Viewing entries tagged
coffee

Frangalian?

The most annoying question a guy like me can be asked is: "Room for cream?" This happens whenever I find myself in a coffee shop, trying to figure out how grande is actually small and if the words chalked onto the board behind the counter are French, Italian, Spanish or some combination of the three. Frangalian? Anyway. As I've said before I like my coffee with beans and water. Don't serve it to me cold. Don't add flavors. Don't try to sweeten it. Don't muck it up.

Why does this dude keep talking about his coffee?

First, I'm trying to convince all of you to drink it this way. Second, the most efficient way for Christians to get anything done is over coffee, of which I've sat down twice with my sisters and hacked out some understanding between us.

I know it's been a while since I posted about anything. School work had to be done. Thanksgiving was upon us. More school work had to be done. But instead of mass marketing my theology tapping at keys and burning my retinas, I got to have face time with some real people, asking real questions, and hammering out real answers. We opened the Scriptures together and philosophized and theologized. For me, it was extremely beneficial. I can only hope the same for them. Not that I convinced them of my particular viewpoint, but that we are able to come to a better understanding of where we're both coming from and where we can sharpen one another.

Hopefully, when the semester dies down, I'll be able to start posting on a more regular basis.

Coffee Filters

I love coffee. I love it. I drink it strong and black. When I go to Starbucks, I don't get room for cream. However, I rarely go to Starbucks. I order my coffee straight from Costa Rica-- always whole bean-- by the box and I go through about a bag a week. I'm very specific about the coffee I like, not that I won't drink other coffees, but the one that gets me going is Cafe Britt Tres Rios Valdivia.

I used to brew with a french press, a very delicate process of boiling the water, grinding the beans coarsely, pouring the water over the top of the beans and letting it sit for five mintues, before plunging it down. This makes some wonderfully aromatic coffee. The problem I found is that there would be coffee "dust"-- for lack of a better word-- that would not get plunged down, so when I would pour a cup I would get sediment making the coffee gritty toward the end. Later, I switched to a coffee maker that uses a gold filter. This allows for the water to run through the beans into the carafe without going through paper. However, to some degree I still get grit.

I've been talking to a lot of people about my blog-- it seems to have gotten some recognition. To be honest, I'm not even sure how anybody found this site! That's not the issue though. In writing a somewhat emotionally charged blog, I failed to recognize that the language I was using would be offensive. I sinned. In trying to brew a strong pot of rhetoric, I failed to see all the grit that was coming through the filter. My sarcasm got the best of me. I want to publically apologize for my words that offended anyone. And while I had no intention to denegrate by the use of feminine language, I did. So I ask for forgiveness from those I offended overtly or covertly. I do not want my language to cause the same damage to females that I so vehemenately am against (the damage, not the females).

James writes this about the strength of the tongue. "For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" (3:2-5).

I am happy about the discussion it has garnered and I look forward to sitting down over a strong brew to continue the conversation. And I'll continue to post on the issues related to massive topic that is Women in Ministry.

May You, Father, guard our mouths and our words from doing damage to others. May You make them to cause blessing and not cursing. May You watch over us to help further Your Kingdom and the proclamation of Your Son, Jesus, in whose Name we pray, Amen.