Friday, June 20, 2008

Global Village, Raleigh NC



Global Village, Raleigh NC, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.
About a month ago, I had to run a friend of mine to the Raleigh-Durham Airport early in the morning. On the way back from the airport, I stopped in Raleigh to grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast and a cup of coffee. That's when I found the Global Village coffee shop.

This place had a great atmosphere and a ton of concrete furnishings. It also specialized in fair trade, shade grown, organic coffee. (Kind of reminded me of another place I know.)

I love coffee shops. From the corporate simulacra feel of a Starbucks, to the local vibe of places like The Grind in Carolina Beach, there's something special about the slowed down pace and community feel of these spaces.

As I sat in this space, I waxed a bit nostalgic for sozo, our little coffee shop in Morgantown. It's pretty amazing when I think about it. When I started college, I never envisioned myself being part of opening a coffee shop. I never pictured myself working with a Leadership Training program in Carolina Beach. I never pictured myself even becoming a Christian.

When I take time to sit and reflect, I am amazed at the beautiful life God has given me. Sure, there have been rough spots, but whose life doesn't have rough spots. The one thing I've grown more and more confident of through the years is God's goodness. He has always carried me. Even when I didn't know Him, He protected me from harm that could have come my way. Even when I've been in dangerous situations, He has always journeyed with me.

I don't know what you are going through today, it may be worse than anything I can imagine. You may have read this blog and found it a bit trite, given your circumstances. But God is GOOD; it's His nature. And He listens. Just like He listened to David in the Psalms and Jesus on the cross, the Father listens.

Maybe He listened to some people half way around the world who were suffering injustice, and as a result He stirred folks like the folks at Global Village and other places to consider fairly traded coffee. Call out to Him from wherever you are! He is GOOD!

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