For reasons which I’d rather not explain right now, I have removed the links to the NUMB3RS section of my website and put that particular domain in maintenance mode. What this means is: 1) I have not deleted it, 2) It is not available right now, and, 3) It will be back.

There is no timetable for its return, however.

I like Starbucks.

I like their coffee. It’s not for everyone, as it tends to be a bit stronger than other coffees. I like the medium brews in the morning, like Kenya or Guatemala Antigua. The bolder beans — such as Sumatra — are my afternoon choice. My all-time favorite is Ethopian Sidamo.

I like the Starbucks vibe as well. Cool, relaxed. The baristas are always friendly and try to accommodate you in any way they can. If you stick around and enjoy the comfy couches or chairs, you can enjoy the free wifi and hipster music.

It was after experiencing a French press at Starbucks that I got one of my own. And a grinder. And I began purchasing bags of whole beans — Starbucks, of course — so I could have it at home.

Like many, we joke about St.Arbucks and how much we like to go there.

In 2007 I registered my first gift card with Starbucks. At some point I got a gold card (cue angel music). Eventually I got the iPhone SB app and kept track of my purchases through the app, so I didn’t have to carry the actual gold card. My gold card was good for tiny perks and savings, nothing big. My gold status remained intact until last month.

You would think after 5 years I would know how the gold card and rewards worked. I didn’t.

I always thought that the rewards were based on how much your purchased. You know, for every so many $, you receive a star. (Starbucks rewards are based on a star system. So many stars earn you a free drink. You have to earn enough stars to retain your gold card status.)

My understanding of the reward system was incorrect. It doesn’t matter how much you purchase, just how often. Every purchase earns a star, whether you buy a $15 bag of coffee or a $2 tiny cup of coffee.

In the past, whenever you earned enough reward for a free drink, a delightful post card would arrive in the mail, showing your reward and the expiration date of the reward. At some point, this system changed. In October I received a notice on my phone that I had earned a free drink. I didn’t pay much attention to it, because I expected the customary postcard in the mail to remind me. It never came. Then in November, I remembered — ooh! I have a free drink! Unfortunately, the reward had already expired.

It was about that time that I happened to notice that my time to achieve the required level to retain my gold card status was running out.

I live far enough away from the nearest store, and the drinks are expensive enough, that I didn’t worry about it. Well, I thought, if I don’t make it by the deadline, no big deal. I still have enough stars that regaining my gold card won’t take that long.

Wrong again. Once the deadline passed, not only was I demoted to a “green card” (Really? Now I’m not even a full citizen?), but I lost all my accumulated stars as well. Back to 0.

Grrr.

Bad policy, SB.

I like Starbucks, but, as I said, it’s expensive. Over $2 for a not-very-grande coffee? McDonalds is currently $1 for any size. And I don’t have to have a gold card for free refills.

And, no, it’s not always the best tasting coffee. Sidamo is still #1, but if I could get a bag of McDonalds coffee, I’d be very happy. Dunkin Donuts brand is good as a change-up.

All the fancy drinks? They’re good, but special occasion only for me. Not only expensive, but fattening, too. (Plus, I now have my own frappe-maker at home.)

Will I be going back to SB? Sure. Hopefully Christmas will bring some gift cards (hint), and I still have a small balance on my gol—er, green card.

But will I go out of my way to go there? No.

St. Arbucks? Hardly. Not after I got excommunicated.

[UPDATE, December 18, 5:10 p.m.

Before I posted the story above, I sent an email to Starbucks customer service. In part, here is their response…

Greetings Tim!

We’re delighted you contacted us. I apologize this wasn’t made very clear when we made the change. We have had plenty of people having the same problem. I hope it turns out to be a positive change that works out better for you.

I did re add your missed reward. Please allow 24 hours for it to show up and keep in mind it will expire after 30 days if not used.

Some of our customers ask the baristas to make separate orders so the can acquire more stars at once.

