Words from Pastor ANdrew
Navigating Coffee and Prayer
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.
Talking With
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.
A Conversation Followup
In our family, we are a bunch of outgoing gregarious extroverts. We will talk to just about anyone anywhere. Recently we were in Washington, D.C. waiting to go on a tour of The White House and my son, Foster, noticing the very serious Secret Service member who was built like an Irish Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and looked about as warm and cuddly as a an avalanche, was struggling with the identification scanner and corresponding computer. Foster noticed that this guy who was built and outfitted for the field and yet here he was hunched over a tablet corralling lines of people and trying to get them checked in for their tour.
He was not loving it.
With this security guard deep in IT frustration, Foster says, “excuse me Mr. Secret Service, sir.”
In which Sarah and I immediately tapped the brakes and told Foster to wait…“Mr. Secret Service is very busy”…and I didn’t want to lose my place in line…
The Epic Conclusion
Years ago Sarah and the boys and I watched all the Marvel cinematic movies. You know, The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, etc…It was 22 movies over the course of 11 years spanning stories that take place over decades and decades…and we knocked it out in a few months during 2020. When the final movie of the original journey wrapped up with Endgame in 2019 there were lots of people that just assumed they could go see that movie without seeing 20 other films.
Yeah…you can…but that is like skipping to the end and watching the series finale of M*A*S*H or reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows or simply watching the Super Bowl without putting in the time to journey all the way there.
A Bernedoodle and Spring Break
Many of you know we got a puppy a little over a year ago.
Many of you also had to suffer through my complaining about us trying to raise this puppy.
Many of you were likely taking bets about how long we would have Brittany the bernedoodle before we got rid of her.
Many of you have also noticed I haven’t talked about her, I haven’t used her in sermon illustrations, and likely you assumed we got rid of her.
So to clear the air, Brittany is still a member of the Beard family.
Quick Travel Reminder
Whenever we travel, inevitably someone in our house forgets something.
A travel pillow.
Headphones.
Deodorant.
Winter coat.
Kevin!
Just kidding, we haven’t left a kid home alone while we went galavanting in Europe…yet…
We know in the next several weeks people will be traveling.
Some people will be coming to town for Spring Break.
Some people will be leaving town for Spring Break
Some people will be staying off 30A because of Spring Break.
Whatever the next few weeks hold for you, I want to let you know about a few things.
Unintentionally Living a Life of Crime
I want to talk about a few things. Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and parking this Sunday for worship. But before we get there…
I don’t usually try to commit crimes or do illegal things…but sometimes it happens.
The other day I was waiting at a stoplight behind another large car trying to turn out on 98. I couldn’t actually see the light around this massive vehicle, but my car has one of those fancy sensors that tells you when the car in front of you drives off. I think it’s to help you when you are not paying attention and missing a green light because you were distracted by your phone, your kids, or daydreaming. So instead of the person behind you honking since you aren’t paying attention, your car beeps at you since you aren’t paying attention.
How Do We Measure?
A few weeks ago, our son Foster was under the weather. Nothing terrible or wildly concerning. Just an unusually high temp and small cough. We did all the tests and everything came back negative. Most days he would act totally fine, but then get worn down and still have a fever. Fortunately it was a holiday weekend, so he didn’t miss as much school, but he had still been home, sick for almost a full week. Rotating fever reducers, giving him electrolyte filled drinks with soups and orange juice. Every time we’d take his temp, it was constantly bouncing around in the 100’s. As a parent, you start to wonder…am I doing something wrong?
Will our life ever get back to a normal rhythm?
Will we be making soups and orange juice for this kid forever?
Rhythm of Life
Over the past few weeks we had a house full of family, kids were off school, we had extra worship services with Christmas Eve, and less of our “normal” schedule.
One of those days I got up early to spend some quiet time praying, reading, working, and writing.
As soon as I got up, this miracle of a dog named Brittany followed me.
She followed me as I snuck out of the bedroom.
She followed me as I prepared coffee.
She rang the bell and wanted to go out.
She then barked because she wanted back in.
She kept wandering to our bedroom door trying to get in to lay down with Sarah.
She figured out how to open the door, hopped up on the bed and started to wake Sarah up. I ran in, tried to pull Brittany out, and now I am on dog watch the rest of the morning.
She kept ringing the bell to go outside.
She then kept barking to get back inside.
She then kept trying to get back into our room.
This was on repeat for quite awhile.
Another Year Over.
I’m not sure what your house is like this week, but mine has been filled with family and desserts and presents and keeping little boys busy. It’s been a week of rest and celebration. We’ve taken a deep breath, we’ve done some fun stuff as a family, and we are closing out 2023 being thankful for so many things.
Another year over and a new one just about to begin.
