A few weeks after sending out the 410 letters we recieved a call one morning from a person who had heard about us from five different people and all five of them said that he needed to meet us and see how he could help us!  We were excited!!  We didn’t know if this was the break/intervention/provision that God was giving us for the funding or partnership or whatnot.  So, we agreed to meet him the next morning at Christ Church.

Upon meeting him, he told us about the mission that God had given him.

Two years ago he begun the process of adopting a girl from Africa whose mother died because she had AIDS; she was an orphan.  He was so touched from a month-long trip there last year that he wanted a way to fund the orphanages and the adoption process and other ministries in Africa.  He settled on selling coffee.  Figuring that people buy coffee, are used to buying coffee, and would recieve a “benefit” in exchange for their donation, he founded Abba Java.

Abba Java (found at www.abbajava.org) is a non-profit organization designed to sell coffee, T-shirts, mugs, and other products to make awareness known about Africa and also use the proceeds from the purchases to send directly to Africa and help the missions over there.  As we explained why we were in the area and how God wanted to use us in His ministry, he agreed to partner with us and let us sell/market Abba Java coffee in PC Coffee coffeehouses, and, he admitted, eventually he wants to open a coffee house in the Nashville area.  He also agreed to let us sell Abba Java coffee in a fundraiser to raise the necessary capital to buy the house, as well as, being an Abba Java agent and making a percentage off the sale, and fund the start-up of the business.

How excited we are!!  God is certainly moving!!

Once Beth and I knew that a for-profit coffee venture was the way that we needed to proceed we decided on the name “PC Coffee Company”; came up with a logo; began researching coffee supplies; began looking for a coffee distributor; and numerous other tasks.

We decided what we wanted to offer the students of MTSU and how we would be different, settling on:

• old, historic home
• inside and outside lounge, couch, and table seating
• group and individual study rooms
• live, Christian music on the weekends
• free Wi-fi
• streaming Christian radio

We relized our number one need was funding (it still is).  So, we crafted a business plan, profit/loss projections, startup costs, operating costs, and evaluated our competition.  From all the research we did on the internet and our projections of pricing and minimum revenues, for our business plan to suceed, we needed to see if the students at MTSU would support it.  So, we crafted a survey of nine questions, printed up the surveys, and set out.

Asking a total of 220 students, 200 chose to respond and we came up with roughly 67% of the students we surveyed were favorably disposed to our coffee house.  We included this information into our business plan and printed them up–410!  It took a week, but Beth and I printed, stamped, sealed, and stuck 410 support packages in the mail.

So, far we’ve recieved $700 from the letters, with a recurring monthly committment of $50, and a donation (when needed) of network resources for the free wi-fi.

God rocks!!!

Beth and I moved to Nashville, TN to begin Proclamation Church.  God had called both of us into the ministry and showed us, clearly, where to go (Nashville, TN) and that He would provide for us there.  And God did.  He provided both Beth and I jobs at Ruby Tuesday where we served and we both knew that 1) God had a purpose for us at the only Ruby Tuesday hiring in February when we moved down and 2) God would provide us people through Ruby Tuesday to begin His ministry through us.

We initially started with the church concept and organized our first bible study topic: doctrines.  Now we just needed the people for the bible study.  When Lee became sick and Beth and I had to return to PA, in a moment of weakness, we worried about money and tried to get “real” jobs, but knew that God wasn’t finished with us at Ruby Tuesday yet.  Through working on the church, Beth had her vision of a coffee shop, again.  So, in about a two-week timeframe we had the following thoughts (about the same order):

• “Let’s make it a ministry of Proclamation Church!”
• “Let’s make it the college ministry of Proclamation Church…”
• “It can be a non-profit coffee house to minister and stay Christian…”
• “Well, can we do a non-profit coffee house?  Will it survive without funding?”

