The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters. –Psalm 23:1-2
My Field Notes 6/6/2026, 1:06 pm, Splash Valley, Apple Valley:
Searing pavement underfoot—white light dances blindly on the water—screams fall into splashes—parents rubbing sunscreen on squirming children—muffled voices underwater—blurry eyes drip with water, stinging with chlorine—sweet cool ice cream satisfies hot and hungry bodies—sticky fingers, sticky chins—puffed monkey cheeks and closed eyes—CANNONBALL!
There was nothing still about the waters at Splash Valley on opening weekend! I went to the water park with my daughter, her friend from school and her family, and all the rest of humanity. When the temperature is high, so are our tempers. Personally, I get cranky and irritable when I am hot and hungry. Standing in a LONG line with everyone else, I could feel my temper rising, but when we finally got to the pool, the water brought sweet relief. Cooling waters, vitamin D, and adrenaline boosts from the slides—this is the way summer should begin!
I was not paying attention to God’s presence at the pool. I was not remembering my baptism every time I plunged in the water. It was not until much later when I was reflecting on the week that I noticed the parallels of Psalm 23 and the city pool.
There were no shepherds or sheep, but there were lots of watchful eyes caring for the swimmers. Lifeguards stationed around the pool were on constant alert. Like the Good Shepherd, lifeguards make us lie down in green pastures—or on damp towels in the shade. When they blew their whistles and clear the pool every hour— we had a mandatory reminder that we need to rest and refuel. Get some water. Find some shade. Eat something. Rest awhile.
One lifeguard stepped down from his ladder, blocked off the diving board, and got into the water to do a swim test with my daughter and her friend. He swam beside them, watching them swim to ensure they had the strength, stamina, and confidence to swim to the side of the pool before they could jump off the diving board. I was moved by the attention and time this lifeguard gave to a child—my child. As a mother I instinctively am attentive to my child, but here this stranger was giving loving attention to another stranger.
Is that not like our God? The one who sees us when no one else does? The one who is never rushed or distracted but always attentive to our wellbeing and the wellbeing of all?
Surely, God is in this place!
God is here at the beginning of summer, watching over us through the lifeguards at the city pool. God is here, coming alongside us, protecting us, and caring for us so we may cool off and watch out for one another too.
Surely God is in this place. May it be known.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jenny
Faith Practice: Encountering Others
In her book An Altar in the World, Barbra Taylor Brown reflects on the hard spiritual work of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Try having a purposeful encounter with someone you often overlook because they are performing some mundane service. A lifeguard saying, “wait…go” at the pool, a grocery store clerk, a sanitation worker. Make eye contact with them. By seeing them, you acknowledge their existence as a human, their value and worth as someone whom God watches over and loves dearly. Do “the eye-thing” as Barbara Taylor Brown calls it and notice how your spirit responds.