by Andrew Beard | Apr 23, 2024 | Words from Pastor Andrew
For years I described myself as a coffee lover. I would put it in my bio, I would talk about it when I met people, I would ask people about great local coffee shops, and I would buy lots of different coffee accessories for my at home coffee setup.
And by coffee accessories, I mean syrups and stir sticks, a milk frother and collectible coffee cups.
As time went on, I kept on consuming copious amounts of coffee, but when I would start to visit with others who also said they loved coffee…I realized they knew way more than I did.
They could identify flavors and notes.
They would go to great lengths to buy fancy beans from exotic locations.
They would pick up subtleties in the unique coffee that I just couldn’t identify.
I thought I loved coffee…but I just really liked coffee and caffeine. I was a young dad, working full time, and in seminary. Coffee was more about survival than enjoyment.
by Andrew Beard | Apr 15, 2024 | Words from Pastor Andrew
There is a sushi restaurant I really like that was recommended by a friend of mine. When we went my friend started ordering things that weren’t on the menu and asking about other things that weren’t listed. Now, I am super outgoing and can make conversation with a chair, but I also hate to inconvenience someone by asking unnecessary things. I never want to be…”that guy”…I just let him ask all the questions and sat back.
When the rolls he ordered showed up, the food my friend ordered was unbelievable.
by Andrew Beard | Dec 4, 2023 | Words from Pastor Andrew
If you were at worship yesterday, I shared that Sarah’s Aunt and Uncle send Advent gifts every year to hang on a homemade calendar that we proudly display in our house. Each year Sarah’s Aunt Linda and Uncle John send these gifts that we tie to each one of the corresponding numbers, we video our kids opening the gifts, and send the videos to Aunt Linda and Uncle John. It’s a really fun thing to go back through our phone to the same date in previous years and see how much our boys have changed, see how different Sarah and my ever changing hair is, and all the different places we’ve lived in the past 11 years.
We look back and we look forward each Advent.
by Andrew Beard | Sep 20, 2023 | Words from Pastor Andrew
A little over a year ago I went to get some frozen fruit out of my fridge for a smoothie…and what should have been hard as rock frozen fruit were just slightly mushy. Not a big deal. I figured the freezer had been opened too long loading stuff in or it hadn’t gotten closed all the way or something else. As time went on I noticed again and again, things weren’t as frozen solid as I wanted them to be.
Something was off.
Ice cream was soft.
Ice packs were soft.
Frozen berries were soft.
Not a big deal, just not quite right.
by Andrew Beard | Dec 20, 2022 | Christmas, Words from Pastor Andrew
Did you know winter doesn’t begin on November 1st. Or on Black Friday. Or on December 1st. The first day of winter begins on a day called the winter solstice or midwinter. This date is either December 21st or 22nd. That day, right before Christmas is the day winter technically begins.
