Category: Blog

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31

My sister Megan is a social worker. She’s worked primarily with aging populations and hospice patients, and now works with people recently diagnosed with cancer. It’s — unsurprisingly — one of the fields of employment with the highest burnout. She’s an amazing person, generous of heart and spirit and enthusiastic about her work, but she learned quickly that she can’t maintain that in the face of so much heartbreak through force of will alone. Megan has always been one of my guiding lights in terms of self care, recently more than ever. 

When a fire is burning out, if someone throws a log on it, we pretty much accept that as normal. Rarely have I heard at a campout, “Seriously? You are accommodating that fire? It’s just doing its job! I never had a log thrown at me and I’m doing just fine.” But people are expected to go-go-go without a break because we have to hustle to succeed. We have to “lean in.” We have to be Business B’s and Boss Moms. We have to save the world, and quickly. Well, I’m no good to anyone without sleep, time alone in a quiet room every day, and a long walk in the morning. I have no fuel. And when I don’t have fuel, I usually turn to the lighter fluid of righteous rage and just power off that for a while. “HOW CAN I BE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN PUT A DISH IN THE DISHWASHER?!” 

There is no shame in putting fuel in your fire. For some people the bubble bath vibe doesn’t work and they need to vent to a trusted friend. For some people it’s time at the gym or the dojo or the driveway basketball hoop. But whatever lights you up is what you should run toward. Instead of focusing on productivity all the time, I try to allow myself a little time each day to do nothing, guilt-free. Not nothing (except paint my toenails) or nothing (except read this book on boundaries I’ve been meaning to get to) but real, untainted, nothing but sitting and waiting on the Lord. Because we need our strength wherever we can get it. 

~ Laura Paquette, Family Council Chair

Friday, July 17

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Thursday, July 16

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Wednesday, July 15

Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.

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Tuesday, July 14

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Monday, July 13

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So, do you know what a group of jellyfish is called?  It’s a hive of bees and a cloud of grasshoppers, a consortium of crabs and an army of caterpillars – but what about jellyfish?  Turns out – a smack.  You are out in the ocean and you suddenly notice that you are surrounded by jellyfish.  You have encountered a smack of jellyfish.  That’s your fun fact for the day.

Anyway, I was watching this incredible program on TV the other day.  It was filled with ontological arguments and existential questions.  About the quest of a father to find his son despite overwhelming odds.  Finding Nemo is a must-see for those who are serious about their doctrine.

Do you remember the scene with the jellyfish?  Marlin and Dory are taking a short cut to the gulf-stream.  When suddenly, they find themselves in a smack of jellyfish!  Fluffy pink cloud tops and long stinging tentacles everywhere!  To escape Marlin and Dory play a game.  Who can bounce from jellyfish top to jellyfish top the fastest – without getting stung.  They have just about made through the smack when Dory gets tangled up.  And Marlin has to go back and rescue her and carry her out.  Getting stung over and over as he does.       

Turns out, Marlin is uniquely equipped to deal with jellyfish stings.  He has a special mucus coat that protects him.  Clownfish live in a mutually beneficial relationship with sea anemones.  The clownfish cleans the anemone and provides nutrients.  In return, the anemone’s stinging tentacles provide protection for the clownfish. For this to happen, God gave Clownfish the ability to develop a tolerance to the anemone stings. 

Where am I going with this?  Is this the Undersea World of Jacque Cousteau?  

Well, when we become a follower of Jesus, we are given special talents by the Holy Spirit.  The Bible talks about them as spiritual gifts.  They are abilities like teaching and giving and leadership and serving and encouragement and faith and healing and so on.  In Ephesians 4, Paul says that everyone gets them.  That they are given to help us grow into the likeness of Christ.  That they are meant to reveal the presence of Christ in the world.  And he says that they are given for the benefit of the whole body of Christ – the church.  He even goes so far in 1 Corinthians as to say we can never tell another person their spiritual gifts are not needed.  Everyone has an important part to play.  As Christians, we live in a mutually beneficial relationship with other followers of Jesus.  Where our spiritual gifts compliment and support each other.  Like Clownfish and sea anemones.   

This is why sharing the leadership of ministry between lay folks and staff folks is so important.  Because each has different gifts.  And those gifts are mutually beneficial.  They help us live out our faith.  And they help us bring the presence of Christ to our neighbors.  And do so more effectively.  As a pastor I don’t have all the spiritual gifts.  There are limits to what I can do well.  I need to add my spiritual gifts to the spiritual gifts of others.  And work collaboratively.

In other words, delegating the leadership of ministries to paid staff is not only unsustainable financially, it is undercutting the effectiveness of the ministry.  And it keeps others from using their God-given spiritual gifts.  Which are meant to help them grow into the likeness of Christ. 

One last thought that applies to this.  One of the questions I am hearing right now is about our church’s strategy for local missions.  We are absolutely going to continue to emphasize local missions.  It a fundamental part of being church.  There is no being church without them.  So, right now, we are evaluating our local ministries for how well they help us develop and remain in relationship with those we are in ministry alongside of.  Sometimes church’s get into thinking missions is about sending money.  Or thinking missions is about going and doing stuff we feel good about doing for another.  When it’s actually about life together.  Embracing and sharing our unique gifts.  Adding our strengths to theirs in addressing the needs they identify.  You may remember this from our series on When Helping Hurts this past fall.

