Transformation

At the risk of sounding like a blogger-gone-bad, I've decided to start keeping track of some thoughts I've been having lately. I've got some cool stuff pouring into my life right now and I want to remember the things I learn. What place won't delete my thoughts for a while? The internet! What's been pouring into me lately?

1. Awesome new neighbors, Dave & Katie- a great source of conversation and 2 new lives we've never seen or heard of before. We've been doing it old school lately; we sit around a bonfire or the outside dinner table, swapping stories about growing up, our dreams, our disappointments... learning from each other (I like to think), and encouraging each other in our newfound friendships (that I personally think will blossom with time). Along with them, we've been blessed with the temporary constant presence of incredible friends, Adam & Ashley, who always challenge our lives and hearts. It has been great to have community in our lives once again.

2. Small group study of The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg. I read the book a while ago- very touch and go- but now have the opportunity to read it again AND do a study along with it with a small group of young married couples from my church. I've only read 2 chapters but I'm enthralled so far. I love books that make you think, and books that make you have, "Oh, duh!" moments. Go Johnny O!

3. Just Jesus in general. I think we go through deserts and valleys and mountains in our lives, sometimes learning more than other times. More often than not, I visit that awful place of complacency. Who can pour into me more than Jesus himself? I have so much to learn.

So, in short, don't fret- I won't be typing an outline of this book. I just want to write what has triggered things in my heart that need to be transformed. Ideals that need to be changed. Read it if you want, ignore it if you want. Do what you do but remember to try to love God, and love people. That's what I'm going for, and it'd be good to have teammates run with me in the race.

My thoughts

To be transformed means to be changed. Spiritual Transformation, then, to me, means to become more like Christ and mature my spirit to look more like His. His spirit had what the Word calls Fruits of the Spirit. These fruits can be displayed through attitude, love, patience, contentment, etc. The list goes on. :)

Unfortunately for the human race, especially Christians, there's this thing called Pseudo-Transformation. Obviously, this is false, showy transformation without genuine sincerity. Many people, me included, "tread water" to get to Heaven without even knowing they're doing it most of the time. It's a legalistic discipline that people do to set themselves apart from others in order to appear Holy and good. In truth, us who pseudo-transform haven't really been transformed by God. We're just fakes and phonies. In my life, I've done my fair share of being a fake. I've done "spiritual duties" in hopes that others will notice and think of me highly. I've been the worst kind of prideful person, and I've been a hypocrite. I've been so preoccupied with myself that I've forgotten that the world really isn't about me at all. (By the way, I think it's about Jesus...) I've sometimes done nothing to clean up the mess inside my head. In a nutshell, I can be pretty darn selfish.

Now that I've poured my ugly heart out on the table, I can say with confidence that I'm not above Jesus' reproach. I'm not too low to be transformed! Paul, who worked for the first half of his life against Christians, wasn't more than Jesus could handle. David, who was after God's own heart, made his share of nasty mistakes. God will use who He wants and He knows our hearts in their truest forms. That is amazing to me.

Once we've decided that we truly want to be transformed by the God of Everything, it's time to start training! It might start as obligation, but eventually I believe it will turn into desire. My friend Kimo has a great analogy for this. You like to run? Most people don't, especially when they first start out. It's treacherous and miserable the first couple weeks of running. Eventually though, if you persevere, it will become an enjoyable activity. Some people even come to crave it. That's what I think spending time in the Word, talking with the Lord, and having community with others is like. It's probably really difficult at first, but isn't anything worth having hard to attain? Relationships take Work! My relationship with my husband takes work. My relationship with my parents, family, and friends take work. In relationships, you need discipline and training. I usually have to discipline my tongue to not fly off the handle when I long to speak harshly to Pete. I usually fail. Which is why I need to train harder. Sometimes "trying" isn't enough... but purposefully training will get you there.

Soren Kierkgaard said something pretty sweet once. "Now, with God's help, I shall become myself." Dude, I thought I already was myself. But I am so totally not myself in its purest form, as God intended. As John O. says, "I am disappointed with myself...I have a nagging sense that all is not as it should be." I feel that a lot in my life. I feel it in:

1) My marriage to Pete. I'm not the wife I intend to be, not even close. I won't list more of my sins, but I wish I were more gentle, more compassionate, more loving, less critical, less cynical, and just in general a better Proverbs 31 woman.

