Welcome to the first blog post!  I’m glad you are along for the ride.  I think it will be fun.  In this first post I want to explain the purpose and vision of the blog.

The title of the blog is obviously an allusion to a coffee shop term.  As a previous coffee shop manager (Barnes and Noble Café: where I became addicted to Starbucks coffee), I enjoy and appreciate the result of the artful skill of a barista.  If the barista is doing his/her job, coffee becomes much more than a drink; sipping a double-shot of espresso becomes an entire experience (at least this is what Starbucks tries to sell!).  The title simply plays off of this idea.  My goal is to demonstrate how the Kingdom of God is much more than a one-shot, one dimensional, one day a week concept.  I will attempt to do this by interacting with issues that span the broad spectrum of life.

It is important to understand that the Kingdom did not come through a demonstration of power and might.  Instead, the Kingdom was inaugurated through the gruesome death of a man named Jesus.  Now, the Kingdom is advancing through the resurrection power of the Spirit of Christ through the proclamation of the Word.  This Word is not an abstract concept.  Instead, the Word brings the Kingdom to bear upon every aspect of life.  From the line at Walmart, to the break room at work, to the baseball field, the reality of the Kingdom invades everyday ordinary normal life.

At this point, I have decided to allow comments in order to cultivate healthy discussion and dialog.  I will attempt to be unbiased in the comments I allow (in other words, I won’t hit the “delete” button just because you might disagree with me).  However, I will use discretion in deciding whether or not a comment is generally helpful, which means, just because you leave a comment doesn’t mean it will always get posted.  I hope that you will join the ongoing conversation about culture, life and the Kingdom of God.

My desire for FBCW is that this blog will be one more way to bring us together throughout the week, helping us live life in community, providing another means to “stir up one another to love and good works”  (Hebrews 10:24).  I also hope this blog will be a way to interact and dialog with people you would not meet otherwise.

So, let the conversation begin!

1. Jim Says:
   April 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am

   Good Word! I admit I had to click on barista to learn what that was about. Remember, I’m from Roswell!

2. Heidi Dietmeier Says:
   April 13th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

   Pastor Jason, how can I see the cross on every page of the Bible?

3. thepastorjason Says:
   April 13th, 2009 at 4:29 pm

   Heidi,

   That is an excellent question. Try this. It’s simple, but I think it is helpful. As you read through Scripture, ask this question about every passage: how does this passage demonstrate a need for a Savior? The more you immerse yourself in Scripture, especially the Old Testament, the more you will see how the entire Bible fits together in one big story with Christ on center stage.

4. Nadine Says:
   April 15th, 2009 at 1:04 am

   Hi,
   Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.

   Thanks
   Nadine

5. Jearld Says:
   April 15th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

   I thought “The Blog” was something James Arnez starred in!
   In case you didn’t know James Arnez’s most famous role was Marshall Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke…………….never mind.

6. Stan W Says:
   April 20th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

   So is the Kingdom a present reality, or is it something to come? Not trying to argue, but one of those questions that gets me thinking. Will try to ask a better question latter.

7. Stan W Says:
   April 21st, 2009 at 9:25 am

   The question:
   The kingdom is used 97 times in the New Testament. Mathew “kingdom of heaven”, the other New Testament books “kingdom of God.
   1. Do Americans understand Kingdom?
   2. Does the American Church view Jesus more as a Savior, and not as a King?
   3. How does the kingdom picture painted in Matthew 13, play out in America, how did that message impact those hearing it, does it impact us?

   I am finding the more I try to understand His Kingdom, the more I see I have missed the boat. It is not the little sins I struggle with (murder, porn, cheating on my wife, stealing, drugs, drinking) it is the big ones (wanting to run my own life, not loving my fellow man, judging, lack of mercy, lack of grace, not encouraging fellow believers, not yielding to Jesus as Lord and King, not seeing that i am in His Kingdom, and He is All in All).
   That said I am not sure it is a question, or a ramble.
   How do I live in His Kingdom?
   Can you answer than in 20 words or less?

8. Coria Says:
   May 1st, 2009 at 6:21 pm

   Wonderfull…