What is the Good News that we share with people? Is it a message that tells people how they are sinful, they are living the wrong lifestyle? Or is it a message of hope, of a future, of something greater than we can imagine? These are questions I have been challenged with this past year, and I want to ask you the same things. The reason I bring this up is because I have a friend that has tought me the importance of holding onto a hope that he was taught about at a young age.

I met Michael Clarke out at A'ala Park last year. People call him Eyore because of his slow paced walking, talking character. He comes from Chicago, and is always telling me stories from the Windy City. I noticed Mike when he was passed out, with bruises, open soars, and pale looking skin. I met him soon after that because he woke up when some friends started yelling at him for laying on their cardboard. Mike was attracted to the group of us that went out to the park, and he said it was because we showed him that there is hope in the world.

Over the months, I got to know Michael and we became good friends. He knows where he is at in life, he doesn't like it, and he wants to change. I was talking with him one time and he told me he had been on the streets for about 2 1/2 to 3 years, and it was definitely taking its toll. I remember him breaking down a couple of times, because his desire to get back to his life of sobriety was so strong.

I was once told that for some people, receiving prayer is like candy. Take it when it is offered? Mike did just that, and I believe that it has built his confidence in himself. Every time I see him, he will ask for prayer. He holds onto hope.

Just recently, Mike got into a clean and sober house up in Pearl City. That was an answer to not only our prayers, but his prayers too. First he went to detox for a week, then got into the house for about another week or so. People that saw him, said he looked strong and healty.

Friday nights, some of us go out to invite our friends from the park to go to a dinner and Bible study. There were people around, some sleeping, and some walking around. I saw Mike, sleeping under one of the trees. It broke my heart, because I knew that he relapsed. I didn't want to wake him, so I ended up talking with him a few days later. He had a beer and that went against the rules.

"And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we wait patiently for it." Romans 8:24-25. My friend Mike has told me, and shown me, that he has a hope; hope not only in Christ the risen Savior, but for himself. To me, that is something to hold onto.

I just want to bring it back to ask ourselves this question: what is the Good News? As Christians, we have the obligation of sharing this message. In a world of suffering and struggle, I believe that this Good News can bring healing, hope, joy, perseverance, and love into the lives of those who need it most. Please keep Michael Clarke in your prayers. Pray that the hope he holds to, he will hold tight.

The United States of America is a very unique and amazing country. The major cities consist of many ethnicities, ideas and cultures. Living in Hawaii, the term "melting pot" is used to describe this mix of cultures. Hawaii has an amazing mix of people from all walks of life. Culture is defined as this: the taste in art and manners that are favored by a social group.

Most of my life I spent in the same area. I had some white friends, some black friends, some Hispanic friends, and some Asian friends. The thing was that I defined people only as that. It is so easy to get caught up in the "me" society that we live, and I would watch myself fall into that trap. As a Christian, called by Christ to preach the good news to the nations, this mentality was not going to get me very far.

One thing I have always been told when visiting a place foriegn to my comfort, is to be open to the culture. Watch what people say, how they engage in conversation, how they eat, what they wear, and so on. If you want to disrespect a group of people, all you have to do is continue in your familiar way. That is not to say a particular culture is better than another, but that they are all different.

As I said earlier, Hawaii is considered a major "melting pot" and has people from all over; from Asia, Micronesia, Polynesia, the main land, and many others. Adapting to what other people do around the world is one of the best things someone can do. I know that for me, it has changed my life, but it can also make a difference in what God can use you for.

One prime example of adapting to a culture to reach a specific audience, comes from the Apostle Paul. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 says, "To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." This does not mean compromise. What this means is share the gospel so that people can understand.

I have been learning about the Hawaiian culture and it has been awesome. Some values people hold here are these: family, respect, food, love, to name a few. No matter where we are in this world, the gospel can be shared. I know for me, God has really opened my eyes to see how small I am and how diverse His people are.