Aaron Billard Profile Banner
Aaron Billard Profile
Aaron Billard

@AaronBillard

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Fascinated yet disturbed by it all. Practitioner of the spiritual arts. Diarist. Minister at St. John's United Church. The main monk at @UnvirtuousAbbey

Moncton, New Brunswick
Joined April 2021
Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.
@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
24 days
I had a funeral today for a man in my church. His daughter gave a eulogy and said she was born soon after her parents were married, then quipped, ‘Pregnancies were shorter back then.’
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
@ItsDrLittle @ComoseDise You’re in! (Plus your dad called and said hi)
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
24 days
@MgtmMoisan Oh it got a big laugh
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I was in a meeting when someone said "now that we are post-Covid"...9 dead in New Brunswick last week. Over 100 in hospital. Last week I went to a nursing home to do visits and three of them were quarantined. We're not post Covid, people just stopped caring for each other.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
@hels This Eggs in Purgatory from Bourdain’s Parts Unknown website went horribly for me after I made it for my family on New Year’s Day! I hate everything! 1/4 not 14! 1/2 not twelve! How were my hung over eyes to know the difference!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
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@katynotie
Katy Jean
2 years
(It's Pi Day yall)
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
"1 Million March 4 Children" will be protesting in Moncton on Wednesday. This is a group claiming to support "parental rights"; however, these are anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rallies. As United Churches in Moncton, we denounce these protests and we stand in solidarity with our kids.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
8 days
My name is Rev. Aaron Billard from Moncton and yes, yes it is.
@conservativesNB
NB's Conservative Voice
8 days
Is this appropriate for a school district?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Posting this as a reminder for the Conservative Party of New Brunswick as the premier consolidates power to push forward his religious beliefs.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I was listening to CBC radio at noon today about the tens of thousands of people descending on Cavendish and the person being interviewed said that people are done with Covid and want to have a good time. The next story was a YMCA camp being shut down due to a Covid outbreak.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
An 88 year old man from my church heard that my son loved his fly fishing experience and he asked us if he could give him his fishing rod that he built when he was 16 years old. He hopes my son has as much fun as he did fishing New Brunswick rivers.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
24 days
For those who want to see what she said during the funeral, it’s at the 5:50 mark during the recording service located on the obituary page:
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Hi, Blaine. I’m a United Church minister here in Moncton. I’m naming this statement as vile and I’m casting it out in Jesus’ name.
@poitrasCBC
Jacques Poitras
1 year
Higgs: gender dysphoria has become "popular and trendy. ... We have a population that's growing because there's such acceptance that this is fine."
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I was called to the hospital last night for a dying congregant. I went and had prayers and read scripture as she was alone. I just had a call from the family that she died two hours later. I don’t know why difference that makes but I gave thanks I could be there.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
10 days
It’s time for us to say it out loud: The Conservative Party of the past is gone and now evangelical Christians are trying to turn our province and our schools into their churches AND WE CANNOT LET THEM. There’s no hope with Higgs. There’s Hope with Holt!
@leighsprague
Leigh Sprague
12 days
One campaign is showing NBers what it will do to help fix the healthcare system, the other is laser-focused on turning back the clock on human rights. I’m starting to think the Hope vs Hate election isn’t gonna go well for the Premier.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
This makes no sense to me? Aren't we supposed to learn how to live with winter storms? Being told to 'take precautions' and 'stay home' goes against my personal rights. "Staying home until the storm passes" is ok if you want to live that way. Not me.
