“I Need More Cowbell!”

I have had a lot of strange sermon titles in my life of ministry, and I’ve enjoyed each one.  I remember when I had a sermon title “The Preacher Who Is Not All There”.  

This weekend I’m following that tradition as we conclude this series on great Old Testament heroes entitled, “God’s All-Stars”.  We are studying the life of Isaiah. He was such a unique person who made a stand for God. I’ve entitled this sermon, “I Need More Cowbell”.  It’s going to be fun, full of insight, and has the power to truly set you free.

Please join us on this beautiful Sunday at 10:30am in our sanctuary and enjoy our new air conditioning!  We are also online via YouTube, Facebook Live, or the Church App.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Tim White

Fire From Heaven

By Pastor Tim White

This morning I woke up to find out that my hero from high school Fran Tarkington had asked me if we could connect. I was so inspired as I wore #10 just to imitate him. I finally settled down when I realized he probably has a social media manager and doesn’t even know that we connected.

We have been studying God’s All-Star Team in the Old Testament; Moses, Jacob, Joseph, David, Gideon, and Deborah. It is always inspiring to study the great women and men in scripture, and we see a little of ourselves in them. They have weaknesses that shock us and strengths that we can aspire to. I have had the privilege in my short life (it seems short to me) to meet most of my heroes and get to know them.
Dallas Willard, Bruce Larson, Elisabeth Elliot, Paul Yonggi Cho, Robert Schuller, Bart Star,
Deacon Jones, Johnny Unitas, John Madden, Don Shula, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Fulton Buntain, Steve Largent, Carl Sagan, Bill Gates, Jody Allen, John Templeton, Rabbi Levine, Dorothy Stimpson Bullitt, Nobel Laureate - Dr. E. Donell Thomas. etc.

This week we study the life of Elijah one of the great men who ever lived on this planet. We see his strengths and weaknesses. I’ve entitled my message Fire from Heaven: A Study of Miracles. Please join us on Sunday at 10:30am at either the in person at church or online (via You Tube, Facebook Live or the Church Apps) because you will be inspired in studying Jesus Christ by looking at the life of Elijah.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

A Closer Look at the Face of God

 By Pastor Tim White

I am loving the James Webb telescopes infrared photos of the universe. The head of NASA said that this is an advance in science compatible to the first time Galileo looked into a telescope.

When we were visiting our grand kids in Texas, we all took a walk at night just to star gaze. Our granddaughter, who loves science said, “I never even liked astronomy before now I love it.” Our grandson Elijah so impressed me as he laid on his back on the grass looking at the universe and speaking so eloquently about the stars. It was a closer glimpse of an inspiring God for all of us; and sharing it with my first baby girl Elise just brought a deep sense of awe and well-being to me.

This Sunday, our good friend Pastor Linda will be sharing with us the uniqueness of the Old Testament leader, Deborah. I can’t think of anyone on earth I would love to hear more on this subject from, than Linda. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to get a closer look at the face of God. You will be inspired.

Join us at 10:30am this Sunday in either the in-person service or online via Facebook Live, You Tube or the Church apps. Remember too, that we are having a Food Drive. You can bring your non-perishable donations to church or stop by after church and drop them off and get a Free Hot Dog!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

BOUNCE BACK!

You know that frustrating feeling when you don’t get something on the first attempt? Multiply that by 5,126 because that’s the number of failed prototypes Sir James Dyson went through over the course of 15 years before creating the eponymous best-selling bag-less vacuum cleaner that led to a net worth of $4.5 billion.

His cinematic output has grossed more than $9 billion and brought him 3 Academy Awards, but the master of the blockbuster was rejected TWICE by the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Aside from that, this director also struggled with dyslexia which made it harder for him to cope with school. To date, he has won 11 Emmys, 3 Oscars, and 7 Golden Globes, and he’s one of the most successful directors of today. As their way of saying “Oops, I guess we were wrong about you,” the school built a building in honor of Steven Spielberg.

The list goes on and on of amazing people who had to bounce back from difficulties to break through to success.

This week’s sermon is on the life of Joseph, and it’s called “Getting Back Up”. Our whole world needs to hear this biblical truth right now. So won’t you join us in person at 10:30am on Sunday or on-line (via You Tube, Facebook Live or the Church Apps). It will be a blessing to you that you won’t forget.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Happy Independence Day!

