Words are powerful.  With our words, we can bless, or we can curse.  We can build up or we can tear down.  As we begin this Advent Season and our journey to celebrating Jesus’ birth, we are reminded of the words of blessing spoken over Mary by the Angel Gabriel.  You are highly favored.  You are chosen.  You are blessed.  Understanding our own blessedness allows us to be a blessing to others in return.  

How ironic that we have come to the last of the Fruit of the Spirit, self-control, in a season when we celebrate gluttony or lack of self-control at Thanksgiving!  Ha, ha!  But self-control is like a muscle we exercise that the more we yield ourselves to God’s loving care, the stronger we become and the more the Holy Spirit cultivates this fruit in our lives.  In fact, since the same spirit lives in us that raised Jesus from the dead, we can have pow

In this season of Thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for the many people who cover for me while I am away.  I am thinking particularly of Sarah Ostrand, our Youth Director, and Rev. Dr. Geordie Ziegler, of Imago Christi Ministries.  I always know that you are in good hands with sound teaching that will deepen your relationships with Christ.  If you have been blessed by them in my absence, be sure to let them know so that they can know the impact that they are

When we look up at the heavens and see the stars, it is always fun to search for shooting stars.  While they might provide moments of brief excitement, we cannot, however, depend on them like we can the North Star.  The North Star will aways be an anchor in the heavens that never changes which can help orient us as to where we are on earth or in the universe.  Just like God, the North Star is faithful.  God is the same yesterday, as today, as God will

In this season of Thanksgiving, God’s people are invited to give thanks to God for the blessings they have received and to generously give back to God of portion of what they had been given. The Bible is clear that we are to give not out of compulsion, but generously with a cheerful heart. For who can possibly out give our God who has generously and graciously given us all things, even his own Son, Jesus Christ.      

During this election season, I’ve been shocked by some Christians who have turned a blind eye to their candidate’s lack of kindness.  Kindness is one the fruits of the Holy Spirit that should be evident in a person’s life who claims to be a follower of Jesus.  It is usually something that comes with a choice.  We either yield to the Holy Spirit or give in to the flesh.  My friends, we can’t expect our countrymen to be kind to one a

Patience I remember once when two of my children were 5 and 3, hearing little Maddy shout out from the back of our minivan, "Rhyan is not giving me patience, he is giving me frustration!"  Patience is not an easy fruit of the Spirit to cultivate because it is often borne from frustration caused to us by ourselves, others, life circumstances, and even God.  But our God is patient with us.  Jesus was patient with everyone he encountered.  And we too,

This political season, I have been particular discouraged by the actions of some Christians who have chosen to play dirty politics.  Regardless of what side we find ourselves on politically, God cares very deeply about how we treat one another as we do politics.  The Bible has a lot to say about the character we should display as Christ followers.  They are called the Fruit of the Spirit or love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfuln

Recently while watching the latest reality TV show The Bachelorette with my daughter, I was struck by the difference between Hollywood’s concept of love and Biblical love.  Hollywood's love is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow, more based on how one feels than what one commits to.  Biblical love on the other hand is chock full of promises that are really hard to keep which are based on how God loves us.  

I heard it said recently that movement is life.  Indeed, if we stop moving, eventually we will die.  That is certainly true in life's journey as well.  I recently walked 160 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain and though it got really rough at times, this certainly proved true.  Even on our most challenging of days, we needed to just keep moving.