@OPP_WR
OPP West Region
2 years
#SouthBruceOPP is asking you to avoid travel until the storm passes. High winds and blowing snow have resulted in @Huron_Kinloss plows ceasing operations and the closure of #Hwy21 from Amberley to Saugeen First Nation. #PublicSafety ^km
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
24 days
I asked a man from the USA who was speeding through the campground in his urban tank to slow down since there are lots of kids and seniors around and he tried to pick a fight with me. ‘Come closer and say that’ so I put a big smile on, walked closer, and told him again. Idiot.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
My son was so slow getting ready for school this morning that he just had a job offer from Service New Brunswick.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
@darth Halo lost her vision as a puppy due to a reaction to the medication from her spay surgery but she loves to swim and play at the beach and has a wonderful life!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
9 months
I was opening cards from church people and this one from a surgeon made me pause
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
This weekend, I drove to Cape Breton to meet my birth father for the first time. It was his 74th birthday. I also met my sister and my birth father’s nine siblings. I met many of my first cousins and their children. It was epic. Two days of celebrating so much love. #MacSween
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
10 months
For my 50th birthday, the first time my birth father Joe got to wish me a happy birthday, he had a stole made for me with the McSween tartan. Oh my heart.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
Well, we made a hard call and moved our church services to online only. What a time. First minister here who ever cancelled a Christmas Eve service.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Thanks to Ancestry, I found my birth family. While the specifics have yet to be ironed out, one person wrote and said, "We may not find out how you're related but you belong to us now." After 49 years. Though, I have a father and brother who love me, it's ok to have this, too
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I’m up late after having one of the most-emotional weekends of my life where we were on edge a lot. I finally learned, after 49 years, who my birth father is and he and his nine siblings welcomed my family with open arms. They are wonderful and good people. My brain is lit up.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Certain people: "We're not coming back to church until we don't have to wear masks." Church: "Ok, you don't have to wear masks anymore." Certain people: "lol we're still not coming"
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
There is a certain brand of cosplay Christian that has manifested in recent years where they spend so much time expressing themselves with acts of piety and naming spiritual warfare that I wonder how often they just got out and visited their parishioners and had a cup of tea?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Halo has a torn Cranial Cruciate Ligament plus a possible meniscus tear. Due to her vision impairment, she’s prone to stumbling so this caused an initial patellar luxation issue that we’ve tried to manage over the year with glucosamine & pain meds as needed. But now it’s surgery.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
6 months
Maritimers gonna Maritime
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
10 months
I invited the kids to wear their Halloween costumes to church and as I was welcoming everyone to the service I noted that you could tell that this wasn't a Pentecostal church because there were four dinosaurs here today.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Candidate for the best door in Moncton
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
@BellMediaPR Why don’t you just admit that your young executive had a meltdown and fired your leading on air person because he didn’t like that she had an opinion, journalistic integrity, and grey hair?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
9 months
I remember when Austin was just some anti-French bonkers guy who went on and on about nothing and we all just shook our heads and now he's in cabinet making decisions on behalf of New Brunswickers. New Brunswick is turning into a fundamentalist right-wing church and I hate it.
@andrewwaugh13
Andrew Waugh
9 months
Kris Austin says that Trudeau's "leftist agendas" played a role in the man's death in St. Stephen. I look forward to getting a fulsome explanation.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
My daughter doesn’t feel comfortable going to a school assembly with 1100 mostly unmasked kids so guess what? Her science teacher opened his classroom for kids who don’t feel safe at school. I suspect a lot of kids from this era will enter the sciences, or love them more.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
4 months
I gave a shout out to Harry Doyle and the Anglophone East District Education Council in my sermon last Sunday.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
23 days
@scoopdoggydoo I found my birth father on ancestry!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
7 months
I had a funeral today for a lovely guy and his seven year old great grand daughter gave me a bracelet that she made for everyone at the funeral so we could remember her Poppa. I told her that was very thoughtful!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I did a funeral for a young father who died of Covid. His teenage kids sat in the front row. The last time they saw him was on Facetime in the ICU before he was intubated.
@AuDHD_Mel
Melanie Green
2 years
We have a survivorship bias problem with COVID. Most only know those who have survived and seem fine, leading them to assume (as our premier does) that COVID is no big deal. If you have long-COVID, or have lost someone to COVID, please share your story to raise awareness.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
@MikeOkuda @thebeardofriker @TerryMatalas Terry Matalas is to Star Trek what Dave Filoni is to Star Wars
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
6 months
I honestly don’t think religious fundamentalists have any business holding public office. There are so many issues kids are struggling with in schools that this government could focus on but yet they choose this. Leave kids alone. Our schools are not your churches.
@TJProvincial
Telegraph-Journal
6 months
Education minister threatens to repeal district's updated gender policy
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
Remember this summer when she said we should all be wearing masks and the next day Higgs and Russell were like "lol no" and we never saw her again then we all had to wear masks again and Higgs and Russell said "we've always said to wear masks"
@CBCNB
CBC New Brunswick
3 years
New Brunswick loses its deputy chief medical officer of health to Nova Scotia:
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
9 months
Three Christmas services later…Merry Christmas!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
It's a sign I'm fading when I have to summon up empathy because I usually have lots of it. What are your signs that your burning out?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
11 months
Listening to Conservative politicians in the New Brunswick legislature praying the Lord's Prayer while they don't enact a word of it makes my skin crawl. Also, why pray in Jesus' name when the legislature represents all New Brunswickers, not just evangelical Christians?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
There seems to be a direct correlation between politicians no longer wearing masks, showing up for maskless photo ops, then announcing they have Covid. I know it's hard to connect the dots on that one but I feel like there's a pattern?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Go focus on the economy, and lower gas prices while you’re at it, Premier. Shame grocery stores instead of children.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
@PhotonicPunk That they are letting covid positive teachers and students back in school, symptomatic at that, is unreal.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Parishioner: "Just wanted to give you this church bulletin from a Methodist Church we went to in Florida in case you are looking for ideas!" Me: *Looks at program* *Sees eight pastors on staff* *Sees 12 support staff* *Sees budget update* *Dies*
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I’m getting message after message of people in my church getting Covid. Why churches aren’t masking doesn’t make sense to me; it’s the least thing we can do to show Christ’s care.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
My father gave me his old fountain pen for Christmas. He received it as a gift decades ago and just found it recently.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
It’s an exhausting part of public life to constantly have to say ‘I’m not that kind of Christian’ in reference to those who seek to preach a Christ I don’t recognize nor follow. But here I am.
