Sunday Coffee Cup - Old World Santa

Christmas has already arrived in my cupboard! It is a household tradition that sometime shortly after Thanksgiving, the regular coffee mugs and many of the glasses get replaced by the “Christmas drink ware.”  It is always a small delight to open the cabinet door and be greeted by a bright, if cluttered, assortment of holiday mugs and glasses.

There are Santa mugs, snowmen (sorry, no snowwomen), decorated trees, and even an elf or two. We have a drinking glass set of the 11 days of Christmas (there use to be 12 days, but somebody dropped the Piper’s Piping – moment of silence please).

Today’s Sunday Coffee Cup is an old world style mug with a different sort of “Santa” depicted. Here in America, we have come to conceptualize Santa as a caricature of a short man as depicted in the old Coke commercials or the clay-mation special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  The Santa staring at me this morning is more of the old world variety. I like that.  He is depicted here as a taller, thinner man. His clothing is less cartoonish and more realistic. My mind reminds me that Santa is a larger phenomenon that what we do in 2011 in the United States. It reminds me that the gift giving, myths and commercialism really started as something else.

I can allow my imagination to let go back in time, following an imaginary path back to a real man, a kind, generous, self sacrificing man who lived – giving to the less fortunate because of the unfathomable generosity of his Christ. I can remember that there was once a real connection between the Christ of Christmas and Saint Nicholas. Then my fantasies expand and I follow the greatness of God’s love into other places and faiths, many nations and stories, countless traditions and beliefs as humanity struggles to unite around the truths of caring, self-sacrifice, peace, justice, kindness and a belief that children deserve more love and security than we have historically given them… my mind wanders and my heart both aches for more and fill with abundance of gratitude  that at least for the next few days we will once again gather around decorated trees, tinseled presents and faith filled hymns and remember – if only in a limited way – that God has come to us and we are better for it.

Sunday Coffee Cup - A Son's Gift

Frankly, I don’t remember if it was a gift on Christmas or one that arrived during the Christmas season, but it is a gift that captures much of what Christmas is truly about – simple giving in love.

My son crafted a Christmas coffee mug when he was a very young lad. He drew the picture himself on the side of the mug – a Christmas tree, two wrapped presents, and angel on the tree top - and then presented it to me. Every year when we bring out the Christmas decorations we replace our normal glasses and mugs with Christmas ones. His gift is always among them, and all season long I reach for that mug with great love and care.

This Sunday Coffee mug sits around reminding me that I am a most fortunate father, step-father and husband. It reminds me that we never know what act of kindness, no matter how small and ‘imperfect’ will remain permanently in someone’s life. It reminds me how quickly life can change and how important it is to enjoy each simple moment. It reminds me that taking time for a quiet cup of coffee and delicate reflection is important in the busy holidays. It causes me to hear the carols of children singing in church.

Mostly, I see that angel, perched atop the tree and hear an ancient voice speak a timeless message softly through thousands of years, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Merry Christmas.

Sunday Coffee Cup - Hospice

Being a pastor. Knowing a founder. Providing logoed hats and shirts. Watching my spouse volunteer. These are the many ways I have come to know the wonderful organization and mission of Hospice.

Our lives have many sacred moments. Births, marriages, rites of passage, countless first times and none more difficult than the sacred moment when we wait with someone who is dying. The demands of this ultimate moment in the culmination of someone's life impacts not only them, but every relationship they have. There is never enough energy of body, understanding of mind or depth of spirit for us to draw upon as we navigate such times. Hospice's mission provides assistance to families and individuals during the last days of a terminal illness.

This morning's Sunday Coffee Cup is from our local Hospice organization and was given to my wife as thanks for the support she has given as a volunteer. Speak with her about it sometime - you will know instantly what a wonderful service we have here in Forsyth county. Grasping the warmth and solidity of today's cup, I am thankful for Hospice.

Sunday Coffee Cup – The Late, Late Show

They grow up. Kids, in each their own way, grow and learn and become themselves. In 2009, my daughter left her North Carolina home and headed west. She packed what she could into her VW Jetta and with no job and no certain place to live, headed to LA. She was banking on connections she had made during a college internship, the resilience of youthful enthusiasm and a good bit of luck to get her started down her dream path – working in television entertainment in LA.

Maneuvering her way through part time jobs, contract work and a fair share of babysitting she survived long enough for a real opportunity. Today’s Sunday Coffee Cup tells the tale of her success. She now works for The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.  This morning’s coffee is about knowing your dreams and tenaciously pursuing them.

Do you have a dream calling you? Is there one you are chasing today?

