When my oldest son was just over a year old, Rodney Adkins released a song entitled “Watching You.” The little boy in the song says to his father, “I’ve been watching you, dad, ain’t that cool? I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you… Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad? I wanna do…

The opening verses of John 6 provide an account of Jesus feeding 5,000 with two fish and five loaves. Jesus prepares to work this miracle by asking one of his disciples, “Where shall we buy bread…?” (v. 5). Philip’s response is rather reasonable. He points out that buying a catered meal for 5,000 people at…

Throughout history, many religious teachers have appeared claiming to carry a message from God or a god. The reliability of their source and of their record has usually been difficult to verify at best. They emerge from a secret meeting with an angel in a cave or in the forest with no witnesses, and declare…

There is much said about this, and it is a bit conflicting. First, understand that according to the USDA two cups of black coffee combine to provide just over one calorie. So, as a drink that’t not water, the calorie content is about as low as you can get. Granted, adding a truck load of…

Some time after healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda Jesus seeks him out again. Our Lord’s words to him are few, but quite pointed. (John 5:14) First, Jesus reminds the man of the great blessing he has just received: he has been made whole! He wasn’t just better, he was complete and…

Spring is here! That means that warmer temperatures should soon follow. As that happens I begin to hear one of the strangest sayings. When offered coffee people will say “It’s too hot for coffee.” While this confuses me, I can understand the desire for a cold drink. So, let’s learn how to make cold brew…

As John 5 opens, an interesting scene is set before us. The pool of Bethesda is occasionally imbued with healing powers, but only for the first person to get into the water after the angel stirs the pool. There sits a man who has been lame for thirty-eight years. He explains that he has been…

I cannot even imagine the pain and anguish that comes with watching your child slowly die of some illness. I really would rather not, but my heart goes out to those who have walked that vale. Such was the case with an unnamed father from Capernaum. He had heard that Jesus was in Galilee, and…

There is often a great deal of myth and confusion about the different types of roast, and what they all mean. It helps to understand the differences between the roasts when you are trying a new coffee or selecting your roast level. Light roasts are light brown in color and have a lack of oil…

The Samaritan woman knew that when she had found Jesus, she had found something precious. Something that MUST be shared. So, she ran into the city and told everybody she could about the Master. Based on her word, they came out of the city and asked Jesus to stay and teach, which He did for…

Coffee is a flowering shrub that is native to the tropical region of Africa. There are a few natural varieties of this shrub and a myriad of man-made hybrids. Of the natural varieties, the two most common are Arabica and Robusta. According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the Arabica species makes up about 70% of…

When Jesus’ disciples returned to find Him at the well speaking to the Samaritan woman they had brought Him food. He refused the meal, saying, “I have food to eat that you do not know about” (John 4:32). They were a little confused. Nobody had brought Him any food. What was He eating? Nothing. He…

Worship is an activity that is central to any religion, and certainly to Christianity. There are many different styles of worship, and opinions about how, where, why, and with whom it should be done. This is not a new phenomenon. The Jews and Samaritans had sharp disagreements with one another, and even amongst themselves about…

You probably have a routine, or even a ritual, that you follow to get coffee into your cup every morning. Do you sometimes find that your coffee is not as good as it was the day before, and you don’t know why? Then this tip is for you. It may seem a little over-the-top, but…

The Samaritan woman knew the path to the well intimately. Her feet had traversed its stones and gravel thousands of times. The work of drawing water and hauling it back to town was back-breaking, and she repeated it every day. When Jesus mentioned that He could offer water that would be a continual supply of…

The first Saturday of January we were privileged to attend the San Antonio Coffee Fest in Historic La Villita on the Riverwalk. We were one of the twenty-seven roasters who attended the fest, providing samples of a wide variety of specialty coffees from all over the world. There were also several food trucks and craft…