This was one of those weeks where I felt like I could’ve slept in a little longer. I’m not exactly in “retirement mode”—you know, early to bed, early to rise—but I’m definitely not in “college mode” either, staying up late and sleeping in. Ha! These days, my Sabbath rhythm usually looks like this: up by 6am, settled into my favorite lawn chair by 7am, just as the sun rises. And that’s exactly where I love to be.

Typically, the sun lights up the sky while the mountain ridge casts a gentle shade. But this Sabbath, the sun shifted—and a single ray broke through, landing right on me. I welcomed the warmth. Then, a cloud passed overhead, and a cool tradewind swept in. Instinctively, I whispered, “Thank you, God.” I felt deeply loved.

I don’t take these small moments for granted.

I tried box breathing—something Jason Axelson suggested—and it felt surprisingly good. Breathing, I’m learning, is such a vital part of Solitude. It grounds you. It opens space for God.

In this season of Formation Church, it has felt like we are laying a foundation. While we’re building upon the legacy established in 2004 as Kakaako Christian Fellowship, this is also a new foundation—set with intentionality and spiritual purpose.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:12–13:

“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.”

At Formation Church, Jesus is our foundation. Everything we do is aimed at being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what He did—for the sake of others. Our gatherings, practices, and rhythms are designed to reorient our lives around Him, through the transformation of our hearts. To be clear, our goal is not to build “the world’s best church,” but to become the kind of community Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17:

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

You are on a holy assignment—protected by God Himself. What we do together as the Church is sacred. Paul’s use of the phrase “you together” is key. I used to read this as a personal reminder to honor my individual body as God’s temple. But in verse 17, Paul clarifies that the community of believers—not just individuals—is God’s temple. Together, we are where the Spirit dwells.

This passage also offers broader context: divisions in the early church—whether following Paul, Apollos, or Cephas—mirror what we see today. Yet we are called to rise above human allegiances and political affiliations. Our assignment as disciples of Jesus is far greater than the systems of this world, whether Rome or the United States of America.

So let your identity be grounded in Christ alone.

In this identity, live as God’s sacred temple, together in community, and reflect the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.