June 2026

“He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” —Psalm 62:6 (ESV)

Dear Cobham Park Church Family,
I recently visited a small town nestled in the mountains southwest of Charlottesville. While on a walk there, I noticed that a homeowner’s fence had seen better days. It was weathered, tottering, decayed, and askew. On one side of the yard, the fence looked particularly precarious, but it remained standing because it had been braced by a single board against the base of a very large oak tree.
I quickly took the picture below before resuming my walk. Something about that fence reminded me of something… Ah, yes: it’s me! I may still be standing, but, here and there, I may have seen better days. I too have tried to brace my life over the years. I’ve leaned on my own strength, abilities, and confidence. I’ve counted on other people I loved or admired. I treasured possessions or organizations that gave me a sense of identity. I depended on good plans that I made for myself. While such things are often God-given blessings to be enjoyed, none of them can support us through thick and thin. They might last for a while, but it’s only a matter of time before they give way. I realize that the times in my life when I’ve been most worried, grieved, perplexed, or hopeless—these came from bracing my life against things that can never last.
As a church family and as followers of Jesus, we too will totter if we lean too heavily on things that can never last. In the final equation, only God is truly faithful. Jesus is the only steady foundation that can support our lives. Only the Spirit lasts forever. What are you bracing your life against? Are you “leaning on the everlasting arms?”

In His Love,
Pastor Keith