Bible, Bourbons & Brews

Episode 68 is up on your favorite #podcast platform: @spotify @soundcloud @applepodcasts @googleplay Just search @biblebourbonsbrews

This week we chat about Jesus being the light of the world and being spiritual, NOT religious.

Jesus hung out with all kinds of people in all kinds of locations and shared God’s message of love and forgiveness. Jesus said “I have come to save the world and not to judge it.” John 12:47

We also review @dustbowlbrewingco Canal Surfer DIPA. This is a crisp DIPA coming in 8.7% ABV, that’s starts with poppy citrus notes and finishes with a sweet blood orange note. Delicious! And perfect for a hot summer day at the lake!

As we head into this next week, let’s follow Jesus’ example and share his message of love, acceptance, and forgiveness with everyone. No matter where we are and no matter who we’re with.

Have a great week everyone! God bless!

John 10 and The Senator 6 yr Rye - My sheep know my voice.

Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd and calls us his sheep. In John 10, he says that his sheep know his voice. Just like a farmer calls in cows from the field, the Good Shepherd calls us to him. He calls us to him and gives us protection and gives us eternal life.

Have you heard him calling to you? I know I have and I’m thankful that the “phone works both ways”, so to speak, and it’s not just me calling out to him, praying to him, or asking him for help or guidance. He calls to us too and that is a powerful message!!

I pray that as we head into this next week you’ll hear him calling to you, like a dad calling his kids on the phone... he’s calling to you and me.

This weeks review was The Senator 6 Yr Barrel Proof Rye. It comes in with a punchy 56% ABV, but a very smooth finish that doesn’t heat you up too much. It’s definitely tasty!! Thank you @missvigil for getting it for me!

Cheers to a great week everyone!

Episode 66 is up!! John 9 & @devicebrewing Pineapple Canon New England style IPA - The Unexpected Answer

John 9 opens with the Jesus seeing a man who was blind since birth. His disciples asked him why the man was blind and if it was a result of his own sins are those of his parents. “Neither” Jesus said, “but to demonstrate the power of God.”

The most powerful thing I take away from this, is when the disciples asked Jesus about this man being blind and if it was a result of his sins or his parents sins, his answer is completely unexpected. “Neither, but to demonstrate the power of God.”

Last week an episode 65 we talked about how God does not condemn us, but rather redeems us. So here to Jesus reiterates the point that it was neither the man’s sins, or his parents sins why the man was born blind. It was instead to show the mighty power of God.

Sometimes in our lives we're faced with hardships, the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one, a car accident that leaves us paralyzed, a disease that ravages our body, or maybe a trauma that attempts to destroy our mind and self worth. But it's in these moments of hardship of turmoil of despair that God has the opportunity to demonstrate to us his mighty power.

And sometimes when we ask the question we get an unexpected answer just like the disciples did in this example. Sometimes the unexpected is even better than what's expected.

This week's beer is no exception! The Pineapple Canon New England style IPA from @devicebrewing has a powerful pineapple aromas but contains zero pineapple. None. Not even a little bit. Completely unexpected. The pineapple flavor in this beer comes for the 100% Denali hops and has a smooth almost creamy mouth feel that's crisp and refreshing, perfect for a summer day. At 7.3% ABV this goes down a little too easy but I'll definitely have another glass!

As we head into this next week let's look for the unexpected answer. It might be even better than the one we expect!

🍺😁

To say today’s show was secondly inspired would be an incredible understatement!

In episode 65, I talk about how the occurrences of this morning were truly God speaking to me, how he doesn’t condemn us, but rather redeems us. Just like the adulterous woman.

The Jewish leaders and Pharisees caught her LITERALLY in the act and brought her before Jesus where he was teaching in a crowded temple, trying to make a scene. Trying to trap him into saying something that they could use against him.

He says “throw stones at her until she dies. BUT only he who never sinned can throw the first stone.” The religious leaders left one by one until Jesus stood alone with the woman in front of the crowd. “Where are your accusers? Don’t they condemn you?” “No sir” she said. “Neither do I. Go and sin no more”.

