Words from Pastor ANdrew
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.
Christmas is for you
Christmas cards are a funny thing. Our house is full of them. We love seeing the updated photos of your children, your grandchildren, and your dogs. We love hearing about what is going on in everyones life, what has happened in the past year, and what you are looking forward to. For those of us that send out Christmas cards, we all run that risk of trying to position ourselves as if everything is great. As if we are just slaying it in all areas of life.
A Scenic Lookout
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.
How To Prepare
Too many Christmases and Birthdays I am sneaking out the day before trying to buy really meaningful gifts for people. There is really no way to get a meaningful gift at the grocery store or pharmacy on Christmas Eve. My first Christmas with Sarah I bought her a build a bear and wrote her a poem, in which I think I said I would write poems for her forever…I’m pretty sure that was the last poem I ever wrote.
Quit while you’re ahead, right?
Blessed Are Those Who Limp
On Friday nights we often play games with our family as a part of our Sabbath. It has become a thing in our neighborhood where the other kids show up as well to join in on the screen free fun.
Which I am regularly surprised by.
One game the kids love to play is Beat The Parents.
I’m pretty sure it’s a game that is designed to make kids cry…because the adults make a wager and the kids make a wager.
The Next 30 Days.
Several years ago I tried doing the Whole30. In case you don’t know what it is, you probably will not want to pay attention for a few moments. The idea is that you take all the fun things…sorry…I mean…processed foods and foods we don’t “need” out of your diet and eat only lame things…sorry…I mean…whole foods for 30 days.
Cookies and Community
I love making chocolate chip cookies. When I was a kid my mom regularly made chocolate chip cookies on a slow day or when she was craving some chocolate. I remember helping her some…but of course no matter how much I helped, I remember always eating what she made.
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.
Christmas is for you
Christmas cards are a funny thing. Our house is full of them. We love seeing the updated photos of your children, your grandchildren, and your dogs. We love hearing about what is going on in everyones life, what has happened in the past year, and what you are looking forward to. For those of us that send out Christmas cards, we all run that risk of trying to position ourselves as if everything is great. As if we are just slaying it in all areas of life.
A Scenic Lookout
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.
How To Prepare
Too many Christmases and Birthdays I am sneaking out the day before trying to buy really meaningful gifts for people. There is really no way to get a meaningful gift at the grocery store or pharmacy on Christmas Eve. My first Christmas with Sarah I bought her a build a bear and wrote her a poem, in which I think I said I would write poems for her forever…I’m pretty sure that was the last poem I ever wrote.
Quit while you’re ahead, right?
Blessed Are Those Who Limp
On Friday nights we often play games with our family as a part of our Sabbath. It has become a thing in our neighborhood where the other kids show up as well to join in on the screen free fun.
Which I am regularly surprised by.
One game the kids love to play is Beat The Parents.
I’m pretty sure it’s a game that is designed to make kids cry…because the adults make a wager and the kids make a wager.
The Next 30 Days.
Several years ago I tried doing the Whole30. In case you don’t know what it is, you probably will not want to pay attention for a few moments. The idea is that you take all the fun things…sorry…I mean…processed foods and foods we don’t “need” out of your diet and eat only lame things…sorry…I mean…whole foods for 30 days.
Cookies and Community
I love making chocolate chip cookies. When I was a kid my mom regularly made chocolate chip cookies on a slow day or when she was craving some chocolate. I remember helping her some…but of course no matter how much I helped, I remember always eating what she made.