Flavor makes a difference

Dear Friends at Rise Up Lubbock,
          Every great coffee house has its secrets. They claim that they make the best coffee because of special roasting techniques or flavor mixing from various farms. Whatever they claim each brand has a slightly different flavor. There are definitely some differences which produces, for some, a more flavorful brew. It adds a mystery to the brewing process and the customer buys into the idea that they are purchasing something special and unique.  Isn’t it odd that we Christians continue to do the opposite? We buy into the devil’s tricks. He has succeeded in trivializing everything from the Bible to the symbols of our faith and as a result many have begun to believe that Christ’s crucifixion wasn’t so special after all. They paint Mary Magdalene as his girlfriend, and they scoff at the idea of a virgin birth. It didn’t happen overnight. It has crept into our society over a long time in comedy skits and comfortable movies… even in children’s cartoons. Well, friend, no matter how many cross charms I see I intend to remember that each one is a symbol of the currency that paid my sin debt. The devil may be able to change my society but he can’t change me.  
Dan-Dwayne

1 Corinthians 1:27

    But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Dear Lord,

As I pray and meditate on your sacrifice, the suffering you endured for my sins, I am so very thankful. I have always found it hard to wrap my mind around the concept that You came into this world with one ultimate purpose, and that was to endure a hideous death. The truth is that the anguish you endured redeemed us. It was necessary to save us from sins grip on humanity.  You knew that You had a duty, a sacrifice to preform. God’s plan had to be fulfilled. Still, being ‘the son of man’ You had the option of freewill; yet, You choose to make that sacrifice. You chose to endure the shame and stigma of crucifixion because it held the ultimate hidden key, a code if you please, that when deciphered provided a gateway to grace. To say thank You for such sacrifice doesn’t seem enough, but I have no other words to express my gratitude. So, with a grateful heart I say again, thank You. I do have one request today. Lord I ask for your help... help me Lord to walk worthy of your suffering. As I live throughout this day, help me do something for You. Help me make your sacrifice worthwhile.  - Amen

My favorite flavor is rich dark brewed coffee

Dear Friends of Rise Up Lubbock,

          On my last visit to the coffee shop I ask for my favorite flavor of rich dark brewed coffee and they told me that was not the flavor they had brewed for the day. They had a new coffee I had never tried. With anticipation I thought that I was getting the new and better coffee offered by the company and so I tried it. Don’t get me wrong… it was okay but it just was not as satisfying as the flavor I had come into the shop to get.  I fell for the thought that newer was better, but when it come to what really matters in life… well, most of the time we just want to be happy and you and I both know where the source of happiness is . I assure you that the source of real happiness is not in a cup of coffee…  right?

Dan-Dwayne

Dear Lord,

I have spent all my life working to acquire stuff. I see the newest technology and I can’t wait until I am able to afford it. I believe the bank and blue book appraisal when they tell me that the worth of my car is calculated by its age instead of its performance. What I really desire from you, Jesus, is not a life filled with fad or fashion, not the newest or latest but quality… I want a quality life. I want my life to matter. I want my legacy to be one of example; as how to live a fulfilling life after your plan. Help me see through society’s worthless teachings to find what is really worth living for. I want to live a life full of more enjoyment and you are the source of joy, the source of happiness, the source of fulfillment. Lord, I want more of You.  - Amen

Psalms 49:6-7

    They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

Did you know that a coffee bean is really a seed?

Hello Friends at Rise Up Lubbock,

Did you know that a coffee bean is really a seed? The pods which contain the seeds are picked by hand as to not rupture the coffee cherries before the right time. It is a labor intensive process and requires an army of harvesters working together for a single purpose. It is sort of like the many people who work for Gods purpose. We are a part of a greater whole. Like the gathering of wedding guests in the book of Matthew God is gathering the many to work his fields… Matthew 22:10 - So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

