All work and no play makes Satan's day

Our culture is based on work. The incredible amount of work that we have to do just to feed ourselves and have a place to live, not to mention achieving our most noble desires, is exhausting. The author William Faulkner had some pretty depressing but accurate thoughts on this. He said "you can’t eat eight hours a day nor drink for eight hours a day nor make love for eight hours — all you can do for eight hours is work. Which is the reason why man makes himself and everybody else so miserable and unhappy." Dang. God sees this problem though. In fact, God was on to this a long time ago and tried to nip it in the bud.

You may have heard of the "sabbath." It's supposed to be a time where no one is allowed to work. The first encounter with the Sabbath happens when the Israelites are wandering in the desert, having escaped from the oppressive Pharaoh. It's hard work trekking through the desert everyday, trying to find food and water; enough to crush even Dwight Schrute's resolve. In Exodus 16, we learn that God sees how hard the Israelites are working and sends them bread from heaven. There was a condition however. On the seventh day of the week, there was to be a day of rest and no one could gather the bread. God instituted mandatory breaks for the good of the people.

Later on, in Exodus 20, the ten commandments are delivered to the people and the specifics of the sabbath are hammered out. The fourth commandment says that on the seventh day of the week "you shall do no labor." What is truly amazing about this commandment is that is not addressed just to the men in charge, as if they should go on vacation and have their servants work. No, it specifically says that every son, daughter, male or female servant, and foreigner is required NOT to work. Even animals get the day off. God sent a message that it is sinful to overwork your employees. What a relief that must have been for the working people (and critters) of the day!

In modern culture, the idea of observing the sabbath borders on revolutionary. We are supposed to be earning and churning at all times. Taking a day to rest, worship God, and be with one's family without making any money or producing any products is counter-cultural. It is for this reason that we tend not to observe the sabbath, ignoring God's command to take a load off; a command issued out of love and in our best interests.

What better way to put the sabbath idea into practice than to party? A technical distinction must be made here, however, between rest partying and other kinds. Some parties are exhausting, pulsing late into the night as the dancing gets sloppier and sloppier. The rager of a wedding party at Cana must have been one of those. Some parties are relaxing though: a fancy dinner party with a nice wine list, or a gathering of friends for a few beers on a Friday night. This kind of party is akin to the sabbath and is thus blessed by God, so let's get going.

This week's drink represents both sides of the work/play dichotomy. It also uses the most underrated alcoholic beverage in the world.

Busy as a Tea

Caffeine represents work, alcohol represents play. Unlike work and play, however, alcohol and caffeine can be good friends. Be careful with drinks like this though, as they can be very dangerous in anything but small quantities. Remember 4loko?

Ingredients: Earl Grey tea (or just your favorite kind), 1 oz. Barenjager honey liqueur (the most underrated alcoholic substance in the world. Barenjager means "bear hunter." Awesome.)

Put your teabag or tea strainer in a mug and pour the Barenjager on it. Heat water to just before boiling and pour it over the teabag. Cover the mug and let it steep for 3-5 minutes. Drink slowly and be warmed. This is a perfect after-dinner drink when you anticipate hours of lovely conversation with loved ones.