Throw a bunch of baristas together, a dash of caffieine, classy attire and a white elephant exchange and what do you get? A Standing Stone Coffee Company Christmas Party!

Head to the SSCC Facebook Group to see the video of this performance. The lyrics were for barista John’s breakdancing routine. Check it out – it will spin your head as he spins on his! (well, he didn’t but it was amazing in other way!)

Below are the lyrics:

Reluctantly waiting at the counter line,
Caffeine pumping and thumping in time.
The green light turns on, the brewer is up,
Grinding and brewing, he yearns for the cup.

Staff deftly manouver and muscle for rank,
Espresso pulling fast on an empty tank,
Wreckless and wild they pour thru the shots,
The espresso is podent and whip cream tops.

As they speed thru the airpots, the hopper goes down.
The guests get up, and they get out of town.
The shop is empty except for one man,
Still drinking and sipping as fast as he can

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
And eventually everyone has chipped a cup,
But he’s drinking and slurping the origin he yearns,
And thinking of Brundi whom he still burns.

He’s going the distance.
He’s almost on speed.
He’s not alone, not alone in his time of need.

Because he’s racing and pacing and grinding it course,
He’s chewing the Greek and eating like a horse.
He’s going the distance.

no tea, no smoothie, no milkshakes, no wine,
he’s haunted by aromas he cannot define.
bowel-shaking earthquakes of coffee and remorse,
assail him, impale him with Andy-truck force.
in his mind, he’s still drinking, still sipping the grade.
He’s hoping in time that Foldgers will fade.
cause he’s racing and pacing and grinding it course,
He’s chewing a Montana and eating like a horse.

the sun has gone down and the moon has come up,
and everyday baristas will give him a cup.
But he’s drinking and slurping the origin he yearns,
And thinking of Rwanda whom he still burns.

Cause he’s going the distance.
He’s almost on speed.
He’s not all alone, not alone in his time of need.

Because he’s racing and pacing and grinding it course,
He’s chewing a Montana and eating like a horse.
Because he’s racing and pacing and grinding it course,
He’s chewing a Bonanza and eating like a horse.

He’s going the distance.
He’s almost on speed.
He’s going the distance.

Classy Christmas Greetings from 1406 Mifflin!

Merry Christmas Friends and Family!

The students and I at 1406 Mifflin Street took a classy Christmas photo and wish you the best seasons greetings! See the photo posted for the classy pose! (L to R: Katie, Devon, Me, John)

As we enter this Christmas season, I want to take time to say “thank you!” for your continued prayer and support of my CCO Ministry at Juniata College!

Advent, a season of waiting for the arrival of the Savior, is a rich time of reflection through devotionals like “The Advent of Justice” and traditional hymns rich with hope and promise for the redeemer of all things.

Below are the ending lyrics of a hymn titled “This is the Christ”, recently re-composed by artist Sandra McCracken:

were earth a thousand times as fair
beset with gold and jewels rare
she yet were far too poor to be
a narrow cradle, Lord, for thee…
praise God upon his heavenly throne
who gave to us his only son
for this his hosts on joyful wing
a blest New Year of mercy sing.

this is the Christ, our God and Lord
who in all need shall aid afford
he will himself our savior be
and from our sins will set us free

What a joy it is to know that despite our brokenness his grace enters and gives us new hope through the arrival of an infant. I am able to share the good news of Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection to students because of how God showed his love for us.

It is such a blessing that you are helping me to do this!

Have a wonderful Christmas,
Lindsay

It’s hard to believe just a week ago I was touring the Selva Negra Coffee Estate in Nicaragua with a few folks from my partnership, Standing Stone Coffee Company. Our quick 5 day excursion was filled with knowledge about coffee, discovery about sustainable coffee farming, building up the Kingdom through fair wages, clinics, schools and celebrations and growing in the depth of creativity from our Creator.

Below is a blog post I wrote on the Standing Stone Coffee Company Blog where you can find more posts from the trip along with photos!

