The Church Coffee Shop

Many churches are installing new church coffee shops and upgrading their existing coffee shops. And they are also focusing on serving good coffee or a better coffee than the run of the mill second hand office coffee so many churches have served for years. And the good news is most of them have improved the coffee they are serving.

Churches is setting up their coffee shops have wanted them to become gathering places for their member to share - places to build fellowship. Since it usually takes 30 minutes to sip down a great cup of coffee its a great place to share. And since you are sitting in God's house its a natural place to build fellowship to honor God. As you sip the coffee remember this:

Deut 6:5 - Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Build your fellowship on this premise.

Unfortunately, many of the coffee shops have upgraded their coffee by serving Starbucks Coffee, a decent coffee but a coffee that in no way honors God. Here is a quote from the cups they hand customers - "Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure." So for the last few months Starbucks has stood behind their coffee cup saying - endorsed it fully.

People have the right to say what they want. Starbucks is free to say what they want. Even if is does not honor God. Churches are different. They should honor God in all they do. Serving Starbucks coffee is an endorsement of Starbucks and their cup sayings. How does it honor God. If you as a church say I am stretching the limits - then serve your coffee in the Starbucks cups. See how much fellowship is build as your congregation rallies against you.

So churches - I ask you to take the Starbuck challenge. If you are going to honor Starbucks by serving their coffee - serve it in these cups:

Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can’t wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but Heaven has to step it up a bit. They’re basically getting by because they only have to be better than Hell.

Or use this Starbucks cup:

Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.

So you can serve Starbucks coffee in your church or you can honor God. The choice is simple and undeniable. Kinda like the bible verse - you can love God or you can love oney but you can't love both. You can honor God or honor Starbucks but you can't do both.

 K