Ryan's Ramblings

The hours of our lives—they are a precious commodity.We don’t want to lose a single one. So we say to ourselves and to others:don’t smoke,stay away from fried foods,exercise regularly,cut the sugar,manage your stress,get regular check ups,avoid the lines at the DMV,and, . . . be careful!We all want to live. We want every hour…

It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out…

New . . . A new car, new house, new pickup, new job, new furniture, new RV, new bike, new jewelry, new TV, . . . new . . . new . . . new. You fill in the blank.“New” is advertised everywhere, but often only realized in the lives of the rich, successful and…

John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29, NLT) Look! It’s Jesus!Look! You are rescued!Look! There is hope!Look! You’re forgiven!Look! There’s joy.Look! You are loved. Look! (Psalm 105:4, 1 Chronicles 16:11, Revelation 5)

Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! (John 5:39, NLT) Words, knowledge, talk, information . . . eternal life? Nope. The good news of eternal life is not found in words, but in the living Word. It is not…

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. … Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:14, 23 NLT) When it comes to Christmas, Father’s Day and my birthday…

John the Baptist said, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” (Jn. 3:27, NLT)Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17, NIV) Today I pray: Dear Father,Thank you for loving me and giving me the gift of another day.Help me…

Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) …Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and passed in front of Moses, calling out,“The Lord! The Lord!The God of compassion and mercy!I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.I lavish unfailing love to a thousand…

  God’s there, listening for all who pray,for all who pray and mean it.He does what’s best for those who fear him—hears them call out, and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19, MSG) Do you need help? … A life preserver amidst the wreckage? Wisdom for the moment? Peace in the storm? Strength for the next step?…

When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were…