Costs of Pride

Aloha, Good morning, and may the Lord bless you always,

Today brings the end of an awesome week. For two reasons. This past week was my families first gathering in years. When I say years, I mean the last time that I got to see all of my family members in one place was at my late grandfathers funeral in September of 2010. Which was about Two weeks following the birth of my first son TJ.

Talk about a real contrast in the ups and downs in life. One day you celebrating new life and the next day you are laying a loved one to rest.

It’s always great when you are able to catch up on some lost time. Especially when you find out exactly who it was that influenced your sense of humour.

Don’t we all have that one family member that reminds you of you.

Another reason was for the awesome Upward Sports Camp that the team from Clovis New Mexico had put on for our community here in the Kihei area.

Man these guys are some of the coolest people that I have gotten to know over the last two years or so. This is their second trip out here to Maui, and we enjoy having them here probably more than they are enjoying to be here.

Mahalo to Paul Allen, Phil Lemke, Coach K, and the rest of the staff from Central Baptist Church in Clovis for your mentoring and discipling of these young people in what it means to Love God and to Love People as they follow Christ and the mission that he has put all of us on.

Today we will be continuing on in our series which we are calling Genuine Faith. We opened this series about a month ago, but we took a break as Jay finished James.

When we say Genuine we mean authentic and real. No masks, no cover ups, but a what you see is what you get type of Faith.

Two weeks ago Jay shared his testimony about his faith. Jay began his walk with Christ when he was 12 years old in 1975, 3 years before my existence. So he has been at it forever.

Pastor Dave, being the youngest and probably the most local of the three of us, will be preaching next week so we will see who has been on our walk the longest. I think I might have a chance of not being the new kid on the block.

All kidding aside though. Today I get to share my testimony about the trials and struggles that I have battled through and maybe battling at this very moment in my walk with Christ. My hope and the hope of this series that we are going through is to let those of you who think that you are the only ones know that you are not alone.

Childhood

My church life began from as long as I can remember. My great grandfather founded a church in Waianae, on the island of Oahu. The name of the church was called the Waianae Pentecostal Faith Mission.

I remember the days of Sunday school and being that eager kid who would walk around church with his hand up because he wanted to make sure he had the answers to every bible story question.

Memorizing bible verses and going in front of the church to recite them. The very first passage that I recited was remember my mom and I standing in front of the church and speaking. Very scary for an 8 year old.

I would look forward to going to church every Sunday and having evening bible studies on Wednesday nights. Enjoying the simple things in life.

But this would all change in 1987. My grandmother, Ann Bernice Kamakawiwoole passed away from complications of kidney failure. And my family took it very hard. They began to blame God for letting her die. They began to blame God for not answering their prayers for healing.

This is was the spiral away from the Lord and a period that I would call a dark time in my life.

You see this was when I had no church life, and there were trials going on in my life. The ups and downs in life. My mom working two jobs and dad working the late shifts. This left my brother and I many opportunities to be influenced by the wrong influences in life.

Being the two of the younger boys in the neighborhood my brother and I had to grow up fast as the kids we hung out with were all four to five years older than we were. So it was a sink or swim, an adapt or get left behind scenario.

My brother and I had to stand our ground and even sometimes found ourselves in fights. Maybe that’s why we ended up with so many friends. Because back in the day some of the closest friends you had were the ones you fought with. It might be a guy thing.

This is why its so important and I am speaking to you young people and families with young children, and those who are planning on having children.

Lead your children to Christ. Point their eyes and their hearts to our Lord and Savior.

Our children need to know who our Heavenly Father is, and his wonderful plan of redemption for the world through His son Jesus. They need to know that His steadfast love never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; because they are renewed everyday.

They need to know and to be trained on what Sin is and the effects that it will have in their lives if they choose to live in it.

says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

If you’re not raising your children the world is. If the world is raising your children you may not like the way your child turns out. The world that we live in is nowhere near what it was when I was growing up. It will take the innocence from your child and will return your child to you a whole new person.

Ask any parent who have grown up children.

That moment when you wake up one day and nothing is the same with your child anymore.

It is important for us all to make sure that our priorities are in place. God, Family, You, Career, and all of the other small stuff in between. I have taken these words to heart from my wise and little older peers.

As our Lord Jesus instructed you and I we must instruct our children in the same way..

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

They have to know that making the right decision may not be the coolest thing to do.

They have to know that making the right decision may not be the coolest thing to do.

That saying “No” know is sometimes the best answer.

Most of all they need to be shown an example of what this life looks like. This begins with you mom and dads. If we let our children wonder too far sometimes we may lose them for a while, but there is always hope in the Lord.

Middle School Years

This was true in my life. It was during this period that I found myself doing alot of the things that I would arrest people for in split second. Again another example of how there is hope for someones life.

