Some of us have heard the stories – the cereal bar, the whimsically decorated cubicle and office spaces, the fun and games amidst the hard work; not to mention the animated films that have turned kiddy movies into art. 

‘I thirst’ were the words from God above. God who left immortal to show his eternal love. ‘I thirst’ is what he said, What he gasped as his lungs began to fill and collapse, As he hung there in agony on a tree to die, I sit, I think, and wonder….why...

When I moved back to Hawai‘i in 2007, I participated in Ho‘olohe Pono—a two week summer immersion into the Native Hawaiian community—to listen, learn, and serve with the aloha (love) of Jesus. 

As a little girl, I had a negative perspective of the word ‘different.’ Why? Because throughout elementary and middle school I was teased and made fun of because I was different. So over time, I changed how different I was, to blend in.

I didn’t expect Jesus to show up in a bar that evening. No, it wasn’t a hipster dude with a big beard. It was at my high school reunion where I reconnected with Chris—a formerly awkward and quiet student who now sported snazzy glasses, stylishly gelled hair, and an identity as an openly gay man.

I don't know what I expected when Kaben waltzed into my freshman dorm room. It was my first week of college, and my roommate and I were sitting in our dorm room doing nothing in particular. Kaben and his friend TJ were saying hi to their sophomore friends who lived down the hall from us.