you keep using that word, i do not think it means what you think it means. Safeway Gas, Eagle River.

This morning i stopped at the Safeway gas station in Eagle River, (Carr's for those of you who like to hold onto the past). i paid with cash so i needed to go inside to pay, surprisingly after i filled up, you don't see that much anymore. Anyway, Jim, the gas station attendant was slow to get up and informed me that his back was hurting. i then asked him if i could pray for him, his response, "sure go ahead, but it aint gonna work." As i thought of a response he continued, "I have a friend who had 7 back surgeries and none of them worked. I told him he was going to the wrong place. He need to talk to God about it. You know he did and a couple of days later he told me that God had healed his back." i don't know if people know who i am by just looking at me or what but he then went on to tell me about how he was brought up in the Catholic Church and he went there up until about 5 years ago. He has only been back for the baptism of his grandson. He told me about his kids and church for a good 30 minutes pausing only to help the few costumers that entered the little station store.

He kept on using the word condone, "God's not gonna condone me for not going to church" or "God's not gonna condone my step son...". As he was using the word i figured out, at least i am 99.99999% sure, he meant to say "condemn" "He made us, He isn't going to condone us." And yet his use of it perhaps divinely inspired, he just hasn't realized it yet. Even still, as soon as i figured out what he was trying to say that line from Princess Bride began running through my head, "You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means." i didn't correct him, i didn't want to squash the Spirit or our conversation, he was being open and honest with me about his feelings and that is far more important at this point.

The more we talked the more he began to remember of God and His faithfulness. i was going to go to Starbucks for coffee but decided that my time would be better spent in this little store, so i grabbed a cup and filled up with some Seattle's Best from a pump thermos. It was a truly divine conversation, with what i hope ends up being a Kingdom outcome. Towards the end i went to pray with him but a large group of workers came in and he politely wrapped up our conversation. As i walked out i said, "it was good to meet and talk with you Jim, i will be praying for you." He responded with a wave and a "thank you." 

Driving away i was reminded of Philippians 4:4,5

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near." The Lord is truly near. i was in awe of how quickly Jim turned from God not being able, to God is the source of all things just by talking about Him and allowing Jim a gentle listening ear. 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again i will say rejoice! 

"sanctuary" 4025 W. 88th Ave

i have been spending a lot of time at the watering hole known simply as, Keurig. Which happens to be located in my study at the church. It sits right behind my desk, i simply spin around in my chair, pop in a K-Cup, hit the flashing blue button and in just seconds, i am enjoying a hot cup of coffee. It isn't the best, but its nearly instant and there at my disposal at any moment. See there, i just spun around and am just moments from a fresh, hot cup of joe.

my study is a nice place to study, pray and sip coffee. Few distractions on days like today. In fact the phone hasn't rang once since i have been here...a few text messages and i placed one call but in each instance i instigated. There is however no food, except for some peanut brittle, Red Vines and a drawer full of Taco Bell fire sauce. So i have had some distraction from what Winnie the Pooh would call, a rumbly in my tumbly, http://youtu.be/4gQaOvqmj34 but little else. 


This cozy little hole of mine, my place under a rock, has recently seen a make over, fresh paint, new floor and some rearranging. It is quite nice; with some some soft music playing in the background, currently http://youtu.be/uUxzGF5RGZg it is my sanctuary.  Here in my sanctuary, i was reading 2 Corinthians 4 and this particular passage stood out: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies." As i meditated on this passage it struck me, Christ was afflicted for our sins, perplexed over the burden as He prayed in the garden, persecuted for the sake of the world, struck down because of our fallen nature...YET, He was not crushed, He did not despair, ultimately He was not forsaken and although everything was against Him, He was NOT destroyed. 

As we reflect on this most Holy week, let us always carry the remembrance of the death of our Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible to those around us, in us. It is His victory over sin and death that gives us the hope of this passage...and although we may be afflicted, we can know we will not be crushed; even when we are perplexed, we can rest knowing that we need not despair; when we feel persecuted, we can stand, for we are never forsaken; we may get struck down, but we will never be destroyed! For our victory belongs to Christ, it is in Christ and it is for Him. 

Unwavering is Your voice
Unwavering is Your hand
Unwavering is the heart that bled for the sins of men
Unwavering is Your will
Unwavering is Your plan
The fount of salvation on which we will stand          Matt Maher- Unwavering 

If you are ever in town around Jewel Lake and 88th stop on by...my little "sanctuary" is always open and my Keurig always on.  

