On Sunday, I found myself throwing the frisbee with someone I didn’t know. We went from, “Wow–great toss!” to “Hey–what’s your name?” to “What do you do?” It was a pretty natural progression as far as conversations go.

Of course, my answer to the last question was, “I’m a pastor of a church in Walnut Creek called Open Door,” to which he responded, “Oh really? What’s your church like.”

My immediate response was, “Well, it tastes a lot like espresso and sounds a lot like Jazz Music.” I was thinking about how we adopt local coffee shops and pubs and keep showing up there as well as our connection with the jazz community in the Bay Area. But then I started to reflect on it more and was surprised by the truth behind that statement.

“It tastes a lot like espresso.”
I’ve come to love the subculture of specialty coffee. Because of my friendship with the owners of Pacific Bay Coffee Co. in Walnut Creek, I have become exposed to a world that I didn’t even know existed. And, because of our experience at the Barista Championships, I discovered a whole network of “Third Wave” coffee joints–one of which I now frequent every time I’m in Sacramento.

“Third Wave.”
To explain, this is the term used to describe coffee shops who see themselves standing on the shoulders of Folgers and Columbia House (First Wave) and Starbucks and Peet’s (2nd Wave) to get really well done espresso into the hands of the community. The Third Wave shops aren’t interested in you getting in and getting out, but take care to help you embrace the fullness of the coffee experience.

I have watched as this network of Third Wave shops collaborate with each other and how, as a result, they all get better at what they do. They share ideas, helpful practices, baristas, music, espresso beans, etc. They are constantly pushing each other to dream bigger and to experiment more. There is a longing to connect with origin (coffee farms) to understand coffee better and to help holistically enhance life for those on the farms.

They are not interested in becoming the bastians of the coffee world like the Second Wave shops. Take note, though–Starbucks, known for catering to the consumer, has lost its identity and is trying to regain its roots. They are no longer offering breakfast sandwiches because their shops don’t smell like coffee anymore. Interesting huh?

Can the church learn anything from Third Wave Coffee?

“It sounds a lot like Jazz music.”
What I love about and learn from Jazz music…

It is an ongoing conversation.
There really isn’t any difference between performers and listeners. They all are a part of the experience.
It is always different based on the musicians who show up.
Anyone can contribute.
It is better when more musicians contribute.
It is never the same twice.
It builds on the past with creative liberty.
It is messy at times–and that’s okay–it’s cool, really, because something new emerges.
Leadership can seamlessly shift–it needs to in order to stay fresh.

Can the church lean anything from Jazz Music?

We do a spiritual retreat two times a year called “Discover.” The whole point of the retreat is to position ourselves to discover who God is, who we are, and what it means to live in His unfolding Story. It’s a fascinating journey with twelve people at a time. We spend much of the weekend gathered in a living room, around food, and out in creation engaged in a dialogue with God and each other.

Before the retreat, we serve, we eat, and we storytell together. We take a personality and spiritual giftedness assessment which is analyzed and prepared into a personal portfolio. During the retreat we step into a rhythm of solitude, pod-time (little groups of 3-4), and holistic conversation. We wrestle out loud with one another, we encourage one another, we become advocates for one another, we pray for one another.

Here’s an interesting observation:

When we talked in pod-time about personality, the conversation was exciting and optimistic. There were wonderful discoveries that were both freeing and seemingly healing.

But when we talked about spiritual giftedness, the tenor changed to frustration, pessimism, and confusion.

When we discover and discuss our personalities and even begin to live more fully into them, we probably come a bit more alive. We tend to interact with people a bit better. We even tend to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong things a bit more.

But–when we begin to live into our spiritual giftedness, the Kingdom advances, the world changes, the Body is strengthened, and eternities are altered.

The enemy that roars like an old, wounded, defeated lion (1 Peter 5:8) is fully engaged in guerrilla warfare, trying desperately to keep us from living into who God has made us to be. Cowards engage in guerrilla warfare.

Is it any wonder that the personality conversation is easy but the spiritual giftedness conversation seems overwhelming?

I spent the weekend in Berkeley at the West Coast Regional Barista Championships.

There have been just a couple of times in my life when I knew that I knew that something needed to change. The first time was when I was 19 and was living like someone whose fantasy of life was better than the Father’s. I remember, as I lay recovering from a rather serious illness, that something needed to change. That particular change resulted in my first steps in the Way of Jesus.

The second time was just a few weeks later when I was back at school for my sophomore year. I had spent an entire year pursuing a degree in music education and doing it quite successfully. I remember classes resuming and not retaining anything of the previous year’s education. What I was supposed to recollect was gone–as though I had never learned it. Something needed to change. That particular change resulted in a complete reorientation of my course of study.

The third time was after four years of working at a large church in Minnesota. While there, I experienced what “church” ministry was like. It was one of the most formational experiences of my short life as I began to discover how God had wired me. It was there that I realized that I am not a maintainer, but instead am most alive when I am out on the fringe somewhere, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. It was there that I realized that I was built to empower leaders, am fascinated with organizational and organic systems, and prefer to be with people who are flipping God and the church off. Something needed to change. That particular change resulted in my wife and I selling everything that we owned and heading across the country to a new world–literally.

The fourth time was after a life-altering experience in the tribal villages of northern Pakistan. I came home and began living in a world that I had set up for myself pre-Pakistan. It didn’t fit anymore–something needed to change. That particular change resulted in my resigning a safe position for a dangerous one.

Last week was the most outstanding educational experience of my life. It is still hard to put into words what I experienced, other than to say that reformation of some sort is dawning. There was a clarity–an affirmation. It was as though God were saying, “It’s time!” I wonder if this past week, for me, was the stuff of Destiny…

Want to come along?