Sometimes I don’t know when to shut up. No really, most people have a filter—I have a floodgate. Now that Matt is in the picture, we’ve developed a code indicating when I should bring my volume down, stop asking questions, or simply shut up.
Matt: B, I love you so much, but you asked waaaay too many questions at dinner and spoke a little too often.
Me: Why do you HATE me?!
Maybe this is one of the times Matt should smile at me and tap my leg under the proverbial table, but Matt ain’t here so here I go!
Is it just me or do you think we’ve lost the art of looking presentable at church? I know I sound vain, but this is a serious theological question.
In the Old Testament we see priests going through elaborate purification measures to enter into the Holy of Holies. Even those bringing a sacrifice to the temple ceremoniously bathed before entering. Furthermore, the sacrifices they brought had to be clean, blameless, and without blemish.
Internet, call me crazy, but does it seem like we’ve totally laxed in regards to how we prepare to worship God and bring our offerings?
So it makes me wonder: Do people spend the same amount of time getting ready for work, school, or a club as they do to prepare to worship God?
As a child when my father lost his job, we didn’t have nice clothing—but it was always clean. My mother wore the same outfit every single week to church—but it was always ironed. We didn’t have fancy shoes—but we gave our dime of offering in Sunday School. It was the best we had. And that’s all God asks.
I’m not advocating a dress code of frilly, bouffant dresses and wing-tip shoes. I love the freedom to wear jeans or a dress, heels or flats, cotton or silk. However, how we prepare to worship the Lord on Sunday mornings should, at the very least, reflect how we prepare for work, school, or daily life.
So, what do you think? Am I wrong? Am I legalistic? Should I give up at trying to bring back the Arsenal Hall arm roll? Oh, whatever!
i love Love LOVE this post. I think we are very lazy when we go to church. People argue all the time with me about how church "should" be and how we "should" look. I'm not saying we get dressed up to hide who we are, whatsoever. I just like to give God my best. Plus, when I look good, I feel good. Often as a teacher, I'll wear skirts on Fridays even if we can wear jeans. I'm usually tired by the end of the week and the nice outfit makes me more aware of my surroundings and more awake. It keeps me focused on my "best" instead of comfort. If I were 110% comfortable all the time at church I'd probably get too cozy and drift off to sleep. Someone complained to me that Easter becomes a day of new dresses and ties and not a day of worship for God so she likes to go to a beachfront sunrise service in jeans wrapped in a blanket. That's fine and those services are beautiful, but for me Easter is a new beginning and I like to look nice…not to compare myself to others, but to show God that I appreciate everything that day means. That's just my prerogative I guess.
I still do the Arsenio Hall arm roll. I also stand at the doors of elevators (when I'm in them alone) so when they open up at the floor I'm heading to I can think "Ladies and gentlemen…..Arsenioooooooooooooooo Hallllllllllllllllllll…."
As for your question…I do take the same amount of time to get ready for church as I do any place else even though I look like I just threw on a NASCAR T-shirt and jeans. I rarely worry about my appearance because I am who I am and if people don't like it then they can take a flying leap.
If you see me dressed beyond a t-shirt and jeans…MAYBE a hawaiian shirt if I feel a little randy that day…then you know someone's dead, married or forcing me to go a southern Baptist church.
"forcing me to go to a Southern Baptist church" just made me spew Diet Coke all over my laptop! (funny!) Thanks! 😉
deb
Hahaha I read your comment Jason, and for a second I thought I was at StuffChristiansLike.net
Good job on the funny!
I am in total agreement with you. I have often even felt guilty for thinking in my own private thoughts as I am walking into the sanctuary "What are they wearing" ? Thank you for always being true!
Can I get an Amen! I may dress down for church on Sundays (a tiny bit) BUT I do reserve my most fantabulous jewelry for Sunday! I always put on some kind of bling for church. It is a very valid point! Now, on to nobody bringing their bibles to church because everyone has gone to handing out pamplets with notes in them!!
