Not of This World by Lisa Chan - Review & Giveaway

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, or thieves do not break in or steal; 

for where your treasure is, there your heart is also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Do you have treasures here on earth?  

What are you pursuing here on earth?  

What are you chasing?

Do you ever feel as if this world is not my home?

Are you pursing the things not of this world?

Are you storing up treasures in Heaven?

In Lisa Chan’s new video Not of This World, she walks with you through what it means to let go of the spoils of this world and store up your treasures in Heaven.  The things that tie us to this earth might be small but are we treasuring these things and distracting us from the purpose that we are called to be and do on this earth.  Lisa Chan challenges us to look at what we value here on earth.

True Beauty Not of This World TRAILER from Flannel Staff on Vimeo.

“Things on this earth can capture our hearts and they distract us from God and His purpose for us and they distract us from our love for Him” 

- Lisa Chan

I absolutely LOVE this video series by Lisa Chan and highly recommend it.

My friends at David C. Cook have graciously offered to give away

a copy of Not of This World to one blessed Saved Sister reader.

You can enter to win below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

D6 Days Begin Today!

D6 Days begin today!

You might be wondering what D6 is.

The D6 Conference is a conference for anyone involved in family ministry. 

It is a place where church leaders, parents, and resource providers come together to focus on our families as the primary vehicle through which we impart our faith to the next generation. The conference derives its mission from God’s command to love Him, love His word, and impart that love to our children.

The foundation of D6 is Deuteronomy 6:5-7 which reads,

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up."

D6 Days is a preview of what is to come at the D6 Conference. Starting today through Sunday you can watch and listen to sessions from speakers - David Platt, Brian Haynes, Ed Stetzer, Michele Anthony, and Rob Reinow to name a few - who will be sharing messages about generational discipleship ranging from what family ministry is to the transforming power of Christ for this generation.

You can view the videos and listen to the MP3s here:

D6 Days - Website

You can join the conversation on Facebook here:

The D6 Conference - Facebook

and on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #d62013 
or following here:

The D6 Conference - Twitter

You won't want to miss any of it!

Blessings,

Wall Shaking Prayers

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:29-31

There is such incredible power in prayer. 
Power we don’t tap into enough in children’s ministry.

I know that most of us incorporate prayer into our weekend services. Opening the service in prayer, praying over the offering, and praying within small groups. What I am talking about is prayer beyond that.

Here are a few things that you can do in your children’s ministry outside of Sunday:

◦Have a meeting. – Not the usual meeting, but a prayer meeting instead. Gather your team to focus completely on praying for the ministry, team, children, and families.

◦Enlist your congregation. – Ask the members of your church to devote one day a week to pray for the children in your ministry as well as the ones who will be coming.

◦Encourage & equip your team. – Most of your team is already praying, but you can give them a list of the children in your ministry to pray for by name. You can create a devotional to encourage them in this time of prayer.

These are just a few ways you can lead everyone in a focused time of prayer.

You can read more about equipping your prayer warriors here:
Equipping Our Kidmin Prayer Warriors

Imagine the power that would come from this prayer time.

Everyone praying bold, wall shaking prayers for the kids in your ministry.

How are you encouraging your team in prayer?

Blessings,

Orange Main Session - Perry Noble

Here are my notes from Perry Noble's session. 

I loved hearing his heart.

If we really want to reach the next generation, we need to understand that they aren’t interested in our ability. They’re interested in our availability. They don’t care how much theology we know or how well a program is executed. They care that there is a worker in that room that is going to love them.

Perry then took us to 1 Samuel 3 and the story of Eli and Samuel.

Eli was jacked up. He had not done what God has called him to do. 
I am so glad today that God uses jacked up people.

I have heard people say…

I don’t feel qualified to do what I do.

- God only uses jacked up people.

I am just a volunteer.

- You are not just a volunteer. You are a person with a calling and the anointing of God on your life to change the life of a child.

Some say that children’s ministry and student ministry is dead in the church today. They couldn’t be more wrong. If someone believes that, they’re obviously not serving there.

Investing in our children means no more fundraising; 
no more car washes so kids can go on a mission trip.

For where your treasure is, 

there will your heart be also. 

Luke 12:34

“Then the Lord called Samuel…”

God really does speak to children. He wants to speak to them in a clean, safe, fun environment where they can learn about Jesus on their level.

If we tell them when they are little that Jesus loves them, 
they will believe it when they are older.

