A Christian author helping people come to Jesus, helping people understand the Bible, ministering to a lost and hurting world, and speaking truth to power.
I want to share some very good news! The Lord has squashed the disagreement I had with my good brother in Christ, and we are reconciled in the love and forgiveness of Jesus! Folks, that is how true brothers in Christ love each other. I respect this brother very much and I am very happy and encouraged that we are okay now! I love you brother, thank you for your kind words of encouragement!
It is okay to disagree with each other. The Bible says we only become sharper through the friction of what I call “strong fellowship.” I already feel sharper and better for it. I am just really pumped that the evil one never has a hold on us and he can’t keep good brothers down! We are victorious in the Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Hallelujah!!!
Hey, listen, we are real brothers and we had a pretty good brother fight! It’s all good! I have a younger sister, but my friends and I sure would go at it when we were kids! I remember plenty times rolling around on the ground wrestling it out or hitting each other with sticks! It got nuts sometimes! Don’t worry, I won’t wrestle or hit any of you with sticks. My point is that real trusted brothers disagree sometimes and sometimes we have to engage in strong fellowship to work it out, and that is okay…as long as we do what my brother and I did–forgive and move forward in love. Boom! Jesus is Lord and He reigns up in here! That’s how real brothers in Christ do it!
I hope you read this tonight brother! Grace and peace to you! You will always be my brother!
Forgive and love each other folks! Grace and peace to you all!
I just want to make it very clear to everyone in the whole world that I have never in my life claimed to be a prophet and I don’t have any fancy titles and I don’t use fancy phrases. I never went to seminary, and I am not a pastor. I have served Jesus since October of 1996 and I’m just me. I did receive four years of training in the Bible, discipleship, and evangelism through Campus Crusade for Christ when I was in college (’96-2000), and that solid foundation of training has been a blessing in preaching the Gospel and ministering to people in need. I am currently medically unemployed due to Celiac Disease and I don’t pretend to be anybody. I am nothing. Just dust and breath. A sinner saved by grace, and nothing more. I don’t pretend to be anything. I received salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Freely I have received, freely I give. If you would like to read my testimony, please click the link below.
I have been open and honest about who I am and who I was before I knew Jesus. I have never hidden my “true nature” from anyone. I have been honest about my sinful nature and how God saved me. From the day I started this blog, I have been straightforward about my life and my faith. I have shared stories and pictures of my family. I have shared my struggles. I have preached the truth in love. I don’t have to hide from anyone. I am a redeemed child of God! Be careful who you judge and the kind of judgments that come out of your mouth. Calling someone a “false prophet” is very serious! I don’t know any prophets and I’m sure not one! I am just a man who God has called to preach the Gospel like He has with many Christians around the world. That’s it. I rebuke anyone in the Name of Jesus who calls me a prophet or false prophet! I am neither of those titles and I never will be!
I have never given myself a fancy title and I never received one from God or man. I don’t use fancy phrases. I just write how I write. If you feel that is fancy, well okay, I’m not trying to be. This is just how the Spirit writes through me. All the glory goes to God for everything that is written on this blog.
It is sad when Christians try to justify their sins and mistakes instead of repenting. It is hurtful when brothers in Christ lash out in sinful anger. For instance, cussing is cussing. The D word, The S word, The F word–yes, all of those are cussing and considered “unwholesome talk” (Ephesians 4:29), and if you don’t know that or if you use those words and try to justify using them, then you have a lot more to learn. As I said in my post titled Tongue of Fire, I struggled with bad language for a long time. I do not judge anyone. I leave that to the Lord and His Word. His Word is convicting enough! If you want to fight God over His Word, okay, enjoy that. You are going to lose that fight.
I am just a sinner saved by grace striving to live out His Word, and I pray for the strength to do it victoriously. Am I perfect? No, but I keep moving forward in His grace, forgiveness, and love every day, and so should you.
There is an old saying here in Colorado, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.” The weather can change rapidly and viciously here. Blizzards, lighting, and the notorious Colorado hail are among the worst. I love my state, but we have to be prepared for the ever changing weather that comes down from the Rocky Mountains.
Do you know who doesn’t change though? Jesus! He doesn’t change like the finicky weather. He is the same today as He was almost 2,000 years ago!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
That is great news folks! That means His love for you remains the same. He does not change like we do! I love that stability from Jesus. I can trust Him completely!
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Jesus speaking in John 10:27-30
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
Hebrews 13:15
That is what I am going to do today. I am going to focus on Jesus and praise Him for His love for me that never changes! I love our ever changing weather here in Colorado, but I am very glad that is not how Jesus is. He stays true to us forever, and no one can snatch us out of His hand!
