I ran across these questions for the New Year on another Pastor’s Blog. I thought they were great. A lot of growth is dependent on our ability to ask and answer the right questions. This is a good start. Do you have any you would add?

1. How can I be a better follower of Jesus, husband, dad, and friend in 2008?
2. How can I be a more faithful Pastor and leader in 2008?
3. Where do I want my time to go in 2008?

4. Am I doing things that either need to be delegated or deleted?

5. Am I planning to take a Sabbath every week?

6. How am I going to take care of myself physically in 2008?

7. Have I put together a budget that honors God and meets the needs of my family?

8. How many books am I going to read?

9. What is my Bible reading plan for 2008?

10. How can I take my service to God to the next level?

11. What are the relationships I need to nurture or cut next year?

12. How am I going to grow as a leader?

13. Am I committed to growing in giving and modeling generosity to my church?

14. How am I going to stir up my gifts and give those time and attention?

I pray 2008 is your best year yet!

Tigers win! Tigers win! That’s all I’m saying. (At least we can still be friends Bruce.)

Okay, back to the Bowl tickets. My message is humming along. We’ve talked about jewelry, gadgets, and gaming systems, and given away a bracelet, ipod, and Guitar Hero 3. Now the final point of my message I’m talking about sports related gifts. I announce for the person with the letter “T” under their gift bag to come to the stage. By the way, if you didn’t figure it out, the winning letters were “GIFT.”

A young man in his 20’s, a first time guest, comes to the stage. He was obviously a good sport and really played along. Before he opens the gift he says he’s not a Clemson fan (assuming that it’s some sort of Clemson thing), but a Carolina fan – the Carolina contingent at our church hoot and holler a bit. I assure him that it’s not just a Clemson gift, but a sports gift. He opens the gift and it contains a card saying that he’s won two tickets to the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Bowl Game in Atlanta, GA. The crowd goes wild and you can tell he’s excited. As he’s walking off the stage I say, “By the way, we thought long and hard about which Bowl Tickets to try to get. We almost got tickets for the Bowl Game that Carolina is playing in . . . oh yeah, that’s right.” Crowd busts up laughing and so does he. Again, good sport.

I said a box containing a card saying that he’s won two tickets because the tickets had not yet arrived in the mail. I told the young man who won to make sure that he filled out a Connect Card with his information and we would be sure to contact him as soon as they arrived. On his Connect Card he checked that he had renewed his commitment to Christ. Here’s what he wrote, “Your sermon was amazing. I had lost a lot and questioned many things. Thank you for your words. It made me see things in a different light. My girlfriend found you through the internet and I decided we would come.”

When the tickets arrived I gave him a call. He thanked me for the call and told me that he had been meaning to email me ever since the Christmas Eve service. He again told me how much it meant to him. He said that he had been away from church for several years. In fact, he said the last time he was in church he looked around and saw a bunch of people who didn’t really want to be there. During the message they would balance their checkbook, doodle, or sleep. They were just going through the motions. Quite frankly, he said he didn’t want to be there either. It didn’t seem to speak to his life. So he quit going.

He still prayed and even read his Bible, but he didn’t have a church family. He said he felt God calling him back. He and his girlfriend decided to search for another church to visit. They found ours on the internet. He was blown away, and not just by my message, but that everyone genuinely seemed to want to be there. He also said that when I said, “No one is here by accident. God has a reason for you being here,” that he knew I was speaking to him.

I offered to meet with him to give him the tickets. He said, “No, I’ll pick them up Sunday at church.” Wow! Is that a God thing or what? It’s amazing what happens when a church decides to pray for people far from God (1-1-1), pull out all the stops, and do whatever it takes to reach them. It’s amazing what happens when a church truly decides that the reason they exist is to share and experience LIFE! You know what? Actually, it’s not amazing. It’s just what God has been waiting for and what He said would happen all along. Simply put, those are the people and the churches that He uses. See you Sunday!

So – is everyone back to work? I’ve gone to the office a couple of times since Christmas and done some work from home, but I have definitely enjoyed some time off with my family. Today I’ve got to get busy on my message for Sunday and a few other things.

I wanted to share the story of our Chick-Fil-A Bowl tickets with you. As many of you know, we gave away 2 Bowl Tickets as a part of our Christmas Eve service. But how we got those tickets and who ended up with them is quite a story. When we came up with the idea at our Creative Team meeting we only had a couple of weeks to get our hands on them. The Bowl was already sold out, but like many Bowl games, I figured we could find someone who was willing to part with them at a reasonable price. I called everyone I knew – Clemson people, Auburn people, Atlanta contacts, Chick-Fil-A contacts. No avail. I went to Ebay, but didn’t want to pay what they were asking for them.

Well, time was slipping away and so on the Friday before Christmas I decided it was time to go the Ebay route. I scrolled through auction after auction after auction. I landed upon one particular auction where the seller at least seemed to have a reasonable starting bid, had more than one ticket, and listed his phone number. I decided to give him a call.

