We have begun the season of Lent, a time of reflection, repentance, and turning our lives back toward the gospel. Whether you practice the season of Lent or not (the 40 days before Easter not including Sundays), I invite you to begin this practice this year. Ash Wednesday is the day that begins the LentenContinue reading “REDEEMED: A Strange Love”
Category Archives: preparation
Irons in the Fire
We are all busy people, and seem to be getting busier. At the time this blog post gets published, we will be one week away from Thanksgiving. Does that scare anyone? Think of all that needs to be done. Then throw on all the preparations for Christmas and parties and other events, and our livesContinue reading “Irons in the Fire”
Peace of God
The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season will bring even the best of us to out wits end. We hear the story of Christ being born; yet we go about our busy lives as if nothing has changed. There are so many things to worry about. The media doesn’t help. God is with usContinue reading “Peace of God”
Sing to the Lord
What are some of your favorite songs to sing this time of year? Mine are “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night.” In fact, these are two songs I would like to be sung at my memorial service after I pass away. The reason is because, even in death, there still can be joy.Continue reading “Sing to the Lord”
Rejoice!
Christmastime is such a joyous time of year for so many people. This is the time we celebrate families with gift giving, parties, travel, and much more. We can see the good things in life, when we get together. Unfortunately, many people do not have this same experience of this time of year. So manyContinue reading “Rejoice!”
God’s Invading
Last week, a New York newspaper ran a headline that said, “God is not fixing this,” in response to the shootings that happened in San Bernardino, CA. The article was saying that something has to be done and people can’t “hide” behind meaningless phrases – more specifically, “my thoughts and prayers with with…” When weContinue reading “God’s Invading”
Wilderness & Crooked Paths
Advent is a season we prepare our hearts and lives for the coming of the Christ child and anticipate His return. As we look into the process of preparing our lives, we can see how crooked and off the path we have gotten at times. It seems to be human nature to look after onlyContinue reading “Wilderness & Crooked Paths”
Proclaiming God’s Forgiviness
We have several topics of conversation during the Christmas holidays. We’ll talk of love, family, weather (good or rough), relationships, parties, gifts, etc. Our conversations are around the goodness of the season. Yet, this is one of the most stressful times of the year. During this season, it seems we are more likely to beContinue reading “Proclaiming God’s Forgiviness”
John the Baptist
John the Baptist is one of my favorite biblical characters because he definitely stands out and people take notice of him. He is memorable, not only of his message, but of his clothing and food choices. Though the Gospel of Luke does not mention him wearing camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey, MatthewContinue reading “John the Baptist”
Really Ready for Christmas?
This week, we have asked some tough questions, hopefully preparing us and challenging us to embrace the real Christmas event so our lives reflect Christ in this world. Once more, I invite you to read the scripture focus for this week. Take some time to ponder what we have talked about this week. Most importantly,Continue reading “Really Ready for Christmas?”
R Y A N S T R A T T O N 