First We Have Coffee....A Guest Post From Wendy

Thanks, Momma Tagg, for inviting me to your blog!

I’m visiting today to recommend a book we both love and have just finished re-reading: First We Have Coffee, by Margaret Jensen. It’s the biography of Margaret’s mother, Elvine Tweeten, “Mama,” a pastor’s wife whose story ranges from rural Canada in the 1930s to Florida in the 1970s.

Mama was a remarkable woman. An immigrant from Norway, she and her husband, Pastor Tweeten, ministered for decades to the Christian Norwegians who had made their way to Canada and America. While raising a family and supporting her husband in his ministry, she found time to love hurting and needy people, to offer her home and the ever-present comfort of a cup of coffee.

Her theology was simple: “If we keep a thankful, joyful heart and learn to trust God, we will have peace all of the time.” I loved how no matter how grave or challenging the circumstances, she always declared, “God never fails.” And that’s just what we see in her story—miracles and wonderful answers to prayer, her faith in action.

What an inspiration to read of this faithful life. She faced tragedy, loneliness, culture shock, marriage challenges, ministry challenges, parenting issues, illness, and more, with a steadfast trust in the Lord. Mama’s choice to trust rather than despair or get bitter allowed God to work powerfully, and kept her own heart tender.

I’m glad I got to meet Mama in the pages of this book, and I will be thrilled to meet her face to face in heaven. Hers was a life well-lived and I have been braced and challenged by her example.

Thanks for the visit! I hope you have a chance to read this lovely book. It was an important story to tell and you’ll be blessed.

Wendy, Momma T’s friend