It’s strange and surreal to watch your children relive your childhood.  Inevitably the memories come rushing back, but I am finding that they are not the factual kind of memories at all. In other words, I don’t remember how old I was when my Grandma taught us to dance the hula, but I can still feel her hands lifting my wrist into the correct position.  I can’t mark the exact dates we went to Bellows Beach to camp out, but... Read more

What do you do, I wonder, when there are no words?    What do you do when the powerful tool you’ve always used to express the deepest wonderings of your heart doesn’t seem to work anymore, when it just lies there, dusty and broken on the ground?   To me, words have always been a world of wondrous possibility, all shiny and full of potential, just waiting for that miraculous weaving process that will spin them into something beautiful and... Read more

I’m spending some time this summer at the offices of Baibala Hemolele, the Hawaiian Bible Project.  On my first day I heard the history of the Hawaiian Bible, which I was assigned to write up in an article, the text of which follows here: The Hawaiian Bible, Baibala Hemolele, is a critical document in the history of the Hawaiian people.  From a sociological standpoint, the translation of the Bible into the Hawaiian language marked the irreversible collision of an insulated... Read more

I categorically refuse to engage in any platitudes about rain and rainbows, but I guess this morning I could see why God decided a rainbow might be a nice touch after the flood.  Off the back porch of our house we watched these rainbows grace the sky as the rain clouds moved off into the ocean.  Sam and cousin Eli didn’t stare too long; they were busy planning hikes to find the pot of gold at the end.  So far,... Read more

On Sunday we attended worship at Kaumakapili Church.  There was a guest preacher as their pastor is away on sabbatical (Sam’s comment: “Where would you go on sabbatical if you LIVED in Hawaii??!?!?”).  The sanctuary is beautiful; the music was very nice; it was fun to watch the kids trying to sing familiar songs in Hawaiian.  Most of all, I could feel God there and, for a few minutes, felt surrounded by God’s presence.  Thanks be to God. Read more

View from our house . . . Read more

One of the strange and wonderful experiences of sabbatical is attending church.  Since I work most Sunday mornings I rarely get to be an anonymous attendee at a worship service.  So, our first Sunday on the Big Island we put on our shorts and t-shirts, slipped on our flip-flops and went to church.  Since we found ourselves in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, the obvious place to go was Mokuaikaua Church, the first and oldest Christian church in the Hawaiian Islands. ... Read more

I’ve spent a lot of time these first few days of sabbatical remembering things I’ve forgotten. In random order, here are a few: The crash of the waves The fact that snorkeling gear is the great equalizer—everybody looks dorky in a snorkel and mask. How the world underwater is a hushed paradise. My “little” brothers: how wonderful and amazing they have turned out to be. What it feels like to be around people who have known and loved you since... Read more

I didn’t spend even 48 hours there, but what a feast!  I just got back from a quick trip to New Orleans, where I dutifully ate my way through the city.  But the best thing of all: a great feast for my soul to hang out with dear friends Diane and Carol, and to hug my brave friend Anne.  Check out the Garlic Crusted Texas Redfish Cooked in the Wood Burning Oven with Brabant Potatoes, Crimini Mushrooms, Bacon and Sauce Beurre Rouge and... Read more

At the risk of sounding a little more dramatic than usual, the start to sabbatical for me has had distinct similarities to the sensation of jumping off a very high diving board into very deep water. Or jello or something. It feels like moving toward the surface for air, but through a viscous, resistant matter. I can kind of see the light at the top, but the present is surreal and a little scary. Okay, a lot. It feels like... Read more