Mohala Maui (Petals Unfold on Maui)

Scripture: Luke 1:78-79

Mohala Maui 1 (Luke 1:78-79) 

My mother has been gone now for a very long time. 

But one of my favorite memories with her was every New Year’s morning. On the night of December 31, we would pull the sweaters and jackets from deep out of the closet and later head out in the dark for the summit of Haleakala. 

There, in the frigid air, we would shiver in the blackness, waiting for the first edge of orange to reveal. But before it would come, the stars were always jaw-drop incredible. I have never seen stars like that anywhere else in the world. Maui helped me see God like never before; how big He is, and how good He is. Maui is a very special place. 

After sunrise, we would make our way down the zig-zagging highway for coffee and mango bread at a park in Kula. And on a picnic table, we read from the Bible to start the new year. Even just writing about this makes me feel deep down happy, actually better than happy, a blend of peace and joy. 

Maybe you have been short on peace and joy lately. Maybe you have experienced loss or trauma or something really dark. Maybe things seem like ash sifting through your fingers. But I hope that through readings this week, things will begin to shift in your heart, your mind, and your life. The best place to start is looking into the Bible, the words of God. 

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, 

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 

to shine on those living in darkness 

and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 

Luke 1:78-79 NIV 

So, what do you notice in this passage? It seems there are two big contrasts here, aren’t there? One is the “darkness” and “shadow of death”. The other is “tender mercy,” “rising sun,” and “path of peace.” Sure, everyone will face the black things in life at some point, but there is no escape in this broken world. But in God, there is so much more. Something shines from heaven. Maui may be the ash of Lahaina, but it is also the sunrise of Haleakala. We need to be sure not to keep looking down and back but also to look up and eastward; something is coming in the darkness, and an orange glow will soon emerge. 

Upcountry Maui is my old home. I was an island boy with a Chevy pickup, a poi dog in the back, and the three-prong Hawaiian sling, always sharp and ready for the next dive. Now I live in Tokyo. I am a second-generation missionary to this country and left Maui many years back. And yet Maui still flows through my veins because that is where I first encountered God, for real. I will share more of that later. 

But in closing today, I want to share that I have seen darkness. Years ago, Japan was hit by one of history’s biggest quakes, the islands moved 8 feet on the planet, and a tsunami took hundreds of miles of coastline and invaded miles inland. It was like a warzone…then the Fukushima nuclear reactor went into meltdown. As well prepared for the disaster as Japan was, nearly 20,000 were lost. 

A team scrambled into action, and I spearheaded the survivor care for the united Christian efforts. In the months following, I held the hands of hundreds of survivors who had lost everything. I will never be the same. 

But for sure, it was the mercy of God that took me through it. In some ways, I was able to reach out to many others. And so many of them struggled valiantly to survive. That is my prayer in this next week together. As we focus on the theme of New Beginnings, I hope that you will find solace but also that you will begin life on a new level. My prayer is for you to experience His mercy, His sunshine, and His peace like never before. 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3

Mohala Maui 2 (1 Peter 1:3) 

What was your first part-time job?

I had some pretty lousy ones, you know, before dawn newspaper delivery, dishwashing in the back, and watching the servers get all the tips. Driving tours all around Maui was much better, especially with the cutbacks! But there was one part-time job I was proud of– in high school, I taught English conversation to a group of medical doctors at a cancer center on the outskirts of Tokyo–and they paid me really well. Actually, my pay as a high school kid was higher than it is now…and today, I have a doctorate…yes, God has a way of keeping us humble! 

Now, what I remember most about the doctors at the Cancer Center was the heartbreak of their work. Treating cancer patients means a sad story after a sad story…many years of seeing tears. I remember thinking, if I was ever a doctor, I would want to work in the happiest part of a hospital, the maternity ward! Every day, there would be smiles, and the tears would be tears of joy! 

Birth is a wonderful thing. Birth may be as close as the natural world gets to a miracle. So, what experiences have you had with birth? A pet having puppies or kittens? The hatching of a gecko egg? Or best, the awesome joy of welcoming your own child into this world? 

This reading plan will focus on key verses in the New Testament on the theme of New Beginnings. New Beginnings start with birth. And birth means smiles, wonder, and expectation! 

Let’s look at today’s wonder-filled Scripture: 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

1 Peter 1:3 

According to this verse, what has God given you? That is right—a new birth! That means smiles, wonder, and expectations are yours! 

Take a moment. Stop. Now, smile! No, I’m not kidding! If only this one thing in the world was good for you, you should be smiling. Why? Because a new birth means abundant possibilities and potential–wonderful things are ahead! 

