I about cried yesterday. (Yeah...I'm a sucker for touching life moments.)

My friends at Medina Community Church invited me to come on Sunday and share what God is doing through the ministry of Cafe 41:11. Mollie, my daughter, must've caught the vision. She secretly went into my office and got on my computer.

"Daddy, come see this!" I hear her shout.

"What is it?" I ask, walking into the office.

"Look," says Mollie.

I stare at the monitor as she scrolls through a power point slide show she put together for the cafe. It had transitions and everything. I just about cried. Something I said (with the help of the Holy Spirit) stirred in her tiny heart during that service. Either that...or...my power point at church stunk to high heaven.

Out of the mouth of babes...out of the mouth of babes. (I actually better watch out! My little marketing agent might pull a hostile takeover, kick me out, and run this organization better than I could ever run it.)

Her presentation touched me. So I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Cafe 41:11 from the perspective of one ten year old.

I think I love you! So what am I so afraid of?

I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for.

I think I love you! Isn't that what life is made of?

Though it worries me to say, that I've never felt this way...

"Hey, Baby!" I say in a deep, radio-talk-show-host-voice. (It's my wife calling. That's her ring tone.)

"Did you see the bird's nest?" she asks.

"No."

"Oh man...I was in the garage and a Robin flew over my head. I looked up and saw a bird's nest on your bike!" she says.

"Nut-uh!?" I say

"Yeah-huh!" she replies. "It's wrapped around your bike chain."

Sure enough...Mindee was right. A Robin made its home on the bike hanging in our garage. This nest is huge and is made of twine and straw. It's also totally exposed...weird! I guess I won't be pedaling for awhile, because I wouldn't want to disturb any offspring.

This nest got me thinking:

There are "nests" in our hearts; a whole infestation of "nests" that get in the way of obeying God. He commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbor the way we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). The problem is we love our "nests" more than God and our neighbor.

Lust is like a Pterodactyl nest in the heart of most men. Some women, too. Its grip on us is massive (us includes me). Gossip is another. It can feel like a thick, twisted knot woven into the fabric of our heart; one that seemingly cannot be untied. The same is true of greed, envy, lying, and stealing...the list goes on and on. You get the point.

Wanna' know the crazy thing about these nests?

They are not the creation of a bird. We build them. We happily gather resources to secure their structure.

The solution to this problem is found in Jesus. He is the only one who can untie and remove these nests and replace them with an awesome nest. He promises to give us His Spirit to enable us to love. The way He wants us to love.

How?

Be honest with God. Tell Him about your nests. Point them out to Him. Ask Him to untie and remove them and then believe that He will. This is just a fancy way of describing repentance and faith.

By the way...I'm not promising that when you do this...your favorite "nest" will instantly disappear. Some nests take a lifetime to untie and remove. You're going to struggle. You're going to doubt. But don't give up! Repentance and faith is a daily task; an every minute of every day task.

I can say for certain that the more you repent and believe in Jesus, the more your nests will unravel and fall to pieces.

Don't believe me?

Try believing Jesus. I'm sure you've tried to believe in everything else under the sun to remove your nests. Give Him a chance. He is doing it in my heart. I know He can do it in yours.

What is "nesting" in your heart today?

A man with nests,

Tim Van Arsdale

I'm enjoying conversation with friends and family in the wide foyer at church on Sunday. The back of my neck glowing like Rudolph's nose from a weekend of yard work. Its radiant heat warms my daughter's icy fingers. I grab Mollie's hands, swing her around, hug her, and then shoo her into the sanctuary. Mollie skips off to safeguard our assigned seats. A group of us continue laughing and chatting, having a wonderful time of fellowship.

I slurp the last of my coffee and feel a tapping on my back. So I turn. A precious daughter of the King stands beside her mother, holding mom's hand and looking up at me. The child's hair is neatly brushed behind her ears. Straying strands of her sandy brown hair tickle one cheek, and a white dress hangs softly from her tiny frame. Her mother says, "She wanted to give this to the cafe."

