And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2, NAS)
This is a verse that I have read and heard so many times in my life, but it is interesting to take a closer look in the word transformed and find the meaning in the Greek. It is also interesting to read this verse in other translations, like for instance the New Living Translation:
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As a father it is always a challenge to correct my daughters; I spend a lot of time thinking about the heart behind teaching and correction and how it is perceived. Of course when you are being corrected it is hard and you have a lot of reactions to it, but on the other hand there is always a love and a purpose in God behind it. And this is why I came up with this definition of correction:
Correction is someone helping you get from A to B in the least amount of time.
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As a father I am always challenged when my daughters get sick. As they grow they get all the “normal” colds and bugs that all the kids do, right?
Recently I was taking care of one of them and she was having a hard time sleeping; it was very difficult for her to breathe because of this “normal” cold. And I thought: “If I could I would be sick in your place, I would not sleep so you could sleep, I could be in pain or suffering so you did not have to go through this.”
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Yesterday I woke up in the middle of the night, as it usually happens, and I started to think about all the things that we go through in our lives and how life is really just one big transition. And this is what I thought: “In a transition you have to embrace the new as much as you have to let go of the old.”
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During the summer, Dani and I oversee the Young Adult School of Prophets program at Shiloh [link]. We work very closely with our spiritual parents, Gary and Marilyn Hargrave, as well as with our staff and dorm leaders.
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Today, Debbie and I are in a transition between the Young Adults School of Prophets and meetings with all the pastors and ministries of The Living Word Fellowship. The 2010 Shiloh School of Prophets is complete, and it was a great time of seeking the Lord together. Now everyone is tired after such an intense time!
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It’s been a while since our last blog because we’ve been really busy getting ready for the Young Adult School of Prophets program in Shiloh, Iowa, which is focused on deepening the relationship with God for the 12-18 age group. We’ve been in Shiloh for only a week, but so much has already happened—including the airlines losing my suitcase, and a baby being born at Hale O Kāula on Maui!
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We are getting ready to leave for almost 30 days to be in Shiloh, Iowa for the summer. We have been doing this for 10 years now! It all started in 2001 when Silas Esteves, our pastor in Brazil, asked us to be part of the overseeing team for the Young Adult School of Prophets. This is a program for young people ages 12 to 17 during the Shiloh School of Prophets.
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I think of myself as being really blessed by having the privilege of meeting John Robert Stevens, and being around people that he created. It is amazing to me how many people have been touched by the Word he spoke and his ministry. Of course, I was living in another country and did not spend much time around him, but my parents were always in contact with him, and even had him stay in our house in Brazil several times.
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Hale O Kāula celebrated the Feast of Pentecost last week. As we did, it was interesting to notice that the factor that triggered the events on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 was their oneness, first of all because of their obedience to what Jesus told them.
As I started to read about the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts, one thing that really stood out to me was their oneness.
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A mother in the Bible who is really important to me is Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet. Her husband had two wives, but unlike the other wife, Hannah had no children. Because of that she used to be provoked by Peninnah, the second wife.
Hannah cried out to the Lord for a child, greatly distressed. She wept bitterly and made a vow to the Lord that if He would give her a son, she would give him back to the Lord all the days of his life.
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There is a saying in ancient Hawaii which says that words can either be a source of healing or destroying. This is so true, and we need to be careful with our words.
Ka ‘olelo no ke ola, i ka ‘olelo no ka make. It means: In speech is life, in speech is death.
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I believe kindness is a powerful aspect of love, especially when applied in our homes. It is something that can cause immediate change in our day and it helps our love not to grow cold.
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I am privileged to have spiritual parents—Gary and Marilyn Hargrave—who are always bringing the scriptures alive and nurturing this fellowship of churches. They are a tremendous example of the love for the Word of God and of walking in it. My prayer is for this love for the Word to burn in each one of our hearts. As we see examples of faith around us, let’s imitate it (Hebrews 13:7)!
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I wrote in a previous blog about how we should have abundant life and be in a constant process of change. But then the question is: how can we do this?
I think that the most important thing is to consistently connect back to our first love (Revelation 2:4).
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