You can entertain kids or you can bore them.

We are going to teach them that Jesus is boring and Disney is going to teach them that Mickey is fun. Then we wonder why kids leave the church.

“Samuel went to Eli”

The voice of God must have sounded a lot like Eli.

Isn’t it funny that God spoke to a child through a voice he was already familiar with?

What if this weekend God wants to talk to a kid in your church through a voice that they already know.

Kids just need someone to be the hands and feet of Jesus to them. 
That has nothing to do with our ability and everything to do with our availability.

Samuel always went to Eli because he was available.

Eli didn't try to be the voice of God for Samuel, but he helped Samuel 
get to a place where he could hear the voice of God.

Let’s be available for these kids.

We get to do what we do today because our Savior was available.

If you’re available, God will use you to make a bigger difference than you can imagine.

Orange Opening Session - Reggie Joiner

Reggie Joiner kicked off Orange sharing about the main theme - FOCUS.

Reggie talked about giving parents a jar of marbles. Each marble signified a week in a child's life. Between time child is born and graduates high school you have about 936 marbles. They were asked to take out a marble every week. What happened is they began to value their time together. Actually seeing the time they would spend made a difference. When you see the time you have left, you get serious about your time now.

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

He encouraged us to make a list of the kids and teenagers inside our circle of influence that we’re thinking of and praying over. We should be processing everything we are talking through this week through the filter of real relationships that we’re involved in and the kids that we are ministering to.

At the end of the day you want your kids to love God.  You can't make a kid love God, but you can live with him in such a way that they know what it means to love God. You can life in such a way that they can understand that there is a redemption story.

We need adults who will hang with kids and make history with them. God chose to use time throughout history that we can see the love of God. He chose over time to reveal himself to us. If God used time to reveal himself, we can use time to reveal God to kids and make history.

Love over time gives worth. – We need to love them over time and, in doing so, we give them a sense of worth. We are living in a generation where the kids don’t think they are worth anything. Kids in this generation need adults who will show up and show them what God is like. We start at the beginning when we were made in the image of God and then God said it was very good. The story of the cross says you’re worth something. God pursued us to have a relationship with Him. We need a generation to rise up and remind our kids that they are worth something.

Words over time gives us direction. - When you and I are in a relationship, words have history that come with them. They mean something. Words are so powerful.

Stories over time gives us perspective. - We are shaping a generation to see how God is when we tell and retell Bible stories. That’s why Jesus told stories.

Fun over time gives you connection. - The greatest thing you can put in your home and church to attract kids is joy. Both should have an atmosphere of joy and fun.

A tribe over time gives a sense of belonging. – Tribes are a group of people that have something in common and give a place to belong. Shouldn’t we as the church want to provide our kids with a tribe? Everybody needs somebody who will show up when they know what they did. We need people who have history with us and still show up. You will never feel forgiven by people who don’t know you. They need to be known in such a way that they are welcomed by someone who knows them. Just like the prodigal son, we want them to know that they can come back. That no matter where they go and how far they go that they will always belong.

We are a tribe because of Jesus. Our mission is that each kid and teenager know that they have a place at the table. There will always be a chair at the table.

The way to leave a legacy is not to be famous with many people. The only people who are going to remember you are the ones that know you now.  Your legacy is going to be with the people you spend time with now. Invest in the people closest to you.

Reggie closed our time together with an invitation to the table as we shared communion together.

You can read more about the legacy marbles in Reggie's new books

Losing Your Marbles / Playing for Keeps

You can also get the Legacy Countdown app for iPhone here and Android here.

Orange Main Session - Andy Stanley

Here are my notes from Andy Stanley's main session.

I want to encourage you to rethink your approach on how you teach and talk about the scriptures to kids and students. We have for generations perceived ourselves to be the majority. It effects the words we use. We aren’t the majority anymore, but we are so accustomed to speaking as the majority. I wish we could all take a big step back and not act as if we were the majority. In the first century they knew they weren’t the majority. They were lion food. Outcasts. Once upon a time there were a handful of people who believed that Jesus rose from the dead.

 

Our approach determines people’s response to what we have to say.

-  We have to approach each child differently.

We must adapt our approach depending on who our audience is.

-  In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul adapted to speak to each person’s differences.

-  His goal wasn’t to be right, and make a point. His goal was to reach some.

- The approach may change, but the goal always remains the same.

You inherited an approach that assumes biblical authority.

