You Need A Morning Routine

I love my morning routine. I’m telling you, I need it. I’ve been on vacation where I’m supposed to relax and get away from the hustle of life and have felt slightly miserable because my morning routine was thrown off. Realistically, I know that’s not how everyone is wired, but this is something I try my hardest to stick to.

For me, clarity is crucial. If everything is simply thrown together at random times, then I can’t function properly. And I’m also aware that my days, particularly my mornings, aren’t always going to look as clean or as tight as I’d like them to be. So, to give you a quick glimpse, here’s what my mornings look like 95% of the time:

6:30 A.M.

I want to be up early enough to where I can take my time getting up and thinking through some of the things I may have on my docket.

7:30 A.M.

At this time, I’ve hung out with Chango, my son, for awhile. He has his own morning routine too and once he’s good to go, it’s off to take him to school.

8:00 A.M.

This time is my jam. I’ll get home after taking Chango to school and I’ll start my brewing some coffee. A friend once came over and saw me make coffee and was annoyed at how long it took me. I’ll spend about 5-10 minutes preparing, grinding, and pouring coffee. This helps me keep the morning quiet and slow. I have no deadlines so I’m taking my time and enjoying the process.

Coffee - 9:00 A.M.

I’m sipping on my coffee and reading my Bible and/or writing until 9. I may put some music on, but still haven’t logged on to my email account or looked at my calendar. I have zero deadlines during this time, but shortly after 9 I begin working on something. Depending on the day, I may have meetings already scheduled or I’m working on developing content or my sermon.

I like my mornings to start off slow and quiet because I know I may not necessarily get that kind of an environment the rest of the day so I take advantage as much as I can. And again, these aren’t all of my mornings so there’s plenty of tweaking throughout the week. As you think through whether or not you should have a morning routine, here are 3 reasons why you should:

1.) Motivation

One of the hardest things for people is waking up and looking forward to something. For me, I genuinely look forward to the coffee making process. For others, it may be working out and getting it all out of the way before the day even begins. Everyone is different, but once you find that one thing you actually look forward to in the morning, waking up becomes easier and less of a pain.

2.) Completion

Mentally, by creating a morning routine you are now able to build a daily habit of starting and accomplishing tasks. Often, we can get swamped in our days where we feel like we’ve done a lot and have finished nothing. A morning routine helps you with a sense of accomplishment.

3.) Quiet Time

Many of the people I talk to with they could have some quiet time whether that would be for 20 minutes or an hour. A morning routine helps you with that. Depending on how you plan it, a morning routine will help you create an environment of silence and solitude.

THINGS TO THINK OF

1.) Prepare

You need to think about what is realistic for you and what your week looks like. For me, my morning routine happens 3 days out of the week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). Generally, on Tuesday’s, my first appointment is at 7:30 a.m. and then at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday’s. I try to make changes ahead of time so that I don’t feel thrown off.

2.) Time

Not everyone can have a long morning routine and that’s okay. Think through what it is your time will realistically look like in the morning.

3.) Adjust

Like many things, you’ll need to make adjustments as you move forward and that’s part of the morning routine. Adjustments are okay, but once you’ve found your sweet spot, enjoy!

The morning routine is all about catching momentum for the rest of your day. And often, we’re constantly on the go and looking for convenience and speed. In the mornings, however, it’s all about you. Give it a try. I’d love to hear about what you’re doing doing or trying in the comments!

Four Reasons To Drink Coffee

Let's face it, coffee is basically a source of life for many. In fact, as I write this I'm enjoying a good cigar with a giant mug of freshly brewed coffee. Today's post is going to be super sweet and simple. My hope is to get your brain moving a little and if you're already part of the elite 54 then this should be encouraging.

If you don’t drink coffee and you really don’t have a good reason, then I’m hoping to widen your perspective on this delicious beverage. But before I start, if you're still thinking about the "elite 54" and have no idea what that is (even if you do drink coffee), don't worry because I just made that name up. There's nothing elite about this number except that it explains our addiction. The number 54 represents the percentage of people over the age of 18 who drink coffee in this country every day!

Simply put, coffee is amazing. And this is why...

1. BE A BETTER ATHLETE

If you are training (that is correct, I did not say “working out”), then coffee can help to improve your performance.

Michael Duncan from the University of Exeter in England said (and I freakin' love this), “essentially, we found that with the caffeinated drink, the person felt more able to invest effort…”when testing the performance of athletes during training sessions. This means that athletes who did have caffeine in their system were not only able to focus more on their training, but increase their work capacity.

Additionally, the same study suggested that caffeine would also have a "striking effect on the central nervous system and on those parts of the brain involved in mood, alertness, and fine motor coordination during exercise." Furthermore and conclusively. caffeine increases fatty acids in the bloodstream which means burns those fats for fuel. 

2. LESS STRESS

An article that was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry by the Seoul National University in South Korea showed that researchers tested labs rats who were sleep deprived to inhale the smell of coffee. Researchers then found that “some of the genes expressed in the coffee-sniffing, stressed rats expressed proteins that have healthful antioxidant properties known to protect nerve cells from stress related damage.”

