Your Shape

2009-12-24T00:14:00.002-06:00

It's been a hectic week getting ready for Christmas. We had our final practice tonight and the kids performed their best during tonight's run through. I think we've timed it perfectly again this year, having the kids peak right at the time of their performance. I just hope that their message comes through tomorrow night. I know that no matter what the message is, the innocence of the night and the wonder of the birth of Christ can be best brought out by the kids voices when they sing.

Points to Ponder: Nobody else can be me.

Verse to Remember: "God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings." 1 Peter 4:10

Question to Consider: What God-given ability or personal experience can I offer to my church?

My response:

This was such a poignant chapter. It speaks of the last three letters of the acrostic SHAPE, which we use to remind us about service. The A stands for ability, the P for personality and the E for experience.

We should use whatever abilities we're given to serve God. No ability is unimportant. We should use whatever gifts we're given to glorify Him and to help in the different ministries. God can use ALL our talents. The same thing with your personality. We're all made and molded in different ways. Don't try and change yourself to try and fit into a personality type that isn't you just so that you could serve.

I remember growing up in Samoa and going to Sunday School and church. There was always an old lady assigned to watch us. When we talked in church or misbehaved. she'd hit us with a fan or a songbook. (This was obviously before Child Protective Services came to the island.) And in our church, there's a lady that all the kids think is mean. In fact, I know just how mean she is because I'm married to her. LOL I always laugh at my wife when she scolds the kids and then I have to come in and play good cop. I told her, man I reap all the love from the kids because I get to come in and play the good guy. She said, somebody has to play the bad guy. But for all her yelling and scolding of the kids, they still seem to gravitate to her. That's just her personality, to be the stern disciplinarian. My personality is to be the nice guy. If we switched, it wouldn't work. It would be funny to watch, but ineffective.

The last part of the acrostic is experiences. What struck me about this was using painful experiences to help others. We're going to go through painful experiences, so we might as well use them to benefit others. Who better to comfort grieving parents than someone who's lost a child themselves? Who better to help a drunk than a recovering alcoholic? In order to use those experiences, you must share them. Only shared experiences help others. Never waste a painful experience. Be blessed.

Day 30: Shaped For Serving God

2009-12-21T14:06:00.003-06:00

Our lay minister had a great message yesterday. He said that as Christmas is getting closer, many people are looking forward to opening their gifts. But soon those gifts will get old once their shine wears off. But if we base our joy in what lasts, then our joy will never fade. Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always. He's promised to be with us until the end of time. So this Christmas, make sure your joy is based on the eternal, not the temporary. Be blessed.

Points to ponder: I was shaped for serving God.

Verse to remember: "God works through different men in different ways, but it is the same God who achieved His purposes through them all. " 1 Corinthians 12:6

Questions to consider: In what way can I see myself passionately serving others and loving it?

My response:

This chapter gives us an acrostic for servive: SHAPE. The S stands for spiritual gifts, H is for heart, A is for abilities, P is for personality and E is for enthusiasm. The first two are discussed in this chapter.

We're each blessed with different spiritual gifts. The key is for us to recognize them and to use them. Sometimes we can fall into the trap the devil sets for us in being envious of each others' spiritual gifts.

The h stands for heart or passion. I was told at a very young age by my father to not love what I do, but do what I love. There is a huge difference in meaning if you invert that last sentence. Being forced to love what you're doing can lead to a very dissatified and unfulfilled life. But doing what you love, what you're passionate about, can make a world of difference. I could make a lot more money in business, but my heart is teaching and working with young people.

For a few years out of college, I bounced from job to job, never really being satisfied. Not until I started teaching Sunday School, did I find my real passion: working with young people. I found myself sitting at work Mondays through Fridays thinking about what I'm going to be teaching on Sundays. The different ways I can bring the material alive for my kids, making it relevant in their lives. So I finally told myself, why are you doing this part time, why not do it every day. And that's how I found my calling in life, to teach. I still teach Sunday School and youth group, but I've also found that I'm just as passionate teaching kids in my high school classes.

That's the key about service, find your gifts and use them to serve God. Only when we use our gifts can we get the passion to serve Him. If I was forced to play piano and teach the choir, I suppose I could do it if I took lessons. But my heart wouldn't be in it because that's not my passion. Use your gifts and passion to serve the Lord. Be blessed.

Day 29: Accepting Your Assignment

2009-12-21T13:46:00.005-06:00

Had an awesome weekend. Spent some quality time with the Youth and Sunday School as they had their caroling outings this weekend. Every Christmas our Youth group goes around to the different communities in our church and sing Christmas carols. It's a tradition from Samoa that we've continued here in Texas. And then today our Sunday School went caroling to old folks homes here in town. This is our 15th year doing this. It's wonderful to see the children interact with the elderly in our community. We want to teach them the concept of service early on so that they can put into practice what they've learned in Sunday School. Praise God.

Points to ponder: Service is not optional.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: What is holding me back from accepting God's gift to serve Him?

Verse to remember: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

My response:

This was perhaps the chapter that spoke to me the most. This chapter says that the manifestation of our faith is service. There is no use in knowing about God if we don't put that knowledge into practical acts of service. At some point, we have to put our knowledge of God into use.

I look at it as knowing God is going to school. Service is getting a job. No sense in acquiring all that knowledge if we're not going to put it into any good use. We all know about God, but until we serve others, we don't really know who God is. I believe that we were put on this Earth to serve. Jesus came to serve. He was born in a manger and walked amongst the poor, the sick and the sinners. He didn't hang out with the elites. He healed the sick, feed the hungry and forgave the sinners. He washed peoples feet, which is one of the most degrading things in middle eastern cultures. He ended His service on the cross.

If we are to truly have Christ in our hearts. then our lives must be spend in service to God and others. Find a way to serve others. It begins in our families, then our churches, our community and our world. Be blessed.

Day 28: It Takes Time

2009-12-18T00:25:00.004-06:00

Getting closer and closer to Christmas. The anticipation is always the best part about this season of advent. All the possibilities that the baby of Christmas brings with Him. At the same time, I can't help but to see the cross in the distance. What began in an inn in Bethlehem, ended on a cross on Calvary. But what a journey it was. And continues to be.

Points to ponder: There are no shortcuts to maturity.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: In what areas of my spiritual growth do I need to be more patient and persistent?

Verse to remember: "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Philippians 1:6

My response:

We live in such an instant gratification world. We want things done fast and we want them done now. I can't remember the last time I can't remember the last time I was inside a bank. I've used the drive through lane for as long as I've banked. And now I don't even use that anymore. I bank online and do everything from home. The only "face to face" transaction I have with my bank is when I go to the ATM to withdraw money. I even apply for loans from home.

What this has done has made me less patient. I have been conditioned to get things instantly. I need to know some information? I google it. I want to talk to someone? I call them, or text them, or facebook them, or twitter them. The world we live in isn't conducive to patience.

But spiritual maturity demands it. Just because we've turned our life over to Christ doesn't mean we're all good for the rest of our lives. It doesn't mean we won't be tempted or slip or fall. In fact, it takes a long time for us to mature as Christians. The chapter says it took us years to form our bad habits, and it will take years to unlearn them and learn new habits, new Christ-like habits. They say that character is the sum of you habits. Well, they only way we can get good character is by having good habits. And the only way to have good habits is by practicing them.

Our physical bodies didn't get into the shape their in today because of something that happened overnight. If you're in great shape, it took years of exercise and hard work to gain that shape. If you're in bad shape, it took years of bad habits for your body to get where it is today. The same thing is true of our spiritual bodies. Whatever shape it's in today, good, bad or in the middle, it's the result of years of habits. If you've accepted Christ as you Savior, you're on the right road. Be patient and keep forming those habits.

Tama says every time you practice good habits, your making a deposit into your character account. Every time you practice integrity, your making a deposit. Every time you practice kindness, you're making a deposit. And then one day when you need it, you can make that withdrawal. I believe that's spiritual maturity. So keep making those character deposits. It will come in handy on our spiritual journey. Be blessed.

Day 27: Defeating Temptation

2009-12-17T23:37:00.003-06:00

Had a blessed day today. My daughter received her second promotion in her taekwondo class. She's up to orange belt, on her way to black. At least that's her goal. This experience is really teaching her to set goals and to work hard towards it. I pray she sticks it through. Also had dinner with Tama. He got home from the hospital today. He went through his first bout of chemo and said the doctors were optimistic. He goes in again next month to xray to determine if the tumor has shrunk or not and then determine their next move. He was in high spirits, but understandably, low on energy. But it was so good to see him. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Point to Ponder: There is always a way out.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: Who could I ask to be a spiritual partner to help me defeat a persistent temptation by praying for me?

Verse to remember: "God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give into it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

My response:

This chapter gives great advice on how to fight temptation. It is a fact of life that we will be tempted. That's because the devil's in the world. It began with Adam and Eve and the devil has tempted everyone since then, including Jesus. The key for us is to resist the devil and his tempting ways.

Some people feel defeated just to be tempted. They feel as if because their love for God is so strong that they should be immune from temptation. That's a trap the devil sets up for us. Again, even Jesus was tempted. We lust after things, its natural. Whether it's food, clothes, money, people, the world will tempt us over and over. The best thing to do is to ignore it. The more you think about something and try to block it out, the more you think about it. When temptation enters your mind, change your mindset.

And another thing I've found so useful is honesty with yourself. You know your weaknesses. We all have them. For some it's alcohol. For others it's gambling. Others might be tempted by sex. Pride is also a big one for many people. The key is to recognize the areas of your life that the devil can use to tempt you, and avoid them. We have to be smart. If we are tempted by alcohol, stay away from the clubs and bars. If gambling tempts us, stay away from gambling places. It's hard enough to resist the devil, let's not give him half the battle by putting ourselves in positions to fall.

Also have a good support group. Surround yourself with spiritual buddies that can see when you're tempted to stray. Again, if your aim is salvation, don't hang out with people that don't make that a priority. If you're going to Dallas, don't jump in a car with people going to Houston. Be smart and lean on God. Be blessed.

Day 26: Growing Through Temptation

2009-12-16T23:56:00.002-06:00

This chapter continues the series of chapters about experiences that define us. I call them the don't run away chapters. These things used to make me run away: troubles, temptation, truth. But spiritual maturity ensures that we face them head on and to look for the purpose they serve in our lives.

Point to Ponder: Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What Christ like character quality can I develop by defeating the most common temptation I face?

Verse to remember: "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12

My response:

The chapter says that you should view every temptation as an opportunity to defeat the devil. Every time we overcome it, we deal another blow to the enemy. So when we're faced with an offer to fall, relish turning it down.

We develop Christ-like character when we endure hardships and temptation. How we answer those challenges builds our character. They can be positive, but they can also be negative. Spiritual maturity pushes us into the positive category. God never forces us to do anything. He always gives us a choice. And temptation gives us that choice.

For example, God teaches us love by putting UNlovely people in our lives. It's not hard to love people that are lovable. But loving those that aren't builds character. God teaches us about joy by allowing sorrow to enter our lives.

Temptation is something that begins within us. It starts with a desire we have, sometimes legitimate, and sometimes evil. But Satan begins to legitimize that desire into evil ways. The key for us is to recognize in our lives the areas that we're vulnerable to temptation and to guard against them. Be blessed.

Day 25: Transformed By Trouble

2009-12-16T23:55:00.002-06:00

I apologize for being off line for a week. I came down with a bad case of the flu and some other things got in the way. This is a perfect illustration of how the clutter of life can get in the way of our spiritual journey. But on to the end.

Point to Ponder: There is a purpose behind every problem.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

Verse to remember: "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

My response:

For a long time, I've considered problems as something to be avoided. I looked at trials as some form of punishment from God for a wrongdoing I'd committed. But with spiritual maturity, I've come to realize that problems are a natural part of life. In fact, it's a part of our spiritual journey.

Over and over in the Bible, we are told that trials serve a purpose: to make us stronger. Jesus said that in this world, we will face trouble. Paul said that troubles will make us stronger, build endurance and produce character. That's how I've come to view troubles: character building. They mold me and make me stronger. And God has promised never to give us more than what we can endure.

When I face trouble now, I don't ask "why me" but "what can I learn from this?" I can't believe to tell you how transformative that change has been in my life. My father was recently diagnosed with a major disease. Instead of saying "woe is me", I said, "God I know you have a purpose for this. Please show us." And I truly believe that we are transformed by trials. My dad preached on Sunday saying that a lot of us know ABOUT Jesus, but many don't know who He is. I would venture to say that troubles brings us a lot closer to Jesus than good times. Be blessed.

Day 24: Transformed By Truth

2009-12-10T23:33:00.003-06:00

Had a real good fellowship at the Bible Study last night. We had two new members join us on our journey through this book. God is moving in so many ways and I just can't thank Him enough for this opportunity to share this journey with as many people as possible. Even though we're all busy getting ready for Christmas, I thank God that He is still leading people to this study.

Point to Ponder: The truth transforms me.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What has God told me in His Word that I haven't started doing yet?

Verse to remember: "If you continue in my Word, then are you my disciple indeed; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

My response:

I was teaching a unit on northern Europe the other day in class and we came upon Shakespeare. I told them that Shakespeare was the second most talked about person in history. They didn't understand. I said, there are more books written about the words Shakespeare wrote than any other human being, except for one. After multiple guesses, one of the students would always come up with the correct answer: Jesus.

And it's not even close. And the reason being is simple. The Bible is the most important book ever written. It is the Word of Life. It has literally saved millions of people. There are several ways the chapter lays out for us to become more familiar with it; read it, remember it, meditate on it and researching it. We must know it intimately because it holds the answers to all of life's questions.

I can't imagine not having a teacher's guide walking into the classroom. I would have no idea what the curriculum is, what the expectation is, what we're supposed to be teaching the kids. The same thing in going through life without a Bible getting to know the Bible. We're blindly walking through life without ever knowing the truth. And yes, the truth does set you free. Be blessed.

Day 23:How We Grow

2009-12-09T18:58:00.004-06:00

These chapters are such affirming chapters because they teach us how to grow as Christians. Just as we grow physically, we must also continually grow spiritually. We cannot remain spiritually immature. Let's grow together.

Point to Ponder: It is never too late to start growing.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What is one area where I need to stop thinking my way and start thinking God's way?

Verse to remember: "Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect." Romans 12:2

My response:

This chapter tells me that I am still a child. Well, it doesn't actually tell me that. But it does tell me that God wants me to grow up. In a sense, it says that I'm still spiritually immature. And I can agree with that. Spritual growth is not automatic. We must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow and then persist in growing. We must first WANT to grow. We must commit to this just like committing to a job or a relationship. We become whatever we are committed to.

Becoming like Christ means we have to shed our old selves. We must develop new habits and change the way we think. This is hard. After years of acting, thinking and believing one way, we must change to a totally new mindset. It's radical when you think about it. We must change our hearts. Giving our hearts to Christ is the biggest committment you will ever make. But once we commit our hearts to Christ, our thoughts and actions must also be committed.

I thought about that popular saying...WWJD...what would Jesus do. This is one of the ways we must start to think. In every and all situations, ask yourself, what would Jesus do? Once we put ourselves in that frame of mind, things will become clearer. Would Jesus swear at this man that just cut me off the road? Would he cheat on this test? Would he lie to his boss? Once you start thinking like how Jesus would think, it changes your mindset drastically. Practice that. In making all your decisions, ask what Jesus would do. You'd be surprised how much that changes things.

Day 22: Created To Become Like Christ

2009-12-08T00:23:00.002-06:00

We start our third purpose in this chapter and that is to develop Christ-like character. I've grown so much spiritually in reading about the third purpose. Again, we are reminded that it's not about us. We were put on this earth to serve God's purposes for us. I heard a young man give a testimony where he said in the new year, he hopes that we use God's talent to where WE are satisfied with it. It broke my heart. It really did because I realized that he was looking at it from the wrong perspective and had it upside down. It's not about us. It's all about Him.

