So…this topic of the “come as you are” church is rather interesting. I happen to disagree.

We are certainly called to worship wherever we are at, and worship does not have to be done in an edifice that is specifically ordained for that sort of thing. It can be done at work, at home, etc.

HOWEVER, I disagree on the meaning of “come as you are”, as referenced in a church setting. I do not think that means we should all show up to church in holey jeans and muscle shirts, etc. God wants us to bring
our HEARTS to him as they are…no barriers. We are to come to Him as we are…with all
of our gunk and filth exposed to Him, asking for His forgiveness and mercy. While we can
definitely worship God in our day to day lives, church is special for several reasons. First of all, it’s special because it’s a day set aside as a day of rest and worship…and it’s also a day when the rest of the world specifically sees us. If we come dressed like work, it sends a negative message about Christianity. One of the reasons that we (men) remove hats when praying, wear “sunday clothes”, and close our eyes when praying, is to show a deep respect for the God we are worshipping. We are NOT equals with God! We are His creation, and we owe him respect and Worship. By our show of this, we show the world we are different.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried witnessing to people, and I have them say “One of the reasons I don’t like Christianity is because of all the hypocrites…nobody’s really any different.”

I personally have heard this a LOT, and it’s very true. One of the reasons is because we are revering God less and less, with such doctrines as “God is my buddy”, “He’s my right hand man”, and “God is my copilot”. None of these are true statements. He is our Savior, Lord, and Master. He is Ruler over all, not “OUR right hand man”, or the theologically incorrect statement that he is our “copilot”.

Doctrines such as these lose the reverence that we feel for God, consequently allowing us to believe we can wear what we want, say what we want, look like we want, etc. in church. However, we are told to be “in the world but not of it”, MANY times in the Bible. Often, this means staying away from the latest fashions, which may be immodest, or downright unchristian looking.

Paul Washer has an excellent series of sermons discussing this…and he makes a good point. We begin to be so caught up in the latest fashions that we look, talk, and think just like the world, except for the fact that we call ourselves Christians. This isn’t true Christianity. People should be able to KNOW we are Christians!

So while part of the reason that people are turned off from Christianity is because of hypocritical lifestyles, I believe the other part of the hypocricy comes from a dereverence of our Lord and Savior. I believe a large part of this is how we act in church as well.

Church has become more of a place for comfort rather than conviction! We’re told that we can “come as we are” physically, so we don’t have to make any effort. The sermons are almost always the “feel good” type, taking special care not to offend anyone. They usually involve the “promises” of the Bible, but neglect the “warnings”, just in case it might offend someone, or there might be an unbeliever attending who might be “turned off” by the warnings.

So, all of this to say, I disagree completely with the idea that we should be able to wear what we want and talk like we want etc. in church…it is a means of glorifying God and showing our respect for him. Do I think it is a sin? I don’t know. I haven’t come to a solid conclusion on that yet. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Fortunately, JPMorgan Chase was there to buy us, so now Washington Mutual is safe. Had not WaMu been purchased, many bad things would have happened, one of which would include the collapse of the FDIC.

I personally am very excited about this. It would have been BETTER if none of this had happened, of course, but at least we won’t have a slew of concerned customers flooding into the bank day by day, closing accounts, and drawing out tens of thousands of dollars. It’s no fun when you’re criticized day by day for the way your company is going. We have LOTS of loyal customers too…but still, I want banking the way it used to be when I first started. That’s what I enjoy…doing regular transactions for everyone, but where everyone is happy.

I can’t wait to get back to that.

Well, we just got back from our vacation to Winthrop, which is in Eastern WA!

We had a lot of fun…and the drive is beautiful. So many cool things to see…although there’s not TOO much to do down there.
We stayed at a nice place called the “River Run Inn”, which has little cabins for people to stay in. There’s a pool room about a 3 minute walk from the cabin, which also has wifi, so I was able to get on a little.

Basically, the routine went:

Wake up – little kids watch Curious George on TV – eat breakfast – swim/I get on internet – eat lunch – swim – eat dinner – watch a movie (usually Pixar) – watch a little olympics – sleep – repeat.

Here’s some pictures I took!

My brother Benjamin

My brother Daniel (has Downs Syndrome)

My sister Keren

My little sister Sarah

My little brother Josiah

I just HAD to mention something on this one...as we were driving home...I SAW A GREEN LAKE! Yeah...I was REALLY excited, and immediately thought of Dekker, and y'all. It IS as green as it looks...and even greener in some areas.

It can be used for literally ANYTHING. It was originally created to confuse a know-it-all guy there, who thought he knew any word people said. So they made one up when he wasn’t there, and started using it. Well, he started pretending he knew what they were talking about, which caused much merriment.
So now, it’s become the “Official church youth word”.

Examples of usage:
“Man…that guy is a real sabottus.”
“The test was a sabottus”
“Sabottus!” (like a greeting)
“She made it a sabottus”.

There you have it!

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Er…I keep the car I drive VERY clean. Nothing anywhere…unless you count the emergency repair kit in the back trunk.

2. When was the last time you threw up? Uh…long time ago. Probably 1.5 years, with the flu.

3. What’s your favorite curse word? Never cursed in my life. My favorite exclamation of surprise would probably have to be the British “Crikey!”