The Bagel Factory (100 W. 34. Ave. Anchorage)

It's been awhile, if you follow this only, you won't how busy my life has become, so i will just say...its been busy. However, today instead of having our ministry meeting at the church or at Elim Cafe as we normally rotate between those two places, we chose to branch out. This morning we met at "The Bagel Factory" on 34 Ave. across from Outback Steak House. i had actually pinned this place awhile ago as a place i wanted to go to after eating at Outback Steak House with my amazingly wonderful bride Jen.  So when the discussion opened to have our ministry meeting over breakfast, i saw the opportunity.

i arrived first, well walked in first anyway, went to a table in the back ordered three waters, a cup of coffee and grabbed a high chair for my Youth Pastor's one year old. i won't bore you with our ministry meeting but i will say that sometimes just getting together with the leadership team is all that is needed, as we build camaraderie and synergy within the ministry of Jewel Lake Community (www.jlcn.org).

As you may be aware, one of the reasons i like to check out new coffee shops is to find a place to work from on those days i just need to be out of the office but have things to do. A place to read, write, think, pray...yet have the distant fellowship of others in space. i will begin my critic of "The Bagel Factory" by saying this meets non of those requirements. The place is bright, the tables are pressed in, there is no wi-fi available and the intent of the staff seems to be, "turn the table".  Although friendly, (i could say something here but will refrain, for some insight on why, click here.

Just because this restaurant doesn't meet my previously stated needs, doesn't mean it isn't a good place. The food was good, coffee Kaladi's, and overall atmosphere was pleasant. The prices are a bit high for my pocketbook, even for the quality of the food, which i stated was good not great. i am going to give "The Bagel Factory" 3 cups...and that third cup might not be completely full but over half.

The Bagel Factory U> U> U> (good for bagels, not for work)

13th and I

Do you enjoy drinking coffee in your break room at work? Like the warehouse feel? Like sitting near a window and feel like your in an auto body shop that sells vegetables? Well, do i have the place for you! That's right. The New Sagaya City Market on 13th and I downtown is the place for you. Ok maybe I am being a little harsh, after all its not billed as a "Coffee Shop". It is however, a market, fresh meats, specialty foods, vegetables etc. this is their business and they do it well.

i should also say that i did find an opportunity to practice the presence of God. In spite of my surroundings i was able to still find a quiet stillness in which to meet with Jesus. i was only interrupted by my scheduled meeting with a friend and fellow Kingdom worker. i was quite surprised at how Jesus has been speaking to me and working in me regardless of where i am or what's going on around me.

Back to New Sagaya, i did like the New Sagaya Mid-Town market better (see previous post), it has less of a warehouse feel, but the more i think about it gearing up to write this post i have changed my mind. Although it is more warehouse-esk i like the location as it seems more of a "central" point in a community. The hub if you will, "lets walk down, grab coffee at the market and get some steak or fresh fish for dinner." Of course i enjoy "farmers markets" and small town feels in urban areas and New Sagaya, nails it!

Its only going to get 3 cups of coffee but...if i lived near by, i would be there often. U> U> U>

Jeepers Jitters we have a winner!

well, as the lack of entry indicates i have been busy and unable to visit new coffee shops and when i do it hasn’t been with enough experience to actually blog anything. however, this is my second thursday at, “jeepers” or as it is better known, “jitters” in eagle river. 

last week i ran into a fellow pastor friend of mine who pastor’s the local church here in eagle river. i say that as if there is only one church here in this part of town...and by the sound of some of them, that’s probably a true statement. but alas there are a lot of buildings with a sign, “church” on the property. anyway it was nice to sit and talk with him about our different ministry assignments and sermon preparation stuff. exchange ideas and fellowship. it was also fun because he is the pastor that jen and i have asked to perform our wedding ceremony and do some pre-marital stuff. 

this place is hopping for sure! i believe i over heard someone exclaim, “jeepers batman, i have the jitters!” ok, not really, but i wouldn’t put it past someone to say that given its business. when i walked in there was one half table attached to the wall. which reminded me of “solid ground cafe” the youth ministry room in weaverville, ca. that i designed with the help of some amazing youth workers and youth. anyway we put in a half table attached to the wall...it was pretty cool. so needless to say i didn’t feel slighted that that was the table i had to choose. 

