Coffee Shop Journal

Just a little recessionary encouragement for all of you! David and I went into Costco today and discovered that you can buy $100 worth of Starbucks gift cards (5 $20 cards) for $80. I like the sound of  a 20% disccount! If only there were discounted Barnes and Noble gift cards, too… Oh well, it’s not a perfect world.

We are in Boston for the weekend, doing a little business and picking my mother up to bring her back to Florida. I’m pretty sure the leaves would be really pretty, if only the sun would shine through them. They are past their peak, of course, but there is still something beautiful about them fluttering down through the wind and carpeting the grass.

We also went to one of my new favorite restaurants for lunch today. It’s called Stone Hearth Pizza, but they offer more on their menu besides pizza. Several things make them unique. First, they source as much of their food locally as possible. I know that environmentally speaking, this is huge. Second, because of that local sourcing the food is of high quality. Even where it isn’t local, it’s organic or all natural. Even simple dishes (or maybe especially simple dishes) taste better with the freshest food. Third, their atmosphere is warm and cozy and welcoming. Artwork by a local sixth grade class hangs in front of stone wall insets, the lighting is nice and the colors are so appropriate.

All the things that make me enjoy going there could — should — apply to our churches as well: It’s a local part of our community, its message is simple and life-changing, and the atmosphere is welcoming and appropriate to the message. That last one seems to be a sticking point for a lot of churches, who seem to go for the corporate mold rather than a reflection of their community.

Just a few thoughts for a rainy day!

Catalyst 2008 impacted my life in so many ways, large and small. The lineup of speakers was designed to lead us through thought processes that we may never encounter otherwise. One of the speakers we heard was Seth Godin, one of the world’s most amazing marketers and business minds. Seth is not a Christian, but he sure understands faith. Listen to what he wrote in his book, “Tribes,” which is on my list of highly recommended reads for the fall.

Not too far from us, a few blocks away, there are kids without enough to eat and without parents who care. A little farther away, hours by plane, are people unabe to reach their goals because they live in a community that just doesn’t have the infrastructure to support them. A bit farther away are people being brutally persecuted by their governments. And the world is filled with people who can’t go to high school, never mind college, and who certainly can’t spend their time focused on whether or not they get a good parking space at work.

And so the obligation: don’t settle.

To have all these advantages, all this momentum, all these opportunities and then settle for mediocre and then defend the status quo and then worry about corporate politics — what a waste.

Flynn Berry wrote that you should never use the word “opportunity.” It’s not an opportunity, it’s an obligation.

I don’t think we have any choices. I think we have an obligation to change the rules, to raise the bar, to play a different game, and to play it better than anyone has any rights to believe is possible.

Something in this short passage really speaks to me. We can’t talk about the grand things that need to be done when next door or across the street there are kids whose parents don’t care. At every level of society, and in every nation on earth, there are people who are waiting for us to act. And as Seth challenges in the last paragraph, the goal is to act better, raise the bar higher, and get to these people quicker.

Start with the kids next door.

The states have been divided up, red and blue. The parties are over, the ads have — mercifully — stopped on television. The election is over. Now I’m not going to hide it: even though this isn’t by any means a political blog, I was a McCain supporter. So last night’s festivities were less than exhilarating for me. But today is a new day and these are the thoughts running through my head.

• I love my country. I love that major ideologies can clash and restructure government, all without bloodshed or even intimidation. One truly powerful group of people will say to another group, “OK…your turn” and march out of control just like that.
• McCain ended his race like the patriot that he is. Well-played until the end, sir.
• Obama seemed presidential and ready to step into the role that will try his soul. I have already started praying for him, and his family, and the wisdom that he will need in the days ahead.
• The acceptance venue for Obama was amazing. The music, the crowds, the cheers…very cool.
• I am truly glad for African-Americans that they are able to applaud Obama’s victory. I know I’m as white as it gets, but I understand some of the pressures that blacks have endured through history. To see Obama take this step on behalf of black Americans made me teary eyed and happy for them.
• My focus is not on the President I serve, but on the King I serve. I don’t want to ever confuse one with the other. Political issues are not the same as spiritual ones. I will stand up for marriage, for life, for the moral issues in the kingdom. I will try to change hearts.
• I’m glad to be done with election season. There’s too much work to be done for our country or our churches to be split in half.

It’s a new day…I have work to do. Who’s with me?

“Over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy.  [Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so.  From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat.”  ~Author Unknown

You heard it here: at least two cups of coffee for everyone before you vote!

This afternoon I dragged myself into Jeremy’s Starbucks and squeaked out an order for a redeye (brewed coffee with an added shot of espresso). He was serving Aged Sumatra, a bean that will be available tomorrow for purchase, along with their Thanksgiving blend. The Sumatra was amazing. It gave me a few more minutes of energy and life!

By the way, stop in to Starbucks tomorrow after you vote. If you tell them you voted, they will give you a free cup of coffee. You can watch the promotion below. I love that. Because when tomorrow is over, we’re all going to still live in this country together, and get back to working for the King, not the President. Have a great day, everyone!

Tonight, hope looked like Christ Fellowship’s City Place campus, the Ascent, packed to the rafters with people worshiping. To hymns. Absolutely astounding. Our musicians spent this week learning songs they’d never played before, just to increase the breadth of our musical worship. It was an amazing night.