Wow. So incredibly powerful! God doesn’t condemn us, but redeems us!

And in honor of National Bourbon Day, I review a simply incredible bourbon, @wellerbourbon Antique 107!! It’s simply incredible!!

So give the show a listen on your favorite podcast platform and please let me know how you felt after listening. Comment here or send me an email [email protected]

As we head into this next week, remember God doesn’t condemn us, but redeems us.

And THAT is something I’ll raise a glass to!

CHEERS!!

#nationalbourbonday #wellerantique107 #wellerbourbon

#64 John 7 & @almanacbeer Waves West Coast IPA - Jesus calls a timeout.

John 7 finds Jesus in Judea for the Tabernacle ceremony, one of the annual Jewish holidays. Midway through the festival he was in the temple and preaching and the Jewish leaders (in typical form) were trying to find a way to arrest him for causing an uprising and going against their teachings.

V. 31 says many among the crowd at the temple believed in him for the miracles he’d done. What were some of the miracles that Jesus had done by this point?

Let's see: Turning the water into wine, Jesus heals the government officials son, Jesus heals the man who was sick for 38 years, Jesus feeds the 5000, Jesus walks on water, just to name a few…

So here, Jesus performs many miracles in front of thousands of people, he's teaching & his knowledge surpasses the religious leaders, and they were jealous of his popularity with the crowds & upset at him going against their teachings of law, so they set out to arrest him but Jesus just casually calls a timeout.

He’s going to be arrested and just calmly says, “not yet.”

I love how Jesus just calls a “timeout” right when he's about to be arrested!

Let's take a page from his playbook: in all the hustle & bustle in our daily lives, no matter what were being faced with, we can call a timeout too. A time out to reflect, a timeout to reach out to God, a timeout to have a cold beer like this crisp IPA from @almanacbeer

Cheers to a great week everyone!! God bless!

#63 John 6 and Angel’s Envy - Disciples Ditch Jesus

In John 6, there are so many important things that if we were reviewing the entire chapter it could easily be broken up into five or six episodes. Feeding of the 5000, walking on water, teleportation (yes, really), Jesus being the living bread, Jesus announces that he's God's son/savior of the world, and also my favorite Bible verse… verse 47, "How earnestly I tell you this-anyone who believes in me ALREADY has eternal life!"

While this could easily be multiple episodes, I want to focus on something that most of us would miss if we just read through the chapter: the disciples completely ditched Jesus and left him on a mountaintop and went across the lake. 😳😳

Basically, Jesus needed a break and went to mountaintop and the disciples just left them there. Pretty crazy right? Aren’t they supposed to be following him? I mean, that the actual definition of a disciple: “a follower of Christ”.

So do you think Jesus was toying with them by causing a storm on the lake because they left him a mountaintop? Maybe the disciples needed to be reminded that they need Jesus with them in the boat and in their lives. Maybe we can take away from this that we need Jesus in our lives, in our boat, as we weather our storms.

Clearly the disciples went against the grain by leaving their leader behind, the exact opposite at the definition of a disciple. And this week review and tasting also goes against the grain. Those who know know bourbon know there can be no artificial colors flavorings or additives or anything for a pure bourbon, so the makers of @angelsenvy bucked the trend by aging bourbon in white oak barrels like everybody else, but then finished it in port wine casks, resulting in an incredibly smooth whiskey with a sweeter rum finish.

As we head into this next week, let’s remember to keep Jesus in the “boat” of our lives... and maybe a bottle of @angelsenvy too.

Cheers friends!

Episode 62 is UP! Little bit later than usual, but it’s Memorial Day weekend so I’m relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends and hope you are too!

It’s such a beautiful day today, that I decided to take my gear down to the Truckee River and record in nature. River flowing, birds chirping, tons of folks walking by made for a great recording. We even had a special guest towards the end of the show.