Ok I agree with you about 80% because for those who have kids it can be a chore to get out of the house.If you have teenagers just getting them to come to church is a good thing. I think if we are looking at what people are wearing it’s to make us look good about ourselves. We should not care what people are wearing . Who are we comparing them to ourselves? I don’t believe God cares what they look like He says “come as you are”. God will convict them in His time.
I am more concerned with those who sleep during service, text during service, walk in after worship.
Hi Jackie,
I agree with you and Diandra in that we are to "come as we are." But as I mentioned before, it is a matter of the heart and self-evaluation, not a matter of being judgmental or legalistic. Those that text and sleep during service can be lumped with the same people that don't take the time to make themselves presentable before the presence of God. The Bible shows us very early in Genesis that God doesn't want our best, he demands it. (Genesis 4:3-6)
I don't think that non-believers or those that are backslidden and back in church are to be held to the same standard, because just as you rightly stated "God will convict them in His time."
I agree with Jackie…
Hey Bianca!! I love how you were just yourself in this post… There is such a balance in this isn’t there… geesh… its hard one! You want the “come as you are” mentality but also give your best… cause I mean, people were probably pretty stinky and dirty who hung out with Jesus. The Pharisees were the ones who wore the fancy schmancy garments and such… so yeah, I am not sure where a dress code would fit in with church. If we consider that we ARE the church, and not just GOING to church on Sundays, then that means all the time in all we do- dress included we represent the freedom and love of our Savior. I have been memorizing this Scripture lately… “Let us not be concerned with outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, and beautiful clothes… but let us be known for the beauty that comes from within, a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God..”
So with that… I think God sees our hearts- and that’s what matters 🙂
What do you think 🙂
Charissa, I would agree with you. We ARE the church.
B, I understand where you are coming from- but, I would caution judging children with food in the corners of their mouths, being a parent myself, who bathes their child every morning and night (yes, at least 2 baths a day), cannot help a little crusties here and there. I try to empathize with parents, I am sure they don't want to have their children look a mess at church, but there are sometimes factors beneath the surface that we may not be aware of…
just my 2 cents.
Love you!
Good question. I 'say' that I don't particularly care what someone wears, but 'looking presentable', you know? (Yes. That's the voice of my mother in my head coming out. ha) Not being concerned with how we look to others, but what's in our hearts — that it matters. That's definitely worth thinking about.
Love,
deb
P.S. @Nicole – I don't carry a Bible to church because it's on my iPhone. When the pastor says 'turn to…' and I pull my iPhone out, you should *see* some of the looks I get!! HA
Hi Deb! You've got to read this post on using your Bible app on your iPhone at church: http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/05/pretending…
😀
HAHA! That's fantastic! (And I'm SO gonna 'shazam' a worship song next week!) Thanks for sharing that Cindy!
Oh you two! You made me laugh. ESPECIALLY because I always nag Matt about using his iPhone app in church.
@Deb: No problem! I'm glad you liked it!
@B: You know, I'd like to *believe* everyone on their iPhone at church is fervently looking up Scripture and cross referencing with their concordance app, but if we're being honest here: It's much easier to be judgmental! But I don't give out "looks"… at least I'd like to think I don't!
When I start getting judgmental about what other people are wearing I tried to always think that at least they made it to church. Often times I forget that everyone of us is fighting a spiritual battle for our souls and regardless of what we wear, the important thing is that our heart is ready to receive God's Word that day. Underneath every perfectly iron shirt or t-shirt is a heart in need of a savior.
Eeeeek! Ok, maybe I didn't clarify this enough:
I don't think we should place overted efforts to look like Barbie and Ken as we stoll into church. HOWEVER, I've seen people spend more time getting ready to go out on the town, then they do going to church.
Parents are concerned with school uniforms, yet disregard appropriate attire for church.
For people like Jason, it's cool that he wears a Nascar shirt to church because he ALWAYS has a Nascar shirt on.
Above all, what's the use of the external looks good and the INTERNAL is jacked up? *Sigh* Maybe I opened pandora's box. Where's Athena when you need her?!
my two cents….
