tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285147112011-10-10T03:33:06.747-05:00because we all need to changeRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.comBlogger1281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-36967166184522150372010-04-06T05:54:00.003-05:002010-04-06T06:18:48.606-05:00

This past Sunday was Easter, the most important day of the year for Christians. It marks the day that Jesus rose from the dead, forever defeating death. While it doesn't get the press that Christmas does, it is certainly more important. For some perspective, if you take away the accounts of Jesus' birth, you lose about 4 chapters in the bible. But if you take away the death and resurrection of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-28068736646859436552010-03-26T15:39:00.003-05:002010-03-26T16:11:24.427-05:00

The last post dealt with the types and symptoms of religious idolatry. I want to be clear that I don't believe that religion in and of itself is bad. Religion can be a good and beautiful thing, as long as it's kept in its proper context. Formal religion (liturgies, creeds, systems, structures, denominations, etc) is simply a tool to help us know Jesus and grow in our faith. We are finite, linear

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-84356806268120638172010-03-22T14:09:00.004-05:002010-03-22T14:30:24.443-05:00

I've been preaching the last month on idolatry from 1 Corinthians 8-10. The basic understanding of what idolatry is comes from Romans 1:25, where creation is loved more than the Creator, of the gifts are loved more than the Giver. Idolatry is basically taking good things that God gives us (creation, family, relationships, position, possessions, etc) and loving them more than God by finding our

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-50675307628520607102010-02-04T09:45:00.002-06:002010-02-04T10:07:29.310-06:00

No matter what the running joke in our culture may be, marriage is not to be the end of your sex life...it is designed to be the beginning! Biblical marriage is the God-ordained environment where a man and a woman can fully enjoy each other and express their love to each other. Sex is designed to serve marriage through a number of ways:Sex enriches a marriage. It's one of the main things that

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-48513238435022811312010-02-01T15:11:00.003-06:002010-02-01T15:30:54.164-06:00

There's lots of debate on marriage these days. Even though the permanency of marriage isn't valued very much, most people will get married. So what does the bible say about marriage? Here's few quick bullet points:It is not good to be alone (unmarried) (Genesis 2:18)We are made to marry (Matthew 19:4-6)Marriage is honorable (Hebrews 13:4)Prohibiting marriage is demonic (1 Timothy 4:1-3)Finding

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-674830696031600242010-01-23T21:23:00.002-06:002010-01-23T21:43:51.173-06:00

So everybody always wants to know, "what I am going to get out of it?" That's not a bad question. It's not a primary question, especially when it comes to community, because it is quite a selfish question. But there is a reality to it.In 1 Corinthians 16:5-12, Paul end this section in talking specifically about the benefits we do get to enjoy by God's grace when it comes to gospel

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-15544388530923306392010-01-20T14:42:00.003-06:002010-01-20T14:57:47.002-06:00

In taking a close look at 1 Corinthians 16:5-8, we get a picture of how Paul practiced having gospel relationships.The first thing we see is that Paul was intentional. He knew that having gospel relationships didn't just happen anymore than getting a spouse just happens, picking up a paycheck from a job just happens, or getting a college degree just happens. It all demands effort and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-90352682001276257352010-01-19T09:23:00.003-06:002010-01-19T09:38:33.004-06:00

Have you ever wrestled with the question (as Christians), why are we here? Not individually, but corporately. What is the purpose of this community called the church?Many times, the answer comes from bible verses like Genesis 2:18 (it's not good for man to be alone), or Psalm 133:1 (good for brothers to dwell in unity), or Proverbs 27:17 (iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another). While

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-89575795295908608752010-01-14T09:33:00.001-06:002010-01-14T09:34:45.479-06:00

Here's an email I just sent out to the members of Delta Church regarding relief for Haiti:Dear Delta,As you all certainly know, a terrible 7.0 earthquake occurred in Haiti on Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of thousands of people have died and upwards of 1 million people are homeless. 80% of Haiti's population lives below the poverty line, which makes them the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-11098564855027371192010-01-12T14:08:00.004-06:002010-01-12T14:15:34.162-06:00

"Wordle" is a fun website that makes word pictures. It recognizes the most common words in a document and creates a design with the words. The words most repeated get the larger font size. I like to do this every now and then with my sermon transcripts just to make sure that Jesus gets top billing in my sermon. This is this past week's Wordle from my "Be Generous" sermon from 1 Corinthians 16:1

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-17324847843927393432010-01-11T14:45:00.002-06:002010-01-11T15:08:45.499-06:00