Beth, being Beth and my lovely, amazing, “got-to-get-it-all-done-now” wife began looking for old houses within walking distance to the Middle Tennessee State University campus.  We were driving around the area one day and saw this old, run-down house for sale by owner.  We called the owner and met him the next day at the house.  It would be a great house just needed about as much work in upgrades as it would cost to buy it.  Not for us.  Historic district’d home.  No commercial zoning.

We were undeterred.  Driving around some more we found another house, two-blocks from campus that was gorgeous.  We looked at it and it would be PERFECT!  It had the perfect amount of rooms downstairs and upstairs and would just be a great location for a coffee house.  Only one question remained: to profit or not?

God’s ALWAYS perfect timing solved that problem.  While researching the ups and downs up coffee shops, some for-profit and others not, we didn’t know which way to go.  But we had a meeting with the preaching pastor at Christ Church Nashville.  We told him of our plans, starting the church, moving the wedding, moving to Nashville, etc. and Beth’s vision to start a coffee house, yet not knowing whether to make it for-profit or not.  He said, “I think it needs to be for-profit, and here’s why….”  The wisdom of the Holy Spirit poured forth and leaving the meeting Beth and I knew that we would be starting a for-profit coffee house!

Its been quite awhile since I’ve posted on here, so over the next week or so, I wanted to re-cap all that God has done since Beth and I moved down here.  I wanted to do this to keep a record of all the people that we’ve met and, specifically, how those connections were made.

Beth and I were extremely privileged to be interviewed by a former professor of mine at Lipscomb, Dr. David Lawrence, on his radio program through Engedi Ministries last Monday evening.  He had recieved our letter that we sent out and knew that interviewing Beth and I to broadcast to the listeners would be of benefit, not only to our ministry, but to Engedi’s audience as well, given all that God is doing in our lives.  The interview was basic, it shared my conversion experience and the freedom from sin that God has granted me through His grace and focused on why I returned to Nashville–to start Proclamation Church and found PC Coffee Co.

However, before and after the interview, Beth and I had great conversation with a man whom I consider a dear friend.  He confirmed God’s call on our lives and it was such a joy to meet with him, share time and the Bible with him, and experience his joy, of seeing Beth and I go out into the world, unafraid, knowing that God is with us.

Beth summed up the experience when we left the best: “That home is full of the Holy Spirit.  It was so warm and welcoming.”

The interview will be aired locally, in Nashville, on WENO AM 760 at 11:00am and 6:30pm this Saturday and 9:00am and 4:30pm this Sunday, June 6 & 7, 2009.

The interview is also available online at Engedi’s website at:

http://www.engedi.org/index.php/audio/2-living-water/271-interview-with-kevin-and-beth-robinson

For those that know, my physical body vision is horrible–legally blind in my left eye without contacts! However, thankfully, by God’s grace, my spiritual vision is crystal clear–now even more than ever!!

God has granted me, by His grace and through the Holy Spirit, a spiritual excitement and vision for Nashville! Beth and I see reaching Nashville and spreading the message of Light into the Darkness.

God has also given Beth and I the vision and excitement of defending God’s truth in a city that seems so prone to the false doctrines that are being used to simply attract numbers on Sundays and not the true doctrines that see and show Salvation and Changed lives as a result of people believing and trusting in the real and personal work of the onle true Savior–Jesus!!

I praise God for His timing and am always continually overwhelmed by His calling on Beth and I’s lives and placing us in the only position that matters–telling others about Jesus!!

Beth and I are here in Nashville!! It is AWESOME!!! We went out shopping for washers and dryers on Monday and first off, God provided a great deal but also we met our first bible study participant!! How AWESOME!!! It is the sales guy from Best Buy who sold us the washer and dryer!! He asked why we moved to Nashville and we told him that we were here to plant a church and this got us on a conversation about church! He was tired of dating girls who were partiers and had finally met a girl who wasn’t.  So, we told him that we were in Nashville to plant a church and he was all on board.  We mentioned atarting with a bible study and seeing where it went… AND he was STILL on board!!  God ROCKS!!!  His provision is awesome!!

