“Lanikai Oh Lanikai”, sung to the tune of Galveston, by Glenn Campbell.

It’s unbelievable here.  It’s now 2 AM and I am typing this in my loft office as the breezes dominate the sounds outside, rather than the old H-1 and 16th Ave. noises my wife and I were used to.  Around 11PM and sometimes midnight every night, it seemed there would be the extreme blasts of the fast cars or motorcycles on H-1.  I imagined that it was the exact time of shift change for HPD, which could explain the timing.

Thye city of Honolulu seems like a distant memory to me already.

None of that here.  I guess the mansion next door has automatic sprinklers, cuz they just kicked in.  If my wife was here I am sure she would thnk that was the rain.  It is so wonderful to hear the rain here, as well.

For those of you who don’t know Lanikai, well, you don’t know what you don’t know.  When we were first offered the chance to stay here for a short while, I told my wife NO, and went over the list of reasons, so matter-of-fact(ly), so logically.  I was Ben Franklin, with the legal pad with the pros and the right and the cons on the left.  By the way that method is over-rated, we all know we can manipulate the process. 

Anyway, like many things, talking about Lanikai Beach, connected to Kailua Beach, is just NOT good enough.  It has to be experienced.  You could notice, some night in the area, how extravagant the moon and stars look through the tops of the palm trees, but chances are you’d miss it. 

You could ‘luck out’ and catch a photo with the fading available light as the sun dips behind the mountain here.  You know, it is more of a hill, but mountain sounds good, doesn’t it?

You may catch a nice picture of the Mokes, (the Mokulua Islands), but not really ‘get it.’

There is really nothing like the daily “hey, I’m on vacation” feel here.  It is incredible to catch the various shades of shadowy light in the evening and snap as many ‘perfect’ pics as you want.  And I can’t wait to catch another unique sunrise from behind the Mokes.  In 3 more hours….ouch.

Anyway, if it sounds like I am bragging, I failed.  As a painter attempts to catch a moment, I want to share a few of the magical moments here.  Besides my wife is off-island tonite and I am up late.

Our time here may be limited.  If this is heaven, God, I DO want to stay here forever.  Just wanted to get THAT out there.  We are so blessed.  Thank God I married wisely….. 

Of course I will show pics soon.  But give me a minute, we just got the computer set up today.  So it’s me and the cat(s) off to bed for now…………aloha 

I watched this morbidly obese guy with no helmut riding a rather small moped down Kapahulu today.  Oh yeah, he was talking on a cell phone.  I thought it was sadly funny.

Hawaii is different from what we call the mainland.  Many things are different.

Weather.  We only have one kind.  It’s ‘nice’.  It’s either really nice, or nice.  Sometimes it rains hard.  So what.  It is still warm out.  Anyway the air is different here.  It’s nice too.

You don’t see semis on the roads.  Once in a while you will see a big truck, but it is rare.

No billboards.  I think that’s cool.  There is actually some group or society to keep billboards out.  You can’t just sneak ‘em in in the middle of the night either…..

It’s OK here (and only here) to ride around in the back of trucks.  No seats, no seat-belts of course, and no safety.  Some states seem to allow dogs (also unsafe) but here we compromise the safety of people too.  The deal does not even get mentioned-ever.  You can tell the seasoned back-of-the-truck people.  They have this smug, defiant "I’m not comfortable, but I won’t let on no matter what" look.

You’d think perhaps that it was because of the great numbers of underpaid farm workers, but no.  As more and more subdivisons gobble up the available farmland on Oahu, we see that it is for all types of people.  Young, old, even kids on dates…..

No pro sports teams play here.  Bummer.  I mean the Lakers practice here for about a month, but that’s as close as it gets.  No one seems to mind.  We DO have the Pro Bowl, for at least one more year.

Anyway there are too many differences to tell in just one blog,     Rick Emmerich

This letter is racist and wrong.  Most of Obama’s education came from the prestigious private school called Punahou here in Honolulu.  The emphasis on the color of his mothers’ skin and father’s skin is a sick attempt to inflame racial hatred.

Obama is from the USA and has worshipped for 20 years at a Church of Christ.

When you say he’ll come from the East, do you mean Hawaii, or Chicago, or Kansas?  Which one of those is the East you are referring to?

