How's the.....

There is a popular topic of conversation. It seems like everyone has something to say about it. I rarely initiate conversation about this topic and generally only participate in the chatter if I’m asked a direct question. The rest of the time I alternate between chuckling and rolling my eyes.

What is this topic?

The weather.

Today I break my silence to write 500+ words on the subject.

I live in central Illinois and it is January. So you might guess that we have cold temperatures and some snow. And you would be correct. So why does it seem like most people are surprised by the cold and the snow? Sure, we’ve had some extra cold days….something about a polar vortex? But mostly it’s just January in central Illinois.

Just today, I was sitting in the break room eating my fabulously delicious tomato rotini soup when two coworkers pop in. He comes over by the windows where I was sitting and exclaims, “It’s …. snowing!?” I will let you fill in the appropriate four letter word. Now the windows span the entire length of the break room and I was sitting about 2 feet from them but I hadn’t even noticed it was snowing, even though I had been staring out the window for some time. Then my coworkers spend the next five minutes talking to each other about how ridiculous the weather is and comparing travel stories from the previous days’ commute. These are 40-50 year old men who have spent their entire lives in central Illinois. Why would today’s flurries be cause for such an uproar? I’m not sure that I’ll ever understand. Most days I just chuckle and let the conversation swirl around me, kinda like those flurries. Today I’m super tired so I confess that I might have rolled my eyes a little bit because I just don’t get it.

It’s not that I don’t care about the weather but it just doesn’t enthrall me like it does for others. Take for instance, my mom. (Side note: my mom is a loyal reader of this blog so I must preface this by saying that I love my mom dearly and this is in no way meant to be disrespectful. It’s just an example.)

Every time I call my mom, I get a detailed weather report for Hackensack, MN. She loves paying attention to the weather. She’ll stay up late even when she’s tired so she can catch the weather report on the news. I have joked with her that she should have become a meteorologist because she’s so fascinated by it. I don’t think she wanted to be wrong so much of the time so she chose a different line of work.

Me on the other hand….I don’t even look outside when I’m deciding how to dress. It’s winter so I dress in layers. If it happens to be a warmer day, I’ll just shed a layer. It works for me.

But probably the hardest thing for me to ignore is the comments about the snow. Whenever it starts snowing (Sunday night, for instance), my Facebook news feed blows up with people upset about the snow and wanting winter to be over already. This is when I get some serious eye rolling going. And occasionally, I slip in a comment about how I love the snow or how beautiful it is. Because I do. And it is.

And now to be honest, I have been diligently checking this weekend’s weather for the past week. I’m traveling south for work and am paranoid about driving in snow. It might be beautiful and I might love it but I DO NOT love to drive in it.

And I’m done. That’s more than enough words on a subject that usually renders me speechless.

(634 words)

Laugh

Life can move so quickly
And time is a precious gift
Choose wisely how you spend it
There is no rewind button on life

Learn to laugh at life
And at yourself
Life is too short to be so serious
So embrace the joy of the Lord

Laughter is a great gift that we can give to ourselves and others around us. Laughter can be so contagious. Have you ever heard a child giggling in a store or at a restaurant and you feel yourself start to smile? Usually you just can’t help yourself. The joy of that child just seeps into you and a smile creeps on to your face.

Sometimes I wonder what people think when they look over at me when I am driving. I can’t even count the number of times that I crack myself up with some silly thought or as a result of talking out loud to myself. If someone were to bug my car or put a video camera in there, I suppose that people would think I was crazy. It can be the smallest or silliest thing that just causes laughter to come out. Or maybe something on the radio prompts a thought that gets me giggling. It just seems that I spend a lot of my driving time in laughter.  Even more so lately, now that we can’t talk on our cell phones while driving.

One recent morning I showed up to the gym and was waiting to meet with my trainer. A guy walked up to the counter to talk to the gym employee. He points to me and says, “I don’t know that girl but I know her smile. Every time she shows up here, she has the biggest, most beautiful smile.” To which the gym employee responds, “Yep, she’s the girl that smiles a lot.” I was rather surprised but encouraged by this reference. After all, it’s 5am when I show up at the gym. Smiling and being cheerful is not necessarily a “normal” response at that time of day.

In Nehemiah 8:10 we read that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” I have experienced this to be so completely true in my life. His joy gives us strength to face the days that seem so dark. The days when we aren’t sure which way is up because life has become so chaotic. Even the days when the tears don’t seem to want to stop.

