The Open and Closed Door Myth

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“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

Can God Be Depended On?

When one has been seeking God’s will and direction in their life and over time He has shown Himself to be lovingly gentle and compassionate, then one finds that all plans and decisions involve Him on the basic levels. We are in His will and we can trust that if an adjustment to a plan needs to be made, He will show us how and where.

It is the same as in our human relationships, when communication and trust is built up over time. We know without checking with a friend or spouse, what their thoughts on a particular subject would be, because we are thinking like them more and more and we “know where they are coming from”.

God reveals Himself in much the same way when we seek Him daily.

By spending time in quietness, following a devotional that challenges one to ‘get real’ and think deeper, it is amazing to find that the God of the Universe would meet with us to teach, guide and encourage. It is His desire!  When our desire is to primarily get to know God better, He reveals Himself to us by providing what we desire, and we get to know Him better. He then provides what we desire and we get to know Him better, and on it goes…

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desire of your heart

Somewhere in my growing up I had retained the image of God as one who would take something from me if, I wanted it badly. It had crept into my spiritual life also. Over the years I’ve re-evaluated and learned through difficulty, that true trust would have allowed me to see God as one who might benevolently withhold or take something out of my life for my own good. Looking back, I see how many detours might have been avoided. Today, I know beyond shadow of doubt that He cares about every detail of my life, my plans, my health and especially my family.  He can be trusted with it all. He loves them more than I do and will move heaven and earth to give them the opportunity to trust Him too.

Thank you Father for all this peace and calm you bring to me, in knowing you have all my cares and concerns under control.

Fiona Monaghan

Family On Wire

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The 2008 award winning documentary, Man On Wire tells the true story of Philippe Petit and his seemingly impossible (and very illegal) attempt in 1974 to walk a high-wire between the tops of the World Trade Center. It’s a fascinating look at a man’s courageous attempt to try the impossible!

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I remember the feelings I experienced when first watching the film. Tense...anxious...and by the time the movie ended...exhausted! I do a good job of making you want to run out and watch the movie, don’t I?  You’re welcome. 

I thought about Petit’s story while reflecting on my weekend sermon [You can watch it HERE] where I talked about finding balance in our ever busy lives. In my message, I briefly told the story of how I had recently found myself screaming in my car because the busyness of life had just felt like it was becoming too much. In case you’re wondering...yes, the temporary onset of rage helped, but not recommended to try at home, or at your workplace.

Tenseness, anxiety, burdened and exhausted was how I was feeling that morning in my car after several weeks of work, coaching baseball, homework and every other calendar demand that seemed to be pulling at me. That’s what happens to us when life begins to feel like a balancing act on a high-wire. Where you have so much going on in your day that one mis-step makes you feel like your day will crumble, or worse, you feel like you’ll let your family down.

Jesus knew something about being busy, meeting the needs of others and trying to find some time for himself. In all the madness of his busyness, Jesus always managed to stay on course and honor the Father with his life’s mission. And that should be our goal, too. To honor God with our daily living while not getting lost in the chaos of our calendars!

Of course, we’re never going to be perfect at this. We’ll have our moments of insanity where we find ourselves screaming in cars. (Or maybe that’s just me...)

Grace. Lots of grace, friends. And patience. Be patient with yourselves and your family. Life does feel like a high-wire act at times, but be patient as a family and remember that no one can ever be "all things to all people".

Are you currently feeling overwhelmed by busyness? Like your calendar has become your master? Like everyday is a balancing act on a tightrope? Remember this promise from Jesus today.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

Grace...A Wonderful Word

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A few years ago I was on a quest to rebuild my broken faith when I decided to read books by three particular authors. Philip Yancey, C.S. Lewis, & Brennan Manning. These three men came from different denominations, different generations even of different ages, but all came with a great understanding of the word Grace.

I love the book by Philip Yancey What’s So Amazing about Grace?”  where he examined Grace from many perspectives. I learned so much about this one word and the different forms in which it is found. We believe that God’s grace is “unmerited favor” meaning it is not something we can purchase or earn. It is usually found in places where the person who extends it does so because there is nothing else that can be done, but trusts that a good outcome will result. He goes about showing many situations where grace is lived out in real life from the story of a young girl coming back home after running away for a ‘better life’ and her family take her back with open arms. He tells of a situation where many scholars had met in Britain to discuss the different religions and what was the fundamental difference between them and Christianity? C.S Lewis walked into the room during the discussion and responded that Grace was the biggest difference. It is the only religion where God reaches down to man, whereby other religions are man trying to please or reach God by their actions.

