Local church getting into the Seahawks spirit
BOTHELL, Wash. -- In honor of Seattle's playoff run, one local pastor will trade in his church robe for a Seahawks sweatshirt during Sunday's sermon.
Pastor Ryan Meeks has faith in the Seahawks. He doesn't worship football, but he is canceling Sunday morning services at most of his Eastlake Community Church campuses and plans to complete his own sermon by kickoff.
"I promise the message will not go overtime," Meeks said.
Instead of a standard service, Meeks will bring in tents and coolers and Eastlake will become "Beastlake" for a congregation tailgate party.
"It's not even a strategic decision," Meeks said. "Frankly, as soon as they won that game I was like, 'I want to watch that game,' so we didn't get a committee together and think about it, we all want to watch the game."
The congregation, which happens to include a few former Seahawks, will get the message this weekend that faith is a lifestyle, not an event. Meeks believes people can follow football and God at the same time.
"Churches will be full of people this weekend who are there because they would feel guilty watching the game," Meeks said.
If the Seahawks win on Sunday, the following weekend's game has a noon kickoff, so it shouldn't interfere with Sunday morning services.
The church canceled services for the Seahawks once before when the team played Chicago in the 2011 playoffs.
Pastor Ryan Meeks has faith in the Seahawks. He doesn't worship football, but he is canceling Sunday morning services at most of his Eastlake Community Church campuses and plans to complete his own sermon by kickoff.
"I promise the message will not go overtime," Meeks said.
Instead of a standard service, Meeks will bring in tents and coolers and Eastlake will become "Beastlake" for a congregation tailgate party.
"It's not even a strategic decision," Meeks said. "Frankly, as soon as they won that game I was like, 'I want to watch that game,' so we didn't get a committee together and think about it, we all want to watch the game."
The congregation, which happens to include a few former Seahawks, will get the message this weekend that faith is a lifestyle, not an event. Meeks believes people can follow football and God at the same time.
"Churches will be full of people this weekend who are there because they would feel guilty watching the game," Meeks said.
If the Seahawks win on Sunday, the following weekend's game has a noon kickoff, so it shouldn't interfere with Sunday morning services.
The church canceled services for the Seahawks once before when the team played Chicago in the 2011 playoffs.
So how was the kegger at church with beer and wine!! Brother how disgusting.
 @trulyloved I wasn't able to make it, but according to a tweet by pastor Meeks, he was "blown away by how many people made first-time faith decisions in our 4 services."  I know you probably have something terrible to say about the validity of these peoples' salvation, but I'd say that Jesus is blessing those who were there. Â
This is an excellent video by Paul Washer which has a lot of relevance here. Please watch. All of it. Thank-you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cncEhCvrVgQ .Â
@Sovereign Grace Single This is what ppl need to be watching with these continuously carnal churches. Worldy churches in continuos states of carnality are anti-scriptural. They wont preach the gospel. They'll continuously preach worldy messages and give their congregations their carnal desires of their hearts. They walk, talk, and act worldy because they want to be appealing. They want people to know that God wants them to wake up feeling good about themselves, that they have a sense of purpose, and that God wants them to have a good looking spouse, house, and car. They mold themselves to this world and pastors are reaching with their tidbits of the Gospel they preach.
 @Sovereign Grace Single Thank you for the video.  Amen to the message in it. Â
DISGUSTING is another word. DISGUSTING.
Did I say PATHETIC??????
I have FAR more admiration for those who simply stayed home rather than made a mockery of "church". THEY have far more integrity that those who went. Simply.... I can't get the word PATHETIC out of my mind. PATHETIC.
This isn't a "church", it's a Social Club who happen to, sadly, profess Christ. It's pathetic and the WORLD knows it and is laughing out loud in disgust themselves! If they can see it, why not the "church"? Maybe, it appears, sadly, they aren't so different after all. Wait... aren't we supposed to be a bit different? Simply disgusting, sad and pathetic.... simply pathetic. No wonder the world doesn't take church or professing Christians seriously anymore?? We've MET the Enemy and it's US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 @Dean Scott Have you been to Eastlake before, Dean? You sound so angry . . . Maybe you should attend a service. I think it would help.
