I love Small Groups! Our church started with a Small Group in our home. Small Groups are a part of the DNA of our church. Tuesday mornings at 7:10AM I lead a before school Prayer Group at Oakland Elementary School for faculty and staff. It's absolutely awesome! Tuesday night I went to Jeremiah & Cyndi's Small Group where we baptized Andy & Miranda and Justin & Sarah.

Here's a portion of an email from Sarah: "You have created an amazing church which has welcomed us with the love of Jesus, and has made a relationship with Jesus a reality for me.  I can not describe my joy or thank everyone enough.  Tonight meant so much to me, and I am so thankful to everyone that turned out to witness.  This baptism has given me a new hope, and joy that I did not expect, and I will forever be grateful to you, the church, and my small group for this amazing blessing.  I have a family that I did not have before, and for that my life is forever altered.  Thank you again for being in my life, and showing me the way." Wow! That's what it's all about Coastal!

On Wednesday morning at 7AM I meet with a group of men for about 45 minutes before work. We share what's going on in our lives, read a portion of scripture, talk about it and pray. Right now we're reading through Romans. This morning we were in Romans 9. Matt Beam shared that this verse stood out to him, "I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ! —if that would save them." (Romans 9:3 NLT) That's the level of intensity, urgency, and focus that we need today in the church.

And then I lead a Small Group that meets in my home on Wednesday nights at 7PM. Tonight a lot of our group was unable to attend, but we got to visit with a new family at our church, Jeff & Margie Jones. It was such a blessing to hear more about their story and to share our story with them. They are awesome people.

I know, I know - I'm a Small Group FREAK! But at Coastal we truly believe that Christianity is best lived out in community - in relationships. And that community is best experienced in Small Groups. It is a part of the discipleship process of our church - Sunday morning Worship, Life Development, Small Groups, & Ministry.

On Saturday, October 6th, Coastal is having a Small Group Kick-off! It is a great opportunity to learn more about the Small Groups at Coastal and get involved in one. Cyndi Brown is our Small Group Ministry Leader. She is working hard to help push our Small Group Ministry to the next level as Coastal continues to grow and reach more and more people. She's working hard to make this event fun, informative, and practical (in other words, you can come that night, learn about our Groups, and get involved in one). And if you're interested in leading, assisting or hosting a Small Group at Coastal, Cyndi is leading a Training and Orientation this Sunday morning at 9:15. These are exciting days at Coastal! Keep up the great work Cyndi!

My daughter Lydia is a junior in High School. Tomorrow we go on our first official college visit. We're visiting Columbia International University in Columbia, SC. It's their College Days for High School juniors and seniors. Lydia will get to spend the night in the dorm with a student, go to classes, chapel, and get a taste of college life. We'll meet with faculty and staff, financial advisors, and take a tour of the campus. We're very excited and nervous (Janet's nervous). Our daughter is growing up! And we are getting old! I am so proud of my daughter! We leave tomorrow and come back on Friday.

I know nothing about Nascar, but with all these cars the last couple of weeks I'm about up for a Nascar race. (Maybe after I go to one, I can actually watch one on t.v.) Today was another great day at Coastal. The Praise & Worship Team is in a real groove right now. We had several first time guests and return guests. The attendance keeps steadily climbing upward. I'm hoping we can offer a second service sometime later this fall. However, we still need several more volunteers in Promiseland to pull this off. Janet has been working tirelessly, tapping people on the shoulder, building teams, and training volunteers. Talk to Janet about the needs in Promiseland. When we add a second service the service times will be 9:30AM and 11:15AM. You will be able to serve in one and attend the other. It's all about expanding our capacity to reach more people. What about you and your ministry? Are YOU expanding your capacity to reach more people? Are you building a team? Are you including more people in your ministry?

My message today was from Luke 15:11-32, commonly known as parable of the Prodigal Son. Today, however we focused on the love of the Father. It was all about coming home. From the Connect Cards and comments, many people made the decision to come home or come back home to God. Keep it up Coastal! God is up to something around here. I know that many of you have been inviting people to church. Don't give up if they haven't come yet. A "no" is simply a "not yet." Let's not be satisfied with 125 people or 150 people or 300 people or 500 people. How many people are enough? The real question is how many people in our community need Jesus? How big is your dream for Coastal? Some of you are having a hard time wrapping your head around a second service. In our Creative Team meeting this past week, we were talking about this Easter and the idea came up about instead of just adding a second service (which should be normal by Easter), adding a Saturday night service for Easter. Again - how big is your dream for Coastal?