Oh wait, he spent 2 years in a Catholic school.  He must secretly be a Catholic, right?  One could twist it that way, as well.

I am a Christian and what I see here is hogwash.  My NIV Bible does not say anything that can be interpreted in THIS way.

By the way, we are NOT at war with the Muslim Nation.  If we ever get to THAT we will lose.  The terrorists are a small group of radical Muslims amidst a very large number that are not.

I feel sorry for those that are easily misled, like sheep that simply and mindlessly forward this without questioning.  Those that are of more noble character, like the Bereans examine the Scriptures daily and make sure what they are told is true.

I will pray for those that are so easily misled.  It is sad that some are so paranoid.

I am a Christian who is for Barack even though I do not believe in everything he stands for.  He is NOT the one who has anger management issues and wants to drag out this terrible war and who stands for 4 or 8 more years of the same old same old.  He DOES stand for hope for millions of Americans who feel that their voices have not been heard.

I pray that you all will have the discernment to see through this hate-inspiring rhetoric.  I am not necessarily asking people to supoport Obama, just to have the decency to disregard this poorly disguised racial hatred.

Rick Emmerich 

Hope For The Islands!

Guest Editorial: Kyle Bartholomew

Kyle and Joan Bartholomew with their son Brett

(On Sunday June 1, 2008, the Honolulu Mission Team will be sent out! On that historic day, it will be my honor to appoint Kyle as an Evangelist in the Kingdom of God. Kyle was born in Hilo, Hawaii on October 2, 1981 to Jay and Cindy Bartholomew. He has an older sister Robin and two younger brothers. Throughout his life, Kyle’s passion has been basketball. Following in his father’s steps, Kyle played at the University of Hawaii – Hilo. He was a three year starter, two time All-Conference selection and captain of the team in both his junior and senior years! It was in college that Kyle was baptized by Chris Teves on July 29, 2001. Before he graduated in 2003, he baptized his brothers, Evan and Levi. On August 14, 2004, he marrried an awesome disciple, Joan Udtohan. God blessed them with Brett on March 15, 2006. Later that year, Kyle became the full-time minister for the Hilo International Church of Christ. When the Bartholomews left to train in Los Angeles in 2007, Evan and his wife Kelly began to lead the Hilo Church. This past year in Los Angeles, Kyle has been abundantly fruitful at Cal State Fullerton. With their “Hawaiian warmth” both Kyle and Joan have endeared themselves to the entire Orange County Region as their leaders. Though Kyle has remained a Cleveland Cavalier fan resisting the Lakers’ resurgence, he has become a very close friend and dear son in the faith! I am so looking forward to being “partners in the gospel” with Kyle in the Islands and throughout the Pacific Rim.) KM

“My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.” Isaiah 51:5

In this prophecy of Isaiah, we learn that it is and has always been God’s heart to bring His righteousness, hope and salvation to the nations! God’s heart for the nations is reflected in many other passages such as Acts 1:8 – the command to take the gospel to the “ends of the earth”; Acts 2:39 – the promise that the gospel message would reach “all who are far off” (Gentiles); and perhaps most familiar, Matthew 28:19 – God’s command “to baptize… the nations”! Since I was born and raised in Hawaii, the most exciting aspect of Isaiah’s prophecy is that God’s arm will extend out even to “the Islands”!

Kyle and Joan on their wedding day!

When I was baptized as a disciple on July 29, 2001 through the efforts of the Hilo International Church of Christ (ICOC), I was blown away by the commitment, passion and love that I saw in each and every disciple. What inspired me most was the dream that each disciple shared to evangelize the Islands, the Pacific Rim and ultimately the world in their generation. In 2001, there were about 60 disciples in Hilo, 75 in Maui and around 1,000 in Oahu – every disciple believed this dream was possible, and so did I. 

Sadly, in November 2002 after the ICOC leadership’s decision to return to a more mainline Church of Christ theology, as well as the advent of the “Kriete letter” in early 2003, so many beloved aspects of “my church” began to change. Gone was a fellowship where every member was a practicing disciple of Jesus. Gone was the deep love for one another through discipling relationships. And gone was the dream to evangelize the Islands and the world.

