Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast
Why Aloha? the whole world knows what aloha is--love in Hawai'i--but better to ask WHY ALOHA? the answer is as essential as breath & as fun as whistling, so LET'S GO!
Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast
The Prophetic KEY of Hawai'I: Worship Warrior Tiffa Garza
"In the 21st century the whole world will be seeking peace, & they shall turn to Hawai'I, for the key to peace is ALOHA!" said Aunty Pilahi Paki. This prophecy is being fulfilled thanks to Tiffa Garza & Zeo Worship, for worship is seedbed of REVIVAL! When God calls you to worship in yr mother tongue, He is unloosing generations & nations! For Tiffa Garza, award-winning musician & worship leader, this divine mandate transformed her ministry & sparked a revival of Hawaiian language worship across the islands.
Born into music royalty, Tiffa's musical journey was divinely destined. Now alongside her husband Imua Garza (Opihi Pickers), she's pioneering a worship movement that's reconnecting Hawaii with its spiritual roots thru worship.
The birth of Zeo Worship ( Greek, "boiling hot, fervent") came via supernatural confirmation & vision. Tiffa also shares the profound paradigm shift that radically changed her approach to worship: A revelation that freed her from performance pressure & returned her focus to ministering directly to God rather than creating experiences for people.
Perhaps most moving is Tiffa's testimony of finding hope amidst devastating loss: The death of her dear dad and two older brothers all within months. Tiffa channeled her grief into her Nā Hōkū Award-winning album "Death, Love & the Second Coming"—a powerful journey from mourning to the hope found in Christ's return.
Whether you're a worship leader seeking authentic ministry, someone grieving a profound loss, or simply curious about Hawaii's rich Christian heritage, Tiffa's story reminds us that true worship transcends cultural boundaries while honoring the unique voices God has given each people group to praise Him.
Find Worship & More: www.ZeoWorship.com or IG @Zeo.Worship or @TiffaGarzaMusic
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www.ChooseAloha.org
aloha, alive with auntie don o'brien and today, my sister, one of my sacred circle, a dear friend. One of my sacred circle, a dear friend, literally the first time I saw Tiffany Leanne Cruz. At the time she was not married. She's now Tiffa Garza. The first time I saw her was at Bible College. I was one of the teaching staff and I saw her standing with her mom and her dad We'll get to that in a minute because you'll recognize those names and I saw this young lady and the Lord said to my spirit woman, this is your new baby sister, this is a new kid sister.
Speaker 2:Welcome, tiff I love you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you for inviting me and you see the love in our eyes literally yeah us, yeah you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, um, and we'll do the side oh yeah, that one whoop whoop, there we go um, her dad.
Speaker 1:Now let's get right to it. First and foremost, music. You are music royalty, especially in the state of hawaii. Your dad is nothing less than ernie cruz, senior mama maggie, of course, I love mama maggie. Her mama got saved in sin city. Okay, if the devil had a tear on somebody, he had a tear on this family, come on. But mama maggie gets saved and then leads her husband back to jesus and yes, he did see her in sin city. Yes, um, her brothers are ernie cruz jr, of course, because dad is senior, and that is from the Owl Crater Boys Guy Cruz, john Cruz, her older brothers. Then her husband is Imua Garza. He's quite a guitar picker.
Speaker 2:Of the.
Speaker 1:OP pickers, and they also, with their dear friends, are Zayo Worship. You now are in a band called Zayo Worship We'll get to what Zayo means in a second but that's with tiffany thurston. Kamu sing imua, and tiffa garza she herself now, who started writing songs at age eight wow, yeah, you grabbed a guitar at 12 years, of age 10, actually 10. Okay, I stalked her, but I stalked her wrong. They got the the facts wrong 10 years old she starts picking at the guitar. Today she is an accomplished Nahoku Hanohano Award-winning composer, songwriter and singer. Thank you, tiffa.
Speaker 2:Garza, what an honor. Thank you for that introduction, wow.
Speaker 1:Well, yet you're also a wife. You're a mother of three. I want to say hello to our beautiful children, Zemi and Xander, also known as Lana Chila, and you teach at a Bible college, your faculty. You're also a pastor at C4 Church. How in the world do you do all those things?
Speaker 2:Wow, I've got an amazing mama, Mama Maggie you mentioned and also Mama Pam Imua's mom.
Speaker 1:Mother in love.
Speaker 2:They are amazing supports. They've helped me over the years, especially with the kids. But what's really been special about being able to do ministry alongside Imua is we've tried our best to bring our kids along with us, that they would be ministers alongside. Of course there have been challenges, but along the way would be ministers alongside. Of course there have been challenges, but along the way. But yeah, there was always an awesome auntie showing up early Sunday morning if my mom wasn't available or whatever. But yeah, a help. It's a village, a community that, if you ask me how I do it, it's, it's a community and it is a village.
Speaker 1:It takes a village to be a village and to raise a child. I love that because I used to see you with the littles. I mean before. I knew this girl when she was still single. But I also knew her when she had her littles, when Zale, who is now a grown man, was still a baby, when Zemi was in the um baby carriage, which we now call a stroller. I won't show my age, it's like saying, oh, I'm, I'm dieting. No, you have to say calorie deficit.
Speaker 2:Oh, there we go, you don't say dieting, don't show your age?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so I've known you that long, but there were always people in the churches who would help out. The redemption and the glory side of that statement is that you are taking them on the sidelines or they're there on stage with you. Now I just saw you post a video with Lana Kila singing yeah, right, yes, next to his dad. He has an amazing voice. He really does, but all three of them extremely gifted because and we're jumping forward really quickly your father-in-law, yes. Dr Armando Precious.
