How's your heart looking?

“Blessed are those whose hearts are pure for they shall see God."  Matthew 5:8

Our lives are full of lists, some are stressful 'to do' lists, some are helpful, and some are funny.  I really enjoy the lists featured on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show. One of my favorites is the "Mean Tweets" segment, where celebrities, artists, athletes, and comedians read some of the worst tweets that have been sent their way. It is a great way for the guests to have a chance to respond to these mostly anonymous internet bullies in a fun, lighthearted way.  I stay up late at night just to see this list of mean tweets.  It is so funny.  

While I don't have a funny list to share, I have a helpful list that can guide you in cleaning your heart. With all the darkness around us, it helps to have a short checklist to help recenter your heart that you can quickly look at throughout the week.

---

6 ways to clean your heart:  

1)      Don’t be surprised when God has some work to do to clean up your heart.  (Psalm 51)

2)      Do spend time asking God to clean out your heart. (1 John 1:9)

3)      Don ‘t be discouraged if someone is critical of you.  We are all imperfect human beings but God is not finished with us yet. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

4)      Do remember to forgive everyone every day for any way that they may have hurt you – you cannot carry around that burden and effectively live for Christ (1 John 4:7-8)

5)      Don’t let others influence you negatively through gossip.  As tricky as it is – it leads to a path of harm for you and your family. (Proverbs 16:28)

6)      Do fill up your mind with the good.  (Philippians 4:8-9)

 

It is only with pure hearts that any church can be a healthy, happy family serving God.  It all starts with a group of people who are committed to give the hearts to God to keep them pure.

 

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDdfz3P_2BU

Photo Credit

What Les Miserables Taught Me about Mercy...

One of my favorite stories is of Victor Hugo’s, “Les Miserables”. I never really knew much of the book, or the story for that matter, until I watched the movie with some friends in 1998. I was instantly captivated by the themes of grace, forgiveness and mercy from the life of the main character, Jean Valjean. If you’ve never seen the movie, or read the book, you really should. I guarantee you will not regret it!

In one particular scene, Jean Valjean finds himself caught in the middle of someone else’s problems. Her name is Fantine, she is an employee of his company but also a prostitute. When Fantine is found out, she is severely beaten and left for dead. That is, until Valjean takes it upon himself to nurse her to health and to care for her fatherless child.

The scene of him caring for a helpless, beaten prostitute is one of divine mercy. A display of someone who clearly remembers his own past and the mercy which was given to him, as well as Valjean’s willingness to abandon his self-comfort and enter into Fantine’s woundedness.

This mercy that Valjean shows Fantine is exactly the kind of mercy Jesus refers to in Matthew 5:7, where he says, “blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”. It’s a mercy that goes beyond simply feeling sorry for someone and willingly get’s inside the other person to the point where we can see through their eyes and feel what they are experiencing. This kind of mercy that can transform a person’s life!

The question is...are we willing to say ‘yes’ to the ways of Jesus today and leave our self-comfort? It won’t be easy, I can promise you. But I believe it will usher us into the kind of full life Jesus promised when we follow him...

Grace and Peace. Pastor Rex

Photo Credit

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCd7YkVRrSE

Lessons from the Farm

  By Pastor Linda Skinner

Growing up on a farm taught me so many important life lessons. I didn’t appreciate it fully when I was a child, but as I have experienced more of life’s up and downs I have come to cherish the many lessons I learned. One lesson I learned is that worldly riches are very fleeting, but the richness of God’s Love and of family and friends is what is most important.

Farm life is full of “ups and downs.” Our product was eggs and chickens. At one time I remember my dad saying we had 2000 laying hens. Now that is a lot of egg production. However, chickens only lay eggs when they are healthy and happy. So our income depended on many conditions – no disease or sickness, good weather, and well fed and cared for chickens.

Now the care was under our control, but the disease and weather not so much. We lived in Citrus Heights, California, which is outside of Sacramento. If you know anything about that area, you know that summers get really hot. However, usually it cools off a bit at night. I remember one summer it was well over 100°F for days in a row and it at night it only cool by a few degrees. It was a heat wave. If there is one thing chickens don’t like, it is a heat wave. A picture I’ll never forget is my dad, hose in hand, spraying cold water on hundreds of chickens laying on the ground suffering from too much heat. Not many eggs that year. And several chickens didn’t make it.

