The City of Anchorage

Come, let us tell of the LORD's greatness; let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:2, NLT)

Key Tov Blog is on the road again, RVing in the great state of Alaska! 

If you recall (a year ago in May) we flew from Honolulu to Oklahoma and then drove to Alaska. (You may find those blogposts in our archives for May 2013.) We were immediately hooked on RVing!

This trip was quite a bit shorter, flying from Honolulu to Anchorage. We took an overnight flight and then Great Alaskan Holidays shuttled us to pick up our RV. 

Our first stop was Cabela’s of course! Next step, we parked our RV at a friend’s place in Anchorage (near 2nd Avenue) and caught up on some sleep! Thank you very much nice friends in Anchorage for the great views!

Amazing view from our RV bedroom! Can you say...FAVOR!
Just LOOK at all those wildflowers! Plus an ocean view!

Our location was near Ship Creek and the Alaska Railroad system. My girls really got a kick out of watching all the trains go by! 

As soon as we woke up, we checked out the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The trailhead was less than a five minute walk from our friend's place. It is a really great trail full of beautiful, one of a kind wildflowers!

Never tires of watching for trains!

We saw small wildlife including a muskrat who was not at all happy about the ducks invading his home!

 

The trail is great for train watching, biking, roller blading, dog walking, and watching the sunset on the mudflats at midnight. All along the trail we found friends who had met up to sit on driftwood to visit, play their guitars, and watch the wildlife.

This picture was taken after 9:00 p.m. living up to Alaska's name...Land of the Midnight Sun!

After our evening stroll (almost 9:30 pm), we headed into town to check out the city sights.

Likes to climb poles!

Alaskan flowers are amazing! There has been no saturation added to this photo...just all God's glory!

City of Anchorage, we enjoyed you!

Proper Elevation

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:5-7, NKJV)

We consistently see really great rainbows at our apartment on Oahu. 

We never see rainbows at our townhouse on the Big Island.

Some days, we see double and even triple rainbows. 

As I was shooting a picture of this rainbow, the following question quickly ran through my mind, "Why do we see amazing rainbows at our apartment almost every day, but have never seen a rainbow at our townhouse on the Big Island?" 

God gently spoke to my spirit and said, "Proper elevation".

Proper elevation is critical for rainbows.

Proper elevation is critical for us as well. 

There has been so many times when I've thanked God for not allowing me to do something I thought I was ready to do…but I wasn't at the proper elevation. So many times, had He allowed me to do what I wanted to do…it would have been detrimental to others as well as myself. 

His timing, His protection, and His order is always perfect.

As we learn how to submit, and then submit…and then submit…and then, actually submit…to the authority He placed in our lives, (Being a doer of the word and not a hearer only. (James 1:22) He exalts us in due time.  Proper elevation, in conjunction with God's grace, enables us to be and do way beyond anything we can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)  Proper elevation produces wonderful "rainbows". (Matthew 13:18)

Father, we continue to thank You for teaching us powerful messages through Your gentle Spirit and Your Word. Our heart's desire is to imitate You and walk in love. On behalf of myself and every reader right now, I declare we are not deceived, not by others or ourselves, in the name of Jesus. We walk in Light and refuse fellowship with all darkness. Thank You for teaching us to walk circumspectly. We gain wisdom through Your Word and know what Your will is. We submit one to another and we make the decision to love and respect one another. Thank You for the authority You have placed in our lives. In the name of Jesus, we commit to be a doer of Your Word independent on and regardless of human imperfection, walking in submission to our authority, and in doing so, ultimately submitting to You.  Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray blessings on every reader, every person positioned in authority and under authority. I declare each of us have a new understanding of being in authority and under authority, and for each of us to rise to the proper eleveation in our positions, in the name of Jesus. Thank You Father, for this life changing lesson! We continue to light our way with Your Word! Thank You for giving us all we need for life and godliness through Your divine power! (Ephesians 5:1-33, Luke 7:8, Psalm 119:105, 2 Peter 1:3))

Going Backwards

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:14, NLT)

Today, I went to Hokulani Bakery at Restaurant Row to pick up an order of cupcakes in celebration of a friend's birthday. They are an excellent bakery by the way! (www.hokulanibakeshop.com) If you are in Honolulu, you will want to make them one of your stops. This blog post isn't about cupcakes, but aren't they so lovely?!

They taste better than they look! We will just leave those right there for now.

