The Best Coffee

Some coffees are especially good, and others are not ones you’d drink unless you were very thirsty. Even then, they could be revolting. Occasionally, a friend and I will sit and talk over a nice hot cup of coffee, enjoying the fragrance as well as the taste. Besides solving the world’s problems, our conversation has turned to the coffee itself, for we both have a particular liking for a good cup of steaming hot coffee. We’ve both tried many varieties, such as Tim Hortons, Starbucks, McDonald’s and A Second Cup. He mentioned the various additives people use to modify the taste of their coffee such as cream and sugar, or honey and I volunteered that some believe a dollop of whiskey will make it taste the way they like it. He explained that companies try to make their coffee more palatable by adding something to the actual coffee beans. A cup of coffee can be made to taste like dirty water or molasses, which is not how a good cup of coffee should taste.

In the process of comparing coffees that had been modified, my friend found that a truly great coffee was to be enjoyed when nothing was added to change its taste. I too, like my coffee straight from the carafe. He then compared this to our faith in Christ, saying. “He is complete in Himself, and you don't have to add anything to your faith in Him as Savior.” “Jesus,” he said, “told us that He was the way, the truth and the life and that no one is able to meet His Father in Heaven unless it would be by Him, and also, that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. Jesus didn’t tell people to add anything more to their faith, because He alone is sufficient. In that, He meant, you don't have to do a whole lot of good deeds to earn your way into Heaven.” My friend added, “How would you know when you had ever done enough? Fortunately, He paid the price in full. We don't even have to be good, but instead, we simply must believe that He, Jesus, was God in human form, and was entirely sufficient as the Sacrifice made for us, so we may be forgiven of every fault that would prevent our acceptance into Heaven.”

While my friend spoke, I was enjoying the warmth of the cup in both hands, listening intently to what he was saying, for I thought he had a very good point. Then, he added for good measure, that he always remembers this principle by the few words he memorized, which were, "Christ plus anything equals nothing. Christ plus nothing equals everything."

My friend may have expounded for some time on the various ways in which a cup of coffee can be spoiled by adding something to it, but he said something I’ll definitely remember by using that easy-to-remember formula. There are of course, those who believe they have their own formula, which is, “Christ alone is not enough.” They believe that to gain God’s favor, one needs to add something more. Without understanding, they undertake to design their own theology, like people do when they modify the taste of their coffee. Even so, there is only one way to Heaven and that is to believe that "Jesus paid it all.” It is the title of a hymn. Its chorus says, “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow." “Jesus plus anything equals nothing. Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” It’s like a great cup of coffee. One needs to add nothing, for it is complete in itself.

4th of July Parade

My son Earl sent the following video to me. It features the Manchester Regional Police and Fire Pipe Band marching at the 4th of July Parade in Columbia, CT.   All pipers will recognize this tune as Oh! Rowantree Oh! Rowantree, which is typically coupled with Scotland the Brave.

That's my grandson at the end.  Apparently the local firemen spray the kids with hoses as they drive by, to keep them cool.  He brought a water sprayer to retaliate.

Beyond Chance

Our nine-year-old granddaughter anticipated Canada Day with her grandparents, when she would enjoy her long-awaited treasure hunt. She loved the one we designed two years ago, and talked about this one with excitement. She knew it would be even more challenging. She slept-over the night before. At breakfast, she asked the blessing. Besides being thankful for the meal, she asked that this would be a sensational Canada Day. We loved her choice of words. As the story unfolds, that is exactly the kind of Day we had.

The day before, my wife and I set out the clue cards along the treasure hunt route we planned at Crescent Beach, a popular park for families to walk, picnic or swim in the ocean. Already, there were many enjoying the park, even before the holiday, Canada Day. It would be exciting, to see the crowd tomorrow, and the multitude of cars.

Good hiding places were carefully selected for each clue card. Each one would give the vicinity of the next clue card. We were careful not to spend much time at any location, to cause anyone to be suspicious about what we were doing.

After we hid the last card and the ultimate treasure itself, which was covered with a few small branches and grass in a hollow, we considered the preparations well carried out. Suddenly, we were struck by the thought that we should have put a roll of LifeSavers in with one of the clue cards. So, instead of continuing to our car, we went back over our trail. Surprisingly, we noticed that there was a group of young people gathered around the location of one of our well-hidden clues. The clue card was seen in the hands of one of the fellows and we asked to have it, saying that it was part of a planned treasure hunt for our grandchild. Grandma reached out and took the card from one of the young men.

