A. Salutations & Reminders (v1:1-1:9) B. Divisions within the church (v1:10-4:21) 1. The manifestation of the problem (v1:10-17) A question of: “Which group is most spiritual?” leads to emptying the cross of Christ of its power 2. The gospel contradicts human wisdom (v1:18-2:5) Your understanding of “spirituality” is a contradiction to the gospel 3. God’s wisdom is through the Spirit (v2:6-16) This gospel is revealed through the Spirit 4. You’re “baby” Christians (v3:1-4) Your works reveal your childishness Ü 5. About the men who are honored (v3:5-17) It’s you who are sacred, not us apostles a. What makes the workers special? (v5-9) b. The judgment of a believers’ works (v10-15) c. What is God’s belongs to God (v16-17)

¿: What is the difference between solid food and milk? Baby vs. Mature Ü It’s not so important WHERE you are today but whether you’re moving. Cf. Heb 5:14- Distinguishing good and evil can ONLY be done with constant use of solid food. Spiritual maturity IS NOT more knowledge, it’s more understanding resulting from more action/experience just like an adolescent can know about the world and somewhere along the line in “adulthood”  the child now understands. It’s about application.  Study w/o application shows lack of growth.  The fruit is not something you put on, it’s something that grows out of your roots.  Bickering is fruit.  Talking about another behind their back is a fruit.  Dishonestly in my dealings is a fruit.  Holding onto thoughts of myself has having better ideas is a fruit. Philippians 2:14-16 “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure…” Christ crucified is a message concerned not only w/justification but also sanctification.(cf. Ro 8:9-14)

Read 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 and complete a page in your study booklet. Share some insight the Lord gave you about yourself this week. In this passage Paul says that no one can lay a foundation other than what was already laid (1 Cor 3:11).  Name some examples of foundations that Christian churches can have which are not Jesus Christ. [NT ethics, Christian psychology, tradition (either church or denominational)]

Scripture	Observation
1 Corinthians v5-9	God does the growing
Servants 5	Paul and Apollos were servants, yet divisions in the church were forming around them.  Imagine a household divided over servants. (ex: “I’ll do what the gardener says,” “the cook has it dialed”) In status conscious Corinth, Paul uses the low status of a “servant” to describe he & Apollos. ¿: Who gave Paul/Apollos their ministries? (cf. Eph 4:11-13)
Farmers 6-7	¿: Who made it grow? The planter and the waterer are not very important.  They have roles but all is pretty useless unless someone causes the growth.  Each does his work and the Lord blesses. Apollos & Paul were not competing against each other but were complementing each other’s ministries. ¿: Who made it grow? ¿: If God grows it, why weren’t those in Corinth growing?  Did God neglect them? [Heb 5:14]
8-9	No jealousy.  The two have differing roles but the same aim.  One purpose. ¿: Who determines purpose?  Role?  Results? “each will be rewarded” =  judgment seat of Christ, bema seat Ü2 Cor 5:10 – we will ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ÜThis is not an isolated teaching in the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and will then recompense every person according to his deeds.” ÜAnd in the very last chapter of the Bible Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every person according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). ¿: What is the reward? [1 Cor 4:5 is at least part of it] In other words the way you live is not unimportant.  Also remember that it’s the Lord that looks on the heart.  The WHY of us.  What motivates you is your sign of maturity. It’s not up to us to look on each other and dole out rewards (cf Ro 14:10-12) We are to rebuke sin, for sure, but it is not our place, nor can we judge the motives of men.  We can’t even discern many of our own motives, how can we think we can determine the motives of others? Note on rebuking sin: we often confuse sin with what “we think” is sin.  Scripture is the only standard, not my preferences.  Many have latched onto vague and non-specific passages to determine right & wrong.  Remember sin is the Lord’s to convict & judge.  We an hate the sin and love the person WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WISDOM of what that means