Speaker 2:Que cujao pio Garza. Yes, Love him.
Speaker 1:Just transitioned to glory. He just passed away. But in in christendom we know they're just changing addresses. They're just going upstairs um, and I saw zeo minister there for the first time.
Speaker 1:First time my oldest sang a song at the celebration, first time on a microphone and um it just boldly boldly singing for his abolito you know, and I have a picture of that moment because I saw it you know, jesus and we're gonna we're gonna be full bore christians today. I know her mama. I knew her daddy. Your father was best. Well, my dad was really good friends with him when, when I was growing up in honoka in the 70s, long before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye, I used to see your daddy's eyes twinkle because we would be there at the house parties and the garage parties and he was the Waimea cowboy, ernie Cruz senior.
Speaker 1:Literally this woman is royalty in local music, um, but I I just love how interwoven our families are and our lives. But your dad was a former Marine, part Native American Indian. I mean we want to start talking to some extremes. This man was an extreme man Totally. Then he was an entertainer in Las Vegas, was part of it. Met your mama who I just said got saved in Sin City and she is a warrior of the word of worship.
Speaker 1:I mean girl, you got the full download. I'm getting God bumps preaching to myself right now.
Speaker 2:My parents used to say that we were raised in Christ together because right when my parents gave their life to the work and mission of the Lord, I had just been born. So we all grew up and matured in Christ together. That's my mom and dad would often say that I love that.
Speaker 1:How was that, though? Cause you, they were pastors. You know, we know a lot about uncle Ernie Cruz senior and his ministry of of of song. I mean just his career, stellar career, came to Hawaii. We adopted him as one of our own right for sure uh, as a Hawaiian cowboy, paniolo why, ma'am? But the thing is they were hardcore. People became pastors at the end of, towards the last lap, his golden lap of his life. Pastors at New Hope, puna, yes, and you folks ministered out there. How was it being raised?
Speaker 2:wow, there there were definite struggles over the years. Just my parents and what I mean by that is when people suffer families, single mamas, the elderly something about my parents. Part of their ministry, they opened their home to people, and so people would show up and sometimes for the wee hours of the night would be getting counseled and prayed and prayed over, and there were times where my mom and dad definitely had us participate with that.
Speaker 2:Sometimes we'd be babysitting the kids while the parents were getting carried over and ministered to or whatever it was, and but growing up on the big island and what's so, oh, you got. You know because you grew up there and ministry on the big island doing that alongside my parents. When they came back to New Hope, Puna, we had spent some time, a little, a little caveat what do you call side caveat? We were in California for about seven years, but when we came back to the big island, I was 14. And my mom and dad reiterated look, girls, we're going to be pastors, but you're with us in this.
Speaker 1:Like, you are invited to participate with us.
Speaker 2:It's not just me and your dad's ministry, dad and mom's ministry, but you're with us in that, and so they really brought us into that space. And, yeah, there were some low moments and some tough times over the years, but, gosh, oh, thank you, lord, his faithfulness, I love that you said that they had well for me on the outside looking in and I've been in church pretty much my whole life.
Speaker 1:I was there at the inception of a mega church, what became a mega church, New Hope in Hilo. And that's how our families also got back, interconnected and woven back, even after the party days of the 70s and Honoka. But there's so much goodness to that that we can just say to your children because a lot of pastors don't have the wherewithal to say that to their kids it's a kako thing, you have to do it all together. It's either all or nothing, because we serve an all in all God. And so for mama Maggie and uncle Ernie they let you three know because you're from is it the second or third marriage?
Speaker 1:for uncle Third litter, because I hung out with the first litter I didn't know how to say it quite graciously, but this girl just spits it right out Like we don't have time.
Speaker 1:You know Jesus is coming, let's go. Um, she just tells the truth. But I knew them the first marriage for uncle Ernie. You came with the last and the final, the Jesus finale. But, um, they let you know we're all going to do this together and there were three daughters, right, you and your two sisters. Now, next thing I want to ask you is, uh, let's start with worship as a weapon.
Speaker 2:Cause I heard you once do.
Speaker 1:I stalked you online. You are my kid sister. I've known you for years, but I also researched this. You said hope is a is a weapon.
Speaker 2:No hope is rebellion. I might've read. Did I re quote somebody I may have?
Speaker 1:I love that, I mean and so I was inspired to say worship is a weapon, because it is what is worship, because you're one of the best worship warriors I've ever seen. You are one of the top worship warriors for the state of Hawaii, for this Ahupua'a and the Kuleana. That is our state, our Aloha state. What is worship?
Speaker 2:What is worship? Worship is ministry to the Lord. It's your life poured out, it's the posture of your heart, is I'm ministering to him, and him alone. I know that there's a term called a lifestyle of worship, and I don't prefer that phrase because, to me, worship is more than just a lifestyle, because I could say, oh, I do a healthy lifestyle, I don't eat carbs, or I dot dot dot, or I have a musical lifestyle, or I have those seem to me as what's the word.
Speaker 1:Like compartmentalize.
Speaker 2:And so when you say lifestyle of worship, I just feel like so. It's so much more than that, it's a life of worship. I just feel like so, it's so much more than that. It's a life of worship. And I think, for so long, being someone who leads worship in the church setting or wherever I have the opportunity and all of that there were many years where I was so concerned about the people in the audience. Are they worshiping? Are they connecting with the Lord? Are they that I missed ministering to him?
