Musings of the Minstrel

Just sitting here drinking my sugar-free, vanilla, breve latte at the corner coffee shop. Across the room are 2 college students both studying at the same table. One has head-phones on, his head is bobbing to the groove while the other guy is muttering softly to himself (must be attempting to memorize something). Next to them are 2 middle-age soccer-moms discussing the issues with their young children. A baby-boomer just walked in and loudly is telling us why one candidate has no integrity. I am sitting here having just closed a meeting, not at my office but at the 'coffee shop" (the new gates of our cities). It is wild how our world has changed in just a short time. I remember reading several years ago where one leadership expert predicted this phenomenon. He spoke of the birth of the "third place" as a result of the break down of the home and the work place. He said there would be a great dissatisfaction with the home and the work place would begin to lose its place of satisfaction in the minds of people. His prediction is obviously correct as coffee shops are sprouting up as quickly as trailer parks in the 50's. I propose that this change in our culture presents a great opportunity for the church. People are looking beyond the American dream (a house, a car, a fenced yard, a good job) to meet the void that is inside of them. While "iced blended macchiatos" are refreshing they cannot give meaning for the soul. This is a day of great opportunity. Let's give the world a taste of the "world to come" and they will never thirst again.