This week we chat about Jesus’ sense of humor in John chapter 5, and review @newbelgium VooDoo Ranger Mango IPA! It’s a bright, crisp IPA that’s not too overpowered with mango... just enough to compliment the citrus pop of the hops.

Give the show a listen and comment if you hear the special guest!

Have a great week everyone and a huge thank you to all who served or are serving our country right now.

Thanks to you, we enjoy the freedom to share things like the Bible and a brew.

Cheers! 🍺🍺

@ Truckee River

Ep. 61!! John 4 & @verdilocaldistillery Hoppymess whiskey - Does it matter where you worship?

Where do you normally worship? At church? Think most of us would probably answer yes to that. I was raised going to private school, I went to church every week, all of my family and friends went to the same church & had the same beliefs. And even though I was there every week, was I truly “THERE”?

Was I truly present & in the moment? Or was I thinking about my friends, or my crush, or was I distracted by that I thousand other things?

John says, “For it's not where we worship that counts, but HOW we worship. Is our worship spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Spirit's help?” John 4:22.

With the Covid lockdown across our state, the country, & the Globe, you may be finding it difficult to worship, missing the fellowship of your friends, church family, or your actual family. But as John says, it doesn't matter where you worship, but how.

Over the past few weeks I've gone to Lake Tahoe several times, or the Truckee river, and even some Hot Springs. Places of such incredible natural beauty that it reminds me of God's handiwork, & his abundant gifts to us. And sometimes when I'm at the lake or river, taking in all the beauty, I enjoy a craft beer or bourbon, and I worship there.

This week I'm worshiping with @verdilocaldistillery Hoppymess. It’s a whiskey that's distilled from beer & is a collaborative effort with @brewers_cabinet from Reno. It's distilled from Brewers Cabinet’s #dirtywookie beer and then barrel aged for two years in American white oak casks. This is one of my favorite local collabs!! A fantastic blend with familiar oaky flavors with a bright, hoppy punch that combines two my favorite things: whiskey and beer.

As you head into this next week, remember that it's not where you worship, but HOW you worship and that is something I will gladly drink too!

Cheers!

We’re BACK on the AIR!!! After being off for the last 6 weeks, I felt now was the perfect time to get back on air and get some positivity out into the world!

We talk COVID-19, quarantine, social distancing, and how God holds our hand and tells us to not be afraid. And we review the perfect beer for the topic: @leaddogbrewing 6 Ft Triple!

This triple is tasty and with a high ABV of 10.5% and IBUs of 117, it’s incredibly light and crisp and I could easily drink a couple of these!

(Swipe left to see the clever PSA on the side of the can!)

As we head into this next week, just remember God says “Don’t be afraid.” - Isa 41:13

Have a great week everyone!

#59 - John 3 and Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider - For God So Loved The World

On the podcast this week we talk John 3. This chapter probably has the most well-known Bible verse in the world, verse 16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that anyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

A short verse but it's such a powerful promise. If we just read this and skimmed over it, we might miss the grandeur of this verse. God loves everyone so much he sent his son to die so that ANYONE who believes in him will have eternal life.

He doesn’t discriminate. He doesn’t mince words here. God loves everyone so he saved everyone by offering his only son as a sacrifice, as a payment for our sins. Powerful, POWERFUL promises.

And that’s something I’ll drink to! This week, we sample and review Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider. A bright, sweet cider from the UK that starts with a tart, citrus bite and finishes with a sweet apple flavor that leaves us eager for another sip!

And a big CONGRATS to our winners of our custom bourbon-themed jewelry giveaway where we partnered with @jordangrigsby at Jordan Grigsby Designs for two one-of-a-kind pieces!

Check out his instagram or website to get your hands on some of these for yourself or for t he whiskey lover in your life!

Have a great week everyone, and remember, God loves EVERYONE so he saved EVERYONE.

And THAT is worth celebrating!

CHEERS!