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A Guide on the Path

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 When you were baptized, were you put to work right away or did someone take the time to disciple (teach/guide) you? I’ve heard repeatedly from folks that they weren’t really taught much after they were baptized. I’ve heard some say that they attended a class either before or afterwards. Here’s the thing. We’ve had an epidemic in the church for many years. It is an epidemic of a lack of discipleship. Even today with a push for discipleship, many of these things revolve around getting people to work. Don’t get me wrong, service and action are most definitely a part of the walk with Christ. However, Paul himself states in Galatians that he took 3 years to learn. 3 years. Now, Paul here is a special case. He didn’t learn from any man. The Spirit and Christ was his guide. Personally, I’ve had mentors in my life that were guides. Not necessarily teaching me but guiding me. And that’s the approach I personally take when discipling new believers. But the problem is that we have had the mo
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Who do you say Jesus is?

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 It is way too easy to get caught up in life and forget what this week did for the whole of humanity. We can get caught up in the hustle and bustle, just like at Christmas time, and get bogged down in a busy schedule and forget that the events of this week, roughly 2000 years ago, changed the world. Even today, Jesus is one of the most controversial people in history. People still debate whether He existed, if He actually died, was He who he said He was… Jesus himself even stated in Luke 12:51 that, “ 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” That divide? It is between those that believe that Jesus is the Son of God, Lord and Savior, and those who don’t. To be honest, Jesus was the most well documented person in history. He existed. We have more eyewitness testimonies to His miracles than any other, plus they’re documents closer to the original events than any other as well. So, to quote the question that Jesus asked Peter in 3 of the 4 Gospels (Mt
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Ryan's Reflections for November & December Newsletter

As I write this, we are a few short weeks until the Presidential election. I can honestly say, I know many people on both sides of the political aisle that are in despair and see little to no hope for the future after this election. I must say that there are times I totally have that same feeling. I see what is happening in our country and I get discouraged and as a father, I worry for my kids future (and future grandchildren). However, what always brings me back is the fact that despite what transpires in our country, God is still God. He is still sovereign. He is still in control. The verse above here is the last verse of Psalm 27. The Psalm starts off in verse 1 by stating that, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of  my life; whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27 is a psalm of “fearless trust in the Lord” as the heading suggests. Read the Psalm. Despite the trouble, despite the abandonment, despite the persecution, it is the Lord t
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Mom & Pop to Big Business

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Most Americans, no matter whether you politically consider yourself Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian or whatever, would agree that the government is not only corrupt, but broken completely. I don't usually wade into these type of political waters, but something hit me recently, so I decided to get it down while it was on my mind. The fact hit me that it's no wonder the government is broken. The government has outgrown itself and isn't functioning like it should. This isn't a big government vs. small government debate. This is simply an operational issue. Before I started in ministry, I spent some time in the corporate food service and retail industry. What I realized was the fact that the government is just like a huge corporation...Walmart, Sears, JC Penny, KFC, McDonalds and so on. At one point, this nation was once a mom & pop outfit. It was small and easily managed. Casting vision wasn't difficult, communicating direction was fairly easy, and
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Faith & Science: Compatible or Not?

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Most modern science and scientists, and even some within the Church, would have you believe that faith and science are two completely different, incompatible subjects. Lies. Deceit. Hogwash. Modern science (Darwinianism/evolution) is faith-based just like Christianity. Trouble is that it is a false gospel. True science will, in fact, be compatible with faith and the Bible. If a scientific theory contradicts the Bible, then it isn't true and won't be provable. True science doesn't care about your philosophy of life. Darwinianism/evolution is bad science at best. At it's core, it is a religion. It's why in any modern science textbook they address the issue of science and faith in the first chapter on the first page. This is no accident. There is a systematic effort to remove God and the supernatural from our society. It's been going on way longer than anyone has been alive on earth today. This is a battle of faith. This is a battle of worldviews. This is a b
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State of the Union from a Pastoral Perspective

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I must say that I usually try to stay away from the volatile subject of politics. However, I am absolutely ashamed of the state of politics in our country and it must be addressed from a Biblical and pastoral perspective. For those who know me, I identify with no political party. I refuse. I used to, but nowadays, I don't feel like I can or should. Why? Because both sides of the aisle are wrapped up in utterly despicable behavior. Neither side is innocent. From the president to the senate to the members of congress on downward to the state levels and even bleeding into the community level, all sides and all levels have been engaging in behavior unbecoming of public servants. And this has been going on for decades and steadily getting worse over time.  You want to know why these types of people get elected on both sides of the aisle? Because they say things people want to hear. The opposite side of the aisle is offended at them, their side of the aisle praises them. The div
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End Times

My daughter has been freaking out recently because of the social media hype citing Luke 21:25-26 as evidence for the end times due to the timing of the eclipse across America from coast to coast and Hurricane Harvey. This got my mind to working and I've decided to put out a few words concerning this deep and troubling issue for some. I remember back when I was in school and working for Huddle House in '09-'10, there were several of the high school servers there who were panicking about the Mayan Calendar ending on December 21, 2012. They were visibly frightened. Scared to death that the end of the world was coming in the next few years. They knew I was in school studying ministry and they came and asked me about it. I proceeded to tell them that if the world was going to end, I knew that it would be any other day but that one. Naturally they were surprised at my confident answer. When they asked how I knew that, I proceeded with Matthew 24:36 (HCSB), 36 “Now concerning
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