Rock Bottom

By Pastor Tim White

Have you ever been there? I have. At least I think it was rock bottom. But you never know. There may be a bottom below that. This week I am preaching from the inspiration of the Book of Job and we have entitled this message … “Let’s Get Practical”.

 Job shares in his story when he finally tells his friends they are discouraging him with their encouragement. “Though God would slay me yet will I trust him.”  Here he is displaying practical wisdom from rock bottom. He is showing a skill that we would all do well to learn. He is reacting to the smallest trickle of hope.  When we are at the bottom, we have high expectations for how we will be rescued. We want all of life to make sense and for God to completely explain himself in response to our demands. Begin the glorious symphony music as it all turns around in this moment.  But - and this is a big but… (I can hear Bevis saying and chuckling …Pastor Tim said Butt!) ... but life rarely if ever works out this way. I know it does in the conclusion of movies and 1 hour TV shows, but not real life. In real life we say this doesn’t make complete sense but let’s move ahead.  “This though he would slay me, yet I will trust him.” How do we move ahead when God never fully explains everything? Make sure you turn in this way to find out.

 Join us this Sunday at 10:30am for In Person worship in the Sanctuary or online at You Tube, Facebook Live or the Church Apps, as we explore this very appropriate sermon for these days.

 Pastor Tim White

Kindness in the Valley

by Pastor Tim White

Don’t you just love the Fall season? The smell of freshly cut grass in the Autumn smells just like footballs to me.  And our weather turns brisk at times and back to beautiful in late summer days of sunshine and ever-changing leaves and plants. This Fall everyone seems to be bracing for our society to have another tussle with the pandemic.   We need worship, community, and faith now more than ever.  And that feels good to me.  We were born and directed throughout our lives with crucibles to prepare us to shine the Hope of the World for such a season as we are heading into.  You are alive for a reason! In whatever state of health or wealth you find yourself, to be able to reach out and help humanity in this season of life. 

 We have been studying the Book of Job lately and I, for one, am really loving these studies. It’s as if the preacher really knows me and all that I am going through. I can really relate to my messages. It’s uncanny.  Haha!   

 This Sunday mornings sermon is “Kindness in the Valley” and it’s about those seasons of our life when life is toughest, and our hearts and minds are full of more questions than answers and how God is still there demonstrating his kindness toward us.   

 I am interviewing a young lady who grew up in our church and began her journey with Jesus Christ. Even though she was born without the ability to walk she adventured into sports and excelled at wheelchair racing. Her mom loved the Positive Faith to Share that we hold on to at Washington Cathedral. Jenny Goekle participated in skiing with the youth group and was a leader in our church. She even won a scholarship to a University in Arizona for Paralympics.  She participated in the Paralympics which takes place at the same venue as the Olympics only two weeks later and are broadcast all over the world. Almost every school in America displayed a poster of young Jenny racing in her wheelchair.  She also participated in the Paralympics in Athens and China. Jenny Goekle is now Jenny Muntz married to a fine young man. She attended the University of Arizona and is a psychologist with a degree in Rehabilitation counseling.  

 Wow! what a great story she will share at the in-person service and the on-line service. It will put strong wings on your heart and deep roots to your faith.  Don’t miss this once in a lifetime experience. Sunday at 10:30am in the Sanctuary or online with You Tube, Facebook Live or the church apps. Tune in and be inspired! 

 Your friend for the rest of my life, 

 Pastor Tim White 

ALIVE

by Pastor Tim White

Let’s grow deep in our relationship with life.  I am constantly amazed at how much there is to learn in our quest to grow in our capacity to be fully alive.  Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that you might have life in all of its abundance.”

When a new school year starts, we see all these cute pictures of children getting ready for their first day of school.  I just love to look at my grandkid’s pictures again and again.  It comes to mind, was I fully awake when my children enjoyed their first day at school?  Of course, I remember vividly the emotion sinking in at how they are growing up so fast.  And all my prayers that they were falling more in love with learning and life.

I think about how I could be more alive now, more aware, fully enjoying these precious moments. That drive to attempt to be awake, aware, and fully alive should be always at the forefront of our lives.  And that is why we Christians should be constantly growing in our relationship with life and the Artist behind life - our Creator.

I have the privilege of talking to my dad almost every day.  When I was a kid, I remember him preaching on the Sermon on the Mount at least once a year. He was so in love with this passage. Throughout his ministry he has always been fascinated at the depths and poetry of Jesus’ words.  Today he is still mining this message with unparalleled enthusiasm. Still learning new and exciting world-changing concepts. Still in love with the wisdom of this Good News as if he had never seen it before. Oh, that all Christians could continue to grow in their focus on “waking up” and allowing God to make our lives fully alive.

