When I was watching the Grammys a few nights ago and Dan + Shay preformed the song Tequila I was moved emotionally and spiritually. Not because I like Tequila or like to drink alcohol, I don’t. I have tasted and not often taken a taste but the strong drink or even wine is not for me & never has been. Even though my wife’s and my family’s culture enjoys wine and actually makes wine. My mother’s maiden name is Torchia which means “grape crusher” & she makes beautiful & great tasting wine.
The Lord told me a long time ago, it was not for me referencing the Master of the Wedding Banquet who tasted the wine Jesus made and could differentiate between the good wine and the cheap wine.
The question the Lord posed to me, is “Why?” “Why could the master tell the difference?” He could tell the difference because all he did was "taste" during the wedding and was sober minded. “Why was he only tasting during the wedding and not drinking like everyone else?” It’s simple, it is because he was the one in charge and the one in charge cannot afford the liberties granted to those who are not in charge. The Lord told me that I need to be in charge at all times because someone has to be in charge at all times & ready every second. The world is a vehicle with people who need help in so many ways and I am the designated driver or the ready responsible responder on call 24:7.
Proverbs 31:4
It is not for kings, Lemuel-- it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,
John 2:9-10
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
1 Timothy 3:2-3
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
The Lord told me a long time ago, it was not for me referencing the Master of the Wedding Banquet who tasted the wine Jesus made and could differentiate between the good wine and the cheap wine.
The question the Lord posed to me, is “Why?” “Why could the master tell the difference?” He could tell the difference because all he did was "taste" during the wedding and was sober minded. “Why was he only tasting during the wedding and not drinking like everyone else?” It’s simple, it is because he was the one in charge and the one in charge cannot afford the liberties granted to those who are not in charge. The Lord told me that I need to be in charge at all times because someone has to be in charge at all times & ready every second. The world is a vehicle with people who need help in so many ways and I am the designated driver or the ready responsible responder on call 24:7.
Proverbs 31:4
It is not for kings, Lemuel-- it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,
John 2:9-10
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
1 Timothy 3:2-3
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
I did taste Tequila in Tijuana & was the first customer in this guy's new taco restaurant however I am more of a coffee drinker with Italian food but the tacos were "amazing". They opened the kitchen just for me at the taco restaurant the night before their grand opening to the public when they heard I came for a short stay during my time in San Diego, cooked just for me, and gave me all the free tacos I wanted. The owners told me they had family that lived in San Diego but their families were too afraid to cross the border because of the crime in the city. I Ubered to the border, walked over, and Ubered in Mexico. I have traveled the world and can say this “people are the same people every where you go”.
It was not to long ago that Chicago and the surrounding cities (where I grew up & still spend time today) was more dangerous than Tijuana. My brother is a police officer. I was home for holidays and went to the local mall. He said “you went to the mall, surprised you didn’t get shot, we’re having shootings there a lot.” People are often afraid of anything that is foreign to them or what they don’t understand. Life is to short to live afraid. I would rather live a short life fearless than a long life fearful. You will accomplish more that way & love better.
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Christ died at 33 & wasn’t even old enough to be the POTUS but accomplished more & left a greater legacy than anyone in the history of the world.
https://www.sandiegored.com/en/news/59990/Tijuana-is-much-safer-than-Chicago
I had heard the song Tequila before but it never moved me like it did that night when I was watching the Grammys. At the time, I didn’t fully understand or recognize what I was sensing but as the song was preformed, I had a deep sense of someone calling out to God, seeking a remembrance of him, and a desire for a Taste of God.
Last night I downloaded the song on my iTunes and listened to it several times and the deeper meaning of the song for me hit me. The song Tequila was expressing what I believe was then and still is today, the heart and desire Christ has for His disciples and everyone who would ever partake in Holy Communion. This heart and desire is to “remember”. There is a strong Ministry of Remembrance for the Church to partake in, especially in regards to Christ and the loss of our loved ones.
It was not to long ago that Chicago and the surrounding cities (where I grew up & still spend time today) was more dangerous than Tijuana. My brother is a police officer. I was home for holidays and went to the local mall. He said “you went to the mall, surprised you didn’t get shot, we’re having shootings there a lot.” People are often afraid of anything that is foreign to them or what they don’t understand. Life is to short to live afraid. I would rather live a short life fearless than a long life fearful. You will accomplish more that way & love better.
