Saw this on Ed Young’s Blog last week. Ed is the Pastor of Fellowship Church. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

In my message on Sunday and in my last blog post I mentioned dating my wife. Well, Sunday night was date night. We had a blast – and someone else picked up the tab! I had a wedding at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. Janet usually doesn’t get to go with me to the the weddings I do. But there was no Youth Group Sunday night and the couple I was marrying was so sweet and kind and made a point to invite both Janet and I to come and stay for the reception and enjoy the evening with their friends and family. We took them up on it. I’m glad we did.

First of all, I have a hard time not thinking about Janet and our marriage at every wedding I perform, especially when she is there. I find myself looking for her during the ceremony to make eye contact. After the ceremony and the signing of the marriage license, we just hung out and enjoyed the evening together. I know that might sound strange when we didn’t really know anyone, but we have a way of blocking everything else out and just focusing on each other. However, everyone there was very friendly and gracious.

And the FOOD WAS AWESOME! I have to tell you about it. First of all, immediately after the wedding on the Terrace Lawn behind the Sanctuary they had h’orderves and an open bar. No, I didn’t get liquored up. I tried to spike Janet’s Diet Coke, but she was having none of it. They had dozens of wait staff walking around serving many different kinds of delicious appetizers. I’ve done a lot of weddings at Kiawah and that’s pretty standard, but they also had an oyster and shrimp bar. Very nice. But what sent it over the top was the Sushi Bar (that’s right Jeff)! I’ve just started eating Sushi this year and it was unbelievable. Janet, however, could pass up all of it.

Next they opened the doors to the ballroom for a sit down dinner. After several toasts and a blessing from me, we were served an unbelievable meal! The first course was She Crab Soup with Creamed Sherry (warm and yummy). The Salad that came next was Crisp Bitter Greens with Warm Nut Crusted Goat Cheese and Honey Thyme Dressing (sounds funky, but very good). And then for the Entree: Seared Beef Filet Mignon, Olive Oil Poached Maine Lobster, Butter & Herb Whipped Potatoes, Jumbo Asparagus, with a Red Wind Demi Glace. That’s right baby – steak & lobster! At this point we were stuffed! We stayed to watch the cutting of the cake, but didn’t stay to eat a piece for dessert.

When we got home and told the kids about the food and our meal, Christopher’s comment was, “And you get paid to do this!” Yes I do – life is good. But you know what, as beautiful as the setting was, nothing compares to catching my wife’s eyes when I’m talking to a Bride and Groom about the life long covenant they’re about to enter. And as great as the food was, it pales in comparison to simply opening the door for my wife, holding her hand, laughing together at an inside joke, grabbing her under the table, and feeling as though you’re the only two people in a crowded room and you’re still the most blessed man on the planet. Ecc. 9:9, “Enjoy life with your wife whom you love.”

That was the title of my message on Sunday from Philippians 3:1-11. Paul pulls out his trophies (rituals, religion, race, rules, reputation) and says that compared to knowing Christ, it’s all garbage. He actually uses a stronger word. The translators were just being polite.

We talked about the difference between simply having religion and walking in grace in a personal relationship with Christ. Even though the way of grace ultimately is an easier road (for us – for Christ it was hard), and produces better results (joy), our default is lists, keeping score, and pride.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of substituting rules and regulations for our walk with God. “I’ve been baptized.” “I’m 4th generation Baptist.” “My Grandfather was a Methodist Minister.” “I go to church.” “I read my Bible.” There’s nothing wrong with any of these, but they don’t save you or earn you points with God. The focus is on me. The result is self-righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ that only comes by grace through faith. It’s all in who you KNOW.

I talked about the difference between knowing about someone and really knowing them. I might know about any number of people, but I really know my wife Janet. I know what makes her tick. I know her likes and dislikes. I know how to make her laugh. Why? Because I have a personal, intimate relationship with her. How? Time & trust. We spend time together. We still date each other. We talk with each other. And over time, we’ve proven each other faithful, reliable.

