This is "NOT" what i ordered

Have you seen "that guy", or "that girl"? The one who flips a wig in the coffee shop because they got there order wrong. They say something like "i ordered a non-fat iced, quad venti, 4 pump toffee nut with a twist, 6 sweet N lows, one sugar, light ice latte with whole milk foam on the side". yah that one! The poor barista has 20 different orders going on and misses the drink by 1 sweet n low packet and that person is just ruthless to them. We have all seen this played out in so many different scenarios, fast food, coffee, fine dining and more. But what happens when they get something more or better than what they ordered? usually its a different story isn't it. They walk a way with the little smirk thinking "OH YAAAAA"! There is usually not even a thank you involved cause they want to get away hoping nobody will think twice about it.
We do it with God all the time, it started in "The gardern of Eden" Gen. 2, and with Jesus in Mark 6:3 Then they scoffed,"He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon." and the early church did it all through out Acts and the Epistles. We are given something, but its not what we asked for, so we whine and complain to God. Our prayers are filled with complaints and suggestions on how God could do it better if he just listened to us and answered out prayers the way we want them. We get the scripture of John 14:14 totally wrong, "yes, ask me for anything in my name, and i will do it." I love that scripture, but so many of us think of it as Jesus is now my magical genie..."Poof what do you need"? We need to look at it as God knows best for us and knows exactly what we need. He wants to answer our prayers when they are lined up with his will. 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." Wow that is so good!!! We need to quit thinking as if God got our order wrong and as if he heard, but really new that's not what we needed, and in the long run not even what we really wanted.
Then there is the side of getting more than we bargained for! I had 1.64$ in change and got a 4$ drink out of it! God says in Eph. 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" God so often gives us way more than we bargained for but we shrug it off as luck with out even giving thanks. Do you know why we dont? Its because we as humans are born to be selfish, its part of the sin nature we are born with, thats why GOD says PS.50:23"But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me, if you keep to my path, i will reveal to you the salvation of God". Sometimes giving thanks is a sacrifice, especially if i am giving thanks for something i really didn't ask for. But what does this scripture say? Giving thanks is the password to the revelation of God. Giving thanks is what is gonna open the door to abundance and to the revelation God has for us. What do we give thanks for? EVERYTHING!!! James 1:¹⁶ So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father.
Remember, everything you get comes from God. You may not want it or like it at the time but God knows the beginning from the end and he knows what you need and dont need. Garth Brooks nailed it on the head..."Sometimes i thank God, for un-answered prayers". I think we need to do the same, considering he knows way more than we do!

The Great Coffee Debate

Some great thoughts from Jillian McConaughey!

The Great Coffee Debate

I am so excited to be a guest blogger on Jesus & Coffee! While I don’t have a blog of my own, Jesus & Coffee has got me thinking of my own Jesus & Coffee life-style and how it reflects the attitude of this generation. Let me elaborate…

Every day I have this choice-do I drink coffee or not? Do I indulge in a white chocolate mocha, a pumpkin spice latte, or black coffee with more sugar and cream than actual coffee, or do I refrain? I want to drink that wonderful brown liquid with lots of flavor, but is it worth it? You see, coffee usually makes my stomach hurt!! So do I indulge and suffer the consequences or do I find an alternative?

I find it interesting that we have the opportunity to indulge in things that are so good or at least feel good, but ultimately will bring about something negative? What’s more interesting is that we do indulge in these things, knowing that they are wrong or bad for us! How easily we are led by our own desires. We live in a generation that is willingly doing wrong because of its instant gratification not knowing that there is an alternative that brings a good and lasting result! Galatians 5:17 says

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

Let me suggest the alternative-Jesus! He is more satisfying and fulfilling then any indulgence or fleshly desire. Everything about Him is good and is good for you! He loves you and desires the best for you! So my ultimate, lasting alternative is Jesus! Now my alternative coffee drink is a soy vanilla Chai latte (introduced to me by my BFF who is also a non-coffee drinker but totally in love with Jesus)!

