Grace in the Hardest Calling
There are moments in ministry I feel equipped for. Teaching kids about Jesus? I could do that all day. Leading or organizing a camp? Sign me up. But a few weeks ago, God asked me to step into something completely outside my comfort zone: officiating a funeral.
I knew the family, but I had never met their sweet son. And suddenly, I was being asked to hold one of their most vulnerable, heartbreaking, and unexpected moments in my hands. To stand in front of grieving parents and friends and try to find words that would both honor his life and offer hope in the middle of a storm.
If I’m honest, it was terrifying.
I’m an intensely emotional person. I feel things big, and it’s hard for me not to wear those emotions on my sleeve. My greatest fear was that I would completely break down in sobs and not be able to do what the family needed me to do. God made me tenderhearted, but that tenderness felt like a weakness in this moment. I had to sit with Pastor David ahead of time for guidance, and because he knows me so well, he didn’t sugarcoat it. He said, “Christine, the biggest thing you need to do is trust that God will get you through it and hold it together.” He’s seen me cry many times- but also knew God’s strength would be enough for me.
This wasn’t a church family. Their experience with God was minimal to none, and they made it clear they didn’t want a “religious” funeral. No heavyhanded sermon, no churchy clichés. They wanted to honor their son in a way that felt true to him while still leaving room for prayer and some measure of hope.
I knew it would be a tightrope walk. One that required me to listen carefully, hold back my own impulses, and lean fully on the Spirit. How do you honor a family’s wishes while still letting God use you as a conduit of His grace? I didn’t know if I could do it.
But here’s the thing about God: He never calls us into the deep end without showing up there with us.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s grace is made perfect in weakness. That verse became more than ink on a page for me; it became breath in my lungs. Because in that moment, I had nothing to offer on my own. My words weren’t eloquent. My heart was heavy. My hands were trembling. But His grace carried me through.
And that’s what I want to remind you today: God calls each of us into places that stretch, scare, and grow us. Sometimes it’s public, like standing in front of a grieving family. Other times it’s private, like having a hard conversation with someone you love, forgiving when it feels impossible, or showing up to encourage someone in the trenches of their pain.
Growth is rarely comfortable. But comfort was never the goal- faithfulness is. That day, I got to witness something holy. God took my shaky voice and used it to bring a sliver of light into a very dark room. He allowed prayer to settle over a family who didn’t even know they needed it. He gave me words that weren’t mine, but His. And somehow, in the middle of heartbreak, there was hope.
The writer of Hebrews says, “Now may the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20-21). That’s exactly what He did for me. He equipped me for what I thought I could never do, and He worked through me in a way that was beyond myself.
Friend, I don’t know what impossible thing God may be asking you to step into right now. But I do know this: if He’s calling you to it, His grace will meet you there. You don’t have to have the perfect words. You don’t have to feel strong. You just have to be willing to show up and let Him work through you.
Because when we are weak, He is strong. And sometimes the most powerful testimony we can give is not of our own ability, but of His grace carrying usthrough what we could never do alone.
Revive and Restore
(And Maybe Ride Space Mountain Too)
Let’s be honest—summer ministry is no joke. It’s camps, late nights, early mornings, worship sets, mission projects, and snack wrappers everywhere. If you’re like me, you love it. You’re here for it. But it also drains the tank a little.
That’s why I look forward to this time of year. Every summer, after all the wild and awesome ministry stuff wraps up, I set my sights on a trip that fills me back up. Sometimes it’s the mountains. Sometimes it’s Universal. But more often than not, it’s Disney. That’s my place to hit pause, breathe deep, and restore.
Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.”
That part about restoring the soul? That’s real. We’re not meant to just run, run, run until we crash. God wants us to rest, so we’re strong enough to keep going. It’s not just about slowing down—it’s about recharging so we can hear His voice again, walk His path again, and do it with joy.
And it’s not just about me—it’s about my family too. These trips remind me how important it is to just be with the people I love. Ministry is amazing, but sometimes my wife and kids need me to be Dad first—not Pastor, not Worship Director, just Dad. Jesus modeled this too. Even in the middle of His ministry, He’d pull away with His closest friends. Mark 6:31 says, “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’”
That’s basically Jesus saying, “Hey, let’s grab a churro and take a break.”
So here’s the thing—I’m not telling you to book a Disney trip (though if you do, let me know and we’ll compare notes on best snacks). But I am saying: find your thing. Find what revives you. Maybe it’s fishing. Maybe it’s hammocking in the backyard. Maybe it’s movie night with your family, phones put away. Whatever it is, do it on purpose.
We serve better, love better, and lead better when we’re restored. God doesn’t need us to run on empty. He wants us rested, renewed, and ready for the next thing He’s calling us to.
So what’s your Space Mountain moment? What helps you exhale, smile again, and reconnect with God and the people who matter most?
Take time to revive and restore.
You’ll be better for it—and so will the people around you.
M & M
We are now closer to the year 2050 than we are to the year 2000. If that doesn’t ruin your day, nothing will. But it has got me thinking about how different things are today than they were 25 years ago. And then I have to wonder—how different will things be in 2050?
I don’t think we’ll have flying cars or anything Back to the Future predicted. For all our advances, we’re still basically the same creatures—just with smartphones, larger TVs, and the ability to doomscroll in high definition.
