Ambassadors of God

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
(2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2)
Every word we utter, every act we perform, should be a reflection of God to the lost world around us. Our lives should be a witness to the love and mercy of God. My life is not my own. So why do I ignore the plight of the world around me? How can I love myself so much that I sacrifice the truth for my own self comfort and popularity??
These verses really convicted me... we all live in a lost and fallen world--a world with no hope, and a world where Christians are the only representation of Christ to the people. Every part of my life should be a representation of the perfect love of God to the people in my life. I fall short every time.

When Heroes are "Criminals"

Do you know what makes me sick? When I read about the men and women in service to our nation, placing their lives on the line in the interest of something greater than themselves--only to come home and be charged as murderers or criminals. Whether it is our policemen, border agents, or members of our nation's armed forces, these individuals are given an enormous responsiblility; these men and women work in the line of fire, placing themselves in danger to fulfill their responsibilities. To expect perfection is too much.
I recognize that there are some who abuse the power entrusted to them, and there are those who murder. But when the incident is even debatable... please give the soldier the benefit of the doubt. I seriously question any of our abilities to judge a soldier under fire, and condemn his or her actions without experiencing the feeling of waking up every day wondering if it would be your last, peering around every corner for the explosion that would end your life.
Our armed forces, law enforcement, etc... personnel are heroes. Yes, punish war crimes. But since when are soldiers under fire in a combat zone subject to prosecution, and since when do illegal immigrants have the rights of an American citizen??!!

A Hui Hou Maui...

Good-byes leave a bittersweet taste in my mouth. And today was one of those days where I was tasting bittersweetness all day. Bitter because I don't know when I will see some people again, or what the circumstances will be, or what could happen to pull us apart. But sweet because good-byes are also a reminder of how much we are loved. I can't even count the amount of hugs I got today. Goodbyes also signal not only the end of one chapter, but the beginning of a new one.
Today I went to the beach for one last time, and felt the silky sand once more, and floated in the warm, salty water one more time, and closed my eyes and inhaled the sea breeze, and felt the sun gently shining down, heard the palm trees rustling... one more time. I had to say goodbye to a part of me when I said goodbye to tropical sun, the warm Pacific, the palm trees contrasted with the blue, blue sky, the clear green mountains rising up, the fresh, island air...
But I can't only look backwards. I have to look forwards... forward towards a future filled with endless possibilites; forward towards another year of opportunity, another year of life. The world is at my fingertips... only home is out of reach. Me ke aloha, a hui hou... to the place I called home.

Freedom from Religion

A mandatory moment of silence in school.... and when did our country begin to view this as violating our freedom from religion (oops, I mean freedom of religion)? The whole point of the moment of silence is that Christians may pray, Jews may pray, Muslims may pray, Atheists may take a minute to think about their upcoming class/test, Buddhists can meditate, anyone can think of anything they want.... hmmmm... sounds like the school is providing for people of all religions (or none) with equal treatment, and zero discrimination. Perhaps what our forefathers envisioned? Freedom to practice your own religion? Think again. One Texas couple believes (hmmm, maybe a more neutral word like "thinks" would be more appropriate) that this state sanctioned moment of silence equals state sanctioned prayer... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292619,00.html
Now how they figured this one in their minds is beyond me... For the courts to rule with this couple in this case is a huge step towards the repression of the very freedoms our country was built upon. Our "freedom" is quickly becoming "those things that don't offend minorities or the ACLU". To claim a moment of silence equals state sanctioned prayer is ludicrous. What this couple is asking is not religious freedom, but religious oppression. Isn't that what purging our schools and government and society from all kinds of religion is? If we aren't free to practice our religion in the open, that makes us a society without the fundamentals of liberty. The very reason our forefathers came to this land was for religious freedom. Beware of the day when you can no longer walk into a church openly, or buy a Bible in the bookstore. Its a day our nation is fast heading towards. Just sit back and watch the American Civil Liberties Union make a mockery of the freedom we once enjoyed. Thats all it takes. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" (Edward Burke).

A Weeping Woman

Now why is she crying? That's the question I asked myself today when I went out kayaking with my little sister Rebecca. We took out a one man kayak, and Becca perched on the front end, and I paddled us both out over the clear water. We headed out over the reef, looking for turtles the whole way. But as we passed some outcropping black lava rocks on the shore, I noticed the crouched figure of a woman. She was hunched over, and as she wiped her eyes and looked up as we passed, I noticed that she had a red, tear-stained face. I couldn't help thinking, why is she crying? From the water shoes to the white Maui hat, I could clearly tell the woman was a tourist here on vacation. She seemed to be about 30 years old... but what would cause her to come out alone on the lava rocks, to weep in such a lonely, yet peaceful spot?
She was there just a second, and then we were passed, our kayak pushed on by a swelling wave. I had to fight for a second to keep our kayak away from the jagged rocks, and when I looked up again, she had disappeared behind another outcropping rock. It's weird how seeing this woman weeping struck me. Such a small instance, but one that stuck in my mind through a long morning enjoying the beach, and a longer afternoon on a six mile hike through the Waihee Valley, followed by 30 foot jumps off a cliff into a resevoir. I am back in my room now, getting ready to go to bed... it was a long day, but I still wonder, why was she crying?

Maui No Ka Oi

I think I am starting to realize that I have been spoiled rotten. And I mean that. I grew up in Hawaii most of my life--from age 8 until 18... and then returned every Christmas and summer for a few years after that. Beaches were just the everyday activity... warm weather was the given... beautiful views were everywhere... and now that we are leaving our home, I feel like my heart will break. I didn't know someone could fall in love with a place. But I think that over time, I have done just that. I am in love with Maui, and I am dreading leaving it.

