Are You A Percolator Christian?

I love a good cup of coffee and we are Dunkin’ fans in my house. Did you know that after the Boston Tea Party in 1773, drinking tea became an unpatriotic act and sealed coffee’s fate in America?

It only takes a few minutes on Google to learn there are at least five official ways to brew coffee and thousands of opinions as to what is the best brand and method. The coffee culture has seen a lot of evolution and advancement in how we make our coffee and the devices available. The making of coffee is a serious business to connoisseurs and baristas alike.

In the movie The Bucket List, billionaire Edward Cole was handed an article about his beloved Kopi Luwak coffee which is widely considered the most expensive in the world.  In the Sumatran village, where the beans are grown, the wild Palm Civet eats and digests the fruit then defecates the beans. The villagers then collect and process the stools. It is the combination of the beans and the gastric juices of the tree cat that give Kopi Luwac its unique flavor and aroma.  (This is all true, but I won’t be buying it at over $100-600 a pound.) 

A coffee percolator is a type of pot used for the brewing of coffee by continually cycling the boiling or nearly boiling brew through the grounds using gravity until the required strength is reached. They can be manual – used on the stove top – or electric. I often use a large electric percolator when we are entertaining. Coffee percolators once enjoyed great popularity but were supplanted in the early 1970’s by automatic drip coffee makers. (We love our programmable one.)

I can honestly say my love for God’s Word is far greater than my love of coffee but I know I should spend more time “cycling through” or meditating on the context rather than reading on autopilot.  Reading through a passage several times gives a much deeper insight into how I should apply it to my current situation.

 ^… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:2 (ESV)

 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.  Psalms 119:130

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.    2 Tim 3:16-17

Invented in 1929, the French Press method is widely considered as the best and easiest method for brewing superior and consistent coffee. In a press pot, ground coffee is soaked, steeped and strained in hot water; therefore the flavorful essential oils, caffeine and antioxidants are better diffused and preserved.

Due to the Covid 19 shutdown I missed several opportunities for being soaked in God’s word and spending time with other believers. A Christian family camp and a writer’s retreat are two places where I feel God’s word being poured over me in very different ways. When I spend more quiet time away from the daily grind to steep in His Word I feel refreshed and renewed. Time away can help “the essentials diffuse and be better preserved” in my heart and mind.

Do you automatically make time for reading the Bible as a daily habit just like drinking your coffee (or tea)?  They say that coffee is a healthy antioxidant for the body but God’s Word can lift your spirits and strengthen your inner heart. I challenge you to make some time and space to let the words percolate in your mind and pour over your soul this week. 

 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.       Psalms 19:14 (ESV)