I read Malachi this morning and was thinking about what the prophet said to the Jews who had returned from exile and were just completed with the wall around Jerusalem and their new, smaller temple. They'd been making alliances with the people living around them. They'd taken the daughters of foreign gods for their sons to marry. The mothers of their grandchildren where teaching their children to worship the false gods. The priests and leaders were more apostate than the general population! How was Israel to be a light to the nations about the one true God if their priests were corrupt? Who would tell them that God loved all people and wanted a relationship with them? The Jews were being assimilated...becoming like everyone around them. Then, under Ezra's leadership they started becoming "people of the book" -- they decided to send back their foreign wives and their children. They had made some very difficult decisions in order to be the people of God. But would the reforms last?
It's really incredible that Malachi's words were the last words that the Jews recognized as God's word to them. There's lots of Jewish history written -- but none of the texts were considered Scripture. So what was God's last word to them?
The Lord had heard their questions:
How has the Lord loved us?
How have we shown contempt to the Lord's name?
Why doesn't the Lord pay attention to our sacrifices?
How have we wearied the Lord with our words?
How are we to return to the Lord?
How are we robbing God?
What harsh things have we said against the Lord?
They seemed clueless that their actions had totally offended the Lord. He said that he would send his messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord himself was going to come. The Lord would come into his temple, into Jerusalem, and he would be like a refiner and purifier of silver to purify the priests. "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."
Silence...hundreds of years of silence.
Has the prophet Elijah come? Has the Lord come into his temple?
I think he has. What has he said? If the priests were getting it all wrong. If the people weren't listening to the prophets -- then the Lord himself was going to come. What did He have to say?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday at the West Shore
Friday morning we walked down the trail by the condo and saw a couple of sea turtles eating sea weed in the surf. This was the first time we saw turtles on Kaua'i. They don't seem to be as prevalent as on O'ahu. Then we headed for a little souvenior shopping and the West Shore beaches that we hadn't seen. Stopped at Jo Jo's for another shave ice but they were way too crowded so we tried the "original" Jo Jo's just around the corner -- not sure what that's about. But it was actually much nicer inside and the shave ice was great. We walked out on the pier and sat down to enjoy our treat.We had heard that Polihale beach was awesome so we headed there. It truly is the end of the road -- actually 4-1/2 miles past the end of the paved road. I didn't read that carefully enough until we were about a mile down the bumpiest dirt road in the world. I was seriously getting car sick from being tossed around by all of the pot holes. We gave up and went to the next to the last beach which was beautiful and saw miles of sand dunes.
We stopped at Roy's for our last dinner on the island -- I had to try their Salmon and Butter fish - awesome and Kevin had their MahiMahi...which was pretty good as well.
We've had a fabulous time here. A great vacation. Wow!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Evenings on Kaua'i
It's dark by 8:30 and there's nothing to do so we have enjoyed watching several dvds I checked out from the library:
Unforgiven,
Cry the Beloved Country
Decoration Day
The Magnificent Seven
The Lord of the Rings
ABC News - Heaven
Now I know what a "spagghetti western" is. We never have time to sit and watch dvds -- so this has been really fun.
Unforgiven,
Cry the Beloved Country
Decoration Day
The Magnificent Seven
The Lord of the Rings
ABC News - Heaven
Now I know what a "spagghetti western" is. We never have time to sit and watch dvds -- so this has been really fun.
Walk along the beach
We took a walk out to the point to see if we could see where the fire was. From the top we couldn't see it. We thought it would be fun to see the sandy beach on the other side so we walked down to Gillin's Beach. After several hours in the sun, we enjoyed sitting in the shade by this pond.
The sunrise was spectacular.
We thought we should see what we could find beyond the next point. We walked to the next beach and across the little river. The Maha'ulepu Beaches are really sandy so we didn't need our reef shoes...good thing because we didn't have them. We didn't actually have anything because we were just going for a little walk. No sunblock, no water, no towels but what a great time. I thoroughly enjoyed walking in the surf. What a great beach.
When we got to the point just before Kawailoa Bay it was all roped off. A woman with the State of Hawaii was there protecting a monk seal and her 8 day old pup. She had binoculars and we could see the mom and her pup. Only 1200 monk seals are known to exist -- this is the 4th pup born this summer on Kaua'i and we were blessed to be able to see it.
Since we'd been out in the sun for 3 hours, we decided to walk the dirt road back. We discovered the section of the old plantation (right next to the stables and Po'ipu Road and Po'ipu Bay Resort Golf Course) that had burned.
