The Holy Spirit

-Versus-

Jim Beam

Norris lived in a small town in rural South Carolina... surrounded by family. One of 14 siblings with 8 brothers, he learned to fight at an early age. Strength was the god of Norris and all the men he knew. Working as a carpenter, he had many opportunities to demonstrate the incredible strength he was born with. He could lift more weight and retain it longer than any man around,...and he knew it.

Strength contests were part of the daily entertainment in this small family town. After all the men were good and drunk, everyone had a good time, ...even the losers. No one ever dared challenge

Norris or one of his friends.

One day at the job, Norris slipped and fell head-first to the ground from a rooftop.

The doctors did everything they could. They broke the news to Norris’ wife, Alma...

Norris would never walk again, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Norris screamed curses at a God he blamed...but had never known.

In the hospital waiting room, a young boy named James watched as the doctor talked to his Aunt Alma. He wondered why she collapsed in tears... His Uncle Norris was the strongest man he knew. It was impossible to accept that his idol had fallen, …

Fast forward thirty years...James is now a man......like Uncle Norris used to be...James now won all the strength contests...parties with his friends constantly, out-drinks everyone, gambles as often as possible, womanizes, ...not to mention having a wife and four kids.

James’ wife and oldest daughter go to visit Uncle Norris regularly. James visited him once after he got out of the Navy, to show Norris his medals.

James hated seeing the man that was his role model, and so incredibly strong, pull himself up in bed with those massive chest and shoulder muscles bulging as he grasped those metal triangles suspended from the heavy metal canopy over his bed.

James chuckled as he thought about the quick “no, sir” that came out of his mouth when Uncle Norris challenged him to an arm wrestle.

The disgusting thing to James about Uncle Norris... was that all he now talked about was Jesus Christ, how much he loved Christ, ...and his ministry with those kids that visited and listened to his stories. James remembered the days when Uncle Norris could out-drink, out-smoke, and out-party everyone...no one ever beat him at anything! Now Uncle Norris was whipped...and worshipping the one that he says whipped him– Jesus Christ.

Uncle Norris was paralyzed for goodness sake! He now has an open Bible at his side instead of pornography! Uncle Norris worships a God who makes you strong... and then makes you weak! James didn’t want any part of a God like that.

James walked to the liquor cabinet and took another heavy straight shot of Jim Beam,... what a good best friend...never talked back...just dulled that inexplicable pain in his chest.

James’ daughter arrived home from visiting Uncle Norris and began the usual, “Daddy, Uncle Norris said to tell you

Jesus loves you so much he died for you, and he loves you, too.” James thought about how he liked Uncle Norris

a whole lot better before he began all this “love” talk as he watched his daughter walk out of the room. He

walked back over to the cabinet and his palm once again wrapped around that familiar bottle…”Man,” James said

aloud, “I love that strong handshake you’ve got there, Jim…”

Little did James know that in 10 short years he would be alone, his wife and four children would be gone. Jim

Beam would have long since moved from a handshake to owning every part of James’ life. James never realized

Jim Beam had deceived him...and, at age 49, he collapsed in death from the exploded heart that could no longer

take Jim Beam’s pounding.

~A True Story~

“If your hand or foot gets in God’s way, chop it off and throw it away.

You’re better off maimed or lame …

and alive...than

the proud owner of two hands and two feet,

...godless in a furnace of eternal fire .

And if your eye distracts you from God,

pull it out and throw it away.

You’re better off one-eyed and alive ...

than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from hell.”

-The One and Only Lord—Jesus Christ in Mark 9: 43-46

D eepT racks ®

Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE.

Used by permission of

NavPress Publishing Group.

Place these Words on your hearts.

Get them Deep

inside you.

Tie them on your hands

and foreheads as a reminder.

Deuteronomy 11:18