If 30 purchases are not made within one year of turning gold, your stars will expire and the status of your account will reset. On November 22nd, 2012 your historical star count reset to zero. I reviewed your account and you were at 27 stars on November 21st. I went ahead and reinstated your gold account as a one time customer service gesture. As of now your new Gold membership date has changed, so you will have to acquire 30 stars by December 16, 2013…

The customer service representative went on to explain some of the changes that have been made to their program, both the positives (lowering the amount of stars needed for a reward drink and including both drinks and food as a reward) and the negatives (the elimination of free syrups, etc.).

The bottom line for me is this: I’m gold again! Even more importantly, a very large company showed exemplary customer service for a problem which wasn’t really their fault.

Well done, Starbucks.

I get it.

You’re cool and trendy and not bound by silly traditional legalism. Fiction is fictional and art challenges your mind and pushing the limits is what helps you grow. When your parents were your age, holiness meant no fun, and the Bible was God’s Holy Rulebook.

You’re serious about worship and want God’s best for your life and you know that God is centered on relationship, not on rules. You want your expressions of worship to be genuine, you want your life to reflect His truth, and you know that God promised to set us free, not constrict us with empty traditions and hollow obedience to outdated restrictions.

I get that.

Could we agree that laying out a bunch of rules to define how life should work is too simplistic? The Pharisees and teachers of religious law found that out. Ten rules became twenty rules became a hundred rules to become six hundred and thirteen rules. Governments find that out all the time. The Constitution needed a Bill of Rights which needed clarification by courts and amendments and – you get it, right?

Even if you do keep it to one or two rules, there will always be questions the rules can’t answer. Rules can’t define how life works.

However, a lack of rules doesn’t equal freedom either. Take away all the rules, and – well, that’s impossible. Life will always contain rules at some point, whether it’s the rule about not worshiping any other God, or the rule about objects that aren’t moving not moving until something moves them.¹

What I’m getting at is this – life isn’t all about rules, therefore, being a follower of Christ and living a life that honors God isn’t all about rules either. Just as importantly, living in the freedom that Jesus provides doesn’t mean that there aren’t some rules involved. There are. Our freedom has boundaries and limits. Moreover, those boundaries and limits aren’t Enemy-produced, joy-killers, designed to rob us of our Rights as Children of the King. The boundaries and limits of our freedom are good, healthy, and helpful to us.

The point is…

There’s this movie.² It’s popular. By all accounts it’s a good movie. The original story is based on a true account of a Christian couple and God’s principles of faithfulness, fidelity, honor, and true love.

But the movie adds some things and takes away others. Among the things it adds is language that is objectionable to me. According to the website Movieguide.org, the language is “heavy.” For that reason, it is not a movie I am comfortable going to, nor is it something I will allow my 15-year-old daughter to see.³

The point is…

She sees your tweets. She hears you talking about seeing that same movie. You’re even going with a group of friends. Her friends.

Why are you so hung up about swearing? She hears it all the time, right? Don’t you think your legalism is more harmful than words that have been selectively labeled as “obscene”? Isn’t seeing a great, inspiring story worth it?

Obviously, we have different convictions. I’m not asking you to change yours. I only want to remind you that freedom isn’t easy. Every choice has a price. And the vows we make before God – they really are important.

¹What I’m cleverly trying to say is that laws of God and laws of nature will still be present whether we want them to be or not. Jump out of an airplane and you will still have to deal with the law of gravity, no matter how free you feel.

²This  movie is The Vow, but the specifics don’t matter. There will always be a movie, television show, book, song, or some other thing that isn’t  particularly healthy for us. We can justify partaking of it in many ways. We could also find many unhealthy things about it. The conflict remains.

³Ironically, it is another movie that inspires me to make this decision. Specifically, it’s the dad in the movie Courageous, telling his daughter that he is responsible for his daughter’s heart. The health and safety of my daughter’s heart, mind, body, and soul are important to me, important enough for boundaries and limits designed to encourage growth and limit harm.