Fill My Cup: God's Direction and Tampa-Style Lager

Welcome to the new weekly series, "Fill My Cup." The series will invite readers to share in and engage with my personal review of the Bible and also my critical tasting notes of a beer from the week. May this series spark discourse and reflection, while learning something new about craft beer and the Bible. I invite you all to engage with me--share your thoughts, comments, and musings along the way!

Good News

We are obsessed with directions. It's no wonder four of the top ten self-made YouTube millionaires made their money by posting "how-to" videos. Looking for the best Thai food in a 10 mile radius? There's an app for that. Need directions on how to learn a new instrument? There are dozens of videos online to get you started. Heading on a road trip and need directions on the quickest route? Cellphones now come with built-in GPS apps that not only provide you with a turn-by-turn direction, but they will calculate the best route given traffic and roadside hazards. If you're anything like me, you like to have your GPS on even when you know where you're going because sometimes it's nice to see you're still going the right way.

The directions we rely on everyday are only helpful when we have access to and can understand them (IKEA, I'm looking at you). God provides us with the ultimate set of directions: His voice. All we have to do is hear it. I love the line, "Whether you turn to the right or the left," because God knows that we are constantly losing our focus and that we have an inkling to lead ourselves astray. But the assurance we have is that at anytime, no matter how far off the path we've gone, His voice is always behind us, always leading.

Perhaps, the hardest thing to do is listen.

Craft Brews

If you're looking for directions to the best beer to help you finish out the summer heat, Cigar City's Tampa-Style Lager may be your beer. This American lager is a refreshing and light beer that has hints of tropical bitterness to make this an easy winner over some of the alternative light lagers on the shelves. The initial flavors on the palate are light cracker and grain malt with sweet corn and a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Tampa-Style Lager has been my go-to summer beer. It's highly drinkable, mildly crisp, and smooth. I could have used a bit more crispness on the finish, but other than that this is a very good beer that I suspect most people who try it will like.

New Weekly Series: Beer and Bible Review

The etymology of Apostle is a Middle English word meaning "one who is sent on a mission." The word has several religious contexts.

Beer Apostle spawned from a conversation over beer at a craft beer pub in Houston, TX in 2009. I was enjoying a couple of locally brewed pints with a good friend. We found ourselves in this situation often: a couple of guys drinking beer together, talking about life, the world, and yes--even religion. The conversations were never heated or disrespectful. We enjoyed talking and, more importantly, listening to each other. No matter how far apart we were on various issues, beer was our common ground and our shared affinity.

Those conversations were the early stages of what would eventually become Beer Apostle, a platform to share Good News and Craft Brews. These two concepts--beer and Bible--have shared an important connection in my adult life. This new weekly series will peel back the proverbial curtain and provide insight into my personal studies and imbibitions.

I'm calling this series, "Fill My Cup: A Weekly Beer and Bible Review." The series will invite readers to share in and engage with my personal review of the Bible and also my critical tasting notes of a beer from the week. The verb, "engage" is important here. One of the most powerful aspects of connecting beer and Bible, in my experience, has been that the walls (literal and figurative) are often torn down and some people are more willing to engage in healthy and authentic conversations around religion, faith, and theology when it happens outside of a church and over a round of some tasty brews. 

The series will kick off on Friday, August 26. My hope for this series is that it will spark discourse, reflection, and an opportunity to learn something new about craft beer and the Bible. I invite you all to engage with me--share your thoughts, comments, and musings along the way! You sign up for the email list and receive this series, and every Beer Apostle post, directly to your inbox. Just look for the "subscribe" box at the top right of the website. Cheers!