What about that phrase stands out to you? Recently, I gave a benediction in worship that used the phrase, “May you have Holy Discontent…”. A few people asked if they heard me correctly. They did. Context. A few years ago, I heard this “non-traditional” blessing, and it stuck with me: May God bless you withContinue reading “HOLY DISCONTENT”
Category Archives: ministry
Loving to Life!
INTRODUCTION What does it mean to be “loved to life”? Have you noticed how many people seem to be walking around in a daze, or seem like they live with no purpose? What about those who seem to have lost all emotion and feelings for life? Organizations, churches, work can be the same way. MaybeContinue reading “Loving to Life!”
Neglecting Our Faith
I see it time and time again. Well-meaning people go about their day and ignore the issues they pass. These are people we would call “good Christians.” These people go through the day focused on what needs to be done. Here’s the truth. I can attempt to criticize “these” people all I want. But theContinue reading “Neglecting Our Faith”
Difficult Scriptures to Preach From
There are several scriptures that are challenging to preach from. How do we handle them? We take time. We study them. We attempt to understand the original audience and context. In short, we “wrestle” with them. Matthew 15: 21-28 is one of those scripture passages. How do we handle Jesus’ interactions with the Canaanite womanContinue reading “Difficult Scriptures to Preach From”
Is AI Technology Helping Us?
Chat GPT and all these other AI (artificial intelligence) tools are pretty cool. You can get incredible information and creative content based on the gazillion data stored online for many years. Combining your thoughts or prompts with the “genius” of brilliant people through the years can help you post great stories, blogs, essays, you nameContinue reading “Is AI Technology Helping Us?”
What are you doing here?
“What are you doing here?” How would you answer this question? If you’re like me, you would talk about the tasks you need to do, or the journey that got you to this point. Seems like a legit response, right? But, in 1 Kings 19:9-18, when God asks Elijah, when he was hiding in theContinue reading “What are you doing here?”
Sit. Walk. Stand.
I wish I were smart enough to come up with this title and concept, but Watchman Nee did first, and he wrote a great, short book with this same title. Sit. Walk. Stand. This is the picture of the Christian life. It is also the picture and progress the Apostle Paul lays out in theContinue reading “Sit. Walk. Stand.”
Wisdom for Today
Who can you trust? Where do you get the best, most accurate, information out there? How do you know if something/someone is credible? Recently I attended, as a proud parent, of all of my kids promotion/awards ceremonies in school. If I can be biased, I have some amazing and amazingly smart kids. As I wasContinue reading “Wisdom for Today”
The Book of Jonah
FREE BOOK! If you were asked to explain God, how would you do it? What if you only had one book of the Bible, would you be able to explain who God is and what God’s mission in the world is? What if you only had the book of Jonah? This book is a reworkContinue reading “The Book of Jonah”
CROSSROADS DEVOTIONAL IS AVAILABLE!
My name is Ryan Stratton and I wrote a book called “Crossroads.” It’s a forty day devotional and I am really excited about it! You’ve been in a position and situation where you have had to make a big decision. You may have felt an overwhelming sense of dread or anxiety because you keep tryingContinue reading “CROSSROADS DEVOTIONAL IS AVAILABLE!”
R Y A N S T R A T T O N 