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Wow I can't believe all the people arguing about Church. We just have a bunch of haters here that up tight legalistic! If it was for Ryan Meeks and his staff leaving San Diego to plant a church here in Seattle for people who don't go to church or stopped going because of people like in this post. I be lost, by the grace of God I'm connected back into church. I want to go to church not because I have to! But because I want to :) There is a difference. I understand grace and mercy more than ever if it wasn't for the teaching of Ryan Meeks!Side note I see guys I went to high school with attending church regulary for the first time....Whoah!
 @mengzillaÂ
You assume that this is the only way to attract people to church. I am a pastor of a church that is quite traditional but also attracts many new believers. Don't buy into the lie that in order to get people to come to church you have to turn it into a free-for-all.
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I don't doubt that people can grow in Christ at this church, but that doesn't mean I condone poor decisions like cancelling church services for a football game. Read any of Paul's letters and you'll see that he often has encouragement for churches and in the next paragraph he'll berate them for their foolishness. According to Scripture, I believe that what Eastlake church has done is foolish. If you can give a Scriptural argument in favor of replacing worship with a frivolity, I am willing to be persuaded.
 âIf you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORDâs holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.â  Isaiah 58:13-14... Sounds better than football to me.
@Mark V
How does watching a Seahawks game after church (at church) break the Sabbath? Â Are you saying that on Sunday you are in church doing nothing but worshiping all day? Â Do you wait until Monday to do ANYTHING for yourself (or others)? Â You sound a lot like a Pharisee to me. Â
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I feel sorry for so many of you who think church must be on Sunday, must include 3 songs, a 60 minute sermon, etc, etc, etc. Â There is so much more to living in Christ, and you are missing it!
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We have been given freedom in Christ. Â Freedom from Sin and freedom from Religion. Â Don't let your idea of what "church" needs to be lead you to judge other believers. Â We're all on the same team! Â Pastor Meeks is still going to preach on Sunday - before they turn on the Seahawks game. Â How is that any different than you watching it at home? Â It's actually far better - people will get to watch the game AND be in community! Â
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Yes, finding our joy in the Lord is far better than football - no Christian will disagree with you on that. Â Eastlake isn't proposing that football is better than Jesus - they are just organizing an event to bring people together to hear about Jesus AND watch football. Â Jesus will be praised, then they will watch the game.
 @chiver  @Mark V Chiver, you are incorrect.... check out their website and look to the right... http://eastlakecc.com/ . "EastLake is one church but we meet in multiple locations. ... Seattle, WA 98125 No Sunday Services January 13th Back to regular times on January 20th::
 @Dean Scott  @Mark V Incorrect about what?  Not sure what you meant...  They cancelled morning services and consolidated them at the Bothell campus at 9am, where there was a short message, then the game.  The evening services at Bothell and the other campuses were the same. Â
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What is really exciting is that Ryan tweeted this morning that he was "blown away by how many people made first-time faith decisions in our 4 services." Â That sounds like amazing news to me! Â Praise Jesus that people's lives were forever changed as a result of these services. Â
 @chiver  @Mark VÂ
It's a shame that having standards for proper observance of the Lord's day is labeled Pharisaical. Both the Old and New Testaments place a high value on regular, organized worship that is completely focused on the true God.
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Worship of God ideally involves some type of sacrifice. As believers we should actually look forward to giving up the things of this world (money, time, energy and yes... football) to show God how appreciative we are of the sacrifice of his Son. I was once a die-hard sports fan but as I have matured in Christ, the overwhelming draw of watching sports has faded.
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Hearing that the services of several campuses have been cancelled, I cannot help but think of people who had planned to attend services this Sunday but will not be able to. Perhaps some were planning to come for the first time and will not hear the Gospel proclaimed to them. As a pastor, I would hate to be responsible for making a decision what would actually decrease the likeliness of people's hearing the Good News of Jesus. Cancelling church for a football game does just that.
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@martinluter @Mark V I'm done arguing with you guys. I pray that you will be as blessed in your current churches as we are by Eastlake. Frankly, I said & thoug the same things as you when I attended another local church. I thought my church's focus on doctrine and my understanding of all the "important" things made me a superior Christian. Fortunately The Lord removed those scales from my heart and I realize that there are many different acceptable ways to honor and serve Jesus. The gospel is preached at Eastlake, people hear about Jesus and are confronted by their sin. I have seen the Holy Spirit move in significant ways at Eastlake, and the result is changed lives, restored families and people growing closer to Jesus. If you don't like the attitude/format/decisions of Eastlake, then it's clearly not the church for you. In the meantime, I pray that The Lord blesses you where you are.