When I am struggling with something, joy does not come naturally. Joy is a choice that we can make. I can choose to find a blessing in my day. I can choose to laugh about the dumb thing I just said without meaning to. I can laugh when I do something embarrassing. I can laugh when my day just isn’t going quite right. I’ve had some days recently where the laughter doesn’t come quite as easily. I’ve really had to choose to walk in the joy that God is giving to me. And then without warning, something sets me off (usually in the car) and I’ll just start giggling like a little school girl. And I find a lightness to my heart. A peace flows over me.

Laughter is good for the soul.

(542 words)

Boxes and labels

Why do we put people in boxes?

Why do we label people without even knowing them?

Why do we rush to judgments before giving someone a chance?

Why do we make assumptions when we don't know the whole story?

These questions ran through my mind this morning while working with law enforcement on some identification training. You might think after 4.5 years and hundreds of officers trained that I would be used to the comments and the expression of surprise, but it never ceases to amaze and amuse me.

Generally, I get one of four responses, though the actual words may differ slightly....

"You look young, you sound even younger and you're a girl...what could you possibly know about heavy equipment?"

"No one as pretty and sweet as you should be in this line of work."

"You are a woman in a man's world. You must just be the secretary. Move over and let me talk to your boss."

"Are you married?"

These labels are applied when someone first calls for help and are shocked to hear a woman's voice. Or I hear these comments when I'm out delivering training. My reaction is always amusement. I actually enjoy shocking these people. I feel comfortable with my job and while I don't know everything about backhoes and bulldozers, I do know enough to do my job well. And I know who to ask when my knowledge fails me. I take pleasure in shocking them because I want them to reconsider their labels and perhaps next time they won't be so quick to label someone. At least that's my hope.

But today I was struck with a little sadness about the way we label people when we don't even know them. Perhaps we use a tiny bit of information to form a judgment that often ends up inaccurate. It's especially dangerous if our labels close us off from truly getting to know someone or allowing them out of the box that we put them in. Maybe labels are a way for our brains to process. Maybe we need boxes to help us make sense of life and the overwhelming amount of information that floods us. Maybe. But we still need to hold those labels and boxes loosely and allow people to be who they really are, not who our labels say they should be.

Let me challenge us today to not get stuck on labels. Don't focus on the box. Just give people permission to be themselves.

Yes I'm a woman who knows heavy equipment and even enjoys talking about machines.
Yes I get excited when I see big machines at work doing cool stuff and I don't mind slowing down for road construction because it gives me a chance to watch.
Yes I can tell you how to identify machines and where to find components.
Yes I am young and sound even younger on the phone but you might want to add a decade when you guess my age.
But I'm also a woman who loves working with kids and will cry when I see them loving Jesus with such innocent faith. I enjoy public speaking and teaching but also want to know an individual's story. I will watch the occasional chick flick but prefer a good sports movie. I'm more comfortable discussing theology and the Bible than corporate politics and wish I had more Bible/faith conversations. I love to write...anything from stories to poems to devotionals and Bible studies but sometimes struggle to find the right words during important conversations. I'd rather throw a frisbee or take a walk than go shopping. Actually there's a long list of things I'd choose to do rather than have to go shopping.
My point is that I'm a mix of interests and hobbies and skills and even some drama. :)

If you find a label for that, let me know. The most common one I hear is "weird" and I'm okay with that because I'm okay with being me. Let's be okay with letting people be themselves. It'll save us all a lot of headaches.

In the meantime I'm going to keep breaking the mold and creating shock among police officers.

Vegetable dealer

I frequently see a guy in downtown Morton who stops, opens his trunk, talks to a person and then hands them a bag of stuff from his trunk. Then he might go half a block, stop and do this again with another person. I couldn't help but wonder what he was dealing out of his car. Today I found out. I took my Bible and went to the coffee shop to sit outside and read. After about 20 minutes, the Coffee Club starts showing up (that's what I call the 6-8 retired guys who sit outside every morning - super friendly bunch!). Before today I had only waved and said hi to the guys. But this morning I struck up a conversation with Tom, the first guy to show up. As we're chatting, the dealer shows up across the street. Suddenly Tom says, "Do you like cucumbers and zucchini?" After I said yes, he yells to the guy across the street, "hey, this lady will take 5 of each!" The guy turns his car around and parks in front of us. Turns out it is vegetables that he has in his trunk. He's a vegetable dealer...hahaha. His hobby is a large garden in Mackinaw and he ends up with more veggies than he can handle so he brings them to town and delivers them to other members of the Coffee Club. Tom doesn't eat cucumbers or zucchini so he gave his share to me. I walked away with 5 of the largest zucchini that I've ever seen and 7 or 8 cucumbers. Then the dealer sat with us and started chatting with us. I might have to sit with these guys again. In addition to the joy of a random conversation, I was blessed with free veggies! A great way to start a Monday.

