assurance

Assurance. Something I wish I only needed once, and then had the ability to move forward and never look back. Where do you look for it? Crack open God's life giving Word. It's jam packed with promises and affirmations that have never been broken, wrong, or misleading. And they never will be. But sometimes I want more. From the people around me. I want to know where I stand. Insecurity, doubt, and fear can dominate your brain faster than you can even begin to stretch out your hand for some real truth. It's annoying.

I am messy. Inside, and when it comes to my cramped closet and the amount of clothes I try to shove in it, I'm messy on the outside too. BUT. My family loves me. My friends love me. God loves me. Author and Perfector. I'm embracing it and blazing through it all.

"Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."--Hebrews 12:2

It's a lesson I will always fight to learn. Ha, also, whenever I think of the word "assurance" all I can picture is Creed on The Office, when he is asked what he does at Dunder Mifflin and he doesn't even know. Later he's like, "What is wrong with this woman? She's asking about stuff that's nobody's business. 'What do I do?' What do I do, I do here. I should have written it down. 'Qua' something. Quaaa. Quarr. Quab. Quall. Qwer. Quobbity! Quobbity assurance!" :)
The past few weeks stretched me. I laughed so hard I cried. I just plain cried. Steven and I created, organized, and conducted a choir for a month. I swam in waters with whales super close by. Went on late night drives to secret beaches. Applied to college. I picked tangerines and grapefruit straight from their trees. Dreamed big on a hammock with Alyssa under the bright night stars. I took a picture of myself with nerdy glasses on :) I made signs with Leslie for Maui High boy's volleyball game. Listened to the same song on repeat 27 times in a row. Painted my toenails Maui Magic. Soaked up awesome wisdom from my wonderful mentor. I ate fish tacos at every restaurant that had it on the menu. I walked Front street with friends in Lahaina on a quest to find Rainbow slippers. Had a great coffee date with a friend. Jumped on a trampoline with Jena. The interns were blessed to be served dinner by a wonderful small group Ohana. Stumbled upon "Mauiritaville" in Ka'anapali with Alyssa. Nothing quite like witnessing a bunch of business minded mainlanders letting loose in Maui. Partook in a flamingo flocking endeavor. Rebelliously neglected shoes. I'm forever learning a life of full-time ministry.

Aloha ke Akua.

Risa

fresh. fly. free.

-H.I.M. Conference 2011-

Here is a recap of my Risa-fied note taking :)

Thursday the 24th:
Isaiah 58. The Fringe. Love your neighbor. Who is my neighbor? Obedience isn't about feelings. Challenge. Write down 4 things you want to know the will of God in:
1. Go back to School?
2. Stay in Maui?
3. Utila Coffee Ministry Opportunity
4. Major?

MASTER. Mission. Mate.

Solomon asked for 1. Wisdom 2. Knowledge. Your life is the product of the sum decisions you make. Gal 6:7- What we sow we will reap. Don't be duped.

Attitude to possess:
-Prov 9:10- Respect
-Prov 11:2- Humility
-Prov 19:20- Teachability
-Prov 8:17- Diligence

Ask God. Go to the Bible. Seek Counsel. Look at the Doors. Have an Eternal perspective. Walk by Faith.

God can direct my thoughts. He can reveal consequences of my decisions while I think about it. Good or bad. He can bring a verse to me. Name of a person. Listen. Quiet yourself. God says, "Trust. My ways. I'll talk. Just ask." For HIS glory. For my good.

Truth will always defend itself. God, I have the confidence in the fact that you are directing my steps. God can't steer a parked car. Keep moving, God has the ability to open and close doors.

Friday the 25th:
Papa God, I don't know what you are up to today............
......but I'm coming with you.

2nd Session. British Dude. Mark 14. Anything not born in prayer is born in pride. HIM is greater than me.

Koa Siu-Worship Pastor of Hope Chapel West Oahu. We don't worship the worship. We worship God through the music. Unity. Power. Worship. Living song. The new song. Collective. Fresh. Engaging. Alive. Living. Encouraging. Inductive method of choosing songs. Revelatory method of choosing songs. Use both.

Tony Campolo. There's a difference between Biblical Jesus and American Jesus.

Dave Gibbons. AWAKENING. Check out this video he showed us about Changing Education Paradigms. It made me want to teach. God, give me YOUR eyes. Full surrender. Brokenness. Desperation. Freedom. Profound love for God. Extreme. LOVE. Profound love for others. Called. Poured out. See something beautiful in every person. Apathetic is dangerous. Be radical. Be like Bruce Lee. Liquid. Flow. Essence.

