Ron DeMiglio - Coffee, the World, and Jesus, But Not Necessarily in That Order

I love the way Ron looks at himself, and thus the world, through refreshingly honest self-talk, and then dialogues with me, the reader, with a full amount of caffeinated energy. The book is evidence that humor, honesty, and introspection have all the makings for a great reada great read that helps us to be more authentic as we engage in our own extended journey on the java trail of life.

R ON K UEST , soul-mentor, coach, and coauthor of Gravity: Seven Essential Truths About Influence, Leadership, and Your Soul

Brace yourself for a fresh perspective on faithan upgrade on the ways we Christians interact with the world. Biblical? Check. Humble? Check. Global? Refreshingly so. Like an ordained barista, DeMiglio serves nothing but the steaming hot truth with a dollop of dry wit and some freshly baked tales. Are you ready to engage with Jesus in all the places coffee grows or gets sold? Grab a mug. The first sips may be slightly disorienting but youll line up for refills, I promise you.

L ORI S TANLEY R OELEVELD , blogger, coffee-lover, and author of Jesus and the Beanstalk, Running from a Crazy Man, and Red Pen Redemption

Buckle your seat belt and prepare to see the world with Ron DeMiglio. Meet people, taste the coffee, and be ready for the last sip that causes you to shun common thinking. Each chapter is a tour stop in a new city in this travel adventure of discovery, where Rons humor is a spoonful of sugar to help the wisdom go down.

M ARTY F OLSOM , executive director of the Pacific Association for Theological Studies

To say DeMiglio stirs an oversize pot and chuckles while he does it is an understatement. At the same time, his challenging, inspiring, sobering, sometimes irritating (because he strikes so close to home), and laugh-out-loud stories willwithout questionchange your life in profound ways. Highly recommended.

J AMES L. R UBART , best-selling author of The Five Times I Met Myself

Coffee, The World, and Jesus, but Not Necessarily in That Order is a delightful and whimsical journey around the world and into your heart. DeMiglios quick wit and snappy style give the reader a lighthearted view of the business of coffee with a profound global perspective from the Jesus-loving heart of a regular cup of joe kind of guy.

T ROY V AN H ORN , missionary entrepreneur and coffee geek

Coffee, the World, and Jesus, but Not Necessarily in That Order

2017 by Ron DeMiglio

Published by Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., 2450

Oak Industrial Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in reviews.

Distribution of digital editions of this book in any format via the Internet or any other means without the publishers written permission or by license agreement is a violation of copyright law and is subject to substantial fines and penalties. Thank you for supporting the authors rights by purchasing only authorized editions.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

ISBN 978-0-8254-4465-4

Printed in the United States of America

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 / 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to my wife, Tina.
After all these years, after all our adventures, after raising children, after making money and going broke, after all the laughs, tears, missteps, and victories, I still get butterflies when I hold your hand. You make me feel capable.

F or the past twenty-five years, my life, in one way or another, has been about coffeebuying, selling, roasting, serving, and loving coffee. Most of those years were spent working in the international coffee industry. Coffee has taken me quite literally all over the world. I not only love the taste and smell of coffee (roasted coffee, that is; green coffee smells like wet hay) but I also love the business of coffee, I love the people of coffee.

This is not, however, a book about coffee. Its a book about a Jesus-following peddler of that golden arabica elixir and how other worldviews, peoples, and cultures transformed my faithone cup, one country, and one person at a time.

If all this makes me sound like some kind of a world-wise exotic traveler, talk to my friends and family. Theyll set the record straight.

Im just a guy. A guy who has been blessed with the privilege of making a living in the coffee industry while traveling the world.

I didnt always have this balanced of a perspective. In the beginning of my career, I thought I was a pretty big wheel of cheese. I covered up my walk of pride by deflecting compliments and feigning embarrassment at accolades. But inside I sucked them in like a black hole.

Maddeningly it seemed like every time I opted to relax, revel, and bask in the glow of the creature-length film that was my life, Jesus started kicking the back of my seat. Thump! You are mine. Thump! I love you. Thump! Hear my call. Thump! Ive got much more for you. Thump! That soda will weaken your bone density. (The last one might have been my wife prayerfully tilling the me-dirt. But the other kicks were definitely Jesus.)

That man is truly relentless.

I recall an event that, for me, highlighted just how persistent Jesus has been in my life. It was on my second trip to Japan that I was scheduled to meet with a prestigious trading company in downtown Tokyo. I sported a new suit and an old attitude. I had my international businessman savvy ratcheted up to industrial strength and I was a force to be reckoned with, or so I thought. Smug and cocky, I was not the least bit prepared for Jesus to interject himself again.

I had memorized a few social graces in Japanese on my flight over the Pacific. I was really going to wow these guys. They wouldnt know what hit them. As I stepped off the elevator, a receptionist confirmed my appointment and invited me to sit in one of their lavish lobby chairs. Aside from the receptionist, I was the only one in the waiting area. Only the fortunate few got to sit in these chairs. Me. How big cheesy was I now!

As I waited, my eyes scanned the area. In the corner was a large, ornate birdcage that held a stunningly beautiful parrot. The parrot looked as regal and formidable as I felt at that moment. Motionless, the bird stared at me. Its colors were so vibrant, it almost didnt look real. It all felt so international and exclusive. I was in my element.

Then it happened.

Without warning the parrot rattled off three full sentences of flawless Japanese. Holy blazing beak, Batman! The parrot knew more Japanese than I did and its pronunciation was perfect.

My preening, puffy persona evaporated instantly. I sat there trying to reclaim my business swag but it was too late. God had effectively used a lobby parrot to snap me back to the knowledge that this wasnt about me at all. Never was about me. In an instant, I decreased (deflated really) so that God might increase. His void-filling assurance and peace were instantaneous.