Daily Struggles - Starbucks

So I don’t know if you are aware of this, but I work at Starbucks. That’s the high paying coffee company that’s on every street corner in America. Working at Starbucks is a lot of fun – I’ll give it that. But it’s still Starbucks. I get coffee, I get great benefits but I still go into work and throw on a green apron and my black hat and say Welcome to Starbucks…

What 25 year old with a college degree in finance works at Starbucks?
It’s not like it’s my second job or it’s helping me pay bills as I get my master’s degree.

It is my job.

It is what pays my bills.

It’s what I have to answer, when people ask where do you work?
Yea I work at Starbucks.
Are you in school?
No, I graduated and I have a degree.
Then you always get that fun look that comes across their face. They look at you like you’re crazy or messed up - like you aren’t good enough to be in the big time corporate world like they are. Little do they know that I’ve been there and I know what it’s like. I’ve seen millions of dollars passing from one person to another. I’ve been in the meetings where a person’s retirement was on the line. I’ve seen it.

But it’s not for me. There are bigger and better things for me. I tried it and now I’m back at square one - Starbucks. Right now, I’m one of those guys that I despised in high school. The older guy that had the job that the high schooler needed and deserved.

I am very grateful and thankful for the job and life that I have but it’s a DAILY STRUGGLE that I go through. On those mornings that I have to roll out of my bed at 4 or even 6, the first thought in my head is always what are you doing, Mitchell? You can do so much more than this. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

I have been placed at Starbucks for a reason.
I know that I can fall into a worldly mindset and get frustrated with my job and my current situation – OR – I can see it as God does.

A time of focus -
A time of study -
A time of growth -

I’ve been placed there for a reason and each day can be a struggle if I choose to see it through the world’s eyes but I choose to see it through His eyes.

Lord, continue to grow me in this time. I know that this isnt what I want to be doing but I trust in your plan for my life and I trust that you will continue to pave the way. Lead me one step at a time and I will follow...

Hold Your Horses Buddy

As a kid when my parents asked if I wanted to go to the toy store, I lit up just like any kid does. That is a kid’s paradise. So many toys that I don’t have, that I need and that I want.

What stops me from getting the new remote control car or video game system?
Money
So what do I do?
I ask Mom and Dad to buy it for me.

Obviously Mom and Dad are going to say no but every once in awhile for some reason they say yes. It’s usually after report cards or near my birthday or Christmas. Sometimes you even have to sweet talk them into it which works pretty well.

However, God does not work this way. There is no sweet talking God.

If you give me this now, God, I will be good for the rest of the month. I’ll be at church whenever the doors open, I’ll tithe every week and I’ll even read my Bible every morning. That’s all riding on if you give me what I want first.

Sometimes when we ask things of God, He does say yes and He give us what we want.

Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I John 5:13-14

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you..”

Sometimes, like with our parents, we get the no. What we ask for, we don’t get which is never fun. When we ask for something like in the toy store, we are hoping to get it. We want it but God for some reason doesn’t give it to us.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Genesis 50:21

“So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

With our parents, we get a yes or no. God works on the same answer system but He adds one – WAIT.

How would you feel if you asked your parents for the toy and they said wait?
Wait!
How about a yes or no?!
I don’t want to wait.
I can’t wait.
How long do I have to wait?
Why am I waiting?

God loves to make us wait. Not because He is trying to hurt us or because He wants to torment us. He does it because He wants to see our faith and trust in Him.
Can you wait on God to deliver?
Do you trust that He is going to give you what you want at the right time?

He knows what you want and He knows what you need. He also knows the best time for you to get what you want. Our job is to be persistent in praise and thanksgiving followed with requests like it says in Philippians.

Phil. 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Will you wait on God who waited a long time on you?

Tried and True

I tend to think that I am a pretty smart person. Some people are just born really smart and that’s great for them - others have to learn. People learn things in three different ways: visually, auditory or kinesthetically. I can learn by reading the new Erwin McManus book, Wide Awake, or by reading through the book of Romans. I can also learn by listening to a professor or listening to my pastor. Both ways are great ways but I learn more from actually getting my hands dirty and getting put into action. I can do all the watching of football games that I want but it isn’t until I am thrown into the game that I begin to see the areas that need improvements or the areas where I am strong.

