The First Cast

Thinking about the end of your life can change what you do with the rest of it. In this message from Falling Short, Pastor Josh explores how facing our mortality helps us recognize what matters: character, relationships, faithfulness, and trust in God. Ecclesiastes 7 challenges us to move beyond distraction, receive correction, practice patience, and walk humbly through circumstances we cannot control or fully understand. Our wisdom, strength, and righteousness fall short, but Jesus is enough. Let the certainty of your death change the priorities of your life.

10-25-26

Message 15

When More Is Never Enough | Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:12

Summer may be over, but Solomon isn't finished! Our journey through Ecclesiastes continues as The Meaningless Summer transitions into Falling Short, a new season of the same study exploring why the things we chase so often fail to satisfy.

We spend our lives pursuing more money, more success, and more possessions, convinced that happiness is just around the corner. But what happens when we finally get everything we wanted and discover it still isn't enough?

In this message, When More Is Never Enough, we discover why having more doesn't guarantee satisfaction, why enjoying what we have is a gift from God, and how genuine contentment comes from looking beyond the gifts to the Giver.

Because everything falls short when we ask it to take the place of God.

10-18-26

Message 14

Growing older doesn’t always mean growing up, and the same is true spiritually. In “Growing in Spiritual Maturity,” guest speaker Aaron Sanders explores the journey from spiritual childhood to becoming a disciple who makes disciples. Beginning with new life through faith in Jesus, this message challenges us to take responsibility for our spiritual growth, spend consistent time in Scripture and prayer, and invest in the faith of others. Spiritual maturity involves more than knowing more; it means becoming more like Jesus. Where are you in that journey, and what is your next step?

10.11.2026

We often make promises to God in moments of desperation, but what happens when the crisis passes and the promises are forgotten? In Ecclesiastes 5, Solomon warns us against careless words, empty commitments, and worship without reverence. God isn't looking for bigger promises; He's looking for faithful people. As we conclude Watch Your Step, we're reminded that familiarity with God should deepen our awe, not diminish it. The more we know God, the more seriously we should take Him.

Message 13 - 10.4.2026

Familiarity can deepen affection, but it can also breed indifference. The same danger exists in our relationship with God. In Ecclesiastes 5, Solomon warns us not to approach worship casually: don’t just show up, listen; and don’t just say something, remember who you’re talking to. God is in heaven, and we are on earth. Worship begins when we stop going through the motions, listen with a heart ready to obey, and recover our awe of the God we’ve come to worship.

Message 12 - 9.27.2026

It’s easy to spend life asking, “How am I doing?” Ecclesiastes challenges us to ask a better question: “How are we doing?” Comparison can turn other people into competitors, success can become empty when there’s no one to share it with, and applause never lasts. God designed us for something better than a life built around ourselves. Don’t sacrifice what matters most for what won’t matter long.

Message 11 - 9.20.2026

What do we do when life isn’t merely difficult, but genuinely unfair? Ecclesiastes confronts a world where injustice is real, powerful people hurt others, and some wrongs never seem to be made right. Yet Solomon reminds us that God sees, God will judge, and injustice will not have the final word. We can trust the Judge, receive the life God has given us today, and refuse to overlook the tears of those who are hurting. The crooked will not stay crooked forever.

Message 10 - 9.13.2026

Why does injustice bother us so deeply? Because we recognize that something in this world is crooked. In this message from Ecclesiastes 3, we see that sin has invaded even the places where righteousness should prevail. But injustice does not get the final word. God sees every wrong, nothing disappears into the past, and every sin will ultimately face His judgment. Justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied.

Message 9 - 9.6.2026

Why does it hurt so much when beautiful things end? Ecclesiastes says it is because God has put eternity in our hearts. In this message, we discover why our brief lives matter, how Jesus entered time at just the right time, and what it means to redeem the time God has given us. Our lives may be only a fragment of eternity, but in Christ, they are not meaningless.

Message 8 - 8.30.2026

Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that life comes in seasons: some beautiful, some painful, some we choose, and some that choose us. While we cannot control every season or see the whole story, God can. In this message, we discover why wisdom means learning to grow small and why faith is trusting the God who sees the whole timeline when we can only see today.

Message 7 - 8.23.2026