Disclaimer: I am in no way suggesting that drinking coffee is a sin! Drinking coffee and reading the Bible is totally fulfilling both naturally and spiritually. And yes, I do on occasion continue to drink coffee.

Really? This is a Grande?

The first time i ever went to Starbucks, looking at the menu i almost thought i was reading Greek. There is a plethora of names of coffee, types, flavors, styles, so on and so on. Asked the guy, "do you just have Black Coffee?" "Oh yah, we have Pikes Place brewing, what size would you like?' Looking back up at the foreign billboard i see Grande. Grande-think about it, Rio Grande, Grande River and it just sounds like something BIG! So thats what i order, i pay for it and wait for my BIG cup of goodness to pop out on the other side. First thought! "oh i ordered a Grande, you gave me a small by mistake." Come to find out, i was wrong...I felt DECEIVED, i got over it though and learned my lesson. You have to order a Venti to get the BIG guy! It took me reading the billboard, making a mistake and asking somebody for help to finally get it right.
You know the crazy thing about being Deceived? You think you know the truth, when in fact you are wrong and have no idea. This seems to be a re-occuring theme among our day in Christians and non-christians alike. They think they have truth but in reality they are so off its not even funny. My main focus in this is to talk to Christians, we know the Basic outline of truth. 1.There is a God. 2.Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. 3. The Bible is where we find absolute truth for every aspect of our life. The problem is so many Christians stop at either 2 or 2 1/2. What do you mean 2 1/2? MOST Christians read the Bible, but most of them stop there. James 1:²²"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." I know of alot of Christians who can tell me where scripture is and even quote it to me, but they have no idea what application is.(Read coffee on the beach)
Have you ever met someone who will always quote Romans 8:28? Great scripture, "^8:28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." But how many of them can quote romans 8:26-28? ^{Rom. 8:26}In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Yah, all things do work for the good of those who believe, but they must also PRAY about all things before they will work out for there good. We are deceived because we are always told Rom. 8:28 but never study the scripture and find out the whole truth. You cant just hope for, you have to pray. This is only one example, you would be reading this for the next month if i were to list some more examples.
We have to get into our word more, and you know what your still gonna make mistakes! But when you make a mistake or things dont go right, talk to someone about it! A pastor, parent, or a strong Christian friend. If you dont you are only deceiving yourselves. 1 Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." The devil is a sneaky little guy, dont let him deceive you by being lazy, being ignorant or even fearing man. Read your Bible! PS.1:² "But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." Study the Scripture. PS 119:15 "I will study your commandmentsand reflect on your ways."and dont just read and study, Apply it to your life. James1:²²"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
My prayer for this generation is to find truth! John 8:32 "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." But the truth cant set you free until you find it, believe it, and apply it.

A Fathers Love

Your watching every step,
Sometimes i don't have time
You gave up your life
But i hold on to mine
Surrender seams so trying
Still you gave it all for me
Not because of who i am
But because of the man
You knew that i would be
Just knowing how much you love me
knowing how much you care
Falling to my knees
Mindful you are there
Open up my mind
I want to here from heaven
A word so unbelievable
It could only be from you
Today is the day
Its not about the past
My God so strong and Mighty
In a Kingdom made to last

