Faith @ First - June 19, 2026
There is something about traveling together that reveals a person's true personality. For Olivia, it meant finding the biggest, fastest roller coaster she could possibly ride. Isabella, however, wasn't so sure. As we stood in line for one particularly enormous roller coaster, I could see the anxiety growing on her face. The closer we got to the front, the quieter she became. Finally, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, I'm scared." I knelt beside her and replied, "I'm going to be with you, and it's okay to be afraid." She took a deep breath, buckled herself into that roller coaster, and held on tight.
What happened next amazed me. Not only did she survive the ride but she discovered that fear doesn't have to make our decisions for us. For the rest of the trip, those words became her mantra: It's okay to be scared, and I'm not alone. And she put that mantra to the test!
A few days later, I watched Isabella soar 1,400 feet in the air as we parasailed. As I watched her floating above the ocean, I was in awe of my nine-year-old's strength. But I was in even greater awe of the power of community. When we know we are not alone, we can do remarkable things. When someone walks beside us, encourages us, prays for us, serves us, and reminds us that we are loved, we discover strength we didn't know we possessed. We begin to soar to heights we once feared. That truth is at the heart of our message this week.
As we continue our Sealed with Hope series, we'll explore the many ways our church serves and supports others—and how those acts of care transform both the giver and the receiver. I hope you'll join us this Sunday. And if you haven't already, I invite you to pick up an envelope for our Sealed with Hope fundraising campaign or donate digitally HERE.
Together, we'll continue helping others discover that it's okay to be scared, because in Christ, none of us walks (or soars) alone.
Flying High,
Pastor Nicole