Well, Beth and I are on our honeymoon!!!  Oh, its going to be awesome, just to be able to spend uninterrupted time with Beth and see how AMAZING God is in His provision and how He deepens our relationship this week!  We’ll be busy moving after the honeymoon to NASHVILLE to start Proclamation Church!!!  God is simply AMAZING!!  He ROCKS our world!

On my post yesterday, I discussed how God has graciously allowed me to fulfill my dream and I am now EXCITED and ECSTATIC about my calling that God has placed on my life because fulfilling His calling is now my dream.  I think this is important for the church as a whole because it isn’t those who do ministry on stage or via traveling or radio or TV or the “popular Pastors” that God is using to proclaim the Gospel, God has called all of us to be missionaries to the world, as Christ was the ultimate, perfect missionary to the world.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus gives what is commonly referred to as the “Great Commission” saying

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you [...] (ESV)

This is also echoed in Mark’s account of the Gospel in Mark 16:15

And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. [...] (ESV)

Those two verses encompass the CALLING that God has BESTOWED upon all of us who proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!!  So, all Christians should be out there in their jobs, family, friends, etc. telling those they interact with about Jesus.  There is not sitting on the sidelines, being a backbencher, when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel, because its all our jobs!!  We all have gifts that God uses/will use to reach the world for Jesus!  That should be our dream as Christians–as many people know Jesus as possible!

God’s calling is my dream!!  Is it YOURS?

I am reminded by Beth’s post today, that there is a difference between “living your dream” and “living your calling.”  The world, as it always does in its FALLEN state, believes that we make our dreams our calling to justify the selfish pleasure that we get out of doing what we want to do or to continue doing what we want to do without any introspection (guilty),  but then the opposite fallacy is true as well: turning your calling into your dream to justify a self “pity party” when one’s calling isn’t going exactly the way we planned for it to go (guilty).  Looking at my own experience in the past few months, I realize that dreams and callings are two distinct designs that God has for those that He foreknew.  Using my own experience as example, I am going to look at how God uses dreams and then tomorrow I’ll look at God’s calling.

God has graciously, in His infinite wisdom, allowed me to live my dream of working in the government, especially doing intelligence work.  It is a career that I have dreamed about in some shape or fashion since I was in high school.  From a wordly perspective there is no way that I should have been offered the job, taken the job, or even excelled at my job which I am currently in.  I wasn’t “qualified” in the standard way that the world qualified, but God provided the job and I have loved every minute of it!!

Romans 8:28 says that God uses everything for good for those that He foreknew according to His purpose.  This verse, I believe (I’m guilty of using it this way, too) is mainly used to bring hope and encouragement to those whose lives aren’t going “well” to show them that in 2, 5, or 20 years, they will see that God used their bad circumstances for His Glory and His Goodness and to proclaim His Name, so, the Christian is told to “hang in there” and it will be ok.  However, this verse means the opposite is true: that even when things are going well, that God uses EVERYTHING (ALL the good and ALL the bad) for His purpose.  That yes, when life is hard, hang in there, but also when life is good, we don’t know what will happen next.  A few examples of how God used my dream to show me His calling:

• The graduate schooling, analytical work, critical thinking, and work experiences have given me a critical, examining eye, an eye which I am now using to examine the church and culture and to better prepare and spread the Good News of Jesus!
• While pursuing my dream I met Beth online and lived close enough to commute every weekend!  God ROCKS!!
• The people I have met in DC and DE are so encouraging and supportive, that I am constantly touched and humbled.
• In DC, I have seen “good church” ideas and “bad church” ideas.
• Living my dream has caused me to rely on God more fully than I had before, in my lonliness in DC, at times, God was all I had and that reliance will be needed for spiritual warfare against the Enemy as Beth and I build God’s local church.
• I have confidence and satisfaction that in leaving my dream, I can now fully pursue my calling.

That last bullet is key, and I’ll touch on this more tomorrow, but the amazing thing is that God’s calling is NOW MY dream and I’m dreaming for God to do big things and praying that God does big things!  I CAN’T WAIT!!!