1 Corinthians v10-15	Genuine character revealed
Builders 10	Paul acknowledges that anything he has done is by God’s grace. “someone else is building on it” – Paul laid the foundation, now the teaching is relying on another minister.  Paul warns the church and this person.
11	Note the foundation is Jesus Christ alone.  Not New Testament ethics.  Not Christian psychology.  Not tradition (either church or denominational). In a building only one foundation ever needs to be laid. See 2 Cor 11:4 re: tolerance in preaching a different gospel. ¿: What is a “different Jesus”?
12	Materials show durable vs. temporary/worthless work Wood, hay and straw CAN be used to successfully build with.  It’s not whether we can build, it’s whether it will stand the test. This shows that worthless things can be used to build the church (i.e who’s teaching do we follow) This passage in its immediate context is referring to pastors/teachers ¿: We are all builders, what are we building with? Wood, hay, straw DO NOT represent spiritual gifts.  It represents the QUALITY of the work done.
13	“the Day” – judgment day when Christ judges the quality of His servants’ work.  It’s not the quantity but quality of work that will be judged. Fire is often used in Scripture to represent the purification process. ¿: When you stand before Christ on that day, what will last?
v14-15	Before this purification process some of the building materials may not be so obvious. Loss does not refer to taking something away.  It refers to not receiving what could have been received for a work. It is NOT sin that will be judged ¿: Why not sin? [sin for a believer was handled at the cross once for all] ¿: So what is judged? ¿: Is it possible that these builders who used other than the right materials to build are saved? ¿: Is it possible they are not aware of what they are building with? ¿: How can they determine what is right and what is wrong? These verses are often used by the Roman Catholics to justify purgatory. ¿: Do you see any meaning that fire purifies character of the man?

1 Corinthians v16-17	God’s view of the body of Christ
16	“Don’t you know” – this is the first of 10 times Paul uses this clause in the letter (v5:6; 6:2-3, 9, 15-16, 19; 9:13, 24) it is introducing an indisputable statement. While it is true that each believer is God’s temple, note the thought in this verse is that collectively the church in Corinth is God’s temple.  As a body God view’s them as personally His. I’m sure we’d all agree that we would never do anything to damage the body of Christ – that’s an abstract concept.  What if I complain or gossip about the pastor or one of you in this class?  What if I show you anything but the grace and love that was showered on me – which I do not deserve?  Wouldn’t I be damaging the body of Christ?
17	¿: What importance does the fact that they are God’s temple have to do with this line of reasoning [the people are what’s important NOT the minister] If any man destroys God’s temple (the body) and wrecks its testimony, God will not tolerate it. Most believe this verse is talking to unbelievers because it says God will destroy him, but in the greater context what is Paul saying and who is he saying it to? ¿: Do you agree with this interpretation? ¿: How might that inform you about the passages that are not explicit regarding what is a sin, and how to deal with those issues (I’m not saying because it’s not spelled out it’s not a sin – I’m saying be careful and rely on HS to inform)

If the Lord comes today we have no time to prepare good works to present at the bema seat.  If we go on to be with the Lord we have no time to prepare after we die. The time is now. Don’t build “something” build with all your heart using precious materials. To do that takes constant use.  YOU MUST be in constant communion with God in prayer, Bible reading and Body fellowship in order for God to fully exercise your full growth potential.

The epistle of James speaks a lot about faith and deeds.  What we do does not save us, but what we do and why we do it shows us something about us.  Come to the evening service tonight hear straight from Scripture what lasts and is meaningful vs. wood, hay and straw.

Study booklet for 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

 

My first personal computer was a brand spanking new…  TRS-80 Color Computer.  It had a whopping 8k of RAM (which I upgraded to 16k by soldering chips on top of existing RAM chips).  My input/output device was a cassette recorder.  This was state of the art.

 

In a few years, I upgraded to a used Apple ][+ computer.  I still used my state of the art cassette recorder to save work in Applesoft BASIC and load purchased games.

This system was replaced by a brand spanking new Apple ][e, which lasted for several years.  