For now – be blessed!  Whether you are a clownfish or sea anemone may you discover a deeper likeness of Christ as we minister together.  In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!  Amen.

Church Family,

What a joy it is to finally be here with you! For months now, my husband Ryan and I have been praying about this transition, about finally being here to share in the ministry that you are already doing both here and in Orange City. As you know, Ryan is also an ordained elder and is already hard at work serving the community at Orange City United Methodist Church. When Ryan and I said yes to this move in early Spring, we never imagined it would happen in the middle of a global pandemic, but God is certainly showing us a lot along the way.

One thing I’ve noticed over the last two weeks as we’ve moved to a new home in a new community, moved to a new school for our two children and of course transitioned to two new places of work; I’ve gotten lost a lot. I used to under appreciate just how important that little app is on your phone called Maps, because once you have lived somewhere long enough you don’t need it anymore.  However, over the last 2 weeks, I’ve used my Maps APP so very much that I really can’t leave the house anymore without my phone. I’ve used it to get to the important places; you know, to the church, school, home, Publix and of course Jeremiah’s ice cream shop! And over the last few days, I was thinking about how that application on our phone is so indicative of our journey of faith as well. When you type in your destination for instance there’s oftentimes a couple of different ways to get there with varying degrees of arrival times based on traffic patterns or construction. But there’s always the hope that you know you’ll eventually get there even if you make a few wrong turns along the way. I sure am thankful for God’s grace because I don’t know about you, but in my journey of faith, I’ve made some wrong turns and I’ve hit some roadblocks or always followed the speed limit.

We don’t like uncertainty and we don’t like feeling lost or not knowing what is next. We wish that our faith journey and our following Jesus could look a little more like following the directions on our Maps APP, one with a clear path and arrival time.  But we miss the journey when that is our focus, and quite frankly, we miss the good work that God is doing in us, through the Holy Spirit on this journey. Sometimes the journey is painful, or unexpected, or frustrating; but we grow along the way. I just finished studying the book of James last month and there are some modern ways of saying this truth that puts the struggles of the journey in perspective.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when test and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help.” James 1:2-5 The Message

This journey we are on leaves room for getting lost and making wrong turns, but not for the sake of frustration, but for the sake of the grace of Jesus growing us into mature followers of Him. This is a journey to be embraced and lived into, and not only a destination to arrive at. I hope the next time you use your Maps APP or GPS, you will think about your own journey of faith and how the tests and challenges we are facing today are growing each of us into mature and well-developed disciples. And if you get lost, and you will from time to time, don’t forget to ask God for directions, and keep going.  

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rachel

Friday, July 10

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Thursday, July 9

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Wednesday, July 8

Tune in each Wednesday night at 6pm, as we take a trip back in time to past VBS through the years. Join us for songs, skits, experiments, and more! We will feature a new VBS theme each week.

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Tuesday, July 7

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Monday, July 6

Emily

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

I am the proud mother of two kind and creative adult children. Nicholas is now 30 years old and Maya is 26.

When we lived in Harlem NYC, their father and I were fortunate to send Nick and Maya to a great public elementary school in the Upper Eastside.

When Maya was in first grade, one day she came home excitedly and asked me if she could have a playdate with Emily, a classmate learning with down syndrome experience.  As part of a NYC education program, special children like Emily were mainstreamed into classes like Maya’s.  But, unlike Maya, she would stay same teacher and teaching assistant for two years, instead of one.

When I called Emily’s mother to ask if a playdate was possible, to my surprise, she wept, and said that no student had ever asked Emily for a playdate.  Emotional, I confessed that since we lived in Harlem, children rarely came to our home from the Upper Eastside.  I told her, if it were easier for her, Maya and I could come to their home. She said no that wouldn’t be necessary.  Her husband, Emily’s father, would be happy to bring her over.

She had some reservations, though, and told me that there were a lot of things Emily was allergic to and could not eat, especially peanut butter.  If she had an allergic reaction, she would need a shot right away, or else there would be dire consequences.  She said she would provide me with the necessary medicine, just in case.  I reassured her that I would listen carefully and write down everything she told me to do.

When Emily arrived one afternoon with her father, our home was well prepared.  Her father, a kind and peaceful man, brought her pouch of juice, snacks, and medicine, and informed me that she had already eaten.  I asked him if would like to stay, and he said no.  He wanted to walk around Harlem, a place he always wanted to visit. 

Maya and I placed a quilt in the middle of our living room floor with some toys and games for Emily and Maya to play.  I also sat with them a bit to see if they needed anything,  I don’t remember Emily talking an awful lot, but what I do remember the most was feeling her infectious joy.  Also, for me, it felt like we were all somehow communicating, telepathically.  Emily was so happy to be with us, and Maya and I were overjoyed to be in her company and to have her in our home.  The love and joy was so magical that at times it brought me to tears.

I learned so much from Emily and Maya that day.  Because of who they were as little girls, I experienced, for an eternal moment, what it means to be a child entering the kingdom of heaven.

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

~Tonya Tolson, Diversity Committee Chair