OUT TO PASTOR: How much coffee – is too much coffee?

I will be the first to confess that I love my coffee, especially in the morning.

When anybody asks how much coffee is enough, I usually say, “Just one more cup.”

My day cannot get started until I’ve had a sufficient amount of coffee. If I don’t have enough coffee when I meet somebody, they will look at me and say, “Have you had your coffee today?”

I respond by saying, “Well, not enough.”

I haven’t always been a fan of coffee. If I am obsessed with coffee, I will have to blame The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage for this. She is the one that introduced me to coffee, and here I am.

It was not until I married The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage that I understood what the problem was.

When I was young, my parents used “instant coffee.” I’m not sure why they drank that, but I did not like it. I thought, at the time, coffee was for idiots. I never said it out loud because I feared who might hear me saying it. But I believe it and have a good reason for believing it.

After we were married, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage bought something I never saw before, which was a coffee pot. I did not know what it was for, but when you’re first married, you don’t create any ambiance of negativity.

It was then I understood what real coffee was all about. The coffee pot made real coffee. I had never had real coffee before and fell in love with coffee after one gentle sip.

So, you see, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is responsible for my addiction to coffee.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed many a cup of coffee, particularly from her coffee pot in the kitchen. I began understanding the difference between “instant coffee” and “real coffee.” I’m surprised my parents didn’t know the difference.

After being married for over 50 years, I have never been tempted to get a cup of instant coffee, what a tragedy of taste that would be.

Since I’ve been drinking coffee, my days have never been better. But, of course, there are those few days when I don’t have a chance to grab my coffee because of oversleeping or something. Those have been brought down to very few, I assure you.

My day starts perfectly after that first coffee in the morning.

Recently, in the afternoon, I was drinking some coffee; the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage entered the room and, looking at me, said, “Haven’t you had enough coffee for the day?”

I looked at her, smiled, and cheerfully said, “That animal doesn’t exist.” Then I went back to sipping my heavenly cup of coffee.

My morning cup of coffee enables me to start the day rather cheerful. I know when I start each day, there’s going to be something that’s going to give me a problem. A day without problems is a day I haven’t gotten out of bed. A great solution to these problems is a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Not just “a” cup of coffee but a series of cups of coffee. 

“Drinking too much coffee,” The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage warned me, “is not very good for your health.”

I looked at her with a mischievous smile and said, “Would you like to deal with me without my cup of coffee in the morning?”

Laughing, she looked back and said, “No, there probably isn’t enough coffee for that.”

One year, a report says coffee is not good for you. It’s bad for your health, so they say. So the next year, there’s another report that says drinking coffee is good for your health.

Who in the world am I going to believe?

Well, I tell you what, I’m not going to believe any reports I hear from the news media. I will take this subject up with my cup of Joe in the morning and get his opinion.

There is one thing that makes a cup of coffee magnificent in the morning. That one thing is an Apple Fritter. I believe these two were made for each other, and there is nothing more delicious than the combination of these two delicacies.

I can get away with my coffee with The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, but it’s hard for me to get away with the Apple Fritter. I try, but I am not very successful with that as yet.

I’ve been working for years on ways in which to trick her into believing that Apple Fritters are healthy for you. But to date, I’ve not been very successful, but I haven’t stopped trying.

I will work on it, and in the meantime, I will indulge in my coffee.

Everybody has a taste for something. I was reminded of what the Bible said along this line. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8).

When it comes to my spiritual taste, I need to focus on God. My experience with God makes my life the joy that it is.

Dr. James L. Snyder lives in Ocala, FL with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Telephone 1-352-216-3025, e-mail jamessnyder51@gmail.com, website www.jamessnyderministries.com.