Day 21: Three Random Dudes in Starbucks

Poor Rexy (the truck that holds all of my love for automobiles) was running on fumes as I rolled into the gas station this morning. She sputtered up the pump not having any idea where her (too expensive) off road wheels would take her this fine Thursday.

Normally Rexy finds herself parked in the same spot in front of the same coffee shop every day, but today I felt this slight tugging in my heart to drive her to a different location. And let me tell you- it was a good thing I went because I had an appointment with the Lord in a BIG way. Actually I had three appointments to be precise.

1. Mike the Barista-I walk into Starbucks, order, and then I hear, "Justine?!" At first I was confused because it was early and I thought my hot java was talking to me. Then I realized that it was Mike the Barista. Who is Mike? I used to see him almost every day at a Starbucks 2.5 hours away. I live in a city of 1.3 million people. What are the chances I would see him? To make a long story short...Mike the Barista and I used to play worship together and he loves Jesus a lot. This leads me to man #2.

2. Random Tattoo Man- Two minutes after talking to Mike this biker guy, covered in tattoos, stands next to my table and says, "I heard that you love Jesus. Mike told me. I do this ministry thing and I feel like I need to know you." Then he hands me his card and says he'll be back to talk to me. He doesn't come back to talk to me after all, but I think he's right---I do need to know him. His ministry looks seriously cool and I can't wait to see what God is going to do. Stay tuned.

3. Sonnie the Glory Guy- Hours later (yes, I was still sitting in the same spot), this surfer guy in his 60's with long, curly gray hair walks up to me and says, "You love Jesus don't you?" Taken aback a little bit, I smile and say, "Very much." He says, "I can tell." "Really?" I say. "I heard you talking on the phone a little bit ago," he says, "I wasn't really listening [note to self: he was definitely listening], but I saw you talking and you were smiling really bright. Then you said something about the Holy Spirit and I just KNEW."

We proceed to talk about the GLORY of God for the next hour. He loves Jesus too and tells me all about the cool things that He has seen God do. I got REAL excited. I told him that I thought that this year specifically that God was just looking for people to say "Yes" to Him regardless of embarrassment or fear. He confirmed this and then said, "Justine, your obedience to God radiates from you. As you say 'Yes' to God you will see many amazing things."

Now, to you this may sound like a fortune cookie, but for reals this was exceptionally cool. He then hands me a book about the GLORY of God and says, "I feel like I'm supposed to give this to you." Then the dude takes off.

To some this may sound weird and creepy, but Sonnie the Glory Guy was seriously rad and I wish all of you could meet him. We talked about God stuff a lot, it was a weird encounter, and of course it was a little funny (which is what this blog is all about!). So, naturally I had to write about the experience.

I think that God wants to speak to us just as much as we want Him too (maybe more so). I think that He is looking for people who are willing to embrace His surprises and His voice and not be so weirded out that we miss out on the cool, random things of God. Just a thought for today.

This is my Thursday. Day 21 of 2010.