We had a fabulous dinner at TidePools - had a window table (but there are no windows) and watched the koi in the pond below. They were jumping totally out of the water and we got splashed at our table a bit. The sunset slowly and we enjoyed crab cakes, Ono and Opah.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Ninini Point
We drove up to the north shore -- got totally rained out -- and after looking for the Mission House museum and doing some research on the church in the Princeville library, decided we were done with the rain. We drove through some beautiful plantation residential areas, but the rain was relentless. When we got back to the sunny south shore, we did a little sight seeing closer to our condo. The golf course at the Marriott is beautiful.
Wednesday on Kauai
Chickens are everywhere here--even at the beach. We thought we'd check out snorkeling at Lydgate Beach. They have a great place for snorkeling and nice bathhouse facilities. When we checked out the prices to buy gear -- the masks started at $50 each. When you add the cost of flippers and snorkels it gets a little pricey. We'll have to do some more shopping around or rent gear.
Tuesday Sunset over Niihau from Waimea Ridge
We enjoyed the sunset from a mile up the Waimea Canyon ridge. There are two little islands off of Kaua'i that we could see in the distance. The largest one is Niihau. There's a sugar plantation there and about 200 Hawaiians who continue their native traditions, speaking Hawaiian as their first language. They make beautiful necklaces from the tiny seashells on their beaches. Children have to come to the mainland for school beyond the 8th grade.
Tuesday-Walk along the Lithified Cliffs-1
We walked along the lithified cliffs above Shipwreck Beach again today. We stood where the folks stand and jump off into the ocean. It's a long way down! We could see the shadows of sting rays in the surf below.
View from Princeville of waterfalls above Hanalei, Kauai
From Pu'u Poa Beach (at the Princeville Hotel) they provide public access to the top of the bluff that overlooks Hanalei and the cliffs beyond. We counted 5 waterfalls that were visibly growing in size as the rainstorm clung to the mountain all afternoon.
The tangle of hibiscus roots
The original natives brought 27 plants with them in their canoes when they came to Kaua'i. Among them was hibiscus because it creates an incredible tangle of roots and branches that they used to protect their living areas. This pathway leads up several hundred feet from the beach at the Princeville to the top of the bluff -- and it is carved out of the tangle. Pretty fun to experience how impossible it would have been to sneak up on the settlers with this kind of fence.
Congregational Church - First one in Kaua'i
This is the Waioli Church in Hanalei -- we drove up here again on Wednesday to see their museum but it wasn't open. So we went to the Princeville Library to learn more about the early missionary experience on Kaua'i. We had the chance to read an out of print book about the church. The Wilcox's came in 1837 and God truly moved among this community. The native Hawaiians were anxious to have their own pastor and had built a home in preparation for their coming. Out of 3000 living in this area then, over 1000 were attending services. They built a large meeting hall with the traditional Hawaiian palm roof but it was destroyed a couple of years later. So they decided to rebuild using a blend of New England and Hawaiian architecture. This was their church building -- they important the stained glass windows. It's gorgeous. They worked hard reducing the Hawaiian language to print, teaching people to read, developing schools for the children and seminary instruction for the leaders of the church. Within about 15 years, the native Hawaiians were leading the churches. The Hawaiian king changed the laws to allow foreigners to own property, so their families were able to buy property and develop it. There was a true openness to the gospel and to living the Christian life.
I have to wonder what it must have been like for the Wilcox family to leave New England in the early 1800s (we'd only been a nation for 50 years), travel by ship around the tip of South America then out to this tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no real connection to home. They had such a deep trust in God to provide for them, and such a desire to see the good news about Jesus shared with this community. It is truly inspirational to consider how they lived out their faith.
The sign on the church and their website still embraces their dream: "To Know Christ and Make Him Known."
Sunset from Ke'e Beach-North Shore
To experience the fury of the storm in Hannalei and then the beauty of the Na'Pali Coast at sunset at Ke'e Beach with clear skies was fabulous.
Rainbow at Sunset
It poured down rain on the north shore as we drove to Ke'e beach. And just as we arrived the sun broke through. It was gorgeous, so we decided to stay and enjoy the sunset. What an incredible blessing!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday at NTBG - Allerton's home
This home was the home of Allerton for the last 30 years of his life. He walked the gardens twice a day until he was 89 and then he used his golf cart. This home is now a part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and has been used by various people after tragedy struck -- including Jackie Kennedy and her children, and Richard Nixon. The home is tucked away under a cliff that is covered in pink bouganvilla (Queen Emma's favorite color) and next to a little river and a secluded beach. An incredibly beautiful setting.
Orchids
I'm surprised that we don't find orchids growing everywhere in Hawaii. I thought Kaua'i was the orchid island, but it's rare to find an orchid. Apparently, they aren't native to Hawaii.
Heart regulating fountain
This fountain is designed so that as you sit in the garden you hear the sound of a heart beat (da-dum, da-dum) at 60 beats per minute. The fountain was designed to help you relax and it is said that it will regulate your heart rate to itself. It's all natural--no pumps or anything but a beautiful design and gravity.
