THE PARTY LINE
FRIENDS: this is YOUR column. Send in
announcements, joys, concerns, whatevers to the
church. Email: ardisg@cchonolulu.org Phone
number: (808) 595-7541. Mail: 2345 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96817. Let’s
keep in touch!
TO THE READER: ON THIS PAGE, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES WITH AN ARROW IN THE MIDDLE TO START THE VIDEOS. TO SEE THE VIDEO BIGGER, CLICK ON THE BROKEN SQUARE NEXT TO THE WORDS "YOUTUBE" ON THE BOTTOM ROW. YOU CAN GET RID OF THOSE PESKY PRINT ADS BY CAREFULLY CLICKING ON THE "x" THAT'S USUALLY AT THE RIGHT HAND UPPER CORNER OF THE AD.
WHO WAS THAT MASK SEAMSTRESS?!
KATHY,
the “fulfillment center”, emailed Gwen saying:
Thanks for sewing such beautiful face masks,
Gwen! People are delighted to receive
them!!! Some comments I've received:
+Thank you sooo much Gwen for sharing your love
and gift of sewing.
+Thank you to all who made this possible!
+She’s just terrific!
+Thanks so much. And thanks to that hard worker,
Gwen!
+That was so sweet of Gwen to make and donate face
masks to CCH members.
+Sending blessings to you and your family and to
sweet Gwen and her family.
To
both GWEN and KATHY, mahalo for running with this great idea! This was a lot of work but it sure made a lot
of folks delighted and safer! (Sorry for
“outing” you Kathy—MARTI, your Mom was very, very careful when she and your Dad
went on the road to deliver masks.)
Gwen also donated carrot bags to all the CCH Church School children and youth who received them filled with goodies for Easter. She received this thank you note from Cassera.
Gwen also donated carrot bags to all the CCH Church School children and youth who received them filled with goodies for Easter. She received this thank you note from Cassera.
THOUGHTS FROM #1 PRINCIPAL
Family, Tolerance for Ambiguity, Faith, Moral
Imperative by Justin Mew
The Hawaii Kai Mew family extends our condolences to
those of you who have lost beloved family. Staying connected to CCH through our
Prayer Warriors, this Watchman, eMail Blasts, and Website/You Tube. We pray
that those communication platforms reach all CCH members. I am truly blessed
with my family situation because I am privy to a host of families and
individuals who are much, much worse off.
Bobbi, Justin Lau (JL) and Micah are teleworking and
distance learning. Frankly, after a month of this, the novelty has worn off. I am allowed to telework, and, on a couple of
instances did but typically, I am at Kaiser High for a good 10-12 hours per
day. At home, we purchased the maximum
available bandwidth and download/upload speeds for all of us to be on
simultaneously. We needed to set up Micah with a second study station; the
first station sits idle at his apartment in Eugene, Oregon.
As a high school principal, managing, leading, and
budgeting, and planning functions are challenging because there are moving
targets with tough decisions needed, especially with constraints that often tie
my hands and feet together. But God has sent angels and kept me healthy. God
has granted me the serenity to exude calmness for clear thinking and difficult
decision-making. The educator’s Moral Imperative is paramount: One year’s
growth academically, physically, socially and emotionally. There is no
playbook, and we “figure things out.”
We are currently developing a virtual Commencement
Exercise video and developed a system for Diploma distribution. You can imagine
the hurt being experienced by the Class of 2020. I’ve been making decisions
against student-generated ideas, and all based on guidance from the CDC,
Governor and Mayor. At least, we are honoring the Class of 2020 in this
way: Friday night: Fire up the Kaiser
Stadium Light Towers for 20:20 beginning at 8:20 p.m. Meanwhile, we continue
pushing for the “non-proficient” students to show their learnings so as to
graduate, or be promoted.
Cool Beans: DOE Communications asked me, as the
“Resident HIDOE Jedi Principal” to create a video message for National Teacher
Appreciation Week. [Editor’s Note: This video in on page 1.] Why ask me?
The week begins on Star Wars Day! (May 4th: May the Fourth Be
with You). What a fun request and an honor to show appreciation to our
teachers.
Since
God=The Force,
“May
the Force be with You, Always!”
Blessings,
Principal
Jedi Mew
Aka,
Uncle Justin, Jus, Justin, Aunty Bobbi’s other half, Micah’s Dad!
 |
| Loading Kaiser's podium into the Mewmobile to take home. |
 |
| Painting the chipped areas. Yes, went to City Mill to buy paint. |
SOME WORLDLY GOOD NEWS
Remember that nearly all
media are for-profit and, sadly, good news doesn't sell well. During this
crisis, it is very important to know there is good in the world and to search for it!