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And it hit me a few years back and I just thought, wow, I, whoa Lord, I'm not the Holy Spirit. I don't turn their hearts to worship you. You do that in them as they encounter you. I don't turn their hearts to worship you. You do that in them as they encounter you. May I focus on you. So I've had quite a different kind of a shift in my perspective when it comes to worship. That's a complete paradigm shift.
Speaker 1:It was and is Because I grew up. We both grew up kind of new hope right so we're just going to say that out there because. Jesus is coming soon and we don't have time to waffle around and beat the bush, so we're getting straight to it. Is that sometimes, when you're in a church setting, it can become about the people? We're seeker sensitive, we're about the audience, we're about this and we forget the vertical relationship.
Speaker 2:We forget that the Bible says there is one seeker.
Speaker 1:Wow, john 4. Wow, who is that? It's God.
Speaker 2:So if we're going to be seeker sensitive, let us be sensitive to him, and so that's kind of the shift that's happened and those terms are, you know, what I'm saying Massive shift it. Just it did something to me where I got to share with you. There was this one time I was getting ready to lead worship. I'm at my home church, probably a good 10 years ago, and I'm doing mic check, check one, two, check one, two, three.
Speaker 2:And then right before the sound check, I wanted to get into the spirit of worship, right, just doing it in my own strength, like almost like before a football game, Like what, or before Anywho Okay, I'll get back to that. But I'm trying to psych myself up Like, okay, we're which, there is preparation to that and just being focused. But it was more about how do I make a worship experience? How dare I, how do I? I don't do that, so check this out. Oh, sister Dawn, this marked me and changed me.
Speaker 2:I'm at the mic with my guitar and I said, said, oh, jesus, we need your presence, we can't do this without your presence. This is exactly how it played out. Jesus, we need your presence. Oh, you are here, I'm not here. The Lord spoke. I heard like an alert in my ear when I was begging Lord, we need you here, we can't do this without you. We need you here. He said I am here. You're not here, but you can get there. And it happened in real, where I literally stopped. I stopped the sound check. I said guys, the Lord's presence is here. We don't have to conjure it up, we don't have to beg for it. But can we get there? Can we be? We're not aware that he's here. So in that moment I said, lord, forgive me for not being aware of your presence.
Speaker 1:I'm so concerned about the song set and being under 20 minutes and and doing this and doing that and that, and yeah, anyways, that moment changed me and I'm still learning that is ministering to me right now, like I feel like these lights are getting brighter, but it's the Shekinah glory of the Lord inviting me into his presence right now. It's not about all the technical things, the cameras, the mics, it's about his presence. So it's not a consumer christianity, it's a consecrated christ. He is with us and, as you said in john 4, which I was also, it was resonating, ruminating in my heart, in my spirit, woman, when he said to the woman they shall worship him. Worship wasn't this way and we can't program it.
Speaker 1:And there is goodness to having a program that says you're doing 20 minutes of, you know, two songs of worship, one song of praise, whatever it is, yeah for sure. But when the lord moves in, as he did the very first day at the temple and I'm talking about the first day it opened, oh, you know what I'm talking about. And the train of his robe filled the temple with glory, the levites jumped on up out of there because it was a hot pit. The all the workers of the temple walked up, they ran out. There was no room for us in there because the ministers had to leave, because the ministry was dropping down. The Holy Spirit himself infilled and indwelt the temple. Is that not what all of us are fighting for every second of every day? But there's no fight. Be still and know that he is God Exodus. I think it's 1414. You will not need to fight. Just hold your peace for the Lord, your God will fight for you.
Speaker 2:That is so good and it ministered to me right now, and I'm growing as a worship leader, and so there's this conviction within me, especially for those coming up, being raised up, who will enthrone him. It says in the word that he's enthroned on the praises of his people.
Speaker 1:So will you enthrone him?
Speaker 2:Who will enthrone him when Auntie Tiffa graduates to heaven? Who will? You know? Who am I raising up? Who will enthrone?
Speaker 1:him.
Speaker 2:Will you enthrone him? You know pastors are having a hard time finding worship leaders. I get phone calls multiple times. Last year I think I had six different pastors. Tiffa, do you know any worship leaders? We need a worship leader who will enthrone the Lord, Paid or not paid, I'm talking. You don't have to pay me to do this. I mean, I'm thankful that I get to serve the church and I work part time in that space. But the conviction is, who will herald him?
Speaker 2:Amen A worship leader's job is to bring attention to the one who's worthy that is what I feel so called to do, and now, with Zale worship, there is a mandate, a spiritual mandate from the Lord to sing in the native tongue of the land, and so that's a whole other wild story, but yeah we're just and thank you for segwaying right into that For Zayo worship, which you are with your husband, and I believe that's the name of his recording studio.
Speaker 1:If you don't know Imua Garza is, I describe him this way and this was a real conversation. Somebody said who's Imua Garza is? I describe him this way and this was a real conversation. Somebody said who's Imua Garza? I go, he's the Amadeus of Hawaii, he is the Mozart of Hawaii. He is such a God gifted genius. He can play the kazoo, he can play the spoons and make it a symphony. But truly he has a recording studio. Right, it works with many different artists. We could name them all, we're not gonna, but they're famous people. He's at the Nahokus. You both are every year. But talk to us about Zayo Worship. You guys are known, the four of you, the band. It says your mission is we sing worship in Olelo, hawaii, and to translate, that means we sing worship in Hawaiian language. Why is that Zayo Worship's mission?
