The Perfect Shot

Image credit
On February 2008, at exactly 5:30 p.m., Starbucks closed all its 7,100 US stores. The reason? To “retrain their 135,000 baristas to pour the perfect shot of espresso.” (Howard Schultz, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul.” Emphasis added.)
The sign posted on the locked doors of Starbucks all over the US of A explaining why they closed that afternoon. Image credit

Headlines about the closure screamed such as “A World Without Starbucks?” Competitors gloated about it, predicting that the move brought the brand down. To top it all, Starbucks lost approximately US$6 million. But for its CEO/Founder, it was one of their best investments. It was a strategic move, not a stupid one. Schultz explained why they took the risk: “Pouring espresso is an art, one that requires the barista to care about the quality of the beverage. If the barista only goes through the motions, if he or she does not care and produce an inferior espresso that is too weak or too bitter, then Starbucks has lost the essence of what we set out to do 40 years ago: inspire the human spirit. …  Starbucks has always been about so much more than coffee. But without great coffee, we have no reason to exist.” (Ibid, emphasis added.)
Image credit
Without the Great Commission, we have no reason to exist. When our Lord Jesus launched the Church 2,000 years ago, He spelled out the essence of our mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, ESV) 
Image credit
Thus, we are to be concerned about the quality of Christ followers that we make. If a mere coffee shop could put so much effort into pouring the perfect cup, so much more we the church should really work so “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Colossians 1:28b, NKJV) (The word “perfect” in that verse means “mature,” not “without fault, error or sin.”) 
Image credit
In his classic “The Master Plan of Evangelism,” Robert E. Coleman wrote, “Here is where we must begin just like Jesus. … We must decide where we want our ministry to count—in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone.” It’s now up to us whether to go and make disciples or just go through the motions.

 Brethren, let us make disciples.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl...
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m...
Read more

Detour, Not A Dead End

Image
A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.”  According to another dictionary , it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.” Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end.  Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea.  I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass. (Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.) I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressure...
Read more