12 ways to live happier - Chuck Norris

Throughout my journey through cancer, surgeries, and the subsequent recovery, I had days when I really struggled with negative feelings, lack of joy, sleepless nights and generally just feeling icky.  As I look back at that time, I see ways that I can grow from that experience, learn to manage the stress of life and find joy through the strength of Christ.

I came across a series of articles where Chuck Norris lays out 12 ways to live happier.  I want to summarize those articles here.  For the full text, see bottom of blog post.

1. Prioritize marriage and family over career and material success.

"The home is the ultimate career.  All other careers exist for one purpose, and that is to support the ultimate career." ~C.S. Lewis
 

2. Don't go it alone.

We were created for community, but all too often we try to overcome our hardships and depression alone.  Healthy and happy people have learned to harness the help of others.

3. Practice small acts of kindness.

We weren't created to be self-centered, but a blessing to others.  Most people tend to believe that by helping others, they themselves will be depleted - but just the opposite is true.  By blessing others, you will be blessed. Helping others actually helps you.  And the added benefit is it takes your attention off of your own problems.

4. Belong to a faith community.

5. Eat well.

Both vitamin deficiency and being overweight can cause depression....and are at greater risk for depression, hypertension, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and even some cancers, such as those of the breast and colon.
 

6. Move your body.

Exercise is a cure for so many ills.
 

7. Drink enough water.

Dehydration can be inhibiting your happiness, so make sure you are daily drinking an ample amount of non-contaminated and purified water....Pure water is the world's first and foremost medicine.
 

8. Set aside daily time to recreate.

Rest is not merely a change from employment busyness to household busyness. Nor is it always being idle or sitting around engaging in things that are ultimately detrimental to your mood or mojo.
 

9. Get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.

Sleep is the ultimate rest - or it should be - and its benefits are ginormous....it reduces stress, reduces risks of depression, enhances alertness, bolsters memory, makes you smarter, reduces inflammation, may help you lose weight, keeps your heart healthy, helps the body make repairs and may even prevent cancer....a good night's sleep restore, repairs and rejuvenates the body. It is vital for the immunte system and slows the aging process.
 

10. Practice stress-reducing habits.
(In my next post, I'll put up a list of some of these habits.)

11. Laugh often(One of my favorite activities!!)

Laughter - or even the anticipation of a good laugh - can lower stress hormones significantly....eight of my favorite ways to chuckle more (no pun intended!): Watch a funny YouTube clip; swap a joke or favorite comedy movie line with a friend or co-worker; do something silly with your kids; go out and watch a comedy movie; hang out with fun people; laugh at yourself by telling a funny story about yourself; keep comical materials in places where you, co-workers or guests are likely to pick them up and read them, such as in the break room, on the coffee table and in the bathroom.
 

12. Be grateful every day.

Those who practiced a thankful attitude lifted their moods, felt less stress, lowered blood pressure, felt less hostile and had lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and addiction....bottom line: Thanksgiving shouldn't be bottled up into one holiday a year. Thanks-living should be something we do each and every day.

Click here for a link to all four parts of this article.

Roller-Couch Escapades

Vertigo, vertigo
My new "friend" vertigo
Please go away
And don't return

Tuesday morning I woke up to the world spinning. I lay in bed watching my room spin faster and faster until I felt sick to my stomach. Four hours later, I was still dizzy so my wonderful roommate took me to the doctor where they informed me that I had an ear infection and vertigo.

ver·ti·go/ˈvərtəgō/Noun: A sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease...

Synonyms: dizziness - giddiness

"Whirling".... yeah, that's a pretty good description of what I felt. I told a friend it was like being on a merry-go-round that wouldn't stop. Or kinda like riding a roller coaster only I was sitting on my couch. My friend found that funny and began calling this my roller-couch escapades. Yep, that sums it up.

