Hebrews 5:11-14. You need solid food, not milk!

1. Barista Chaos, Playgroup & Emotional Juggling Shirley and I make a great team—she’s on the shots, I’m on the milk, and I run the drinks. But lately, we’ve been getting smashed with big numbers—33 families last week! That’s a lot of coffee and chaos. Emotions can sneak up on you in that space too—awkwardness, frustration, or just feeling overwhelmed. One lovely mum always stops for a chat just long enough to slow things down, then disappears right before her coffee’s ready, and I end up trekking to the sandpit. Most of the mums aren’t from church, so remembering who’s who is an uphill battle—cool Brazilian lady, new brown hair lady, red lipstick lady who didn’t wear it again, comfy pj outfit lady… now they all blend into one confusing, comfy blur. It’s wild—but I do love them.2. Breastfeeding and Coffee Delivery: The Awkward Truth One of the quirks of being the coffee runner at a young mums’ playgroup is navigating the breastfeeding moments. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked over with a coffee, only to find a mum mid-feed. I’m a grown man—I can handle it—but I never quite know what to say. “Nice latch?” “Way to go, slugger?” Usually, I just hand over the coffee and scurry off. Honestly though, when it's a tiny baby—it’s kind of beautiful. God’s design in action. But once the baby’s walking and talking, still coming in for a feed? I know it’s not my lane, but surely it’s time to add a few veggies to the mix.3. When Milk No Longer Cuts It: Time to Grow Up Spiritually What we’d never accept for physical growth, we often tolerate spiritually. If a child was in high school and still only drinking milk, we’d be concerned. But spiritually? People can be in church for years and still be on milk when they should be chewing steak. Hebrews 5:11–14 paints it perfectly—some of us should be teaching by now, but we’re still stuck on the basics. It’s not about knowing everything—it’s about living out what we do know. Maturity means moving from the elementary truths into a deeper relationship with God and actually living it out.4. Real Growth Is Living the Truth, Not Just Knowing It The passage also calls out those who haven’t grasped righteousness—they’re like infants, still unsure of the access they have to God through Jesus. Maturity isn’t about how much theology you’ve crammed in—it’s about living in the freedom you’ve already received. And maturity shows when someone has trained themselves to distinguish good from evil—not because someone micromanages their faith, but because they’ve committed to growing. As a pastor, I love that I don’t have to babysit everyone’s faith. So many in our church are hungry for the Word, training themselves, and leading others—and that’s what it’s all about.