Welcome to Caffeinated Truth Apologetics

You finally find a parking spot on the cramped, brick building lined street--extra points for a spot in the shade, and not too far of a stroll to the front doors of a local mom and pop coffee shop. As your eyes adjust for the low light, you notice the hum of conversation blended with the melody of some eclectic jazz melody that almost seems familiar. 

Scanning the room, you see me waving over to you near a sunny window. The coziest seat has been saved for you, and as you walk closer, you can smell the warmth of the coffee cup rising as I embrace it with both hands. After retrieving your own magical beverage, we recline and I ask, "So how's life been going for you? When was the last time we had a chance to sit down like this?" You breathe a little deeper--let a little chuckle out--knowing that I'm buckling in to listen to the adventure God has taken you on over the past few weeks. 

Doesn't this sound nice? (I might be grabbing my keys now to make it a reality.) 

These are the slowed down, deeply felt, and intimate moments that welcome conversation and reflection. They allow us to both process and share life with those we care most about in a way that takes us out of the hustle and bustle of life (which is so needed). These are the Way Markers in our relationships and understanding of life's seasons that allow us to move onto the next bend in the journey--mixed with a little caffeine to perk us up!

If you understand what I'm talking about, welcome to Caffeinated Truth Apologetics: Where you can be equipped for defending the truth . . . one cup at a time.  

 Coffee and Christ

My journey in apologetics started around the dinner table and in the public school classroom.  Although my parents grew up going to the same church, they were still just growing in their own faith while they were pointing me and my siblings to Christ. My dad had begun to read through the Bible during his lunch break, and for a season he would come home and share the random, "Not your typical Sunday School lesson" accounts with us at dinner (Elisha and mauling, anyone?).  There might not be some huge theological truth in that descriptive lesson (unless you count learning of the consequences of making fun of someone's hair-loss), but it introduced me to the idea that the Bible was more than the children's books we had on our shelves, and I wanted to be able to read it on my own.

Being a public school kid, I started to encounter different worldviews, and became the one to make the connection between a Biblical worldview and the content we were learning. From the validity of Carbon-14 dating, to being one of the few students defending Pro-Life in AP Government, to writing an essay addressed to my principal about how "Christianity is my Culture" and should be allowed to be presented during the Festival of Holidays, I was actively defending my faith.  In fact, although we currently have our children in a Christian school, I attribute the strength of my faith to those years of defending it in the classroom as a student. 

To save some money, I opted to go to community college before transferring to finish my degree in Youth Ministry. While some of my friends were taking classes at the local Bible college, I tried to satisfy my thirst by taking as many philosophy classes as I could. After picking up a copy of Evidence That Demands a Verdict, I discovered a way to defend my faith without using just the Bible as evidence. I looked forward to the classes where I could respond from a Christian worldview using the same terminology as my atheistic professors in meaningful discussion. Over the years, I realized that a lot of fellow Christian students didn't realize that being knowledgeable about different worldviews actually made them a more effective witness--that only responding with scripture to address a claim made by someone who didn't accept the Bible as authority was ineffective. For a brief period of time, I honestly considered heading to BIOLA and majoring in philosophy . . . until I realized that I wouldn't be able to do much with it except teach (Irony of ironies, I didn't know I'd be teaching high school English for 17 years, ha ha). 

I stuck to my plan to go into Youth Ministry, but I promised myself that 1) I'd always make sure I challenged my students to actually learn the theology and reasons behind their faith--not just rote answers, and 2) That I'd become an apologist when I "grew up". 

My addiction to coffee started with junior high ministry, which is not all that surprising. The other intern and youth pastor convinced me--the new kid--that a cup of coffee mixed with some powered creamer was the only way to survived 75+ students. I was a skeptic, but eventually began fighting them for that last coveted cup (In the end, we just ended up buying a bigger coffee maker). My parents always drank massive amounts of coffee, so it was the natural progression to just pour myself a cup before heading out. I even had a stint as a barista at our local coffee shop (along with the other youth interns at the various churches in our small town), so I can even make a mean latte if needed! 20+ years later, I am slightly ashamed to say that "coffee" might be a synonym for my name in some circles, and my students might actually attempt (unsuccessfully) to bribe me with my favorite coffee order: Brewed coffee with a splash of half and half (nothing else). 