There were a few gifts that I had and alot of them I was not very proud of. One of them was stealing. How many of you had a collection of Calvin Klein cologne’s by the 6th grade? At one point I remember I had about an $800.00 collection of cologne in my room.

I was one of the best smelling 6th graders in school, a kid that hung out with all of the older kids.

Another gift that I had at the time, was an awesome skill with a butterfly knife. I could whip that blade open and closed so fast, it looked like one of those mobsters in the movies.

I was an officers worst nightmare. In one night my three friends and I walked through every row in every parking structure from the Hyatt Regency Maui all the way to the Sheraton Maui with that butterfly knife. We damaged every convertible top.

How do I know that I was an officers nightmare, when I got stationed out in Lahaina I asked one of the old timers if he remembered receiving that call, he did with alot of details. In short it was a case that he would never forget. Imagine documenting a case for every car damaged. There had to been over 100 of them.

My life would take a change about a year later.

Because of my perfect productive citizen of the community behavior in Lahaina, my mom decided to have my brother and I change schools. This school was the Lokelani Intermediate School.

Get this my Vice principal from my old was now my new Vice Principal at my new school. On my very first day of school as my mom is dropping us off, I see him standing at the front entrance waiting for me.

Get this my Vice principal from my old was now my new Vice Principal at my new school. On my very first day of school as my mom is dropping us off, I see him standing at the front entrance waiting for me.

I get out of the car and he starts swinging his palm into his hand. He looks at me and thought he was going to get the first word, but I beat him to it.

I told him “Wow, are you following me?” His only reply was “Stay out of trouble!”

But it was here that I got my break. This break came when the Head Coach of the basketball team Coach, Kaipo Jenkins, gave me an opportunity to play basketball.

Discipline, Hardwork, Teamwork and dedication were the values I learned on the hardtop. We worked hard, we labored, we won. This was first time that I was able to be apart of something so positive. A time where I was able to give everything I had to a bigger purpose that affected those younger than me and influenced them to do the same.

This was such a pivotal point in my life, because there were still the same influences around me in my school, but yet I chose not to go down that road because I remembered what it felt like, I didn’t want any part of that anymore.

High School Years

Fast forward to my highschool years, I was a 3.8 average student who played two sports now. I played both ways on our football team and basketball.

It was through my athletics that I was able to avoid falling off of the right path. And it was also the way that I was lead back to Christ.

In 1993, about 6 years after the death of my grandmother, I was invited to church by my best friends at the time, and this was the Maui Philippine Baptist Church. I attended the night services and jumped right in and began to serve as an usher when needed and also helped out in the setting up and breaking down of the services.

This is when all of my memories of being at Church and worshipping the Lord came back. Remembering all of the bible stories, passages, remembering my late grandmother who was a huge part of this.

I began to feel the presence of the Lord in my life again, but had no idea what he was calling me to. I began to realize that the Lord definitely had something bigger planned for my life.

Military Training

I graduated from Highschool and decided to aim high and joined the Air Force. It was here again that I knew that that Lord was with me. My room mate during tech school and I would pray every night before we went to bed and would have deep conversations about the Lord.

In fact it was during a break that we had, that I was invited to join him and his family down to Pensacola Florida. And this is where I gave my life to the Lord.

I was baptized in a church in Pensacola Florida. I was the pastors worst nightmare. Imagine a pastor from Florida being tasked with baptizing someone with a name like mine. I probably was the first Hawaiian guy he ever met and had a name with more vowels then had ever seen.

Now he has to go before his congregation of about two hundred people and introduce me as a brother in Christ.

I gave my life to the Lord and now that Happy Ending right???

Every success that I had now gained I had attributed to

Nowhere near to it.

Adult Life

I would spend the next 10 years of my life attending church like a good Christian on Sundays, and spend the rest of the 6 days living in the world.

Again I would find myself doing things that I would throw people in Jail for.

Some of my actions were as reckless as those who are now behind bars for.

Actions that if it was not for the Lord, and I truly believe this, would have gotten myself or others badly hurt or injured or even dead.

I was aboard the Christian roller coaster. There would be highs and then there were lows.

During this time I drank like a fish, would lie to my wife about my drinking, would fight my wife to drink, and I would drink until all of the beer was gone, which would be at least a 12 pack, three to four times a week.

Hey but I would still go to Church and praise the Lord. Living the perfect in Church Christian life for the hour and half on a Sunday. My heart wasn’t in the right place, but the Lord’s remained on me.

Successes and blessing still continued to flow. But I was so blind to see that there was more for my life than I knew. The worst thing that happened to me was the success that I found in my current position.

