God is Compassionate!

God is Compassionate! That is the inspiring big idea that Pastor Mark will be sharing this Sunday at 10:30am online and in person. Our world needs this simple, powerful idea. The story he will be telling this week is from Jonah. I’m so excited because I love that story. When I hear Pastor Mark tell the stories, I’m a six-year-old kid again remembering the Bible stories my dad, or my grandpa used to tell in church. I’m filled with wonder as I listen, my faith is stirred, and my dreams are tickled as I delight in Pastor Mark’s presentation of the good news.

Last week, I received a newspaper article from a member of our church who now lives in Skagit County. It spoke to all the divisions in our world and country today. And then it told the familiar story of Rabbi Levine who was the leading Rabbi of Mercer Island’s reformed Jewish Congregation. In the 1960s Rabbi Lavine started a national television program aimed at having open discussions about divisive topics. His partner was Father William Tracy. There was huge division and conflict between Jews and Catholics. They invited other religious leaders to discuss these hot topics in front of the television audience. Over the years Rabbi Lavine and Catholic Father Tracy became the best of friends. As did other religious leaders in our area. They literally impacted the whole world, and we survived the tumultuous 1960s. Later Rabbi Levine was killed in a car accident by a car going the wrong way on Interstate 90.

I often watched the program and was greatly inspired by it. Later when Jackie and I moved here to start Washington Cathedral we were greatly impacted by this good news approach to resolving the conflict in the world. Our congregation was under 100 when I dared to share one of my dreams that someday we would build a sanctuary with a beautiful waterfall view. Nature inspires peace and I wanted that natural aid to touch people’s lives. I announced my dream, and everybody laughed. Even my closest friends and family laughed thinking I was joking. I was so discouraged by the cold response to my dream. After the service when I greeted people at the back an older lady came up to me and shook my hand saying, I believe in your dream, and I dropped a large check in the offering to start the funding of your waterfall. I was blown away and became quite emotional. I asked why she would do that didn’t she hear everyone laughing at me. She spoke, still holding my hand saying, you remind me of a clergy member of the Jewish community, and he was a bridge for a lot of people in our area. I asked who she was talking about. She said his name was Rabbi Raphael Levine and she asked me if I had heard of him. I said yes, he was a national religious leader, he was like the Norman Vincent Peale for Judaism and then I asked if she knew him. When I said that she began to cry. I waited for her to speak again and she said with a beautiful smile and a sparkling tear running down her cheek, Yes, I knew him, I was his wife.

Pastor Mark is on the right track when he says God is a compassionate God. Our world desperately needs to hear that message today. So don’t miss this Sunday’s message that will touch your heart and bring enemies together as friends.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

IF THERE IS A GIANT IN FRONT OF YOU THEN THERE IS A DAVID INSIDE YOU

Have you ever faced a giant who was standing between you and your dreams? Sure you have we all have. One of my giants came when I was in the 8th Grade. He was 6’7 270 pounds and was in the 9th grade. He was already being recruited by Woody Hayes at Ohio State University and he was a bully. He was first chair French horn, and I was second chair. He often pulled his switch blade and would hold it a half inch from my face as he tried to mock me and humiliate me. He did not want me to challenge him for first chair. So bullying was his tactic. We had tussled before school had started over a foul ball at Sanders-Jacobs Baseball Field in Kennewick but during that fight I had my best friend Rich Sanders and my brothers who helped me out. By retrieving that ball, it gave us a free coke to split. But now it wasn’t five against two, it was one on one, and his size made me look like a shrimp and his knife had at least a six-inch blade. I was full of anxiety facing him. Oh, he was a giant. Not the worst giant I would ever face though. My math classes might have been an even greater giant when I was in college. I had to study for two hours for every hour in class, meet with my professor once a week, and meet with a tutor once a week. My “A” in calculus or inferential statistics was a miracle from God helping me tackle my giant.

Have you ever faced a giant? Of course, you have and this week I will be telling the story David and Goliath to the kids with a “kid friendly” dramatical reenactment. The sermon will give you a mega boost to your faith. Boy do all the kids need to hear this. So, meet me at 10:30am online or in person at our Christmas decorated Sanctuary.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

God has a game plan!

