The Attitude You Bring

  Sunday is my favorite day of the week. Rich and I have a routine -- get up at 6:45 am, shower, dress, drive to PCC Market on Avondale, get a cup of coffee (or tea), go through their breakfast buffet line, stop at bakery section and get a mini croissant (that’s for me), sit down in their little eating area and enjoy our breakfast, leave at 8:10 to arrive at the church in time for music rehearsal, run through the songs with Eliot and Rhonda (laugh a lot – Eliot is really funny in the morning), greet people who are coming to worship and then spend an hour worshipping with the 9:30 congregation. I love that time. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling or exciting than worshipping our Almighty God with a group of people I love to be with.

For several years of my life, I didn’t have the same excitement and enthusiasm that I have now. To get up early Sunday morning and get ready to go church to worship with my friends. Sleeping in or riding my horse or bicycling to Folsom Lake to swim, had a bit more appeal to me than going to church to worship. But in my mother’s household there was no other option available to me. So, when I moved out on my own, Sunday morning became a time of sleeping in (I mean it was my only sleep in day). I worked and went to school and Sunday was my only day off. Dr. Phil might ask “And how did that work for you?” Let’s just say it was not my wisest move. I fell into the “I can worship God anywhere” trap (which is true, but there is something about worshipping God in community that is irreplaceable by individual worship time.)

What I discovered is that for me my enjoyment and my enthusiasm for worship has direct correlation to my attitude toward God. When my relationship with Him is strong then my enthusiasm for worshipping with others is high also.

When Rich and I travel we always find a place to worship with other believers. That has been a great experience and a great way for us to understand that worshipping God really is not about what is happening in the service, but what is happening in your heart. One of greatest times of worship was in a small Catholic Church in Florianopolis, Brazil. We were not familiar with Catholic forms of worship, we don’t speak Portuguese and we didn’t know a soul. However, we entered this beautiful little church which was filled to standing room only. The priest was leading the singing and he was a bit off key but everyone was singing out. They were all dressed like we were in their summer shorts and t-shirts and you could tell they were very excited about being there. We just got caught up in their enthusiasm and it was a bit like Pentecost. I told Rich, I think I know what they are saying. When they sang words, we hummed along. It was a great experience. I realized then what true worshipping “in spirit and truth” was all about. It’s about my heart and where it is at. It’s about my relationship with God.

This week I look forward to sharing with you what God’s word teaches us about the “attitude you bring” to worship each week.

Look forward to seeing you.

Blessings on your life,

Pastor Linda Skinner

Father Power

When I was a boy fishing with my dad in Hells Canyon, I hooked a monster fish. It was so big that after fighting it for about 30 minutes we concluded that my little Zebec rod and reel could not bring in that fish.  So, my dad, seeing the desperation in my eyes, dove into the raging Snake River, swam to the middle, and dove deep under the water to bring up the monster fish. It was 36 inches.  After grabbing it, my dad swam it over to the shore. Kind of sounds like a scene from Tarzan, but my dad did not want that fish to get away from his son.  I will never forget it. My dad was my hero! I have a wonderful mom that I would do anything for but we also all need some kind of a father.  And most of all, we need a healthy relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Father Power is the title of my message this Father’s Day as we continue our series on worship. The New Testament teaches a number of astonishing life perspectives for each of us. One of them is a revolutionary idea that all of us live with a father void. We were created with a need for strong, kind, purposeful, fun, bold, patient, and masculine influences in our lives. It’s called a Father Image and yes, when Jesus prays or speaks about our Heavenly Father it is always used in the masculine gender. Now God is referred to in the Old Testament in the feminine gender when it speaks of God himself as a mother bird who would spread its wings to protect her children.  And God is referred to in a gender-neutral way once in the Old Testament.  But the majority of the time, he is referred to in the masculine gender.  Jesus always refers to him as our Heavenly Father.  Every one of us need positive father-like figures in our lives. If we had a difficult or painful father experience, processing our need for a father is important for us in order to get on with our faith and our lives. I have invited a strong Christian man who was a NFL Quarterback to be my special guest to discuss what it means to be a Godly father.  He has not confirmed yet for this Sunday and because he is a very busy man I have a back-up plan. However, I can assure you that this will be a life-changing service of encouragement for every man and for every person as we honor earthly fathers and explore our Heavenly Fathers role in worship.  

