After Christmas Joy

Have you recovered from your celebrations? Are the wrappings all cleared, the dishes done, the turkey sliced ready for those delicious sandwiches to come? We aren’t either… There is a certain reluctance to let go of Christmas. It is such a special day & like little children, we find ourselves pining for the day past […]

Silent Night

All is peaceful here at Makanalani. Even on Kauai, we have a winter or sorts & it seems to calm the animals. Even the wind whispers quietly & the rain falls as a blessing upon us. As we enjoy our family & friends, we wonder what it must have been like for Mary on this, the […]

The Angel Gabriel’s Most Sensitive Mission

A charming story about Gabriel & Mary by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson. Enjoy! As the tall, stately angel rose and walked toward the front of the chapel, there was a buzz among the cadets. Gabriel was a living legend. He cleared his throat. I’ve been asked to speak to you today about what I’ve learned […]

Dat Baby Jesus – He Makes me Laugh

In thinking about Christ & Christmas, we came across this wonderful story from Brennan Manning’s The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus. It seems that Mr. Manning was stuck in Chicago airport. He was waiting for a flight to Texas for a weekend retreat, but there was a storm & all flights were delayed. People were complaining, […]

A Giving Heart

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, when we gather with our family & friends to give thanks to God for all of his blessings. But is there more? We would like to suggest that you take this opportunity to not only give thanks to The Lord, but also to emulate Jesus in his giving attitude. There is more […]

Santa’s Favorite Story

Just a bit more on Santa, that much loved & much maligned character. When we were looking into how Christians feel about the jolly old fellow, we can across this charming book: Santa’s Favorite Story: Santa Tells the Story of the First Christmas by Hisako Aoki with sweet illustrations by Ivan Gantschev. If you’re looking for some bedtime […]

The Generosity of Santa

As the Blessed Season of Christmas approaches, we are, of course, presented with images not only of Our Lord Jesus Christ but also of Santa. Some Christians seem to object to Santa, who is, of course, derived from the character of Saint Nicholas. We, however, feel that there is much good to be had in […]

What Did Jesus Eat?

History is a fascinating subject; not just the wars & revolutions, but also how the everyday (& in this case very special) people lived their lives. We recently wondered, what did Jesus eat? We’re fairly lucky in that we have extensive records from the times of the Romans & guidelines such as the prohibitions in […]