:if i had a dream...:
at 180 a few nights ago i was speaking/preaching and i mentioned that i was now the pastor of this ministry for now closing in on 4 years. that's a long time. actually, it's not too long, but it just seems long. in the grand scheme of things, 4 years are actually not very long at all. i mean, there are pastors who can count in decades, not months, you know?
not that my previous paragraph is going anywhere in this post, but i just think it's weird that as i look around many of the churches and ministries in hk, there aren't many that have had a leader stay for so long.
i'm not looking for a pat on the back either, i'm just thinking out loud...
so every now and then i enjoy my day off in a different manner. most days the stress and demand from being constantly around and in front of people confine me to my sofa to literally recharge my sanity. i'm not quite there yet, but i'll keep typing regardless.
today i stumbled upon the trailer for "my blueberry nights" which has, surprisingly, Norah Jones as the lead. so, in honor of her, i put on her album and it all of a sudden it accompanies me while i walk down memory lane. her music is delicate, and emotion provoking. i'm no critic, but i know when i put it on this is what my soul gravitates towards feeling.
so one of the things i've always had in my heart was to work in a coffee shop, which eventually evolved to owning a cafe.
i know, i know.. my aspirations to shoot straight to the top of the professional pecking order must stun you, but this is something that i've held onto since i was about 16, so eat me.
while a teenager, i played tennis competitively and so i never drank coffee at all. it was too bitter for me, and i didn't understand what the big deal was. but a female friend of mine took me to quarry bay, which was a freaking TREK for me at that age, and she took me to one of the largest PCCs in HK at the time. to this day, i still remember spending that afternoon listening to jazz, reading some nondescript magazine, enjoying my first latte that i can truly remember, thinking... man.. this is amazing.
thus began my obsession with cafes.
zoom forward years later, and the first day of college in Michigan and i realised that the coffee cultural was significantly more advanced in the states than in HK, and i spent my very first arvo snuggled up with big thick book, and a honey topped latte in a moma-poppa cafe, and i thought that i was in heaven. come to think of it, i might have been.
i dont know if i'll ever own a cafe, but every cafe i go to around the world... it always makes me feel warm, like i'm home. i always tell my wife that one of the things we MUST do when i travel is go to a cafe. it just needs to be done. so, if i ever had a cafe, i'd make sure at least one item on the menu was so damn good that people will come just for that. either the cinnamon rolls, or muffins, or something that would be like legal crack. and the decor would be warm, seats cozy, and people will know my name. i'd like my staff to know people's drink, and i'd like to give away free things every now and then. my religious standpoint would be well known, by my love for people would be known more. we'd have latte art, and my workers would love working there. we'd serve free trade coffee. i'd love to have poetry slams, or spoken word nights. i'd have live music as often as possible. my customers would look down on starbucks, and own apple macbook airs. i'd have off-beat struggling muscians/artisan types coming back more for the vibe than anything else. i'd have indie hipster university students coming in large groups and being really cheap. i'd have young adults hiding from reality over a hot chai. i'd have girlfriends crying in the corner over a break up. i'd have homeless people come and hang out because they know that they are welcome. in the summer people would come to beat the heat and people watch, in the winter they would come and warm their souls with hushed deep meaningful but utterly useless conversations.
so, if i were the dreaming type... this is cafe i would have. and i might even give it a name? the janaffe (the jan-nah-fay)... i'm still working on this.
so i was wondering, do you have a dream? man.. i use so a lot..... *sigh* back to the sofa.
till next week.
not that my previous paragraph is going anywhere in this post, but i just think it's weird that as i look around many of the churches and ministries in hk, there aren't many that have had a leader stay for so long.
i'm not looking for a pat on the back either, i'm just thinking out loud...
so every now and then i enjoy my day off in a different manner. most days the stress and demand from being constantly around and in front of people confine me to my sofa to literally recharge my sanity. i'm not quite there yet, but i'll keep typing regardless.
today i stumbled upon the trailer for "my blueberry nights" which has, surprisingly, Norah Jones as the lead. so, in honor of her, i put on her album and it all of a sudden it accompanies me while i walk down memory lane. her music is delicate, and emotion provoking. i'm no critic, but i know when i put it on this is what my soul gravitates towards feeling.
so one of the things i've always had in my heart was to work in a coffee shop, which eventually evolved to owning a cafe.
i know, i know.. my aspirations to shoot straight to the top of the professional pecking order must stun you, but this is something that i've held onto since i was about 16, so eat me.
while a teenager, i played tennis competitively and so i never drank coffee at all. it was too bitter for me, and i didn't understand what the big deal was. but a female friend of mine took me to quarry bay, which was a freaking TREK for me at that age, and she took me to one of the largest PCCs in HK at the time. to this day, i still remember spending that afternoon listening to jazz, reading some nondescript magazine, enjoying my first latte that i can truly remember, thinking... man.. this is amazing.
thus began my obsession with cafes.
zoom forward years later, and the first day of college in Michigan and i realised that the coffee cultural was significantly more advanced in the states than in HK, and i spent my very first arvo snuggled up with big thick book, and a honey topped latte in a moma-poppa cafe, and i thought that i was in heaven. come to think of it, i might have been.
i dont know if i'll ever own a cafe, but every cafe i go to around the world... it always makes me feel warm, like i'm home. i always tell my wife that one of the things we MUST do when i travel is go to a cafe. it just needs to be done. so, if i ever had a cafe, i'd make sure at least one item on the menu was so damn good that people will come just for that. either the cinnamon rolls, or muffins, or something that would be like legal crack. and the decor would be warm, seats cozy, and people will know my name. i'd like my staff to know people's drink, and i'd like to give away free things every now and then. my religious standpoint would be well known, by my love for people would be known more. we'd have latte art, and my workers would love working there. we'd serve free trade coffee. i'd love to have poetry slams, or spoken word nights. i'd have live music as often as possible. my customers would look down on starbucks, and own apple macbook airs. i'd have off-beat struggling muscians/artisan types coming back more for the vibe than anything else. i'd have indie hipster university students coming in large groups and being really cheap. i'd have young adults hiding from reality over a hot chai. i'd have girlfriends crying in the corner over a break up. i'd have homeless people come and hang out because they know that they are welcome. in the summer people would come to beat the heat and people watch, in the winter they would come and warm their souls with hushed deep meaningful but utterly useless conversations.
so, if i were the dreaming type... this is cafe i would have. and i might even give it a name? the janaffe (the jan-nah-fay)... i'm still working on this.
so i was wondering, do you have a dream? man.. i use so a lot..... *sigh* back to the sofa.
till next week.
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