Ready for Anything

Nancy Thompson spoke to the Life Skills class of the 6th grade to talk about Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Services or ASACS.  Mrs. Fedder characterized it as the followup to the D.A.R.E. program.  Students will become better prepared to recognize the effects of substance abuse and be equipped to help those caught in the addiction.

I Can See Clearly Now

 

Vision screenings are designed to check eyesight, or sharpness of vision.

Sharpness of vision or visual acuity is recorded as a fraction, e.g. 20/20.  This means that a person can read a line of type standing 20 feet (or six meters) from an eye chart.

Vision screenings are done to separate those with and without possible vision problems. Screening results may indicate a potential need for further assessment. Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor.

On January 20th, the Wahiawa Lions Club donated their time to perform vision checks on participating students in grade K-8.  A report card of the results were sent home in each student’s Friday folder.  109 students were screened, 23% were given recommendations to make followups appointments with their doctors.

Thank you Wahiawa Lions Club for the gift of your time!

Marching for Life

If you can’t make it to the 36th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, you can follow the action online as LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick, members of the LCMS Sanctity of Human Life Committee, LCMS Life Ministry staff members, and Lutherans from around the country join thousands of other pro-life supporters expected this year. For up-to-the-minute Web coverage (videos, audio interviews, photos, and more) about Lutherans on march day, visit www.lcms.org/marchforlife <http://www.ne16.com/t/8300359/353234153/50642955/0/> .

Kalihi Palama Health Center Shares Anti-Smoking Message

Kalihi Palama Health Center shared the facts about smoking with the middle school students at Trinity.  Beginning with a pretest the students were preparing to hear the fact as shared in many creative ways.  Through skits, newscasts, dramas and projected video and statistics the students learned about the dangers of smoking.  After the presentation the students took a test to help the presenters know what kind of information the students picked up because of their presentation.

Inaugurated

This is a big day in our country’s history.  Our first black president, a former resident of Hawaii, Barack Obama is taking on the mantle of leadership over a country that is suffering in a recession and struggling to understand our role as a leader in this world.  President Barak Obama was inaugurated this morning and so begins his work of four years or more.  We as citizens, called by vocation from God, are called to pray for him and those that advise him.  We are called to support the government and to use every opportunity to be a part of that government.  If our opinion differs, our government provides a way to let that be known.  Prayer is the most important .

 

We confess to be true that “Jesus ascended into the heavens and sits at the right hand of God.”  This was Jesus inauguration.  A coronation that confirmed that Jesus had completed the work that God the Father gave him to do.  Jesus came to the throne still bearing the scars of His crucifixion.  This is the death on the cross where he paid the price for our sin that marked Him with those scars.  Jesus didn’t come to solve the economy, political or cultural problems, he came to bring God and man back together again.  Jesus began at the most important and vital relationship, each person with their Creator.  Jesus connected us to God by taking away the sin the divided us from Him.  Paying for the sin that required death as the payment.  Since Jesus was without sin He made that payment for all who believe in Him, connecting us with His death and saving us from the cost of our own.    

 

I don’t know what the next four years hold for us but I do know that Jesus reign is eternal and goes far beyond even our lifetimes.  On his coronation or inauguration Jesus began a reign that continues forever.  It was His inauguration that marked a change in the history of the world.  Instead of praying for Him we pray to Him and so let us pray.

 

[Please pray for our new President, Barack Obama now if you are able]

 

In His Service,

 

Pastor Shawn

What star is this?

A star alerted three astronomers of the birth of a king (Matthew 2). It was spectacular enough that they began a journey to Jerusalem (and eventually Bethlehem) to seek out a newborn king. After stopping where they expected to find the king, in a palace,  they instead found the star-told king in a simple house with a small child in the small town of Bethlehem. A star lead them to the king.

What kind of star are you?

Are you a protostar? A protostar is a star that is just getting it’s beginnings wrapped in a cloudy nebula.  You may have just learned about Jesus and perhaps you like what you know so far but the picture isn’t altogether clear yet.  You are still gathering stories and testimonies and knowledge about Jesus like a protostar gathers dust and gases before it begins to shine like a star.  A protostar might ask someone to learn along with them to share their journey but the light they shine does not lead yet.

Hopefully you are not like a black hole which represents the death of a star in an event that creates such a gravity field that even light cannot escape from it.  A black hole only takes in (light, matter, everything), it doesn’t give out light.  A black hole would not guide wisemen, it would hide any path from them.  A picture of sin and selfishness, a black hole takes but doesn’t give, it destroys and does not share.

A pulsar is a rapidly spinning, dying star that sends out radio waves at regular intervals.  These radio waves once tricked scientists into thinking that the radio waves were from extra-terrestrial intelligent life.  A pulsar acts as if it is alive when, in fact, it is rapidly dying.  A star that acts like it is alive and doing the right thing will not lead anyone to the king.  It’s actions will lead people only to discover that the power behind their life is the desire to hide the truth from others.  Acting good is different from God making you good so that you can be a guide.

We owe a lot to one star in particular.  It is our star, the sun.  Technically some scientists call it a medium sized, G-class star but I call it a source of warmth, light and life.  When we talk about God’s care for us in our truth statement called the creed we say “God continues to take care of us” and “God richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.”  A star like our sun would be the kind of light that would lead people to the king, to Jesus.  When we care for others when no one else does, when we ask how someone is doing and take the time to listen to the answer, we shine like stars (Philippians 2:15).  When our source of light, Jesus Christ, shines through us in acceptance and forgiveness, then others can be guided to the light-giver and see what kind of star they will become through Him.

Blackout Doesn’t Darken Sea Life Excursion

Thrivent thanked its volunteers with a Sea Life Park excursion on December 27th. With tickets given out to 200 people, 130 were able to make it to the park despite the confusion of the blackout.