I know very few people who aren't greedy. Greed is a such a widespread epidemic it's hard to see sometimes. Also, because only the grossly greedy get the attention, it's easy to think of yourself as not greedy; or least, not as greedy as "that guy." But when it comes to money, possessions, and lifestyle, do you find yourself seeking to acquire more, being stingy with what you do have, being

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-76877727994870595342010-01-04T15:20:00.004-06:002010-01-04T15:43:22.555-06:00

It's been officially 2 months since I've posted anything here. *sigh*I've been pondering how 2010 needs to be a year of transformation in many ways in my life, my family, and my church. The biggest points of transformation needed I feel are the following: our view of self, our view of others, and our view of situations & circumstances. Let me expound just a bit:View of Self. One of the biggest

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-84001125627185253332009-11-04T10:30:00.002-06:002009-11-04T10:57:10.599-06:00

I couple times a month I get together with some young, emerging leaders at Delta to do some leadership development training. One of our meetings is a late night one at a local pub where we just open the scriptures and read and work through the pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy & Titus). Last night we were in 1 Timothy 4 and we began talking about godliness and how you can "track" your progress in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-83311177717222872172009-10-07T10:15:00.002-05:002009-10-07T10:18:36.708-05:00

On October 23-24, the Delta men are heading out of town to study the life of David and learn about being men of passion. Our men's ministry leader, John, put together a hilarious promo video to motivate guys to show up.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-24287460220265704222009-10-02T10:57:00.000-05:002009-10-02T10:58:14.504-05:00

When we think of the early church in the first century, we usually get these warm fuzzy feelings about community, love, how they shared their stuff, how God pulled off crazy miracles, and how people came to know Jesus by the thousands. Not Corinth. Corinth was a jacked up church. The church in Corinth was small, maybe 50ish people. And this small community was marked by division, by being more

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-4001930483251180692009-09-28T10:08:00.002-05:002009-09-28T10:32:55.109-05:00

Yesterday we finished up our series called "Movement" which outlined the framework for the life of Delta. Here are the highlights:"We are the church." This was the umbrella statement for the whole series. Like 1 Peter 2:9 and Acts 2:42-47 reveal to us, "church" is an identity, not a destination.The "Upward" Movement. "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." This is the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-49319312903713578782009-09-15T09:17:00.002-05:002009-09-15T09:47:41.474-05:00

I realize that I am probably one of only 5 people who read the Faith & Religion section of the Sunday paper. Most of the time the articles aren't worth my energy to turn the page because they are so bland, and by necessity (being the newspaper) universalistic. But the feature this last week seemed very interesting to me, but I was left extremely sad.The feature was about local religious leaders

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-30965378622346574962009-08-31T10:44:00.002-05:002009-08-31T10:56:10.398-05:00

First off, I am NOT advocating any type of demon of Satan worship...just so we're clear on that!When I was on my Sabbath, I read the Gospel of Mark a number of times. One thing that jumped out to me was how most people didn't listen and obey Jesus. People that he healed and he told to not say anything went off and ran their mouths. And the disciples themselves were the thickest-headed group of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-4215407367994808672009-08-24T10:27:00.002-05:002009-08-24T10:40:19.398-05:00

I've just returned from a week-long sabbath. I left "really important" things like my laptop and iPhone at home, and headed west toward the mountains armed with not much more than my bible and a journal. One of the biggest things that God showed me through the silence that I dove into was that I use too many words in general and too many words that promote me rather than promote him.Jesus said

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-27627799435466826112009-08-10T15:52:00.003-05:002009-08-10T16:15:03.583-05:00

What is it about a person who is really living out the gospel? What is it about them that's so different? It can't be things like knowledge or behavior, for those things just reek of pride and moralism. In Galatians 6:1-10, Paul describes for us what a gospel life looks like. And what Paul does for us is to show us that if the gospel is indeed alive and growing in us, it will be most evident

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-89538736853279621192009-07-21T10:46:00.004-05:002009-07-21T11:10:45.686-05:00

Have you ever felt like you do the very opposite of the thing you want to do most? Kinda like George Kastanza in "Seinfeld" when he did the opposite of what his natural instincts were, and life went great for him! But for us in the real world, things usually don't go so well. For example, my heart's desire is to be patient with my kids. But all it takes is for my 1 year old to climb up and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-69157237110373051732009-07-13T19:46:00.002-05:002009-07-13T20:00:47.156-05:00

