It was Indeed a GOOD FRIDAY

In the past two weeks it seemed like all I was receiving was one bad news after the other.  A dear friend from college had requested prayer because her father was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.  A brother-in-Christ was struggling with major health issues and was admitted into the hospital.  We received a call from my brother-in-law informing us that doctors could not find the heart beat of their baby girl (my sister-in-law was 8 months pregnant) and that they were in the process of inducing labor.  While we were still making sense of the news of our niece, I received yet another email of a sister-in-Christ who had just been told she has non-hodgkin lymphoma.

The chain that linked the prayer warriors was definitely hot all week - a text here and a text there as news spread to step up prayers for one another.  Throughout the week, as many of the saints bowed their hearts to pray, their heads remained lifted with eyes stayed on the One who gives us the victory.  And as we entered the end of the Holy Week, we dusted ourselves off and went to the Good Friday service to worship the One who brings us the victory.  In our respective churches, each heard the Good News that our tired spirit so longed to hear - Jesus loves us - He is the One who gives us the victory.

It may seem that the term Good Friday is an oxymoron because it seems like there was nothing good about that day over two thousand years ago.  There is good in it.  You see - the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) - and because of our sinful state, our destiny was eternal death - but it no longer has to be - Jesus stood in our place and all who accepts this gift of LIFE will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).  As we are reminded of all that Jesus had suffered - we are also reminded of the warning that Jesus gave to his disciples in the wee hours before He faced his bogus trial that lead Him down the road to Calvary.  The warning was to watch and pray so that we wont be tempted - so that we will be able to stand strong in the face of the enemy, in the trials of these last days for we are indeed in the last days.

So be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might
Put on all His armor and fight the good fight
In all of our weakness, He becomes so strong
And He gives us the power and the strength to carry on

More power to ya when you're standing on His Word
When you're trusting with your whole heart in the message you have heard
More power to ya when we're all in one accord
They that wait upon the Lord, they shall renew
They shall renew their strength (MORE POWER TO YA by PETRA)

That GOOD FRIDAY over two thousand years ago was bleak and dreary.  The disciples who stood by and watched at ground zero felt the devastation to the very core of their being - they were confused, lost, scared, sad (if the word sad could ever satisfy what they must have felt).  But what they didn't know then - we know now - that Sunday came - He rose from the dead.


He came, He saw, He conquered Death and Hell
He came, He saw, He is alive and well
He was, He is, And only He forgives
He died, He rose, He lives
He came, He saw, He conquered (He Came He Saw He Conquered by PETRA)

The road is still long and hard (not comparable to the Via Dolorosa but hard none the less)  - and it may seem that no message will take away the heartache of missing a love one or take away the despair one feels when your love one has just been diagnosed of a scary illness - But we hang on to the good news that He loves us and He lives.  That is our hope, our comfort - that this place is all temporary - although we our living our GOOD FRIDAY - SUNDAY IS COMING and in a little while we'll be home with Jesus (the One who gives us the victory.)


This blog is dedicated to my mom - We will see each other again.
Have a blessed Easter

Count Down to the Royal Wedding

About thirty years ago (yikes... I didn't realize it was that long ago), there was this great buzz about the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.  I was only twelve and had been waiting for the Love Boat special (okay those of you who are not from the 80s - this was a pretty popular show) - so I was irritated when it didn't come on - and that all three networks were covering the same thing - the Royal Wedding.  I didn't get it until the carriage brought the beautiful princess-to-be - she gracefully disembarked the glass carriage drawn by white horses.  She had a smile, a glow, and aura about her - and even this twelve year old could not take her eyes of the set.  I was riveted and I watched until she kissed her prince on the balcony.  Sigh... my imagination ran wild - it was like a fairy tale come true - so romantic.

I read every story, every article written on magazines.  When she gave birth to the young Prince William, I cut up all the pictures and articles.  My best friend and I even purchased stamps - we were fans.  And then the fairy tale turned sour - and I lost interest - sort of.  I still read the articles... hoping for that happy ending still.