We gave away a couple of tickets for the Bank of America 500 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte (congrats Teresa!) and a couple of autograph posters. Jeff Gordon's Show Car and the game station was way cool today! I'll say it again - guys and kids love cars! Visit our web gallery to see some pictures from today. Next week we wrap up the "Wild Ride" series. My sermon is entitled, "Road Trip." The Lowcountry H.O.G.s are supposed to be here. In fact, all motorcycles are invited!

Cyndi Brown, our Small Groups Ministry Leader, announced a Small Group Kick-off for Saturday, October 6th, 5-7PM. It's going to be a fun evening of games, activities, and learning all about our current groups and a few new ones that are being launched. We talk a lot about Small Groups at Coastal. This is the perfect opportunity to join in the fun! Talk to Cyndi for more information. Food and childcare provided.

Jeremiah and his team did an awesome job tonight in Undercurrent (the Sunday night Student Ministry service)! They went to a lot of effort to create an impressive environment and communicate a powerful message. Keep it up guys! By the way, Jeremiah will be speaking on Sunday morning, October 14th. Keep him and his message in your prayers.

And finally, Clemson is 4-0! Go Tigers!

So, did you watch Survivor last night? We are huge Survivor fans at the Rollins home! We are so jacked that the season has finally begun. Who are you rooting for? There are definitely a lot of "characters" - a chicken farmer (oh well), a wrestler, a grave digger, and of course, the Christian. I have to admit, it always worries me when the media gives someone that label. Typically, they're extreme and not very loving. What did you think about Leslie Nease's stand in the Buddhist Temple? Did she do the right thing? Was it worship or was it simply a cultural custom as Jeff explained beforehand? And now will she carry the "Christian Nut" or "Religious Right Freak" moniker and get voted off? Only time will tell, but on Thursday nights at 8PM the Rollins family will be tuned in. We need to get together at someone's house (preferably with Big Screen) and have a party on Thursday nights - lots of food, lots of yelling! Someone with the gift of partying put that together and invite me! I'll bring the wings!

We've had a lot of fun with our "Wild Ride" series this month. By the way, here's a picture of our stage. Before the series is over, I WILL be riding the four wheeler around the church! This Sunday my message is going to be about what to do when the ride gets a little bumpy - or worse yet, when you crash. Sometimes the bumpy ride is because we've veered off the track. It's going to be a powerful message about coming home to God. Pray! Invite! Bring! Get your friends here! Let's pack it out again this Sunday! Lives will be changed! People will get saved!

We have a big hook for you to use to invite your friends! This Sunday Jeff Gordon's Daytona 500 Paint Out Show Car will be on display with Nascar's Interactive Video Game Station. It's going to be a blast! One of the fun elements of this series has been the giveaways. So far we've given away a Harley Davidson rental and a deep sea fishing trip. Well, guess what we're giving away this Sunday? Are you ready! Two tickets for the Saturday, October 13th Bank of America 500 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

Simply use this as an opportunity to start a conversation and invite someone to church. And when they get to Coastal, they're going to hear about Jesus. There is no earthly thing that can compare to the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ! It is the ultimate giveaway. It cost you and I nothing, but it cost God everything - His one and only Son. I never want to see anyone at our church more excited about filling out their Connect Card because of what they might win, than they are about the message we're sharing, the lives that are changing, and people coming to Jesus. In fact, let me issue this challenge. You don't fill out a Connect Card for a giveaway unless you've invited someone to church that week. You can't make your people show up and give their lives to Christ, but you are responsible for sowing the seed - praying and inviting.

The message is our focus, not the methods. We're lifting up Christ, not the culture. We're simply willing to use popular culture, decorations, special events, giveaways, etc. as a way to leverage, engage, and redeem the culture for the sake of the gospel. "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." 1Corinthians 9:22-23

I was informed yesterday that there are only 99 days left until Christmas, which means there are now 98 days left (thank you Christopher the human Christmas Countdown)! Some of you - the obsessive compulsives - are now freaking out. On another seasonal note, my wife actually said, "There's a nip in the air." Technically, I'm not sure when we reach "nip" temperatures. I'll have to ask Jeremiah, but I'm pretty sure that "nippy" in Charleston and "nippy" in Indiana are two different things. I just like using the word "nip." As Barney Fife says, "Nip it in the bud. Nip it! Nip it! Nip it!" Whatever it means, I'm enjoying the coolness in the air too.

