"Being Fruitful!"

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:7-9 (TNIV)

I love it when fruit starts to ripen in the Pacific Northwest- - - it’s an amazing miracle! First come the fruit trees blossoming with indescribable beauty. Next, we see the little green beginnings of delicious fruit begin to grow- - - apples, peaches, apricots, cherries (not in this order), watermelon and cantaloupe (not from trees, but from the vines on the ground), loganberries, blueberries and most amazing of all (the most pesky weed in the Pacific Northwest) the blackberry bush dazzles us all as we stop fighting them and start enjoying their fruit. I remember one Sunday I was preaching and I happened to mention that the world’s best watermelon was grown in Hermiston. Little did I know that there was a farmer from Hermiston in the crowd visiting his daughter and the next week he had a fresh Hermiston watermelon delivered to each staff member.

All through the Bible we are encouraged to produce fruit. In John 15:1-2 Jesus says, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” There is the fruitfulness comparison. It seems that something placed deep inside our human DNA is the desire to be fruitful- - - we want our lives to count for something good and honorable. We want to bear fruit that is self-perpetuating or replicating of the very cause of our lives.

Why do some people bear fruit in their life and others lives are built on sand that wash away at the first sign of a storm? Perhaps our worst enemy is not our circumstances, but ourselves- - - our own attitude of closeness to God. “But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23) There lies the ability to weather the storms of conflict, criticism, unfaithful friends, and spiteful enemies; and keep a heart of gold so pure that it can invest completely in the Kingdom of God. I pray that each of us is fruitful in every part of our lives and I pray that the fruitfulness of our church increases.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

"A Tribute!"

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)

One of the first Christmas’ at Washington Cathedral we received a call from Swedish Hospital that a young lady there was facing death. Our family loaded up our Christmas party and we joined her in her room. For the first (and last) time our family formed a choir and our five-year-old daughter, Elise, played her portable keyboard while we sang Christmas hymns, exchanged presents, and felt the Christmas Spirit in a very precious way. Wendy Moesch was a brilliant straight “A” student who was challenged with a life of chronic illness. She was a member of many different TLC’s (Tiny Little Churches) in our church. I don’t know how many people visited her in the hospital, gave her rides to doctor visits, brought meals, gave gifts, picked her up for church, and rode the rollercoaster of her life along with her dear family.

I think she faced a total of about 26 years of chronic illness. Who wouldn't need all the support and caring they could get to go through the prime of their life filled with pain and illness? It seemed like somehow every year I ended up as Wendy’s Santa through the Santa Conspiracy. She would say, “Pastor Tim how do you always find me at Christmas?” And I would say, “Honestly, I don't know!”

I write this article as a tribute to Wendy Moesch who loved God in spite of her difficult life. I also write it in tribute to her parents and family who hung in there through all the years. A week ago Pastor Linda and Pastor David led her beautiful memorial service in our Spirit Falls Sanctuary. I also write this as a tribute to all the members of Washington Cathedral who are trying to build a great caring network and who were part of trying to encourage an amazing young lady who fought some of the toughest challenges of life with as much faith as she could muster. Wendy made sure all our buildings were special needs accessible; she inspired us when her faith showed through her hardship. Her life was not easy, but she was a great inspiration to many of us.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

"What Would Jesus Do?"

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew 5:11-12

What do you do when you are completely out of cheeks to turn? The whole philosophy of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount was turning the other cheek. Loving your enemies, blessing those that curse you is a wondrous theory, but sometimes we get to the end of ourselves. We go through the crucible of losing our ability to understand what God is doing and what we are supposed to do in response to all the injustice in our lives. And that moment is an opportunity to experience a grace that we could never envision. We cannot envision it because it comes not from this world, but from God himself. We trust not in our emotions, but in faith- - - faith that moves mountains! We confess with our hearts and believe with our minds in a strong, bold, kind, and loving response. We ask, “What would Jesus do?” and that is a beginning of a miracle.

I love the story in Acts where the enemies of Christianity threw rocks at the apostle Paul and hit him with sticks until they were sure that he was dead. His friends gathered around him crying and then he moved- - - he was still alive and he got up. As they grabbed him to comfort and bandage him he just walked back into the town and began preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and everyone was amazed. I wonder if Paul was the most amazed one of all. God had worked a miracle in his heart and mind—one that we still experience today- - - a miracle that is still changing the world!

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

"Let's Celebrate!"

For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me. Acts 27:23

In one of the toughest moments of his life, the apostle Paul was going through a storm and we see this one verse (above). It is an amazing verse. God was by his side in the tough times. This has been my experience—that God has sent Angels in the form of friends to stand by my side in the toughest storms of life. I want us all to celebrate that right in the teeth of this recession. Washington Cathedral raised 75 thousand dollars for the children living in the city dump of Tegucigalpa Honduras. We raised 4 full-ride scholarships for kids graduating from AFE School to go to the university. We have our financial challenges as a church, but what a display of generosity! Attendance has been up with new people coming to the church and many wanting to join. We are starting three new congregations and the dream- - - God's dream- - - is moving forward.