Speaker 2:Okay Woo, we believe we know that when the Hawaiian people came to Hawaii for the first time and they came here again I don't know all the ins and outs and all those intricate details, but just from looking at it historically, looking at the Hawaiian people, looking in light of the Creator, he gave them the Olalo Hawaii. He gave them that language. He set that language apart for that people group. I'm not Koko Native Hawaiian. I have children who are Hawaiian, my husband's Hawaiian. I have brothers and sisters who are Hawaiian.
Speaker 1:And you grew up in Hawaii and I grew up in Hawaii and I grew up in Hawaii.
Speaker 2:But I understand that, just as all the nations of the world, god gave an assignment to the Hawaiian people of this land, and so our Zayo Worship Band is a Hawaiian people and they love the Lord, they are ministers unto the Lord, and so there is this passion to we feel that it is a call from the Lord to sing and to worship the creator, to worship the one true God, to lift up the name of Jesus in Olelo, hawaii, in the land which we live In the mother tongue the mother language.
Speaker 1:I was speaking to my pastor, jonathan Steeper, at Kalihi Union, which is over a hundred years old, and he was talking about Dr Lauren Cunningham. You and I both know and love this man. He has a school of worship. He has DTS discipleship training schools. It's YWAM, youth With A Mission which is based on the big island. That's our island, right, uh? And he said we will know.
Speaker 1:By 2025 I think it was this year he said you'll have most of the nation's languages translated the bible into their language. He also talked about and this is where I had to ask my pastor a question mother tongue, and I said wait a minute, what does that mean? Mother tongue, mother language, mother language? And he said well, don, simply put, you grew up in America, but your mother country is Tonga. I come from Tonga.
Speaker 1:I was raised there as a small child and for part of my tween years. Then you came to America and the mother tongue was erased from me because of shame, because of all kinds of cultural things, and I speak English. But when I was a baby, when I was in in the womb, in utero, when I heard my mom speaking and singing and praying, it was in Tongan. And when he said that, I began to cry because, as you just said very powerfully, our mother tongue carries a God appointment and anointment that is so special and powerful. And when our spirit hears what was sung over us and prayed over us and spoken over us from the moment of conception, god has unleashed power in those words Absolutely, that's so wonderful, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And to your point, tifa. I just saw somebody post on Instagram recently a song. It was a song regularly in English, but you guys had rewritten it in Hawaiian and of course you have your Hawaiian consultant, ololo consultant right and it had gotten tens of thousands of views. It was going up to the hundreds of thousands, and that was King's Chapel.
Speaker 2:Oh, love them.
Speaker 1:And they were singing it in Hawaiian and somebody just filmed them, who was visiting, and said we are singing in the native Hawaiian language.
Speaker 2:Incredible. So can I just tell you a quick story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:It was in 2019. Our church was hosting an all church event, meaning all churches of Hawaii the Bride of Christ event, called the Oahu School of Worship, and there are about 40 or so churches going to be coming in attendance. Well, they asked if Imua and I would lead worship the Wednesday morning session. So I'm dropping the kids off with my mother-in-law and on my drive back into town from Pearl City I don't know how else to explain it except see, I'm driving, my eyes are open, but in my mind's eye I see Imua with authority, like singing in olelo, hawaii, but like. But it was in a worship setting and he was like, and it wasn't quiet, it was like like he was roaring wow he was in olelo, hawaii, like almost rapping in hawaiian language, and I'm seeing this unfold while I'm driving.
Speaker 2:I thought, wow, lord, that's really cool and I had never seen imua. You know, do do that in that way. And so I get to the auditorium. We're plugging in, worship starts and they captured this on video and if you go to Imua's Instagram, it's there that exact moment. I didn't tell Imua about that. What I that vision that I saw. We're singing the song Jesus we love you, oh how we love you, oh how we love you, and this is so beautiful.
Speaker 2:Imu is leading that song okay all of a sudden, you, you see on the video he's singing it and then all of a sudden, he like, he, he fall, he fall, his face like gets hit by the spirit and he starts going at it in olelo, hawaii, wow. And you see me in the back. Go like I. Literally fall to the floor because I what I saw two hours earlier is now happening the vision is fulfilled yes, after the worship set was done and later on in talking with Imua, I said what was that?
Speaker 2:What happened? What was the Lord doing in? That moment and he said I just felt like the ground was opening up and the tears of the saints, like the believers of the Hawaiian. I just felt like the Lord was saying the ground is breaking.
Speaker 1:Hallelujah.
Speaker 2:Sing out in Olelo Hawaii. Lift up the name of Jesus. Sing.
Speaker 1:He just came into agreement with what he felt like his soul was In. The spiritual realm was happening. God was shifting.
Speaker 2:So right then, and there I looked at him, I said, hon, I think Jesus is asking us Because then I told him about what I saw.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I said we need to come into agreement with this because then I told him about what I saw. Yeah, I said we need to come into agreement with this. Yes, we texted Uncle Kiha. He said Uncle Kiha, here's this chorus. Oh, praise the name. Can you translate it for us?
Speaker 1:So he translated this was on a Wednesday, uncle Kiha Pimental, whose brother is also in the music industry ministry.
Speaker 2:Oh, bless them. We love them so much. Family to us. Yes, he sends us this little chorus so that Sunday we didn't tell anybody, we didn't give a heads up to anybody. The worship set, went along and then, all of a sudden, imua started singing. We started singing. We wanted to come into agreement with what the Lord was doing, because in that space we sensed the Lord asking us to declare his praises in Olelo Hawaii.
