The Coffee Shop Revolution: Renewing Your Mind in 2025
I'm sitting here in my favorite coffee shop, steam rising from my dark roast, watching people rush by outside. The contrast strikes me - their hurried pace against my intentional pause. It reminds me of something I've been wrestling with lately: how often we skim the surface when God's inviting us into the deep.
You know that feeling when you take that first sip of really good coffee? How it wakes up your senses and shifts your perspective? That's what I believe God's doing at this moment - He's inviting us to wake up to a whole new way of thinking.
Here's the thing: We've gotten pretty comfortable paddling in the shallows of our faith. We've installed these mental "governors" - like speed limiters on our spiritual lives. Maybe it's that old church hurt you haven't dealt with. Or those limiting beliefs about what God can do through you. We've gotten really good at explaining away the supernatural and wrapping our faith in neat, manageable packages.
But what if there's more?
The other day, I was reading about Ezekiel's river (stick with me here - this gets good). He starts in ankle-deep water, then moves to knee-deep, then waist-deep, until finally - he's in over his head. And isn't that just like God? He's not interested in our careful wading; He's inviting us to dive in completely.
Think about Eve in the garden for a second. Her stumbling block wasn't just about that fruit - it was about believing God was holding out on her. Sound familiar? How often do we calculate our giving instead of releasing it, measure our worship instead of abandoning to it, strategize our steps instead of yielding them?
Let me ask you something: What if faith really is spelled R-I-S-K? Not the reckless kind, but the kind that makes room for God to show up in ways our carefully constructed plans never could.
Here's what I'm learning (and yeah, it's messing with my neat little world): Real transformation isn't about trying harder - it's about thinking differently. It's about letting the Holy Spirit renew our minds until we see things from heaven's perspective.
You know what's wild? The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. Yet sometimes we're more shaped by our social media feeds than by this revolutionary reality.
So here's my challenge to you (and trust me, I'm preaching to myself here): What if we took off the governors? What if we let God take us deeper than our comfort zones, further than our five-year plans, higher than our human logic?
I'm not talking about being reckless. I'm talking about being revolutionary. About becoming what I like to call "cultural architects" - people who shape atmospheres because they think from heaven's perspective instead of earth's limitations.
Takes another sip of coffee
But I'll warn you - this kind of thinking will mess with you. It'll challenge your comfortable Christianity. It'll make you question those neat boxes you've put God in.
And maybe that's exactly what we need in 2025.
I've got more to say about this - about how to practically renew your mind and step into supernatural thinking. But for now, I'll leave you with this question: What would change in your world if you approached every situation with the mind of Christ rather than worldly wisdom?
Think about it. Pray about it. And maybe, just maybe, take that first step into deeper waters.
The coffee's getting cold, but this conversation's just heating up...
What's your next step into the deep? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
Ryan S. Bain
P.S. If this stirred something in you, stay tuned. We're just getting started...