 @chiver  @Mark VÂ
In my experience the people who go to Eastlake have a better chance of hearing the gospel during the Seahawks game than they do from the pastors at Eastlake. Â Packing out a church is great but when you don't do the most basic things- deliver Christ through the preached word and the sacraments you have accomplished nothing for the cause of the gospel, you have simply added a new type of religious knowledge to unsaved people or you are depriving saved people the spiritual food that they desperately need. Â
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To be sure the religion at Eastlake does not look like the religion of 30 years ago but all churches are equally full of tradition and when the focus is not on Christ and Him crucified, sin and repentance, the word rightly preached, Baptism rightly administered and the Lord's supper rightly and regularly served then "church for the rest of us" is at least as bad as the churches that those who are excluded from "the rest of us" attend. Â The pride and arrogance shown by the leadership of Eastlake and those defending their abandoning the post they were called to (gospel work Sunday morning not football watching) is apparent as when confronted with the sin of forsaking God for football (violation of the 1st commandment) all they do is name call and accuse others of "legalism" and being a pharisee. Â
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On that last point Jesus said your righteousness must surpass that of the pharisees. Â What is your plan for being more righteous than they are? Â If you care to know I would commend you to Christ and his righteousness. Â The pharisees problem was that they looked to their own righteousness and did not trust in Christ as they ought to. Â They were taken up in their relevance, their appeal to others and their effort to gather a crowd to bow down to Christ and worship him over all other things. Â Those who put football over Christ are the pharisees, not us who are pleading churches to remain at the post God has given them and preach the gospel instead of entertaining goats.
 @Mark V The problem with "proper observance" is that it is completely subjective.  Your opinion of proper and mine are probably very different.  To some, your view and the way you choose to worship is probably as far as mine is from yours.  Keep in mind that the body of Christ looks different at different churches.  People have been blessed with different gifts, which make the Church a beautiful thing. Â
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Yes, they canceled services at several campuses, but people that attend Eastlake are used to fluidity. Â I'd be willing to bet that more people will come to church for the first time this week, than would have under the regularly scheduled time. Â The great thing is that these first timers will see that church doesn't have to be weighed down with all the religious baggage that they make have grown up with. Â They will hear the Gospel, worship, and then have some fun with a community of people that welcomes them with open arms rather than judging them. Â Â
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I realize that many Christians don't agree with this approach and I respect the difference of opinion. Â I know many people who want something much different from a church. Â The beauty is that there are church bodies that cater to everybody. Â Eastlake is a great church for people who are starting from zero, who are trying to figure out who God is and what it means for them. Â Certainly other churches in the area are better for people who want to dive in and go line-by-line through the bible, or for people who want a very traditional service. Â
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The bottom line is that we all love Jesus and want more people to know Him. Â Many people will visit Eastlake this weekend because they are showing the Seahawks game. Â Many of those people may never have felt comfortable stepping foot in a church, or have been burned by bad experiences in the past. Â They need to be shown that Jesus (and his followers) love them. Â If I can do that while wearing a Hawks jersey and tailgating at church, I think Jesus will be smiling all the same. Â
Brothers and Sisters. The world just doesn't understand. It is not longer about what church you go to or when you go. It is not about what preacher or pastor teaches about the story book character named Jesus. It is not about when people get together to hear messages that tickle their ears or how much money they drop in the plate. Its not even about religion. God Himself hates the spirit of religion. It was the religious people of Jesus' time that rejected Him. Lost people can sit and listen to hours and hours of teachings about Jesus, and never come to know Him. In fact, I know a preacher who taught ABOUT Jesus for many many years in his church and one day confided in my Mother that he didn't KNOW Jesus and asked her how does one truly come to KNOW Jesus.
Anyone can memorize scriptures from the Bible and recite them perfectly. Even satan can do this. Anyone can learn stories about Jesus and teach those stories to others. This does not mean you KNOW Jesus. You won't find Him in scriptures. You won't find Him in churches. The only place you will find Him is in the hearts of believers who KNOW Him. He resides in the hearts of people who believe and are born again by His Holy Spirit. It is only by His Holy Spirit people can come to KNOW Jesus. One way the Holy Spirit can convict a person's heart to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is by hearing a word of testimony. This word of testimony can be shared anywhere anytime. One's heart can be convicted at anywhere and anytime according to the will of God. Conviction of the Holy Spirit is the recognizing that you are a sinner and lost from hope and in desperate need of salvation. Realizing the wages of your sins is eternal death and YOU WILL SURELY DIE destined to eternal torment and the eternal lake of fire. Worse than this eternal torment and fire would be to hear these words from God - "Depart from Me you doer of iniquity. I never knew you". Yes, even people who claim they know about Jesus will hear these words.
