For a lot of people, yearly or 6 month job evaluations are dreaded and painful experiences. Wes, our Youth/Worship Pastor has been at Coastal for a year now. Guess what? He approached me about wanting a yearly evaluation. That’s right – he approached me. Truthfully, had he not approached me, I probably would have let it slip. It’s not something I’ve done before.

However, I am growing as a leader and as a leader of leaders. After spending some time thinking it through and looking into the process of staff evaluations, I’m now looking forward to it – don’t worry, not in a sadistic way, but as a way of pouring into Wes and any future staff (your time is coming Sean). In fact, that’s what Wes said. He values and wants my clear direction and feedback. You see, when I invest time, prayer, and direction into Wes; when I give him clear expectations and goals, it makes him feel valued and sets him free to operate at the highest level.

Sure, it gives us a chance to talk about work performance, goals, deadlines, and character. But if done correctly, it also allows a staff to strengthen unity and deepen community. I’m just thankful that I have someone like Wes that pushes me as a leader and wants to grow and develop personally and professionally.

Oh, and by the way, Wes has nothing to worry about in his evaluation! This year has been a breath of fresh air. And a year ago, I never would have thought that it would blow in from Connecticut. Thanks Wes! You are a great Youth Pastor and a great Worship Pastor. It is an honor serving with you. I am more excited about ministry and the future of our church than I have been in 20 years. And you have been an important part of that. Keep up the great work. The best is yet to come!

I just love the staff team we are building here at Coastal and I love their families. Friday night Janet and I had Wes & Sean and their families over for a “Staff Cookout” at our home. We ate good food (if I may say so myself) and had an even better time just hanging out, having fun. I’m learning that building a good staff is like most things in life – it’s intentional.

Went to a wedding shower for a young couple from our church over the weekend. Had a lot of fun! I love meeting new people. It’s one of those things that energizes me. What energizes you?

Sunday was just a great day on a lot of levels. Had new people and new volunteers! In the second service I had a good friend from “back in the day” and her family surprise me. I just love these guys so much. As I’ve said before, there is just something special about having Christian friends and being able pick up right where you left off no matter how much time has passed.

What’s wild is that just last week I was telling another couple at our church about these friends of mine. They have twin boys who happen to be Autistic. This couple from our church was telling me about an Autism walk later in the year and how we could be involved. And then SURPRISE my friends show up! God is awesome that way.

Sunday after church we had a Newcomers Lunch! We had over 25 people there! Not only did I get to share our story with everyone, but I love getting to hear everyone else’s story. It was great. Great food too by the way! Kathy Beam and Susan Brown took care of everything and did a great job.

After our “Summer Reading” series, we’re going to do a series called, “I Love My Church!” Talked about some great ideas during Creative Team Meeting today. Hope you’ve enjoyed the books by the way for “Summer Reading.” Probably do this series again next Summer.

Meet with some more Lighting People this week. If you have an extra $10,000 (or anything for that matter) laying around, give it this Sunday.

Did a destination wedding Monday afternoon on Kiawah. I was in the lobby of the Sanctuary when another couple that I married last year happened to walk by. They were on vacation. We gave each other big hugs and talked for a minute before I had to head out for the wedding I was doing. After the wedding I visited with my friends who surprised me on Sunday. Quick thought: raising kids requires servant love. Raising kids with autism requires a whole different level of servant love. Watching their family was truly inspirational.

“God, wrap them in Your grace and give them Your strength.”

I am so blessed with such good friends. A good Pastor friend of mine called me today and wanted to apologize if he had said something that might have offended me or in any way I might have taken as slam about something that we were discussing the day before. We joke around so much that honestly at first I didn’t know what he was talking about (and usually I’m the insensitive jerk wad). I tell people regularly that I am surrounded with people that can and do speak truth into my life. Anyway, after I got off the phone I found myself thanking God for my friend.

Then later today I got a phone call from another friend from “back in the day.” She and her family mean the world to me. She was a a very good friend of mine’s girlfriend in High School and we went to church and camp together. College and life have separated us a bit. We did see her and her family probably about 10 or 12 years ago. Anyway, it was great to hear of God’s activity in her life.

I’ve been reading the book, “Crazy Love,” by Francis Chan and toward the end of the book he tells the story of people who live the sacrificial love and life of Christ in real every day life. I would add my friend and her husband to that list. She has two boys with Autism. And to hear her talk about the joy and blessing they bring to her life is inspiring.

By the way, there is just something special about reconnecting with friends “in Christ” isn’t there? You can pick up right where you left off, no guilt, no expectations – just . . . grace.

Again, I just found myself thanking God today for the all the friends He has brought and continues to bring into my life. I am a blessed man.

