Uplook - March 1, 2025
Happy Sunny Saturday in Seattle,
I’ve often said, we do not take sunny days for granted here and are thankful for them. I suppose that sometimes perceptions matter and the entertainment industry has certainly played up Seattle’s rain over the years. (And they think the Space Needle is our tallest building as well which is just not true) As someone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest their entire life and in Seattle for over 15 years, I chuckle whenever I hear folks from outside the area ask how we “handle the rain”. I used to humorously answer, “Well, I don’t stand out in it!” And a former pastor here in Seattle used to smile and answer, “It’s a dry rain!”
When we returned to Seattle over 10 years ago I found an article which was quite enlightening. It stated that in reality, Seattle is ranked 44th among US cities for annual rainfall. Hilo, Hawaii boasts over 150 inches of rainfall per year and cities like Houston, New Orleans, and Memphis in the south all have more rainfall than here. Most cities on the East Coast including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Miami also have more rainfall than Seattle.
What is in fact true is that most of Seattle’s rain comes in light drizzle from October through March which are nearly always cloudy and grey. We get little rain from April through September and have very few clouds in June through September. All of this comes from the fact that the Olympic Mountains block much of the precipitation from reaching us directly and as such, most natives or long time transplant residents don’t even carry umbrellas.
Why would I share such information with you today (besides I’m a bit of a trivia and odd fact collector)? Just to remind and warn us about relying on perceptions and attitudes which abound today which are not grounded in the truth of God’s Word. We must remember that all of humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (It’s not just “them” …whoever “they” might be.) We must remember that God loves the world enough that He sent Jesus so anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. (None are so good to deserve the offer and none are so bad to be exempt from the offer.) We must remember that God is both loving and just and while grace is offered to those who turn to Him, justice/judgement will fall to those who ridicule and refuse that grace. (No matter their economic status, national origin, good works, or genealogy.)
So…the next time you are out on a cloudy day …remember it isn’t always like that in Seattle. And remember also that as Christians, our lives and hope are not grounded in human perceptions but rather in the person of Jesus Christ who is the Way (Direction), Truth, and Life.
Housekeeping Notes:
No Bible Study this week due to the Portland Tabernacle Meetings. I encourage you to tune in to those services at apostolicfaith.org on Tuesday-Friday evenings at 7:30 next week.
Next Sunday, March 9…(not tomorrow) will be the start of Daylight Savings Time and you will need to set your clocks ahead one hour either the night before or early that morning to be to church on time (or tune in to the webcast).
God bless you all,
BB
Rev. William E. McKibben
Senior Pastor
I’ve often said, we do not take sunny days for granted here and are thankful for them. I suppose that sometimes perceptions matter and the entertainment industry has certainly played up Seattle’s rain over the years. (And they think the Space Needle is our tallest building as well which is just not true) As someone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest their entire life and in Seattle for over 15 years, I chuckle whenever I hear folks from outside the area ask how we “handle the rain”. I used to humorously answer, “Well, I don’t stand out in it!” And a former pastor here in Seattle used to smile and answer, “It’s a dry rain!”
When we returned to Seattle over 10 years ago I found an article which was quite enlightening. It stated that in reality, Seattle is ranked 44th among US cities for annual rainfall. Hilo, Hawaii boasts over 150 inches of rainfall per year and cities like Houston, New Orleans, and Memphis in the south all have more rainfall than here. Most cities on the East Coast including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Miami also have more rainfall than Seattle.
What is in fact true is that most of Seattle’s rain comes in light drizzle from October through March which are nearly always cloudy and grey. We get little rain from April through September and have very few clouds in June through September. All of this comes from the fact that the Olympic Mountains block much of the precipitation from reaching us directly and as such, most natives or long time transplant residents don’t even carry umbrellas.
Why would I share such information with you today (besides I’m a bit of a trivia and odd fact collector)? Just to remind and warn us about relying on perceptions and attitudes which abound today which are not grounded in the truth of God’s Word. We must remember that all of humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (It’s not just “them” …whoever “they” might be.) We must remember that God loves the world enough that He sent Jesus so anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. (None are so good to deserve the offer and none are so bad to be exempt from the offer.) We must remember that God is both loving and just and while grace is offered to those who turn to Him, justice/judgement will fall to those who ridicule and refuse that grace. (No matter their economic status, national origin, good works, or genealogy.)
So…the next time you are out on a cloudy day …remember it isn’t always like that in Seattle. And remember also that as Christians, our lives and hope are not grounded in human perceptions but rather in the person of Jesus Christ who is the Way (Direction), Truth, and Life.
Housekeeping Notes:
No Bible Study this week due to the Portland Tabernacle Meetings. I encourage you to tune in to those services at apostolicfaith.org on Tuesday-Friday evenings at 7:30 next week.
Next Sunday, March 9…(not tomorrow) will be the start of Daylight Savings Time and you will need to set your clocks ahead one hour either the night before or early that morning to be to church on time (or tune in to the webcast).
God bless you all,
BB
Rev. William E. McKibben
Senior Pastor
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