The Pursuit of Thankfulness

Dear Church,

On Sunday Pastor Mark is preaching from Isaiah 26 about anxiety- and reaching peace through seeking God in the middle of anxiety. This subject is dear to my heart. 

Like many of you, I have suffered from anxiety. It's manifested itself in many ugly ways, and many of them have gone unnoticed by myself and those around me. I've been on the pursuit to find tools to manage anxiety and I'd like to share with you my very favorite one:

Thankfulness. 

Once while speaking with a professional who also loves and trusts God, I asked her what to do about spiraling into fear while lying awake at night. I will tell you that motherhood was really doing a number on my sleep- and it wasn't the kids keeping me awake. It was about a hundred thousand irrational fears that had me walking around my house checking to see if the doors were locked and the fire alarms were working. 

She said, “When you thank God, these prayers of thanks will put your brain in a place that moves away from anxiety.” So I started listing and praying prayers of thanks while I lay awake. "God thank you for the health of my family. Thank you for our house. Thank you for my husband. Thank you for my kids. Thank you for the food we eat, the clean water we get to drink. Thank you for our jobs..." Until I fell asleep. 

Praying prayers of thanks has brought me from tears of fear to tears of joy- knowing that I love and serve a God who is good, and who gave us Jesus. 

Let me leave you with one of my favorite Psalms and a note from Eugene Peterson, who wrote the Message version that this Psalm comes from:

Psalm 150- the last one. 

"1-6 Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!

    Hallelujah!"

Eugene writes,

"The end of prayer is praise. The Psalms show praise as the end of prayer in both meanings of the word terminus, the last word in the final Psalm, and the goal at which all the psalm-prayers arrive after their long travels through the hinterlands of pain, doubt, and trouble, with only occasional vistas of the sunlit lands, along the way. 

All prayer, pursued far enough, becomes praise. Any prayer, no matter how angry and fearful the experiences it traverses, ends up in praise. It doesn't always get there quickly or easily- it may take a lifetime of uphill climbing- but it gets there. Eventually it gets there."

See you 10:30am Sunday in-person or online,

Chelsea Maitland

P.s. Stick around for our big Lemonfest on the Lawn event after the service Sunday!

Devoted

I want to share with you how you can be a fully devoted Christian without becoming a fanatic.  Some of us are fanatics in everything we do.  I say us because I have been an adrenaline junky all my life. I am amazed that God has been able to keep me alive. When I get to heaven there are going to be some tired angels showing me all the bumps and bruises they sustained keeping me alive. Whether I was golfing, skiing, mountain climbing, cliff diving or riding my motorcycle.  I was blessed and lucky to be alive. How about you, can some of you relate? And when it comes to my faith in Jesus I can be a bit of a fanatic. And I think that fanaticism is not uncommon around the world.
I often hear the phrase in my reading which sounds something like a “fanatical terrorist”. I think that phrase is used to distinguish someone who is a religious terrorist, from a person who is not a terrorist. But don’t get the idea that I’m a terrorist Christian because I’m not. I am fanatical about Gods love, joy, peace.  But I will sacrifice my health for the sake of even my health. When I am working on my comeback, my doctor tells me that I often injure myself by working too hard at my exercises.   Are you getting my drift? Humanity has a tendency towards fanaticism we can be fanatical about shopping, working, hiking, and about anything else. I guess that we could be so fanatical about balance that we could miss an emergency priority.
This Sunday I am going to share what the scripture teaches about balance. It might be just the message that sets you free in this life we have been given.

Your friend for the rest of my life,
 Pastor Tim White

Good Afternoon Friends,

Today’s blog is a devotional by Pastor Mark and myself intended to help you reflect on God’s goodness as we prepare to explore this concept of testifying what good things God has done in our lives, on Sunday.

Take some time to read the text below- a couple of times- read Pastor Mark’s summary and reflection questions, and then take a listen to the songs listed below. When you are done, pray this prayer:

“God, give me memories of seasons & moments that you have shown me great kindness and goodness in my life.”

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.

17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.

23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.