I look forward to sharing with you at 9:30 and 11:00 this weekend. Pastor Becca will be preaching at the Worship, Prayer and Healing service Saturday night at 5:30 pm and Pastor Eliot is bringing in an all-star worship band made up of worship leaders of some of the leading churches in our area.

See you this weekend!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Living A New Song

Sing to God a brand-new song.He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right.  Psalm 98:1 The Message

Have you ever wondered where, or how the Church got all of the hymns, praise songs and worship choruses?  There are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of them!  Some of the songs we sing in Church every Sunday were written from a place of pain and despair. Others were birthed from hearts full of hope.  But many of the popular hymns and worship songs which have been sung through the years came from a place of excitement and personal, or corporate revival.

In other words...these songs come to us as a response from people who were in the middle of experiencing something new and fresh from God.

When God does something new in us, we should bring new worship to Him!

Now, maybe you’re thinking...”what if I don’t write music, or know how to play an instrument?”  Remember this: Worship is a lifestyle. It’s never just about the songs we sing in church!

So when I say that we should bring new worship to God when he’s in the midst of doing something new in our lives, I mean that we should, in return, seek to worship, praise and thank Him in new ways, rather than what we’ve always done in the past.

In order to understand this approach to new worship, we need to remember that God is always on the move. He’s never a stagnant, boring God. Neither should our worship to Him be stagnant and boring. The challenge for each of us is to look for how He’s moving in and around our lives and respond with adventurous and fresh worship!

I’m excited to talk more about this at all of our weekend services this week as I’ve invited our new worship director, Eliot Stone to join me in teaching. You’ll enjoy his insights into how music and other forms of art are meant to be authentically worshipful. We hope you’ll join us!

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

Empowering Encounters

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." St Augustine

Empowering Encounters from God and the Holy Spirit are something I crave today in my faith. To be newly awakened to His great love and divine presence in my every day living. To experience the supernatural and be freed from the traps of a boring, lazy and mundane faith.

Do you resonate with this? Are you finding yourself with the same desires? Restless for more of God? You're in a good spot, my friend!

Here's what I've learned whenever I crave new and empowering experiences with God...

1. Receiving this fresh revival of faith almost always begins with worship. Intentional worship that sets my heart and mind in their rightful position where I'm more aware of, and open to receive God's presence.
2.  My worship cannot be dependent upon feelings. My feelings are in constant flux, therefore, making it almost impossible to experience authentic connection with God who is always unchanging and unwavering.

The unfortunate reality for many of us (myself included) is we have become convinced that worship is music and the worship music needs to make us feel connected to God for it to be good worship.

Eugene Peterson, in his book: The Pastor - wrote these prophetic and convicting words regarding worship:

By the time I arrived on the scene as a pastor, the American church had reinterpreted the worship of God as an activity for religious consumers.  Entertainment, manipulation and cheer-leading were conspicuous in high places.  American worship was conceived as a public relations campaign for Jesus and his angels. Worship had been cheapened into a commodity marketed by using tried and true advertising techniques.  If so called worshippers didn't "get anything out of it," there had been no worship worth coming back for. Instead of calling people to worship God, pastors all over the country were inviting people to have a "worship experience".  Worship was evaluated on the satisfaction scale of one to ten. 

It struck me as a violation of the holy, a secularization of the sacred.  Taking the Lord's name in vain. I determined to reintroduce the idea: let us worship God. I knew this wasn't going to be easy.  The entertainment model for worship in America was pervasive.

Tough words, huh?

