Cops, Cognac, and Christ

Well readers, here it is. My first official blog about things other than my blog. I'm excited, so I changed the font to Halvetica. Hope that's okay with you. I suppose I'll get right into it.

After what seemed to be an extremely long 6-4 shift today, I'm home. On my couch. I took a shower today after work, which was great since I sweat like  a sweater model in Swaziland today (just made that up, I know it's not great, but you can take it if you'd like). I tried some bar soap today for the first time in a long time. I feel like we as a culture are rising above and obsoleting bar soap, with quicker, more sanitary liquid body wash. And most choices for manly smelling bar soap left my skin dry, so I never used them. However, I have to admit that Dove Men+ bar soap has really stepped up the game. The soap is a quarter moisturizer and furthermore, smells great and lathers up like whoa. So for any of you dudes out there want to get a quality bar soap, I totally recommend Dove Men+. Moving on. 
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 A customer at work was arrested today for shoplifting. Above everything else I was hoping beyond hope that it was all a misunderstanding. However it was not. And while it's easy to say "Hey, that guy got what he deserved.", well it's not easy for me. I've begun to hope for the best in people once again. It's probably been 10 years since I've done that, but I've realized that God sees more good in me than I do, and that I should attempt the same for everyone. Just a thought.
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Everything in Moderation: I decided that I was going to relax with a nice (albeit small) glass of cognac after work today. I bought a bottle of Camus VSOP Elegance last week, and have only drank a bit.For those of you who don't partake in alcohol, or perhaps just don't know much about cognac, I'll teach you a little. Cognac is a brandy, a distilled spirit made from grape liqueur (also called eau-de-vie) which are only found in the Cognac region of France. It is typically drank in small portions, a shot or less, and is slowly sipped. One will hold the glass the cognac in his/her hand for ten minutes prior to gently warm the drink to release aroma (also called the nose). Take small sips and let the cognac roll over your tongue, filling your mouth with flavor, and allow it to seep to the back of your throat. It's an experience that I have not had with any other spirit to date. And while it's breathtaking and beautiful, it can be a bit intimate to (properly) drink with large groups. Cheaper cognac can be mixed (Hennessy and Coke is very popular) but I usually stick to the middle of the road stuff for the best of both flavor and price. Camus VSOP is a particularly round tasting cognac. None of the tastes really bite your tongue. You get some soft fruits and a bit of an almond aroma. After the sip, the taste and smell of fresh wood lies on your palate for a while. I recommend this to anyone who'd wants a middle of the road cognac. Anyone in Ames is welcome to come on over for a glass sometime. Picture up there.
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Through it All: I got the privilege to work with one of my favorite people today, my friend Jake McLaughlin. He's been going through the New Testament in a Bible study of his and he brought up Romans 14:23 today, which along with 14:22 have been some of my favorite verses as of late. Here they are.

 "The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin."

 In my opinion, these verses can not be understated. The freedom from any and all legalism in the church and elsewhere are found in these verses. Because of them, I can glorify God through the cognac in my hand just as much as I can through reading his Word on my coffee table. But the real heft lies in the last bit after the semicolon; "and whatever is not from faith is sin.". Does that resonate with anyone out there? ANYTHING not done in faith is a sin. That's a lot of sinning on my part, and wouldn't doubt a fair share on yours. But that's a beauty of the Gospel. I'll weave the former verses in with this one, also from the book of Romans

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. Jesus died. He died so that I could wake up this morning and have a cup of coffee. That I could go work a nine hour day and see awesome people. That I could come home, take an awesome shower and have a glass of cognac and speak the incomparable name of God. And then stub all my toes in a door. But to fail to glorify God in all these things is a sin. Thanks Jesus.

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Well, I feel satisfied with this post. I hope you feel the same. I need to get off here to meet some friends at Buffalo Wild Wings, one of which I may not see for some time after, if ever again. But that's college. Enjoy the time you have, don't fret at the time you don't. I hope this post finds you well. Relax tonight and enjoy the beautiful weather.