I confess - I'm one of those who is looking forward to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  I have it marked on my calendar... hehehe... I still enjoy a good romantic tale from time to time.  I think young and old alike still like the feel of a good fairy tale - when the princess meets her prince and they live happily ever after. 

from the SPCS Elementary School Hallway

With Good Friday just a week away, its hard to imagine mentioning the Royal Wedding as the two events don't seem to go together.  After all the final days of Jesus Christ here on Earth was far from being beautiful - He was betrayed by one of his close friend (Judas), He was condemned by the leaders of the church, One of his closest friend (Peter) denied he even knew Him, and the one who could of brought Him justice - didn't (Pilate) - no, nothing about it was glamorous.  The throngs of people who lined the streets did not long for the prince to glance their way - they jeered Him and cursed Him.  But all this had to happen so that the most incredible story ever in the history of man can unfold.... See it didn't end at the cross.  That was just the setting for a grander stage.  The grandest Royal Wedding Ever


 - ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.   ⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. ⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)  ⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”(Revelation 19:6-9).




Exciting isn't it - when you put things into a different perspective.  When we celebrate Good Friday, we celebrate the preparation of THE Royal Wedding... the one we are invited to - invited by someone greater than the Queen of England - invited by the KING of KINGS.  Sigh - I'm definitely looking forward to counting down the days to that.

Not a very good scan but couldn't help sharing

I Wanna Be Like Moses

A few years back, a Gatorade commercial made the phrase "I wanna be like Mike" pretty popular.  The Mike they spoke of was Michael Jordan - the world re-known NBA basketball player who revolutionize the sport.  He was extraordinary - a giant of his time.  Well, I have my heroes too.  For me, I wanna be like Moses.


In Exodus 33, God spells out His relationship with Moses.  Verse 11 says, The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.  But at this time, God was displeased with Israel and He had instructed Moses to bring the people to the promise land but that He (God) was not gonna go with them.  And this is where the depth of Moses' relationship with God shines... check it out:


(12) Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. (Here Moses is reacting to God saying He was just going to send an angel. God was no longer going to escort them into the promise land.)


You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”  (In the earlier passage, Moses relationship with God is described as a friend - yet here, Moses desires more - he desired a deeper walk.)



The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”


Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Moses knew that nothing had worth apart from God - John 15:5)


And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”


Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Moses wasn't satisfied with his relationship with God - he wanted more - he desired God - he panteth after God as a deep panteth for the waters. Psalm 42:1)


And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”  

Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”  (And God grants Moses' request)

Moses was an extraordinary man.  He knew his God; he loved his God; he desired his God.  And I... well, I wanna be like Moses.  Kind of lofty huh.  Well 

I will keep my eyes on the prize and continue to take two steps forward.  

I wanna walk with God and hear Him say "I am pleased with you."  With the world in crisis mode, wars and rumors of wars - a lot of unrest.  It's very easy to see the sign plainly, that we are near the end of time.  But we don't know when the day will be - so in the mean time - I will strive to obtain the relationship Jesus paved for me when He died on the cross for my sins.  What better way to finish strong than to strive to be like Moses.

Learning from Tomatoes

I've been dabbling with farming.  It's somewhat addicting.  I just love watching the seed sprout only a week from planting them into a pod.  It feels very productive.  And when the plant starts to bear fruit - it is just exciting.  I feel like they are my babies and they make me proud.

from my rooftop garden in Sinajana, Guam

I learned a lot from the numerous failed attempts.  In my attempt to learn more about plants - Home Depot has become the place to go - and I have discovered that I can learn anything from the Google.  I learned that some plants don't like a lot of direct sunlight and some do.  I learned that some like a lot of water and some don't.  I learned that the right amount of fertilizer is necessary and that it should not touch the stem of the plant.  I grow mostly tomatoes, and I've also learned that this plant need constant pruning from "suckers".