i stayed there for about an hour before another table opened up that i could move to...and i did. i needed a little more space to spread out with my bible, notebook, computer and coffee. speaking of coffee they serve kaladi brothers coffee here so it is yummy. i got a sludge cup, which is just drip coffee with a shot of espresso in it...good stuff. i also ordered a breakfast burrito with veggies, also super yummy! with how busy this place is i was really surprised at the amount of work i was able to accomplish. i think the atmosphere lends itself well to relaxing even with all the people here. 

the line has been steady the whole morning into now the afternoon. so i think the secret is out. which isn’t a terrible thing...means the place will be open for a while. which means i have a thursday morning coffee shop stop. that’s right, at least for awhile, this is going to be my thursday morning home for reading and sermon prep and of course coffee. 

this is a 5 cup coffee house.... “Jeepers Jitters we have a winner!”

U>U>U>U>U>

Golden Donut on Lake Otis and Tudor

So i woke up this morning reached for my phone to see what was happening in the world since it is my life line. It was off! I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock 9am...what!!! Its a good thing Dave and I arranged for him to start leading the Coffee with Jesus on Thursday AM's so that I can focus on starting another one. So that panic quickly subsided, turned on my phone and the emails came in...Dale was in the hospital having emergency surgery last night to have his appendix removed. So now of course I feel terrible that my phone was off, why do things like that always happen when you do goofy things like turn your phone off, sorry Dale for turning off my phone. Surly, I am the reason for your current situation. I did head over there and visited with him and for those of you who know him, he is in good spirits and will be out later today, besides he is surrounded by pretty nurses.


You know I got over to Alaska Regional and realized I had no idea that this particular hospital even existed. But what I did know is that I would be passing Golden Donut on my way back to the church. I thought to myself, "it has been forever since I went to an actual donut shop. How could I pass this amazing opportunity up?" So, I parked, walked in, and it was exactly as I pictured it, they even have free wifi. I got a bear claw, I haven't had a real bear claw in I don't know how long...it is excellent! Although they have espresso drinks I ordered just a cup of their drip coffee, probably Yuban or Folgers...pretty terrible but I wanted the true old fashion donut experience.


The is a nostalgic feel here although it isn't necessarily conducive to reading. But visiting or just grabbing a donut and coffee, this is the place! I am going to give it 3 and 1/2 cups only because of what I am truly looking for...however the donuts are exceptional!


Golden Donut U>U>U> J>

Kaladi Brothers Coffee on 6901 E. Tudor

I was given some Kaladi Brothers gift cards for Christmas and I am putting them to good use buying coffee and visiting the several Kaladi locations around town. This isn’t my first visit to this location I had coffee with a friend here once but its been some time since then. 

Have you ever seen the movie, “That Thing You Do”? Well the main character ‘Guy Patterson’ and his eventual girlfriend ‘Faye’ played by Liv Tyler in the movie are here in this local. Not the actors, but a couple of college kids that if they were making a remake of the movie, they just walked off the set. 

I’m not a big fan of valentines day, at least what society has turned it into. Also, taking into account what St. Valentines Day can represent, Chicago gang wars of the late 1920‘s is one and the 14 martyred saints named “Valentine” is a bit odd and creepy but all in all it is a day of love now and that is what people think of it. I don’t mind it all that much but it is a day of constant reminders of where I am currently in life, not so much fun. Time to count my blessings....ok done, just kidding. I am super blessed. God continues to shower down upon me major blessings and I am extremely thankful for each of them. 

I was reading Thomas Merton, I know big surprise, he writes this: “The thing is to cling to God’s will and truth in their purity and try to be sincere and to act in all things out of genuine love, in so far as I can.” I whole heartedly agree. This day of love should only act as a reminder of our daily desire not a single day in which to act or a memorial in which to sulk. 

So far this Kaladi Brothers is a huge winner! In fact it’s going to get my first 5 cup rating even though its a chain. The way it is set up lends itself to a great atmosphere. The coffee is always good, the staff exceptional and in the middle there is a ladies Bible study, Jeremiah 29 is the topic. It seems very interesting. 

Kaladi Brothers on E. Tudor gets....yes 5 out of 5 cups U>U>U>U>U> 

I wish it were closer but I will be back here again. It will be put into my rotation as I continue to hunt other coffee shops. Remember, “to act in all things out of genuine love, in as far as I (you) can.”