The girl is quiet but smiles shyly and hands me an oversized envelope.

"Thank you," I say bending over to receive it. "This is so kind of you."

Written carefully in black ink are the words: Cafe 41:11.

"Thank you so much!" I say again.

The mother and child walk away hand-in-hand to visit with someone else. I place the envelope in my Bible and walk into the sanctuary for worship. When the service ends, my family jumps in the car for home. The ladies of the house heat leftovers for lunch and munch on pickles in a contest to see who can crunch the loudest. (They know how loud eating annoys me and yet they do it intentionally. OOOH!) I quickly exit the kitchen as they laugh and then plop in my office chair. I pull the envelope from my Bible and peel it open.

Nestled inside are four one dollar bills.

I sit, totally humbled by her kindness, thinking, WOW!

This child of the King, gave to her King. Her faith in Jesus expressed in a childlike love for Him, and His work at the cafe, is greater than the faith and love of some adults I know. It's not the amount that matters. It's the faith and love accompanying the gift.

And boy...how she believes. And man...the way she loves.

Do you?

Do I?

This encounter got me thinking about faith and love. Here's what I was reminded of:

The Apostle Paul wrote, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (NIV, Galatians 5:6). This truth didn't originate with Paul. He learned it from Jesus. And we can be on the receiving end of faith expressed through love, or be the giver of it, or we can reject it.

I was privileged to be on the receiving end yesterday. But at the cafe tomorrow? I'm going to give it.

by Davie Maybe, Associating Press Writer - 55 minutes ago

MEDINA, Ohio - A crock pot of chili, a dozen chicken salad sandwiches, and two gallons of grape kool-aid were reported stolen Tuesday April 14 from a free, non-profit cafe.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Tim Van Arsdale director of the cafe said, "Mike Arnold and I were busy. I think like 44 guests came through the doors? Mike was talking with some teens, and I was helping two families gather food from our pantry. Then all of the sudden, the chili was gone!"

Mr. Van Arsdale believes the culprits to be a band of renegade Somali pirates or dozens of insatiable Medina teens. An investigation of the heist is ongoing.

No formal charges have been filed at this time.

Investigators took pictures of a shoe print. They dusted a deck of UNO cards for fingerprints and acquired a half-eaten bowl of chili and a spoon for DNA testing.

A ransom text message was sent to Mr. Van Arsdale's cell phone. It read:

If u want two c you're chilli alive, give us ice creem every day!

Investigators are not sure if the horrific misspelling and use of the English language was intentional or accidental given the unusual circumstances.

Mr. Van Arsdale told A.P.ING NEWS, "I don't understand it. Why would someone steal something that is free? It seems crazy to me."

The two cafe workers handled the situation just fine.

Mr. Van Arsdale did strain his back taking the massive amounts of trash out to the dumpster. Other than that, no one was seriously injured during the attack.

"I rubbed my back real hard afterwards and then threw on a pot of mac-n-cheese and made more kool-aid," said Mr. Van Arsdale. "Mike Arnold slapped together more sandwiches, and I went back to loading dirty dishes in the dishwasher."

A.P.ING NEWS reports that Cafe 41:11 needs more donations of money and food. They seem to be doing a good work in the community but maybe your church can add the cafe to its list of supported mission organizations?

Or maybe you can help with a monthly donation? Please contact Mr. Tim Van Arsdale at 330-304-5449 or by email: tim@cafe4111.org.

The glow of the television softly dispels the darkness of my living room. I sit comfortably on the couch enjoying a late night movie and my favorite loose fitting sleep pants and a bowl of butter with popcorn in it. Nearly crawling under my skin is my faithful companion. He leans comfortably against me. Cooper lives and breaths comfort. He's mastered this motionless sport.

On Good Friday, he and I stay up late watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. (It's tradition.) I look at him while shoveling a handful of popped butter into my mouth. A few imprisoned kernels dash through my fingers and some dribble off my chin and land on my shirt. My old pal quickly nabs the escapees swallowing them whole like a shop-vac. Cooper doesn't know...that I know...that he knows I have food.