Now, I wish to note that this is a study that was conducted under the stress of sleep deprivation. And while there are many variables that can lead to stress, this is simply one to further prove my argument for you to drink coffee.

3. COFFEE MAKES YOU SMARTER

If you don't already know, caffeine is a stimulant which means it helps you get stuff done. In other words, caffeine helps to improve neurons, alertness, and cognitive function. One of the first things people do in the morning is have a cup of coffee; part of the reasoning is so that stuff gets done. 

4. COFFEE MAKES YOU HAPPY

A study conducted by the National Institute of Health reported that those who drank at least 4 cups of coffee a day were 10% less likely to be depressed than those who didn't. Additionally, the study surveyed other caffeinated drinks like coke, but they were unfortunately linked back to depression. 

The moral of this post? DRINK COFFEE. Don’t wait for the New Year to “try” something different” and I promise you won’t turn into a hipster if you start drinking coffee. If you do, however, turn into a hipster it’ll be because you wanted to.

My Summer Top 5's

The summer is upon us and that means it's hot in Texas. At heart, I'm an introvert and for me that usually means I like a handful of things to do, many I've written about. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share my top 5's on things I like to do a little more during the summer months.

Hope you enjoy!

TOP 5 BOOKS

1. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp
I started this book a few weeks ago and it's been incredibly good for my soul. Really, anything by Paul Tripp is good for the soul. But this book particularly has been refreshing for me as it's been a pastoral resource in counseling but also in my own life. I would highly recommend it. 

2. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
This was one of the first books I read when I became a Christian and the first I read from C.S. Lewis; his arguments and wisdom continually come to mind and it's rather nostalgic for me. 

3. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
Prayer has always been an area of weakness for me and over the past several months, that has been incredibly convicting. These collection of prayers from the Puritans is amazing and a great help to me in my daily prayer life. I highly recommend it. 

4. God's Word Alone--The Authority of Scripture: What the Reformers Taught and Why It Still Matters by Matthew Barrett
I'm 3 chapters in and I love this book because it's a rich culmination of early church history and the reformation. Additionally, we're about to do a 5 week sermon series on the 5 Solas so naturally this is a great resource for study. 

5. Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray
I have yet to start this one, but it's on my desk. I've been burnt out before, both as a bivocational ministry leader and have almost burnt out as a full-time pastor. This is definitely a must read for anyone in ministry. 

Top 5 CIGARS

1. Flor de Las Antillas by My Father
This is a great quality stick, both in its performance and price. This is definitely a medium smoke, but lots of smoke. It has a hefty tobacco flavor with some added sweetness to it. 

2. Prensado by Alec Bradley
This is one of my favorite sticks, a common go-to. It offers rich coffee and chocolate flavors; great breakfast stick (as in, a good smoke with coffee) or dessert stick. 

3. All Out Kings by Drew Estate and Caldwell
This is the newest one in this list and was really looking forward to it when it came out. Thanks to my boys out at Cigar Saveur, they hooked it up! Definitely a great stick and hard to find in my experience. This is a medium strength cigar with a lot of rich flavor--earthy, black coffee, leather, and sweet tones throughout the smoke. 

4. AFR-75 San Andreas Maduro by A. Flores 
This one is a little harder to find, but when you do find it, it's hard to be disappointed. Don't let the maduro wrapper intimidate you as this is a mild-medium smoke. The flavors are a great blend of a natural tobacco sweetness, creamy, and very smooth with a long finish; it's definitely a smoke for anytime of the day. 

5. Liga Privada T52 by Drew Estate 
If you have some extra cash, then Liga Privada is a good "special occasion" cigar. I only get these when I'm out of town because they don't carry them in McAllen and they're a little expensive (anywhere between $13-16). Nevertheless, lots of smooth tobacco, creamy, and leather flavors; long burner.  

If you choose any of these great sticks OR you have a few of your favorites, but are missing a good cutter. I suggest Cuban Crafter's Perfect cut. It'll be the only cutter you need. 

Top 5 COLD BREW COFFEE

1. Chameleon Cold Brew Coffee
Chameleon Cold Brew is definitely a constant in our fridge. It's also distributed throughout most grocery stores in Texas so it's easily accessible. The original is my favorite; strong in its strength (it's concentrated) and rich in chocolate flavors.

2. Black and Blew Coffee by Cuvee
This is a delicious treat; it's sweet and creamy both in it's flavors and texture. A friend and I would love to have this on tap in our office because it's that delicious. 

3. Grady's Cold Brew
Grady's is very creamy, much more creamy than Chameleon and I mean that in its flavor and texture which gives it a little "heavier" taste to it. The earthiness is very sweet and great for the early morning or after dinner. 

4. Bear State Cold Brew Coffee
Sometimes, when you drink black coffee (hot or cold brew) it can taste quite bitter in its notes. Bear State has done a phenomenal job at making a cold brew that is very sweet from the start (but also pairs well with creamers or almond milks). Not bad, Cali. Not bad.

5. Bruja Cold Brew Coffee
This is a very easy drinking coffee--great on a hot day. If I'm not mistaken, it's a brazilian bean; smooth nuttiness flavors with a hint of sweet.