Ryan's Ramblings

Open the Tent Fly Even the smallest light can dispel the greatest darkness.                                     — J.R.R. Tolkien The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2, NLT) When I was…

Seemingly Impossible Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! (Psalm 77:19 NLT) Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of my healing from a life-threatening pancreatic tumor. It’s a story filled with terms and phrases like: suffering, rare, unknown, insulinoma, failed attempts, trouble, doubt, seemingly impossible,…

Surviving, but…Thirsty On the last day, the climax of the holidays, Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me.” (John 7:37-38, TLB) The celebration of Christmas…

An Epiphany on Epiphany There were three things prefigured and promised by the gifts in the cave in Bethlehem concerning the Child who received them: that He would be crowned like a King; that He should be worshipped like a God; and that He should die like a man. And these things would sound like…

The Ultimate Mystery Good news; but if you ask me what it is, I know not;It is a track of feet in the snow,It is a lantern showing a path,It is a door set open.       — G.K. Chesterton 1874-1936 Everybody loves a good mystery, and G.K. Chesterton has penned for us a tiny…

Unto You "Now I finally know the real meaning of Christmas." I’ll never forget the Christmas Eve my family and I spent with our friend Jaeyoung in Daejeon, South Korea. It was a cold, snowy night—just the way Christmas Eve is supposed to be—and we walked from our apartment to Jaeyoung’s restaurant for dinner.  The…

The Only Real Thing I have always been a big fan of Pooh, that "silly old bear." A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, wrote the beloved stories of the Hundred Acre Wood for and about his son, Christopher Robin. In the early 1900s, Pooh and his adventures captured hearts and imaginations, offering comfort and hope…

The Tree That is Me Years ago, I served as an administrator at an international school in South Korea, and one day, Jackie, the office manager, said this to me: "Mr. Roberts, you are 대나무 정령 (daenamu jeongyeong)—‘a bamboo spirit.’” I asked Jackie and the other Korean staff members what that meant in their culture,…

Are You Thirsty? As the deer pants for streams of water,     so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2, NIV) Are you thirsty? In 1985, I went on a college choir tour to Europe in the month of July. The weather was…

Becoming Godly The godly will flourish like palm treesand grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.They flourish in the courts of our God.Even in old age they will still produce fruit;they will remain vital and green.They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock!There is…