You would have had to be visiting Santa at the North Pole to not have heard about all the Starbucks fun with “the” cup, this past week.
I like Starbucks…we buy whole beans, grind it and take our own everywhere we go. Never buy the bitter stuff in the cup, or the foo-foo stuff that would add about 10 pounds in one sitting.
Having come out on that (that we don’t – gasp – boycott them), if you can stand another post on this….here are some suggestions for using all this for God’s glory. Yes, even Starbucks.
- Go hang out at a Starbucks to get to know people. You will certainly find interesting individuals who may be hanging out there as well, because they’re lonely, searching for meaning, trying to appear cool, or whatever. As a Christian, we claim to have what the world needs…let’s take it to them.
- Use the cup as a bridge to talk to people about Jesus. Red. I mean – this is a perfect tee-up. “Have you heard about the hoopla that Starbucks created with this cup?” “What do you think?” “Do you know what red means to me? It means the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He sacrified it for you and for me…have you ever thought about that?”
- Leave a great tip for the servers in the Name of Jesus. Not a tract, not change from your purchase, but a deliberate good tip…and tell them why. That God wants them to be blessed. No strings attached…just love them in this way, in Jesus’ Name.
- Take a fellow Christian out for coffee and have true fellowship…at a Starbucks. Pray together, laugh together, study the Bible, love them in the Name of Jesus, in front of everyone there. Maybe, just maybe, someone will see you and wonder…what is it about you that is different?
- Don’t shame or ridicule, but get into decent conversations with others as to why or why not they patronize or don’t. I have seen a lot of attacks on Christians who have chosen one or the other. Get to know people…don’t belittle other Christians for their choices, but find out why. Intelligent discussion can be much more persuasive than sarcasm or shame. And that is what we should want for one another in the family of God. Perhaps the Starbucks cup will help us grow together as brothers and sister in Christ. 🙂
And, Merry Christmas to you all! May it be filled with the true joy of knowing Jesus Christ, our Lord…Who came as a baby – to die as the Perfect Son of God…for you.