- You do not believe what you believe because the Bible says so.

7 Guideline to Communicate Scripture

- Choose a passage of scripture and stay there. Bible story – is it a story? Its better than a story. It’s history.  Make it interesting and clear. Bring your energy to the text. Stop using all your energy for the illustration. You read things to discover if they are true.

- Give people permission not to believe or obey the scriptures. We do not want our children to think that the reason we do this is because it is in the bible. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 – What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church. All the local church is supposed to do is one another one another. When people see that, they want that. Let’s be so good at what we do they can’t help but lean in. The attraction of the church is look at all those one anothers one anothers not this is what is in the bible. The authority of the local church was look how they love one another not this is what the bible says.

- Teach in a manner that emphasizes the identity of Jesus over the authority of scripture.  They believed in Jesus because He rose from the dead not because the bible says so. The foundation of our faith is a moment in history – Jesus rose from the dead.  People must come to terms with the identity of Jesus and his authority before they can believe. The foundation of your faith is a group of people that expected to find a body and didn’t.

- Don’t refer to the bible as a book. Never say god wrote the bible. It’s way better than a book.

- Cite authors not the Bible. James was the brother of Jesus. What would you have to do to convince your brother that you were the Son of God? We should not expect people to believe that Jesus rose from the dead because the bible says so. We believe because the witnesses said so and they saw it.

 - Acknowledge the odd as odd. There are some odd things in the Bible. Just say they're odd. We believe the Old Testament is true because Jesus believed that it was true. Anyone who predicts his own death and resurrection, I just go with what he says. Jesus said the Old Testament was scripture.

- Don’t create the impression that one must choose between faith and science. You want people who understand why things work like they do. 

And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult 

for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

Acts 15:19 

Let's not make it difficult for our kids.

Deny Yourself by Lisa Chan - Review & Giveaway

Then Jesus said to his disciples, 

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves

and take up their cross and follow me."

Matthew 16:24

In Lisa Chan's second video in the True Beauty: Finding Your Identity in Jesus series, she shared about the struggle to fight against our nature and deny ourselves to follow Christ. He asks us to lay down our lives to be His disciples. What does that look like in a world that is so self indulgent? How do we live out what Christ has called us to in the midst of a loud world?

Along with Lisa's teaching, Irene shares her story about her broken marriage. She had come to a place where she was considering divorce after many years of hurt, when her husband asked for her forgiveness. Irene admits that she struggled in this.

Jesus then spoke to her heart saying,

"Irene, I stretched out my arms like this and I took my last breath for you, but also for your husband. You want me to forgive you, but you're not willing to forgive."

This truth changed everything for her. This is just the beginning of Irene's story and how God is working in her marriage. I so loved hearing her heart.

Lisa relates some personal stories of moments that God asks her to surrender and how hard that was for her. She goes on to state that moving into that place of surrender actually brings joy and contentment. 

We live in a world that shouts "Do more. Be more. Have more." This is in opposition to God's way of things. We have to ask ourselves in we believe what He said when He asks us to deny ourselves.

Don't forget we're living for something bigger, 

so stop looking at things through your own lens.

- Lisa Chan

I loved this teaching and I believe it is something that
other women will be challenged and encouraged by as well.

My friends at David C. Cook have graciously offered to give away

a copy of Deny Yourself to one blessed Saved Sister reader.

You can enter to win below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

What I'm Reading - When Jesus Wept

My Thoughts

I have read quite a few books on the story of Martha and Mary, but When Jesus Wept is the first book I have read told from the perspective of Lazarus. His story begins a year after he had lost his wife and baby in childbirth. He is just emerging from his time of mourning and has yet to meet Jesus. When Jesus Wept is about Lazarus' friendship with Jesus and the many lessons he learns about faith and forgiveness along the way.

One of my favorite parts of the story is when Lazarus first sits down with Jesus after seeing Him baptized by John and hearing Him teach from a distance. Jesus begins the time together by asking Lazarus about his vineyards and listening to him. He then uses what Lazarus knows to share about being connected to the vine. I also really loved seeing Jesus teach and heal others through Lazarus' eyes. The moment he witnesses between Jesus and his sister, Mary, was beautiful.

When Jesus Wept is a captivating read and I adored it. I couldn't put 
it down and it is one of those books that I will read over and over again.

You can purchase the book here:

Amazon.com - When Jesus Wept

Enter Today - 4/2 - 4/23!

