grit and glory

First of all I love the shirt…hahaha…that is too funny! As far as my take on drinking, I grew up in a home with parents who were intolerable of drinking of any kind (and still are). So for most of my life I felt the same. Believe it or not, it wasn’t until my honeymoon that I had my first drink. Anyway, to make a long story short. I, too, love Jesus and drink a little :-)

That shirt is too funny.

We used to feel very strongly that we shouldn’t drink at all. Mainly for witness reasons or “not causing others to stumble”. Also, feeling that we were headed for ministry - that we should be living to a higher standard. We would have an occassional drink - like when I turned 21, at a wedding or something like that.

It was only recently (like this winter) that we changed our minds a little…if it’s a little, there’s not really a problem. Alcohol is not evil - it’s the misuse of it.

so yeah…

I love Jesus, but I drink a little.

i also grew up in a household and in churches that taught — both directly and indirectly — that all alcohol is wrong. and i used to feel that same way, simply by default. until i bothered to really think about it for myself. moderation is everything…

I love Jesus and I drink a little ;) I actually really enjoy the taste of beer- more so than wine or “fruity” drinks.

I didn’t get to watch this yesterday, but oh my goodness. I know Ellen was thinking “You just can’t write this stuff.”

I will have to buy this shirt. Not just because that clip is hilarious, but because I agree with the statement.

i AM resourceful. i managed to find the video on youtube. :) it was really just the specific site that hosted that vid. soooooooooo funny!

haha. Yeah. That’s a great shirt. I’ve got the same take as you. I attend a church that teaches that all alcohol is wrong - but I disagree with them on this point. I believe that the Bible teaches three things about alcohol: 1) it is a mark of foolishness to get drunk, 2) however drinking and getting drunk are two different things - a test of mainly wisdom, and 3) in addition to these main considerations, a believer may make a personal vow of abstinence to the Lord which is sacred and holy in the eyes of the Lord. So saying … I believe it is not wrong of a Christian to drink a little. And I do enjoy a little wine on occasion. Thanks for posting!

tell me if you find a place that serves margaritas here in SA and I’ll be your Christian drinking buddy. :)

i’m surprised there hasn’t been any push-back on this. those with different opinions are welcome to share them! i’d like to really dig in and discuss this…

(christen — let’s meet up at a primi piatti! i actually can’t stand margaritas, but you can get one and i’ll drink something else!)

I am in agreement with the shirt. I like how Annie stated it. I also like the Italian Margarita at Olive Garden.

Sorry Alece…I feel the same way. I am glad you added this to your blog…I was going to comment yesterday and simply say, “I love Jesus, but I drink a little”….what a funny shirt….

And I still can’t find a good cider in the US…so for all of the US contingent..sorry for you!

Does drinking alcohol glorify God?

Okay, here’s your different opinion. Although I don’t think drinking alcohol is necessarily a sin, I do believe that it is not edifying to us and therefore is not something Christians need to do.

I think there are many reasons it’s better to just do without, including not causing someone else to possibly stumble (including non believers who see us as hypocrites for drinking…whether they may be judging unfairly or not…is it worth it?) Also, the Bible says to be clear and sober minded at all times ready to give a word.

I actually attend a church who believes the same (not a sin, but not good either,) but I disagreed with them for a long time. Then I recently thought, is it worth it? If I actually DID cause someone else to stumble for whatever reason, etc…was it worth it? Plus, personally, I don’t feel right putting alcohol in my body since it’s a temple of the Holy Spirit. Also, I believe this is a weight that can easily entangle (Heb 12:1.) It can be a slipperly slope for some.

Anyhoo…I don’t judge and appreciate that people have their right to different opinions on the matter. This is just my take.

God bless y’all.

13th spot again - to borrow a phrase: “shame”

Here is a take that hasn’t been presented yet…

We are pastors. From the pulpit we teach moderation; meaning you can drink just not in excess. (Same with dancing, music, movies, etc.) But together we have decided that we are not going to drink alcohol. Two main reasons. First DaRonn’s family has a tendancy towards the abuse of substances and some alcoholism so we don’t want to open any doors in that area for him or possibly our kids. The second reason is because we are following the lead of our pastor in the States and his personal conviction. If it works for him then it may be a good idea.

This is not to say that we may change our views later. But as of now this is our opinion.

angie and missionchik — thanks for sharing your takes on this. i appreciate hearing your opinions, and you offer some good points.

any other thoughts, anybody???

i’ve NEVER noticed this before friday. the context is that some of the Israelites live to far away to haul their tithes to the meeting house and make their offering. so God gives them an alternative - sell the stuff and bring the money. then:

Deuteronomy 14:26 “You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.”

after i got over the shock that God is telling them to buy & eat WHATEVER in the presence of the Lord, which included wine & strong drink, i looked up the two mentions of alcohol:

wine = wine
strong drink = intoxicating drink, liquor

this most interesting discovery for me. a lot of people teach that wine was customary back in the day because they didn’t have water purification systems. the most healthy thing they could drink was a “watered-down” version of wine - basically a liquid with enough alcohol in it to keep the bacteria dead (note: this is the reason paul told timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach. the water probably made him sick). this wine supposedly isn’t as “strong” as today’s wine.

