Signs & Wonders Blog

Before becoming a Christian (yesterday was the 31st anniversary of my salvation), I frequently went to nightclubs. By 1991, I already cut back on that. Besides the often negative lyrics in the songs played, I didn’t like dealing with smoke-filled rooms. Although my spiritual life matured, I missed having a place just to hang out.  Then in 1999, I started going to Caribou Coffee, a chain of coffeehouses based in Minnesota. A friend and I regularly met at one in Maple Grove. At the time, it was the closest Caribou to our church . My friend referred to it as our “office.” We studied our Bibles there while drinking coffee. It was also a mission field. We often led people to the Lord in the area.  Until then, I hadn’t been much of a coffee drinker . Gradually, I developed a taste for Caribou Coffee. One thing I like about going there is free refills of their Coffee of the Day while you remain in the store. I prefer arriving in the morning. They start the day with two choices of ...

Today is National Coffee Day in the United States. According to a study by the National Coffee Association, 64% of Americans drink the stuff. Some people consume it throughout the day. Normally I have just two or three cups in the morning. Growing up I didn’t like coffee. Nevertheless, one of my chores was making coffee for my parents. The first device I used was a Mr. Coffee machine. Mom and Dad later got one from Norelco featuring “Dial-A-Brew” that adjusted the strength of the coffee. Around this time I bought my father a humorous card found in a drug store. It showed a roaring lion with the caption: “I’m not worth a damn until I had my morning coffee.” It wasn’t until my mid-thirties when I developed a taste for coffee. A friend from church often bought me cappuccinos from convenience stores whenever we stopped for gas. Another friend regularly patronized coffee shops and kept offering to buy me drinks there. I ordered coffee with added condiments such as flavored syrup ...

When in the Upper Midwest, I frequently patronize Caribou Coffee, a chain of coffee shops I refer to as my “office.” I like working on my laptop in the relaxing atmosphere plus most Caribou locations give free refills of their Coffee of the Day. Because I prefer light or medium roast coffee, I usually show up at Caribou in the morning since they sometimes serve only dark roast later in the day. For now, I’ve temporarily cut back on my visits to Caribou Coffee. This time of the year they heavily promote Amy’s Blend, a coffee flavor that is (in my opinion) very overrated. Amy’s Blend is named after Caribou’s original roastmaster Amy Erickson who died of breast cancer in 1995. In addition to coffee, Caribou sells mugs, tumblers, and related merchandise as a tribute to Amy. Their website states: “Every October for the past 19 years, Caribou Coffee has donated 10% of retail coffeehouse proceeds from Amy’s products to support women and men impacted by cancer in Caribou communities.” ...

I’ve always thought Starbucks Coffee was overrated. Usually, I go to Caribou Coffee. One reason I prefer Caribou is they provide free refills of their “coffee of the day” while you remain in the store. Nevertheless, I occasionally enjoyed Starbucks’ cold drinks such as their frappuccinos. That changed in March 2013 after reading about Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz affirming his support for same-sex marriage. I decided then to avoid Starbucks products altogether. Not long afterward, I went evangelizing one night in downtown Minneapolis with three other soul-winners from a local church. The leader of our group directed us into Starbucks and offered to buy us each a drink. I didn’t have peace in my heart and declined his offer. When I later told him the reason, my fellow evangelist totally understood for he wouldn’t do business with Home Depot because of their supporting homosexual groups and pride celebrations (which they have since discontinued). To be fair to Howard Schultz, ...