Risen Hope!

It been a few years, but we are going to have Pastor Dale White narrate the resurrection as we enjoy an Easter morning passion play at 11:00 am in the Randy and Rod ReCreation center.  This is a historic moment of faith you won’t want to miss.  We need you and your friends to help us pack out this splendid auditorium that was designed for theater and to accommodate a large number of people.  Join us as our church family gathers a new momentum for a new start in Easter 2017.

Happy Holy Week,

It almost sounds a bit funny to say “Happy”, but it is true.  One fruit of the Spirit is Joy, and are we ever experiencing joy! We are having fun this Easter watching God move mightily in our presence as we experience springtime in Washington Cathedral. (Or using other terminology, experiencing “revival” in our church.)   Last week Sally Jo Holmes and Marilyn Biggs had to be just overjoyed as they led our prayer wave for this Easter. Most of us signed up to pray 10 minutes a day for the last few weeks and then on the Friday night before Palm Sunday, we began our 24 hours of prayer for renewal in our church and community. I can’t express how it felt to have tears streaming down my cheeks at each of the Palm Sunday worship services, as hundreds of people came to the cross to dedicate or re-dedicate their lives to Christ.  I just wish I could have seen the face of our two prayer captains in those precious moments. I could, however, see the face of Pastor Becca after delivering a soul-filled message. This had to be have been the greatest response to a message she has ever seen in her ministry career.  After those Palm Sunday services, there was just a joy in our church as we met new friends - laughed and visited. Later, on Tuesday at our staff meeting, when Pastor Jackie shared with us the touching response of those who wanted to meet with a pastor a spontaneous cheer rose up.  And that was just the start of Holy Week.

Pastor Rex and his team have an awesome Good Friday service planned in the beautiful Spirit Falls Sanctuary in front of the waterfall and the three crosses.  The flow of the service, the moment of communion, the praise music and the message - I can’t wait to see what God has in mind for us on Good Friday.  Our youth pastor Josh and I were sharing about the cross as he prepared for the Wednesday night youth group and we both teared up discussing that holy moment.  Our prayer together after our meeting was such a joy-filled experience.

Saturday at 4 pm there will be a Easter egg hunt in the recreation center pool.  How cool is that! The kids never forget it and it is back by popular demand. After our big 11:00 Easter Service on Sunday, there will be a huge Easter egg hunt on the beautiful grassy hill with a view of the whole valley.  Mark Thompson, the famed ventriloquist, will be there. Spread the word and bring friends to either or both of these one-of-a-kind events.

And who doesn’t love Pastor Linda’s enthusiasm at the Sunrise Service in Spirit Falls at 7:00 AM?  What a way to start off the greatest Easter of our lives. The music will be beautiful, with our very own young soprano, Dani Burke, closing out the service. (I know sunrise is at 6:17 am, but in the Puget Sound area the sun is rising off and on until 7.) You’ll enjoy the birds, the wildlife, the light off the flowers and the waterfall. We have seen, ducks, geese, a bald Eagle, a red-tailed hawk and doves, who all join us for this tremendous moment.

Someone in the staff meeting was teasing Pastor David about his cooking and Pastor Josh took exception to it saying, “Hey I’ve been eating his cooking at church since I was a baby.”  Our beloved Single’s Pastor is working hard to prepare an Easter breakfast for the community. On the menu are delicious pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes and juice.  It will be served from 8:00 am to 1O:30am.  What a great event to bring your neighbors to.

The featured event of the entire Easter weekend is happening at 11:00am in the Randy & Rod ReCreation Center. We have canceled all the other regularly scheduled services in order to bring our entire church together for one amazing moment of renewal. You will experience the Easter story first hand -- from Jesus being removed from the cross, portrayed by our amazing actors in this kid-friendly presentation, to his resurrection from the Garden tomb, originally designed by a Hollywood director.  The actor playing Jesus is our own Raffael, whose Christ-like enthusiasm is spreading throughout our church. Pastor Rhonda and the choir will be at an all-time high as they sing Easter hymns. I will have a short, positive Easter message that I promise you will be the most inspirational I have ever delivered.   Our worship leader, Eliot Stone is bringing together a peak performance by our worship team.  He has even recruited his dad (a famed guitarist) to join him.  The praise itself will be so authentic it will express the cry of your heart.  They will all be joined at the end by children choirs, teen choir in a moment so wonderful that it will impact the rest of your life.

I have been going door-to-door inviting people to our church this Easter and icing my knees at night. I have had so many amazing Godly experiences.  But today I went to get my hair cut and they asked me if I had any plans for Easter. I basically told them just what I have told you.  My stylist, who is new to our country from Vietnam, told me his testimony with enthusiasm. Coming from a background of no faith, he prayed to Jesus that he could get his family and himself out of Vietnam and after being stabbed in the back he promised while in the hospital that he would find a church for his wife and children.  He said, “Pastor your inviting me to church is an answer to prayer of several years.”  Well the rest of the barber shop asked me what the meaning of Easter was and I got to do a practice run on my sermon only with questions and answers. It must have been okay because everyone there committed to come to church this Easter.