Point to Ponder: I was created to become like Christ.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

In what area of my life must I ask for the Spirit's power to be like Christ today?

Verse to remember: "As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more." 2 Corinthians 3:18

My response:

This chapter begins our examination about developing Christ-like character. It says that our character is just the sum of our habits. I couldn't agree more. I had an old football coach who said we should practice like we play. He said all the bad habits we pick up during practice will manifest itself during games. And sure enough, the penalties, missed assignments and mental errors that occurred during practice all surfaced during games. So we had to practice just like it was a real game.

And that's what character development is. Practicing good character starts with the seemingly small stuff. If you take care of the small stuff, the big stuff will come naturally. If you're honest about the smallest details, you'll be honest in the biggest things. Practicing good habits begins early.

Another important lesson is God is more interested i what you are and not in what you do. When we meet people, we always ask what they do and then we make a preliminary judgment about them based on what they did. A doctor? Wow, they must be smart. A garbage man? If he only studied harder in school. But God doesn't care what we do, He only cares about how we act. Doesn't matter if you're the most successful person in the world, but if you have no integrity, it doesn't matter. If you have no love, mercy, if you aren't humble, it won't matter what you do. Godly character comes with practice. Start now.

Day 21: Protecting Your Church

2009-12-06T23:36:00.001-06:00

The more mature I get, the more I realize how simple life really is. For a large part of my life, I've spent chasing the wind of money, success and acceptance from people. But I've realized that the only things that really matter are things that are eternal: your relationship with God, your family and your fellow believers.

Point to Ponder: It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What am I personally doing to protect the unity in my church family right now?

Verse to remember: "Let us concentrate on the things that make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship together." Romans 14:19

My response:

This chapter should be required reading for every member of every church in the world. We all suffer through the same problems. Basically, what it comes down to for me is that our church community must be considered our family. And everything that we do for our blood family, we should do for our church. It's vital that we pick a church that we're comfortable with and believe fits us the best and is spiritually fulfilling for you. Once you make that decision, you must treat the church as family.

Our families aren't perfect, and neither is our church. We protect our families. Yes, we have squabbles, but in the end we stick together. Don't let anyone denigrate your family. So don't let anyone denigrate your church.

And be realistic. Don't let the ideal rob your of the real in your church. If you're going to pick on every imperfection in your fellowship, you will never be satisfied. It's what I call the missing tile syndrome. If you see a missing tile on your floor, that's all your going to focus on, that missing tile. You are ignoring the 499 other tiles that surround it and say your floor is ruined because it's missing a tile. If we pick at that one flaw in your church, you tend to forget all the wonderful characteristics about it.

In the end, our church is our family. Through thick and thin, we stick together. We rely on God to get us through the rough spots. We go through phases and we grow and make mistakes and experience life and our journey with God together. We were made to fellowship. There is no greater fellowship than that where you get at your local church. Be blessed.

Day 20: Restoring Broken Fellowship

2009-12-06T23:25:00.002-06:00

The more mature I get, the more I realize how simple life really is. For a large part of my life, I've spent chasing the wind of money, success and acceptance from people. But I've realized that the only things that really matter are things that are eternal: your relationship with God, your family and your fellow believers.

Point to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Who do I need to restore a broken relationship today?

Verse to remember: "Do everything that is possible on your part to live in peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

My response:

A good friend of mine text messaged me last week and said that he lost a close friend. He was at his death bed and was able to pray with him and his family because he was only given 48 hours to live. When I think of my families own troubles with illness, I've thought a lot about mortality lately. And this chapter just kind of drove home the importance of relationships and how we shouldn't let them just hang in the balance.

Time is of the essence for us to restore broken relationships. We don't know when God will call us. Our time is limited, so please make every attempt to mend broken relationships. I understand there are some that are irreconcilable. But the ones you can restore, do it. Why wait? If you love someone, tell them you love them. Why wait? Relationships are all that in this life. A few chapters ago, we read that when people are on their death beds, they don't ask for anything but the people they've had relationships with. And my friend last week confirmed that for me. He asked for his family and friends to come so that he can say good bye.

To some extent, he was lucky because he knew his time was winding down. But there are people that are taken from us unexpectedly. Don't regret leaving things undone. Be blessed.

Day 19: Cultivating Community

2009-12-06T23:12:00.002-06:00

Had another awesome Sabbath. It wasn't planned, but the themes in our Sunday School class, the message from Tama at service and the from the speaker at the Youth service were all the same: our calling and purpose in life. God is moving in our community. Had a wonderful fellowship with some friends we haven't spent nearly enough time with today at to'ana'i. I praise God for all His blessings in my life.

Point to Ponder: Community requires commitment.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How can I help today to cultivate the characteristics of real community in my small group and in my church?

Verse to remember: "We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave His life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers." 1 John 3:16

My response:

This was a difficult chapter to digest because I've been guilty of many things that this chapter discusses. The first requirement of community is complete honesty. How many times in my life have I
'gone along to get along.' I didn't want to 'rock the boat' so I just let slip what shouldn't have been allowed. Whether in my personal life, my professional life, and in my spiritual life. For the sake of 'harmony', I've kept quiet when I should have spoken up. I think we can all relate to this. The chapter says don't be rude or judgmental, but we must speak truthfully to our fellow believers.

There's a fine line between speaking truth and being judgmental. That's why we should speak with love and compassion. Sometimes we find joy in finding fault in others and can't wait to tell them. That's not what Christ intends for us to do. Instead, we must have real love and compassion and practice a kind of tough love with fellow believers when we see them stumbling spiritually, instead of turning a blind eye so you don't disrupt the harmony in your group.

The other concept I take to heart in this is that we must always be guided with humility. One of the deep principles of our faith is that we are all sinners and unworthy of the love of God. But by His grace, through the blood of Christ, I have been made whole. So why should I boast, as Paul says, because my salvation comes from nothing that I did, but from everything Christ did. With that knowledge, always walk with humility because if the Son of God didn't lay His life down for us, we wouldn't have been reconciled with the Father and get a chance at eternal life. Be blessed.

Day 18: Experiencing Life Together

2009-12-03T23:29:00.001-06:00

It's getting really cold outside. They say it might snow in central Texas tonight. That's not a usual occurrence. I hope everyone's bundled up here in Texas. This series continues to open up hearts to God's Word. Every day I get notes from people who testify what God is doing for them through this fellowship. I praise God for all of you and continuing our journey through His Word.

Point to Ponder: I need others in my life.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What one step can I take in my life to connect with another believer at a more genuine, more heart to heart level?

Verse to remember: "Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

My response:

We continue our discussion of fellowship. This chapter has allowed me to reevaluate my concept of fellowship. It talks about fellowship having a deeper meaning than just socializing and getting together as a church. We can do that, but sometimes at a very superficial way.

The deep fellowship that the Bible instructs, like in Galatians, tells us that we must bear each other's burdens and problems. The issue to me comes down to trust. Do we really trust each other to open up our hearts with all its imperfections to our brothers and sisters in Christ? Opening up makes you vulnerable and no one wants to be vulnerable. But if we have an abiding love and trust in each other, then we know that we have each other's best interest at heart.

There's a concept that we've started in our youth group about getting spiritual battle buddies. We encourage each other to find two or three close brothers and sisters in Christ to be your spiritual battle buddies. These are the people that we are accountable for in our walk with the Lord. We need support and encouragement, but we also need accountability. What I like about this chapter is the emphasis on small groups. Sometimes people can fall through the cracks of the bigger groups. That's why it's vital to have a small group of buddies that surround you and encourage you. We walk a spiritual minefield everyday and we need all the support and backup we can get. Be blessed.

Day 17: A Place To Belong

2009-12-03T00:08:00.002-06:00

Had a great fellowship tonight at Bible Study. We had a couple of new members that were there for the first time and I praise God for that. This series is opening up our fellowship to new people. Just this morning a niece of mine posted from Turkey. What a wonderful testament to the technology that God has created that's enabled His children to fellowship, not just with those across the street or across town, but across the world. Vi'ia le Ali'i.

Point to Ponder: I am called to belong, not just to believe.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?

Verse to remember: "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:5

My response:

We were made to fellowship . That is our second purpose. This is a lesson that has to be taught to the Christian family. We were made to fellowship with other Christians, particularly at a local church. So often we feel that we can go it alone. That we don't need to belong to a church. That churches hinder our spiritual growth. That churches are a haven for non-Christians who parade around as Christians. That may all be true. But it doesn't mean we can do it alone.

If there's one thing I've learned in my walk with Christ is that there are no perfect people. We are all imperfect and fall short of the glory of God. All of us. And that means that the churches we belong to are also imperfect and fall short of the glory of God. There is no such thing as a perfect church. Trust me. I've looked. And that begins with MY local church. There are so many things that are wrong with my church because there are so many things wrong with me. Yet, this is the church that I find comfort in. This is the church that has allowed me to grow spiritually. This is the church that God has called me to be a member of.

One of the great things about this chapter is that it cuts to the chase. You are either a committed member, or you're a bystander. Get in the game. The Body of Christ needs you. Don't be a bunny hopper, going from church to church when you don't get your wishes fulfilled at one. And that means commitment and involvement. Whenever I've backslid in my walk with the Lord, it's the times I start missing church services or church activities. You have to be actively involved.

Look around and find a church that you are comfortable with, that meets your spiritual needs. I encourage people all the time to go where you are spiritually fed. Nothing makes me happier than knowing a believer is at a place of worship that will lead them closer to God. But find a church. Commit to it and do God's work. Don't run at the first sign of trouble. Stick with it. Being a Christian is hard. Belonging to the Body of Christ is hard. But just like how we don't flee our family at the first sign of trouble, let us not also flee our churches. God made us to fellowship with each other. There's no better place to do than at your local church. Be blessed.

Day 16: What Matters Most

2009-12-01T23:00:00.003-06:00

Had a much better night tonight. My daughter baked me cupcakes as a peace offering. LOL They were the best cupcakes I have ever eaten because I know they were baked with love. And when I read today's reading, it spoke to my little episode last night and I could totally relate. Relationships are our most important calling in life. Nothing else really matters.

Point to Ponder: Life is all about love.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?

Verse to remember: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Galatians 5:14

My response:

This chapter just reinforces a lot of what I've been taught and what I believe. And that is relationships are the most important things in your life because they're the only things that last. I love the anecdote about being on your death bed, no one asks to see their diplomas or bank accounts. All people want to see are their loved ones, the people that mattered most in their lives. What a sad statement for you not to have anyone at your deathbed.

Our first purpose is to love God and to worship Him continually. Our second purpose is to love each other. That's a tough task sometimes, but we are commanded to do it. Some of our fellow believers are hard to love, but we must be around them to learn to love them.

Relationships should be our most important priorities, not possessions or accomplishments. And the only way we can show their importance is by spending time cultivating those relationships. Whatever you spend time on, that's where your heart belongs. Our most important relationship is with God. My second most important relationship is with my family: my wife, daughter, parents, siblings. Then comes my church family.

I look forward to the holidays so much because that's a time when our family gets together and we can spend some quality time together. Even at work, I've learned that developing relationships with my students and co-workers are the most enjoyable and important part of my job. They may not remember what I taught them, but I hope they remember my kindness, my love for them, my honesty in dealing with them. Those things leave lasting impressions.

I can't over emphasize the importance of time. Our time is more valuable than anything else because it's something we can't get more of. We can always get more money, more possessions, more friends, more family, but we can't get more time. So the time you devote to people and relationships tells you where your heart is. Devote more of your time to the relationships that matter in eternity. Be blessed.

Day 15: Formed For God's Family

2009-12-01T00:13:00.002-06:00

Had a rough night. My princess decided she would throw a fit at her grandpa's house when it was time to go. It was overly dramatic tonight so I had to punish her. She came out three times from her room with tears in her eyes asking if I was still mad at her. I said no. Then she said, "then I can go to taekwondo tomorrow?" I said no baby, it just means I'm not mad at you but you still have to suffer the consequence for your actions. Then the bawling would return in earnest. I'm terrible father. I pray that she sees the "purpose" of why she is being punished.

Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?

Verse to remember: "His unchanging plans has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5

My response:

This chapter introduces us to our second purpose, which is we were made to part of God's family. Our first family is the one we're born into physically. Our second family is when we accept the invitation to ask Christ into our hearts and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. It entitles us to a great heritage and most importantly, to a great inheritance.

We become a part of God's family. And this is more important than our earthly families because God's family lives on in eternity. Our goal as Christians is to get our earthly families to gain entrance into eternity so that we can all be part of God's family.

Being a part of God's family is bigger than anything else I belong to. It's bigger than my earthly family. It's bigger than my American family. It's even bigger than the human race today because God's family includes all of those that have gone on into eternity. We are part of a long heritage that binds all of God's children together. What an awesome thing to know that we're a part of something much bigger than ourselves. So many kids turn to gangs because they don't get a sense of belonging from any group. It becomes a pseudo family for most of them. Well, God's gang is the best because it guarantees life after death. Be blessed.

Day 14: When God Seems Distant

2009-11-29T22:27:00.002-06:00

Had a wonderful Sabbath. My Sunday School class discussed authentic worship. Our lesson plan coincided with one of the chapters of the book. The sermon at worship service was very moving and meaningful. And the singing was moving. All aspects of the day was an element of worship. Even seeing off my brother in law was an act of worship because I thanked God for the wonderful fellowship we had for three days. Praise Him as we mature in our walk with Him.

Point to Ponder: God is real, no matter how I feel.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when He seems distant?

Verse to remember: "For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.'" Psalm 149:4

My response:

This chapter states that it's easy to have a close and intimate relationship with God when things are smooth, but when about when the waters become choppy? What about when we have a hard time feeling His presence?

This has happened to me in the past in my relationship with God. I've coined it a spiritual funk. I can't really describe it, but I go through bouts of just feeling distant from God. It's not necessarily that I backslide or stray from Him. I just get kind of weary. I go through the motions. I can totally relate to the chapter when it states we try to do everything: we pray, we fast, we read the Bible. But the funk is still there. And I eventually "snap" out of it. I usually don't realize when this happens. But one day I'm in a funk, and the next thing I remember I am in tuned with God.

But the chapter also points out that sometimes God tests us by hiding Himself from us. Like Job, he couldn't find God in his times of need. How can we praise God when all around us is falling apart like Job? How can we praise or worship God when our lives a falling into pieces?

When we go through these experiences, God is testing us. He is testing to see if we can put our faith completely in God. That is one of the surest signs of spiritual maturity is to trust God when things are coming apart at the seams. There's a tendency to want to jump in and take control. But God is saying that we must have faith that He will never leave nor forsake us. In the end, I am reminded of the poem "Footprints" while reading this chapter. The episodes when we couldn't feel His presence, He was actually carrying us through the abyss. Be blessed.

Day 13: Worship That Pleases God

2009-11-28T10:23:00.004-06:00

One of the things I love about this online series is that it's opened up our Bible Study not only to members that live away from Texas, but also to people of different denominations. I've learned a lot from people of different faith traditions that I wouldn't otherwise learn without this experience. I thank the Lord for affording us the opportunity to come and fellowship in His Word from our own backgrounds.

Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Which is more pleasing to God right now, my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?

Verse to remember: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30

My response:

Day 13 talks about authentic worship. Sometimes our worship becomes stale. I'm sorry to say it, but it happens to all of us. There are times when it seems like we're just going through the motions. Just reciting prayers and singing songs and we act like robots. Some times we get so distracted with worldly concerns that we forget that authenticity is the biggest part of worship. We worry about being in tune as a choir. We worry about the words of our prayers. We worry about what we're going to wear to church. God doesn't care about any of those things when it comes to worship. All He cares about is what is in our hearts.

How arrogant of us to think that we can impress God with our music or our words. Our minister preached about this a few weeks back. He preached on Psalms 24 where the Psalmist asks who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place? The answer was he who has a pure heart and clean hands. I was reminded of this sermon while reading this chapter. The sermon said that serving God involves your heart and your hands. Your heart comes first, accepting Christ as your Savior and then your hands follow by doing good works because of the salvation God has done for you. You don't do good works to GAIN salvation, but in gratitude FOR salvation. The point was if our hearts aren't convicted first, then it's useless what our hands do because its not from a genuine heart.