From Pastor Mark Nsimbi:

“Chronic negativity has become widespread in our society today. We are surrounded by so much negativity, through news and social media, that it is starting to influence the thought patterns in our brains to see life from a negative filter. But the good news is that, we can break free from negativity in our lives. First, we have to identify and understand the root of the negativity within us then we can address it and defeat it.  

One of the many ways we can defeat negativity is by turning to the word of God. Psalm 136 reminds us of the goodness of God towards His people. When we are tempted to linger in a place of negativity, instead choose to reflect on the goodness of God in your life and around you. How can you testify to God’s goodness in your life today?”

Leaving you this afternoon with a handful of songs to listen to, reminding us that God’s goodness indeed endures forever. It doesn’t fade over time, and it isn’t just in the past. The God who parted the Red Sea to deliver Israel from Egypt is the Alpha and Omega, the God who was, the God who is, and the God who always will be.

Join us Sunday for more on God’s goodness at 10:30am in-person or online.

See you soon,

Chelsea Maitland

Koryn Hawthorne - Won't He Do It (Lyrics) - Bing video

Do It Again | Official Lyric Video | Elevation Worship - Bing video

Bryan & Katie Torwalt - Remember (Official Lyric Video) - Bing video

The Blood Is Still The Blood : ft. Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine with lyrics - YouTube

Remembrance Lyric Video - Hillsong Worship - Bing video

God, give me memories of seasons & moments in my life that you have shown me great kindness and unwavering goodness. Forgive me for those times I have forgotten or missed what you have done for me, and what you are currently doing. Give me the courage to testify of your love and kindess in my life. Amen.

Restoring the Soul

 A lot of the time, the reading of Psalm 23 has led many to associate this psalm of trust with death and mourning. However, this psalm is not just a prayer for those being laid to rest in peace, it is also a reminder about the beauty of living life in the here and now even amid the usual darkness and stress we experience in the day-to-day life. This psalm further reminds us that God sustains, provides and cares for us besides the opposing messages we hear from our culture. In the midst of our hyper-activity and busyness of our lives, Psalm 23 also resets us and invites us to turn towards the shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters in order to restore our weary souls. 

I love this version of Psalm 23 from the Jesus Story Book Bible. It reads,

“God is my Shepherd

And I am his little lamb.
He feeds me. He guides me.
He looks after me. I have everything I need.
Inside my heart is very quiet. As quiet as lying on soft green grass
in a meadow by a little stream.
Even when I walk through dark scary, lonely places
I won’t be afraid because my shepherd knows where I am.
He is here with me.
He keeps me safe. He rescues me.
He makes me strong and brave.
He is getting wonderful things ready for me. Especially for me.
Everything I have ever dreamed of.
He fills my heart so fully of happiness, I can’t hold it all inside.
Wherever I go, I know
God’s never-stopping, never-giving up,
Unbreaking, always and forever love will go too.”

May you know the God of peace in your day-to-day. May you know the God who equips and sends- the One who meets you in your darkness and brings you to a place of serenity- a place of rest. May you know God like a parent that provides all that you need, and may you know the kind of love that only God provides: never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever.

Let’s explore this type of restorative peace together in Psalm 23 on Sunday.

See you 10:30 Sunday morning in-person or online,

Pastor Mark Nsimbi

Jesus and Mental Illness

There are many popular ideas which plague our species in this day and age. The focus on celebrities, attitudes toward war, beliefs that one race is better than others Are just a few. 

Oh how our lives would be better if we could reject such wrong ideas.

We keep hearing that mental illness is increasing since the pandemic. So we need to hear the words of Jesus correcting popular misconceptions about mental illness.  Some of those popular misconceptions that need to be corrected are:

1. The idea that mental illness is a pejorative term.
2. The idea that mental illness should be hidden.
3.  The idea that mental illness should be thrown in with criminality.
4. The idea that mental illness cannot be treated.
 
I could go on and on. But this weekend we are going to look at Jesus view of mental illness. This study will strengthen your and your families mental health.  Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 an.

Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White

Make Your Home A Sanctuary of Peace

I am always a bit shocked when I hear people refer to mental illness in a pejorative way.   Growing up in a pastors’ home, my mom (who was a nurse) and my dad (who was a pastor) always modeled for us a care and concern for all people. And those wrestling to establish their mental health represented… well all of us.  Even complex issues such as schizophrenia were just someone’s child, neighbor or friend. As a family we had many such friends. We often had people over for dinner or we ate at their home. This wasn’t a part of social inclusiveness it was just the Christ like thing to do.  In fact, we always felt like our home was a refuge to restore our minds.

