Prayer Service Tonight! 10/24/12

Posted by on Oct 24, 2012 in What's Up | Comments Off on Prayer Service Tonight! 10/24/12

Dear Unified … family,

We will be meeting tonight for our weekly Wednesday Celebration Prayer Service at 6:30 pm. Please be careful as you walk in the drive way as work on our parking lot is still in progress.

Blessings,

Pastor Dean

Unified…’s Monthly Treasure Hunt Tonight at 6:30 pm.

Posted by on Jun 8, 2012 in What's Up | Comments Off on Unified…’s Monthly Treasure Hunt Tonight at 6:30 pm.

Dear Unified … family,

It is 6 am Toronto time, Friday June 7.  Kerry and I are sitting int eh Air Canada long awaiting our flight to Hawaii via Vancouver Canada.  We have had an amazing time on this trip and it seems it was another God ordained trip.  Thank you for remembering us in your prayers.

Don’t forget that tonight is our monthly “Treasure Hun” led by Paul and Betty Uyeda. They will be meeting at 6:30 pm at Unified …  Paul and Betty are fresh having recently come back from Japan.  I know you will have another powerful time finding God’s hidden treasures.  You are welcomed to bring your friends or make it a family outing.

We miss everyone and can;t wait to see you all!

Our Love,

Dean and Kerry

Attention! Friday Youth Service Schedule for June!!!

Posted by on May 31, 2012 in What's Up, Youth | Comments Off on Attention! Friday Youth Service Schedule for June!!!

Dear Unified … family,

Greetings from beautiful, St. John Newfoundland, named after John the Baptist. It’s been pretty cold at 30-40 degrees C, but the people’s hearts are very warm.  I found out Captain Cook is buried here! This weekend we leave for a fishing village where we are promised all the crab we can eat as Wanda’s friends are carb fishermen. Tonight is lobster!!! Yummy!

I wanted to post the Youth’s Friday night schedule for the month of June from Pastors Aaron and Michelle.  There are several changes in June, so please mark your calendars!

Mama Kerry and I miss you all.  

Blessings,

Pastor Dean

*******

 

June 2012 Youth Schedule:

 

·         6/8/12 – No youth service: instead JOIN in on our monthly Treasure Hunts with Paul and Betty Uyeda.  This is a family event and not a youth service.  Please come with your children for an amazing time of expanding the kingdom and watching God move in our community.

 

·         6/15/12 – YOUTH SERVICE CANCELLED: due to families out traveling to Bethel Church

 

·         6/22/12 – YOUTH SERVICE CANCELLED: due to families out traveling to Bethel Church

 

·         6/29/12 – Youth Service at 6:30pm Worship begins.  See you all then!

From my heart to yours … Thank you!!!

Posted by on May 9, 2012 in What's Up | Comments Off on From my heart to yours … Thank you!!!

Dear Unified … family,

Yesterday was a day of wonderful news!  Pastor Gavin and I visited Gene Fujii who is recovering well from his quadruple bypass surgery.  He is still feeling a bit tired and weak, but he looks great!  We got to stay for 10 minutes before Gene had to lay down to rest again.  

That preceded my office visit to my doctor.  I got the results from my latest blood test.  Not only did I lose 14 pounds in a month, but my bad cholesterol level dropped 40 points!  My sugar levels are normal and so I am off the pre-diabetic list. My doctor was amazed!  He said to me, “it is not how much you eat, but what you eat that makes the difference. See you in three months!!! Yipee!!

When I first got the word of being pre-diabetic (I have a family history) I jokingly said to Kerry, “I’ll just see Jesus sooner!” Than the Holy Spirit spoke and said, “Yes, but you will not finish what I have for you to do!” Ouch! Imagine, making it all the way into heaven and finding out this disappointing news.  Thinking that I didn’t finish well put the fear of God in me more than any diagnosis on earth ever could!  So I was instantly motivated to change my diet. I have been avoiding carbohydrates and process sugar.  And Walla!!  Really no exercise, just changing my diet!  Try it!  Of course I will be adding exercise into my lifestyle as this is not an argument against doing it!

