Salt, Light & Hospitality Blog Post
Hospitality is woven through the Bible—from Abraham’s open tent to Jesus’ open table. This blog uncovers those stories, revealing how biblical hospitality isn’t just about meals—it’s a way of life. Join me in exploring how we can live it out today, being salt, light, and a place of welcome in a hungry world.

Marley Was Dead…..I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! that line. Two of my favorite Christmas movies are The Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooged with Bill Murray. Yes, I just put felt puppets and 1980s corporate nihilism on the same theological shelf. Stay with me. One has singing rats and Michael Caine delivering Shakespearean gravitas to a frog.…

Last night, my family and I went to our church’s Christmas bonfire. No stage. No program. No carefully choreographed emotional arc that crescendos right on time with the bridge of a worship song written sometime after 2016. Just fire. Cold air. A few folding chairs that have definitely survived a couple potlucks. People standing around…

This year, Christmas hit my house a little different. My oldest is struggling with it. Not in a dramatic, doors-slammed, “I hate Christmas” kind of way, but in that quieter, heavier way that’s worse because you can’t fix it with cocoa and a movie night. Between work shifts, school deadlines, homework that never ends, and…

My youngest loves The Grinch. And I don’t mean seasonal, December-only, “cute cartoon while we wrap presents” love. I mean year-round devotion. July Grinch. Easter Grinch. Random Tuesday in August when it’s 94 degrees, the AC is barely hanging on, and she’s asking, again, to watch a green rage monster spiral over Christmas for the…

This past Saturday, I found myself home alone. Not “the house is quiet, I’ll read a book” home alone. I mean Kevin McCallister home alone. No wife. No kids. No schedule. No one to stop me from making objectively poor decisions. The kind of freedom that should honestly come with a warning label. I briefly…

When you grow up in the Gantt family, Christmas dinner isn’t a meal, it’s a military operation disguised as hospitality. And by “hospitality,” I mean the kind where the kitchen hits 96 degrees before noon, everyone’s yelling across the house about butter temperatures, and some poor soul is crying in the pantry because the rolls…

My daughter’s obsession with Snoopy is not cute. I need you to understand that. This isn’t a “haha, she likes a cartoon” situation. This is not “she owns a T-shirt.” This is do we need to build a shrine levels of devotion. Year-round. Aggressive. And by Christmas, it’s borderline liturgical. Snoopy mugs. Snoopy socks. Snoopy…

There was a time when Christmas in Vermont didn’t just sound like a small riot, it was a riot. Not a cute, hallmark kind of chaos. The kind of chaos that probably had an insurance policy rethinking its life choices.Almost thirty of us crammed into my parents’ living room like the world’s most aggressive family…

I come from a line of people who are stubborn, loud, sentimental, and, because God has a sense of humor, Celtic. My proud Scot/Irish heritage means I am genetically predisposed to melancholy poetry, fierce loyalty, potatoes, and an almost prophetic ability to find “just one more seat” at the table even when the house is…

Merry Christmas and a joyful, wild-hearted Advent to all of you! You already know this is my season, my Super Bowl, my Iron Chef finale, my Home Alone “KEVINNN!” moment all rolled into one. So consider this your friendly warning: you’re about to see more posts from me this month than Santa sees cookies on…

Let me tell you something I’ve learned the hard way in the kitchen: Nothing blows up faster than a problem the chef refuses to deal with. I’ve watched it happen more times than I care to admit. You’ve got this line cook, let’s call him “Chad,” because of course it’s Chad, who keeps cutting corners.…

I’ve always said real hospitality isn’t about how good your table looks; it’s about who’s willing to sit at it when things get uncomfortable. Anyone can serve biscuits and sweet tea. But when you start serving truth….. well, that’s when folks start losing their appetite. Take 2 Samuel 12. If you ever thought the Bible…

I once heard about a preacher who stood before his congregation one Sunday morning and made an announcement that shocked everyone. He said, “From this day forward, our church will end all events that do not directly share the gospel.” No more fall festivals just to hand out candy, no more chili cook-offs to fill…

I need you to understand something right out of the gate. I don’t write this lightly. This one carries weight. Heavy weight. And I feel the responsibility of it pressing on me even as I type. Today is 9/11/2025. That date already drips with meaning in this country. For most people, it drags our memories…

I’ve lived in some places where the word “hospitality” didn’t mean what most people think. It wasn’t always warm cookies on the counter or a welcome sign on the porch. Sometimes it looked like walking into a motorcycle clubhouse where every eye was sizing you up, waiting to see if you respected their space. Other…

