Lessons from Mediocre Coffee

There was a time in my life when I was not picky about my coffee. Apparently—for better or worse—that time has passed. I know this because I just made myself a cup of Folgers, and it just is not doing it for me. Have I become a coffee snob? Good grief I hope not! I am not one of those people who is into all the fancy frappachinos or the latest lattes, and I am not quivering with anticipation for the return of pumpkin coffee. I like my coffee black. Black, bold, and cold is how I usually roll. My favorite coffee is the Cold Brew Nitro available at Studio 21 Podcast Café where we record the cigar podcast I host called The AshHoles (don’t judge). It’s rich, smooth, and bold, has just a touch of natural sweetness, and no bitterness at all. It is amazing! Take a look…

I suspect this has something to do with my change of taste.

In a post I wrote several years ago called Lessons from Coffee I shared how my changing tastes in how I like to take my coffee served to illustrate how we grow in our walk with Jesus. What I was thinking about whilst sipping my mediocre brew this morning, was how my picky pallet is parallel to my experience with my tastes for “spiritual drink.” The books, devotionals, and study material I prefer these days are ones that are rich and deep, ones that share what the author or speaker has been learning from Jesus as the truths of Scripture are ground in the grind of life, ones that are free of the bitterness of legalism and the artificial sweeteners of cheap grace, ones that bring the savor and aroma of the Father, the boldness of the Son, and the brightness of the Spirit. So much of what is out there is not that. So much of what is popular and readily available is more hype than help, more fad than fact, and more packaged than practical.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not out to dump on the light roast, skim milk, super sweet stuff that is out there. All I am saying is that if that is all we eat and drink, we are going to have a heck of a time staying spiritually awake and alert. Hence the Apostle’s admonition in Hebrews 5:12-13 (NIV),

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.