What is a steaming cup of coffee that is left stranded on the counter?

"What is a steaming cup of coffee that is left stranded on the counter? Within minutes it is nothing but a cold, orphaned beverage. A cup of coffee isn't experienced and enjoyed until you participate with it. You don't go to Starbucks look at coffee, to admire its deep hue, and to comment on its robust appearance. You go to Starbucks to drink it in, to participate in the experience of great coffee.

The same is true of spirituality, of course. You can read a book about prayer or worship. The words might inspire you, even challenge you. The ideas might intrigue you to the extent that you invest time in thinking about a particular spiritual discipline. But if you don't go ahead and pray or worship, the words written about these subjects are nothing more than dry ink. They are lifeless symbols of language that describe a spiritual experience that is impotent and useless until you choose to participate in it."- The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet

I've been reading this book daily, and it's very good. I've been filled with quotes, and have started a book filled with these quotes. I just read the above this afternoon after I was lathered up in suntan lotion and was sitting out on an old sheet out in the sun/shade (I can't deal with another sun burn this early in the season!). Since starting this book Sweet has made me question what I believe in. I know I believe in God, Jesus, The Trinity, The Church, and the beliefs of UCC, but where in my belief is EPIC (Experience, Participation, Image-rich, Connection)? Sweet has since moved me to re-start reading the Bible daily (a goal that I've started last year). I've also realized that I need to live my life on an EPIC scale, and not just a normal scale. Sweet does a wonderful job of combining church with Starbucks, two of my favorite subjects.

I chose this book at random, I was making my Amazon Widget for my Starbucks Fettish post. I figured if I'm going to reccomend to my reader's to read this, then I might as well read it! Although I have yet to finish The Gospel According to Starbucks, it is a must read and I highly recommend it to either Christians or to Starbucks lovers, or to both!

Cae ♥