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For Lent, Iowa Man Gives up Everything…but Water and Beer

For Lent, Iowa Man Gives up Everything...but Water and Beer

An Iowa man says he is serious about Lent — the 46-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. So serious, in fact, he’s celebrating the Christian practice by doing what ancient monks did: giving up everything but water and beer.

J. Wilson, a homebrewer, says he became fascinated when heard the story of how ancient monks used to make a special brew called doppelbock, or “liquid bread,” when they were forbidden to eat food during Lent. That gave him the idea to try it himself.

“The idea came to me a couple years ago, and it didn’t really make sense then, my wife quickly pointed out,” Wilson, 38, told the Chicago Tribune. However, the non-denominational Christian admits, “I did not live the life of a monk at that time.”

Now — at least for the next 44 days — he will. The Tribune reports Wilson has been planning for this for awhile:

But with preparations that began in August, including bulking up from his normal 140 pounds to 160 since Thanksgiving, Wilson says he was ready to give it a go. He says he already was down to 157 pounds by Thursday.

He’s living on four 12-ounce Illuminator Doppelbocks a day, brewed for him by the Rock Bottom Brewery in Des Moines. Each beer contains just under 300 calories and is roughly 6.7 percent alcohol.

And while it might appear he’s simply given up sobriety for Lent, Wilson says he plans to consult with a doctor during the fast and does not intend to be drunk at any point.

“I do call myself a Christian,” Wilson tells the Des Moines Register, “but I’ve never given up anything so much as a bar of chocolate previously, and here I am this Lent giving up everything but that really wonderful thing called beer.”

You can follow Wilson’s journey as he blogs about it on his website, Diaryofaparttimemonk.com.

(H/T: FARK)

Comments (61)

1 2
  • Hugie 59 PA
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:51pm

    The monks drank a “near beer” with a very low alcohol content.

    Report Post »  
  • smithclar3nc3
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:43pm

    I’ve seen this already
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssf7088paXA

    Report Post »  
  • Yell0wsh0e
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:32pm

    Even though he is white and male , I do wish him well.

    Report Post » Yell0wsh0e  
  • freestaterev
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:09pm

    Wow. I wonder how he’ll deal with the beer munchies? ;-)

    Hopefully he won’t become an alcoholic through this… my uncle did something similar. He spent time with monks too…and he ended up spending time in AA meetings for the next 20 years. That was probably a genetic thing (we have that wonderful Irish/German mix going…mmmmm beer. Mmmmm sausage….Mmmmm cornbeef and cabbage).

    Stay in prayer, meditate on God’s Word- and He will reveal much!

    Report Post » freestaterev  
  • mc55109
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:00pm

    Must be an Irish Catholic

    Report Post »  
  • Love Bandit Bestid
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:33am

    what an idiot.

    beer HAS water in it already.

    Report Post » Iman Barak Hussein  
    • teachermitch32
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 12:20pm

      But…beer is also a diaretic…hence the need to replenish with water.

      Report Post »  
  • amemeatheart
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:30am

    I am sure this is pleasing to God!

    Report Post »  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 1:00pm

      Actually, it probably is.

      Jesus was questioned why he didn’t fast, instead choosing to feast all the time with his followers. He also changed water into wine, which people then drank and became inebriated. He liked living life, as it turns out.

      The Amish drink almost as much as the Catholics. And if the Amish do something, I‘m usually certain that they’re doing God’s will as it is handed down without embellishment. You can count on the Amish like that.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • heferwiz57
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:16am

    An Iowa man says he is serious about Lent — the 46-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. So serious, in fact, he’s celebrating the Christian practice ……..

    The blaze reporters are sticklers for accuracy, ala the NPR Report, but they dont bother to fact check,“Christian practice”. These are not Christian practices and every student of the history of the Christian Church knows it. Even those who practice these holidays knows it.

    I am beginning to think that the blaze reporters are mormon also, being an offshoot of Catholicism, they do believe that “there are mormons and then there is everybody else”.

    Report Post »  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 12:08pm

      If Christians practice it and have for two thousand years, then regardless of its roots, it is now *also* a Christian practice.

      Easter has nothing to do with Christianity, it’s a west Germanic holiday related to spring and the goddess Oester (sic). That said, Christians adopted it early on in their beliefs and it is now *also* a Christian practice.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • heferwiz57
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 3:40pm

      GhostofJefferson-
      God detests the mixture of HIS WORD and the practice of the heathens. He told Israel hundreds of times in the OT not bring the customs and practices of the nations that surrounded Israel into the worship of Him…they could not dress like them nor marry their women. They would not listen so God judges His people, they repent, and then go back to doing the same thing again after a few generations. The end result was that when the Messiah, who they had preached on, waited for, and prophesied of for 1500 yrs came, they did not recognize who he was. God makes it a point for history to always repeat itself.
      In the spiritual realm what is the devils is legally his, as in pagan festivals, symbols, and Holy Days.
      When Christians, with knowledge, partake of Satan’s Holy Days then we give him rights to attack and to decieve. WHAT HAPPENED TO ISRAEL HAPPENS TO THE CHURCH. God says NO, we say YES. Expect judgement in this way–you will never know Christ the way that He wants us to know Him. If God cant trust us with the simple things, like obeying HIS HOLY WORD, then He will not take us on to deeper things. This why mormons, catholics, etc, will never know the heart of God even though they want to know Him and His pure intent. He cant! He is bound by His Word just as we are.
      Paul says that what happened to Israel is supposed to be an example to us, to not do what they did, and that if God did not spare Israel, why should He spare us?
      Rom 11:20-21
      Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

      Giving pagan holy days christian names does not make the day holy!
      God is serious and His Word is Holy…COME OUT OF HER (BABYLON) MY PEOPLE AND BE NOT PARTAKERS OF HER JUDGEMENTS! Rev 18:4

      Report Post »  
    • Amos37
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 5:31pm

      But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
      Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
      Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

      The greatest barrier ever created between God‘s ingrafted branches and those who are not is man’s religion (tradition of changing pagan practices to sound as if they were given by God). These people are still at Jesus‘ birth so they won’t understand the passover.

      Report Post »  
  • PIL
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:03am

    That could could not survive a day at Brigham Young University. Seriously, if God didn’t want us to drink alcohol, why did he turn water into wine?

    SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WHITE STUDENTS, WHY IS THAT RACIST?
    http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/2011/03/scholarships-for-white-students-why-is.html

    Report Post » PIL  
    • 777jenn
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:41am

      True –all things in moderation. I love my beer (GOOD beer, not crappy cheap beer!) but I couldn’t live on it. Yes, the water into wine—-Jesus’ 1st miracle at the wedding in Cana. Many try to say it must not have been real wine, but since those who drank of it became inebriated…….Also in 1Tim., Paul says “take not water but a little wine for thy stomach’s sake..” (key word—little!)

      Report Post » 777jenn  
    • teachermitch32
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 12:17pm

      And, according to the scholarship requirements you only have to be 1/4 white. That’s pretty inclusive, don’t you think? More power to them.

      Report Post »  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:59am

    i wish this man well………………
    November 13th 1987 God helped me put alcohol down. I would be dead otherwise.

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • 2gether
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:45am

    MY mom had a sweatshirt that said, “I am an alcoholic, in case of an emergency get me a beer” She was not an alcoholic but had a great sense of humor. Unfortunately she died at the age of forty from renal failure related to a severe case of scarlet fever as a child. Three young children she got sick when she was in her twenties and never ONCE complained about her fate. A true Christian who carried her cross. Might I add that BC and BS had a major medical rider for catastrophic illnesses. It covered up to a million dollars…lifetime. We exceeded it and the insurance company dropped us. But my father paid off every last bill because he was a man of principal and back then people felt responsible for their debt and did what they had to to pay it off no matter how long it took. But I digress!
    Nowadays wearing a shirt with that slogan will get you nothing but ridicule and condemnation for making fun of alcoholism. Seeing as nobody knows who I am I can say, I too, fast during Lent For the past six years I have fasted every other day while attending daily mass. The Lord says if we feed our soul and leave the rest to Him we will be just fine. It is truly a spiritual experience to recognize that the Lord will sustain us through many things. When I think I am hungry, I remind myself that I have no clue what it is like to REALLY be hungry. I think of this homeless man I met and befriended, how he slept in doorways and was lucky to get the throwaways from some businesses. I am ready for whatever happens in this country. As Glenn has said we should prepare yourself…Lent is a perfect time for those who are Christians to prepare.

    Report Post »  
  • In a Bunker
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:33am

    I wouldn’t recommend this diet. I sadly, have a friend who‘s dying of from this addiction and she’s only 55.

    Report Post » In a Bunker  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:42am

      Different people handle drinking in different ways. For every person who becomes a drunkard and ends up dying as a result, there’s the opposite in some guy who drinks a bottle of vodka a day and lives to 110. For those who cannot handle that though, it’s probably safer to abstain than to even take one drink a year, so yeah, kinda sorta agree with you, but only in a given context.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • teddrunk
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:21am

    ……and the day I left Milwaukee…

    Report Post »  
  • Jackie Rogers, Jr.
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:14am

    My dad was a lite eater but a serious beer drinker. When someone would ask him why he ate so little but drank so much, he would always answer, “There’s food in the beer but no beer in the food”.
    He passed away at 81.

    Report Post » Jackie Rogers, Jr.  
  • poverty.sucks
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:13am

    “monks ”used” to make a special brew.

    There’s only one way to live, as stated by God in the bible, everything else fails because Man is unable to bring or create peace.

    Report Post » poverty.sucks  
  • LadyIzShy
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:10am

    interesting I would be interested to see how this goes for him and what his family thinks when it is all said and done.. 4 beers a day probably spaced out and water as he wants.. should not be drunk but the health risk or benifits will be seen at the end of Lent. I hope the Blaze follows up

    Report Post » LadyIzShy  
  • noline
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:02am

    some people don’t need lent as an excuse to do this.

    Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:01am

    It didn’t look like water in either of those two glasses in the picture.
    Mebbe one was dark well water. Or the water was the amber colour water in the other glass.
    Oh well. I wish him luck in his Christian endeavour.
    He’s a better man than I,for even attempting this.

    Report Post »  
  • fdonnino
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:59am

    Great except for one thing. You are not supposed to call attention to yourself when you fast. (or blog about it?) Those who fast “just do it” out of love for God and spiritual strength – not attention. It’s between you and God. Gosh I hope there is not a book or movie deal coming. Not judging, just saying.

    Report Post »  
    • OUTRIDER WRITER
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:40am

      Read between the lines. To this guy, Lent isn’t about God. And communion is probably just a nonchalant walk down the aisle. I’m just saying…..

      Report Post »  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:51am

    I hope he didn’t give up aspirin.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:00am

      He’s a homebrewer (as am I, which I’ve stated a couple of times in the past on this board). Assuming he’s drinking his own hootch, he probably won’t get many hangovers. Lots of vitamin B and good nutrition in homebrewed beer. Since he’s Christian and trying to follow an ancient custom he will probably also follow the commandment prohibiting gluttony, so I doubt he’ll binge drink. He may want to consider a multivitamin of course, to be safe.

      GhostOfJefferson  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:11am

      Do you have a Ghost of Jefferson label? That would be a fun logo to come up with!

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:26am

      Actually, no, I hadn’t considered that as a brand name. That would be fun!

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:37am

      I’m thinking a shot of Monticello from the front, moon above and a white, phosphorescent figure on the lawn.

      Report Post » Gonzo  
  • 777jenn
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:51am

    My guy wears a t- shirt that quotes Ben Franklin…“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”….

    Report Post » 777jenn  
  • GhostOfJefferson
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:48am

    Around my house we don’t call this Lent, we call this “the weekend”.

    Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • walker1812
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:47am

    I’m compelled to return to the Church!

    Report Post »  
  • randy
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:46am

    Throw some BBQ wings wings with that, and I’m up for it.

    Report Post » randy  
  • grandmaof5
    Posted on March 11, 2011 at 9:45am

    Interesting concept and I hope he is successful in his historic endeavor. Didn’t say anything about a job, of course the monks were probably in a compound, self-sustained and didn’t have far to crawl if they did get drunk.

    Report Post »  
    • staggerlee32
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:08am

      A Chronological History:
      The New World Order
      by D.L. Cuddy, Ph.D
      http://www.khouse.org/articles/1997/90/

      Report Post » staggerlee32  
    • NeoFan
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:18am

      There are loads of alcoholics that survive on nothing but alcohol. How is this news or good?

      Report Post »  
    • G.Thomas
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:19am

      I gave up beer for Lent. *sigh*

      Report Post »  
    • OUTRIDER WRITER
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:42am

      Something a little disturbing about the “Lent” thing and that there poster behind this dude.

      Report Post »  
    • jblaze
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:55am

      Lent has nothing to do with thee Jesus Christ of the Bible it is a tradition of men. The bible warns against following the traditions of men and tells us to come out of this evil world!
      Jesus said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Only they who obey God can be His children, and enter His Kingdom! God is the one you obey!

      Notice again: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey …?” (Romans 6:16).

      “Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.” - 

      Report Post » jblaze  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 10:58am

      @Outrider

      He’s in a homebrew shop, not his home.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
    • Miguelito
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:03am

      I have a friend that give up beer and sex with his wife…he says it’s tough to give up beer!

      Report Post »  
    • TERMLIMITSNOW
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:12am

      I survived on nothing but water, beer and coffee for nearly 8 years…..big whup

      Report Post » TERMLIMITSNOW  
    • leftiesaredangerous
      Posted on March 11, 2011 at 11:12am

      @jblaze

      I have many problems with the Catholic Church in terms of some poor doctrine (worshipping Mary, infant baptism for salvation, faith plus works, etc) and putting traditions ahead of biblical truth.

      However, traditions in and of themselves are not bad. If lent is practiced (it’s simply a fast of sorts) with a heart that seeks God, then why find fault in that?

       
    • proliance
      Posted on March 12, 2011 at 9:04am

      @jblaze: Jesus himself fasted for 40 days in the desert. Good Christians try to be more Christlike by following his works and teachings.

      Lent is a time for us remember the sacrifices of Jesus and to prepare ourselves for what happened on Good Friday through Easter. We pray, we sacrifice and practice self-denial, and we try to cleanse our spirit.

      I guess your Bible leaves out the part about Jesus spending 40 days in the desert where he fasts. Or maybe you don’t read it and only pay attention to what your preacher says.

      Report Post » proliance  
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