A lot of the parking in Honolulu is garage (high rise) parking. Most of the driving in a high rise is one way. As I was leaving the parking area, the exit was about five feet behind me so I had to drive forward from level A to level D to find an exit. I wanted to back up the five feet where the  nearest exit was; however, that would be illegal backing. So I "bit the bullet" and drove forward as all the signs indicated.

I don't like taking the long way around. I don't like "going backwards". I like to set my sights ahead and move on. But in this case, I couldn't. I had to drive up the three extra levels in order to reach my goal which was to find the exit.

Thank God we don't have to "go backwards" with Him! We press on and go forward! We don't have to look behind or even have "behind thinking"! Nope, His Word tells us to forget the former things and press on to what lies ahead! (Philippians 3:13)

How about you? Been going backwards? Been taking the long way around? Well, forget that and press on!

Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for every reader today. I pray Philippians 3:13 and 14 be illuminated in their hearts on a deeper level. I pray they walk fully in Philippians 3:13 and 14 right now in the name of Jesus! Past mistakes, whether things were said and/or done, will no longer be in the forefront of their minds because they forget and press on! (Psalm 19:14, Philippians 4:8)

It's a Dud...

I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NLT)

Today is the 4th of July, a celebration of freedom! Picnics with family and friends, BBQ, and fireworks!

I like fireworks, I like fireworks a lot. Every Friday, a resort near our apartment in Honolulu shoots off fireworks and we can hear the crashing boom and see the sky light up. It is a wonderful display of lights and flashes of color!

During their display, there is rarely ever a dud. You know what a dud is right? It's when the firework is launched, a flash can be seen flying higher, higher, higher…waiting, waiting, waiting...but no explosion of color.  No huge colorful lights in the sky.

That made me think, as we let our lights so shine before others bringing glory to our Father, we will never be a dud as we seek Him first and we stay in our Vine. (Matthew 5:16, Matthew 6:33, John 15:5)

Father, thank You for being our ultimate Vine! Continue to lead us and guide us, show us ways to let our lights shine before others and in doing so they will glorify and praise You! Thank You for teaching us to seek You first! Our heart's desire is to stay in You! We stand in awe of You and Your Word! In the name of Jesus, please prompt us to stay in You as we acknowledge You in all our ways! Please continue to make our path straight, saying and doing only what we hear our Father say, drawing others to You through Your unfailing love!

Stay: Remain in the same place; secure or steady, a period of staying somewhere. 

Mucho mahalos for the photo provided by Photog Genius, David Johnson.  http://www.dejphotos.com

Demolition Derby Time!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5, NLT)

I have read and read and read that scripture. I have confessed and confessed and confessed that scripture. But this week, that scripture has come alive to me in a new way!

Our store on Oahu, Central Pacific Rebuilders, has an upstairs living quarters. This week, our friend Joseph has been renovating the living quarters area.

It is our Palace O'Da Key Tov!

The building was built in the sixties. I'm extremely positive it has not been touched since that time. God has given me a wonderful vision for this project! Not a vision in the biblical sense, a vision as in how to renovate it.

The first thing Joe had to do was gut the whole upstairs. There was hammering and sawing and banging. It was like a demolition derby, except with men instead cars! At the end of day one, I looked around and I thought, now THIS is what the Lord intended by demolishing arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God!

Seeing the results of the "gutting" made me want to further my study of the word demolish (mahalo Google) and I found:

Verb

• Pull or knock down (a building).
• Comprehensively refute (an argument or its proponent).

Synonyms

• destroy - wreck - ruin - tear down - pull down

This is my new translation for 2 Corinthians 10:5!

We demolish-pull down-knock down-comprehensibly destroy-wreck-ruin-tear down-refute all arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!

When we are tempted with thoughts of:

• Anxiety
• Hurt
• Frustration
• Confusion
• Condemnation
• Anger
• Offense

We run to Jesus and demolish 'em!
We don't run to our friends &/or Facebook and amplify 'em!

We replace:

• anxiety with "Lord, I cast all anxieties on You, because You care for Me!" (1 Peter 5:7)
• hurt with "I fear not, for You are with me; I am not dismayed, for You are my God! You strengthen me, Yes, You help me! You uphold me with Your righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
• frustration with "Thank You Jesus for bringing to my remembrance to refuse to grow weary of doing good! Thank You for Your promise I will reap in due season when I refuse to give up!" (Galatians 6:9)
• Confusion with "Father, thank You for Your wonderful Spirit of truth! He guides me into all the truth! (John 16:13)
• Condemnation with "Thank You Jesus there is no place for condemnation in me! You have made me free from the law of sin and death! (Romans 8:1, 2)
• Anger with "Father, You gave me emotions! I handle my emotions in a healthy, godly manner! When I am angry, I refuse to sin! I put my trust in You! (Psalm 4:4-5)
• Offense with "Father, thank You for teaching me to walk in forgiveness which makes me free! Thank You for showing me how to avoid the terrible trap of unforgiveness!" (Mark 11:25)

Friends, it's demolition derby time!

