Cupertino, CA
*Reposted from the original coffee blog: Expedition Cafelier*
I believe that God uses moments in life to grow us, challenge us, love us. For weeks I was sitting at a loss. I found myself constantly asking God where I was supposed to lead my Sorority for the coming semester and what he wanted me to do. In my heart I knew he was calling me to take a leap of faith and though I took the first steps in initiating a plan, I had been struggling to tie it all together. Every time I sat down at my laptop to finish the schedule; to finalize the plans; I froze. Was it fear that was holding me back or something more?
Eventually I ran out of time to finish planning before leaving on my next trip so grudgingly I packed all the scraps of paper, the books, the flying thoughts and took them on the airplane with me. By the time I reached my destination, I was ecstatic to be there and to see my boyfriend again but the weight of the unknown still hung on me. God still had his hand at play though and an hour after arriving, I was carted off to a bible study.
Imagine sitting on a plane for six hours, getting off then going to a bible study where you’re the only female in a room of grown men. Sounds terrible right? Wrong. It was exactly what I needed. Through getting to know the men that had conjugated within a living room, I was filled with warmth and amazement. God had taken such diverse men in different levels of their faith and placed them together to explore His word together. What should’ve been the most intimating hours of my life, were filled with peace and ease as new perspectives rose to shed light on issues I’d been struggling with lately. In a moment of loss God placed me in a room of strangers who without knowing what was happening in my life, were able to shed His truth.
I thanked God for that moment; held it close to my heart as I awoke and rose the next morning. As I packed my laptop convinced I would figure it out that day, I had hope for the first time in a while. God was going to do something amazing.
I journeyed down California streets until I found the place I was looking for: Philz Coffee. I had received pictures and stories of it from my boyfriend and I was eager to try it for myself. The front of the building was decorated with red umbrellas and tables. Walking through the door, you journeyed through side tables inside the C-shaped shop that curved from one door to the other. The back wall had a huge chalkboard to draw on. In the middle of the board were pictures and information for you to better know the baristas who served you.
The man who took my order was both knowledgeable on the coffee they served and was able to give me recommendations on what I might like. I wandered around the shop as I waited for my drink before finally settling down at a table. Opening my laptop, I saw the man approaching me; coffee in hand. As I graciously accepted it from him, he offered to make me a new cup if I decided I didn’t like the brew he had offered to me. The blend was rich and bold; the first sip being followed by a sharp “oh”. It was exactly what I wanted; exactly what I needed. The coffee full of dark chocolate and smoked nuts sparked my mind. I knew what I was supposed to do, I knew how to tie everything together. In a moment of loss, God placed me in a center of community where the flow of people never stopped. Between the energy of those who chose to spend their days at the wooden tables and, the delicious coffee at my side, the words didn’t stop flowing.
Away from home, I had found a place to spend my day, to marvel at fellowship of different kinds and find complete joy in God and coffee alike.
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