Fun times in the life of Holly....

I need you to be a man

My brother: I need you to do me a huge favor, but I think you'll like it....I need you to be a man.
Me: ummmm....what?!

Yep, that's how my brother asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding, by telling me to be a man. Hahaha....how I love him!

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year when people make unrealistic New Year's resolutions, most of which will be broken in a month or two. Now I realize that statement sounds really pessimistic and perhaps cynical, but it's not really meant to be. I, personally, have made some ridiculous New Year's resolutions that didn't last very long. Well I just got an email with a list of New Year's Resolutions that you can keep and I thought it was rather funny so I'm sharing it here. Enjoy!


NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS YOU CAN KEEP

Are you sick of making the same resolutions year after year that you never keep? Why not promise to do something you can ACTUALLY accomplish? Here are some resolutions that you can use as a starting point:

~ Gain weight. At least 30 pounds.

~ Stop exercising. Waste of time.

~ Read less. Makes you think.

~ Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.

~ Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow.

~ Spend more time at work, surfing the web.

~ Take a vacation to someplace important, like to see the world's largest ball of twine.

~ Don't jump off a cliff just because everyone else did.

~ Stop bringing lunch from home--eat out more.

~ Don't have eight children at once.

~ Get in a whole NEW rut!

~ Start being superstitious.

~ Personal goal: Don't bring back disco.

~ Speak in a monotone voice and only use monosyllabic words.

~ Only wear jeans that are 2 sizes too small and use a chain or rope for a belt.

~ Spend my summer vacation in cyberspace.

~ Create loose ends.

~ Get more toys.

~ Get further in debt.

~ Don't believe politicians.

~ Break at least one traffic law.

~ Don't drive a motorized vehicle across thin ice.

~ Don't swim with piranhas or sharks.

~ Spread out priorities beyond the ability to keep track of them.

~ Wait for opportunity to knock.

~ Focus on the faults of others.

~ Mope about faults.

~ Never make New Year's resolutions again.

Creative and fun ways to annoy your coworkers

Another installment of "How to be annoying":

*Whisper loudly

*Come to work sick

*Answer your mobile during meetings

*Stand over someone while they are on the phone

*Sneak up behind someone

*Leave unusual print outs on the printer

*Juggle office supplies

*Chew gum while talking on the phone

*Regularly update everyone on the current weather

*Read your emails aloud
*Leave fingerprints on the copier glass

*Whistle all day long

*Wear too much cologne/perfume

*Type loudly

*Wear bright colored clothes

*Give everyone a nickname from a TV show

*Do the sneaky walk around the office

*Peer over the cube and wait for a co-worker to look up and notice

*Type emails in uppercase and excessive punctuation

*Refer to your garbage can as your in-box

*Stick pencils to the ceiling in other people’s offices

*Throw a bouncy ball in your office

*Tell the same story over and over

*Talk to your monitor as if it was a person

*Schedule meetings at 4:00pm

*Talk loudly with your earphones on when someone comes to talk to you

Sometimes I'm left speechless

I get some really strange phone calls at work and sometimes they leave me speechless in how to respond.

----------------------
Caller: "The way I see it, I didn't know the machine was stolen when I bought it so I should get to keep it. Otherwise I'm out $20,000."
----------------------
Cop: "The guy told me that he's hiding the machine because he doesn't want to make anymore payments. It's not listed as stolen but he told me where it's at if that would be helpful for you to know."
----------------------

Great quote

Caffeine is God's way of saying "I love you" to those of us who are not morning people.
~DJ Hariford

Creative ways to be a nuisance at work, part 2

* Stare deeply into your co-workers eyes when they talk to you

* Hit all the floor buttons when you leave the elevator

* Make hissing sounds into the phone and insist you have a bad connection

* Flip the left and right mouse button defaults

* Take out the ball in the mouse

* Tell a long story without a point

* Drag your feet when you walk down the halls

* Exclaim your co-worker didn’t wash his hands when leaving the restroom

* Eat stinky foods when you have lunch at your desk

* Practice drumming on your desk

* Use too many paper clips

* Set your mobile phone to an obnoxious ring tone

* Forward chain letters and other spam to co-workers

Creative ways to be a nuisance at work

* Walk around the office barefoot

* Misplace peoples pens

* Leave an open can of tuna in their desk - that's just nasty, I am not a fan of tun!