The Apple ][e saw me upgrade to my first floppy drive system.  Now I was cookin'!  A few years later I added to my system by purchasing my first hard disk.  10MB!  How could anyone possibly use ALL THAT space!  I had the 10MB external hard disk for about 2 weeks when the 20MB model was released.  A phone call and complaint about not knowing the newer model was about to be released saw me swap out the drive.  Now I was set.  3 years later I had still not filled that 20MB drive.

 

Apple released the Apple ||gs and I was on board!  This was a phenomenal system.  It completely lived up to my expectations and when the day I let it go finally came, I was indeed very sad.  I had the hard drive, I had a battery backed RAM drive which allowed me to boot the computer in less than 15 seconds!

But alas, all good things must come to an end.  Apple discontinued the Apple ][ line and left me with no real alternative but to move to the fast becoming industry standard, the 80x86 family.

 

My first foray was a an 80286, then I moved to an 80386, then 80486, then to a Pentium 2, then to a Pentium 4…. and will continue my quest for better processing power a generation or two behind that cutting edge.

 

I am nostalgic about my TRS-80 Color Computer.  It introduced me into the world of telling a machine to do something useful for me.

¿: Give a brief outline of what this letter has covered to date.

A. Salutations & Reminders (v1:1-1:9) B. Divisions within the church (v1:10-4:21) 1. The manifestation of the problem (v1:10-17) A question of: “Which group is most spiritual?” leads to emptying the cross of Christ of its power 2. The gospel contradicts human wisdom (v1:18-2:5) Your understanding of “spirituality” is a contradiction to the gospel 3. God’s wisdom is through the Spirit (v2:6-16) This gospel is revealed through the Spirit Ü 4. You’re “baby” Christians (v3:1-4) Your works reveal your childishness a. You are not acting your age (v1-4)

Complete a page in inductive study booklet for 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.  Come to class with your most “creative” title for this section Come to class ready to explain how you would measure if someone is growing spiritually

