More than a cup of joe: An interview with Bonton Farms Barista Lauren Davis
Lauren Davis is the youngest covenant partner at Retreat House Spirituality Center. She was introduced to Retreat House after “Googling” spiritual direction in Dallas.
Davis, originally from South Dakota, moved to Dallas in 2019 looking for something new with a desire to establish roots professionally and personally. While she has both an undergrad and master’s degree in theology with formal training to work in church roles, less traditional ministry seems to be the place God has called her to.
Creativity, community, coffee and spiritual conversations serve as guiding forces in Davis’ life.
As a trained spiritual director and barista, she is gifted at seeing the beauty and connectedness in food and people. Davis brings this energy to the coffee house she manages at Bonton Farms, an urban farm in South Dallas.
Here, Davis, says she sees the kingdom of God in motion. Wisdom isn’t always synonymous with age. At 29, Davis notices patterns and has a knack for seeing truth and the sacred in everyday moments. It was a joy to catch up with her and explore some of her sacred story.
Retreat House: Tell us a little about your journey in finding your role at Bonton?
Davis: I started working at Bonton in April 2021, but I’ve been working as a barista for a number of years and was working at a coffee shop during the pandemic. Service jobs can feel expendable, and it is really hard to connect with the work because many times customers just want something from you. It was becoming too much. I remember I was praying often for clarity in finding something that would keep me connected to my passion for coffee and my desire to bring people closer to God, to show love, to be in a ministry type setting. But the tension of how do I pay rent and fulfill this desire and call at the same time was a hard balance to find.
I was in survival mode and didn’t feel like my passions or desires were being met. I was going through the motions and at the same time, deep down, I was longing for some sort of breakthrough or unveiling of my heart’s desires.
Retreat House: Waiting is so hard. And so is survival mode. How did you finally receive the clarity for which you were praying?
“The waiting for change felt long, but when the change happened, it was pretty instant.”
Davis: I remember one morning specifically, I felt a heavy weight on my heart and all over my body. I absolutely did not like the job I was in. I was dreading work. I called a friend and broke down crying. My friend told me about a job opening at Bonton Farms. She connected me to the right person, and I applied that day. I pretty much got hired the next day.
Retreat House: What would you say to someone in the waiting phase?
Davis: Something I learned about myself during this feeling of being imprisoned was realizing I needed to get to know my boundaries, whether emotional or physical. Knowing when to give energy at work and knowing when to clock out. When I was in this waiting phase, I learned to do things to fulfill me. I prayed, ate a healthy diet, drank lots of water. I learned to take care of my body in a new way. I tried my best to get enough sleep.
Know that your God or your Source understands and sees your situation even when it seems that you’re alone or your not being looked out for, you definitely are looked after. Trust in day-to-day. Use what you know and do your best with that knowledge and applying that knowledge. And don’t be afraid to reach out to people when you need help. Also, pay attention to your body.
“Your body tells you things. It will tell you when certain things are not being met. Try not to neglect that information.”
Retreat House: It seems like you are living into your vocation now and getting paid for it. How do you see your training as a spiritual director fitting into the Bonton mission?
Davis: I’m someone that can get really in my head when I feel that I’m not connected to my calling or highest purpose. Am I supposed to being doing this work? Is this my calling? I can get really analytical and in my head and miss what is going on in my surroundings and the reality.
My work at Bonton helps me to look for God in the small things, the everyday. To God, I believe these are the things that are special.
Bonton’s mission is helping those who experience injustice and inequity in their lives and it is kind of hard to explain from my perspective because I am a white person. But racism is a real thing, and I will never experience what it is like to be Black. But I would say working at Bonton is an opportunity to learn how to lay down privilege and meet other people where they are, many times in my role this happens through a cup of coffee
Since many folks I serve and work with at Bonton have been formally incarcerated and are on a healing journey, it very much causes me to look inward at my own traumas and places of inequities. Working at Bonton is like looking into a mirror.
Retreat House: Your role now sounds like a wonderful combination of what you were desiring. It is such a niche position and sounds like rich ground (literally) for your gifs and passions. Tell us more about this work as a ministry.
Davis: I feel called to show a different perspective for being a barista and being in specialty coffee. Yes, I get to make creative drinks, but it is more so about connecting with people and helping people start their day off with something they will remember
Yes, it is still a service industry job, but we have so much intention we put behind our service and what we are doing.
Bonton is right in the middle of one of Dallas’ food deserts. Being able to provide a coffee shop with quality drinks is like saying to this population you are worth this.
You are worth going to a safe and quiet space where you can take a load off and meet with friends and know that proceeds are going back into your neighborhood.
There’s something really special about this. For me, this work, puts a different perspective on coffee and the service industry.
Retreat House: What would you say to people who are curious about this community?
Davis: Come down to Bonton. We are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but there are events held on evenings and weekends. We have volunteer opportunities. There’s a lot of love for community.
