A first post on a new blog is way too much pressure for anyone to handle! I’ve been stressing over what to say, how to say it. What is important enough for my first topic? I can’t do it. I refuse to do it. So I’m just going to tell you what I am thinking about Coffee Shop Journal right now, and we’ll jump in.

I never drank my first cup of coffee until I was 35, and I certainly wouldn’t have picked coffee shops as a place to hang out back then, either. But here we are, some years later, and I can confidently debate roasts of coffee, techniques of brewing, and even the merits of certain coffee mugs over others. I have a decided preference on that subject. I’ve also discovered that a lot of life is lived in the coffee shop. Deals are made and broken. Friends are made, or not.

A good coffee shop is a place to stop and regroup, think about the next steps in life or in the day, before heading back out into the world to make a difference. And that is how I view this blog, as well. This is a place to stop and ponder the next steps of life. I am passionate about living out my faith in the places God has given me. In the Old Testament God assigned each tribe of Israelites the place in which they were to live in their new land. God often called a person from one place to another (think Abraham heading out of Ur). God cares about places, and the place you are in is no accident. It is the realization that God cares about places which has focused my ministry in the past few years. I am on a journey to settle into my community and my life, take stock of what is around me, and jump in. I’ve grown tired of waiting for someday, and am learning to value now. Which is why I am starting Coffee Shop Journal now…even before I know exactly where it will fit in life. It is a place from which to grow, and I hope you will join me.