Ryan's Ramblings

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage [to God]. (Psalm 84:5, NLT) All of life for the Christian is a pilgrimage. It is a journey with Jesus whose destination is the Kingdom of God. Every journey is realized one step at a time, and…

“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17, NLT) When I think of clinging, my mind goes to Bangalore, India. It was my privilege…

Have you noticed all the “don’ts” in Ephesians 4? Don't be rebellious,don't lie,don't pretend to be something you're not,don't seek revenge,don't stay angry,don't drive angry,(sorry, that's not from Eph. 4, it's from the movie, “Groundhog Day”)don't steal,don't use foul language,don't talk bad about people,and don't hold a grudge. All of those "don'ts" are good advice,…

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts. 2:2, NIV) 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 . . . Jesus, give me your holiness.I open up to You my eyes, my ears, my mind, my soul.Come in and have Your way.Make my heart…

I am weary, O God;I am weary and worn out, O God.I am too stupid to be human,and I lack common sense.I have not mastered human wisdom,nor do I know the Holy One. (Proverbs 30:1-3, NLT) Have you read Proverbs 30 lately? It was written by a guy named Agur and it is full of…

As you come to [Jesus], the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:3-5, NIV) As I read today about being a “living stone,” built into a spiritual house for God’s glory, my boyhood mind went…

Though he was God,[Jesus] did not think of equality with Godas something to cling to.Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;he took the humble position of a slaveand was born as a human being.When he appeared in human form,he humbled himself in obedience to Godand died a criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8, NLT)…

  Have you ever been left speechless after seeing something of great beauty? I have. I can’t even begin to describe that golden sunset at the Oregon Coast, the kaleidoscope of life and color housed in the coral reef of Thailand, or the smiles on the faces of orphans in India as they laugh and…

The other day I unexpectedly ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for a long time and we only had about five minutes to chat. We talked briefly about work and family and then the topic of faith came up. My friend said that his relationship with God had become a bit cold and distant…

“𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓: 𝑨 𝒑𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅, 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂.” The above superscription is found at the outset of Psalm 51. It doesn’t even merit a verse number, but it sure packs a punch. It’s the “back story” for David’s prayer…