“Hi, I’m calling about your Bowl tickets for sale on Ebay.” Extremely nice guy. He told me that he was a member of IPTAY and bought the tickets but that his wedding anniversary is January 1st and that his wife said, “We will not spend our anniversary at a football game.” He also told me he would be willing to break up the set and sell 2 of them.

Well for whatever reason I decided to tell him who I was and what we were going to do with the tickets. I told him all about the service and our “Unwrapping Christmas” series. I told him about my sermon, “My Favorite Things,” and gave him a point by point run down of my message. The whole time he kept saying things like, “Wow! That’s great! Very creative.”

And then when I was done he told me that his wife had literally just asked him about the tickets and that he was checking the auction when I called. But then he told me that he was a volunteer staff member at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC! He volunteers in the Children’s Ministry with child security and check-in. I have talked about the NewSpring church several times on this Blog. Jeremiah and I went to their Unleash Conference last spring and pre-registered for 10 tickets for this year’s conference. In fact, we had just stopped by NewSpring on our way to see Janet’s family in GA a couple of weeks ago.

All of a sudden it was like we were old friends. We forgot about the game and talked about church and ministry. He offered to help us out in any way he could and even offered to give us a “behind the scenes” tour when we come to the Unleash 08 conference. When we finally got back to talking about the game he said he would shut down the auction and sell them to us for what he paid for them. He asked for my name and address so he could send the tickets. When I told him my name he said, “Spell your last name.” “R-o-l-l-i-n-s.” He said, “You’re never going to believe this, but that’s my name!” No – we’re not long lost brothers, separated at birth or even cousins. But still, you have to admit – that’s pretty cool!

God was definitely up to something! I told him to pray for the person that ends up with the tickets (you’ll have to read Part 2) and that I would call him and tell him all about it. I always knew Clemson was God’s team!

WOW! Our Christmas Eve Service last night was awesome! We had a packed house and a ton of 1st time guests! I loved everything – the music, the video, and the GIFTS! That’s right, gifts. My message last night was entitled, “My Favorite Things” and we literally gave a gift to everyone present. The gift bags were filled with lots of chocolate, goodies, ornaments, coupons, free stuff, reindeer head bands, and Chick-Fil-A calendars. It was so cool watching everyone open their bags. And to four lucky audience members we gave away a bracelet, an ipod shuffle, Guitar Hero 3, and drum roll please . . . 2 tickets to the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, GA! (There’s a cool story about getting the tickets that I’ll post later.) Honestly, it was probably my favorite Christmas Eve service we’ve ever had. Huge props go to my Creative Team for all your ideas and work putting it together.

Janet and I went to bed at about 2AM and the kids got us up at 6AM. We had a great Christmas morning! I just absolutely love my family. We have so much fun. It never gets old watching your children open presents. Christopher got a bunch of paintball stuff that none of us really understand, shoes, movies, CD’s, and right now he’s rockin’ out to his own Guitar Hero 3. Lydia got a cell phone (now that she’s driving, I think it was more for mom and dad), books, shoes, the Hairspray movie & soundtrack, a Monk Bobblehead & t-shirt, and her very own blog (I purchased her own domain name – www.lydiarollins.com). I look forward to adding her to my blogroll and reading her posts.

We just got finished with lunch (I cooked steak and shrimp on the grill.) I’m stuffed and exhausted. I need my Christmas nap! And yes, I got several cool Clemson things: a new Clemson flag that I will display proudly, a Clemson grill spatula, and probably my favorite Clemson gift – a Clemson remote control!!!

Merry Christmas Coastal! And Merry Christmas to all of you who read my blog regularly or just stop by once in a while to see what we’re up to in Charleston. 2007 has been a wild ride. It’s an honor to share it with you! Thanks for putting up with my rants, my rambling, my strange sense of humor, and humble attempt to share my heart. 2008 is going to be a breakout year for Coastal! I love you!

Let me start off by saying that I am so excited about our Christmas Eve Service tomorrow night! For the last hour or so, I’ve been making phone calls – inviting people to join us and bring friends. Over the years we’ve given away a lot of stuff at Coastal – movie tickets, Nascar tickets, Harley Davidson rides, DVD players, gift certificates, etc. Well tomorrow night as we continue in our “Unwrapping Christmas” theme, everyone will walk away with something! But 4 people will be extremely glad they came! My message title is, “My Favorite Things.” Hmmm. What are Pastor Chris’ favorite things? What might we be giving away? Pastor Chris is a huge Clemson fan isn’t he? Clemson is playing in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Hmmm. What could it be?

We had a bunch of people out of town today. Our attendance was definitely down as far as numbers go. But we did have several visitors. Keep it up Coastal – invite, invite, invite. One little highlight for me lately has been watching people enjoy hanging out in our “new” Welcome Room & Cafe’. We could already add another table and chairs. People really seem to love having a place to sit, relax, laugh, share, and drink a good cup of coffee (Krispy Kreme doughnuts are nice too). We’re drinking like twice the coffee we did before.