He stares at me with an intense look of boredom. Then bears his teeth with a mighty yawn. Sometimes just watching him revel in gluttony completely exhausts me. Cooper has the spiritual gift of mesmerizing people. It's not just me. His power also effects family and friends. Psychiatrists often call the house too, asking if he's available to hypnotize their clients working through addiction.

"You don't like this movie?" I ask.

His ears spring forward and his head tilts, "No, you can't have anymore popcorn. I asked if you like this movie?"

He turns his face toward the television yawning...again.

"Murrr," he groans resting his fuzzy chin on my lap.

"Are you trying to hypnotize me, Bubba?" I ask. "Cause I'm not sure what's going but I feel like resting my eyes."

Cooper doesn't budge. He only shifts his big brown eyes to the right like those eyes behind paintings in haunted houses. I fight off fatigue to focus on the film. Suddenly, our conversation sparks a question in my mind:

I wonder if Cooper knows Jesus?

Uncertain about this, I begin exercising my evangelism muscles by walking him through the gospel.

"See how they're whipping Jesus?" I say grabbing more popcorn and pointing at the television. "He endured this brutality to bring us to God."

"Hmmph," Cooper sneezes then sits up.

"Why? Well that's the million dollar question, isn't it? Because people hurt each other. We're an angry, selfish, hateful, lustful, lying, disobedient bunch of scoundrels. Our hearts are so totally screwed up that we cannot love each other or God for that matter. The Bible calls this sin. That is the bad news."

Cooper nods, following the popcorn leaving the bowl and entering my mouth.

"The punishment for sin is death. Jesus took the whipping we deserve, and He died on a Roman cross. Then rose from the grave. If we confess our sin, then Jesus promises to forgive us, wash away our sin, and give us eternal life with God because He defeated death. And He gives us His Spirit so we can love like Him. That is the good news, Bubba!"

I give him popcorn. He happily bites it out of my hand, crunching and chomping with gusto.

"Forgiveness of sin, and eternal life with God, is a free gift just like the popcorn I gave you. We can't get eternal life by being a good person...or in your case...by being a good Dawg," I say tapping his head with my buttery index finger. "Jesus hands it to us freely when we repent and believe in Him."

Cooper doesn't respond to my invitation. Not this time. I know he heard me, but I don't think he was really listening. At least I can go to the grave with a clear conscience knowing that he's heard about the love of God found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And who knows? Maybe I will see him in Heaven...

If you're struggling with how to share this life-changing story, then practice on your "man's best friend." I promise he/she will still wag when you come home from work. Walk your furry pet through the book of Romans or a favorite tract. It's a great way to strengthen your evangelism muscles!

...The movie reaches its climax as we fall asleep on the couch; just a sinful boy, and his impulsive dog, full of popcorn and thankful for God's love.

conduit: "a natural or artificial channel through which something is conveyed; a means of transmitting or distributing" (conduit. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved December 19, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conduit).

I joke with a close friend about how we (the cafe servants) are conduits. We're not your ordinary, everyday PVC pipe found on a shelf at a big-box store. We're conduits of a living God. We're channels through which Jesus sovereignly and graciously conveys, transmits, or distributes His purposes according to His pleasure and for His glory. We're conduits of His mercy. Mainly so that He gets all the glory. It's never about us.

Our great King used me, and another brother in Christ, as conduits of mercy to help a young man during one cold December evening at Cafe 41:11. I remember it being busy earlier that week. But when Thursday hit, business slowed so I decided to close early and began cleaning when a 28-year-old walked in.

He needed a job.

I discovered he had snow plowing experience. So I called my friend Mike, because I remember Mike telling me one time how He knew a guy who owns a snow plow/landscaping company. Mike gave me the guys number, and I called the business owner.