I think that at the heart of this post is not a call to judge what OTHER people wear, but rather to examine our own hearts and time and preparation for getting ready for church. It's not about looking around the church and thinking "What is she wearing???" Or wondering why more people dont take time to get ready but rather, why don't I take more time to get ready?? And even more than the outward getting ready… how often do we take home work to work on at night or over a weekend to prepare for a presentation or a meeting… and how often do teenagers have homework (EVERY DAY!) and how often do we take time outside of church to prepare our hearts and minds spiritually for the act of worship.
How much time do we spend getting ready to go out vs. getting ready for church…
watching TV vs. reading the Bible… and spending time with the Lord…
It could go on.
Its a matter of balance. But not judgment.
I am the pastor in our alternative service (being the youth pastor) so I'm in front doing announcements and such and I very rarely dress up. For me personally it's because we have a LOT of homeless people who attend this service, as well as teenagers, and anyone else who wants to. The whole point of it is "come as you are"… so if I am all dressed up, I feel that I could make some people feel uncomfortable. HOWEVER… I do take just as much time getting ready as I would on a normal work day.
One of my very favorite moments ever at this church was when one of my teens first came. He was late, because he couldn't get a ride, so he'd ridden his skateboard to church. He came into the gym (where the alternative service is held) and sat down on his skateboard. He sat through the whole service like that.
Come as you are.
This is a beautiful story and really shines some perspective! I also think this post is meant to encourage self-examination, not judgmental criticism of what others are wearing. Daily attire vs "Sunday's best"… How we present ourselves before the very presence of God in His Holy House can also bee seen as a form of reverence, respect, and even worship.
When we take the time to get up early, clean ourselves up and look our best it's not for our pastor, the ushers, or the other members of the body of Christ, but for Christ Himself. We are saying, "Lord, I know that my best isn't the best at all, but I'm here to give You my very best because You gave me the very best: Your Son." This is definitely a matter of the heart, not outward appearance, because really, if I showed up to lead worship in my high school prom dress, my Jr High schoolers would probably stone me. 😀
Great dialog is a reflection of a great post, B! Not pandora's box…. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the story about the kid on his skateboard, Diandra!
I love this story, Diandra (skateboard-kid). That's beautiful.
But I don't think that's what Bianca's talking about today. Personally, I'm thinking of a friend of mine who has suddenly started wearing shorts, sandals, and a golf shirt to church. Not a problem. Except that I know what he wears the rest of the week and so it comes off as 'church is an after-thought'. (Not that it's up to me to – ahem – judge, of course. HA 😉 )
But the thought has occurred to me.
deb
Yeah, I know it isn't really what she was talking about (that was what the beginning of my comment was about)… But it was where the comments were going… so I thought I'd throw that in cuz I love it 🙂
In asking this question, you must think about how people are starting to dress for work, grocery shopping, or taking a flight. The "times" have changed across the span of today's culture driven society…and maybe it is just spilling over into church as well.
How one dresses is a direct reflexion of what is going on inside, how they feel that day, and how important the place they are venturing off to is to them.
I think you have a point, but I think you should address it with a message that is deaper than a shirt a tie.
I ALWAYS think about this at Easter for some reason…remember the days of Easter bonnets and white gloves? No, is that just me? Well, I'm not advocating we all wear pastels, but I do miss the days when people actually looked like they CARED that it was a special day.
As for regular Sundays, I do hear what you're saying. Though, having spent the majority of my church volunteerism with youth or young singles, I do like the idea of offering the "come as you are" mentality. Yes, putting a little effort into your appearance is always appreciated, but darn it, if you need to roll out of bed to get there, I say COME ON DOWN!
My heart's aligned with you BLAH BLAH BLAHger!
Wellll here are my two cents :o) I think it's good to remember that we are always advertising something when we walk out the door. My fourteen year old sister is often reminded by us older sisters that if she doesn't want to advertise the wrong thing, she better cover that belly! We should present ourselves in such a way to honor God and give Him glory. "Our adornment should not be merely outward" doesn't mean that we should have no outward adornement, but that the preparation of our hearts should be our first priority.