As many of you know, I have the opportunity to go overseas for 2 years with hopes of turning it into a career thing. The goal of a missionary is to connect with people and then share the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing opportunity but I cant help but be selfish in thinking about it. As awesome as it would be to see lost people come to know the Lord, I am also excited about my own personal growth that will happen during these times. The verses in James are always on my mind:

James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of any kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may by mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I know that without a doubt that it is going to be really tough to be halfway around the world - away from family, away from friends, away from my sports teams, away from comfort. If I could, I would bring everyone and everything with me but unfortunately I cannot do that.

On the flipside, I can’t wait to get thrown into the game.
I want to be tossed into a world of lost souls.
I want to see God move through towns and villages.
I want to see lives changed and only be able to attribute it to the Living God.
I want to be tried.
I want to have no idea what to say or what I am supposed to do.
I want to be scared of what is going to happen.
I want to be tested because I know that will grow my faith and trust in the Lord.
I want to be refined and purified.

I Peter 1:6-7: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Through this experience, I hope to become mature in my faith and see a whole new God – the God that created me and desires a true and deep relationship with me. The God that I have come to know is amazing but there is so much more to find. Like it says in Matthew – “Seek and you shall find.”

The journey will be tough. It will have its ups and downs – its times of laughing and its times of tears. I know that in those rough times, I can rest in His promises.

Isaiah 41:9-10:
“I took you from the ends of the earth,
From its farthest corners I called you.
I said, “You are my servant;”
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Blah Blah Blah

This is going to be short and I am just going to start it off and say it – I don’t like deep friendships - I like the surface relationships. The ones that involve, “Hi, how are you today,” and “What have you been up to lately?” The conversations that when you leave you don’t have to remember anything because there was nothing to it. It may sound shallow but that is what I like.

I don’t know what is so appealing about an arms distance relationship but it is much more enjoyable to me. I do like to talk and have conversations but I hate having to talk about myself. I would rather talk about the Florida Marlins or the Presidential race or Barbie than have to talk about myself. I don’t like to sit around a dinner table and talk about me or what’s on my mind. I don’t mind listening to others but have a real hard time talking about myself.

In order to begin a deep and meaningful relationship, you have to talk about yourself. Why can’t we just hit the basics like how your day was, what your plans are for tomorrow and talk sports and end it at that? Wouldn’t that just be easier? Why start a deep friendship when it will all fade away at some point anyway? Let’s be real – somebody will get married or move away and everything won’t be the same anymore. You may say that you’ll talk or email all the time but we all know that isn’t going to happen. Now your deep relationship has turned into an arms distance one, so why not just start it that way and keep it that way? That’s how it will turn out anyways….

(just to clear it up, I would rather listen to someone talk about themselves than have to talk about myself)

CrazyLove

Have you ever sat in amazement at just how everything works? I have no idea how the computer in front of me or the tv Im watching works. I turn it on and I expect it to operate and it usually does. We have expectations on these things and if they are not met, we become quite frustrated and even mad.

But what about expectations of ourselves? What are we supposed to do in this life? If someone were to turn on the channel of our life, what would they expect to see? If we call ourselves Christians, would they be expecting pure, holy, sinless people? or would they be expecting the person that goes to church, reads his Bible, prays but still messes up? I bet your thinking the second one but why is that ok? Why are we allowed to mess up? Why is our mindset stuck in sin? Like its alright to sin because we have God's grace. Or the excuse that we are just humans. Jesus came to this earth for a purpose. He went to the cross to bear our sins and made us a new creation so that we wouldnt have to be in sin anymore. Why is it still ok?

I for one know the grace of God. I still sin but it comes down to a daily renewal of the mind and spirit. Its about standing your ground when the temptations start and then continuing to stand on the Rock who will never fail. Its about a relationship with the Father who created you and has always and will always love you. I know it sounds crazy but if you truly love someone you wont want to hurt them.


Fall in love with your Maker. And make it a crazy kind of love.

101%

What equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z Y is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then,

HARDWORK = 8+1+18=4+23+15+18+11= 98% AND

KNOWLEDGE = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5= 96% BUT,

ATTITUDE = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5= 100% AND,

Look how far the LOVE OF GOD will take you,

LOVE OF GOD = 12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4= 101%

THEREFORE, ONE CAN CONCLUDE WITH MATHEMATICAL CERTAINTY THAT: WHILE HARDWORK AND KNOWLEDGE WILL GET YOU CLOSE, AND ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU THERE, IT’S THE LOVE OF GOD THAT WILL PUT YOU OVER THE TOP!