What would the church look like if it wasn't confined to a piece of land?

Satan will discourage. Lies. Doom. Failure. Use your messiness to influence your generation. We all have a unique set of gifts/experiences/pain. My personal destiny. Simple. Meaningful Collaboration. Jesus is the center of my mess. Great pain= Great Leadership. Go where you grow. Help people find their destiny. See people for who they are. Affirm their special destiny. John 5-Only do what you see the Father doing.

There are three types of people:
1. Designers
2. Developers
3. Stablizers

Saturday the 26th:
Worship is about seeing God. Holy. Set apart. No equal. Mighty. Holy. Here I am Lord. Send me.

I confess. He resolves.

British Dude again. Creative Prayer. The Gospel is more about questions than answers. Christ didn't die to make us Christian. He died to make us human. Sin= Anything that makes you less like Christ.

The Gospel doesn't change. The clothes it wears does.

Don't imitate. Innovate.
New language. New landscape.
Creator God. First thing we know.
No agenda. Creative being.
No limits. More than words.

Exodus 31: Oholiab & Bezalel- 1st person in Bible to be annointed by the Holy Spirit is a humble artisan. Called by name.

Submerged sunrise of wonder. Dig for it.
Surprise. Depth and mystery.
Jesus lived it. Created intrigue.
What is Prayer?
A relationship with God.
Communion. Interaction. Communication.
An expression of worship.
Prayer and worship. Different sides of the same coin.
Sword. Battling for the people you love.
Contemplation. Meditation. Confession.
Exploration. Celebration.

1. We have to reach a changing culture. They don't respond to cliche.
2. We have to renew the church.
3. Reflect our individuality.
I learned a lot this weekend. Other than the conference, Oahu was a great get-away. We walked the busy streets of Waikiki. I ate Mahi. Drank a dark chocolate latte from Coffee Bean. Rocked out at the David Crowder concert. Jumped a fence. Then found the gate to walk out of it. Got lost in a parking garage. It's not our fault all the levels look the same!! Checked out Pipeline. Saw MAYBE ankle biter waves. Compared to the 50 foot sets it's known for. North Shore. Matsumoto's legendary shave ice. Nu'uanu Pali Lookout. WiNdY. Banana Melona bar. 3 story Forever 21. Cheesecake Factory. UHmazing. Kaneohe. Jason's Hawaii Baptist High School. Saw where Chris and Craig lived back in the day and the Pizza hut Chris managed. Aloha Stadium looks like it's barely holding it together ha :) Oahu Target. It's all about the Target experience. Soaked up the awesomeness that is the Mauck family. I prayed that the Lord would give me peace about the future. I'm actually more confused about the future now. I know He'll show me what's up in His time.

Aloha :)
Risa

maui march madness

1. Shamrock Shakes (or lack thereof)
It's March. Which means the Shamrock Shake is a staple at McDonalds. My roommate, Lisa, loves them, and I have had positive experiences with them in the past, so we concluded that it was a matter of importance to try one in honor of Maui March Madness. The first time we went to get one, they were out of the mix. Popular. The next time we went, I called in to check, and they were ready for Shamrock Shake business. A mere few hours later, we ordered and paid, only to drive to the next window and find out they were sold out! Now, with much anticipation, and high expectations, I look forward to actually experiencing a Maui Shamrock Shake.

2. Roommate Birthdays
For Jena's birthday, we all piled into our trusty 15 passenger van and headed to the West side to Lahaina Pizza Co on a Sunday afternoon. It was an idyllic and relaxing afternoon. Bbq chicken pizza with ranch was consumed. [Ranch goes great with EVERYTHING!]. Limitless Diet Coke. Reasons why we love Jena. Her excitement and passion for her ministry is contagious. She is always fun to be around. She's just cool. After a late lunch, we wandered around Lahaina and window shopped like tourists :)

For Lisa's birthday, the following Sunday, we all met up at Kalama park and had cake and ice cream. It was super chill, hanging out under the shady trees. The boys threw around a frisbee while the girls chatted. We all gathered along the beach to watch the sunset. It was stunner. I love Lisa. She embraces life and brings joy into all situations. She just knows. Also, I've always wanted to be close friends with a Lisa, so we could be "Lisa and Risa." :)

3. Tsunami Day 2011
I came home from worship practice on Thursday night to an empty house but a phone loaded with messages. Earthquake. Japan. 8.9. Tsunami created. Destruction. I turn on the news to be bombarded by insane images of buildings/cars/homes being completely dominated by water. Hawaii news informs me that this will DEFINITELY send a tsunami our way. At 3:23 to be exact. The waiting game begins. I remember our tsunami scare last year, and immediately get out a map to see how far away Hawaii is from Japan. It's MUCH closer than Chile is to Hawaii. The lesson I learned from my last tsunami experience is to NOT PANIC. Our condo is out of the evacuation zone. So if we were to get hit, our home would be up far enough from danger. That fact isn't comforting enough though. Jena and I (the other two girls were with friends safe and sound) filled up our tubs with water and semi-jokingly ran around trying to decide what to pack in case we needed to leave. Important papers. Expensive things. Journals. Comfy clothes. Done.