Last night a new family from Russia attended The Source. They have a ministry of adopting at-risk kids and loving them as God himself would love them. My dad told the amazing mom that she was his hero and that her ministry is like the highest ideals of this great caring network. She said, “What for? I’m not doing anything.” As my dad told me this story I thought, “This is definitely a God thing,” because with God standing by your side (or sending an angel) it lifts the burden away and turns it all into a sweet adventure that makes life worth living.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Still Splashing Joy!

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” Mark 16:15

We have a dream of a great network of churches from all ethnic groups working together as one team out to build the greatest caring network that the world has ever seen. I believe that last Sunday was a glimpse into the future of Christianity. Over 50 people attended our Pastor’s Welcome Brunch / (Discovery Class)—people from Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, El Salvador, Columbia, Peru, the Philippines, and un-churched people from the United States. When I asked everyone to share a little about their faith background, I had no idea at what would happen next. In the history of Washington Cathedral we have never had a class like this! Every story was a tearful telling of redemption, new faith, the discovering of a family and a great caring network. The tears were flowing, but prayers of thanksgiving were also flowing for those who know what it has taken to get this church this far. But more than that- - - it was a viewpoint. You know when you are backpacking and you come around a bend and you see the top of the mountain you are going to climb. It makes your heart pound, takes your breath away and you are filled with new energy. One member of our church leaned over to me and said, “I think this was a ‘God thing’ that we were here to experience this!”

I am somewhat versed in what’s happening at Washington Cathedral, but I was in no way prepared for the beauty, the drama, the pure-hearted Christianity that came pouring out that day. I will never be the same. I can say with Martin Luther King Jr. that, “I have seen the mountain top!” I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get to the mountain top! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. I will never be the same after that class.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim

"At Home in Christ!"

“The disciple who abides (is at home) in Jesus is in the will of God, and what appears to be his free choices are actually God’s foreordained decrees…” Oswald Chambers

We are then to allow Jesus that place of being totally at home in us, in our lives, so that He will be comfortable changing things around, rearranging our rooms…throwing out things that aren’t needed any longer. It might be old habits, wrong thinking: those attitudes and defenses that we no longer need, or do us any good. He wants to be “King of our Castle” and when we let Him, we find that place of Home ~ that Place of Rest and Safety. We find we are more comfortable in our lives, in our own skins, our place in this world and with other people. Not trying to fix them, but accepting them where and for what they are, as God’s children too. He will take care of them. We are to be quite busy with our own rooms and what God has in store for us on this simple, childlike adventure; so we needn’t be worrying about cleaning out other peoples’ houses…

To live within His will and plan for our lives frees us from all sorts of things. We can take steps daily toward our future knowing He’s got it all mapped out. We needn’t worry. If we turn our concerns for others into prayers for them, it accomplishes things for the Kingdom far better than worrying will do. To do this we need to trust God with every aspect of our lives and with the confidence of a little child who is totally focused; and accepting that her Father would never do anything to hurt or disappoint. He loves us and wants only the best for our lives in order to grow and strengthen us to be useful in our time here.

Fiona Monaghan

"The Fourth Great Awakening!"

"But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean theAmerican war? The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people." John Adams (as quoted by David McCullough), Part 1 Revolution

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. Romans 1:16-17
The fourth great awakening has started. Three great awakenings mark American history and it’s time for a fourth! A band of believers are out to change the world through their faith in Jesus Christ and their service to the people that God loves. After the 11am service last week a beautiful, intelligent young girl was headed to Children’s Hospital to visit a 7 year old friend who is facing a very serious illness. She had a smile on her face and moist eyes- - - she was doing what Jesus would do- - - what we call “Splashes of Joy!”

We’ve asked people to share their experience and results with doing “Random Acts of Jesus.” Caitlin, who is 10 years old, wrote about her experience: “I took Lily to the park while Bob and Bev got lots of yard work done." Yeah Catlin! And Laryn wrote about a neighbor girl (Logan) who is her age. After Logan’s parents lost their jobs in Colorado they moved here to re-establish at her grandparent’s house in Laryn’s neighborhood. Then her mom got her old job back in Colorado, but wanted her daughter to stay here to finish school. Laryn feels like Logan needs more friends so she’s been working to help her feel at home. Laryn says, “She is like a sister now." What a blessing and life impacting experience!

As John Adams said, “The revolution starts in our heads. Before there is an army there is something that happens in our minds and hearts.” I think this is happening with the children! I pray we all catch the campaign to reach out and surprise people with “Random Acts of Jesus!”

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim