Irene – Hurricane of Peace

Just a short thought, but it hit me. I learned last semester that “Irene” comes from the Greek word εἰρήνη (ai-ruh-nay), which means “peace”.

Irene has been on the headlines for sometime now and for good reason. One of the biggest floods for the first time ever in the past 40 years in some places here in the States.

I realized that “Hurricane Irene”, is an oxymoron!

This Hurricane has clearly made an impact, a reverberating alarm among hearts in the nation, ripping through power lines and wrecking streets, and calling for evacuation in some places there on the east. Just a short thought, but it hit me. I learned last semester that “Irene” comes from the Greek word εἰρήνη (ai-ruh-nay), which means “peace”. I realized that “Hurricane Irene”, is an oxymoron! There ain’t no hurricane that’s gonna bring peace, but terror and destruction only. However, we can pray that God would bring another Hurricane Irene, a Hurricane of True Peace, Good News, Hope, Physical and Spiritual Relief…Consolation to many souls in the light of Jesus Christ to macro physical areas of destruction and to micro spiritual desolate individuals. That the church would continue to rise and shine in response to the Katrina’s, the Haiti’s, Japan’s, Chile’s, Irene’s and so forth. That the church would be a post Hurricane Irene, bringing the Gospel of Peace wherever they go.

For the Christian, we are not be surprised at the increase of natural disasters, for the Bible already has told us of such things to come in the end days, but it still does make us, I hope, a little bit more mindful of the reality that the end of all things is near, so that we can pray as Peter says.

1 Peter 4:7 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

Oh may the Holy Spirit of the Living God whirl swiftly into our midst and bestow peace upon our souls and the souls of others, especially as we kneel and pray, asking and interceding.

“The Bioluminescence from the Phytoplankton make you feel like a Radioactive Superhero!” – cousin Fenny Hung

Jenny: i haven’t been surfing in awhile. but i’d love to. Let me see if i can get a friend to come too and give me a ride. but its super rad that your doing dawn patrol everyday!

richung: haha…not EVERYDAY…haha not that hardcore

Jenny: well still pretty cool that you even do dawn patrol. matt and i do midnight patrol when i’m in SD… pretty gnar.

richung: dude! thats so nigh! lol

Jenny: ya the best part is there is no one out and the bioluminescence from the phytoplankton make you feel like a radioactive superhero haha 

 richhung: LOL!

Spiritual Psych Out! Regain Vision.

Recounting Today’s Surf Session

We were the first ones to run through the sand and paddle into the water. About 10 past 6AM.

Huntington Beach was throwing some clean barrels this morning but with unusually large waves. “Unusually large” because we hadn’t been out in such large surf in months. We just weren’t used to it.

Though the waves were large, they were still clean and rideable; however, the drops were fearfully steep and fast to pull into. The kind of waves that make you wide-eyed and sends a chill through your chest.

Wave after wave passed by, and we still didn’t catch anything between the two of us.

Around 630AM, we saw 2-3 guys paddle out and in a sequence that spanned 2 minutes, we saw them each pull into a few large waves, getting fully barreled and coming out standing. You could only imagine what those guys were feeling, adrenaline pumping and ‘stoke’ meter fully raised.

While seeing these guys, it opened my eyes to the possibility of catching these big and steep waves. It was empowering.

I looked at my watch and it was already 635AM. I needed to get out at 7AM in order to get cleaned up and ready for work, so I only had about 25 minutes left to catch some waves.

I mustered up strength, and started telling myself, “You got this Rich, come on, let’s get this, go get it.” So I started paddling around with the intention of taking off on an incoming wave regardless. The next wave came and I got it. Steep and fast, yes. Barrel, no. It was okay, I was just happy to have ended the cycle of being waveless. I paddled back out to the break ear to ear and ready to find another wave.

The current was strong and quickly moved us underneath the pier onto the northside. I took the next wave into shore to conclude my Wednesday morning (8-17-11) surf sesh.

Personal wave count for the morning: 3. = |

Personal barrel count for the morning: 0. = (

Tomorrow is another day, and we’ll try again. = )

Spiritual Lesson

There were a few lessons learned today, but here’s one reflection.

“Even if you wipe out in these large, steep and fast waves, you can swim back to the surface, hop back on your board and try again, but this time, being more determined to successfully ride the wave.” That would have been the ideal mentality to carry this morning, but this mentality didn’t cross my mind once.

Today I totally psyched myself out by thinking about how BIG, how STEEP, how FAST, how POWERFUl each wave was, that it paralyzed my confidence. It had to take something to get me out of that state of paralysis. What that was today for me was “regaining vision”. Once I saw those guys take off on those waves unscathed (which was only for a brief moment) I began to believe in the possibility of catching these waves myself. This was the initial form of deliverance from my paralysis – seeing those guys go tubular!

Same thing with our spiritual life. Sometimes it takes regaining vision of the spiritual reality there is in Jesus Christ through short glimpses we see in others. Maybe it’s seeing someone truly living in light of the forgiveness they have in Christ, truly walking by faith in Christ, living with joy in Christ, serving because of the love of Christ, that it ignites a spark within you to move beyond paralysis to possibility. From cold to passionate, from dark to light and from death to life. That in and through Jesus Christ, nothing is impossible for Him.

Jesus has made a way for sinful men and women to be reconciled to God through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead 3 days later, something only God Himself could do. That is why we can place our confidence in Jesus and find our identity in Him, for the Bible says that those who receive and believe in Jesus become children of God (The Gospel According to John Chapter 1). I’m so thankful that God has given us the church to catch glimpses of His reflection and regain vision of the spiritual reality in Christ through one another. May the Lord bless us with an accurate, fresh and deep vision of God in Christ Jesus.

Reflection Questions

How has your way of thinking “psyched” yourself out spiritually? And what made you start thinking that way in the first place? Can you identify the spiritual waves that are psyching you out?

Has there been anyone recently and in particular that gets you excited about Jesus? If not, you might be surprised to catch a glimpse of God’s reflection this week in someone you know or even a stranger. Don’t forget to give God thanks for His grace in providing you direct and even indirect encouragement from others, especially those who belong to the family of believers!