Next Gathering - July 19

Whosoever will may come!

Date/Time - Saturday, July 19 @ 7:00 PM

Place - Colorado Fondue Company in Casselberry, Florida

Topic - Being taken, blessed, broken & given

RSVP by July 5 so we can reserve your seat (comment here or e-mail themonk@themerrymonk.com)

Whosoever Would Did Come

The Merry Order gathered at Fiddler’s Green this past Saturday. We had a few rounds and then I shared these words to set the tone for the night.

“Sometimes a pub is more than a pub. Sometimes a group of friends is more than a group of friends. Sometimes a meal is more than a meal. Sometimes wine is more than wine and sometimes bread is more than bread.

What makes the difference? The loving, joyful presence of God.”

He was there. He could be heard in the laughter over drinks. I tasted his goodness as my wife and I split an order of shepherd’s pie and Nino shared one of his favorite bourbons with me. Our Father stood up and told stories of how He brought His children together and delighted in their enjoyment of His good gifts. And He moved through us as we shared those good gifts to support Glory Mansions, a residential program in Cocoa Beach for women in crisis.

The Merry Monk of Funk (GBTHOOY) passed on a few pics from the gathering. They’re posted below.

I hope to see your smiling face in the next round of pictures! Stay tuned for details on the next gathering.

God bless the Hell out of you,

The Merry Monk of Love

May 24 Gathering Pics

Thanks to The Merry Monk of Funk for providing a few pics of this past weekend’s gathering. Check back for a few words on a great night of merriment.

Next Gathering - May 24

Whosoever will may come!

Date/Time - Saturday, May 24 @ 7:00 PM

Place - Fiddler’s Green in Winter Park, Florida

Topic - Drinking with God (see notes below)

RSVP by May 17 so we can reserve your seat (comment here or e-mail themonk@themerrymonk.com)

Notes for May 24 Gathering - Drinking with God

If you’re planning on joining the Order on May 24, here’s a copy of my notes on what I’d like to share to set the tone for the gathering. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Deuteronomy 14:23-26

22 You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 23And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. 24And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, 25then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses 26and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.

I don’t know about you, but the sermons that I’ve heard on tithing have never included this passage of scripture. That’s understandable. If word got out that part of God’s plan for the money people give was to throw a big-ass party every year, churches would have a lot of angry tithers on their hands. Maybe not. But I’m a man of the Book and I want my party! In fact, we should celebrate more than once a year just to make up for lost time.

I particularly like the part about, “…spend the money for whatever you desire…oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves.” Now I’m not into oxen or sheep (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but I am a fan of wine, strong drink, whatever my appetite craves…and parties.

Jesus seemed to like parties too. His first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding feast. We’re talking about 6 water pots full of wine after all the other wine was drunk. Not only that, Jesus didn’t hold back. He miracled himself the best!

John 2:9-10

…Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink [emphasis mine]; but you have saved the best till now.

Don’t forget that Jesus hung out at parties so much that people even accused him of being a drunk. We’re talking about the Incarnation for God’s sake.

And it was for God’s sake. Look at the scripture in Deuteronomy that explains why we should, “eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.” Why? “that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.”

Have you ever had a really good boss who doesn’t pull any punches when it comes time for the office Christmas party? A boss who treats his people right? Well I have a boss like that. And do you think that being lavished with the best makes me want to go work someplace else? No way man. I’m loyal.

I contend that one reason people don’t care much for God is that some members of the current Incarnation (the Church) have misrepresented our Father. If I asked you to tell me the first thing that pops into your mind when I say the word “Christian,” I bet you money that you wouldn’t say, “Life of the party.” That’s a shame, because the God I know and the God that Jesus showed us likes it when we rejoice before him. He wants to be invited to our parties, but some prefer that we keep him safely locked away in church. The result? God gets no respect.

On May 24, The Order of the Merry Monk will be gathering to eat, drink and be, well…merry! You’re invited. I hope you can make it. I have it on good authority that God will be there to have a few with us as we celebrate his good gifts.

Fodder for May 24 Discussion

While the guys in this video debate whether or not Christian rock sucks, they touch on the question, “Is Christianity synonymous with asceticism?” A brief look around this site will reveal the Order’s thoughts on the matter and the debate is right up our merry alley.

At our next gathering, we’ll be talking about taking pleasure in drinking and eating with conscious awareness of the presence of God and the joy He feels when we delight in His good gifts. If you’re planning on attending, check out the video. It features Daniel Radosh, author of the new book Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture. Make sure you have some time though, it’s about an hour long (but worth every minute).

Debate: Does Christian Rock Suck? from Daniel Radosh on Vimeo.