All of us worship in different ways. Like Folole said a couple of chapters back, many of us were raised in the LMS faith tradition. The style of worship is traditional with structure. Others were raised in the Catholic traditions which involve a lot of rituals and liturgies. Some were raised in the charismatic traditions in a more enthusiastic style of worship. What I've learned, as Folole has stated, is that all these styles are authentic. Depending on our personality and disposition, we are attracted to one form or another.

The interesting thing I've found is how fluid people today are as far as their worship is concerned. Our Youth group is a great example. We have a member who was raised in the LMS tradition, converted to Catholicism, and now is part of our Youth group. He attends Mass but comes to our Youth services, Bible Studies and all of our youth activities. We have another member who was raised in the Pentecostal tradition, yet has become a member of our Youth and church. And there are members who are belong to both Pentecostal churches and our church. They go back and forth, being comfortable in both traditions. I think this is a wonderful thing. For so long we've gotten hung up in denominational rivalries that sometimes we forget that we're all part of the same team. I've always encouraged our Youth to seek out a church that fits their needs and feeds their soul. All God cares about is that our worship be authentic. It doesn't matter where we worship Him from. Be blessed.

Day 12: Developing Your Friendship With God

2009-11-28T10:07:00.002-06:00

I know I'm behind on the postings. I think I may have had a little too much turkey. LOL I am really enjoying the fellowship with my family during this holiday season. I hope you're having a good Thanksgiving weekend and didn't get run over during Black Friday. I spent it in bed getting some much needed rest. Let's move on with our series, shall we.

Point to Ponder: I'm as close to God as I choose to be.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What practical choices will I make today to draw closer to God?

Verse to remember: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." James 4:8

My response:

In day 11 we talked about developing a relationship with God. About constant communication throughout the day. We should talk to God constantly about all aspects of our lives, or our days. In Day 12, we are encouraged to develop a deeper relationship with Him. And in all relationships, honesty is the key. If we're not honest with God, the relationship will not develop any depth, but be very superficial.

I have a tendency to hide things from God. I think that I shouldn't reveal things to Him that I am ashamed of. I guess it's because I think of Him as my Father and I don't want to tell my parents all the bad things I've done. It's a sense of shame that makes me shield things from Him. But little do I know that He sees everything.

The chapter reminds us that God doesn't expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to be honest. What a refreshing feeling that is to know that He loves us even when we sin. He doesn't forsake us when we stumble and fall. He loves us still. He loved Moses though Moses was a sinner. He loved David even though David did a horrible deed. And he loves me too through all of my shortcomings.

Our relationship with God must be the most important relationship we have in this lifetime. That's a hard thing for people to accept, including myself. It is more important than my relationship with my wife, my child and my parents because the relationship with God will dictate where we get to spend eternity. And the more time we spend with God, the more we value what He values. He desires to have an intimate relationship with us. It's so humbling to think that the creator of heaven and earth would desire to get to know me. Praise Him!

Day 11: Becoming Best Friends With God

2009-11-27T01:35:00.003-06:00

What a great day of Thanksgiving of food and fellowship with friends and family. I have been fed physically throughout the day, now I am being nourished spiritually with His Word.

Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to Him more often throughout the day?

Verse to remember: "Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence Him." Psalm 25:14

My response:

This chapter says that God desires to be friends with us. It says that there are many aspects of our relationship with God: He is our creator, our redeemer, our Father, but also our friend. He wants us to come to Him with thanksgiving and praise but also with our desires and wants. I can totally relate to this because this is the same relationship I have with my parents. They brought me into this world. They provided for all my needs when I was a child. They instructed me in the ways of the world and especially, in the ways of God. But now that I'm an adult, they have become my friends. Not equals. But friends. The same with God.

I like the part where we are encouraged to carry on a conversation with God. It said not to have long, drawn out prayers through the day, but short "breath prayers." I immediately thought of Twitter when I read this. For those of you that don't know, Twitter is a resource where you are able to update your friends on what is happening in your daily life with short little messages that are sent to them through text message or email. It lets all of your friends know what you're doing. So when I read this, I thought, "this means we should be tweeting God all day long." Now, I hear some of you laughing, but it kinda makes sense. How many of us update our status constantly on Facebook or tweet friends throughout the day? These little breath prayers are the same, except they are only meant for God. You carry on a conversation throughout the day with God, letting Him know how your day is going.

We all know that the key to any relationship is communication. And we also know that it's important to get quality time alone in a relationship. But just as important is keeping that line of communication open throughout your day. My wife and I text message each other throughout the day. Just to tell each other what's going on. We should do the same with God.

Day 10: The Heart Of Worship

2009-11-25T23:41:00.003-06:00

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for all the blessings that God has bestowed us with. Let us thank Him for the joy in our lives and the love that surrounds us. But as we thank Him for all the good in our lives, let us also thank Him for the valleys in our lives because the valleys help us put life into proper perspective. It is the valleys that gives us perseverance which allows us to mature spiritually. So today, be thankful for both the mountain tops and the valleys. May you enjoy Gods' peace and grace and His blessings this Thanksgiving. Be blessed.

Point to Ponder: The heart of worship is to surrender.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What area of my life am I holding back from God?

Verse to remember: "Surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes." Romans 6:13

My response:

This chapter starts with a blunt statement: the heart of worship is surrender. There are many bad connotations to the word surrender. In today's world, it is synonymous with the words defeat, loss or giving up. There are three barriers to surrender: fear, pride or confusion.

It is a must for us to surrender to God. It's us dying to our old selves and letting God make us a new person. We can't do that unless we surrender our hearts and our lives to Christ. When we ask Him to come into our hearts and be Lord of our lives, we can't do that without surrendering ourselves to Him. I've often had a hard time coming to grips with this truth because surrendering is releasing control. And control is something I covet and need. Being out of control is a great fear I have, which is another stumbling block to surrendering our lives to Christ. When I don't surrender, I'm saying to God that I don't trust Him completely, that I still need some element of control. Only when I truly surrender can His peace come into my heart and rule my life.

Day 9: What Makes God Smile?

2009-11-25T03:38:00.003-06:00

Had a wonderful fellowship last night at Bible Study. This virtual series is awesome, but it's always nice to get together on our weekly meetings and discuss this book face to face.

Point to Ponder: God smiles when I trust Him.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust Him more?

Verse to remember: "The Lord is pleased with those who worship Him and trust His love." Psalm 147:11

My response:

I have always compartmentalized my life. I have a professional life at work. These are my professional friends and associations. Then I have a personal life. These are my friends and associations and activities that have to do with my personal life. Then I have my spiritual life. Same thing. I always thought of them in those compartments. When I'm at work, I'm in my professional mode. When I'm at my daughter's taekwondo lessons, I'm in my personal life mode. When I'm teaching Sunday School, I'm in my spiritual life mode. What I've learned from this chapter is that the spiritual mode should be embedded in ALL aspects of my life.

There's a line in here that has rolled around my head all day: "you may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you're "spiritual" activities...actually God enjoys watching every aspect of your life." What an eye opener. Later on it says that God wants us to enjoy ALL His creation. He gave us a sense of touch, smell, feel, taste. I never thought of eating at a restaurant as a spiritual activity. But if we praise God for it, it's an act of worship. I never thought sitting down to enjoy a football game as a spiritual activity, but if it brings us pleasure and we glorify God, then it is an act of worship. As long as the activity is not a sin, every human activity can be done for God's pleasure if we do it with an attitude of praise.

What that means for me is no more compartments. EVERY activity I do, outside of sin, has a spiritual component if we do it with an attitude of praise. Going to the beach is a spiritual activity, an act of worship, if we praise God for the wonderful environment we enjoy. Eating a meal with loved ones is a spiritual activity, an act of worship, if we do it with an attitude of praise and we thank God for the fellowship we're enjoying with loved ones. I don't have to confine my spiritual activities and my acts of worship to only certain things. All of my life is a spiritual activity, an act of worship, when I do it with a mindset of praise and appreciation for God's gifts to us. He wants us to enjoy our lives. What a wonderful gift. Be blessed.

Day 8: Planned For God's Pleasure

2009-11-24T00:01:00.002-06:00

A great start to the week. Two day work weeks are always good for the body and the soul. Praying for everyone travelling this week to be with family and loved ones during the holidays. Also praying for those that aren't able to be with family this time of year, especially our men and women in uniform serving our country. Special shout out to those serving in the war zone, and there are several of you that have emailed and are keeping up with our series.

Point to Ponder: I was planned for God's pleasure.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What common task could I be doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?

Verse to remember: "The Lord takes pleasure in His people." Psalm 149:4

My response:

This chapter begins laying out the five purposes that God has for us. The first purpose is that we were planned for God's pleasure. How do we bring pleasure to God? By fulfilling what our purpose is meant to be? It says that anything that brings pleasure to God is called worship.

I've gained a deeper understanding of worship from reading this chapter. I've always had these ideas floating in my head, but they were all encapsulated in this chapter. We often think of worship as the Sunday service. Or a part of the service. And we usually associate it with music. But actually, worship takes on many forms. The readings could be worship. The sermon could be worship.

In essence, this chapter says that our lives should be instruments of worship. In everything we do, let it be a worship to the Lord. What that means is that I have to be accountable in all my dealings. From spending time with my daughter. To doing my finances. All those things are a form of worship. I try to stress to the young people at our church that we each have a role to play in the ministry. Some of us have beautiful voices. Some of us can dance. Some of us can cook. Some of us are good with electronics. God needs all of us to spread His Word. Some of us are introverts. Others are extroverts. The point is, we should look at whatever role we play in the ministry as an act of worship. From the person running the cooking, to the person cleaning up to the people that decorate the church. All of those are acts of worship, when we do it to bring glory to God.

That's the key. When we do things to bring glory to ourselves, then it ceases being an act of worship. That's why I love athletes who always praise God after their games. It gives the glory to He who deserves it. Imagine if after each successful project at work, we say "praise God." After our kids bring home all A's, we say thank the Lord. When we live our lives as a true form of worship, we learn to deflect all the praise to He who deserves it.

Day 7: The Reason For Everything

2009-11-23T00:31:00.001-06:00

I had a wonderful Sabbath. Really enjoyed my Sunday School class as we continued to talk about living a life of worship to God. Great service with a powerful message about a God that will never leave us all the days of our lives. And a great time of fellowship with my family at to'ana'i. God is good.

Point to Ponder: Who are you going to live for - yourself or God?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Did you pray the prayer above?

If you haven’t yet opened your life to Christ, what are you waiting on?

Who could you tell about your decision to follow Christ and begin living a purpose-driven life? Write down some names and tell someone today.

My response:

This chapter begins by telling us that God is the reason for everything. That we should always strive to bring God glory. God is glorified when all things in creation are acting out their purpose. So when birds are chirping, they're bringing God glory. When ants are...well, whatever ants do, they're bringing God glory. And when we humans fulfill God's purpose for us, we also glorify God.

The chapter then lays out the five purposes that God has for our lives. The first purpose is that we are to get to know and to love God. And we do this by worshipping Him. How do we worship Him? By the actions of our lives. We talked about this in our Sunday School class today. How worship is not just a onetime thing. Not just in church one hour every Sunday, or one hour every Wednesday. Worship should become a way of life. The prophet Micah said to worship God is to act justly, to be merciful and to walk humbly. If we lived out Micah's words, what an awesome form of worship to God. To do what is right. To be merciful and humble is indeed a lifestyle that we should all strive to emulate.

The second purpose is to love other people in God's family, or to fellowship. We too often fail to do this, or do it in the improper way. We must love each other and bear each other's burdens. We must life each other up, instead of tearing each other down. So often, we elevate ourselves by tearing other people down. Our worship is worthless and meaningless if it's only verbal and not by action. In the words of the Apostle James, what good is it to pray for a cold man to by warm or a hungry man to be fed, yet doing nothing about it. That's what true fellowship is about. Loving our fellow Christians and our fellow man.

The final three purposes are to tell others about Christ, by serving others and by becoming like Christ. Jesus challenges us to not only read the Word, but to also live it. If we only read and then don't act on it, it's like looking at yourself in the mirror and then forgetting what you look like. I look forward to the rest of this journey as we continue to learn from each other. Many people attempt this book and then fail to finish it. Some haven't even gotten to chapter 10. And I believe the reason for that is they did it alone or with an insufficient support group. It is my prayer that we take this journey together and we can all learn and expand our relationship with God together. It will be tough with the holidays coming up, but I encourage you to keep the fire burning and meditating on God's Word and what it means for you and your life. Be blessed.

Day 6: Life Is A Temporary Assignment

2009-11-22T01:37:00.002-06:00

I knew weekends would be tough for our study. People are so busy, but I want to thank you for your faithfulness in reading your chapters and commenting and sharing. If you're a little behind, it's OK. Go to the chapter you're at and continue where you left off. Keep up the good work.

Point to Ponder: Life is a temporary assignment.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
If the only thing that is going to last for eternity is your relationship to God, what are the implications for your values, your priorities, your possessions, and your schedule?

Since God is more interested in your character than your comfort, how does that truth change the way you should view and respond to your problems?

Do you know anyone who has already gone on to heaven? Based on what you have just read, what do you imagine they would like to say to you if they could?

My response:

This chapter tells us that we are here on earth temporarily. This is not our permanent home. It says that we shouldn't be too attached to it because the time we spend here is nothing compared to the time we spend in eternity with God. It says we should see ourselves as foreigners visiting a foreign country. Our real citizenship is in heaven.

As I pondered this chapter, it has had a profound impact on me. So many of our problems in this world come because of differences that we aren't able to resolve. Differences in skin color, in nationality, in ethnicity. Wouldn't we solve a lot of our problems if we looked at ourselves as Christians, as children of God, instead of as black, white, Samoan or Mexican? Wouldn't we get rid of so much of the hate in the world if we saw each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, awaiting our final destination, instead of fighting for things in this temporary way station?

Truly seeing this life as temporary is life altering. I cannot emphasize how profoundly that has changed my life. The knowledge that all we do and accrue in this world is temporary gives me the proper perspective to go after only things that are eternal, and that is a relationship with Christ. I can't take the money with me. I can't take the pain with me. I can't take the hurt with me. So why carry it around? Why make money or power or prestige your number one priority? There's nothing wrong with any of those things, until you let it be your driving force in your life, like how we discussed in an earlier chapter.

I loved this paragraph in the chapter: "The fact that earth is not our ultimate home explains why we experience difficulty, sorrow, and rejection in this world. It also explains why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. This is not the end of the story." So often, we think of our lives as unfulfilled if we don't meet certain goals. But God has a larger perspective, an eternal perspective. Things seem unfair to us because we're looking at it from a "this world" perspective, and not an eternal perspective. Life on earth is temporary. The sooner we accept and come to grips with that reality, the more prepared we will be for eternity. Be blessed.

Day 5: Seeing Life From God's View

2009-11-19T23:54:00.003-06:00

I just keep learning and growing through this magnificent journey. More and more people are joining every day. The number of hits keep adding each day and the every day someone says that they've started. I thank those that have shared and thank those that have encouraged others to take this journey together with us. If you're new to the study, you can go back and start on Day one and get yourself caught up. It's going to be a long journey, which is my life metaphor for chapter 5. Again, we end on Christmas. What a wonderful present to give ourselves, a renewed relationship with God and a better understanding of our purpose. Be blessed.

Point to Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
What has been your life metaphor up to this point? How have you described life?

Can you think of a past experience where you can now see that God was testing you?

If you were to start living the truth that everything you “own” is really on loan from God, how would that change the way you feel about your possessions?

