Seeing God in the weirdest of settings…

So there’s this young teenage individual who I’ve had the, well, benefit, no – that’s not it, the um, well, the memorable experience of pouring into his life. He (and he shall remain un-named for the sake of obvious ambiguity) is a part of my friend’s youth group and he is a colorful character in the sense that his confidence in the type of person he is fascinating. He is aimiable to everyone, but he retains his sense of individuality. Sometimes I am baffled by the things that come out of his mouth and even more-so befuddled by his train of though at times – that is, when we are able to harness and grasp whatever it is he’s talking about. As crazy as he can be though, I am so amazed by his sense of character and his willingness to open up to almost everyone. He is loud (literally) and yet through his obedience and vibrant spirit, you can’t deny his trait as a good friend and servant (though at times its hard to tell ) Although he may seem so out of whack to some, his spirit towards life and the little things is something I wish everyone had for God. I wish everyone was as crazy and kooky and passionate for God as he is with, well, whatever it is he is all about this week. He represents a free spirit we can all afford to achieve when it comes to our spirituality. I think it’s because of this reason that I hold him to a high regard at times – because he knows what makes him happy and how to laugh at it. I know at times, I need to take something out of that page. Thank God for showing His lessons through the most unusual of ways – and trust me, this is unusual. I never thought I would gain a life lesson so early from one such as Kortnye Kanno – awww shucks, I said his name.

Amazing Morning

Today is White Sunday, and annual celebration in the Samoan Community where the children run the church service, from the time it starts to the closing prayer. We’ve been practicing for weeks now, and the coordiantors of today’s festivities have been busting their butts trying to get everything together. I am so excited to see everything come together. I know we will run an excellent service, but more importantly, I know that there will be an awesome platform of praise presented to God today – one that will glorify Him in the lovliest of forms.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning to make a drive down towards Diamond Head to catch the sunset, and what a sight it was. I was reminded of God’s glory in all things, and with the beauty of this place I live in around me at all times, the sunrise brought on a wonderful feeling of rebirth and glory. With a few morning clouds and scattered slippers from the surfers who cam to catch the morning swell, this patronage to the sea was a great way to start off a great day! Praise God for his wonders!

Talking about it just isnt enough, so here are photos from this morning’s sunrise at Diamond Head. Enjoy!

There I am…

The week has come and gone and even more-so, with all the busyness of everything, I feel like I’ve learned to sit back and watch myself grow. I’ve been dealing with things that in some cases could be considered problems, and other things that are really regular issues that are bound to come to face with a guy in their twenties. In any case, I feel like I’m really connecting with myself – learning all over again who I am. My identity in Christ has always been a bit of a mystery to me in the past, but it seems like God is putting me through a season of understanding.

I’ve honestly been learning to let myself live, really. I’ve put up so many guards in my life that it got to a point where it was sickening because I totally lost touch of who I was. I spent so many years trying to impress people and fit in that I didn’t even realize I was losing track of myself.

No more. I know now the balance that needs to be present in my life, most importantly spiritually. I have to understand who I was uniquely made to be, and with that use it to be the distinct witness to those around me of how God has changed it altogether. I’m not going to go into the details of how I came to realize this, because I’ll be here forever, which is time I don’t really have on a computer. I understand my role to present myself in an honorable and steward-like manner to people around me, but I’m done trying to impress them. Live more abundantly. That’s what He commands us to do. Now it’s my turn.