As a child I didn’t understand all the implications of that heat wave, but my mom started working for JC Penney’s making custom curtains. She’d used remnants of those fabrics to make dresses for me for school. We ate more out of our garden and freezer than we did normally. It was lean times.

What amazes me as I think back on it, I never remember complaining or moaning about our bad luck or anyone playing the “blame” game. I just remember we adjusted. Mom would say, “This is what the Lord has for us this year.”

On the other hand, my fondest memories are from those times. I don’t remember many of the Christmas presents I received as a child, but I remember the gift I got that year. My mom made a big rag doll that stood about has high as I did. She put elastic straps on the bottom of her feet so I could strap her feet on top of mine and we could dance. And we danced and danced around for hours. I didn’t fully appreciate that gift of love. I didn’t know it came to me because we didn’t have the money to buy things from the store. I didn’t know how many sleepless nights mom must have spent on that doll between making curtains, housework and her farm chores. I just enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with a family I loved.

I look back and this I realize how fortunate I was growing up. My parents were never “rich” in worldly goods, but they were rich in love and generosity. There was always laughter and concern and care for others in our household.   I learned that no matter how much or how little you have, to always be thankful and enjoy what you do have. My mom always told me, “God will provide” and I have always found that to be true.

My prayer for you is that wherever you find yourself, with much or little, that you can come to appreciate that God has provided what you have for your enjoyment. You are blessed.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Photo Credit

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqRiDefsfu8

Like A Bull In A China Shop

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “like a bull in a china shop”. It essentially means being clumsily destructive. Or, causing damage without the intention of doing so... This past week, we took time to look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:5 where he says that God blesses those who are meek. Meek. What an interesting word! What could it possibly mean and why was it so important that Jesus talks about it in his Sermon on the Mount?

The best way I can summarize the word “meek” is to say its the culmination of having humility, gentleness and self-control WHILE knowing that I also have my sinful nature which can be very destructive to both myself and others. In other words...we are very much like the bull living in a world full of value, beauty and fragility (the china shop).

This life of meekness that Jesus teaches is not easily attained, nor are we born with it. It comes from our willingness to humbly submit ourselves to God’s authority and say yes to the ways of Jesus. Easier said, than done, right? I’m with you! But thankfully, we have something called grace on our side. When the bull in us decides to romp around the china shop leaving a wake of bad choices, hurtful actions and one big mess; we have God’s grace to lean on. Where would we be without the God’s grace and mercy?

This week, let’s seek to allow the Holy Spirit to produce within us humility, gentleness and self-control as we learn to live for Jesus, knowing the bull within us is always there. May our prayer today be: “Jesus, I humbly surrender my entire self to you and your authority. Help me to live a meek life today and to experience a greater blessing from the father”.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Rex

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmh6dINIGmc

When Grief is Good

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” - Jesus Mourning...Sadness...Grief. Feelings every human being will experience on some level in their lifetime. Life has its ways of giving us opportunities to grieve a loss. Yet, no one is really ever an expert in mourning. There are therapists, books and online resources that help guide us through the long journey of grief, but never are we experts.

Jesus’ promise to us is that when we find ourselves mourning, we are blessed with God’s approval and we will know His comfort. But how exactly does God comfort? After all, He doesn’t just show up and give us hugs like a friend would do. No, God comforts us by instilling joy deep within our hearts. David understood this when he wrote, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5).

Do you find yourself grieving today? Deeply saddened by a loss that hurts you to your very core? Allow me the opportunity to offer a couple thoughts on how we might experience God’s comfort and ultimately see that grief can be good.

• Grief is good when we invite others into our grieving. The temptation is to want to be alone and to just “get through this”. The danger in isolating ourselves is when we don’t have someone to talk with, we often develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. Grieving with others fights the pull to avoid feelings and hurts.

• Grief is good in that it reveals to us just how much we loved. When we grieve the loss of someone close to us, we can use that powerful sadness to show us just how much we opened ourselves to the person in love. It tells us that we’re capable of possessing powerful feelings of love for another person and that love brought us immense joy. Therein lies the comfort that God offers us when we mourn...the opportunity to know how deep our love was and the joy we knew and will continue to know because of our time with them.

