God and Beer

Ah! This is nice. I have not posted in while. I have occupied myself with other activities and forgot how much I enjoyed this. As usual my topics will be limited to the only two things I know anything about: God and Beer.

Lately I've been discussing the book of James with some friends. Studying James is a mixed bag. The book is contentious and the source of certain forms of dispute. Many thought that the book had no place in the Bible because it stood awkwardly in contrast to other books, most notable those of Paul. But stand it does, it’s cumbersome in-your-face examination of the conflict between what we do and what we say we believe peering head and shoulders above some less prickly letters. On the other hand it’s common sense nature is timeless as it calls for balance and caution in the words and deeds of the faithful.


I wouldn’t make a very good salesman. A friend asked me if I ever feel like I’m not doing enough for God. I think that if we constantly had people coming up to us telling us how great our relationship with God is we would feel a lot better about things. But that wouldn’t really affect our relationship with God it would just make us feel good about ourselves. I was reading some Don Miller the other day and here are some of his words mixed in with my thoughts:
As it is I feel very much like my relationship with God is looked at as a religious system or as a product that keeps falling apart and who ever is selling it holds the broken pieces behind his back to try to divert everybody’s attention.


I don’t think I can do that, it’s exhausting. Let God worry about holding it all together. James doesn’t tell us to sell God. Instead he begs us to dive headlong into the relationship with him and with people in general. I guy named Pat Goodman always used to say, “Love God and love people, that’s all that matters.”