It’s Not Just About the Coffee

I am reading my coffee cup… “The Keys to the City: At Java City we are committed to sourcing, roasting, and brewing the perfect cup of coffee. We select the finest Arabica beans, that we hand roast and slowly air-cool, locking in the flavors and aromas. Not many roasters still go through this much trouble, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
You can see how deeply concerned Java City with their product. I admit that I love their coffee; it is fantastic. However, it’s not just about the coffee. The coffee is given to the customer in a cup that does not retain heat at all. After five minutes the drink has already reached room temperature. You end up with rich, full-flavored coffee…that you can’t enjoy because it is room temperature.
There’s even more. The cup has a seem that is uneven, lacking smoothness and continuity. It cannot hold the coffee because it does not form a good seal with the lid. Nowhere in the world can you find such awesome coffee that will drip all over you. You now see that it’s not just about the coffee.
Java City has done a wonderful job at brewing some of the finest coffee I have ever tasted (which is a lot). It is true when they claim that “Not many roasters still go through this much trouble.” Nevertheless, the product does not serve its intended purpose. The call of coffee is not just to be great coffee, but to bring its coffee greatness to others.

Am I Willing?

Am I willing to leave ninety-nine behind just to find one who is lost?  What if the ninety-nine get upset with me?  What if they think I am not doing my job; and think less of me?  They may think that I am irresponsible, or even uncaring?  Will they be okay without me?  After all, my job is to take care of them, right? Aren’t I important?  Won’t the flock fall apart without me?  Maybe if I can get the flock to make enough noise, the lost sheep will hear us!  I will poke them and prod them all day & night until they are loud enough to attract our lost one.  If they do their job right their brother will return.  Well…that’s if he’s smart enough to be listening!  I hope he had sense enough not to stray too far.  I hope he has sense enough to follow the noise; let’s hope that he has sense enough to even recognize it!  Am I willing to leave ninety-nine behind?  I have a pretty good size flock right now.  People will still see me as a successful shepherd if I have ninety-nine and not a hundred.  Most won’t even notice the difference.  If I leave on a search for one lost sheep, I run the risk of loosing some of the found ones.  Man!  If only that stupid sheep would have stayed with us!  I guess I could send out some of the sheep to get one of their own; shouldn’t they be getting involved in flock business anyway?  Either way, he has probably gone too far to find anyway.  There’s no way we could reach him now. There seems no logical reason to leave ninety-nine!  If they were your sheep, would you be willing?