What Do You Look For In A Best Friend

What do you look for in a best friend?

• Most people would agree that,

• A best friend is someone that you can share your most intimate, and deep secrets.

• Things that you would never share with the rest of the world.

• Someone that you turn to when you are hurt,

• Someone who you would share both your joy, and your sorrow.

Sometimes friends like this take a lifetime to make.

• You may have grown up with them, gone to school with them,

• Watched them go thru the hardships of life and been there for them.

• Or they have been there for you.

• Other times you can bond with someone almost instantly, and just know that you have that special connection.

We all want to find a where we feel welcome

• A place where we can go and people not only know us but a place where we feel like they want us there

• A place that appeals to our sense of worth

• A place where when we’re there we feel like family

• A place where we feel we

• Because Friendship is important in life

And because of that we go to great lengths to find places like these

• Places where we feel that we fit in.

Coffee shops are places that have taken this kind of mentality in mind

• When they designed their facilities

• Coffee shops are a sanctuary from the hectic daily routine of life.

• It’s common meeting place for those who need to meet.

And we can learn a lot from places like Starbucks, Panera Bread The Coffee Bean That we can apply to our churches

1. Places like these are open to community

• These places take the time to talk with their customers.

• They form relationships with their customers.

• They serve coffee in mugs not paper to go cups

• Because that’s the way you do it at home

• They offer you a place to relax with Comfortable chairs, couches, etc.

• They put popular newspapers out for you to read

• They take the time to create an environment that makes customers want to hang out

• A place where you want to stay

At these places You can always find someone ready for conversation

• Stay-at-home dad looking for some adult contact

• A college student happy to be off campus

• Business woman working on a project

• People everywhere, laptops, Because they care enough to offer their customers free internet.

Spontaneous interaction happens all the time

• As we grow, we will need to work hard to maintain spontaneity.

• At Starbucks, getting together with others is easy.

There is one thing in common that happens both before the service today and the one that happens next week.

• That thing is Life

• The church was never intended to be an in and out place.

• A place where we show up for an hour or two once a week.

The church was originally created to be the coffee house of its time.

• A place that’s inviting.

• A place that makes you feel comfortable

• A place that gives you the feeling that you just might want to stay for a while.

• A place where you can hang out, talk, relax and connect.

This is the way that the early church operated

James 3:18

Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.

Jas 3:18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

2 The Church is a place where everyone knows your name or at least recognizes you

• It’s normal for coffee shops to recognize their customers,

• To Greet them by name

• To have your favorite drink started when they see you come in the door

• It’s normal for a group of people here to be standing in the doorway talking

• Because it’s life and they have a connection.

• Because their friends.

• Because they care about each other.

• Check out what it says in Rom. 12:10 says, “Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other.”

• Respect is another way of saying Hospitality

And Hospitality is contagious

• Coffee shops show it by taking the time to offer Extras

• Extras like whipped cream on a Frappuccino.

• Cinnamon, Flavorings

• We in the church we try and do the same thing

• We try and make people feel welcome?