Where You Go, I Will Go<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shirlene Leong Nakano\u2019s 70th<\/sup> Birthday<\/p>\n\n\n\n We read about people who are defined as enlightened. The Age of Enlightenment is seen as a time when people appeared to be amazingly gifted and blessed. Great masterpieces were painted. Magnificent symphonies were scored. And literary classics were penned. But we know that there are enlightened people in every age. We sometime call people like that a \u201cRenaissance Person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I think about Shirlene Leong Nakano, I see a \u201crenaissance woman.\u201d In her resume, she has done more things than most people today can claim. She has taught in the classroom. She has principled a school. She\u2019s a faithful Deacon at church. She\u2019s a world traveler to some places that I can\u2019t even pronounce. She\u2019s a religious pilgrim who has visited the Holy Land. She is a short-term missionary who has seen how our everyday need to drink a cup of coffee can save the lives of girls and women in Thailand from human trafficking. As one who knows personally, she knows how to ride on top of an elephant too. She is a mother, grandmother, aunt, daughter-in-law, and a wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She is musically gifted as a singer, a pianist, an organist, and a choir director. Shirlene Leong Nakano even has a long name like Michael Tilson Thomas. There\u2019s an old Chinese saying about general education, \u201cYou may have 1000 knives but not one knife is sharp.\u201d Shirlene has about a thousand knives and almost all of them are pretty sharp!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As her present pastor, I am deeply appreciative of Shirlene. One of the most difficult times of my pastorate was during the time when fortunately Shirlene served as the chair of the Board of Deacons. She brought expertise from her years as a school administrator to sort out hearsay from beliefs from facts. Her clear-thinking and open process helped to recognize our diversity and to remain together in the oneness that we have in Jesus Christ. Every pastor needs a loyal and faithful leader like Shirlene to succeed in ministry. I am glad to have one in Shirlene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there is one word that I may describe Shirlene, it is \u201cloyalty.\u201d In the Old Testament, there\u2019s a story about a Moabite woman named Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. When Ruth\u2019s husband died, her mother-in-law told Ruth that she is still young and free to start a new life. Naomi was planning to return to Judah. But Ruth insisted to stay with her mother-in-law and clung to her. Ruth told Naomi, \u201cWhere you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge\u2019 you people shall be my people, and your God my God\u201d (Ruth 1:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This kind of loyalty is what makes Shirlene a leader in the community, a disciple of Jesus Christ, a matriarch in her family, a faithful partner of Randy, and a friend of this pastor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favorite theologian writers is Kosuke Koyama. He was having pizza one day and wrote about the importance of community. He said something like, \u201cIt is better to eat one slice of pizza than to eat the whole pizza by yourself.\u201d Our lives are not defined as a \u201cpersonal sized pizza.\u201d The nature of a pizza is to be shared with those you love, those you care for, those you are loyal to. Being at this pizzeria is not just eating the best pizza in town but it\u2019s the ideal place to celebrate Shirlene\u2019s 70th<\/sup> birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don Ng, September 25, 2010<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Where You Go, I Will Go Shirlene Leong Nakano\u2019s 70th Birthday We read about people who are defined as enlightened. The Age of Enlightenment is seen as a time when