Escaping False Realities

Hmmmm I am at a lose of words at the moment. My mind is racing, its been doing a lot of that lately. Shoot my parents are "contestants" on the price is right at this moment. They are in the audience, but for those not quit tv savy out there, they have a chance to win a door handle, life time supply of matchsticks, or a trip to pluto for two sponsored by the Russian government. I'll let you all know how it turns out, hopefully they get the matchsticks... Well let me tell you about this last week.

We had the Divisional Youth Secretaries from the Cascade division, The Lloyds, come and teach us this week. It really is a great experience having people coming and teaching us different ideas and biblical truths. It's encouraging, convicting, and inspiring. We learned about keeping our hearts stoked, on fire, for God through prayer, worship, and biblestudy. They are some cool people and their kids were fun. They arrived on halloween day and left of sunday.

Shoots, this weekend our team got to go to Camp Homelani again and help with being counselors for Corps Cadet camp. Corps Cadets is a Salvation Army program for teens 13-18 where they study the bible and learn how to apply it to their lives. It's primarily a discipleship program. It was a fun weekend with incredible food. Oh My Gosh the food at this camp is amazing. On Saturday night we had a Steak and BBQ Chicken Dinner, all you can eat too (Dad you would have been in heaven!). We had Tacos on Friday night, sausage pizza for breakfast on saturday (What?! Pizza?? Heck yes!). So Yah, camp was good.......Ok it was more than food but I am impressed. The Lloyds spoke at this as well and it was very imformative. The theme was Standing Up For Christ and we discussed topics relating to what a Christian is (Folloer of Christ/Jesus) and living for Jesus. It was very good. On Saturday night we watch Rob Bells video Everything is Spiritual. Talk about inspiring, it was a good one. If you are familiar with Rob Bells Nooma series this one is different. It is kind of like a sermon/talk about Genesis, science, math, life, and spirituality. It was very interesting. I would recommend checking it out if you havn't seen it.

I was stoked this weekend to be a counselor at this Corps Cadet camp. I love working with youth, its so much fun. Matt and Mark (The other Two Rev. Hi. Men) were also counselors in the cabin and we had three "campers". They weren't campers so I don't know what to cal....shoot we'll call them Deligates. They were cool kids from Kaua'i. I really am having a blast out here on this big rock in the middle of the ocean. Shoots, I could be in Antarctica in my boardies and I would have a blast....them penguins would be fun to waddle around with.

Every week seems to have it's challenges. It's been a very growing experience. This past week and continuing through this next week our team is memoring 1 Corinthians 13, The LoVe chapter. Hmmm. What an elusive emotion that is so hard to express in words. Here is the verse so you all can check it out:

1 Corinthians 13 (New International Version)

1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes:
1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
1 Corinthians 13:3 Some early manuscripts body that I may boast

I "love" this passage. =) This is what I have been challenged with this week, Love. What does it mean? What is it? How do I live it? Why love? Do I have to? Why is it so hard? Why is it so complex?... This is one area out of MANY that Love is talked about in the bible. But, what really stood out to me, and this is something I have been told many a day but really yelled at me this week, is that love is more then emotions but also actions and a choice. I am not a guru on love, many of you can testify on that and for this I do apologize, so take the words I say in this area as a grain of sand and search it out for your self in Gods word. 1 John 4:8

Understanding love is like trying to understand God (Read the 1 john verse and see). It's very difficult to understand or even comprehend But we can get a sense of what it is. We see in 1 Corinthians that love is patient, kind, not boastful, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily-angered, keeps not record of wronds, delights in the truth, it perseveres, it trusts, it protects,... this chapter is full of actions that apply to love. If what we do is based on our desicions does that make love a choice? (No right or wrong answer, feel free to leave comments in....The Comments Area). But, who can deny the emotion of love, the unescapable joy you feel when you see, talk to, hug, kiss...that special someone. The turning in your stomache, the smile that sweeps across your face, the shaking knees, your mind racing about that person but becoming blank,... It's amazing... Emotions, Choices, B.S.... What is Love to You?

I would really like to hear any of your ideas on this topic, yes I am talking to You... haha Feel free to leave them in the comment area and discuss it. I find it pretty fascinating. More stories to come but I am off to Yogurtland, Dodge Ball (love at its best, Happy day), and Sleep.

Some prayer requests: The 16 year old brother of one of the girls on our team got in an accident and is suffering from major amnesia. Kind of like the Dory effect, to put it into perspective. Pray that God heals him so that he can continue living life.
Also, continue praying for my Uncle. i havn't heard from him in a while but my parents say he still is not doing well.
In the next couple weeks our team is going to another island, we are going to be split up. Pray that God uses us on the island and that we can work together in those smaller teams

Again if any of you have prayer requests Holla at me. i am not closing my face Book Or Myspace so you can leave me a message on either one of those sites with prayer requests or shout outs as well. Thanks again for checking this site out, reading ALL the way through this blog, and Happy day
Later Days

Aloha

Surf Report:

Nice North west swell this past week At camp homelani and nice south swell on our side. heard wikes was breaking nice so Diamond head and bowls should be hittin'. Wasn't able to surf though, bummer. maybe next week. Peace out