Completely Obsessed

So I met Leonard yesterday. I learned about Leonard several years ago. You see, we subscribe to a video service that sends us videos every few months or so. They're designed to be used as illustrations or to enhance worship times, or just give you something to think about.
Well one of them came in titled "Salvation Mountain." It was about this old guy out a little past the Salton Sea, in the middle of the desert, who had built a "mountain" and painted all over it. I've wanted to try and find this place ever since I heard about it, but never really got around to it until this weekend. I went camping out at the Salton Sea with a few friends, and on our way back yesterday, we decided to go looking for it and see if it was even still around.
It most definitely is still there.

It's hard to describe this place.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, it would take more than a thousand words to describe this place. Let me do it for you in just a few less...
It was like stepping into a Dr. Seuss book.

There are many things I'm sure that could be said about everything out there on both theological and philosophical levels. I mean, to be working on a big "sculpture/painting/building project" thing out in the middle of the desert for 24 years?

One thing was evident as I walked around and listened to him talk and asked him a few questions. He has a singular focus. He has a singular vision. He's painting and building to share a specific message. Everything he does is focused on that. Day in, day out. Week in, week out. Month after month, year after year. I have no doubt that he'll be working on Salvation Mountain until the day he dies.

I didn't have a theological conversation about everything out there with him. But if we could take his singular focus and apply it to our own lives, what would that look like? I'm not saying that we should all move to the desert and start building a mountain. But if you really started building and structuring your life around the focus and purpose of knowing, believing, living, and proclaiming The Gospel of Jesus Christ, what would that look like?

Rob
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Slavery

So those who have had more than a couple conversations with me are probably keenly aware of my obsession with The Gospel and one particular aspect of our Christianity that goes along with it: slavery. We are slaves of Christ. In that mindset, we're on a little journey this morning:

Romans 6:16 says "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness."

That's the set-up. Stay with me.

In the Gospel, God has cancelled "the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities an dput them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him." (Colossians 2:14-15)
John Piper, commenting on this verse says, "When Christ died for our sins, satan was disarmed and defeated. The one eternally destructive weapon that he had was stripped from his hand - namely the accusation before God that we are guilty and should perish with him. When Christ died for us, that accusation was nullified."

When we are saved, sins' power over us is neutralized. We no longer have to sin. Now, we still do sin and we are still in our bodies of flesh, but we no longer have to sin. An unbeliever sins because that's who they are. They are a slave to sin. We shouldn't be surprised when an unbeliever does something sinful. When we are saved, when we believe in the Gospel, we are no longer slaves to sin. It's no longer our first instinct. Our nature becomes new. While we may not always do the right thing, our nature is now disposed toward righteousness. When we sin, it goes against who we are. This is what the Apostle Paul is talking about in Romans 7 when he says "I have the desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out... Wretched man that I am." Only a saved person would struggle with sinning like this.

Paul also tells us that "no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

When you process through all this, it leads us to the conclusion that we no longer have to sin. God has truly given us everything we need not only to be saved, but also to live a holy life. We have been given the ability to not sin. We can live a holy life. After all, it's what He saved us for in the first place. (Ephesians 1:4, & 2:10)

Milton Vincent writes "As long as I am stricken with the guilt of my sins, I will be captive to them... The Devil is well aware of this fact; he knows that if he can keep me tormented by sin's guilt, he can dominate me with sin's power." When we truly understand and meditate on the Gospel, we see that we are no longer guilty before a holy God. God punished Jesus for all of my sins specifically. When Jesus hung on the cross, God treated Him as if He had committed all of my sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Romans 6:14 says "For sin shall not be master over you, for you are... under grace."

