I look forward to my first morning cup of coffee before I even go to bed. Some uncool folks would say I am addicted. I don’t think so. I don’t need it to get started in the morning, I just enjoy it. It doesn’t wake me or energize me.

Lately, the coffee blend has been Community medium with half a spoon of Ethiopian Pumpkin Spice Brulee. Carole’s usual evaluation of the coffee. “What kind of coffee is this?”

One of the best parts of going out of town is to try out coffee shops and see if I can find a satisfying taste. In recent weeks, no mix or blend or brand has been satisfying. At home, I carry my cup the way some people carry their phones. With a cup in one hand, my phone in the other, it is difficult to turn the page on the Kindle.

Not only has the coffee not been satisfying, our selection of cups has become irritating. We have a collection of cups with church logos or pictures. Mugs. Not at all classy. I saw an Iowa State Cyclone cup that seemed right—until the price tag changed my mind.

There is a theory that the Roman Empire fell because they used wine cups made out of clay that ate away their creativity—ability to think and it killed them. I worry about those church mugs. Few of them say they are dishwasher or microwave safe. I already have pencils and pens and scissors in several of them. So I’m looking for a nicely designed cup—not a mug or a tea cup. Large enough, but not so large that the coffee gets cold.

At the same time, I’ve been unsatisfied with “devotions” whether morning or afternoon. Nothing tastes right or satisfying. Changing the Bible version helps, sometimes. I wandered around this morning with coffee in hand looking for a “Word.” From computer to phone with podcast, to devotional book and a traditional leather-covered Bible while listening to my favorite TV pastors. As Mary Brown wrote, “Gotta Get a God Said….” We’ve been through several days of draining activity. Good stuff will do that as surely as dealing with the unpleasant. Stress does not differentiate between good and bad stressors. The Lady and I agreed—we are depleted. Needing to find a fresh blend.

In my pursuit this morning, I read an article on New Wine and New Wine Skins—the call to a fresh container for what God wants to do. A different cup and a better blend. That sounds like the word from the Lord!

What would a new wine skin look like? A fresh delivery system? Leonard Sweet Tweeted this morning about micro-church: Celebration, worship and fellowship around tables in a thousand square foot building. The Bentons’ old tag line: “Come, put your feet under our table,” is not only inviting, but strategy.

What would that look like? A place to sit your coffee, notebook, Bible and half a bagel. (And a towel to mop up spilled drinks.) Put a white board in that room and you have a seminar room or a small group meeting.

I’m supposed to close a blog with a solution. I gotta get a God said. Need a fresh blend—know what I mean? I’ll keep you posted when I find something that tastes satisfying.

©2015 D. Dean Benton   https://www.bentonministries.com    website being updated

Writer, Wonderer, Searcher