God is a good Father who will not abandon us when we mourn. In fact, I’m confident today that you will discover Him to be closer to you now, than ever before!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Rex

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvdHGTuRKJs

Why I love watching Fixer Upper

My wife, Christalle, and I love watching a show on HGTV called, “Fixer Upper”. It’s one of those, ‘buy a crummy house, remodel it with trendy design elements and then see how much it’s worth at the end’ kind of shows. But what makes Fixer Upper different from all the others is the couple who handles the building and design...Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Chip and Joanne live in Waco, Texas. They have a 4 kids and LOVE Jesus. Chip and Joanna each have a unique ability to look at an old broken down house and see its true value.

I’ve always been impressed with people who can take something so messy, torn and broken and say, “imagine the possibilities with this...there is so much value here!” Do you know anyone like this? They’re amazing, aren’t they!?

What’s even more amazing about talent like this is the one who gave it to them, the perfect authority on seeing through brokenness and finding purpose and value. God the Father knows us inside and out as all our brokenness lays bare before Him each and every day and He refuses to give up on our purpose and value!

This past Sunday, we explored Jesus’s words as he said, “blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”. We talked about how being poor in spirit means to recognize our brokenness and absolute need for God and that when we come to Him in that condition he blesses us, or rather, gives us His approval.

These blessings that Jesus speaks of aren’t because of anything we’ve achieved. They are directly tied to His mercy toward us and when we seek to drop the act and just be real before God, we can enter into a life of new happiness and joy despite living our messy and imperfect lives.

God is so good to us. He loves us. He’s for us. He wants to bless us.

Grace and Peace. Pastor Rex

Photo Credit: 1 & 2

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wnWoh8qd2E

The Business of Blessing Others

The Reformation is one of the greatest events in history, in which Martin Luther started a movement, one that is still transforming lives today.  This movement began when Luther rediscovered the Gospel, or Good News, of Jesus Christ in the book of Romans and reread the story of Jesus’s life and his Sermon on the Mount.  Today the whole world, Catholic and Protestant, is impacted by that reformation.  One of the biggest impacts was people beginning to read the Sermon on the Mount for themselves, it was revolutionary! It was beyond religious. This month, we began a series on the Sermon on the Mount, called “What Jesus Meant,” and as we focus on this life-changing sermon we can experience for ourselves what countless people before us have been inspired by. When St. Francis of Assisi first read the Sermon on the Mount it changed his life and how he lived out his faith. The present pope, Francis, is a reformer because of conviction in the Sermon on the Mount.  They are life-altering words.

Last week when I kicked off the series, I focused on the fact that God wants to bless us and that he wants us to cooperate with that blessing.  Even more than being blessed, we are to become a blessing ourselves that is why Jesus called us the salt of the world, the light on a hill. We are called and encouraged to spread blessings into our communities and into the darkness.

One of the dreams we have is to spread God’s blessings by working to end elective homelessness in our area. Let’s be thinking and dreaming about it.  I have some ideas and I am sure that you do too.   But the main thing is: let's get about the business of blessing others. And if you are lacking inspiration or feeling discouraged pick up your Bible and read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5- 7). Soak in the life-changing words and rejoice! Shine with God’s love as you bless others.

May God bless you abundantly.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Photo Credit

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4HniklCq-Q

Our New Year needs Christmas

By Pastor Linda Skinner Christmas Eve was a glorious time this year. How I loved sitting in the choir chairs on Christmas Eve and watching the faces of people enjoying the lore of Christmas. A message that comes through the music, the beauty of the manger in the rain, the dancer with the little cherubs and Pastor Tim’s unfolding of the Christmas story once again.

I watched the excitement of parents and grandparents, when their little angels, some with dangling halos, danced on the stage in front of the manger. We were blessed to have one of our high schoolers play the most beautiful cello solo and I couldn’t help but notice his dad sitting on the front row, eyes closed, a smile on his face, enjoying every stroke of the bow on the strings. I almost missed my entry cue on the song (don’t tell Rhonda, ok?). So many people thanked our church for making their Christmas Special.