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? Dad, sister, and little brother.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Phooey…we’re on vacation, and I was lying in bed, peering at my little brothers and sisters watching “Curious George” on the PBS channel. We don’t get TV at our house, so it’s a treat.(EDIT: Clarification…it’s a treat for my little brothers and sisters to watch Curious George…NOT me! lol)

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Swimming.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Probably eating dinner, or reading.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Um…this is one of those questions that HOPEFULLY doesn’t even need an answer…but NO, NOT EVER, NO WAY, NEVER, etc.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? “OK”

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Reeses peanut butter cup ice cream.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Pool water. nah…milk.

12. What are you wearing right now? Um…hehe…swim trunks, and no shirt. (I’m at the indoor pool…just me and my family)

13. What was the last thing you ate? A bagel with cream cheese.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Nope.

15. When was the last time you ran? Not in awhile…I’m a biker, not a runner. I’ve done LOTS of biking.

16. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Men’s volleyball, on the Olympics.

17. What’s the last thing you attended that required a ticket? A Steven Curtis Chapman concert.

18. Who is the last person you emailed? Uh…not sure. I’m not on my regular computer…I’m on my laptop.

19. Ever go camping? Lots of times. Both tenting and yurting.

20. Do you have a tan? Not really.

21. What do you prefer: Natural Sun or the Tanning Bed? Natural sun. Never been on a tanning bed, nor do I plan to. ’tisn’t masculine.

22. What’s the best way to tan? No idea. I don’t intentionally try (I usually get burned if I try that. )

23. What’s your favorite drink? Well, if a chocolate milkshake counts, that would be it. Otherwise a “Monster M-80″ energy drink.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? No…just out of a cup, or the can.

25. What did your last IM say? “OK…and you’re gone. ”

26. Are you someone’s best friend? Yes.

27. What are you doing tomorrow? Heading home from vacation.

28. Where is your mom right now? Right in front of me, in the pool with my younger siblings.

29. Look to your left, what do you see? A wooden wall.

30. What color is your watch? Silver. AND, it’s atomic, so it syncs 4 times daily with the atomic clock in Colorado. NEVER discuss with me whose watch is correct…I’ll win.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Sea turtles from Nemo, and the accent.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery? No way. I am who I am.

33. What is your birthstone? A Sapphire.

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? It all depends. When I’m by myself, or with a friend, I usually go in. If one of my parents is driving, it’s the drive thru.

35.How many kids do you want? Lots. I don’t know…6?

36. Do you have a dog? Nope. Only pets were a fish, and a rabbit.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? My friend Jesse.

38. Have you met anyone famous? HA! Um…yes. Lots of famous people. Mainly when I won the Congressional Gold Medal…I saw Miss America (2007), got to personally meet and speak with Representative Dave Reichert (twice so far), shake the hand of the President of the Congressional Awards, and meet lots of other famous congressmen.

39. Any plans today? Read, write, eat, sleep.

40. How many states have you lived in? One.

41. Ever go to college? Aye, Bellevue Community College (still going, 3rd year)

42. Where are you right now? Sitting at a chair at the swimming pool.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? No idea. I don’t have many. Probably school.

44. Last song listened to? “Before the Throne” by Rescue (http://www.rescuemusic.com)

45. Is that your favorite band/singer? Yes. They. Are. Amazing. Check them out! Best acapella group EVER. Brandon Bell is an AMAZING vocal percussionist, and on their most recent CD, they had Steve Cross, world’s lowest bass singer. Their harmony is tight (both meanings), and perfectly clear and on tune!

46. Are you allergic to anything? Nope…just dust.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? I have a pair of Vans that I like. Pretty much my only pair of shoes I wear.

48. Are you jealous of anyone? No. Jealousy never helps.

50. Is anyone jealous of you? There might be a few…

51. What time is it? 3:03PM (PST)

52. Do any of your friends have children? No.

53. Do you eat healthy? Um…no. I figure I’ll die someday anyway…so I don’t overeat, but I don’t eat SUPER healthy. Not unhealthily either…but mashed potatoes and gravy is definitely a good meal.

54. What do you usually do during the day? Read, work.

55. Do you hate anyone right now? No.

56. Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily? Aye, or variations thereupon.

57. When? Um…whenever I greet people. DUH!

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 19.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? No. But I’ve been to Knotts Berry Farm in California…one of the most awesome theme parks ever!

60. How did you get one of your scars? Having a weird lump removed from my armpit. Yeah…weird. I think that’s the only scar I have.

One thing comes to mind as I deal with the different customers that come in. If you ever go to a bank, any bank, that has automated dispensing systems (i.e. they don’t have cash drawers)…DON’T, please don’t…deposit loose coin to make a deposit “even”!!! Customers come in with a check for $90.03, and then deposit $0.97 to make it $91! We have to put this coin in an envelope, and drop it down a slot…which sometimes causes the envelope to break open, because of the weight of the coin. So PLEASE! No loose coin in the envelope. Or slugs. No slugs. We don’t appreciate that too much. Just thought I’d let you know, in case you were thinking of doing that.