Never ending cup-O-joe

I am a huge fan of coffee, if you couldn't tell by the title of my blog. I love to go to different coffee shops and read, study and write. One thing that draws me to certain coffee shops is bottomless refills on drip coffee! I don't need a 6$ coffee that i will have to write down the name to remember how to order it the next time. Its all about the bean! I love the feeling of knowing I don't have to worry about running out of something. I know you have felt this way, working at Red Robin i know this is how high school kids feel about fries.
Have you ever put God in the context of bottomless, what about infinite, limitless or everlasting? Isaiah 9:6 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." I love the fact that i serve an everlasting God! There are so many "Christians" who put limits around God, they put him in there own little box. He is there when they need him, they can store him under the bed and can put a blanket over his box if they don't want him to see something. NO! That is preposterous, He is the all-knowing, all-seeing and all-encompassing GOD. Ephesians 3:20 "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
I want to let the cat out of the bag here, Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God. ” I said it and you know the difference between me and alot of "Christians"? I BELIEVE it! The reasons churches and people are not seeing miracles, healings and deliverence is because they dont. God has become this ritualistic practice that we do out of habit and we have taken the power out of God. We serve the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, not the god of post-modernism and modern-age hoopla! They saw miracles because they knew God and knew what he was capable of...ANYTHING! If we want to see anything change in our society we have to get back to that, KNOWING him and BELIEVING in him!
I know in my heart we are in a revival, God is stirring up this generation and i know this is the generation that is gonna see the supernatural. People are gonna get healed, lives will be transformed and there will be deliverance. But it has to start where there is no end, Bottomless, Infinite, Everlasting to Everlasting. We need more faith, you cant do miracles without it. Where do you get it? Romans 10:¹⁷ "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
This week, lets take God out of the box, to be honest he was never in it you just thought he was, and lets believe that God is gonna do something through us that is unbelievable, unmeasurable, and uncomprehending.

Coffee on the Beach

Have you ever gone to the beach? Towel-check, water-check, surfboards-check, sunscreen-check. You get everything ready and checked off your list. Everybody gets in the car and heads out. Beautiful day, surf is amazing, and its just gonna be an amazing day. Your feeling brave and think your tanner than you really are, so as the sunscreen is getting passed around your like,"Pass, I'm gonna get a good tan today!" The day is amazing, you catch some good waves, have an amazing lunch, take a nap on the beach and its just an all around good day. You wake up about 2 a.m. the next morning with the worst sunburn you can imagine. Your body hurts, your head hurts and most of all you just feel stupid as you flash back when your friend was passing the sunblock your way. You know everything about sunscreen, how it works, when to use it, why to use it and what it actual does. But you know the crazy thing about it, not really crazy, just practical? I can know all of that stuff but without application its useless...
Now think about it...how many times have you done this with Gods word! James 1:²² "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves." You know what it says, but your like, "I'm just gonna get a good tan today" We think that merely avoiding it for a day wont make any difference. But the truth is we wake up as soon as hours later in regret, in pain and knowing exactly where we went wrong. Then the next day, its written all over your face.
You have been there, the next day when everybody else put sunscreen on and your the one looking like a lobster! Not only is it hurting you but everybody can tell your burned. Same with Christians, when your not living what God says you are the one thats emo, depressed and everybody can tell that you got some funk going on(at least discerning people can).
Ephesians 6:13 "Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life." Its so important that we learn and understand Gods word, but just as important as knowing and understanding is applying it to our own lives. You don't want to be "that guy" carrying around a bottle of alo-vera asking "can you get my back for me please?"

Cup of Love

I love you...i LOVE you...I love YOU...This seems to be a pretty common saying in our society, any where from a drunk college guy-"I love you man!" To a 14 year old girl-"I love him mom and hes gonna be my babies daddy!"(daytime t.v. is out of control). Its apparent that we as a culture have lost the true translation of the affirmation of "Love".
What does it really mean to be "In Love" or "To Love"? Can you be in love with someone and then fall out of love with someone? The world defines Love in so many ways- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/love I have a hard time agreeing with any of these definitions. Why? Well, our society has done a horrible job portraying and living out what love truly is. Statistics show that almost 1 out of every 2 marriages end in divorce. Doesn't our marriage vows say "till death do us part"? Why do we have such a hard time truly loving each other? I think it because we have such a hard time loving our selves! Why do we have such a hard time loving ourselves? Because we don't know what "LOVE" is! 1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This is our foundation, then we go into the true definition of "LOVE"- 1 Cor. 13:⁴-7 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
In my opinion, if the world got a hold of this it would change everything. Is it gonna be easy? Absolutely not! Pastor Mark has been teaching on "If it were easy" and it really brings out that its not easy, but you know whats not easy? Divorce, growing up in a single parent home, depression, abuse, being unloved and neglected! The list goes on and on but this is what happens when people settle for temporary happiness. I have experienced this and so much more first hand that i know nobody should have to experience it.
The first step-Fall head over heals for Jesus Christ! I know that i am gonna be happy, my future wife is gonna more than happy, my kids are gonna be more than happy because i am not taking the easy way. I can say i can "LOVE" unconditionally because i "LOVE" God unconditionally! He is first, if your not happy without something, its not gonna make you happy having it. One thing God spoke to me in the last couple months-"the more uncomfortable you make yourself now, the more comfortable i will make you in the future". It might not be easy right now, but the more you push forth and put God first, the more he is gonna bless you in the future and you know what, it will be easier than if you take the easy way. God Loves you more than anything, it only makes sense we Love him more than anything!

