This morning, I had a 9 AM Zoom meeting of the Policy Committee for CrossNet Ministries. This past year I was invited to serve on the CrossNet Board and then assigned to the Policy Committee. We meet periodically to review and update documents—things like bylaws, policies, and procedures. Exciting stuff.

Because of this unmovable appointment, everything in my morning was carefully timed. I had an early morning breakfast with Don Reynard at Zig’s Café in Lititz. Google Maps said it was a 32-minute drive back to Bethany, so with Don’s good-natured consent, we wrapped up our conversation at precisely 8:22 AM, which would put me in my office by 8:54 and give me six minutes to unpack, boot up, and log into Zoom.

I lost a minute in transit but successfully logged into the meeting at 8:58.

After a few cheerful greetings, the meeting began. Everyone on screen was relaxed and informal—having dialed in from various locations: home, work, or office. So I, too, relaxed and began to contribute. As we worked, I noticed that everyone was sipping something—coffee mugs, tumblers, water bottles. Maybe it was the power of suggestion, but suddenly I was thirsty.

“Rats,” I thought. “I had no time to grab a drink.”

Then I saw the open travel mug sitting on my desk. Before I left yesterday, I was sipping some hot apple cider from the office Keurig and never finished it. Cider’s good hot or cold, right? So I lifted the narrow stainless steel vessel and took a sip. Into my mouth flowed the room-temperature cider—and then something unexpected… a bump or lump, something solid that clearly wasn’t cider.

Instantly I knew what it was.

Yesterday, a large, lazy housefly had tormented me all afternoon. Not a little fly—mind you.  This was one of the big ones that looks like a flying raisin. It buzzed circles around me, landing on my desk, my computer screen, my leg. I tried swatting at it but eventually just tried to ignore it. And when I left for the day, I kept my office door open, hoping it would fly over to Christel’s office.

Apparently, it didn’t. It found a more tragic end. It had chosen my half-finished cider as its final resting place.

I’m proud to say,  I maintained total composure. Without so much as a flinch, I swallowed the cider, caught the fly in my lips, turned ever so slightly from the camera, and—puhhh!—expelled the dead bug discreetly onto the floor.

Disgusting. I tried not to think about it. Flies are filthy, right? Where had that thing been before it drowned in my cup? I told myself, “Well, you have to die from something.” and “At least there’s not a fly in my office anymore.”

A few minutes went by, and now deep in discussion, I found myself absentmindedly taking another sip. Yuck. I swallowed hard, blinked, and casually moved the mug as far from my computer as possible.

Moral of the story… Look before you drink.

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Spiritual Reflection: Look Before You Believe

The moral fits more than my morning misadventure—it speaks to the moment we’re living in.

As Christians, we’re awash in information—bombarded with headlines, soundbites, and clickbait. We scroll, skim, and often drink deeply without really checking what we’re taking in. But it’s not just the news or social media. We also consume culture uncritically—movies, music, podcasts, and shows that subtly shape our thinking about truth, morality, identity, and what really matters. Many of these things are entertaining and even well-crafted. But like that mug of cider on my desk, they can carry hidden contaminants—ideas that distort or even defy what is good, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Before we realize it, we’ve swallowed something that damages on our soul.

Just because something looks harmless- even appealing or widely accepted—doesn’t mean it’s pure. Whether it’s a viral post, a streaming series, or a cultural trend, wisdom calls us to pause, examine, and discern what we’re taking in.

The Bible calls this lack of discernment “simple.”

“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” — Proverbs 14:15

In other words, wise people look before they drink.

Paul warned believers to “test everything; hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). John echoed that when he said, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). So, before you take a big gulp of what the world’s serving, pause long enough to ask where it came from and what it’s made of.

In a world overflowing with voices—news networks, influencers, websites, celebrity preachers, algorithms—it’s important to remember there’s only one source that’s pure, reliable, and trustworthy every single time: the Word of God.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” — 2 Timothy 3:16
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” — Psalm 119:105
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” — Proverbs 30:5

So before you take another sip—from a news feed, a conversation, a trending opinion, or even your own assumptions—pause and look closely. Test it against the truth of Scripture. Because not every cup that looks sweet is safe.

Moral of the story… Look before you drink.