@simplesarahbear
Sarah💜
2 years
Christians who support Nationalism are showing their hand. Where are the Christians who don't? The ones of us who grew up napping in church pews were always taught to resist power and pride. We walked away from church institutions because we recognized the wolves. Speak up.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
What’s a job that you have no qualifications for yet would love to have?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
The kettle broke at the church. I drink a lot of tea when I'm here. So rather than call a meeting, price kettles, approve a kettle, or have someone say they have an old kettle at their cottage that they used to boil gasoline with, they just went out and bought a new kettle.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
8 months
Today I did a chapel service at a nursing home and played guitar for the songs and read the scripture passage and did my best to engage the crowd and as I did I asked a question about the story and one woman put her hand up and asked, ‘Can you play Country Roads?’ So I did.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 month
The rigid and frigid pastor Blaine Higgs let his tourism minister and staff take a tax-payer funded trip to France but he won’t bend the rules for less than a kilometre so this little diabetic boy can travel to school on a bus. So much for family values eh
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
When you get called out to the hospital before 8am during a hurricane and a nurse gives you a cup of coffee for Rebecca Schofield Day
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Ever feel like you’re being gaslit by your province? They did the same thing with masks.
@CBCMoncton
CBC Information Morning Moncton
2 years
False housing data helped terminate N.B. rent cap | CBC News
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
7 months
Sometimes visiting the flock means that I get blessed by the best tomato sandwich you’ve ever eaten! (It was made with love by a 95 year old!)
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
😂
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I am proud to be a minister within the @UnitedChurchCda and seeing the response to a tweet that I made about rebuking a politician (See: John the Baptizer) reminds me of how important the voice of my church is especially in the cesspool of fundamentalism.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
5 months
One of the nice things about being Gen X clergy is watching all the superstar clergy who are going to save the church come and go while we just do the work like we always did.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
We kept our son home from school for an extra week to give his vaccine a chance to kick in some more. Before he left this morning he said, "Daddy, I'm scared." I told him how proud I am of him for being smart and wearing his mask and for being brave and getting his vaccine.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I did a wedding for young a couple in June. They came to church all the time and she sang in the choir. He died suddenly today. I’m shocked. My heart is broken for her and I feel sick to my stomach. He gushed about her on fb all the time.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I am furious that evangelical Christians are mobilizing behind Higgs as if all followers of Jesus agree with him. I can assure you: we don’t. As has been (well) said: Our schools are not your churches.
@jodyRcarr
Jody R. Carr
1 year
Every New Brunswicker should be worried about organized division + hate entering our provincial discourse. I’m always in favour of diverse views + improving policy by working together, I am not in favour of hate + divisive politics and will stand against it at every opportunity.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
16 days
When Susan Holt’s Liberals get elected they should give Shawn an award for all the heavy lifting he does for the forces of good and right.
@shawnrouse
Shawn Rouse
16 days
There's a lot of things wrong with these fliers and this group (long tweet warning): • They imply teachers are indoctrinating students, which is an attack on the backbone of our education system. • They call transgender and non-binary students "deluded," which is
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I just applied for my adoption disclosure information. Given that my birth mother already denied my request to contact her, a friend said, "You have a birth father, too, and he might want to know you exist." So here's hoping. I know these aren't Hallmark reunion movies but...
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 months
My wife’s brother in law is still missing after five days. We fear the worst and hold out hope. Richard means so much to so many. Searches have been called off but the family are still looking. N.S. news: Search continues for missing man | CTV News
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 months
At the grave today a woman said ‘I don’t know if this is allowed’ but her friend always wanted to eat her pop tarts. They came two in a pack but she always ate them both and didn’t share, ‘so I want to leave these for her’ and I’m getting choked up and I said, ‘Of course, sure.’
