Coffee At Luke's

You could say I'm an adventurer/thrill seeker. I'm not a home body and I hardly say 'no' to a spontaneous idea. It's important I share that because I am now going to tell you about my (at times, possibly maybe obsessive...) commitment to all things* social media.*Minus SnapChat.

So let's combine the two - my spontaneousness + determination of checking my newsfeed on various social media platforms frequently - to bring us here: Coffee at Luke's.

It was Tuesday morning and I had woken up rather early. I cleaned around the house, lit a candle, prayed, let the dog out, fed him and myself. Coffee in one hand and my phone on the other, I began scrolling. One social media app to the next, I scrolled through each newsfeed as though my day couldn't possibly continue until I was up to date with whatever I had missed during those 7-8 hrs of sleep.

I'm a huge fan of Instagram. And it was there that I laid eyes on THIS:

I confirm news, updates, announcements, etc. by checking if the source cross-posted on another one of their social media (SM) platforms. The Honeymoon Cafe had posted this on all their SM pages. So, I then began to plan.

The Honeymoon Cafe in downtown Houston has quickly become one of my favorites. It's gorgeous and delicious and located at such a great spot on Main Street. When I saw this cafe listed as one of the hundreds of cafes in the nation that would be turned into Luke's Diner (from Gilmore Girls) on October 5th, I knew this was where I needed to be.

This is where that spontaneousness I referred to at the beginning comes in. I cleared my Wednesday morning schedule (nothing pressing was on it, really, as I'm currently unemployed) and made plans to be at The Honeymoon Cafe by 7AM which is the time they open. Minutes later, an old friend commented on a FB post I shared about this exciting event and we quickly decided we'd use this rare event to catch up over Luke's coffee! So the plan was set. We would meet at The Honeymoon Cafe at 7:30AM and catch up after almost a year of not seeing one another.

Well, of course I knew there'd be a line. However, I didn't know we'd be standing in it for two and half hours! In my mind, I pictured my friend Casey and I catching up as we swapped stories and life updates with a hot cup of Luke's coffee in our hands. Instead, we ended up catching up mainly as we stood in this two and a half hour line, surrounded by the Houston mugginess and humidity with the downtown traffic and endless chatter of other fans in line as our background noise. Even so, it was perfect and quite exciting.

A las we reached the legendary Luke's sign right at the entrance to The Honeymoon Cafe, finally ordered and got our hands on Luke's coffee and a quick bite to eat. The long line was worth it and the company, which we had thought would be for just one hour but really ended up being all morning, was sweet.

Casey and I have been friends for 14 years. We first became friends in 8th grade. Casey says it was 6th grade and while she may be right, my poor memory fades and I mean no harm by claiming the 8th instead of the 6th. I claim the 8th grade because I always refer to Casey as my 'first Christian friend' and I first became a Christian in the 8th grade - October 30, 2002 to be exact. Casey and I attended the same middle school and were classmates since the 6th grade. However, in the 8th grade, after I became a Christian I remember we drew closer as friends and I was just excited to know I had a friend that believed what I had just started discovering myself and we would talk Jesus, Bible, Christian music and all things God while in school when the free time presented itself. I couldn't get enough of this friendship, accountability and connection held together by the Gospel. As a 12 - 13 year old, it was the coolest thing ever.

As the years went by we drifted in different directions, attending different colleges, making different friends and living in different cities. It happens. Yet we have always been able to reconnect despite the distance or amount of time we've gone without speaking. We are now both in Houston and try making it a point to gather, at least one or twice a year! HA!

Friendships are a gift. And friendships take work. Casey may or may not know (though I'm pretty sure I've voiced it one way or another over the years) that she was my first friend to challenged me to be better, to seek God more, to pray, to attend youth group, to read my Bible, and to attend mission trips and Christian concerts. I have no doubt God placed her in my life to "show me the ropes" if you will.

The impact of Godly friendships is indescribable. YOU may be that friend for someone right now or will be one day. Or you may know someone who has been that to you. I'm telling you, good, Godly and healthy friendships are a blessing.

We all have those friends, some whom we haven't spoken to in a while and some whom you see on a weekly basis. Can I just say - if it's been a while, reunite. Soon. It's so refreshing. If you have friends around you now like this, perfect! Cherish them. If you feel alone, trust God will send those friends your way. Keep your eyes open and be a friend to someone. Take initiative. You may be in a new city, new job or new school. It's okay. I was there when I first moved back to Houston when my husband became the pastor of the church we are at now. God is faithful to allow you to make new friends. It's exciting, slightly nerve wrecking and sometimes challenging, but it can and will happen.

As I sat there across Casey with my coffee and pancakes before me, I thought to myself how despite the new friends I've made, whom I'm cherishing daily, it is always a true joy to reconnect with my old friends, especially over coffee at Luke's.

And for your viewing pleasure - I'm talking to all you Gilmore Girl fans - of course Casey and I got up to take pictures of the place. Check it out!

Just like everyone in the cafe, Casey and I also ended up chatting it up about Gilmore Girls and their upcoming reunion airing on Netflix on November 25th! In sum, it was a lovely morning with great coffee and the great reminder that friendships are blessings and we are called to steward them well, both the new and old alike.

Thanks for reading.

                - crystal -