A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Jan 22, 2015 | Message from Kahu

God Thinks We Could Not Be One Bit Better! 

On Sunday, I told the story of a young man named Willy who lived in Los Angeles. He was a gang member who liked to brag about his exploits. He was befriended by a priest named Father Gregory Boyle, who knew all about his life in the gangs. One day around 8 p.m., Willy paid Fr. Greg a visit and asked for $20 because he was hungry. Fr. Greg didn’t have $20 but told Willy he would drive him to a local grocery store where there was an ATM and get him some money. Fr. Greg didn’t want to take any chances that the 2 of them might run into any rival gang members in the parking lot or in the store, so he told Willy to wait in the car. About 10 yards away, Fr. Greg heard Willy call out to him. He wanted the keys to the car so he could listen to the radio. Fr. Greg said no way and invited Willy to pray instead. When he got back to the car, he found that something had changed. Willy was quiet, reflective, humble; and Fr. Greg couldn’t help but notice a sense of peace. He looked at Willy and said, “You prayed, didn’t you?” Willy responded without looking at Fr. Greg: “Yeah, I did.” Fr. Greg asked Willy a simple but very profound question: “How does God see you?” Willy replied: “God thinks I’m firme.” Fr. Greg translates that to mean: “[God thinks I] could not be one bit better.”

I read this story last week in Fr. Greg’s book, Tattoos on the Heart, in which he tells the story of his ministry to gang members in L.A. and people affected by the gangs. This theme that God thinks people could not be one bit better seems to be the heart of his message…and it changed the lives of people who heard it. I wondered (out loud) on Sunday if this might be the message we all need to let “marinate” in our hearts: that God thinks we could not be one bit better. Imagine how we might live differently if we truly believed that about ourselves and everyone else!

Have a great week, and I hope to see you on Sunday!

Kahu Alan Akana

A Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Jan 14, 2015 | Message from Kahu

I got back to the office yesterday after being on vacation since Christmas. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect upon my blessings over the past year and thought I would share some of them with you:

• Spending time with family and friends in California in January and February, especially time with my mom after learning she had cancer.
• Moving to Kaua’i in February to be the kahu of Koloa Union Church.
• Moving into the beautifully-restored historic parsonage in March (and enjoying it every day since then!).
• Spending a week with my mom in March and talking nearly every day on the phone until 3 days before she died.
• Spending a week with my son Palani on Kaua’i in March…and a month over the summer…and a week and a half in December.
• The publication of my book, The Volcano Is Our Home: Nine Generations of a Hawaiian Family on Kilauea Volcano, several book events in the following months, and very good sales.
• A successful art show at Art House in Koloa, where many people bought my watercolors.
• New and renewed friendships in Hawaii.
• Spending time with the wonderful people of Koloa Union Church.

These are some of the highlights of the past year, and there are many more blessings for which I am truly grateful. I feel that I am starting the new year off well by entering it with a grateful heart. I hope you will do the same. I also hope you will come to church and share the blessings of your life with the rest of us as we look forward to many more blessings in the year ahead!

Happy New Year!!!

Kahu Alan Akana

A Christmas Message from Kahu Alan Akana

by admin | Dec 24, 2014 | Message from Kahu

Christmas week is finally here! The church is decorated, the Christmas tree is up, the Advent candle have all been lit, and we are ready to celebrate the birth of Christ! As I spend the last couple of days preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning services, I am aware that many changes have taken place in our lives since last Christmas. Many good things happened in my life: I moved to Koloa to become the Kahu of Koloa Union Church; I began living in the beautifully refurbished parsonage; my book, The Volcano Is Our Home, was published; Art House has sold my watercolors nearly every month since last spring; I got to spend an entire month with my son Palani this summer. On a sad note, my mother and uncle (Mom’s younger brother) died. Although the changes in my life this past year have been quite dramatic, I know that we all face many changes every year: some dramatic and some a bit more subtle. And we all come to Christmas with a vast array of emotions, including joy and sadness, gratitude and hurt feelings, wonder and disappointment, trust and fear.

I invite you to come to Christmas at Koloa Union Church with all of your emotions and without any judgment upon yourself for any of them. I invite you to celebrate God’s love in Jesus as you are and as you feel. Come with laughter and with tears. Come with friends and family or come alone. Come with a spring in your step or with a limp. Most importantly, come with an open heart, whether it be broken or healed; for here you will find room for God’s love in all of your heart, regardless of the shape it is in. Here you will find room for God’s love in all of your life, regardless of the number of years you have lived. Here you will find room for God’s love to overflow onto others, regardless of the amount of love you feel. For here we will celebrate Christmas as the day in which God’s love breaks through every barrier and transcends every obstacle. Here we will celebrate love, grace and mercy! Here we will celebrate the miracle of being in God’s presence in the world!

Come and celebrate…and have a Merry Christmas!