My goal is my optimum weight back in High School of 128 pounds.  Unified … are you ready!!! Kerry says, I will be to skinny!  Well, I am finding out skinny is better than sorry!!  

I so appreciate all your prayers and encouragement.  I want to say what we do and how we act do make a difference for the Kingdom!

Love you all!!! What an amazing family we have at Unified …

Don’t forget, this Sunday is Mother’s Day!  This will be my first Mother’s Day without mom!  I am missing her already, but I know she is in a better place having finished her race well.

Prophet Larry Randolph will be our guest speaker!!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms at Unified …!  You Rock!!!

See you then!

Pastor Dean

Article by Pastor John!

Posted by on May 8, 2012 in What's Up | Comments Off on Article by Pastor John!

Dear Unified … family,

I am posting a great article by Pastor John which he wrote after he received a revelation on the value of serving. Please read it and take it to heart.  Remember as Arthur Burk described, we are a mercy church on servant land!  As we align ourselves to what the Lord has designed we set ourselves to be positioned towards fulfilling our destiny.

Blessings,

Dean

*******

 

Calvin Say, A Servant Attitude, and Real Promotion
 
Ephesians 2:22-23 states, “And he put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Jesus is Lord. I see him standing at the front of our church, ruling and reigning, taking his rightful place in the body. He is directing us to do something very special in this season.
 
I’ve never seen His leadership so clearly in all my years in Christian ministry.  I’m excited and fearful all at the same time. God is speaking.  We need to listen. What is he saying?  God is calling us to a lifestyle of sacrificial, loving service. It’s not just mediocre service, but the radical, amazing grace kind. It’s another level of maturity. Please read on as I try to unpack this for us.   
 
“Calvin Say was a busboy for twenty years at Flamingo Chuck Wagon while serving in The House of Representatives?”  I have to admit this was impressive. Could I do this? Could we do this? To serve in a seat of power at The State Capitol and then clean tables at Chuck Wagon provides a powerful example of what it means to be a servant leader. 
 
I saw an authority on this man that came from years of self sacrifice. He sign waves, canvasses door-to-door, works at the family business, works tirelessly to pass fair bills, and graciously receives criticism from both friend and foe. He forgives and continues to serve the state of Hawaii with a humility and wisdom not found today in the politicized atmosphere of modern day government. He has done this for 36 years. That’s amazing.  God wants us to have the same amazing longevity and perseverance when it comes to having a servant heart.
 
God is highlighting this. His finger is pointing directly at our hearts. How do I know? He is using the teaching tool of repetition. First, God, through Arthur Burk, has made it very clear that our church resides on servant land.  This means the ground we walk upon exudes loving service to our community, state, and one another; it exudes authority in the spiritual realm over the spirit of death and sickness; it exudes authority to shift governments and countries.
 
Since we prayed for and activated the ground of 1419 10th Avenue, the servant redemptive qualities of the land have been heightened. We now have the high privilege of walking in this amazing destiny and calling of our church. Actually, if I wanted to get real accurate, we now are walking in the destiny and calling of Christ. That’s real living. That’s real authority.  Mark 10:45 states, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
 
Second, God used Calvin Say, a politician, a Samaritan, to teach us, God’s chosen people, what it means to live like a Christian. You have to see the irony in this. Politicians are known for lying, stealing, hypocrisy, and using their position for self-serving purposes. Calvin Say was and is none of these things. His example of humble service challenged us all to rise to another level of service. God used a politician to set the servanthood bar for the people of God. He really did. God is amazing.
 
This made me ask the questions? Could I feel secure preaching a message from the pulpit on one weekend and at the same time park cars on another? Could I feel the joy of serving as a writer of articles in the morning and as Aimee’s teeth flosser in the evening? Could you serve in a ministry that you totally love and then serve in another that doesn’t fit your giftings and calling? Could we serve in children’s ministry? Could we help park cars? Could we just serve for the purpose of serving? The answer should be yes because servanthood is not a role or a duty, but a heart attitude. God is promoting hearts at this time.  He really is.
 
