my coffee shop

I love coffee!  My love for coffee probably started when I was in college, not black, more of a light tan :)  Growing up, I remember my grandma drinking coffee...black, very black, and I recall my dad drinking coffee.  He would regulary take a morning break from work to visit.  At church, following the service, we would always have rolls and coffee.  Dad was almost always the last one out as he just loves to catch up!  Although, he doesn't drink black coffee anymore, I think he likes an occasional cappuccino.  There's nothing like a good heart-to-heart visit over a cup of coffee!  

Fast forward a few years...I also love visiting one-on-one with people!  Sitting down with them and finding out where they have come from and what their life is like.  (I must have inherited that from my dad!)  However, my husband is a pastor, and most often, I don't see people one-on-one.  They more or less come in large packs and herds!  I don't do herds, packs, OR large groups of people.  I remember our first year and feeling like I had tunnel vision and was going to drown in people.  Breathe, Jennie!  Breathe!

Despite my weakness of dealing with crowds, over the years, God has helped me to see the individuals instead of the large group.  I find people who I can talk with and am much more comfortable in the large group setting.  It's better if I have something to do, though.  For instance, I love to stand with my husband after church and greet people...one-on-one.  I love to ask them about the last thing I remember talking with them. 

While talking with people one-on-one, God really started to show me how this person had a lot in common with the other person over there.  And He really started placing this thought in my mind..."Is there a way to get them together and have them actually visit?"  At church, we just breeze in and breeze out..."Hi, how are you?"  "Fine" are just the phrases we use to greet each other as we head to where we're going.  But life is so much more, and we really do need each other!  How neat it would be to see someone from church at the grocery store and be able to visit with them.

These two areas--a love for coffee and a need to see connecting--really started to come together in the idea of a coffee shop.  A coffee shop, you ask?  Well, not one that's open at regular hours.  I guess you have to have an invitation to come.  Kind of like those fancy hunting lodges that only the select few can get in.  There is a goal in mind behind my coffee shop:  to connect people from church in a smaller setting to enable them to have something in common to visit about...and people of different ages and backgrounds and walks of life.

A few years ago, my coffee shop kicked off with a few gals coming over to visit, children invited to come and play while we gals shared life over a cup of yummy coffee.  We all loved it!  And how fun to see people at church start to visit with each other, knowing that they really met over a cup of coffee! 

In the past year, I haven't been able to run my coffee shop as regularly as I would like, but it will come...not everything in life happens at the same time.  This summer, I hope to get my coffee shop going again...inviting a few gals over to share life while our children play. 

Of course, if you were to stop by without an invite, a pot of coffee doesn't take long to make.  We could enjoy a cup together and a nice chat.