God answered my prayers and opened the doors to a career that I had put on hold for a few years because of knowing so many people on the other side of the table.

Police Career

The Lord allowed me to get in the Maui Police Department. With the skills and life lessons that I had gained through my life experiences I found great success.

The values that I learned in athletics, Discipline, Hardwork, Teamwork and dedication translated perfectly until I took out the teamwork and began to look becoming the lone bright shining star.

In 2011, I was able to the work that seasoned officers would have to wait double the years that I had in the department to do. I was assigned to a special assignment which targeted narcotics. And just like everything else that I had done, I was able to find success.

Popularity came, praise from my peers and the command staff came. You know what also came, a hunger for more. Because when you are able to be on top you don’t want to be anywhere else.

I began to work harder. I worked longer shifts. With Maui being so small, I even worked extra shifts just so I could see what my targets were doing when I wasnt supposed to be working.

My job became my God, and I worshipped it the best I could. I stopped going to church, I lost touch with God, and I took the credit for everything that was coming my way.

I took God and placed Him behind me. I forgot about everything important in my life because my love and my heart was in my job.

I became consumed with pride. I walked around with my head high and chest out. I had specialized units asking me to join their crew and being the proud guy I did thinking that I would get there and improve that unit.

I was so high up on the top that there was no where to go but down, and guess what, that wasn’t happening. Anytime I heard someone do something close to what I had done, my goal was do something even better.

So consumed with pride, I placed my job in front of my family including my son who was around 6 months at the time. I got so bad that it affected my relationship with my wife.

I even saw a video from that same time where my wife was trying to get my son TJ to say Hi to me in a video because that was probably the only time I would get to see my son and he wouldn’t. But before she stopped the video, she says what was on her heart and mind at the time, “Even I don’t say Hi to your dad anymore, I’m so annoyed.”

I became so obsessed with my job and being on top of it that I had vivid dreams of all of the crime scenes that I had done. I literally walked through every crime scene over in my dream. I became my own worst critic. I would critique myself so bad that I would wake up upset and would go to work vowing to not make the same mistake again.

This went on and on until God said enough is enough.

One day a few months later I found myself walking around the block without a shirt on calling my wife who was shopping to come home. I told her that I couldn’t sleep even though I been up for more than 20 hours.

She came home and tried to help me sleep but I couldnt. Everytime I laid down in bed it felt like I was going to stop breathing. I would lay down then I would immediately jump right up and walk out of the house. This went on for a couple days and I knew that I needed help.

I called the doctors and asked them for the same prescription medicines that I was taking off of the streets to deal with my problem. The doctor refused. They said that I needed to come in first and to seek counseling from one of their counselors.

I remember telling the doctor, “how does talking to a total stranger help me with what is going on in my life.?” I know what I need so give it to me.

I knew what it was that I needed to do, and that was to run back to God. But I was to proud at the time and wanted to get my life on track first. I felt like I had drifted so far away from Him that He wouldn’t take me back. I remember staying up late at night while staring at the full moon and talking to God.

These were the words I said to God, “My Father in Heaven, if this is the way that I am going to die, then please take me because I cannot bear this anymore, but if this isn’t your will please deliver me from this.” These were the words I repeated every night as I stood in front of my house staring at the sky.

It really felt like I was going to die. Everytime I ate something I thought I was going to choke. Everytime I drank something I felt like I was going to drown. I loss over 20 pounds in the first two weeks. All because I couldnt eat and I couldnt sleep.

I had to humble myself and I called Pastor Daniel Ronquillo.

I had to humble myself and I called Pastor Daniel Ronquillo.

I asked him if we could speak, he agreed to so I picked him up and drove him to the parking lot area of the Maui Mall. We sat for hours talking and I told him what was going on. I forced myself to open up like I have never done before.

Like Jesus said in Matthew chapter 15:18-19 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

As we spoke all I shared all of my pent up anger, frustrations, hate, unforgiveness and pride. The more I spoke the more I knew how much I needed Jesus more than ever.

Pride will cost you time.

The more I realized that I needed Jesus the more I realized how really broken I was.

I wasn’t as good as I thought I was, even when I said I was good.

I realized that I wasn’t the hero, but was more of the person that needed one.

I knew that my heart wasnt in a good place, but I desperately wanted it to be.

One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Pastor Daniel prayed for me and at that very moment It felt like the chains that were on me were broken. And I felt that I needed a healing process . I began to pray again. I began to dive into His word. If I was upset with you or I had done something to upset you, you got a call. And I made alot of calls.

Pastor Daniel prayed for me and at that very moment It felt like the chains that were on me were broken. And I felt that I needed a healing process . I began to pray again. I began to dive into His word. If I was upset with you or I had done something to upset you, you got a call. And I made alot of calls.

