Friday, December 29, 2006
The wonder of coffee!
I'm at my in-law's until Sunday afternoon. This means that every morning that I get up I am obliged to have a large cup of espresso. Yes, espresso with hot chocolate mixed in, a large dollop of whipped cream, and caramel topping on top of it all. It's all quite glorious. One of the best parts is smelling the rapture in the kitchen while the espresso is being made.
I truly think that coffee is one of the greatest things that God has created, and I fervently hope that coffee will be served with dessert at the Supper of the Lamb. You may wonder why I think that coffee is one of the best things we have here on earth, and I would like to enumerate why I love coffee so.
(n.b. When I say coffee, I mean coffee that has just been ground. Freeze-dried coffee is alright if you are on a budget (like me), but it can never beat the real thing.)
1. Coffee is usually served hot. It warms us up when we are cold and makes us sweat when it's hot out. Its warmth causes us to reflect on the warmth of fraternal and familial love.
2. Coffee is bitter. It helps to cut the sweetness of dessert. It adds spice to bacon and eggs. It reminds us that life can be bitter, but still good.
3. Coffee takes well to condiments. You can add sugar. You can add cream. You can add chocolate. You can add whiskey... Even if it is bitter, it can still be sweetened. It can become more than it is, if you want it to be. Just like life, bitterness can become sweetness with the flick of the wrist.
4. Coffee can be made in mass quantities. You hear the knock at the door. Friends are behind it. In your rush, you wonder what you can offer to them to extend a token of fellowship. You need not worry. A little coffee can go a long way. A poor man can sit with his friends with a cup of friendship.
5. Coffee is strong. Good coffee that is. It puts hair on your chest.* It reminds us of the strength of the God who created coffee.
6. Coffee stimulates.** It wakes you up and helps you concentrate. It comes inside and causes you to work. Just like the grace of God in a sinner.
So, there you have it. My list of why I think coffee is one of the greatest things ever created. You can honor the God who made it by having a cup today or tomorrow. Drink it for his glory!
I truly think that coffee is one of the greatest things that God has created, and I fervently hope that coffee will be served with dessert at the Supper of the Lamb. You may wonder why I think that coffee is one of the best things we have here on earth, and I would like to enumerate why I love coffee so.
(n.b. When I say coffee, I mean coffee that has just been ground. Freeze-dried coffee is alright if you are on a budget (like me), but it can never beat the real thing.)
1. Coffee is usually served hot. It warms us up when we are cold and makes us sweat when it's hot out. Its warmth causes us to reflect on the warmth of fraternal and familial love.
2. Coffee is bitter. It helps to cut the sweetness of dessert. It adds spice to bacon and eggs. It reminds us that life can be bitter, but still good.
3. Coffee takes well to condiments. You can add sugar. You can add cream. You can add chocolate. You can add whiskey... Even if it is bitter, it can still be sweetened. It can become more than it is, if you want it to be. Just like life, bitterness can become sweetness with the flick of the wrist.
4. Coffee can be made in mass quantities. You hear the knock at the door. Friends are behind it. In your rush, you wonder what you can offer to them to extend a token of fellowship. You need not worry. A little coffee can go a long way. A poor man can sit with his friends with a cup of friendship.
5. Coffee is strong. Good coffee that is. It puts hair on your chest.* It reminds us of the strength of the God who created coffee.
6. Coffee stimulates.** It wakes you up and helps you concentrate. It comes inside and causes you to work. Just like the grace of God in a sinner.
So, there you have it. My list of why I think coffee is one of the greatest things ever created. You can honor the God who made it by having a cup today or tomorrow. Drink it for his glory!
*When I was younger, I actually thought that coffee put hair on your chest. This lead to me drinking a lot of coffee. Thankfully that saying is only a figure of speech. Otherwise I'd look like George "the Animal" Steele.
** Coffee actually stimulates my body too much. I once drank five or six cups one morning and by eight o'clock that evening I took myself to the ER with a heartrate of 120 beats/minute. I thought I was having a heart attack. Even now too much caffeine will cause me to have heart palpitations and cause me to become angry. Seriously. Some people are angry drunks. I'm an angry caffeine imbiber.
** Coffee actually stimulates my body too much. I once drank five or six cups one morning and by eight o'clock that evening I took myself to the ER with a heartrate of 120 beats/minute. I thought I was having a heart attack. Even now too much caffeine will cause me to have heart palpitations and cause me to become angry. Seriously. Some people are angry drunks. I'm an angry caffeine imbiber.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Christmas Loot
I had a very wonderful Christmas with Lauren and my parents and family this year. The haul this Christmas was a great one. I indulged my country music fetish with four C&W titles: The Essential George Jones, Hank Williams: Hillbilly Hero (a four disc set), Johnny Cash at San Quentin, and Van Morrison: Pay the Devil (a great covers album). My in-laws got me a very nice jacket, a welcome addition to my (small) wardrobe. My parents also showered me with some nice clothes and a Kohl's gift card. Perhaps the most unexpected thing that I received was from my brother: a $5 bill from the Confederate States of America, printed in 1864. The tastiest gift that I got this Christmas was from Dr. S. Trager: two cases of great beer.
It was a great Christmas. I got many things I needed and some things I've wanted to have for a long while. However, the best part of Christmas is worshiping the triune God who, in His everlasting mercy, power, justice, and wisdom, brought about our salvation through His Incarnation in the manger of Bethlehem.
It was a great Christmas. I got many things I needed and some things I've wanted to have for a long while. However, the best part of Christmas is worshiping the triune God who, in His everlasting mercy, power, justice, and wisdom, brought about our salvation through His Incarnation in the manger of Bethlehem.
Friday, December 15, 2006
I was going to write a long post on something else...
But I thought a good quote from Chesterton would be just as good.
"These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own."
And he wrote those words in 1928!
I'm done with my classes and in-school observation. I have three weeks until I start my student teaching. One more week of work at CBH. After that, it's two weeks of pure, unadulterated freedom. I won't know what to do with myself.
(Thanks to Chesterton.org for the quote.)
"These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own."
And he wrote those words in 1928!
I'm done with my classes and in-school observation. I have three weeks until I start my student teaching. One more week of work at CBH. After that, it's two weeks of pure, unadulterated freedom. I won't know what to do with myself.
(Thanks to Chesterton.org for the quote.)