Suckers develop in the joint of a branch and the main vine.  They don't bear any fruit but they do take up a lot of energy and nutrient from the rest of the plant.  Some farmers believe that by removing the suckers - the branch will have better opportunity to bear a lot of big, healthy, sweet fruit.

From Buena Vista Entertainment

Strangely enough, this lesson on farming reminded me of one of my favorite movies - Dead Poet Society.  It's about a group of young men in an all-boys prep school.  Their lives were scripted to follow in the footsteps of their father - lawyers, doctors, and accountants.  But then came Mr. Keaton, a literature teacher played by Robin Williams.  He challenged them to "seize the day" (Carpe Diem) and to make their lives extraordinary.   He tells them to suck the marrow out of life - to live every moment and make it special.  However, one of the heroes (Neil Perry played by Robert Sean Leonard) in the story struggled with this and could not find the courage to tell his father that he wanted to live his life as a writer.  He eventually kills himself.  With this tragic ending, the young men learned to see life in with a new perspective and in doing so, found the courage to become extraordinary.

What does this have to do with the tomatoes I started this blog with?  Well, like the tomato plants, we need to prune the suckers that take up all our energy.  Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit (the suckers), while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."  These suckers can be anything that detracts us from really plugging ourselves into the Vine (Jesus Christ) - anything that prevents us from putting God first.  This can be relationships, material things, bad habits, addictions, gossip, unforgiveness.  These suckers will prevent us from experiencing the abundant life that is promised to us when we hang on to Jesus.  Jesus also said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  Neil Perry had nothing to hang on to when his father took his dreams away.  He felt stuck and life sucked the marrow out of him.  But we have Jesus to hang on to - He is the true source of everything we need to be successful (or fruitful).  All we have to do is plug ourselves into the True Vine - make sure nothing gets in our way - especially those Suckers.





UPDATE:
Helen's running status:  50 minutes - walking/running 3.5 miles.  Have been able to run 6 minutes straight before going back to walking.
Have lost 3 pounds since starting my workout two weeks ago.

Anyone Can Be A Runner

Last week at a women's breakfast, my good friend Debbie Pineda inspired all those in attendance to "stay the course."  She encouraged each one to do as the apostle Paul instructed in Philippians 3 - to forget what is behind us and strain toward what is ahead."  She compared her training for the grueling 1/2 marathon she ran the week prior to the Christian Race - our prize being heaven.  She shared the difficulties she felt towards the end of the race - how those she started out with were no longer with her but were waiting for her at the finish line.  She struggled but when she turned a corner, she was encouraged and found the strength to continue.  At the finish line, her friends awaited and cheered her on.  It didn't matter who finished first or when they finished - they were all encouragements and praises for one another because they finished.  Just like the spiritual race - we encourage one another.

So just like everyone present, I was inspired and felt my spirit strengthened to continue the good fight in our Christian journey.  But I was also inspired to do something else.  You see, Debbie was my running partner several years ago.  We trained together to run our first 5K run (the PacStar in 1995).  Well, the running pair split up that summer.  Debbie got married and I ran a different race (actually it was a chase - I chased after the man everyone now calls my husband).  So Debbie's perseverance in the physical race made me feel that I could do it again.  I will start in square one - but I will start.

Runner's Magazine says anyone can run.  Suggested plan of attack - start with 30 minute walks.  Then change one minute of the thirty to a job.  Then proceed to changing two, then three, then four and so forth.  Keep going until you can run the entire 30 minutes.

Statistics:  Helen Nishihira, age 41 (42 in two weeks) and 186lbs (thats 76lbs over weight)  And yes, I will run a race.  First race:  Kick the Fat 5K sponsored by Payless Enterprise.  I will finish.  And then I will move on to the next race.  I've been going to the gym the past two weeks - 40 minutes on the treadmill.

