The emergence of “adult Easter egg hunts” where grown folks run around looking for plastic eggs filled with airplane size liquor bottles is peak lukewarmness, folks.

This is not to shame anyone for enjoying the occasional adult beverage. I certainly partake in my fair share. This is simply a reminder that alcohol is a mighty spirit, and it has become all too easy in American culture to worship unwittingly.

I descend from one of the longest lines of Baptist ministers in America, back to John Ten-Shilling-Bell Chastain who started the first Baptist church in Tennessee. In that group of ancestors there were both very good, kind, and honorable preachers and wicked, greedy, power-hungry preachers. As far as I’ve been able to tell, sobriety is a huge contributor to the best among them.

Don’t underestimate any substance that has the power to change your mood. They can all be implemented as substitutes for spiritual teachers. This is why Ephesians 5:18 says: don’t be drunk on wine but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.

I’ve never, ever met an addict or alcoholic who was not also spiritually impoverished. This is also why the first three steps in the famous 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous is to recognize the power of alcohol and seek a higher power. This is not a coincidence.

If you struggle in this area, I really recommend “The Mastery of Self” by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Hope we all find the resurrection of Christ in our own hearts this Easter and think on what it means to rise from the darkness of death into the light of life through submission to the will of God.

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