What a Day =] so far..

woke this morning was like woo!!!

then slept again.

then my nan called. asked for mom. the usual.

anyway.

woke up again. mom said breakfast, and i was up!

i saw my plate. then i saw hers.

four small bits of plaintain to her loads..

same amount of sausage.

and beans.

cept i had pancakes. she didnt.

but that isnt the main point.

she had jamaican chocolate tea!

a lot!

and i had a mouthful it seemed to me!!!!!!!!!!!!

what?!

she said she thought i wouldnt drink it so she didnt give me alot.

ok fair enough that is usually true.

but when i had that tea.

it was better than ANY CHOCOLATE THAT IS MADE HERE.

it is the real cocoa.

not the one here.

anyway..

she laughed and called Nannie Winnie twice; one for the food, and the other for the miniscule amount of tea i had!

bad times.

anyway.

doesnt matter now =]

so..

we spoke in the night and in the morning.

she told me she drank at some party.

yea. she knew my response.

but she also wants to know where in the bible it says not to drink.

well here are the scriptures and the reason behind them: (i am not trying to judgmental or condemning, but just showing these in love =])

1. What do the Scriptures say about alcohol, wine and liquor? Proverbs 20:1, RSV. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." - meaning this. Those who think there is something good in alcohol forwhatever reason is by the Bible quoted as not wise. God himself says this through Solomon.
2. Why is drinking dangerous? Ephesians 5:18, TEV. "Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead be filled with the Spirit."-Paul himself says dont get drunk as it will ruin you. it even means to drink a small amount. yes it wont make you drunk as a skunk but still. the first scripture proves that point.
3. With what sins is drunkenness classed? Galatians 5:19-21, NIV. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity …idolatry and witchcraft…drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."- if You thought it was ok to drink, it is classed with people who cant go to heaven. therefore God must see something wrong with it.
4. How do alcoholic drinks affect those who use them? Proverbs 23:29-35, TLB. "Whose heart is filled with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures." -alot of people like to mix drinks. bad enough as it is. but that is worse, as Solomon points out.
5. Don't let the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. "For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder. You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremors, and you will say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you to no end when sober. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And afterwards you will say, 'I didn’'t even know it when they beat me up.'
6. Pure grape juice is a blessing to man. Isaiah 65:8, NKJV. "As the new wine is found in the cluster…one says, 'Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it…'".- alternative to Alcohol- my beloved grape juice-

now those are the scriptures.

but here are the common questions people ask about alcohol and the answers.

DOES THE BIBLE CONDONE MODERATE USE OF THESE SUBSTANCES?

· AARON AND HIS SONS, THE PRIESTS, WERE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN TO DRINK EITHER WINE OR STRONG DRINK WHEN THEY WENT INTO THE TABERNACLE TO MINISTER BEFORE THE LORD (LEVITICUS 10:9). NAZARITES WERE LIKEWISE FORBIDDEN TO USE WINE WHILE UNDER THE VOW (NUMBERS 6:3,20; CF. JUDGES 13:4-7). THE RECHABITES LIVED A NOTEWORTHY EXAMPLE OF PERMANENT ABSTINENCE FROM WINE, ADHERING STRICTLY TO THE COMMAND OF THEIR ANCESTOR, JONADAB, TO REFRAIN FROM IT (JEREMIAH 35:2,5,6,8,14). PROVERBS IS REPLETE WITH WARNINGS AGAINST INDULGENCE IN WINE AND STRONG DRINK (PROVERBS 20:1; 21:17; 23:30,31; 31:4). WINE MOCKS THOSE WHO USE IT (CHAPTER 20:1), AND REWARDS THEM WITH WOE, SORROW, STRIFE, AND WOUNDS WITHOUT CAUSE (CHAPTER 23:29,30). "IN THE END IT BITES LIKE A SNAKE AND POISONS LIKE A VIPER." (VERSE 32) THE PROPHET ISAIAH DECLARED, "WOE TO THOSE WHO ARE HEROES AT DRINKING WINE AND CHAMPIONS AT MIXING DRINKS." (ISAIAH. 5:22 NIV) DANIEL AND HIS COMPATRIOTS SET A WORTHY EXAMPLE BY REFUSING TO DRINK OF THE KING'S WINE (DANIEL 1:5,8,10-16). WHEN FASTING LATER IN LIFE, DANIEL ABSTAINED FROM "FLESH" AND "WINE" (CHAPTER 10:3). -SO FROM THIS, THE BIBLE CHAMPIONS WERE TOLD NOT TO DO IT. DANIEL, WHO EVERYONE KNOWS FOR THIS STEADFASTNESS DIDNT DO IT; SO WHY SHOULD I? BUT I WILL CONTINUE ON.