When I was doing work at Waseda University, it seemed every girl there had read Ayako Miura—a writer who was impacting the whole country! 

Before her new birth, Ayako was disillusioned with life and the entire world but then ended up 13 years, bedridden with TB and suicidal. Seven of those years, she was in a body cast, like in a cocoon, waiting for a metamorphosis… a birth. 

And God met Ayako there, where she suffered, through an average fellow named Tadashi. Tadashi also suffered from TB, and he gave Ayako a Bible and reflected God’s love. Eventually, Ayako was reborn and went on to become one of Japan’s greatest women writers, publishing 80 books and winning many awards. When Ayako picked up her pen, she changed Japan. A new birth. Wonderful potential and possibilities. 

Jesus Himself said, 

“You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8 

And that is the life that is reborn; the Spirit takes us on an indescribable adventure, as unpredictable as the wind blowing. You will go places you never dreamed. 

You have been reborn. Smile. Let it begin! 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Mohala Maui 3 (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Emerging from the long border tunnel, they entered snow country…” 

Famous words from the renowned novelist Kawabata. The words are a simple and profound statement. The image is clear, a long and dark tunnel…and then suddenly everything is transformed into a sparkling bright fairyland of whiteness! 

One is black and constricting; the other is vast and dazzling. It is a perfect picture of the New Beginning God has granted us and a perfect visual of that most famous Bible verse: 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

“New creation” is a beautiful phrase! Take a minute to consider what that means…what comes to mind? 

Before I came to Christ at the age of 20, I had heard this verse much of my life and had no idea what it was talking about. Then, one day, as I was reading my Bible in my bedroom in Pukalani, the sky opened, and I broke out of the tunnel! The meaning of Jesus on the Cross hit me, not in my head, but in my heart. I slipped off my bed and onto my knees on the floor, and there I uttered the first real prayer in my life; “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

In the blink of an eye, everything changed! I will never forget that moment, and I go back to it to be reminded. 

Do you need reminding, too? Yes, you are a new creation. 

To find your New Beginning, you may need to do some housecleaning…Kondo Marie had some simple principles to help people do that and became world famous. Her name, in English, became a verb meaning to simplify and unclutter—kondo-ing. 

I saw a TV show where she helped some American lady to unclutter her life, and the lady was in tears and hugging Marie. Think of it, though: a life that is uncluttered is clean, it is simple, it is focused. Focused on what? On what is most basic and most vital. 

That is your most basic and most vital reality and identity—you are a new creation. And what are you created to do? Simple—to love God. All the old crud and clutter of your tunnel life and memories of tunnel life are done–the new is here, and what wonderful new it is—a life of loving God! 

Yes, each and every task…drab housework, boring office work, dull school work…everything gains bright meaning. It’s all new because you are new. 

You are a new creation; that tunnel is behind you. Forget it and all that was in it. You are in a new country, you are a new you, everything is changed, and life is simple, clean, and focused—love God. It’s all about Him now, and what could possibly be better than that? 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Mohala Maui 4 (2 Corinthians 4:16-17) 

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? 

It is a sad thing– only 2% of women see themselves as beautiful… As life progresses, we may like even less what we see. Once smooth skin begins to wrinkle. Our bodies will inevitably decline. The joints will hurt. Climbing those stairs can get tough…okay, enough of this depressing stuff! 

How can we talk about New Beginnings when everything seems in decline? Praise be to God! When we belong to Him, we can outwit the curse of this world! 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

(2 Corinthians 4:16-17) 

This Scripture nails it, and bluntly, doesn’t it? Outwardly, we are wasting away…but we do not lose heart because something far more significant is happening! 

From the moment of birth, every day is getting closer to death. But here is a secret–when we come to God, the pattern is flipped. When we belong to God, we are granted eternal life! And in this system, things just keep getting better and better and better! Every single day is as fresh as the day we were born again! Eternity is endless new birth. 

Okay, for sure, that image in the mirror has not changed. And the joints may only hurt more today than they did yesterday, but look at the encouragement; those are “light and momentary troubles,” they are just tiny glitches that will actually work into something fantastic. 

Do you have a favorite gemstone? Red rubies? Blue turquoise? Rainbow opals? I was recently in a palace in Istanbul and saw giant emeralds blazing a color of green I never knew existed! As beautiful as all these gems are, there is a process to them becoming things of marvel. First, they must be found; usually, that means a lot of digging. Then they must be cut, which often means a sharp hit or slice, and then they must be ground and polished. The excess must be removed to maximize the beauty, color, and fire to finally create a real jewel. 