You can trust in Jesus! Salvation and Life are in His hands!
Good evening brothers and sisters. I wanted to take a minute to explain a few things. I had a good Christian brother that I met here on WordPress disagree with how I honored the victims of 9/11 today. He blocked me on his twitter and stopped following my blog. That is unfortunate, but it happens. Sometimes Christian brothers disagree on things. Peace to you brother.
I want to thank everyone who has been reading my blog! I appreciate you all even though we sometimes have different views on things. This site is a place where you are going to hear the truth. Some of it might be hard to hear, but I won’t apologize for speaking the truth. We are to preach the Truth of the Gospel and speak truth to power regarding issues in our society. Jesus and the Apostles did the same thing.
I honored my mother in law who passed away six years ago today. I also honored our fallen brothers and sisters today by encouraging people to seek the truth, sharing Bible verses, and saying prayers. My posts regarding 9/11 were not meant to be offensive in any way and I was not talking about politics. I was speaking truth regarding something I care deeply about because I love my country deeply, and I want justice for those who died. It had nothing to do with politics! I want to make that very clear. I was told what I was talking about was the same thing as talking about politics at a funeral. That is not at all what I was doing! I rebuke that sinful assessment of my writing in the Name of Jesus!
I have made it very clear many times on my blog that I will always be real, open, and honest about what I believe. I am not going to back down from that. If I offended you in any way, it is always your prerogative to leave my site. Just don’t tweet angry emojis or cuss in your blog posts about it. You are wasting your breath, you will just need to repent later, and it’s not going to phase me in the least anyway.
Nobody is going to step on my ministry, and I will just keep marching for Christ. I have been serving Jesus and preaching the Gospel for almost 22 years and I am not stopping now! The better way to confront me would be to speak to me directly in an intelligent conversation. I am always up for a good conversation and I don’t mind hearing how someone might disagree with me as long as it is respectful. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We have freedom of speech and I am going to speak freely on my blog without fear of persecution or judgment, even from other Christians. I hope you do the same!
I know who I am in Jesus, and I am confident in Him. I know the Word of God and I am confident in that too. I will pick the truth up when it falls in the street, I will dust it off, and I will send it on its way. That applies to the Bible and to issues in society. I strive to speak the truth in love, and it was in love that I wrote all of my posts today.
I didn’t expect such harsh judgment from another brother in Christ. I love and forgive him. May God’s love wash over our hearts and may His will be done.
Grace and peace to you all!
In Christ Forever,
Ryan
This picture is in memory of my Mother in law Bev. I spent the day remembering her and those we lost on 9/11, and I did it with great respect and love in my heart!
Six years ago, on 9-11-2012, my wife’s mother Bev passed away due to Alzheimer’s Disease. She was only in her 60s. Bev loved the Lord and she was an awesome lady! I am forever grateful that I met her and grew to know and love her as my mother in law and friend.
My wife is from Alaska, and she is Alaska tough just like her Mom was! Her mother was an outdoor girl growing up. She absolutely loved the outdoors and she was not afraid to venture into wolf and grizzly country. Bev went hunting in the dangerous wilds of Alaska with her father as a young girl, and she could shoot a rabbit in the eye at 100 yards with iron sights! They hunted and planted great organic gardens, and ate what God provided from the land and sea. My wife’s Grandparents were pioneers to Alaska before it became the 49th state (on January 3, 1959) of these United States, and her Grandpa and Dad built many of the houses in their neighborhood, including the one my wife grew up in.
My wife grew up living off the land in much the same way. Bev kept a lush garden and green house in the backyard, and they harvested what they needed from both. No need for the store for those things. Her Dad hunted deer and moose, and they harvested kings and halibut from the sea. My father in law even built a little smoke shack in their backyard to smoke the salmon–so good! My wife grew up in such a cool way!
Alaska Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). My wife has seen this happen. She said the lights make a swooshing sound in the sky!Deshka River, Alaska
I loved fishing with Bev! We went on an awesome king salmon fishing trip on the Deshka River many years ago with my wife’s parents. By the way, my father in law is a great guy, and he is the most generous man I have ever known! I have learned a lot of very useful skills from him too. It was amazing fishing the Deshka with 24 hours of sunlight! I think we fished for over 10-12 hours straight! I will never forget the giant grizzly bear paw prints along the river’s edge where we fished. I am sure they were there watching us the whole time…we just couldn’t see them! I caught the biggest river fish of my life there too. Those king salmon are huge! I highly recommend visiting Alaska at some point in your life!
Homer, Alaska, Boat Marina
On a different trip, we had a great time at their family cabin in Homer. We did some amazing halibut fishing on the open ocean and filled the giant cans with them! My father in law’s boat is great, and it was the first time I had ever fished like that. You have to club those halibut real good or they won’t stop flopping around! I was so sore after that trip! Back at the cabin, Bev and I fished for little dolly varden fish right off the beach and we were catching them one after another! It was hilarious and Bev and I were laughing as we kept reeling them in! We had a great fish fry that night! That time fishing with Bev is one of the best memories of my life!
Bev was a real joker too and she got me real good one time. This was back when I first met my wife’s family after college. We were having dinner and I asked her Dad what the scar was on his shoulder. Bev said, “he got bit by a shark in Hawaii.” I knew they did a lot of snorkeling there on family vacations, so I believed her and I was amazed as I asked about the event. Bev started laughing because I fell for the joke so hard. The scar was only from rotator cuff surgery. I always laugh thinking about that. Bev had a great sense of humor!
Bev was a fun lady to be around and she cooked the best grilled king salmon and fried halibut that I have ever had in my life! We miss her and we love her, and we find great peace knowing she is at home with her Savior. We love you Bev!
I pray this post is a blessing to all who knew and loved Bev. Grace and peace to my wife and all of our family as we remember her today! Grace and peace to you all!
The above verse is a simple yet powerful prayer I have been praying over my family for many years. It is a very effective prayer and the Lord will do just what the verse says.
That is all I have for tonight folks. We had a tragic loss today in our community. Thank you all for praying for the family. Spend time with your family. Give them an extra hug or two tonight. Please remember to love each other deeply. We never know when it will be time for our loved ones to go.
God bless you all. Grace and peace to you all. May the Lord make His love increase and overflow in our hearts, Amen.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there is a family here in our town in Colorado that desperately needs your prayers! I just received a call from my wife. She is a teacher at the Charter school our kids attend. There was a very popular 8th grade boy who attended the school. We don’t know the details yet, but this boy passed away last night.
He was a strong Christian. He had some medical problems and that might be the cause of his death. Please pray for his mother, father, and step-father! He was their only child. They love the Lord! The boy would always talk to my wife about his faith and he would always give my wife a hug when he would see her. Everybody at school called him “Big B” because he was a tall young man who loved playing basketball. There are grief counselors at the school and many kids are going home early.
There is great comfort knowing the young man knew Jesus. I have cried for this boy and his family and I will cry again. My heart is grieving with them, but yet we grieve with hope. That young man stepped into glory last night and He is in the presence of His Father who loves Him and will take care of Him for eternity. Thank you Jesus for ushering him into Heaven and taking him to the place you prepared for him.
“Lord, please be with his mother and comfort her heart. We don’t know why you took this young man at this time, but I pray that you bring great comfort and understanding to all of this. Please comfort his father and step-father and all of his family who loved him so dearly. Please be with every student and teacher at the school and pour out your Holy Spirit to comfort all of them. We lift them up to you Lord. Please bring Your healing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
I love you all in the Name of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers for this family.
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Well folks, today is the 1 month anniversary for this blog! This will be my 95th post in 30 days, and I just want to give glory to God! Thank you all for your support and encouragement! The Lord brought to mind a great old TobyMac song this morning. It is a perfect way to start the day with our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3
Don’t lose heart today brothers and sisters! The Lord is preparing great things for us! May we keep our eyes on our one true love and our only hope! He will break open the sky someday, and we will see His glory!
Please enjoy some peaceful praise and worship music from brother TobyMac this morning and may God bless you with a heart full of joy!
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:1-5
The Lord is making all things new, even now! He will wipe away every tear! Trust in that truth today!
“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
“The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.”
1 Corinthians 16:19
Good morning and blessings to you all on this fine Sunday that the Lord has made! Thank you all for your prayers! They are being answered! I am feelin’ the Spirit and I would like to take you all to church today!
Now I know many of you have never gone to church and might not ever step foot in a church. I get that and I understand! Church can be weird for a lot of people. I also know many of you don’t even have access to a church. That’s okay! I am not talking about taking you to a building called church. I am talking about how the first century Christians had church…right in their homes!
The church is the worldwide body of believers known as the Body of Christ. Wherever we gather together to worship Jesus and learn about Him and His teachings is church. We are the church!
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
1 Corinthians 12:27
Every Holy Spirit anointed blog giving glory to Jesus and correctly preaching and teaching God’s Word, The Bible, is church! Church is any place a body of believers gathers together to learn about the Lord and grow in the knowledge, love, and grace of Jesus Christ. It is also a place where believers minister to and share Christ with people who don’t know Jesus yet in an environment of love, grace, and forgiveness. That is what you will find here! Straight truth from the Bible, a sole focus on Jesus, and lots of love, grace, and forgiveness!
“For I resolved to nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:2
So, with that, welcome! I’m glad you are here! C’mon in!
You can even wear your jammies (or “jim jams” if you’re from Australia) at this church! Just like the ancient believers, we can meet and learn about Jesus and God’s Kingdom right from our own homes! Praise God we can use the internet for His glory!
Before the message, I just want to start with a prayer:
“Father God, I lift up every single person who reads this today. Open up our minds and hearts to Your Word. Please speak to us in the Holy Spirit and reveal yourself to us in new and mighty ways! Thank you Lord that you hear us. May Your will be done in all things. In the Name of Jesus, Amen!”
Ancient Corinth, Temple ruins
The Apostle Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians around 55 A.D. just a few years after establishing the church there. He wrote the letter due to distressing reports of the church being caught up in all kinds of sin: idolatry, sexual immorality, divisions, misusing spiritual gifts, and teaching lies being among the top. It is a serious letter of Paul rebuking and pleading with the church to remember their first love Jesus and hold fast to him.
Ancient Corinth by the seaAncient Corinth, Temple of Apollo
According to research on Corinth by David G. Horell, professor of New Testament Studies and director for the center of Biblical Studies at the University of Exeter, U.K.:
“The city lies at an important trading position about six miles to the southwest of the narrow isthmus that separates the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs. Ancient Corinth had two nearby ports: Lechaeum to the north and Cenchreae to the east. In ancient times, ships were pulled across the narrow stretch of land separating east and west on a paved road known as the diolkos.”
Isthmus of CorinthAncient Corinth, The TheaterAncient Corinth, Castle on the cliff AcrocorinthAncient Corinth, view from CastleAncient Corinth, view above CastleAncient Corinth Roman periodAncient Corinth Roman period
I would like to focus on one particular passage of Scripture from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. He is talking about the Holy Spirit and How He searches all things. Paul is trying to impress on the new believers that they have very real power in the Holy Spirit! He wants them to understand that they should not live immorally now that they have God’s Spirit inside of them.
“However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for
those who love him”–
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-12
Did you catch that? When you have the Holy Spirit, God allows you to know His thoughts through the Spirit! God gives us deep understanding and wisdom as the Spirit searches our hearts and minds. Did you know that? That the Holy Spirit searches you deeply, so that you can have more of the kind of thoughts God has? Yeah, it’s incredible!
We cannot even imagine the wonderful things God has prepared for us! The Holy Spirit searches us, so that we may know God better. To know Him deeply…even to the point of having His thoughts in our minds!
Paul continues with his explanation of the Spirit’s power in that passage:
“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
“For who has known the
mind of the Lord
that he may instruct
him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:13-16
So, when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you receive the Holy Spirit and through God’s Spirit you have God’s thoughts and the mind of Christ! Like I said, incredible! Folks, the only reason I understand the Bible is because of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that leads me in the Word and teaches me. It is the Spirit empowering me to preach the Gospel. It is the Spirit refreshing and sanctifying my mind every day.
The Bible was foolishness to me and I did not understand it before I had the Holy Spirit. After I accepted Jesus in 1996, it was like the Words of the Bible were flying off the pages right into my mind and heart. It felt that way because that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does!
“..I will put my laws in their
minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my
people.”
Hebrews 8:10
The Holy Spirit actually deposits God’s Word in our minds and writes God’s Word on our hearts after we receive Jesus Christ as Lord! You are never going to understand the Bible in the spiritual power it was written in without the power of the Holy Spirit! You must have the mind of Christ!
For all of you who don’t know Jesus yet, you can come to know Him and receive the Holy Spirit today! God’s love is for all people on this earth. No matter where you are from, He died for you too. Repenting means turning away from your sin and turning towards God and living His Way instead. The Way to get back to the God Who created you is through His Son Jesus. The gift of forgiveness of sins and salvation through Jesus is a free gift you could never earn. I pray you receive that gift today!
May the Holy Spirit lift us all up today, search us deeply, and make our minds and hearts more like Jesus! In the Powerful Name of Jesus, Amen!
Ryan Callahan's Blog 
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