Taro Fields in Hanalei

We drove to Hanalei which is just north of the wettest location on earth. We had a beautifully sunny day and enjoyed seeing the taro fields. We drove to the end of the road. Look at how the philadendron plants grow up to the top of the telephone poles. We took off our shoes and walked the beach. Fabulous!

The Formal Gardens at Na 'Aina Kai

The house at Na 'Aina Kai is rather "modest" considering the incredible front and backyards. The top photo is the view from their deck! Unbelievably gorgeous. The blue blossom on the jade vine is the most unusual flower color I have ever seen. Joyce Doddy has an amazing garden.

Carnavore Plants and the Beach

Na 'Aina Kai has cool carnavore plants (the first photo) and a beautiful beach.

Na 'Aina Kai

Wednesday we went to Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens. Joyce Dody, the former wife of Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts cartoons) and her husband have created an incredible garden of tropical flowers and trees.

We went on the 5 hour walking tour and amazingly Kevin enjoyed it. We walked through the hardwood plantation (they’ve planted 60,000 teak trees, plus mahogany, rosewood, etc.) to help support the gardens in the future.

The second photo is a picture of a pair of "nene." Down by the beach we saw 11 nene – they were almost extinct (down to just 30 birds) in the 1970s. (They are a cousin of the Canada goose.) Today they estimate that there are about 1500 birds.

The third photo is a banana tree -- notice the tiny clump of bananas and the long "flower" with the purple tip. It's a pretty cool flower. You can tell when the grower has allowed the bananas to ripen on the tree by how round the bananas are -- the more octagonal the earlier they were picked.

I loved the beautiful jade blossoms (above)-- the blue jade was bizarre. I loved seeing the carnivore flowers (bug-eating flowers with trap doors that lure bugs in and then the flower eats them) and the view of the beach from the gazebo was fabulous.

A great and exhausting tour.

We walked down to the Hyatt and enjoyed the evening from the Terrace restaurant. As we walked home it started to rain—and then really rain. It’s fun how it’s warm rain so it really doesn’t matter.

Aloha! A gorgeous day in Po'ipu

We arrived on Monday afternoon in the pouring rain -- made a run to Costco and headed for our condo. As soon as we got to Po'ipu--it stopped raining and the sun came out. It was so beautiful. We just soaked it in. We walked down the beach a bit, had a drink at the Hyatt at sunset, came home and went to bed early. Tuesday morning we enjoyed breakfast on that patio just after sunrise. We read for a couple of hours and talked...nothing to do, no place to go, nothing we should be doing...it is so restorative here, much like the experience of being on a retreat and enjoying times of solitude and silence, except we're together, talking.

We decided to go for a short walk down the beach, but as always we get curious and ended up walking several miles. The sea turtles were everywhere -- as were the rosters!

We grilled steaks on the BBQ and went to Spouting Horn to watch the sunset. Shopped at bit at Old Koloa -- the first sugar plantation in Hawaii -- a beautiful day.

Going to the Beach with new friends

We had a great time last weekend going to Rio Del Mar beach and meeting with new friends from all over the world. Many of them have been waiting to be relocated to the United States for years...some for 18 years! They are truly amazing people with such courage, determination and hope for the future. It's been a privilege to get to know them and to, in some small way, make their transition to America a little bit easier.

Girls Night Out

Congratulations to Willie Simon, the winner last night with 540 points! I think that's an all time high. And congratulations to Gina Bluhm -- the loser with 250 points. That may be an all time low! I so enjoyed having everyone over -- the conversation and laughter was great. I love pizza on the BBQ. Here's the recipe:

PIZZA on the BBQ

Buy frozen bread dough (a package with 3 loaves) - set out for 3-5 hours to defrost. Cut each loaf into 4 pieces. Flour your hands and a bread board. Roll dough in your hands into a ball, put on the floured bread board and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 6 inch circle. Put on a piece of foil (10x10). Brush with a little olive oil. Flip over. Use your hands to flatten dough to an 8 inch circle-about 1/4 inch thick. Brush with a little more olive oil. Let rise for 15-20 minutes.

Heat up the BBQ so that your hand can be near the grill for 4-5 seconds. Flip the pizza dough (without toppings) onto the grill for 3-5 minutes--this will cook one side. The cooked side becomes the top. Put 1/2 cooked pizza on your plate then add the toppings. Put a 1/3 of cup of mozzarella cheese on the top - then your favorite pizza toppings (sun dried tomatoes, ham, olives, mushrooms, artichokes, pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, nectarines)- return to the grill for 3-4 minutes to cook the bottom and melt the cheese.

My favorite topping was the nectarines:

Thinly slice a firm nectarine. Put slices in a little bowl and toss with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar. Layer on top of your pizza: cheese, nectarines, fresh basil, pine nuts.

Thanks for a great time! We'll have to do it again in January.

A Call to Trust

There's only one way to develop the kind of trust that the Lord wants us to have...it is why there was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, and why the Lord let his people get thirsty in the desert, and why the walls of Jericho didn't just collapse on their own, and why God waited ten years before making David king, and why Jesus was constantly putting his disciples into situations that were risky and challenging.

We don't grow in our faith and trust in God until we come to the end of ourselves -- then we either curse God and die, as Job's wife suggested, or we learn to trust.

Trust isn't a suggestion. It's a command. Jesus commanded his disciples during the last supper, before their whole world would be shaken upside down. "Trust in God. Trust also in me." And then he said, "Peace. My peace I leave with you."

