I love coffee. I could drink it all day. It starts in the morning with my Keurig coffeemaker. I dropped a ton of money on that bad boy last winter. But the K-Cup convenience is unmatched! At some point each day, I will head to a town with a Starbucks. If I am by a Starbucks in the afternoon or evening, I’ll stop again. I love coffee that much!
All of that stopped recently when I prayerfully decided to fast Starbucks for an entire year, and earmark the money I would have spent on my venti Caramel macchiatos toward my church’s building fund. My church has simply run out of room, and needs to add on an additional worship center to support the large turnout of people each weekend.
This is an expensive project, so one way that I am helping is by passing up Starbucks for at least one year. I’ve been faithful to my commitment so far, but I can’t say that it comes without pain. For me to pass up a Starbucks and not stop is like Tim Tebow having an opportunity to kneel and pray and not doing it. But I know that what I’ll see in the end will make it all worth while.
I said that to say this… I take Starbucks for granted. All I have to do is walk in, place my order, pay, and go. I realized this as I was watching the news tonight. A large group of people turned out for the Salvation Army’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal. These people didn’t come to the shelter because they just didn’t want to slave in a hot kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. They came because if they didn’t, they would not eat that day. Some are homeless, and some just can’t pay the bills and feed their children too. I realized that’s just an ordinary day for me when I spend over 4 bucks for a cup of coffee. Some of the people who will sleep underneath a bridge tonight literally count the days until next Thanksgiving.
♫♪ “If I had my wish this Christmas I’d only want one single thing.
To find the ones who need what I take for granted.
And give good days away like I was Santa.
To that little girl who’s hungry, I’d give November 26th.
Leftover turkey with the family, oh my jeans would hardly fit.
I’d like to reach around the world this Christmas time
and give her one of my extraordinary ordinary days.” ♫♪
It’s very common for all of us who are blessed to want to reach out during the holidays. It’s a good thing that we do, because of the people who really need us. The people who were interviewed at the Salvation Army today were more thankful than they could properly express. Turkey and dressing meant the world to them, but when I and many others sat down and had our turkey and dressing today, we were like “Oh, cool.” For some of us, it was an ordinary day.
♫♪ “And to all the sad and lonely, I’d give that Saturday in May
when the neighbors got together for a barbeque and a softball game.
I’d like to reach around the world this Christmas time
and give them one of my extraordinary ordinary days.” ♫♪
I really enjoyed my Thanksgiving meal today. I got a call during the meal telling me that a friend of mine who’s been in very poor health joined Jesus for Thanksgiving today. I didn’t even let it get me down. Hadley is with Jesus now, and he’s eating with people we can only read about. No ordinary day for him!
Within the next few weeks, my church will have their annual outreach where they bless those on the Gulf Coast with food and gifts for Christmas. I plan to take one of my ordinary days and make it extraordinary by helping assemble a bike, or helping assemble a box of Christmas food. I refuse to look at what I am doing as just another day. I am getting to help someone who won’t get to eat Christmas dinner without one of these boxes of food, and I’m putting a huge smile on the face of a child who may be getting the first bike of their life. That’s extraordinary to me!
♫♪ “I’d give any given Sunday to people down and out of faith.
And pray I wouldn’t only feel this way in December
because my year’s too full of blessings to remember.
So, to the homeless man who’s freezing, I’d give October 29th.
First fire of the season, my love sitting by my side.
I’d like to reach around the world this Christmas time
and give him one of my extraordinary ordinary days.” ♫♪
The Alarida Journey 