About the Book
Lazarus occupies a surprising position in the Gospel accounts. Widely known as the man Jesus raised from the dead, his story is actually much broader and richer than that. Living as he did at Bethany, near Jerusalem, Lazarus was uniquely placed to witness the swirl of events around Jesus. When Jesus Wept, the first novel in The Jerusalem Chronicles series by bestselling authors Bodie and Brock Thoene, unfolds the turbulent times in Judea during Jesus' ministry, centering on the friendship between Jesus and Lazarus. With rich insights from vineyard owners and vine dressers, the Thoenes explore the metaphor of Jesus as the True Vine, harvesting the ancient secrets found in the Old Testament. Weaving the life of Lazarus, who owned a vineyard, into the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ will help you understand it is the hand of Love Divine that holds the knife, that cuts and breaks with such tender and loving touch, and that we who have born some fruit, after the pruning, can bear much more.
About the Authors

Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) are bestselling authors of over sixty-five works of historical fiction. Their timeless classics have sold more than thirty-five million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards. The Thoenes have four grown children and eight grandchildren. They divide their time between Hawaii, London, and Nevada.

Find out more about Bodie and Brock at http://www.thoenebooks.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Lost & Found in Jesus

Today I am joining Lisa-Jo and friends for Five Minute Friday.

This is where we come together writing for 5 minutes without editing or overthinking.

I love this community.

Check out what everyone's is sharing on the word AFTER here.




Today was one of those conversations with my mentor that was both encouraging and challenging. After I got off the phone with her, I couldn't get one thing out of my head.

Am I pursuing ministry more than Jesus?

You see there are times that I get caught up in the "doing" and lose sight of the "why."
I could rattle off to you the many reasons that I do what I do, but it all comes down to one thing. The most important thing.

Jesus loves me and I love Him.

Everything that I do from mothering to ministry flows out of that love.
He has to come first in all of it.
And sometimes I fail.
I try to do it on my own, inviting Him into the place where I am 
when all along it's His invitation that I am responding to.
And then there's grace. 
He gently reminds me that it is only by Him, for Him, 
and through Him that any of it is possible.

I want to pursue Him above all.
To stop striving for anything more than Him.
To be so lost in Jesus that there is where I am found.
That is my prayer today.



Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Psalm 105:4

Blessings,

I Have Seen The Lord

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 
“I have seen the Lord” and that he had said these things to her.
John 20:11-18 

He is Risen!
Happy Easter!
Blessings,

What I'm Reading - Lead Your Family Like Jesus

My Thoughts

What I love about Lead Your Family Like Jesus is that it isn't another "how to" book that you can use to check things off of a list to be a better parent. Instead it is a book that invites you to learn more about Jesus and implement those lessons in your home with a servant heart like His. Each author writes from their experience as parents and all they have learned along the way.

I especially loved the chapter in which Tricia Goyer shared about her experience of getting overwhelmed by her every day schedule. She and her husband sat down to look at everything she was doing and came up with a plan. She assigned each activity with a number from 1 to 4. 1 being those things that she had to do. 2 being things that she should do. 3 being things that she enjoyed doing and helped her. 4 being things she was afraid to say no to or things she did to look good to others. She ended up cutting out all the 4s and even some of the 3s. Doing so enabled her to refocus and evaluate her heart in all she was doing.

I also loved that Tricia shared how she prays for her children. 

She prays for their:

Head - that they will always lift their heads to look to the Lord and that they will allow God to life their heads when they are hurt or discouraged,
Shoulders - so they will learn to let God carry their burdens,
Knees - that they will get on their knees before God regularly, and
Toes - that a community of believers will surround them and keep them on their toes.

Love these messages from Tricia Goyer!

Enter Today - 3/25- 4/16!


About the Book

Does your family need a five-star general at the helm? A psychologist? A referee? Ken Blanchard, best-selling co-author of The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus, points to a better role model: the Son of God. Joined by veteran parents and authors Phil Hodges and Tricia Goyer, renowned business mentor Blanchard shows how every family member benefits when parents take the reins as servant-leaders. Moms and dads will see themselves in a whole new light—as life-changers who get their example, strength, and joy from following Jesus at home. This user-friendly book’s practical principles and personal stories mark the path to a truly Christ-centered family, where integrity, love, grace, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness make all the difference.