God wants that kind of relationship with you. Paul, no spiritual lightweight, at the end of his life said that his singular goal still remained the same, “I want to know Jesus better and better.” How about you? Is that your goal? That’s a message for believers and seekers alike – it’s all in Who you know.

(edit: the title of this post was meant to be sung along with the Indiana Jones theme song music – not the other 12 songs my family has been harassing me with.)

Everyone who knows me, knows I am a huge Indiana Jones movie fan! I was so excited to learn that they were making a new movie and kicking off the summer with it’s release. It was definitely a “must see” movie for me this summer. So, yesterday afternoon, my entire family went to the matinee showing.

Maybe my expectations were too high – how could Lucas, Spielberg, and Harrison Ford miss. But miss they did! I was very disappointed to say the least. They should have left well enough alone. The story line and character development was worse than the second movie. The action was mediocre at best. The crystal skull itself looked like a plastic prop from Party City. But the worst part of all – the ending!

SPOILER ALERT! For the last 10 minutes of the movie my entire family would turn and look at each other with mouths open and a dumbfounded look of, “That’s not what this movie is all about, is it? That didn’t just happen did it?” Aliens!?!? For a while I thought we were watching, “Close Encounters of the Worst Kind.” END SPOILER ALERT!

Our culture definitely has a love affair with the movies. In fact, I will go as far to say that our culture gets its theology – what it believes about God, spirituality, and life – from the movies they watch and the music they listen to. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying they get it right. But through movies and music they are asking questions and raising issues. (I will be reading Tim Stevens‘ book, “Pop Goes the Culture.”)

The good news is we’ve got answers. So instead of imitating, condemning, or ignoring culture, why not seek to engage and redeem the culture. That’s what Jesus did. John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” That’s also what the Apostle Paul did in Acts 17. He used their culture – an altar to an unknown God – to preach about Christ.

That’s why we’re going to renew our message series, “Reel to Real” later this Summer. For several weeks we will take an uncut, uncensored look at real life truth from popular movies. Now don’t mistake or confuse what we’re going to do. The different movies are just a way to create a buzz, to get our church talking with friends, co-workers, and neighbors. So don’t worry when we put up new props or play a few current songs – we’re not going soft. We won’t be watering down the message. Actually, if you were here last summer, you know just the opposite will be true. These will be some of our hardest hitting messages. We will open up God’s word and boldly proclaim the truth.

(Just for fun: go here and play a game of “Indiana Jones or the Bible?”)

I asked Wes if he would introduce himself and share a little bit of his story. Here’s what he wrote:

This whole thing started months ago… well, years ago actually. You see, I grew up in Connecticut. My parents were living in Dallas before I was born, where they met in school. After my older sister was born they decided to move to New York City for better jobs. My mom was in fashion at the time, and my father in advertising. New York was a culture shock, but they survived and eventually moved 20 miles outside New York City to Connecticut. That’s when I was born. Two years later my younger sister was born.

Growing up in Connecticut was… well… interesting. There’s actually a movie written about my town called “The Stepford Wives”. Seriously…

I grew up playing sports, going to school, and going to church. At age 12 I began playing the guitar, thanks to my father. The more I played guitar, the less I played competitive sports. I stuck with tennis and lacrosse, but my sport of passion was always soccer. Eventually I would work teaching tennis lessons, but every night after work I would drive my car to the beach and play my guitar. At 16 I started writing music, playing out every once in awhile.

Without further adieu – pictures of Charlotte Roberts, our new Youth Pastor’s daughter, and her proud parents Wes & Brianna! What a beautiful baby! I can’t wait for July!

I don’t know if you saw this story over the weekend, but it cracked me up! Evidently, to break out of a slump, Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees wears a gold thong! Then Derek Jeter admitted to having worn the thong – but he just wore it over his shorts. And get this – they all wear the same thong! The reasoning behind it? When you’re up at the plate wearing a thong you’re not thinking about the pitch, your stance, or anything else for that matter but the discomfort. I should have known “man thongs” were big in New York. The above picture was taken in a Macy’s in New York back in 2000. The caption reads, “You Belong In A Thong.” No – I did NOT buy one!