In the grand scheme of the church, we’re also not that different from the early days. We still gather, sing songs, and talk about the Bible. Sure, the way we do each of those things would probably look a little ridiculous to a first-century Christian—but does that make it wrong?
There’s a framework some people use to evaluate church practices: it involves distinguishing between the message and the method. The idea is to ask whether these things should stay the same over time or adapt to the culture around them. That gives us four basic camps:
Those who believe the message and the method should stay the same
Those who believe the message should stay the same, but the method can change
Those who believe the message should change, but the method should stay the same
Those who believe both the message and the method should change
I realize this veers a bit more academic than your average blog post, but I bet as you read that list, two things happened. First, you nodded along with one option and thought, “Yeah, that sounds right.” And then you cringed at another and thought, “That’s borderline blasphemy.”
Like nearly everything in the Christian world, there are very smart, devout believers who hold firm convictions in each of these categories. Can I let you in on a little secret? Nobody’s entirely right—and yet, somehow, everyone’s kind of right. Call it church math. The same logic that makes the Trinity 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
I say that with confidence because the view you think is heretical probably isn’t being taken to the extreme you assume. The person who wants to change the method might just mean using all the stops instead of just the reed stop on the organ. The person who says the message needs to adapt might mean emphasizing God’s love and justice for a time to speak to a culture burned out by shame and fear, not tossing the resurrection out the window.
As we inch toward 2050, the question isn’t whether we’ll still sing or preach or gather. The question is whether we’ll do it in ways that still bring people to Jesus.
We don’t have to pick a side between message and method, we just have to keep asking the right question:
What helps us love God and love people better?
That’s the kind of church ‘m glad to be a part of, one that can grow without losing its roots, one that can reach without letting go of the truth, and one that knows God isn’t afraid of change. After all, He’s the one who makes all things new.
Echo Worship Camp: Let the Next Generation Praise His Name
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants, you have established a stronghold against your enemies…”
— Psalm 8:1-2 (NIV)
We are launching something new at Navarre United Methodist Church, something that has been stirring in our hearts for a while. Echo Worship Camp is a two-night experience created to help kids begin exploring what it means to worship God, not just with their voices but with their whole lives.
Kids already lead worship in the Children’s church, and our youth faithfully serve behind the scenes each week, running tech. But we want to take it further. We want to show them how worship happens in our sanctuary, both in contemporary and traditional services. Because worship isn’t just about music, it’s about presence, purpose, and praising God in everything we do.
Our theme song this year is “That’s My King.” One of the lyrics that anchors our heart says,
“I’m not letting the rocks cry without joining the chorus…”
Luke 19:40 reminds us that even the rocks will cry out in praise if we stay silent. But we believe the next generation is ready to raise their voices, talents, and lives in worship.
We already see it happening. Several of our youth currently serve on the main worship team, singing, playing instruments, and helping lead our congregation in praise each week. Their passion, humility, and heart for Jesus inspire everyone around them. Echo Worship Camp is another step in continuing that legacy, giving even younger kids a chance to see what it means to serve with joy and boldness.
At Echo, campers will experience hands-on learning with instruments, songwriting, media, tech, and more. They will also dig into the heart of worship, why we do it, what it means, and how it shapes every part of our lives. Worship doesn’t stop when the music fades. It keeps going in the way we welcome people, the way we serve, and the way we love our church and our community.
Not every child will sing a solo or run sound on Sunday morning, and that’s okay. Some will find their place setting up before anyone arrives. Some will discover joy in cleaning up after a big event. Some will feel called to create a welcoming and peaceful space. Every act done in love becomes worship. We believe every child has a place in the body of Christ, and every gift matters.
Romans 12:1 calls us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. That is true worship. And it starts young. From preschool chapel to youth group to adult Sunday worship, we intentionally build a culture where every generation is invited to know God and respond with their lives.
This is just the beginning. Echo Worship Camp is our first, but not our last. We hope this becomes an annual event that continues to grow, inviting more and more kids to discover who God made them to be and how they can serve His church.
Would you join us in prayer?
Pray for God to speak clearly to these kids.
Pray for open hearts and bold steps.
Pray for our church as we raise the next generation of worshipers to sing louder and live fully for Christ.
The rocks are ready to cry out.
But we would much rather hear our kids sing.
Let’s echo heaven together.
IYKYK or Not
There are many anacronyms in the texting world. I will admit that at times I have to look them up. IYKYK translates to “if you know, you know”. It is that time of year, Vacation Bible School is coming FAST! If you have ever helped, you know, or maybe you don’t. This amazing outreach ministry requires hours and hours of planning, building, decorating, dividing children into groups, purchasing snacks, training, coordinating volunteers, and so on.
It has been a true joy to watch as Navarre UMC prepares to welcome almost 250 children (give or take), along with 100+ volunteers next week to “Live It Out”. Our children, youth, adults, staff, and more have worked tirelessly for the last three days getting ready under the direction of our Children’s Minister, Christine Gersic. Our campus has been converted into a campground complete with a waterfall and so much more.
Next week, the children attending will learn through games, Bible stories, music, fellowship, games, and more that Jesus said in John 13:34, “Love one another, just as I have loved you.” We have a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love with all who will be here. Children, youth, and adults meet the Risen Christ at Vacation Bible School. Lives are changed in a good way. Be in prayer for all who will set foot on our campus next week as we “Live It Out”!
IYKYK and if you didn’t, you know now!
Peace,
Paula