My goal:  to be able to run 40 minutes straight (no need to worry about speed or how far I go) and to lose my extra pounds.  Yes I have a long ways to go but I'm gonna move TWO STEPS FORWARD - no turning back.

I Spy God

I was watching a movie called August Rush(2007).  It's about a little boy who was given up for adoption against his mother's knowledge.  Even though many years had passed, the boy knew that one day he would find his mother and father again.  Both his parents were gifted musicians and the boy not knowing them always felt that one day music was going to bring them all together again.  He heard music where ever he went and in everything he experienced.  He felt that if he followed the music it would eventually bring him to his parents - it would eventually bring him home.
Several years back, Kay Arthur, a renown Christian author, spoke at Biola University, my alma-mater.  She challenged the audience to recognize the reality of God - His omnipotence, His omnipresence, His magnificence.  She related this concept to a child's game called "I Spy".  In a sense, it was seeing God in our everyday experience - not in a "new age" kind of way - but in understanding His very existence in our lives - being fully aware of Him in our lives.

When my daughter's play, I spy God in their laughter.  He has blessed me with them.  He has blessed us with joy.  He has blessed us with health.  When I sit in my living room, I spy God.  He has blessed me with a dwelling place, a shelter.   When I see the trees swaying in the wind, I spy God.  Even the trees recognize their creator and lift their branches heavenward and praise Him - and so I am also moved to praise Him.  He has blessed us with the beauty that surrounds us.  When I visit my dad, I spy God.  He has blessed me and my dad with another day.  He has blessed me with peace.  He has blessed me with salvation.

Like August's concept of music, God is ever present.  He is the music that eventually leads us home.  His thoughts of me are numerous and it overwhelms me (Psalms 139).  He is my God and I am His.  I can rest in this fact that His ever present love is never ending and His mercies are new every morning.  We just need to hear Him - see Him every day, every minute, and every where.  He stands at the doors of our hearts, knocking and waiting for an invitation to come in - to fellowship with us - to know Him.  Yes, I am overwhelmed by God.... He is my God and I am His.

ROUNDTOITs

The first time I ever heard about a ROUNDTOIT was in a book written by Chuck Swindoll - Come Before Winter.  It was a very inspiring book meant to jump start - or rather reignite - my passion for God.  I was moved into action and got my very own ROUNDTOIT. But sadly, a few weeks went by (okay, okay, we need honesty right?) a couple of days went by and I misplaced my brand new ROUNDTOIT.  Along with my missing ROUNDTOIT weny my intentions of getting up early to do my daily "Time Alone With God", my plans for a daily workout to get into shape, my perfect meal plan for losing weight, and my regimen for keeping my laundry at a manageable state.  My ROUNDTOIT was nowhere in sight. When I was faced with the intended task of the day, I would often tell myself that I needed to get a ROUND-TO-IT.

Scripture does not support putting things off.  I've known this for quite a long time - for as long as I've called myself a christian.  So if I were to take to heart, 1 Corinthians 10:31 - "Whatsoever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  Then waiting to get a ROUNDTOIT is not the way to go.  I just need to start doing - and thus ultimately giving glory to God.  Proberbs 14:23 says - All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.  So I guess you can say I am living in spiritual poverty and physical poverty (poor health).  Perhaps we can say my kids and husband are in clothing poverty due to the fact they constantly have to scrounge around for clean clothes.

So unless I take action now, today, this minute, I will remain where I am now - the same - no change.  And the mounds of laundry will not disappear if I just keep putting it off.  I will never get to my ideal weight if I sit around thinking I will schedule it for tomorrow.  I will never be able to draw closer to GOD if I just talk about the things I need to do but don't actually do them.  So here I go - signing off to spend sometime with the Awesome Creator who loves me so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for me.  Who paid a hefty price only to keep waiting for me to notice all He has done for me and who keeps waiting to spend some time with me.  I am now getting a Round-to-it and I will never lose it again because my Savior Loves Me and I love Him too.