but then, reading the distinction that God acknowledges between wine and strong drink, within the context that the partaking of both is considered an acceptable offering to Him, well… i’m speechless.

but i’m pretty sure that i’m reading my bible right….

wow, mandy. i’ve never seen that before. i’m gonna look that up…

According to my KJV Mandy is right - but not not exactly right…

She says ‘whatever your heart desires’ whereas i read ‘whatever your SOUL lusteth after’. Since we are told in Mark 4:19 our lusts chokes the Word of God within us it is a little hard to folllow the thought being expressed here - to honour God with your tithe you can lust with your soul and enjoy strong drink???

I think it is wise to remember the OT is for those who do not or who cannot follow Jesus’ New Testament, so Christians strictly following the scriptural advice of the Lord to His Chosen people is, i think, ‘having a bet each way’ and i don’t think many of us do all that good a job of following OT ‘Law’ anyway - we tend to pick and choose - anyone wearing clothing with a blend of two cloth fibres for example? For shame! :-)

As for my personal view on Alcohol?

I think if you cannot live your life without it (and this is demonstrated by doing so - not just saying: ‘of course i can’) then i don’t think you are living the life Jesus came to show as an example for us all.

I partake of drink (port and kahlua being two ’strong’ examples and i enjoy a cider over a beer any day) but i do not do so on any kind of ‘regular’ basis and would prefer to take a quart of OJ to a party than a six-pack of anything.

I detest the ‘necessity’ that some in my community seem to ascribe to - that you have to have a drink to be able to enjoy yourself in social situations with a bunch of people - even if they be all close friends.

To me - if Alcohol provides such a strong temptation to some that they let it pull themselves regularly from the Word of God then i could happily live without it in my community, rather than allow those without the will to fall prey to it.

Sadly, i fear that those without God in their lives will not ever allow such a decision to be made and alcohol will continue to be abused by the few that ‘ruin’ it for the rest of us. It is a curse to a large number of the modern Australian Aboriginals that they are clearly not strong enough to overcome by themselves. (to many white Aussies too, come to think of it!)

Does our enjoyment of Alcohol in moderation lead any of our fellow man to stray from God - or do they do that all by themselves and what we do makes no difference at all?

Personally, i don’t believe the Pro’s outweigh the Con’s - I reckon we’d all be better off without it - sadly so much of humanity finds a need for some kind of drug to get ‘release’ from the trials life sends to us all.

Love is my ‘recreational’ drug of choice!

I recommend it to all :-)
(and i think i’ll pass on a shirt - but thanks for asking! :-) )

love <B

Hmmm…. I popped over to check out LWBUT (Bob?)’s comment … not sure I fully understand his take here. I think he’s saying that the consideration for his fellow man is more important than his own enjoyment (which is good) but he still drinks a little. A noble sentiment. I believe that the path of wisdom is perfectly balanced between the ditches of apparent wisdom. People try to avoid one ditch so hard that they figure even if they throw themselves in the opposing ditch they’re still better off than being anywhere near ‘that’ ditch. The only thing is, in the long run both are ditches, and you still missed God’s best, which is the path of wisdom. (Note: as I’m still not sure what Bob was saying, I don’t think I’m directly responding to what he said here; rather what was sparked in my mind.) So I try very hard to avoid ditches of all kinds, even the seemingly good ones.

There is one statement I do disagree with (at least in what I believe him to be saying). “I think it is wise to remember the OT is for those who do not or who cannot follow Jesus’ New Testament.” ?? Is that meant to be taken literally? Did God not give us the entire Scripture, which is beneficial for teaching, reproof, exhortation, etc.? The idea that ‘Christianity’ is found in the New Testament only … That the OT is antiquated in some way (if indeed that is what he was saying) … Honestly, I don’t don’t how that idea appeals as ‘right.’ This is an area of passion for me (if you can’t tell). I love the Old Testament. To me, the two volumes say the same things, just in different ways. God’s plan in Genesis was Jesus, just as much as it was in Matthew. Everything about the Word (whether Old or New) reveals Him to us. I know you think the same as I do, Alece, so I’m just expounding here. I love doing topical studies through the Bible. It is amazing how clear a picture God can paint for you of one thing, if you just search for it in every book. So many of my studies the topic is introduced in Genesis (almost every topic is introduced in Genesis), gets fleshed out through the OT, has a huge light turned on it in the gospels, and is turned over and revealed in Hebrews. I love it! God wrote the whole thing just for me. And I love that in the OT I can search for ‘buried treasure.’ The NT is more like … buying things off a shelf. Very clear what it is. The OT is pictures, and you have to dig a little. I like that.

Anyway. Those are my thoughts. :)

mmm…. i have to agree on my love of the old testament and my strong belief that my life as a believer should be built on the foundation of the entirety of God’s Word, not just the new testament.

whatcha thinkin, bub?