Loved hearing, “Run, Run, Rudolph!” to open up the service (I know – we’re crazy). We will definitely be playing that tomorrow night! Did I mention that I’m jacked about tomorrow night? Another one of my “Favorite Things” is Apple Computer. Hmmm. But we can’t afford to give away a computer. What could it be?

My message was about the gift of joy. Joy is different than happiness. It’s not based on our circumstances. Joy is also a choice. We looked at the choices the shepherds made that first Christmas – choices that we can make that will bring joy into our lives. We can choose to hear, accept, and believe the good news. We can choose to obey God. We can choose to tell others.

Another highlight of the day was watching our High School students and families bless our Youth Pastor Jeremiah with a Playstation 3! As they say, “He was as excited as a kid in a candy store!” (And yes, I do think he cried like a baby girl!) Just like a parent, it fills my heart with pride, when I see people in our church expressing their love in generous, extravagant giving.

After church, I went out to Trident Hospital to see Brad & Melissa’s new baby boy – Braden (not sure of spelling). Mom & Baby are doing great. What a great Christmas present! And then I had a wedding out at Kiawah. What a day! Well, that’s about it. I need to spend some time on my message for tomorrow night. I love this time of year. Leverage the opportunity you have to reach out to those around you and share the love of Christ! See you and as many people you can get here tomorrow night at Coastal!

I’ve always enjoyed our annual Christmas Eve service at Coastal. In fact, it’s a part of our family’s Christmas tradition. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until we’ve had our Christmas Eve service. Well, I’ll be honest with you. For weeks, months now, our Creative Team has struggled with what to do at our Christmas Eve service. We just didn’t want it to be “same old, same old.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with traditional Christmas Eve services. We’ve done that. They can be very moving. But we wanted this year’s service to be different. We wanted it to go along with our “Unwrapping Christmas” series and we wanted to communicate the gospel in a creative, powerful way. We wanted our church to be able to use the service as an outreach tool.

Well, at our all day, year long Creative Team planning meeting it all came together. This year’s Christmas Eve service is going to be one you will never forget! I don’t want to give it away, but if you’re in town, you’re going to want to be there and bring your friends! They will be talking about this service long after it’s over! We will be communicating the gospel in a very creative, powerful way! So – pull out all the stops, do whatever it takes, be at Coastal on Christmas Eve with as many people as possible – especially those who are far from God, those who need to experience the LIFE that only Christ can bring! Christmas begins early at Coastal!

Had a great time at our Adult Christmas Party last night! The atmosphere was unbelievable! The food was great! But the laughter and fun was even better. We kicked off the evening with a Christmas game where each table picked a random “Christmas word” and then had to use that word and the word “Coastal” in their own version of “Jingle Bells” and then perform it for everyone. It was hilarious.

But as always, the big hit of the evening was our “white elephant” gift exchange. Hands down, the hot gift of the evening this year was the 20 inch leg lamp replica from the movie, “A Christmas Story.” It got stolen and passed around several times. Junior Moore ended up with the gift, but out of the kindness of his heart (he felt sorry for a sobbing, begging Jeremiah) and as a true example of undeserved grace, he exchanged the leg lamp for Jeremiah’s Charlie Brown Christmas Tree t-shirt. Jeremiah was right – I always bring the hot gift! Last year I brought the Victoria Secret gift card and this year I brought the lamp! When you’re returning your junk the day after Christmas or searching for Christmas decorations on sale, the Rollins family is looking for next year’s “white elephant” gift. The gift I still wish I would have brought – a Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), High School Musical Barbie Doll, in the box, with nothing on but black electrical tape over the “sensitive areas.” Oh well, there’s always next year!

Merry Christmas from the Rollins Family! Enjoy the show!

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Tonight, the family and I went to hear the Wyatt Garey Band play at a local West Ashley venue – The Map Room. They did an awesome job! Of course I am a little biased, especially since 3 of their members (Wyatt, Ranny, & Junior) play in our Praise & Worship Team. No matter where Wyatt’s music takes him – and it will take him far (he’s only 15) – in my mind’s eye, I will forever see Wyatt sitting on his dad’s shoulders during our Praise & Worship Team practice. They have been a such faithful constant part of the worship of Coastal that I can’t remember them not being there. Ranny & Wyatt are living examples of the gift and joy of music. They are a part of my family.

Yes, Wyatt, I am sucking up. When you are playing guitar for whomever, in stadiums and coliseums around the country, I do expect tickets. We might even occasionally use them for giveaways at church. And speaking of church – you guys must play “Run! Run! Rudolph!” this Sunday and Christmas Eve at Coastal! It’s going to ROCK! Just never forget that I am the real Jam Pastor!