Pastor Tim shared that in his over 30 years of ministry he has never known a time where we need Christmas more than now. It got me to thinking about how important Christmas is to us 365 days of the year. Some of us celebrate only on Christmas Day with family and friends, other traditions celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas beginning on Christmas Day and ending on January 6, but no matter how you celebrate Christmas is a celebration of New Birth. Not only our Saviors’, but our own as well.

Wednesday night, December 30 (the 6^th day of Christmas), our Women’s Ministry at Washington Cathedral cooked and served a holiday meal for the Camp Unity Community-- a tent community currently located at a church in Woodinville. What a feast it was!

Two months ago when I signed up for that night, I was a little concerned about how many ladies would be willing to cook a meal between Christmas and New Years Day. How many would even be in town? What kind of support could we rally? Well, I wish you could have been there. First, everyone was prepared to serve the meal outside in the freezing cold. Our helpers came bundled in layers of cloths, scarfs, hats, and gloves. Ready to face the freezing cold. Our first miracle was that the church opened up their fellowship hall and kitchen for us to use. Allowing us to be in, out of the cold, but more importantly allowing the residents to enjoy a delicious meal in the beautiful warm area.

Second miracle was the food. I had this crazy idea that I wanted everything to be home cooked. My mom taught me years ago that you give your best to those who have the least. Well it was beyond my wildest imagination. Turkey, Ham, Potatoes, Dressing, Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Soup, Cooked Vegetables, Salads, Pies, Cakes – all delicious and lovingly cooked by the ladies of our church. I was blown away (it brings tears to my eyes as I’m typing this). One lady brought some delicious whipped sweet potatoes (enough to feed an army) and she told me her kitchen is being remodeled and she had to cook the sweet potatoes a few at a time in her micro-wave--plus she has a broken arm.

Third miracle was the amount of food. We had enough food for twice the number of people whom we served. I spoke to Chris who runs the kitchen at the church we were using and he said that on New Year’s Eve they were planning to serve Camp Unity and they’d love to use the food to serve that meal. I couldn’t believe that what our ladies prepared was not only so delicious but it was so plentiful that it would bless this community for New Year’s Eve.

The fourth miracle was the people. What a blessing to see our church spending time enjoying food and fellowship with the people of Camp Unity. One family drove all the way from Seattle to a place they had never been, driving in the dark--even getting a little lost--to serve in the name of Jesus.

All of these miracles are a result of people living Christmas in their hearts and lives. As we enter this New Year 2016, maybe in place of all the resolutions that seem to fade by January 15, I’d like to challenge you to think about what you might do differently in 2016 to live out Christmas for the next 365 days.

Take a few minutes and meditate on Romans 12:1-5.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

God Bless You and Those You Love.

Re-Gifting Peace This Christmas

By Pastor Rex Hamilton I have a friend who lives in Orlando, FL and works as the head football coach for a large high school. His name is Andre and for several years, he and I played the re-gifting game. You see, he had received a rather cheesy ceramic angel statue as a gift and decided it would be funny to give it to me knowing I didn’t want the statue either.

Once when our family visited them on a vacation, I packed the statue in my luggage and secretly found an inconspicuous spot in their house to place it. It was weeks before he noticed it and promptly mailed it back to me!

When it comes to the greatest gift humanity has ever received in the birth of Jesus the Messiah, we find that along with his birth came the promise of peace on earth. By giving us His son, he gives us the chance to receive his peace. Shalom. Wholeness of life. Yes, in all the chaos and brokenness of this world, despite our own struggles and pain, we can know real peace.

But God doesn’t give peace separate from Himself, so we have to be willing to receive peace through Him. This means surrender and a willingness to have new life in Him...

This gift of received peace has immense value. Eternal value! It’s far from some unwanted present a friend gives us and we immediately seek a way to get rid of it. No, this gift of peace should be re-gifted to others because of its value and meaning to us. God’s peace isn’t meant to be hoarded, but rather, shared with those around us who desperately need to experience the comfort of God’s wholeness.

This Christmas, lets seek ways to re-gift the peace in God we’ve so freely been given! Who knows the eternal impact it may make...

Photo Credit

---

Celebrating Christmas as a Family

By Pastor Becca McCary

 If you've been looking for some ways to help your family connect spiritually with Christmas, I thought I would share 25 ways to Celebrate Jesus this Christmas. I put some of my favorites in bold if you don't have time to read the whole list.