My response:

The fifth chapter really forced me to evaluate my outlook on life. It challenges us to see what kind of perspective we view life through. How do we see our lives? Do we see it as a race, going from place to place? Do we see it as a game, with winners and losers? I've viewed my life through all of these lenses at one point or another. There was a time when I viewed it as a game, where there were rules about winning and losing. From my education, to my career, even to the ministry. I was concerned about the bottom line. Were we growing the church? Was I moving up the career ladder fast enough? All those things used to be important to me.

Then there was a time when I looked at life as a race. I wanted to accomplish things as fast as I could. I had my whole life planned out. I was going to graduate college at 21, get married at 23, have my first child at 25 and be well established in my career when I hit 30. Funny how life works. I missed all of my goals. And that caused me to have some serious self doubts about myself.
I now view life as a journey, perhaps a marathon. I have only one goal, which is to finish the race. I pace myself because I know it's a long journey. I know there will be rough spots when I feel like giving up. I have people in my life that will cheer me on and give me water. I have the Lord that will give me my second wind whenever I need it. And in the end, I hope to stand before my maker and give an honest accounting of my journey.

The chapter by giving us three metaphors that the Bible compares life to. The first is test. I like the passage in there that says: You will be tested by major changes, by delayed promises, by impossible problems, by unanswered prayers, by undeserved criticism, and even by senseless tragedies. That is so true. So many things along the journey will test us. Today, when I am put through a trial I view it as a test by God for something He wants me to do for Him in the future. I look at it as preparation for another assignment He has for me. Remember, nothing is an accident. Everything happens for a reason. Once I changed my mind set, my whole perspective has changed. I view things so differently than I did before and I thank God for my new set of eyes.

Day 4: Made To Last Forever

2009-11-19T00:17:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful time of sharing at Bible Study tonight. There were a lot of us that went through the Bible Study last time as well as a few that were going through it the first time. Such an intimate time of sharing what God had done in our lives and how this book has helped us through some tough times and opened our eyes to God's Word in new ways. I encourage you guys to keep the fire burning. It's a long journey, these next 37 days. Each of us will drop out from time to time, with the holidays coming up and other obligations. But even if you're not able to post every day I just encourage you to keep up and keep the sharing coming. There's been a lot of deep insight into God's Word from people all over the place. So many people have emailed me about how this study is helping them cope with a rough patch in their lives, so be encouraged that your sharing of your walk and journey is helping out fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Be blessed.

Point to Ponder: This life is not all there is.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

Why do you think God made us to last forever?

Why do we spend more time worrying about what won’t last and so little time preparing for eternity, which will last forever?

What are you doing right now to prepare for eternity?

My response:

The fourth chapter is simple, yet profound. In last night's Bible Study I shared with the group that I have simplified my life. As I continue to walk with the Lord, and as I continue to live against the backdrop of eternity, I realize more and more how much wasted energy my early years were. But perhaps that was all part of God's purpose for me. Winding me through that journey to make me the person I am today.

I told the group that I've condensed my life into things that matter: my relationship with God, my family, my work and the Longhorns...LOL I used to chase fame, money, notoriety. Now I just want to go home and spend time with my family. I want to prepare my daily text messages and Sunday School lessons. I want to create a lesson that's meaningful to my students and look forwarding to helping them in their lives. I've found contentment. I've found my purpose. In the words of Paul, "I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” Couldn't have said it better myself.

Day 3: What Drives Your Life?

2009-11-18T00:37:00.003-06:00

A wonderful Day 2 to our study as we continue to add people from all over. Again, over 200 hits yesterday meaning that a lot of people are participating, even though not everyone is sharing. I totally understand that apprehension to share with a group that you're not familiar with. If it's better for you to remain annonymous when you share, go ahead and do that. Again, this study works best when we all share what each chapter means to us and our interpretation of it.

Point to Ponder: What drives your life?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

If you asked your family and friends to describe what drives your life, what driving force or motivations would they mention?

Why do you think most people are not driven and guided by the purpose of their lives?

What habits, or hurts, or hang-ups, or fears might keep you from beginning to live out and enjoy God’s purpose for your life?

My response:

The third chapter is so rich that I could spend term paper analyzing it and still can't get everything in it. I hope people got different things from it because there's just so much. It crystallized a lot of things for me.

It starts out talking about what drives us, what motivates our lives. I had always been driven by approval from others. Particularly from parents and figures of authority. I wasn't so much influenced by peer pressure, but the drive to gain the approval of elders in my world. When the book says that one sure way to failure is trying to please everyone, it hit home. I can't be all things to all people. I was a people pleaser. And to a certain extent, I still am. But I know that my happiness isn't dependent on it anymore. I do what I feel is right, and if people disagree, I am able to live with their disapproval.

That has enabled me to narrow my focus. Knowing that I was made for a purpose, which is to be used for God's purpose, has given my life meaning. It means that everything that happens to me is not an accident. It has really simplified my life. I used to have a plan for my life. And now I have a plan for eternity. What I mean by that was my goals had always ended at death. Now, they go beyond it.
Things that used to bother me a lot, failure, loss or pain, now are looked upon as growing opportunities to fulfill my purpose. It's made me not sweat the small stuff, if I keep the big stuff in perspective. Instead of running around trying to check off everything on my to do list, now I just focusing on the things that really last, my relationship with God and ensuring that the ones I love also gain that love for God.

Materialism was also a driving force in my life. I thought if I bought a house, had a nice fancy car and a good career that it would bring me contentment and happiness. But they haven't. What's brought me happiness and joy is knowing my purpose. Don't get me wrong, I like driving my big truck. But if it was stolen tomorrow, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. It's fully covered and can be replaced. What can't be replaced is the security of knowing my purpose and that my life matters and has meaning. What an awesome feeling to have that security.

Day 2: You are not an accident

2009-11-17T00:33:00.003-06:00

A great start to our study. I've noticed that we've had a lot of people visit the blog yesterday, over 200 hits. But only seven people shared. I encourage you to share your reactions and thoughts to the days reading. It's the best way for us to gain depth and understanding of the material. Even if it's just a reaction to other peoples' posts, I encourage you to share. You never know whether your thoughts would spark something in other people. On to day 2.

Point to Ponder: You are not an accident!

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What events or experiences in your life have “hinted” or suggested that maybe you were created for a specific
purpose?

Have you ever really felt God’s deep love for you personally?

How would your life change if you began to live each day confident that God loves you deeply and has a purpose for your life?

My response:

The second chapter starts with words that startled me: You are not an accident. The chapter goes on to say that some children may have been unplanned by their parents, but they aren't unplanned by God. That's my life story. My mother had me when she was 16. Her father was a pastor of large village church in Samoa. My father was also a pastors son in Samoa. To say that my birth was frowned upon by the village people would be an understatement.

But God had a plan for me. He didn't want me to be born when my parents were in their 20s or 30s, he wanted me to be born at that exact moment. For a time in my life I wondered if my parent resented me because it probably threw their life plans and goals out the window. My mom had to drop out of high school and didn't go to college much later. My dad had to work three jobs to support me and my mom. But the unconditional love they have showed me throughout my life has told me that they don't resent having me.

Much later in my life another "unplanned" pregnancy has had a huge impact on my life. My daughter was not a planned pregnancy, but God used that situation for a better good. Regardless of the circumstances of her birth, she was not illegitimate. She was planned by God.

I've always struggled with the sometimes seeming 'arbitrariness' of life. Why was I born here and not in India? Why did my parents make the choices they made? Why am I a Samoan and not Brazilian? This chapter taught me that the answer to all those questions was because God willed it to be. And what He wills, will be.

He has a master plan and I am but a small part of it. But He thought enough of me to plan out my entire existence. I keep thinking of the song we sang for White Sunday..."Who am I that you are mindful of me, that you hear me when I call. Who am I that you are thinking of me, it's amazing, so amazing." Yes it is.

Day 1: It All Starts With God

2009-11-15T18:43:00.004-06:00

Point to Ponder: If there were no God, and everything was a result of random chance, there
would be no purpose to your life. It all starts with God.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Have you ever wondered about, or felt confused about, the purpose of your life?

What ways have you tried to discover your life’s purpose that haven’t worked?

Why do you think people try to discover their life’s purpose without turning to God, their creator?

My response:

There's so much to digest in this first chapter, but what grabbed me were the first words: It's not about you. Wow. It seems as if those words were written specifically about me. So much of my life has been spend searching for MY contentment, MY purpose, MY happiness, never knowing that I was going about it the wrong way.

I had began to mature in my walk with the Lord, but the words in this chapter really helped solidify my path. It was perfectly crystallized when I read: "life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purposes." For much of my life I had been using God for MY purposes. God heal me. God bless me. God forgive me. It was never, what is your will for my life? What is your purpose for my life? Not until I came to the realization that I was put on this earth to do His will and serve His purposes did my relationship with God begin to have more depth and meaning.

Now my life is all about Him. When I garner success, it's thank you God for your blessing, not look at what I did. When I go through adversity, it's what is the purpose of this trial Lord? It's a watershed moment in my relationship with God when I realized what our roles are: He created me, I am here for His purpose, which is much larger than me.

All right, that's what I got out of this chapter. What about you?

Welcome to Purpose Driven Life study group

2009-11-15T18:28:00.005-06:00

This is the beginning of our online Bible Study series on the book Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Let me repeat the instructions briefly. We are to read one chapter a day. Please stay to one chapter per day. It's tempting to not want to put the book down, or click to the next page online, but the book is meant to be read slowly so that you have time to digest the content for at least twenty four hours. It also allows you to share your thoughts with others in the group and perhaps gain some insight.

That's why it's vital that you participate in these discussions. Please respond to the topics daily about your thoughts on that days reading. I am going to ask that on your first post, that you put your name, first name is sufficient, and your location so we can get to kind of know each other. Many of you know each other, but some may not. If you wish to give out any other information to the group, that is up to you. The reason I ask that you put your name on your posts is so we can identify your posts when referencing them.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them on one of the discussion topics. Each day will have its own page, so if you're late to the study, you can catch up and respond to each chapter accordingly. Again, I pray that you find spiritual growth in this study and that the Spirit of the Lord guides us. Feel free to invite friends to the group. The more the better.

Down but not out

2009-11-13T09:59:00.002-06:00

I have been down and out with the flu for the last couple of days. It started right after our Bible Study. I have an ailment that has been bothering me for a while. The doctors don't know what to do with it. And from time to time, it will cause me to have a bad case of the chills and the flu. I have a new doctor and so hopefully they'll be able to give me other options. I am able to control it for the most part, but prevention can only work so far.

Whenever I get sick, it makes me feel extremely vulnerable. I have never been as sick as I have been for the last couple of years. For a while I thought we'd found a cure for it, but the doctors came back and told me that the cure might be worse than the disease. So we were given the choice of going with the surgery or seeing if it will heal on its own. Every time I get sick, I think surgery is a much better option. But I pray to God to heal me. I will get a second opinion soon and will go from there.

Our lives are but a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes. My condition is not terminal or life threatening. But it is very uncomfortable and has caused me to make some adjustments in my life. I ask that you keep me in your prayers and all those that suffer ailments of the body.

Peace, be still

2009-11-11T01:14:00.002-06:00

My life has been hit by big storms lately. It seems as if it's one wave crashing in after another. First was the tsunami that devastated my homeland. This was beyond any natural disaster that has ever hit Samoa in my lifetime. So many lives lost, and property destroyed. It galvanized us into action to help those devastated.

Then the shooting that has shaken my hometown. Just when we were getting over the shock of the tsunami, the shooting comes out of nowhere. It turned many lives upside down in the Ft. Hood community.

In talking to people affected by these events, some have questioned the presence of God. Where was He? Our preacher's message on Sunday was why. Why would a loving God allow these things to happen? Why would He let us suffer? He concluded that God works through all these things and is there for us through the storms.

I am reminded of the time Jesus and His disciples were caught in a storm on a boat. Jesus was sleeping peacefully after a long day of teaching and preaching. Then out of nowhere, a storm rose up and was battering the ship. As the storm was raging, the disciples panicked and thought they were surely going to drown and die. In their terror, they woke Him and said, 'don't you care if we drown?' Jesus said to the storm, 'Be still.' Then He turned around and scolded His disciples. 'Don't you have faith that I am here with you and I would not let anything happen?'

The storms in our lives will not last forever. When we're in the middle of those storms it seems like we will never stop the winds from howling around us. Waves of trouble and grief may sweep over us, but we must have faith that He can calm any storm. It's difficult to hold tight when the winds are so fierce. But never forget that Jesus said He would never forsake us and that He can calm any storm. Call out to Him in the middle of the storm and rely on Him to still the storms of our lives.

Petition without instructing

2009-11-10T00:26:00.002-06:00

Prayer is a vital part of our Christian walk. Its the vehicle we use to talk to God. How we view prayer says a lot about our relationship with God. It's like any relationship. If we only pray in times of crisis, we show a lack of love. True love is reflected in the time and manner we spend with the one we love.If we only talk to them when we want or need something, then we don't really love them.

We've all been in relationships where we've been used by other people. They only come to us when they need something. When all is right in their world, they forget about us and spend time with everyone else BUT us. We feel neglected and taken for granted. They think we'll always be here for them so they don't nurture us and give us the recognition that we deserve. We're only good when they need something. Sometimes that's how we treat God. We know He'll always be there and take us back. But when times are good, you find us going to Him much.

And dont include the solutions with your petitions. Sometimes when we do pray it's like a Christmas list. We go to Him with our problems, our needs and wants. But we also provide the answer. We don't trust God to come up with the best possible answer. Remember, God's answers are wiser than our prayers. We must always end our petitions with the acknowledgement that His will be done, and not ours.

In the end, we must present ourselves as empty vessels and let Him work through us. His will and plan is always perfect. We may not always know why He does certain things, but His ways are not our ways and in His time, He will let us know.

Tragedy strikes home

2009-11-06T11:23:00.006-06:00

As most of you have heard by now, there was a great tragedy that gripped our city yesterday with the shooting on Ft. Hood. It was horrific to know tha terror could strike so close to home. Our soldiers are familiar with violence overseas, but many were shaken because it had been at home where some of their comrades were killed.

Our school was locked down for a few hours. The majority of our students live on Ft. Hood so they were locked out from going on base. They were brought back to the school so we stayed with them until the post opened up. We were in our auditorium for over 5 hours.

While sitting there, I was going through the Bible on line to see what words of comfort I could draw from. I googled scripture and it led me to Isaiah. He wrote these words thousands of years ago, but it seemed to be talking to me about the events of the day. 'Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.'

The community was walking through darkness. The family of the dead soldiers saw no light. But we must continue to rely upon Him and trust in His name. I read about a pastor who had lost his wife. This is how he looked at life. He said we play on God's team. He is the quarterback and He calls the plays. We don't know why a particular play was called. All we can do is run the play that He has called.

Yesterday's events bring home the lessons from the book of James. He said don't make plans as if you're sure that tomorrow will come. Nothing is promised to us, except this moment that you are in. So hug your kids a little longer today. Hold your loved one a little closer. Treasure every moment you have with them.

Not enough hours

2009-11-05T11:43:00.002-06:00

I was sitting on a bench outside my room waiting for a student yesterday. He was supposed to come and take a make-up test. As I was waiting for him, I realized that I was sitting under the bluest sky I had seen in a while. The air was crisp. There was a little breeze. This was perfect weather. It almost made up for all the rainy weather we got last month. I closed my eyes and just relaxed. It was such a calming feeling. I was reminded of the words of the Psalmist who said, 'Be still and know that I am God.'

I wondered if the Psalmist had a similar experience to mine and that was what inspired him to pen those words. So often in our daily grind we jump from one activity to the next without taking time to be in tuned with God. If I had a dollar for every time someone said, 'there just aren't enough hours in the day,' I'd be a rich man. And that's just money from my wife alone. LOL

We must force ourselves, EVERYDAY, to stop, be still and know that He is God. We must align our thoughts with His. At some point in your day, take some time to meditate on God or His word. You would be amazed at how much better your day goes.