I’ll never forget the night we rolled out a brand-new menu at one of the restaurants I cheffed at. Blood, sweat, and more profanity than I care to admit went into that prep. The suits from corporate showed up, pressed and polished, ready to taste and critique. The service went off without a hitch, rare…

I’ll never forget my grandfather’s funeral. Not because of the black suits, the solemn hymns, or the endless casseroles that showed up in every shade of beige. No, what seared itself into my memory was my grandmother, Mama. There she was, freshly widowed, her whole world tilted off its axis, and instead of collapsing into…

I passed him nearly every morning and evening. Same corner. Same weathered face. Same cardboard sign that reads, “Just trying to survive.” Sometimes I nod. Sometimes I stop and talk. Sometimes I just keep moving, caught up in the chaos of double shifts and fill-ins at the hotels downtown. But one day, as I was…

Lately, I’ve found myself in a weird place, mentally, spiritually, and even geographically. Not exactly exile-in-Philistine-country weird, but close. I’m in a season where I’m interviewing with a few churches for a pastoral role, which still shocks me, considering my history of being more like the guy who flipped tables in the temple than the…

I used to have a bit of a reputation and still do at points…. Not the “bake-you-cookies-and-invite-you-to-Bible-study” kind. No, growing up, I was known as a rebel. And not just in the moody-teenager, “don’t-tell-me-what-to-do” kind of way. I was good at it. Real good. If there was a rule, I broke it. If someone told…

Let’s be honest, if we’re talking about the hardest part of hospitality, most people think of cleaning bathrooms before guests show up or cooking for 40 when you only have enough meatloaf for 10, granted if it is my wife’s meatloaf that will be plenty. But real, soul-cutting hospitality? It’s not about food or folding…

I’ve given up a lot for hospitality. Time with my kids. Countless meals with my wife. Holidays, birthdays, moments that were once-in-a-lifetime and now live only in the background noise of a busy kitchen. I’ve stood over flat tops so hot they could blister your soul, burned myself on oven doors, cut the tips of…

There’s a pastor I know, humble, wise, kind of a dork (but we love him for that) but deeply committed to his calling. Not flashy, not loud. Just steady. Faithful. The kind of man who doesn’t chase platforms but chases God. He found himself in the middle of a church situation that was handled poorly.…

I’ve seen it too many times, and I know you have too. Churches slowly bleeding out while the people sitting in the pews keep smiling and saying everything’s fine. Leaders clinging to their titles and preferences like lifeboats, unwilling to surrender what they like for what God wants. Members checking out because change feels too…

If you ask any of my siblings what our mom’s favorite Bible verse is, they won’t hesitate: “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft!” (1 Samuel 15:23) She didn’t just quote it, she declared it. Usually while wielding a wooden spoon or side-eyeing the school work that hadn’t been done. One time she caught me…

Let me take you back to my time in motorcycle ministry, specifically, one of our biggest events every June, right outside one of the oldest and wildest motorcycle rallies in New England. Now if you know, you know… These rallies aren’t just chrome and funnel cakes. They’re territory-based. Club patches mean something. One club controls…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, after stumbling through it more times than I’d like to admit, it’s this: trying to force something on your timeline is a great way to faceplant into a season of frustration. I’ve done it. More than once. Honestly, I’ve probably done it enough for a small congregation. And each…

Growing up, I wasn’t exactly the poster child for “peaceful and cooperative.” I didn’t come with a “handle with care” label, more like “approach with caution” and maybe wear flame-retardant gloves. I was loud, stubborn, and always convinced I knew better. And when I didn’t get my way? Let’s just say… it wasn’t subtle. The…

Let’s clear something up first: Hospitality isn’t about matching pillows or charming dinnerware. It’s not about a spotless home or perfect cooking. Hospitality, at its core, is about making room in your life, and in your community. For people who are messy, hurting, flawed, and sometimes shame-covered. It’s about extending the grace you received from…

We were hanging out with some friends the other week, and the grown-ups had sunk into one of those conversations, the deep-in-the-weeds, slightly-too-serious kind about church politics. You know the type: furrowed brows, long sighs, and someone eventually drops the classic, “I just don’t know anymore.” Right in the middle of that emotional crescendo, my…

