Back in Business

It has been an extremely long time since I last posted to this blog. I’m back in business though. 

Since I last wrote here, these are some things that have happened in life: 

• I proposed to my long-time girlfriend, survived eleven months of engagement, and am currently going on more than six months of marriage. Booyah!
• I’m an uncle to three kiddos on my side of the family and seven on my wife’s side of the family.
• I’ve completed two full years of teaching Social Studies and coaching at a middle school in North Texas. I love my coaching staff and coteachers…even my administration, which some people I know cannot wholeheartedly say. It’s summertime now though, so I’ll go light on the school commentary for awhile.
• I now have two dogs, a five pound Yorkie named Lincoln and a 40-plus pound Goldendoodle named Teddy. They’re both studs.
• I’ve become a part of a small group of Christian believers in my hometown, a group I’m extremely proud to call my family away from family. 

I love life, and I’m thankful God has blessed me with all of these things recently.

 

Looking forward to more posts soon,

Chris

Duty to Justice Defined

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5.38-39)

If a man does not retaliate and hit back, is he not labeled a coward naturally? Of course. People typically think lack of action, especially when is unjustly acted upon, simply reflects cowardice. So then, why would Jesus tells his followers basically to become cowards to those they run up against in everyday life? Are we to automatically suppose that any evil one or enemy of ours is simply more powerful or in right standing than we are? Than you and I at all times, in every circumstance? So much so that we are to take it upon ourselves to become his or her servant all the way to the “second mile” (verse 41)?

As Oswald Chambers penned long ago, the saint’s reaction is not solely one of broken pride nor insult. No, “to the saint personal insult becomes the occasion of revealing the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.” Jesus is not spouting of a checklist of things for us to do as his followers but suggesting what the life of one living inspired by the Holy Spirit might look like. He is shedding light to the thought that those embodied by the spirit of Christ will altogether react differently to the circumstances of the world than those living apart from a relationship with the Lord God Almighty.

The disciple realizes the stakes of his life; every circumstance being opportunity to breathe irresistible light into a world constantly in need of hope. The truth of these words can be wrapped up in one sentence.

Never look for justice, but never cease to live it.

Follow follow

If you would like to continue following me on twitter, I’m @chrisjlaney! Taking the public twitter feed off of this blog in the next couple of weeks.

Cats and Dogs

Not only is Cats and Dogs a great song by the band The Head And The Heart, but it’s the perfect phrase to describe the weather here in north Texas this evening.

Here’s a photo to prove it. Anyone think we should re-install gutters?

In the House

Here begins a series of blogs inspired by a great pillar among modern Christian literature, a work through which God’s Spirit most assuredly moves & challenges almost 70 years separated from its formation.

C.S. Lewis addresses the meaning behind “Mere Christianity” in its preface. He distinguishes the meaning of the word Christian as more than a good man but one who accepts the common doctrines of Christianity; nothing more.

The first biblical mentioning of the Christians was at Antioch (Acts 11:26), which referred to a group who met and followed apostles’ teachings over the course of one year. There was a level of commitment and pursuance on the part of those believers to which Lewis will return our attention to in a minute.

Beyond the meaning of Christian is a journey each person takes, one of deciding which differentiation, preference, creed, communion, or denomination to dedicate himself to wholly. Such a journey, Lewis refers to as the hallway within a great house of Christianity. One is already a Christian at this point. Simply put, he is learning more precisely which set of doctrines he can live bound to for life. Life does not occur in the hallway but around fireplaces with companions, taking meals in community. Such a life only exists in the different rooms; this state reflects those followers at Antioch refining themselves and learning from the apostles aforementioned. The rooms are different, yet each community builds the house of God. Altogether, the most important point made in this illustration is that any room within the house, past the hallway, is more preferable than the hallway alone.

I end with a direct quote from our friend Lewis.

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.