Heart and hands

2009-11-03T23:32:00.002-06:00

Our pastor's message on Sunday was on the importance of purifying our heart. His text was Psalm 24 where the Psalmist said that he who has 'clean hands and a pure heart' will receive the blessing from the Lord. He said our hands and heart work in tandem.

He said hands symbolized the actions that we take. But the actions are hands do is dictated by our hearts. Our hearts act first, then the hands follow through. We lust first, then our hands follow through. The thought begins in the heart and is followed through by the hands.

Our hands, or our actions, are a manifestation of what's already in our hearts. If your heart has vengeance, your hands will carry it out. Conversely, if your heart has forgiveness, the hands will manifest that also.

The key to Christian living is purifying your heart. We must clean our hearts. That's why Jesus told us that we should go and be right with our brothers, to cleanse our hearts, before we can come and worship Him.

Another way to look at this is our hands symbolize the works that we do. James emphasizes the importance of works. He says that faith without works is dead. Though it seems to contradict Paul's justification by faith, I think it confirms it. The important thing to remember is that the sequence must be correct. We must have a pure heart first, a heart in love with Jesus, before our hands can get to work. If we rely only on our works, then eventually our hands will become tired. But if our hands are working in response to the love in our hearts, they will never become tired.
Our hands show the world what's already in our hearts. Be blessed.

Plans and more plans

2009-11-02T23:08:00.002-06:00

I had a really blessed Sabbath this week. I had a great lesson with my Sunday School class. We ended up taking a lot of time talking about life plans. There are three of them and they're in high school. One is a senior, another a junior and a third a sophomore. We also have a couple of freshmen that also attend, but not regularly.

We were talking about plans because it's getting close to the time that the senior has to make a decision about which colleges to apply for. We discussed career choices and that they needed to have a plan for when they graduate. Either a college to attend, plans to go to work, or even entering the military. The key I continued to stress to them is to make a plan. And start to execute it now.

I realized that in our Bible Study last week James said that we shouldn't plan too far ahead because we're not guaranteed tomorrow. That we should end all of our plans with the phrase, 'if it is the will of God.' And that's what I told the girls. Write your plan, but be ready for God to make some alterations to it. I shared that I had a totally different plan for my life when I was younger. I wanted this career and I wanted to live here and there. But God has a funny way of showing us what His will is.

Our lesson yesterday was on Esther. Not that it was planned, no pun intended, but our discussion was the perfect prelude to the story of Esther. Never in her wildest dreams did Esther imagine that she would be the central figure in a drama that had the lives of thousands of people hanging in the balance. Her life being one of them. But as her uncle Mordecai told her in his famous words, 'perhaps it is for a times such as this that God put you where you are.'

By all means make plans. Make lots of plans. But always realize that the final arbiter of our plans is our Maker. Don't be upset if he rearranges them from time to time. Remember, His plan is perfect, even if we don't see it right away. Again, write your plans in pencil, then give God the eraser.

Nemo and Marlin

2009-10-31T11:24:00.005-05:00

As I am writing this, my daughter is fast preparing for tonight's festivities. Tonight is Halloween, and she, like many children around the world, is getting ready to dress up in her favorite character and go out trick or treating. This is one of her favorite holidays because she gets to dress up like her favorite characters. Her first costume was that of an angel. Then she Hannah Montana. Last year, she was a cheetah girl. For those of you without young daughters, that's not an animal, but a TV show. I've been exposed to so much since she was born.

This year, she's going in her karate school uniform. Her mom and I were pretty surprised because she usually wants to get dressed up as one of her characters in one of her shows. We prodded her so much that she said, "OK, I will go as Nemo." Ecstatic that she changed her mind, I said that's great sweetheart. Then she continued, "daddy, you will be Marlin. Mommy can be Coral, aunty Mo will be Dory and uncle Lind will be Nigel." These were all the characters from the movie Finding Nemo, one of her current favorites. Needless to say, she will be going as the karate girl because we couldn't find a Dory costume for her aunt. She probably figured this was the only way to make us stop asking her to change her mind.

A friend recently shared her frustrations about her husband who believes that Halloween is the devil's holiday. He doesn't believe they should celebrate it. My friend says that the problem is, they have three children who love Halloween. What should she do? It seems like they have this argument every year. It brings up and interesting question for us Christians. There are many churches that believe this, that we shouldn't celebrate Halloween because it has pagan roots and seems to celebrate the devil and evil spirits. On the other hand, it has become such a national holiday that to deny our children the opportunity to celebrate is hard on them.

I am reminded of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Paul said to the Corinthians that "everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." Our church holds a Jesus Treat, where we encourage kids and families to come out for a night of bible games, food and trick or treating. We think it's a safe environment for the kids to come and enjoy fun and fellowship and also to learn about Jesus.

I don't believe in dressing up my daughter in a devil costume or a ghost costume. But I do believe that we can turn this pagan holiday towards the glory of God by allowing families to come together and fellowship. As long as I don't have to dress up as Marlin.

Making plans

2009-10-29T00:04:00.002-05:00

We continued our study of the book of James in our Bible Study last night. This book is so rich and full of life lessons. We have taken a chapter a week. And often times I feel a week is not sufficient to cover each chapter. Tonight we looked at chapter four. James has so many valuable insights that I'll just cover one of them that we had discussed. Perhaps I will cover another one tomorrow.

One of them is life's certainty is its total UNcertainty. James reminds us that 'we do not know what will happen tomorrow.' We often go through life expecting that we'll wake up in the morning. We think we're in the middle of the race or the beginning. But you never know. I shared a few months ago about a soldier here in our community who survived two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan only to come home and die while on a picnic with his family at a lake. God holds all our lives in the palm of His hands and He decides when our race is over.

We love to make plans about our lives. We plan everything. We plan our day. We plan our week. We take long term plans and short term plans. We also set goals way down the line. Again, it's very presumptuous of us to do this because God hasn't promised us tomorrow.

That often leads to disappointment when our plans and dreams don't materialize. James tells us our disappointment is rooted in assuming our plans and dreams will be fulfilled. We think just because WE have prepared and WE are ready, then the plans should fall into place. We sometimes forget to run our plans before God for His approval. In every aspect of our lives, we ought to say, 'If the Lord wills it, we shall live and do this or that.' There's nothing wrong with writing plans. Just make sure you write your plans in pencil, then give God the eraser. Be blessed.

Letting go

2009-10-27T23:33:00.004-05:00

I spoke with someone recently who was having trouble forgiving someone from her past. She was still holding on to anger and bitterness towards that person. Her trouble was that she knew that as a Christian she is commanded to "forgive those who have transgressed against her." But it was just too hard. She felt that if she forgave, she was letting her tormentor get away with their actions all over again.

I reminded her of Paul's words to the Ephesians to 'be kind to one another, forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave you.' Paul told the Ephesians that it was essential for their Christian walk to be able to forgive each other. After all, Christ died to forgive all of us.

Forgiveness isn't forgetting, excusing or smoothing over the past. When you forgive someone, it doesn't mean you have to forget the past. It doesn't mean you have to be best friends with that person. Instead, forgiveness breaks the cycle of anger and bitterness.
It is love's toughest work and love's biggest risk. Forgiveness isn't about the person being forgiven. Forgiveness is about the person that was wronged. You aren't letting them off the hook. They will have to answer to God for their actions. To forgive is to set a prisoner free. And that prisoner is you.

Our purpose

2009-10-26T23:08:00.002-05:00

Do you sometimes feel burned out? You may want to run the good race and stay on the course, but you often feel beat down by life. I spoke yesterday about my pastor's message about running the good race and staying on the course. One person texted back about being burnt out. They wanted to run for the Lord, but people got in their way. Their spiritual walk was inhibited by people, often people who were fellow Christians.

The words of Zechariah 4:6 may offer some encouragement: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.' We often rely on our own power, our own abilities, our own wisdom. We often elevate ourselves and devalue God. It needs to be said over and over: It's not what we do for the Lord, but what He does THROUGH us that gives purpose to our lives. God has called us to be witnesses for Christ.

God has a plan for each of us. Some He has called to be teachers. Some He has called to be farmers. Some are called to be encouragers, others to be warriors. The secret to contentment is to know what purpose God has called us for. No one calling is more important than another.

So live out your purpose, whether you're a light in the corner or a lighthouse on a hill. Each of us has an important purpose that God wants us to fulfill.

Keep running

2009-10-25T23:28:00.003-05:00

Our pastor's message yesterday was about running the good race. He said too often we treat life as a sprint, wanting to speed things up with little patience for delay. He talked about the different stages of life. We go through all the early stages rushing to get to the next one. And before you know it, you're sitting there wondering where all the time went. When you're 14, 16 can't come soon enough so you can get your license. Then it's 18 that can't come soon enough with your freedom. But then he said, when you get to be his age, 58 on Wednesday he reminded the whole congregation, you sit back ask where did all the time go.

He said instead of looking at life as a sprint, we should treat life as a marathon. Its a long journey where there will be peaks and valleys. There will be days when you want to divorce your wife, quit your job and want to move away. He said there will be times when you feel the climb is too steep, when you hit life's bumps. It may be an illness, getting laid off, or a problem your children are going through. There will be times when we have to slow down, crawl if we have to.

But the important thing is to keep running. Keep working on those relationships. And when you feel your breath catching, ask God for a second wind. God always grants us a second wind. And a third, a fourth. How many ever we need. He will constantly renew your strength when you ask. Stay on the course and run the good race. We won't stop running until we stand before our creator and give an accounting for our lives.

Just as you are

2009-10-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

A person asked me once what kind of people went to my church. I answered sinners. The person was surprised. I don't think that was the answer they had expected.

There's a story about an artist who wanted to paint homeless people to highlight their struggles. He found the perfect model on the side of the road. He pulled over and asked the man if he could paint him for his project. The homeless man agreed and the artist gave him some money and said to be at his studio tomorrow morning.

The next day the homeless man arrived, all cleaned up with new clothes and his beard shaved. He was, after all, having his portrait drawn. When the artist walked in, he was so disappointed He told the homeless man, "I can't use you now, I need the you from yesterday."

Jesus takes the opposite approach. He asks us to come to Him just as you are, admitting that we're sinners deserving judgement. It's humbling, but it's the only way we can receive the forgiveness that Christ died for on the cross. Jesus didn't die for the righteous, He died for the sinners. If you need to be forgiven and restored to Christ, come to Jesus just as you are. Remember, sinners are the only people that can be saved.

Life's unfair

2009-10-19T23:04:00.002-05:00

Our Constitution says that all men are create equal. But experience teaches us that life treats some people better than others. There was a story in the local paper about a drunk driver that hit a car with a woman and her three kids. The woman and two of her kids dies. The drunk driver walked away without a scratch. The woman was on her way to pick up her husband from work.

Some work hard yet remain poor while Paris Hilton seems like everything is handed to her. Why do some people get born rich while others are almost subjected to a life of poverty and struggles. If looking at the circumstances of others makes you resent the unfairness of life, change your focus. Look to Jesus and think of the unfairness He went through. He died for the very people that wanted Barabbas to be freed. He died for the people that had shouted hosanna on Sunday, but crucify Him on Thursday.

Life's unfairness is temporary. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, perfect fairness will be ours to enjoy forever in heaven. Resentment comes from looking at others. Contentment comes from looking at God.

Teaching lessons daily

2009-10-18T23:24:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Children's Sunday today. Our pastor's theme was that children are a heritage from God. He said it's frightening sometimes to realize that our children mirror the way we speak and act. I learn that lesson all too well everyday when my wife and I forget our daughter is in the backseat and we say a "bad" word like stupid or hate. She has no problems reminding us.

Children don't learn to love and obey God only by what we say. They also learn by watching what we do. Children have a sixth sense about hypocrisy and can spot it right away. They know exactly when our "talk" doesn't match our "actions." They can spot it a mile away. We are teaching lessons, good and bad, every day we live. When we teach our kids about right and wrong, yet see us run that yellow light or tell them to fudge their age to get a cheaper price at a restaurant or theater, we are giving them conflicting messages. What are lessons are we teaching with our actions?

We can't be perfect parents, but our children must see our desire to serve the Lord. When we fall short, they must see us repent and ask for God's forgiveness. One of the hardest thing for a child to do is to admit they were wrong. But when they see us do it, it tells them it's OK. We're also teaching them that our God is a forgiving God and He's ready to forgive if we ask. A godly parent is a child's best guide to God. Be blessed.

Yellow belts

2009-10-15T22:39:00.003-05:00

An update on our taekwondo girl. I wrote last month that my daughter was taking taekwondo classes. This is something that's really got her interested. She looks forward to these classes every week. And she's always willing to show you her new moves. It's given her a sense of confidence that she didn't have before.

Today was her big test day. This is the test that determines whether she gets to go to the next level, signified by a different color belt. Since she started about six weeks ago, she's been a beginner white belt. She's already memorized the sequence of belts and has been looking forward to getting her yellow belt. She's worked hard in memorizing her rules and learning her different kicks and blocks. Even though she's four, she mixes it up pretty well with the older kids. (Alert, that was my proud parent, bragging moment. There may be more of those. LOL) She invited her grandparents and aunt and uncle to see her test. She was so excited.

Her mom and I were a different story. We were nervous wrecks. What if she didn't pass her test? Would that crush her? How would she handle that type of disappointment? She was taking it all in stride. At her test, she was loose and did well. As she stood with all the other kids and went through her test, I was so proud o her. That she saw something she worked so hard for come to a successful end.

As I looked at her today, I can't imagine loving anyone or anything more in this world. I didn't know my heart had so much love in it. She is our only child now. And she may be our only child ever. I shudder to think what my life would be like without her. And then I think of God. One thing we share is that we only have one child. How in the world could He have sacrificed His one and only child for me? For a sinner. For people who hate Him. I know I couldn't do it. If God asked me to sacrifice my daughter, I wouldn't be able to do it. Which makes His sacrifice even more real to me. In a way, my daughter has expanded my capacity to love. Not only her, but God. Another gift she has given me.

Beyond expectation

2009-10-12T23:59:00.004-05:00

There have been millions of words written about happiness. How to get it, and more importantly, how to hold on to it. The world says that happiness is found in acquiring things. The Bible has the opposite view. It says that what we give, not what we get, brings lasting joy to our lives. Hoarding never produces true happiness. True joy comes in seeking the good in others and giving away what God has given us. Find a way to make someone happier today. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive.

I saw this first hand this past weekend. Our church had planned a tsunami relief fundraiser this past Saturday. We had stories about it in our paper and on tv news. We had advertised it on our website and on social networking sites. And off course we lifted it up in our prayers. But none of us, to be honest, knew how it was going to turn out. Our church does fundraisers real well. We are an extremely generous church and our faithful tithers. But we had never taken on an endeavor like this.

The usual way we raise funds is to have a family night. This is where we have Samoan dances and each family donates a certain amount for their dances. This is how we tithe. Some churches put their tithes in an envelope and into the plate, we add a cultural aspect to it and have dances. But there were no dances for this fundraiser. It wasn't a real festive mood. But we had food sales and a car wash. Again, the usual way we do food sales is to sell tickets to ensure that enough people come to buy the food you've prepared. The aim is not to be stuck with a lot of un-bought food or not prepare enough for people to buy. But we had no tickets. We just went on faith alone that God will provide.

And boy did He come through in a big way. The outcome was more than anyone expected. But it began within our church. People volunteered their time for the effort. People donated for this that have never donated for anything else. We had so many car washers and cooks that many people didn't have a job to do. And we had people coming from all over Texas to donate. We had people from Austin, San Antonio, Houston. We had all nationalities, religions, you name it, they were there. And in the end, we raised $10,000 for the tsunami relief fund. Praise God.

And all I could think of was the generosity of these people. I don't know if they were all Christians, but many of them were. They really proved Jesus' command, it is better to give than to receive.

Seasons of life

2009-10-08T14:25:00.002-05:00

When we're young, we can't wait to grow up. I remember when I was about 15 or 16 I just couldn't wait to drive. When I first got my license, I volunteered to drive everywhere. To the store, to church, anywhere. That lasted for about 6 months.

