Is It A Sin To Drink Alcohol?

Scripture has much to say regarding the drinking of alcohol (Leviticus 10:9; Numbers 6:3; Deuteronomy 29:6; Judges 13:4, 7, 14; Proverbs 20:1; 31:4; Isaiah 5:11, 22; 24:9; 28:7; 29:9; 56:12). However, Scripture does not necessarily forbid a Christian from drinking beer, wine, or any other drink containing alcohol. In fact, some Scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Psalm 104:14-15 states that God gives wine “that makes glad the heart of men.” Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God’s blessing. Isaiah 55:1 encourages, “Yes, come buy wine and milk…”

What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects (Proverbs 23:29-35). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19). Drinking alcohol in excess is undeniably addictive. Scripture also forbids a Christian from doing anything that might offend other Christians or encourage them to sin against their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). In light of these principles, it would be extremely difficult for any Christian to say he is drinking alcohol in excess to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Jesus changed water into wine.  Jesus drank wine on occasion (John 2:1-11; Matthew 26:29).  Alcohol is not, in and of itself, tainted by sin. It is drunkenness and addiction to alcohol that a Christian must absolutely refrain from (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 6:12).

Alcohol, consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful nor addictive. In fact, some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol is a matter of Christian freedom. Drunkenness and addiction are sin. However, due to the biblical concerns regarding alcohol and its effects, due to the easy temptation to consume alcohol in excess, and due to the possibility of causing offense and/or stumbling of others, it is often better for a Christian to abstain from drinking alcohol.  As long as you are not causing another brother to stumble, alcohol and wine were given to Christians as a blessing.

The Awesome Food Award

Thank you Katie for nominating me!  Katie has an awesome blog that I recommend to all of you at Concealed Foundation!


The rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Answer the 10 questions provided
3. Come up with 10 more questions that relate to food
4. Nominate 10 people
My answers to the questions:

~Fast food or a fancy restaurant?
Fast food :)  I'm an easy keeper - but I prefer to cook my own over either of those
~What do you cook/bake most?
I mostly bake goodies and cook soups and noodle dishes
~What is one food that your whole family likes?
One on them is spaghetti, but we've got lots more!
~Croissants or biscuits?
croissants
~Salt or pepper?
salt
~Do you put anything on your scrambled eggs?
Ketchup :) lol Or I'll make the eggs with sour cream, diced tomatoes or sweet peppers, and fresh basil - I don't much care for eggs all by themselves :P
~Do you like to bake or would you rather have someone bake something for you?
I love baking and most of the time I prefer to do it but it is nice to have a break sometimes :)
~What would you consider a perfect breakfast?
Biscuits and gravy!!!
~French fries or tater-tots?
French fried for sure - with lots of ketchup!!! LOL
~If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oh that's a hard one!  Maybe pork chops??? :)

Ok I nominate:
Sami at: She Laughs
Lauren at: She Lives And Breathes Alto
Willa at: Willa Nicole Scribblings
Kat at: (Almost) Completely Mad
Aidyl at: Noveltea
Ash at: A Piece Of My Sky
Sara at: A Slightly Nerdy Bookworm
Emily at: Borrowing Photography
Jessa at: Freckled Adventures
Caitlin at: Daughter Of Destiny

And my 10 questions are:
~ What is your favorite food?
~ Do you like chocolate?  If so do you like dark, milk or white chocolate better?
~ Do you prefer to cook / bake food yourself or have someone else do it?
~ What is your favorite food to cook / bake?
~ What are your 5 favorite desserts?
~ Cake or pie?
~ Hamburgers or hot dogs?
~ Nuts or cheese?
~ Soup or salad?
~ What is the one food that your whole family likes?

:)

What Does The Bible Say About Tattoos Or Body Piercings?

The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). So, even though believers today are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15), the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. The New Testament does not say anything about whether or not a believer should get a tattoo.

We do have this command in 1 Peter 3:3–4: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Granted, this passage is directed at Christian women, but there is a principle here that may be apropos: namely, a person’s external appearance should not be the focus of our attention. Much effort goes into “elaborate hairstyles” and “fine clothes” and jewelry, but that’s not where a woman’s true beauty lies. In the same way, tattoos and body piercings are “outward adornment,” and we should be careful to give more effort to the development of the “inner self,” regardless of our gender.

In relation to tattoos and body piercings, a good test is to determine whether we can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless and use that particular activity for His own good purposes. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The New Testament does not specifically command against tattoos or body piercings, but it also does not give us any reason to believe God would have us get tattoos or body piercings.

An important scriptural principle on issues the Bible does not specifically address is if there is room for doubt whether it pleases God, then it is best not to engage in that activity. Romans 14:23 reminds us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God. Although 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 does not directly apply to tattoos or body piercings, it does give us a principle: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies. If our bodies belong to God, we should make sure we have His clear “permission” before we “mark them up” with tattoos or body piercings.

More Pics From The Missoula Fair!

I forgot to add some pics from the misuli fair! :0  Here are some close ups of the shirt I had signed by Tyler Barham:

This is the symbol on the front of the shirt

And the back where it's signed :)

Here's a close up

Me and mom!

Yes...I took a selfie :P

That's all - but I really wanted to get them on here :)

Missoula Fair And Pro Rodeo

Yesterday me and mom went to the misuli (my way of saying missoula) fair and pro rodeo.  The fair grounds were way smaller than I thought they would be for misuli.  We had so much fun tho!  Tyler Barham was singing there (he is sooo good!!!) and we watched him for quite awhile.  I bought one of his shirts and he signed it for me, then we got some pictures together :)  He is actually from Florence MT and I thought that was pretty cool that we were from the same place (4 years probably makes me a MT native)!  He lives in Tennessee now.

The pro rodeo was pretty awesome!  There were some good riders too.  It was way too short tho :(  Here are some photos and videos of the bull and bronc riding:

I love how the picture captured that one horse in mid-prance (the one in the back) - that horse was fun to watch!

"I'm flying!"

A guy gets stomped pretty bad in this video: