coffee and life...

Well, today I picked up some more coffee from Mr. Green Beans. It is a lovely little shop, filled with many, many items which could fill my day, specifically different methods for brewing, roasting and enjoying coffee as well as things to make soaps and other sundry items. Then I picked out what beans I wanted to roast. I was greeted by the sweetest little girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old, welcoming me to the store. After a few minutes, she informed me about the rope she was playing with and how it worked. Too cute.

I have really enjoyed the creation aspect of Coffee. I know I wrote about the 'art' of coffee roasting, so I won't rehash that post here, but only restate that it is awesome! That being said, Coffee can be roasted well, poorly, or just, eh, in my terms. Coffee has different flavor profiles, for sure, depending on what region the bean is from, and the method of drying and removing the skin or husk of the bean. That process is more fully elucidated here. It is a neat process, and one I hope to experience first hand some day.

But I digress. My post was meant to be partially about coffee, and partially about culture. Our culture is onw where time = money. We have to get there quicker, work longer, or even take public transit so we can work on the way to work. I get it, but at the same time, I don't. Where did this idea come from. We are sacrificing the ability to really get to know people, to really engage in community when we worry about the speed of things and time in general.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like to be punctual. Time is essential for jobs, sports games, and church services. I found myself annoyed yesterday when the Blazers game, which is supposed to start at 7, didn't start until 7:10 at the earliest. But then I am reminded of a church service I attended outside of Puno, Peru in 2000. People arrived when they arrived. We sang songs, lot's of songs, and then had the sermon. Throughout the whole service, people came in, shook everyone's hand and found a seat. What would happen at your church or in class when poeple come in late? We get annoyed, right? Or being a passionate fan, we get to the game early, find our seat, watch batting practice or warm-ups, and then when the "slackers" show up we harass them for missing kick-off/first pitch/tip-off.

What would happen if we stopped letting time dictate how much time we related to others? What if I wasn't consumed about time while I was having coffee with a friend? I think we would see genuine community beginning to happen and form. We would fulfill our missional call, to carry over from the last post. We would get to know those around us. But, we also might lose our jobs, houses, etc. because the culture we live in forces us to know what time it is.

I started thinking about this thanks to an ad on Pandora and on the TV lately about "5-hour energy". I have never tried this, and don't want to. The ad stated that with coffee or tea we had to wait too long, prepare which took too long, and clean-up (heaven forbid!!). Please. If you need your quick hit, "5-hour" will work. But seriously. It's not like coffee adds unneeded calories (regular, black coffee, the real deal, that is), sugar, or any of that junk. Coffee has 10 calories, about. lifting your mug to your mouth erases that. Not only does it provide caffeine, the taste is amazing (if made right!!). I would never substitute the joy and pleasure of a good cup of coffee for a quick "shot" of "5-hour".

For me, it is about the joy of coffee, but also the pace of life. It is a reminder for me to slow down, enjoy the people, places, events happening right now. Not rushing off to the next one, but being present in the here and now. The Rich young ruler in Mark 10 was looking for the "5-hour" shot on how to inherit eternal life. He kept all the commandments, follow Judaic law, but was seeking from Jesus the quick fix. Jesus instead calls him to sell everything and follow him, something that greived the young man due to his wealth. But there is no quick fix to eternal life, aside from following Jesus in all that we do.

So, what is it, coffee or "5-hour"? It's coffee for me. Both for a pick-me-up as well as for following Jesus. I hope tha tyou shoose the coffee. Because coffee is awesome! But in life, I hope we can all slow down a bit and enjoy those around us.