Navigating Coffee and Prayer
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.
Talking With
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.
A Conversation Followup
In our family, we are a bunch of outgoing gregarious extroverts. We will talk to just about anyone anywhere. Recently we were in Washington, D.C. waiting to go on a tour of The White House and my son, Foster, noticing the very serious Secret Service member who was built like an Irish Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and looked about as warm and cuddly as a an avalanche, was struggling with the identification scanner and corresponding computer. Foster noticed that this guy who was built and outfitted for the field and yet here he was hunched over a tablet corralling lines of people and trying to get them checked in for their tour.
He was not loving it.
With this security guard deep in IT frustration, Foster says, “excuse me Mr. Secret Service, sir.”
In which Sarah and I immediately tapped the brakes and told Foster to wait…“Mr. Secret Service is very busy”…and I didn’t want to lose my place in line…
The Epic Conclusion
Years ago Sarah and the boys and I watched all the Marvel cinematic movies. You know, The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, etc…It was 22 movies over the course of 11 years spanning stories that take place over decades and decades…and we knocked it out in a few months during 2020. When the final movie of the original journey wrapped up with Endgame in 2019 there were lots of people that just assumed they could go see that movie without seeing 20 other films.
Yeah…you can…but that is like skipping to the end and watching the series finale of M*A*S*H or reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows or simply watching the Super Bowl without putting in the time to journey all the way there.
A Bernedoodle and Spring Break
Many of you know we got a puppy a little over a year ago.
Many of you also had to suffer through my complaining about us trying to raise this puppy.
Many of you were likely taking bets about how long we would have Brittany the bernedoodle before we got rid of her.
Many of you have also noticed I haven’t talked about her, I haven’t used her in sermon illustrations, and likely you assumed we got rid of her.
So to clear the air, Brittany is still a member of the Beard family.
Quick Travel Reminder
Whenever we travel, inevitably someone in our house forgets something.
A travel pillow.
Headphones.
Deodorant.
Winter coat.
Kevin!
Just kidding, we haven’t left a kid home alone while we went galavanting in Europe…yet…
We know in the next several weeks people will be traveling.
Some people will be coming to town for Spring Break.
Some people will be leaving town for Spring Break
Some people will be staying off 30A because of Spring Break.
Whatever the next few weeks hold for you, I want to let you know about a few things.
Unintentionally Living a Life of Crime
I want to talk about a few things. Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and parking this Sunday for worship. But before we get there…
I don’t usually try to commit crimes or do illegal things…but sometimes it happens.
The other day I was waiting at a stoplight behind another large car trying to turn out on 98. I couldn’t actually see the light around this massive vehicle, but my car has one of those fancy sensors that tells you when the car in front of you drives off. I think it’s to help you when you are not paying attention and missing a green light because you were distracted by your phone, your kids, or daydreaming. So instead of the person behind you honking since you aren’t paying attention, your car beeps at you since you aren’t paying attention.
How Do We Measure?
A few weeks ago, our son Foster was under the weather. Nothing terrible or wildly concerning. Just an unusually high temp and small cough. We did all the tests and everything came back negative. Most days he would act totally fine, but then get worn down and still have a fever. Fortunately it was a holiday weekend, so he didn’t miss as much school, but he had still been home, sick for almost a full week. Rotating fever reducers, giving him electrolyte filled drinks with soups and orange juice. Every time we’d take his temp, it was constantly bouncing around in the 100’s. As a parent, you start to wonder…am I doing something wrong?
Will our life ever get back to a normal rhythm?
Will we be making soups and orange juice for this kid forever?
Rhythm of Life
Over the past few weeks we had a house full of family, kids were off school, we had extra worship services with Christmas Eve, and less of our “normal” schedule.
One of those days I got up early to spend some quiet time praying, reading, working, and writing.
As soon as I got up, this miracle of a dog named Brittany followed me.
She followed me as I snuck out of the bedroom.
She followed me as I prepared coffee.
She rang the bell and wanted to go out.
She then barked because she wanted back in.
She kept wandering to our bedroom door trying to get in to lay down with Sarah.
She figured out how to open the door, hopped up on the bed and started to wake Sarah up. I ran in, tried to pull Brittany out, and now I am on dog watch the rest of the morning.
She kept ringing the bell to go outside.
She then kept barking to get back inside.
She then kept trying to get back into our room.
This was on repeat for quite awhile.
Another Year Over.
I’m not sure what your house is like this week, but mine has been filled with family and desserts and presents and keeping little boys busy. It’s been a week of rest and celebration. We’ve taken a deep breath, we’ve done some fun stuff as a family, and we are closing out 2023 being thankful for so many things.
Another year over and a new one just about to begin.