Ecc. 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

I know the argument. It goes something like this: “VBS in many places is so over-saturated and over-done that it’s more like daycare. You very rarely see any of those families return to your church. There’s very little return for your investment. Parents simply send their kids to as many VBS’s as they can. It burns out your volunteers.”

Again, I know the drill. And I’m not saying that it’s not something we shouldn’t evaluate every year. If anything, I think it should make us think of ways to stand out in our communities and do what we do better. There are no sacred cows here. But I’ll be honest. I still like VBS. I like seeing the kids have fun at church. I like the songs. I like the snacks. I like the crafts. I like seeing them learn about Jesus. We’re simply planting seeds. At Coastal this year, we have more volunteers than ever – lots of new volunteers in fact. We even provide a snack room just for the volunteers with food and drinks. For some it’s their first step before volunteering in Promiseland on Sunday mornings.

But truthfully, the reason VBS has a special place in my heart is because when I was 12 a friend of mine invited me to VBS. My dad had passed away earlier that year and my family had long since stopped going to church. I went, met a wild & crazy Youth Pastor and a bunch of people who loved Jesus and weren’t afraid to show it. The next week I went to camp and gave my life to Jesus.

Planting seeds. That’s what it’s all about. We had a young mother show up this week who had come to our Easter Egg Drop. She said that she simply didn’t know how to teach her kids about “spiritual things” and then got our flyer in the mail. Planting seeds. This past year over at Oakland Elementary School I participated in the Lunch Buddy Program where I ate an extended lunch with a student every other week. Let’s just say I got a kid who at the age of 9 has had more trouble than most will have in a lifetime and wasn’t exactly very communicative during that lunch. Guess what? He showed up this week for VBS! He came running up to me and said, “Hey Lunch Buddy!” Planting seeds.

What will VBS look like next year at Coastal? I don’t know. Maybe we’ll just keep improving what we do. Maybe we’ll shake things up and come up with something that’s never been done before. But whatever we do and whatever we call it, I’m sure we’ll continue to plant seeds in the hearts of children in our community. You never know who’s life we might just change!

Wow – I’ve been a terrible blogger this Summer! I still read about 20 to 30 blogs a day, but I’ve not done a very good job lately of posting on mine. It’s not that I haven’t had a lot to say – Pastors always have lots to say and I’m no exception. Some of it has been that I’ve been saying it through other venues like Twitter or Facebook. But I guess just like everyone else, Summer is also a time for travel and vacation and taking a bit of a breather. So that’s what I did with my blog – I just didn’t announce it.

A quick recap: We went to Liberty University to take my daughter to Early Freshman Orientation. I am so proud of my daughter and can’t wait for her new adventure. It’s going to be a little different around the Rollins home, but new seasons and chapters mean new discoveries and growth. Stayed up in Virginia for a week and had a blast with our good friends the Wardles. Goofed off, watched movies, and laughed a lot. Didn’t preach for 3 straight weeks! You know it as One Prayer. Pastors lovingly refer to it as One Sabbatical. I definitely needed it. It was good for our church as well. I turned 42 and my son turned 14. Christopher is becoming quite the rocker on his guitar! Right now he’s saving ALL of his money for a new amp – a Marshall amp! I love my wife! I fall more deeply in love with her every day!

Oh yeah, and life here at Coastal just keeps getting better and better. Lives are being changed! People are letting Jesus live through them! And as a result people are bringing their friends, God is drawing people to Himself, and the church is growing. We’ve not really had much of a “Summer Slump.” I feel like I am being stretched as a leader in new ways every day. The more I learn, the more I realize I have to learn. But I love it. New people are serving. New leaders are rising up to the challenge. And then on top of that, God just keeps dropping leaders in our lap. We are making plans, decisions, and changes now that will have a positive affect for years to come. And we are just getting started! This past January I boldly stated that in one year we would be a church of 250. Right now that doesn’t seem so bold anymore. I actually think we’re going to break that number this Summer (had 222 on Sunday) and then absolutely blow it out the water this Fall!

We kicked off a new series this past Sunday called “Summer Reading.” We’re using 5 books as a hook or a springboard to talk about spiritual truth. The side benefit is that I can encourage our people to read 5 worthwhile books! The five books are, “The Shack,” “Crazy Love,” “How Good is Good Enough,” “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day,” and “I Once Was Broke, But Now I’m Not.” This past Sunday was, “The Shack.” This coming Sunday is, “Crazy Love.” We got a lot of great feedback on Sunday!

Well that’s about it for now! It’s day 2 of VBS and the reason I can write this is that I don’t have to do anything during VBS this year except encourage our volunteers and meet our guests! What a positive sign of growth and change!