Hello everyone! It’s a beautiful Friday but I have nothing to say. The World Series excitement certainly impacts my reading schedule and my blogging. I was considering another John Owen graphic to celebrate the BoSox 2-1 victory in game 2. But I decided against this. An avalanche of work awaits me today and I need to get on it. … If you’re looking for something to read, I would point you to an excellent post by Tim Challies titled, Guarding the Deposit. I love the Antiques Roadshow. What a great illustration, Tim! Well, have a great weekend everyone! Tony
spurgeon
Celebrate Reformation Day
How do you celebrate Reformation Day (Oct. 31st)? In our home we like to grill some papal bull hamburgers, feed the kids a diet of (gummy) worms, and watch the old 1953 movie Martin Luther starring Niall MacGinnis. Ah, yes, the classics … This year Ligonier Ministries is helping Christians celebrate with a special deal on the ESV Reformation Study Bible. For one day only (Oct. 31) you can order the RSB for just $15.17. Get it? More details will be available soon by clicking the picture …
BoSox win game one
Puritan John Owen was noticeably pleased after his BoSox had their way with the Colorado Rockies in game one of the World Series, winning 13-1 at Fenway last night. Such sweet victory.
Lauterbach on the SD wildfires
Mark Lauterbach is blogging updates on the fires near San Diego that have already claimed 1,300 homes and caused the evacuations of several of his church members and staff. See Mark’s blog for the latest updates as well as CNN. Be in prayer for those affected.
Starbucks
No, I don’t have a Google alert set for anytime “Omaha” + “Starbucks” appear in the same webpage. But here are some interesting Starbucks factoids I stumbled into today …
- Starbucks’s closest competitor in the coffeehouse market, Caribou Coffee, is just one-twenty-fifth its size. Every 10 weeks, Starbucks opens as many stores as the total number of Caribou outlets.
- Starbucks has had 14 straight years with at least 5% same-store sales growth.
- Contrary to popular opinion, Starbucks increases sales at rival nearby coffeehouses. For example, when it blitzed Omaha with six stores, coffee sales at local joints went up as much as 25%, and more new ones opened shop.
- The average customer spends $4.05 per visit for coffee; the average fast-food-restaurant visitor spends $4.34 for an entire meal.
- For a cup that costs $3.40, at least 40 cents is profit. When Starbucks bumped the 8-ounce cup off the menu, the 10-ounce “tall” (the new small) increased profits by 25 cents per cup for only 2 cents of added product.
So there you have it. Ironically, recently all the Caribou Coffee shops in Omaha closed in one day. Apparently Starbucks has some negative influence on the local coffee market, too! …
In case you are wondering, here are my favorites:
- Venti Columbia (Best drip coffee in the world.)
- Venti Italian (Also excellent. The second best drip coffee in the world.)
- Venti Americano (+ an extra shot of espresso). Great taste but an expensive choice — reserved only when emergency measures are necessary to attain full consciousness.
- Venti French Roast. (I’m a coffee Calvinist).
And always room for 1/2 + 1/2 with 4 Splenda. Mmm. …
Weekend in Omaha
It’s been slow around TSS because this weekend the family and I returned to Omaha for my sister’s wedding. It was a great time back in Nebraska and it happened to coincide with the Red Sox winning the pennant and the Don Whitney conference at OBC. Sadly, there was no time to take in the conference Saturday, however, it was a great surprise on Saturday morning to run into some OBC-ers and Dr. Whitney at a local Starbucks. We were blessed to hear Whitney preach at OBC on Sunday morning. I’m told the weekend conference went well and you can get the audio here.
The outdoor wedding on Saturday was great. Weddings always provide an opportunity to catch up with family and friends we’ve not seen in a long time. As you can see below, our wedding gifts are usually printed and bound. It was an honor to give Tim and Amy a copy of Dave Harvey’s newest book on marriage, When Sinners Say ‘I Do’: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage (Shepherd Press: 2007). No doubt, one of the top books this year and perhaps the best book on marriage in print. If you don’t have it, I highly recommend it! (And it makes for a great wedding gift, too.)
Well, it’s good to be back in MN. And congratulations, Tim and Amy!
Tony Reinke 