Speaker 1:Yes and amen.
Speaker 2:And that was the beginning, and this was in 2019, and then, shortly after that, we were invited to lead worship at the Four Square Conference in 2020. Well, spiff, tiffy, thurston, my dearest, our sweet girl, she said, hey, we've been asked to lead worship in I think it was Nashville. For this worship, for this conference, let's release a four-song EP that has a Hawaiian flavor, or Hawaiian you know, like, let's make a little album. So we're preparing to do that, and then COVID hits right.
Speaker 1:All of anything everything just kind of shifted.
Speaker 2:But while we were prepping for this album, this is the beginning. Zayo worship did not exist at this point wow, okay so then, while we were, while we were in the studio recording, I asked the guys, I said, what if for one song we added a Hawaiian chorus, since we're from Hawaii, right it'd be kind of cool to yes, to add that and so we. So we got our consultant lei momi. She um did some translations and then for that one song, oh, praise the name yes she did a little revised love um translation, and then it just happened all the songs.
Speaker 1:And all of this is organically done. To use kind of a modern term and to use a Christian term, it was authored by the hand of the author, finisher and perfecter of faith. Yes, because the four of you are friends. You grew up together, basically Very close.
Speaker 1:Kamu and Imua were best friends. I remember being at your wedding watching the video of them when he got the mistaken text that Tiffa was actually sending to her mom confessing her crush on a certain Imua Garza. She accidentally sent it to Imua I did, and in the video at the wedding they're playing oven mitt ping pong in the kitchen. He goes to check the text Okay, Puts it back down and goes back to ping pong with the kitchen. He goes to check the text okay, puts it back down and goes back to ping pong with the mitts. Meanwhile this one is over there freaking the fart out yeah, because I never tell boys I like them.
Speaker 2:It was an accident on those nokia phones and so I was there.
Speaker 1:He was best man at the wedding is my point. They've been best friends. They all went to kamehameha schools tifa, kamu and imua. And then you come along, you're very organic and then out of kamu sister le momi, who I happen to be one of our mentors at new hope, she helps to interpret, make sure it's all legitimate in olelo, hawaii the language, and then it just explodes into what zeal worship is today after we recorded that album, we could feel the lord's presence so strongly strongly that we knew it was beyond just this.
Speaker 2:We were asked to lead worship at a national conference. Right, and we were going to have, you know, this band from hawaii, or?
Speaker 1:this right a one-time wonderful worship session, oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:And then it's like now, tiff and imua, they're writing songs. We we have original music worship music in Olelo Hawai'i Christmas music. Yes, oh, goodness gracious, and they also, too, felt that conviction, that shift, like we are Hawaiian. Yes, we should worship in the native, the mother tongue Right, the mother tongue.
Speaker 1:There's so much power in this and so that and you said they felt a conviction, or it's almost like a push that when it's the Lord, you feel like you're being pushed off a cliff really, cause you know more of the cliffs of comfort. You're being pushed into this leap of faith and, um, god always meets you with the trampoline. You're going to jump higher than you ever were before. But here's my point is it's, it's a compulsion, it is God's spirit coming heavy. You've sensed the heaviness of God when it comes on you, kind of like what you were saying about Imua in the middle of a worship set. And it came upon him and then he has to worship because that is the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Speaker 1:When we go to war, our lion, our commander in chief of the host of heaven's armies, he roars and he moves. We don't check in, we're not going to alert the powers that be that we're about to invade, take over, take territory. We're just moving with the spirit of God who moves before us when you're following very clearly, and that's what happened with Zayo worship Now. Tell our family and friends who are watching with the Aloha Alive, ohana Zayo. What does it mean?
Speaker 1:Because I loved finding that out on your website.
Speaker 2:Yes. So Zayo is a Greek word that I learned while I was pregnant, so initially most people don't know this we were planning on naming our firstborn Ezra. Love that name, ezra. I love the way the Zs look in script, so I would write Ezra Garza in my little notebook. But I was taking a class on the Book of Romans with Dr Gary Manning and in that class he mentions this word, zeo. It comes out of Romans, chapter 12.
Speaker 2:Let your work for the Lord be fervent. It actually means fervent, but when you look at the Greek word zeo it's boiling hot, wow, boiling hot, boiling over hot, fervent passion for the work of the Lord, wow. And so that was the name that I thought oh, that's going to be the name of our son. Fast forward the tape. It became the name of our recording studio, zayo Music. And when we were putting this worship album together, we were all sitting together like what should we be called, the four of us? We're going to be a group we should have. And Tiff was like, hey, what if it's just zeal? Worship like fervent, hot passion.
Speaker 1:Worship like zeal worship and that's how the name came to be huge yeah I love that and I've just known you as zeal worship. I didn't know the background or the etymology. The word foundation of zeal. But that's beautiful because it's like a zeal and I feel like it's kind of like the word enthusiasm is based on n theos to be filled with god. Theos or deos, right god, but zeal I loved it I was like I'm all in, because if you're gonna worship you either do it red hot boiling oh, that's right, fully in passion right out of the overflow of the heart.