Born again believers are called to share the good news of Jesus, His forgiveness of all our sins, by the shedding of His blood and His death on the cross, His victory over death, hell and the grave by His resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, His gift to us, the promise of the same victory, eternal life for those who believe this good news and find repentance(turning away) from your sin filled nature.
Be still and LISTEN to the supernatural beating of your heart at this moment. This beating of your heart that is not normal for you is Jesus knocking. Do you feel His knock? Behold , I stand at the door(of your heart), and knock : if any man hear my voice(knock), and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Do not reject Him who is come to save you from your sins for NOW is the time of your salvation, but invite Him in. Ask Him to forgive you of all your evil deeds. Ask Him to cleanse your heart and life, which He is able to free you from the bondage of sin and death at this very moment. Ask Him to be Lord of your life and expect a supernatural change. Experience a life with CHRIST IN YOU by His Holy Spirit. Experience God's kingdom. Experience knowledge of the spiritual world that you have been ignorant of until this time. Then go out and share Him with others as I have you.
I do not promise that satan will not struggle to hold fast to your soul. In fact, it is certain he will fight to keep you as his own, for he knows his time is short and does not want to suffer torment and the lake of fire alone. Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. It is God's heart and hope that none should perish.
In closing, if you felt the knock of Jesus on your heart, do not delay in answering Him, for next time you might not feel His knock. Each rejection leads to a hardness of your heart. Let Him in and discover what it is to be born again.
Lastly, it is my hope and prayer that those who gather to watch the ballgame would remember one thing. However loud and strong you yell and scream for the victory of your team, how much more does Jesus deserve? It is all about Jesus. He is coming soon. First in His servants, then for His servants. If He is not in you, He is not coming for you. Love one another. This is His greatest commandment.
I think this is so cool. I am going to check out Eastlake Church! This is the kind of church where I think I would like to go. I long to get together with like-minded Christ followers to worship Jesus in a place where the people and pastor don't judge, criticize, and condemn, or think they are better than everyone else, but just love others and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. That is what I hear they do at Eastlake. We'll see. Excited to check out Eastlake Church. Go Hawks! PS I just got a flyer from them last week. Looks like they have 8 campuses. Here is a quote from the flyer "Eastlake is a church that was started for the rest of us who are looking to connect with God but don't really fit in with the church people vibe. The very first thing we'll ask of you is simple: relax. You don't have to dress up. We don't care who you voted for in the last election. And please, don't feel the need to pretend about anything. No matter what your spiritual background or past, we want you to come as you are because that's how we believe God meets us - as is. From there, we'll help each other grow to be all God intended us to be." No, I have never been to Eastlake, not yet anyway.
 @NW Believer We will be PUMPED to have you!!!
Friendship with the world is enmity with God. The lukewarm will not make it into heaven. The preachers today are all wolves in sheep's clothing who are leading their followers right into the pits of hell. Consuming the violence and perversion of the entertainment industry and getting your council from the liars on the nightly news is all an abomination to Jesus. Read prophecies org for some real insight into how to serve God, and get out of the churches before you share in their judgement!
@Mark Brander - I hate to break it to you Einstein, but since you are on the internet and the KOMO TV wevbsite posting that message, I guess you are also "consuming the violence and perversion from the news"Â . too funny!
I can't believe this is a story.
Luke 16:13 states "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Replace money with football and I think you see how it applies to "Pastor" Meeks. This is a sad statement about a sad state of the seeker sensitive church. I have attended Eastlake twice and the firs time heard nothing but Mr. Meeks talk about himself and the history of Eastlake. The second time I hear him preach a sermon that I had heard preached by Robert Morris a year earlier. It was clearly word for word the same sermon in some places- including the manipulative pitch at the end for more money. Mr. Meeks is a false teacher and anyone who attends that church needs to run for the door and go to a place where the gospel is preached instead of Mr. Meeks' "buddy jesus" religion.
so true!