Lastly, in our staff meeting we had to deal with the challenges of finding people willing to serve in various ministries of the church. It was a good discussion. It challenged us to work through these things as a team.  I loved the free flow of thought and idea, but at a deeper level, God made it clear that he wanted the church to move into a higher level of maturity when it came to service. No one is exempt. Hearts are being revealed at this time. God used Calvin Say, the redemptive gift of our land, and the topic of ‘service’ in our staff meeting to repetitively ram home this message: we are called to be servants. God confirmed with three witnesses again.
 
A servant heart leads to promotion, protection and real power.  God promotes humility (1 Peter 5:5-6). Servants naturally walk with this type of heart. They lean on the power of God for protection and are able to resist the attacks of the Devil effectively (1 Peter 5:5-11). Humble people ask for help, the prideful get smashed. A servant heart gushes forth with wisdom, authority and power (1 Peter 5:10, Mark 10:45,) Stephen the 1st century busboy moved in this type of authority (Acts 7).  
 
Jesus said the greatest among you will be the servant (Luke 22:24-27). Unified…, God is calling us to serve one another with the right heart and attitude. It’s a call to real maturity (Phil 2:3-4). It’s not a shallow life of pleasing man, but a deep call to love one another (1 Corinthians 13).
 
If you see a need in the church, go and serve. It may not be in your area of gifting, but God will bless you with character development and intimacy with him. Remember this: God will reward character and not spiritual gifting (2 Pet 1:5-11). You may not even know your gifting or calling, but as you serve, God will bring more  and more clarity in this area. Serve to see. Lastly, cross over from your ministry and help in another. Look at the church not as separate ministries, but as one, unified family. 
 
Calvin Say ended his talk by saying that God took a busboy and made something special out of his life. As you walk with a servant heart, watch what God does with your life. It all starts with making the choice to humble yourself and serve.  
 
Pastor John

Another Important Lesson Learned!

Posted by on Apr 30, 2012 in What's Up | Comments Off on Another Important Lesson Learned!

Dear Unified … family,

There is a fearless group of people who go out regularly into Honolulu to bless and pray for people on Friday nights. No, it isn’t Firestarters, nor is it a Treasure Hunt!  It is open for anyone to join them and do amazing exploits for God.  They go where the Lord sends them and have awesome encounters with God and the people they meet.  If you are interested you can see Pastor Wayne.  

This is their story …

Blessings,

Pastor Dean

*******

 

Testimony from Friday night in Chinatown:  It was an unusual night- so different than what we had planned to do and what we have been doing.  However, God showed up and He blessed the waitresses who served us, the restaurant and the atmosphere was changed!  God also blessed us, as the waitresses treated us like VIP’s, although we had just met them!

 

 

Blessings,

 

Wayne

 


This is my recollection of what turned out to be a wonderful blessed night.  Please feel free to add or edit, or submit your own perspective. 

 

We (Carol Kanayama, Gregg Hamamoto, Greg & Kristina Nifong, Mike Kanayama, Janet China) first gathered at Unified to decide on a venue for the outreach effort.  Wayne asked us where God told us where to go.  Greg Nifong said he saw a statute, like King Kamehameha holding a spear.  That indicated downtown.  Kristina offered Chinatown as the place God advised, Janet China suggested the Home Improvement Show at NBC, Greg Nifong said Chinatown felt right, and Wayne said Chinatown had been on his heart for a while.(Someone else — MIke?–might have said Chinatown too. I was distracted, thinking of food because I was hungry, as was Gregg Hamamoto.  (At some point, I said we should go eat together but I was sure that was because of my preoccupation with food.  I could sort of see us eating together although I didn’t say that to the group.)  