I needed to humble myself and to make things right in my life. I needed to humble myself and to get things in my life in order.

As Pastor Jay shared a couple weeks ago the passage in He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

I needed to walk with God again. I began to attend to church again. I was able to begin to worship again. I remember asking Pastor Daniel if I was able to play the bass for praise and worship again and he agreed. I had one more request of him as well, and that was to have Marc lead a set, Pastor agreed.

We showed up for practice and guess what, along with Bar, Yasha, Ashley, Sam, Marc Antonio, and Stephanie we became the praise and worship team.

That is why I invited them here this morning to be apart of today. Because we didn’t know where God was leading us all but we knew what God wanted us to do, and that was to worship him in spirit and in truth.

Pride will cost you time.

Like we learned in our studies through the book of Romans

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Pride will cost you time.

It was during this time of worshipping that I knew I had a paradigm shift had to take place.

A shift from being served to becoming the servant.

Seeing the life of Christ in these young people inspired me to press forward to healing.

Seeing the joy in these young people as they worshipped with all that they had on any given Sunday was a part of what saved my life.

It was the Holy Spirit that was speaking to me and guiding me but also seeing the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of these young people.

And I told them all one night as we were praying outside of the church before our service, “Thank you for saving my life.” Praise and Worship is what brought me out of that dark time in my life.

The lyrics in some of these songs that we sang to the Lord reminded me of my cries for help. Some of these songs were the songs that we worshipped to today.

Through praise and worship we have been able to meet new people. We have had the privilege of leading worship at back to school bashes, and at the last Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention meeting that was held here on Maui a few years ago.

It was at this meeting that I met a woman by the name of Hazel Capinpin. A woman that I had never met before. While having lunch after our worship session, she approached me and says “you’re a pastor When God calls you answer.”

My reply to her was No I’m a bass player, her reply was the same “When God calls you answer.” My reply was have a great day and I walked away.

Pride will cost you time.

Later that night I saw her pastor, so I inquired about Hazel and as to why she would say such a thing. Her pastor said to me, she is one of the most upstanding and faithful woman that you would ever meet.

The rest is history.

Since that day, I have asked God to lead me where I need to go. He has led me here to Kihei Baptist Chapel.

Since that day I have asked God to open the doors and He has.

Since that day that I asked God back into my life He came.

The sad thing that I realized as I prepared for today were the things that my pride cost me

Pride will cost you time.

Pride costed me not only time away from family, time I will never get back. Time that I spent living for myself and trying to become the best I failed at everything else.

Time that I could have been with my family. Moments of joy and milestones for my son TJ.

Time that I could have spent worshipping the Lord and remembering all of the blessings that He had given to me and my family. Time that I could have followed him closer. Time that I could have spent with Him.

Phil De Coursey said that we are able to buy time but we are able to steal time.

Buying time is like When there is something that needs to fixed we can let it go on and on for days before we fix it. We are never able to steal that time back that was wasted on not fixing the problem as soon as possible.

The bible says in “Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

There

Pride costs you Relationships

Pride costs you Relationships

Living a prideful life will cost you friends, family, and if you are not careful even your marriage. It is probably one of the reasons why there are so many broken families today.

Living a prideful life will cost you friends, family, and if you are not careful even your marriage. It is probably one of the reasons why there are so many broken families today.

God-

We are in an “It’s all about me” era. Where its an eye for an eye mentality. When it gets to a point in a relationship where it becomes a battle of who gets the last word or action.

It should be an “It’s all about me” , as in every problem in a relationship we need to stop an look at ourselves .

What do we bring to the table in every situation.

How could I improve?

How can I help more?

How can I love more?

Closing

I know that today sounded like “It was all about me.” But it’s all about Him.

As I looked back at my life, there were many forks in the road but the Lord guided me to where I needed to be.

I may have taken the scenic route to get here. But there is so much more to this journey. Will it be a bumpy road..Of course.

God has began a good work in me and He is faithful to complete it.

I am just like any other man, I will make mistakes, I will stumble.

I know that I need to get back up and to continue to run this race.

What will God have for me in my future only He knows.

The one thing that I do know is that He loves you all no matter what season of life you’re in right now.

He wants to have a relationship with you, and He even made it possible through His son Jesus who died on the cross for all of us.

There is nothing that you have done that he doesn’t already know of. He knows your heart.

Don’t let pride get in the way of making a decision to follow Him. Dont let pride cost you any more time of peace and joy in relationship with the Father. Dont let your pride get in the way of mending broken relationships.

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The victory has already been won on the cross.

We will close today with a song and then we will be dismissed. But if you need someone to pray with you there will be couples at the front of the stage that will love to pray with you. There is power in prayer.

As we close