And Earl is always telling me to pipe down and shut up – in the most loving way of course! I can get too loud and my gums flap waaayyyy too much!
" 'Our adornment should not be merely outward' doesn't mean that we should have no outward adornement, but that the preparation of our hearts should be our first priority. "
Beautifully said Melinda! That is the balance that we as a church need to have and put into practice!
i think you raise a valid point–it isn't so much about what is being worn, as it is about the effort and attitude that is invested. we spend our time on what is important. so, if we spend an hour and a half getting ready for a date, but 15 minutes getting ready for church, what does that say about us? if we anticipate a night out all week, we are mentally ready to have a good time–but if we just rush out the door to church because it is sunday morning, are we really prepared to worship? it isn't so much about the actual clothing as it is about preparing to meet God in His house.
and btw, i happen to think that your lack of filters is a big part of what makes you who you are and able to do what you do. you say the things that need to be said that other people might be uncomfortable saying. you ask questions because you are interested in the answers. you bring life and laughter, as well as a good deal of wisdom, to the table. it's who God made you to be–lucky you!! 🙂
Absolutely agree! I attend a predominately large black church in Los Angeles who believes in totally dressing up – you know, the hat, rhinestones at 8:00am! But I love it!
I'm in your age group B and sometimes I rock jeans and nice top.
However, I truly believe what we bring to God should be the best – we are after all coming into the presence of our King!
Amen! While I am NOT wanting to go to a church that only "allows" suits, ties, and prom dresses … I do think that it is important to be clean … pulled together … hair combed … etc…
I am so sad for the mother that said, "If you have teenagers just getting them to come to church is a good thing" . My teenagers have always LOVED to go to church. (I currently have 5 children in their 20's and 3 teens). And … my teens like to look nice for church. They choose to wear nice jeans, clean shirts, etc… If your teens that are fighting even the thought of going to church, I would ask myself a few questions …
#1 Is this the BEST church for my teens? Would I be willing to change churches in order to meet the needs of my teens?
#2 Where is my relationship with the Lord? Am I setting a godly example with my life?
#3 Where is my relationship with my teens?
#4 Where is my teens relationship with the Lord? What can I do to help my teen develop a closer relationship with the Lord, and thus have a desire to attend church regularly?
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but I think this woman spoke the heart of MANY parents of teens. And, that grieves me. Teenagers CAN have dynamic relationships with the Lord. Teenagers CAN have strong desires to attend church every time the church doors are open. Teenagers CAN choose to "dress up" a bit for church, because THEY want to.
Keep preachin' it B. Always LOVE to hear your thoughts!
Mama D.
Ok I don't want you to be sad for me because My KIds and teens love church! But I do know of many parents who struggle with getting their kids to church for many reasons. Pat yourself on the back for raising children who love the Lord but not all families are like yours. I see time and time again where teens walk away from the Lord so when a parent can get a kid to church IT IS A GOOD THING!!!!!!
One of the best things about my church is the fact that we don't have to dress up in heels/dresses, button up shirts and ties. I love it because we have the freedom to dress as we are comfortable.
The preparation that is most important is how we prepare our hearts. To be ready to listen and take in the word of God.
On a side note, I do make sure that my kids are bathe, clothes ironed, clean in the face, hair done, etc. That's just me though…and I can understand how it can be difficult to keep them clean and neat by the time one steps out the door. My girl usually eats on our way to church and when we get off the car I am cleaning around her mouth…ha!
Great post Bianca! So many different opinions and thoughts.
I know where you're coming from Bianca, and I think you're right. It's not about a code of dress that must be followed, but the heart. Are people placing more importance on a business meeting or getting together with friends and forgetting they are coming to meet a holy God. Clothing is just an outward sign of an inward heart. If you visited my church, you would see a vast array of clothing styles. We have very casual to corporate casual. Yet I know these people. Each, in their own way, realizes the significance of us gathering together for fellowship and worship and dresses for it. No one is looked down upon. Anyone could come and feel comfortable. 'Cause it's the heart that matters most.
