Many mornings I head into a local Caribou Coffee shop on my way into the office. It is a guilty habit that brings with it smiling faces of people who greet you with a knowing look as they make your 'regular'. I also spend time at our many independently owned coffee shops as well. I know, some kind of intervention may need to happen!

A few months ago Caribou changed their look and marketing plan. After years of being the homey, plaid-flannel-shirt,Minnesota company they were ready for a new look, a hipper image. The new plan still includes their 'Life is short. Stay awake for it.' logo with a twist. The cups and napkins give ideas of what to 'stay awake' for….ghost stories around the campfire, break dancing,maxing out your passport(my personal favorite).  Plus there are post it notes with the question "What do you stay awake for?" which patrons can fill out and stick on the edges of the counter. I have to admit that I love reading them. I love this sanctioned form of graffiti that allows people to put a little bit of themselves out into the world for all to see. There are the familiar ones: a good book, a calculus test, a sick child. There are those who find it an opportunity to declare their love, or crush, in public: I stay awake for Amber, for Jason, for Rachel. Others are more curious: I stay awake for Jesus. There are the ones that make me smile: I stay awake for good chocolate, for ballroom dancing, for playing the violin. 

Each of these tiny notes tells a story, one which we caffeine deprived readers only get to read a small part. The sticky notes tacked to the counter space provides a glimpse into the everyday lives of people we do not know and yet there is an intimacy about it that appeals to me.Somehow I leave there wondering if the person staying awake over Amber is having their adoration returned. And the one who is staying awake for Jesus…well…..I'm  not sure what to think about that. 

Perhaps this was the marketing department's intention, to create this sense of connection between coffee drinkers, a relationship of sorts, so we will keep coming back.Or maybe I am one of only a few people who takes these notes with such seriousness. It did, however, make me wonder what might happen in our churches if we did a similar thing. At the entrance of a church building what if we had post it notes that said: "What are you longing for?" "Where have you experienced God?" "How do you shown love in the world?" We could then invite people to plaster their answers all over the door and walls of the entrance. I can imagine people standing and reading. Smiling. Crying. Laughing. Turning to the person next to them. Making eye contact. Maybe even taking hands in recognition of something deeply shared.

Such a 'marketing plan' might create a church of evangelists in the true sense of the word….tellers of good news. Now wouldn't that be something?

What are you staying awake for?