Words from the office

Leonardo da Vinci once declared, “Water is the driving force of all nature.” It is everywhere. Well over half of the human body is made up of it. In the womb babies get to know a thing or two about water. We use it to wash ourselves, our clothes, animals, and cars, and to nourish our lawns. Water irrigates wounds and can be harnessed for heavy lifting, plus nearly everything we drink is made with it.

I was too young to remember much from my early childhood in Japan, but my parents have told me stories about the occasional typhoons that would sweep through. They were nothing to play with—and I believe them.

Just a few days ago, a massive 8.8 magnitude underwater earthquake in the Pacific Ocean triggered tsunami warnings in countries like Russia and the aforementioned “Land of the Rising Sun.” Similar warnings were issued for Hawaii and the beaches of California. Water, in any form, is a paradox—both predictable and unpredictable, knowable and mysterious, wildly destructive and healing. But it is never insignificant.

Many of us have fond memories of Malcolm-Jamal Warner from his beloved role as Theo on The Cosby Show. He seemed to live a full life beyond that stardom, continuing steady work as an actor through the years, which made the news of his untimely death even more jarring. Last month

Last month on July 20, he drowned off Playa Cocles in the Limón Province of Costa Rica. Though investigations are ongoing, all reports confirm that he was caught in a riptide.

He was 54 years old.

We all know that death is inevitable, yet few of us imagine that drowning will be the means of our end, as there’s something particularly horrifying about it. Water is powerful. You know it. I know it. And even if someone were to double dog dare me, I wouldn't dream of trying to go head-to-head with it.

Scripture describes God’s Word as “living water” and also as sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb 4:12). It, too, is powerful—far more powerful than even the most fearsome storm or body of water. And yet, especially these days, it’s all too easy to forget that.

As summer runs its course, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will prompt us to uphold the Bible—all of it—for the power, truth, safety, and transformation it brings. Like anything worth pursuing, this is easier said than done. That’s why we need to walk out our faith together, not in isolation.

Let us remember Jesus' promise in John 4:13–14: “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

- Pastor James