Dare I Say It?

Dare I say those infamous words? Dare I let them pass through my lips?
Yes, I shall. IT IS FINISHED!

The Creation account told in the beginning chapters of Genesis tells us that God created the
entire universe in six days and then rested. The very fact that it took us nearly 10 months to build and furnish a coffee house proves that we are not God...not that anyone was wondering.

It is finished. At least, it is as finished as it is going to get for a while. Whew. It's been a long road.

Now, we are about to open for business.

New Friends

Whether its building a business, building a ministry or building a career, its all about contacts. Jim Griffith, nationally known church-planting consultant from Denver, Colorado told me recently, "Chuck, its all a contact sport. The more contacts you make, the better things go." And so it is with Jamani Java. Over the last few days, I've met at least 25 to 30 people who have happened by the store to "check us out." Some actually came because they thought we were open. Others pulled up to the drive-through expecting to be able to place an order. I make it a habit to welcome everyone in for the grand tour even though we aren't open. So far but one have taken me up on the offer and that one was already running late for work. All who've taken the tour have left excited for our opening day.

Today, we had our preliminary check-up from the health department. All went very well and we are about 99.5% ready to open. Its more exciting than Christmas! Watch for our huge NOW OPEN signs. We are almost there.

Getting Close

All the equipment is in. The tables and chairs are set. The lights are on and we are about ready to open for business. But, first things first: we need our occupancy permit and health department approval. Hopefully, those two important requirements will be met by the end of this week. Watch for the big NOW OPEN banners.