Welcome to the Bourbon and Cigar Bible Study!
4/9/24 – Holy War
Last night we welcomed Rick Cain to the group, long time Homewood High School friend. Another great meeting, but what tough content it was. Still the conversation was great and I think the jokes and banter are getting funnier.
Next week, our study is entitled In Plain Sight. It’s like watching a divine chess match. In chess, white moves first and then the game is on. In the garden, Satan made his move – a king’s gambit. Yahweh has been matching move for move and ultimately wins in a confounding checkmate.
4/8/24
What a great couple of weeks since this last update. The website had trouble getting updated. Back on track now.
This week is Holy War – some of the most controversial scriptures in the bible. Tomorrow nights study and conversations will not disappoint.
Gather at 645p to pour and light up. Study starts at 7p.
3/12/24
The crowd and discussion on 3/5 really rocked. Big crowd and big conversations. Divine Rebellions really gets the conversations going, especially with a bit of bourbon flowing.
On 3/12, we had perhaps our smallest gathering, but still good conversations. Now for 3/19 where we discus God as Man – in the Old Testament – if you can imagine that. Once you look at it, it is rather obvious what was happening. To virtually all Christians, the God/Man event happened with Jesus. While true, the path to the incarnation had some interesting OT examples which paved the road to a perfect NT encounter with the God/Man.
3/5/24
Last week’s crowd was a bit smaller but perhaps more intense with discussion. This week we discuss Divine Rebellions – always a conversation generator. I’m guessing a bit of bourbon will kick us into a higher gear.
Gather at 645p and pour/light one up. Study starts 7 ish!
The day is going to be rainy but perhaps dry enough to smoke on the porch. If not, we will just have bourbon around the big round table.
See you there!
2/26/24
Last week’s study was fun and well attended. We even had a Zoomer from North Carolina – welcome Tommy! Rumor has it that we may have another NC Zoomer or two join us this week.
Tomorrow night is our third gathering where we are on Chapter 3 of Supernatural – Once and Future Kings.
Gather at 645p and pour/light one up. Study starts 7 ish!
The weather is supposed to be nice but windy. Bring a jacket just in case a chill sets in.
2/19/24
Our second study is tomorrow night with Chapter 2 - The Unseen Realm: God and the Gods. I’ll probably have some cigars and some rotgut bourbon.
Gather prior to 7p to pour and fire up. Will be trying to get our zoomers online for the 7ish start.
2/7/24
What a fun first Supernatural study we had last night with six in person pouring and smoking and at least two on Zoom. The content of the study was great and perhaps better was the conversation and banter among the new friendships formed last night. Looking forward to our next meet!
Remember that we are skipping next Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and will reconvene on Tuesday, Feb 20, 2024 at 7p on the Shades Crest porch.
Schedule For Supernatural
|
1 |
February 6, 2024 |
Believing the
Bible |
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
3 |
February 20, 2024 |
The Unseen Realm: God and the Gods |
|
|
4 |
February 27, 2024 |
Once and future
Kings |
|
|
5 |
March 5, 2024 |
Divine Rebellions |
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|
6 |
March 12, 2024 |
Cosmic Geography |
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|
7 |
March 19, 2024 |
The Word, the
Name, and the Angel |
|
|
8 |
March 26, 2024 |
Rules of
Engagement |
|
|
9 |
April 2, 2024 |
Sacred Space |
|
|
10 |
April 9, 2024 |
Holy War |
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|
11 |
April 16, 2024 |
Hidden In Plain
Sight |
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|
12 |
April 23, 2024 |
Supernatural
Intent |
|
|
13 |
April 30, 2024 |
The Cloud Rider |
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|
14 |
May 7, 2024 |
The Great Reversal |
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|
15 |
May 14, 2024 |
Not of this World |
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|
16 |
May 21, 2024 |
Partakers of the
Divine Nature |
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|
17 |
May 28, 2024 |
Ruling Over Angels |
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2/5/24
As it turns out, our second date for our study is Mardi Gras and I have a gig that evening. So, we are going to perhaps double up on our first and/or third study. The study on 2/13/24 is going to be cancelled.
I have cigars and bourbon for our 2/6/24 study. The weather looks good for a fine kick off. We will gather at 7p at my house – 1125 Shades Crest Dr, Hoover. There is plenty of room for parking and overflow parking is fine across the street at 1132 Shades Crest Dr. Please park in a drive way or in my 1132 yard. Parking on the street risks a crash on this road.
