STARBUCKS AND PEOPLE OF THE SPIRIT

Four or five mornings a week, I start my day in a local café. I’m an equal opportunity coffee drinker, so it may be Starbucks or our local chain, The Woods. This became my practice when I was in grad school and I had lots of reading to do. I found the café environment to be very conducive to reading and writing papers. Even though I completed school in May 2010, I've continued to make my way to a café in the mornings. From its humble beginnings at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, Starbucks has expanded to 11,000 stores in the USA and a total of over 17,000 worldwide. 

I’m writing this blog today from one of the eleven or so Starbucks in the Bellingham city limits. When Howard Schultz began to lead Starbucks in a major expansion in 1987, I doubt he was thinking the company would become one of the more indentified brands in North America. Starbucks created a whole new niche in the restaurant/café market. I’d love to ask Schultz a few questions. One of the questions is: “What made you think that people would pay $4 for a cup of coffee and sit for an hour (or two or three) in a café?” The closest thing to a Starbucks-type cafe, and I’m not the first to suggest this comparison, is a neighborhood bar. Starbucks, and the host of other small chains and local cafes which have sprung up in many cities, have become a place where people have talk with work associates and share a drink with friends. I know Schultz likes to refer to Starbucks as a “third place” in people’s lives: Home, Work and Starbucks. Based on history, no one could have predicted or expected Starbucks to experience the success they have.

I was talking to a friend this week. I shared with him something of a pet peeve of mine: I frequently encounter people who claim to embrace the ministry of the Holy Spirit, yet the most creative idea they ever have is to do what they’ve always done. In the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, we have God who formed all of creation; the variety, the beauty, the colors, the vastness, etc. To me it is sad when people of the Spirit get locked into a mode where they no longer expect the creative activity and insight of God to be active in their lives.

I don’t know anything about Howard Schultz’ spiritual life, but I can appreciate the fact that he envisioned something which, for the most part, hadn’t previously existed in our communities. I wonder what would happen if more people would choose to be open to the creative possibilities and opportunities the Holy Spirit has in mind for their church and community? I’m thinking of people who are willing to forge new paths which lead towards things which have never before been done, either by them or possibly by anyone.

What keeps us from expecting the creative power of the Holy Spirit to be released in our lives? Is it fear of failure? Do we allow Satan to play upon our insecurities, while he torments us with accusing questions: “Who do you think you are?” Is our desire for comfort and security so strong in our lives, we avoid anything and everything which may cause us to become uncomfortable? Do we allow the haters to quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

On Sunday (October 30) at King Mountain Church we have a guest missionary, Jeremy Postal. I connected with Jeremy this summer, and I’ve been inspired by his vision to be on mission in Whistler, BC. There’s a long list of reasons why you never hear of missionaries serving in Whistler: it’s too expensive; the population is too transient; there’s too much partying; it’s too spiritually dark (I think it’s like 1% Christian); others have tried and failed; etc. One of the things I love about Jeremy is none of these “reasons” have prevented him from responding to the call of the Spirit to “go” to Whistler. 

Let me close with this challenge to you and to me: If we find the path and plans we’re currently following never lead us to “new” opportunities to serve the Lord, we can be certain we’re not being led by the Spirit. These new opportunities will lead us to new PLACES, new PEOPLE, and new PLANS. 

It’s time for people of the Spirit to be people of the Spirit, and to open up their hearts to what He desires to do in and through their lives.

DOES GRACE MAKE YOU NERVOUS?

In today’s blog post I want to continue in the general theme of the last couple of posts. It’s been nearly a week since I last wrote, which is an indication of the pace of my life right now. Can you say, “Crazy”? In exploring the implications of “grace and truth” (John 1:14,17), I’ve been emphasizing the importance of living GRACE FIRST. I am aware “grace” makes some people nervous. There’s the crowd who argues we need to “speak the truth in love.” (Eph 4:15) No argument there, except I’ve found some who make such an argument too often fail to speak “in love.” There’s a harshness, judgmentalism, and even spiritual arrogance, in the way they speak and what they say. If you find yourself lacking gracefulness in your attitude and approach to others, you would do well, as the saying goes, to “err on the side of grace.” One way to look at living GRACE FIRST is slowing down your reactions and responses and giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do what he does: convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) Personally, I’ve found the Holy Spirit does his job better than I can do it for him. 

“Grace and truth” is not an either/or scenario, but a both/and. Even when we’re choosing to live GRACE FIRST, the TRUTH is going to play a major role in how we navigate the opportunities to represent Christ in our world. Jesus was constantly extending grace to people, through kindness, compassion, and mercy. “Grace is what God gives us when we don’t deserve; and mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we do deserve.”  (Unknown) Yet no one would ever argue that Jesus was soft on sin. I see “grace and truth” as the two sides of the COIN of good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Both are needed, in fact, each depends on the other. If we’re all grace all the time, in the way we represent Christ in the world, our witness will lack the words of the gospel. Romans 10:13-15 (New Living Translation): 

13 For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

We live GRACE FIRST, but the TRUTH of the good news [gospel] determines our words. A very important aspect of living “grace and truth” is in our understanding of the purpose of the ‘truth’ side of the coin. If you view the truth as the words to win an argument or debate, to prove how you’re right and someone else is wrong in the way they live, there’s a good chance that whatever you say will come across as judgmental and highly offensive. If we can view sharing and speaking the “truth” to others as shining the light on the right path, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s the difference between being a searchlight and a spotlight. We become a “spotlight” when we shine the truth in someone’s face by seeking to show them how wrong they are. This approach sometimes does nothing more than put a person on the defensive. I’d rather view the “truth” as a searchlight, which seeks out the lost, and then guides them towards safety.

We live GRACE FIRST, but the TRUTH of the good news [gospel] determines our words. A very important aspect of living “grace and truth” is in our understanding of the purpose of the ‘truth’ side of the coin. If you view the truth as the words to win an argument or debate, to prove how you’re right and someone else is wrong in the way they live, there’s a good chance that whatever you say will come across as judgmental and highly offensive. If we can view sharing and speaking the “truth” to others as shining the light on the right path, I think it makes a huge difference. It’s the difference between being a searchlight and a spotlight. We become a “spotlight” when we shine the truth in someone’s face by seeking to show them how wrong they are. This approach sometimes does nothing more than put a person on the defensive. I’d rather view the “truth” as a searchlight, which seeks out the lost, and then guides them towards safety.

I don’t want to come off as making it sound like I’ve got it all figured out in how to live out “grace and truth.” I think it’s one of those things where we need to feel the tension between grace and truth, and constantly seek to be guided by the Holy Spirit in our interactions with others. The fact that many people don’t view the church as a place of grace, and they see Christians as the most judgmental people on the planet, should tell us that the approach we’ve been using isn’t working out so well.