Hawaiian shirts and the Vineyard go together like Steve Nicholson and Diet Dr. Pepper. Those wonderful Aloha shirts characterize Vineyard gatherings in the same way that sandals and NIV Bible’s do.

This up and coming week, from July 6-9th, the Vineyard USA 2015 National Conference will be taking place in Columbus, Oh. My family, all seven of us, will be driving from Thorp, WI to Columbus and we can hardly wait to spend time with our wider and extended church family!

In celebration of this momentous event, I have a proposal for you to consider: Wear a Hawaiian shirt on Tuesday evening, July 7th, in order to “Keep it Vineyard.” 

I mean, many of us are talking about the core values of the Vineyard movement and have a desire for the Vineyard to continue seeking for the power and presence of King Jesus and his kingdom! Why not include those wonderful short-sleeved projections of Californian relaxation?

Who wouldn’t want to see Phil Strout in a green Hawaiian shirt to match those lovely brown eyes?!?! You can’t tell me that Rich Nathan speaking with a neon green Aloha shirt wouldn’t make you want to “lawyer up” for Jesus! I imagine Michael Gatlin’s lovely beard being even more gorgeous if it was above a multi-colored Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals (but he has to wear white socks with those sandals!). And who could resist being prayed for by Brenda Gatlin if she had one of those cool yellow short-sleeved shirts that celebrate fun in the sun? Are you telling me that Janet Strout wouldn’t look awesome sporting a matching skirt and suit jacket made out of material featuring pictures of surfboards, palm trees, and coconuts? No, you aren’t saying that because you know all of these people would look awesome! And you would look awesome with them on too!

Phil Strout

Now imagine thousands of people standing in worship at the Columbus Vineyard all wearing Hawaiian shirts! People from all over the world, since it’s global, and from all different ages, since it’s multi-generational, could be all over the huge auditorium wearing one of the most important legacies from the early Vineyard days!

Yeah, I’m talking about you, Bob Fulton and Carl Tuttle! I know you still got them in your closets! We want to see them!

If you want to know what I’ll be doing on Tuesday, July 7th, you can rest assured that I’ll be standing in a room with thousands of my friends and family worshipping Jesus. If you want to know what I’ll be wearing you can rest assured that I, and everyone who senses the importance of this call to action, will be wearing a Hawaiian shirt!

Spread the word! Let’s get this started! This is a great way for us to have fun and honor our past while celebrating our future! Maybe we can even get Phil Strout to wear a Hawaiian shirt during his talk!!! Puh-lease, Phil! Make our day!!!!

And if we can get Jay Pathak to wear one, we can pretty much guarantee that revival will happen. #fact.

 

P.S. – I am also super, super, super looking forward to Wednesday’s global celebration and do not, in any shape or form, believe that Hawaiian shirts are culturally superior to other ways of dressing. If anything, I believe that Hawaiian shirts are quite possibly toward the bottom of what should still be permitted when it comes to fashion. 🙂

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