I want to give you a little assignment today. Look up. Seriously. Sometime tonight, walk outside and look at the stars. There’s a reason I’m asking you to do that. Thousands of years ago, a man named Abraham was struggling to believe a promise God had made to him. God had promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation. There was just one rather significant problem. Abraham didn’t have a son. And he wasn’t getting any younger.
Everything Abraham could see seemed to contradict everything God had promised. So God did something interesting. Genesis 15 says that God took Abraham outside and told him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” I love that. God gave Abraham something to look at. Every night when Abraham stepped outside, there was the reminder, “God made me a promise.” Every star became a visual reminder that his present circumstances weren’t the end of his story.
And I wonder if sometimes we need the same thing. Because it’s incredibly easy to allow what we see right now to determine what we believe about tomorrow. We look at the bank account. We look at the diagnosis. We look at what’s happening with our children. We look at our marriage. We look at our age. We look at our past. We look at everything that hasn’t happened yet. And without realizing it, our circumstances begin shrinking our vision.
But God was essentially saying to Abraham, “Stop looking only at what is. Start looking at what I have promised could be.” Maybe somebody reading this needs to hear that today. Your current circumstances don’t get the final word. Your past doesn’t get the final word. Your limitations don’t get the final word. God does.
That’s one of the things I’m praying happens during this Thrive journey. I don’t simply want God to expand our campus. I want God to expand our vision. I want us to begin seeing people who aren’t here yet. Children who haven’t walked through the doors yet. Students who haven’t met Jesus yet. Families who haven’t found hope yet. Lives that haven’t been changed yet. Right now, we can’t see their faces. But God can.
And maybe that’s true personally for you as well. Maybe there’s something God wants to do in your life that you can’t see yet. Maybe there’s a next chapter you haven’t imagined. Maybe there’s someone God wants you to reach. Maybe there’s a step of faith He’s asking you to take. Maybe your best days of Kingdom impact aren’t behind you at all. Maybe they’re still ahead.
So sometime tonight, look up. And while you’re looking at those stars, pray a simple prayer, “God, don’t let what I see today limit what I believe You can do tomorrow. Enlarge my vision. Help me see what You see.” That’s what we’re going to talk about this Sunday as we continue Thrive with a message I’m calling “Seeing What God Sees.” And here’s a little preview: Let the size of your God determine the size of your dream. I’ll see you Sunday! Healthy things grow. Healthy things THRIVE. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you Sunday!
Thriving Together!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Join the team as we travel over to Patriot Villas, a veterans housing facility in North Charleston, to provide encouragement in the form of a fresh hot cup of Coastal coffee, a Krispy Kreme donut and community. We’ll spend the morning serving the veterans, fellowshipping, building relationships and thanking them for their service! TODAY, Friday, October 2nd, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
The Boutique Sort & Stock: Come help sort & organize all the clothes we distribute! TODAY, Friday, October 2nd; Monday, October 5th; Friday, October 9th, 10:30am-12:30pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Saturday Serve: The foundation of all of our serving opportunities at Coastal really starts with Saturday Serve – the first Saturday of every month. The next Saturday Serve is TOMORROW, Saturday, October 3rd. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
The Market Organize & Prep: Come to The Outpost and help keep the Market stocked and organized (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Wednesday, October 7th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Sweat & Serve: Come help unload the Coastal Box Truck filled with our weekly food pickup! Heavy lifting required (40+lbs). Wednesday, October 7th, 9:30am-12noon. Meet at: Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
Brighton Place Grocery Distribution: Come help distribute food to the wonderful residents of Brighton Place! Thursday, October 8th,10am-12noon. Meet at: Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
VA Stand Down for Homelessness: Our Outreach team is known for loving our veterans and feeding the community! We have the opportunity to do both of those things by participating in the VA Stand Down for Homelessness again this year! We will be feeding everyone in attendance. This is a busy event where you can anticipate people ready to eat and chat. Let’s feed our veterans together! Thursday, October 8th, 10am-2pm. Meet at Coastal.