No Trespassing!

Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. (Luke 10:19, NLT)

Sunday was our youngest daughter's birthday. To celebrate, we went to the Probowl game in Honolulu with friends. On our way to the game, we had to drop our dog off at our store. For some strange reason, doggie seats were not available at Probowl. Otherwise, I'm sure Bo would have thoroughly enjoyed himself as much as we did!

When we drove up in the parking lot of our store to drop Bo off, individuals had "set up shop" in our back door and was doing business. Literally, complete with bed, full length mirror, etc. 

I have never seen Mike get real forceful (verbally or otherwise). He is a very quiet, gentle, compassionate man; however, he is a Texan to his core and has very deep ideas of what is right or wrong. He drove right up to the "hooch" (that was a new word for me) and put the car in park. He ripped the tarp back and...well, lets just say everyone on the block knew he was not playing around when he said, "Get out!"  He turned to me and said, "Call the police." At which time, people started to scatter. 

There was one person who, lets see...how do I describe this...stalled in leaving. I'm sure street drugs were preventing this person from using common sense. 

The police arrived very quickly. (Mucho mahalos to the Honolulu Police Department!) Once the police cars arrived, there were no trespassers to be found in any direction. The police quickly took our report and searched for the people to insure there was no misunderstanding they were to never trespass on our property again. We were told we could dispose of all their property (approximately a small truck load). We assumed we would have to clean up the nasty mess but we decided to clean up later because we didn't want to be late to the game. 

We made it to the Probowl just in time for kickoff. Once the game was over, we went back to the store to get Bo. Obviously, the officers handling the case was very convincing because all the items had been removed and the area was totally spotless! Not even a piece of trash remained. 

Here is what I learned: When we walk in our God given authority, darkness scatters. 

Here is the analogy:

Mike knows he is the store owner. 
We must know who we are in Christ! (Luke 10:19)


Mike knew he had the authority to remove the trespassers. 
When darkness (strife/offense/envy/depression/murmering) attempts to trespass, we must use our authority and remove it! (Mark 11:23)


He boldly took the necessary steps to protect his store.
We must boldly approach God and seek His Word on how to take the necessary steps to protect our mind/mouth/home/relationships and Facebook pages! (Ephesians 3:12)


When one trespasser stalled, the HPD removed them. 
When we submit to God and resist the devil, he has no other option, he must flee! God rebukes the devourer for us! (James 4:7, Malachi 3:11)

My youngest daughter got upset when she saw the homeless man taking down his bed and tarp and said, "But Mommy, if CPR is a house to that homeless man, now he has nowhere to live!" We prayed for the trespassers and I explained, we tried to work out a deal with the man. He was to keep our parking lot clean of trash and debris and he was allowed to stay. But he continues to occupy more space. And the more we looked the other way. Initially, he only had one small corner in our parking lot. But left unchecked, he had his belongings strewn halfway across our parking lot and ended up completely blocking the door. 

Darkness operates the same way; for example, when strife attempts to rear it's ugly head, we can't look the other way. A "deal" can never be cut with darkness. If not addressed immediately, darkness continues to occupy more and more space until we adversely affect everyone we come into contact with. 

• We must take every thought captive and refuse to sow discord! (2 Corinthians 10:5, Proverbs 6:16-19) 
• We must shine our lights before man so our Heavenly Father is glorified! (Matthew 5:16) 
• We must speak peace and life into every situation! (Romans 12:18, Deuteronomy 30:19)

When we pray, walk in authority and purpose to speak God's Word about every situation, darkness doesn't block the door, we block the door to darkness and protect what God has so richly blessed us with!

Retail Therapy!

But gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal; For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:20, AMP)

Last week, I went shopping in Honolulu. I was in my favorite city, shopping at my favorite mall, sharing the whole day with some of my favorite peeps!

I am fully aware of how hard my husband works to provide for us so I paid special attention to purchases, being a good steward of what I was given. I also made sure each purchase was correct; for example, a salesperson accidentally put brown mascara in my bag, I use black. So I asked her to exchange it. I kept an eye on my bags when I walked about, tried on clothes, ate lunch, etc. Since I was in a large city, I paid special attention to my surroundings and made sure my purse and bags were secure.