Wow! What an amazing day! We had a huge crowd of people - many first time and return guests. By the way, I need some volunteer Counters, not money counters, people counters. If you're interested, let me know. The Worship Team was simply on today! Chris Tomlin's arrangement of Amazing Grace during communion was inspiring. For those of you who think Jr. (our drummer) is a real tough and gruff guy - my wife begs to differ. She says he's just a big ol' softy. What gets to him you ask (other than his grand baby Rosa)? Singing about the amazing grace of God! Any way, from start to finish, they just did an awesome job. And a packed house definitely adds to the dynamic.

I'll be honest with you - I struggled putting my message together this week. I'm not sure what it was, but it just wasn't clicking early in the week (Janet heard me moan about it all week). And then it just came together. My message was about Peter walking on the water from Matthew 14 - quite a wild ride if there ever was one. We talked about faith and fear. And obviously, we talked about getting out of the boat and walking on the water. Faith requires risking failure. We're all going to sink from time to time, but if you never get out of the boat, you will never know that Jesus is faithful to save. Faith means choosing to follow Jesus. That's the heart of what it means to be a Christian. But every time you choose to get out of your boat and follow Jesus a fear will rise to the surface. Following Jesus is a choice between comfort and fear. Finally, I talked about how faith results in remarkable things. Just looking around the auditorium today I am in awe of the remarkable, miraculous results of faith. You are a miracle! And every once in a while, if you choose to step out in faith, you get to walk on the water!

At the end of the service we pulled a Connect Card and gave away a gift certificate for a Deep Sea Fishing Trip (wild water ride - get it?). The comments from our Coastal people are hilarious. "I deserve this!" - Josh Beam. "I want to go fishing!" - Jeremiah Brown. "My husband wants to go fishing!" - Cyndi Brown. But what was really awesome was the people who want to learn more about Coastal, join a Small Group, and renew their commitment to Jesus! Keep it up Coastal! Every one of you are a part of that miracle. I really hope you see that! Every person who comes to faith. Every life that is changed. Every step of faith that is taken. Yes, it is all by the grace and power of God, but God (and this just blows me away) uses people like you and me to draw people to Himself and change lives! And that's what we're here to do - share and experience LIFE! And every thing you do - serve in Nursery, greet, work the sound, operate the computer, serve in Children's Ministry, prepare communion, bring doughnuts and juice for the 3C's Cafe, serve in Student Ministry, clean the building, everything, you name it, it all works together to accomplish that purpose - share and experience LIFE! If someone asks you why you do what you do here at Coastal, you ought to say, "So that people can come to LIFE in Christ and experience LIFE in Christ."

And I haven't even mentioned THE CARS! Wow! Yes - guys like cars! We had 40+ Corvettes, Cars, and Trucks! The folks at the Coastal Carolina Corvette Club were great. We will definitely do this again next year! This was one of the easier events we've ever put on. We put up a tent, provided some food, and the car folks did the rest. And the payoff was tremendous. It definitely created a buzz that went along with our series and many people used it to invite their friends.

Oh, and an update on Rob (see previous post). He got the job at the Fat Hen. He has another job during the day with a guy from our church. And he has a vehicle. He told me after church today that although it's only been two weeks, he's learned something every week and that we communicate God's word in everyday language that he can understand. Yes! Truth be told, there are countless stories of LIFE change here at Coastal every week! I love what I do and I love you!

One week ago today the buzzer rang at the church. I went to the door and found a tall skinny young man - Rob. He was visibly distraught. He simply asked if he could talk. I invited him in and asked him where he was from. He broke down. Over the next hour through many tears, he told me his story. He had never really been to church before. He could only remember going to church on occasion with his grandmother. But he remembered her being able to talk to her Pastor. So, he looked up a church in the phone book, we were close to the Motel 6 where he was staying and he walked to our door. We were his last hope. He is originally from Rock Hill, SC. After high school, he went to USC. His dad was an alcoholic. While in school, his mom and dad were on vacation. His dad was drinking and driving and drove into an oncoming truck. Both of his parents died. He was an only child - no brothers and sisters. He finished school and worked as a cook or chef in restaurants in Columbia. Cooking is his passion. He wants to be a chef in his own restaurant one day.