Let's live life every day with this in mind. We are forgiven. We are no longer guilty. The Gospel tells us that Christ suffered and died in my place so that I might know God. Satan (the accuser) has nothing left to say to or about me. I stand forgiven and free. The next time you are under the attack of the enemy, remember your standign before God. When God looks at you, He sees the righteousness of Christ. Live that way. Remember that whatever temptation you're experiencing right now is not a surprise. There is a way out. Re-focus on the Gospel and go forth and don't sin. Whether it's the temptation to gossip about someone, lie to someone, or whatever sin is before you. You don't have to do it. You have already been given a way out.

To me, that's good news! That's the Gospel.

The Aftermath...

So what now?
We've been to Hawaii and seen some sights.
The trip is mere 12 weeks away.
The countdown comences.

Remember - we're going to Hawaii for a purpose. Well, two purposes, truth be told.
We're going to minister and we're going to see the sights. The two can definitely go hand in hand.

Hawaii is most definitely a beautiful place. So much to see and do. You could be on Oahu for weeks and still have more to see. We've all seen the TV Shows, postcards, movies, and such. We all know what we think it will look like, and that Hawaii certainly does exist. It certainly is a beautiful place.

In the midst of that beauty, however, there is a less "tropical paradise" side. I'm not trying to get you all teary-eyed and sad, but there is a segment of people living on Oahu that have basically nothing. Our goal is to partner with Kalihi Baptist Church and help them as they seek to reach out to people living on the Island with the Gospel. We'll be doing Backyard Bible Clubs, Neighborhood Canvassing, Concerts, and a big Block Party.

When we met John Vaughn, the pastor of Kalihi Baptist Church, we were very impressed at his heart to reach and minister the Gospel to so many living in less than Tropical Luxury. We'll be focusing our efforts in a low income goverment Apartment complex that is home to people from a variety of South Pacific cultures.

That's just part of the ministry aspect. I'm very excited about all the ministry potential. We had some great conversations and there are some really cool things in the works. We'll just have to see what all God has in store for us in the ministry area.

As for the "tourist" side - don't worry. We'll definitely be tourists quite a bit as well. While we were there, we pretty much found the "must do's" and one "Definitely not worth it" activity. Hawaii is an amazingly beautiful place. I have to admit, that after seeing Waikiki and walking on the beach for a few minutes there, I wasn't that impressed. Newport has Waikiki beat for beach and simple getting in the water. But then we drove out of the city for just a few minutes and discovered the "Real Hawaii." Man!!! Amazing! I can't even describe in words what it was like. I'll be putting a few pictures on facebook, so go check them out.

So be getting ready. Be praying. Be in the Word. It's going to be an amazing trip! Get ready!

Rob
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SoCal vs. Hawaii

I'm not sure who wins.
But it's nice to be back!
Moe Hurtado was gracious enough to pick us up all the way out at LAX.
I'm tired and while I'm sad to not be on a beautiful tropical island anymore, I'm happy to be home.

Pictures coming soon. I'll put an album up on facebook.

Aloha!

Maui [not so] wowie...

So the island jump over wasn't bad...
But after waiting for luggage...
Waiting in line for boardig passes again...
Being sent back to an "Agricultural Check Station"...
Back for luggage checking...
Dropping off luggage with TSA (this actually went right by)
Another wait at airport security...
Only to return to where we had JUST been...
Now we have only 15 minutes before boarding re next flight.
At least there's a restaurant right across from our gate with a super-nice waitress. (tipped her well)

So now begins the 15 minute countdown until 6 hours sandwiched between two people I don't know.

I land late tonight.
Sleep late tomorrow.
Oh, wait...
I work tomorrow.
I might be in a bit late... Shh! Don't tell anyone... ;-)

Walking to Maui

We had to walk out to the plane.
It's so small than I can touch both sides at the same time. My wingspan is as wide as the plane is.
They charge for water. LOL!

I almost didn't need the ramp to get into the plane. I think our Steward might also be the co-pilot.
This just has me laughing. Well at least I'll be able to say I've been to both Oahu AND Maui!

And as Jefè has suggested: pray for the other passengers as their fate is linked to ours.

