ARE YOU READY......

Hurricane Felicia to Tropical Storm Felicia to Tropical Depression Felicia to OK where is this storm anyway??? BUT everyone prepared for the worst because of all of the alerts and information issued by various agencies/entities. We knew because of the National Weather Service, the NOAA, the Hurricane Hunters in their C-140's....we knew what was coming. Everyone raced to City Mill, Home Depot, Loewes, Ace Hardware to get the supplies they needed to 'survive' this storm that is headed out way.

RAPTURE - SALVATION - LIVING FOR TODAY; Worst case scenario, downgraded to the next level, to where we are today. Prepare for the worst but always BE READY!

Are YOU ready for the RAPTURE? 'Keep watch because you do not know on what day the Lord will come' Mat: 24:42

It is human nature and we are all guilty of this at one time or another at some time in our life. We have a life-changing event in our life, someone close to us passes away, we lose our job, we get divorced....the list goes on; the common denominator is that it is a LIFE CHANGING event where we have to sit back evaluate and move forward. For many of us, it is at this time that we have a GOD MOMENT, and we realize that we should be focused on God and not on so much on what is in front of us. So we hear of the Rapture, and either renew or begin our walk with GOD, embrace our SALVATION, and then.............nothing. We lose interest, the pastor's message is not as impactful, our care group gets boring, serving in the ministry becomes mundane and boring....and we revert to just 'living for today'.

We have to constantly be ready for the end times and not let our guard down. We should be telling all of our ohana, our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, everyone.....that the RAPTURE is coming, but we have the best line of defense for them...SALVATION!!!

I know, we get more worried about a Hurricane that would last for 12 hours at the very most; and yet when it comes to making a decision of where you will live for ETERNITY....it is not as important.

Father God, in the mighty name of Jesus, I ask that you touch upon all of the believers, all of the workers that are here on this Earth, that the end is near and that we need to be PREPARED and we need to PREPARE all of those around us. Let us have the confidence you have placed in us to speak BOLDLY and let all those that we know hear the name of Jesus Christ and that SALVATION is theirs if they so choose. In your precious and matchless name, I thank you for all that You have done, all that You are doing, and all that You will do. AMEN

Rotten Roots Produce Rotten Fruits

John 1:1 ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I want to thank all of you for waking up in the right mind, the right spirit, and finding the right road to get here today. Like someone once said, get right, get straight or get left.

Today I wanted to focus on something that we have all dealt with at one time or another in our lives, some of us have proclaimed victory, and yet I find myself constantly struggling with this; 'Rotten Roots Produce Rotten Fruits'.

Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV,

¹⁴Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

I want us to focus on something that we all deal with, and that is bitterness. Honestly, can anyone say that they have NEVER been bitter? I didn’t think so; how many of us are honest enough, BOLD ENOUGH, to say that they probably have some bitterness in them? I can, why lie….all of us, and I mean each and every one of us have something to be bitter about.

We have a lot of things to be bitter about, the bitterness of rejection, the bitterness of depression, the bitterness of low self esteem, the bitterness of chemical dependencies, the bitterness of alcoholism, and the bitterness of abuse. You can even go back to when we were all kids…..how about the bitterness of not getting chosen to be on a team, how about the bitterness of jealousy, maybe growing up you didn’t have things that your friends had. Or how about being bitter about your job because you didn’t get the promotion or didn’t get the raise you deserved? How about your spouse…are you bitter because she only nags (in your eyes)? Do you know what the definition of nagging is….being right at the wrong time. Are you bitter towards your kids because they don’t listen, or have they not grown up like you wanted them, or are you bitter because you feel they’re not realizing their full potential..the list goes on and on and on. So many things to be bitter about, it’s like having our personal pity party.

Let’s look at the 2^nd half of the verse, ‘…and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

That root or that seed of bitterness will taint everything you do...everything. Let’s look at it another way, how many of you ever had to pull weeds when you were growing up, like small kid time. You know, when you went to grandma’s house, or if you had to help your parents….funny, kids don’t do that anymore, shoot, everyone is so busy, we have a yardman do that now. But for those of you who can remember pulling weeds, did anyone have to pull out ‘nut’ weeds? Do you know how that weed got it’s name? If you didn’t pull it out by it’s root, it’d drive you nuts. But the best, and I mean the best, way to solve that problem was to ‘pull’ it out. Slowly and gently, if you just yanked it, you’d take the top off, but the root, the ‘nut root’, would still be there and create even more stress.

If you didn’t get the root, it would literally grow up to cause trouble and defile many. If you are not careful, that weed has the potential of ruining your entire lawn, the whole yard…from that one little nut weed. Why is that, because it will grow up to cause trouble…..You had to get the root, the very root of that weed if you even hoped to have a fighting chance. The root was about 2-3 times longer than the weed itself, talk about frustrating. It would drive me nuts, literally, the nut weed would drive me nuts…

Just like how some of us are holding on to that root of bitterness inside of us. When we had the chance to remove that bitter root years ago, we avoided it, it was too hard to do, we’d get to it later, or how about this…..it’ll go away. Yeah right……….

Nothing we do will ever reach the full splendor of God if we keep just a speck of bitterness in our inner core, our relationships with our wife, with our kids, with our coworkers, our ministry,....WE will never fully realize the blessings of God because of that seed, or that root of bitterness has the potential of preventing us from receiving the full blessings from God. Let all of us pray every day for repentence and for the removal of all roots of bitterness in our hearts, so that we may fully realize the blessings of God and continue to live in His favor.