Diving into the book of Job is a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of God and of life. Let’s move beyond shallow faith and discover anew the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

Join us for our In Person Service in the Sanctuary on Sunday at 10:30am or online with You Tube Live, Facebook Live or the church apps when we will begin a new series: “The Other Side of Hard” a short study of the Book of Job. Hope to see you there!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

A Mystery

by Pastor Tim White

Jesus ended his day by going to the Mount of Olives. (John 8:1)

This may have been where he slept while he was at Jerusalem doing his ministry. Just the thought of Jesus camping outside the city shows how startling he was in his commonness. Jesus said, “the foxes have dens, and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (John 8:20)

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that at other times Jesus would stay at Mary and Martha’s home which was located close to the Mount of Olives. Regardless, Jesus was not a rich celebrity but was very much the common man we are so startled by. On this day noted in the Gospel of John, Jesus gets up at dawn and goes to the temple courts to minister to people. The Bible says that people gathered around Jesus to listen to him teach. While Jesus was there his religious enemies tried to trap him by bringing in a woman caught in sin. They tried to pressure Jesus to comply with the Old Testament law that she should be killed by stoning. There must have been the sound of the woman weeping in fear mixed with the brutal accusations of the men wanting to murder her. In all this commotion, Jesus calmly wrote something in the dust. We have our ideas of what he wrote, but no one knows for sure. We read, however, that Jesus told them, “Let he who is without sin could cast the first stone.” All of them left in shame. And Jesus said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn you go and sin no more.”

Later the Apostle Paul commented on this very aspect of Jesus in Romans 8:1. “Therefore there is now no Condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I think if you followed Jesus in the first century you would be startled at how unpretentious he was and how forgiving he would be to you. And the best part would be how personal he would be when he spoke softly “Now go and sin no more.” - I don’t know about you, but I love following Jesus.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Note: Join us this weekend as Pastor Tim closes out “The Battle for Your Mind” series with this week’s powerful message “Rejoice Principle.” Join us in praising the name of Jesus at our in-person service at Spirit Falls Sanctuary in Redmond, WA. Or join us online via Facebook Live, YouTube Live, WaCathedral App, or on our website at www.wacathedral.org. Services are at 10:30 am every Sunday (or you can catch our online services at any time after the livestream start time.)

Don't Miss God's Plans for Your Plans

by Pastor Tim White

He had great ambition. A young man was taking over his father’s dirt farm.  He wanted so much more than to follow his father and mother in a life of farming.  They had followed their parents in accepting the title American Farmer.  Maybe he could become a celebrity, a movie star, a comedian, or a musician that would lead him to a life of wealth and influence.  Better yet, he might build a business and discover his fortune.  Or easier yet he could discover a gold mine. 

So, he left his family, his new wife and tiny daughter to travel the world in search of his fortune. He went to the city and tried to start a business. Easier said than done.  He moved to Hollywood to try acting. But nothing. So, he moved to Nashville to try his musical talent. People laughed at him. So, he moved New York to try being a comedian and people stopped laughing.  Finally, he followed the gold rush and spent years searching until his hair was grey and his youth was gone.  “I quit!” he said, “I’m going home to see people that love me”. 

He returned to his poor dirt farm. Outside was his daughter who looked like his young wife.  His wife ran out to meet him. Her hair was grey, and her youth was gone but she was still beautiful.  His family, though deeply hurt, forgave him, and circled around him. He exclaimed “What happened?”  The old farmhouse was gone replaced with a regal mansion.  He looked around at the park-like setting of his farm. It was decorated with marble plaques saying thank you for your gift to the Children’s Hospital, to the orphanage, to the church, for the orchestra, to the different non-profits around the community. 

He questioned demandingly from his wife and daughter.  “What happened to the farm?”  They both told him, “Grandpa and the whole family tried hard to farm but there were so many rocks.  Then we discovered they weren’t rocks they were acres and acres of diamonds!”   He fell to his knees crying because he had never searched what he had before leaving to search for what he would never find.

 Inspired by my Grandpa White’s book: “Acres of Diamonds and a Barrel Full of Chuckles.”

Have you thanked God for the things he has given you? You might discover relationships that can’t be replaced and acres and acres of diamonds.

Join us this Sunday at 10:30am for our In Person service in the Sanctuary or online with Facebook Live, You Tube or the church Apps. I will be speaking from Psalm 27:13 on “Collateral Goodness.”

Your friend for the rest of my life,

 Pastor Tim White

Still Not Finished

by Pastor Tim White

I have been traveling more than I should, but it has given me a chance to pray for our church in a fresh way. I guess a lot is flying around in my brain and heart since the passing of Pastor Marilyn Biggs, Pastor Jean McVay, and Pastor Erskine Austin. We all love their families so much and I want everyone to know how much God did through them in the ministry of Washington Cathedral.