All that set me to thinking….do I guard my full redemption package (that which will not pass away) as closely as I’ve kept an eye on these bags all day (the things that will pass away)? Would I purchase a full bag of items but leave the store with only one third of the items I paid for?

Then I made an inventory of my full redemption package:

Most Christians would agree, Jesus came to save us, (1 Timothy 1:15) but what else does our "package" include?

Health!

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)

Prosperity!

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers. (3 John 1:2, AMP)

Life!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

In other words, everything good and perfect! (James 1:17)

How do we protect our full redemption package?

• Receive it by faith (Hebrews 11:6)
• Believe without wavering (James 1:6)
• Have confidence in Him (1 John 5:14, 15)
• Hold fast (Hebrews 10:23)
• Give thanks (Ephesians 5:20)

Oahu, The Meeting Place

Oahu is my first love, island style. We lived on the gorgeous Kaneohe Bay in the small town of Kaneohe, located on the windward side of Oahu. Kaneohe is nestled up against the one of a kind Koolau Mountain range and is next to a great beach town, Kailua. 

Our youngest girls were born in Kailua at Castle Medical Center. If you live on Oahu and are looking for a place to give birth, Castle Medical Center is like a birthing resort! Our room was complete with wood flooring and stunning mountain views. Their staff took great care of us as a family. 

Honolulu is on Oahu and is my favorite major city. Honolulu is the most beautiful city I have ever seen, offering the greatest in shopping, restaurants, and history. The world famous Waikiki Beach is a fun hotspot in Honolulu. Many refer to Honolulu as a concrete jungle. I've never seen it that way but instead, I see it as full and buzzing with opportunity. 

Our favorite restaurant on Oahu was The Palomino but sadly has closed. 

Our favorite lodging on Oahu is The Hilton Hawaiian Village, which is close to downtown. The village offers everything from great beaches, pools, shopping, restaurants, and a spa.

When we prefer to be out of the hub bub of downtown, we stay at the Koolina Resort which is located on the leeward side (west side) of Oahu. Koolina is a slower pace offering three beautiful lagoons for swimming/snorkeling, 5 Star Restaurants, and an amazing spa, the Ihilani. 

Our favorite scuba spots are Shark's Cove and Three Tables on the North Shore; however, these sites cannot be used in winter months because the waves are too high making the surf too rough but is great for photo ops from the shore.

For extremely seasoned divers Cathedrals (east side) is a great dive spot but only in perfect weather conditions. Diving Cathedrals required us to walk down a road in very heavy traffic, completely geared up in full scuba, humped our gear across the road, walked through a culvert, then onto a huge rock. Entrance is a giant stride in, once we reached about twenty feet in depth, we turned right and swam through the cathedral made by lava. It is a phenomenal site but entry and exit is very strenuous. 

Hanauma Bay (east side)  is a great snorkel spot but if you are not kamaaina (state resident) there is a charge.  Blow Hole (east side) is a great spot for photo ops. Portlock in Hawaii Kai, (also on the east side) is a great dive/snorkel spot. Portlock requires perfect weather conditions. I learned that lesson the hard way. One winter, I entered using a giant stride and the ocean literally spit me back out and slid me on my behind across the (thankfully) smooth rock shelf. One side of my body was a most beautiful purple hue so prior to diving this spot, we always insure perfect weather conditions. 

 Electric Beach (west side) is an ideal dive site. The entrance can be a little rough so timing the sets is crucial upon entry and exit. At this site, we have swam with wild dolphins, spotted a Hawaiian monk seal and watched tropical fish clean green sea turtles. 

When diving on Oahu, call the surf report at (808) 596-7873. Flat to a foot with light to moderate trade winds is always the best conditions. 

There are so many gorgeous beaches on Oahu from Kailua Beach to Waimea Bay.  I suggest you set aside a day or two to explore the whole island allowing time to stop off at various beaches, etc. And if you want to hit a mall, my all time favorite without a doubt is Ala Moana. Also, when on Oahu, a visit to Pearl Harbor is an absolute must.

Another Oahu must see is the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a large property set up like small villages in the Pacific. Each "village" offers food, dance and games associated with the village. It also has one of the best luaus on Oahu. 

Pros

Oahu offers everything!

Cons 

Honolulu is a large city so with large cities come higher crime rates, heavy traffic and huge crowds.