By 2006, membership was declining at an alarming rate! Oahu dropped from 1,000 disciples to 200; Hilo went from almost 60 disciples to 38; and Maui was reduced from 75 disciples to 25. Oahu went from six full-time couples to two, and both Hilo and Maui went from a full-time couple leading each congregation to untrained volunteers, as vision and then contribution plummeted. Baptisms became extremely rare, restorations were almost non-existent and there had not been a single church planted from the Islands for over six long years. It was obvious to me that something needed to change!

Kyle and his brothers Levi and Evan!

In late 2006, I was asked by the “leadership group” of the Hilo ICOC to be the minister. They were indeed desperate as the Hilo Church had not had a baptism for over a year! Since I was untrained, I was convinced we needed additional help. Therefore, in considering which church to ask for help, I decided to attend the Portland World Missions Jubilee. I was so in awe of God so obviously working through the Portland Church, as the fastest growing church in the ICOC at that time, that I asked Kip and Elena to disciple Joan and me. Thankfully, they agreed.

One month later, the McKeans came to help us rebuild the Hilo Church’s foundation to be composed of only disciples (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). After an eventful weekend of Kip and Elena’s preaching, God left us with a “Gideon-like” twelve disciples, whose dream was to once again evangelize the world in our generation! The other 26 members, many of whom were lukewarm, started a new congregation with the help of evangelists from both the LA ICOC and the Oahu Church of Christ. Not having a baptism for over a year in Hilo, yet starting with twelve sold-out disciples, God blessed us with 20 baptisms that next year! Sadly, yet to the point, the congregation that was started in opposition to Kip’s and my vision of world evangelism through God’s plan of discipling, still has not seen a baptism to this day.

Kyle making two points for UH-Hilo!

Visiting that fateful weekend, during the calling out of the remnant, were Chris Teves and Joe and Mary Santos from Honolulu. Likewise, discouraged by witnessing only five baptisms a year on Oahu, they made the decision that weekend to start a new congregation of only sold-out disciples in Honolulu. Heart-breaking for me, after just one week, Chris Teves under overwhelming pressure from close relationships, decided to give the Oahu Church of Christ another try. Therefore, starting with only Joe and Mary, God has grown the group in Honolulu to 16 disciples!

Most impressive is that four former full-time ministers are now solid members of the remnant group: Joe and Mary Santos, Jody Tyrell (restored in January) and Chris Teves (who recently decided to rejoin us after a failed attempt to reform the existing Oahu Church of Christ).  Dr. Malia (Millard) Emmerich, who was on the original Oahu COC planting back in 1989 is a part of the Honolulu Intl. Christian Church as well.  Truly God is faithful to His promise to gather His remnant, when we repent and begin to seek Him with all our heart (Nehemiah 1:8-9).
After a long talk with Joe and Kip in the summer of 2007, Joan and I decided to move to Los Angeles to receive the training needed to lead the Honolulu Church, which will become the pillar church for the evangelization of the Islands and the Pacific Rim. We borrowed $20,000 from a home equity loan to train full-time. We have been fortunate over the last several months to lead both the Cal State Fullerton Campus Ministry and then recently, the Orange County Region. We will be forever grateful for Kip and Elena, the Comisfords, the Hardings, the Kirchners, the Underhills, the Hernandezs, Vic and Aurora Gonzalez, and many other brothers and sisters who have helped us learn how to be more effective disciples and church builders.

Jody and U’i Tyrell with their three daughters,
Makana, Sera and Gabby!

On Sunday June 1, the Honolulu Mission Team will be sent off by the Holy Spirit from the City of Angels Church to join the remnant group in Honolulu! The Honolulu Mission Team includes four incredible young men in Albert Wagers, Lorenzo Prueitt, Josh Aguirre, David Rysdet and three awesome young women in Joy Axelson of Maui, Naveh Pilate of Honolulu, and “CL” Salamanca, and of course, Joan and me. The Inaugural Service of the Honolulu International Christian Church will be held the following Sunday June 8, 2008 at 10 am at Maunakea Chapel, 1330 Maunakea Street! It is at the corner of Maunakea and Vineyard across from Zippy’s.  We would like to invite all of you who still believe in the dream to evangelize the Islands of Hawaii to join us!

