Not Even McDonalds??

I have heard how companies launch with very limited financial resources, but note what these traveling salesmen were asked to do.

They were forbidden to carry any kind of food with them. They could not carry a picnic. They could not use a lunch bag, lunch box or thermos. They were forbidden to carry food.

These salesmen could not carry a suitcase, no backpack, no duffel bag. Purses were prohibited. Even Wal Mart bags were banned.

As for money, think miserly. They could carry no cash. Debit cards were declined. Credit card were cut off. Checks were curbed. They could not have any nickels, dimes, or pennies.

There was no method of taking any extra clothes, if allowed. They were not.

The ONLY thing they could take with them was a large stick. That is all! And it was for defense against some demented dog or a maniac mugger.

Under these conditions, what chance of success does the company have? I ask an  acquaintance.“Somewhere between slim and none,” he replied. I agree. Don’t you?

Jesus sent the apostles on a "mini" mission to convert people, cure diseases, and cast out evil spirits. They did. And yet, the conditions above is how they traveled.

What is more, Jesus had them stay in the home of whoever would take them in.

What made this venture viable?

Alcohol's Debris

If I had no religious inclination I would not touch alcohol. Here is why.

The National Institutes of Health's division on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) said in 2004, "We do know that heavy drinking may have extensive and far–reaching effects on the brain, ranging from simple “slips” in memory to permanent and debilitating conditions that require lifetime custodial care." Additionally, ladies who drink during pregnancy contribute to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which "... can lead to a range of physical, learning, and behavioral effects."

A Wikipedia article Short Term Effects of Alcohol adds, "Moderate alcohol consumption 30–60 minutes before sleep, although decreasing sleep onset latency, disrupts sleep architecture" including, "...late night disruptions in sleep maintenance." Even with moderate amounts, "Short-term effects of alcohol include the risk of injuries, violence and foetal damage."

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America list many negative results of consuming alcohol. They list dizziness, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, vomiting, impaired judgment and coordination, and "increase the incidence ... of aggressive acts including domestic violence and child abuse." To this long list they added headache, thirst, fatigue, severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, convulsions, and "permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver," Fetal alcohol syndrome with its cases of "mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities" and "children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics" conclude their list.

Answers.com says 25,000 people die unnecessarily each year in America from alcohol-related car wrecks.  George Washington Medical Center says, "Alcohol costs American business an estimated $134 billion in productivity losses, mostly due to missed work: 65.3 percent of this cost was caused by alcohol-related illness, 27.2 percent due to premature death, and 7.5 percent to crime."

Each of these problems carries with it its own destructive patterns involving family members, employment, government aid, law enforcement, and psychiatric effects. Who wants any of these problems?

But the fact is I am a religious person. I can avoid all these devil-derived problems if I will listen to God. What has he said about strong drink?

In the Old Testament:

• Lev. 10:9 The priests should not drink wine before coming to worship.
• Prov 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise."
• Prov 23:20-21 speaks of heavy drinkers coming to poverty. 
• Prov. 23:30 and its context reveals who has deep sadness, contentions, complaints, and "wounds without cause."
• Prov 31:4 reminds kings and rulers not to drink wine or strong drink.

In the New Testament: 

• Luke 1:15.   John the Baptizer was not to drink wine or liquor.
• Rom 14:21 speaks of the effect of drinking on other believers.
• Eph 5:18.  Wine leads to drunkenness. 
• 1 Tim 3:3, 1 Tim 3:8, and Titus 1:7. Leaders of the church should resist it.
• Titus 2:3.  Wine enslaves.
• Rom 13:13.  Drunkenness is not proper behavior for Christians.
• Gal 5:21.  Drunkenness "and such like," will keep Christians for going to heaven.
• 1 Pet 4:3.  Disciples of Jesus have given up this type of life.

Jesus wants me to have a good life in the here-and-now, and eternity too. 

So what is The Struggle? 

Is it how much it takes to be drunk, 'buzzed', or unsafe? Can I drink a small amount of alcohol and not effect someone else? Is drinking doing something for the good of others (like Jesus would do), or for selfish pleasure? Who gets hurt?

Why hurt?

 

How did he get away with it?

How did he get away with it?

First, he wasn't a very promising at selling himself. He went places with very few people, dressed inappropriately, and his eating habits would make most people sick. Furthermore, when he got around the people with clout, he spoke to them in an almost-rude way.

He was the antithesis of political correctness.

And with all this, people flocked TO him. He didn't plead with them. He didn't chase them down. He didn't have any telemarketers. He didn't need any of it. He actually had people tracking him down just to listen to what he had to say. How did he do it?

There have been times when I have expressed my opinions. But unlike this man, sometimes they are looked at with disdain. I plead with people to see my point. I try to do the same things he did, in similar ways, and it is not respected, much less heeded.

So what is makes the difference?

Could it be that his message was one of being different? Instead of hanging on to what they had, he told them to share it. Instead of taking advantage of people in a business situation, he told them to act justly. He even told members of the law enforcement community to 1) don't intimidate, 2) don't accuse anyone falsely, and 3) be content with your pay. He spoke about a political leader's sinful marriage.

Was his message of being different the same as what people saw in him, someone who was different? Could that be what makes the difference?

Maybe I (we) need to look, act and be different so that our message will be heard. But not difference just for the sake of being different. Different in the areas that are truly important.

Oh yes, before I forget, John the Baptizer was not the 'great one' who was truly different. The Man who followed him was more deliberately different.