A church that was started from scratch with no prospects or guaranteed means of support. And yet God allowed us to grow to 6,000 in attendance at Christmas and Easter. Now online we had 40,000 watch our Easter service this year. It’s a new time with people challenged understandably in using headsets and computers, rather than to meet in person. But for those that do it is a sweet time of inspiration.

When I speak about staff that have passed on to heaven.; I want everyone to know about the high marks that are a part of our tradition. 220 different Tiny Little Churches that were at the heart of our Great Caring Network. 11 different Ethnic congregations from different linguistic backgrounds.

The church also built 5 different Non-Profit Foundations making a difference in our community and the world. They included: Charity Alliance which did so much for the poorest of the poor; Build the Family Center which helped with marriage seminars, divorce recovery seminars; STEM camps for kids; Vacation Bible School, and EXCEL Business Ministries inspiring and training people to succeed in the marketplace.

Our church also launched a Health Resources Center which forged new territory in Psychology, Neurology and Oncology.. We had an annual Health Fair, sponsored programs for physical fitness for young adult, senior adult, students’ ministries, and sports camps for kids

We also opened Washington Cathedral Seminary one of the first seminaries in our nation for lay people.

We built our present Spirit Falls Sanctuary with a gorgeous waterfall and glass steeple. We built a 24-million-dollar Randy and Rod Recreation Center with a zero-entry pool that was used by senior adult’s exercise classes, kids swim lessons, as well as regular baptisms.

We did have our rough times, and during the 2008 banking crisis we had to sell our property. But we negotiated a tremendous lease to secure the long-term use of our present sanctuary.

Isn’t that an amazing track of accomplishments for our pastoral leaders and lay leaders? But the most important fact is that God is not through with us yet. It will not be easy, but the best is yet to come as we rebuild our Great Caring Network to be better than ever.

So, let’s lift our hands in praise as we recognize that Jesus is alive, and the work is never finished.

You can join us this Sunday at 10:30 am for our In-Person service in Spirit Falls Sanctuary or online via You Tube, Facebook Live or the church apps. I will be sharing on: “What God Doesn’t Do” from James 1:12-18. Please join us!

Your friend for the rest of our lives,

Tim and Jackie White

How Are You Doing Today?

by Pastor Tim White

What a great time of year! The Pacific Northwest is just beautiful. I so love the times of friendship we get to enjoy in August. Last Sunday’s potluck lunch after the in-person worship was really a blast. It gives such a spark of life to get to see two-year-old Violet. She is so smart and polite. And her daddy Jon is such a nice dad. Her mom was at a getaway. And Rich Seiler is always fun to talk to. Greg Hanna, Melinda Austin are really amazing people. I loved seeing Tony Wood, Pastor Chet, William Ang, Carol and Dana Kirgan and the list goes on and on.

We were designed for life and all its abundance. (John 10:10). While we study the series: The Battle for Our Minds, we learn how to challenge our life’s negative thoughts which debilitate our capacity for joy, friendship, effectiveness and faith. This week we will continue this theme with Reframing our Mind as we study Colossians Chapter 3. We welcome Rhonda as she returns as our Guest Worship Leader and again the fellowship will be encouraging. Join us in person at 10:30am in Spirit Falls sanctuary as we gather momentum for the next breakthrough in our pursuit to build the legacy of a Christ-centered great caring network.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

NOTE: You are invited to join us in worship this Sunday at 10:30 am. In-Person service in beautiful Spirit Falls Sanctuary, Redmond, Wa. Online available at Facebook Live, YouTube Live, www.wacathedral.org or Wacathedral App.

Letting God Have the Win

by Pastor Tim White

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,   and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

While visiting Texas we had the opportunity to see our grandchildren in two very exciting track meets. Every time I took a picture. I was reminded ‘no social media bragging about my grandchildren.’  This is so important to them as they feel like it’s all God and they don’t really enjoy all the attention they get from the accomplishments. Boy! this is the opposite to my way of thinking. I would tell anyone who would listen about how cool it was to win a Big Meet.  But then the pressure was on me and not on God.. No wonder they are so much better than I ever was.

 Many of us have these beloved verses Proverbs 3:5-6 as our life verses or at least we value them as some of our favorite verses.  In our series of messages on Winning the War in Your Mind, they remind us of our truthful place and God’s place as we live out our life dreams.  This Sunday I will be encouraging each of us to let ‘God Have the Win in Our Lives.’  We as humans look back at all the things God has done in our lives and we somehow become foggy in our thinking as we proclaim, “Look at what I have done!”  We count up our lifetime wins, and we somehow forget to give God the glory and the honor.  We might think “Oh God does not need our praise he is big enough for us to hog the glory.”  But it doesn’t work that way. By forgetting God, we put unnecessary pressure on ourselves because through the corruption of our egos we forget that He carried the day and then we are pressured to think we will have to carry the day in the future. No wonder we have trouble trusting him and living with the peace that we were designed to perform best with.  It pains us and our world when we forget to let God have the win. And we miss an opportunity to let others know that trusting God is the key to enjoying life with all of its fullness.