Ficus tree is only 60 years old
The highlight of Monday was an early morning tour of the Allerton Gardens at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. This Chinese ficus tree was featured in Jurasic Park. The whole tour was fabulous.
Sunday - Princeville and Hanalei
Sunday morning we joined Kauai Christian Fellowship for worship. We enjoyed being visitors and being with them. Then we decided to drive up to Princeville, enjoyed lunch poolside at the incredible Princeville Hotel. We explored the beach with incredible banyon trees providing shade and people surfing with what appeared to be oars? Didn't quite get that. Then we walked up to the top of the bluff behind the hotel. The views were stunning. We walked a mile or so around the residential area and the golf course. I love seeing the way they landscape here.
Saturday at the Grand Hyatt
Saturday was gorgeous at Po'ipu. We just enjoyed our fabulous setting, walked over to the Grand Hyatt Kaua'i and had a wonderful lunch. We poked around their grounds and walked through their "lagoon" - a really fun swimming pool. Had a quiet dinner at home and watched a dvd after sunset: "Cry the Beloved Country."
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Friday evening
Well, we decided to check out Hanapepe...an "artsy" little town. In my opinion, it's rather run down and uninviting. Not much to see here. So we chased the sunset and decided to eat at Wranglers in Waimea -- thought we'd experience a taste of the "old west" Kaua'i style. What a mistake! So much for the old West.
We poked around the shops in Old Koala and had to have some ice cream just to get over our dinner.
We watched the San Jose State vs Univ of Hawaii football game. Here U of H football is a huge, big deal. This game has been talked about all week -- made front page news at least two days. They loved Dick Tomey when he was their coach...so they were really looking forward to this game. (Dick Tomey is now the SJSU coach.) With only 4 minutes left, SJSU was up by 2 touchdowns. We couldn't believe it as they gave the game away. What a heart break for us but a total joy for them.
We poked around the shops in Old Koala and had to have some ice cream just to get over our dinner.
We watched the San Jose State vs Univ of Hawaii football game. Here U of H football is a huge, big deal. This game has been talked about all week -- made front page news at least two days. They loved Dick Tomey when he was their coach...so they were really looking forward to this game. (Dick Tomey is now the SJSU coach.) With only 4 minutes left, SJSU was up by 2 touchdowns. We couldn't believe it as they gave the game away. What a heart break for us but a total joy for them.
Pu'u o Kila Lookout 4200' above the ocean
You can't tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins.
The last stop on the Koke'e Road (Hwy 550) is the Pu'u o Kila Lookout. From about 4200' you can look down Waimea Canyon out to the bay, see Mt. Wai'aleale covered in clouds, and watch the clouds dissipate as they blow over the lookout. Down below is the remote Na Pali Coast -- the unaccessible-by-road portion of Kaua'i. It's gorgeous and we were lucky enough to be there are on beautiful day.
I don't know what happened on Kaua'i, but roosters are apparently "wild" here and they are everywhere...even up at the Koke'e Museum and the lookout! I hear them cock-a-doodling all of the time...even at 4 a.m.Here's a video from the lookout -- I tried to do a 360 but some tourists got in the way!
Waimea Canyon
We had a gorgeous day!
The blue on the top right is the Pacific Ocean on Kaua'i's south shore.
Waimea Canyon is 1 mile wide, 10 miles long, and about 4000 feet deep. The layers visible in the cliffs were created with each additional lava flow. Mt. Wai'aleale attracts lots of rain (440"/year) and all of that rain finds it's way down waterfalls and rivers which have carved out the canyon and flows out to Waimea Bay. It's beautiful.
Friday -- Waimea Canyon and Kaua'i's westside
What can I say about shave ice (not shaved ice)? It's like a snow cone except the ice is shaved not crushed and it's served in a bowl, not a cone. And the best places use really sharp blades so that the ice is just perfect. And Jo Jo's gives you the option of 60 different flavors of syrup -- you can choose up to 3. So I got coconut, pineapple, and strawberry; Kevin got "rainbow." And we both had it served over a scoop of Macademia Nut ice cream. It was delicious. Really delicious. We sat on the wooden ledge out front.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Rainiest Spot on Earth
The clouds hug the top of Mt. Wai'aleale--it rains up there 440 inches a year! It's beautiful at sunset.
We had a fun day on Thursday. We went for a 3 hour walk along the coastline -- found a beautiful golf course and some awesome views. Then we drove up the coast to Ka'apa -- had some of the best BBQ ever at Scotty's. Then took a drive up to see Wailua Falls - a true disappointment. And then to Opaeka'a Falls and a lookout over Wailua River -- that was very beautiful -- on the way to the Keahua Arboretum which had a pretty funky bridge and an awesome spider that did cross stitch up the middle of his web and some crazy weeds along the road and more of the jungle vines. A great day!
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