When we're older, people always say that they wish they could be young again. The elders of our church are always saying that they wish they could have their strength when they were young. It seems we yearn for things that are out of our reach.

God wants us to be happy at whatever "season" of life we're in. He made us physically strong in our youth. Our beauty and strength when we're young is based on our physical beings. When we grow older, our beauty and strength is based on our spiritual beings, as we mature in our spiritual walk. We gradually lose the physical beauty and strength, as we focus on what is eternal, our spiritual beauty and strength.

Are you in life's "springtime" of youth? Trust God's timing to fulfill all of your dreams. Are you in life's "summer or autumn" of middle age? Determine to face life's challenges head-on. Are you in life's "winter", or twilight? Draw closer to God. Make sure that we enjoy each season of life. God made a time and a purpose for everything. Don't year for things in the past or in the future. Enjoy the here and now. You only get one shot at it. Be blessed.

Moving on

2009-10-05T00:23:00.004-05:00

A relative of mine had a post on his Facebook page. He lives in Samoa and had been through the tsunami. It was an understandably traumatic time. Many people had lost their lives. Some of whom he had personally known. A few days after the tsunami, he heard his children play with some of their friends. Then he heard something that at first, seemed out of place. He heard laughter. The children were actually laughing and having a good time.

I remember the week of 9-11, the NFL had cancelled all their games that Sunday. There was debate around the country about this. Some felt that it was a mistake for the NFL to do this, that we should resume as normal a routine as possible. That to change our routine would be to give in to the terrorists. The deeper question, to me at least, was how long should the mourning period last? When is it ok to resume our normal activities, to move on with our lives if you would.

And that's the question that faces us today. Is it bad to feel joy or happiness when we know so many people in Samoa and other parts of the world are devastated? And how long should that period be? At our church luncheon today, there was much laughter and dare I say it, joy. I think back to the story of David when he learned of the death of his son Absalom. He grieved for him. But after a while, he got up and moved on with his life. The key for us is not to be paralyzed by traumatic events, while at the same time, not taking taking the necessary time to grieve. In other words, moving on too fast. There are no hard and fast rules. It's just one of those things that each person has to do on their own. You will know it.

A sousou le vasa

2009-10-01T22:31:00.001-05:00

Our community in Texas had a prayer vigil last night for our homeland and her people affected by the tsunami. One of the hymns that was sung was the LMS classic 'A sousou le vasa.' It's a song that talks about when the seas of life are rough, when you feel like giving up, cling to God. The song was sang with much emotion as the people truly felt the poignant lyrics of the hymn and how it was so appropriate for the moment.

The irony is that the tune is from the classic hymn 'Count your many blessing.' The English version of the song says that when times are hard, sit down and count your blessings. You will be surprised at what the Lord has given you. It's so hard for people in Samoa to count their blessings. But they must. We all must. No matter how bad we think we have it, the blessings will far outweigh the burdens. Learn to count your blessings. It will make the burden lighter. Be blessed.

Rejoice IN SPITE of our circumstance

2009-09-30T00:49:00.006-05:00

News of today's tragic events in Samoa has brought great sorrow and sadness. They affect us all, to a varying degree. This tragedy touched an entire country. Regardless of our own optimistic tendencies, sorrow visits all of us. But there's another side to this. No matter how tragic our lives may be, no matter if we are given to depression and despair rather than happiness and joy, we are never left hopeless.

I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures, Habakkuk 3:17-18

17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior

Even though everything was going against him, he never lost his joy in the Lord. After today's event, it's hard to find any joy if you were affected by the tsunami. Especially if you lost a loved one. But Habakkuk offers a powerful reminder that we should rejoice IN SPITE of our circumstances. If we only rejoiced when our circumstances warranted it, we wouldn't be a joyful bunch.

But we rejoice because we know we are not hopeless. That's because life is not a string of accidental circumstances. Life has a spiritual dimension that can always be buoyed by God's love, mercy, and grace. It's remarkable! No matter what we might be suffering, we can be sure that God will never leave us hopeless. No one is hopeless whose hope is in God. May our merciful God shine His light upon Samoa and her people. May His healing touch be upon all those that were affected by this tragedy. Be blessed.

Grace undeserved

2009-09-29T00:16:00.003-05:00

The problem with trying to earn our salvation is that we can never be ahead on the tally sheet. If life were a zero sum game, then there's no way we can make it into heaven. If we were to add up all our sins against all of our good acts, we would not come close to salvation. No matter how many good works we do, we can never overcome the sin category. That's why God looked down and saw that an atonement was needed in order for us to have our slates wiped clean.

Christ left His glory in heaven to die on the cross so that we could be forgiven through faith in Him. He didn't have to come to earth and suffer as He did. But God offered His one and only Son to be an atonement for the sins of the world. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by that sacrifice. That He would think that much of ME. Like the words of one of my favorite song goes, "Who am I that the Lord of all the earth, would dare to know my name?" I am humbled being words by that knowledge. That God would love me so much that He would do that for me.

His sacrifice was based on His love, not on our merit. Nothing I did deserved this act. The only thing that explains it is God's love, His grace. Grace is an unearned blessing to unworthy sinners. Now that I have been saved by this awesome love, I work FROM the cross, knowing that all of my actions are a response to that sacrifice done for me on Calvary all those years ago. And even then, I know that there's nothing, absolutely nothing I could do to repay that love. I guess that's why they call it grace.

A long walk

2009-09-25T00:14:00.002-05:00

When I was in high school I had an aunt that had a long battle with cancer. She came to live with us in Hawaii, so I saw firsthand the devastation the disease was having on her body. She was one of the strongest persons of faith that I have known in my life. She ranks right along side of my grandmother, mother and aunts as far as faithful women that I have known. My faith system was shaken. Here was a strong believer in Christ, yet she was suffering so much. It made no sense to me.

Our family offered up countless prayers for God to heal her. We would have morning prayers, evening prayers. We would take turns sleeping with her at the hospital. Our church would visit her every Sunday and have more prayers. Even after her doctor told us she was terminal the prayers didn't stop. In fact, they had only intensified. It was as if her belief in God's healing touch and the power of our prayers was going to heal her cancer. But at the same time, she was diminishing rapidly before our eyes. My dad had told her perhaps it's time to tidy up her affairs, to speak to her children and to her siblings about any of her final wishes. This enraged her. She said basically that how can a man of God have so little faith as to tell her to prepare to die. Her faith was that strong.

She returned to Samoa to be with her family. The doctors had told her that wasn't anything more they could do. A few months later, she died. To me, it was as if God had ignored our prayers. This was a watershed moment in my relationship with God. How can a loving God allow such an unloving things to happen to an angel of His? How can he ignore the prayers of His children? It was all so unfair. Here she was, on fire for Him and His kingdom, and yet she dies. She was a nutritionist, who lived healthily and yet smokers and drinkers were living into their 80s. It took a long time for me to reconcile with the Lord. But thankfully, He was waiting when I finally made my way back.

I've matured in my walk with the Lord, I've come to realize that prayer is not a way to get God to do whatever we want. Rather, prayer is an expression of our faith and trust in His power, wisdom and grace. I don't necessarily believe in the power of prayer, but I do believe in the power of God. And therefore, I pray. But I always end my prayers with the way Jesus ended His prayers...but Thy will be done. Be blessed.

Mortality

2009-09-23T15:19:00.003-05:00

I just got back from the doctor and the good news is I don't have H1N1. The bad news is I have a bronchial virus so he has me on bed rest for the rest of the week. As I was sitting there awaiting the results of the H1N1 test, I asked myself, "What if it's positive?" Thousands of people have died from this disease.

Thankfully the results were negative, but every once in a while your own mortality stares you in the face. And the only comfort I could find at that time was that my relationship with God was solid and my families' relationship with Him is solid. We know where our final destination is. The timing is up to God, but it's up to us to get the ticket. And the best part... it's free. Just open your heart to Him and ask Him to come into your heart and to forgive your sins. He's waiting and He's anxious. These are uncertain times. Terrorists are still plotting against us, we heard in Denver and New York. Rogue nations are threatening to unleash nuclear weapons on us. The only certainty we have is that our God is a loving God and that when our time is up on Earth, He has a mansion waiting for us. Please pray for my recvery, as well as the of everyone else reading this.

Down with the flu

2009-09-22T12:12:00.004-05:00

I find it ironic that my last post was about pain and its purpose. About how we ought to embrace challenges and trials and find the joy in them. Well, for the last several days, I have been in a lot of pain. I don't know if it's the swine flu, but I have been out of commission since Saturday. I couldn't make it through our Family Night at church. Didn't even make it to the service on Sunday. I was in a lot of pain. Thinking back to the last topic I blogged on, I quietly smiled to myself and asked the Lord what He was trying to teach me.

I had received a long text message from someone discussing the post last week. This person had told me that in essence, we shouldn't be out there looking for pain and that it's not a good thing to find joy in it. I told him that the Bible says that in order for us to mature spiritually, we must endure trials and look at them as opportunities for growth. Well, hopefully, I did a lot of growing this weekend. I'm still not feeling 100% normal, but I wanted to share my pain with y'all. LOL Actually, I wanted to ask that you keep me in your prayers. I hear that this is supposed to be one of the nastiest flu seasons we've had in a while. So pray for God's protection and healing power over all of us.

Pain and its purpose

2009-09-16T23:39:00.002-05:00

We started up our Bible Study again tonight. We usually take the summer off but start up in the Fall and go through to the Spring. It's wonderful to be back and fellowship on the Word of God with our Youth group.

Our Bible Study tonight was on the first chapter of James. This epistle is so rich in life lessons that we could spend a semester in graduate school breaking it down and still not cover it all. The first chapter alone is mountain full of insights and advice that lasts a lifetime. What I love about the Bible is that I can read a chapter today and it points me in a different direction, and read it next month and another part of it jumps out to me. Last night, the opening part of the chapter really spoke to me.

It opens up with James telling us to consider our trials as pure joy. Trials are an inevitable part of life. They come in all shapes and sizes. They affect our careers, families and relationships. Jesus told us that in this world we will have trouble. Once we come to grips with that realization, we begin appreciating their value in our lives. It is against human nature to consider trials, or painful experiences as pure joy. But the joy James is talking about isn't in the presence of pain, but in the knowledge that God is using our pain to refine us and make us better, not bitter. Never let a trial go to waste. Always look for what God is trying to accomplish through our painful experiences.

Molokai

2009-09-15T19:46:00.004-05:00

On the Hawaiian island of Molokai is a statue of Father Damien. He was the priest who spent his life helping lepers on the leper colony on island. No one wanted to be stationed there permanently. This was back when there was no cure for leprosy and people shunned them, to the point that they were exiled to their own island. When you were sent there, it might as well have been a death sentence. People here were just waiting to die.

But Father Damien brought hope to the residents. Just his being there was a powerful testimony. He was telling them that they mattered and that he would stay with them. What a powerful witness for the Lord. On the statue, these words are inscribed: From the heart of despair springs forth hope. He was so beloved by the Hawaiians that his statue is one of only two that represent the state in statutory hall in Congress.

Some of us are trapped in our own 'leper colonies'. We are feeling helplessness and despair. For some of us it could be a financial situation. Perhaps getting laid off or having a difficult time making ends meet. For others it could be a medical situation, with your health or the health of a loved one. For others it could be relational, trouble with relations with your family or a friend. Whatever it is, be encouraged that you are not walking through this alone. We all have our father Damien in Jesus our Lord who said He will never forsake us. Be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul who encouraged the Romans with these words: : May the God of hope fill you with peace, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Count your blessings

2009-09-12T15:03:00.002-05:00

I remember when Arthur Ashe contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Many felt pity for him. People commented about how unfair it was that Ashe got the disease through no fault of his own. But he had a different outlook. He said "If I ask why me about my troubles, I should also ask why me about my blessings." What a remarkable perspective.

Very similar to the Old Testament character Job. He too had faced affliction through no fault of his own. He was a God-fearing man who did as God had wanted. But to prove a point to Satan, God allowed all sorts of maladies to be visited upon Job. His wife and friends told him to curse God. But Job would have none of it. Instead, he asked, "Shall we accept only good things from God? What about the bad things?" Eventually, God restored Job.

Even when we have trials, never forget the blessings God pours into our lives. Many times we are so consumed by the storms that we're in that we forget to thank God for the boat He gave us to ride out the storm in. Our house may have leaks in it, but at least we have a house. Our food may be all wet, but at least we have food to eat. Learn to count your blessings.

Much of what we receive is through the grace of God. If we start questioning the unfairness of life when we suffer, we should also question the undeserved blessing we get all the time. With unwanted burdens come undeserved blessings. Be blessed.

Lessons at karate class

2009-09-09T15:29:00.006-05:00

Last school year, my daughter and I had a routine in the morning. After we drop off her mom, we would take her to her daycare/preschool. When we'd get to the stop sign in front of her school, I'd say it's time for prayer. She would pray first and I would pray second. At first, I'd have to prompt her as to what to say. We would always end our prayers with...I love you Iesu, Amene. The other night I was putting her to bed and we did the same routine of her praying first and me second. After our prayers, she asked me, "daddy, why do you love Iesu so much?" I was not ready for that question. I quickly blurted out, "because mama and papa taught us to love Him." She looked at me and said, "well I will love him too then."

It was a very proud moment for me as a dad. She is beginning her journey with Jesus and I played a role in that. I know that her love for Him will only grow as she goes through life, but I think she's off to a good start. I've shared with y'all before about my anxiety, along with my wife, at being first time parents. One of the things that make us most anxious is our daughter's spiritual life. We are her first teachers about Jesus and we hope that we are setting good examples for her. I know we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, and I pray that my daughter doesn't pick up my bad habits.

Can I share one more story about her with you? As parents, we are given these gifts from God to mold and shape and teach. It's an awesome responsibility sometimes. Anyways, she didn't get a chance to go to school this year as we'd planned. So we are homeschooling her. But we're looking for ways to get her to interact with other kids outside of our church community. Well, she's been bugging us about going to karate school. Last week we finally got around to registering her for one. On her first day, her mom said she quit. She was doing well until the instructor called on her. I guess she was frightened and went into her little shell. Her mother couldn't coax her out of it. But her mom was able to find her another one and we had her first lesson yesterday. This time we both went.

We were probably more excited than she was. More nervous also. It was a taekwondo class. All the kids in there were older than she was. The youngest was 8 years old. She was the only one who was there for the first day. By the way, she looked so cute in her little uniform. It took us a while to get her to go on the mat. They began with simple exercises and were warming up. The teacher called on different students and eventually called on 'Rise. Oh oh. She looked at us not knowing what to do. We tried to tell her, but she didn't understand. Everyone was looking at her and I guess she sensed all the eyes on her. She ran to her mom and was close to tears. She's very shy...until she gets to know you. Then you can't stop her from talking to you. LOL

Anyways, I thought here's a teachable moment. Her mom and I had a little pep talk with her. We told she can't quit. I said, in life you can't run away every time you're scared. I know, I know, perhaps a little too deep to be telling a four year old at a vulnerable time for her. But I believed that lesson. It was taught to me by my dad, and I wanted to pass it down to her. After a couple of deep breaths, she slowly made her way out there. I was filled with pride. But a couple of minutes later, she came running back.

We once again began to encourage her and told her to just go have fun. I said, 'Rise you don't have to be perfect, just go have fun. Her mom was also encouraging her, whispering in her ear. Whatever she said must have worked because she slowly made her way back to the mat. This time, she didn't come back off until the end of the lesson. When the teacher gave her a sticker at the end for being a trooper on her first day, the smile on her face was as wide as the ocean. But probably not as wide as the smiles on her parents' faces. Afterwards her first words to us were..."I didn't quit daddy." It was enough to bring me to tears. But I didn't want to cry in her karate school.