Speaker 1:The mouth speaks. The bible says or don't do it at all. Like, why would you come fake the funk in front of Jesus? Oh, cannot, he sees right through it. So like, leave that stuff at home, bring it so Zale worship. You can find them online or, if you want to book them, I've seen you guys perform many different venues and events and you were just at a I think it was like a coffee house for an evening thing and that's where Xander was playing with dad and with mom filming very proud. But you can find them online. It's wwwzeoworshipcom. You can also find them online on Instagram, zeoworship. Or if you want to find Tiffany, that's at Tifa Garza music. So if you want to book them, they are, you know what, very booked. But when God leads, that's at Tifa Garza Music. So if you want to book them, they are, you know what very booked, but when God leads, they're going to burn and boil after him.
Speaker 2:If that's a yes from the Lord, we feel called to resource other worship leaders as well, locally, globally too, if the Lord permits that. But really yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that's huge because, like the thing I just saw from King's Chapel, right, and they have, I I think, like 700 king's chapels around the world. They started, of course, in maui and and here in hawaii, but they are infiltrating in a mother tongue. Yes, and that to me and I want to, I want to really bring this in for a landing is so powerful. What you said about the history of hawaii our very name means the breath of god. Ha vai is the living water. I is god's name in hawaiian, so hawaii. When we say where we're from, we're saying we're from god and then when we speak our hello or greeting, it's aloha, like the title of this podcast is aloha alive to face and share.
Speaker 1:Ha the hongi and a big part of and this is what I wanted to land on a big part of hawaii history is not spoken and it has directly to do with god. It is a christian, it was a christian nation right under many of our moe. The royalty the royalty from Queen Ka'ahumanu and all the way to the last reigning monarch, lili'uokalani, were Christians. That's how we got the printing press was Ka'ahumanu saw the writing on the wall. She said missionaries, go, bring a printing press and your Bible and teach my people to read. And she founded the laws of this nation. The first five laws were the first five of the 10 commandments. So when I see things like Chief of War, with Jason Momoa becoming extremely popular in mainstream media and believe me, I don't follow mainstream media, that's why we have an independent podcast my sister is, she's cut from the same cloth. You got a Marine Native American Indian girl from Hawaii and she brings the spit and she's going to get it. But we do not follow the hypnotism of mainstream media and not to say this Chief of War is doing good with the olelo Hawaii. Everyone's promoting this.
Speaker 1:There are certain scenes that are now questionable, that have to do with, uh, same-sex relationships in the history of hawaii that have been extremely blown up in the culture.
Speaker 1:This is some of the agenda that's being pushed in our culture and what I am saying is, if you're going to blow up the culture, then blow it up 100, be truthful and, and all I'm asking is for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help you, god, because E EO, yahweh right, or Yesu is the one true God of Hawaii, and the fact that they used to sail with canoes all the way from South Point, big Island, where this girl's daddy was preaching and mama was preaching, all the way to Aotearoa. Those were the real warriors, because they wanted to know more about their connection to the one true God, and they would share intel with the Maori and come back and preach more. So it doesn't have to do with just the missionaries that a Hawaiian sent here, henry Opukahaya. Now I'm just getting on a preaching vent, but I love that you're bringing the mother tongue into the fullness of its power over our people and our islands for such a time as this. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Oh, what an honor, my sis.
Speaker 1:Whoo, there's some power up in there, people, and yes, we're talking culture because we are the kingdom culture. I want to talk about now something a little bit lighter death love and the second coming. I want to talk about now something a little bit lighter death love and the second coming Hallelujah. Not lighter at all, is it? I was just tricking you out. I'm not part of the mainstream media, I'm a kingdom culture girl. We going to bring it harder. That was your album, First solo album. Is that a true fact, Because I know you've had several groups, even before Zale.
Speaker 2:Worship right. I did a solo album with a group years ago 17, 18 years ago called One Right Turn we jokingly say One U-Turn because that didn't last long, but I had released a solo record with that group, but I would say Death, love and the Second Coming, the album I released in 2023, I would consider my first release.
Speaker 1:Solo project and when I say solo I'm talking just Tifa. Yeah, I mean obviously you had other musicians, we see you um and people helping you with that, but it was you, you and the. Holy spirit. Yeah, thank you. Now I didn't get to listen to it. I don't know how that happened, because I'm all about the end times, but what's the main message behind?
Speaker 2:and you won a Nahoku I did. What an honor that was.
Speaker 1:Religious Album of the Year 2024 and it's literally called Death, love and the Second Coming. You're on a picture on the cover of it because Auntie Dawn is an old school girl. I got to have an album. Either it's an LP right, the old uh vinyl or it's got to be a CD because I want to hold it up. Dylan Pichelli knows this because I'm always holding up his CD. On the album cover it shows you sitting out in the middle of a lava field love the shout out to the big island yeah you.
Speaker 1:What is the main message of death?
Speaker 2:love and the second coming so the album carries a testimony of my dad and brothers who passed away and the hope that we will see them again, the hope that comes from knowing the Lord. He gives us that truth that we will see them again. And so the song, the album starts off with the grieving, the death, but then there's love with the Lord, with one another, with Ohana, and then the second coming. It seems like there are multiple themes, but it all ties in If you look the songs, even the placement of the songs from beginning to end, open up with the song Don't Let my Daddy Die, to my last testament, so to speak, the last song.
Speaker 2:It's called Last Song. It's the last message of my heart, if anybody would want to know what my heart is. It's the last song. But the reason why I am sitting in the midst of the lava field, to me that lava, that hardened lava, represents a second coming, because there is the kupu. Kupu that breaks up out of the devastation, that breaks up out of death and destruction. New life springs out. And so to me that is a picture of the second coming and also testifying to the Lord Jesus and how he carried me through grieving. That's the album in a nutshell.
