Ryan's Ramblings

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him. (Psalm 145:17-18, NIV) I will never forget the day that Becca broke her arm. We were having fun together at the elementary school playground near our house and Becca was…

For the joy set before him [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, NIV) The joy set before Jesus was you and me! He went through the horrific pain, struggle and humiliation of the cross so we could find mercy, grace…

This isn’t a fortune I pulled out of a cookie at a restaurant, it is a picture of Proverbs 20:7 in my NLT Bible. (Yes, I write in my Bible.) Life is challenging and I need wisdom, so each day as a part of my daily Bible reading I read a chapter out of the…

In these days of trouble is your faith fuzzy and your hope blurred? Look to Love. The Apostles Paul, Peter and John all make it crystal clear that love is the first and last word—it is to be the supreme attribute and value in our hearts and lives. Paul said, “Three things will last forever—faith,…

Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (Luke 9:62, MSG) I have a standing meeting at 5:00 a.m. every day. It is with the Almighty God and sometimes a few other folks, and the agenda is always the same: Jesus must become greater; Ryan…

Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. But forty years after the Israelites left Egypt, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses addressed the people of Israel. (Deuteronomy 1:2-3, NLT) Last summer I was on a freeway somewhere on the border…

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left…

Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. (Psalm 31:5, NIV) When I was a kid, silver dollars were a big deal. They were large, shiny coins that were cool to look at—and they were money! I always wanted one and my eighty-year-old great-granddad knew this, so at family gatherings…

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27,…