A Tornado, Beer, Books & Super Bowl

Thursday Blogger appeared to be out altogether.

I could not read anyone else’s blog nor could they read mine so I left Wednesday’s post up for an extra day while I went out to lunch with my friend Wes.

Thursday evening weather alerts placed Jacksonville was under a severe weather watch and about 3 a.m. a tornado touched down about 70 miles south of us killing at least 19 people, snapping trees, overturning cars, and shredding over 800 homes right down to the foundations.

Friday I checked our refrigerator for beer to drink during the Super Bowl football game on Sunday.

Yes, it’s still there.

Last year, for the 2006 Super Bowl, Ginny and I bought a six pack of beer. We drank two during that game, then we drank another two on the Fourth Of July, and we still have two left for tomorrow’s game.

Yes, even thought we are rabid religious fanatics, we are not teetotalers.

Perhaps I set a poor example for others in my drinking habits. I have seen many fine people devastated, degraded and destroyed by drink.

A tornado could not have done a better job on them.

I’ve told many a fine person at the mission, “Either you control the bottle or it controls you”.

But Jesus saves us from whatever has us licked, so drinking is not the real problem.

He said:

“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man….Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?…

“That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

I’ve heard too many people use liquor or drugs as an excuse for their behavior; “I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t been drunk”.

Nonsense.

Alcohol works just like castor oil.

It doesn’t put anything into the heart, it just makes what’s already there easier to come out.

I see nothing wrong with drinking in moderation, a little wine for thy stomach’s sake; but if you’ve ever found yourself hugging a commode, that may be a hint to look up your local AA meeting in the phone book.

Many Christians here in the South feel that any taste of alcohol is anathema. They won’t touch the stuff.

And while I respect their view, I don’t subscribe to it myself.

Therefore, for those who look forward to enjoying tomorrow’s Super Bowl game without the lubrication of beer, I refer to this happy website:

http://www.breweryhistory.com/Defunct/DefunctIndex.htm

These English pub signs come from the website of the Brewery History Society. It’s a place where people from all over Great Britain have gone out taking photos of quaint beer and pub signs, some of which date back to 1666. They post hundreds of such photos on the site. These move from the realm of advertising into the realm of art and I found them delightful. The site is well worth a visit.

Speaking of advertising: Look for an ad for my books during Super Bowl. Commercials during the game only cost $2,600, 000.00 for a 30 second spot.

I did not have quite enough to buy a full 30 seconds so I bribed a guy with a six-pack and he engraved a link to my bookstore front, www.bluefishbooks.info , on the hoof of one of those big horses pulling a beer cart.

Every time you see one of those horses in a commercial, look at the hooves to see if you spot my name and think about buying one of my books.

Or not.

I hope you enjoy the game.