That’s when we realized that to have this clue, the group must have found at least the one before it and possibly others before that. We carried on backwards and found that three clues had been discovered and that if we had not returned, the group of boys and girls would surely have found their way to our final treasure which was a nice-sized Lego kit for girls, called “Friends.” We reflected that our return to put the LifeSavers in with one of the clue cards was beyond chance. How else could one explain it?

We now had to return home and rewrite the two lost clue cards. We returned to Crescent Beach in the morning of Canada Day and retraced the treasure hunt trail to the three that had been taken. We carefully replaced each of the clues while assuring that nobody was watching. We continued to the treasure and found it to be safe. We went home again and would be ready after lunch, for the exciting hunt with our granddaughter. Her mother would bring her to our place to have lunch.

Canada Day was beautifully warm and sunny. It was a great day to have a treasure hunt with our granddaughter. She was excited, and had no difficulty finding the first clue hidden in the cleft of a rock. The second one was between two signs at the Dog Park and the third was fastened with thumbtacks under the railing of a new fence. The fourth was a bit trickier, being tacked under the fourth step of a set of stairs leading downward off the pathway. She had to return to the path and locate the pumping station, and along the way to enjoy the ducks, herons, bird sounds and wild flowers. The fifth clue was easy enough to find where a wooden rail fits into a post. What a delight to see her expression on locating it. This one led her to a big gate in the middle of the road. Here, the sixth clue was difficult to find, but she reasoned that it had to be inside the metal pipe, tucked in from the bottom and held there by a wad of newspaper.

Two carrots were the clue to help her find the next location, for it was evident they were for the two Shetland ponies near the end of that roadway. The ponies were encouraged to come. They munched on the carrots, anticipating more. Clue card number six had led to the horses and it instructed her to look up in the tree near the corral, where she would find the seventh clue card.

The card said to continue onto the street until she would find a white boat being used as a small flower garden. She was to search around it to locate her eighth card. That took intense searching, but eventually she found an envelope containing ten dollars and more instructions. She took us to the popular ice-cream dispensary where we were treated. On such a hot and beautiful day, a short rest was appreciated. Many others were enjoying Canada Day in this manner. With her eighth clue, which was obtained from one of the shopkeepers, our granddaughter urged us on our way along the beach.

Our granddaughter was looking for a house number on a white fence. Opposite to it would be a huge log where the next clue card would be hidden somewhere in its vicinity. That wasn’t too difficult, but it required a bit of crawling and inspection into every nook and cranny between rocks under the log. Besides a small-sized “Friend’s” kit, the ninth card’s envelope gave the clue to find the 10th one under a piece of driftwood. Incidentally, this was the first clue the group of young people had found and it was one of the three clues that we had to replace on Canada Day morning. The eleventh clue was located where it we had replaced it, secured with Scotch tape under a park bench. The twelfth clue led to the spot where we had discovered the young people who had found three clue cards and were preparing to continue on the treasure hunt that we had designed.

If we had not returned to put the LifeSavers with one of the clues, the group would have found the final clue, which would have led them to the treasure. If nobody found the thirteenth clue which was hidden under a rock marked with an X and located near a peer and a set of steps leading down to the ocean, then we could look forward to that clue leading us to the treasure. With little effort, our granddaughter found the rock with an X and continued up the steps, to the big rock near the hollow and the shrubbery that hid the package. Actually, we were amazed how confidently she ventured into the shrubbery and drew out the package wrapped in a black plastic bag. Quickly, she identified it as a popular construction kit called, “Friends” designed for girls. At home, she spent the rest of the afternoon assembling it, only taking time out for dinner. Later, we drove to Marine Beach to watch the fireworks. Afterwards, our granddaughter fell asleep in the car. It had been a very big day and before continuing to dreamy dreamland, she thanked her grandmother and grandfather for a wonderful day; one she will never forget. She loved hearing about the near-interruption in our nicely designed treasure hunt and reflected that God had heard her prayer, asking that He might make this a sensational Canada Day.