What did you do in Hawaii?

“You went to Hawaii? What did you do?” As I start to explain what we did and where we went they inevitably begin to get glassy eyed – they can’t relate at all to what I’m telling them. I suppose it’s as much my fault for giving details as it is theirs for asking such a question. We went to places that conjure such images for us as we recount them but are purely exotic to the hearers: “We kayaked in Kaneohe Bay, then had lunch at Keneke’s in Kahuku, after which we hung out at the beach on Kahana Bay.” What???

So I thought I would use maps to show where we went.

OAHU

We went to Oahu first and spent six days there.
The little yellow circle just below “Kaneohe” is where our studio apartment was located. The larger yellow circle shows where we spent almost all our time. This part of Oahu is known as “the windward side.” I grew up in Kaneohe and I find the windward side to be the most beautiful part of Oahu. This is where you find “the locals” and that was one of my goals – hang out with locals and avoid tourists as much as possible. What did we do here? Went to the beach (beautiful and empty beaches), hiked in the mountains, kayaked, ate great “Hawaiian style” food, went to a Luau, caught a traditional style Hawaiian concert. Kaneohe Bay. Waimanalo. Kahana Bay. Ka’a’awa. I love the windward side!

MOLOKA’I

After six days on Oahu we flew to Moloka’i. We had a hotel room here. The only hotel in all of Moloka’i. That is the purple circle, Kaunakakai. On Oahu we encountered several cloudy days and I felt pressure to provide a sunny beach for Mary. We chased the sun and found it. She also wanted to see a waterfall. All of my efforts on Oahu failed, so after we secured our room I suggested we go to Halawa, “There is a waterfall there.” Halawa Valley is the blue circle on the right end of the island. Amazing drive. I have to give Mary credit, she drove on Moloka’i and as the road got narrower and narrower and our car got bigger and bigger, she pressed on. And it was well worth it. Probably the best trip and most beautiful part of Hawai’i we saw! And we found waterfalls.
On Moloka’i  we basically drove to the end of every road on the island. We went to the overlook of Kalaupapa (blue circle in the middle), the place where Damien cared for the lepers, and then we drove to the other end of the island (blue circle on the left end), Kepuhi Beach. When we arrived at Kepuhi Beach Mary said, Don’t look over there.
What?
Don’t look over there.
Why?
The girls over there are completely naked.
There weren’t even ten people on this large beach, including us, and three or four of them were naked!
We drove around, we ate great food, we went to church. That’s what we did on Moloka’i.

MAUI

We were at the Moloka’i airport at 6 am Monday morning! And on Maui shortly after 8 am. Too early to check into our condo in Kihei, the purple circle, so we drove to Kihei and then on south to the end of that road to Makena Beach. We were so tired we checked into our condo after lunch and took a nap. We were still worn out so we just hung around on the beach in front of the condo. Let me tell you, the wind blows really hard on Maui! Next day we had a late start and decided to go to a beach, so we headed toward Lahaina. After lunch, Mary asked where there was a “local” beach and armed with the answer we headed further north to Napili’i, the purple circle. Nice beach with waves. Mary also really wanted to see whales and on the way back to the condo we stopped at an overlook and she got to see whales!
Maui was our least favorite stop. Pretty beaches but basically California with Hawaiian place names. Very touristy. Food was good enough but not Hawaiian style anything. There were lots of things we didn’t see but I don’t care to go back to Maui. What's interesting is there were Japanese tourists all over Oahu, especially in Kailua, but none on Moloka’i or Maui.

So, that’s what we did in Hawai’i. Great trip. Wonderful. Amazing. Awesome!

Psalm 11 What can the righteous do?

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

What an excellent question! As we look around us I think it is safe to say that the foundations are crumbling: our moral bearings, righteousness in the land, the family, the church. In times like these, “what can the righteous do?” I believe the answer to the question is in the Psalm.

Here is the entire Psalm:

1    In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

2    For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string,

      that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

3    If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

4    The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven:

      his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

5    The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

6    Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest:

      this shall be the portion of their cup.

7    For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

The foundations are being thrown down and the wicked are emboldened to attack the righteous. The situation is disquieting, to say the least. And the righteous man is told to Flee as a bird to your mountain. What can the righteous do?

