Highlights for February 05 include:
2/4-6 - Midwinter Camp - Kerrville, TX
2/10 - WB 39 Outlook Houston Taping - Houston, TX
2/10 - Clear Lake UMC - Clear Lake, TX
2/12 - Family of Faith Lutheran Church - Houston, TX
2/13 - St. Philip UMC - Garland, TX
2/17 - York Middle School - Conroe, TX
2/20 - Dean's Credit Clothing - Houston, TX
2/26 - Expanding Your Horizons - Houston, TX
2/27 - Tennison UMC - Mt. Pleasant, TX

Those of you who are new to this e-list might not yet realize that I use this section of the e-newsletter to highlight what I feel are timely issues of critical importance in our individual & collective spiritual growth & development. So boy are you in for a treat, because this month's installment is especially vital - new news just in (courtesy of the 100% reliable MSN News) clearly shows that coffee in all its many forms is GOOD FOR US!!!

So, for your newbies out there, you might ask - Why am I dedicating valuable newsletter space to this particular discovery? I mean, heck - scientists have just created technology capable of performing whole-face transplants on human beings, and I'm talking about COFFEE?!?

Well, yes, I am. Without coffee, this world would be a duller (and definitely more irritable) place. Without coffee, the sun wouldn't shine as brightly and the moon would never been seen (because we'd fall asleep way before it got dark out). Without coffee, there would be no Starbucks, and then where would all us single people hang out - Whataburger? Coffee definitely makes the world go round.and thankfully in today's world of ultra-specialty coffee products, there appears to be a coffee drink to suit absolutely anybody's tastes.

Coffee (or anything else we truly love & look forward to for that matter) also serves to bring out a very important distinction in the lives we lead as Christians today, because as followers of Christ there are lots of areas where we are tempted to censor or deny ourselves for the glory of God - for instance (and this is one I hear a lot in my circle of friends!) if we didn't drink so much Starbucks, we could donate more money to charity. And this is true - we could.

However, there is something to be said for moderation. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard, yes. But WHY - why are we called to a higher standard? For one reason and one reason only - because we are AWARE. In Romans 3:20 Paul says "Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."

So what this verse actually says is that we are not called to a higher standard because of anything more or less than the fact that we are now aware that sin exists. We are aware that we have choices to make every day, and that the choices we make affect ourselves AND the world around us. And we are called to make a decision about (for example) not so much 'if' but 'HOW MUCH' Starbucks we purchase, and to be accountable with the good of all in mind (including but not limited to ourselves) for the resources God gifts us with as His stewards on earth.

But similarly, in Jeremiah 2:7, God states: "And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things." And this verse forces me to ask myself (and you) this question - Would it serve God if all of us, collectively, right here and now, gave up purchasing coffee products for the good of humankind? I have to say, in my humble (and hopeful) opinion - no, it would not.

We as Christians definitely have a dilemma, that much is clear. And yet these two verses show us unequivocally that we are called not just to BE a light to this world, and to undertake individual sacrifice in some measure for the good of the whole, but that we are also called to FEEL the light and take enjoyment in the good things that God has made with us in mind!

So I ask you - if we collectively stopped drinking coffee altogether, right now, who would enjoy this good gift that God has given us? Would we be honoring God by renouncing a portion of such a small joy that is really freely ours to partake of? Now, I am not talking about drinking 12 cups a day, because that would not be a good choice to make - drinking that much coffee points to addiction, and addiction glorifies no one. And there are some things we ARE called to renounce entirely - drugs, eating disorders, cutting, pornography - these are not good Godly gifts, but human perversions of good Godly gifts.

But coffee.or fresh flowers..or sunshine by the side of a hotel pool..or chocolate..or watching a good movie with friends..if we are honest amongst ourselves, can't we admit that sometimes the closest we will ever feel to God is just in enjoying His creation, laughing, being thankful for little wonderful extraneous luxuries, marveling that a God so huge would think to create a drink like coffee that is just really the best part of my personal day..???

We bring God glory when we learn to do a delicate divine dance called 'moderation'. We bring God glory when we delight in His unique creativity - to serve us so well in joy, and at the same time serve us up such generous helpings of tough love to grow us for His glorious purposes. We bring God glory when we become AWARE that He has brought us into being not just to make good choices, but also to become aware on a much deeper level of what good choices ARE by how they affect not just the world around us, but us too.

Sometimes God smiles when we do something as simple as drink a cup of coffee (which by the way is good for you - did I mention that already?) He smiles.when we smile.and the ripple effect of just one thankful smile can be felt around the world. And THAT is truly the best part of any day.

With peace & love, & many caffeinated blessings,
Shannon