 

So Chinatown is where we went. I drove the ladies– Janet and Kristina– and Wayne drove  the men– Greg Nifong, Gregg Hamamoto, and my cousin, Mike.  We agreed to park in the Municipal lot under a park bordered by Nuuanu Avenue and Beretania Street.  However, I had difficulty finding the entrance, and as I circled the block, lo and behold, Wayne was in the next lane, and he said the parking lot was on Beretania and Maunakea Street.  So that’s where my group went– at least, we thought that was the designated lot– we learned there are a LOT of parking lots in Chinatown–but we didn’t see Wayne’s car and wondered where they were.  The men were concerned, and called us at various times to coordinate meeting up with us.  They had parked in a different lot, and we women waited, as arranged, outside of the Municipal lot on Beretania Street. 

 

The evening was turning dark, and the atmosphere was beginning to change with the working people and college students dwindling. We women were directly across Wong Kee Restaurant and Legend Seafood Restaurant at the Cultural Plaza.  Just as it started to get a little spooky waiting there because it’s a high crime rate area, Kristina noticed our guys approaching on Beretania Street, and she said, “The men are coming to rescue us.”  It really felt like that!  Like  in cowboy movies where the cavalry come to rescue the women in distress.  It was a real kick to see our guys walking toward us– I think I’ll always remember that scene.  

 

When we met the guys, my cuz, Mike, said he needed to get to a bathroom quickly, and Greg Nifong echoed him, saying, he confirmed that!  We went to the Cultural Plaza to find a restroom, and the men went upstairs to the Chinese church.  But they were denied entrance because it wasn’t a public bathroom.  Wayne was drawn to the sign — No Public Bathroom Restroom- in Legend Seafood Restaurant, and he went in there to ask if they could use the restroom.  Annie, a waitress, gave them permission.  I was relieved for them because I was starting to wonder what they’d do if no place admitted them.  When the guys came out of the restaurant, Wayne felt we needed to bless the restaurant, so he suggested having soup in the restaurant.  When we were seated in the restaurant, we ended up ordering dinner!  (Just what I had wanted to do– eat together.)

 

The place was elegant, with white cloth tablecloth and white linen napkins, and a huge chandelier.  The waitresses were dressed in a white shirt, black pants and black vest– formal-looking.  The food was excellent!!  As we settled in, we relaxed, and had a really nice time.  I felt as if we were celebrating and God was happy that we were.  

 

We felt truly blessed.  We prayed for the place to prosper, and within a half hour, more customers arrived. 

 

After dinner, we prayed for Queen Quing, our waitress, because her wrist hurt.  Afterward, she tested her wrist, twisting it around, and said it felt good! 

 

Annie (the waitress who let the guys use the bathroom) was watching from a distance.  She practically ran over to us, and stuck her left arm out, saying, “Do the same thing for me too!”  Her wrist hurt too.  We prayed for her, and she thanked us.  (She didn’t tell us whether it got better, but from her reaction, it must have.)  I guess she related the experience to maybe the supernatural element of tai chi or kung fu because she said it was like “tai chi/kung fu”, and she demonstrated some tai chi/kung fu moves for us.  

 

She then gave us free dessert!  Three different kinds of a liquidy pudding, which were like zenzai.  It was quite delicious.  

 

After the wonderful meal and dessert, we debriefed outside the restaurant.  The men said that at first, they felt that they needed to hurry up and get over the distractions — the parking lot miscommunication, urgent bathroom need, and being denied bathroom privileges– so that they could pray for people.  After all, that was our purpose for going out.  Wayne said he was wondering why all of these things were happening, but as he was in Legend’s restroom, he felt God wanted to bless the restaurant.  The guys said they had to set aside their agendas for God’s agenda because God wanted them where they were- in Legend Seafood Restaurant.   

 

Mike said he felt as if we were foreigners in the place at first, but later felt we fit right in– it felt comfortable.  

 

I just felt blessed and special.  The meal, the place, and the service made me feel special, as if I was being honored.  It blows me away to think of this, but I felt as if God was honoring us.  Us!  The Scriptures about how God delights in us, and how He rejoices over us are real!  

 

And we did get to bless Annie and Quing. And Janet later.

What an unusual night!  And what a blessed time it was.  Thank you, God!! 

 

Carol