Serving in the Market & the Boutique at The Outpost: Coastal feeds and clothes an enormous amount of people. Come to The Outpost and help serve our community (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Thursday, October 8th, 10am-2pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
NHC Fellowship & Hospitality Project: Those in skilled-nursing centers are arguably some of the most neglected people in our society. The hope of this project is to send a reminder to the residents of the facility, in which we are serving, that they are not alone. This kid-friendly project will consist of loving on the staff and residents through words of encouragement, quality time and snacks and more! Friday, October 9th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at: NHC Skilled Nursing Facility, 2230 Ashley Crossing Dr, Charleston, SC 29414.
2nd Saturday Meal: Saturday, October 10th, 9am-12noon. Come serve with us at the church as we prepare a hot meal in the Coastal kitchen and then deliver those meals to one of our awesome ministry partners – organizations like Charleston Vets, S.C. Strong, Brighton Place, Joseph Floyd Manor and more!
Double Tailgate Day – Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: Saturday, October 10th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at The Outpost and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve. 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
As always, if you are interested in serving in any of these projects, you can sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday or sign up now on our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones. - Every Sunday, our First Impressions Team works hard to make people feel like our welcomed, expected guests in our home – from the moment they arrive, until they leave. And if you can smile, if you love people, and can say, “Good morning! Welcome to Coastal!”, we’d love for you to join the Team!
One of our biggest needs right now is Golf Cart Drivers. With more people parking farther from the building, our golf carts are an important part of helping guests, families, and those who need a little extra assistance get to and from the building. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it’s a great way to serve! If you can drive a golf cart and share a smile, we’ve got a spot for you! If you’re interested in serving on the First Impressions Team or driving a golf cart, please reach out to Pastor Scott Huff, sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday, or sign up online right now. - On Saturday, October 17, CSM is hosting a CSM Serve Day! Coastal is passionate about being the hands and feet of Jesus, and our Student Ministry wants to take that calling seriously. We’re planning a full day of serving opportunities, teaching, worship, and fun! We want students to see that they don’t have to wait until they’re older to be a part of what God is doing at Coastal—they can make a difference right now!
We’re also inviting parents and guardians to join us for the day. We’ll start early Saturday morning, serve together, gather for a time of worship and teaching around midday, serve again in the afternoon, and then wrap up the day with some fun! We will provide food and the event is completely free! Sign up everyone who plans to attend by clicking this link! - nterested in going public with your faith through Baptism? Sign up on your Connect Card or on our website to be baptized any Sunday or at our next Beach Baptism (“Polar Plunge”) on Folly Beach on Saturday, November 21st at 10am.
- Beginning this Sunday, you’ll be able to take home Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes to fill up with toys and gifts. I know it might seem crazy talking about Christmas in early October, but if you’ve visited any retail stores the last couple of weeks, Christmas displays are already out. Well, one of our favorite missions that we support here at Coastal is Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – sharing the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel through gifts & supplies in a simple shoebox for children in troubled countries/areas all around the world. Our Welcome Center will be filled with the shoeboxes ready to take home each Sunday (until they’re gone). There will be an insert in the bulletin this Sunday with suggested items to fill the box. This would be a GREAT opportunity for you to teach your children about generosity, the true meaning of Christmas, and the love of Jesus. Help us reach our goal of packing 1500 SHOEBOXES this year and share the love of Jesus (and the Gospel in their own language) with children all around the world! Pray about how many boxes your family would be willing to pack, step out in faith, grab a BUNCH of shoeboxes on Sunday, and help us do just that! Shoeboxes must be filled and returned by Sunday, November 22nd.
P.S. New to Coastal? Join us in the Coastal Chapel on Sunday, October 11th immediately following the 11:30am service for our next Newcomer’s Reception. Learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, and get plugged in. Lunch & childcare are provided. RSVP online or on your Connect Card.