Our home was a place of prayer. We always prayed together before every meal. Our parents would tuck us into bed every night with a prayer and a Bible-story. 

Our home was a place where put-downs were not allowed. Where swearing and filthy language was banned.

Our home was a place where we all enjoyed our meals together usually with a few friends.

Our home was a place of laughter, fun, playfulness, and friendship.

Our home was a place of discussing Godly values to help us to not feel trapped in the rip tide of less than healthy ideas being pedaled in society.

To not have such basic Godly forces in the home would to leave the door open inviting kidnappers, thieves, and abusive people to come in and try to destroy our family.

Please join us this Sunday as we study the book of Colossians on how to make your home a place of peace at 10:30am in-person or online.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Thoughts that Heal

What if the Bible had some secrets that could fill you with peace of mind?  Everyone knows that fear, anxiety, discouragement, frustration, and hostility are on the loose after Covid. But could it be possible that a book that goes back to the beginning stages of writing has relaxant passages that are not only great literature but have insights to the science of what makes up the human psyche in the 21st century?

Now add to that forgiveness of others and forgiveness which can even heal the guilt you feel leading to new confidence to tackle the personal struggle that we all face every day.

What if depression and other maladies  which we all struggle against could be overcome by a community all committed to the healthiest principles a group of human could hold together.

This is my dream, and it has been since a young research psychology major with study in a master of counseling started a church in 1984 with his fun-loving, compassionate wife. Jackie and I were 29 and 28 in those days and the dream of a sanctuary of healthy families all seeking encouragement that only God could provide.

The dream burns brighter than ever. Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 either online or in-person. You will be encouraged- I promise you.

Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White

A Message of Hope

A message of encouragement from our speaker tomorrow, Janet Richards:

After over seven years of severe depression, God had a message of hope for me. A couple of thousand years ago, Jesus had good news for the brokenhearted too. He came to provide healing and restoration from our trauma and the resulting mental illness we may suffer as a result. This message reminds us how Jesus heals our broken hearts. Let’s reflect together on how to bring our traumas and broken hearts to Jesus in community with each other.

 Tomorrow we will dive into the scriptures from Isaiah 61:1-2, as Jesus referenced in his first message Luke 4:18-19.

A few questions to consider:

1. Have you thought about why Jesus cried even though he knew he would heal Lazarus and bring him back to life?

2. How do we comfort each other by holding space for stories of trauma, suffering and loss?

3. Have you shared with God, and maybe other faithful friends, how you feel about the ways life has not always felt fair or just?

4. In what ways may God be inviting you into a healing process?

5. In what ways may God be inviting you into the healing process of others?

Pray silently with me if you are in need of healing:

Lord, I’m uncomfortable here. This makes me feel…..maybe I don’t have the words but I feel unsafe. I want to run away on safe ground. What I am seeking is to see clearly. Is this an area I need healing, restoration and peace? Stay with me as I linger here. Weep with me as I recall the painful memories I’ve not allowed myself to feel. Bring your resurrection power Jesus! Heal me! Walk with me as I tenderly walk with a healing heart. Protect my relationships as I learn new ways of interacting. If my injury caused harm in those I love, give me the courage to repent and heal those relationships. If I was injured by someone, I need you to guide me to the steps to live at peace. Oh Lord, that may mean reconciliation or separation; keep my heart soft as I navigate with others the best past to Shalom, wholeness for myself and others. Your good news means healing is possible, today. Thank you for being the Savior who binds the broken-hearted, like me.

Join us in-person or online tomorrow morning at 10:30 and we will pray together and discuss the healing of inviting Jesus into our trauma.