I can only speak for boys (as I was once young myself… some people don’t believe that) but I feel sure this also applies to girls. Every young boy wants to be the hero, but the question is… What makes a hero? Is it courage alone that makes a hero? Is it simply conquering the enemy? We live in such a mixed up world; today we are learning from many different sources and these sources would have 21^st century men to believe in their own autonomy. We are constantly presented with heroes that fight alone and refuse help or to be accountable to anyone. These so called heroes range from the rebel (movie star) policeman who refuses to call for backup to the make believe macho superhero who is so strong that he is above the law and accountable to no one. We have fantasy role models projected for us who forge through life in complete autonomy and we want to be just like them. But, the truth is we need each other. No one should be isolated and alone. Real heroes live and work in a community. So, the bottom line is, how do we become heroes in the kingdom of God? Become an encourager!  Become a person who others can depend on and you will become someone’s hero. It is a sign of a strong man to admit that he is only a small part of a greater whole. What is that greater whole? It is the body of Christ. Don’t hesitate, start developing the skills necessary to be a Christian hero today. Become the hero you wanted to be ever since you were a boy.

As Always,

Dan-Dwayne

Dear Lord,

I always knew that You want the best for me and a part of Your plan is that I have many spiritual siblings who You desire  to see blessed. Contrary to what I once thought, You and I are not walking alone on my spiritual journey. Today, I want to thank You for the many people that you have put in my life to guide me, encourage me, and keep me on track so that I will complete my spiritual race. Some of these people found Your grace after living sinful lives, while others were more wise and followed You from an early start, but no matter their background You have put them in my life to make me a better man. Help me to be an example for them as well. Proverbs 11:14 says that, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” By providing a spiritual family for me You endeavor to keep me safe. Thank You for my friends. - Amen

Proverbs 20:5

    Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Single Source Coffees are amazing

Dear Friends at Rise Up Lubbock,

            Have you ever been to a coffee shop that brews really good coffee?  They say the best coffee is harvested and packaged from single farms, meaning that the beans are not blended from many different places. It has a specific flavor which is natural to the coffee bean grown at one location. Blenders try to reproduce this kind of flavor when they mix coffee beans grown at different locations, but it isn’t really the same... It is like the faith that grows in a Christian’s life. The world tries to replicate it, but they can never quite get it. It seems, in these strange days we live in, I’m needing a larger dose of faith than ever before.  When everything seems to crash down on my head. When it seems that I can't succeed and there is no help anywhere, I can turn to my single source, most potent source of help that never fails me. My single source of… Oh, I forgot, we are talking about coffee.  Enjoy your morning Cup of Grace.

Dan-Dwayne

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has overcome the world,  our faith.

Dear Lord,

            Today I have so much to be grateful for. In times past You have seen me through many adverse situations and helped me with many problems. Since I asked you to join me, You have never failed me as I walk my life’s path. Now, as I look around I can’t see You working in my current storm. I feel all alone and it seems that the situation is hopeless. Lord, help me have faith in Your strength and power. I know that You have my best interest at heart and that I am a child of God, Your brother, and Your friend. I know that You would never abandon me. Please, focus my eyes so that I can see You more clearly amidst the deluge of my situation. Jesus, I trust You. - Amen      

I know many of you love hazelnut coffee, but I don’t!

Dear Friends at Rise Up Lubbock,

Have you all noticed how the coffee companies all tell us their coffee is the best we have ever tasted? The other day I purchased several flavored coffees, (from a company I usually don’t buy from) and I was very excited about tasting them. In the mix was some hazelnut flavored coffee. I know many of you love hazelnut coffee, but I don’t! Vehemently no… I do not like hazelnut. I thought I would save that flavor for my guests. I brewed up one of the flavors promising a chocolatey taste. To my dismay it tasted like hazelnut. I brewed up another one promising a vanilla taste. It too tasted like hazelnut. I was unhappy. Every flavor in the group tasted like Hazelnut, and as I said… I thoroughly dislike the taste of hazelnut. The company had promised a delightful variety of flavors, and yet, all I could taste was hazelnut. Blah!

Their advertisement team had sold me on the flavorful delights contained in the box, but in my opinion it was a less than superior product.