· THE USUAL NEW TESTAMENT WORD FOR WINE, WHETHER FERMENTED OR UNFERMENTED, IS OISNOS. JESUS LIKENED HIS REVOLUTIONARY TEACHING TO NEW WINE, WHICH WOULD BURST THE OLD BOTTLES OF TRADITION (MATTHEW 9:17). PAUL WARNED BELIEVERS AGAINST DRUNKENNESS (EPHESIANS 5:18), AND DECLARES THAT DEACONS SHOULD NOT BE "ADDICTED TO MUCH WINE" (1 TIMOTHY 3:8). HE COUNSELED TITUS THAT THE OLDER WOMEN SHOULD NOT BE "SLAVES TO DRINK" (TITUS 2:3).

· BUT WHAT ABOUT WHAT PAUL SAID TO TIMOTHY ABOUT HAVING A LITTLE WINE? - FOR RELIEF FROM A DIGESTIVE AILMENT, PAUL RECOMMEND "A LITTLE WINE" TO TIMOTHY. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT 1 TIMOTHY 5:23 IN PARTICULAR. PHYSICAL AILMENTS SUCH AS DYSENTERY, OFTEN DUE TO CONTAMINATED WATER, WERE COMMON OCCURRENCES. CONSEQUENTLY, OTHER WAYS TO QUENCH THIRST WERE OFTEN RECOMMENDED. SOME COMMENTATORS BELIEVE THAT PAUL HERE WAS ADVOCATING THE TEMPERATE USE OF FERMENTED WINE FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES. THEY CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT WINE HAS, THROUGH THE CENTURIES, BEEN USED FOR THIS. OTHERS SAY THAT PAUL REFERS TO UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE, THEIR REASONING BEING THAT HE WOULD NOT GIVE ADVICE INCONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF SCRIPTURE, WHICH WARNS AGAINST THE USE OF INTOXICATING BEVERAGES (SEE PROVERBS 20:1; 23:29-32). THE PURPOSE OF PAUL'S COUNSEL IS THAT TIMOTHY SHOULD BE PHYSICALLY FIT FOR THE HEAVY DUTIES THAT REST UPON HIM AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CHURCHES IN ASIA MINOR. MENTAL AND MORAL ALERTNESS ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO PHYSICAL FITNESS. APPARENTLY TIMOTHY WAS FREQUENTLY ILL. A BODY FREQUENTLY SICK IS NOT AN ATTRACTIVE ADVERTISEMENT FOR ANY KIND OF HEALTH REFORM.

EFFECT OF ALCOHOL/WINE ON OUR BODIES

OUR BODIES ARE TEMPLES OF THE LIVING GOD VIA THE AGENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. (1 CORINTHIANS 3:16, 6:19) GOD IS CONCERNED WITH HOW WE TREAT THESE, HIS WORKS OF UNSURPASSED ART. (1 CORINTHIANS 3:17) THE WISE SOLOMON SAID, "WINE IS A MOCKER AND BEER A BRAWLER; WHOEVER IS LED ASTRAY BY THEM IS NOT WISE." (PROVERBS 20:1 NIV) AND AGAIN IN VERSE 31, "DO NOT GAZE AT WINE WHEN IT IS RED, WHEN IT SPARKLES IN THE CUP, WHEN IT GOES DOWN SMOOTHLY!" (PROVERBS 23:31 NIV) WHY?