We’ll pour and light up at 7p and start the study by at least 7:15 since some might join us on Zoom.
Click me -> TONIGHT’s ZOOM Link
Outline for Lesson One
Really believing the Bible
· As Christians, we tend to believe the big stuff – Exodus, Life of Christ
· What about the curious stuff – like all of the bible’s supernatural things
o Heavenly host – as sung about in the Doxology
o We know about angels and demons, but what about the big boys and their agenda
o Heavenly Council with Ahab’s death?
o Angels sent to an underground prison?
o There are more for us than against ~Elisha
· May we be able to see as Elisha prayed for his servant – to be able to see the supernatural
The Myth that is True – same old story
· Modern culture is fascinated with the supernatural
o God has put eternity into our hearts (Ecc 3:11)
o Science, Fundamentalism, Ancient Aliens?
· The gods are real – a pantheon.
o The bible asks you to be loyal to Yahweh
o Not to go after Thor, Zeus, Baal, the anunnaki nor apkallu, etc
Why this Matters
· If the life of Jesus is true, then this supporting story is a big part of it, no matter how ignored it is
· God could fix it all by taking away everyone’s free will or just getting rid of us – he doesn’t
· Thus, there is a spiritual war at play – Lord’s prayer – on earth as it is in heaven
· Yahweh is CEO of the heavens and earth
· Any wonder that we all end up back at Eden at the end of the book?
· As Joni Mitchel says in Woodstock, we need to get back to the garden
1/24/24
The BC (Bourbon Cigar) Bible Study is a non-denominational study at my house in Hoover on Tuesday evenings on Shades Mountain starting this February 6th, 2024 at 7p. Weather permitting, we will meet on my heated porch. Otherwise, we will have just bourbon inside with our study. I will also be creating a Zoom link for the study for any that may want to access the study remotely. There will be a link to the zoom meeting posted on this site and on our Facebook page for each lesson which are listed below.
We will be going through a book called Supernatural What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World-and Why it Matters, by one of my seminary professors, Dr. Michael Heiser. Dr. Heiser was the scholar in residence for Logos Bible Software from 2004 to 2019 where he left to start Awakening School of Theology and Ministry in Jacksonville, FL, at Celebration Church, an ARC congregation. Unfortunately, he passed away in Feb, 2024 of cancer.
This book is easy enough to get through this Google link from a number of sources. It is also available on Audible if you prefer to listen to the content. There are 16 chapters that each create thought provoking interest and dialog about biblical history and theology in the Judaic / Christian faiths.
Write up about Dr Heiser and Supernatural. 
Dr. Michael S. Heiser, a
Scholar-in-Residence at Faithlife Corporation,
presents fifteen years of research on what the Bible really says about the
unseen world of the supernatural-unfiltered by tradition or by theological
presuppositions. "People shouldn't be protected from the Bible," Dr.
Michael S. Heiser says, but theological systems often do just that, by
"explaining away" difficult or troublesome passages of Scripture
because their literal meaning doesn't fit into our tidy systems.
Who were the "sons of
God"? Who were the Nephilim? Where do angels fit into the supernatural
hierarchy? Why did God find it necessary to have the Israelites destroy the
populations of entire cities-man, woman, and child? What relation does Jesus bear to the rest of the supernatural world? Dr.
Michael S. Heiser tackles these questions and many more in his books
Supernatural and The Unseen Realm.
In both books, Dr. Michael S.
Heiser shines a light on the supernatural world, not a new light, but rather
the same light the original, ancient readers-and writers-of Scripture would
have seen it in.
After reading these books, you
won't be able to read the Bible in the same way again.
Supernatural, What the Bible
Teaches about the Unseen World-and Why it Matters presents this approach to
reading and understanding scripture for the person in the pew. The Unseen Realm
covers the same material but at a deeper, complex, and highly documented way,
for pastors, the seminarian, or serious students of the Bible.
For the inaugural start of the BC Bible Study, I’ll provide cigars (Rocky Patel or Perdomo) and bourbon (Old Forester) for all of those who attend in person. Feel free to bring your own if you have other preferences. 😊
I will be communicating with you through email and/or text messages for further updates and details as Feb, 6 approaches.
I have been a part of studies like this in the past at Cigars and More on Highway 280 and at the Florabama lounge on the state line between Florida and Alabama. They are always fun and the banter gets rather in depth as the bourbon flows.
Hoping to see you on Feb, 6th. Please RSVP so I can properly prepare for our first meeting.