Many of you know that I am a writer, and by that I mean I have several excellent novels and short stories available on Amazon.com and available in some local Lubbock bookstores. When I first started writing I found it very hard to advertise myself. It was so foreign to everything I had been taught. My Sunday school lessons on being humble and preferring my brother didn’t seem to fit in with the need to advertise my branding and the books that goes along with it. I had to learn to make myself a literary commodity. I was taught to give all praise to God and I try to do that in every speaking engagement I have. However, someone just looking at my stack of titles might not see it that way, and sometimes I feel like I’m in conflict with my own agenda (as I try to make my agenda and God’s agenda run parallel.) Anyone in the media (news anchors) or entertainment (singers, comics, artists, and writers alike) find the same thing I’m sure. In short it is a matter of praise.

Paul wrote in Hebrews that we should give thanks to God by the fruit of our lips we need to praise.  Praise to God may be done publicly, (and that is expected by God) but the kind that gives us real peace in return is private praise. Sometimes we need to seek solace in the sanctuary of private praise. When it seems that the world is crushing every effort we make, it is time to step back and through praise to God assess our motives. Are we working for Christ with the tools of daily life? Are we giving Him the praise he deserves through our actions and conversations? Yes, Praise is a specific kind of prayer with specific kinds of results. Praising God is a source of Joy; however, there is not only joy in the act of praising God but also a healing miracle called restoration. Through praise we find a restoration or a renewal of purpose and a reset system for our goals. It is hard to stay on track without setting aside time to praise to God.  

Just Sayin’

Dan-Dwayne

Hebrews 13:15

    By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Don't keep your coffee pot on the burner too long, it gets nasty.

Hello friends at Rise Up Lubbock,

Have you ever noticed how bitter coffee is when it stays on the burner too long? You might try adding more water to make it taste better but it doesn’t work. The best thing to do is just pour it out and make a new pot.  Fresh ground coffee replacing the bitter scorched coffee. It is kinda like pouring out your heart to God in praise and letting Him replace the old bitterness with… Oh, I forgot we are talking about coffee. Right?

Dan-Dwayne

Dear Lord,

As I begin the work of this day.  I commit my life to You anew. I thank You for the privilege of what You have given me to do. I open my mind to Your guidance as I move forward in my responsibilities, and I ask that You might give me Your perspective on the problems I face and the power to solve them. Enable me to work effectively and efficiently and when I am finished with my work let it be pleasing to You. I commit to You every challenge of my day. I know that You never have failed me and You never will. My goal today is to praise you with my thoughts, actions, and words. Thank You Lord for allowing me to walk in Your company. You are the good Shepherd, the Emmanuel, the God who is with me today. - Amen

Psalms 42:11

    Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And, why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

I don’t like it when I run low of coffee.

Hello friends at Rise Up Lubbock,

I don’t like it when I run low of coffee. I always like to keep an extra bag on hand so I won’t run out. But, what if I forgot to restock or the grinder breaks… or some future market makes coffee unobtainable. Those are possible and not factual situations. So, today I will enjoy my coffee and trust in God for tomorrow.  Today my cup is full.  

It is easy to fret about our everyday problems. Concerns about what has happened and what might happen makes these everyday problems build and build. They begin to look like insurmountable situations and we let them control our lives instead of us controlling the situations. We even begin to worry about things that have not happened yet. Possible but not factual situations adds enormous weight to our daily burden. The truth is that this is a kind of a spiritual attack. The enemy is trying to take our minds off God and onto our problems. Our everyday lives are the real battlefields on which spiritual battles are fought. What we have to remember is that if Christ wins our battles then we win the battle. With Christ’s help we can take back the control of our life situations.

‘Nuff Said,

Dan-Dwayne

Dear Lord I ask Your help,

You are Lord of the present and the future. I praise You that You know what You are doing with my tomorrows. I confidently anticipate each new day and expectantly await the discovery of Your grace, mercy, and peace in all my unresolved problems and potentials. I believe that everything that happens to me will be used for Your plan and purpose. Thank You for healing my concerns about the future. Give me future faith, the kind that sets me free from the obsessive worry about what might happen. The bigger the problem, the more Your abiding presence and power I will receive. I intend to stop missing the joy of today by fretting about the future.  I know that when You win my battle then I win too. - Amen

2 John 1:3

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.