It comes with the territory. As an african, going to some of the poorest churches I still see people rocking their best dresses to church on sundays. I mean right from when we are little as kids. I don't think its anyway to show off but to make people conscious that its okay to look good for God. Theres hardly any come as you are mentality. But there should also be a balance, inner vs outer beauty. Make your heart presentable to the king just as you will your outfit.
Agree & Agree!! We don't let Aliyah wear tennis shoes to church. It may sound silly but she knows it's not just a trip to the market. We're going to church, and you give your best, whatever your best is!!
BTW, I nudge J all the time under the table. It works!! 🙂
Well you never know what battles people are fighting where their appearance is the least of their concern. I think as long as they make it to church, then how they look is irrelevant. Who cares. Why are you concerned about other people and how they look when you go to church? Focus on your heart and what God is trying to teach you. I really don't care about what people wear when they go to church. Come as you are!!!!!!!
What a refreshing post…I am pleasantly surprised to hear someone speak their point and then again reference it to biblical example. Praise God that He takes us as we are, but may we always be willing–like those in tabernacle days–to give our best to the Lord. Both in appearance and cleanliness. Thanks for speaking up!
I agree with B here big time. Check out Heb 12:28 and Malachi 1:6-9 (this is where the "would you wear that to meet the president?" comes from). I understand if you don't have anything better to wear, then wear the best you've got. But we cannot look at what society in general is doing, in relation to how we dress for work and school as a guide. We are a people set apart from the world.
I agree! My family and I attend CCM, my oldest daughter is about to enter Jr high, she gets so upset when I make her wear what she calls "fancy" clothes to church. I think we have as a society gotten lazy about our appearance. I am also a teacher and let me tell you some people literally roll out of bed and come to work like that. At least people brush your face and hair!!
I think that the heart of the question is have we lost some of our reverence for God. I believe people should come as they are with no condemnation because God does not require us to be cleaned up to approach Him and it is not for us to judge what someone else's best, but when I go to church, I am entering a sacred space, the Holy of Holies. Once you have reached a certain level of maturity in your walk with the Lord, there should be some evidence of a greater reverence for the awesomeness of God because our God is no less holy now then He was when priests would undertake extensive rituals to prepare to be in His presence.
This all makes me think of my old girls, Point of Grace, who had a song called "God Forbid." It stated, "God forbid that I find you so familiar that I think of You as less than who you are. God forbid that I should speak of you at all without a humble reverence." At the same time as we are regarding Jesus as our "homeboy," I think it is nice to remember that God is also holy, and awesome, and worthy of every ounce of reverence we can give Him- both in our hearts and our outward expressions.
I agree!! We should tremble in His presence and not just claim that He's our buddy. His God and Lord over our lives, not just our friend. Catholics have a fear of God that is absent in most Christians lives. In order to approach God in prayer or for communion, they recongize that they need to prepare themselves for His presence.
I also think the idea of "at least people are coming to church" is a bit loaded. Yes, new believers should come to church however because it is a hospital for the sick, but at some point there should be growth beyond that idea. We are not doing God a favor by showing up in church. He is humbling Himself and showing immense grace to meet with us in what should be a sacred assembly. I just don't think God is impressed with the "well at least I am here" mentality and maybe we shouldn't be so quick to let ourselves (note ourselves, not worrying about others) off the hook either.
It's the widow's mite – you give what you have. We should all bring our best to God, and not judge those whose best is different from ours. It's the beauty of God – He meets us where we are. Love the post!!!
I'm not so sure that I agree, completely, anyway…I do think it's important to be clean, but I currently left a church where most people dressed up nicely, but I never felt at home there. Their outward appearance was great, but the church felt so clique-y, and to me, at least, it seemed that only a certain type of people were really wanted- people who look nice on the outside & don't share their problems. I'm not saying you should wear your pjs to church, but hey, if that's all you have, come, and hopefully you'll feel welcome anyway!
Ok, I had to plug-in here.. The way I see it – dressing up for the church can box-in the idea of honoring God to a mere couple hours spent inside the church building. And “dressing up” for God should be done everywhere and all the time and is not only about clothing.