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Jesus Christ! Â That's a lot of people! Â
I am amazed there are 94 comments on this! This is not a big deal people, many of you are wound up too tight and need to get a life! There is nothing wrong with what the Pastor is doing, sheesh! Many churches have special events, from concerts, to potlucks, youth activities, etc. Immanuel Presbyterian in Tacoma even has Live Blues Bands on Sundays once a month. This is pricesly the reason why so many people are turned off the religion in general. Man screws it all up by his actions..................
Would Jesus cancel His preaching for a football game? Hardly. This simply shows us the condition of this particular church is carnal at best...
And don't forget, God is rooting for the Seahawks.
Hail Mary!
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It's not a Catholic church goofy...
And now you know why signs and wonders are not prevalent in the church today...
I am not a religious person but if I was, I wouldn't have much faith in a pastor who cancels churcch for football.
 @Anarchy I don't think you *should* have faith in this pastor, or any other human being. You should have faith in Jesus. ;-)
 @Silvia  @Anarchy So true, Silvia.
@Silvia Should've known I'd get this type of response. Thanks but no thanks.
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He is not cancelling it, just limiting the services. You should come some Sunday and meet Ryan before criticizing him.
 @Carla You keep saying that, but, "He doesn't worship football, but he is canceling Sunday morning services at most of his Eastlake Community Church campuses..." Â
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He is cancelling morning services at most of his Eastlake Community Church campuses.
I think this is a WONDERFUL idea. People in the area want to support the Seahawks, Pastor Meeks is helping to provide a safe, family friendly environment to do so. For all of you Holier than Thou folks out there, get over yourselfs! Maybe I am wrong here but it written somewhere in the Bible... Live and Let Live?? If I choose to go hear a short sermon and then what the game at Church. That is my choice. If you choose to go to a longer Church Service and miss the game that is your choice. Or If I were to choose to skip church all together and simply stay home and watch the game.. again MY choice.  Religion isn't just about going to church every Sunday... it's about how you CHOOSE to live your life.
Live and let live? In the Bible? Obviously you don' t read yours...
Moose - you are correct I do not read mine. Which is why I said "maybe I am wrong here". I guess it was just something my mom used to say. She was always quoting the Bible so I made an assumption.  My point is to me Religion is not about going to church every Sunday it's how you choose to live your life.Â
 @DanBolivar  @football fan I'm sure that not rooting for a sporting event will get you into heaven. Ephesians 2:8, 9 For by grace are ye saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
 @football fan I'm sure that rooting for a sporting event will get you quickly into heaven.
Last time I went to church, a few years ago, there was two strippers in work wear sitting in front of me. They were standing up and had their g strings way inside. I think the men behind me were having spiritual moments. Heavenly I would guess to them. I don't judge, but people have to know where they are at. Theirs kids in their, family's. You don't take your kids to the stripper joint. I guess the stripper joint can come into church and no one is to say anything, because then we are judgemental. According to beanstalk.
I was reading my bible just now (New King James Version) and came across this verse that I think will help out here:
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Hebrews 10:24-25: Â And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Super Bowl drawing near.
 @Quarwhar Yes, this is good. Let's meet together to watch the games!
trulyloved and anyone else with the negative comments: Do you know anything about broken people? Do you know anything about people who have been crushed by this life? Do you know many "heart has been regenerated by God's Spirit" people? I can tell you that they aren't going to attend a service next to a bunch of judgemental people who call themselves Christian, but spend their time pointing fingers and condemning. You individuals who know nothing more than what the media fed you about a pastor, and you are comfortable bad mouthing him, and suggesting that he robs his congregation based on absolutely nothing? This says alot about the condition of your hearts. If they were truly filled with Jesus love, you would be out sharing that, not trolling KOMO!
A major purpose of this event is most likely to spread the word. Yes, there is a church out there that won't scowl at you for wearing a hat in service. There is a church where you can honestly come as you are, because it is more important that you hear the truth spoken into your life, than that you conform to some 1950's view of Christianity.
Did you see the post "If I went to church this is the type I'd like to attend. The Pastor sounds like a great guy." THESE are the people Pastor Meeks is reaching. This guy would not attend your church, but if he had a friend at Eastlake, then he might just meet Jesus. The Pastor's entire point was exactly what you missed. When we have a relationship with Christ 24x7 it isn't even important what time we meet, and on which day.
