Signs & Wonders Blog

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

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,