1. Start the season off right, remembering what it's all about by reading the Christmas story in Matthew.

2. Kiss your spouse under the mistletoe. A happy, healthy marriage is a gift to our whole family and reflects the love of God. 

3. Get a Christmas Tree, remembering Jesus great act of love at the end of his life- hanging on a wooden cross to forgive us of our sins.

4. Sing Hark The Herald Angels Sing as a family, written by the great pastor Charles Wesley. It does a great job of reminding us of the Christmas Story.

5. Go for a long walk as a family, reflecting on Mary's Journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She traveled 80 miles while pregnant to get to her cousin for some support. How can you support each family member in God's calling on their lives?

6. Drive and look at Christmas lights. John 1:5 tells the Christmas story in one poetic sentence. Read the passage as a family and talk about how you can let more of God's light into your family as you turn to God.

7. Read the "Saint who would be Santa Claus" to learn some Christian history behind this pop culture icon.

8. Set up a nativity before bed and remember all the people sleeping in the cold tonight just like our savior did in his manger. Say a prayer for them.

9. Participate in our Santa Claus Conspiracy and share some joy this Holiday! 

10. Make a Christmas card for your neighbor and invite them to our worship services.

11. Pray for all the single moms you know, who have a daunting but powerful calling on their lives, just like Mary did. 

12. Pray for all the families and young toddlers fleeing their countries for asylum just like Jesus did when he fled for his life to Egypt.

13. Order a copy and read "The Living Nativity, The Story of Saint Francis and the Christian Manger" by David and Hellen Haidle. This children's book made me cry when I read it because it told the good news about Jesus so well, while also teaching some church history too. Seriously, check it out!  

14. Have a Christmas party! Laugh, dance, and enjoy! Celebration is a spiritual discipline and laughter heals the soul.

15. Commit to worshiping together as a family every Sunday this Advent. You won't regret this chance to connect with God and find rest for our soul in worship.

16. Tell your family what your favorite Christmas Carol is and why. Many of these songs have such rich spiritual content! 

17. Read "Saint Nicholas" by Ann Tompert with your kids. It has illustrations but might be a little scary for little ones since it is an account of the Christian roots of some of our Christmas traditions like gift giving and St. Nick caring for children.

18. God showed us love, making himself vulnerable, by coming to us as a baby, so that we could be close to him. Over a cup of hot chocolate, reflect on what relationships in your life could improve with more vulnerability and less defensiveness. 

19. Listen to the song "O Holy Night", reflecting on the reverence expressed in this song.  Share with your family members the things you do that help your heart to revere God.

20. Read Luke 1:46-56, Mary's song of praise. Share with your family some of the things you want to praise God for in your life.

21. Jesus' needs were provided for when the wise men brought him gifts. Is there someone in your life that has an unmet need, maybe for friendship or food or prayer, that you could reach out to this Christmas?

22. Joseph listened to God, and chose to love and care for Mary, even when it cost him his reputation. While eating a Christmas Cookie, consider, is there a person or group of people that makes you uncomfortable to love? How can you embrace a love that takes risks and puts others, even uncomfortable others, before your own ego, understanding, reputation, and assumptions.

23. Embrace Simplicity since the savior of the world had such a modest and simple birth. In the early church, if someone was hungry, and there wasn't enough food to go around, the church would fast for a day in order to have more food to share. Take one day to fast from technology to be generous with your time or take 25 days to fast from eating out so you can be generous to people in need with that money. 

24. Put people first since Christmas is about God being intimately involved with people.Volunteer to serve in the church for our Christmas services with the goal to get to know some people better who are in the family of God. Our faith is best lived out through relationships and you might be surprised at how you see and experience God through relationships at church.

25. Take an evening home to rest and connect as a family. Relax, breath, pray, laugh. Watch a Christmas movie. Sleep. During this busy season we often feel to busy for family, too busy to pray, too busy to worship. During our most busy moments are when we need connection the most. God is speaking all the time, and if we can pause to listen, we will be comforted by his sustaining presence.

I hope you have the most meaningful Christmas of your lives this year! Blessings on all of your families this Christmas!

Photo Credit