We tend to treat hospitality like it’s something nice but nonessential, kind of like parsley on a plate. A little garnish on the side of the Christian life. Maybe we invite someone over once a quarter, bring a lasagna to the new neighbors, or shake a few hands in the church foyer before heading out…

Nobody ever said obedience would be easy, not even once. But if you’ve walked with God long enough, you learn something: obedience might not always make sense on paper, but it always writes a better story. My parents didn’t leave the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for Vermont because they wanted a fresh start…

There was a church just off the highway, tucked in a decent-sized strip mall between a gym and a Dollar Tree. Big enough to have a decent budget, clean signage, and a coffee bar that proudly served “locally roasted, mission-minded beans.” From the outside, it looked alive, modern, welcoming, “relevant.” But something was missing. It…

There was a couple from a local church, God-loving folks, full of heart, big family, the whole nine yards. They had a house already bursting at the seams with kids, noise, and barely enough peace to finish a sentence before someone spilled something or started crying over a stolen toaster waffle. One day, a teenage…

I’ll never forget the Sunday morning that felt less like worship and more like WrestleMania. Now before I start swinging the storytelling chair over my shoulder like some rogue character out of a tag-team match, let me set the scene. The sanctuary was full, the coffee in the foyer was flowing, the band had just…

Two years. It’s been two whole years since I’ve had good Chinese food. Not “passable,” not “well it’ll do,” but real, sit-down, don’t-talk-to-me-I’m-eating Chinese food. Now, as many of you know, my family and I packed up our lives in the mountains of Vermont about three years ago and traded snow shovels for sand between…

If you think hospitality is all warm bread baskets and perfectly fluffed guest pillows, let me tell you…sometimes it feels more like sticking your hand in a bear trap and hoping for the best. Showing kindness, welcoming people in, and offering a seat at the table comes with risks. Sometimes, it leads to deep friendships,…

Like I’ve mentioned before, I was once part of a motorcycle ministry that worked with 1% clubs. And just like in those clubs, before you earned your cut and became a full-fledged member, you had to prospect. That meant proving yourself, showing loyalty, putting in the work, and treating your fellow prospects like brothers. There…

A few years ago, the whole world got tossed into a blender, and someone hit “frappé.” The COVID-19 pandemic turned everything upside down, and for a brief moment, we all heard the same chorus: “We’re in this together.” It was the battle cry of the day, stand shoulder to shoulder (well, at least six feet…

Alright, folks, we’re stepping into the book of Judges, and let me tell you, hospitality in these pages doesn’t always come with warm bread and a cozy guest room. Sometimes, it comes with a tent peg, a sword, or well… the Old Testament equivalent of hospitality with a purpose. Now, before we get into the…

Sometimes, the people you let into your life with open arms are the very ones who’ll knock the wind out of you. This is a story about friendship, or what we thought was friendship, and a hard lesson learned about trust, discernment, and inviting God into our decisions from the start. Back when my wife…

Picture it, there we were, my wife Hannah and I back in 2021, kicking around the idea of packing up our lives and leaving behind the cozy, maple-syrup-soaked hills of Vermont. Now, let me tell you, Vermont isn’t just where we were born and raised. No matter where we’d end up, Vermont would always hold…

The road was long—literally and metaphorically. Prospecting for the motorcycle ministry was no walk in the park, though, to be fair, I never expected it to be. This wasn’t some casual Sunday biker’s club with pancake breakfasts and polite waves to each passerby. No, this was a Christian ministry with the heart and grit of…

Sometimes, we’re the ones who need a little hospitality, even when we don’t realize it. And let’s be honest—it often shows up from the most unlikely sources. Take this story, for example. It’s not mine. It’s my brother’s. Believe me, it’s one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” moments. My brother, a pastor…

In the quiet hills of Vermont, where snow blankets the world in December and the church steeples stand like sentinels of hope, my home church had a tradition that embodied the true spirit of Christmas. Every year, they set out a simple table. It wasn’t adorned with fancy decorations or filled with expensive gifts; instead,…

Every year, my home church hosted a Christmas Eve White Gift Service. It was one of those deeply cherished traditions that felt like stepping into a warm, familiar storybook. The centerpiece of the evening was always the living nativity, performed by the children of the church. To call it a “production” might be a stretch—it…

This past Sunday, our church hosted its annual Ugly Christmas Sweater service. To say it was a spectacle would be an understatement. There was a Rasta tie-dyed Santa, Christmas cow sweaters, and what I’m pretty sure was a Dominic the Donkey shirt in the mix. One brave soul went full Grinch, complete with pointy green…

