A Little Bit of Coffee and A Whole Lot of Jesus...

My BFF sent me a quote a couple weeks ago..."Today, I am going to need a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus."  Well, yeah.  She knows me well.

If there are two things I love, it is coffee and Jesus (not in that order). I often enjoy them together.  I get up at 5:20 every day (snow days and weekends not included) to have my Jesus time. I start every day in some type of prayer...sometimes it is praying exclusively, sometimes it is reading a book regarding faith, sometimes it is reading the Bible and sometimes, it is all of the above.  It is a wonderful way to start the day.  It's quiet, you can think about what you want to focus on (aka "get your mind right") and you can just listen.  And yes, drink coffee.

I have these things I call "epiphanies".  I have told you before, it is really quite amazing the ideas that God will share with you if you can just get still.  It all started with Pinterest.  I saw a few coffee bar pictures.  And then I searched for coffee bars.  And then I saw a whole lot of coffee bar pictures.  And then...well, then I got coffee bar envy.  I wanted a coffee bar.  I've always wanted a coffee bar.  I love coffee.  Why can't I have a coffee bar?  One night I was washing dishes and I must have been in a pitiful mood because I was thinking, I wish I could have a coffee bar (yes, say it in a whiny 6 year old voice...that's perfect).  And clear as day I heard a still, small voice tell me "You do".  I looked to my left and there sat a little piece of furniture we called "the bar" (for real, it's our liquor cabinet).  It had an ice bucket  and a wine chiller on it.  Two pictures hung above it.  It was very uninspiring. But suddenly, it was like I saw it with new eyes.  I saw POTENTIAL and I had this vision of what could be.  And I got very, very excited.

I immediately removed the things from the boring bar and brought the Keurig over from the kitchen. Well, that was a start. What else was I going to put on it?  Then, I realized something amazing.  I had an espresso machine in the attic.  Why on earth would a coffee lover have a espresso machine in the attic?  (Lack of space and then...out of sight is out of mind, in case you really want to know.) I dug around up there and found it.  It was like meeting up with an old friend.  After we had reacquainted ourselves, she came on down too.  I promised her I would always take care of her and never put her in the attic again if she would please just still work.  She did.  So on she went to the boring bar turned coffee bar.  Still, we needed something else.  I bought a burlap table runner.  I got a spoon rest.  I found a fabulous little lamp.

coffee bar stage 1

I thought the lamp would do it for me.  But still, I wasn't there.  When God showed me I had a coffee bar, of course, I had a fantastic coffee bar. Because that's how He rolls.  I went back to Pinterest to look for more ideas and that's when I saw it. This little doodad that I knew instantly had to be mine.

The blog said they got it at Hobby Lobby.  Oh really.  Just so happens to be one right by my house.  Then I saw the price.  $120. Yikes. So I waited for that sucker to go on sale (hint: Hobby Lobby rotates 50% off sales every two weeks.  So if you just missed something on sale, wait 2 weeks).  Finally, that day came.  I happily removed the old pictures off the wall and hung up my new, beautiful addition to my coffee bar.  OK.  So actually hubs did that part. He's so fabulous.  Especially when it comes to my epiphanies.

So now...what to do with the shelf on top?  My first thought was to put a clock up there.  But then I found this fabulous sign (also at Hobby Lobby) for $4.99 on sale.  I would pay $4.99 for just about anything.  I mean, am I right?  There was enough room for a vase...I took one of my handy Mason jars and poured some acrylic paint in it.  Enough room on that shelf for one more thing.  I bought a wooden H and simply covered it with scrapbook paper and decoupage. (Don't ask me where I bought it.  You already know the answer.)

And now?  Oh now I was there.  I was definitely there.  The final product...it was everything my vision was, and then some.  

It has been one year since I have re-purposed the boring bar to the coffee bar and I still love it.  I am so serious.  It gives me total joy.  The best part is when I walk into the house, there it is (see my post on "Shalom in the Home")  

I went from walking in to blah to walking in to beauty.  I used to just stare at it.  Don't laugh, I did! BFF came over for coffee on the first Saturday after it was done and we sat on the couch and just stared at it.  I don't even know if we talked. True story.

Isn't that just like God to take something uninspiring and with just a few touches, turn it into something amazing?  He'll even use things you already have.  How many times are we so focused on what we don't have that we don't realize what we DO have?  What do we have that God can work with? He sees all our potential.  He sees a vision of what can be.  He knows things that are stored away that we have totally forgotten about. And when He is asked to help, He gets very, very excited.

I still look at that coffee bar a lot.  And everytime I do, I smile.  I HAD a coffee bar...something I wanted so bad.  I had it, all along.  I just didn't realize it.   And when I look at it, I think to myself, "Look what God did through me."  He always did have an eye for potential.

May Your Cup Runneth Over!
K