Switching Cultures

In college, I once took an intro to anthropology class that emphasized the study of cultures. The class taught me a great deal, but one of the major things that it taught me is that there is a culture surrounding just about everything there is to do. Let's say that you're a NASCAR fan, yes, you can already imagine the people that are hanging out in the infield and sitting on top of their RV's watching the cars race around as they just get completely obliterated. There is also soccer mom's, an entire culture driving mini-vans and SUV's shuttling kids to practice, ballet, school, and the hundreds of other things that kids do.

I myself for the past 8 years have been immersed in "beer" culture. Whether it is in a bar, a fraternity, or a dorm room, there has been enough to go around, and enough that I have consumed to say honestly, that I didn't just fit into beer culture, I lived it, well and truly.

Lately, I've been different. I enjoy a drink now and then, but my driving movement through life is no longer the consumption of alcohol, but is now the consumption of the Word, my daily dose of Jesus.

Looking at these two groups of people, you can notice very quickly, that they are in no way, the same. One is based nearly entirely on sin, while the other is founded in the deeper understanding that there is something greater than me out there, that I should strive to be like, and push myself to be like. Transitioning between these two groups of people is running me up against a lot of really tough decisions, which include the worst, IMO, switching who my friends are. Many, if not all of my friends as I've matured, have been bar people that enjoy their drinks, and things don't seem to go too badly for them. Myself, however, I've run across several things in my recent life that are pushing me to become a better person. I've been in counselling, therapy for this and thats, various ministry opportunities, and in all of these things, I feel that I'm coming out better for the work I'm doing. I'm learning to like me again, and that my friends has been the greatest blessing of them all. If you don't know him yet, maybe you should check out this Jesus guy, and if you want to know more about him, feel free to send me an email, and I'll share you my personal experience with him. After all, He's quite a guy.