Peace be with you,

Janet Richards

Healing in Community

As we continue our sermon series on peace of mind, our focus this week is on two common myths we find ourselves believing when struggling with mental health. The first is, “I'm alone and need to figure this out on my own”, and the second is that getting help is a sign of weakness. Western culture has a strong emphasis on independence. This is an important value in our society because it produces hard work, perseverance, endurance, determination, and persistence in our character. Which are all great qualities that have built this nation and made it become what it is today. However, we have to pay close attention to the fact that when we lean so much on becoming too independent on ourselves then we have to watch out because we can easily develop a pride that causes us to believe that we do not need others around us. Since independence has such great qualities that come with it, how do we maintain our independence in a healthy way? We need to balance our independence with interdependence because we need both in our lives. Both bring out the best of who we can be as individuals and as a nation. Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us that, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Interdependence is therefore just as valuable as independence. May God grant us the wisdom and humility to seek healing in community whenever we need it. 

Below you’ll find reflection questions to think and pray on with your small groups and community: 

1. Discuss as a group how much the concept of independence has become a part of our culture. What are some positive and negative results of independence within our society?

2. Why do you think seeking help is seen as a sign of weakness in our culture today?

3. Identify and discuss passages in scripture that encourage us to live in interdependence

4. Who has God placed around you that you can lean on in seasons of distress?

Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 online or in-person via our church app, YouTube, or Facebook.

See you there,

Pastor Mark Nsimbi 

Peace and Independence

I remember when I had just graduated from college a friend of mine asked me if I could baby sit a man who had a psychotic break for 24 hours until he could be taken to mid Columbia mental health for inpatient treatment. They didn’t want to throw him in jail until then because he was a good guy with wife and kids who recently had this psychotic break.  So I went down where he was being arrested by our local police and they put him under my custody for a while. The problem was it was summer and my day off and I was planning on going bass fishing. When the patient heard I was going bass fishing he said I will go with that guy.

So there we were a bunch of my friends with this guy who had woken up that morning and thought he was Jesus Christ.  It wasn’t as bad as it sounds because it was a beautiful day and we were going fishing.

On the way fishing he asked me if I would follow him he would make me the next pope.  He said that knowing I was a lowly youth pastor and he thought I would welcome the promotion. I explained to him that I was a follower of the Jesus from the first century but I would be his friend and watch over him until we could get him into a hospital. Come Sunday and I’ share the rest of the story.


In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel 5 directions to diagnose mental health and mental illness. Every patient that is ever diagnosed for mental health or mental illness are directed by this Manuel.  When I began in the field of research psychology we were using DSM 1. Now all these years later it has expanded and sometimes contracted and changed in many ways and we are on DSM-5.

This Manuel describes broad categories in mental illness or mental health.

Broad analytical categories for mental health and mental illness can include:

1. Psychological Well-being: This category focuses on positive aspects of mental health, such as subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and overall well-being. It encompasses factors like positive emotions, self-esteem, resilience, and the ability to cope with stress.

2. Emotional Disorders: This category involves mental illnesses primarily characterized by disturbances in emotions and mood. It includes conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. These disorders often involve significant changes in emotional states, ranging from persistent sadness to extreme fear or worry.

3. Cognitive Functioning: This category examines cognitive processes such as perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving abilities. Mental health is associated with optimal cognitive functioning, whereas mental illnesses can impair cognitive processes, leading to difficulties in thinking, decision-making, and concentration.

4. Behavioral Disorders: This category focuses on behavioral patterns and disruptions that impact mental health. Conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and addictive behaviors fall into this category. Behavioral disorders involve difficulties in impulse control, self-regulation, and engaging in appropriate social behaviors.

5. Psychotic Disorders: This category encompasses severe mental illnesses that involve significant disruptions in thoughts, perceptions, and reality. Conditions like schizophrenia and delusional disorder fall into this category. Psychotic disorders often involve hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and impaired social functioning.

It's important to note that these categories provide a broad framework, and mental health and mental illness are complex and multifaceted. Individuals may experience a range of symptoms and conditions that can overlap across categories, and diagnosis and treatment should be conducted by qualified professionals based on a comprehensive assessment.

We are addressing each of these areas by asking two questions. 

(A.) What does the Bible have to Say about it

(B.) What can we as a community of faith do to build a sanctuary and launching pad for mental health.

Please join us this weekend for church and our independence picnic. I’m making a Key Lime pie only made with Blueberry and Lemmon instead of Key Lime.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White