Starbucks always elicits deep thinking...

This is from September 15, 2006:

I was sitting at Starbucks today reading yet another book this week, and this random crazy lady comes up to me and strikes up a conversation. After this week, Im beginning to think I attract crazies because I was there earlier this week and a guy with a scruffy beard, shaved head, black sleeveless t-shirt, khaki pants, and suspenders (yes, suspenders) came up to me and asked me what I was reading, then proceeded to tell me that he was seriously running for president in 2008, and that I should visit his website. 2 days later, were back to the story about the lady. She was very intense with what she was saying, asking me if I was a democrat or a republican. She told me a story about how she was raised by a CIA agent, but she didnt know until she was about 50 or something, and then shes almost been murdered by the government several times, and the government is training these robo-cops (I dont think she meant it in a literal sense, but they have tried to arrest her many times, these robo-cops of sorts). Anyway, her urgency to tell me her story and hand me these copies of documents that would get her thrown in jail if the robo-cops knew she was passing them out kind of made me nervous, but I obliged and did the good person thing and entertained her thoughts for a bit. I tried to read some of the papers as she finished and told me to never vote for another (expletive) republican again, but I must be honest and say that I was not really that interested from the get go. I was more entertained by watching her dog lick up the stuff the person sitting at the table on the patio before me had spilled than I was at her ranting. I halfway expected some FBI agents to walk out and arrest her and myself (for having taken the documents), but thats where the excitement ends. I say all of this to tell you that this lady came to me today for a reason, and thats so Id have paper to write on when God decided to speak to me loudly again, but this time it wasnt through song lyrics (but man, he usually hits me in the face with those). So I was reading Max Lucados Six Hours One Friday, and I get to this quote in the book (from this point I will quote directly from what I wrote on the back of the secret documents):

"There is a direct correlation between the accuracy of our memory and the effectiveness of our mission. If we are not teaching people how to be saved it is perhaps because we have forgotten the tragedy of being lost," (Lucados words). "...and if were not preaching the cross, it could be that weve subconsciously decided that God forbid somehow we dont need it," (Lucado again). Perhaps the reason we as Christians are so lazy and ineffective is the fact that weve forgotten just where we came from and how we got to where we are today. To deny what has happened in our lives is to live as though nothing has changed. I have lived this ineffective lie for too long now. Ive waited for the perfect opportunities to serve God, but the perfect time never comes. He asks us to serve Him, and most importantly, to love; to love the people he created. And through this genuine selfless love that doesnt love due to a command, but loves out of loves sake and devotion to pleasing God, comes true happiness and joy for the one that loves, and as a result, people will come to know the Christ who has shown you how to love in this manner. Love, true love, is what we seek, but we wont find true love until we learn to give it and to accept it ourselves. Yes, to accept it is to learn how to give it, for we cannot give something that we ourselves will not allow ourselves to receive. How can we give true love if we havent experienced Christs true love toward us, and accepted that love from Christ, and from other followers of Christ? How pompous it is for us to expect others to accept our love if we refuse it from them. Why should they accept our gift if we refuse to accept the one God would have them lavish on us? Love, true Christ-like love, is what I wish to give. It is the only thing that will make this man happy, and its the only thing that makes perfect sense. I love all of you reading this, and all the people who chose not to read it, not because God wants me to love you, but because it brings me joy to imitate my Christ. A man is never the same after he simultaneously sees his utter despair and Christs unbending grace, (Yet another Lucado quote). To stay the same, to not give love unselfishly, is to deny that what Christ did matters, or for that matter, even happened. If you continue unchanged, then have you truly understood the full magnitude of Christ choosing to stay nailed to the cross? Have you truly understood where this narrow path leads? Examine it, true love, think about it, and devote yourself to figuring out how to love, not only because God commands it (although we shouldnt ignore Gods commands) or because I remind you to, but because you love out of loves sake, and because you want to love others. This life we choose isnt easy, neither is selfless and unconditional love work at it, and youll be surprised at just how easy it gets and how effective it really is to simply love.

So there we have it, yet another thought from inside my crazy mind. Be blessed, I truely love each of you, not because I have to, but because I'm continually learning how to want to love you all.