Because: Finding Thin Moments of Grace: Coffee, Hot Chocolate, and Everyday Kindness
Finding Thin Moments: A Reflection on Everyday Grace
On this heartfelt episode of To Be snd Do, Phil Amerson invites us into a quiet yet profound moment from his everyday life, guiding listeners to become more alert to the subtle intersections of the sacred in the seemingly mundane. This short reflection, rooted in a chance encounter on Walnut Street, is a gentle reminder that what many spiritual traditions call "thin moments" — those rare times when the distance between the ordinary and the divine feels especially slight — can happen when we least expect them.
A Story of Warmth on a Cold Morning
Phil Amerson recounts meeting "Emma," a woman experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges, whom he had seen sleeping beneath layers of blankets on a brisk morning in Bloomington. After his breakfast, he found Emma awake, gathering her things, and speaking with a local shop owner. Bracing for confrontation typically faced by many unhoused neighbors, Phil Amerson was instead moved by compassion in action: the shop owner simply asked Emma if she would prefer coffee or hot chocolate.
This small act of kindness became a “thin moment” — a flash of grace where, as Phil Amerson describes, God's presence and mercies become visible in, and through, ordinary people and actions.
Three Key Takeaways from the Episode
- Thin Moments Are Everywhere, If We Notice
- Phil Amerson introduces and demystifies the notion of "thin moments," times when the sacred pierces through the everyday. He reminds us that these are not reserved for the saints or the spiritually elite, but can sneak up on anyone open to seeing grace in action — even over something as simple as a cup of hot chocolate.
- Small Gestures Hold Profound Meaning
- The episode challenges listeners not to underestimate small acts of kindness. Drawing from scripture, Phil Amerson parallels the shop owner's offer to Emma with the biblical "cup of cold water" — a symbol of hospitality and care, regardless of its simplicity. He emphasizes that while grand gestures (like building irrigation systems) are valuable, we should not neglect the power of a single meaningful act.
- Learn (and Remember) to See the People Around Us
- The story is a gentle challenge to know — at least by name or presence — the people we often pass by. Phil Amerson candidly shares that he, too, can miss God’s grace at work in day-to-day interactions, but calls listeners to open their eyes and hearts to those around them, especially the most vulnerable in our communities.
Final Thoughts
In closing, Phil Amerson leaves listeners with a blessing and an encouragement to look out for thin places — and to be present and generous enough to offer a cup of cold water, hot chocolate, or coffee when the opportunity comes. This episode is a timely, gentle nudge to notice—and become—the grace that sustains and warms our world.
May we all, as Phil Amerson says, find and create those thin moments in our days ahead.
Phil Amerson [00:00:00]:
Greetings. This is Phil Amersonwith an episode of. Because one of those short little times of reflection on something that I want to share. This is about one of those thin moments. Do you know that language? A thin moment. Many deeply spiritual people will talk about times when they are close to the eternal or to the divine. And I had a thin moment sneak up and grab me. This past week.
Phil Amerson [00:00:31]:
I was doing a very mundane thing. I was headed to the restaurant to have breakfast. And as I was walking along Walnut street here in Bloomington, there was a woman. I had met her. We will give her the name Emma. That's not her real name, but I knew Emma. I had visited with her. I knew she was struggling with some mental health issues.
Phil Amerson [00:00:54]:
And there was Emma curled up under several blankets. It was maybe low 50s in Bloomington, and she was asleep. And so I went on to breakfast. And after about an hour and 15 minutes, I was coming back, and there was Emma on the sidewalk near where she had been. And she was walking in circles, talking to herself. And. And her blankets were all kind of thrown next to the building where she'd been sleeping. And there was a gentleman who was speaking with her.
Phil Amerson [00:01:23]:
And I thought, oh, no. Oh, no. We have so many other reasons to be worried about the people on the street, but not that they're being hassled by people who, you know, are operating businesses and, you know, it's not a good thing to open your store. And there's a homeless person or a person without shelter sleeping there. And as I got closer, I could see that he was speaking to her. And as I got even closer, he. I heard the words, so would you like coffee or hot chocolate? My heart melted. It was a thin moment when I realized that God's presence and God's mercies are all around.
Phil Amerson [00:02:12]:
And there are people who may not even know it, but they're. They're actually working off of the scripture and Matthew's gospel. Now there it talks about a cup of cold water in chapter 1040-42. But this was a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. That passage is so rich and so full of meaning. I used to hear people say, you know, we may be busy building worldwide irrigation systems and we've forgotten to give the cup of cold water. It's not that worldwide irrigation systems are bad. It is.
Phil Amerson [00:02:58]:
Do you know the name of people who you pass on the street? Are you sharing a cup of cold water? The scriptures translated fairly, say those who give even a cup of cold water, that means they could give a gallon or a truckload or an irrigation system. So this morning I want to encourage you to look out for those thin places, those places where God is at work. And unless you're very wise and a deeply spiritual person, you will miss them like I often do. I often walked by Emma and the shop owner and don't understand that God's grace is right there. This is Phil Amersonwith the cause for the belonging exchange. May God bless as you find places to give even a cup of cold water or hot chocolate or coffee. God bless.
