A couple of weeks ago, I met with a fellow disciple-maker - one I had trained a while back - to get an update on how things were going.  We met in a local coffee shop in the Portland area, one that I hadn't visited before.  He showed me a diagram of first and second generation groups he had started in another country.  Our conversations were extremely encouraging.

That morning, while I was reading Acts, I asked God to show me things that I needed to see that I couldn't perceive on my own.  I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was, when I got distracted from the conversation with my friend, and started paying attention to the things going on around me.  

People walked in an out of the coffee shop, greeted each other, hugged, and stopped to talk about life - true community stuff.  Bright eyed children walked in with their parents, ran up to what I assumed was their baby sitter and told them about their day.  I've been to a lot of coffee shops in the PNW, but I hadn't seen community on this level.  Better yet, I didn't see a single Bible open on any table and, as far as I could tell, my friend and I were the only ones talking about Jesus stuff. (My kind of place!)

I engaged a woman and her 2 year old in conversation.  We chatted briefly about kids and how quickly they grow up.  I shared a story about a recent situation with my 14 year old daughter, and the conversation took a more meaningful tone.  We talked a little about community, and the woman shared a bit about the neighborhood and the coffee shop.  I gently opened the door for a more spiritual conversation about community, but she wasn't interested at that time.  As we finished our conversation, she spontaneously introduced herself and her daughter, something that is a little unusual in the Pacific Northwest.

A short time later, I noticed an older gentleman with long hair enter the shop.  The barista greeted him by name and pulled him aside to ask a personal question.  Doug, as I found out, was known and respected by every regular.  People greeted him and stopped to talk.  Children ran up and smiled at him.  I got the sense that every woman in the place - young and old - felt comfortable around Doug.

God gave me an opportunity to talk with Doug a bit and we discovered that we share an interest in early American history.  He suggested a couple of books and movies that I should try when I had the chance.

When I had the opportunity, I quietly filled my friend in on what I noticed about the coffee shop.  "This is a community hub." I said. "And, I believe Doug may be a potential Person of Peace."