He met a young girl online. He sold his truck, quit his job, cancelled his lease, and moved to Utah. He believed this was the girl of his dreams. After a few months they decided to head to SC and set up in Charleston - lots of restaurants, beaches, etc. When they got to Greenville, he was getting ready, she was going to check email. When he came out of the shower, she was gone. He had been robbed. She took all of his money and possessions. All he had was a small back pack and a few clothes. He filed a police report in Greenville, but there's not much that could be done. He did have his ticket to Charleston so he finished the trek.

What little money he had was quickly gone. He tried to find a job at some local restaurants, but he didn't have chef clothes. He called about staying in a couple of our shelters, but he couldn't make the curfew working the late shift at a restaurant. He had no family. No job. No shelter. No friends. No money. Actually he had 75 cents left and had to make a decision about washing clothes or a taco at Taco Bell.

That's when he showed up at Coastal. Now I have to admit that over the years it's pretty easy to get jaded about helping people. We literally get about 10 phone calls a week from people wanting us to pay their bills. They're simply trolling through churches in the phone book. One thing I've learned is that there is a difference between wanting a hand out and those simply needing a helping hand. It takes love, compassion, and a lot of discernment to distinguish the difference.

Rob was embarrassed and ashamed. He was at his lowest point. He wondered if this was simply some sort of divine retribution for years of living far away from God. I told him that God loved him. God had a plan for his life. I told him that although God didn't cause these bad things to happen to him, God does have this amazing ability to use our circumstances to draw us to Himself. Many times people don't reach out to God when they "see the light," it's when they "feel the heat" they turn to Him. Rob was definitely feeling the heat. I also told him that God's love for him was big enough to handle his doubt, anger, and hurt. We talked about Jesus and what being a follower of His was all about. But although that was his greatest need, he had a few pressing needs that needed immediate attention.

My wife Janet and Jeremiah were also at the church. We put our heads together and decided to put Rob up in a weekly hotel down the road from the church. It would give us some time to make a few phone calls, get to know Rob a little better, and see what God could do. We got him some food, a bike (I obviously don't ride mine very often), a Bible, and a copy of the Purpose Driven Life. Saturday he came over to the church and helped out a bit. Sunday he came to church and met the family at Coastal. He said everyone was very friendly. He was glad the dress was casual. It wasn't what he was expecting. Most importantly, he gave his life to Jesus Christ over the weekend.

I made a phone call and Chef Fred Neuville gave him an interview at "The Fat Hen." (See previous post.) Bill Jamerson at our church offered a room in his apartment. I took Rob out to Bill's and Rob thanked him profusely. Bill simply said, "The church has helped me out." Courtney and Mark picked up Rob and took him to their Small Group at Jeremiah and Cyndi's. It also was not what he expected. He met Justin and Sarah at the Small Group. Justin called last night and would like to help Rob out with transportation. Bill lives in North Charleston. The Fat Hen is on John's Island. The public transportation in Charleston sucks. It can be done, and Rob was doing it, but it would be very difficult to say the least. Justin simply said, "The church has helped us out so much."

Well, this is really just the beginning of Rob's story. Where it leads, I have no idea. The Christian life truly is a "Wild Ride." Sometimes a walk across a room is as simple as answering the door. I am so thankful for Coastal, for our Small Groups, and for the fact that Jesus is using Coastal to "share and experience LIFE!"

We kicked off our "Wild Ride" series yesterday! It was a lot of fun! We decorated the stage with several "wild rides" - a Harley, a four-wheeler, and a jet ski. (I'll post pictures later this week.) Jeremiah did a great job with the opening song - "Life Is A Highway." They had a lot of energy! And if you had been at any of the practices - you would have been impressed. Sunday morning might have been the first time they actually got through the whole song without stopping. Speaking of our Praise & Worship Team - most people have no idea how much commitment and work is involved in this ministry. They practice for two hours at least twice a month and for an hour every Sunday at 8:15AM. Sure there are other bands with better musicians and singers (although I think our team is awesome!), but I know this - our guys love the Lord, each other, and the church. They love leading people into the presence of God - both believers and those who are far from Him. They also have to put up with me - because on occasion I push them to the next level. Thank you Praise & Worship Team for what you do, who you are, and who you are becoming! (And congratulations Miranda & Andy!) By the way, we probably won't sing "Life Is A Highway" every week, but Prisca and Jeff will be back this week, so we'll probably do it again on Sunday.

