The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10
by Pastor Tim White
I was canoeing down the Mt. Hood river rapids with two friends. David Hamlin and Dan Sanders were adventurous souls, so for some reason, we had not scouted out the rapids as we should have. We were whooping and hollering with pure joy because it was spring and the river was much more exciting than we were expected. David and I were 17 and Dan was in his 20s. We managed to survive some very tough rapids and we were very surprised. Someone in the canoe, I think it was Dan, who said, “it’s time for us to get to the shore so we can portage around these rapids they’re getting flat out dangerous.” So, we all tried as hard as we could to make it to the shore; but it was just too much of a drop and the rapids were just too fast. Every effort had to be made to keep us afloat. Canoeing is a lot tougher than rafting. We started to argue - yelling to be heard over the roar of the white rapids. Dan was a great leader, but it was no time to debate on a plan. The river quieted down as it rose up to a calm but powerful high point.
I can’t remember who was in the front of the canoe, but they said, “Oh no! were dead.” I yelled “what do you mean?” and they yelled “twelve-foot waterfall!” Then they let out an adventurous scream. The boat was destroyed as it hit the massive boulder at the bottom and the three of us were all thrown into the rapids. None of us were wearing life jackets. I was underwater unable to fight the strong current and having no idea which way to the surface. I kept slamming my head against boulders until finally I was able to fight my way to get my feet headed downstream where I had defense against rocks. But I had no breath left. It seemed like forever until I surrendered to drown in the icy rapids. That was when I bobbed up and grabbed a hold of a log stuck to a bolder still in white water. I heard the yelling of my friends calling out my name. And we were all amazed that we were alive and how far down river we had traveled. My head was bleeding from being slammed against the rocks. And my friends helped fish me out from where I was stuck. I was so thankful for life realizing that it was a gift.
Join me this Sunday as we study the rest of the Sermon on the Mount and we will try to understand this sermon by Jesus who is calling each of us to say Yes to Life.
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
P. S. Please join us 10:30 am Sunday’s In-Person at Spirit Falls Sanctuary or Online at Facebook Live, YouTube Live, www.wacathedral.org or our Wacath App.