His answer actually opens the Psalm, in the Lord put I my trust. Amen! I put my trust in the Lord. Not in men, government, money, but in the Lord. What can the righteous do? Trust in the Lord! The world laughs at us for this and quite honestly, the flesh struggles with this. “The foundations are being destroyed and you want me to trust in the Lord?” Yes. This Psalm presents three levels of faith but it begins with this, Put your trust in the Lord.

Habakkuk is an example of this. The foundations were being destroyed in his day and he cried out to the Lord. He got an answer he didn’t like or understand (ch 1). In 2:1-5 we read his response,I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me . . . And the LORD answered me, and said . . . the just shall live by his faith. Put your trust in the Lord.

When the disciples began to realize that Jesus was going away, their foundation was being destroyed. What did Jesus tell them? Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  Put your trust in the Lord!

The Beatles sang, "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be." But they got it wrong. In times of trouble, Put your trust in the Lord!

I said there are three levels of faith spoken of in Psalm 11. Put your trust in the Lord is the first. The second level is in v 4, The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven… God is on the throne. He is in control. So he becomes my confidence. When the times they are a-changing my confidence is in the unchanging God. There is a difference between I put my trust in the Lord and the Lord is my confidence. Consider money. So often I trust the Lord for an emergency but my confidence is in the economy or my job. Am I at the place where the Lord is my confidence, my hope?

My confidence and my faith is strengthened when I read, his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. This is judgment. God has the final word. He will make all things right. I trust in the Lord, he is my confidence, and I know he will prevail. He will reward the righteous.

So, is that it? When the foundations are being destroyed do we just put our trust in the Lord? No. That is our foundation, that is what will get us through, but this faith leads us on: the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. What can the righteous do? Live righteously. When everything around us is falling apart, we live righteously. Living for Jesus has become a cultural thing, but it was never meant to be that. We go against the grain. This is a narrow way and as Jesus said, If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. When everything around us is lax and unrighteousness is the cool and acceptable thing, we live righteously.

What can the righteous do? Trust in the Lord and live righteously. This is easy when everyone else around you is living righteously, but when the foundations are being destroyed it's not that way. Sometimes we may be the only ones living righteously and suffering for it.

"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."

Tradition tells us that as they were about to put Antipas to death they gave him one more chance to deny Christ, when he refused they cried out, "Antipas, the whole world is against you!" He replied, "Then Antipas is against the whole world." 

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Trust in the Lord and live righteously; even if you are the only one; even if you are persecuted for living righteously.

I have decided to follow Jesus (3x)

No turning back, no turning back

Tho none go with me, still I will follow (3x)

No turning back, no turning back

An exhortation to walk as Christians - Martin Luther

"Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?"


[Paul]has been reproving the Corinthians for their disposition to boast of the Gospel and of Christ while abusing such liberty unto unchastity and other sins. He admonishes them that, possessing the Gospel and having become Christians, they ought, as becomes Christians, to live according to the Gospel, avoiding everything not consistent with the faith and with Christian character--everything not befitting them as new creatures.

• • • • • • •

But in this text he has reference more particularly to an erroneous idea concerning life and conduct. In this instance it is likewise true that, once the flesh be allowed any license, and liberty be abused...there is introduced a leaven which will speedily corrupt faith and conscience, and continue its work until Christ and the Gospel are lost. Such would have been the fate of the Corinthians had not Paul saved them from it by this epistle admonishing and urging them to purge out the leaven of license; for they had begun to practice great wantonness...

• • • • • • •

Nor may we in our works and in our daily life tolerate the yielding to the wantonness of the flesh and at the same boast the Gospel of Christ, as did the Corinthians, who stirred up among themselves divisions and disorder, even to the extent of one marrying his stepmother. In such matters as these, Paul says, a little leaven leavens and ruins the whole lump--the entire Christian life. These two things are not consistent with each other: to hold to the Christian faith and to live after the wantonness of the flesh, in sins and vices condemned by the conscience.


excerpted from
Exhortation To Walk As Christians
A Sermon by Martin Luther; 1540


The entire sermon may be found here http://www.orlutheran.com/mlse1co5.html
An excellent read

A Poem

I’m not a good man
I’ve proved it o’er and o’er again
You gave me grace
I received it in vain
That was never the plan
But as I said before
I’m not a good man

I’m feeling blue today
feeling blue today
I’m feeling blue today
just like a castaway

Still, You are good to me



I wrote this one night last week. Actually, I wrote the first stanza one night; the second came to me the next night. And in a humorous note, the second stanza came to me as a song - I could actually hear it playing in my head!