He states that Grace is one of those words that has never lost its meaning. It has stood the test of time. Other words can change with cultures or generations and take on different meanings. For example: gay used to mean happy or bright and gentleman used to be a Title not a description. Grace is a multi-faceted word, but the meanings stay clear. Take for example grace note: extra notes in a song that add depth. Grace period: when you get time extended without penalty. Grace editions: more magazines than you paid for.

Another favorite author, Brennan Manning, wrote the fictional book “The Prodigal” where he puts into words the story Jesus told in The Lost Son in Luke, but in a modern situation. Beautifully expressed, it deals with a man’s actions alienating himself from family and church and the road back to faith, which was started by his father going to him and extending grace while he was at his lowest point. (I highly recommend this book)

Grace is a great word and a great reality.   In practicality, its offering something of ourselves to another person when they don’t deserve it. Maybe not passing a judgement on someone’s actions, but trusting that God will bring good out of it. Look beyond someone’s action to the cause and reason behind it. Being a friend in need, with no expectation of payback. As it was extended to us, let us extend it outward to others and in that we are living in that grace given to us.

Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Alone No More

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Have you ever had a slightly (or maybe not so slight) irrational fear of something?  I think we all have something that frightens us and we really can’t quite figure out why, but it is still there.  My fear was of being alone.  It did start when I was a child, but as a child I can’t think of one time that I did not have either my mom or my dad in the house with me at night.  Even in college I had a roommate asleep in the other room at night.  When I was a live-in nanny, I had the family I worked for with me.  So it wasn’t until I got married that I had my first experience of being totally alone.

My husband, Rich, was in the Air Force and he had times that he would need to travel and I would be left in our apartment alone.  This was in Forest Hill, Maryland, and I knew no one.  My parents were 3,000 miles away (literally) and I had not had time to get acquainted with our neighbors.  I laid awake all night tossing, turning, and crying.  It was so bad that Rich finally called my mom and dad, unbeknownst to me, and arranged to have my dog flown out to live with us.  That was really sweet and I will love him forever for his kindness, but Gidget weighed all of 15 lbs and was not what you would call a watch dog. 

Even after Rich was discharged from active duty and took a job at an advertising agency in Philadelphia, he still traveled.  My fear kept me awake most of the nights he was gone.  This continued for about 30 years of our marriage.  I could not seem to shake it.  It was so bad that even installing an alarm system did not help me sleep. 

I kept telling myself it was not rational and I needed to get over this.  But all the self-talk in the world was not making a difference.  I loved my life, I knew I had many loving friends, I knew that I was loved by God, but being alone haunted me.

One night I was crying out to God to take away my fear and I opened up my Bible to Psalm 91.  The entire Psalm spoke right to my heart, but the words that jumped out to me were “You will not fear the terror of night…If you make the Most High your dwelling – even the Lord, who is my refuge – then no harm will befall you….For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  I felt a peace come over me.  That night I slept so soundly and awoke refreshed and renewed. 

From that point forward, if I ever felt anxious, I recalled God’s angels standing guard.  I thanked Him that He was with me.  It became real to me at that time, that I am never alone.  You are never alone either.  God’s loves you.  He designed you specifically to live in relationship with Him and He will never leave you.  That is not my promise to you.  That is His.

Pastor Linda Skinner

Grip it

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We are currently in the middle of a new series, “Getting a Grip” on finding God in your family.  When I hear our sermon series title golf comes to mind, because in golf they have a saying ‘grip it and rip it.’  Growing up, my dad taught all of my brothers and me to play golf when we were very young.  It was not optional.  He continued the tradition, teaching his grandkids too. However, growing up we used to hate it.   We played when it was windy and we played in the snow.  One time we went to play when the green was frozen solid and the staff would let us out on to the course. Despite all that time practicing and playing I still had room for improvement. For example, one afternoon I hit my brother with an errant golf ball as he was playing on another green.  Rubbing his soon to be bruised skin he yelled, “Tim, you always do that!”  I responded truthfully, “I couldn’t do that even if I tried.”  After all those unpleasant, grumpy, uncoordinated experiences, as we become men we’ve learned to love golf.

One time out on the green, I was with my three brothers and dad playing golf at Apple Tree in Yakima.  Storm clouds were closing in on the horizon, so we had the course to ourselves. So here we were playing one of the most beautiful courses in the state all together.  We were young and our dreams were fresh.  Suddenly it started to down pour rain.  We weren’t going to let it stop us from enjoying this rare opportunity.

