Preface         From the day we’re born until the day we die, we travel through vast uncharted territories in life. I have learned some things on the journey about the human heart and connecting with other people by establishing bonds of friendship that strengthen and encourage.         “Nothing in the world is single; all things by a law divine in one another’s being mingle— ” wrote the poet. A Novel Tea is about the divine mingling of souls over a cup of tea. You will not find any instructions on how to make a pot of tea within these pages, but you will read stories that inspire you to relate to people with unique ideas and challenges to make “friends you haven’t met yet!”         The farther I travel on my journey, the more aware I am of the need to be connected to people. God placed the desire and the need for communion in my soul. Those desires are acted out in my relationships with God, my family members, and my friends. But they reach outside the borders of my living, too. Obedience to cross thresholds I wouldn’t ordinarily cross and give a “cup of cold water in the name of Jesus” flows out of my intimacy with God. He is teaching me that life cannot be lived merely for “self.” In fact, the Holy Scriptures mandate that if we are serious about our                                           10 lived-out faith, we will lay down our lives and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.         One of the ways to do this is to be very intentional about what we do and how we do it. For example, I begin every day with 86,400 seconds to spend. Once a day is over, my seconds disappear into yesterday; I’ll never get them back. I can waste that precious time, or I can invest it in people and reap dividends for eternity. So how do I go about making good choices that will benefit not just me, but others whose lives I intersect on the journey?        This book tells the stories of unique opportunities and ideas to incorporate into your world; how you can adapt these ideas to meld into your particular lifestyle. In one chapter I relate how I literally present my personal planner/ calendar to God every Monday morning. As I look over my appointments and class schedule, I ask God to make me sensitive to each person I meet in the coming week. I pray for God to bless me so that I can bless others with encouragement.         What I hear everywhere I go from everyone I meet is the modern complaint: “I’m so busy! I’m on a fast track, and I can’t get off.” When we feel too busy, we pull into ourselves and hibernate. We retreat from people. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we can’t allow ourselves to get too busy for people. Billy Graham once said, “We hurt people by being too busy. Too busy to notice their needs. Too busy to drop that note of comfort or encouragement                                           11 or assurance of love. Too busy to listen when someone needs to talk.”          I hope and pray this book will thrust you out of some comfort zones and be a map of sorts on the path of excellence in living. Become devoted to service and by doing so, you will cultivate a fruitful life. Excellence can be achieved by taking the very simple things of life— things like a teapot, books, and a listening heart—and using them to their maximum potential. Brew yourself a cup of tea, sit down and make yourself at home with me as you read this book. Welcome to my world! God’s richest blessings on all of you who are seeking the best God has for you. Jean Chapman, author                                           Please note: Although names have been changed in this book, the stories are very real.                                           12