I've wondered how on earth they could experience peace -- and it seems to me, once again, that peace follows trust. When you know the Lord and can put deep roots into his goodness and his strength, you will know that no matter what happens, he is in total control, and has your best interest at heart. He only has good intentions toward you. You can rest as you trust in him.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down--this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place;
they take delight in lies
With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my might rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath
Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods;
though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Psalm 62

Trust. Everyday.

How can we go through difficult times without totally losing our sense of well-being? Seems that we need to be reminded everyday not to lose our focus. The more difficult life situations become, the more we must find the time to be with the Lord and in the truth of his word. Everyday. Otherwise, we are so susceptible to forgetting the truth, and believing lies. Our job is to cling to the Lord.

How can we trust the Lord when everything is falling apart? when life gets really tough? We can't trust that everything will work out the way we want. What we can trust in is the character and nature of God. We have to really know in our mind and in our heart that He is everywhere. He knows all things. He can do anything. He is strong. He is in control. He is good. He is loving. He is compassionate. He has a plan and a purpose for everything. As our roots go down deep into the character and nature of God, we will find a peace this is totally unexplainable.

As we go through hard times, maybe we should put a postit on our journal:
"TRUST. Everyday."

Being Rude

It's funny how hard it can be to keep doing what I really want to do.

I bought a great journal called "PASSION." And each page has the words "Passion Every Day." (http://www.compendiuminc.com/)

It's really helping me to focus every day on living my passion for God -- first by loving him. What I recognized yesterday during my devotional time is that I've been busy doing my Bible study preparation or working on my a slideshow for a Christian conference, but I had been ignoring God. The insight for me was in being reminded that the Lord is with me (it's funny how I know this, but at the same time, I don't!) The truth is, we live in his presence. So when I'm at my desk to spend time with the Lord, and instead I'm busy doing my Christian work and not focusing on my love for the Lord, he's with me...in my study with me...waiting for a conversation...and I'm ignoring him, acting as if he's not there. How rude is that!

I read a Puritan prayer yesterday:
"Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence, that thou art about my path, my ways, my lying down, my end." And I would add as I've been doing other things instead of spending time with the Lord, "Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence, that thou art about my desk, my office, my computer, my chair, my morning." (from The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions)

The Springs - April at St. Anthony's

We had a wonderful time at St. Anthony's once again. (See postings from November.)

The wildflowers were in full bloom and I so enjoyed walking the grounds.

I arrived a day early so that I could personally retreat before the other women arrived. What a wonderful time for me to reconnect with the Lord.

Lunch Bunch

One of the faculty members who comes to Lunch Bunch, wrote this about our Thursday Bible discussions at SJSU:

Our group bible study has been an effective way to strengthen the spiritual growth of the participants. Reading the bible provides a connection to God and guides us in our attempt to make God the center of our lives. I enjoy our meetings, since the people who attend are wonderful, caring individuals.

Luann leads our Bible study sessions. They have provided a very fulfilling experience for me during the year and a half that I have participated. Luann provides historical background information that helps us understand the context of our readings. She also provides questions that we reflect on as we read the passages, to give us more insight into what we are reading. We often try to imagine what it would have been like to have been the people we are reading about, to gain a real appreciation for the scripture lessons and how they relate to us.

We have come to understand that we have a loving God who was willing to sacrifice his Son to save us. God wants us to be humble servants. By caring for others, God can continue to work through us.

Bike ride

We went for a bike ride today and the weather was gorgeous -- a bit nippy but billowy clouds, blue skies and lots of trees fully in bloom.

Ellen is with the Lord

What a sad day. Ellen Hale passed away. We have such warm memories of eating over at Ellens, or playing games, or planning an event. She was certainly a partner in the ministry and faithfully served the Lord all of these years. She has left her mark on each of the members of our family and will be missed.

My birthday at the Grandview Restaurant

I had a wonderful birthday. I thoroughly enjoyed going to Bijan's for coffee with my work group and enjoyed the cards and email greetings from friends. I left work early on Friday so that we could join Jeff, Wendy, Micah and Ashley for a birthday dinner at the Grandview. The waitress was awesome, the food was good and the view amazing.(Click on the title of this post to see some beautiful sunset photos on the Grandview website.) I loved seeing the hills at this time of year when they are so green and all of the trees are in bloom -- it's really beautiful. We saw lots of deer. The Santa Clara Valley is beautiful at sunset then as it gets dark the valley is once again tranformed into a sea of twinkling lights as night sets in. We had a wonderful dinner at a beautiful place. Then we went over to Jeff and Wendy's for cookies and ice cream. Wendy made some amazing chocolate chip with a little oatmeal cookies--a variation on Grandma Cece's recipe (that she'll become famous for with her grandchildren) that were fabulous....even though I'm dieting they were totally worth the calories. A great birthday.

Family Photos

Our last photos of Dad -- He passed away in January and we went to Seattle in February for a small, family graveside service.
Dad - July 2007

Kevin and Jeff
Shawn, Ellen and my mom
Like Grandma, like Grand daughter
Mom and Dad's headstone
Shawn, David and Ellen

Family Photos

Sarah, Brennan and Ashley

Micah
Luann and Micah playing "stinky toes"
Mom and Luann
Ashley

Jeff, Wendy and Micah

Conference at Menlo Park Presbyterian

I thoroughly enjoyed the conference at Menlo Park Presbyterian on conversational evangelism. I'd love to have a booth at the mall and call it "Listening Post" and let people come and share their stories about God and just listen to them. It's funny that people want to talk about their spiritual journeys but they're afraid to talk to Christians for fear we'll try to force them to believe in God. We've really got to learn how to listen and ask questions and help people in ways that they feel are helpful.