Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

I'm beginning to think of every door into Ebenezers, our coffeehouse on Capitol Hill, as a worm hole or portal. I want people to feel like they're walking into a different time and place when they walk into the main level. Museums do a great job of this with some of their exhibits. The exhibits at The Air and Space Museum make you feel like you're at Kittyhawk with the Wright Brothers or on board an aircraft carrier. They even have flight simulators that put you in the cockpit.

I developed a formula years ago that has proven true in my life: change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. I want Ebenezers to be that kind of place. A third place (in sociological terms) where they can escape the pressures of work or home and take a chill pill.

I just read Beans which is sort of a take-off on the book Fish. It's a great little book. One statement resonated: the first stop of the day pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the day. Ebenezers, along with other coffeehouses, have the opportunity to "set the tone" for customers. Actually, I'm not sure I like the word "customer." I'd rather view it as "serving coffee to old friends or new friends." When people walk through our "worm hole" we treat them as if they were in our family room.