It’s an important weekend to be thankful for the freedoms and opportunities that we share in the United States of America. Maybe more important now than ever. We have so many blessings and if we were not to recognize them it would be just wrong. We need the hope of knowing that, whether Democrat or Republican, we have a lot of blessings and opportunities that we share together.

Leon Patillo, has written a special song for our service and will share it in a debut performance via video. It’s going to really be inspiring. We worship God first and thank him for all that he has done for us. So many have sacrificed a lot to allow us to be one nation under God. We really care about our nation and pray that we can move toward the very best ideals.

Join us this Sunday in person in our Sanctuary or online via Facebook Live, You Tube or Church Apps. It will be well worth your time. You are welcome to join us for the picnic afterwards it is going to be a blast and you being there is only going to make it better! Take part in the pie baking contest. Table games and good food are becoming a tradition for us lately. It won’t take too long but the making of life-long friendships is really worth it.

Please join us this weekend.

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

By Pastor Michael Fernandez

God Made You Great 

In the story of Gideon, remember he was thrashing wheat through a winepress in a pit where he was hiding from the Midianites. This was so he could save whatever food he had to eat since the Midianites stole everything. This is when an Angel of the Lord appeared to him. Listen to what the angel says. “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 

Imagine what Gideon must have felt. In his society, he was a nobody, a zero. His family was the weakest in his tribe, and he was the least in his family. Gideon is saying, “Hey God, I can’t be used! God, you must have me mistaken for someone else. I am a nobody. Have you ever felt like Gideon? Like you can’t make anything go right?  Maybe you are struggling to provide for your family, or to save your marriage, or struggling to keep your job during COV-ID or even struggling with yourself. Maybe you feel like Gideon, just barely trying to survive.  

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Judges 6:13. After Gideon complained to the Lord about all that Has happened to Israel, in Judges 6:14, “The Lord said,” I will make you strong, Go and save Israel, I am sending you!”   

Like Gideon, God made you Great! God is faithful to help us grow even when we feel like we have no faith at all. Now Gideon responds again like many of us do, doesn’t he? “I know I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” Judges 6: 17  

Even though an Angel appeared to him, & God spoke to him, he still wants a sign. He is basically saying, “Are you really sure you mean me Lord? When we pray the same prayer over and over. Does God listen to us? Gideon is proof He does. God always meets us where our Faith is. We often listen to God, but do we actually hear Him and understand what He wants from us and then actually obey Him? God created you uniquely and Made You Great to be used in the body of Christ.  

Join us this Sunday at the in-person service at 10:30am or online (via You Tube, Facebook Live or church Apps) as we explore this man Gideon and how God took what he offered and made him great! 

By Pastor Tim White

A Father’s Strength

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Father’s Day, I think of something macho. I know that the definition of macho has diversified a lot since the 1980s when I was a young father. In a lot of our macho activities we find women joining us in and loving them … and why not? They are fun. Furthermore, we men are liberated and now macho means reading, research, scientific experimentation, art, handicrafts, plus sports, outdoor life, mechanics, carpentry, etc. Yes, Father’s Day is more about being a father, than trying to be macho.

But if ever there was a time for us to be Free to be Macho this should be the day. I am preaching on Father Abraham, and I know you will enjoy the message. The day will be a lot of fun with exciting activities. It’s a week to enjoy being a manly man and to remember our fathers. We have been blessed by a group of strong men who make this a safe place to create a sanctuary for everyone. Men like Erskine Austin, David Gerzsenye, and many more.

Won’t you join us this Sunday at 10:30am at the in-person service or online via You Tube, Facebook Live or the Church App. Following the in-person service we will have hotdogs and root beer floats, a time to enjoy and celebrate our fathers.

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

By Pastor Tim White

Becoming a Chariot of Fire

I love the movie Chariots of Fire. At the very beginning it shows people singing a beloved hymn in church which uses the phrase chariots of fire. It is not the theme song of the movie by Vangelis but rather a well-loved time-honored Christian hymn. The words are something like this.

I rise to worship, I stand to acclaim,
The king of all glory, Christ Jesus his name.
I ask you Lord Jesus, fulfill this desire.
Ignite me and make me a chariot of fire.

I think of all the chariots of fire that have blessed our church. And I am humbled, thrilled, joy filled, and enthused. Because in every church, parachurch, and community service organization there are those that are fully engaged and make things happen. I call them Faith’s All-Star Team.