I’m thinking about just getting my hair cut all day rather than going door to door. It was a lot more fruitful and my knees don’t hurt as much.  But, unfortunately, I don’t have that much hair.

I dare you. Surprise us by your attendance this Easter. I have given my life to building this great caring network and your presence at that 11 am service means more to me than you will ever know.  I can only imagine what it will mean to your family and to God himself as we all join together in this moment of miracles.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

People of Springtime

According to the passage from Jeremiah that I will be sharing this Sunday, there are some people who are people of Spring Time.  They are the ones who hold groups together.  Without them, families would distance themselves from one another, churches, communities and nations.  These happy bridge-builders remind the old prophet Jeremiah of springtime.  

This weekend we are going to celebrate springtime come rain or come shine.  I challenge all of us to dress for spring.  The weather report says that it is going to continue to drizzle but, nevertheless, we are going to celebrate springtime with bold confidence that spring is coming. Warm Sundays, with birds singing with all their gusto, baby bunnies, squirrels, lambs, and flowers blessing us all around.  Even the crankiest person will not be able to resist the renewing power of the miracle of springtime.  

How would you like some springtime in your soul this weekend?  New creativity, New joy, New friendships, New beginnings - God making all things new right before your eyes.  I like the saying - "The day God created Hope was probably the same day that he thought up springtime."  You and I need a day of springtime in our souls, so let's not miss the celebration this weekend.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

One Leader-One Way

If you travelled the country and asked random people, “who said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’?” you would probably get the correct answer from all kinds of people. Christians...Agnostics...Muslims...Hindus....Mormons and even Atheists. Jesus is a renown teacher who’s words reach far beyond our Christian circles.

I’m certain that along with finding people who are familiar with many of Jesus’s words, you’d also hear many people have only heard this teaching in the context of “if you want to get to Heaven, you can only get there through a personal relationship with Jesus."..."Otherwise, you’re wrong, lost and hell bound!".

Do I believe that it’s only through Jesus that we have eternal life with the Father? Yes! But is this the only way in which we should understand Jesus’s famous words found in John 14? No!

The reason I know this? Look at the audience to whom Jesus is saying “I am the way, the truth and the life...”. The disciples. His already committed followers. Should Jesus’s words be understood in both a ‘today’ and ‘eternity’ context? I think so.

Jesus isn’t just our one way ticket to Heaven; he’s our way, truth and life in everything we are and do today. The big question is...how can we fully realize his way, his truth and his life for our everyday kind of living?

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we seek to find out!

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

The End, Or New Beginning?

To come to the end of oneself and to realize that there is nothing left to hang onto.The ‘willfulness’ that got me this far, has run out. Circumstances have pushed me to a place up against a wall; the very place of miracle and rebirth. To know that all my running and planning is at an end. To turn my heart, mind and will over to the care of my Father who has been waiting patiently for me to reach the end of myself.

We saw it in the lives of Peter and Paul and others who finally ‘got it’ no more running or working off one’s own agenda. To be truly God’s person you have to come to the end of yourself.

Oswald Chambers addressed it so well…

“All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit. The idea is that of invasion…”

There is now only one who directs the course of my life. Now that I am finally in that place I never want to leave it. My direction, purpose and will are centered outside of myself and upon Jesus and what He would have me do.

When I look back to the places of worry, fear, angst, planning and coercion that I lived in, I marvel at how He has brought me out of it and to this place of acceptance. Not an easy road to be sure, but one that step by step and doing the next right thing brought me to this place.

I thank You my Father for the miracle of coming to the end of myself and finding You there waiting to hear those words that only I can say “whatever it takes.” You put me on a better path from that moment on. You are dependable, trustworthy and true to all that You have promised. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Be with all those I love and use their circumstances to bring them to the end of themselves and to the place where they will find You there waiting. That is the greatest miracle in anyone’s life that we could ask for. Be with us all in this year with its changes, pain, problems, angst and also joy. Help us to share with each other Your faithfulness in all our circumstances so that others come to the place of relinquishment and total trust in You.  Amen.

Fiona-

A Response To A Tragic Week

Lord, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel.  Psalm 85:1

Last week was a great weekend at Washington Cathedral.  It was the kickoff of our Summer of Family Fun.  I shared something very near to my heart:  the importance of Godly patriotism to heal our nation.  I know that times have changed and that other generations have high percentages that question patriotism of any kind.  One note sent to me told me that it is impossible to be a Christian and also be patriotic.  I accept the challenge to communicate this core value for many reasons but, most of all, I believe that Christ is the answer to the problems of our world.  That is why I have taken the time to write an historical romance novel about patriotism called “Ulysses Dream” to come out in the first part of September this year.  The publisher might change the title and if you are interested you can follow its development at the site drtimwhiteonline.com.  

