Refill with Randy – A coffee obsession explained
Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!
By Randy LeBaron
Hey, aren’t you that coffee guy in The Pennysaver? This is what someone asked me when I was walking around at East Shelby Church’s Old Tyme Day this past summer. I smiled, admitted that it was in fact me, and thanked them for reading. And now as I reflect back on that, and many similar encounters since, I realize that I have never really explained what some might refer to as my coffee obsession.
Truth be told, I do not actually drink a ton of coffee. I used to, more-so when I was younger. I have vivid memories of being given coffee in a sippy cup when I was just a toddler as well as enjoying coffee ice cream, not ice cream with coffee flavoring but a scoop of ice cream plopped down in the middle of a piping hot cup of coffee, as a customary dessert at my grandparent’s house. Additionally, I cannot remember a time that there wasn’t coffee brewing in my parent’s home since my father had worked nights and became accustomed to drinking it at all hours of the day.
So yes, I drank a lot of coffee growing up and look how it stunted my growth. All kidding aside, for those who do not know me I am 6’ 3”, since I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult it’s not a leap to think that I had it as a child and the coffee probably helped acting as a stimulant. But I digress… 
Nowadays I still enjoy that first cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning but even more I enjoy drinking it in the company of others. For many social drinking might mean something very different but for me it means connecting with someone over a cup of coffee. There is just something disarming about sitting in a coffee shop or wherever and chatting with someone face to face. Unlike with social media where you cannot read emotions, or where you may write much harsher things looking at a screen than at an actual person, it seems to me that it is a better medium for most of the discussions that you find on FB nowadays.
In fact, while being interviewed a few years ago on The Family Life Network, I shared how I got together regularly with a group of guys at Tim Hortons who were often on extreme ends of the spectrum whether discussing politics, religion, etc. But, no matter what each one believed, they still came back the next day and were glad to see one another and join in the discussion again. I told the host of the show that I thought there would be less hate and division in our country if more people chatted in coffee shops than online and I still stand by that statement today.
Another reason I like to drink coffee socially is because I have met a lot of fantastic people that way. I met my friend, who I miss very much, Jonathan Doherty one evening at Dunkin Donuts while participating in a Men’s Bible Study. I have made several friends who I consider close in similar fashion just by showing up at Tim Hortons or Risen Café and joining into conversations. In fact, there is a good chance that I met a lot of you when I was working at HeBrews 5:9 back in 2020.
Nowadays my life is a bit busier so I don’t frequent the coffee shops as much as I would like but I still make an effort to connect with the morning gang at Tim Horton’s, to get together with the ARC Self-Advocates the 2nd Monday of every month, and to set up as many meetings as possible at places like The Coffee Pot Café in Medina or Rise & Grind in Albion. If all else fails my church has a time of fellowship every Sunday aptly named “Coffee Talk” so you know that I’m going to show up there.
This morning before finishing this article I actually went over to Tim Hortons and while visiting with fellow coffee connoisseurs Walt and Bill a man came in, got his coffee, and set up his laptop in the back. Walt shared with me that he was a very nice guy who was in the area helping his father who had cancer. Later, before leaving, I walked over and introduced myself thinking that if he was here by himself dealing with difficulties of caregiving that he might want someone to talk to. Having had similar experiences myself and having walked this road with many families through my work at Hospice I could easily empathize.
What started off as a chance meeting quickly turned into a divine encounter as he shared that he was hoping he could find someone to talk to and to visit with his dad. And that my friends is why I’m OK with being known as “that coffee guy” and why I chose the name Refill with Randy for my videos, Blog, and these articles. Every morning as I “fill” my cup with coffee I also pray that God would fill me with His Holy Spirit and make me aware of ways that I might be able to connect with and help others throughout the day. I pray the same for you.
See you in 2 weeks,
Pastor Randy (aka That Coffee Guy) 