5:24 p.m. Thursday, December 4, 2008

"This is Tim from Cafe 41:11. I'm calling because I have a guy here looking for a job. He has experience driving one-ton snow plow trucks. You're the only person I know who owns a plowing business so I thought I'd give you a call. It can be temporary. I didn't know if maybe you needed any extra help."

"Is he there?" the business owner asks.

"Yeah, he's right here. You wanna' talk to him?"

"Yeah, put him on."

They talked on the phone using words I couldn't understand. Something about back spreaders and salt licks. (I have no idea.) During their extensive foreign dialect, I made a New Year's resolution to order Rosetta Stone's "Snowplowese" language software.

They spoke their goodbye's and the 28-year-old was ecstatic!

He had a new job.

I wouldn't know the significance of all this until the next evening...

7:00 p.m. Friday, December 5, 2008

I went to Mike's house to chill and join other brothers and sisters in Christ for some impromptu worship. Mike told me how his friend, the business owner we called the night before, just bought a new snow plow truck on faith. He felt it was something God was leading him to do.

Mike shared with me that he bought the truck on Thursday, December 4, 2008. And as he backed the new truck into his driveway he prayed, "Okay God. I sensed that You wanted me to buy this truck. I acted in faith. You need to provide someone to fill this seat. Someone to drive this truck."

When he finished praying, his cell phone rang.

It was me...

...calling on behalf of the 28-year-old looking for a job.

I waited to share this story until the timing seemed right. Today seemed right. Cafe 41:11 is a connecting place. It's part of our mission that we act as conduits to local churches and the community. I've put together a new resource page on our website. Think of it as a pipeline, a conduit, to connect you and those you know and those you may encounter who need connected. Check it out and thank you for your support and prayers. You can also find it by highlighting the MEDINA link, then the RESOURCES link.

Are you a conduit of His love and mercy?

The sixth grader's head bobs past the flashing neon open sign hanging in the cafe window...

This is no ordinary sixth grader. He's my nemesis. My archenemy. I'm not being harsh. This lad is truly cunning and a skilled barbarian. We've waged war three times. He won our first battle. I won the second, and then he slaughtered me during a third confrontation. Jesus once said, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (NIV, Luke 6:35).

I understand the "lend to them expecting nothing in return" part. I do that.

But I gotta' love them too?

I have to do good to them after they whip my backside...in chess?

...I notice him through the window, and he sees me. Our eyes lock like gunslingers out for revenge. While exchanging gazes, the tune from the movie The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly resonates in my mind. My rival smirks confidently at me knowing that he's schooled me before. I can see that he is not afraid of me. I can see it in those round blue eyes of his. He looks away and disappears behind the brick wall next to the front door. It opens and the sound of honking horns and rumbling afternoon traffic escorts him in. A cloud of dust from the dry air wraps around him like a cape.

"THEERRRE he is!" I announce to all the cafe guests.

"This guy has beaten me TWICE at chess," I inform them holding up two defeated fingers.

The cafe erupts with a few "WOO-HOO'S" and an "OH YEAH" or two.

The young chess-tournament-junkie hops onto a stool along the coffee bar just grinning.

Oh that grin! He just wanted to smear his great victories right in my face. I'll never forget that grin of his. It's burned on my Hypothalamus. His smile is totally innocent and adorable...but cunning! There is intelligence behind it. It's the kind of smile that starts out with lips closed and then opens wide revealing teeth that will bite you during a chess match.

Okay, so here's how he beat me last time:

Early in the game, I castle my King. It's safe...right? WRONG! While I take out his Bishop, one Knight, and a Rook, he sneaks his other Knight toward my castled King. For some reason, I never visualize the possible future movements of that straying Knight. Until...you got it...checkmate!

Here's the kicker. The kid doesn't say checkmate.

As calm as can be, he grins at me with that grin saying, "Gotcha!"

And nonchalantly knocks over my King. OOOH, that burns me up!

I've gotta'  go now. I need to Google: unstoppable chess moves before opening the cafe.