Starbucks & Christianity

I’m not a coffee guy. Sorry. Never have been. I don’t know why. All that fappachino-mocha-latte lingo sure sounds enticing... but as much as I’ve tried, I just can’t relate to the pleasures of a warm cuppa joe.

Being an outsider in java-land, the quirks and demands of the coffee-driven crowd are compelling to watch. I’ve seen clumsy morning hands desperately fumbling with filters and grinds. I’ve heard “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” from nearly every visitor to my area -- and witnessed anxious expressions upon hearing that it’s 20 minutes from our small town. I’ve been on road trips with friends who needed their favorite brew by an exact time lest they suffer irreversible consequences... like Cinderella racing home before the clock strikes twelve.

All my coffee-drinking friends would love it if I joined their ranks, and I have nothing against that idea. But there’s one thing I can say for sure: I’ve never wanted to become a coffee drinker by watching coffee drinkers.

Sometimes I wonder if unbelievers observe Christians in the same way. I wonder if they view God like I view coffee. Maybe they’re baffled at how this mysterious commodity adversely controls the daily lives of those who drink it... how it dictates their moods, viewpoints, and sense of well-being. Maybe they’re confused by all the foreign church lingo on a Grande scale. Maybe just walking into a church building leaves them feeling like I do in a Starbucks… disconnected, out of place, and wondering what all the fuss is about.

I’m satisfied living a life without coffee -- but I’ve never had a personal relationship with it. I know it’s an otherworldly experience for many. I know I’m missing something... something that’s real.

I wonder how many unbelievers feel the same way about Jesus.

“But how can they call on Him unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” Romans 10:14

- Ron Reid

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