* Talk in a funny accent - apparently I already do this without meaning to :-)

* Use goofy event sounds for your programs

* Chant, “Yeay, I got mail!!” every time you get a new email

* Start your car remotely when someone walk by it

* Leave hole punches all over

* Leave your lunch garbage in other people’s cans

* After each sip give a refreshing, “Ahhh"

* Put salt on someone’s mouse pad

* Carry on a conversation with someone two cubes down

Another day, another recovery

February 17, 2011 - police raided a chop shop in Ellenwood, GA.  Dozens of armed officers descended on the suspected operation where they located a stolen Caterpillar track loader among other things.

My favorite part is the last two lines of this article....http://www.wsbtv.com/news/26907744/detail.html

Actually, it's not unbelievable, it's an everyday occurance....

This theft report made me laugh....

It's hard to believe that nobody would have seen this go missing. A 2004 Caterpillar track type tractor was stolen from an area near Highway 43 and Range Road 101 sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday night. If you have seen this massive, bright yellow piece of equipment, you are encouraged to call the Beaverlodge RCMP detachment, or crimestoppers.

http://hqgrandeprairie.com/news/local/news/Local/09/08/21/CAT-Tractor-Stolen

Creative & Fun ways to annoy your coworkers

* Staple your reports in the wrong corner
* Put tape over the mouse optics
* Unplug a co-worker’s monitor
* Talk to sick employees while wearing a dust mask
* Burn popcorn in the microwave
* "Forget" to put your tuna sandwich in the fridge
* Turn up the beep volume of the copier
* Practice beat boxing
* Sing show tunes
* Slurp hot coffee during meetings

"I was going to return it, I promise!"

Scene of the crime: an eastern state after a major snowfall

Details (names/identifying details omitted to protect the....innocent?): A man wants to clear his driveway but does not have the proper equipment to handle the amount of snow they got, so he heads over to a nearby shopping center and "borrows" the 950H with a snow plow attachment.  He heads back to his house and clears his driveway.  As he was preparing to return the machine, he thought he would be a Good Samaritan and clear his whole neighborhood.  And he got busted before he could return the stolen equipment.

Another day, another crime solved....

30 for 30

In honor of turning 30, I have put together a list of 30 lessons I am learning:

1. Sleep is important
2. Find rest in God and seek Him out for strength. His joy will sustain me through the hard times.
3. God is BIG! When everything else fails, God doesn’t
4. There will be dry times, but He is faithful to always be there
5. Sometimes the lessons you’re teaching are the ones you need to learn

6. It’s okay to be alone
7. Without love, I am nothing
8. Sacrifice what I want and give myself completely to what God wants
9. There is nothing better than praying with someone to accept Christ
10. Trust God for the right words to say, in fact, trust God for everything.

11. God sometimes works in the strangest ways
12. Sometimes walls must be broken for seeds to be planted
13. The longer you wait to obey God, the worse things get
14. Be ready for unexpected things at all times
15. A hug can change your attitude completely. And I often need more hugs!

16. Unity happens when we let God break down our barriers
17. Your attitude sets the tone for the day.
18. Make the most of every opportunity. You never know how much impact you really have on a person’s life
19. People need discipline
20. Don’t forget deodorant

21. Sometimes God causes the greatest flourishing through our mistakes, not our strong points
22. God time is good and vital
23. Expect the weather to change
24. Playing in the rain is encouraged
25. It’s okay to ask for help

26. Find reasons to laugh. Sometimes it’s okay to laugh at the silly things people do. It’s always okay to laugh at yourself
27. It’s okay to be a little crazy
28. Holding on to things that should be in God’s hands is stupid
29. Encouragement, no matter how small, goes a long way.
30. Loving people that annoy you is very hard. It is so much easier to say that you love them than actually doing it

Just keep dreaming....

I turn 30 tomorrow and while many people have given thought to New Year's Resolutions this month, I have been pondering a decade past and the one I'm about to enter.  I don't have an issue with turning 30 in the sense of feeling old and I'm not having a mid-life crisis.  But I have been struck by a sense of disappointment that surprised me.  Early in my 20s, I had some grand ideas of what I would be doing by age 30 - I planned to be married, have kids (at least one by 30), and be working in full time ministry or supporting my husband in ministry.  I figured I would have read more books, lost more weight and have a better grasp on who I am and what I'm doing with my life.  People kept saying that your 20s is a time to "find yourself" and "figure out life" because you'll be more settled in your 30s.  If this were true, then I'm in big trouble because these days I often feel more lost than ever before. 

