Ryan's Ramblings

Whatever Happens As I sat in church on Sunday and listened to the sermon, my heart and mind were going in another direction. I saw a guy in church that looked like Rex, the auto shop service advisor that I had interacted with two days earlier. My car had been in for repairs and when…

Are you living by default or design? I am a school teacher and the other day one of my fifth graders showed up in class with a set of three juggling balls. She said that she won them at a carnival and wanted to donate them to our classroom. I asked her why she didn’t…

I went to the dermatologist the other day for a full-body check up and the doctor pointed at the five scars on my stomach and said, “I bet there’s a story there.” I could have shared with him a long, detailed account about sickness, struggle, fear, frustration, doubt, tears, disappointment, long nights, prayers, miracles and…

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.…

The angel said to [the shepherds], “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. (Luke 2:10-11, NIV) The other night we took our daughter’s dog, Rio, on a walk and enjoyed seeing…

Listen as Wisdom calls outHear as understanding raises her voice!On the hilltop along the road,she takes her stand at the crossroads.By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud,I call to you, to all of you!I raise my voice to all people. …But those who miss me…

My heart is not proud, Lord,my eyes are not haughty;I do not concern myself with great mattersor things too wonderful for me.But I have calmed and quieted myself,I am like a weaned child with its mother;like a weaned child I am content.Israel, put your hope in the Lordboth now and forevermore. (Psalm 131:1-3, NLT) My…

I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. (Psalm 63:8, NLT) The other day I spent over two hours watching a power company worker climb and trim a huge tree. Wow. I can’t speak for the climber, but for me, just watching it all was an amazing, interesting, challenging, adventurous, nerve-racking and…

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NLT) For now we see through a glass, darkly … (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV) I don’t understand all this “eternity”…

There isn’t much written in the Bible or in the history books about Holy Saturday—the day between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It is a backwards day, a hopeless day—an evil day. Its silence screams things like: hate, loss, war crimes, hyperinflation, malignant, shame, “there’s nothing more we can do,” good-bye and Jesus is dead. And…