One final thought: do you watch "LOST?" because they film that show somewhere in Hawaii. I hope we don't become permanent residents on "The Island..." are there any "Others" on the plane with us? :-O

Cheetos & Snapple

So our grueling airport adventure has begun. Instead of booking a direct flight, El Jefé booked a layover in Maui. Now, normally I'd be thinking, "Hey! Another island!" The timing, however, will not allow us to leave the airport. Our first check-in person seemed a bit confused. I think that us changing airlines on Maui was disorienting. We're going to have to go to baggage claim, get our bags, go back through security, check in again, pay another luggage fee, and sit for six hours on another crowded plane. We are truly suffering for Jesus! ;-) If only we had snorkeled this morning, it might have been worth it.

I also forgot that you can't bring any liquids through airport security, so I got to throw away the completely-full-still-sealed bottles of water I bought for the flight. I'm dumb.

And since we're flying a little Island hopper, we're in the tiniest section of the
Airport. Smaller than Long Beach even. Only one snack stand means lunch is Cheetos and Snapple. Well at least it's my all-time favorite: Diet Peach Tea. And the company is the always-zany El Jefè Bum!

Perhaps we can get into mischief while waiting an hour and a half with nothig to do and only Cheetos to eat...

More to come from Maui. I wonder what will happen there?

P.S. - it's a good thing we got the optional insurance on the Rental Jeep. The dent in the fender was spotted instantly. Of course, you'd have to be blind to miss a chunk like that (check my facebook for a photo)

Third time's (not) the Charm!

So Hanauma Bay is the top-rated snorkeling in Hawaii. Perhaps even the world. We knew this before coming. So we first attempted to check it out on Tuesday, but they're closed on Tuesday (important detail to know). Then we attempted again yesterday. They were very crowded and when they reach a certain number of people, they don't let any more people in (good to know as well). So on our final attempt, the beach was closed due to a pack of angry jellyfish. There were at least 39 jellyfish on the beach, meaning that we definitely do not want to be in the water. We do thank the Park Rangers. We also met BJ, a really nice lady who runs the snorkel renting place on the beach. Got quite a bit of useful information from her. The most helpful information, however, was from Fred. Fred told us how we could obtain a special "permit" that will, essentially, make us VIPs when we return in June.

So even though we didn't get to snorkel, it was productive. (and we saved $25!!!)

So back to the hotel room to pack. And now that we have some extra time, we'll have time to stop by Da Kine Bail Bonds and perhaps meet Dog the Bounty Hunter. I'll let you know how that goes...

Leaving Paradise

So after the better part of a week slaving away in this tropical paradise, we're headed back home in a few hours. It's been a productive and fun week. We're up an hour before sunrise to check out one final option for the trip. Everyone says that snorkeling in Hanauma Bay is amazing, but I'm not convinced yet. I want to make sure that it will be worth our time when we come in June. So we're sacrificing sleep time, getting up supe-/early, and snorkelig for our students. "Suffering to serve." That's the motto this week.

I'll let you know how it went.

P.S. - We actually did discover something last night that we definitely do not want to do. More on that later. Got to get my trunks ok and head to the bay in the now-dented Yellow jeep...

Micronesian Screeching Rats...

So we were taking a break from the grueling schedule we've been keeping all week and decided to stop and watch some surfers off Diamond Head. All of the sudden, peering over the wall in front of us was something that looked like a cross between a ferret, a prairie dog, and a big rat. We decided it must be one of the famed "Micronesian Rats" we've heard so much about.
We put a bit of maunna pua on the wall in hopes of luring one up so I could snap a photo, but they weren't having any of that.