Rain-GolfAs we approached the signature green shaped like an apple in the middle of a beautiful pond.  One of my brothers complained, “it’s raining to hard out here.”  My dad always the one to make his boys into men responded, “Aw, there is no rain. It is a beautiful day somewhere.  ‘This is the day the Lord hath made and I will be glad and rejoice in it.’  Let’s just tough it out.”  We all ended up having beautiful drives and our next shots were iron shots approaching the par four.

When it was my dad’s turn to shoot first, he swung into the heavy rain with all of his might.  He swung so hard that the ball bounced two feet in front of him. Despite this disappointment his swing took a surprising turn when his nine iron flew perfectly toward the hole.  We all thought it was going to be a hole in one with his club.  It was a high arching flight, flipping in the air just barely missing the hole.  My dad just turned and said, “I think I will play my club instead of the ball.” We all laughed so hard we almost fell down.  That is why they say, ‘grip it and rip it.’ You can’t play golf unless you grip the club.  And you can’t find God in the family unless you are very intentional about it.

I loved Doug and Jeanie Sutten’s story they shared this weekend with church of God at work in their family.  He is so present in their family because they place him there; on their vacations they have devotions by different family members every day.  They intentionally keep their kids involved in church.  They sit together in worship.  They share rejoice when their grandson accepts Christ.  They share stories of God’s presence in their lives, in their blessings. And they were very intentional about this important task. Sharing stories about God has deep Christian and Jewish roots.  We tell the stories of our families in faith just as Passover is celebrated.  We are a family of God and instead of filling sorry for ourselves we reach out and adopt others into our family and drive down deep roots of friendships and faith.

I hold fast to your statues, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.  Psalm 119:31

Grip it and hold on – when it comes to faith in your family.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqXxBRRQm1I

 

Photo Credit

Learning To Love (and Like) Crazy Uncle Eddie

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Central to Jesus’ teachings is the message that we are to love others. In fact, he says in John 15 that his very commandment is to love each other the way that he has loved us. Love. At first glance, we might think, “No problem. I love people!” But his word for love has a much deeper meaning than what our society often understands, embraces, and practices. The word for love here is “Agape”. It simply means that we will fully love others in ways that show sacrifice and humility. Remember when Jesus washed his disciples feet? That was agape love. If we believe Jesus died on the cross for us, then we essentially have accepted his agape love. Even when we did nothing to deserve this kind of love. When it comes to family, most parents understand and practice agape love to their kids all the time. They understand the sacrifice of putting the needs of their children before their own. That explains why we, parents of young children, often look tired and haggard walking into church!screen-shot-2015-12-13-at-2-13-20-pm-1 But what about our crazy Uncle Eddie? You know...the people in our family who not only are difficult to love, but to LIKE?!? What about these people? How do we show agape to them when we’d rather not be in the same room with them? Frankly, there is never an easy answer this..

Rather than try and provide solutions, I thought I’d offer a couple insights that are worth remembering when we are having a hard time loving (or even liking) difficult family members:

  1. It’s worth remembering that Jesus showed agape to others when they had done nothing to earn it, or even deserve it. Are we making anyone in our family feel that they have to earn our love and acceptance?
  1. When Jesus displayed agape to others it was also a way of showing his respect to them. Despite some family being hard to love, are you respecting them? Do you shame them behind their back? Do you disrespect them in front of other family members?
  1. Remember, that to someone, somewhere we are probably difficult to love, too. It’s never just about others and not about us. We need grace just as much as crazy Uncle Eddie!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Rex

Photo Credit


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrP8l-Qi29M

 

Revival in Colossians

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"Knowing oneself is the beginning of all wisdom." -  Aristotle Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  Colossians 3:15

Throughout the post Easter series, “Raised to Life,” we have been focusing and studying Colossians 3:1-17.  Many people have memorized or re-memorized this passage, including my daughter Becca.  Listening to my daughter recite the passage that she learned as a child was inspiring. She told me later that memorizing Colossians 3:1-17 was the breakthrough for her in her education, which allowed her to graduate with such high honors at Seattle Pacific University and get a scholarship from Princeton, Duke and other fine schools.  She had previous to memorizing the passage had to work extra hard to get her grades, but through the process of memorizing she discovered she was an auditory learner.  What an extraordinary opportunity that she not only was able to learn and hold God’s word close to her heart but to also learn about herself.