I can’t explain why this evening touched me so. But as I looked around tonight, I saw people of all generations bonded together in singing songs that brought me back to my childhood. “How marvelous, how wonderful and my song shall ever be…” I could hear my dad’s voice singing next to me in Sunday night church — where that song counted as a contemporary number. My dad didn’t really sing much; he rumbled. His big, barrel-chested 6′4″ body would rumble its way through some version of a bass line: security, singing next to me while I grew. I couldn’t stop the tears tonight, thinking about Dad. They were good tears. What a great memory!

And then there are the musicians themselves, leading us. This ministry of singing and playing…it transports people from a place of fear that the financial markets, political markets, any markets might fail. It moves us from where we are to where we need to be. Can hope be far behind if quality people like our worship bands can create an oasis of life in the middle of uncertainty? And just think…those songs have been sung through ups and downs, crashes of one sort or another. “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.” The message is timeless. Our hope isn’t in an election, or our bank accounts. It’s in Him, and all that exists in Him. It’s in each other, and the community of grace we live in together.

They’re just hymns, just old songs that have fallen out of favor. But they may become hip again, because there’s something special about traditions that tie generations together in the ultimate source of hope. Just hymns. But it was a night that soothed my soul and brought back memories that are precious. Just hymns, but sung by the kids who are the future I’m praying over. Just hymns, but so much more.

It was certainly a night to remember! I loved every minute of Halloween. True, it had it’s issues: no trick-or-treaters to start with. And certainly there was extra food, like an oven-full of chicken wings. But there was also a night full of people doing life together! And that was worth it all. Here are a few highlights of the night.

• Costumes were a breath of fresh air after several years of “fall festivals.” I actually enjoyed my vampires, Heath Ledger jokers and rocker fairies. I also thoroughly enjoyed the creativity. My favorite had to have been Amanda, whose rubiks cube took top prize.
• We had kids from two church campuses mixed at the party. I’d like to see more informal events like these where the kid can meet and get to know each other.
• Boys love fire. If nothing else, they could go do dangerous things with the torches and the fire pit. And S’mores…they make everything worthwhile.
• The student ministries staff hung out with us during and after the party, and were — by far — the highlight of the evening. We loved sitting around the kitchen table and getting to know Mel and Shauno…two new staff members we hadn’t had a chance to connect with so far. Students popped in and out of conversations, and everyone got to seem a little more “real” to each other.
• Parents dropped off, picked up, stopped in and got to know each other a little bit.
• All ages mixed in that party, from first-graders to Moms. We can learn so much from each other by doing life with multi-generations.
• The Halloween Party — while certainly a lot of work — seemed like a return to simpler times to me. It seemed to value the relationships that we have in and out of church. There is something about being in someone else’s home, or bringing people into yours, that initiates a deeper, more real relationship.
• And last, this little life lesson learned: kids don’t eat chicken wings at a party.

Check back here late tonight…I’m getting ready for the big Halloween in the Hood bash! (Just made up that name…wish I’d thought of it). Buffalo wings ordered, Pizza coming, weather clear, sound system on. I think we’re all set. I’ll try to post pics and stories tonight.

Aaron Keyes electrified Catalyst with his worship set this month. Every time I hear him I am blown away by his grasp of scripture and his heart for true worship. This past Sunday he spoke on his vision of praise and worship at his home church, Grace Fellowship in Snellville, Georgia. The video below is the full sermon — 40 minutes plus or minus. Here are Aaron Keye’s top eleven reasons why we should worship God. I loved this. Honestly, the full sermon is worth listening to. For instance, he talked about the distinction between Praise — vertical directing of our praise to God — and Worship — falling on our face before a holy, awe-inspiring God.

Why We Should Worship God

1.    He commands it. Psalm 150

2.    He is present and enthroned in our praise. Psalm 22:3

3.    There is great power in our worship and praise: Power for spiritual warfare (psalm 149:6), Protection from attrition (flesh), Becoming more like Jesus (Psalm 115), Releasing the full work of God.

4.    It’s a good thing to do – pleasant and fitting.

5.    He is worthy of it.

6.    It’s partly why we were saved in the first place – saved that we may declare his praises.

7.    Worship gets my mind off of myself. We become enthralled with God.

8.    Worship cultivates unity and oneness. When the unity goes up, the glory comes down.

9.    Worship produces a spirit of gratitude within me.

10.  It is why I was saved, why I exist.

The best reason to worship:
11. We can give to the Lord something that delights him. We can delight the heart of God. He will cherish it forever.

Meet my friend Brad Margus. Brad was in our wedding (can it really be almost 23 years ago?). CNN did a profile on him last year, detailing his absolutely amazing fight to save two of his four children from a crippling disease. David and I have lost touch with Brad lately, but have continued to pray over his kids and follow his path to find a cure. This is a great video demonstrating what happens when abilities and skills meet passion and drive. Brad inspires us. You can read more about his foundation, the AT Children’s Project here.

This is part of Watercooler Wednesday.

For the first time in many years I am planning a Halloween party with excitement and anticipation. I’m searching out fun recipes, hunting for decorations that aren’t creepy but aren’t cheesy: not an easy combinatino to find. We’re creating music playlists and telling kids to bring their guitars or instruments to put a rocking band together (hopefully?). I’m even calling it a Halloween party without too much condemnation.

Why the transformation?

The financial crisis in the markets. You see, eventually a Wall Street crisis becomes a church budget crisis. Which means that this year there is no fall festival to supervise and manage at church. Volunteers and families like me are free to — wait for it — throw a party at home and see if the neighborhood shows up! Just think about it: what other time of year has the whole neighborhood either walking through the streets or sitting at their front door ready to practice hospitality? This year our yard is open for the party. I’ll let you know what happens.