Tag: Christmas time

• Filled With Expectation

  As I read the verses for today, I think of the Johnny Carson show where Ed McMahon announced, “Heeeeere’s Johnny!!!” The expectation of the audience was raised when those words were spoken with excitement. I remember watching the Johnny Carson Show and loving hearing him announced. I think a similar response happened with the crowd around […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/18/2015

  Advent, advent devotional, awakening, belief, believe, bible, bible study, Christian Life, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas story, church, daily devotionals, devotionals, disciples, eternal life, evangelism, example, faith, forgiven, glory, glory to God, God, God’s grace, God’s promises, good news, gospel, Gospel of Luke, grace, Holy Spirit, invitation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus’birth, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, ministry, miracles, mission, new creation, new life, pastor, peace, praise, Prayer, preach, proclaiming Christ, reconciliation, relationships, renewal, repent, revival, Savior, Spirit, spiritual growth, spiritual transformation, Spirituality, transformation, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, worship, writing, youth ministry

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• Life Lived for Christ

  Max Lucado says, “think what you think about.” One of the things I appreciate about this is that is forces us to think about why we do the things that we do. Our life is supposed to show our love of God and love of people. Jesus said in John 13, “everyone will know you […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/17/2015

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• 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 us […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/16/2015

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• 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. […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/15/2015

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• 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 many […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/15/2015

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• Salvation & Hope

  Are we really ready for Christmas? This is the question we should ask ourselves during the season of Advent. There is so much more than just a baby being born and angels in the skies and shepherds. This is the story of God coming down to be on of us and live the life we […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/11/2015

  Advent, advent devotional, belief, bible, Christian Life, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas story, church, daily devotionals, devotionals, disciples, evangelism, God, God’s grace, good news, gospel, Gospel of Luke, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, mercy, methodism, methodist, new creation, new life, Prayer, prepare, reconciled, repent, revival, Spirit, spiritual growth, spiritual transformation, Spirituality, transformation, trust, Truth, Uncategorized, worship, writing, youth ministry

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• 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 we […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/10/2015

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• 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 be […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/08/2015

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• 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, […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/04/2015

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• Our Lives Look Different

  Christmas is a wonderful time of year for many and a tragic, depressing or sad time of year for many. This time of year for others is…frustrating. Advent is a time of preparation for the birth of the Christ child into the world, and into our hearts once again. How we live demonstrates our devotion […]

  Ryan Stratton

  12/02/2015

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