We had a load of people gone this week, but we were still pretty packed. We had a lot of visitors! Keep it up Coastal. This coming week is the Car Show - sponsored by the Coastal Carolina Corvette Club. Use that as a hook to invite your friends! Let's bring out more chairs this week. Let's have people begging for a second service! I thought everyone enjoyed having Raef Judd and his Charleston FD #9 race car at church. I know the men and kids did. Not that you Ladies don't care about cars and motorcycles and trucks and such, but it was almost comical watching the guys check out Raef's car and the stuff on the stage. So guys, again, here's the challenge - use that draw to your advantage! Invite. Invite. Invite. Did I mention we have a car show this Sunday - 10AM-1PM?

Give aways = more Connect Cards! That's what I've discovered. Yesterday we pulled a Connect Card at the end of the service and gave away a 1-day Harley Davidson rental compliments of Low Country Harley Davidson. Les Bowick (Coastal's own Firefighter) won the gift certificate. During our Summer Series, "Reel to Real" he won a DVD player! (Les, tomorrow we're buying lottery tickets!) Do you know what I really discovered from our Connect Cards yesterday? Two people crossed the line of faith and gave their live to Jesus! Several others renewed their commitment to Christ, asked for information about Coastal, and would like to join a Small Group! Coastal, that's called LIFE change! And every one of you who serve, share, volunteer, give, pray, and invite made that happen! That's the Wild Ride that I talked about yesterday! And that is always worth the risk!

That's what my message was about yesterday - the spirit of adventure and taking risks. Christianity is not for the faint of heart. It requires risk to become a Christian and it takes risk to live the Christian life every day! It's called faith. It's not blind faith. It's not roulette. It's a reasonable faith - but it's faith none the less. Over the coming weeks we're going to look at examples of several "wild rides" that people in the Bible took. If yesterday was any indication, it's going to be awesome series!

Sorry Russ & Susan (our resident FSU Fanatics), I couldn't resist, especially after coming to church proudly wearing your FSU jerseys on Sunday. Well, Christopher and I left pretty quickly after church on Sunday and just got back yesterday afternoon, so I haven't had the chance yet to post about Sunday or about our weekend Father/Son getaway. Not only was Sunday a part of Labor Day weekend, but it rained - typically, not a good combination for church attendance. But honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. We still had visitors. When I asked them how they heard about our church - their response, "Your website." More and more people today find our church through our website - which is why we put up the banner out front that simply lists our website address. We wrapped up, "Just Walk Across the Room" with a message on Grander Vision Living. Tonight we finish up our 4 week Small Group Experience at the church. I sincerely hope, as I said this past Sunday, that this has been a life changing experience for those of you who have participated.

The Clemson/FSU tickets were a part of my 40th Birthday present from my family. Christopher and I left early so we could go to the 6PM service at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. Since there was no Youth Group Sunday night, Jeremiah & Cyndi took Ryan and Cameron to the service as well. It really was awesome! It's just exciting to see what can happen when a church focuses on the vision of reaching people with the gospel. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we'd love to take a large group from Coastal to their Unleash Conference, Thurs. March 13, 2008. It might seem like a long way off, but mark it down and let me know if you can go! We're planning on renting a couple of vans, leaving early that morning, and coming back that night. Half the fun is simply the trip up and back.

Christopher and I really did have fun. We stayed at Eddie Evan's cabin up in Mountain Rest SC, about 45 minutes from Clemson. We cooked big, thick porterhouse steaks on the grill late Sunday night. We slept in a little bit on Monday, got up, went down to the lake, and Christopher caught a fish. Actually, he "gigged" it, since we didn't have any bait. But, as they say, a catch is a catch.

And yes, you knew it was coming, a win is a win. And we won Monday night! No matter what my sad Georgia and South Carolina friends would have you believe, it still goes down in the W column and I'll take that any day of the week. We left early for the game, picked up some fried chicken, walked around and took everything in. (Tony Morgan had a great blog about the game and leadership lessons learned.) We had a blast! A great Father/Son game for a great Father/Son getaway! Janet, Lydia, and Christopher - thanks for the birthday present! Christopher thanks for wanting to hang out with Dad! I couldn't ask for a better son! I'll forget about the game soon enough, but I'll carry with me forever hanging out with you!

