Category: trials

• Picture of Transformation

  One of my favorite things to do is spend time in the mountains. I love this because I can disconnect and admire the incredible majesty of the mountains. Right now, I am writing this after spending a few hours over 8,00 feet elevation at a place called Bible Point. The views were incredible! As I […]

  Ryan Stratton

  10/07/2022

  Christian Life, Christianity, Creation, disciples, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, methodism, methodist, pastor, Sabbath, Spiritual transformation, struggles, success, suffering, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  Christian life, Colorado Rocky Mountains, Isaiah 6:1-6, Jesus transforms us, live differently, new creation in Christ, picture transformation, sabbath retreat, transformation in Christ

• God Sees

  Click here to read 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 How good a judge are you of someone’s character? How well do you have the ability to choose/pick who the next leader should be? Has it worked out for you in the past? These are questions that we should be thinking about when we read the passage today. […]

  Ryan Stratton

  06/15/2021

  belief, believe, Bible, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, devotionals, evangelism, faith, faithful, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, maturity, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, preparation, prepare, transformation, trials, trust, uncategoried, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  1 Samuel 15:34-16:13, anointing of God, bible study, choosing leaders, God chooses, God chooses leaders, God sees the heart, Good News of Jesus Christ, Jesus king of kings, king David anointed, new life in Christ, prophet Samuel, Trust God

• Revival Can Come

  “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~2 Chronicles 7:14 NRSV I see this Bible verse posted on yard signs, in windows, I hear it from […]

  Ryan Stratton

  11/13/2020

  belief, belonging, Bible, bible study, born again, challenge, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, faith, faithful, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, journaling, judgement, leadership, learning, legacy, Life, live stream, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new creation, new life, passion, pastor, Prayer, preaching, preparation, renewal, repentance, resurrection, revival, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, witness, witnessing, Wonder, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  2 Chronicles 7:14, Christian life, God, Good News of Jesus Christ, gospel of Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, it begins with me, Jesus Christ, life transformation, new life in Christ, praying for revival, revival, Trust God, trusting Jesus, what is revival

• Asking the Right Question

  We have all been at crossroads and have to figure out which path to take that will be the best for your life. Some of the questions we ask are, “Which way does God want me to go?”, “How do I know if I make the right choice?”, “What is the best option for me […]

  Ryan Stratton

  11/06/2020

  ambition, anxiety, beauty, belief, believe, belonging, Bible, challenge, Challenges, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, faith, faithful, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, Holy Spirit, journaling, journey, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, motivations, pain, passion, patience, peace, possibilities, Prayer, prayer life, questions, repentance, resurrection, revival, temptations, testimony, thankful, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Worry, Worship, writing, youth ministry

  Asking the right questions, Christian life, Christian living, faith in Christ, God has a plan, God is already there. trust God, God is with us, God is with you, God loves you, Jesus changes everything, journey of life, know God, live by faith, power of the Holy Spirit, way of life

• Reaching Our Cities for Christ

  Christopher Wright said it well, “We argue about what can legitimately be included in the mission God expects from the church, when we should ask what kind of church God expects for his mission in all its comprehensive fullness.” (Wright, 534) Alongside this line of thinking, another way to look at this is “I may […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/11/2020

  Apostle Paul, belief, Bible, Christian Life, Christianity, church, Communication, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, example, faith, forgiven, Forgiveness, God’s grace, good news, gospel, grace, holy life, holy living, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, leadership, legacy, Life, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, passion, pastor, poor, priorities, Relationships, religion, revival, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, witnessing, works, worldview, writing, youth ministry

  1 Corinthians 9:22, Apostle Paul’s mission, cultural contexts, evangalizing the cities, following Jesus example, how to reach people, knowing the culture, living the great commission, love God love people, Reaching our cities for Christ, who is my neighbor

• Who is YHWH?

  The Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible) begins with a land that is fertile and ready for humanity and ends with the people of Israel on the cusp of moving into the land of promise. Beginning in Genesis 12 through Deuteronomy 34, the promise of land is a key theme for the people of […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/04/2020

  belief, bible, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, disciples, faith, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, Life, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, pastor, patience, reconciliation, Relationships, repentance, sin, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, writing, youth ministry

  books of the Bible, Genesis – Deuteronomy, how can I know God, knowing God, what does the Bible say, what does the Bible say about God, what is the point of the Bible, what is the Torah, who am I, Who is God

• God’s Story, Your Story: The Old Testament

  How well do you know the biblical story? If we’re honest, we all should say we don’t know it as well as we want. One of the most beautiful things about scripture is that it continually speaks, even today, the words of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit. If I were to ask […]

  Ryan Stratton

  09/01/2020

  bible, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, church, Creation, disciples, faith, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, reconciliation, redeemed, Relationships, repentance, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, worship, youth ministry

  old testament introduction, people of God, Who is God

• Esther: “Wrong” Place, Right Time

  We have been in this series where we have been looking into the lives of biblical characters to see how we can still see ourselves on the pages of scripture. As we said last week, our way of life, and society may have changed, but human nature really hasn’t changed. We still fall prey to […]

  Ryan Stratton

  07/28/2020

  anger, awakening, beauty, belief, believe, belonging, bible, bible study, calling, Challenges, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, controversy, disciples, example, facing challenges, Failure, faith, faithful, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, judgement, Life, Lifes Journey, mercy, methodism, methodist, mindset, ministry, mission, pastor, revival, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, uncategoried, Uncategorized, worship, writing, youth ministry

  book of esther, called by God, Esther, for such a time as this, God is always working, greater purpose in life, Happy with your life, Life mission, mission of God, new life in Christ, no coincidences with God, People like us, personal mission, trusting God, whats in the bible

• Noah: Nobody’s Perfect

  There are movies and books and stories that we allow to speak to our hearts. We fall in love with the characters and root for them, or want what’s coming to them to happen. The stories we seem to pay more attention to add to our notion that life is all about us. One of […]

  Ryan Stratton

  07/21/2020

  anger, attitudes, belief, Bible, bible stories, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, confrontation, Creation, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, Failure, faith, forgiven, glory, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, grace, holy, holy life, holy living, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, leadership, learn, Life, methodism, methodist, ministry, mission, people pleasing, perfection, plan, planning, priority, purpose, relationships, rest, sin, trials, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, wisdom, Work, worship, writing, youth ministry

  Genesis 6, in Christ alone, Jesus is the way truth and life, live a holy life, narrow is the gate, noah and the flood, noah found favor in the eyes of God, nobodys perfect, perfection in Christ, Trust in Christ

• People Like Us: Adam

  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, but the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Right here we get a picture of God who seeks to be intimately connected with his creation by remaining close. For God it was, and still is, all about […]

  Ryan Stratton

  07/14/2020

  belief, Bible, bible stories, bible study, character, Christian Life, Christianity, church, conflict, confrontation, disciples, Failure, faith, faithful, glory, glory of Christ, glory of God, glory to God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, holy life, Holy Spirit, hope, humble, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgement, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, proclaiming Christ, Relationships, revival, transformation, trials, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, worship, writing, youth ministry

  becoming more, blaming others, Christ changes everything, Christ is victorious, Christian blog post, I am not a failure, is it my fault, it’s all about Christ, People like us, sermon on Adam, taking responsibility