Here’s another installment of
John Krasinki’s “Some Good News” network.
John Krasinski highlights some good news around the country (including the
weather report from Ryan Reynolds) and sends the class of 2020 off with amazing
and wise advice from Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Malala Yousafzai, and Jon
Stewart.
At the end of this video, Amanda
Gorman, United States Youth Poet Laureate, recites one of her poems. Check. It. Out.
 |
| Amanda Gorman--Youth Poet Laureate |
Ms. Gorman was profiled by
the Rolling Stone. Here are excerpts from that article:
When
Amanda Gorman was in high school, a teacher gave her some advice: “Don’t let
school get in the way of your education.” By the time she was 16, Gorman was
already a youth delegate for the United Nations, on her way to publishing her
first book of poetry, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, and the executive
director of a non-profit that promoted literacy. . . .
In
2017, as a freshman at Harvard, she was named the first-ever United States
Youth Poet Laureate. . . .
The
L.A. native, now 21 and a junior majoring in sociology, has credited her mom,
an English teacher, for her creativity. “She kept the TV off because she wanted
my siblings and I to be engaged and active,” she said. “We made forts, put on
plays, musicals, and I wrote like crazy.” . . . She’s now working with two non-profits, 826
National and the Amplifier Foundation, to launch an essay contest for high
school students. “My personal motto, wherever I am, how can I contribute, and
how can I pay my own education forward?” she says.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/amanda-gorman-youth-poet-laureate-800016/
(accessed:
Tuesday, May 5, 2020)
MOTHER EARTH
We have all seen how a radical
decrease of human activity and consumption has served as Sabbath for Mother
Earth. Years ago, the incomparable DR. JANE GOODALL eloquently sounded the
clarion for the human species to wake up! She asks: “How is it possible that
the most intellectual creature on planet Earth is destroying its only home. We
are destroying mother Earth so fast.” “And I truly feel that we can only
achieve our true human potential, which is huge, if we have harmony between
head and heart."
FROM OUR FELLOW PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
AHAVAT OLAM
The Brothers Platt (Henry
Platt, Ben Platt, Jonah Platt)
Translation: You have loved
the house of Israel with Eternal Love. Torah and Commandments, Statutes, and
Laws you have taught us. Therefore, Adonai our God, in our lying down and
rising up, we will meditate on your statutes, and rejoice in the words of your
Torah and your commandments forever and ever. For they are our lives and the
length of our days, and we will meditate upon them day and night.
RAMADAN MUBARAK
How will Ramadan 2020 be
different amid Covid-19?
MUSIC TO SHARE
[Editor's note: I add Christian and other inspirational music in this portion of the newsletter. Of course, these choices are based on what I like! Feel free to suggest music to me that YOU like!]
Zach Williams, Dolly Parton -
There Was Jesus (Official Music Video)
Psalm 23 - Bobby McFerrin,
composed in honor of his mother
Bach Prelude/Ave Maria
[Editor's note: This shows McFerrin’s genius,
musicality, humanity, humor, as he makes music with a pretty amazing Montreal audience.]
A Trilogy of Amazing Graces
Amazing Grace: Performed by
Pianist David Nevue
Judy Collins - "Amazing
Grace" with Boys' Choir of Harlem 1993
Aretha Franklin - Amazing
Grace (Live 2014) short version
A Special Performance of
"Rainbow Connection" from Kermit the Frog While Sheltering at Home
[Editor's note: This is FANTASTIC (watch how Kermit has to start his own recording at home).]
GOOD POINT OF VIEW!
This is a story and prayer forwarded to
me by a friend who didn’t include attribution but I liked it so much that I’m
ending this newsletter with this wisdom.—Pastor Frances
A while back I read a story
of a visiting pastor who attended a men's breakfast in the middle of a rural
farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in
bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.
"Lord, I hate
buttermilk", the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to
glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.
The farmer loudly proclaimed,
"Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned.
Without missing a beat, the
farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white
flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and
saw that he wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable.
Then the farmer added,
"But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm
fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets
hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to just relax
and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than
biscuits. Amen."
Within that prayer there is
great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing
in the world today.
Stay strong, my friends,
because our LORD is mixing several things that we don't really care for, but
something even better is going to come when GOD is done with it. AMEN!
NOTE: YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT PAGE OR BACK TO THE HOME PAGE
BY CLICKING ON IT IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS IN THE RIGHT SIDEBAR.
love this!!!
ReplyDelete