As you may know, I am a bit on the obsessive side when it comes to coffee. So for number of years now, when I wanted a warm cup O' Joe, I used your run-of-the-mill drip coffee maker. That is until recently when I acquired a French Press. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the picture. So why the radical departure in life?

The story goes something like this: Jenny and I enjoyed a relationship with another couple. Not bosom buddies mind you, but we like them and enjoyed a good rapport with them so much so that when they invited us over for dinner, we jumped at the chance to get to know them better. As dinner came to a close, they asked us, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" Predictably and fanatically, I said, "Well, yah, of course I would."

They, then, proceeded to serve us one of the best cups of coffee I could remember. It wasn't just a sip from water distilled through Don Juan's crop. It was an experience, a slice of heaven that we will all enjoy one day. So I asked more about how they made the coffee. That was when they pulled out the French Press and told me about their experience with it. It wasn't a huge explanation, but I was convinced. So eventually, I acquired my own French Press.

Now, I don't share this to pique your interest in a French Press or to reinforce your inkling about my coffee addiction. But look at that experience a bit more closely. People invested in a relationship with us with no coffee strings attached. Then they invited us to experience coffee from a French Press for ourselves. Then they allowed us to experience enough of it to embrace it for ourselves.

When I step back for a moment and reflect on that experience, I wonder, "Could that be a glimmer of the way of Jesus as well?" Could one way for us to make a dent for God's kingdom in this area during this time be to do the same? Could we really make a dent when we too invest and invite others to allow them to experience the way of Jesus enough so they embrace it for themselves?

Think about it. This is a great time of year to be doing so. We're all coming out of our New England hibernation in our neighborhoods. We're connecting and mingling with more people through our kids' games and increased summer activities all over the place. We have more opportunities to invest in relationships with people all around us. But we invest in those relationships strategically to invite them to experience the way of Jesus at a worship gathering at GracePoint, a social through our Life Community, a barbeque with us and some other Christ-followers, or a play date between our kids. And we allow them to experience the way of Jesus enough to understand Jesus and to eventually become convinced of his life, death, resurrection and relevance to their life.

So as we enter our summers, let's be intentional with all the people God is putting in our summers. Invest in relationships. Invite them to experience the way of Jesus somehow, somewhere. Allow them to experience Jesus enough in multiple venues to embrace him for themselves.

Investing and inviting with you,