Monday night’s Bible Study was worth the wait and it was one that I needed to hear (truthfully, it’s one we all need to hear). The subject was all about distraction. I arrived a little after five to set up my seating location, and went inside to get my coffee. I finished the In Bloom season as I began it in April, with a Cutie Cannoli latte. This season went by fast! Just after six we began with a praise and worship song and then heard our message from our Cuties barista Victoria.
I’m leaning towards visiting another local cafe sometime next week and then coming back at the beginning of the month when A Cutie Summer menu makes its debut. The next Bible Study is June 2, so that may be my next time there, or sooner.
One thing I heard on Monday night was that one of the ways we get distracted is by scrolling on our phones, looking at social media posts, and feeling envious that other peoples’ lives are better when looking at their posts. It’s one of the ways that the world keeps us from growing in our walk with God. I am guilty of that, and we all are. I’m gender nonconforming and I have spent a lot of time on Facebook and Instagram. When I don’t see likes or comments on some of my posts, it makes me feel discouraged and want to give up. That was the case in 2022 and just last year. When it lingered into summer, enough was enough.
The Presidential election results didn’t discourage me. Neither has this stretch of wet, cool weather nor the cold winter we had. Even the Steelers’ most recent one and done season and offseason quarterback drama has not had staying power. They’ve all come close. I’m happy my Eagles beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl, though.
I attended a few Cutie’s Coffee Bible Studies last summer just after they began in July. This was the first one I stuck around for after it ended and talked to some of the leaders and shared my story with them. The early start time helps too (6 to 7 versus 7 to 8 last year). I’m very happy with the response that this little community bible study has gotten and how much it has grown, and what this coffee shop has done for Greensburg. Plus, the small business collaborations have been amazing and their social media has always inspired my drink choices, even well in advance. I love all the cafes and restaurants that Greensburg has to offer, and the new kid in town has done very well.
I want to close with the message that I read about Cutie’s and my journey the last few years, and while some of it is negative, it does end well.
Recently, the owner of Cutie’s was blasted on social media for her faith. That person mocked the bible study, criticized her as a human being, and tried to create division. The truth is: someone’s salvation is more important than one’s comfort, and someone’s salvation is more important than another person’s hate.
I walked away from the church in 2021 and the exit was pretty acrimonius. That year brought with a lot of change for me in terms of my health, my job, and my faith. I started nonconforming in the summer of that year and I had been feeling like this for a long time, not just before 2019. I didn’t know how to explain it and I ended up blurting it out one day while out to lunch. I was called out for how I dressed several weeks later, being questioned on whether or not I was gay, and that ended up leading to my exit. The next few years saw me take a break from the church, only coming back for one Christmas in 2022 and during the Easter season in 2023. I also attended Community Church a few times in the fall of 2024 but that didn’t stick. Before that, I discovered the Bible Study that Cutie’s held on Mondays during the Summer. I attended a few times and really liked it.
I returned a few weeks ago and just at the last meeting on Monday, socialized more after the study ended.
God is really using this platform to reach people in the community. It’s changed my life and has gotten me excited about Jesus again. That, as well as getting up on stage and sharing my story at my Toastmasters clubs, which helped improve my mental health as well as my mood.
I’ve felt very welcome at Cutie’s, and the staff is starting to get to know me better. We all have our differences, but aside from those we can all come together.
God can use you right where you are, if you’re ever scared to step out in faith just know that.
Stylish 🍒 