Deepening your relationship with God requires intentionality through daily prayer, Bible study, worship, and gratitude. Surrounding yourself with a faith community and practicing obedience to His will helps nurture a living, growing connection with your Creator. By taking small, consistent steps, you’ll experience God’s faithfulness and draw closer to His heart each day.
Author Archives: Ryan Stratton
“Crossroads: Seeking God to Discern Next Steps: A Forty-Day Devotional”
Ryan Stratton’s Crossroads is a deeply moving and spiritually enriching devotional that serves as a guide for those facing pivotal moments in life. Through its forty-day journey, the book offers readers a space to pause, reflect, and seek God’s direction with clarity and intention. Stratton writes with authenticity and warmth, drawing on his pastoral experience and personalContinue reading ““Crossroads: Seeking God to Discern Next Steps: A Forty-Day Devotional””
When God Seems Distant
When God feels distant, believers are called to trust in His promises and seek Him through His Word, persistent prayer, and reflection on His faithfulness. These seasons are not signs of His absence but opportunities to grow in faith, relying on His timing and purpose. By staying connected to Christian community and choosing faith over feelings, we can continue to walk faithfully, confident that God is closer than we realize.
Priorities for 2025
How Was 2024 for You? Did you accomplish what you set out to achieve? Did you grow into the person you hoped to become? How much stress did you endure along the way? Every year, I hear people reflect on how difficult the previous year was. We long for smooth sailing, but life rarely goesContinue reading “Priorities for 2025”
Is Peace Possible?
Is Peace Truly Possible? A Reflection on Mark 1:1-8 The concept of peace often feels elusive in today’s fast-paced, chaotic world. We long for it in our hearts, our relationships, and our communities, yet true peace seems like an unreachable ideal. However, the Gospel of Mark opens with a bold proclamation of good news thatContinue reading “Is Peace Possible?”
Look Up, Look Out
What do you carry with you when you walk into a room? When you wake up in the morning, what’s on your mind? Are there burdens from your past that still weigh you down, shaping how you see others and how you interact? How often do you find yourself focusing on the things that areContinue reading “Look Up, Look Out”
DEEP DIVE: The Prodigal Son
The gospel message is clearly found in the parable of the Prodigal Son that Jesus tells in Luke 15. The reality is this parable is so much more than just a “lost son.” This parable is about the compassion of the Father. These three videos are from a three-part sermon series on the Lost SonContinue reading “DEEP DIVE: The Prodigal Son”
Limitation of “I”
“I said…” “It is mine…” “I can do…” “I have to do…” These phrases are all part of our everyday vernacular. We tend to focus on “I/me/self” over anyone else. We’ll over exaggerate our part and what we have to do, and (possibly?) inadvertently discredit the work of others which elevates our own self inContinue reading “Limitation of “I””
Remove the Fig Leaves
The book of Genesis is fascinating. The origins of the universe. The purpose of humanity. Worldwide catastrophe. Spreading out of humanity. Singling out one particular family and family line. That’s just the first twelve chapters. Chapters 13-50 give us famine, war, circumcision, disjunction, murder, wealth, growing family, protection from famine, slavery, and so much more. Continue reading “Remove the Fig Leaves”
A GOD OF NEW BEGINNINGS: Revelation in Pictures
Revelation in a fascinating letter. There are visions, destructions, dragon, death, resurrection, hope, a future glory. This letter has just about everything that drives people to the movies. Great cast, great adventure, lessons and reassurances, hope. What else would you want? For a recap of where we have been in this journey through Revelation, youContinue reading “A GOD OF NEW BEGINNINGS: Revelation in Pictures”
