Hawaii…The BIG picture

So, in case you’ve been wondering why I have been silent the last two weeks, I gotta tell ya; I’ve been in Hawaii.
Yeah, I know it’s rough but…somebody had to do it.
We were there six years ago and we just had to go back because the place is BEAUTIFUL!
Now…we did do the same seven-day cruise onboard the Pride of America that takes us to four different ports of call in seven days. But we did everything else differently.
Like…zip lining through the rainforest at Hilo.
Well, I went on the seven-stage zip line tour…my sweetheart wanted no part of that particular adventure. So, myself and two of our group did that one.
What a blast!
Move over Tarzan of the apes…
Hilo Henry was in town.
I was king of the jungle for a day.
Actually, it was more like the runt of the rainforest for a couple of hours….
never-the-less, what a rush!!!
Another thing that we did differently this time was to take a helicopter ride on the island of Kauai that went over the Waimea Canyon and then to the Na Pali coast.
Now, here’s the part I just plain don’t understand….help me with this folks….
My wife who wants no part of a hundred to hundred ten foot high zip line has no reservations about jumping in a helicopter and flying thousands of feet above some of the most rugged terrain on the ‘Garden Island’
Hmmm…..
However beautiful this canyon and its waterfalls were, they were still no match for the grandeur of the Na Pali coast.
Now, on our last Hawaiian excursion in 2008 (as well as the trip this time), our ocean cruise went past Na Pali. Truly one of the most beautiful places on the planet (not to mention the fact that some of the greatest movies of my generation were partially filmed there at Na Pali and at Waimea…Jurrasic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong [2005])

But here is something that I never thought about….
On the Pride of America, we saw only a portion of Na Pali’s beauty, while in a helicopter (Compliments of BLUE HAWAII….um, at a small cost) we saw the same coastline but….
From a different perspective
We could see more of the ‘Big Picture’ while we were up above….
Kinda like how God sees the ‘Big Picture’ of human existence from up above.
All of this was a wonderful experience, no doubt! But, I have to admit….
none of these things come close to the coolest event of all.
As many of you know by now, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and I am always looking for new ways to share the Good News of Jesus.
So…………………………
Throughout our time on Hawaii, I was handing out gospel tracts to people I will probably never see again. I also took ten copies of the Japanese version of the Gospel of St. John to hand out.
Most of these were simply laid on newsstands for any passersby…
But….
When I was down to my last copy, I asked the Lord if He would make an opportunity for me to hand one to a Japanese person.

So, we spent our last (nearly) two full days in Honolulu and on the very last day I took a trip up to the top of Diamond Head. Now, the easy way to do this would have been to take a cab or shuttle to the extinct volcano from our hotel.
I never do things the easy way.
Me and a friend walked from the hotel to Diamond head.
Guess what?
On the way, we passed a young Japanese couple taking turns photographing each other in front of one of the local statues…
So…
I asked the man if he would like me to photograph him and his wife.
Now, this was done more through hand gestures as the couple did not speak much English at all.
After the photo was taken, the two smiled and bowed slightly thanking me for the gesture at which point I held my hand up and said “gift” as I produced the Japanese gospel from my back pocket and held it out to the man.
He patted his chest signifying the question “For me/us?”
I smiled and nodded yes.
He took the small booklet and saw that it was in his native language and smiled very big.
He and his wife then both clasped their hands before them and bowed even lower than the first time.
Is God cool or what???!!!
Let me add one more thing to this little scenario…..
While we were in Hawaii….
Franklin Graham (yes, that WOULD be Billy’s son) was having a crusade in……
Japan.
I just discovered that little tidbit of information yesterday….
Coincidence?
No.
Jesus
After all, He sees the ‘Big Picture’.
He also lets us be a part of the plan if we are only willing to be used!
God Bless and see you all next week……