The boys came over and we decided to spend the night at our High School Pastor's place in Waikapu, which is nestled right in the midsection of Maui. The drive there was eerie. Roads close to the ocean were closed off. Police everywhere. Sirens going off. Deep breaths. We get to the Smith's and they have snacks and coffee. We kept up with the news. Decided to make a bonfire outside. It was actually a great night, sitting around the fire, sipping good coffee, talking story. Once the first wave hit with minor damage, I was able to fall asleep. Early morning fellowship. Then right back to work as usual. Madness. I am so thankful that Maui came out virtually unscathed. I love this island so much. Wow. So much. It's home. God sits on the throne.

4. Maui Garage Sales

In order to raise more money for our trip to Oahu for the HIM Conference, the Mauck's (my boss and his family) had a garage sale. We're pretty stoked about the exciting trip to Oahu! Maui garage sales are different in many ways from Kansas garage sales, but the exact same in others. Some of the items you might find at a Maui garage sale would be things left by vacationers from condos, lots of swimsuits, board shorts, and body boards. But there will always be the same feelings of satisfaction when you find a good deal on something you want. That, in my opinion, is a universal feeling tied to garage sales.

This month really has been madness. I feel like I can never really catch my breath. It's one thing after another. But I feel like these will be my favorite times to look back on. God is in the details.

Aloha,
Risa

baptism and intern retreat

A couple weeks ago we had our President's Day Baptism. Hope Chapel baptisms are one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE events on Maui. The church body gathers together to baptize brothers and sisters in Christ and then we eat food and play volleyball :) For an intern, the morning starts before the sun rises, and we meet John John at the church to load up all the food, tents, sound system, and tables to take down to the beach. The baptism in February is my favorite out of the three we have because whales can be spotted during the set up process. Pastors Craig, Jake, and Ben all settle down in the shade to share testimonies and explain what baptism really looks like/means in the Bible. It's so incredible to hear the testimonies of everyone. The work of the Lord will NEVER cease to amaze me.

After the testimony time is over, the sounds of conch shells and drum beats beckon everyone down the water to sing and worship the Lord through song and hula. Last year, as the small group intern, my job was to keep the group of people organized and walk each person out into the water. This year, as the worship intern, I am in charge of the music. This year, we had the Men of Integrity ministry do all of the music so I was able to help Lisa and be right in the action. That's my favorite part! Two of the interns, Lisa and Blake, have been believers for many years, but had not been baptized, so they took the plunge! That was pretty cool to be a part of. The Lord blessed me with some really cool conversations that day. Also, the volleyball net was a little shorter than the men's height I'm used to so I had a TON of fun with that :)

After a hectic week of work, the interns all piled into the 15 passenger van with Pastor Craig and Pastor Jake and headed out on our yearly intern retreat. Part of the tradition is to eat at Charley's in Paia, which is where Willie Nelson plays. (Above photo). We clambered through bamboo forests. Swam towards majestic waterfalls. Hiked over teetering rocks. Jumped off of anything under 30 feet tall into frigid waters :) It was great to spend time with Craig and Jake and all the interns. By this time in the internship, we are all starting to feel a little bit burned out. Craig is an excellent cook and made us some quality meals. We played games, sang worship, talked about Isaiah 40 with Jake, and of course, Telephone Pictionary. Love these guys.

I'm pretty AMPED that it is already March. My next post will be about Maui March Madness. Get excited :)

Risa

favorite february fads

THE WHALES
I spotted my first one back in December, but it seems like lately they are jumping outta the water EVERYWHERE! The drive to Lahaina is full to the brim with whale sightings. At the beach today, we saw one in the distance breaching. When you go underwater, you can hear them talking to each other! I got to go on a whale watch and the ocean was bustling with whale activity. Check out the back drop behind this whale, it's no wonder they love coming to warm Maui this time of year :)

MORNING JOE COFFEE
On a whim, and in dire need of coffee for my impending morning, I grabbed this bag of coffee from Safeway. Drank it via french press, with vanilla creamer and it is AMAZING!! You can get a free tall drink at Starbucks with the bag :) Word on the street is that it is just a trial run, so it needs to be popular to stick around. This is my first choice to be my companion in the morning during my 24 day bible challenge. Alyssa says, "Ohh, a good cup of coffee draws me closer to the Lord when I'm reading my Bible in the morning!" A definite February favorite!!


MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
This past weekend, I attended my first ever men's college volleyball match. University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors traveled to Maui to play the California Baptist University Lancers. War Memorial's open air gym was packed out. I got to enjoy the game with other volleyball lovers. I have always loved volleyball and appreciated what an epic sport it is, but I was really reminded of my die hard love for it. I really hope that my future involves either coaching or playing volleyball. The past two times I thought I was giving up volleyball for good, God totally brought it back into my life. Also, men can seriously dominate at this game. Love it.



DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD STUDY
This study is solid. It is convicting, truthful, and exactly what I need right now. I am blessed to be in a bible study with wonderful women in all walks of life. I'm the youngest in the group, so I've been soaking up all sorts of wisdom from the women in the group. I'm used to Beth Moore studies, and this is similar, but I love Priscilla! I have so many questions for God during this season. This study encourages me to press into God's Word, but also gives practical tips to better hear God's voice. And when God speaks, I want nothing more than to hear Him!

24 day challenge

Whales. Sunshine. House sitting a wonderful home. Playing the guitar. French press coffee every morning. Windows open at night. Eating tako (octopus fresh from the ocean). Stand up paddle surfing for the first time. Salty skin. Observing my favorite worship leaders to soak up their skills. Closing my eyes and reciting God's promises over and over. Starry night. Convertible top down. Launiupoko drive. Long talks with wonderful women that I admire and love so much. Getting stretched to lead worship by myself. Leadership Summit at Kumalani on the West Side. McDonalds brought back the $1 drinks!!! Movie nights at the boy's place. Helping Jake cut the cable of his own moped lock. Eating leftover dinner for breakfast. Always on call for ministry opportunities. Never knowing what the next day holds.

I think if we were to make a reality tv show about this internship, it would win awards.

Something I have grown a lot in over the past 4 years is having a quiet time each morning. I grind up my coffee, I crack open the window, I put on some mellow tunes and I meet with the Lord. I usually pick a passage of scripture to go through and write it out, pray it, and then pick out what I want to dwell on the rest of the day.

A couple weeks ago, 12 days to be exact, I felt a tug to read the whole Bible. I have done year plans before and loved it. But I want the bigger picture. And I want it soon. I looked up a chronological plan, because I had never done that before--did you know that the story of Job happens after Genesis 11? I split the chronological year plan up into 24 days.

It's a lot. I'm in the Word a ton every day. So far I'm on Day 12, and I feel like God is shaking my heart up. I'm having to give things up to spend time with Him. Besides sleep, I haven't usually had to give anything up for time with Him. I'm so blessed with a few friends who embarked on this journey with me. We are each getting something different from it, which makes me ULTRA aware of how God's Word is alive and active. I could probably fill 32847 blog entries with scripture that has been rocking my world. It's amazing.
Risa

be excellent

In the past two weeks I have....

...huddled around a tiny table at a crowded Kihei Starbucks with my girlfriends, drinking our various forms of legal caffeinated addictions. We prayed and asked God for BIG things.
......laid in bed listening to the gentle rain tip tap on our tin carport outside our condo.
....sat in a moist car seat due to the windows accidentally being left down.
.......eaten spiral mac and cheese.
...bought 3 bottles of high spf sunscreen.
....admitted my biggest and best dream out loud to a friend.
......had a condo alone to myself for a weekend.
...deep cleaned a silverware drawer.
....hung out with new people.
........lived freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Galatians 5:16
...written out all of the questions I want answered right now. 22 of them.
......did yoga.
....cut and prepared 49 roses in vases for Sanctity of Life Sunday.
...blow dried my hair in front of our air conditioner.
....learned that "concussed" is actually a word!
.....ate a cake ball. And quickly ate another one :)
...ditched Kihei and got slurpees with Lisa.
.....learned what it looks like to be bold in Christ.
...conquered a fear.
......gave a friend a gift that meant something.
....dabbled in the ocean.
.....played sand volleyball.
...watched a sunset at Bigs while bagpipes played in the distance.
........sat in a jacuzzi and looked up at the stars.
"That clinches it- help's coming,
an answer's on the way,
everything's going to work out....

....Make the king a winner, GOD;
the day we call, give us your answer."

--Psalm 20:6, 9