We are certainly suffering for all of our students this week. This is all for you guys. We are not gettig any pleasure from any of this. (now Jeff can honestly say that about the Diamond Head hike) Seriously though - it's been a very productive week. We've figures out our ministry stuff, started planning a big event for all the Baptist churches on the island, and figured out most of our recreation. We even surveyed little Timmy at the Luau tonight to see what he's enjoyed the most while here in Hawaii (he said snorkeling)

So last night, we went to dinner. Our waitress told us that he had "every kind of soda" so Jeff ordered a Cherry Coke, to which she replied: "no Cherry Coke!" after some negotiations and an offer to attempt making one, he ordered a Diet Coke.

So my task now is to get packed and ready. Amazing how one backpack and a small duffel can make a hotel room hard to walk around in.
Packing, sleeping, then Snorkeling in the morning. Now we're only going for the students. We would never dream of getting any personal enjoyment from all this. ;--)

Have a great day and I'll see you Sunday!

Rob
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Breakfast in Bed

So we awoke in what I like to call "The Diamond Head Suite" since we have not only a view of the roof of the restaurant, but we can also see Diamond Head. Jeff served me breakfast in bed. Well, really he just threw my container of cereal at me then handed me the milk.
After a delicious breakfast of Apple Jacks, we headed out to hike Diamond Head. What a great hike! We not only hiked up some really cool volcanic rock trails, but ventures through some sweet tunnels and crawled through an old army bunker and out to the top of Diamond Head. The view from up there on the rim of a volcano was amazing.
The next time you see Jeff ask him how he enjoyed the hike.

We just got off the phone with Bob at the Association office. We talked about an Island-Wide outreach. He liked the idea. Very exciting! The trip is definitely taking shape in a great way. Keep us in prayer as we finalize things and finish planning.

On to Hanama Bay and a couple other things now. I mean, we have to figure out what other adventures await us on this beautiful island.
P.S.- I've heard they don't want you to poke the turtles. We'll see how that goes...

Black Sugar & Coconut

We met with Pastor John Vaughn this afternoon. This guy has his finger on the pulse of the community. He definitely has a heart for the people. We'll be ministering to children and families in a government run apartment complex. We'll be working with Samoan and Micronesian people. There's so much we can do. We met a few children in the complex. One boy (Orange shirt) doesn't even know his alphabet, but had the greatest personality. I can't wait to me back here actively doing hands-on ministry with these kids. It's going to be significant.
We'll also be doing a block party at the church and helping the Church reach out to the Philippino community around the church.
Kalihi Baptist Church is a blend of several different cultures. Very cool.
I'm really starting to get excited about this trip.

On the more interesting side: Jeff was videotaping and was told by a guy "Hey! That's my house! Stop taking pictures!"
Then there was the guy yelling "Hey you with the camera!" at me in Chinatown. The Pastor took us to get some Mannapua. He bought us each one. Sweet pork, coconut, and black sugar. We were going to split them. He even asked us "hey! We can eat those any time..." but me and Jeff were still so stuffed from the Kalua Pig we had for lunch (yes! It was amazing) we didn't want to eat them just yet. We ended up taking them. I'm pretty sure he wanted one, but we'll be enjoying it shortly. :--)

So it was a busy, but very productive day. Tomorrow, we'll me planning some of the more "fun" aspects of the trip. But for now: I'm definitely excited about what we're going to be doing.

And keep an eye out for the picture of the pastor. Dude has some serious chops!

Aloha for now,
Lopaki
(Hawaiian for Robbie)

Yama Mama!

So we toured the dorms at the University of Hawaii. They're super-nice. Definitely a potential place to stay. Caprice was our tour guide. She was really nice and we asked her where we should go for a good, authentic Hawaiian lunch. We definitely got it! She recommended the Pig at Yama's Fish Market. Man it was good! Not what I expected, but delicious! I'm pretty sure we were the only non-Hawaiian people there. Most of the menu items sounded scary. Only two tables, and they were outside.
We're not in the tourist district any more.

We'll be meeting with the Pastor of our partner church shortly. The trip has been very productive so far. It's shaping up quite nicely. It's going to be a sweet trip! Speaking of sweet, they had some interesting desserts inside. I think I'll go see what I can find...

