CONFESSIONS OF A STARBUCKS PASTOR

Isn't that what long-term congressmen and women say when describing their work in D.C.? They are "serving their country" through their public life in government. Service implies an act of nobility at one's expense that goes beyond expectation. When I think of service, I think of members of the military who put their lives on the line, or doctors without borders who spend significant time in third world countries donating their skills for those far less fortunate.  Service also makes me think of paid and unpaid people at churches donating their time and money to make a church experience more relevant.  Service reminds me of teaching staff and volunteers who invest hour upon hour every day in order to give children the best possible education. And of course service makes me think of anyone in the food business that has to interact with customers while delivering a tasty dish... or mocha. What does not remind me of service is a government employee - representing a cer...

That would be the Super Bowl, now in its 48th year. Let's look at what that means in today's over-marketed, over-saturated contemporary culture. In order to do that, first set that thought aside and think about topic sentences. You know, the thing 6th grade teachers used to club us about when we couldn't find the main point during English class. The thing that no longer matters because everything flows together like the Ohio and Missouri into the Mississippi. (Woa, how very #DennisMiller of me just then.) Our culture is suffering because of marketing bleed and the Super Bowl is a perfect representation. The game that used to be about football is now about what people do with football as an add-on. Super Bowl Sunday has been hijacked. The pre-shows for the recent Bowl had television and film stars taking photo shoots promoting their next project in the context of "being caught attending the Super bowl". I love you Hugh Jackman, but do I really need to know ab...

Do you observe what is marketed online, TV, radio, billboards and in store displays? I know the ads are there and glance - rarely intrigued - but as a person with a sociologist's heart, I often pause to see what's trending. There are all those commercials for the pills your doctor is too ignorant to know about but savvy you can learn about in 60 seconds to fix things you never knew were wrong. Don't worry that the side effects are often worse than what you just discovered you had and the list always includes headache, nausea and death. My favorites are the ones about everyday life. Those luxury car ads that show the life everyone wants to have with built-in everything to enjoy while cruising along the golden highway. It's either the perfect couple in the car, or the perfect parents with the perfect kids. What about the diet commercials that show the before and after photos that tell you that you can do it too - with their program. There's even the one with the d...

As written in my to-go files 10 days ago... Recent media stories depict traffic jam images about the New Jersey bridge closure fiasco now revealed apparently only for political reasons. Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen even performed an excellent spoof song on Jimmy's show. Some staffers high up in the Christie organization took it upon themselves, we are told, to close a key commuter bridge as a form of revenge against some who did not support their candidate. The governor held a press conference that wouldn't stop while making brash statements. He claimed he had nothing to do with what had happened and terminated the two people who had gone behind his back. He apologized and took full blame since they worked for him. He stated he was embarrassed, humiliated and hurt by the betrayal. I'm sure this story will continue to grow legs like a caterpillar, but let's just take it at face value. The leader trusted his team. He had a trusted inner circle that he had been...

There's a Jerry Seinfeld episode where he commiserates with his pals about a certain acquaintance of theirs being a "loud talker". You know, the one everyone can hear from across the room? While sitting in a cafe trying to do some research using their free Wi-Fi, I was recently treated to my most recent "loud talker". And don't be fooled, I think I attract more than the national average. This foghorn was with two other co-workers, but only her voice banged into the air. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was giving a monologue. When her banter moved to the birth stones on her necklace for her niece and grandchildren, out came my ear buds! I don't even know the birth stones of my own children and she could list names and family tree positions. Just because I wasn't interested in hearing all of this doesn't mean she isn't entitled to have any kind of conversation she would like. Go ahead. Carry on. Just please do it at a ...

Ever make one of these? Things like: I'm going to omit sugar this year. I'm working out five mornings a week from now on. Starbucks will see me less than half the time. I will floss daily. I will read more, spend less and bake cookies for the neighbors. Even if we don't make them out loud or write them down, I bet that many of us secretly make a resolution for the new year. One year after meeting a college classmate's 72-year-old grandmother who had gloriously smooth skin, my New Year's promise to myself was that I too would drink only water for the rest of my life. That's what the grandma had done and look at her. My quest lasted as far as mid-February. I think that was the same year I vowed never to eat pancakes again and that didn't last, either. Another year I compiled a very long and thorough list. I was certain obtaining the results would make me a far more accomplished and fit person. The list proved far too demanding and I was soon disappointin...

You've seen the back of brave trucks. A toll-free number is lettered in nice big font for other drivers to call and report what they've seen. It is supposed to mean you're behind a really good driver. Most of the time, I would agree. But oh that time when a delivery truck caught me off guard as it burst out of an alley and nearly ran me off the road, did I ever take up that 1-800 offer to call in. When I was in college and very new to the Christian faith, someone told me that the highly respected Billy Graham said that you could tell the spiritual condition of a person by the way they drove. That was confusing. What could driving a car possibly have to do with one's spiritual life? I thought those were two separate ideas and immediately shrugged it off. We currently live in Minnesota where it's winter and the roads are packed with snow. Most freeways are plowed clean and sanded, but highway entrances and side roads aren't as bare. It is not uncommon to skid ...