2) What I choose in my career path. I am a 24 year old server at a pizza place- I serve people food that will make them unhealthy, and I deal with bad attitudes (usually my own) because this job doesn't really satisfy anyone. I long for a more meaningful pursuit, one that will satisfy me and give my life meaning. But, I'm lazy and make good money at this current place of work, so I stay. Thank goodness for my sanity, the tides are changing and I'm being encouraged by so many people around me to branch out and find something new to work toward.

3) My family. It's broken, pretty much just like every other American family these days. It's pretty normal to be broken in some sense in this day and age, but I pray that nothing is beyond repair. To become complacent in this brokenness is the worst place to be, and it's the place I've lived in for quite some time. Good relationships are sometimes a constant battle from within.

So you see, I'm not the wife, daughter, sister, or co-worker I want to be. It's my hope that some of these walls can be torn down and replaced with open sincerity and purity- to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.

Sometimes- or I guess, most of the time- I forget that I can press on toward a better life and state of mind and state of relationships. That's why my primary goal is Real Change in the essential nature of myself. Good thing God is in the business of transforming people, yeah? :) I want to "express His character and goodness in my whole being". Transformation from the inside out.

That's a lot of stairs.

Well, if I could describe this week in two phrases, I'd say Tired and More Tired. But if I could only describe it in one word, I'd have to choose the word Fun-Filled! (I'm pretending this is one word, by the way.) It has been full of beaches, water, early mornings, late nights, no work, hikes, traveling, and basically, just full of Life.


What triggered all this life-living fun? We had some great friends move from Missouri to this little island lost in the Pacific. Adam & Ashley were brave enough to move to a place they'd never visited! After picking them up at the airport last Tuesday, we filled our week with showing them around the island. We traveled around the windward side- the side we live on- and showed them the telephone pole you can jump off of into the ocean, a beach with big waves, and some sweet ocean scenery next to the highway. We also hit up North Shore, where Adam & Pete spent an hour jumping over 4-5 foot waves crashing on the shore. We saw some turtles the size of Ashley, walked around a North Shore surf town, and discovered Ashley's new favorite sport- snorkeling!

Before all this though, Pete and I celebrated our 2 year Anniversary! I took him to a breakfast nook (since that's his favorite meal of the day), where he ate Guava Chiffon and Cinnamon Apple pancakes. I had hash browns...I know, I'm boring. :) Afterward, he ordered me into a t-shirt and shorts, and drove me clear to the other side of the island. I had no idea where we were going until we turned off of the main highway and onto a road that led to the most western point of the island. I knew exactly what was down this road but was too excited to imagine the possibility...so I kept my mouth shut and waited. When he finally slowed in front of the place I was hoping for, I erupted in laughter and shrieks. He surprised me with skydiving on the North Shore- an amazing blend of mountains and ocean! More than ever, I became convinced that skydiving is my calling in life. We parked and walked up to the window, where Pete told the girl that he'd made an appointment. She had no record of it but said that the last plane of the day was just getting ready to go up in a few seconds. We rushed through the paperwork (well, half of it...), threw on our gear, and jumped into the plane within 5 minutes! We were up to 14,000 feet in no time- my favorite place to be! My tandem master was taking pictures the whole way up, which we hadn't paid for but he sent me for free later on (so amazing!). I tumbled out of the plane a few minutes later and experienced blist as I freefalled through the air for the next 60 seconds. Pete went out right after I did so I got to watch him land. The view was simply incredible- it literally took my breath away. I was so thankful for this amazing gift my husband had given us to celebrate our life together.


After falling from the sky, we spent the rest of the day together. We ate mexican food on Turtle Bay beach then picked up Adam and Ashley at the airport that same night. Overall, it was a fantastic anniversary.

