Loving coffee is the same as loving God

Coffee and God, a photo by Mervin Chiang on Flickr.

Well... It's more similar than you think. Metaphorically and philosophically of course. I'd like to suggest that at some strange Mervin's-mind-only philosophical level, my love for coffee is like my love to God. Similar to the Christian as a hobby post, you can replace coffee with golf, fishing, tennis, rugby, computer games or anything you are obsessed about. You can then continue this post replacing that with coffee.

Let me explain. If you are a coffee nut like me, you'll know that in order to pull a perfect shot of coffee, you have to get EVERYTHING right.

• The coffee bean must be fresh. Not more less than 7 days and no more than 28 days old from time of roast.
• The bean must be ground fresh. No more than 90sec before use. Yes! You grind and use it immediately. Pre-grounds are useless.
• The microscopic particle size and even distribution of average sizes must be consistent when grinding coffee. If the grinder is not even when grinding the coffee its no good. Spice grinders are useless!
• The brew method effects the grind size of the coffee. Either very coarse for filter or very fine for espresso.
• The temperature of the water for making coffee, depending on the device, brew method and desired taste, can vary from 89-94 degrees celcius. No more no less.
• The amount of time the hot water touches the ground coffee is also highly significant. Too long and you burn the coffee. Too short and the coffee is diluted. Grind size changes time needed.

*Change above tips with any hobby/obsession you know of and are part of. Post works the same.

Ok. Now. Does this make you a head barista at a cafe? Qualified to be competing at the World Barista Championships (yes, they have these. Google it)? Of course not! Like any hobby or sport, you need practice! The more you do "hands on" the more you get better at it. And if you are as obsessed as me, you'll know that there is always something to refine. Something to tweak. Something to learn. The more you dig, the more you uncover!

So why is this relevant to loving God? I'd like to suggest that at a wacky-Mervin's-weird-way, making coffee is like the Gospel (in the framework/metaphor sense). Think about it. In coffee we have water temp, grind size, time. EVERYTHING revolves around these 3 things. With God, we have the Gospel. EVERYTHING revolves around the Gospel.

The reason for this post is a result of me trying to understand perplexing statements by some people I come across that says things like:

1. "Why are we learning this again?"
2. "Our studies are so basic."
3. "Our study is not deep enough. It always just talks about the gospel. I already know all that."
4. "Its not spiritual enough what we're learning."

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." - Matt 7:15-18 (ESV)

I'm not saying that the people saying the above statements are false prophets or ravenous wolves, but I am more thinking about the statement "you will recognize them by their fruits". What fruits should we recognise?...

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." - Gal 5:22-23

For coffee, my "fruit" is.. well... great coffee! And people tell me about it. They see and tease me about it. I roast my coffee and walk up to my house smelling like a walking bag of beans! What are your fruits [of the Spirit] as a Christian? Do you "smell" and "taste" like a Christian fruit? Knowing about it and "already learnt it" doesn't make you an expert. Understanding it deeply, applying it and actually have someone come up to you and tell you, "hey you smell like a Christian fruit" makes you closer to being one.

If we chase our perfect swing, perfect pitch, perfect shot, perfect pay check by googling, studying, applying, practicing and maybe even bleeding, how much more should we, calling ourselves Christians, be doing the same about God's word? Saying that the studies are so "basic" may be as absurd as saying, "I've read the How to Golf for Dummies book once, why should I practice and study golf again? I'm ready for the world tournament! After all, I've memorised all the how-to tips."... Problem I have is... Where is your golf trophy??? Where's the fruits of the Spirit?