If you’ve ever driven on the east side of Oahu at night, you may have noticed a lit up cross at the bottom of the Koolaus. This is where Anchor Church, one of my favorite places to worship, is.
Anchor has literally been just that for me over the last three years. Friday night services were there for me when I was trying to change my lifestyle, giving me a positive space to turn to on the weekends. There is also a specific worship night that I remember where I was going through a lot and felt God & His people all around me.
As we reopen, remain plugged into what God wants from you. Give yourself opportunities to hear Him!
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
You are good because God made you. Your record has been expunged. Your shortcomings don’t matter.
Wednesday always feels like a holy day to me 🤍 Growing up, we’d start the day with a short chapel service. I miss having chapel in the mornings- it’s such a centering practice that at the time seemed like an obligation. But in reality, it’s spiritual food we need to get through the day.
How funny it is that appreciation sometimes takes a decade.
I love the coffee that they serve at Inspire Waikele!
It was my first time back to a church service this year! It’s crazy that it’s already the last day of January. I hope the first month of 2021 has gone well for all of you.
My outfit today centered around these sunglasses I found from when I was a little girl. This era was also that of the pink coach bag.
Initially I planned to attend service at the Cathedral because I forgot that they had suspended services due to the rise in cases. Hopefully they are able to reopen soon.
Luckily, I made it in time for the last service at Inspire – which was at 11am. I love their coffee & love the stamp they use…
Love God, Love People, Love Coffee ☕️
What an awesome motto to have going into the second month of 2021. I hope that you are on track to achieve your goals – and if you’re not, I hope you are able to recenter. 🧘♀️
God is working on us and developing us constantly in preparation for our day of perfection
God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to throw ourselves into situations that will result in trouble if He doesn’t come through.
Moses, or Moshe Rabennu (Teacher), is an important Judeo-Christian prophet. Famous for leading the Israelites out of Egypt and delivering the Ten Commandments in Exodus, Moses had an unusual childhood.
Moses was born in a time when the Israelites were an enslaved minority and were increasing in population. As a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they would ally themselves with Egypt’s enemies and thus ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys be killed in order to subdue the Israelites’ population. Moses’ Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him. Moses, however, ended up being adopted into the Egyptian royal family after being found in the Nile River.
After killing an Egyptian slave-master who was abusing a Hebrew, Moses fled to Midian, where he encountered the burning bush.
God sent Moses back to Egypt to bring the Israelites out of slavery. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
The part about Moses’ story that strikes me can be found in Numbers 11 when the journey becomes long and hard, with little to eat. Everyone starts wondering whether they made a mistake, whether they should just return to Egypt – as they were better off there. The Israelites were tested by God and had to make sacrifices to preserve their freedom. Their freedom came at a price. Luckily, when they had been tried, they called out to God who delivered them.
I try to remind myself of God’s promises. Post-Grad Life has definitely been a time of sacrifice for me. But just as Moses was favored by God throughout his life, I know that God has been overly good to me so many times – and will be again! My goal this weekend is to focus on everything God has provided me, and how blessed I have been in this life.
This beautiful building is across from an amazing coffee shop
I went on a little adventure today! I started the day off with coffee and a pastry from Caffe Trieste. Across the street, I saw a beautiful cathedral and decided to go in since I haven’t been in a church since Christmas. It was actually the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, after which the city is named.
There were beautiful Advent & Christmas decorations still up for my enjoyment! I also loved observing a clergyman check the mail and enjoy some coffee talk of his own.
Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, mystic, and preacher. Born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals and environment.
I also remember a deck original from a 2019 Advent prayer book that featured a drawing of Saint Francis naked in the square.
The way St. Francis of Assisi broke with his previous life was quite dramatic. He stripped off all his clothes and returned them to his father, who was a wealthy merchant. It was a clear statement and public rejection of the privileges and responsibilities that came with his birthright. This scene unfolded before the bishop of Assisi, and he immediately covered Francis with his mantle to signal that Francis was now under his protection and authority.
From this point on, Francis sought absolute poverty. He didn’t even want to own the clothes on his back. By being entirely poor, he became completely dependent on the kindness of others.
As a baby, Christ was naked and needy; and as the crucified Lord, He was naked when He died on the cross.
Although most of us won’t live this extremely, it presents food for thought. What can we give up to follow the Lord more closely?
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
My New Years’ resolution for 2020 was to have faith. Boy, was my faith tested this year. I think as a society, we collectively had to learn to have faith. Back in March, when things were changing so rapidly and we were all just getting used to this new way of life, we had to have faith in God to get us through and trust in those He gave authority to. I am so grateful to all of our public servants, who have done their best to lead us through unprecedented and extremely difficult times.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8–10
Ephesians says that we are saved through faith. In Latin, we paid a lot of attention to prepositions, and “through” demonstrates the power that faith has in our lives. Here, through would mean “ by means of.” So, you have been saved by means of faith. Having faith allows us to be saved by God because we allow Him to work on us, in our lives, and with ease.
When I decided to come to San Francisco, I kept thinking of Lot’s wife. If you don’t know the story of Lot, he lived in the city of Sodom, which was full of sin (Genesis 19). He felt the Lord was going to destroy the city and he flees with his family. However, when the Lord destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah, Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt.
Some argue that her look back was an indication of her secret longing for a sinful life. But what if it was not so much a longing for something — but a fear of loss? Lot’s family was evacuating, which meant that they were leaving everything they had. Their home, possessions, and life. Is Lot’s wife’s reaction more about her unwillingness to lose or her lack of faith in future life prospects?
Here’s what Jesus had to say:
“‘It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. ‘It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no-one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no-one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” Luke 17:28–33
Looking Forward to 2021
With the dawn of a new year, I’m so excited to share my 2021 Intention: Consistency. If you know me, you know that I can be a little sporadic. I recognize that I feel a lot better when I stick to my routines and that the structure they provide me with, alongside the otherwise unstructured life I live, supports my success.
I also have three goals for the year. When making your own, it’s important for your goals to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-framed)!
1) Start making money!
After thinking about it for a year (since I really started this), I have enrolled in a course to help me with my blog! Up until now, I’ve been experimenting on my own and have learned so much. However, I’m excited to learn how to generate profits!
2) Reimplement weight training once a week.
Since gyms closed, I have kind of neglected weight training in my movement routine. I know that working with weights gives me more energy and I want to start this up again!
3) Be strict with myself about my bedtime.
As I’ve gotten older, sleep has become more of an issue. I miss the days when it simply wasn’t. However, I find that an early bedtime helps me get the rest I need to function optimally (since I wake up sooo early regardless). I plan to start enforcing my bedtime so I can feel better.
Share your 2021 Intention + Goals with me in the comments! Wishing all a fabulous New Year! Blessings in 2021!
We saw a beautiful volcanic sunset as the stars aligned
Photo by Karen Malia Smith
Taken on the southwest side of Oahu, this photo captures Jupiter & Neptune at sunset.
As Christmas quickly approaches, we look back on this last year. Some years are definitely better than others, yet adversity and challenge is healthy and makes life worthwhile.
Every year, I set goals for myself and reflect on my progress. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed in myself. However, I know that God’s plan is perfect and that all will align exactly as it should.
