jon mark

sooo, today was the grand opening of biggby coffee, here in lima, oh…this franchise name/logo has a special place in my memory…it will forever be embedded there…it was back in 2004 when i was recording “only by God’s grace”…we were up in michigan and the producer brought in some great bean…from beaners…now more commonly known as biggby coffee…they changed their name in 2007…

anywho…

i stopped over for the grand opening…leaving my friends at st. arbucks for at least one day…i have to say that i was not impressed…the parking lot was packed…sooo i hit the drive thru…i was the only car in line at the time…but it took 10 minutes for me to place my order, pay, and get the carmel marvel that i ordered…not only did i think that was ridiculous, but i also paid $0.49 MORE than if i had just gone to see my friends at st. arbucks…

though i have a special regard for biggby coffee…today was a BIG downer for me…am i ready to give up on them???

not just yet…

but am i willing to leave my friends at st. arbucks???

not just yet…

sooo this morning i was up a little too early for my liking…but you’ll have that from time to time when you have a young daughter…i went into the kitchen and saw that there was still enough bean left in the pot for one cup…it was from yesterday morning…

i can’t throw away bean…it’s my beverage of choice…

sooo i threw it in the microwave and drank away…then i made a fresh pot of bean for the rest of the day…

sooo what about you…

do you re-heat???

sooo in the last couple weeks i have really been challenged…some of it has come through reading the book pure praise…some of it has just come through the people and situations that i have been faced with…some of it has come through simply taking the time to listen…some of it has come through the clients that i have worked with this week…and some of it has even come through doing homework!!!

it’s been brutal at times as i’ve taken a step back and examined my life…it’s easy for me to be hard on myself and focus on all of the opportunities that i have missed…but that would keep me from the opportunities that are in front of me here and now…sooo, i’m not going to sit and pout or beat myself up…i’m going to do what i can do here and now…

i’ve really been faced with the burdens that other people are carrying with them…all of the weight that seems to be holding each and every one of us back from experiencing the joy and blessing that God wants us to experience…i’ve seen people stretching out their fingers with every ounce of energy, to reach for some type of relief from the weight…

at times they’ve been reaching out for alcohol or drugs…others have been reaching out for razor blades…still others have been reaching out for a relationship that actually means something…and each time, in each situation, the person has seen that relief slip right through their fingers…only to be burdened even more…

i’ve really been challenged to help carry burdens…to pray for those around me, that i know are carrying burdens…for those who are reaching out…to ask God to bring them the relief that He alone can bring…that same relief that He has brought to me…

so00, who around you is reaching out??? who is it that you can pray for or even help carry their burdens??? how is is that i can be praying for you or help carry your burdens???

let me get that for you!!!

sooo, this morning it is a whoppping 6 degrees outside…without any windchill figured in…and with my new buzzz cut hair dooo…i’m freezing!!!

sooo this is what my kind friends at st. arbucks made me this morning!!!

it’s…

super hot!!!