08/18/2026
This was only a very, very small part of the harvest from the Mountain Apple Tree in our Lokahi Gardens.🍎It fed our entire chapel congregation, and even more friends/families I gave apples to in the neighborhood.
The Apple Tree is not planted in the ground…just in a big pot sitting out on the parking lot…like everything else in the Lokahi Gardens. Each year it puts on a show, and is absolutely loaded with apples. It got so heavy this year, the entire tree/pot fell over, and I just kept setting it back up.
This little, yet mighty, Apple Tree teaches us something important. Sometimes we stand still, as individuals and churches, waiting for the right moment-the right conditions-the right space-the right resources-to “plant” something new. Perhaps we wait, holding an idea or vision God gives us, because we think it can only “bear fruit” in what we think are the perfect/right conditions. Yet, when God gives us the idea/vision, I wonder if we already have what we need to begin planting.
Would the Apple Tree produce more apples planted in the ground? Yes. Would the Apple Tree grow larger planted in the ground? Yes. But I didn’t have any ground in which to plant the Apple Tree. I only had a pot to plant it in.
That Apple Tree, planted in this pot, has fed 30+ families the last couple of years. Sometimes, you only have a “pot” in which to begin your vision/idea. And maybe it’s not perfect…you know you really need a bigger/different something-whatever that may be. I encourage you to use the “pot” you already have. Go ahead, and start today…with whatever God has given you. I imagine you just might be amazed at what God brings to “fruit” from you simply using the “pot” you already have to begin “planting” your idea/vision God has given to you or your church.
And just think…all of those children and families munching on our Lokahi Mountain Apples this summer and last summer…would totally have missed out…were it not for one small Mountain Apple Tree planted in one small pot. 🍎
All this is not because I have any answers or knowledge…in fact, I never thought the tree would even produce apples…maybe a handful at best-just something fun for the Lokahi kids to enjoy in the garden. I confess, I often forget that-we know-that God will do exceedingly more than we could ever imagine for those who 💜the Lord and are called according to Love’s Purposes. May I be your humble witness to that and reminder today.
Praying for the vision God has given to you on this day…🕊🫶🏼Pastor Nan
*We celebrate the resources provided this spring from Disciples PSWR, our regional church family, and Week of Compassion! After the Kona Low Storms, their generous funds have been integral in maintaining the rest of our campus, so that community can gather here!
