Coffee, C̶o̶c̶a̶i̶n̶e̶, and the Gospel of Christ

Hi - I think we can all agree that drugs are really bad and that the world needs more coffee.

Where exactly tea falls into the equation I don't know, but my mom used to have this image framed at our house which was pretty clever:

I never used to drink much coffee, but now I do big time, thanks primarily to these guys, who have been a positive influence in my life:

But far more important than campaigning for the aroma and taste of Colombian coffee - Alejandra's and my friends and I are mostly interested in spreading around the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:15).

To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life (v. 16a).

Just like churches, there are different blends of coffee. Some blends are more exotic and some are more plain. Some selections are more organic while others are more processed. There is only one gospel, and there are those who plant that gospel and the Word of God on different terrains, and then there are those who water it... Either way, God is the one who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

And who is competent for such a task? (2 Cor. 16b) Obviously no one, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:5b-6).

Now, about trafficking drugs - that definitely kills. It kills the users, and recently the news has shown that it also kills the peddlers.*

But, unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God (2 Cor. 2:17)... At the table in the picture below, I even got to hear from a very courageous Christian woman who is seriously and arduously fighting against human trafficking in SouthEast Asia.

And as for coffee - in the picture below, recently I got to work with and learn from some solid Christian guys who are promoting the cultivation of this amazing crop as an alternative to cocaine within one of the most violent regions of Colombia.

Lord willing, maybe a couple of the Refuge churches that Alejandra and I started can host a couple coffee shops some day that support this initiative as well.

1 Corinthians 16:24, -Sam Missionary Profile: *Though I don't support killing people without due process, and it's likely that this has more to do with intimidating Nicolas Maduro than with stopping the flow of drugs