Cover Story
Christmastime is the busiest social season of the year, filled with family gatherings and work and social get-togethers. While the social obligations during December are some of the most exciting parts of the holiday season, they also provide Christians with the unique opportunity to model Christ’s love and care for others. Birmingham’s Tyler and Anna Nash want to encourage Christians to be more hospitable this holiday season and all year long. As former owners of a popular area coffee shop and the authors of a brand new book on hospitality, the Nashes are uniquely qualified to inspire families to welcome people with a warm holiday spirit.
A Christ-Like Example of Hospitality. Tyler and Anna are the former owners of Innova Coffee, a shop and cafe in the 4700 Colonnade apartment complex that operated until 2023, and the authors of the newly released Refreshing Hospitality: The Art of Welcoming. Their role as coffee shop owners, along with years of hosting people in business situations and at home, has inspired them to discuss hospitality beginning with the origin of the word. “Hospitality” comes from the root word that also led to such terms as “hospital,” “hospice,” and “hostel.” “These are places where someone receives care,” Anna said, adding, “In this time and season, the word has become about entertaining, but its original meaning was about how you personally take care of someone. It’s about offering and extending care and making someone feel seen and connected.” In their vision of hospitality, it’s about a place or a situation where “someone belongs no matter who they are.” According to Anna, this is something modeled by Jesus during his earthly life. “It’s so interesting to see how many times Jesus loved, encouraged, welcomed, and accepted people around the table,” she said. “Whether it was feeding the 5000 or sitting at the Last Supper, there are countless stories of His own hospitality. Jesus made everyone feel welcome, and then attended to their needs in social and relational ways–and, as a result, fulfilled a spiritual need.” She said that she and her husband have been struck by that message on a personal level, as they realized that Christ welcomed them unconditionally and offered rest and freedom. “He invites all of us to come on in just as we are, and rest and unload. And then He invites us to be free. That’s what He does on a spiritual level,” she explained. “He’s done that for us, so that’s the model for healing and connection that we follow.” When they first opened Innova, in fact, they named the coffee shop after a Latin word that meant “renewal and refreshment.” They wanted to welcome people in a way that fed their souls and modeled the rest you can find in Christ. According to Tyler, that’s the goal of showing hospitality inside your home as well. “It may involve work to have someone over, but it’s not a burden,” he said. ‘If they come here and are refreshed, then I am refreshed as well.” Anna adds, “It’s just like it says in Proverbs 11:25- those who refresh others will be refreshed themselves.”
Hospitable Backgrounds. Tyler and Anna both grew up in Birmingham, attended Briarwood Christian School, married soon after high school and raised four children in the Birmingham area. They live in Anna’s childhood home in Vestavia Hills. Her home was one where everyone was welcomed; her mother always had the back door open for unexpected visitors and always had sandwiches or cookies available. Tyler grew up with parents who often held cocktail parties and church gatherings, and then he began a lucrative career in sales. His professional life often took him to fancy restaurants, resorts, and private clubs. Both Tyler and Anna understood hospitality–even if they looked a bit different. “His background was an appreciation of things done exquisitely well, while mine was more of a ‘oh my goodness, here comes someone and let’s see what we have in the refrigerator.’ But we both understood its importance,” she said. Tyler fully understood his passion for caring for others after losing his industrial sales job and resorting to a job at a coffee shop alongside teenagers. “When I went to work there, I was so ashamed. I was 50 and working hourly at a coffee shop,” he said. “I had my pride, and I had to pull off my mask and become vulnerable. It ended up being a gift from God.” In that situation, he discovered that he loved taking care of people. He thrived in the actions of preparing comfortable spaces for customers and realized that his actions could show others that they were important. And in doing for others, he became more comfortable in himself. “God took away a lot of my insecurities and fear, as well as my desire to impress people,” he said. “God took a lot of that away during that time. And it made me free to want to help people.” Tyler and Anna eventually opened their own coffee shop, where they continued that philosophy.
Release of Refreshing Hospitality. After closing Innova, they often heard from former customers about recipes for some of their signature items, including Conecuh sausage biscuits and shortbread cookies. Anna felt called to share some of those recipes, as well as their insights about hospitality, in a book. The project evolved into a personal collection of stories, reflections, and advice. “It went from just being recipes to being 60 short stories around our perspectives on hospitality,” she said. “The stories came from the shop, our home and family, and just where we’ve been out and about in the world and have experienced hospitality.” Each story in the book is paired with recipes, tips and tricks, creative ideas, and reflective questions about hospitality. Anna said that she prayed along the way for guidance and was pleasantly surprised when she began receiving what she calls “divine downloads.” She’d think of stories, take notes whenever she was inspired, and they resulted in Refreshing Hospitality. The book is a beautiful coffee-table style book with both Tyler and Anna’s perspectives, and they are debuting it through special events at local restaurants and stores, and special gatherings and “experiences” in their home. Check out the book’s website, www.refreshinghospitality.com, for more information.
Practicing Hospitality. The Nashes encourage fellow Christians to use the Christmas season as an opportunity to welcome others, realizing that their hospitality may be the only light those others experience. They often held Christmas parties at their coffee shop, recognizing that some customers might not have other places to celebrate. They like to remind people, however, that you don’t have to be a perfect hostess to show hospitality at Christmastime. Don’t let the fear of inadequacy keep you from hosting during the holidays. Ultimately, the Nashes say that the holidays are a time to make others’ lives less stressful, more restful, and more meaningful. “During this busy season, ask yourself: how can we bring a night of respite to people? Even in your own family, how can you take the burden of holiday planning away from a spouse or children, or even friends?” Tyler said. “How can we provide a gathering that’s as stress-free as possible?” In all their endeavors, the Nashes want to remind Christians that hospitality is a very real way to live out their faith. “Jesus showed hospitality in his own life,” Anna said. “He made people feel seen and welcomed.”
-Cheryl Wray
Hear from author Anna Nash about collaborating with her husband on her latest book Refreshing Hospitality plus a look at the passion behind her other writings that include a children’s book, a Christmas devotional and Bible studies.
