It's been a couple hundred years since I made a post at good ole' Cafe Verona... but I really miss it! And things have certainly changed since the last time I wrote down my spiritual thoughts here in this thoughtful, friendly, cozy, and powerfully aromatic Italian espresso bar at the far reaches of my mind. Actually, there are several reasons I haven't written for so long... one is the Daily Word, which takes a lot more time than I would have ever supposed. But the overriding reason is pure and unadulterated laziness!One thing I have experienced since I last visited the Cafe is an unforgettable time working for several months as a Barista at Starbucks. Holy cow... that is one butt-kicking (but wonderful) job! I don't know if I miss making endless lines of lattes and caramel macciotos, but I really do miss the people a lot... both fellow partners (employees) and customers! Someday soon, I'm going to post on some of the lessons learned at Starbucks. It's been a couple of weeks now since I've "retired" from the Canyon Road (Ellensburg) location, but my body is still trying to get used to not getting up at O'Dark-thirty. Seriously, I believe a middle-aged guy getting out of bed at 3:30 in the morning to go to work has learned the definition of hell on earth! No biggie for the young kids I worked with - sometimes they came in to work without sleeping at all the night before... a suicidal approach my brain can't even begin to fathom. Let's face it, quad-grande americanos might help (and taste really good), but NOTHING could give me the energy to think and do all the necessary things if I even dared walk in the door with less than six hours of sleep. After a few minutes, they'd send me home in a basket.
So, here I am... all of a sudden I have more time on my hands than I've had in nearly eight years (after a lifetime in seminary, and nearly a year as a bi-vocational church planter)... I'm actually able to read more, think more, and write more. Oh, don't get me wrong... I manage to stay really busy these days, but it's amazing how different it is to have only one full-time job, rather than trying to keep several plates balanced in the air and constantly spinning.
So anyway, my new goal is to post my thoughts here on a weekly(ish) basis. Sounds easy, I know... but do you have a blog? If so, are you consistent with it? Ha... I thought so!
The way I see it, I have about a 12 month (give or take) window of opportunity to see for certain if God has something special in mind for creating a new kind of church in the Burg. After that, things get a bit more complicated, especially financially... but for the next year, I can focus all my energy and effort into The River. As I step back from my job as Barista and once again begin to dream big dreams about this church-planting adventure, I am fearful yet confident, anxious yet relaxed, and overwhelmed yet faith-filled. I'm likely to have a lot of thoughts along the journey... and I'd love to get your input as I write down my random thoughts on church-planting, discipleship, and life-in-general.
So... welcome back to Cafe Verona. Grab a chair, sit back, relax, order your favorite coffee beverage, and join in on the conversation!