As you know, I have the privilege performing weddings. Here in Charleston, I do it a lot. This past Friday night I had the honor to be a part of something very special. It was a marriage vow renewal service. It wasn't special because of me or my relationship with the couple. I really didn't know them. They were from Atlanta and got my name from the Sanctuary at Kiawah. It wasn't special because it was their 10th or 25th anniversary. Actually, it was their 22nd wedding anniversary. It wasn't special because of the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony itself. In fact, it was very simple - me, the couple, and their two children (10 & 12 I think) on the beach.

No, what made this special was the fact that they almost didn't make it. They almost became just another statistic. He committed adultery. They had been through all the pain, heartache, and anger associated with that. But through the grace and forgiveness of God, the love and support of a church and Christian friends, there we stood together to renew their marriage vows Friday night. They talked openly about the sin and the pain, in front of me and their kids. They hugged, held hands, and cried together. It was one of the most moving services I've ever been a part of. Here are the words he wrote and spoke to his wife:

"Paula, 22 years ago I pledged many things to you, including my faithfulness. With great sorrow and regret, I acknowledge that I broke that vow and I realize the enormity of my mistake. On our wedding day I pledged to love you in sickness and in health, for better or worse. The past year has tested those vows, but our enduring love for one another has prevailed. I stand here today in the presence of God and our beautiful family to symbolize a fresh start, to renew our vows of love, trust, faithfulness and honor, to reaffirm my commitment to you. You being here today represents the greatest gift that one human being could ever give another - forgiveness. Together we have built the most beautiful life with two precious children whom we are very proud of. When I promised to love you as long as we both shall live, I never imagined losing you or the depths of despair I would feel at that prospect. Words cannot describe how sorry I am for ever causing you pain. Please know that I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to continue life’s journey by your side. Once again, I promise to love you, to honor you with my trust and faithfulness, to comfort you in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better and for worse, as long as we both shall live."

What God has joined together, let no one or no thing ever separate.

- Tomorrow's message is going to rock! It's about living life for a "Grander Vision." I'm really excited about it. Baptism Video, Testimony - the whole day is going to rock!
- This is Labor Day weekend, typically not a great attendance day at church. Will anybody even be in church to hear the message?
- South Carolina won. Georgia won. Clemson better win!
- Jeremiah, what happened to your Michigan Wolverines? In the "Big House" no less?!
- Christopher and I take off to Clemson tomorrow after church. We're very jacked! On the way, we're stopping off to go to church at Newspring in Anderson, SC. I think we're just as excited about that as we are about going to the game. Christopher wants to check out their Children's Ministry. He's been helping Janet on Sunday mornings in Children's Church. He's not just some flunky looking to get out of church. He loves kids and ministry. And Janet says he's doing a great job. I'm excited about taking him to Newspring to get a bigger vision for what the church can become. He already has a big vision for Coastal. This will just expand it! Jeremiah and Cyndi are going to Newspring as well and bringing some students.
- Speaking of Newspring, Jeremiah and I went to their Unleash Conference last year and our church has already paid for 10 registrations for this year's conference. If you are a Volunteer or Ministry Leader at Coastal, we want you to go! Mark it on your calendar now - Thursday, March 13, 2008. We'd love to buy more registrations and rent a van!
- Oh yeah, it's the first of the month and all my previous posts from last month are neatly archived on the left again. It trips me up every month.
- We had a new family, Bruce & Linda Evans, volunteer to clean the church for the month of September. They simply said that if they're a part of Coastal, they need to do their share. Is that awesome or what? They've only been at our church for less than a month!
- Wild Ride is going to be just that - a wild, exciting ride! Who will you be bringing? Their are several guys in my neighborhood that I'll be inviting.
- Next Sunday, to help kick-off "Wild Ride," an old friend of mine, local race car driver Raef Judd, from "back in the day" on James Island will be in church with his #9 Charleston FD Memorial Race Car. Raef Judd - is that a racing name or what? Raef Judd - Ricky Bobby. Ricky Bobby - Raef Judd. Before you get the wrong picture in your mind, let me say that he's a great guy with a wonderful family. I've enjoyed reconnecting with him. I'm excited about him coming to Coastal. He's going to bring some old friends of ours from High School.
- Other than "Just Walk Across the Room," I've been reading another great book - "Simple Church." More about that in a later post. It's been the inspiration for a new message series later this Fall.
- Well, that's about it for now. It's late and I want to go over my sermon before I go to bed.