Speaker 1:And when she says kupu, kupu and you're going to see the album cover come up on the screen. But it's the plant that first grows after a lava flow.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And many people around the world understand that image of Big Island Volcano and our lava flows, which have recently been over a thousand feet. Wow, unreal, double bigger than any sky rise here in Honolulu City, which is about. I think the tallest building in Honolulu is about 450 feet and this is a thousand plus feet just going off. But I love that you brought that new life coming out of what was devastation.
Speaker 2:Your dad, um, had a stroke yes, you were the second person I called wow on my way to the hospital, okay I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:Thank you, sis, and I I did. I came up to tripler, you did, and we prayed. It was you and emua, there next to your dad and and he was literally laying there. Like you said, we were talking off camera before we started about another gentleman who recently passed away and Tifa and Imua were there for him, but he was laying there. I am not used to seeing uncle Ernie laying there, ever, ever. This is a consummate performer, entertainer. His Ano, or spirit, was all about Malama, other people to be present and take care of other people. And so in that moment and you know when you're the child growing up and you see the father figure down that was a really hard moment for me, but we walked in. You called me and I, we, I walked into that Tripler hospital, which is like a maze, by the way. Federal government of the United States of America.
Speaker 1:I don't know what you're doing. I tried to leave that night, got lost for three hours trying to find my way out. But I walked into that room and we just went into prayer and we prayed for your daddy and your daddy got up. He did Girl. I've never, but he even remember he sat up and he was trying to speak.
Speaker 2:He was driven to getting well and he was, and that's the power prayer.
Speaker 1:And it's not us. We're not talking about us. I feel like one of the disciples who said to the man who's who sank down and started bowing get up and don't kneel before me. I am just a man, just like you. I'm just human. I'm too human, in fact. This is the spirit of God. But after he did pass away, a few years later, then your brother passed away, almost within four months almost immediately. I felt immediate to me.
Speaker 2:So it was um dad passed in may, ernie passed september and three days later, september 23rd, um guy passed. And so these songs that I wrote on this album testify to the lord how he carried us through that grieving, and. And then, towards the end of the album it goes to this song, called On that Day, which testifies to the day when the Lord will return and take us and catch us up into heaven. I just, I wanted to testify of that on this album.
Speaker 1:I love that, tiffa, and the reason why I really wanted to highlight this for us family is that I believe, and Tifa believes the same thing. I believe in the Bible. I was nine years old when I first read the book of revelation and I knew I was going to see it before my very eyes. I believe we're living, as you said, in the second coming, the time of the second coming. He could come before this even airs. But here's my point is we best be living like the father is returned, like the prince of Jesus Christ is returning, the prince of peace, and that he's going to grab us up, and so we must not be scared, we must be prepared.
Speaker 1:It's my one line I've been harping on since I started preaching back in the day I was as young as she was back on the big Island and pastor Wayne Cordero allowed me to speak to the youth group and then start to speak in churches. And I talk about the end times and I warn people please don't be scared. It looks scary when you read the book of revelation. I get it. Don't be scared, because that's not God's business to scare us. That's the devil. Who's all about excited about it.
Speaker 1:Hallelujah. I'm like come now, please, please. But don't be scared, be prepared. I love that you put that in the album and the reason why I'm highlighting it is I believe that if the prophecies I said if when the prophecies which are happening right now they're fulfilling, right now, there's going to be a lot of death yeah in fact, the bible says that one third of the earth will pass away, and then it talks about two thirds of the earth.
Speaker 1:Right now, we have about eight billion people on this earth. That means six billion people will die of different causes, whether that's man made, like war, or natural disasters like a tsunami, an earthquake, earthquake, etc. You and I have been through the death of our dads that could take the knees out from under you.
Speaker 2:It gutted me.
Speaker 1:I felt like somebody had knocked the wind out of me for months. I couldn't. But we're going to have multiple people and when they pass away family, there is hope in Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Yes, there is.
Speaker 1:There is hope right now, and here's my point is please accept Jesus Christ as your boss, as your lifeguard. The other way we say it in Christianity, you've heard it too many times accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. I say boss and lifeguard because when we start drowning in a lot of the events that are happening in our world, you're going to need somebody. And if you pass suddenly, as a lot of people are right now passing away for whatever reason, right Please, for us, death is a celebration. As a Christian, I know that they just went home to heaven Her father-in-law, my brother, armando. He's a warrior but he's upstairs and we mourned when he passed away right, we miss him we miss him so much.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I love my brother. I'm still not getting my chiropractic cracks regularly because I miss my brother. He was my chiropractor. But the point is we knew he just changed addresses, family. He just went upstairs. He's upstairs next to Jesus on that throne. Who's next to the Lord, at the right hand of the father. So take Jesus right now.
Speaker 2:That's our hope.
Speaker 1:Is that something you would share? Is that?
Speaker 2:the message that's the heart of that album too. I pray that people will encounter the presence of the Lord and have hope restored within them. The hope of heaven, the hope of love. Yeah, that's the joy. And there's lots of testimony about my dad's life in the songs.
Speaker 1:The girl who grew up hearing her daddy sing and then grabbing a pen herself, and then grabbing the instrument and voicing your voice. Thank, you.
Speaker 1:That's the living legacy of your dad, Tiffa, Absolutely. That is the prayers that he and your mama, Maggie, who is still with us. I love you, sis. I love your mama, I love her. She's a fireball for Jesus. That's the years of prayers and tears that they cried over their children. And they're not perfect people either we're all human but there is so much power in prayer to shift to, to divine the line of destiny into God, to align to God's destiny for your children.