Sunday Coffee Cup - Bermuda

If I could find a way to live in the sea, I would. Swimming, snorkeling or diving in tropical waters is one of my deepest pleasures in life. There is something marvelous about being in the sea. I’ve thought about the experience and why it attracts me so: In part it is being suspended, held aloft in the thickness of the sea’s insulating waters. Perhaps it is the way the world – up there – seems to be left behind and a whole new world of colors, muffled sounds and elusive creatures appears. Maybe it is even the impending danger of surrendering to the risks of the wide open ocean. I love being in and around the sea.

There is one vacation destination I’ve traveled to more than any other - Bermuda. Bermuda is a British colony that sits alone in the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. About 400 miles due east of North Carolina, Bermuda is an island less than 4 miles wide and about 24 miles long.  It is a great place for enjoying the ocean’s sights and sounds. Snorkeling and diving are easily accessible, and the aquatic adventurer is never disappointed.

Today’s Sunday Coffee cup is from The Lobster Pot, one of the local bar and restaurant spots. Every time I reach for this playful mug it brings with it serene memories of many hours spent basking in the salt, sun and scenes of Bermuda’s seas.

Sunday Cup of Coffee - Gary Larson's The Far Side

Does a morning cup of coffee ever make you laugh? Every time?

Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” comic series has been a part of the twisted humor of our family for years. Nothing is sacred with Mr. Larson; he’ll poke fun at animals, people, religion, and politics – often in the same strip.

“The Far Side” daily comic calendar was a fixture on our dining room table for years and one of the anticipated Christmas gifts to be unwrapped each year – usually from my wife to me. When Gary Larson decided to discontinue ‘The Far Side” in 1995, we were left humorless – no joking. We’ve tried for years to find a daily humor calendar to compensate for the loss.

This morning’s cup of coffee is compliments of Gary Larson’s “The Far Side.” The mug is over 17 years old and belonged to my wife prior to our marriage. Each time I use the mug it reminds me of two things: 1. The need for regular laughter in my life, and 2. That my wife was at least partially insane before she married me.

If you would like to stroll down memory lane with Larson's comics, visit TheFarSide.com to spend some money.

Sunday Cup of Coffee - North Carolina School of The Arts

Before there was The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, there was The North Carolina School of The Arts. 

That makes this week’s coffee mug a collector’s item. It bears the old school name.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts is one of the few educational institutions offering High School, College and Graduate programs – all in one place. It is known nationally as one of the finer and more proven places to gain an art focused education. For those of us who live nearby, the many performances, concerts and shows make available a high level of talent and artistic expression right in our back yard.  

I’ve always thought of the School as one of the jewels in our crown, locally. Over the years I’ve been to hundreds of events from Shakespeare to Shepherd and Bach to Low and Lower.  From dance to drama, the UNC School of the Arts adds inspiration and magic to our community and to my Sunday Morning Cup of Coffee.

Sunday Coffee Cup- My Sister

We all have them stashed and stacked in the cabinet. Why do we collect so many coffee mugs and cups? Some are little more than clutter. A plastic memento of a meaningless event or casual encounter with a random company. Yet, for me, what I see when I reach for a Sunday morning cup for my coffee is a cupboard full of significant life moments, memories of time well sent and people kindly known. My Sunday morning coffee cup selection is never really casual. Each time I choose a mug, I'm choosing to remember and reconnect with a segment of my life.

It seems selfish to keep all of these moments to myself, so each Sunday I'll plan on posting a Sunday Coffee Cup photo and story. Enjoy this inaugural post.

My Sister - Burp!

It was Christmas of 1999. I was just months past my departure from the ordained ministry, my spirit and my life still reeling from the trauma of personal burnout. Finances were bottomed out. I was working my first 'sales' job and beginning what would become a new career chapter. It was one of those life moments when all I had of certainty and peace was each emotion filled moment, each small rational choice and a tenuous faith that somehow God would see me through.

The trip to Myrtle Beach, SC for our extended family Christmas gathering was tentative, lacking in joy and confidence. There wer to be few gifts given, few life accomplishments to celebrate. Enter my sister.

My sister is, and mostly has been throughout her life, a mess. Sometimes that 'mess' was of the playful, mischievous childhood variety of 'mess.' A mess you find yourself admiring for tenacity, boldness and undaunted determination. Sometimes my sister's 'mess' was more of the personal life catastrophe variety. Bad choices, bad timing, bad comrades and all in the worst possible order. Mt sister was going through a 'mess' of the second variety in 1999. She was, simply put, in worse shape than I was - at least it looked like it from the outside looking in.

That year, my sister took the time and a few of her very limited dollars and bought me a Christmas present. She gave me a perfectly selected mug. When I unwrapped it, the crass imprint on the outside and the playful lettering inside the rim gave me pause. The I felt a giggle forming deep inside, a giggle that begin to bubble up into a joyous laugh.

Now, years and gallons of coffee later, I still cherish this bold, playful, timely and loving gift. It makes my Sunday cup of coffee perfect. Thanks Sis!