Ryan's Ramblings

Call Out to Jesus “The LORD is near to all who call on him.” (Psalm 145:18, NIV) I’ll never forget the day Becca broke her arm. We were at the elementary school playground near our house. She was in first grade—full of energy and confidence—climbing on the monkey bars and calling out, “Watch this, Daddy!”…

Keep Seeking Him The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, "Yahweh! 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 generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin." (Exodus 34:6–7, NLT) Have you ever read something…

Dabbling or Diving This is my endlessly recurrent temptation: to go down to that Sea (I think St John of the Cross called God a sea), and there neither dive nor swim nor float, but only dabble and splash, careful not to get out of my depth and holding on to the lifeline which connects…

It Went So Fast This moment contains all moments. — C.S. Lewis “I can’t believe I’m graduating in just a few days. It went so fast.” This is the season when those words echo through hallways, campuses, and classrooms. High schoolers say it as they pack up their lockers. College students say it as they…

Are You Dead or Alive? “The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind." (Proverbs 15:24, NLT) There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one for every day of the month, and for over 25 years, I’ve read a chapter a day. They never get old. The timeless words of wisdom…

Enough Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. (John 2:15, NLT) Every year, April 15th rolls around—Tax Day. And every year, I hold my breath, wondering if I did the math right, hoping maybe this time I’ll get a return. But somehow, I always end up owing…

The G.O.A.T. “The Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8, NLT) In every dorm room debate, group text thread, or sports documentary, the question always comes up: Who’s the G.O.A.T.?—the Greatest of All Time. Is it Jordan or LeBron? Brady or Montana? Serena or Steffi? Messi or Ronaldo?…

Worth It "Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NLT) Have you ever wandered through a yard sale and felt that quiet tension between buyer and seller? The seller lays out their timeworn pieces, each priced high, carrying not just a dollar amount, but history and an emotional attachment. Every item has a…

The Tree … It’s Already There “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…” (1 Peter 2:24, ESV) Before I ever knew Jesus as my Savior, I knew a song about Zacchaeus and a sycamore tree. As a kid, my grandma occasionally took me to church. The children gathered in the damp…

Tomorrow Never Comes “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:15, NIV) The other day, I visited a good friend of mine, a wise and godly man who is 91 years old and confined to his bed. I visit him weekly, offering whatever encouragement I can, but it's always me…