Fairly recently an author and pastor, Rob Bell, wrote a book entitled “Love Wins.” There are many claims made in this book that stirred up quite a bit of controversy in religious circles. In response to this book there were many other books written to combat the claims made in Bell’s book. Many were personal attacks on Bell and some were well-written, humbly-spirited, Truth-communicating books that sought to educate believers and seekers alike on the realities and consequences of eternity. Francis Chan’s latest offering “Erasing Hell” falls comfortably into the latter category.

Chan communicates the startling truth that eternity is coming and we have to choose where to spend it. Chan communicates the truth with such passion and urgency that one cannot help but be motivated to share the gospel with renewed fervor. The thing that speaks the loudest however, is not Chan’s startling truth about the afterlife and the reality of Hell; but the grace and love that he uses to communicate these truths.

In a world where grace is getting more and more scarce Chan exudes this rare quality. It is easy to see that Chan is not motivated to sell books, make money, or prove a point. His number one motivation is to bring people to Christ. You can see that his heart is genuinely broken for lost people. In short, Erasing Hell is one of the most influential books on the topic of eternity and the afterlife that I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone wrestling with questions about what is next.

In addition to full-time ministry I am also a part time barista at Starbucks. This is no secret if you know me at all or follow me on Twitter or Tumblr. I got the job at Starbucks because Ashley and I wanted to get out of debt and Starbucks is where most of my spare cash goes so I might as well get paid to drink the coffee that I love so much. As with any job there are always lessons to be learned that apply outside of the workplace and to various aspects of our every day lives. These lessons have lead me to launch this idea called the Barista Blog. I want to share all of the lessons I learn there with you in hopes that we can become better leaders, employees, husbands, daughters, or what have you, one cup at a time… (Little coffee humor there!) So grab a cup of your favorite blend and let’s get to it!

There is a small but vocal portion of society that fully believe that Starbucks is the embodiment of the corporate monster. The big bad power house coffee shop that forces the little people out of town one by one leaving a trail of out of work small business owners and abandoned storefronts until they are the only latte in town. This group likes to picture the leadership at such an organization smiling and sipping some unethically grown and purchased coffee while dressing their wives in blood diamonds and custom baby seal leather boots. But working there I can tell you that this is not the vision or the heart of Starbucks business model. Starbucks supports ethical business practices and goes out of it’s way to make sure its farmers adhere to those practices as well. They even go so far as to pay more for their beans than what is seen as fair value in order to ensure that farmers and their workers are treated fairly. Starbucks has also partnered with organizations to support micro-financing of small businesses, access to clean water, and AIDs research and relief in Africa. Basically what I am saying is that Starbucks is committed to having a positive impact on the world and it’s a great company to work for to boot!

I loved Starbucks coffee, employees, and environment before I started working there. But from the inside it is even more impressive. Here is the lesson, as an employee and representative of the company, we have to be drinking the lattes! Employees who don’t believe in the vision and practices of the company they represent will crumble and fold when the pressure comes. I have seen it before in both the coffee business and the ministry. Employees get a job because they need a paycheck, not because they believe in the vision of the company. Those employees are the first to complain and the first to jump ship when greener pastures appear. However, the ones that buy in to the vision are the ones that will fight to protect it. Let’s not overlook this. Starbucks doesn’t pay me to make lattes. They pay me to represent the company and get customers to come back on a regular basis. A machine can make a latte but a person can make a lasting connection.

As employees we need to see ourselves as the banner carriers for the companies we work for. We need to represent those companies well. That means we need to be educated about what the companies values are and how we are living them out. Do this. Become the banner carrier for the ones you represent. Carry the banner for your store, your family, your ministry, the Church, and for God. Represent them well as that is what we are called to do. A machine can make lattes and a television can educate your children but is that the quality we desire?

What area of your life could be raised to a higher standard if you decided to carry the banner?

It seems that today we are never short of things to fear. We as humans have labels for pretty much every fear you can think of including the fear of long words. Oddly enough this fear is labeled by a thirteen syllable word, hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, which in turn causes one to fear telling someone what they fear thus creating a kind of compound fear in which the afraid cannot even communicate what they are afraid of leaving everyone involved quite confused.