The following is a response to recent violence in Dallas that I wrote on another blog and it is followed by a response from my Assistant, retired police Detective Karen Haverkate, after someone referred to her as a hero for having been a law enforcement officer.  It should give us something to think about….

I am praying for the families of the police officers shot in Dallas and for those whose loved ones died in other shootings in America. I don't pretend to understand everything that is going on but I do know that as a nation we are so divided and racial tension is real. Public servants often take the brunt of this division. Each situation breaks my heart and the only answer is that we work diligently to come together as a community. More simplistic pronouncements just cause further division although I know they are easy, knee jerk reactions by people who care but don't know what to do. We need to make friends with people in our nation who are not like us. We are all human beings. One tragedy is a travesty against all humanity. We who live by love have our work to do. We must be more loving, better bridge builders, standing with victims, their families and police families. We must practice everything we have been taught by Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Mother Theresa. We have terrorists that are determined to destroy our freedoms.  We don't need to be terrorists ourselves. We need to be ‘reverse terrorists’ or People of Love.

In response to being referred to as a ‘hero’ by one of our church family in a discussion about the events in Dallas, Karen replied:

“Thank you, but I am not a hero. I got into law enforcement because I really wanted to help people. ALL people. I worked patrol for seven years, event planning for three, background investigations for almost two, and fraud investigations for 14. I believe I treated all the people I encountered equally, no matter their age, race, gender, economic status, religion or life style preference. Even so, I can't count the number of times I heard, "You're only stopping/arresting me because I am _________". I got into more than a few fights, and used force on more than one occasion, but only in response to an act of aggression/violence against me or others. Never did I go to work with the desire to get into a fight, assault or kill someone. And I truly believe none of the officers I worked with did either. None of us took the job with the desire to kill people. I had to draw my weapon several times but I only came really close to shooting someone once, and I cried afterward; partly out of anger at the guy for putting me in that position, and partly from relief that I didn't have to shoot him. But, I was prepared to. I had no idea that the gun he was holding as he walked toward me, ignoring repeated orders to stop and drop the gun, was empty. That the shots I heard prior to encountering him had been the last of his ammunition. Fighting with and using force on another person is not "fun". Hurting or killing someone is not "fun". The paperwork involved in either is not "fun". The media and social scrutiny afterwards is not "fun".  Do bad things happen? Yes. Are there some bad officers? Sadly, yes. Are they the majority? Absolutely not. Did they start out that way or did something happen in their career to make them that way? I personally feel it would be the latter. When I was in background investigations, we took measures to weed out any applicant that showed a propensity for bias or violence. We DON’T WANT that type of officer working for/with us. So, thank you for your compliment, but I am not a hero. I was just a cop that tried to do her job fairly and justly for everyone, no matter what they looked like. And I believe that the majority of officers out there are trying to do just that.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

The Open and Closed Door Myth

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For I know that when our faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow….”  James 1:2-4 NLT

For many years I operated under that assumption that when I was “walking in God’s will,” and things would go smoothly that “doors would open”.  I discovered that God can use “closed doors” to also get me to the right place.  As a matter of fact, those “closed doors” shouted much louder to me than “open doors.”

As I shared this past weekend, I felt my business career seemed to be a big open door. I was proceeding under the assumption that God was going to use me in the business world to honor Him.  I had great success in that area.  I was advancing and, at a time, when very few women achieved the level of Vice President, I was being groomed for that position.  We had moved to Seattle for a job opportunity for my husband, Rich and I was able to transfer to the Bellevue Office. 

About 2 years after working in the Seattle office and getting rave reviews, my boss, the Vice President of the NW Region, decided to move back to his home state of Alabama.  I felt I was ready and he felt the same.  As a matter of fact, he recommended me for the position.  In my mind, it was a “done deal” and I was preparing myself for the new task at hand.

Shortly, I received a call from the Western Regional VP informing me that the decision had been made and they decided to hire a new young guy who lived in Texas.  He had no experience with our products and services (or with marketing for that matter) and he hoped I would be available to help train the guy.  As a mature business woman, I thanked him for the call, told him I was disappointed and would have to think about the training thing.  I hung up the phone; went into the bathroom and bawled my eyes out--and then I called my “mommy.”

After much prayer and talking to people of wisdom in my life (Pastor Tim for one), I decided not to stick around to train the new guy.  I gave up my career with that company and quit my job (Something I most often advise people not to do, by the way).  That was an event that was a changing point in my life, and through a series of events it brought me to my new career as God’s sales and marketing person at Washington Cathedral.  Which is where, I know now, God was getting me ready for and pointing me to become.

I only know this as I look back at the series of events in my life.  I had no idea at the time, instead I had to claim in faith the words God gives us in James “when trouble comes your way, consider an opportunity for great joy.”  I have come to believe with all my heart in soul the words of Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understand, acknowledge Him in all you do, and he will guide your path.”  It doesn’t really matter whether the door is open or closed, when you are walking with your Lord he will guide you through, around or turn you the other way.

May you find His joy even in the face of troubles.

Pastor Linda Skinner