Original: November 26, 2007
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. Isaiah 5:11
Arriving early after my New Mexico mule deer hunt I was able to stay in San Luis County two days until my plane flew out. It was a wonderful time of reconnecting with my family. While staying with my dad I reminisced as I turned the pages of his photo album. My dad has had the same old photo album that holds all of his hunting pictures from (at least) the past thirty years. One group of pictures was from a guided goose hunt my brother, sister and I bought for dad to celebrate his 60th birthday. Dad, Tom and I had the time of our lives shooting limits of Snows, Speckle Bellies and Blues on a two day guided hunt. One picture shows my dad, brother and I smiling with our limits but what brought a tear to my eye was the caption dad wrote in big red letters, “My hunt with Tom and Jim-The best hunt of my life.”
Even now those words choke me up.!
After shooting our limits the last day we decided to have a “professional” feather and package the geese. Since dad offered to pay we were in hearty agreement. The professional plucker happened to be located in the back room of a local bar and we were told to stop by the next morning to pick them up. After showering and packing we drove to the bar at 8:00 in the morning, and to my surprise the bar was not only open, but filled with over a dozen patrons.
I was shocked to say the least and blurted without thinking, “What kind of person would be at a bar this early in the morning?”
To that, my night crew brother of more than twenty years shot back, “Anyone who works night crew and has just gotten off their shift!”
That was definitely an awkward moment between brothers to say the least!
This new paradigm came not only out of the bar-in-the-morning concept, but that people would even consider heading to the bar and not the bed after working all night long. This speaks to a big problem among men and not new paradigm. Biblically speaking I am not in opposition to drinking alcohol in moderation according to John 2:1-10 and others, but I must agree with Isaiah when he wrote, “Woe to those rise early in the morning to run after their drinks.”
This is a problem.
I grew up with a grandfather who was notorious for alcoholism and have seen what alcoholism does to families and those influenced by it.
In my high school years as a cook in a fish and chips restaurant I can still remember the two owners cutting fish while drinking cases of beer. These sisters would literally have a fillet knife in one hand, beer in the other and cigarette in mouth from early in the morning until late at night; beer after beer, case after case lifetime after lifetime!
Here is the paradigm by which you and I can test our faith.
What is the first thing you run after in the morning? Is it coffee, a relationship, your career, or your God? What does your mind turn to moments after working? Do you focus your early morning attention on the things of God or the things of your flesh? Is there something or someone who steals your first waking thoughts that are worthy only of your God?