To the comment about gay marriage: You aren't going to find Meeks performing gay marriages, but you will find that Eastlake is one of the largest groups each year for the AIDS walk. Why? It makes an undenyable statement. We are Christians that will come support you to show you that we aren't here to judge your life, we are here to show you that we care about you, and we acknowledge what life has put you through, and we want you to have a chance to meet Jesus.
Each week at Eastlake I have heard people share stories of the horrible situation God brought them out of. These are people that would not have even made it to your parking lot. They would have smelled the judgement a mile away. Would you prefer these people never heard Jesus words? Pastor Meeks is not perfect (Eastlake can I get an amen?) but he is a caring person who is doing what he feels led to do for Jesus! Fortunately he does not worry about the condemnation he will receive from people. If you want to judge him, judge him by the fruit of the congregation. There are mission teams circling the globe, and spreading love, compassion, and hope to places like Cambodia, Haiti, Guatemala, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Hungary, on and on. There are events to raise money for wells in places like Africa, Cambodia, etc. Eastlake often partners with groups that have great track records like M.T.I. and Charity Water. For those who are truely offended that Pastor Meeks would move around some services to accomodate the Hawks not being horrible once every few years... well I will pray for your spirit of religion, because I know God can release you from that.
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I want to welcome anybody reading this to join us Sunday morning @ 9, (come early) off Beardsley in Bothell. If you have spent years disinterested in Jesus Christ because people gave you the impression that he was an angry bolt-thrower who would condemn you for spending some time with friends on a Sunday morning, then you are exactly who we want at Eastlake this Sunday. Come be imperfect and love Jesus with a bunch of other imperfect people! **Disclaimer: If I have incorrectly stated any ECC stances here, guys feel free to correct me, thanks.
We don't have time to read responses longer than the posted article.
 @beanstalk There is a fascinating and excellent book by David Platt called "Radical.  Taking back your faith from the American dream."  I  highly recommend it.
 @Doxie  @beanstalk It's available from KCLS, both as a "real" book and in the electronic form that you can read on your computer or Kindle. If I could just stay awake, I'd read it today. It looks good, but not "light" enough for my current mental capacity!
 @Silvia  @beanstalk It's not heavy reading, but it's definitely eye-opening reading.
 @beanstalk people who are truly broken and hurting, understand that this life is so much more profound than a football game. For a pastor to cancel church for a football game, instead of giving a teaching that someone in his church desperately needs to hear, is not a good use of the already shortening time. he should be more concerned about souls... not watching a game. i'm sure he knows someone (or himself perhaps) that has a thing called a dvr.
 @Christina Jandecka Futrell  @beanstalkÂ
@Bean- You said, "Did you see the post "If I went to church this is the type I'd like to attend. The Pastor sounds like a great guy." THESE are the people Pastor Meeks is reaching."
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Having been to Eastlake twice I am sure people are being reached but I have no idea what they are being reached with? Can you please explain what exactly Eastlake believes about who Jesus was, what he did, what our basic problems are as humans and what our future holds? I am truly curious to hear your answer. Thanks.
 @martinluter  @Christina Jandecka Futrell  @beanstalk If you were there twice and still don't know what Pastor Meeks is about, you didn't listen well enough, or at all I should say. I have gone to many churches over the years, and the messages at this church is about the easiest ones to listen to. Not that the lessons are much different than anywhere else, just that the delivery is with a spoonful of sugar instead of a shovelful of fear or guilt.Â
 @Christina Jandecka Futrell  @beanstalk I wonder if perhaps he *is* concerned about souls, and that is why he is opting to watch the football game? He wants to demonstrate that following Jesus is not about following rules. It's about having a 24/7 relationship with Him - not just at a certain time on Sunday, but every single moment of every day...I'm kinda burnt out on church because of people in my past who have lectured me about church attendance, even when it was physically impossible to be there (one woman who scolded me about missing church, even when she knew that I had *2* seriously broken arms). They were so busy judging me that they didn't care that I was broken! But - I like what this pastor and his congregation are doing. They sound like ordinary people who love an extraordinary Christ.
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 @Christina Jandecka Futrell  @beanstalk He didn't cancel services. There are two that day.
 @SoTweetie  @Christina Jandecka Futrell  @beanstalk Actually 3. One short a.m. service and two regular afternoon services.