When coffee meets HOLY GROUND...

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Coffee has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember…
When I was little, I used to go with my Pawpaw to a restaurant called Ginger Browns. Side note: huge delicious cinnamon rolls are there. But anyways, he would always order a cup of black coffee and add some sweetener to it. My little toot of a self always had to have some. I would take a spoon and take little sips out of it. I don't know why I enjoyed black coffee then, but apparently it started to grow on me. As I got older, I was allowed more copious amounts, and even ventured into the world of Starbucks. After a visit to England and my roommate in college acquiring a taste for a cup of joe, my horizons were expanded to coffee from other countries and hipster coffee shops that were teaming with other avid caffeine partakers. 

Somewhere along the way, coffee was not just a drink that I enjoyed, or that kept me up a little later than I should have been. It became a sort of means for something so much greater than myself…..

"Hey, do you wanna get some coffee…???"
That was the beginning of years and years of time spent in places like Starbucks, Bodega Bean, Common Grounds, Arushas, Mugwalls, Palace Coffee, Mozart's, as well as my own house and the many apartments I have lived in through college. An exchange happened every time: words, conversations, laughs, tears, truth, gifts, fears, questions. I did not realize it then, but it was so much more than that.

Over the last 3 and a half months, I have been wrestling and learning a truth God put right in front of my face one morning. I woke up from a night before of wrong choices and selfish desires. When you take something that is precious and treat it like its something your entitled to, so much can go wrong. As I read a short devotion the next morning, my eyes were opened. All of those times I sat across from another person, drinking a cup of coffee, there inside of them is a living soul, a heart that beats and lungs that breathe. Not only that, but in those depths, the Holy Spirit of God dwells. So, every time someone chose to use their breath and beating heart to share a part of their lives with me, no matter what that entailed, I was in that moment standing on Holy ground. 

I sat there almost unable to breathe, never having realized what God and every soul I encountered had given me. God then challenged me to see that with this knowledge and honor, should come so much prayer and seeking in the moments when this exchange takes place. That he alone would grant me wisdom in those times, to walk upon the Holy ground of hearts with reverence and an understanding that comes from him, not my own self. 

Today, as I sat down to have my own cup of coffee, I was in the midst of a conversation with one of my dearest friends and was reminded of this truth again. While I can never claim that there is some special ingredient in a cup of coffee, or a building with a cool atmosphere, there is a very great privilege in hearing someone's story. Sitting across from a heart that has lived a life, experienced pain and sorrow, joy and laughter, everything in between, that has the power to change everything. Unique souls and life experiences can teach us all boundless lessons and truths. If the opportunity comes to share a piece of God's presence, standing on Holy ground, I want to treasure it for all that it is worth.

Having said all of that, I want to extend the invitation.
To hear stories, to share life, to tell the tales of adventure and awesomeness.
To take the time to see what it means to be welcomed into Holy ground.
I would love nothing more.

Would you like to get some coffee…..?


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