One such Chariot of Fire was Pastor David Gerzsenye. As many of you know, our good friend Pastor David passed away early on Wednesday morning this week. He was recovering from Covid which he caught while on vacation with his wife Pastor Carol. He was looking forward to flying home after spending most of his time in the hospital there. He was still struggling to breathe and had a moment when he could not breathe and passed out and after riding to the hospital in an ambulance. Upon getting to the hospital, he took a few breaths and just slipped away to heaven.

We remember David as being the Singles Pastor at Washington Cathedral with his dear wife Carol. They reached thousands of people in our community with their positive faith to share. I don’t know how many came through the Divorce Recovery Workshops, but I believe it was up in the thousands.

Pastor David was the Men’s Ministry Director and we had so many inspirational retreats under his leadership. He was the Facilities Director for a while. He had been the Youth Pastor for a while and really had an impact on the young people of our church. And of course, he did hospital visits, counseling appointments, and some preaching. Many people cherish the experiences where David was the cook for church’s barbecues, breakfasts and banquets. He was like an army cook and would tease everyone and laugh with us and it just made the experience heavenly.

David loved his kids and his family. He loved his friends and those for whom he ministered to. He truly was one of the Chariots of Fire that made Washington Cathedral a great caring network. We will always remember him.

Our sermon series this summer is “Faith’s All-Star Team” and we will be studying each week the story of one of the great people in the Bible.

I love summer and the voting on Baseball’s All Stars, but it is even more exciting to think about those people who will make the All-Star Commitment of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Gideon or Deborah, maybe even Pastor David. I wonder who the next All-Stars are to emerge from our church.

Join us Sunday at 10:30 am either in person or online (Facebook Live, You Tube or the Church Apps) to engage in this great adventure.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Beautiful In It's Time

By Pastor Tim White

Jackie and I had the opportunity to drive over to the Tri Cities to visit our parents for one night this week. I just love driving over the Cascade mountains. The drive is more beautiful than I can appreciate. The different shades of green on the mountains, the giant boulders, the snow that still tops the towering mountains, the blue-green lakes, the sparkling, clean rivers, the views of unexplored valleys and the blue-grey sky, are all just absolutely beautiful. That’s just over Snoqualmie Pass. Stevens Pass, the North Cascade Highway, White Pass, the Gorge, are all just dazzling in their beauty. And God made them all with his incomprehensible creativity. They have come through volcanic explosions, lava flows, avalanches, wind, and rain, for millions of years, to become the beauty we see at this moment.

This week I will be sharing from the Book of Ecclesiastes, trying to understand that God makes all things beautiful, in his time. And that’s true of you. God is in the process of making you more and more beautiful until that day when you will be in heaven and glorified by God’s love.

Don’t be caught up in a wrong view of yourself, your family, your community, your nation, or your whole world. And that’s because the best is yet to come, and God does make all things beautiful.

To make this service even more beautiful and inspirational, we will have a time for baptism as part of the service. What a great time to celebrate what God is doing inside someone’s life. He is bringing new beauty, new character, and bringing forth a better follower of Jesus Christ. If you would like to be baptized this Sunday, please email Pastor Michael at michael.fernandez@wacathedral.org. Bring a change of clothes and a towel, to get baptized in the waterfall. It’s a moment you will never forget.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim

P.S. You can even decide while you are sitting in the worship service whether you would like to get baptized. We will have a few changes of clothing and towels for you, just in case.

You can catch the service online via Facebook Live, You Tube or the church app. 10:30am Sunday the 5th. Either in person or online, we’d love to have you join us!

Every Day is a New Beginning

By Pastor Tim White

This Sunday morning, I will be preaching on this fact – every day is a new beginning!  An understanding of this motivational truth will revolutionize your life.  No, I didn’t think of it. It’s from the Book of Lamentations. Let me teach you how to start your mornings with a great devotional time. The music will be beautiful, and your presence is much appreciated. Take this opportunity to bring this balance to your life as you worship in front of a gorgeous waterfall.

What happens in life if you never personally experience new beginnings in life? Well, you will burn out because God is the God of new beginnings. And we were created, as fallible human beings, to need new beginnings.  Without those new beginnings fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Please join us at 10:30 Sunday in person at the church or online (You Tube, Facebook Live or the church App). You will experience a much-needed new beginning.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White