Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!” –Psalm 100:1 We had more kids show up today that hadn't been here Monday or Tuesday.Today we learned about our moon. Although other plants have more than one, we have 1 beautiful moon that orbits earth. 24 people have traveled to see the moon, but only 12 people have walked on the moon. The moon reflects the sun's lights, just like we reflect the light o...  Read More

“Live in harmony with each other.” –Romans 12:16 The good news is that our 11 youth and more than 30 adults came back today! We even gained 3 adults that weren't here yesterday. Thank you to the amazing youth and adults that are making this week possible.Today we learned about the planets in our solar system. There are four planets that orbit our sun that have rings. Those rings aren't solid as th...  Read More

I heard someone say that they didn't believe God does miracles anymore. I don't remember any other conversation details, but the statement stood out because it broke my heart. In my first year of seminary, my New Testament professor gave a 3-hour lecture all on stories he personally heard of people talking about personal miracle experiences. These two events couldn't be more different. In some way...  Read More

“Jesus...said, ‘I am the light of the world.’ ” –John 8:12 Today, we blasted off to the moon! We have almost 70 kids registered for VBS this year. That requires  We learned about what a cosmos is, about our sun, how it relates to the universe, and most importantly, God's Son. Cosmo, a star, talked about how he witnessed Jesus being born and the unique star that shone that night, guiding the wise ...  Read More

We’ve finally gotten to the part of Exodus 14 that everyone loves! God does his miracle. Granted, this isn’t the first miracle God performs in Exodus, and it’s not his last. However, the parting of the Red Sea stands out often because it’s such a dramatic image. Israel goes to sleep, afraid because Egypt’s army is closing in. The wind howls throughout the night. When they wake, they discover they’...  Read More

We finish up our ways to draw near to God today. Let's look at them all: “First, affirm His nearness in your heart…Second, visualize God’s presence in your mind…Third, access God’s nearness through prayer...Fourth, reflect His presence in your demeanor.” –The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan (Rule 7)I mentioned in my sermon Sunday that I always find it funny that people apologize for certain thi...  Read More

We’ve been looking at how to identify God’s nearness intentionally. We’re doing so with 4 steps, and today is step 3. “First, affirm His nearness in your heart…Second, visualize God’s presence in your mind…Third, access God’s nearness through prayer.” –The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan (Rule 7)2 and 3 go hand in hand with my mind. When we have a concrete image of God in our minds, it makes pr...  Read More

Have you ever felt like a church is just a group pretending everything is okay? If you're like me, there are times you wish people would stop pretending they have their sh** together and show a bit more of the mess that they are. The truth is, none of us pray enough, read our Bibles enough, share our faith enough, or love God enough. We're all a spiritual mess at some point or another. God's annoy...  Read More

Yesterday we started talking about how we can begin visualizing God’s presence. We do that by: “First, affirm His nearness in your heart…Second, visualize God’s presence in your mind.” –The Red Sea Rules, by Robert J. Morgan (Rule 7)Children have powerful imaginations. If we learned about God at a young age, we created an image of him. For those of us who were fortunate to live in a home that taug...  Read More

The women of Fleming Island (with some of their male counterparts) banded together to cook, make sandwiches, and serve our community. With only 7 sets of hands, this quick working group of ladies served soup, sandwiches, and pulled pork to our community through the Middleburg location of the Clay County kitchen. Their results? 150 lunches served!Did you know that older children and youth are welco...  Read More

This Friday, we wrapped up our Kids Club Summer Pop-ups.  We had to adapt our plans a few times due to the weather but it is safe to say all the kids had a blast.  We enjoyed popsicles at the park, water fights with family and friends, and finished out with ice cream and a movie on the big screen the sanctuary. ...  Read More

Being close to God has been talked about throughout our relationship with him. Take Genesis as an example: “What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” –Genesis 28:15 NLTIn our United Methodist The Faith We Sing hymnal, there’s a song called “Ju...  Read More