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.
Category Archives: transformation
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”
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””
Beginning with the End: Revelation in Pictures
Revelation is a fascinating book filled with vision, symbols, and numbers that are challenging to understand completely. Here’s the gist of the letter of Revelation—God ultimately wins! Imagine how life could be if we focused on the victory of Christ Jesus rather than what’s wrong in the world. God will ultimately redeem and make everythingContinue reading “Beginning with the End: Revelation in Pictures”
Focus on Jesus
What reminds you of the joy Jesus brings? What helps you to focus on Jesus? Each month, I am privileged to take Communion to our Homebound people. As a pastor, Communion always means more each time I preside over the sacrament and each time I partake of the sacrament. Something is different this month. Division,Continue reading “Focus on Jesus”
What’s Missing? (Parts 1-3)
How we read the Bible impacts what we notice. For example, do we pay attention to the possible time frame between some of the verses? This three part video series should help us see a larger scope of the narrative to see how God may be shaping us.
Life of a Rebel
What trends do you remember it seemed like everyone wanted to do? Remember the man-bun? What about when tattoos became a big deal? Or piercing certain parts of the body? Do you ever find yourself asking how to make sure people will notice you? How about trying to figure out who you are, or who youContinue reading “Life of a Rebel”
Thoughts on Reformation Day
October 31, 1517 is the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the doors of Castle Church at Wittenberg. It was the beginning of what we call the Protestant Reformation. Here we are, 506 years after this historic day and we still continue to be renewed and reformed in our faith. There is soContinue reading “Thoughts on Reformation Day”
R Y A N S T R A T T O N 