 Your friend for the rest of my life,

 Pastor Tim White

 PS Looking forward to seeing you at church this Sunday at 10:30 am.  In person in Spirit Falls Sanctuary or Online on Facebook Live, You Tube Live, www.wacathedral.org, or Wacathedral App.  After In Person services we are doing a fun Summer Food Drive and Old-Fashioned Potluck.  You can drive by anytime up until 2:30 pm and drop off unperishable food to help stock the Food Banks.  If you want to join us for lunch, bring something to share and around 11:30 am, after church is over, we’ll enjoy our Old-Fashioned Potluck.  

A Change of Mind

By Fiona Monaghan

“It requires conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us.” Oswald Chambers.

We make it our aim… to be well pleasing to Him. 1 Corinthians 5:9

It is our job to make the adjustments necessary in our daily walk, so we are prepared for any assignment. We don’t know what will be required in days to come, but the prepping, the studying to be ready for it, starts now. This happens in the quiet, thoughtful places. We won’t have time to pull it all together at the time of crisis. Having the “tanks filled”, all preparations made, and the communication lines established, then be ready and on the alert.

This was addressed in a sermon I heard on the disciple, Peter. At the time of his denial in the courtyard, Peter had been given the opportunity to “tank up”. Peter was with Jesus in the garden and three times Jesus came to the disciples and admonished them to pray. Luke 22:46.

In essence things were going to get messy, “stoke the fires”, get strength from the Father.” Jesus did. He was human and God, but still needed that time of prayer. How much more do we, being fully human, need to pray? “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” Mark 14:38

We will be tested and it’s through difficulty we know what lies in our hearts and what needs to be sifted out. “The chain of command is clear. Satan can do nothing outside of God’s domain and God uses satan to advance the cause of His kingdom.” Our assignment is to be ready and primed for anything; as it is not at the time of battle to get our equipment in working order, but to have it at the ready all the time.

Note: Join us Sunday for worship In Person at Spirit Falls Sanctuary in Redmond or Online at Facebook Live, YouTube Live, www.wacathedral.org or WaCathedral App. Pastor Tim will be sharing a great message “Rewire Your Mind” as part of our Summer series “Battle for Your Mind.” Hope to see you.

Breaking the Chains of Untruth

By Pastor Linda Skinner

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Untruths are prevalent in all of our lives. I grew up thinking that if I went swimming too soon after eating, I could get horrible cramps and drown. That dogs could only see in black and white and shades of grey and they couldn’t see what was on TV. That you should never wake up a sleepwalker, or you would damage their brain. That I could improve my vision by eating carrots (being a person who is severely near-sighted, I ate a lot of carrots to improve my vision!) Now I find out that those are all untruths. I feel like poor Columbus who was told the world was flat and couldn’t find the edge.

Most of these untruths are not really damaging. But how about those lies that shape our perceptions of ourselves. Things like “you were an accident; your parents didn’t really want another child.” Or, “you won’t live to be any older than 55, everyone in our family dies young.” Or, “you’ll never amount to anything, because you don’t know how to behave.” Or, “you might as well give up now, you don’t have what it takes to be a success.” On and on, what lies have you been believing about yourself?

A person who was very dear to me, struggled his entire life with self-esteem issues. He was a kind-hearted, generous person, but could seem gruff and rigid at times. One day he shared with me that he knew from the time he was a little boy that he was an accident. When I asked him why he thought that he told me that he had been told many times by his parents that he was an accident and they never planned to have children. He was told that he came along and changed their lives forever and not for the good. That was deep in his heart and no matter how many times we told him how special he was, he struggled shaking the label “an accident.”

Another dear friend, who struggled with depression and anxiety her entire life, shared that she had been told that God would never accept her. She had done too many bad things in her life and God could not love her. She was one of the few that God was turning his back on and she could not be His child.

Maybe you can relate to these stories. Well, we have some good news for you. None of it is true. The truth is “not one person is ever an accident.” The truth is found in Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV) “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

The truth is there is nothing that can separate us from the God’s love. Romans 8:37-39 (NLT) “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is our through Christ, who loves us. And I am convinced that nothing can every separate us God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Join us for worship this week. Dr. Marty Folsom will be continuing in our series “The Battle for Your Mind” as he helps us sort through the “untruths” in our lives. Please join us at 10:30 am Sunday in Spirit Falls Sanctuary or Online through Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Wacathedral App or www.wacathedral.org.

Wishing you truth and blessings this week.

Pastor Linda

PS We apologize to our online congregation for our technical difficulties last Sunday. We think we have it all fixed, so please be patient with us as we learn to navigate the perils of technology.