As I mentally stripped a coffee shop back to its core, it is not about extra service. It is basic, simple, and easily visible. Modern-day drive-ups, food, and flavours are not present when we only have the essentials. Ambiance takes a holiday. Music is provided by the street. Everything is totally centred on the coffee itself. Essentially, this shop focuses on two things. First, the coffee. Second, the machine.
As I walked to the office, I passed a coffee shop that is as close to the essentials as I have ever seen. There is an old-school manual steel garage door opener that is rolled down early in the morning and closed by the heat of the afternoon. There are no flavours or food on display. Even sweeteners are simple and basic. Some plastic outdoor chairs are stacked. Candidly, I have never seen them used. This opening in one’s life on a busy street during commutes has a single purpose – a cup of coffee.
Essentially, it has a core element that is at the heart of a coffee shop, a Pavoni Bar Revolution machine that allows an individual to pull two cups of expresso at a time, with artistry, care, and mastery. It is like seeing a vintage racing car in perfect condition in an anywhere-and-no-one-is-noticing garage. It looks clear, ready for us, and simply awesome!
I want this in my garage, kitchen, or anywhere I have access to. An otherwise forgettable space transformed by what was inside.
I find myself reading Paul’s words with a new awareness. “It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Romans 8.11)
With the essential core in place, I reimagine the day ahead.
