Okay… here’s the deal behind the caption “Living Venti in a Grande World”

When I was growing up, coffee wasn’t a huge thing in our modern-day culture. Tim Horton’s happened to catch on and before you knew it, everybody was drinking the TH. A ‘double-double’ was as Canadian as Wayne Gretzky, poutine, and Bob & Doug MacKenzie.

But Tim Horton’s was never served at our house. Before Starbucks and Second Cup made their way into the Tim Horton’s world, my dad would buy his green coffee beans fresh from the market and come home and roast them in an air popcorn maker with the exhaust shooting up the fireplace chimney (I am NOT making this up!!!). Coffee was savoured and cherished to the point that Dad was taking orders all over the city (and beyond).

When Starbucks finally came onto the scene, they knocked the socks off of the cookie-cutter, run-of-the-mill coffee shops in the US, Canada, and around the world. They made going to Starbucks an ‘experience’ referred to by them as the ‘third place’ (home, work, third place). People were not only lining up to spend 3-4 times the price for a coffee but they were lingering around and creating community with those around them.

Living Venti in a Grande World is exactly that. We have the opportunity to choose to not settle with the masses who are used to mediocrity and the status quo but we can rather desire to move to where things are greater, God is active, and where we can pursue His plan for our lives. When we used to settle for a ‘double-double’, now we have the opportunity to get a double, no room Americano or a triple venti, half-sweet, extra hot, skinny vanilla latte.

You don’t believe me? Walk into a regular coffee shop and a Starbucks and ask yourself this one question. Has Starbucks tried to become more like them or have they tried to become more like Starbucks?

One needs to aspire. Aspire for better. Aspire for the greater. Aspire to press on.

God put that in us. Jesus said that he came to not only bring us life, but life over the top (John 10:10). He wants to pour a venti drink (extra large) into a grande cup (large). He has SO much in store for us that I don’t want to miss a bit of it.

At least that’s how I see it,

 

Craig