As of this writing, the catastrophic flash flood that occurred in Central Texas on the Fourth of July claimed the lives of at least 109 victims, and over 160 remain unaccounted for. Many who were lost were children at a Christian camp, most of them being seven to nine-year-olds, the ages [...]
I've always believed that God is loving, kind, and caring, but … the tragedy of losing my father at age four, the horror of being sexually abused for six years by my adoptive father beginning at age twelve, then losing Shelley at age twenty-eight felt agonizingly cruel. ~ Melissa ~ Shelley's [...]
I wouldn’t have chosen this path, but God redeemed my painful losses and deep wounds to shape me into the woman I’m becoming. ~ Melissa ~ Shelley’s Story, page 161 I’ve been living in Dallas, Texas, for nearly 40 years, which is quite a contrast to my hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. [...]
While working in a counseling and prayer call center, I received a call from “Margie.” She described how she was sexually abused as a child, promiscuous as a teenager, and made some poor relationship decisions as an adult. She struggled with guilt, shame, and insecurity for most of her life, and [...]
Jasmine’s anxiety level was consistently elevated when I drove beside an 18-wheeler on the freeway, and she wouldn’t hesitate to express her displeasure. I confess that I’d get annoyed by what I felt was an unnecessary complaint, as though I'd chosen to drive beside the behemoth of a truck. Nevertheless, I [...]
The appeal was for $200,000. I had $7 in my wallet. This was prime real estate for our growing church. The owners agreed to sell it to us for half the price a developer was willing to pay. The process was moving forward, but the church ran into an insurmountable obstacle [...]
We paddled three double-hulled canoes into Maunalua Bay on the South Shore of Oahu for a sacred ceremony. At the desired location, we joined our canoes, and someone called out, “Oars up,” signaling to the people on the shore that Suzanne’s ashes were being poured into the ocean. Her husband dropped [...]
Do you ever feel invisible, like no one really knows or understands you? Do you feel forced to wear a mask to hide your pain or circumstances, which further pushes you toward feeling alone? I serve as a chaplain with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Processing Center (PC), [...]
As I write this, a jackhammer is breaking through the concrete slab in my garage, and workers are tunneling under my foundation. I've known there were fractures in the foundation caused by the instability of Texas' clay soil. When doors could no longer close, and cracks appeared in the walls, I [...]
Today, September 8, 2024, marks three years since Jesus sent His angels to escort Jasmine to her heavenly home. Jasmine was hospitalized with COVID. During her hospitalization, I began a blog to keep everyone updated on her condition. The blog became more than medical updates; I also chronicled the faith lessons from [...]
Today, September 8, 2024, marks three years since Jesus sent His angels to escort Jasmine to her heavenly home. In a previous post, I recounted that at 60, God directed Jasmine and me to merge our ministry and life experiences, and we established Shepherds Wellspring Ministries (SWM). Little did I know [...]
This article is is in response to a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC). But in keeping with my usual practice of not blogging or publicly commenting on politics, this isn’t about politics; it’s about faith and forgiveness. Michael Morin delivered a compelling speech on the second night of [...]
Several years ago, I was privileged to meet Michael Belk, renowned photographer and founder of Journeys with the Messiah. His unique photographs depicting Jesus in first-century settings, accompanied by twenty-first-century props and characters, captivated my interest. He told me about his journey that began as a high-fashion photographer, traveling the world [...]
It's freezing outside It's quiet and warm by the fire Jesus speaks, I listen
This week, our church began a 21-day fast. For the past few days, I have been pondering writing a blog about the importance of praying for our children and grandchildren. Then, I received a popup on Facebook that Jasmine had written eight years ago when our first granddaughter, Leila, was only [...]
Put yourself in Joseph's sandals. Betrothed to a young virgin, only to find out that she is pregnant, he places her on a donkey and leads her on a week-long 80-mile trip through mountainous terrain from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The sky was a deep blue, illuminated by a massive canopy of [...]
Pictured is my granddaughter, Emily, at one year old, waiting for her appointment with her chiropractor. Chiropractor? Yes, she has been going to a chiropractor since she was an infant. Reading her expression, I’m unsure of what is happening inside her. It could be fear, anxiety, or concern for her mom, [...]
Pictured is my granddaughter, Emily, at one year old, waiting for her appointment with her chiropractor. Chiropractor? Yes, she has been going to a chiropractor since she was an infant. Reading her expression, I’m unsure of what is happening inside her. It could be fear, anxiety, or concern for her mom, [...]
Jasmine had a refined artistic touch that flowed from her Japanese cultural heritage. Her fingerprints were visible throughout our home—her portrait, her framed 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a geisha woman, and her painting of a Japanese garden adorned our walls. Dry flower arrangements stood prominently in tall vases accented by many [...]
When a widower finds a new love interest and the opportunity for her to visit the home arises, the question of what to do about pictures of his late wife and other reflections of her in the home occurs, too. Jasmine had a refined artistic touch that flowed from her Japanese [...]
Whether or not you are a man or woman of faith, you are probably familiar with the most well-known verse in the Bible. "John 3:16" signs appear in the end zones of NFL football games. One could argue that the second most well-known verse is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all [...]
Why am I feeling so emotional? I am watching a video of Iam Tongi's duet with James Blunt from American Idol, singing Blunt's song "Monsters." Watching it live brought me to tears along with everyone else . . . and it is bringing me to tears again. Three months ago, I [...]
When the doctor said, "She will never regain consciousness," it felt like a punch in the gut! I never expected to hear those words. That meant life would never be the same. That also meant I would never be the same. I dreaded thinking about how life would change, but I was unaware [...]
Jasmine was first admitted to the hospital at the height of the COVID pandemic and placed in isolation, which meant no visitors allowed. I had been recovering at home from my bout with COVID. Four days later, I drove an hour to the hospital to be re-examined (I had COVID pneumonia). After my [...]
The first line in the song "Scars in Heaven" by Casting Crowns cuts me to the core. It is, "If I had only known the last time would be the last time." Despite being in ICU for three weeks, I fully expected Jasmine to recover. I envisioned when we would once [...]
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90:12 NLT Good memories produce feelings of warmth and happiness, but those memories become painful when grieving the loss of a loved one. We long for the relationship to be restored, but it can never [...]
In my previous post, I discussed three ways to raise your hand to God when going through painful circumstances, such as losing your spouse: Raise an accusative finger, blaming Him for what we perceive as unnecessary pain or unfulfilled promises. Raise an angry fist in His face because we feel [...]
Jasmine was in the ICU for three weeks when I was told she would never regain consciousness. This was a total shock, and I needed time to process it. I was not ready to “let her go.” Standing beside her the next night, I witnessed her oxygen absorption drop from 92% [...]
One morning, as I was getting ready to visit Jasmine, one of her doctors called and said, “Mr. Isara, the results of the MRI revealed that Jasmine has had several strokes resulting in damage to both sides of her brain.” After a brief discussion to clarify what that meant, the doctor [...]
In an intimate relationship, and there is none more intimate than marriage, whatever is hidden will come to the surface. Jasmine and I had a solid relationship built upon the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ. But we are all uniquely different from one another, and if we are [...]