God does this with each of us. He digs, He extracts, He cuts, He grinds, He polishes. It is not an easy or pleasant process. But, in the end, He adorns us with jewels of great beauty and value. Do you feel Him digging or cutting or grinding now? It hurts, doesn’t it? It feels terrible, right? Be sure, it will be worth it all. 

In Kahului, I met a sweet old lady named Haru Endo. She taught Ikebana and had a photography shop with her husband, but I believe her life before that was hard labor in the hot sugar cane fields, day after day…grinding. 

I remember distinctly that Haru san had a lot of wrinkles. Her face was covered with them. But I will never forget that there was something special about those wrinkles. Amazingly, they were actually beautiful! My mother once commented that Endo san’s wrinkles were all in the right place…her face radiated peace, joy, and contentment…a lifetime of hardships, but she shined with God’s gems. Beauty that had grown day by day…proof of real life…eternal life that was just barely getting started! 

Be sure, friend, that it is worth it all. It might be tough, but every day, you can meet it again, fresh. It is a new day! Everything is new again. Those gems are going to dazzle. 

Now smile, and make sure future wrinkles get going in the right direction! 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Mohala Maui 5 (Galatians 2:20) 

What do you want to accomplish in life? Is there some big dream you have? 

Maybe it’s a secret that you have never been bold enough to share with anyone… 

Many years ago, I made a “dream list” of things I wanted to do in my life—pretty big things… ha-ha; even my wife has never seen it—I am too embarrassed! 

Most people hope to do something significant in their life—a book, a song, an idea, an organization, a change, a contribution of some sort that brings hope and maybe makes the world a better place. But many people make a mistake here… 

My next-door neighbor’s son, Travis, who was the ring boy at my wedding in Makawao, grew up to shoot the all-Hawaii record ulua. It was pretty cool, and everybody knew about it because it was documented on TV–not just one of those fish tales (which I have told plenty of). But you know what? There is always a bigger ulua, right? Everything we accomplish is temporal; in the end, it will all be forgotten, it will all burn…all those ideas, inventions, and world records, in the end, do not mean much; in the end, they disappear. 

“Wait!” You may be thinking…“That isn’t encouraging! That’s no way to start a New Beginning! Is everything going to burn?” But don’t worry! Today’s Scripture is going to give us serious hope! 

It is short and potent, so take a minute and read it slowly… 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20a) 

There is perhaps no more radical truth about life in the whole Bible than this simple statement, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” This is the key to your entire future and the present. There has been an exchange. It is not you and your life; the fact is, you have no life. He is the life, and He is now your life. Does that sound strange or like you have lost something? If so, you are getting it wrong! 

There are two wonderful things that this means for you. 

First, is that you are never alone. There is never a reason to be lonely! You are indwelt by the most amazing, interesting, and wonderful Person par none. It is better than a friendship, better than a marriage, better than a honeymoon, for the rest of forever! 

Second, Christ in you means all that He is in you, all His potential and all of His power. Wow! Why would we think that we lost something? With Christ in us, we have gained the infinite! 

I like to think of Mary. You know, The Mary. Before Jesus, what was she? A nobody—just a poor, uneducated, insignificant girl who lived in a crummy town. Nazareth today is nothing special. But when Mary lived there, it was considered the dumps. She had no future, just a nameless poor girl struggling to keep food in her stomach and then, in a few years, be forgotten forever. But something happened… 

A new life came into Mary—literally, The Christ living in her. And that simple fact changed everything. Mary brought Christ into this world; she brought salvation to all humankind! And because of that, thousands of years later, you have been blessed…big time! Today, Mary is perhaps the most esteemed woman, if not person, who ever lived. 

Think again of the potential of Christ living in you—His life flowing through those veins…The Alpha and Omega, The Almighty, The Great I AM! 

What might happen if you simply yielded to Him and spoke those most famous words of Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” What might happen if you allowed Him to do as He pleased? 

Now, that is the beginning of something incredible. That is the beginning of your real dreams… 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: John 7:38

Mohala Maui 6 (John 7:38) 

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa? 

Not on a postcard or T-shirt, but the real thing? Today, if you make it to the Louvre in Paris to see her, you will have to endure an ocean of heads and smartphones blocking your view. The painting is as fascinating as its intriguing history. When it was stolen in 1911, one of the suspects was Picasso himself. And it’s hard to believe that such a great work once hung on the wall in King Francis I- toilet! 

The Mona Lisa is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, and Leonardo da Vinci worked on it for 15 years–and upon his death in 1519, he still didn’t consider it finished. 

Now, you may not realize it, but you are also a masterpiece. God Himself, the Great Master, is painting your life. His work is not finished. For sure, there is much to look forward to as God continues His work in you! 