Speaker 2:I just pray. People don't make it complicated. Just come to the Lord. Come to the Lord wherever you are listening to this, just fix your eyes on him. You don't know how to just Lord, I would just. That's my hope that you would choose the Lord, choose Jesus.
Speaker 1:It's not complicated. Let's lead them in a prayer right now how do you make a simple prayer for Go ahead, Pastor Tiffa?
Speaker 2:Yeah, borrow these words as we pray. Jesus, we've heard that you are the way, the truth and the life, and so I pray that that reality would be made alive in every heart, every ear listening to this prayer.
Speaker 1:Yes, and if you want to, you can listening to this prayer. Yes, and if you want to.
Speaker 2:You can repeat a simple prayer, Right, Tiffa. Right simple Jesus I choose you now and forever. Come into my life. Let me yield my preferences, my, my preferences.
Speaker 1:My preferences, my thoughts, my thoughts, my will, my will To you To you, give me the strength, give me the strength To live this To live this In.
Speaker 2:Jesus name.
Speaker 1:In Jesus name. You are Lord, you are Lord.
Speaker 2:You are God.
Speaker 1:You are God, amen, amen. Yeah, if you prayed that right now with us, and even if this wasn't live you know you're going to see this in a few weeks you prayed that he hears it. In now time God hears your heart and your prayer, everything you just submitted at Jesus feet. You said your will, your intention, everything he heard. You you're in Congratulations intention, everything he heard. You you're in congratulations. That's the money right there. That's the thing that matters the most to the lord is your soul. So death love. And the second coming is now the first album you're gonna buy, because now you're gonna get it or stream it for free on youtube.
Speaker 2:Oh really, spotify itunes. Yes, yes thank you.
Speaker 1:so or you can look her up at Tiffa Garza music on IG. Zayo worship is a great place to start with some just very basic hymns. If it's Christmas time, you got four different Christmas songs right you guys did a couple, two Christmas albums.
Speaker 2:You have yeah, I forgot about yeah maybe 10 songs.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep.
Speaker 2:Yes, get it going. We're working on some, some, some stuff too, before the year's out. I'll just put that out there.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that's us coming in for a landing and I love that you said that. Working on more stuff. Where can we um download your music? You just said Spotify, apple music, right, itunes, but do you have? Because I saw that you know like Xander singing the other day. I was like wait a minute, auntie Dawn wanted to be there filming him, right.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, usually it's Instagram where we'll post things. That was kind of an unexpected fun little gig that we did, but Zale Worship we will be. I believe it's the Thursday, december 18th at Kahala Mall at 7 pm Wow. So that's kind of far out there, but it may not be when this airs for real, but yeah, and that's right in time for christmas.
Speaker 1:We'll post our shows on the zeal worship instagram love that, so, and you can also download the music, as we said, and you know the website, zealworshipcom or on instagram. Last question is one that I traditionally ask all my guests what is aloha to you?
Speaker 2:aloha is what we were made for, made from and made for wow, you nailed it.
Speaker 1:I love that. And who is your aloha hero? Somebody who may have embodied that, either past or present, like living or gone on to glory. Who is an Aloha hero to you, tiffa?
Speaker 2:When I get asked that question in a different way. But who's that? One person who comes to mind is my elementary Sunday school teacher, Yvonne Hazenberg. Yvonne Hasenberg, she taught me, I think the love for the word definitely bloomed under her.
Speaker 1:Sunday school leading.
Speaker 2:She was 28 years old when she passed. I was 10 years old when she went to be with the Lord. She changed my life and she taught me a love for the word of God for three years, every Sunday.
Speaker 1:God bless our Sunday school teachers and Auntie Yvonne. That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing that friend, and look at the rich living legacy she has in you.
Speaker 2:I'm sure she's sitting next to Jesus just cheering you on she taught me the song Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, joshua, judges Ruth. I would sing the books of the Bible. I know we got to Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, joshua, judges Ruth, the whole. Yeah, I would sing the books of the Bible. I know we got to go, we're wrapping it up, but no, that's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Thank you for singing. I almost asked her to bring her guitar and sing us a song. I didn't want to put that pressure on you because we film in the morning and I have compassion for all my musician friends in the morning time my musician friends in the morning time.
Speaker 1:I love you, dawn, I love you so much, sis, and, as I said, family Ohana. You know that this girl really is in my sacred circle. You know Jesus had 12 and then he had three. I got Tifa and a few other great queens of worship in my life, sisters, who I call dear friends. Today we got to listen a little bit about hawaii history with uncle ernie cruz, senior, who was my dad's close friend back in the day, but also just about more so, about worship as a weapon, as a life, as the living word of god in us, and we got to pray the prayer with you. If you did that today, god bless you, we are with you and we can't wait to celebrate glory with you. If you did that today, god bless you, we are with you and we can't wait to celebrate glory with you in heaven. I want to thank again Zayo Worship for all that they do to spread the worship of Hawaii all around the world. So ZayoWorshipcom and you can find them on IG.
Speaker 1:I'm Auntie Dawn and this is my dear little sister, tiffa Cruz. Oh, tiffa Cruz Garza. Sorry, sorry, auntie Dawn always goes back to the old thing, but aloha, oh, and the shades, the shades come on. Bus it, girl. We didn't have it here this whole time, for nothing here we go, here we go yeah, you, oh, yes, hearts you.