Imagine that you are standing on the horizon of the rest of your life. You survey the landscape and see unexplored adventures piquing your curiosity. Oh, in all the wonderment there is enthusiasm and anxiety. And then you remember that God has a plan for you. That is a little bit of what the people of Israel must have felt as they prepared to follow Joshua into the promised land. It was the land of their ancestors. This land was promised to Abraham and was settled by Isaac and Jacob. Now it was their turn.

This must be a little like Pastor Mark and his wife Ann as they wait for the next exciting step of their lives. The kids can sense their family’s enthusiasm. Just like Joshua and the twelve tribes of Israel they are excited because they are trusting that God has a game plan, and they are deciding to trust in him.

This Sunday at 10:30 either online or in person you can benefit from the thrilling Bible study of Joshua. Pastor Mark will be preaching. I will see you there.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

God wants us to be different!

This week, I have been reading Cosmic Queries by Neil deGrasse Tyson.  I really find his mind fascinating; he helps me grow my faith as I think with him about the Universe.  I know we have some different beliefs about religion, but I think we would become friends if we could spend some time together.  In chapter 4 he and his team discuss the age of the universe. The number we have all been taught to memorize is 13.8 billion years.  But his team points out that there is another prominent theory placing the date at approximately 11 billion years. I found this chapter fascinating especially due to the announcement on July 14, 2023, that it may be twice as old as everyone is thinking.  

There was a recent paper by Rajendra Gupta of the University of Ottawa in which he argued that observations of distant galaxies with the JWST, the existence of some stars apparently older than 13.8 billion years, and a phenomenon called 'tired light', mean the universe is actually 26.7 billion years old.  While this theory was not mentioned in his book the conclusion is that the size of the universe also may not be able to be measured accurately at this time.    

This quandary is one of the things about science. There are some things we know. There are some things that we have differing theories of knowing. And then there are inevitably some things that we don’t know yet.  But all those things may change as we grow as a collective world.

If this blog is boring to you, maybe think on this: In following Jesus, we are growing as we understand things better. It’s an exciting discussion but we’re all going to change as we move into the future. With that in mind, please come to Washington Cathedral this Sunday at 10:30 am as we study the Ten Commandments together.  We all might learn something that we have never even considered. I would not be surprised if some of us changed our lives by looking at the Ten Commandments with fresh eyes.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

God is always on the rescue!

It’s a beautiful day on Thursday as I write this devotion. The sun is bright and lifting my spirit like only God can do. This phenomenon always surprises me because you would think after all these years of being a full-time follower of Jesus Christ that I would not need God to do this; and yet here I am being lifted like a hot air balloon. It feels amazing to have this power outside of myself to lift me up. God lifts my hopes, my need for forgiveness, my love of life, and my love of His Spirit. God is always on the rescue.

Exodus 14:14 the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Pastor Mark is preaching this week on the God who always rescues. I don’t know about you, but I am loving watching pastor Mark emerge as a superb preacher. It’s just a privilege to witness the exciting story of Washington Cathedral. And I expect God to do a mighty work in my heart this Sunday at 10:30 am. So, I’m getting ready for a lift and a rejuvenation in my heart as our Lord works through Pastor Mark’s sermon. Don’t miss it.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

God and I can do the impossible!

You are so much better with God on your side!

I love the verse: “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.”  Zechariah 4:6b

What a lightning bolt insight into our lives. It's not about God being on our side it’s more specifically an issue of us being on God’s side.  This weekend I have the privilege of sharing the story of Jacob and Esau including the life of Joseph.  At one point Jacob wrestles with God determined to have his blessing. This was the top priority of Jacob, always scheming throughout his life not to be left out and always thinking he needed to scheme to make things happen. But after that wrestling match, he learned how essential it was to be on God’s side and then he was renamed Israel. Israel has a lot of meanings varying throughout history. But originally it meant “let God prevail.”  As Israel (Jacob) became a prince and the father of 12 sons who founded the 12 tribes of Israel.

What a privilege to share this story with the kids and then to see its impact on us adults.  Join us Sunday at 10:30 for the experience of watching schemers become princes under the power of God’s word.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

God Is Trustworthy

Pastor Mark Nsimbi will be sharing part 2 of the Abraham Bible Story this Sunday and it will be a joyful experience as he shares that God is indeed trustworthy.  One of the joys of worship lately has been the kid’s Bible story time. It is fun to see all the cute kids in church but it’s also satisfying to hear the old Bible stories again. It is a great way to reacquaint ourselves with the Bible. Especially as the children’s story touches the child inside of each of us. 