Thanksgiving weekend in our house isn’t just a time to polish off the turkey leftovers (though let’s not pretend those sandwiches aren’t a highlight). It’s the sacred kickoff to the Christmas season—a whirlwind of nostalgia, chaos, and enough twinkling lights to rival the Vegas Strip. It’s messy, it’s magical, and it’s hands-down one of my…

Christmas at the Gantt household in Vermont wasn’t for the faint of heart—or the light of appetite. With five siblings, their spouses, a hoard of grandchildren, and Aunt Donna (who wasn’t technically family but earned her place at the table every year), the holidays were nothing short of organized chaos. And then there were the…

The Joy of Giving: Reflections on Christmas Past When I dig through my mental attic of Christmas memories, it’s not the shiny packages or big reveals that steal the spotlight. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my share of surprises—like the year I got a watch that lasted just long enough to survive Christmas dinner—but…

If you’ve ever spent two days crammed into a station wagon with siblings, you know what real endurance is. Not the kind of endurance you see in marathon runners or survival shows—no, I’m talking about the special kind of grit it takes to survive the energy of two younger siblings who could give caffeinated squirrels…

Every year, like clockwork, we’d pile into the car for the trek down to North Carolina. The mountains there always seemed to breathe out Christmas, even if the air was warmer than Vermont’s. My Nana—Dad’s mom—would meet us at Mama and Papa’s, my mom’s folks. Each visit was a patchwork quilt of traditions, quirks, and…

Alright, folks, let’s dive into Exodus 12—the epic tale of the Passover, where the Israelites figured out that escaping slavery in Egypt is a bit like throwing a surprise party for yourself: it’s messy, chaotic, and you really hope everyone shows up on time. This meal is packed with symbolism and significance, showcasing not just…

Alright, folks, buckle up because we’re diving back into one of the most heartwarming (and slightly dramatic) family reunions in history. Joseph, after all that brotherly betrayal—let’s not forget the whole “throw him in a pit and sell him into slavery” incident—is now in a position of power and, boy, does he know how to…

Alright, folks, gather ’round! Let’s talk about Joseph—the guy who went from pit to palace faster than you can say “dream interpretation.” Picture this: Pharaoh is tossing and turning at night, haunted by visions of seven fat cows munching away, followed by seven scrawny cows who look like they just ran a marathon. His advisors?…

Let me tell you a little story about Jacob, Esau, and their family dynamic—talk about a soap opera packed with tension and a whole lot of questionable choices! Rebekah, bless her heart, decided to help Jacob pull off a little family heist by deceiving poor blind Isaac. Instead of creating a warm and loving home,…

Alright, picture this: we’re in Genesis 24, and here comes Rebekah, casually going about her day when she meets Abraham’s servant and, by extension, a herd of thirsty camels. Now, if she was just doing the bare minimum, she could’ve tossed the guy a water bottle and been on her way. But no—Rebekah’s got that…

Alright, so here’s Abraham in Genesis 18, setting the gold standard for hospitality. He’s just minding his business, hanging out under some shade in the heat of the day, when three strangers show up. Instead of a casual “Hey, y’all hungry?” Abraham runs out to meet them. Not a mosey, not a brisk walk—he runs,…

Is hospitality always about whipping up a hot dish? Not necessarily. Sometimes, it’s about showing someone the ropes, just like God did with Noah. Instead of serving up a five-course meal, God gave Noah the ultimate survival guide, complete with blueprints for an extended stay on a floating barn. He didn’t just hand Noah supplies…

Imagine rolling up to The Cookouts—smoke billowing, laughter cutting through the humid air, and the grill blazing like it was auditioning for its own reality TV show. For my mom, the 4th of July wasn’t just a holiday—it was the holiday. Forget Christmas trees and stockings; give her fireworks, sparklers, and a sideyard filled with…

Growing up, my mom’s garden wasn’t just a patch of dirt—it was her magnum opus. Seriously, Eden might’ve taken one look and thought, “Okay, this is a bit much.” Rows of tomatoes, beans, squash, and everything else you’d need for a Southern feast stretched as far as my childhood eyes could see. And come harvest…

Hi, I’m Andrew Gantt, and I firmly believe life’s best moments happen around a table. Whether it’s a wild family dinner where chaos is the main course, a quiet coffee chat with a side of heart-to-heart, or handing a plate of food to someone who didn’t see it coming, hospitality is where the magic happens.…