There’s a small ritual that I do when I’m at Starbucks. Years ago, I started doing this to further procrastinate. Nowadays, there’s a bigger and deeper purpose for the ritual.

As soon as I get my drink and sit down at a table, I don’t do anything. All my books and Bible are already laid out on the table, reminding me of all the things I need to catch up on. But they can wait a couple of minutes.
I just sit there, doing nothing, while the cup warms up my hands.
The smell of starbucks, the sounds coming from the baristas, the chatter and laughter of people sitting nearby, the sun coming through the shades, the cars driving by, the sound of people rummaging through the old newspaper bin… it all seems… right.
It also helps me get settled down and be aware of God’s presence that surrounds me.
It’s a nice moment to just be still – moments that I should take more often.
We sort of forget, don’t we? We’re so busy with the crap that piles up (and yes, I said crap when referring to do things for church in the name of ‘ministry’) that we’re trying to meet all the deadlines… we move, we run, we hurry, we scurry all the while we miss out on the glory of God that occupies every second of our lives. And we’re tired. And we’re drained. And we start resenting the people that call us to ask us something they could find out if they just went to the church’s website.
We should avoid getting far down on that path.
So take a little time off.
Take a little siesta in the name of God.
Look around you! The world is full of God’s glory and splendor.
The sermon that you need to write, the paperwork that you need to do, the phone call that you need to make, they can wait ten minutes while you sit and bask in the glory of God. Trust me, it’ll only help your sermon.
Take time to be still and know God.
Even if it is at a Starbucks, where the valley girls behind you have to use the word ‘like’ every other word.
God’s present there. And God loves them too. Like totally.