Why is Jesus the only way?

The other day Mary told me that one of our grandchildren asked her, “Why is Jesus the only way?” Questions from grandchildren are wonderful questions! You know that when you answer their question you are actually addressing something they're interested in AND it helps you explain big ideas in simple ways.

So why is Jesus the only way? This can be answered with a few onlies:


There is only one God

Jesus is God's only (begotten) Son

He said he was the only way to the Father

He's the only sacrifice for sin

He's the only One who rose from the dead

There is only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved


This is obviously not a theological treatise and I’ve not explained any of the points, but here you have it in a nutshell.

I am the way, the truth, and the life: 

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Why is Jesus the only way?

The other day Mary told me that one of our grandchildren asked her, “Why is Jesus the only way?” Questions from grandchildren are wonderful questions! You know that when you answer their question you are actually addressing something they're interested in AND it helps you explain big ideas in simple ways.

So why is Jesus the only way? This can be answered with a few "only":


There is only one God

Jesus is God's only begotten Son

He said he was the only way to the Father

He's the only sacrifice for sin

He's the only One who rose from the dead

There is only one name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved


This is obviously not a theological treatise and I’ve not explained any of the points, but here you have it in a nutshell.

I am the way, the truth, and the life: 
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

How did you wind up here?

There is a woman who comes in quite often to buy lottery tickets. We talk about this and that. I must’ve mentioned my upcoming trip to Hawai’i because she asked me something about it and I told her I used to live in Hawai’i. “Hawaii?? How did you end up here??”

How did I end up here? There are two ways to look at that question: (1) How did I end up living in South Carolina? (2) How did I end up working at this store? I’m pretty sure she meant #1. So, how did I wind up living here in Rock Hill, South Carolina?

I was born in New Bern, North Carolina. As East Coast as you can get! Shortly after I was born my family began migrating West. We lived in New Bern, Sanford, and Fayetteville, NC; Jackson, MS; Nashville, TN; Dallas-Fort Worth (yeah, back then that’s how it was known!) and El Paso, TX; Tucson, AZ; and at some point made a winter stop in the Boston, MA area. People used to ask me if my Dad was in the military. No, he was a disc jockey. Eventually he got real good at it and wound up in the San Jose Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not while he was married to my mother.

Anyway, my Mom and father divorced, must’ve been while we were living in Arizona. After a while she met and married another man (who I came to consider “Dad”) and he convinced her to sell all and move to Hawai’i. I was in the third grade when we moved to Hawai’i. That’s as far west as you can go in the US! We lived in Honolulu, then Kahaluu, then finally Kaneohe. Lived there seven years. Back then, that was the longest I had ever lived anywhere.

My Dad died while we were living in Hawai’i. We continued for a brief while but then the landlord decided he wanted to do some work on the house and raise the rent. My Mom couldn't afford this so we left Hawai’i – and thus began my eastward migration. We moved to Nashville to stay with my Grandparents. That first summer in Nashville I slept in a small travel trailer parked in my Grandparents driveway. Then we rented our own house and after a while my Mother was able to buy a house. It was while living in Nashville that I became a Christian.

I graduated from McGavock High School in Nashville and eventually went off to collegein Martin, TN. I was trying to go west. Mary and I met and married while in Martin. When she graduated (RN) we moved to Memphis so she could work and I could go to school. Mid-South Bible College.

Upon my graduation we began to trek eastward. My first pastorate was in Pensacola, FL. Then we moved to Macon, GA. Then York, SC. I pastored the church in York for 20 years. Basically raised our family here. When, in the course of time, I left the church (like how I put that? That’s the other way to take the question – I’m not going into that), we moved to Rock Hill. East again! I was born on the East Coast and here I am in my old age living on the East Coast.

And that’s how I wound up here in Rock Hill, South Carolina.