From Granada To Huntingdon

The SSCC Gang in Nicaragua

It’s 3:10AM Eastern Time as I sit on my yoga ball/office chair. It was a long day of traveling, waking in Granada, Nicaragua and heading to bed in Huntingdon, PA. Thanks to an iced soy latte and a head full of thoughts, I’ve unpacked, checked Facebook, gleaned the e-mail of advertisements, relished in a hot shower and decided to use my remaining caffeinated-steam for a post-Nicaraguan blog.

Despite the relativly short length of the trip with the Standing Stone Coffee Company Crew to Nicaragua (5 days), one cannot underestimate the power of travel, especially international. Personally, this adventure being my first beyond the borders, the trip changes my perspective on the big things and the little things of life.

For instance, I paused before rinsing my mouth in the faucet at the house was a simple yet profound reaction. Nicaraguan water contains dangerous bacteria and other elements unsafe for drinking. A simple “hello” and “thank you” in the states felt secondary to “hola” and “gracias”. Flying into Atlanta, a city decorated brighter than the night sky, was such a metropolis metamorphosis from Managua’s landscape of mountains, volcanoes and tin roofs.

However, saying good-bye to 4 other great folks from the trip from the area brought to my attention the beautiful bond formed from such an excursion. Gazing at the coffee cups of other air-bound travelers made me question if my neighbor knew coffee was a cherry before it was brewed into their cup. Learned about the Selva Negra Coffee Estate showed me a personal depth to coffee, the process, and especially the people. Estate owner, Mausi Kuhl, spoke of the difference relationship-based coffee is making in the country. Malnutrition has decreased, beautiful and magnificent people are able to enjoy more of life, and even the children are smiling wildly as they danced and exhibited a warmth similar to the heat at the equator.

There is much to share, much to continue learning, and much to continue pursuing to love our neighbor down the street and love our neighbor hundreds of miles away.

You need not see what someone is doing
to know if it is his vocation,

you only have to watch his eyes:
a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon

making a primary incision,
a clerk completing a bill of lading,

wear the same rapt expression,
forgetting themselves in the function.

How beautiful it is,
that eye-on-the-object look.

W.H. Auden
from his poem “Sext”

 

This poem was featured on the back cover of a yearly publication from Cardus titled “Making the Most of College”. It proves to be one of my favorite “magazines”, if you can call something with such thought, vision and meaning in the same catagory as other magazines like Cosmopolitan.

What strikes me about this poem is the personal connection into my own vocation. Serving as a campus minister with the CCO and partnering with Standing Stone Coffee Company has given me two places to experience this type of vocation connection. Whether it’s a thrilling conversation about faith, life and learning with a college student or the intricate, artful and scientific preparation of a well-crafted latte, I see a place where I sense the rapt expression in my eyes, a focus on the task at hand, an “eye-on-the-object” look.

For such expression I am grateful but also compelled to serve thoughtfully in these moments rather than being lost in the hustle of life, resulting in disconnect. To be present can often be a sacrifice of one’s self for the sake of another. To give.

Parking spaces become scarce, the evening crowd at Standing Stone Coffee Company increases, and the calendar is chuck full. It looks like Juniata College students are back!

Wind Symphony Spring 2009

The beginning of the semester also means the beginning of Juniata College Wind Symphony rehearsals. Even though it’s a credit class for students, community members and staff members, like myself, and join the group as well. The first day of classes was also the first day back playing the euphonium after a long summer’s break from tooting.

Two things knocked my socks off. The first was the gigantic size of the group. We are now at 107 members! Remember, this is a college without a music major program. Three new members happen to be in the euphonium section, making a rousing total of five participants in the row. It will be a delight to know more about these 3 new players, playing together, making mistakes together and sharing a euphonium player’s gold – valve oil.

As I scanned the group I also noticed familiar faces from the Environmental Science and Services Inbound Group from last week! One was even sitting behind me playing tuba – go figure!

The second thing surprising to me was the simple fact of creating music. While sight-reading a piece with the group, I was struck with the reality about how much I enjoyed the group. Often times the rehearsals and expectations and challenges can be time consuming and I start to wonder if the toot is worth the time. But after an evening of creating music, learning new names, and seeing old faces, how could I say no?