Insider Information

According to Investopedia.com “insider information” is…

“…a non-public fact regarding the plans or condition of a publicly traded company that could provide a financial advantage when used to buy or sell shares of the company's stock. Insider information is typically gained by someone who is working within or close to a listed company.”

Movies about Wall Street have portrayed powerful and greedy people who have unfairly used insider information to make enormous sums of money. In reality though, in most cases they either abused the system or downright made illegal business transactions. So “insider information” has gotten a bad name in the minds of a lot of people.

Jesus, however, talked about some “insider information” that everyone needs to know. In his story about a field full of both wheat and weeds, Jesus talked clearly and forcefully about the reality of a day of judgment, a time in history when every single human being would be held accountable for the lives they lived on earth. It’s information that rocks our thinking, because much of the time most of us live for the moment without giving the future, much less a day when we’ll be held accountable for our actions, much thought at all.

The same Jesus who physically rose from the dead gives us insider information about the subject we fear most and know little about – life after death. If you’ve been “living for the day” but are feeling increasingly uncomfortable about the time when your days will come to an end, join us for our Sunday morning worship service. The inside information Jesus offers is spectacular.

Sunday morning service: 10:00 am

Riddles and Parables

What talks, burns a hole in your pocket, doesn’t grow on trees, and can’t buy you love?

That’s right – money. The stuff we love to have more of and hate to talk about. What’s interesting is Jesus loved to talk about money. Here are some shocking statistics:

• Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions.
• In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money.

Why did Jesus talk about a subject we detest bringing up? Because he knows what a powerful influence money has on us. Sure, we say money can’t buy happiness, but our behavior often indicates we agree with the quotes below from folks who were a little bit more honest about their attraction to the green stuff.

"I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position." Mark Twain, American author and humorist (1835-1910)

"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old, I know that it is." Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and writer (1854-1900)

"It's a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money." Albert Camus, philosopher (1913-1960)

Human beings can do incredibly wonderful things with money. But, we are also capable of self-destructing if we don’t use money properly. Jesus told a story about a guy who was living the American dream. You know what the title of the story is? The Rich Fool.

Join us for one of our weekend worship services. You may not enjoy what Jesus has to say, but it might just be the best investment you ever made.

Saturday evening service: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning service: 10:00 am

Dirt Stories at the Beach

Jesus got his hands dirty. For thirty years he built houses, fixed furniture and worked on roofs. He knew what daily life is like. And that’s why his stories are still so relevant today. They speak to us in ways we can understand and yet at the same time communicate spiritual truths so necessary for us to grow in our relationship with him.

This Sunday we’re going to study the most famous dirt story of all time – the parable of the sower and the seed. You know it. You probably are thinking, “I’ve heard this story so many times what more could I learn from it?” No, the plot isn’t very complicated. It’s about four types of dirt. Of course, the dirt represents our hearts and the searching question Jesus is getting us to ask ourselves is, “What kind of dirt are we?” Do we have a heart that ignores him, forgets him in times of trouble or prosperity, or do we have a heart in which he can grow and take over?

We’re going to talk about dirt at the beach. That’s kind of weird. But it’s also going to be fun! Our service Sunday at 11:00 am is going to be at at Foster Point Pavilion on Hickam Air Force Base, one of the most beautiful locations on all of Oahu. Because we’re going to be in a special place, we’re going to have a special activities based service that both you and your kids will enjoy. After, join us for a great potluck lunch. Hot dogs, hamburgers and other grilled meats will be provided. Please bring a side dish to pass.

After lunch we’ll have games and of course Hickam Beach is a whole 100 yards down the street, so bring your swim suit! Don’t forget, the service starts at 11:00 am at Foster Point, that’s one hour earlier than usual.

One more thing, please bring a lawn chair(s) if you would like to sit on something a little more comfortable than a picnic table.

Saturday evening service: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning service at church: 9:00 am
Sunday morning service at Foster Point: 11:00 am

Stories that Speak to the Heart

Stories. We love to hear them. We love even more to tell them. There is something about a story which catches our attention. Jesus Christ told a lot of stories during his years on this earth. We call them “parables” but they are really stories; stories which are simple, understandable and always have some spiritual lesson to teach. When Jesus told a story, it was always meant to speak to our hearts.

One story he told was about a person who had a plank in his eye and yet he insisted on trying to take out a little speck in the eye of his friend. Kind of crazy, right? Not anymore crazy than you and I, with all our faults, arrogantly trying to tell someone else to clean up their act. It’s pretty easy to identify other peoples’ weaknesses and be totally oblivious of our own. Even more shocking is the incredible ease with which we brutally expose other peoples’ faults. We call it ripping on other people. Jesus said it was judging. Whatever you call it, Jesus said, “Don’t do it” as it is one of the highest forms of hypocrisy.

But there’s more to this whole matter of negatively judging other people. This attitude reveals in us something that is very wrong, very destructive to our relationship with Christ.

Identifying what’s wrong with other people – it may be something we enjoy doing. But it certainly is not a part of what Christ had planned for our lives when he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross.

If you’ve started to realize that ripping on other people, though it gives a certain temporary satisfaction, is eating away at your heart like acid, join us for one of our services this weekend for a story that will speak to your heart.

Saturday evening service: 6:00 pm
Sunday morning service: 10:00 am