Scripture	Observation
ò	When Paul first visited Corinth, he had fed the believers with the elementary things (milk) of the word because they were weak and young in the faith.  The teaching which had been given to them was suitable to their condition.  They could not receive deeply spiritual instruction because they were new believers. (Believer’s Bible Commentary, MacDonald, 1995) ¿: What happens when you give a newborn solid food? The draw of the world and the flesh We often think of worldliness only in terms of dancing, alcoholic drinking, drugs and the like.  But worldliness is much deeper than bad habits; it is an orientation, a way of thinking and believing.  Basically buying the world’s philosophies, buying human wisdom.  It is looking to the world – to human leaders, to influential and popular people, to neighbors, associates, and fellow students – for our standards, attitudes, and meaning.  Worldliness is accepting the world’s definitions, the world’s measuring sticks, the world’s goals. (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary 1 Corinthians, MacArthur, 1984, pg 68) The flesh is in us until we receive our resurrected body.  It continually resists and opposes the new heart God places in us as believers.  With salvation God broke the bondage to sin – but the tendency to evil remains.  Our flesh is selfish. Our ultimate triumph over the world and the flesh is certain – but so is our struggle with both in this life.
V1-4	You are babies! ¿: The Gospel is an elementary teaching.  Name a central part of the Gospel, which allowed the Corinthians to move from their sinful state to right standing before God. [Christ crucified] Christ crucified was a message concerned not only w/justification but also sanctification.
1	“I couldn’t” – Paul addresses his experience in Corinth, again (cf. 2:1 & 2:3) ¿: Why could Paul only address them as worldly? ¿: What should we expect of a new believer? To be worldly means to be an infant in Christ. Paul speaks to them as fellow believers – he loved them.  They were still saved – their inexcusable sin did not take that away. Paul was their spiritual father.  He would expect growth, like any father.
2 ò	Their condition was determined by their diet – their diet determined their condition. Contrast this with 1 Peter 2:2 (“…newborn babies crave spiritual milk…”) ¿: What is solid food, spiritually vs. milk? So what then is the solid food and what is the milk? Milk is teaching that is uniquely designed to get a proud sinner started on the path of humility and hope, mainly the word of the cross, the message of Christ crucified. There is something about the word of the cross that can get into the hard and narrow esophagus of self-reliance and bring life-giving hope and humility without choking a person to death. Not that the milk of the gospel saves everybody. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing” (1:18). A person’s spiritual throat can be so swollen with pride and self-reliance that they even gag on milk. What then is solid food? Notice that it is not something that takes more intellect to grasp. What it takes is less jealousy and strife, less pride and self-assertion. The solid food is not for smart people. It’s for humble people — people who have stopped pursuing the pleasures of self-confidence and self-exaltation and self-determination — people who now want only to boast in the Lord and give him all the glory for whatever good there is in the world and in their lives. An example of solid food is Romans 9-11. These are the doctrines that go down hardest in a throat that’s accustomed to jealousy and strife. If you want to feed these to new Christians you have to grind them up and stir them into the milk (John Piper, 1997) Read Hebrews 5:11-6:3 ¿: What are the elementary truths? ¿: What good is solid food? ¿: How is it used? Solid food: It’s not that we’re learning more doctrine but that we’re learning more about what we’ve known and as the Spirit opens our eyes we’re living it. Distinguishing good and evil can ONLY be done with constant use of solid food (cf. Heb 5:14) Maturity = Growth is work (neither just happens it takes work!) ¿: When a child grows up what effort must be put in for him/her to grow: Ü Emotionally? [sharing, demanding own way, confessing wrongdoing] Ü Physically? [strong muscles take exercise] Ü Intellectually? [learning – tests, study] Ü Spiritually? Examples of areas of change: Work ethic, family and friends relationships, heart for all men, things of God, stewardship of spare time and money.
3-4	“worldly” = “fleshly” – Paul was not saying they were of the world, he says they are acting like the world. They were guided by secular norms Divisions/quarrelling is a sign of worldliness ¿: Tell me what divisions & quarrelling look like. They were succumbing to the pressures and enticements of the flesh *Jealousy and self-rightness are often considered petty as compared to sins like adultery, murder, etc.  But these “petty” sins are the ones that split Christs’ body faster than other types of sin. ¿: Why does Paul call them babies? Paul was likely writing 1 Corinthians about 5 years after his 18 month stay in which he founded the church… You’d think there would be some sign of spiritual growth in 5 years. ¿: Do we expect maturity of a child? Ü What do we expect?
Whiteboard ò	Draw a spirituality scale Baby ——————————————————————- Mature worldly living the basics KNOWING Knowledge Wisdom “spiritual” living deeper truth DOING Love Humility ¿: Where does EVERYONE start on this scale? ¿: How long should someone remain at the “baby” stage? [how long do infants remain at a “stage”? – CONSTANT GROWTH] ¿: How can I know if I am growing? [doing things more out of love and humility vs. doing out of duty – motivation of heart. Search my own heart for its “real” motivation AND since the flesh is wicked seek God’s revelation of my motivation.  “Lord, what do YOU see in my heart”] Ü It’s not so important WHERE you are today but whether you’re moving.  Staying in one place = “being stuck” Spiritual maturity IS NOT knowledge, it’s action.  It’s action not motivated by duty, but action that comes from the inside. When you advance in spiritual maturity, it is impossible to think better of yourself than others.  It is impossible to be jealous and quarrel because humility is inherent in the maturity process. *Divisiveness is a sure sign of immaturity while unity in diversity is a sign of maturity.

It’s about application.  Study w/o application shows lack of growth.  The fruit is not something you put on, it’s something that grows out of your roots. Bickering is fruit.  Talking about another behind their back is a fruit.  Dishonestly in my dealings is a fruit.  Holding onto thoughts of myself has having better ideas is a fruit. Philippians 2:14-16 “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure…”

¿: What is the cure for division? [rejecting selfishness and looking to God]

Study booklet = 1 Corinthians 3:5-17

 

I remember my eight year old mind being stirred to patriotism, to a sense of being part of humankind who could achieve anything we could put our minds to.

 

That all seems like a natural outworking of seeing a nation, a world, come together at that moment.  What amazes me is as I relate my life to my kids is that I somehow take a personal pride in being part of that moment in history.  Part of my identity is wrapped up in this event.

 

I suppose for other generations it may be some other event but for me I take special pride in relating how my summer school teacher wheeled a television into the classroom so that at 1:18pm PDT I could participate in this great adventure of mankind.

 

Maybe someday my descendants will hold key the memory of the iPhone 4G.  Does nothing for me.

Selection is random.  If you have already responded to a summons or have already served in the past 12 months, contact your local jury office and explain that you have been summoned twice in 12 months.  It is important to contact the court to resolve the problem.

 

My first pet peeve here is that they did not answer the question.  They said “not true, but here’s some other information having nothing to do with the randomness you are addressing,” which has nothing to do with randomness but everything to do with the “12 month rule”

 

My second is, IT’S NOT RANDOM.  In theory the pool of potential jurors is all registered voters.  I know factually that in the last 18 years my wife has been called once.  I, however, have been called about 8 times AND served on 2 juries and almost a third.  I know co-workers of 18+ years that have NEVER been called – who are registered voters in my county.

 

It is not random!  If it were random, over 2 decades wouldn’t everyone’s “number” have come up even once.  There are LAWS of probabilities.  Hmmmm…. if the court would just run a analysis of the randomness of their selection (vs. assuming) they might find a very interesting fact.

 

I wonder if they understand that computers DO NOT generate truly random numbers (and consequently selections) unless there are specific algorithms written to create “apparent” randomness.  I wonder if they know that simply rebooting a computer will reset it’s random number sequence.  You heard me “random number sequence.”  Without special algorithms a computer can DUPLICATE the exact sequence of “random” numbers.

 

It is my belief that once every three years my counties court system reboots it’s computers and then the sequence of selections repeats itself.  I think I will keep a log of all names of people in my jury pool and watch them “randomly” show up with me the next time I am selected.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy jury duty even if it could be pretty difficult to replace my income with $15/day.  I also consider it a serious responsibility.  I just hate non-answers to legitimate questions.

 

I guess that’s the law.

Book Outline (to date) A. Salutations & Reminders (v1:1-1:9) B. Divisions within the church (v1:10-4:21) 1. The manifestation of the problem (v1:10-17) The question of: “Which group is most spiritual?” leads to emptying the cross of Christ of its power a. Quarrelling (v10-12) b. Christ’s body divided (v13-17) 2. The gospel contradicts human wisdom (v1:18-2:5) These contests of “super-spirituality” are a contradiction to the gospel a. God’s wisdom (v18-25) b. Who you were (v26-31) c. Who I (Paul) was (v2:1-5) Ü 3. God’s wisdom is through the spirit (v2:6-16) This gospel is revealed through the Spirit a. God’s “secret” wisdom (v6-8) b. The Spirit expresses spiritual truths (v9-16)

Complete page 6 in your study booklets (read 1 Cor 2:6-16) A few weeks ago we talked about the essentials of the Christian faith.  Write down the Gospel you would share with someone to lead them to Christ so we can discuss in class

