Is Drinking Beer A Waste Of Money?

Is drinking beer a waste of money? Some people think it is. I have an uncle who loves to buy stuff at yard sales and on Ebay. It is a source of tension between my aunt and uncle and she is always saying to him "Hank you don't need that why are you buying it?" He always replies " Jackie I don't drink or smoke so if I want to spend my money this way I can." What is my uncle saying? If you read between the lines he is saying that others waste their money indulging in the pleasures of drinking and smoking so he can waste his money in his particular indulgence. He might have a point. Whether we drink or not we can't live life rigidly frugal all the time but must allow for some luxuries.

We can also be so obsessed with perfectionism which robs us of any joy or enjoyment of God's gifts of his creation. C. Vaughn Doner touches on this in his book THE LATE GREAT EVANGELICAL CHURCH. He writes "We see this clearly in the life of Charles Finney, who urged his followers to eschew rest, leisure, food, even clothing if these things hobbled one's Christian walk. Should a woman wish to buy coffee, for instance, Finney would query how many Bibles the money could purchase instead. Those around Finney did without coffee and tea and even passed up simple condiments such as salt, mustard, and pepper. For Finney, anything not purely spiritual was ungodly. 'I cannot believe that a person who has ever known the love of God can relish a secular novel,' he once said.

Perfectionism became in Finney's campaigns, a practical approach to whole masses of souls, each of which was assured it could cleanse itself forever of all human sin en route to the goal of "entire sanctification," Thus while the forces of modernity were amassing and gathering steam, Finney and company were eschewing mustard."

Beer may not be the staple of life but it is an enjoyment that I'm going to drink with thankfulness to my God in my heart. I'm not going to let the Finney's of this world take that away from me.

Max Lucado and Alcoholism

This past Sunday's sermon got me thinking about alcoholism. My pastor shared this story about Max Lucado. Max believes he as a "genetic predisposition to beer". Max Lucado may have let his like for beer get out of hand, but I have my doubts about the genetics. Although this belief does not surprise me because this is a common belief among evangelicals and the anti-alcohol industry.

I was surprised to read an Arbias report on an alcohol abuse study which they said "This research confirms the existence of a significant genetic influence although the majority of problem drinkers have major environmental influences on their drinking behaviour." I tend to believe the latter part of that statement about environmental influence. Much in the same way as families who are now a third generation welfare recipient. No one ever says these families have a genetic predisposition to dependence on government assistance.

There are warning signs that we need to be aware of that is telling us that our drinking is getting out of control. This list is not something I thought of off the top of my head but are a combination of information from several alcohol abuse help groups.

* Do you ever drink until your supply is gone?
* Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
* Does your drinking ever make you late for school or work?
* Do your friends use less alcohol than you do?
* Is drinking hurting your reputation?
* Does your drinking worry your family or friends?
* Have you ever lost friends because of your use of alcohol?
* Do you ever borrow money or go without things in order to buy alcohol?
* Have you ever been in in trouble because of your drinking?
* Do you ever get headaches or have hangovers after drinking?
* Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't?
* Do you ever forget what you did while you were drinking?
* Have you started hanging out with heavy drinking friends?

The more you answer yes to these questions the greater chance you might have a problem. But if any of the next list apply, you really do have a problem.

* You lose arguments with inanimate objects.
* Job interfering with your drinking.
* Your doctor finds traces of blood in your alcohol stream.
* Your sons are named Barley and Hops.
* Mosquitoes catch a buzz after attacking you.
* The back of your head keeps getting hit by the toilet seat.
* Career won't progress beyond Senator from Massachusetts.
* Sincerely believe alcohol to be the elusive 5th food group.
* 24 hours in a day. 24 beers in a case- coincidence?
* You can focus better with one eye closed.
* At AA meeting you begin: 'Hi, my name is...uh..."
* The whole bar says 'Hi' when you walk in.
* Don't recognize wife unless seen though bottom of glass.

Getting back to being serious, I respect Max Lucado decision not to drink if he feels he can't keep it under control. Max did say, "I don't have trouble with people drinking a beer a day but I can't." If there was ever a time Romans 14:22,23 applied to a situation is when Max said to himself after purchasing some beer at a store. "Somebody will see me, I will put it in a brown bag and carried it out, sneak it out into my car, and I mean that old conviction just came back. And I just sat there and started to cry."

I realise Max Lucado is in a different position than me because of being called "America's Pastor". I am blessed because I don't feel condemned by what I approve. I would of decline the brown paper bag unless I was purchasing Busch Light then I would of been ashamed to be seen carrying that out to my car.