The conviction should come from the Holy Spirit, and the desire to please God should come from loving relationship with God. And for a person to grow in knowledge, faith and love with God, there has to be a total freedom to wear whatever without fear of being judged or not “fitting in”. The church should be a place where that freedom is present and where a proper encouragement is given to focus on the main thing – the RELATIONSHIP with God.
What is also curious is that only yesterday I was convicted – for dressing-up for church. Apparently, I was doing it with thoughts and care about "what is proper in that setting" and not with joy and thoughts about God. Outward, I would look just fine – not too much, not too little, but, honestly, it was more about me looking to fit-in and feeling good than about honoring God. It is that fine ballance, you know – the very attitude of heart which is visible only to our Lord.
James 2:1-5
"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"
I looked-up the word filthy in verse 2 and it means dirty – not only poor.
It looks like God doesn't want us to be distracted by anyone's dirty clothing, or hands, or feet for that matter – He cares about the cleanliness of our heart.
..my heart, so often, does entertain "what are they wearing" thoughts – before I even have time to think "what am I thinking?"…..
Your poor eyes are about to pop out from all these comments so I'll keep it short:
I dress my best for my King. Psalm 144:12b (nlt) May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
It's about time someone spoke up and encouraged us to worship God with the way we dress. Not that this should be our focus but we are ambassadors of Christ, so lets represent Him well.
I love that reference to Scripture
Thanks for your thoughts! Honestly this topic tends to get me a little infuriated because of the legalistic extreme to which this typically arrives. The principle says we should dress our best for the sake of worship however worship isn’t confined to church on a Sunday morning. People argue that we would dress up if we met the President but we would do that based on how we function as a culture. The culture of the world, especially the US, places value, significance and worth in thing like status(ie things we own, clothes). We judge what we should wear based on our cultures interpretation of value and to be honest I wonder if God truly embraces the same value in a suit or dress as our culture does? If God truly cared how we look when worshipping him (worship truly never stops, were always worshipping something) Jesus must have truly been embarressed by John the Baptist, right? Im just saying I think God cares more about changing our heart than the way we dress… Thanks again!
haha! Sounds like you just got back from visiting churches in New Mexico! Here they wear Birkenstocks to weddings and shorts to the opera.
Wow! Maybe some do, but I think it's a bit rude to say something so broad. I live in NM, and I like to dress nice and appropriately. I think you can find people that dress that way in any state, and any city, even, for that matter.
In going to church you are going to God's house, so I think that whatever you would wear when you went to someone's house should be permissible in church.
I am comfortable wearing my PJ's to my best friend's house, and although I am blessed to know God calls me friend, there's NO WAY I would EVER wear PJ's to His house.
Soooo, I totally got reprimanded by an older woman at church a couple weeks ago for this.
I work in kid's ministry, so I always dress super casual (since it's going to end up with glue and markers on it anyhow!). I wore "distressed" (read: VERY holey) capri pants. She came up to me and said, "You know, I don't let my daughters go to church dressed like they're going to the beach!"
I smiled and said, "Oh, but these are my Holy (holey) jeans…I only wear them Sundays."
Luckily, she had a good sense of humor and cracked up. Luckily. 🙂
I have attended a variety of churches. In some churches people wear their "Sunday best" and other churches people wear a "come as you are" style. I find that the "come as you are style" is usually found in the non-traditional churches that have taken off like wild fire with my age group (20-30). I feel that the dress reflects the intention. When I attended these non-traditional churches I felt as though I was attending a rock concert. If I wore my pearls and Sunday dress I would stick out! I felt like an outcast or was afraid people would think I was a snob. In truth, I was raised to wear my "Sunday best" to church. I believe that "best," like you said, does not mean you have to wear expensive clothes. Thanks for writing about this topic.
The problem is in US and not the "dress-code" of the church – be it formal, come-as-you-are or even fancy hats-and-bling-bling.. The log is in MY eye!
We should not judge neither those who dress over-the-top nor those who are dirty and seemingly careless. We should not freak-out about dressing to fit-in – we should follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and do it as unto the Lord, giving everyone else the same freedom.