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
When people call themselves 'public theologians' what do they assume the rest of us do? Scream into pillows?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
5 months
At this point, I'll vote for anyone with empathy. I'm tired of Christian fundamentalists running this province. No party platform is perfect; however, if a politician can't relate to constituents in the smallest of ways, they shouldn't be in politics. People before politics.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
Wow. Just had an email from our school asking parents not to protest at or near the school and not to use their kids to go against public health mandates while in school. When the adults act like fools this is what happens.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I had a hard day but a good day. I buried a woman who I cared a great deal about. We lost her husband during the lock downs and couldn’t celebrate him so I celebrated them today. Ministry is powerful in the ways that our connections are beautiful.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Also, shame on the Higgs government for making life harder for kids in the name of "parental rights." Our schools aren't your churches.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Poor Halo has surgery tomorrow. We’re all really upset but it has to be done. Torn tendon. Big operation for our little girl with a three-month recovery.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
During a typical Canadian summer evening, a young man wrote a song in tribute to his abiding love of patio lanterns (with a curious subplot about his lemonade addiction). That young man was Kim Mitchell and the song was so successful he never had work another day #HeritageMoments
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I haven't been this at peace with myself for as long as I can remember. I found the most amazing family. It took me decades of looking. They didn't know I existed yet when I knocked on the door I was welcomed home with such excitement that I'm still getting lots of messages.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
It's ironic that atheists get a four-day weekend and clergy don't. #Snark
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 month
I preached at the church where I was visiting for the wedding for my new sister and mentioned my birth family. Afterwards, an older man shook my hand and said, ‘I knew and worked with your grandfather and he’d be very proud of you.’ I shook his hand a little harder. My heart
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 month
Presiding at my new sister’s wedding.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
9 months
An old man almost ran over me as I was walking towards Sobeys as he revved to get the handicap spot and when I through my arms up he gave me the finger so I opened my jacket. I was grateful to be wearing a clerical collar. I hope he was a Catholic.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
Hey, @katynotie do you think the Herald editor could have made my picture a smidge bigger? It's hard to see.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
23 days
@NekoleUnknown My thoughts exactly.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
My phone decided I didn't have any room left at the point in recording my sermon when I started criticizing the convoy BUT I deleted five apps and finished recording it. Long sermon.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I have been non-stop messaging with about 30 people in Cape Breton who are so excited to meet me, as excited as I am to meet them. They're having a welcome home party in the summer for my family at their family homestead. It's hard to explain it all. "You look JUST like us!"
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
5 months
Imagine losing your daughter to a fire in a tent because of her lack of access to housing, mental health and addiction resources and the Premier calls you up and makes it worse because he doubled down on his deeply held beliefs about homeless people.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
The people telling me Covid is over haven’t done any Covid funerals.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Well, it finally happened. Without thinking, I walked into my office, took off my coat, and put on a cardigan sweater. I'm Mister Rogers now.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
4 months
A woman in my church stopped by the office yesterday morning and when she saw me she said she needed to hug me because I’ve had a rough week and gave me these. That’s healing in bottled form, right there!
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
3 years
Why would they take it seriously when a few days ago they were all best friends?
@ConsumerSOS
𝚂𝚎á𝚗 𝙾’𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚊 Global News
3 years
Police give warning to truckers to get out Friday morning. No takers.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
I met a Baptist minister in my travels today who told me that they get 1000 people every Sunday and they are so blessed. I replied, ‘Well, the Holy Spirit shows up at our church every Sunday and She’s all that really matters.’ I think I broke his brain.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I took this photo today when the sun was setting of a shadow on the wall in the living room
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
I just had a call informing me that there was a security breach on my Windows PC. So I told the woman that I had to legally inform her that the police were monitoring the call and to please continue. She told me to ‘shut your bloody mouth’ and hung up on me. 😂
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
This son's and daughter's day stuff is getting a bit much. Whatever happened to the Generation X feeling of not being loved or appreciated by your parents while at the same time knowing that they cared enough to kill you if you ever got into trouble?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Someone on Facebook just told me that I'm not a 'real minister' and I can't tell you how relieved I am! Now what to do with my life?
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
2 years
Finally. It’s been a rough go.
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@AaronBillard
Aaron Billard
1 year
@BAStephenson60 Jesus said to let the children come to him and blessed them. They are at the centre of the Kindom. There are no qualifiers to their blessedness. He didn’t say, ‘Go ask your parents.’
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