Our Leadership

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One of the things that we highly value is listening to one another's stories. In particular, we love to hear about how people are encountering Jesus in their day-to-day lives. This might be in big ways...but it also happens most often in smaller ways (sometimes in ways that are really easy to miss.)

On this page you will find a treasure trove of such stories! May your own walk with Jesus be deeply encouraged and nourished by what you read here.

If you are interested in sharing some of your story here, please email us to let us know!

Following the Star

After leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses, one of the hardest things for me to accept was the celebration of birthdays. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I really struggled with this. As I look back, their argument was pretty shallow. They argued that there were only two mentions of birthdays in the Bible, and both were marked by an execution. One was Pharaoh ordering the execution of the chief baker (Gen. 40:20-22). The other was Herod Antipas ordering the beheading of John

Bob Witty

3 days ago3 min read

Unexpected Consequences

For a remodel (or any do-it-yourself project), it will take twice as long and cost twice as much as originally thought. Our villa in Palm Springs was built in 2001, and I don’t think our front door had ever been repainted. It was a faded beige with chipped paint, and kind of embarrassing. So let’s paint it! How hard can it be? “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower [paint a door]. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to compl

Bob Witty

Jan 93 min read

Standing at the Door to a New Year

Forty years ago while pastoring in California I purchased a signed print of a painting at a street fair. The painting by Randy Klassen pictured a small child at a large church door. It spoke to me of my need for childlike faith no matter how many candles will adorn my next birthday cake. Once framed, that picture has hung over my desk in every church I served for the past forty-five years. It traveled with me from California to Illinois to Washington State. Whenever my three

Greg Asimakoupoulos

Dec 31, 20253 min read

Closet Carols

Most people know that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays and Christmas. Being raised as a Witness, I didn’t either. Their reasoning is somewhat circuitous and contradicting, but here it goes. 1. The Bible commands us to celebrate Jesus’ death, not his birth. There is no record of first century Christians celebrating his birth. (1 Cor. 11:26) 2. Jesus was probably born in the fall, not December. 3. The date and many customs were borrowed from t

Bob Witty

Dec 19, 20253 min read

The Day I Met Santa

The day I met Santa is a day I’ll never forget. It wasn’t at the North Pole. It was in Alaska. He wasn't in a sleigh. He was on a cruise ship. And he wasn’t in his typical attire. He was on vacation. I was sitting on the lido deck of the M.S. Eurodam having lunch. Two men near me were reflecting on the good old days of television. One asked the other if he remembered Red Buttons the comedic actor. “I remember Red Skelton, but not Red Buttons,” came the response. I reached for

Greg Asimakoupoulos

Dec 17, 20253 min read

Karen

The first anniversary of my wife’s death was in October this year. As of this writing, we have been married for 45 years, 3 months and 6 days. Honestly it’s only been 45 years, 3 months, 5 days and I don’t know how many hours. Karen was my best friend. She understood me, even my weirdness of how I think about some things. Karen was my helper. She was willing to sit in the car or truck and do whatever I asked, as I would be either under the hood or under the car itself, work

Steve Pettijohn

Dec 10, 20253 min read

The Awesomeness of God

This season, I’ve been thinking about Alexander more than usual. Photos from years gone by pop up on my phone, and suddenly I’m back in those final weeks of his life — the sweetness of who he was for 13 beautiful years, and the ache of watching him prepare to go home to Jesus. Both memories live side by side: the joy of his life and the pain of his leaving. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18), and I feel that deeply right now. A few days ago was especially

Angelina Wainhouse

Dec 3, 20252 min read

Giving Thanks

Growing up, one of my fondest memories was Thanksgiving at Grandma Charlotte’s house. It was an annual event for family and friends, and Grandma’s house was the center of it all. Our immediate and extended family could be anywhere from sixteen to twenty-some people, including Great Grandpa Bill, aunts, uncles and cousins, and some adopted relatives. Ironically, this was a small post-war, two-bedroom house in Wedgewood that couldn’t have been larger than 1,200 square feet.

Bob Witty

Nov 27, 20253 min read

Listening is a Gift

A few years ago, I took a class on Call. I realized more of what “Call” meant and what gifts God gave me. I always knew I was called to work with children, but I also learned that listening to God is a gift! Years ago, a month and a half into my marriage, I got sick with a stomach flu that never ended. I was pregnant. That had not been in our five-year plan, as we were 21 at the time, and we were scared, but we knew God had a plan. I was sick my entire pregnancy and was then

Andrea Nelson

Nov 19, 20252 min read

Life Lessons Part 6

After leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses ( see Life Lessons Part 5 ), I became the object of scandal and cruel gossip. After all, I was the golden boy that made his mother and family proud. It was hard not living up to their expectations. It was something I had done all my life and I didn’t know any different. The shunning and sometimes unnecessary rudeness hurt deeply. I often questioned my decision to leave the Witnesses and wondered whether I should have done something d

Bob Witty

Nov 14, 20253 min read

A Halloween to Remember

I’ve been telling people for years, “Halloween isn’t my holiday.” Then I found myself in a Raggedy Ann costume three times in one Halloween week! I even attended a performance of Dracula! What’s up with that? Turns out, doing something together with my brothers and sisters at Creekside is a powerful draw. Dracula came first - the one and only reason to go was to see Tracy dance. She was great! Pastor Julie set up the first Raggedy instance with Trunk or Treat. Kent signe

Jani James

Nov 5, 20252 min read

Life Lessons Part 5

I’m 17 years old. I’m working part-time for Alderwood Manor Electric. I’m enjoying high school. I am very active as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I have an extended family with grandparents and cousins. Life is good. But at that time, I didn’t really have a direction in life. I felt like I was marking time. One weekend, I went to our Kingdom Hall (what we called church). They were presenting a special home movie about the many missionaries of Jehovah’s Witnesses around

Bob Witty

Oct 30, 20254 min read

Time in a Bottle

“If I could save time in a bottle the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away just to spend them with you…” Timeless words, right? Ten years before I got married, I listened to that popular Jim Croce song on the radio while studying in my college dorm room. In 1972 the lyrics to Time in a Bottle were poignant, but at the time I had no idea how prophetic they would be in years to come. Milestone moments in my life would accentuate t

Greg Asimakoupoulos

Oct 23, 20253 min read

Called Away

Pastor Mark’s departure is top of mind right now. That leads me to reflect on a call “away” that occurred in Kent’s life and mine. Kent experienced a call “to” involvement in a country in Central Asia. It began as co-ministry with national churches and foreign mission partners, including our church at the time, which had “adopted” Azerbaijan, as was the style in the ‘90s. Kent wasn’t a missionary. But, he was drawn by God to use his skills for the good of the country. Tho

Jani James

Oct 16, 20253 min read