Even as early as AD 270 people saw a need for spiritual renewal. With the legalization of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire it became increasingly difficult to know the true believers from those who were simply Christians of convenience; a problem that seems to be persistent throughout history. St. Anthony responded by leaving the society of religious ease and lived alone in the mountains. He lived a simple life, prepared little food and had little company other than God and the reported demons that would tempt him. Being a hermit did not mean that he abandoned the world however, for he ended his seclusion during the reign of the pagan emperor Maximian to minister to the persecuted Christians forced to work in mines and again to combat the heresy of Arianism.

Even though Anthony’s motivation was for piety many followed his example for the exotic prestige that came with acts “devotion”. They would go without nourishment, would refrain from sleep or would otherwise physically perform acts of “self-denial”. St. Benedict did not desire theatrics but the committed life of community and service. He reformed the church with his Rule for monasteries and provided an expression of following Christ with a whole of a person’s life. The fact that there where monasteries showed the dissatisfaction of the Christian expression of the time and just like Luther, a turning point in Benedicts life was seeing the immorality and vanity of Rome itself. Monasticism flourished in Europe because of his writings.

Medieval Europe saw the rise of monasteries as “prayer factories” and the Church of Rome was intertwined in the power, influence and politics of the continent. St Francis was the son of a rich merchant, as well as a soldier, however when coming across a beggar on the street that he could not bring himself to ride past, he eventually turned his back on all the wealth that would be his. He devoted himself to helping the poor, living the life that he saw in Christ and shunning the attraction to power from the world. Many followed him, but he did not form a cloistered society. He instead established friars, who unlike monks primarily worked and lived in the world to minister to it. Francis could have bought his way into an ecclesiastical position, even buying a bishop’s chair was not unheard of. While he did not speak against the church, by not entering the Roman ranks his life spoke to his view of how close they resembled Christ. The Catholic clergy did not show Jesus as it should, so he did so himself.

The list could go on and on of the Carmelites, the Celtic monasteries in the British isles and countless saints. The point is that there were reformations before the reformation and that excesses of a stagnant church are only combated by those who are willing to mold themselves into Christ. I am not advocating everything that monasticism is, however, there are many lessons that we can learn from it. With monasticisms constant ideal of shunning the world and imitating your life to Christ, it is no wonder that the Protestant Reformation was started by an Augustinian Monk.

"300" © Warner Bros Pictures

Here is a nice little quote that you all may find interesting…

“When the Spartans marched into battle they advanced with cheerful songs, willing to fight; but when the Persians entered the conflict, you could hear, as the regiments came on, the crack of whips by which the officers drove the cowards to the fray. You need not wonder that a few Spartans were more than a match for thousands of Persians, that in fact they were like lions in the midst of sheep. So let it be with the church; never should she be forced to reluctant action, but full of irrepressible life, she should long for conflict against everything which is contrary to God. Were we enthusiastic soldiers of the cross we should be like lions in the midst of herds of enemies, and through God’s help nothing would be able to stand against us.” – Charles Spurgeon

1. If you’ve never heard of it, or never had it, try it.

The first rule of discovering the wonderful world of beer is to try out as many as you can. I generally like to start with things that you can find anywhere, that way I have a base knowledge of different beers whenever I go out someplace and it gives me a good point of reference. Your local grocery store will surely have something you have not had before so give it a try, a good place to begin is to simply pick up something that has a different color than the yellow stuff you have always had. Try something brown or orange or black, there is a reason why they are that tone and it’s not because of food coloring, the reasons why can be known later, right now just try out a base of beer, you will like some and hate some but it will be an experience none the less.

2. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s good.

It may be intimidating but that bottle of Hustenfortwiebelwiessen is the good stuff. This rule may sound snobbish but our German, Belgian and European brothers have been making beer for a lot longer than anyone in America has, heck it’s not uncommon to find a beer who’s recipe is still being bottled that has been around longer than our country has. Americans can do some things great, like making firearms and rock n roll, but for beer I have to admit who is better at it. Now there are some micro brews and other anomalies in the US that have a great drink, but for the beginner this is a good place to start. And if you are worried that you wont say it right, it’s okay, you can just point at it, chances are the waiter doesn’t know how to say it either.

3. If it has a monk on the label, then it’s also good.

This applies to Saints, Popes and other religious symbols as well. The fact is, as a friend of mine has pointed out many times before, the best beers are made by Christians. In fact many monasteries in the middle ages were breweries as well, as it helped the monks cope with their fasts. Beer has been around sense almost the beginning of civilization, the Christians, however, made it an art form. Perhaps that is why beer in America can be so bland, because our Christians have abandoned it as a sinful vice to secular industries. So Just remember if you see a nice fat man in a brown robe smiling at you, go ahead and give it a try.

Hopefully this will help some people to step outside of the same old beers and try something a bit more adventurous. I’ve had beers taste so much like vinager that I couldn’t finish it, I’ve had beers that poor out like ink, and I’ve had beers that were so flavorful that it made others seem like colored water. You may find some duds out there but more than not I have been surprised at the variety and enjoyment that I have gotten from beers all around the world. In the end just remember the wise words of Benjamin Franklin “Beer is proof the God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

First off, I am a common man. I grew up in an urban city my whole life, never lived in a grand home, none of my family ever went to college, and I work a low paying full time job while I go to college at night. I live in a small one bedroom apartment and going to Ruby Tuesday’s constitutes a nice night out for me and my wife. I am not the exception however, I am the majority. For only about 0.62% of the American population has a net worth of 1 million dollars, for the global population it is only 0.15%. In fact you are more likely to be a victim of a crime (21.1%), become obese (30.6%) or be unemployed (5%) than you are to be a millionaire.*

The common people are the workers, the laborers, in short the people that make our nation, nay our world, function. They are janitors, construction workers, landscapers, clerks, fast food workers, police men, and salespeople. In the past they may have been known as peasants or serfs, they are the workers of America. They are not the wealthy nor are they the destitute, they were not given hereditary privileged, nor do they ask anyone to support them, they are the ones who earn what they have by the sweat of their own brow. And yet there is a bit of the common man in everyone, for truly all men are created equal despite economic differences. All people care about their families, their friends, and their purpose. They care about were we have been and were we are going, and they care about their God. In the end, the common man is everyman. And while countless people have died and have been forgotten to the tomes of history; a faceless, nameless horde of people that we will never know, those that were not the Caesar’s, or Galileo’s, but without their contribution we would not have the world that we have today. They had a purpose and they had meaning, and while we may never be known to history we too have a purpose and meaning to our lives.

*Information about Fanfare for the Common Man taken from wikipedia.org; Statistics taken from nationmaster.com