The Way I See It

A couple months back, I came across a blog post written by a Christian gal who was furious with Starbucks. She had mentioned that she read a quote on her Starbucks cup that morning that was completely against God and her religious views. She mentioned that she was no longer going to purchase her coffee there.

I, at the time, was unaware that Starbucks even had quotes on their cups. They began placing these quotes, entitled The Way I See It, on their cups back in 2005. I had their coffee back in 2005, but to be honest, I never once paid attention to the cup. If I did, it was to see if they remembered to mark decaf, since I was pregnant.

So, this morning, I ran to Starbucks for a venti vanilla latte with a pump of almond. YUM. I looked for the quote and it was pretty big. Yep, sure was. And I liked it! I then noticed a website address. I browsed their website and found a bunch of other quotes that I liked.

Here's a few of them. Be sure to at least read the last one, because the rest of my post is in regards to it.

The Way I See It #129
The first person to walk on Mars could be alive today. If so, she's most likely two years old and living in China.
--Andrew Zolli
Futurist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

The Way I See It #139
I recently read about a young woman in another country who was executed because of her religious beliefs; yet, I still complain about traffic.
--Jason Willis
Starbucks customer from Springfield, Oregon.

The Way I See It #148
Great teachers should be paid like doctors or corporate attorneys. I worry about what will happen to our economy and our democracy if we don’t start to take teachers' jobs seriously.
--Nínive Clements Calegari
Co-founder of 826 Valencia and co-author of Teachers Have It Easy.

The Way I See It #153 (On my cup today)
Is art entertainment?
Art teaches us about who we are. Entertainment tells us who to be.
Art is a public service. Entertainment is a private product.
Art opens our minds. Entertainment thinks for you.
Art is publicly offered. Entertainment is publicly traded.
Art is the words we wish to say, but lack the language to say it.
--Justin Dillon
Musician. His band, Tremolo, can be heard on Starbucks Hear Music™ station, XM Satellite Radio Channel 75.

The Way I See It #92
"You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny."
--Dr. Rick Warren
Author of The Purpose-Driven Life.

After reading the quote from Rick Warren, I went searching for the blog that I had come across awhile back. I wanted to bring this quote to her attention. Google didn't find it though, but I did come across a USA Today article concerning the quote.
And I learned some other things about some companies out there that plant Christian messages on their merchandise or in their stores.

In-N-Out Burger places notations for Bible verses on all of their wrappers and cups. Their company spokesperson says that it is so miniscule that many don't even notice it. So, hey, the next time you get an In-N-Out Burger, look for the verse.

Forever 21 stores places John 3:16 on their shopping bags.

Hobby Lobby plays only Christian music in their stores and Alaska Airlines places prayer cards on their meal packaging. Steve and I actually noticed that when we flew Alaska Airlines to our honeymoon. We actually held onto our prayer cards and told many about it.

I originally went onto the Starbucks site in search of the quote that offended the blogger. And while there were quotes that questioned God and even some very VERY liberal quotes, I was happy to see Rick Warren's quote. I mean, not everyone they quote is going to be a believer and while, I can see how a Christian can be bothered by a quote from someone with very strong views against Christianity, when you think about it, it could open doors. I mean, the point of Starbucks placing quotes on their cups, is to spark conversation. And maybe a believer out at Starbucks with a non-believer, could use a quote against God to stir up a conversation regarding God and their beliefs. I guess, we shouldn't be too quick to become offended or to have the expectation that everyone will have our same beliefs or tip-toe around them. Anything can be used to glorify God.