The Real Hawaii

So yesterday, our first day here was certainly nice, so don't get me wrong. But... Waikiki, as nice as it is (and I certainly appreciate being close to the ocean), just wasn't the Hawaii I've always imagined. This morning however, we went to check out Hanama Bay. It's closed on Tuesday (important to know) so we went driving a little further and found what we've been looking for. Beautiful roads and volcanic ledges with lush green mountains right there. It was amazing. I feel like I've now seen the beauty of Hawaii.
I'm sure we'll see more, but we're headed in to meet with people at the U of H about possible accomodations. We're looking for nice, but not a resort.
More to come...

Toe Flossing and the Tower of Terror

So we've seem many sights in the few short hours we've been here so far. As we travelled along the beach, we saw a cute "older" couple who had apparently been enjoying a relaxing day at beautiful Waikiki Beach. As I noticed them, I noted that the wife was rubbing her husbands feet. How nice... Untilnshe moved on to step two: flossing between each of his toes with a towel as he sat back and relaxed. Now I'm not necessarily grossed out by feet in general as some are, but reallly? you're going to do that right there? We moved on quickly.

Next, we had to check out a few hotels. One was a bit snooty, one seemed annoyed that we might want to do business with them. The standout was definitely Tom Akegarasu. He was fun and super-happy to show us around his vintage 1970s hotel. The highlight of the tour was a run on the hotels own "Tower of Terror" elevator. I mean, I think these elevators drop faster than the Tower at DisneyLand.

All in all, a good day. I mean, how can it not be when you're in Hawaii?
Tomorrow will be a busy day. Lots to do. Beaches to see. Waves to ride. Beach naps to take... Just kidding! We'll definitely be all over the Island tomorrow trying to piece together all the details of our trip.

Already, we've got some great ideas. I really think this could turn out to be the best SWC tour yet. (and only half of that is because of where we'll be)

Aloha until tomorrow!
Lopaka
(my name in Hawaiian)

The Majestic Queen Kapiolani

The timewarp continues. We just checked in to the 70s. After calling the front desk to notify them of our non-working air conditioner, we discovered that there's a light switch that turns it on. You know, on the mainland, our air conditioners aren't operated by light switches.
We opened our curtains to discover a lovely view of the roof of the dining room. But above that really is a beautiful view of Diamond Head.
I'd write more, but we haven't eaten for over 9 hours and I'm about to pass out.
Lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise.
More adventures to follow...

Rob

Finally Aloha!

So we were finally greeted with an "Aloha!" by someone from Hawaii! Yay! Our rental shuttle driver, whose name I could not pronounce, gave us our first official Hawaiian greeting.
On a side note, it's very beautiful, but the airport is like a time warp back to the 70s.

The Lei Lie

Upon arrival at the airport, contrary to popular opinion, I was NOT greeted by a Hula Girl placing a Lei around my neck.
It was just an airport.

More to follow...

Suffering all week...

So I'm getting up early in the morning to head out for our SWC Pre-Trip. Jeff B and I will be getting up way too early to head out to fly out of LAX to go get things set up for our Choir/Mission Trip this June.

This trip brings a new meaning to the phrase "Suffering for Jesus." I mean, not only am I having to spend like four consecutive days with Jeff, but we have to fly out of LAX. I think that when the whole concept of "Purgatory" was originated, it was meant to refer to LAX.

Okay - so I'm off. If you see John Montgomery, tell him he should be jealous. This might just trump our pre-trip of several years ago when we rented the Mustang...

Keep reading this week - more details to follow.
(Including the "mystery location")

Rob
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You were dead...

So I'm preaching through the book of Ephesians right now. We've finished Chapter One and tomorrow night, we begin Chapter Two. There's so much great stuff in Ephesians. If you're reading this, you're probably well aware of my obsession with the Gospel (after all, if we have to have an obsession, why not a healthy one?). Ephesians is so rich with Gospel content.

