6 Hours of Bar Hopping... Pt. 1

A bachelor party to remember...

Last week I went to the wedding of some friends in college. There were a few guys from Bryan, and then 5 or 6 guys from back home, and the brother. The stated goal of the evening was to get the groom to throw up. We started out at the Firehaus and had supper, two different shots, and shared three pitchers of different beers. Then after a while we went to another bar next door, had two shots apiece, and then went to another bar, had some shots a pitchers, and then back to the first restaurant--which in our absence had been transformed into a club, with loud music, and only drinks to order. We hung out there until one of the guys was kicked out (for harassing a waitress and blocking the bar). We went outside, he threw up, and most of the guys went back in a cab, and I drove the others in the car.

Many questions were sparked by this night of frivolity and wanton alcohol consumption. I was hit later, upon some reflection, about how assumption-prone I am and how gray the world is. I realize more and more how little I have experienced and consequently how much I don't know how to respond too. I have some pretty deeply rooted assumptions, and the world just isn't as black and white as they call for.

Why do people want to drink in such excess? I had an out--designated driver, and it wasn't difficult at all to ignore the limited peer-pressure to drink more than I was comfortable with, but everyone there had more to drink than I thought was healthy. But what is too much? I really think I don't know enough to be able to draw that line very well. I'm sure there are some indicators--perhaps throwing up would be one--but aside from external indicators such as that, if you are not allowed to legally drive, does that mean you have, dare I ask, sinned? Such a strong statement for a gray area. Beyond a moral declaration, what is my response? I keep defaulting to what do I have an obligation to do, but far beyond that, what could I do. What does love do?

Listening to a sermon the other day about discipline, and was hit by how little we do that 1) in the church as a whole, but maybe more importantly 2) how little we do it personally. Not discipline, as the pastor said, as in punishment, but as far as instruction and correction. How much we really care about people is evidenced by if we confront, or just ignore areas where they are either in obvious sin, or engaged in acts where they are hurting themselves or others. While most of the people were new acquaintances, some were old friends, and I wonder what a loving action towards them would be.

More thoughts to come, but I think I am going to call up one of those old friends and have a chat...

Live within the sound of Your voice...

Heard an old CCM song today by Amy Morriss on the radio. Looked all over the internet and couldn't find it to download. I've listened to a 30 sec. sample for a while though:

[Let me] live within the sound of Your voice

I want my heart so in tune, that I hear

You whisper my name...

Powerful thought. Convicting. Definately find myself caught in the busyness of life and not making time to listen for God. Ideally though, it woudn't be a single time where I listen, but rather I really "live within the sound" of His voice constantly. In some ways I think it follows the train of Paul's thought in Galatians 5

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [...] If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

How do you make it a lifestyle, and not a fad that quickly fades after a few days. Scarily reminscent of the seeds that fell on the rocky ground in Mark 4:

Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.