Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian
I like John Fischer’s writing. He doesn’t come across preachy. His style is more down-to-earth, a regular guy who likes music, family and a good cup of coffee. But, he also likes to dig into what it really means to be a Christian, especially in these days of the latest “method” of study, fellowship and witnessing. He’s willing to take a look at form and try to find real substance. He comes across pretty honest and open-minded.
Above all, he recognizes that he is human and he allows the rest of us to be human, too, warts and all. Nobody’s perfect and John Fischer admits to squirming over his own character defects, especially when they rub up against people he’s really close to, like his family, his wife and his neighbors.
In Fischer’s book, Confessions of a Caffeinated Christian, he uses coffee and the coffee shop metaphor to illustrate aspects of his faith walk. He needs something to give him a jolt each day, something to provide some wide-awake alertness to living the life God calls us to. And he knows, like a good strong cup of coffee, he needs strength to admit how much he needs Jesus to live life on life’s terms.
Beyond the coffee metaphor the author is telling us some important things. This is typical of Fischer’s style. He gets us all comfortable with a nice, steaming latte or hot beverage of our choice. Then he subtly tells us some stories that touch pretty deep. He tells us about his own failings and failures to live with unconditional love, kindness and non-judgment. But he also relays heartfelt stories about the journeys of everyday people he’s had the good fortune to know. These people, like the diner waitress single mom or the longtime loving husband who always brought roses for his wife on Wednesdays, are real and down to earth. In this often self-centered world such people may be uncommon, but Fischer is careful not to place them on a pedestal. They are real-life “saints” going about the business of living.
Although John Fischer is often in demand as a conference and retreat speaker and has a number of books and albums of original music to his credit I believe he’s telling us in this book that he still struggles with many of the problems of living as you or I. So, grab a cup of coffee, open this book and be ready to recognize your story as John relates his.
John Fischer is an artist, thinker, communicator driven to create and personally deliver a message of deeper understanding of God, confirming those seeking a faith that intersects the real world. Visit his website, The Fischtank. I recommend subscribing to his free email, Catch of the Day, for more of his insight to life and Christianity.
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