To me what makes Bonton most unique is not only seeing the collective redemption of the Bonton neighborhood through this work, but seeing everyone’s journey and progress who work at Bonton. It is hard to ignore.
So much of American culture is about sugar coating or wanting to put ranch all over things. I don’t have anything against these things but as a metaphor, it is a good example. You can order a cup of coffee with a lot of sugar and milk, but are you really tasting the coffee? Same as putting ranch on salad. Salads are super colorful, with beautiful and unique, varied items. But we have a tendencies to white-wash it with dressing. When we do this, we just taste the ranch dressing and. We don’t taste the complexities and differences of what is healthy.
As a white culture, we have done this to other cultures. People of color and indigenous folks. We white-wash their cultures.
At Bonton, I feel like we are trying to restore this community by aiming to sustain and value the many types of people who are part of this community.
Retreat House: I notice that the Bonton mission is meeting people where they are. The art and ministry of spiritual direction is about holding space for people to take a long, loving look at what is real, about God and themselves, without judgement. There’s definitely parallel with your work in the coffee house and your training as a spiritual director.
Davis: As a spiritual director, you have to be open to anyone, because everyone is welcome at the table of God. When someone has a different perspective, it is about meeting them there, not the I am right, you are wrong mentality. There are so many different sides of God, and so many different types of people. I hope I bring this presence into my work in the coffee house.
Retreat House: I remember you sharing a story about your gread-grandmother and her job as a store proprietor. How do you think she’s connected to your calling?
Davis: That’s a huge element to my job at Bonton now. I can’t believe I forgot about that! This story is the story that changed my whole life this year.
My great grandmother, she used to own a local, convenience store, a local grocery store in Arkansas. I don’t know much about her. I do have a quilt she made that was passed down to me. Earlier this year when I was in the deep weeds of feeling tension of leaving my job. I was having dreams. Consistent dreams of this woman coming to me. I had never seen her before, but she was familiar.
I would ask her questions like what was her life like? What does she like to do? In the dream, she told me she was my great-grandmother.
This is from side of family that has a lot of brokenness and discourse in relationships. The dreams were odd in the sense it was out of character, because I hadn’t historically had dreams like this, but this was at a time when I was really doubting myself. But she would encourage me in my dreams. She would tell me things like - this runs in your blood. It is part of your ancestry. If I can do it, you can do it.
Retreat House: I love how the Holy Spirit connected you to your grandmother Illa at a time when you needed it most. You are very in-tuned with the Spirit. I know that Bonton was founded on Christian principles. Do you formally incorporate your training as a spiritual director into your work at Bonton?
Davis: This is something I think about a lot. I’m still working on understanding this nuance and finding balance. How can I be a barista and also apply spiritual direction in conversations?
The coffee shop is very busy, and I’m pretty focused on coffee and service. So much of spiritual practice is about slowing down, so I wouldn’t say I specifically use my direction skills in this role. However, sometimes I’m able to offer something that is related to spiritual direction but not everyone wants that or is in a place to receive it. When someone is trying to survive, like many of the folks in the Bonton neighborhood, they are just trying to get by day-to-day. Thinking about the spiritual journey isn’t always in the forefront.
So many that are part of the Bonton neighborhood are are in a place of healing and so much of Bonton’s work is introducing God as the source of all good and that idea that we are all created in God’s image. Once things like addiction and other harmful distractions are removed from one’s life, things come into alignment, and we are able to feel and experience this Divine Love in a fuller, clearer way.
“That is when things come together and align better in your life and you kind of get more in tuned with your step and not so burdened by your trauma.”
Retreat House: What is your hope and prayer right now?
Davis: My hope and prayer is to see more interfaith connections become more normal where people are open to hearing people from all other walks of life and how they experience God. There’s a beautiful story in each experience. My hope is to have people see the difference experiences of God as beautiful instead of wrong or untrue. .
Amen.
What a wonderful world this could be.
Lauren Davis is a Trained Spiritual Director, barista at Bonton Farms as well as writer and musician. She has written several blogs for Retreat House. You can find some of those here. Interested in spiritual direction or want to learn more about Lauren, send her a note!
Retreat House Spirituality Center is located in Richardson, Texas an intentional spiritual and religious, contemplative community of spiritual directors and spiritual formation leaders working in a covenant relationship to serve individuals and groups who wish to deepen their relationship with God through spiritual direction, education, prayer and retreat offerings.
We have individual and group offerings provided by our House Directors. Or you may wish to reserve Retreat House for your own individual or small group time. Whatever your desire, we hope you will find this a safe space to come and be.
Send an email to calvin@retreathousecommunity.org with questions!
This interview and article was prepared and written by Emily Turner. She is a trained spiritual director and writer living in Dallas and works closely with Retreat House to tell the many sacred stories of this community. To connect with Emily and/or learn more about her work and ministry, go here. To find out more about the art and ministry of spiritual direction, check out this article Finding Freedom in a Bound World.