Children will rise and fall. They'll make us proud and also make us want to choke them sometimes. But through it all, we must continue to encourage them. I know there are many more joys, pain, triumph and disappointments that parenthood has in store for us. But I'm loving every moment of it. Everyday is like being in a laboratory discovering new joys, new laughs and new pain.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish my partner in parenting and life, Tile, a happy birthday. I would say she's 21 but then I might go to jail. LOL I love you sweetheart. Thanks for being the best wife, mother and friend a person could ever hope for. May the Lord bless you with many more birthdays so we can see our white belt progress through the colors.

Moved by the Spirit

2009-09-08T01:05:00.006-05:00

We had a Labor Day weekend fellowship with our sister churches from Arlington and San Antonio, Texas. It's always encouraging to get together with them because we encourage one another by showing each other that Samoan churches can survive far away from home. We give each other ideas about what works for each church.

The first night was dedicated to cultural performances. Each youth group did a great job with their performances. In fact, you can check them out at http://www.samoaitexas.org/. Sunday started with a prayer meeting and then our regular worship service at our chapel. Our choir had worked on a special hymn for the service. They spent two week learning it and I praise God that it went through without a problem.

But perhaps the part I was looking forward to the most was the final youth service. This is a service that our youth has had for several years now. It gives them the freedom to set up the entire Worship Service. It lets them participate in a meaningful way. And, perhaps, the most important part is that they get to choose the music. Sometimes it's traditional Samoan. Other times it's contemporary. Sometimes it's old Sunday School songs. But they choose.

Another important element of this service is that it gives people an opportunity to testify about the love of God. People share their joys and their burdens with each other so that we can pray for them and celebrate with them. People get up and testify to the love of God and share stories that will inspire someone going through the same thing you're going through. It's very similar to a charismatic service, but we've adjusted it to fit our needs. The purpose was to introduce the concept to our sister churches so they could take something from it.

Speaker after speaker got up and said they never planned on getting up there. But the Holy Spirit moved them to get up and thank God for this and for that. People were saying that they were changed by the mood in there. Some people who had strayed from the Lord got up and testified they wanted to get back on track. Some people who are dealing with major illnesses witnessed about the miracle that God has done to heal them, when the doctors gave them only months to live. Now one man is fourteen years past the time the doctors gave him. And on and on and on. At the end of the night, one of the pastors testified that he sees how worthwhile this service is and will try it at his church. My heart was so overfilled with joy. There's a lot of resistance in LMS churches to this kind of service. But I believe its a powerful vehicle to reach the youth. And the Holy Spirit moved everyone last night. Praise God.

I pray for you...you pray for me

2009-09-05T12:58:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite stations that I listen to on the radio is K-LOVE. It's a national Christian radio station that also streams live on their website at klove.com. One of the things I love about this station is that it has no commercials. Instead of commercials, it provides encouraging messages and testimonials. They are a commerical free station.

Last month as I was driving home, I heard a young woman give a message of encouragement involving prayer. She said she had always been looking for ways to improve and add discipline to her prayer life. One day while flipping through her phone looking for someone's number, she realized that she had over two hundred numbers in her address book. And a lot of the people in there, she hasn't talked to in a long time. Sometimes years. But they were all in her phonebook. Then the idea struck her. Why not pray for these people. That was a steady system of prayer for people.

So she started doing that. Each day, she'd pray for five people in her phone book. She would pray for God's blessing on them. She would pray for God to heal any hurts they had. And she prayed that they would find contenment and joy in their lives. I thought to myself, she was actively standing in the gap for these people. I loved the idea and wanted to try it out for myself. So in the beginning of August, I tried it. Instead of five people, I pray for two people in my phonebook. It forced me to think of others' needs before my own. I fervently prayed for God to bless other people. Some of them I hadn't talked to in years. But here I was, communicating FOR them.

I encourage you to try it. It's such an awesome feeling and it adds discipline to your prayer life. During my quiet times, this has become a regular part of them. I praise God for this opportunity. And it was all due to me listening to K-LOVE. On that note, K-LOVE is a listener supported station. As I said, they don't take any advertisers, but depend on their listerners donations to operate. So it you have any tithing that has not benn allocated, I encourage you to send it to them. It's an extremely important ministry that is free of charge. If there's no K-LOVE station in your area, you can always listen to them online.

A plug

2009-09-02T17:20:00.004-05:00

A lot of you that read this blog are Samoan. I just wanted to take a second and put in a plug for a wonderful website that's recently come online. It's called http://www.tusitalasamoa.com/ I am a big proponent of Samoan culture. I believe that it goes hand in hand with my Christian faith. When the missionaries first arrived in Samoa, they were welcomed with open arms. The Samoans simply removed their ancient religion and replaced it with Christianity.

They have been hand in hand ever since. The culture encouraging and protecting the faith, and the faith doing the same to the culture. Some people disagree with this, but I believe that they make beautiful music.

The website I mentioned has to do with Samoan sayings, or proverbial expressions. It's done by an uncle of mine, Fofo Sunia. He is a real authority on Samoan culture. He's written several books on the subject. In fact, he just released a Samoan history textbook. The website details stories, customs and proverbs that Samoans use in everyday life. The only drawback for some is that it's in the Samoan language. But perhaps its a good place to practice your Samoan. I encourage you to pass it on to your elders or to people that you know would benefit from reading it. It's a goldmine of resources for the Samoan culture.

Unexpected turns

2009-09-01T11:58:00.003-05:00

One of my brothers recently spent a night in jail. Nothing serious, he was pulled over for a speeding ticket and didn't have his license with him. I was still worried about him though. So I spoke to him when he was released. I asked him how he was feeling. Thinking he would tell me what a horrible ordeal it was, he gave me the exact opposite. He said he was grateful for the experience because he believed that God had allowed that situation to happen.

He said the cop that took him in was very apologetic. He said that he had no choice but to take him in. On their drive to the station, he talked with the cop about life in general. Then talk turned to God. The cop was telling him about his journey with God and how he has begun to stray. Can you imagine that? A cop kind of confessing to a prisoner. When they got to the jail, my brother said the cop thanked him. I guess he encouraged the cop to get back on track with the Lord.

In the jail, he met two inmates who had been there for a while. As they talked, they found out they had a lot in common. Eventually, their talk turned spiritual. It was then that my brother shared his testimony with them, about how he believed God allowed him to be pulled over so that their paths could cross. He told them about Jesus and the sacrifice He did for us. The inmates looked at him as though they were hearing this story for the first time. As they parted in the morning, my other brother was kind enough to go bail him out, my brother who was in jail prayed with the prisoners.

He has no idea whether they've changed their paths, but he believes that God used his situation to reach those prisoners and the cop. We throw around the verse 'God works in mysterious ways.' But he really does. He takes what looks like a dark valley today and can turn it into a road that leads to the mountaintop tomorrow. What may look like a detour in our journey in life may actually be a new road God has put there that can lead to blessings.

Make time

2009-09-01T00:25:00.002-05:00

Sometimes in the busyness of life, we forget to seek God's counsel on things. In other words, we forget to spend quality, quiet time with God. I usually do this in the mornings when I first arrive at work. But this school year is the first year I have first period as my conference period or my off period. That means another teacher is in there during first period. I have lost my quiet time because they are in there setting up for class. And I notice it during the day. I'm kind of sluggish and by the end of the day I'm kind of warn out. So I changed my routine and decided to have my quiet time at night when my family goes to sleep. I've found it to be refreshing.

I've noticed that I was relying on myself more when I wasn't having my quiet time with the Lord. I was making decisions without committing them to God in prayer. I fell into the trap of thinking I knew best. It's so easy to be taken down that road. But always remember that we must trust in the Lord. Find that time during the day to set aside for God. It would be like me going through the whole day without talking to wife or daughter. I don't feel whole. That should be how it is when you don't spend quality time with God. We're all busy. But we mus MAKE time.

To God be the glory

2009-08-29T11:28:00.004-05:00

Just got back from prayer meeting. Had a really good fellowship with the Lord. One of my aunties from Samoa led it this morning. What a blessing to have new voices of servants of God bring His message. Our theme this morning was remembering the love of God. That from His love, all blessings flowed. She said sometimes we forget where the blessings come from. We must always remember that everything we have we received from Him. Our possessions, our abilities and our lives. We are to return those blessings to Him in service.

We have been blessed this month with a fundraiser that exceeded our expectations. The program was extremely well received. It's almost enough to give you a big head. But this morning's theme was a great reminder that we are nothing without the love of God. His grace enabled us to be reconciled with Him. We must humble ourselves and use all of our God-given abilities to return the glory to Him. Sometimes when we think we are 'all that' as the kids say, it's always nice to be reminded where the true source of our success comes from.

The youth are very succeptible to this mentality. As young people, we think we are invincible and the world revolves around us. We forget that to live for Christ is to live for others. As we continue to prepare for our Labor Day mafuataga, may we remember that we are ambassadors for Christ and we should reflect Him in all we do.

I can wait

2009-08-28T00:05:00.002-05:00

In this fast paced world, we become impatient if we're asked to wait. We want things now. We judge good service by how fast they are. We hate having to wait and extra minute at the drive thru. We wait impatiently for thirty seconds as the computer ramps up or as we wait for pictures to upload. And that most anxious of waits, as we give the cashier our credit or debit cards and wait for he 'approval.' There were many times in my youth that I would say a hundred silent prayers while waiting for the answer from the cash register. LOL Good 'ole college days. They seem so far away. It seems like an insult to us to be kept waiting.

The Bible is different. The word wait is more an attitude than an activity. To wait on the Lord is to trust the Lord. The Biblical concept has more to do with trust and faith. Sometimes God has a reason for making you wait. He took the Israelites through the desert for over forty years and made them wait to enter the promise land. He made Paul wait in a prison in Rome. The lesson seems to be that if we truly trust in God, then we can wait patiently for His timing.

There are times we want God to hurry up and answer our questions and solve our problems already. It seems like our prayers go like this: please do this and this for me. Oh and by the way, can you do it by next Monday because I really need it before the weekend. It's like we are putting God on OUR timeline. Our church has been waiting for over a year to have our building renovated. We have faced one delay after another. Our loan was disapproved. Then it was approved. Our blueprints were approved, then they had to be readjusted. We are becoming more and more impatient. Sometimes we wonder if there's ever going to be a new building.

When I get discouraged from waiting on plans to materialize, I go back to Isaiah's words. He said that those that wait on the Lord will be blessed. We will have our strength renewed. We will run and not be weary. We just need to trust that God has our best interest at heart. It takes a lot of faith to wait. It's human nature to want things now. It's the person of faith that can say, I can wait.

Stand in the gap

2009-08-25T23:22:00.002-05:00

When the Israelites where under attack from the Babylonians, God asked people to come and stand in the gap of the crumbling walls of the city of Jerusalem. He wanted to find someone to come and stand in the gap before Him to justify why He should save His people. He found no one.

In today's world, spiritual walls are crumbling all around us. Sin and temptation are all around us. And they seem to be taking straight aim at our leaders, particularly are spiritual leaders. When the devil sees that a person of God is winning souls for the Lord, the devil attacks that person relentless. He uses our flesh to entice us. Some of the leaders have fallen to sex, alcohol, gambling, greed. You name it, the devil will use any means to bring down a person who stands strong for the Lord. That's why it's important for us to stand in the gap for these leaders. Lift them up in your prayers that God sends down an force of protection for them. They are the most vulnerable to attack. The devil knows that if the shepherd falls, many in the flock will become discouraged and will stray from the Lord. So please keep God's messengers in your prayers. Stand in the gap fro them.

But also stand in the gap for each other. If you know someone who is vulnerable to attack, stand in the gap in prayer for them. If someone you know has weaknesses that the devil can exploit, stand in the gap for them. Reach out in encouragement for them and let them know that we are praying for them. Some of us are called to minister. Some of us are called to be missionaries. Some of us are called to prophesy. And some of us are called to be prayer warriors and to stand in the gap for His people.

Compartments

2009-08-23T01:55:00.005-05:00

Today [Saturday] was a really long day. Have you ever had one of those days where it seems like it happened in sections? Let me 'splain as my students would say. It's when your day has different compartments and they don't all necessarily fit into one another. OK, let me go at it another way. I always start my Saturdays by going to prayer meetings at 6:30am. I've found it a great way to start my weekends for about ten years now. The only times I miss is when I'm out of town or when I'm working. But those are far and few between. The irony is that I'm not a morning person. I HATE mornings. In fact, after I've brushed my teeth and put on my clothes, I feel like the day is done because the hardest part is over, getting out of bed.

Anyways, I am like the youngest person in this group. By about twenty years. Seriously, the person closest to my age is my mom and she's...well never mind she comes on here sometimes. LOL But you know what? It's actually kind of cool to hang out with the elders of the church for a couple of hours on a Saturday morning. I know, call me weird. And the meditation in the morning is awesome spending quality time with the Lord and singing the old LMS classics. It always gets my weekend off on the right foot. We go to breakfast afterwards and enjoy some good fellowship. Like I said, my Saturday are like compartments. That was compartment one.

Compartment two is going to school afterwards to work on getting my room ready for school on Monday. I met up with some co-workers and went over our lesson plans for the week and all the other teacher stuff we had to do. These guys are all palagi professionals who had no idea what I was just doing a few hours earlier. I spent a couple of hours with them.

Compartment three came when my sister visited me at school to go over the program for our upcoming Labor Day mafutaga. But before she could come, a good friend of mine dropped in for a visit. He's a fellow local boy from back in Hawaii. We reminisced about our times in high school and how much trouble we were for the teachers. I mean HE was for the teachers. LOL I guess being in a classroom brought back memories for him. When my sister came he left shortly thereafter. We got a little planning done, but before we knew it it was time for pese.

Compartment four was pese. I sang in the choir and sang very well, if I may say so myself. We went over our play list for tomorrow. Again these different compartments were totally separate from each other. Each of them play a big part in my life, but each different. After pese we finally met with the other leaders of the youth group to nail down the plan of action for the mafutaga. I believe we got it down.

Finally headed home, after 14 hours and on to compartment five. The most important compartment, spending time with my wife and daughter. It's been too long. I've talked to my little girl four times on the phone, but it's not the same. We spent about an hour together before my wife reminded me we had a date. So off I went to compartment six, the movies.

As I'm sitting in the movie theater, the prayer meeting that started my day seemed like it was last week. But it was still in the same day. Saw a really good movie, "Time Travellers Wife." Very thought provoking. It' about a time traveller, duh. But the movie evokes some important questions. Who controls our destiny? If you could, would you rather find out about your future or let it unravel on its own? Very poignant picture. Not something I'd see on my own, but with the love of my life next to me, it was very special. OK, I'll admit, I really liked it. Plus the main characters have a daughter the same age as Perise so off course I projected everything that happened to the little girl to my daughter and...well, I guess you'll just have to go see the movie yourself.

Then it's back home and on to the blog to unwind about my day. They aren't always this varied. Some days I'd spend all Saturday at one place. Today just wasn't one of those days. And it's still not over. There may even be a compartment...what number are we up to now?

A tough call

2009-08-21T12:49:00.003-05:00

I've shared with you over the last month or so some of the changes that my family has gone through. We went up to New Mexico to help my brother in law's fiance move down here to Texas. We had her stay with us while waiting for her apartment to open up. We also had to deal with a death in the family.

But perhaps the biggest change we've had to deal with was taking in two children from our church who were looking for a home to go to. They were from a troubled background. A four year old and a one year old. As I've described in past postings, we weren't given much notice. We got a call on a Friday evening saying if we didn't take them in they would be put into the system and they could end up anywhere. My wife and I looked at each other and said, "we'll do it since it's the best thing for the kids to stay around family."

From the beginning, it's been a real struggle. Our daughter is also four and an only child. She's used to having the run of the house. She knows our rules and generally abides by them. She's no angel by any means, but she follows the rules. The four year old we took in was a struggle. She was thrown into a new environment and struggled acclimating to our rules. And our daughter was always happy to be the big sister. The problem was the girl didn't want a big sister. In other words, they clashed. Constantly. What contributed to the problem was that the state gave us guidelines as far as disciplining the children that we had to abide by. These guidelines were different than our guidelines. My daughter picked up pretty quickly that she was treated differently than the other girl. And so did the girl. My daughter questioned why we didn't punish the girl as did her.