In my opinion the only reason to reprimand someone should be overly seductive clothing – lots of skin showing up- even though ..who knows what lots of sking means nowadays. Unless it is a beach church, coming in a bathing suite could cause people to stumble in their flesh… But even in this case, theoretically, the person who came half-naked should be offered a cover-up instead of being thrown out. King offered white robes of righteousness for His banquet guests. Compared to those robes all of us wear filthy rags.
My only "concern" about the way some women dress is the mere fact that their breasts are exposed. Or they come ready for the beach. I have seen many of men have to put their heads down while walking around. My Husband says..why can't they cover up, It looks as if they do it on purpose…
Other wise, come as you are. I have the jewelry, but don't feel like wearing it all.
If people come directly from work, you see the real them and have a little vice to pray for them with, meaning
"Suite…business, office type person..mostly mental stressers non physical labor"……
Construction clothes….construction worker, many physical challenges……
.Scrubs: some area of the medical field, be it Human or Animal….lots of demands mentally and physically
UPS/Fed Ex other Driver style clothes…gives you an idea that they are under constant pressure with LA Traffic…
I love this because it’s so important to understand the difference between “coming as you are” and just looking like a trainwreck.
I LOVE the freedom to go to church in jeans. But does that mean I’m going to roll out of bed, throw on a wrinkled pair of jeans and don a not-sure-if-I-wore-this-already t-shirt? I don’t think so.
Like you, I’ve seen drug addicts, drunks and even a stripper come into church. In those instances, it’s unfair to judge what they’re wearing or how they’re coming in to the house of God. They need Christ, that’s all I’m concerned about. But for those of us who know Christ, who have a personal relationship with Him, what’s our excuse for not coming as we are…at our very best?
I don’t think we’re talking so much about the clothing itself, but about cleanliness and let’s face it, a little something called hygiene. As long as someone had the sense to brush their hair, wash their face and put on some clean clothes, I’m cool with it!
First of all u asked the question , "Am" I wrong"? Had you really prayed and aked the Lord that question , maybe you would'nt have to ask that . But I think inyour own minds eye you were set on saying what YOU thought you should say! And second it grieves me that there are those who agree with you , that's a bit scarey , but it only shows immuturity you've all have not grown in this area as of yet . Third, here it goes ; Those who worship the Lord must worship Him in spirt and in truth , not IN what they wear, as you stated you had little growing up , well maybe other's are struuggling right now too, and granted ,yes we should still be "groomed" , but that is not a reason to say that one is not WORSHIPPING the Lord . Also I believe these people are only agreeing with you because of who your father is the Pastor) well , thats why the Word tells me to test ALL things and believe me I do ! Don't be sooo Boo-shee , remember where you come from . And you stated that your fiance "isn't here right now". you direspected hinm in egnoring his advise .
Wow. The Floodgate thing…you too huh? Only I have been with my husband for 10 years and I have rubbed off…but I love it. That's who I am. I love to speak my mind, but only before I pray…I have learned this, because I used to have to sing that John Mayer song….."My Stupid Mouth….has got me in trouble"….all the time. Now I def pray before I speak..I think I am doing well. 😀 I hope! 😀
[not sure why but the my comment is too long message keeps coming up..oh well]
[rest of my comment]
And about the dressing up!!! OMG…A long time ago when we started going to church and I was heavily involved in church, I used to really dress up (not like gala style but nice church clothes, suites and long skirts) only because I wanted to represent God, my church and myself in a respectful manner. Well my husband then boyfriend used to think, wow, I wore a suite and my most expensive shoes, and some people didn't even brush their hair or bother to remove the club X stamp from their hands, really? I think George Lopez jokes about this, but it was true. Well needless to say it pushed us to just always look our best and be examples. We have since moved to another church and WOW, there is a difference now we often feel under dressed but we don't mind it!
Awesome post..I agree with you! 😀
Wow Bianca, that is a great post! I think that every single Sunday when I get to church. I think, “Can you not even find a pair of jeans that don’t have rips and tears in them!” Again, great post!
Good information you. Thanks
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