God Loves Beer

Yesterday, our local Beer & Theology group had a table at Clocktoberfect. A meeting of Horologist which I think is the term for people who work on clocks. We have a world-class kick-ass Watch and Clock Museum here in Columbia, Pa. So there.

I took this pic of an attendee's shirt. Beer is the milk of the old. So very wise M.L.

As an aside, I decided yesterday to change my hometown on Twitter from Lancaster to Columbia because I do live in Columbia. For a Philly-Metro guy, it is hard for me to fess up that I am out here in the freaking frontier. But, it is a fact. Suck it up Big Man.

Our Beer & Theology group, actually four of us yesterday (a fraction of our crew), showed up at C-Fest to hand-out information about our monthly meeting at Columbia Kettleworks where we, well, discuss theology and drink beer. We also passed out samples of our homebrew. My Belgian Quad "Silver Bells" was quite popular. I was like, to the samplers, "One for you, one for me."

The Craft Brew movement took a while to catch here in Central Pa, but now we are cranking out the Craft. The ethos of Central Pa. is to do it yerself which then becomes find someone who can do it if you can't or don't want to. Stay as close to the hometown clan as you can, and in some nether regions of Central Pa. clan is spelled a bit different.

I am ashamed to be living among the dumbasses who fly their Confederate Flags. They are just morons. I see the same chumps buying really shitty beer at the local distributor. Pennsylvania has the most restrictive alcohol sale in the land. We are still working through Prohibition. Despite our backwardness here in the mid-State, like I mentioned, Craft is starting to be a major player: Troegs, St. Boniface, Columbia Kettleworks, the Bulls Head in Lititz, I would stack against anybody anywhere. There are some lesser players and some so-soers out there, but we have really stepped up our game. Iron Hill-Lancaster just won awards at the Great American Brew Fest and that ain't no joke, yo (sneaking in the Philly).  

Central Pa is also chock-full of Fox News Acolytes. Non-thinking Christians who are shut-down cognitively. They are not stupid, just sheltered in Fort Lancaster, trying to keep the enemy out. Well, guess what people, fear the enemy inside of you more than anyone else. Jesus commented that what make us unclean is our heart. He even speaks of taking a crap. Look it up. Matthew 15;17. Fundies, step up to the plate. Literally. Come clean. Wash yer own plate.

I have been burdened my whole life inside the Church, as one who was not raised as a a child of the Covenant, that we make all kinds of stupid rules--like a truly holy man  can't drink a beer. As if we should all take a Naziritic vow, grow our hair long, and wield a jawbone of an ass with some righteous fury against the Philistines. Again, your biggest enemy, at least in the non-ISIS West, is yourself. Slay yourself.

Lest imbibers get reckless with the strong drink, God expects you to be mature and not drink to the point of inebriation. Know the difference between enjoyment and indulgence.

Finally, if we expect the world to come into the Church all cleaned up and turned into spiritual bots uttering all the right lines on cue, raising their arms in automatic praise, it ain't going to happen. We have to go into the world and share the Good News with people who need it more than they know. First, we need it. We are all thirsty.

Cheers!