Inspired by a beer company and rockers

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

The beer industry would go broke relying on the amount of beer I drink in a year (month) (week). My daughter even lives less than seven blocks from Coors in Golden, Colorado, where you can get free beer anytime you endure their factory tour. Not my favorite beverage.

Consumer products companies all pay special attention to being “in sync” with the street smarts of the nation. P&G, Coca Cola, Nestlé – all of them are extremely careful about hitting this “vibe” just right.

A few years ago, Budweiser learned what happens when you do this wrong. Now, they have learned from their mistake. Budweiser’s commercial for the Super Bowl (on YouTube, “Budweiser Commercial 2026”) is about as heart-warming and patriotic as you can find. I have no way of knowing if they read the mood of the country or decided on their own to move to the patriotic side of the country’s attitude, but it is breathtaking. And inspiring. Makes you want to stand up and shout.  

Thank you, Budweiser, for coming back to patriotism and goodness.

If that wasn’t enough, Jelly Roll gave a rousing testimony for Christ as he picked up his Grammy the other night. It was an awe-inspiring endorsement of our Lord. I didn’t know anyone other than the religious music categories got excited about Christianity.  

I do know one previous winner in that category, Laura Story, who is the music director at our church, but other than that, the Grammies are the last place I would look for a Christian testimony. Thank you, Jelly Roll. I have no idea what you sing, but perhaps I will look it up now.

Then, on Facebook, I find a portrait of Alice Cooper with his printed testimony of his life in Christ. Sadly, I have no way of telling if this is real or fake, but it was inspiring.

Who do we give credit (besides Christ) for these movements? I know those of you with TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) are expecting me to point to the Donald. I will not.  

Perhaps we have collectively decided some of the crazy stuff we have been experimenting with as a country is not so good for us after all.  

I hope so. Like many, I worry about the next generation. We have been collectively living in a manner that is not a good foundation for them.  

If I may give a shout-out to my Mennonite friends, this is why I find their lifestyle, morals, ethics and religion so attractive. They have got it right. Do they have problems? Sure. Just like the rest of us. But their ways of dealing with the problems in this life are lightyears ahead of the English (what they call us who are not Mennonites).  

I am confident they got through the recent winter weather in Highland County without a problem for they do not use electricity. A day in a snowstorm is just another day for them.

Blessings to all.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.