I have a dreamm

Coffee Shop:

You know there’s something special about coffee shops. There’s so much going on. People reading, people having conversations with one another, students studying, people relaxing, and all of this is going on inside of one shop. Sometimes I think of all the potential things that can happen in a coffee shop and I get so excited because there is so much within something so small…coffee. Creating relationships, sharing life, gaining information, ..over some coffee. I have a dream and desire is to maximize all that can happen within and out of a coffee shop. Maximize the potential for creation. Maximize the potential for deep relationships. I want to see what can happen when there is community and that community is stirred and challenged and engaged. I want to see healing. Mmmm…just the thought of it makes my heart leap.

If I could have it my way these are some of the things that I would want:

Fairtrade coffee (all coffee beans and espresso beans fairly traded. And public awareness)

Local art (selling canvas at the counter and having a space within the shop (like a corner or balcony section with supplies for art) and using this space to create and then using these community art pieces as decorations within the shop) and local musicians (once again the idea of community)

Vegetarian food- factory farming awareness (what it does to the animals, our health, and our environment; showing the public that there are other ways/alternatives)

Specializing in a certain type of food often times sells a business such as cupcake stores etc. Well....I would love this shop to specialize in Croissants! Vegetarian croissants, with spinach and feta inside, cheese, dessert croissants, original plain butter croissants, yummy vegetarian sandwiches made of croissants etc.

Eco-friendly cups (not only used recycled stuff for the paper to-go cups but also use that eco-friendly stuff for the plastic cups for cold drinks…like the candycane fiber…or something; Even selling knitted stuff for coffee such as coffee holders etc, cool mugs, etc. would be great

Free wireless internet-available, student-friendly

Close late—2am

Donate all leftover food from that day to a homeless ministry or do a sandwich drive every night; and make a fresh batch of croissants the next morning! Mmm

Sundays-have church service right inside the coffee shop! It’s like a coffee shop ministry. Cooleos.

This is my dream. It’s been planted in my heart since 2007ish. The thing with dreams is it’s kind of funny. You can either keep it as a dream, far from reality or you can pursue it. The problem that I am finding is that you can’t pursue it simply with your own efforts. God has to lead it and there has to be collaboration with God. The hard part is to wait for his timing and not your own, to learn to be patient, to be stretched in all sorts of ways (because He wants to develop the right character for the job), to go through all sorts of, you think, unrelated events and processes. I know that this dream has been planted in my heart by Him, the one who gives us our desires. I’ve already learned once the hard way what happens when you start something with your own efforts and initiative without waiting for his green light, even though he is the one who gave me the heart in the first place...It’s bad news. I’m learning to wait. And I have no idea how on earth something like this will pan out. I just need to obey the small little steps in front of me. I just need to trust Him. And the most important thing is that my focus can’t be on the dream, and the end product/result. My focus, attention, and eyes need to be on Him. Because only He can make a way (the way it’s suppose to be) and in the end (the real end) it’s all about Him anyways, so all our efforts will be futile and pointless if it isn’t in Him. So I rest my case. I will no longer try to do things on my own. I wait. And I walk with the only One who can make a way for me. The point is the Who, it’s always been the Who, and will always be the Who. May all glory and honor go to Him, my Father.

Name of Coffee Shop: ...to be decided. Something along the line's of Jasmine ministry

Vision: ….to be decided. But I have a feeling it has something along the line’s of healing