Latte with the Lord
Further Meditations for Practicing Our Faith
$30.00
Many good things come in threes. In sports, the Triple Crown is the ultimate horse racing prize. For an average bowler, three strikes in a row (a "turkey"), is a somewhat big feat. Parents read their children the story of. "The Three Pigs," and the nursery rhyme, "The Three Little Kittens." A triangle has three sides, and there are three primary colors.
In our religious tradition, Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days. In Hebrews 9:4, we read that the Ark of the Covenant contained three sacred objects - "The gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant." It was on the Third Day that Christ rose from the Dead, granting Life to those in the tombs. And most importantly, the Most Holy, Consubstantial Trinity has Three Divine Persons - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Keeping with the concept of threes, Latte with the Lord is the third book in which author, Marianne Sailus, terms, "The Coffee Series" (Java with Jesus - 2013, Cappuccino with Christ - 2015). Thus, this book contains 366 new meditations for "Practicing our Faith" - as is noted in the subtitles of all three books. As with the other two books in the trilogy, the author offers suggestions for three scriptural readings, a meditation, and a prayer for each day of the year, possibly to be used while enjoying time with the Lord over that second (or third!) cup of coffee.
It is hoped that the reader will be able to identify with these scriptural readings and meditations, and use them as fuel to turn faith into practice.
This book is available from our website by clicking the ADD TO CART button above, or from Eastern Christian Publications at its website: http://www.ecpubs.com. The cost is $30.00.
Sample Meditation
July 9
Don't Lose Hope
Scripture: Romans 8:18-25, Psalm 71, Matthew 12:9-21
The late Elie Wiesel, in his groundbreaking book, Night, recalled the words that a young Polish guard spoke to him and the other men in his block when they arrived at Auschwitz: "Comrades, you are now in the concentration camp Auschwitz. Ahead of you lies a long road paved with suffering. Don't lose hope. You have already eluded the worst danger: the selection. Therefore, muster your strength and keep your faith. We shall all see the day of liberation. Have faith in life, a thousand times faith. By driving out despair, you will move away from death."
As followers of Christ Jesus, we also must never lose hope. When life appears to be closing in on us, when bad news seems to dominate the airways, when all that we have attained in life comes crashing down and we are left with nothing, we still must maintain hope. And that hope is found in the Person of Our Lord and Saviour. If we maintain our hope in Him, then all of the sufferings of this life will amount to nothing, compared to what awaits those who hold firm to the end in faith.
At times, hope may be a difficult concept to comprehend. St. Paul explains it in this manner: "In hope, we already have salvation; in hope, not visibly present, or we should not be hoping - nobody goes on hoping for something which is already visible. But having this hope for what we cannot yet see, we are able to wait for it with persevering confidence" (Romans 8:24-25). The Psalmist writes, "Rest in God alone, my soul! He is the source of my hope. He alone is my rock, my safety, my stronghold, so that I stand unwavering. In God is my safety and my glory, the rock of my strength. In God is my refuge" (Psalm 62:5-7). We, too, have the ultimate hope because Christ has defeated sin and Death and won the Victory for us. One day, those who continue to hold fast to the hope that His Victory gives us, shall be triumphant.
Dear Lord, thank You for giving us hope, despite everything that otherwise might lead us to despair. Instill in us the courage to cast off all that would lead us to forsaking hope. Instead, help us always to remember Your Victory over sin and Death, and claim Your Victory as our own - even in our darkest hours. Amen.