Preserve Your Friendships With Aloha

Preserve Your Friendships

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17

We are living in very, very, challenging times -- the only thing worse is that if we have to go through these tough times alone. Our friends, our close friends can give the emotional support and companionship we need when we are feeling down There is no better time to be with friends than when we feel the walls of the world closing in; a meeting at Jamba Juice or Starbucks can go a long way in saving our sanity sometimes. Some Suggestions.....

Step 1: Who are you? It’s easy to get down on yourself when facing financial problems, but people who feel unworthy of friendship rarely make friends. Like yourself and others will like you, too. Treat yourself right, be kind to yourself.

Monitor negative “self-talk.” When “woulda... coulda... shoulda” thoughts creep into your mind, cut yourself off -- then cut yourself a break. Sure, you’ve made some mistakes (everyone has!), but you also got plenty of things right. Some situations are totally out of your control, downsizing, cutting back, eliminating positions....all of these are out of your control and you are just a byproduct of a down economy. The bottom line is that either you or someone you care for has suffered a setback.

Live according to your own sense of purpose, not to please others but to please God. We like ourselves most when we follow our inner gyroscope and are walking a path pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

Step 2: Become a master of empathy. Empathy is made up of two separate skills -- sympathy and analysis. For most of us, one of these skills comes naturally while the other is more difficult. Typically, women are better at sympathy, men at analysis.

Key: Realize that your natural response is not necessarily the proper one in a particular situation. Before reacting to a friend’s problem, try to determine what sort of response this person wants. Does he/she want your sympathy, or will he consider the attention embarrassing? Does he want a solution to his problem, or would he prefer to solve it on his own?

Example: A friend who has not yet retired tells you about his employer’s increasingly precarious financial condition. If you are a sympathizer, you might focus on his concerns for the future of his job and console him... if you are an analyzer, you might suggest job-hunting techniques that could help him find a more stable employer.

A well-rounded empathizer would express concern about the situation, but listen for indications that the person wants further consolation or potential solutions before saying anything more.

Step 3: Ask for help... and lend a hand without being asked. People like people who ask for their help. It feels good to be needed, and it is flattering to be treated like an expert.

Examples: Ask a friend to help you select a book to read, a play to attend or a bed-and-breakfast for a weekend away. Target a topic this friend is knowledgeable about. Later, compliment the friend on his choice.

Providing help can build friendships as well, but only if you supply help before it is requested. If an acquaintance seems overwhelmed by responsibilities, ask “What can I do to help?” and don’t take no for an answer... or simply show up ready to help when the work is being done. Don’t wait to be asked for your assistance -- people asking for help feel uncomfortable and needy.

Step 4: Learn to listen. People tend to like people who listen to what they say. Listening means genuinely hearing and thinking about what someone else is saying, not just waiting for your chance to speak. You can learn to be an effective listener even if it is not one of your natural skills.

Exercise: When someone tells you a story, imagine that the events are happening to you. This increases the odds that your face will convey appropriate emotions. Make statements that show that you understand the speaker’s feelings and that you consider these feelings reasonable. If you are not certain what the speaker feels, take your best guess, then ask for confirmation.

Example: An acquaintance shares a story about narrowly avoiding an accident caused by a driver in the next lane shaving while looking in his rear-view mirror and traveling at 70 miles an hour.

To be a good listener, don’t prepare your own dumb-driver anecdote in your mind while this acquaintance speaks. Instead, listen and try to sense what emotion the speaker is trying to convey. Is he feeling anger at the other driver? Fear from the near miss? Or does he think the story is humorous? Then respond accordingly.

Step 5: Create shared memories. Shared experiences -- particularly those shared in times of stress -- are what bind friends together. A shortcut to deepen friendships is to create a unique experience that is sure to make a memory. Simply keep your eyes open for opportunities. You may have to spend a few dollars or make a bold move. Just do it! The memories are worth it.

Example: During a trip to Mount St. Helens, I hired a helicopter to take me, my wife and another couple down into the crater. The four of us have become very close and we often talk about that helicopter ride.

Step 6: Compliment early and often. Every time you encounter a friend, offer a compliment within the first 30 seconds. This will get things off to a positive start, and people will associate positive feelings with time spent with you -- increasing the odds that they will want to be around you. Offering compliments is particularly important at times like these when so many people are feeling down about themselves.

Key: Compliments must be honest -- it’s easy to spot insincerity. Comment on a new haircut or an item of clothing... pass along something nice you heard about the person... thank him for information or advice he provided that proved useful.

Example: At a recent dinner party, I told someone that his commitment to fitness had inspired me to exercise more.

Step 7: Become invested in your friend’s future. “What is a big dream of yours?” or “What would you like to accomplish in the next 10 years?” are good conversational questions. They show that you are interested in the person’s goals and dreams -- and allow people to present themselves in any way they like.

On the other hand, “How have you been?” is a particularly iffy question these days. It forces many people to either admit that they are suffering in this weak economy or lie and say that everything is fine. Ask about people’s plans instead, and you allow them to look forward to better times.

Once you know where people want to go in their lives, you may find opportunities to help them on their way.

Examples: Introduce them to potentially useful contacts, or e-mail an article that they may find interesting.

Now you have established an ongoing contact -- which may lead to a true friendship. But you will never know if you don’t take the first step.