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Christ died at 33 & wasn’t even old enough to be the POTUS but accomplished more & left a greater legacy than anyone in the history of the world.
https://www.sandiegored.com/en/news/59990/Tijuana-is-much-safer-than-Chicago
I had heard the song Tequila before but it never moved me like it did that night when I was watching the Grammys. At the time, I didn’t fully understand or recognize what I was sensing but as the song was preformed, I had a deep sense of someone calling out to God, seeking a remembrance of him, and a desire for a Taste of God.
Last night I downloaded the song on my iTunes and listened to it several times and the deeper meaning of the song for me hit me. The song Tequila was expressing what I believe was then and still is today, the heart and desire Christ has for His disciples and everyone who would ever partake in Holy Communion. This heart and desire is to “remember”. There is a strong Ministry of Remembrance for the Church to partake in, especially in regards to Christ and the loss of our loved ones.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes
Proverbs 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Luke 24:30-31
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight
Growing up as a Catholic, there are a lot of things in the church and Catholic homes that trigger remembrance of Church leaders. As someone who earned a Master’s of Church History, I have learned to have a deep appreciation for the Ministry of Remembrance. Also being a minister in Protestant churches for nearly 20 years, I can say that we don’t do enough Remembrance. I like taking communion every week & I have family that take it everyday. A reason we often say in the Protestant Church as to why we don’t take communion every week is because the scripture says:
“For as OFTEN as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
It doesn’t say to take communion weekly but AS OFTEN, implying it should be done OFTEN not a few times a year. We shouldn’t use that verse anymore as to why we don’t do it often because it implies it should be done often..
Like the song Tequila “...your memory only hits me this hard when I taste .....I still see yeah....I remember how bad I need yeah...”
Proverbs 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
We were in Tijuana on the day of the dead & took this picture. I do not believe we should seek communication with the dead & the Bible forbids the use of mediums such as Saul used to call Samuel’s spirit from the dead. There are a select few times such as Moses and Elijah (taken up in whirlwind not necessarily died) being permitted to be with Jesus and the disciples during the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. However, I can appreciate a day of Remembrance dedicated to the loved ones we have lost & I don't think the Lord opposes a day of remembrance but promotes it. We remember great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Presidents on their own days.
“For as OFTEN as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
It doesn’t say to take communion weekly but AS OFTEN, implying it should be done OFTEN not a few times a year. We shouldn’t use that verse anymore as to why we don’t do it often because it implies it should be done often..
Like the song Tequila “...your memory only hits me this hard when I taste .....I still see yeah....I remember how bad I need yeah...”
Proverbs 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
We were in Tijuana on the day of the dead & took this picture. I do not believe we should seek communication with the dead & the Bible forbids the use of mediums such as Saul used to call Samuel’s spirit from the dead. There are a select few times such as Moses and Elijah (taken up in whirlwind not necessarily died) being permitted to be with Jesus and the disciples during the Transfiguration in Matthew 17. However, I can appreciate a day of Remembrance dedicated to the loved ones we have lost & I don't think the Lord opposes a day of remembrance but promotes it. We remember great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Presidents on their own days.
A statue, communion, or religious practice is not an idol if it’s purpose is to serve as a tool for the Ministry of Remembrance. We need to let go of our ideals when they become our idols (statue or no statue because not having a statue or communion weekly or daily can be an idol just as much as having one). Every ideal we have about God, Church, or ministry can become an idol when the idea in the ideal is not a God idea but a self serving idea. Every idol is just an idle idea and not God’s ideal and will never be God’s ideal until the idea in the ideal becomes His idea and not our own. When our ideal becomes our idol we become idle and not progressive with the new God idea.
The idea of finding things that help us remember Christ and our loved ones who have passed is a good idea. Finding something to help you in the Ministry of Remembrance is good, for Christ it was "A TASTE"
This week alone my family and I lost a loved one and we are helping a sibling group who lost their father this week & has lost their mother not to long ago. These three boys don’t have any parents, are overwhelmed, and are confused. My heart to so heavy and moved with compassion.
I leave you with this “Walk through the valley, even though the shadow follows you & always take time to REMEMBER.”
- sent from my iPhone
The idea of finding things that help us remember Christ and our loved ones who have passed is a good idea. Finding something to help you in the Ministry of Remembrance is good, for Christ it was "A TASTE"
This week alone my family and I lost a loved one and we are helping a sibling group who lost their father this week & has lost their mother not to long ago. These three boys don’t have any parents, are overwhelmed, and are confused. My heart to so heavy and moved with compassion.
I leave you with this “Walk through the valley, even though the shadow follows you & always take time to REMEMBER.”
- sent from my iPhone