Our awesome CDTS Students are here and we are now settling into the teaching phase of the Discipleship Training School. This week saw our first few days of lectures presented by Warren Groves, he taught on the Nature & Character of God of God. Warren was a classmate of ours last year and he was part of our Vietnam outreach team.  He has almost 40 years of church and missionary experience, he is now staff of the Apostello School of Frontier Missions that sends people out for outreaches of 2 or more years. We learned how to know who God really is and what knowing Him requires of us, we learned that as human’s we need an operating system upgrade. When we become Christian we get a new OS altogether and it should be getting regularly updated as we align our worldview, that is what we see as reality, changes to come into alignment with God’s view of the world. Warren recognized that the Third Law of Theology is “for every theologian there is an equal and opposite theologian” so he stayed away from theological treatises instead he addressed questions like “Where does our view of God come from?”; “Who do I think God is versus who He is really?”; “Why should I study the nature of God?”; “How do we know who God really is?”; and “What will be required of me?”

Loren Cunningham was the ‘guest’ speaker at the Thursday Night Gathering at Ohana Court this week. It was a great reminder of how much YWAM does, over and above training youth and sending them out. He shared how his vision for having a Bible in every home, and scripture in every language by 2020 is moving ahead. He talked about the progress that has been made in Bible translation as YWAM has been working with Wycliffe, using story-telling volunteers to get translation faster; and about text and audio bibles on micro SD cards. He talked about Uniskript a new alphabet that can be used for every language and can be taught in just 5 hours. He shared about other YWAM ministries; CROWN Ministries (Christ Revealed on World Networks), YWAM Ships and an invitation by the government of Papua New Guinea.

IRONMAN World Championship  We were blessed to be able to volunteer as Security Race Officials in the Bike Compound at the Ironman again this year. You can watch highlights on West Hawaii news. The race starts at 6:25 am and the finish closes a midnight, it begins with a 2.4 (3.86km) mile swim, 112 (180.2km) mile bicycle ride and 26.2 (42.2km) mile run. This year 2,308 athletes started out, the oldest was 86 by the way, altogether 2,144 finished the 140.6 (226.26km) torturous miles in temperatures up to 40C, with the humidity, before the finish closed and they were declared Ironmen (and women, but somehow this brand survives without being gender-sensitive). The fastest person finished in 8:14:40, the last finisher took 16:49:24. As Glenda and I stayed cheering to encourage athletes until 10pm and heard “You a an IRONMAN!” many more times up until midnight, we were left pondering what Paul really means when he compares our spiritual journey to being in a race and finishing well. These athletes give everything they have. They invest thousands of hours training regularly for at least 2 years, they have to complete 2 Ironman races elsewhere to qualify to enter their name in a draw. They invest thousands of dollars, on entry fees, on equipment especially triathlon bicycles, airfares and hotels. Then, as we witnessed on Saturday, they push their bodies beyond all reason to gain the prize of being called an IRONMAN. Most compete to finish, not to win. It is hard to comprehend what drives a person to strive for the prize BUT this is how we are supposed to live out our Christian life in this world, glorifying God in all we do. Peter says it like this in his first letter, 4:10&11, remember life is a gift. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Glenda and I are being kept busy, there is lots to do and we are really enjoying being here supporting Bob and Carolyn as they lead the school. We are truly blessed by their leadership and encouragement, and we have a supernatural peace as we serve God and his people in this place, especially when we are being stretched beyond ourselves.

‘Wildlife this week’

A Praying Mantis joins in the worship

Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing, A&G