To make a long story short, the arrangement wasn't working out. It seemed as if we were putting out fires everyday. And all our free time was spent running around getting things ready for the kids' school or daycare. We were also struggling with the notion of what would happen to the kids once they left us. Were we wasting our efforts in trying to stabilize them if they were returned to the environment that caused the destabilization. But the thing that concerned us the most was the toll it was taking on our daughter. She was beginning to exhibit some of the defiant behaviors that we saw in the four year old. And she was becoming more and more agitated and frustrated everyday. In fact, after one incident in which I had to punish her, she asked me if I still loved her.

So my wife and I made one of the hardest decision we've ever had to make. We decided to return them to Social Services. There was a large part of me that keeps questioning whether I did the right thing. My wife had a lot of doubts. Were we giving up too soon? Were we not upholding our Christian values of being our brothers' keepers? But in the end, we made the decision that was best for our daughter and best for the children. In fact, best for EVERYONE involved. They would now be in a stable household that has professional foster parents that have been trained in caring for special needs children.

As we dropped them off at the office, the four year old kept asking if she has to go look for a new house now. She asked if she was leaving because she was bad. I told her no. We told were going to a family that can better help them than us. I told her to say her prayers every night, which is something new we taught her and to look after her brother. It broke my heart, but I knew that her new home is better for her and her brother.

Failing the test

2009-08-19T22:30:00.002-05:00

I read a story once about a class of seminary students who were given an assignment to preach on the Good Samaritan. The story about how people passed someone who was in need. Many of the people who passed this person in need were from the same tribe. The person that finally stopped to help was a person from another tribe, the Samaritans.

As they were on their way to deliver their sermons, they raced across campus. Their professor had arranged for someone posing to be in need to be ask them for help as they were going to class. Fearing they would be late, none stopped to help. When they got to class all delivered superb sermons. Theologically sound, supported by wonderful anecdotes and quoting all the major theologians and even a few contemporary figures. When the professor got up at the end of the sermons, he announced that they had all failed the assignment. Addressing the shocked group of seminary students, he explained what he had done. All hung their heads in shame. They knew the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan inside out, but given the real world opportunity to act on it, they failed.

As Christians we must realize that our faith is not abstract. Its not a code written on a piece of paper to be memorized. It is surely to be memorized, but most importantly it should be acted upon. Knowing the Gospel does no good if you don't put it into practice, work out your faith. So today, put your faith to work. Look for someone who is in need. A neighbor who needs a hand. An elderly person who needs companionship. A young couple who needs financial help. Our world races around us most of the times. Often we find that 24 hours is just not sufficient. But let's not be in such a hurry that we pass by a person in need whose burdens we could help lighten.

A step of faith

2009-08-18T22:17:00.003-05:00

I often hear people who say they want to give their lives to Christ, but they're scared that their lives would change too much. They say there's too much they don't know or understand. So instead of acting, they remain frozen. They confess there love for Christ, but say they are afraid of failure and sliding back to their old ways.

I am reminded of the story of Joshua. The people of Israel had to cross the river Jordan but it's waters were raging. In fact, it was flood season and there was no way to cross it. But God told Joshua to tell the people to take up the ark of the covenant and cross the river. As soon as the feet of the people touched the Jordan, the water receded.

God wants us to come o Him, but He can't make us do it. And He also demands that we take the first step, to step out in faith. The water didn't start to recede until their feet touched the water. Until they left the comfort and security of the shore. We get into a comfort zone that anytime we are asked to leave it, we become tentative. There are areas in our lives that we're afraid to change. There are times when we know what the right decision is, but need a little nudge to get there. Faith isn't faith if everything was black and white. Faith is when there are shades of gray, yet we see black and white.

God is waiting. He's ready to pull back the flood waters and lead us into a new land - a land filled with His peace and true contentment. But we MUST commit. Let's trust Him with every area of our life. Let's take a firm hold of His hand and boldly step off the shore.

Family Nite

2009-08-17T00:05:00.002-05:00

It's been a frantic week in my household. Trying to get the kids registered at school, looking for day cares and doctor visits were a handful. Added on top of that was our Youth groups annual fundraiser. We have one major fundraiser a year that funds all of our ministry needs. Needless to say, we need to raise a lot of funds to last us for the entire year.

This year the kids decided to do a show with dances from around the world. We usually do dances from Samoa or other Pacific islands. They've had practices for the last two weeks. A lot of our youth are in school and don't have jobs. So we decided to ask for donations for our fundraiser. Our goal was $8,000. I didn't know how we could make it. But God opened doors and windows that we never knew about. About $2000 poured in from donations from former members and parents of members. We were able to raise $2500 during our food sales. And then our dances raised about $6500. Praise God. Just when we doubt, God shows us what He can do.

I've testified about this before but it never ceases to amaze me what God does in our lives. Where He guides, He will provide. And it wasn't like one or two people donated the majority of the money. It was mostly from $5 donations and $10 donations that members solicited from family and friends. And we had a larger than expected turnout. Hopefully we were able to minister to them in a positive way. The fun and fellowship the kids had was well worth the effort. The fact that they put the program together themselves. The money they were able to raise was icing on the cake. We will put up some video clips later on this week on the website.

It coud be worse

2009-08-15T00:35:00.002-05:00

As I was running errands this afternoon, I got a text from someone very close to me. She told me to pray for her. This didn't sit right with me. I texted her back asking what was going on. She said she was just let go from her job. My heart sank. This person has a child and bills to pay. I know in these tough economic times it's hard to find a job. What will she do? What could I tell her to console her?

Later on I attended the memorial service of the Samoan soldier that drowned earlier this week. It was such a sad scene. The man has five children. The oldest was barely over ten. These children will not have a father to provide for them, to protect them, to teach them. The preacher's message was from Ecclesiastes about time. How there's a time for everything. A time to be born and a time to die. A time for war and a time for peace. A time to gather and a time to disperse. He encouraged us to make good use of our time. We only have a finite amount of time allotted us on this earth. Make the most of it. We are not promised tomorrow. There's a Samoan saying, "e fa'i le moto e fa'i fo'i le matua." The young are taken as well as the elderly. Make the most out of your life.

When I saw my friend who had been layed off later that night, I asked her how she was doing. I could see the tension in her face as she explained that she had been job hunting all day. I sat there for a while not knowing what to say. Then I told her, "it could be worse." She looked at me and asked what did I mean. I told her I had just come from the memorial service. I said she will eventually find another job. But those kids have no father for the rest of their lives. When I am in difficult moments of my life, I have learned to count my blessings. It's often difficult to count your blessings when you're in a deep valley of your life. But we have to know that God has blessed us so abundantly. Learning to thank God IN SPITE of our circumstances is a HUGE part of Christian maturity.

Why me Lord?

2009-08-13T04:12:00.003-05:00

A Samoan soldier died here this past Sunday. He was at a lake having picnic with his family. The irony of his death is that he had just returned from a fifteen month tour in Afghanistan and then dies on a peaceful lake. His wife said that she had just "let down her guard." She was constantly worried for him day and night and had prayed for his safety day and night when he was deployed. But when he got back, she thought her nightmare of constant worry was over.

By all accounts he was a strong swimmer. His brother said he was a fisherman back home and would dive under water for long amounts of time. They were baffled at how he could drown in eleven feet of water in a supposedly calm body of water with no currents. The only conclusion that I came to was that it was his time. He survived fifteen months in one of the most dangerous places on earth, and yet died at one of the most peaceful, a lakeside. We often don't understand what God's plans are for us. We often ask why this happens or that happens. We look at things and say how unfair life can be. Why would he bring a soldier through his deployment and then let him die as his kids were watching from the shore as he struggled for life.

But that's just life I guess. If life was always fair, I don't know if I want to live in that world. A fair world is a world without grace. So often, if it weren't for the grace of God, I don't know where my life would be now. Sometimes we may never know why things happen the way they do. But the only sure thing in life is that God said His grace is sufficient for me. That He will never put me through an ordeal that I cannot handle. And when the pain becomes too much, that's when He is carrying me, like the poem footprints in the sand. So I once again come to you to ask that you lift up this soldiers' family in your prayers. May God's grace be upon them in their time of need.

Lessons learned at a revival

2009-08-11T02:19:00.004-05:00

Our youth group was invited to a revival this past Sunday. At first I was a little apprehensive. I will be honest and tell you that a lot of times I go to Pentecostal services, I always feel judged. I feel like they are preaching to me and telling me that I'm a sinner and unworthy or salvation because I smoke (back when I was smoking), or drink or dance or because I haven't been "saved." I know that not all Pentecostal people are like this, but that has been my usual experience.

And at the beginning of the revival, it was no different. Several speakers got up and said they don't believe in dancing, that they only dance for God. And here we are preparing for our family night with all kinds of dances. I guess I'm going to hell. LOL But then our Worship Team got up to testify through their music. At first I sensed a lot of people there were caught off guard. I could see the look of confusion on some peoples faces. Wait a minute, how can these kids testify about the love of God when I just saw them smoking outside. I heard they went to the Fiji concert last night and then went...dancing afterwards...or whatever it is they do at karaoke. But they're quoting the Bible and testifying about God's grace in difficult times and...this just doesn't make sense.

When the speaker got up, he said he never thought he'd see the day when a mainline, LMS church would have a Worship Team singing at a Pentecostal revival. Praise the Lord. His message was, in my view, directed at the contradictions in my heart. He spoke about how important it is to have a pure heart. He said that the Lord doesn't look at our actions as much as He looks at our hearts and the pure love we have for Him. He said it's easy to come to church and lift up our hands and say hallelujah, but when church is over a lot of us use that same mouth that we had just praised the Lord to curse someone or gossip behind someone's back. In the church parking lot no less. He continued that just because someone smokes or drinks doesn't make them a sinner. He quoted the Bible that it's not what goes in a person's body that defiles them, it's what comes out of it that defiles a person.

Now it was my turn to have the perplexed look on my face. Wait a minute, this is a sermon you usually hear at a LMS church. Am I really at a Pentecostal revival? The speaker went on to say that we would all stand before God and will be judged by the purity of our hearts and the works that we did for God. I was amazed. And humbled. Here I was accusing them of being judgemental, yet I was also judging them and assuming that they all had the same mindset. I learned a valuable lesson and was fed spiritually. Never judge a book by its cover.

My roots

2009-08-10T02:13:00.002-05:00

It's been a hectic weekend. On Friday, we buried my nephew. The funeral was really moving. To see the outpouring of love and support was to see the hand of God at work. There were so many people at Thursday family service that it was standing room only. And on Friday, it was packed for a midday funeral on a workday. It became a mini reunion as so many of our friends came from around the state and some from as far away as Samoa. We were all there to help comfort the parents and the family. And to some extent, we were there to comfort each other.
We practiced the unity in spirit and body that Paul spoke about. When one member of the body hurts, we all hurt together. We all grieve together.

It was a unique experience because my brother is married to a palagi lady. Her family were all there. And for many of them, this was their first taste of Samoan culture. And they were really moved and touched. First off was the singing. The choir sang and they really were moved by the voices. Different experience for them. Then they saw how we were like a big family. Most of us were not related by blood, but came out because a fellow Samoan needed help. They were amazed at the cultural presentations and gifts that were exchanged during the funeral and really like the way we came together as a village.

I was proud to be a Samoan that day. Not a boastful, xenophobic pride. But I was thankful to God that I was born into a culture that treasures family and comes together in times of need. The fa'aSamoa gets a bad rap sometimes, often due to misunderstanding the culture or the bastardization of the culture. But at the core of fa'aSamoa is reciprocal living, where we live for each other. When one family is in need, all the other families pitch in. We share our burdens. In many ways, we epitomize the Christian ethos of helping one another, all being part of the same body. The fa'aSamoa and Christianity go hand in hand. I saw it on display, again, on Friday.

Jesus Take The Wheel

2009-08-06T02:36:00.004-05:00

I'm a firm believer that the most important ingredient for a Christian is faith. Without it, our belief system crumbles. Faith is a huge part of who we are as Christians. The Bible describes faith as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). In the last ten days, I've really had to lean on my faith to make it through.

I had lunch yesterday with my brother who lost a child last week. Speaking to him was heart wrenching as he shared his sorrow and pain with me. He said the one thing that has sustained him through this is his faith that he will be reunited with his son one day. And he said the pain hasn't gone away, but he's taking it one day at a time. I'm reminded of that Carrie Underwood song, "Jesus Take the Wheel." The chorus goes like this:

Jesus, take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go

So give me one more chance

To save me from this road I'm on

Jesus, take the wheel

This is one of the top recording songs in the history of country music. And these lyrics explain perfectly the reason the song touches so many people everyday. It's about a woman who's had a tough time lately and driving home she lost control. Literally, she let go of her wheel and asked Jesus to take over. Metaphorically, it speaks a truth that we can all relate to. It essentially, is a sermon on faith. When we've lost all other hope, we turn to Jesus. That's what faith is. We blindly believe that Jesus will see us through our darkest hours. When we can no longer endure, we let Him take over.

And in the end, through all the shattered pieces that our lives sometimes become, we begin to pick up. But when the car is spinning and we aren't in control, we ask Jesus to take the wheel. And that's the stage I believe my brother's in. He's asking Jesus to take the wheel. I'm just thankful we have someone to turn to in our darkest hours.

Schedule adjustments

2009-08-04T16:35:00.003-05:00

We had just finished Youth group practice Friday night. We are preparing for our annual family night fundraiser. This year the Youth group is doing an international theme. They are doing dances from different regions around the world. That night, they were working on an Indian number. They are also doing a Latin number, a European dance as well as a Japanese geisha dance by the boys. Don't ask. LOL

And then my phone rang. It was a call that would alter my family's life immensely. We were asked to be caregivers for two children from our church. They were going through some problems that caused them to be placed into protective custody of the state. If we didn't take them, they would be placed into the system and could be placed with families from anywhere in the state. In fact, they told us that the families of these kids may not see them again for a while because they could be placed in El Paso, or Brownsville or wherever there was room for them. We didn't have much time to deliberate. It was getting close to eleven o'clock at night. My wife and I looked at each other, said a quick prayer and said: Yes. We accepted because it was in the best interest of the children.

We knew our routines would be disrupted and that our schedules would have had to be adjusted. We work very hard to try and provide a normal schedule for our one child. Now we had to do it for TWO additional children. It had taken us over four years to finally get a routine for our little one and it was constant adjustments an reconfiguring just for ONE child. It was beginning to become overwhelming. As we ran around that night and the next day looking for playpens, high chairs and mattresses, we looked at each other and said. "what have we gotten ourselves into?" But perhaps the person that was making the biggest sacrifice was my daughter. All of a sudden, her space was invaded by two other children. Where she had free run of the house, now she was having to share it. Not that it's a bad thing, but she was just thrown into the situation without any warning or any time to prepare and ease her into the transition. If we were having a hard time, I could only imagine what she must be going through.

I was the serving deacon for communion last Sunday. As I was praying for the blood of Christ, I realized our sacrifice was a shadow of His sacrifice on the cross. Here I was complaining about adjustments to my schedule and whatnot. But at least I wasn't asked to give up my life. At least I wasn't asked to sacrifice my child so that sinners could be reconciled and have a bridge to eternity. I guess I needed the perspective to put things in context. When burdens become unbearable think of what was done for you and me at Calvary. It doesn't mean that my situation will be all peaches and cream. But it does make me realize that there are millions of people out there that have it worse than me. There are soldiers in harms way fighting for my freedom. There are missionaries in dangerous places spreading the Gospel. We each have our calling. I guess this is my family's calling. To do our part to help better the lives of two children. Or as my wife would often put it - "Invest in the children". Please keep us in your prayers. And keep the families of these children in your prayers as well.