Many of us are even reading through the Bible again in the next six months. It is so convenient that you can listen to the Bible every night through Audible or some other resource. Each week people who are taking the “through the Bible” challenge ask me a question. We can’t grow as a church until we grow in our understanding of God’s word. Sometime in January let’s have a special dinner to discuss all the hot potato questions you are having about the Bible. This will be an opportunity for all of us to dive deeper into all the questions that might arise as well take in God’s word and grow the heart of our church.

I love our Sunday worship and to hear Pastor Mark share these stories; maybe because there is a Timmy White inside of me feeling wrapped in the arms of a loving God as I hear these stories. 

Why not join us in person or online this a Sunday!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Hope is a Walking Dream

Stories live for a lifetime in our imagination. I still have episodes of the twilight zone embedded in my brain from childhood.  I also have stories from Sunday School embedded in my soul.  They have become a part of my values and the strength of my personality. Oh, how I pray that this generation of children receive a foundation in God’s word. Yes, because my grandchildren are a part of this present generation of children.

This week I will be telling the story of Abraham and his dream of founding a nation. God reaffirms it again and again as his understanding of it grows and matures. In proverbs God’s word teaches us that where there is no vision the people perish. And in Acts we see that we can tell our vision to someone, and they may be able to tell our future. I really want our children to understand how they can dream God’s dream for their life. It is something they are going to need time and again to really be renewed.  In fact, it is something we are all going to need in our lives.

Join us this Sunday in person or online at 10:30 AM; you will be inspired!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Leaning on God

It is with deep emotion that I announce to you today that you can fully trust in God with all your life. The other day Pastor Mark was preaching, and he asked us to forgive him for being emotional as he said something like this, “If you are broken, God loves you and wants to bring healing to your life.”  I think we all smiled because this amazing young man felt emotional about God’s grace and how trusting him can really changes our lives. I’ve seen this work so many times and I want to drop to my knees in deep personal thanksgiving for this miracle.  This week Pastor Mark will be sharing about the Bible story of the Tower of Babel.  That story really speaks today.  What a warning to the pride, self-aggrandizement, and narcissism of our age.  The humility that we feel when we truly lean on God with all our hearts just casts out the hubris or pride that can suck us into self-destruction.  It restores relationships, becomes a foundation for teamwork and prepares us to do the right thing.  

 Won’t you join me this Sunday for a refreshing life-giving service that will make you strong.
Sunday at 10:30 am both online and in person worship.

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

God Keeps His Promises!

God fulfills his promises! What a bold statement in the book of Genesis. First, we need to know exactly what God’s promises are before we can chase back the fear in our lives by standing on the promises of God, our Savior. As we study through the Bible in the next 6 months, we are going to be building a fortress of faith where we can all take refuge. Are we living our lives on the promises which push back the fear that is invading the population of the earth?

 We love the children of Washington Cathedral for so many reasons. This week I have the honor of sharing with the kids the story of Noah and the ark. There are so many life lessons there and the children of our church need these foundational truths to be strong in this coming age.

 There is a research project out of England by a sociologist which asks what has happened to the church post-Covid. His book is going to be published in November. Through his research he has rediscovered his faith and joined the Catholic church. He begins by using the Latter-day Saints as the songbird in the mine. Evidently, they are dropping as fast as all the other churches. They are usually so committed that trends like this are not reflected in their numbers. But not this time. There is a sweeping change in religion in the United States and this research says it is because of the conflict between science and religion. We cannot cloister away in this world broken down by modernity. The days of faith being able to survive without communicating with the rest of the church are over. You hear the questions the kids have for Pastor Mark and me on Sunday mornings Bible story time. The series through the Bible is desperately needed by children and adults to find direction in the changing world.

 Please join us this Sunday at 10:30 to see how your faith can be strengthened by a careful struggle with ever-growing science and discovery in our world. When the Bible is read plainly and honestly it really does highlight the important questions which lay before us.

 Your friend for the rest of my life,

 Pastor Tim White