The Gospel According to Starbucks

That is the title of the latest book I picked up: The Gospel According to Starbucks - Living With a Grande Passion by Leonard Sweet. Pretty catchy title, eh? I have to admit that I picked the book up because of the title - Starbucks - and I bought it because it was on sale and I was looking for some new reading material that didn't cost a whole lot. I know those are not super spiritual reasons for reading a book, but you know, it is what it is.
As I started reading the book last night, I had to laugh. The author cleverly weaves coffee lingo in all that he writes, but he makes some pretty interesting points. Essentially, he looks at why Starbucks has become the phenomenon it has and why we are so willing to wait in line for and pay the price for a coffee at Starbucks. He then relates this to our faith walk.
He says, "You don't just get a cup of coffee at Starbucks, you have an experience. You shouldn't just go to church out of duty or guilt, you should experience the warmth and richness of the experience of living with God."
Just like you favourite brew from Starbucks is irresistible - mine happens to be a grande skinny hazelnut latte - so, too, is the life that Jesus offers you.

I am going to type out the last little bit of chapter two for you to enjoy.
Whenever I am interviewed, the question I'm almost always asked is this: "Dr. Sweet, do you believe in absolute truth?" There is only one answer: "I more than believe in it. I know Absolute Truth personally." Absolute Truth is Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the ... truth." When we know the truth, when we are in relationship with the Absolute, we will be...set free to live EPIC-ally. ...Jesus says, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The EPIC life is true with a capital "T". It is the irresisible answer to lukewarm, colorless spirituality. It is God's freshly brewed antidote to the dutiful Christian life. Once you respond to God's stirring introduction to the full experience of faith, you'll find spiritual passion that you'd gladly stand in line for.
Note: EPIC is an acrostic meaning Experiential; Participatory; Image-rich; Connecting.

So, I'm going to brew a cup of warm coffee, sit back and read on about this passion I'd gladly stand in line for.
Blessings,
Karren

PS Starbucks has not approved this book!

A 2012 Update!

I haven't written anything here for two weeks...not because nothing is happening, but rather because I am not certain where to start.
I'll start with Arryn. Well, on January 1st, Hector proposed to our daughter and she accepted! Arryn is officially engaged. We are so happy for her and Hector and are praying that the Lord will lead and direct their lives as they serve Him together. They are thinking about a wedding sometime in November, so that gives us, and them, plenty of time to prepare.
Over the Christmas holidays, Rocky shared with me that the Lord was telling him to take action. As a result, we pushed ahead in all earnestness with looking for a placement on the mission field. We are more certain than ever that right now, at this time in our lives, God is asking us to serve Him on the foreign mission field. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, but our place is not to question that; it is simply to say yes to what He is asking today.
This position of looking for a ministry is new to us. When we went to work with Impact Ministries full time, we were invited to come. We had been involved with bringing down short term teams since Impact began and it was a natural step to take to go and help full time. This position of looking for a place to serve is very different. In fact, what we have discovered is that there many ministries looking for people to come and help.
Because they all seem like exciting possibilities, we decided it would be best for us to go down and visit the ministry sites and meet those working with the various ministries before deciding where to go. We are not looking for a perfect fit - that doesn't exist - but we are looking for a good fit. A place where we can serve the Lord, the local people and the other missionaries who are there.
In order to do this affectively, we need a vehicle. So, that is where we are at. We are looking for a reliable, suitable vehicle to drive down sometime in February with the intent of visiting and praying about where God wants to plant us. This is a huge step for us, but we are excited to see what the Lord has planned!
At this point, becuase we are not affiliated with a missions organization, we are not receiving faith support. Rocky has been working - PTL - but we are praying about how we can raise the funds to purchase a vehicle and fund an exploration trip like this. We have some money set aside, that has already been given for a vehicle, but is isn't enough.
If you would be willing to pray along with us, we'd be so thankful. Pray that God would guide and direct us as we look for and purchase a vehicle, plan the trip down and travel through Mexico, visit the various ministry sites, decide on God's place for us in Central America, and raise our support base, once again.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. We love you and appreciate you more than you know.
Blessings,
Karren