If you're craving a more empowering faith and find yourself desiring God to move through you in fresh, powerful ways; I strongly encourage you to join us this month as we dive into the topic of worship.  Our aim is to explore the Bible and the many stories of genuine worship from regular, every day people AND to help provide you with a guide for living a life of worship.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn how much God desires it and how we were made for it.  See you this weekend!

Grace and Peace.

Pastor Rex

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

Sojourners In A Strange Land

I was raised in a small Northern California community outside of Sacramento.  My family had a farm and their main crop was eggs – so we raised chickens for our livelihood.  It was really a small family farm, not like some of the big commercial farms you see today.  My mom and dad and my brothers were pretty much the workers on the farm.  I can’t remember any time that we had a hired hand on the farm.  If we did go on a short vacation to our cabin in the mountains, one of my dad’s friends who had a turkey ranch would come take care of our chickens and livestock and then we’d do the same for him on his farm.

On our farm, we did not have a need for migrant workers, but several of the farms around us did.  Especially the farms that had harvest times – especially in the tomato fields and rice patties in our area.  So in my elementary school we often had children of migrant farm workers come to school for a few months out of the year.  I always felt sorry for them, because they weren’t with us long enough to get to know us.  Some of the kids in school were even kind of mean to them because they looked different, dressed different and usually they were even one or two grades behind, so some kids called them stupid.

When I told my mom about how mean the kids were to the “visiting” kids, she (as she often did) pulled out her Bible and read...“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him/her wrong.  You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt:  I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)  

Then she explained to me that these “visiting” kids’ parents worked on farms and they had to go where there was work so they could feed their family.  Because of moving around so much, it was hard for their kids to keep up with their studies like those of us who had parents who worked in one place.   So, she said, God wants you to help them and encourage your friends to help them feel welcomed in your school.

Now I live in a neighborhood full of people who might be considered “strangers sojourning” in our land.  People who are here on job assignments from countries and lands far off.  They are much better off than the migrant workers from my childhood, but many of them feel lonely and out of touch.  Our native languages are different, our cultures are different, some dress different than we do, but I always remember – “you shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.”  Whether in the grocery store, the bank, or walking down the sidewalk let’s greet all with enthusiasm and respect, because we have all been or will be “sojourners in a strange land.” 

Blessings,

Pastor Linda

Jesus, Social Media and The New Marketplace

This weekend at Washington Cathedral, we begin a new teaching series called “Trending”, where over the next few weeks, we will discuss trending cultural topics, explore how they influence our faith and what the Bible teaches us about them.

I’m really excited to jump into the series this weekend with a message called "Digital Divide: When Our Faith Collides with Social Media"!

When preparing for this message, I couldn’t help but first wonder...would Jesus have used Facebook, or Twitter? Assuming these online platforms would have been available to him, I think the answer would be yes.

Why do I believe this?

Of Jesus’s 132 public appearances, 122 had a marketplace context. The four gospels record Jesus telling 52 parables, with 45 of them having a marketplace context.

Jesus valued spaces where people of all backgrounds gathered. For Jesus, that space was the marketplace. Today...social media is the modern-day marketplace. In fact, on Facebook alone, there are currently 1 billion active accounts being used every day.

Just as in the marketplace spaces in the days of Jesus, people from all backgrounds are on social media. Lives are shared. Important theological and social issues are discussed. Culture is shaped. News is broken.

But as we know...not everything about the internet or social media is beneficial. The number of friends, followers and likes you have don’t always equate to real life friends and relationships. It can be deceiving and sometimes be very hard to represent Jesus when those political and theological discussions are taking place. [preaching to myself here]

Thankfully, the Bible has plenty to teach us about authentic relationships, being a witness, guarding our hearts and wise living. All of these can guide us into using social media in healthy, Christ honoring ways.

I hope you’ll join us this weekend and hear more about the trending topic of social media use and how our faith can influence it in positive ways!

Speaking of social media...are you following Washington Cathedral on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?  We’d love to connect with you there!

Grace and Peace.

Rex