You can purchase this book here:

Amazon.com - Lead Your Family Like Jesus

About the Author

Tricia Goyer is the award winning author of over thirty books including Beside Still Waters, Remembering You, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences and is the host of Living Inspired. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. 

Learn more about Tricia at her website: http://triciagoyer.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

A Broken Jar Leaking Jesus

Today I am joining Lisa-Jo and friends for Five Minute Friday.

This is where we come together writing for 5 minutes without editing or overthinking.

I love this community.

Check out what everyone's is sharing on the word BROKEN here.



The story of the Samaritan woman at the well grabbed hold of me this week and has yet to let go. This woman who began her day as any other. More than likely she was shunned by others due to her many marriages, so she would go to the well when others weren't there. Hiding herself so she wouldn't be seen. And when she arrives, there is Jesus. He does something that has to shock her - asks her for a drink. She might've had to do a double take thinking He couldn't possibly be talking to her. 

Then He begins to share with her about quenching her thirst with living water. She was bold enough to ask questions of Him. Was it because she so longed not to be thirsty anymore? Knowing that nothing had filled her? Thinking that if she could be filled, she wouldn't have to come to that well anymore?

Then Jesus tells her about her life. He sees her. There was no judgement there. He knows. Acknowledging her. She pushed Him away with words of religion. He pulled her in with words of salvation. She had heard about the Messiah to come and He said "I am He." Imagine how overwhelming it must have been. Not only did this man speak to her when no one else would, but He saw her and knew her. There is something so powerful about being seen and known. This moment with Jesus changed everything.

She came for water and encountered Jesus.
Going into the town not even thinking of the mistreatment or judgement she could experience - that she had experienced. All she could do after meeting Jesus was tell everyone about Him and that they should come meet Him too.
She became a broken jar filled to overflow that leaked Jesus on everyone around her.
Her life the sermon.

Are you leaking Jesus on those around you?

Blessings,

What I'm Reading - Jesus: Pure & Simple

My Thoughts

It's time to get back to Jesus.

- Wayne Cordeiro

Ever have a book read you instead of you reading it? That is what Jesus: Pure and Simple did to me. It was a book that I needed to read at exactly the time I needed to read it. There is just so much wisdom within the pages that I wore out my highlighter. Not only in the book itself, but in my Bible as I was constantly marking scripture referred to in the book.

One of my favorite chapters in the book is One Thing. Wayne shares the story of Martha and Mary as a reminder that only one thing is necessary (Luke 10:41-42). 

Later in that same chapter he suggests four important principles 

for growing closer to God through scripture:

Read the Bible daily.

Regularly take time for solitude.

Immerse yourself in gratefulness.

Regularly take time for reflection.

I loved this book and would recommend it highly.

You can purchase this book here:

Amazon.com - Jesus: Pure and Simple

About the Book

Here's something refreshing: a pure and simple devotion to Christ. 

Sounds wonderfully inviting, doesn't it?

And the good news is that it's not about doing more or doing less. Because God created you in His image, the more you become like Jesus, the more you become the person you were created to be. It is in Him that you actually find fulfillment, not in religious activities (as good as they may be) or in serene settings that give you a needed respite from your harried workplace. He is not the rest from our labors. He is the rest in our labors.

"A promise remains of entering His rest" (Hebrews 4:1). It's the rest of a child close to his mother. It's the rest that comes when we are near the one we love. It's the rest we find when we are walking through unfamiliar surroundings with a guide who knows the way.

The closer you get to Jesus, the more at home you will feel in this journey. 

God designed it that way.

About the Author

Wayne Cordeiro is senior pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii, one of the most beloved churches. Pioneered by Wayne Cordeiro in 1995, it has grown to over 12,000 in weekend attendance with over 80% of the attendees being first-time Christians. New Hope has recently planted 24 satellite churches in Honolulu. Wayne is an author, songwriter, and highly sought after conference speaker. His books include Doing Church as a Team, Attitudes that Attract Success, Dream Releasers, Seven Rules of Success, Rising Above, Leading on Empty, Divine Mentor, Irresistible Church, Sifted, and Jesus-Pure and Simple. His speaking takes him around the world. He is a church planter and leadership trainer at heart and has planted over 134 churches in the Pacific Rim and around the world. Wayne is also the author of the Life Journal used by thousands of churches. He is the chancellor of New Hope Christian College with campuses in Honolulu, Oregon, Tokyo and Myanmar. He and his wife, Anna, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.