But the real question is, do you believe? This is the central question in Scripture and the theme of Jesus’ time with His disciples. When we believe, all things are possible. When we believe, mountains move. When we believe, Heaven invades our world. One day, Jesus stood up in the temple and shouted in a loud voice what happens when you believe… 

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:38) 

What an odd statement! Just what is “living water”? If you are like me, then you enjoy walking along a river. Now that I live in Tokyo, that usually means the Sumida River, but that water is not beautiful, nor does it seem “living.” My wife is from Gifu, and the waters of the Nagara River are teeming with trout and cormorants, carp, and turtles, so it seems more “living,” but this is not at all what Jesus is talking about. The “living water” here is the Holy Spirit. The beautiful image is that when you believe in Christ, the flow of the Holy Spirit begins from within! You don’t need to get a ”fix” from without; you already have everything springing up from within! 

Think of it! The whole world, all of humankind, whether they admit it or not, are trying to find stuff to fill their inner emptiness. They go from one thing to the next, never really satisfied. But when we open our lives to Christ, we become something very unique in this world—a spring! 

But this spring is not just a trickle; although it may start that way, it is a gush, no, a massive outpour! Not just enough for a stream or a creek, but an actual river! And then Jesus doesn’t say “river,” He says “rivers”! 

Rivers! Your thirst has been quenched, and you are overflowing, so much so that rivers are coming out of you in all directions, bringing life and healing and blessing to others all around! 

Does it sound like too much? Does it seem more than you can handle? Exactly! Because your life is not your life. When you are in Christ, it’s His life. It is not about you; it is about Him in you. 

You are His masterpiece. He has chosen to do this in you, to reveal Himself through you! To flow from you…everywhere. 

Because of this, from today forward, if you really get it, you have every reason to be the happiest person in the world! Are you getting it? 

This is your new beginning…He Himself, smile, and let the flow begin! 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing. 

Scripture: Romans 8:37-39

Mohala Maui 7 (Romans 8:37-39) 

Did you ever come face to face with a shark? 

Maui is not a good place for that to happen, especially in Makena. But fool that I was, I went out diving alone that day… At the base of a cliff, I came to an underwater cave that seemed promising, so I dove down and stuck my torso into the dark interior; my eyes adjusted to the dark, and sure enough, it was teeming with big eye aweoweo. My spear flew, I wounded a couple, and blood was in the water. Then I saw it. Something was stirring in the cave, something big! Then, a huge form thrashed by in the dark. Immediately, I back-swam away from the cave–and it burst out–a wide head with lots of teeth coming straight at me. 

It’s hard to describe what actually happened after that because it seems to defy human anatomy—somehow, I rocketed straight out of the water like a dolphin and grabbed onto the cliff, fins and all. My heart way up in my throat, eyes wide, I hung there for a very long time. Finally, my breathing calmed, and I knew there was only one option…to get home, I was going to have to get back into the water… right at the mouth of that cave! 

It’s a popular childhood Bible story, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, and suddenly, that was my favorite Bible story. Okay, God, you did it back then in Persia or somewhere; now I need the same thing here on Maui. Eventually, terrified as I was, I quietly slipped into the water and calmly (on the outside only) glided back to the sandy shore. The funny thing is, I didn’t look back. Somehow, I felt looking back proved I didn’t believe God had it under control—and if He didn’t, well, that would be really bad luck! Oh man, I wanted to look back…so badly…but by God’s grace, I kept my gaze forward. 

I think it’s the same for all of us. If something terrifying, traumatic, or terrible happens, we want to look back and keep checking, just to make sure. It’s like we keep pulling the band-aid and even the scab off a memory. Instead of trusting God, leaving it in His hands, and looking forward, we thrash about (to the delight of sharks) and miss something. We miss experiencing God and His presence. 

In the days and months ahead, you have the chance to rehearse or release. God is with you now. He is present. And nothing can separate you from His love. As it says in Romans 8: 

“…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Sharks? They are out there. Disasters? Discouragements? Disease? Disability? Divorce? They all happen. But you have something that will never end; you belong to Him, and His love for you is eternal, and the whole cosmos cannot change that. 

You have a new beginning; living in Jesus is awesome. It changes everything; being loved by God is your real reality; now, enter into the experience of it! What could be better than that? And living in Maui No Ka Oi is just frosting on the cake. 

And never forget the words of that most famous Bible verse that tells us about God’s love and life (local style); 

“God get plenny love and aloha fo da peopo inside da world. Dass why He sen His one an ony Boy. Cuz dat, erybody dat trus Him, no goin get cut off from God fovea! Dey goin get da real kine life dat goin stay to da max foeva! 

(John 3:16 Da Good An Spesho Book) 

Yes, to da max, foeva! 

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing.