Comatose, Coffee, Calamity and Christ!

Yeah, a lot of things in just one day! God is awesome!

And then there was the weekend! Well, to begin with today.. woke up to a phone call from my roommate at 6:15AM, asking me to bring him something he had forgotten to bring with him on the bus, as he was heading into Seattle to work at one of the MANY Starbucks in the city. So, in order to retain his reputation and keep his job there, I figured I should bring in what he had forgotten :-) So, a great quiet ride into the city of Seattle at too early of an hour! But what a blessing to serve my roommate!

Then onto the coffee shop, Cafe Osita, where I got to spend great time conversing with the owner Andrea, and learned all about the different coffee terms on her menu :-) Possibly my sister would appreciate me learning about coffee, as she just drinks it up (Starbucks that is), and if we all confessed, I'm sure we are all still learning about how it's all made, what the terms on the menu mean and all that stuff :-) I usually go in to a coffee shop and stare at the menu filled with terms I don't know. Can be overwhelming, ha! So for a little education.

Going down her menu list (1) an Americano is a shot or two of expresso mixed with hot water. (2) a Cappuchino is a shot or two of expresso, steamed milk and frothed milk on top (the foam). Certain parts of Italy believe a "real" drink has thick froth, while other regions believe the smoother, thinner froth is the authentic one :-) I of course will not fight over it. (3) A Latte differs from a Cappuchino in that there will be mostly steamed milk and not a lot of froth (foam) in your drink, as the term Latte means "milk." (4) A Macchiato (sounds Japanese to me) is Italian for "marked" and usually is referring to an expresso shot or two "marked" with a dap of foam on top, usually not what you get when ordering a Macchiato from Starbucks (that's more like a Latte Macchiato). (5) A Breve is an expresso shot mixed with half-n-half, instead of using steamed milk (you can also ask for Soy milk or Hemp milk to be used). Lastly, in case you've never heard of a Cubano, (6) a Cubano is made by either adding sugar to the collection container with the expresso before brewing or whipping the sugar into a small amount of espresso after brewing and then mixing that with the rest of the shot. Few places will make it for you though. So there! That's about what I learned today at the coffee shop. Andrea can correct me if I'm wrong. Hopefully I listened well

The Calamity portion speaks of what I received on Sunday at Mars Hill West Seattle. My pastor Mark Driscoll along with his friend James McDonald were able, miraculously, to fly into Haiti this past week, along with a MH film crew that recorded his time in Haiti, the devastation and peril that occurred and was occuring, and yet the unflinching faith of those who loved Jesus, even amidst difficult emotions, broken families, dead brothers and wives, missing loved ones, missing pastors and crumbled churches. It absolutely broke my heart, as it even brought back precious memories of my time over there in 00' when I visited churches in Port-au-Prince and Carrefour (pronounced "car-foo").

Mark reminded us of the brevity of life, the urgency of the Gospel and the need to rise up and provide for churches in Haiti, as God has abundantly blessed us with so much here in America. One of the coolest stories I heard from a lady missionary in the video was that she was seeing this calamity from a larger perspective, seeing things as God's story unfolding. She believes the crumbling of churches, the calamity of the situation, would only result in a greater scattering of the church of God, meaning the good news of the love of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins would reach more areas in Haiti, and more people in Haiti! And in being moved by what I saw Sunday, I am asking God even now what role I might be able to play in helping Haiti more. Lord-willing that might even mean me going over there to help serve for a season.

Lastly, I want to end with Jesus Christ, as the title of this post indicates. He is worthy of all glory, praise, and adoration! I got to talk to a brother of mine tonight who just started coming to Mars Hill, who is struggling in his faith, asking questions about repeated sin in his life, and wanting to find change through Jesus. And that was the beautiful thing about tonight! In the both of us talking about Jesus as the answer, it stirred and strengthened my own heart concerning Christ's atoning work on the cross; that He became my substitute, the slaughtered Lamb who hung on the cross for my sins, and that He also was my perfect Scapegoat (Leviticus 16) who took my sin away forever (as far as the East is from the West), never to be remembered again, never to be accused of again, never to be shamed from such things again. He took it all away! By His stripes I was healed!

And again, at the end of the day, much has happened and still more is to come, but I can rest in the finished work of Christ! It brings to mind Isaiah 53, which I'd like to finish with. Here is what Christ did out of His love for me and out of His love for His Father!

 ³ He was despised and rejected by men,
       a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
       And as one from whom men hide their faces
       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 ⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we esteemed him stricken,
       smitten by God, and afflicted.
 ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and with his stripes we are healed.

All Who Are Thirsty, Come

What do I post first? Well, this blog may take many different looks, but for now I figured I would try and keep this blog centered on what truth God was impressing on my heart for the day. Anything else is just life lived out in expectation of showing forth His glory through it all!

So, why not begin in a book that has made a great impact on my heart since coming to Seattle, Isaiah. Today I got to actually slow down, take some extended time and meditate over some Scripture. Isaiah 55:1 was in that portion of reading, and I still am chewing over it right now. There are so many implications in this one verse, and probably so much to talk about; but the goal is for God to receive glory through His Word and to let you know what God is teaching me through His Word.

The Gospel is here! In this one verse.


"Come, all you who are thirsty,
       come to the waters;
       and you who have no money,
       come, buy and eat!
       Come, buy wine and milk
       without money and without cost.

The call for my own heart today has been to "come!" But the hearts condition must be one of thirst! I won't desire to come unless I am thirsty. So God has been asking me today, Are you thirsty for me Paul? Are you thirsty for the waters that I provide? Interestingly enough, the call is for those who have no money! In my understanding, God is asking, Do you see you are destitute? Do you see you are like the son who squandered all his money and is eating out of a pig's trough? Do you really believe you come to me without money, without anything to give me? And now I think I'm getting to the heart of what God is trying to tell me here. Do I believe I am broken, that I am weak, that I am a jar of clay that in and of itself is quite useless? Or am I thinking I am something special, something worth giving attention to, self-sufficient, adequate and able to hold myself up? Will I boast in my so-called strengths?

But God's call is to the one with NO money. He's calling that one to "Come! Come, buy wine and milk! Buy and eat with Me! It's free! There is no amount of money that can purchase what I have, there is no cost of your own for what I give!

And then the Gospel hit me with its precious promises! What God gives as a free gift is only because it has already been purchased and had a great cost to it! Communion and relationship with God cost him his own communion with his Son! Jesus purchased this with His own blood, for He was wounded for my transgressions and by His stripes I have been healed (Isaiah 53)!! Jesus died so that I could buy wine and milk without money and without cost! He died so that I could COME!

Without Jesus paying for it all I wouldn't even be able to come. I would be lost in my self-sufficiency and pride, a shattered jar of clay. And in this, the good news is a herald to all who would listen! It is good news for my heart today. Jesus died a bloody, costly, death to secure for Himself those whom He loves. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, yet He washed it white as snow!

Do you thirst? Have you come to the waters that God has provided already through Jesus? Do you know there is wine and milk offered to you freely? Trust in Jesus. Fly to Jesus. Believe in Jesus!