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL USE INCLUDE:

DISTORTED　VISION, HEARING, AND COORDINATION ALTERED PERCEPTIONS AND EMOTIONSIMPAIRED JUDGMENT BAD BREATH; HANGOVERS

SOME PROBLEMS LIKE THOSE ABOVE CAN OCCUR AFTER DRINKING OVER A RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. BUT OTHER PROBLEMS-SUCH AS LIVER DISEASE, HEART DISEASE, CERTAIN FORMS OF CANCER, AND PANCREATITIS-OFTEN DEVELOP MORE GRADUALLY AND MAY BECOME EVIDENT ONLY AFTER YEARS OF DRINKING. WOMEN MAY DEVELOP ALCOHOL-RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS SOONER THAN MEN, AND FROM DRINKING LESS ALCOHOL THAN MEN. BECAUSE ALCOHOL AFFECTS NEARLY EVERY ORGAN IN THE BODY, LONG-TERM DRINKING INCREASES THE RISK FOR MANY SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS.

HEART DISEASE. THE MODERATE USE OF ALCOHOL HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE HEART, ESPECIALLY AMONG THOSE AT GREATEST RISK FOR HEART ATTACKS, SUCH AS MEN OVER THE AGE OF 45 AND WOMEN AFTER MENOPAUSE. HOWEVER, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THESE REPORTS AS BASED ON OBSERVATIONAL DATA. BUT THERE IS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO PROVE CAUSALITY. IT IS ALSOVITAL TO RECOGNIZE THAT NONE OF THESE INVESTIGATORS HAS RECOMMENDED THOSE NOT USING ALCOHOL BEGIN DOING SO! HEAVY DRINKING INCREASES THE RISK FOR HEART DISEASE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND SOME KINDS OF STROKE.

CANCER. LONG-TERM HEAVY DRINKING INCREASES THE RISK OF CERTAIN FORMS OF CANCER, ESPECIALLY CANCER OF THE ESOPHAGUS, MOUTH, THROAT, AND LARYNX (VOICE BOX). RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT, IN SOME WOMEN, AS LITTLE AS ONE DRINK PER DAY CAN SLIGHTLY RAISE THE RISK OF BREAST CANCER. DRINKING MAY ALSO INCREASE THE RISK FOR DEVELOPING CANCER OF THE COLON AND RECTUM.

PANCREATITIS. THE PANCREAS HELPS REGULATE THE BODY'S BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS BY PRODUCING INSULIN. THE PANCREAS ALSO HAS A ROLE IN DIGESTING THE FOOD WE EAT. LONG-TERM HEAVY DRINKING CAN LEAD TO PANCREATITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE PANCREAS. ACUTE PANCREATITIS CAN CAUSE SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAIN AND CAN BE FATAL. CHRONIC PANCREATITIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PAIN, DIARRHEA, AND WEIGHT LOSS.

JUST AS A PLAIN NOTE, JOHN 10:10- GOD SAYS, "I CAME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY." (NIV) IN USING ALCOHOL WE PARTICIPATE IN DESTROYING NOT ONLY OUR OWN LIFE BUT OFTEN THE LIVES OF OTHERS. GOD SAYS, IN ISAIAH 1:18, "COME NOW AND LET US REASON TOGETHER." WITH ALCOHOL USE WE TEMPORARILY AND PERMANENTLY STUPEFY OUR REASONING POWERS. SO, FOR A CHRISTIAN, IS IT DRINKABLE, OR UNTHINKABLE?

AT THE END OF THE DAY, I WOULD JUST ASK THE SIMPLE QUESTION:

IF JESUS SAW ME DO THIS, WOULD HE BE HAPPY THAT IWAS DOING IT IN HIS PRESENCE?

I AM NOT BEING JUDGMENTAL, BUT AS A PERSON WHO DOESNT DRINK, I HAD PEOPLE WHO HAS DONE IT, AND SOME HAVE GONE COLD TURKEY. OTHERS HAVENT.

BUT ON A ADVENTIST STANDPOINT, BESIDES ELLEN WHITE, I WOULDNT TOUCH IT.

I AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE.

=]