This is not a matter of salvation if you are a faithful disciple, but joining us will allow us all “to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19) through multiplying disciples as a movement of God. Our prayer is that through our efforts God will be glorified by His righteousness, hope and salvation returning to the lost Islands of Hawaii! If you are interested in joining in our efforts please give me a call @ 808-217-3904 or Joan @ 808-271-5577. Aloha!

Kyle Bartholomew
www.honoluluicc.org
kyle@honoluluicc.org

Rick Emmerich’s note.  One can certainly contact me as well for info, and questions about the church.  808 371-6501.  Obviously we’d like to invite you to the service this Sunday the 1st too.

Yes I am qualified to train people on this.  August 21, 2008 will be the 4 year anniversary of my heart attack.

 1.  No matter what, DON’T exercise.  Relax on the couch as much as possible.  It’s exercise to type on the keyboard and surf through all those exhausting miles on the net.  Rush hour traffic in Milwaukee/Honolulu/Insert your city is burning some calories too, for sure.  Run up to work when you get there 3 minutes after 8AM, it gets the blood moving.

2.  Hold in that stress that comes from financial dealings.  In fact, make sure that you are flying by the seat of your pants all the time.  Make sure EVERY car payment and mortgage payment get in just before the penalties are assessed.  Heck, having a mortgage these days is stressful enough isn’t it?

3.  Make sure that you really raise your voice when you talk to Customer Service people and bill-collectors.  They are evil.  Some of them are in India and the Philippines.  Those people not only speak a diferent brand of English, but they may have stolen one of your friends’ jobs along the line.  They don’t like you and get a kick out of sticking it to you, because they can.  The ones in the US are easeier to get to by pushing their buttons.  Make sure you win every argument and conversation with these people.  Let them and everyone else, for that matter know what a victim you are.

4.  Always keep your plate full and when necessary, get more plates.

5.  Keep your home environment in a constant state of confusion-THAT burns calories as well.  Find people that will contribute to that chaos and get them to move in,  it helps with the mortgage payment.  Extra points if you find anyone that is a compulsive liar, compulsive hoarder, an addict or thinks he is Jesus Christ.

6.  Keep up the illusion that you are as healthy as ever.  Ignore all reasonable suggestions from well-meaning friends, especially those with healthcare backgrounds.  Always play softball on the church league so that you exhibit your athleticism to as many people as possible.

7.  Use a ton of caffeine.  It gets you going.  It is your friend.  Caffeine has other helpers, usually found in soda and Snickers.  The resulting sludge that used to be called your blood is of no concern, heck you are only in your 40s.  Drink energy drinks, they keep you going, keep you young.

8.  Diet.  Make sure that you eat plenty.  WHAT you eat is of no real concern since you take daily vitamins.  You’re a fast mover and fast food fuels your lifestyle.  Try NOT to eat fast food more than 3 times a day though, that would be overdoing it.  Eat regional foods, support local businesses.  Wisconsin Cheese-heck, put cheese on everything.  Cows, they are dairy, right?  Eat a lot of red meat.  When in Rome….Eat a lot of bratwurst, you’re German aren’t you?  Pizza is good-eat a lot, you really like to eat don’t you.  Skip fruit and vegetables, too much trouble.  If you eat too many hotdogs, stop for a while when you develop gout.  Then you can restart after it clears up.

9.  Sleep?  Sleep is a sign of weakness.  Only sleep when you have to.  Your bed is better than using your keyboard as a pillow, however.  Make that necessary sleep from 4-5 hours tops.  (That way you have more time to enjoy your wonderful life.)  Make sure when you do pop out of bed, you hit the ground running.

The author, Rick Emmerich is a heart health enthusiast.  Once is enough.   Having practiced the above techniques and attained the result, he has now made MANY changes, including marrying  Dr. Malia.   http://rickemmerich.com, twitter: @hearthealthguy    www.holyteaclub.com/rickemmerich     www.rickemmerich.myzrii.com    facebook, and the other usual hangouts.  This entry is a small portion of a future Thank God I book series publication, Thank God I had a heart attack.   To order the first book of the series     click here   http://thankgodi.com/?idAff=4              rick   808 371-6501