As I looked at this I found two weapons that the enemy uses to maintain his hold on many Christ Followers. The first of course is fear. If the enemy can make you afraid, he can make you ineffective. We also find confusion. This is because if you can’t communicate clearly, you can’t seek help, thus you remain afraid. It seems the enemy has a pretty good system here, but the Truth is that God has a better one.

1 John 4:18 says, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. It seems that the enemy has deceivingly told us that we are not worthy or that we are not good enough. He has told us that we don’t deserve God and that we deserve punishment instead. The funny thing is that he is actually right. The problem for him then is that God’s perfect love is bigger than his wrath.

We have been confused and afraid because we are listening to a half truth that has been twisted by the evil one. The awesome thing is that we are loved by an all-loving, all-knowing, perfect God. Because of this we need not fear, we need only to open up our hearts to this perfect love and let Him be the Lord of our lives. It really is that simple. This love is a gift from God who gives only perfect gifts. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” And if God is passing out gifts like that, the enemy has no chance to stand in our way.

What are you afraid of? Give it to God!

I am not really sure how to start this, because there is so much history to try and cover… six years ago, I started volunteering in the student worship band at Seacoast Summerville. That was the beginning of a wild ride that would lead to Pastor Phil Strange taking a huge chance on a long shot guy who desperately wanted to impact the lives of students. In 2005, I became the Student Ministries director at Seacoast Summerville and worked hard to do just that.

Recently I have been experiencing a prompting of the Holy Spirit to take a look at what God has for my future and really examine the calling He has placed on my life. The more I have examined this call, the more I have become convinced that He has plans for me that I need to begin preparing for. That being said I have accepted a position at the Long Point campus working under their assistant pastor, Ernest Smith. I am extremely excited about this new opportunity and even more excited about the love and support I have received from the staff in Summerville as I approach this transition.

I really want to take this time to honor Pastor Phil. When I came to Summerville I wasn’t ready for the ministry responsibility I wanted. Pastor Phil took the time to pour into my life and teach me about ministry and more importantly how to be a Godly man. He allowed me to grow into the role that God called me to and offered huge amounts of support along the way. Pastor Phil gave me a chance when most wouldn’t and for that I will be forever grateful to him. I am excited and expectant for the great things that God has in store for Summerville and for Pastor Phil and his family. Pastor Phil is an amazing man of God and his leadership has made an eternal difference in my life.

As I transition I want to take a moment to introduce you to a guy who I have known for a while, Chris Petry. Chris is a second year all access intern with the Long Point campus. He has spent the last year studying ministry under Pastor Ernest Smith preparing for a ministry opportunity. Chris is going to be filling in as the interim Student Ministries Coordinator while Pastor Phil and Abbie develop a plan for Family Ministry going forward. Chris will be here to support Cyprian and the current Groundswell team in this time of transition. Chris is excited about the opportunity to join the team in Summerville and put his passion for student ministries to work. Chris has spent a lot of time building mentor programs, volunteer teams, and programs at Long Point. He has been investing in the lives of students for quite a while and is ready to bring his knowledge and expertise to the Summerville campus. I couldn’t be more excited about the person they have asked to fill this role as I cannot really say enough good things about Chris.

Chris will be at Groundswell next Wednesday, September 8^th, and will be here at the Summerville campus on Wednesdays and Sundays following his start. As for me, I will begin transitioning over the next few weeks. My last day in the Summerville offices will be Thursday September 8^th, however, I will be at Groundswell for the entire month of September to assist Cyprian and Chris with the transition and make sure the students are well taken care of. Please join me in welcoming Chris and supporting Cyprian as they lead the charge to impact the students of Summerville. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the students will be forever impacted by their investment into their lives.

Last night we had a great event at Groundswell. It was the first of hopefully many Summerville Groundswell water wars. It was a great evening filled with incredible community and a lot of water. As I watched this event take place It became clear to me that this group of students is an incredible group. I am excited to see where they go in there future. It seems that they are a rare breed that while they love the bells and whistles that the world has to offer they can be just as content with cardboard boxes and duct tape. It makes me think of the scripture in Matthew that says,

“Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

                                                                                                                                                                                  Matthew 18:2-4

I saw a bunch of teenagers become like little children using imagination and creativity to have a blast and build community. I am so convinced that this generation will lead the charge to make Jesus famous among the nations and I can’t wait to see that play out. They are amazing. So do whatever you can to encourage and build them up.