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!