Category: God

• Work of the Gospel

  I am sure you may know what the “gospel” (Good News) of Jesus Christ is. If not, the Apostle Paul gives a great “short” telling of the essence of what the gospel is: “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in […]

  Ryan Stratton

  01/31/2023

  belief, believe, belonging, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, disciples, evangelism, faith, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, holy life, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, mercy, methodism, methodist, transformation, Truth, uncategoried, worship, writing, youth ministry

  Christian life, complete life change, evangelizing about Jesus, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, new life in Christ, sharing our faith, Trust Jesus, trusting Jesus with your life, what is the gospel

• Be Confident in Your Calling

  To what do you feel called? In other words, what is your purpose in life? What are you passionate about? These questions are all part of a series of questions we should ask ourselves to better understand who we are as humans. Finding the answer to these questions will also help us see how we […]

  Ryan Stratton

  01/17/2023

  belief, Bible, character, Christian Life, Christianity, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, living, methodism, methodist, ministry, spiritual gifts, trust, Truth, uncategoried, witnessing, worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Corinthians 12, be who you are, called to diversity, Christian living, clarity of purpose, God created a masterpiece, knowing who you are, living out your purpose, spiritual gifts, transformation in the world, trusting God

• What Does the Old Testament Say?

  The Bible is my favorite book. Every time I read something out of the Bible, I see and learn something new. That is the power of the scripture. God’s Holy Spirit will speak to us, in different ways and at different times, a message we need to hear whether we have read that particular passage […]

  Ryan Stratton

  08/25/2022

  bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, Failure, faith, faithful, faithfulness, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, John Wesley, Life, Love, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, pastor, praise, reconciliation, renewal, repentance, transformation, uncategoried, worldview, worship, youth ministry

  Christian life, god is working in the world, God’s chosen people, live differently, power of the Bible, story of the Old Testament, Trust Jesus, what does the Bible say, what has God done, what is in the Old Testament, why should I read the Bible

• God Leads

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 17. These are the stories that capture our imagination and restore hope. Rudy, The Karate Kid, Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby…these are all stories where the “wrong person” wins. But these stories stick with us. Why? Because of who wins! We love for the underdog to win. Why? I […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/22/2021

  anxiety, attitudes, awakening, believe, belonging, Bible, bible stories, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, legacy, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, motivations, preach, preaching, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, Worry, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 17, Christian life, David and Goliath, faith in Christ, God leads to victory, Good News of Jesus Christ, Jesus changes everything, rooting for the underdog, transform the world, underdogs win

• God Responds

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 8. Samuel is an interesting character. He is a mild-mannered prophet who has no problem removing the head of enemy kings. He is someone you can go to in order to hear from God, and also someone who will make sure the job gets done. (Stay with me this […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/08/2021

  bible, Bible, calling, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conflict, confrontation, devotionals, disciples, Emotions, faith, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, praise, Prayer, prayer life, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 8, God hears prayers, god is not caught off guard, God knows, God loves you, God seeks us, God’s response, Israel asks for a king, rejecting God

• Made in the Image of God

  Created in the Image of God “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”[1] The imago Dei has been a […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/04/2021

  believe, belonging, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, faith, family, family of God, forgiven, Forgiveness, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, humanity, Image of God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, pastor, preach, preaching, proclaiming Christ, reflection, relationships, renewal, repent, repentance, revival, Spiritual transformation, transformation, trust, Truth, worship, writing, youth ministry

  born again, building relationships, Christian life, Genesis 1:27, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, likeness of Jesus, made in god’s image, recreated in god’s image, Trust God, what is the i age of god

• God Calls

  Click Here to Read 1 Samuel 3:1-10 I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the Old Testament. Yeah, there are many things I still don’t understand, but I do know this, what we call the Old Testament takes up 66% of our Bible, so taking the time to understand the storyline is vital for […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/01/2021

  belief, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conflict, conversion, devotionals, disciples, freedom, freedom in Christ, glory of God, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, preach, preaching, speech, Spirit, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 3:1-10, bible study, Christian life, God calls, hearing God’s voice, knowing God’s voice, knowing Jesus, live differently, love the Old Testament, new life in Christ, responding to God, sermon on 1 Samuel 3, trusting God

• The Danger of Riches

  In 1780, John Wesley wrote a sermon called “The Danger of Riches.” This is a message to help us keep our priorities straight when it comes to material goods. Based on the scripture 1 Timothy 6:9, “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful desires which […]

  Ryan Stratton

  04/15/2021

  anxiety, beauty, belief, believe, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, control, disciples, eternal life, faith, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, pastor, preach, preaching, reconciliation, relationships, repent, repentance, sin, Truth, uncategoried, witness, writing

  advancing the kingdom of God, Christian way of life, gospel of Jesus Christ, materialism, trusting God with money, what does money do to me

• Transformed Thinking

  I realize it has been some time since I last posted here. Recently I finished reading the book “Winning the War in Your Mind” by Craig Groeschel. I found this to be a great book, especially for this time in my life. One of the things I have noticed, lately, is how we keep our […]

  Ryan Stratton

  03/17/2021

  attitudes, belief, bible, Christian Life, Christianity, example, faithful, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, humanity, Image of God, Jesus Christ, mercy, methodism, methodist, mindset, ministry, miracles, thankful, thinking, thoughts, transformation, uncategoried, worship, writing

  changing our life, changing your thinking, Christian life, focus on God, God’s work in the world, Good News of Jesus Christ, live differently, loving God, what is God doing?

• Vitality of the Christian Faith

  On July 2, 1789, John Wesley wrote a sermon called, “Causes Of The Inefficacy Of Christianity”. Click here for the full sermon. This is a powerful, convicting, sermon on how Christianity can be more transformative in our world. Here is a summary and application for this important sermon: Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity Jeremiah […]

  Ryan Stratton

  11/20/2020

  belief, bible, born again, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conversion, disciples, Failure, faith, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, grace, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, leadership, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new creation, new life, power, Prayer, priority, proclaiming Christ, reconciliation, redeemed, Relationships, renewal, repent, transformation, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, witness, witnessing, worship, writing, youth ministry

  becoming born again, Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity, changing the world, deny yourself, holy spirit led, is Christianity real, Jesus Christ crucified, john Wesley sermon, life change, real Christianity, renewing methodism, take up your cross and follow Jesus, the Christian life, What is a Christian