Why Caribou Matters

I write virtually all of these blog posts in my local Caribou Coffee shop. Caribou is right across from the church I work at and has affectionately become known as our "North Campus." I drink way more coffee than necessary. I spend a ridiculous amount of hours here. And probably not for the reason that you think.

Regardless of outward appearances, I'm not a slacker. It would be easy to think that. I'm constantly on my iPad hanging out in a coffee shop, just shooting the breeze with people. And this is the most important thing I do with my day at work.

Because Caribou is where the people are.

One of the reasons social media is so popular is that it allows us to meet with people without having to actually meet with people. We like the idea of a maximum impact with a minimal effort on our part. And sometimes that's a great thing. I am obviously a huge proponent of using social media. But no matter what incredible forms of social media are created or how well they are used, nothing will ever bring people together better for communication and relationship building than this:





Caribou is of significant importance because it is where I meet with people, face to face, and talk about life. When a pastor begins to believe that this is an expendable part of their job, they need to stop and re-evaluate. A friend on our staff often says, "People don't interrupt your work...people ARE your work."

It can be easy to forget that. It's much easier for us to sit down and write a sermon because at the end we see a finished product and we feel as though we have accomplished something. If you spend an hour talking with a stranger about how his ex wife is driving him crazy (that just happened), it's harder to see how that matters. Where is the accomplishment? Where is the finished product?

The thing is, what Jesus modeled was a seemingly ineffective, people-based ministry where he stopped and talked to ever single person who was clamoring for his attention. Yet somehow, through these constant conversations, he managed to change the world.

I have to imagine that if Jesus was pastoring your church, you'd be much more likely to find him in the local coffee shop (or more likely, bar) than huddled up in his office trying to get work done.

We have to recover the lost art of meeting people. Striking up conversations. Stepping out of our own world to be in someone else's world for a time. I have come to love the times when I am in the middle of something I perceive to be of utmost importance, and I have to stop, close up the iPad, and look someone in the eye while sipping on a nice hot cup of joe. Because that's when I'm really doing my job.