The Lost Evangelical

When I was 16 years old, I joined a 6-month youth discipleship class which met every Saturday for the entire day to pray, study the Bible, memorize scripture and do various outreach projects. It was a long, tough class!

One of our “outreaches” was something I will never forget. We had to go to downtown Tacoma and join other churches in a anti-abortion protest. I hated every minute of this experience. It just didn’t feel right to me and the contrarian in me kept wondering, “how is this considered outreach?”.

While I always have and always will believe that abortion is not part of God’s plan for humanity, I’m also not proud of the fact that I once took part in protesting abortion, and the kind of witness I was for the women who walked in and out of that clinic.

In today’s culture, we see and hear the trending topic of “evangelicalism”...the “evangelical vote”...the “evangelical church” so often. Its come to the point where I’m certain too many Christians aren’t even sure what the word evangelical means anymore.  Frankly...the word has been hijacked for political purposes and the Church faces a tough decision. Do we keep going along, or take the word back and start over?

The word evangelical is over 2000 years old and it means “good news”. When the early Christians confessed in their Roman occupied lands that Jesus is Lord, they were proclaiming good news! When the church feeds and takes care of the poor, this is good news!  When churches rally together in their communities for the sake of unity, this is good news! 

In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the gate. The gate by which his sheep have complete access to the Father. I believe this illustration is a crucial reminder for us today. Access to God has always been through Jesus. He is the gate...yet somehow too many Christians have positioned themselves to be the gatekeepers. Jesus never once taught that we are to be guardians. He taught us to be bringers and inviters!

This weekend, I will bring a close to our Trending series as we explore this complicated and sometimes controversial term - evangelical. We’ll look further into Jesus’s illustration of being the “gate” and ask ourselves...”have I become a gatekeeper?”  “How can I take back this word evangelical so that my family, neighbor and community can once again see it as Good News?”  I hope you’ll join us this weekend!

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

Cecie's Story

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

This morning, I sat in the room of Cecie Doucet, as her good friend Tom and I shared stories of our sister-in-Christ and how much she meant to us.  God so blessed Cecie with fellow Seattle Police Officer, Tom Sacco. Tom, who is Sicilian and a retired police officer, was sent to be her guardian angel.  God has blessed Cecie and she, in turn, has been a blessing to her church family.  James 1:12 proved itself to be absolutely true in the impact of her life. 

This week Dr. Rey Diaz will be preaching in all the services and sharing the dynamic story of the Good Samaritan.  It is so good to have Pastor Rey home for the Festival of Miracles Auction on Saturday night where we raise money for a place of refuge for the street kids in Honduras and in Kenya. 

Cecie cared so much for those children as we all do.  Being a child who was put up for adoption at birth, Cecie lived a life that would make a great movie.  How God reached someone who had gone through all of the hardships, and became a prominent Seattle Police Detective for 38 years and an on-fire Christian since the 1970s when she gave her life to Jesus Christ in the Jesus People Movement.  It was due to all of the difficulties and all of the ups and downs that prepared her to be the angel that she became.  So it is with you and me.  God is working a project in our lives, and be assured of this, that He who began a good work in you will see it to completion. Philippians 1:6. This is the miracle that causes us to believe in the potential of every life of every street child who is considered the least of these.  Which ones will have stories like Cecie or me or you? We don’t know, but we can be a church that believes in this miracle - that there awaits a crown of life to those who endure.  We are in the business of helping those who struggle to endure.  But we can’t do it without God’s help.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

A Mom's Truth

In the book of Genesis there is a beautiful story that demonstrates God’s mighty love and compassion for mothers.  My daughter, Rev. Becca McCary and I, will be preaching on it this weekend.  It is the story of Hagar.  Hagar was a single mother with a wild son named Ismael.  God speaks to her when she and her son are about to die in the desert.  Hagar sits down facing her son as he is crying, and both of them are crying and dying of thirst.  God tells her that he has heard her cry and to "Arise, lift up the lad and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him." According to some scholars, they believe that Ishmael became the father of all Arabic people.  The main point of the passage is that God hears their cries and they not only survive but thrive.  Hagar gives God the nickname "The God who sees." She creates a name out of the root-word Elohim.  What a statement that God is close to mothers.

My mom, Elizabeth Jane White, is one of the greatest influences in my life.  If it wasn’t for her, I would never have graduated from college.  This may be a surprise to you but I have not always been a perfect son.  My mom, who worked nights to help raise her boys and always had my dad's back in ministry, is a fiery advocate of all her boys and her grandchildren.  She loves and adores her great-grandchildren also.  My mom has always been fun, and she loves to play jokes.  She has always done Christ-like good deeds which she never wanted anyone to notice. She is a loyal friend to many different people.  I love to hear my mom pray.  She taught me so many scriptures growing up and was always behind my every dream.  She was quick to forgive when I did things like skip my Masters and Doctorate graduation ceremonies. When I lived in Israel I did not write her a letter the whole time. But she forgave me. When I go to church on Mother's Day, it is a tribute to my mother as we confess before God that the faith of our mothers is a foundation for our lives.

I hope that you plan on honoring your mother this weekend as I do. Get them a present, but be a present by remembering that your mom was and is one of God’s greatest blessings in your life.  Yes, God see’s mothers.  And he hears their cries.  Lets do the same thing and honor them, not because they are perfect but because we love them more than we could ever express.

Your Friend,

Pastor Tim

The Grace Revolution

Terrorism is something that might come into our conversations. If not weekly, perhaps even daily. Read Psalm 46 and remember how we trust God instead of giving in to fear and faithlessness.

This weekend I am preaching on the Book of Jonah and terrorism.  I believe that we, as Christ followers, can be raised to a higher level of bold faith in this world that God has put us in to raise our families.  In addition, I am going to interview a member of our church who survived one of the worst acts of terrorism in U.S. history.  See how God was faithful in this dramatic story and how he is ready to unleash bold faith and revolutionary kindness on each of our lives.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim