Revival. Revival. I was rejected, I was abandoned. I was seen as unlovable and I was severely beaten. On the cross, even my Father turned His face from Me. I struggled hugely in Gethsemane, knowing the intense pain that was coming my way. Yet I willingly chose that path so that now you are accepted, […]
Reflections on Revival #5
Revival. I am the God who created you, filled your lungs with breath. Do you sometimes wonder why? Are you confused by all the different voices shouting at you? Listen to me. I not only know the way, I AM THE WAY. Give your anger to Me. Bring Me your wounds. I am able to […]
Reflections on Revival #4
Revival. Are you missing something in your life? Do you long to be totally accepted, fully loved for just who you are, forgiven of every stupid mistake and wrong decision? Then revival is for you! Jesus is waiting patiently for you, waiting for you to choose Him. It is about relationship, not a list of […]
Reflections on Revival #3
Revival. What do I need to be revived about? If I had one wish to be granted, what would I like to be free of? Do I really want to be free of it? What is happening within me? Am I growing? Am I alive? Or do I sense that there is an increasing darkness […]
Reflections on Revival #2
Revival. What about it? Does it have anything to do with me? Good question. Only you know the answer to that. What does your heart say? Is it hungry? Is it thirsty? A starving body needs reviving. Is that starving body you? If so, revival is for you! God delightfully invites you to life. Well, […]
To the man who threw a bottle through our window
To the man who threw a bottle through our window: We know what you did last night. We have a message for people like you. There’s no place in this world for you. …but we wish there was. Life is full of pain, sometimes. And for some people, all the time. And many of those […]
Reflections on Revival
Revival. How do you react to that word? What does it mean to you? What is your first thought when you hear the word, REVIVAL? Do you long for the Spirit of God to work deeply in your heart, in the church’s heart? Why or why not? Allow this word, revival, to reside in your […]
HopeCC Update
It is midnight and my plane pierces the darkness, leaving behind the fading lights below, the only visible sign of inhabitation. The moon lies on its back and I settle in for a night’s sleep, reflecting on my stay at HopeCC. I had just found out this morning that my sick sister had […]
Good Music, Bad Ideas
Good Music Bad Ideas by Jim Biggs and Ryan Duford There is nothing in this world like an impassioned theologian. Gotta have them so there’s some fizz in this pop. Impassioned theologians like to protest lousy song lyrics. We musicians try to guard against bad lyrics, but sometimes a song is so much fun to […]
Ryan’s Reads: Winter/Spring 2015
I’ve included some quotes and a short “Why Should You Read This Book”. Be sure to check these out online, in a bookstore, or in the church library! •How God Became King: Getting to the heart of the Gospels by Tom Wright What it would look like if we really believed that the […]