December 2015 – Grace. Truth. Coffee.

Part Three: Coffee

December 31, 2015December 30, 2015onebouchard

The grinder whirs as the fragrance of the most sacred bean wafts through the air. Coffee’s aroma always takes my mind on a journey. Like many people, I first discovered the magical beauty of coffee in college. The Aspen Coffee Company opened up downtown, creating more than just a source for a legal late-night upper, but also a gathering place. It was here that I first deeply experienced community. George, Danny, Christy, Jason, Patrick, Jeff, and a dozen others. Our lives would intersect a few hours before closing time. We would discuss homework, religion, music, class, politics, tragedies, and life. Tears of both joy and agony were shed. Together.

Coffee is more than just a drink. It isn’t merely my favorite caffeine delivery mechanism. Around here, coffee is community.

If I want to catch up with an old friend, I’ll text “hey, are you free for coffee?” Some of the names have changed, but the bonding that happens over a steaming cup of sweet caffeinated nectar of the gods remains the same.

It doesn’t matter if it’s at a greasy spoon over scrambled eggs and floppy bacon or a pretentious coffee joint with art in the foam. The magical thing about coffee is the connection and the community it facilitates. The chief aim of “Grace, Truth, & Coffee” is community. Unity without uniformity. Appreciating our differences while celebrating what we have in common.

We each have a finite number of days on this spinning ball of rock, let’s not waste them by building walls and fences. Let’s build bridges instead.

Part Two: Truth

December 30, 2015December 30, 2015onebouchard

“The truth is out there.” Mulder’s words still echo from my youth. These words crash into the popular and convenient claim that there is no such thing absolute truth. But think about it…to claim there is no absolute truth is a contradiction. It’s claiming to be an absolute truth! It’s enough to make your head spin.

At Grace, Truth, & Coffee, the second foundation we build upon is truth. We don’t claim to have cornered the market on the truth. We’re travelers on a journey, just like a million other pilgrims. We’re searching for the truth, not with arrogance and condescension but with humble grace.

Humanity has embraced a divisive view of truth… we believe that my truth is contrary to your truth and so we build walls and remain isolated. Our truths conflict, and so they keep us apart. We protect our truth that we hold so dearly while superficially affirming your truth. The problem is, we weren’t created to live divided. At our core, we need each other. We long for connections. Our soul cries out for relationship. Yes, the world is full of relative truths about things like preferences and aesthetics. Lying deeper than those are absolute truths. Some are scientific, like gravity. Some are historical, like the Visigoths or Huns. Some are moral, and these can be the most controversial. However, difficult does not mean impossible, and doesn’t negate their existence. What we find as we uncover these truths together is that they unite rather than divide.

As we pursue truth, we do so with respect. In our quest, we each bring different knowledge and life experiences. Years ago, Stephen Covey advised “seek first to understand, and then to be understood.” This is our guiding principle in our pursuit of truth. We each have something to contribute, and everyone deserves to be heard.

The truth is out there. Let’s find it together.

Part One: Grace

December 29, 2015December 29, 2015onebouchard

My mom loves asking conversation-starters. A few months back she asked my favorite word. This sounds simple enough, but I take questions like this seriously. I treat it like it’s a commitment, like I’m stuck with that answer forever. My mind plays out a crazy scenario where I run for president. During the campaign, someone will dig up the casual answers I gave to questions like this and grill me about them. So, of course, I didn’t answer right away. The question rolled around in my mind, bouncing around the dark recesses of my subconscious only to pop back out unexpectedly.

Grace.

To reach the status of “favorite” a word must be special. It is more than the way it feels as it forms in your throat and passes over your lips. A word’s meaning and life-changing power factors in as well. More important still is the history we have together. Grace changed my life and every relationship in it. It is more than just a word I quietly whisper as I exhale frustration. It isn’t just the secret to a happy marriage or the path to reconciliation with God. It is all this and more. Diving into the inward and external depths grace is a transformational and lifelong pursuit.

The more I’ve explored, discovered, received, and shared grace, the deeper my realization of the urgent need humanity has for it. When our relationships are bound together with grace, every misunderstanding can be worked through and resolved. Grace is interwoven with forgiveness and gratitude, which together can overcome the greatest wounds and harshest trials.

Let our lives be shaped by an abundance and overflow of grace.

In our little corner of the internet known as “Grace, Truth, & Coffee,” our conversations are shaped by grace. We may explore hard or controversial subjects, but we do so with grace. Grace shapes communities and changes lives.