Because the truth is, I have no idea what I'm doing with my life.  I don't have it all together and I have shelves full of unread books. And so I'm faced with the temptation to give in to disappointment and just be depressed about tomorrow but somehow I can't. Because I have been blessed in more ways than I can count. Although I'm not where I thought I would be, I am loving life and believing that God is going to use me even in these unexpected times/places.  I'm learning to take my expectations and disappointments to the feet of Jesus and trust Him when I don't understand what's happening.  I'm learning to surrender my dreams, my plans, my goals, and take up His dreams for me, His plans for me and His goals for my life.  Sure, I am taking steps to change certain areas of my life and finding that we often learn what doors God is closing when we take steps in a direction, rather than just sitting around waiting for God to orchestrate everything just perfectly before we move. 

One way that I've been encouraged this month is when I tell people about these thoughts and feelings, nearly all of them have said, "You know, Jesus started his public ministry at 30."  Why yes He did.  And that gives me even more hope for the future.  I am a vessel willing and ready to be used as God chooses.

Yesterday my friend Katie Beale posted a note on Facebook called "Just keep dreaming" (see where I got my title from?) and I just have to repost a portion of it here: I think that there are a lot of you out there who are wondering how you got where you are. Some of you are wondering where the last 10 years went. This isn't what you pictured yourself doing with your life. You thought you'd be making more money, be married, be skinnier, be happier. To you, I would say this... DO IT, CHANGE IT, BE IT. You are the only one who can change your situation. Take control of your life. Let's all do it together.

Stop letting your fears and assumptions get in the way of your true passion in life. Whether it is job related, health related, relationship related. Let's all stop letting ourselves get in our way. Rejection sucks, but the weight of the unknown never goes away.

I can't stop dreaming.  I think it's hardwired into me.  I have big dreams, big ideas and lots of hope.  But in the decade to come, I'm going to focus on letting those dreams & ideas be shaped by God's plans for me because I believe His plans are good.  I believe He knows best.  I believe that I can trust Him fully even when I don't understand what He's doing or where He is taking me.  My answer is simply "Yes!"  Yes, Lord, I will follow you wherever, whenever, to whatever.  Yes, I will trust Your leading.  Yes, I will keep dreaming and keep bringing those dreams to Your feet.  Yes to You.  Because my prayer for this year is that I will go deeper with Jesus, lean more into Him, and fall more in love with Him. 

And so let me wrap up with a look back at the last 10 years....
- Got my B.A. & M.A. (and lots of student loans to prove it)
- Lived in CA, CO, SD, IL(2x!), PA, AL & MN (whew! that's a lot)
- Finally got to use my passport when I travelled to Honduras, Holland & Sweden
- Met my Compassion sponsor child & her mom while in Honduras - what a blessing!
- Lived one of my dreams of being a camp program director...actually did this twice!
- Fell flat on my face multiple times and experienced the joy of being picked up by Jesus and realizing how much He loves me
- Made friends that I know will stick with me the rest of my life no matter how many miles separate us
- Found joy that doesn't depend on my circumstances - praise God!

There's so much more but if I keep writing, no one will want to read this long post except my Mom (thanks for being a faithful reader of my ramblings!).

St. Arbucks: spiritual moments at Starbucks

I have often wondered why I return to Starbucks again and again.  I've written blog posts from there, such as this one: Pumpkin Spice Ponderings.  I've sat and sipped overpriced coffee that isn't always that great.  I've tolerated the often loud music that isn't my first choice and I've rolled my eyes at some of the things that people talk about. 

But I've also had many God moments at Starbucks.  I've prayed with friends, listened as someone poured out their heart or as I poured out my heart to someone else. I've had my quiet time at Starbucks and applied for jobs that would later change my life.  I've cried in Starbucks and laughed there too (sometimes too loudly).  Beautiful encounters with God and with people have taken place at Starbucks.  Recently I came across a reflection on spiritual moments at Starbucks. I really couldn't express it better than this pastor did. So here I offer his reflections on St. Arbucks. Enjoy!