Scripture	Observation
1 Corinthians 2:6-16	This passage deals with the fact that God is a “speaking” God (cf. Deut 4:33-36) who has chosen to disclose His heart & mind through His servants.
v6-8	God’s “secret” wisdom
6	Wisdom is not the perishable wisdom of man which exists for a day & is gone Mature = Perfect(KJV) = complete = teleios(grk) = can refer to a person who has full membership in a group ¿: Is Paul saying only the mature can understand the message? [in this context he is referring to the saved – allowing for differences in Christian maturity.] “Wisdom of this age” = not a particular time but all of human history
7 Read in NET	“mystery” (KJV/NASB/NET) = A mystery is a NT truth not previously revealed but now made known The word translated mystery is derived from a word meaning “to shut the mouth”  (cf. Matt 11:25) The mystery of the Gospel includes: 1) Jews & Gentiles made 1 in Christ 2) Jesus will come and take His people home to Himself 3) Not all believers will die, but ALL will be changed
8	“rulers of this age” may refer to earthly or spiritual => but definitely has earthly meaning since it was earthly powers who crucified the Lord. The trinity represented (read in KJV): Crucified the “Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:8) “father of glory” (Eph 1:17) “spirit of glory” (1 Pet 4:14
v9-16	The Spirit expresses spiritual truths These verses deal with the process by which God makes Himself known. Revelation(v10-11), Inspiration(v12-13) and Illumination(v14-16) are described in v9-16
Revelation 9	Cf Isa 64:4 – No one has comprehension of the things of God except God.  If men do see these things it is divinely appointed.  These CANNOT be perceived via the senses except God made it known. Note: Eye, Ear and MIND (or heart in other xlations), even combined, are not sufficient to recognize spiritual truths. God “prepared [it] for those who love him.” ¿: In the context, what is Paul speaking of?  [The things awaiting for us in heaven or the truth of the Gospel?] Those who receive the doctrine of Christ as Divine, and, having been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, have looked well into it, see not only the plain history of Christ, and him crucified, but the deep and admirable designs of Divine wisdom therein. (Matthew Henry)
10	God reveals it via His Spirit ¿: Who is the “us”? [apostles] Remember context is “When I came to you brothers…(cf2:1)” and “We do…speak (cf 2:6)” Ü ¿: What is Paul trying to say here? [God revealed to the apostles, who were then inspired (god-breathed) as they conveyed the message]
Whiteboard	¿: What is the message? [Gospel] Ü ¿: Articulate the gospel? Ü One way to share the Gospel? [Romans Road handout]
11	The Bible is not only God’s Word but God’s words
Inspiration 12	“We” again refers to the apostles The Spirit gives understanding to what is revealed
13	Having described the process of revelation by which the writers and apostles received God’s truth, Paul goes on to describe the process of inspiration. Paul makes a clear statement for verbal inspiration.  The VERY words of the Spirit. (cf 2 Tim 3:16) ¿: What do you think of this in view of the fact that the styles differ between Paul, Luke and Matthew?  Each reflects an individual style.
Illumination 14	We have learned that the Scriptures are divine in their writing, but now we see that they can only be understood with the assistance of the Spirit. Often we are looking/seeking God’s will. Should I share the gospel?  How much are they ready for?, etc. ¿: How can we know if God is working in someone’s life? [aware of spiritual truth – only God can reveal that] Trying to teach an unregenerate heart things of God is like trying “to catch sunlight with a fishhook.”  We look for God’s working (as defined above) to know what to share.
15	Even the unlearned can study and understand the deep truths of God – when the PH. D. cannot comprehend the most simplistic spiritual truth! “makes judgments” = scrutinize It does not mean we can know or understand everything, that we don’t need teachers or that study is not hard work, it does mean, though, that without the Spirit there is no understanding.
16	Our eyes are open to God’s wisdom
Summary	v9-12 = revelation of previously unknown truths v13 = inspiration in transmitting these truths to others v14-16 = illumination of the truths by the Spirit

Communicating the gospel means two things: 1) growing in our understanding of things of God 2) communicating the personal truths God has taught us as individuals

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

 

 

What do these two photos have in common?

 

A clue.  The poor shot of the foreboding snake relates to Indiana Jones.  The mountain peak altogether too close to the foreground trees is the Matterhorn.

 

If you still need a hint, forget it.  I’m out of them.  On July 4th after we debarked the cruise ship we headed to Disneyland for the day, and night.  Talk about a no rest vacation!

 

We had a good and full day.  Believe it or not the park was not packed like sardines, until that evening for the fireworks display.  All had their fill of rides and we did enjoy significantly shorter lines than our last visit on a weekday in December, 16 years ago.  Don’t know what improved but ½ the wait of our last visit was still a nice perk.

