Living Alive

I love coffee. Particularly first thing in the morning. It’s a habit, a ritual. It’s good.

But lately, I’ve been thinking more about where my cup of coffee comes from. Some “Joe” has had to work pretty hard for this luxury of mine. There’s a whole string of connected lives that end up blessing my life with this simple too often taken for granted drink.

I don’t get up & say “I think I wanna make a cup of coffee that’ll be bad for the environment & exploit farmers and their children in developing countries.”

No. We just don’t think about it.

But there is such thing as a fairly traded cup of joe. It’s not about me getting the cheapest cup possible. Its about paying the workers better so that their children can have a better future. And it doesn’t cost me much more – may be a few cents, but it makes more sense.
McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and others offer the alternative “fair-trade” cup o’ joe.
Sometimes there’s more to life than saving a few pennies. There are people to be mindful of when I make economic choices – even the choice to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Maybe that’s something you’ll think about when the pot is brewing?

For more info, goto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade_coffee

Recently on a Sunday morning, a church member came up to me with excitement: “I’m looking for some friends.”

(Good, you can find plenty of friends here, I thought!) But she was already moving & looking around the sanctuary. “We saw their car – or at least I thought it was theirs?” she rejoined me. “I really want you to meet them…” as she went on about how she’d been inviting them to church. Turns out that the friends didn’t make it that day. Ok. Maybe next time.

But what excites me the most – her enthusiasm about friends coming to worship & fellowship together.

Let me ask YOU: who are you excited about bringing to worship the Risen Christ?!?

By the way… the body of Christ is the best place to make (and keep) friends. Remember (as Michael W. Smith wrote & sang) “a friend’s a friend forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them.”

Friends,

This post is a “test.”  I am wondering “who’s out there” “who’s reading these blogs”?  And what are you getting out of it?  I’m considering twittering.  Do any of you twitter?  Does that interest you – to have more of a back-n-forth conversation? 

It’s been a year now that I’ve been blogging on a regular basis.  You, as a readership, have been faithful and rather conversational – but really, I had hoped for a few more responses (not complaining, just reflecting aloud with you…)

It occurs to me that most of you who read my blog (thank you, gentle readers) are among the same folks who “sit & listen” to me on Sundays (bless you, you are a patient people). 

It may be more interesting for you — more beneficial perhaps? — to have the opportunity to “tweet” back and forth together.

What are your thoughts?

I would appreciate your feedback.  – Pastor Jason

At Dunkin’ Donuts the other morning, my daughter was telling me what she wants to be when she grows up: a school teacher. She’s put a lot of thought into this.

I was glad to listen. I sat quietly, imagining her future. It was such a joy. A memory I’ll keep for a long while.

While others are speaking – do you listen? What I so often do, unfortunately, is busy my brain with thoughts about what I want to say next. Usually it’s only advice that I think I need to share with them. Never mind that they aren’t asking (let alone needing) my advice.

Listening is a lost art. Who will take it up again? Many people are hurting, lonely, because there’s no one to listen to them.

What we may learn is that it’s a holy art – to listen to the heart of another. May you give this gift to those you love.