Stories

  • Story: Love Achieved - October 4, 2026 Isaiah 5:1-7Philippians 3:4b-14 The first thing a newly hatched baby bird does is to teach. Teach? Teach. A hatchling teaches its parents what it needs, what they’ll eat, what makes them comfortable. Even an experienced parent will learn new things from a new chick. A first time parent learns more than I … Continue reading Story: Love Achieved
  • Story: How to Build a Nest – Or Not - September 27, 2026 Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32Matthew 21:23-32 A lot of birds build nests of some kind. Some are very simple, just a scrape in the earth. Others don’t build a nest at all, including the oh-so-brave manu-o-ku, which simply lays an egg on a branch. Some build pretty complicated nests. The ‘amakihi makes a very … Continue reading Story: How to Build a Nest – Or Not
  • Story: The ‘Apapane Who Deserved More - September 20, 2026 Jonah 3:10-4:11Matthew 20:1-16 ‘Apapane chicks don’t all behave the same way, just as human children don’t all behave the same way. You have loud ones and quiet ones, greedy ones and hungry-but-not-pushy ones, polite ones and brash ones. This ‘apapane nest had an assortment. There was one who was greedy and pushy, … Continue reading Story: The ‘Apapane Who Deserved More
  • Story: The I’iwi Who Liked Spiders - September 13, 2026 Romans 14:1-12Matthew 18:21-35 I’iwi can be rather opinionated birds. They can also be very grumpy about their opinions. In their opinion, for example, blossoms full of nectar should be sampled by… me. That is, whatever i’iwi happens to have noticed those blooms at the time. ‘Apapane and ‘amakihi can go to another … Continue reading Story: The I’iwi Who Liked Spiders
  • Story: Rules for Love - September 6, 2026 Romans 13:8-14Matthew 18:15-20 The two saffron finches were young. They liked each other a lot. In fact, they liked each other so much that they called it love. They just didn’t know how. That made for a certain amount of disappointing conversations, and gifts that the other one didn’t enjoy, and careless … Continue reading Story: Rules for Love
  • Story: The Shallow Cormorant - August 30, 2026 Exodus 3:1-15Matthew 16:21-28 Unusually, today’s story isn’t about a Hawaiian bird. It’s about a bird you’ll find along the coasts, lakes, and rivers of North America. You’ll find them way up north in Canada or Alaska in summer, and as far south as the shores of Mexico in winter. It’s called the … Continue reading Story: The Shallow Cormorant
  • Story: Body of Nene - August 23, 2026 Romans 12:1-8Matthew 16:13-20 He’d done it at last. He’d graduated from nene school. He’d learned to forage, and he’d learned to fly even better, and he’d learned to fly in formation. He knew everything there was to know about living well as a nene. I have to say that that’s a pretty … Continue reading Story: Body of Nene
  • Story: Settle Down, ‘Amakihi - August 16, 2026 Isaiah 56:1, 6-8Matthew 15:21-28 ‘Amakihi aren’t the most social birds in the world. We’re used to seeing the flocks of myna around Hilo, and we’re used to seeing saffron finches in pairs. I’ve never seen more than one ‘amakihi at a time, which I grant you isn’t all that useful as information, … Continue reading Story: Settle Down, ‘Amakihi
  • Story: Wide World - July 26, 2026 Romans 8:26-39Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Over the next few weeks we’re likely to start seeing one of our famous Hawaiian birds again. We’re approaching the time of year when the kolea make their 3000 mile non-stop flight from Alaska to Hawai’i where, like sensible birds, they’ll spend the winter. A myna and a … Continue reading Story: Wide World
  • Story: One Loves - July 19, 2026 Psalm 86:11-17Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The koa’e kea (white-tailed tropicbird) loved to fly. She loved to fly over the sea, and to hover over the water before diving to capture a fish or squid. She loved to fly over the land as well, to feel the thermals lift her wings as she crossed … Continue reading Story: One Loves