Ryan Stratton

Our Real Gift

I’m not perfect. There, I said it. This may come as a shock to some, but not for most. I do not pretend to be perfect. When I think about my past, I can see and remember things I’ve done and said that can cause regrets. I bet there are many people, in fact IContinue reading “Our Real Gift”

New Life

Ever had a day that you feel like you did everything wrong and nothing went right? Of course you have! Everyone has at some point in our lives. This is true before we encounter Jesus Christ and come to know him and it even happens after we come to know him as Savior. Something toContinue reading “New Life”

Mission Trip Begins

I have the great opportunity to lead a team of 18 people, most of whom, have not been on an short term mission trip out of the state. We are not thinking we’re going there to do stuff for the people, we have something different in mind. We desire to learn, love, listen to andContinue reading “Mission Trip Begins”

Many Blessings

So often in this life, we tend to focus solely on our own circumstances and situations. When we think others are getting things we want, or we feel we deserve, we can place ourselves into a dangerous mindset. There is a reason the last commandment is “Do not desire your neighbor’s house. Do not desireContinue reading “Many Blessings”

Live Differently in God’s Presence

This message is over Exodus 34 and how Moses shined after meeting with God. Have you felt like people don’t, or you don’t, feel differently after going to worship? This message is hopeful because God gives us chance after chance after chance. I pray you’ll see how God is calling each of us to beContinue reading “Live Differently in God’s Presence”

Worship…Take Time to Worship this Weekend

Psalm 122:1 says “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let’s go to the Lord’s house.’” How is it to you to go to a place of worship? The only thing that matters is that when we go to worship, we pause what we’re doing and allow the Holy Spirit of God to fillContinue reading “Worship…Take Time to Worship this Weekend”

Gradutation Time

It blew me away last night to hear many of the graduates from our church are going to study such degrees as biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, etc. We have some talented teenagers graduating high school. Yet through this they will only be successful if they keep and maintain the community of family and friends thatContinue reading “Gradutation Time”

Days Off

What do you like to do on a day off? My guess is that we are all alike in that we use days off to “catch up” on what we didn’t get done during the week. So, if we were to take a day off would we feel like we have to accomplish something orContinue reading “Days Off”

Life Is Beautiful

All around me the birds were singing, the trees were dancing, people were having fun and worshipping; but me, I was feeling low for some reason. I’m not sure why I felt like I was in a funk for almost 24 hours, but I was. We all have felt like nothing around us is goodContinue reading “Life Is Beautiful”

Judging & Dividing

When we look at our world today, it is easy to see divisions on many grounds. We have divisive politics, economic standards, acceptable social practices, how people need to view other people’s way of life, etc. These are challenging times we live in and it is sometimes difficult to take a stand on one sideContinue reading “Judging & Dividing”