Today I went surfing again, and it was incredible to be out on the water with a friend, soaking in the sunshine, surrounded by the amazing ocean... (although the tourists trying to surf--and failing-- were a little annoying). But it is days like this that I just lose my breath with the beauty that surrounds me. It is days like today that I am thrilled to be alive... thrilled to breath in the salty air, close my eyes and hear the waves break on the sand, listen to the birds sing, and then open my eyes again and see the brilliance of the sun over the water, the beauty of the mountains....

Yes, I am spoiled rotten. I am also a fool for taking it for granted. yet still, I promise myself that I will come back. I will come back again to paradise. Maui no ka oi.

Hateful Rhetoric

One of the news items that caught my eye today was an article on the Duggar family... that is, the family with 17 children in Arkansas. And so I looked around more, and one of the articles I came across shocked me in its hateful, offensive rhetoric towards the family. The author made personal attacks on the family in a narrow-minded, bigoted manner. It seemed like he had nothing better to do than make crude remarks about Mrs. Duggar's sexual organs, or to disparage Christians as the narrow-minded bigots he portrays himself as. If you don't believe me, check it out yourself: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/g/a/2005/10/19/notes101905.DTL
However, even more disturbing were the comments following the article. Although many people supported the Duggar family, many others hatefully attacked the members of this family along with the author--oftentimes in personal, bitter attacks on hairstyles, or vaginal dimensions... Come on, people, get a life!! One of the things that surprised me the most was how so many liberals were for laws regulating how many children a woman should be allowed to bear. What in the world, people! You can't stand for pro-choice, and try to limit the size of a family. This is the rhetoric that is slowly eroding away the freedoms our nation once stood for. The Duggars are simply exercising their freedom of choice, and considering they are not any burden on the government, get off their case.
Right alongside these leftists were the right extremists who blindly supported the Duggars and their correctness before God. Blindly judging anyone who doesn't agree with your beliefs or faith is shoving God down their throats. I would choke on something shoved down my throat too. Read 1 Corinthians 13 again... "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal..." We can stand there and judge other people, but we only become hypocrites, and we do not honor God. We can't afford to sit on our high horses... get down, and learn to love people with the love of God. Only then can you make a difference.
As for the Duggar family... I would never want 17 kids... but I am appalled at the personal attacks made against them. To have my vagina as the object of crude jokes would be humiliating, and to have my children's sexuality debated by strangers would be offensive. I hope none of the Duggar children ever happens upon this article and reads debates and attacks concerning their parents' sexual activity, etc... This world is messed up. We are so filled with hate... and Christians are the worst offenders. Let's try to love our neighbors as ourselves, and not try to shove our beliefs down others' throats.

Praise Him on the Waves

I was paddling hard, and then harder, and with a sudden surge behind me, I felt the wave pick me up. I jumped to my feet, and in an instant, I was on top of the wave, riding down it, skimming across the surface of the water. Surfing is an exhilerating feeling, and today was no exception.
The conditions were far from ideal: choppy water, and stiff winds. But it was still a beautiful day to feel alive, and there were a few small sets that I was able to ride in.
Out on the water, sitting alone on a surfboard, seeing the sun setting as you scan the horizon for a bigger wave... its a peaceful feeling. Out there, you can feel the very presence of a Holy God... He is there in the wind, and in the waves. The ocean speaks to me of his power, but also reminds me of his mercy and love.
My heart is somehow at peace out on the waves. The daily worries of everyday life kind of falls away, and all time passes away.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world."

Psalm 19:1-4

We are surrounded by testimonies of God's power, mercy, and love. How can we live our lives ignoring everything He has created?? Taking for granted the very miracles that give us life? Too often I get caught up in the headlong rush of the unimportant urgent things of life that I make so top priority, and I push God to the background.

That is wrong of me. He is my first, and only true priority. I want to live my life to glorify God, and praise him by exalting in his Creation. A good place to start is to praise Him on the waves-- in complete solitude, yet surrounded by evidence of His awesome might.

I Will Never Laugh at Another Lesbian Joke...

Yesterday I had an interesting experience. I was at work and I was approached by another girl, maybe 23 or 24 years old. She was very pretty, and she introduced herself to me. She said her name was also Rachel, and she had been looking for me. Then she told me she had a question for me, and then asked me, "Do you date other women?".
The first time I saw her, a few weeks back, I could somehow sense that this woman was a lesbian. Maybe it was the double take she did, or just her body language. I don't know. But when she approached me yesterday, I somehow knew what she was going to ask before she said a word.
I somehow mumbled my way through explaining that I was straight. But my heart went out to that young woman. I wish I had stopped her when she rushed out on me. I wish I had tried to talk to her more, try to be a friend for her... She seemed so lonely, so nervous. And when she left, she seemed so ashamed and let down.
I am praying for Rachel. She is leading a self-destructive, lonely life that will only lead to disappointment and perversion. She is trying to fill a natural, God-given need (our sexual desires) with a cheap, perverted imitation. But I don't condemn Rachel for where she is. No, she is merely a sinner like you and I. She does not know God, and without God, there is no light at all. She is vulnerable to the world's lies that there are sexual preferences, and if you are tempted towards a homosexual lifestyle, then you are naturally gay, and have the right to fulfill that preference.
No, she has it all wrong. Such behavior is a perversion of a beautiful portrayal of God's very relationship in the Trinity. Sex is for a man and a woman in the marriage state. All sexual behavior outside of this boundary is a perversion of God's word.
Rachel, if you ever get to read this, please know that I am praying for you, and please, don't feel condemned by me. You and I are no different. We are both sinners in the eyes of God. The only reason I can hope in my future and have joy in my present is because of Jesus Christ's death for my sins. He loves you. He died so that you can be no longer a slave to this lifestyle, but a slave to his love. Seek Him, and you will find Him.