Living “All In.” Thoughts about Coffee, Poker, & Easter

“All In” for the Perfect Cup of Coffee

I’m obsessed with making a perfect cup of coffee. Every morning, I wake up excited about grinding beans and brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Coffee carried me through all-nighters in college and sustained me during the sleep-deprived years of motherhood when my 4-cup coffee maker did the job.

In the early 2000’s, we invested in a higher quality coffee maker and began grinding our own coffee beans.

Two years ago, we decided to roast our own coffee using a roaster that someone gave us. We learned about types of beans and roasts. Last Christmas, in 2018, we invested in a coffee roaster. And, when our coffee maker broke in January, we turned to a pour-over style Chemex®.

We’ve gone all in for the perfect cup of coffee. If you can’t relate to my coffee obsession, then picture something you value–shoes or workouts or make-up. Wherever we want more, that’s where we’re all in.

“All In” for Life with Jesus

In poker, “All In” means betting all of your chips on the hand that you’re holding. It’s a gutsy move that communicates to other players how confident you are in your cards.

Wednesday marked the day that I officially gave my life over to Jesus in 1983. That day, 36 years ago, I knelt in my upstairs bedroom and told Him that I’d follow Him. All in. I’ve written about that experience, here.

Even when life feels like a pressure-cooker, I won’t go back. I’m not living a part-time, Sunday-morning faith. No, I’m living a full-time, whole-life surrender. All in.

Even when life feels like a pressure-cooker, I won't go back. I'm not living a part-time, Sunday-morning faith. No, I'm living a full-time, whole-life surrender to Jesus. All in. Click To Tweet

Over the next few days, I’ll remember, along with Christians around the world, that Jesus sacrificed His life. When sin demanded a payment–my life, Jesus stepped in and said, “I’ll pay your death penalty. I’ll give my life to save yours.” He was all in with God’s plan to save me. That good news is summarized in this well-known verse of the Bible:

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17 NLT

“All In” for a Life that Matters

Life isn’t measured by the stuff we accumulate or the accolades we collect. Instead, it’s measured by the things we gave ourselves to. Jesus described an all-in life this way,

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Mark 8:34-37 NLT

Life isn't measured by the stuff we accumulate or the accolades we collect. Instead, it's measured by the things we gave ourselves to. Click To Tweet

And, when we are all in, transformation begins to happen.

Happy Easter Friends!

Stay Rooted in His Death, Burial, and Resurrection for You!

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7 NLT