Exceptions to love?

No matter how much we might say or believe that love makes the world go 'round, I have a sneaky suspicion that everyone has an "unloveable" someone in their life.  Christianity is all about love, from the first to the last, and certainly I try to live out Christ's commands to love on a daily basis.  Loving and showing that love to my family is huge for me, and I also consider myself a pretty loyal friend to many. I smile at strangers.  I try to be kind to frenzied waitresses and store clerks.  I'm a soft touch when anyone asks me to give of my time, money, or talent.

Just don't cross me.   I'll love you as long as you are nice to me back.  Just don't betray me, speak condescendingly to me, or judge me.  Because if you do...

Every now and then, those are very real thoughts that go through my mind.  I know in my heart of hearts that I don't even come close to loving others the way Jesus wants me to.  I much prefer to know who my enemies are are keep them at arm's length.  When I'm honest I have to admit: loving my enemies is not something I'm very good at.  

But God isn't finished with me yet.  He keeps chipping and sanding and polishing  me, and for that, I am grateful.  Even for those in my life I really don't want to love, I can honestly say I want to want to.  And so He keeps working on me and in me.  And every now and then He shows me an example of what He can do in the lives of people who are fully committed to Him.

For example, I've recently been learning about a real life situation in a family at our church that is almost beyond belief.  Some years ago, a highly successful professional Christian man and his Christian school teacher wife were raising their two children when the man decided to have an affair.  The marriage blew up, and the man married the other woman. The man's reputation in the Christian community was shot.   In time, the man and his second wife had two children and were moving on in life.  Enter God.  The second wife started attending a woman's bible study at the church and became a believer.  Eventually she persuaded the man to talk to our pastor to see if they might be welcomed into our church family in spite of their wretched past.  

Grace, grace, God's grace. 

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within...

Grace, grace, God's grace.

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Our pastor was convinced the man who sat before him in his office was not the same person he knew previously.  He had been humbled and radically changed by the God who loves without exception.  The  right hand of Christian fellowship was extended. 

 But the story isn't over.  Today the man and his first wife teach a divorce recovery class at the church.  The second wife and the first wife have become good friends and are seen at Starbucks having coffee together.  Healing has come to this family, and God is glorified.  Our pastor and the man have become close friends and have written a book together which will be out in a few weeks.  

All this has got me to thinking about the "unloveable" people in my life.  Even though they are few, how can I hold back?   If God can cause those two women to love each other for the sake of the Gospel, He can surely help me to love sincerely.  I'm counting on it.  Without exception.

What about you?

Where's the coffee???!!

photo found here

Is it just me? All I really want first thing in the morning is a good cup of coffee. The kind you get at nice restaurants with white linen tablecloths and served in a china cup and saucer. Is that too much to ask? I don't consider myself an excessive caffeine addict--I could do with a couple good cups in the morning and maybe one for a pick up in mid-afternoon.

But I am fussy about how it tastes. Not too weak, not too strong, not too bitter, and it HAS to be hot. Really hot.

I have tried so many different coffee pots over the years, and so many different kinds of coffee. Mr. Coffee's, Starbuck's Barista, you name it. I'm tempted to buy an old-fashioned percolator even though they are ugly, because the do make decent coffee. I think Farberware has one. None of the drip styles I've owned get hot enough for my liking. And ALL the carafe's are hard to pour without dripping. (One of our favorite gripes around the house is "they put a man on the moon decades ago, but they can't design a coffee carafe that doesn't drip!)

Right now, we are using a Keurig coffee brewer that makes one cup at a time. We bought one as a mutual Valentine's present this year. I love the fact that it is quick, I don't waste coffee by making a whole pot when I only want a cup or two, and that it is the hottest home-brewed coffee I've ever had. On the down side, even when I use coupons, the coffee is expensive--about 50 cents a cup. (I know that's not expensive compared to buying a $2.00 cup at Starbucks, but it's not very economical if you have guests and you can easily go through 60 cups in a week!)

I'm a bit nervous because we are actually on our THIRD Keurig coffee maker. The first one lasted three weeks, then started producing only partial cups. When I called the Company to see if I was doing something wrong, they very graciously told me obviously something wasn't right and they were sending me another coffee maker right away. The second one lasted three months. Then suddenly it started refusing to move the water from the holding reservoir to the area where the water heats. Again, I called the Company and this time they kept me on the phone for 45 minutes trying this and that. Finally they agreed to send me another coffee maker, provided I sent them a part from the brewer. It's been working perfectly so far--we are at the 3 week mark--so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My older son, Andy, who IS a genuine coffee snob (*wink and smile*) insists that a French press is the only authentic way to go. I have one of those too. I admit the coffee tastes good made that way and the first pouring is nice and hot. But oh my, it is much to cumbersome for multiple cups, especially if you are serving more than one or two people. You have to boil the water, which would be to 212 degrees F, then stick a thermometer in the water and let it cool to about 185-195 degrees. You have to be very finicky about the amount of grounds you are using and they must be coarse. Andy has a friend who actually fingers through his beans, taking out all the broken ones, before he puts them into the grinder. (you read that right!) If all that isn't enough, once you pour your almost-boiling (filtered) water into the press carafe, you wait 60 seconds, then you carefully do a stir. After you wait exactly three more minutes (you must use a timer, no guessing allowed) then and only then are you ready to press the coffee and pour yourself a cup. I mean, who has time for this in the morning? Finally, you are left with a messy French press to clean by pouring some water into the carafe and then straining it through a sieve so you can toss the grounds into the trash, which of course you need to do right away because you need to make more coffee!

Now, I do use filtered water for our coffee. And we do grind our beans. We don't usually have Starbucks brand in the house (it's usually too strong and bitter for us, as well as being expensive). Keurig offers a nice variety of decent coffees, and we do enjoy several of the brands. For our everyday coffee, we often use Eight O'Clock. I can get good bargains by hunting down coupons. This morning I had a really good couple of cups of Seattle's Best "Henry's Blend" coffee. I paid a little too much for it, but someone talked me into trying it at Border's the other night. I am actually quite surprised at how good it is. I made it in our Mr. Coffee, so I still had the problem of only the first cup being hot enough for my taste.

So, WHO can rescue me from my dilemma? I'd love to hear how other coffee lovers are handling their affair!