So, besides giving our friends a tour of the island, we also did a crazy thing on September 11th. We woke up at 4:00 a.m., drove a few miles to the base of a mountain on the Koolau mountain range on the windward side, and started hiking. By the time the sun rose, we were ascending a mountain of stairs...literally, a mountain. There were 3,922 stairs to be exact. The mountain itself is over 2,000 feet high! Each step is like climbing up a ladder and it goes straight down. The summit is ridiculous. However, we avid hikers did indeed conquer the stairs that came in massive doses! The panoramic view from the top was unlike any other. Did I mention that Adam is afraid of heights? :)

Then, to top the week off, we celebrated our awesome neighbors/new friends Katie & Dave's birthday at the beach park! We barbequed, talked, sang happy birthday, and watched the sun set over the mountains as we stood on the beach. It was pretty much picture perfect, and reminded me of how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful place. We went home together to what we now call the Jr. Compound (the real compound is at our auntie and uncle's house), and continued our little party by sitting around a fire pit and sharing stories about life. We nibbled on peanut butter cookies and talked into the night like old friends. Sometimes I forget we're adults because I feel like we still have so many free times together. I never knew adults could hang out together on the beach and then sit around a fire together. I just figured adults worked all the time and didn't have many friends. Kind of a weird view of adults.... but I guess that's how all adults are. Or maybe we're still just kids in adult bodies. Who knows?

All in all, it has been one amazing week with great friends.

A Change Will Do You Good!

Aloha friends & loved ones alike! Boy, have we got loads of exciting stories for you. They range from strenuous yet gorgeous hikes to our amazing new neighbors to a fiasco that has to do with picking a dog up from the airport to....you get the point. Oh, and a near-Liz-flattening accident on a moped. (Mom, you might not want to read this post...) :)

First things first. Can you believe that Pete and I have been married for two years on Tuesday? I mean, can you really even believe it? We have been dating for 6 years, and married for 2. That just seems unreal to me! One tradition that we've started, apparently, is spending our wedding anniversary with at least one member of the Worrel family. Last year, we hiked 10 miles with Ben Worrel and celebrated by feeding our bodies to endless amounts of chiggers. Want to see what that looks like? Let's take a trip through history.

It looks bad, but I tell you what- it felt ten times worse. So, that was in celebration of our 1 year.

This year, fate has brought us together with the Worrel's once more- this time, with Adam and Ashley. Don't worry, we won't be camping. (Thank sweet Heaven for the lack of chiggers in Hawaii!) Instead, we have the privilege to pick up these very best friends of ours from the Honolulu airport, as they will be MOVING here! They have never even visited Hawaii, and here they are, packing up their lives and moving across an ocean to a tiny island settled in the Pacific. Who would do that?! Oh, besides us. Someone very, very, seriously cool would do that. And let me tell you, Adam and Ashley are very, very seriously cool people. Not to mention brave and adventurous! We are more than stoked to celebrate our second wedding anniversary by welcoming them to this amazing island. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, I'll be treating Pete to a few surprises around town and he will be treating me to his own surprises in the late afternoon. Then, at the lovely hour of 8:00, we will start a new adventure with Adam and Ashley. We are only able to imagine how much fun life is going to be with them here! (No pressure guys...) :) I wonder which Worrel we'll spend our next anniversary with?

One thing I am so thankful for is that we got our six-year-sicknesses out of the way last week. By six-year-sickness, I mean that I haven't been that kind of sick in six whole years. I specifically remember the year of 2004 because of how sick I was for my own high school graduation. It was the last time I blew chunks, and I hoped it would be the last forever. Alas, it was not to be so, for my Hawaiian bathtub got to see everything I ate last week. If bathtubs could talk, mine would not be very happy with me. It would cuss me out. Or, it would probably never talk to me again. If I were a bathtub, I would not want some dumb human to blow chunks in my face...seven times. If I were a bathtub, I would use my spout to punch that human in the face. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not a bathtub, and I'm even more glad that bathtubs can't talk...or punch. :) I'm just glad that this human and her husband got sick on the same exact day so we could get it over with for the next six years to come. While I was rolling around on the floor, groaning, and thrashing, I did have some positive thoughts. Granted, I had to work really hard to pull anything good out of the situation, but after some serious b.s.ing, I came up with some good stuff. 1) Being sick makes you really thankful for every other day of the year that you feel absolutely fine. 2) Being sick enlightens you as to how blessed you are that you're not ALWAYS like this. 3) Being sick just means there's something in your body that your body is trying to get rid of, so it's really cool that our bodies know what to do! 4) Puking 7 times makes a girls stomach look realllllly good. I won't continue that practice in daily life or anything, don't worry. 5) Being sick sucks so bad that it's almost funny...almost. Pete and I actually did spend quite a few minutes giggling about our hilarious situation. Two people, stretched out on either a floor or futon, groaning about their stomachs and heads, wanting to help the other but not being able to. No foot rubs, no back rubs, no cold wash cloths, no soup = no fun. But super funny.