"Jesus & coffee" OR "Coffee & jesus"

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...we all have heard that noise an hour before we actually want to get out of bed. Mine is actually "more than a feeling" by Boston! but still its that dreaded alarm clock. If your like me, you set the coffee pot to go off 10 minutes before your alarm so the house is filled with that ever-so wonderful aroma of the most wonderful bean in the world! In such an instant your day is determined, today do i long for that first cup of Sumatra and hope the rest of the day falls into place? Or today do i "Mathew ^6:33 seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." and know in my heart that "²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
In our modern society were the world never stops turning with our "Crackberry's", "Twitter" and the "Energizer Bunny". We get so caught up in how am I going to get everything done, be every where and please every one. We try so hard to do it on our own and forget the one thing. To "SEEK FIRST the kingdom of GOD" When we think about that first cup of coffee in the morning and put Christ on the back burner what are we really doing? We are enabling him to do his promise. It doesnt say seek all these things and all these things will be added unto you! NO! it says "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." I am not saying to not have that cup of coffee in the morning cause sometimes if i dont have my cup of BLACK goodness i am ready to go rounds with someone. But prioritize your life to set yourself up for success.
God has given you the desires in your life, he has given me a love for coffee(as well as the rest of my church) and he wants us to enjoy those pleasures, but the second we rise in the morning and our focus has shifting from God to self-pleasure we have picked up an idol in our life "Exodus 4: ⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea." You start cracking into the "TOP TEN" then you are really screwing yourself.
If you want to start seeing a change in your life, in your family and in your generation, we need to start with the basics. JESUS. Thats it, everything else will fall into place.

Decaf faith

Faith(dictionary)-Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.

Faith(Hebrews 11:1)-^1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.

I have been stuck on FAITH for quite awhile now and am pondering what FAITH truly is. Working with a lot of atheist i see how confused the secular world really is. In a country where our money says "In God we Trust" but people are harassed and even killed for believing in our only absolute Truth. Countless times i have heard the word FAITH come out of a non-believers mouth stating a trust in things not known or seen in a truth not tested and tried. That kinda seems to be the re-occurring argument with God that "why would i have FAITH in something that is not known or seen. "

Beginning over a year ago i wandered into this life called "CHRISTIANITY", not really knowing what i was getting into but knowing that i needed to find purpose...Isn't that what anybody really wants in life? Purpose? It took a simple mindset to find out my true purpose...a Child-like mindset if you would. (Math. 11^:25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.) People try so hard to learn everything and educate themselves by the ways of the world, but the truth is your not gonna find the truth and any textbook. I'm not saying you cant be educated, please be educated, go to college and further yourselves. I am saying don't go trying to find purpose and absolute truth in textbooks and college professors.

So what does this all come down to? FAITH-defined only by biblical truth. So many people claim to have FAITH, but what they have is a false hope in what might be. FAITH is TRUST in God that no matter what, he is our provider and will take care of any need. (Math:^25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.)

Have you ever wondered what "TRUTH" is? Maybe you need to find out what "FAITH" is! To find out what your real purpose in life is its gonna take some FAITH, a childlike faith. You give FAITH a month, and you will wake up transformed a year later, and realize that you didn't wander into this life...YOU WERE CALLED!!! I didn't wander into this life...I WAS CALLED!!!