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!