But what married the two--coffee and Christ--came from the afternoons where having "a coffee" was a part of slowing down. We lived about a hour away from my extended family when I was growing up, but when we came from "so far away," my Oma (German for "grandma") would make a pot of strong coffee, open a tin of butter cookies, and by 3:30, my aunts and cousins would stop by to sit around her table to see us. Those last years of college I lived down the road from her, and would head over to have coffee and catch up on my own. I realized after those cozy afternoons with Oma that my mom had done the same for me when I had come home from school as a kid. She was the only one having "a coffee," but she would listen to my day, and help me to see Christ through her love and share her life experience. Both women--although extremely busy--taught me the ritual of sipping coffee and company, and the impact of intentionally building relationships with attention. Today I look to both my mom and Oma as my ultimate examples of Christian women and motherhood.

 During my youth ministry years, and coffee shop "dates" were the best way I connected with my students. (Shout out to my "Villa Park girls" and the Starbucks in the Target parking lot!) My female students in particular were often busy or out of town during regular youth group nights, so the next alternative was to meet during their schedules. At the time, I felt like I was struggling to create a larger ministry (queue all the wisdom about how numbers aren't important), but in the end, it was those moments that had the greatest impact. It was coffee and Christ around the table again--but this time, I was pouring into others instead of being filled up. 

 

Coffee To Go

My faith has never faltered, but I could say that it was a bit in autopilot while I was working through my teaching credential, masters, and having babies. When the world shut down, I set aside so many of my own things to make sure the world my small children (and students) lived in was steady. Eventually things sorted out, but the burden left me completely dry. Only the "streams of life" would be able to quench this thirst. In those wee morning hours--over a cup of coffee--I was able to finally get back to regular morning devotions and quiet times with God. Just God and Christel--the same girl from all of those other adventures--perked up over His truth again.  

I realized that I'm even more excited about apologetics as I was as a twenty-something. Laundry and dishes have provided great opportunities to gobble up podcasts from apologists like Greg Koukl and Melissa Dougherty (I actually think a video someone shared of hers actually is what made me want to dive back in), and a quick search for apologetics books for mothers brought me to Natasha Crain, Alisa Childers, and the beloved Mama Bear Apologetics ministry. 

Finally, after the stack of apologetic-themed books continued to grow on my nightstand, it hit me: I'm actually grown up, and I can be an apologist--except I realized I was ALREADY an apologist. Through the years of defending my faith, serving in youth ministry, teaching in public schools as a Christian teacher, and now as a mother,  I'm doing apologetics every day!  The passion and knowledge was always there, and now was a perfect time to pull up a chair and start those conversations again with "another cup". 

I have never been one to casually walk up to a person, stick my hand out to meet them, and ask, "Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?"  I've done it--and I know many people who are extremely gifted and successful in spreading the Gospel this way--but my strengths have always been in the relationships that God has brought me in everyday life.  I've had more success being a faithful witness in the casual friendships I've had at work (or school) where trust is gradually built so that to point to Biblical truth in a particular situation is welcomed. In fact, other than a handful of camp experiences I've had as a youth minister, I've led more people to Christ in coffee shops than any church or chapel. 

When thinking about how be more intentional about equipping others in apologetics, I realized that most people are having these types of interactions--every day relationships that present opportunities to speak truth--but often may not have the tools or confidence to actually say something to those individuals.  God is providing ways to be a witness every day--and yes, we DO use words--but there are many ways to reason or "put a rock in someone's shoe" so that we are pointing to Him. Being able to have these moments is as easy as asking someone to coffee (not to mention how motivating coffee is on its own).  

Caffeinated Truth Apologetics

And now we are here, having coffee together, and chatting about Christ, culture, reality and reason. It is my hope that through this ministry, you are encouraged to not only see yourself as an apologist in your everyday life and season God has brought you into, but to equip you with the tools to defend your faith. 

I'll continue to share what I am learning from my own studies and provide tools for you to put into your bag and discuss over your own coffee and conversations.  

Caffeinated Truth Apologetics is where these two things--conversations and relationships--come together--centered around the truth of Christ . . . one cup at a time.