Sometimes we're where we are because we've made a choice that's not positive and put ourselves in a bad spot. One of the hardest things a parent can do is let their children make mistakes. God is a perfect and loving parent. He doesn't do things to manipulate or control us. So, when we do things we should, he lets us experience the effects (or consequences) of those choices. "We sometimes cause ou...  Read More

Some of us are optimists, and some are pessimists. I believe those who, like me, are realists are weird birds. We're the type who looks like the "half cup" of water and sees half a cup. We're also the ones who look at the data, and if it says things will likely go wrong, then we start looking around for what's about to break loose.This isn't because we want something to go crazy or because we don'...  Read More

What makes a United Methodist? For some, it's food. I've served churches where you couldn't have a meeting or event without food and coffee. For others, it's our traditions. Many of those traditions are unique to each Methodist congregation.For me, one of the essential things that makes a United Methodist is our connection, meaning that we are not a solo church; we're a network of churches. As a p...  Read More

One of the hardest lessons I have learned in my Christian life is that life gets more challenging when we obey God. For some reason, no one taught me this in Sunday school or youth group. As a teenager, I obeyed God when he directed me to affirm my family’s call to leave my hometown and move to Florida. But then I resented him when it was hard, and I was miserable.No one prepared me for the strugg...  Read More

This past Sunday, the kids celebrated the end of our Heroic series by dressing up like superheroes.  We also honored some pretty super people who support us each week in Kids Club - our Littles Staff and our Kids Club Volunteers! These amazing individuals show up each week to show our kids God's love and help them grow in their faith.  I could not do what I do with out them!  If you haven't yet, p...  Read More

Prayer in a challenging situation does more than any amount of worry. One thing I am so thankful for is that I was taught as a child to stop and pray about something when I was worried about something. As a “Type-A” person who wants every detail to be correct, I can sometimes drown under the weight of the worry. The pattern of praying about my fears, concerns, and whatever weighs on my mind has se...  Read More

This week’s life rule is 1: Realize that God Means for you to be where you are. I’ll be honest: I was a bit offended the first time I read this years ago. After all, when I mess up and end up someplace because of my mistakes, God didn’t put me there; I did. I love the way Morgan puts it in his book: “When you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to...  Read More

Sunday, we start a new series called Rules of Life that will carry us all summer. This series pulls pieces from a book called The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan. It's a powerful, short book that is a great way to stay connected to the church throughout the summer. We’ll spend most of the summer in Exodus Chapter 14.I am trying something new this summ...  Read More

Today was a great day for Volunteering!  Members of our Men's Ministry began their day at 8:00 am painting at one of the Habitat for Humanity homes in Green Cove Springs.   At 10:00 am, members of the More 2 Life small group & friends met at the Middleburg location of the Kitchen of Clay County to prepare and serve 106 soup & sandwich lunches to those in need....  Read More

What an amazing day!  Thank you for being love in action and being part of the change for affordable housing,  where every volunteer helps to build strength, stability, and independence! According to the Independent Sector, the average national value of a volunteer is estimated at $31.80 an hour, although we know that the heart of a volunteer is priceless!  Your contribution of service helps exten...  Read More

In just a few weeks, Julie and I will be traveling to Annual Conference, where all the clergy and laity of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church gather in Lakeland, FL, for Holy Conferencing. We worship, pray, and conduct the administrative work of the church.Conferencing is one of the things I love so much about being a Methodist, and it's not unique to United Methodists. I...  Read More

Holy week began on Palm Sunday with everyone gathering first at the regular chapel and then walking together to the outdoor chapel waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna all the way out back remembering and reliving Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem!An escape room was created for both staff, our youth and children which included different, historic moments of Holy Week: Jesus’ triumphant...  Read More