I am a cheater...

My name is pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God- given destiny...bc you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment...bc you deserve better than this.
I cheat you of knowledge...bc you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing...bc you are too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness...bc you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision...bc you'd rather look in the mirror.
I cheat you of a friendship...bc nobody's going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...bc real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you greatness in heaven...bc you refuse to wash another's feet.
I cheat you God's glory...bc I convince you to seek your own.
My name is pride. I am a cheater.
You like me bc you think I am always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I am looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but dont worry.
If you stick with me, you will never know.

Instantaneous

Superstitions.
There are some great ones out there.
Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.
Walking under a ladder.
Black cats.
Spilling salt.

I’ll say that I am somewhat of a superstitious person.
I am, however, not all about the ones listed above.
I tend to have this belief that some things just happen.
For example…
I am driving back from the bookstore.
There is an intersection that has a left turn light,

so that I can get home.
If the light happens to be red,

I then proceed to go to a side street and cut over from there.
I look at it as a sign,

a sign that I wasnt supposed to go that way.

Or…
I decide to go shopping at let’s say Express.
I see a dress shirt that I like but they only have one left.
I choose to not buy the shirt immediately.
I walk around the mall for a little while longer.
Then I venture back into Express.
Only to see my shirt has disappeared.
Once again, another sign that it wasn’t meant to be.

As you can see, its probably not the most Biblical thing to do,
but these are just small, petty things.
In times that matter, I meditate on Phil. 4:6-7.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When faced with a decision, major or minor,
Take it to the person who wants the best for you.
The One that has a plan for your life.
The One that will always be there for you, step for step.

I can look back on the past year
and recall two instances that were presented to God in prayer.
And no, those weren’t the only things.

I felt led to go to Montana on a mission trip,

only to hear that it was cancelled.
I was bummed out.

I really wanted to go there and felt led to.
After hearing it was not going to happen,

I prayed to be shown another opportunity.

The next day after my prayer,

I got a call and I was invited to go to Kazakhstan.
Now Kazakhstan wasn’t on my list of countries to visit,

but I believed that to be a sign,

an opportunity from God.
I immediately jumped on it and the rest is history.

Another example.
It was the beginning of January 2008, not long ago.
I remember one night lying in my bed thinking,

What am I doing with my life.
I felt stagnant,

like I was doing nothing of any merit.
That particular night,

I prayed that doors would be opened.
That I would have a chance to make a difference, to do something.
You might think I am lying,

but the very next day my Mom called me.
She told me that one of the teachers at the school,

wanted to know if I would be willing to help with a trip to NYC.
I didn’t even have to think about it.
It was a no-brainer.

In closing, I am not trying to say float through life

and whatever happens, happens.
Rather, present your requests to God and follow in His will

and “He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).

Thanks for reading...

I was going to...

HEADLINE from January 30th, 2008

GONE - Millions and Millions of “Christians” Magically Disappear

Just seconds ago, I was sitting in my living room enjoying a glass of coke and some potato chips and now I’m flying, naked. What is going on? Where are my clothes and what is happening to me? Am I dreaming? Thoughts begin to wildly race through my head. Then it hits me – Jesus came back for His children. I am amidst the rapture of His church. How amazing! Then I begin to ponder all the things I never did. Not a bucket list – I want to see the Eiffel Tower or visit St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Petersburg, Russia in the same day – no I’m talking about Christian things, things for God, things that would make a difference in this world.

I was going to…
Stop with the pride, jealousy, anger and lust.
In fact, I was going to stop sinning completely.

I was going to…
Read my Bible every morning and every night and pray continuously.
Not in just the bad times, but even in the good times.

I was going to…
Meet new people, do different things and expand my horizons.

I was going to…
Feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless and clothe the needy.
I was going to be content with what I had.

I was going to…
Care for the sick, cry with the hurting and lend a hand to the elderly.

I was going to…
Smile with my family, laugh with my friends and dance with my enemies.

I was going to…
Work harder, play longer and sleep less.

I was going to…
Look for the lost no matter what the cost.

I was going to…
Tell everyone in the world about Jesus and His love.

I WAS GOING TO...BUT I NEVER DID...

TIME is UP - Do Something!