On Holy Ground at St. Arbucks: Reflections on spiritual moments at Starbucks.
by Bob Hyatt

Like many pastors I know, I have a love/hate relationship with Starbucks.
For seven years now, as I have labored to plant, grow, and guide a church, Starbucks has been my office, my meeting space, my cafeteria, and my retreat. I’m there most work days, and I’m even there most days off to get some reading or writing time in away from the house.
Yeah—if Starbucks disappeared, I’d notice.
As with anything, though, familiarity breeds contempt. The thousands of hours I have spent in Starbucks locations all over the Portland Metro area have left me feeling at times that I’d rather be anywhere else. Please, Lord, not another day on hard wooden chairs, sipping burnt-tasting coffee, and wondering when the employees will notice the BEEP-BEEP-BEEP of the safe that sets my teeth on edge every 20 minutes as it tells them it’s time to make another deposit...
And yet, week after week, I return. Occasionally I try new places, but nothing has ever stuck. Despite a certain weariness with the place, the convenience of Starbucks, the free Wi-Fi, and the ease with which I can meet people there all conspire to draw me back week after week.
But something else draws me back there. At times Starbucks has been more than a coffee shop for me. Much more.
I was in my regular Starbucks the other morning before sunrise, trying to get a little quiet time before some guys I meet with arrived to talk about Jesus, their lives, what they are hearing from God, and what it looks like to respond. Normally I put headphones on so I can focus. But this morning it was quiet and the house music was better than just good. It was Christmas carols, actually, and not the “Santa Baby” kind—they were playing the great robust hymns we get to hear each year at this time that invite us to hail the Incarnate Deity in whom God and sinners find reconciliation. Sitting there reading the Scriptures and praying, the words of those songs filtered in and through me and lifted my soul to worship Jesus, the coming King.
As I listened and worshiped, I found myself reflecting on all the spiritually significant moments I’ve experienced in what I sometimes call St. Arbucks.
At Starbucks I have prayed, alone and with others. I have read and wrestled with Scripture, calling on God to speak to me, in desperation, needing a word that I knew was from Him, both for my soul and for my community. I have laughed with friends and cried alone.
In Starbucks all over this city, I have had holy moments as I confronted others and been confronted. I have sat with men who were shipwrecking their marriages and with couples about to get married. I have dreamed big dreams, talked about mundane church administration details and occasionally even just put my head down on the table and grabbed a few minutes of much-needed sleep.
It was at a Starbucks seven years ago that I first began to hear the call to plant a church. It was at a Starbucks that I began to invite others along with me on the journey. At Starbucks I have turned strangers into friends, invited them into community and even had the break up conversation with various members of our community who were moving on.
I’m not alone, I think, in increasingly seeing this “third space” as something more. I sit and watch conversations and connections going on around me—deep connections—two men here, two women there sitting over an open Bible talking about what they hear God saying to them. I see the coffee dates that represent the start of new relationships and I see the old couples sitting across from each other sipping coffee quietly, content just to be with each other. For some it’s a place to escape from others and be alone, for others a place for community. For many it’s a daily ritual that in a favorite drink from a familiar face brings stability and sameness in the middle of an unsure and unsteady world
And in all of this, I realize, for one reason or another, God has regularly chosen to show up to, for, and even through me in this least sacred of all consumer temples: the corporate coffee shop.
Over the last decade I’ve seen many churches open their own coffee shops, trying to replicate what happens in these spaces. Many choose to do so in areas where the public already gathers, others on their own church campuses. And it’s that second option that often makes me wonder why they would want to pull their people out what God is clearly doing at the local, corner coffee shop and into their own “Christian” coffee shop? Why would they want to pull all of those deep conversations, bible studies, discipleship times and personal connections out of public space and into some room in their church building that they’ve done their best to make look just like the neighborhood coffee place…but isn’t.
On a missional level, do we not pray daily to see the kingdom of God increasingly come into focus not only in our “sacred” spaces, but in all our spaces, making them sacred, because in that space God’s will is being done and His kingdom is coming?
So yeah, the coffee tastes a little burnt, it’s often hard to find a table, and occasionally they play Willie Nelson. But I’m sticking with it, because for all the prayers I’ve prayed, the conversations I’ve had where I felt the Holy Spirit move, for all the significant moments on my journey that I’ve had and am yet to have at St. Arbucks, I’m grateful.
—Bob Hyatt is pastor of the Evergreen Community in Portland, Oregon, and a regular contributor to Out of Ur.
http://www.outofur.com/archives/2011/01/on_holy_ground.html