HIS Karate-Do

First of all: announcements before I forget: You know that I rarely cancel training (unless the training place isn’t available), however I have decided to cancel training for Sat, 31st…New Year’s Eve. We will have training (one hour) on Sat, 24th at 9:00am, followed by the “special training” at the karaoke place. Last week, we were able to contribute several hundred dollars from the karate ministry to the Lokahi Project, to help bless a large, needy family experience during this Christmas season. Each ministry member therefore, both present and past, shares in this act of giving. I am so happy that our humble ministry was in a position to help in this way. Kohai Donna, who is a very talented webmaster, is using some of her invaluable knowledge and time to work on creating a website for our ministry, which will be called nhpcshotokan.com. When completed, we pray that it will be another way for the ministry to reach others. Such an exciting project! The senior sempais and senseis of the karate ministry are going to do praise and worship at church soon (tentatively, 8 Jan). This is a rather large step forward in faith and in praise to the [...]

Wow, words of wisdom from Him, regarding ministries, reaching/sharing with others, karate, etc…written by the messenger, Sensei Trisha (I always tell her, she’s my favorite daughter…she always responds, “Right, I’m your only daughter.”) It was since June of last year (2004) that God had spoken to me about this journey. I was quite hesitant to take the leap and begin a Karate Ministry, so I procrastinated. I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested, much less, actually learn something from me. Yet, who am I to know what the outcome would be? After a year of wrestling, I finally gave in. I began the process, all the while, in denial. The timeslot was booked for the gym, flyers were posted, and I spread the word. To my surprise people seemed interested; to my demise, no one really committed. I had to keep focus. Shotokan Karate is an art focused on character building. I had to “seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor …” if it truly was God’s leading. Like any ministry, we can only give what we have. If I don’t have these traits, how would I expect anyone else to? My walk to the gym felt like hours [...]

I was just thinking on “life’s coincidences”….there sure are a lot of them. I have a pretty good memory and discovered a long time ago, that if you remembered things and reflected back on them, life was sure full of “coincidences”. Today, as a Christian, I have a different view on how things happen, but back then, I couldn’t see that there was any kind of long-range plan that consisted of so many intertwined weavings that these were so easy to overlook at chalk up to coincidence. On Saturday, the ministry was blessed when two of my old time friends and fellow karate sensei, both came to visit for the first time ever, on the same day. Sensei Wayne had last visited sometime during the summer (before football season began, haha) while Sensei Peter had come twice before, the last time, perhaps a year ago. We certainly enjoyed their dual presence and Sensei Wayne gladly taught for me during the second half of training, while Sensei Peter joined me in the training line like we used to, over thirty years earlier. A good time was had by all, and I am truly glad for their friendship and the fact that [...]