 

Our travels complete.  All told we traveled about 2,300 miles in the last 10 days and spent… well let’s just say enough to need a LONG rest from vacation.

 

Back to the real world.

 

Today I decided to spice it up a little and “go up 100 decks” before the day is out.  My plan is to ignore all the downs and only count every up.  There are only 15 decks accessible to me in one shot – so my plan would require stealth and cunning, as well as accurate counting.

In order to break up the monotony (and not look so foolish) going up and down all those steps I tried to utilize every staircase I could find.  Earlier today the captain gave a hint that there was a definite place to view the bridge from.  I discovered this place (his hint was pretty obvious) here’s the bridge of the 1,021′  vessel on which I am sailing.

That’s it, that’s everything.  The space in which this console is located as room for at least 3 more of these consoles.  My guess is the captain plays a little 9-hole on the bridge.  Why else would there be so much space?

 

Then I find out at dinner this is where the captain keeps his moped which I saw him driving through the promenade today.  His yellow Harley is stored somewhere deeper within the bowels of the ship and finds it’s way out when the captain heads into a port.

 

The day began with a dip in the hot tub and ends with trying to fit all that stuff back into my suitcase.

 

By the way, as of this posting I have traveled UP 99 decks.  Only one more to go before I retire tonight.

 

This was a slower morning for the travelers on The Mariner of the Seas.  I was up at a little after 7am this morning so I ate breakfast and meandered outside to the hot tubs.  4 of them in this area of the ship and all were mine for the choosing.  It was a blustery and early.  This is the perfect set of conditions to ensure I get it all to myself.  After wasting away in the solitude of the hot tub for 45 minutes I get out to read a bit.

 

Heading up to the interior lounge deck which overlooks the pool, I find a comfortable, sheltered chair that overlooks the pool area 3 decks below.  Pulling out my recreational reading, John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, I continue in my study on prayer.  Guess I’m an odd duck when it comes to what I do for fun.

 

After lunch I watched 9 men compete in the International Belly Flop Competition.  It was a nice change of pace and well worth standing outside in the brisk sea breeze on this overcast day.

Fortunately, pool maintenance was complete and the pool was refilled before the competition began.

 

Just for fun I took this photo inside near the forward section of the promenade from the 10th deck looking down on the 5th deck promenade.  The spiral stairs lead down to the 4th and 3rd decks.

 

And… to even out our evening… we were greeted with Mr.Towel Monkey upon arrival to our room.

 

 

The best!  Each port has had it’s unique flavor but hands down Puerto Vallarta is a family favorite.  I think the impending storm adding a slight misting in the air helped out this port over the top, but to be honest the city was so charming.  The hills are so beautifully covered with tropical vegetation.  The red roofs and the rocky coastline beckons to mariner to stay for a while.

Did I mention that an iguana had the privilege of sitting on each of our shoulders?  The highlight of his day, I am sure.

Our adventures for the day took us out to a local tequila distillery where we enjoyed the deluxe tour by the owners family.  We were able to see agave root quartered with an ax right there on the concrete floor.  The it is cooked in the pressure cooker, mashed in the masher and poured into the vats.  We tasted the mash – kind of like applesauce, or chicken.  Don’t worry about the strange fingers in your agave mash, by the time get to that part of the bottle you won’t really care.

 

We were then taken through the 2 step distilling process.  After a short explanation that white tequila was not aged in the oak barrels (which adds color) we moved onto the tasting process.  You can see 6 bottles in the picture.  From recollections we had 1 shot from each bottle then moved on to mix the variations.  Coffee tequila mixed with vanilla tequila tastes like something yummy I’ll want to pour over my French toast or waffles.

 

It was a pretty slick operation.  Empty a few bottles of tequila during the tasting process and introduce us to the cashier.  Grandma’s picture is even on the bottle which contains her recipe.

 

A long a fruitful day.  Time to lie out by the pool for a little evening shut-eye under the stars