There's tons of great stuff in Ephesians, but the first two chapters are basically a Gospel exposition. Chapter One talks about salvation from God's perspective. Chapter Two shifts and looks at it from man's perspective.

Chapter Two starts "You were dead..." That's the starting point of the Gospel. We are sinners. We must come to grips with our own sinfulness if we are to be saved. In Mark 1:15, Jesus says "Repent and believe in the Gospel..." In order to come to a point of repentance, we must be aware of our sinfulness.

So many in the evangelical world don't deal with sin. I've heard "Gospel Presentations" that don't discuss sin. If you don't start with sin, you never get to the point where you need a Savior.

This morning, I was reading in 1 Corinthians and saw something I've not seen before. In 1 Cor. 10:13 it says "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability , but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." We've all heard this verse many times. It's certainly encouraging to know that God will hold back temptations that are more than we can withstand. The flipside to that coin, however, is that we no longer have any excuse to sin. God always gives us a way out. Sin is not something a believer must do. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. God has given us "...all things that pertain to live and godliness, through the knowledge of him..." (2 Peter 1:3)

Plant that in the back of your mind. Let it simmer there for a bit. You CAN go through today without sinning. God has not only promised to give you a way to avoid sinning, but He has also given you everything you need to live a holy life.

THAT encourages me.

Seeking Him,
Rob
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GOC!!!

So we're in the middle of the GOC. So far, it's been a great week! Tom Eliff preached at the opening service on Wednesday night and it was definitely moving to see the response to his message. He invited people to be open to God's leading this week and so many came to the altar to pray, it was amazing!

I was standing there, looking at all the people praying, thinking "this is great!" The visual image of all those people praying, seeking God's face and His will is one that will stick with me for a while! To see some of my students down there was great as well. (Check my facebook for a photo of it from where I was standing)

The weekend will be coming to a conclusion soon, and the best is definitely yet to come! Tomorrow morning, Kelly Davis will be speaking to the High School students, and we've got two more services together as the whole church! I can't wait until tomorrow night. Julian, the pastor of the "Shoebox Church" in Ensenada couldn't make it for GOC (thanks to the denied visa, but that's a story for another time), but if everything works, we'll have him live via Skype at the service. We've got a big surprise coming and I can't wait.

Be sure and be a part of as much of tomorrow as you can. All three things tomorrow will be "not to be missed." Sunday School with Kelly, and both Worship Services are going to be great!

See you there!
Rob
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DiscipleNow 2009!!

So a few years back, we had Ross King scheduled to be our worship leader for DiscipleNow. He was all booked and ready. Then, when he got to the airport on Friday, his flight was first delayed, then cancelled. One flight after another wasn't available and the end result was - Friday afternoon, 3:00 p.m. No worship band for a big weekend event. Panic? Not quite.

Enter Andrew Beck. I called Andrew and told him "hey - you're on! You're going to be leading worship this weekend. I'm putting a band together for you. Practice is at 4:00. I called a couple of students and a couple of youth workers and put together a band for the weekend in only a couple of hours. I can't believe it all worked out. The band (who had never played together before) did a great job.

Fast forward a few years to now. Andrew is travelling and leading worship at churches all over Texas. He's on tour with World Changers this Summer. And Ross King is headed back out here for another try.

I'm very excited about the weekend! The theme of the weekend is "Worship: What We're Made For." Ross is hands-down one of the best worship leaders out there. He has a truly humble spirit and his ability to bring a group into God's presence and step out of the way so that we can experience God is unparalelled.

Currently, our planning has us enlisting Host Homes. We're looking for about 10-12 homes in the Highland area to host a group of students for the weekend. Letters are going out today to the lucky ones. If you think you might like to host a home, get in touch with Rob or Gretchen.

Please be in prayer for our weekend. It's coming soon! Pray that our students truly learn what it means to be a worshiper of God.

Seeking Him,
Rob
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