I am not sure why I have been feeling the need to write about this particular topic but it has been on my heart since almost my last post. This sadly was nearly a month ago. Now on the day I turn 34 I write about a dream that is in waiting. Enough said let’s get on to the dream.
Some of you reading this post maybe familiar with my dream and others of you may have never heard me speak of it. But this is a chance for me to lay it out before anyone who dares to read my blog.
I love coffee, the smell, the taste. To me coffee is more than a drink it is a part of life. Coffee at its heart is meant to be an experience, an opportunity to bring people together and celebrate life. From childhood coffee was something I saw and experienced as a part of life it was present at every holiday and almost every celebration. It was a part of fishing, camping, hunting and early mornings. I drank it with my family and many of my greatest friends. It was in High school that my true passion for coffee started to be birthed with the discovery of espresso based drinks and coffee shops. There was now more to coffee than just a drink there was a complete experience. Now I am not talking a Starbucks, or a national chain coffee experience. Not that these places don't have their place and they have done a lot to change the way coffee is viewed in America. I am talking about the experience of walking into a small room with tables, chairs, books, games, and people slightly crowded around the Bar. Low music playing in the background as the sound and smells of fresh coffee beans grinding and being brewed into a variety of drinks. Even more pleasurable was walking into a shop that roasted fresh beans daily. Talk about scent memories and wonderful thoughts running through your head. If you have never experienced a coffee shop other than a Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Tully, or a Pete's Coffee you got to find a good local shop to visit. Now I have experienced a few in my nearly 20 years of visiting coffee shops that are dirty, slow, loud, unfriendly, and just plain bad places for coffee. But believe me if you find a real shop with the right environment you will not being frequenting anything else.
After the experience my passion and attitude towards coffee changed even more and my love began to develop into a dream. At first it was just a whim of a dream that it would be cool to open my own coffee shop. This dream just sat and festered without being touched or explored as I made it through and moved on into adulthood. Who had times for dreams anyways and as most of us know dreams never come true. Heck before and during the coffee shop dream I had dreamed I wanted to be a marine biologist and a pastor. But the love for coffee and the love for coffee shops was strong and growing as I continued through life. Then a opportunity arose through the church I was attending to help out and later run their espresso stand/Coffee bar ministry and the dream awoke.
Now the dream had grown and changed over the years to something very specific and at the time very unique. The name for the dream came from a failed start up business venture with some high school bodies selling Christian Themed t-shirts and clothing. But the name would be re-birthed with my new idea of what the coffee shop I wanted to open would look like. Crossed Out Cafe became my dream and a place where my mind has spent many hours wondering and wandering over the years. A dream that to me seems so far away from reality and impossible to accomplish. A dream which I fear that I have missed because of opportunities not taken. Still the dream is there and it has been awakened. Over the last year Crossed Out has become a frequent part of my pondering. It is my dream. Whenever I am asked one of those hypothetical questions about “if money wasn't a factor you could do anything?” or “if you were given a million dollars what would you do?” it is my answer. My fear is it will never be more than a dream in waiting.
So what is Crossed Out the dream? I want it to be a place where you can have one of those coffee shop experiences I talked about earlier. With all of the smells, sounds and character that you would find at the local coffee shop. But instead of the New Aged/Alternative environment that is often associated with these shops, Crossed out will have a family-friendly Christian-oriented environment with Christ inspired decor, background music and staff. I want Crossed out to be the place you bring your family and friends to enjoy life, food, drinks, and each other. Crossed Out to me is more than just another coffee shop but is a chance to reach out and minister to the church and the Christian community. By offering people a place to come where their faith can be edified and supported by the environment they walk into. A place where a bible studies group or prayer group is welcomed and encouraged to come. In bigger picture of my dream Crossed Out would have meeting rooms for these groups if needed. Crossed Out would be open late to give college students and others a place to hang out or study. Crossed Out would display and sell artwork for local Christian artist and have an area for local Christian bands to perform. It would be the total coffee house just with a Christ centered environment and focus. This is the Crossed Out I dream of and fear I will never have the joy of seeing come to life.
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