Believe it or not, I shared that funny story to open our service this past Sunday. The point? People today will go to great lengths and literally try anything to “get out of a slump” or to infuse some meaning or adventure or joy into their lives. Think about it – weekend getaways, expensive toys, relationships, drugs, alcohol – are all used in the search for meaning. And all the while, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (IIChron. 16:9). Like we’ve been saying through this entire series through Philippians – it’s no secret at all – joy is found in Jesus and it’s revealed in His word.

My message Sunday was about the kind of men that God is looking for today. As examples we looked at Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:19-30. It was one of the strongest messages I’ve given toward men, or anyone for that matter, in a long time. And it was very well received, which goes to show exactly what I said on Sunday, men want to be challenged to live for something bigger than themselves. For many people church is nothing more than a series of meetings and nice talks with very little impact or life change or challenges. May that never be said of Coastal.

The rest of Sunday was very busy, but very good. I had a wedding at Middleton Place. The Coastal Kidz (1st-5th Grade) went to see Prince Caspian. And Sunday night “Out of Ash” of the Greenhouse Ministry put on a concert for WAVES and our church. They did a great job!

Today was an absolutely beautiful day in Charleston! It was one of those days that makes you thankful you live here. I had two weddings today, both small, both at beaches. This was a picture I took with my phone at the first wedding. It was at a house on Sullivan’s Island. This was their backyard.

I am very proud of Jeb Perkins. Today he graduated from MUSC with a Doctor of Pharmacy. Jeb & Jennifer started coming to Coastal a little over 3 years ago. They live just down the street from the church. They first came to our Children’s Day & Carnival. Their daughter Gracie won a drawing for a Toy’s R Us gift card. She took the card and bought gifts for Operation Christmas Child and brought it back to the church. They’ve been coming ever since. During that entire time Jeb has been in Pharmacy School. There have been many Sundays when he literally drug himself to church with little or no sleep from school or work (or both). During that time Jeb and Jennifer have had another child, Hannah, and Jennifer has continued to teach English at Burke High School. Jennifer serves in Promiseland and Jeb serves on the Sound Team. They are and have been a tremendous blessing to our church family. No matter what the future holds for their family, they will always hold a special place in my heart! The Medical profession is a better place with Christian men like Jeb. Here are a few pictures I took with my phone. I just happened to be in the right place to get a picture of Jeb as he was walking in.

I’m excited to announce that Coastal Community Church will be participating with hundreds of other churches (over 900 now) worldwide in the One Prayer Campaign. The idea for the series was started through the ministry of Life Church and Pastor Craig Groeschel. The premise is simple and powerful. Hundreds of churches from around the world simultaneously doing a series together called, “One Prayer.” The series will begin on the weekend of June 8th and run for a total of 4 weeks. The premise of the series is, “If God would answer ‘one prayer’ for the church at large, what would you pray?”

I will preach live the first Sunday, kicking off the series, expressing what my “One Prayer” would be for Coastal. The title of my sermon will be, “Lord, make us ______.” Then, the next 3 weeks we will have the opportunity to watch a video message from some of the best preachers from around the world. Simple.

But also powerful. We get to be a part of something bigger than ourselves to promote unity in the Body of Christ. We will be fasting, praying, and seeking God in concert with hundreds of thousands of other believers. We will be exposed to other great teachers and ministries. We get to experiment with video teaching. We will be mobilizing our church to do something ministry related in our community. And we will receive an offering on June 23rd and combine it with hundreds of other churches to plant 500 churches in China, India, Sudan, and Cambodia.

It has the potential to be a very powerful event in the history of Coastal and the Church. I can’t wait! So, what about you? If God would answer ‘one prayer’ for the church at large, what would you pray? What do you think I’ll preach? For a brief explanation of the series watch this short video and visit the One Prayer website.