Four Ounces of Coffee

Every now and then I get an email that changes my plans for the day.  Yep, you guessed it.  It's the email that informs me that I have a free drink waiting for me at Starbucks.  Today, just happened to be one of those days.

Since I can get any drink free of charge, my mind jumps to the more expensive side of the menu:

TRIPLE SHOT WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT MOCHA.

Yum.

As I pull out of the drive-through today, drink in hand, and giggling to myself, I notice that the barista has made a terrible mistake.  He got everything correct, EXCEPT that he made it a grande instead of a venti.

"How dare he!  Doesn't he know that this is MY free drink!  I couldn't pay to have such terrible service!  Maybe I'll turn around, walk in, and demand that they make my absolutely free drink CORRECTLY!"

No joke, these thoughts were running through my head... until I remembered a video I saw last night that my friend Jim Blechl had sent me:

The video resolution isn't the best, but the message is clear.  These are Chinese Christians receiving their own Bibles for the first time.

Suddenly, four ounces of coffee doesn't seem that important.


I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
~Philippians 4:12

Life Foundations

Such an encouraging night!  Susanna and I began the Life Foundations series at Granger Community Church.  There were so many people who attended that we had to set up extra tables in the back!  This is a great Wednesday night discussion that is geared toward learning Bible study methods.

Answering the Call: Eyes Open

There are many times in life that I am absolutely certain that I should do something.  I am often reassured of my decision because I am in a comfortable place, know what the future holds, or have lots of time to think about the decision before I make it.  However, there are some times when I know I have to make a difficult decision and have to step out in faith, without much reassurance other than the voice of my Heavenly Father.

My wife and I have just made the biggest decision of our married lives.  We have decided to leave our current church ministry, my profession as a youth coordinator, and those that we care about deeply in order to pursue God's calling in our lives.

Before I get into the actual calling, I want to lay the ground work of how God has been moving in our lives this past month.  I will divide this post into five (maybe six) segments over the next few weeks; discussing different principles I have learned this past month.

The best biblical parallel to what we have been going through can be found in the story of Moses encountering the burning bush.  It is a passage that I read in the OYB (One Year Bible) at the end of January, and at the exact time I was going through this difficult transition:

Exodus 3:1-4

(1) One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.  He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.
(2) There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.  Moses stared in amazement.  Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up.
(3) "This is amazing," Moses said to himself.  "Why isn't that
bush burning up?  I must go see it."
(4) When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses!  Moses!"  "Here I am!" Moses replied.

Just like Moses was not expecting to be called away from his current position (tending his father's sheep), so too, my wife and I were not anticipating a calling to leave our church family.  The first principle I have learned in this process is to always keep my eyes open to what God is doing in my life.