While we were sick, we had some new neighbors move in to the studio next door. We share a yard and a driveway and...well, by now, pretty much everything else! We have become fast friends. Pretty much because they lent us their most expensive possession while we were sick- their TV! Meet Dave and Katie.

Super generous, fun, amazing people who are a perfect fit for our little Kalaheo community! They've been married 2 years, just like us, and just like us, they are newcomers to Hawaii. The same week they lent us their TV, they did this little thing called Moving Here from Seattle. Super cool people, yeah? I pretty much know we're bound to be great friends because they met us at our worst and still liked us. We must be super cool people too. :)

Since they've been here, life has been a constant whirl of fun and adventures! It always is, I guess, but it's even more fun to have other people to share these adventures with. And how great is it when you're neighbors with people who have such common interests? It is going to be one crazy whirlwind of nonstop playing when Adam and Ash get here- I just have a feeling!

Maybe I've been playing a little too much lately. Since I've come back from the mainland, I have been averaging 18 hour weeks (or less) at California Pizza Kitchen. Pete has been averaging 40-50 hour weeks as an EMT...so he's our family breadwinner these days! He is doing great in his program, by the way. I am so proud of him each and every day! When we're not working, you can find us either in the ocean or on a mountain. We have gone to two different waterfalls in the last two weeks, done some much-needed paddleboarding, and Lizzie even went out surfing! I stood up a few times, only to come crashing down, then coming up with mouthfulls of salt water. It was pretty funny, actually. I think I'm on my way to the Eddie Aiku competition at North Shore this winter. Definitely. But dude, when it comes to paddleboarding, I am the Master. Well at least of my division. Which would be Beginner. :)

To add to our list of adventurous endeavors lately, we just bought ourselves an electric moped! It's so cute- it's yellow, white, and black (yes, like a bumblebee) and tops out at 40 mph...but it will probably break if you force it that high. I stick around 25-30 mph, considering that's the highest speed limit in small town Kailua. We bought it mainly to get around town, and for me to get to work. I've been roadbiking to work since February but by the time I get there, I'm nice and sweaty. It only took us 7 months to find an alternative! I've only gotten almost-hit once (and it was only a 4 x4 truck, no need to worry), and I only dragged myself all over creation once. Oh, and both happened to be right in front of work. I took a bow. No, but seriously, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I am very cautious and even more of a defensive driver than usual. We prayed a lot about the decision to buy one, and we felt a peace about it.

There are always more things I could update you with but I'm hitting a little bit of a wall. Probably because the sun is about to set over the mountains and more than anything, I want to ride my little scooter to a beautiful place and take pictures. So, maybe we'll catch up more later, when mother nature isn't calling my name.

Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy. Mahalo for reading!

A verse to leave you with:

"Be very careful then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity." I don't interpret this to have fun and not work- on the contrary, I just believe that every day is a gift and these days won't last forever. Enjoy your life. Love others. Be thankful for what you've been blessed with.

Hawaii Lately

Aloha and Apologies for the great length of time that has passed between posts from Hawaii! We got some fantastic new neighbors who suggested we split the cost of wireless internet, so here we are, using the internet in our own home, finally!

I have some great pictures to post of our lives on Oahu, so I hope you enjoy them!

Kailua Beach- one of the world's most beautiful beaches!

A waterfall near Kahalu'u

The beautifully famous Diamondhead at Sunset

View of Kaneohe Bay

The Black Pearl, from Pirates of the Caribbean

A beautiful sunrise in our backyard

A beautiful sunset with my beautiful husband

Defeating Olomana Mountain!

One great thing about living in Hawaii is all the great hikes that are at our disposal! Driving 5 minutes as opposed to 5 hours to an amazing trailhead is simply incredible. Pete and I have been trying to live it up but we still have an abundance of trails on our list that are all over the island. Yesterday we took the afternoon to hike Olomana, which has to have one of the most gorgeous views of the windward side of our island! Enjoy!

[All images copyright of Liz Keizer Photography]