Faith @ First - July 10, 2026
We made it! We survived last week’s relentless heat wave, with humidity pushing 90% and temperatures that felt close to 100 degrees. Even a quick walk to the mailbox was enough to leave us sweating and searching for a cold glass of water.
As uncomfortable as the heat was, it reminded me of something we often take for granted: When we are truly thirsty, nothing satisfies quite like water. It refreshes, restores, and gives us life.
Perhaps that’s why God so often uses water to teach us the deeper truths of our faith throughout scripture. God parts the waters of the Red Sea to create a way forward for a people who felt trapped. Water gushes from a rock to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness. Jesus meets a weary woman beside a well and offers her living water that satisfies the deepest thirst of the human soul. And in the waters of baptism, we remember that we are claimed, cleansed, and made new by the grace of Christ.
This Sunday, we begin a brand-new worship series called Take Me to the Water. As we soak up the final weeks of summer, we'll wade into these unforgettable stories of water and discover how God continues to use them to refresh our faith, renew our hope, and invite us into a deeper life with Christ.
I hope you'll join us this Sunday and come ready to encounter God's Spirit, and to discover that the One who created the oceans still knows how to quench a thirsty heart.
Until then I invite you to ponder and pray:
What is your soul thirsty for?
Let us pray.
Gracious God, thank you for being the Living Water our souls long for. As we begin this new journey together, awaken in us a deeper thirst for your presence. Refresh what has grown weary, restore what has become dry, and lead us into the abundant life you have promised through Jesus Christ. Amen
Keep the Faith @First,
Pastor Nicole
P.S. This is one of my favorite pictures of water—at sunset while on a mission trip in Cuba. I saw the water and thought of the Psalmist’s words: “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