Expanding: My Coffee Story

If you don’t like coffee, or at least the idea of its greatness, please do not read any further. This post is all about coffee – the preciously friendly plant, the thought-inspiring bean, the divine draught…

Okay, so maybe you do not have to be that in love with coffee.

 

WHY COFFEE

I really did not even like the “divine draught” either until my later years of college. Both of my parents drank multiple cups every day as I was growing up, but the bean-water always seemed too bitter to my tongue all by itself. I couldn’t tell the difference in taste between a Latin American, African, or Asian Pacific roast. Shoot, my parents drank dry freeze Folgers, so the only way I forced it down was with half a mug of cream and what might as well have been a boot full of sugar.

As any normal boy does though, I admired my father; put him on a pedestal above almost any other figure in my childhood. So as I made the transition to long nights and early mornings in college, I put 2 and two together to recognize why my parents loved coffee so much.

A love for coffee so often boils down to necessity. One needs to “burn the candle from both ends” for whatever reason, so he turns to the sweet, black nectar to keep his energy flowing. It also helps when high-esteemed people around us enjoy a steamy cup or happen to be a local barista.

WHERE COFFEE

Athens, Georgia

“Glory, glory to ole Georgia.” The Classic City is not only home to some of the Southeastern Conference’s most famous bars, but also some of the greatest coffee roasters & shops I have run into anywhere in the South.

I started out hating big coffee roasters & companies like Starbucks. They “burn their coffee beans” and are “the man” after all, right? Totally opposite of what I wanted in coffee, which was completely okay amid the abundance of Jittery Joe’s, Two Story Coffeehouse, or even Walker’s Coffee & Pub.

• Jittery Joe’s – if you want great coffee beans to take home.
• Two Story Coffeehouse –  a great sit-down environment to share with friends.
• Walker’s – somewhere nice on North Campus to take your History 3102 breakout discussion.

Dallas Proper

If you’re anywhere near Uptown, Downtown, University Park, or Bishops Arts, check out the wealth of amazing local shops when you get a chance: Pearl Cup, Crooked Tree, Opening Bell, Café Brazil, Bread Winner’s, or – my ultimate favorite – Oddfellow’s.

I will always love the small shop feel & personalized service from my baristas. However, it’s also pretty great to get quality coffee wherever I travel for work. For that consistency of quality and availability, I have gone to the dark side. I now choose Starbucks, or Starb’s.

The Metroplex

Any time you’re in a rush, opt for Starb’s though. There’s nothing like a Caramel Macchiato or White Chocolate Mocha. You know it’s going to be great drink and, perhaps even more rare, great service. Starb’s also has a great selection of drinkware and whole beans readily available for whatever type of coffee you prefer (including the newest Blonde roast – a lighter, mellower alternative to the Mediums and Darks). I would strongly encourage new coffee lovers to sit down in a Starb’s café with a few friends, order a couple of French presses, and enjoy the divine draught with some pastries or delicious breads.

Fellow coffee lovers, there is more to come. Those that could care less about coffee, I’ll mention tea every now and then. But seriously, thank you all for reading. I enjoy fostering a community where people can read, view photos, or even check out videos to converse about the things they love.

Keep on commenting and creating. And if you’re having trouble getting started, try a cup of coffee.

An Infantryman

Ever since I served as an infantryman in the First World War I have had a great dislike of people who, themselves in ease and safety, issue exhortations to men in the front line. As a result I have a reluctance to say much about temptations to which I myself am not exposed.

C.S. Lewis
Preface to Mere Christianity, p.8 (1952, C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.).

When I’m Small

Simple Song – The Shins

Check out the YouTube video for their sweet new song. Gotta love this band. The Shins – “Simple Song”

Clutch

I recommend it…if you’re not on Paleo and you can afford a $5, no-nutritious-value-whatsoever dessert.

And if you’re feeling really strong-willed, click the pic. It’ll take you to the Best Desserts Ever page on Cooks.com. I dare you to whip one up.

Go ahead, make my day.