Quick Note and Mini-Sermon

Notice--
Today I gave my testimony in Japanese at Elevate Church. I don't think I did well, but at least I did it. I surrendered it to Christ before going up there, and I know I did my best, so I am tryin not be down about it.
I have this weird tendency to put myself down for not having gone further instead of praising myself for improving as much as I have. I have noticed this with my learning of Japanese. People tell me じょうず　じょうず、but I rarely agree with them. I am so far from where I want to be in communicating. Yet I know the ability I have is from God, so who am I to argue with His pace?
It's hard to go from knowing to believing, isn't it?
This morning I read from Acts 10:9-something. It was right after the centurian Cornelius sent his guys to find Peter so he could know Jesus, but before Peter truly believed God wants every nation to come to Him. When, in the trance/vision, God offered various cermonially 'unclean' kinds of meat to Peter, he refused them. He didn't refuse them saying 'no, God! How could I dishoner You and displease You by eating that??' No. He, in effect, said 'No way jose! That'd break my perfect record of self-righteousness!!!!' Don't we often think that way? We prefer to follow the rule over the Ruler.
Today a fairly new Christian asked me about two controversial topics in the Christian circle: baptism and alcohol.
She said, "In Japan, we have two kinds--the sprinkle and the immersion. Do you have two kinds in America, too?" I told her yes, but explained the controversy. Though I am partial to the baptists, having been raised as one, I told her the important thing was the meaning. When a person is baptized, it is because they want to show everyone that they truly have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ and have gained a new life. So, technically, a sprinkle could serve this purpose. Heck, drinking orange juice could serve the pupose if everyone agreed it symbolized that. But the preference the Baptists cling to, immersion, is on account of the meaning of the word 'baptism' as it is used in the Bible. The original word means 'to submerge', so to follow the Bible that literally would mean to be immersed into the water after conversion to Christianity.
Then she asked about if it was okay for a Christian to drink alcohol. Again, being raised in the environment I was, I would prefer to tell her not to drink. But the Bible says Christians can drink alcohol---just don't get drunk. The theory traditional and logical 'dry' folk have is that one does not always know the strength of the beverage and thus could not know one's own limit. Therefore, it is safer not to drink at all than to risk being drunk.
This is one of those eating-meat-sacrificed-to-idols debates. If you feel it is a sin for you OR if by doing it you could cause someone else to sin (like, someone sees you drinking and says "Oh, he's drinking! I'm gonna go get drunk! Woopy!), then DON'T do it. But if you have NO conviction from the Holy Spirit, God's Word, or otherwise against it, then go ahead and don't be ashamed.