Unnecessary Touching

HUG – to clasp tightly in the arms with affection; to cling firmly or fondly to; to cherish

What is so special about a HUG?
Is it the gentle touch that stirs us up?
Is it the warmth that overflows from that moment?
Is it the feeling that someone actually cares to hold onto you?
Or is it just a nicer way to say goodbye?

I have always had, until recently, a quirk that I called “unnecessary touching” – rubbing my shoulders or tickling my stomach or poking my side. It always made me wonder, “Why is this person touching me and what gave them the right to do that?” After hearing about my touching fears, people started doing it just to annoy me, which it did. Time went by and I eventually just didn’t care anymore. However, I do have a new problem with the HUG.

I need to clear some things up before I get going on this HUGging ordeal. I actually enjoy HUGS but like I just said I’m not touchy-feely like other guys. I like to think that I make up for that area in ways of laughter and smiling and just having a good time. I’m not trying to downplay the HUG. It is a great weapon to have in your arsenal but it has to have its proper time and place.

Now I know that you girls absolutely love HUGs. I don’t know why but you do. I don’t understand a lot of things about you but I do know that much. Anyways, I’m not down with hugging every time I leave your presence. As much as I may have enjoyed it, every time we hang out does not warrant a HUG. I want my HUG from me to you to actually have some meaning – have some depth to it. I don’t want this being something that I just do out of routine – like waking up and brushing my teeth or making my bed in the morning. I want this HUG to actually have a purpose and feeling behind it. This is me saying that I care about you and you care about me. And in those times, when I don’t HUG you, please please please (did I say please yet?) please don’t overanalyze the situation and think that I don’t like you anymore or you said something wrong or I’m grumpy. I’m just not feeling the HUG at that particular moment. It’s not that I don’t want to but I just don’t want this to be something that becomes numb. Something that is done just because it has to be done.

In closing, HUGs are special times that have to be cherished. If by chance my arms open wide and you find yourself amidst a HUG - know that it is a genuine HUG, not something done just because but rather something done out of true care and friendship.

Luke 15:20 – “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him…”

The Worst Thing about Being Single

As I sit here and look back on my trip to New York City, I can’t help but laugh and smile. I think back to all the funny things that were said – P Diddy - and funny things that were done – nearly tripping like 3 times in a row - and all the memories that were made. When you spend time with people, you make memories. You create pictures that will forever be with you. No matter how hard I try, every time I think of Times Square or hear about the New Year, I’ll think of standing for 8 hours. Not a pleasant thought but still a great memory (and I would encourage anyone to do it – it’s not that bad). That brings me to my main idea about the worst thing about being single.

Imagine, if you will, your parents pulling out pictures from when they were 21. I’m sure you might have a little laugh at first and then your parents would go into how that was the style and those were the fashions at the time. They might try and to describe to you that they actually were cool back then with the big afro or the wild disco clothes. No matter how hard they try, you probably aren’t going to buy it. They look funny. How could that be cool?

This is when it becomes difficult. They try and describe to you something that you weren’t even a part of while you try and picture it way back then. How could you possibly understand? As good a picture as they can paint for you, you’ll never fully understand because you weren’t with them when it all happened. It’s different to actually live and be in the memories as opposed to hearing about it. There’s just something about being able to relive that experience in our head that brings it right back to life like it just happened yesterday. So…

The worst thing about being single is not having someone to be there with you during all the memories as you travel through life.

I know that’s part of getting to know someone – you ask questions and learn about them – you make new memories. On the contrary, how much more fun would it be to be able to sit back and laugh about the things that happened in high school or college? Those times spent on the beach during Spring Break or on the football fields in New Orleans. Those times you toilet-papered the principal’s house or went streaking through the quad. To the new girlfriend, they are only past recollections. They mean nothing because she wasn’t there. Sure she cares about them and loves to hear the stories but she doesn’t have any sort of tie to them.
How much easier is it to remember things that you were a part of rather than having to imagine being involved in it?

You may be sitting there completely in disagreement with me and that’s fine. I just sit here and look back at my life. Sure things have changed since high school and college and I have had a chance to make changes. However, look at all the stuff that my future mate has missed. I’ll actually have to talk to them – gosh! Just kidding.

In the grand scheme of things, the past really doesn’t matter. It's in the past for a reason. You'll meet someone and make new memories together. You’ll be able to sit on your porch in your rocking chairs while sipping on some wine and look back at a picture from January 7th, 2008 and say, “Gosh, I look awful in that picture!”

Make memories and make as many as you can!