The Colossians passage is challenging us to know ourselves.  “You died,” it says – so frankly and shockingly.  “You were raised to life with Christ.”   It then goes onto say so “live like a miracle has taken place in your life.”  The dichotomy drawn in this passage is that you can forget that the peace of Christ is going to rule no matter what we do it is your choice if you are going to let it completely into your heart.  The rich, the evil, the liar, the con artist are all going to die and learn that they were only manipulating themselves. Honestly, bearing with one another faults and kindness is going to win in the end.

Currently, the church staff and about 25 leaders of the church are studying the DNA of the church.  We are discussing and praying about how we can remain true to our identity and yet become a better church.  Even if you are not part of these two groups the re-engineering project will continue through the summer as we have discussion groups, prayer vigils, and retreats aimed at taking that yearly stride, described in my book Astoundingly Joyful – Amazingly Simple, when we embrace change as long as it is led by Jesus Christ.  Reformation will continue in the life of the church.

It is going to be a great summer because we expect the same renewal to take place in our marriages, our Tiny Little Churches (small groups), our non-profit foundations, our all nations congregations, our worship celebrations, and our families.  When revival strikes nothing is left untouched, we are all changed.  So whatever we do, in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp5cHK7rHTw

God's Wardrobe

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By Fiona Monaghan

12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.   Colossians 3: 12-14 The Message

I was never one to get caught up on “what is in” fashion-wise; I have always preferred comfort over fashion (even better if on sale). As I read Colossians 3:12-14 it struck me, could being dressed in God’s wardrobe be comfort over fashion as well?

The world has its fashion; its own way to live and we only have to look at our social media to see it. “Don’t be a pushover, get back at someone who has wronged you, don’t be a doormat. etc...” To actively want to be clothed with God’s wardrobe might then be viewed as a challenge because you could be viewed as a wimp or a pushover.

I7629be0970668aff2bf624ad76a20a63 have lived long enough to know that I am much happier and at peace with trying to live dressed in God’s wardrobe of compassion, kindness, and being teachable with a quiet strength. I have observed people I admire live with these traits. I have seen kindness begat kindness, gentle words turn an argument around so that a resolve can be reached. Parents telling a child they are sorry for an inappropriate response, and the child learns that an adult can be real and approachable. It takes a willingness to don these clothes and live in this reality.

The best part though, is we have a God who gives us the power to do so. Our part is in wanting it and being willing to live in it. Over time and with lots of opportunity to practice, we will find out that this wardrobe is actually very comfy and easy to wear, and much ‘easier on the eye’ for those we live with.

Father, as I go through each day with its different challenges, help me to remember to put on the garments that please you and those around me, so that I show in my behavior, the allegiance I have to You and what you are doing in my life.

Photo Credit

Living Your Unique, Creative, Beautiful and Jesus Centered Identity

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Last week the music world was shocked to hear about the sudden death of the astoundingly creative musician, Prince. Prince was a pop music icon who in the 1980’s and 90’s sold millions of albums and influenced music forever. It didn’t take long for many other music stars to begin honoring Prince in their concerts by covering one of his songs. Usually, his most famous song, Purple Rain...

Watching these talented people pay tribute to one of their heroes is really cool, but it makes me miss a talent like Prince even more as I realize his music and creative ability just can’t be replaced. He was that good!

1424679603933Prince had a unique identity and look about him as well. Creative. Unabashed. Colorful. Enigmatic. His identity, like his talent, cannot be replaced or even copied. One of the reasons people will miss him so much is because he made the very most of his talent and creativeness. He made the most of his unique identity.

The Bible teaches us that everyone who receives Christ becomes a new creation. In essence, Jesus gives us a new identity wrapped in the beauty and grace of all that he is. The challenge, of course is to live in this world and not be captivated by it in such a way that we fail to remember our new identity in Jesus is made to be lived to the fullest. We are called to authentically and vigorously live our unique, creative, beautiful and Jesus centered lives in such a way that when we one day leave this earth, others will say of us...there can be no other (fill in your name)!

What kind of impact is your Christ-born identity making today in your world as a mom, a dad, a coach, an employer, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a friend? What legacy are we leaving this world? Know today that God has great purpose for you and your identity as a follower of Jesus is to show this world the kind of loving, good, gracious and powerful God He really is. Now, go and live your identity with vigor!

 

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

Photo Credit


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBgjbVHm0NE