For 30+ years now, my son and I have gone on an annual fishing trip in northern Minnesota (since he was 6 years old). It’s an amazing time in a primitive cabin and some of the most beautiful, peaceful scenery that I know of.   

Each morning we eat at the TPatton café in Orr. The town only has about 175 people and, when we walk in, we see many of the same faces. The owners of the TPatton café are wonderful, relaxed folk with an amazing attitude. Whether you are a regular or just visiting annually, somehow, they make us all feel like family. The restaurant is in an old train depot and breakfast is served on the first level. There’s a staircase that has about 15 to 18 steps and all the food is prepared upstairs. It’s quite the work out for the servers!   

The first thing I noticed many years ago and every year since is one of the simplest things…the coffee. Now they don’t serve a special kind of coffee and it’s nothing that you would think of in a coffee shop. There’re no flavors added to it and it’s not a latte or any type of mocha. It’s just a cup of coffee. Now mind you, I am a coffee connoisseur/snob. I absolutely adore going into coffee shops. If I weren’t careful, I could spend a ridiculous amount of money on coffee. But the first time I tasted this coffee was something that will be with me forever. And it’s something that I look forward to every year. Even in January as I’m starting to think of this trip, I think of that coffee. I’m pretty sure the primary reason is that we are away from the stress of the city life.   

The second verse came about as a result of an awkward moment at church one Sunday when I was leading worship. We had gone over everything to ensure things would go smoothly and everyone involved said they understood. This was right before the first service. Well, things did not go smoothly at all. One person forgot what we had just talked about and a really strange moment was created in that service. It was intensely uncomfortable to say the least and there was nothing I could do about it while it was happening. I was pretty upset. 

Fast forward to the end of that service. I was backstage getting ready to come out to lead the last song. I was angry. I really had nothing to give because my focus was still on the problem we had earlier. I prayed while the speaker was starting to wrap up his message. That’s when the second verse of the song came: 

“When your anger rises at the smallest things, when your spirit’s raw and you got nothin’ to bring, when you open your mouth but you cannot sing”. 

The words flowed right out of me. I quickly repented of my anger, asked God to forgive me and went out to lead the last song. When I got home, I finished writing “May Your Coffee Taste Much Sweeter”. It’s amazing how God takes times like this and turns them into something good!

I hope the simple prayer in this song will stay with you as you sing it and as you go through your day…May your coffee taste much sweeter than it did yesterday. If you’re not a coffee drinker, may your tea or your juice or your water or whatever you drink, taste much sweeter today than yesterday. God does indeed know all of our struggles. He knows how hard this life is. Reach out to His already extended hand for help in the middle of your stress or even, and maybe even especially, in your peaceful times.  

I hope that no matter what you are going through, that you will tap into the source of life, eternal life, Jesus Christ.