According to Mel Gibson, this was the last word uttered by William Wallace. Who knows? But it does expose our cultures common understanding of what freedom is: the removal of outside authorities telling us what to do (most commonly in a political sense). But is this what the bible really means when it talks about freedom? Not really.Tim Keller I think appropriately defines freedom: being able

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-16320942407620614512009-07-10T10:44:00.002-05:002009-07-10T10:53:30.522-05:00

The previous two posts contrasted two ways to live: slave or free. But how do you move from a life of slavery to a life of freedom in Jesus? We find out in Galatians 4:28-5:1.1. Cast off your slavish tendencies. Galatians 4:30Confess your sin...specifically your ability to depend on yourself and repent of it. Ask yourself, how am I depending on my own ability to find comfort, approval, power,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-62405871425156872382009-07-10T10:30:00.003-05:002009-07-10T10:43:56.319-05:00

Sorry this has taken awhile; my old laptop finally died and I've been trying to get my new one up to speed.The last post showed what a life of slavery looked like, as illustrated by Paul in Galatians 4:21-29 with Hagar and Ishmael. We now see the free way to live in this same passage, illustrated by Sarah and Isaac.1. Live by God's promise, desire, and ability (Galatians 4:23).It took much faith

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-75877031421110862552009-07-06T14:45:00.003-05:002009-07-06T15:01:31.117-05:00

"On whom we depend determines if you live a life of slavery or freedom." This was my pre-worship gathering tweet yesterday morning. Jumping into Galatians 4:21-5:1, we see Paul allegorically comparing Abraham's two sons, Ishmael (mother: Hagar, a slave-bond servant) and Isaac (mother: Sarah, wife). Using this historical illustration, Paul shows us that there are two ways to live, slave or free.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-77069470452412889622009-06-29T15:12:00.003-05:002009-06-29T15:45:30.906-05:00

The family and I just got back from an 8-day excursion that took us from Springfield to Hot Springs, Arkansas to Lake of the Ozarks. Here's a few things I learned:U.S. 67 is a boring and slow way to travel through Missouri into Arkansas. I'll stick to I-55 next time.I'm pretty sure there's a Wal-Mart in every town in Arkansas.Of all the hub-bub influential cities get, the amount of rural

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-58075854964062384122009-06-17T09:52:00.002-05:002009-06-17T10:31:29.625-05:00

We are an idolatrous people. Not that this is anything new, but it's more prevalent than you'd think. Culturally, it is quite easy to see our current "temples" of our "gods", namely: shopping malls, restaurants, sports stadiums, strip clubs, and even technology centers in California and the Pacific Northwest (had to include this since I really can't say that the Internet is a "place").

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-13377191948462737722009-06-16T10:21:00.002-05:002009-06-16T10:52:45.494-05:00

I'm a pastor, in particular a church planter.  And given the three perspectives of pastoring (as seen in Jesus - prophet, priest, and king), I'm foremost a prophet - but not in a Nostradamus-end-of-the-world type of way.  It's more like a "I love you, so I'm going to yell at you from the bible for 45 minutes every week."  Things like truth, confronting sin, and right doctrine are important to me.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-21805538665043475052009-06-10T11:35:00.002-05:002009-06-10T12:20:17.525-05:00

People don't like instability.  When we have breakdowns relationally, vocationally, financially, or any other way, it just tends to freak us out.  Why?  Sure, it's uncomfortable, but is there a deeper reason?  I think there is.  I think instability exposes our fear...but fear of what?  My answer is fear of not being in control.  And when our control issues are exposed, what comes to the surface

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-80229211586113908372009-06-02T13:16:00.002-05:002009-06-02T13:57:02.148-05:00

First, this is a landmark post...it's number 100!  Woo-hoo!  So what...let's get moving.One of the more curious things to figure out about Christianity, specifically about the Bible, is what we're supposed to do with the Old Testament, particularly what's referred to "the law."  Being on this side of the cross, how are we supposed to read it?  Is it outdated like an old rotary phone?  Why use it

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-84231069476666415872009-05-26T11:25:00.004-05:002009-05-26T12:14:23.337-05:00

Everyone on the planet knows and feels that something is missing from their lives.  They don't know quite what it is, but the search to have the void filled and find completion is seemingly never ending.  People look for completion is things like vocational, educational, recreational, spiritual, relational, possessional (is that a word?), or moral achievement.  Basically, the thought is this: if

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-50488766984496045322009-05-19T09:54:00.003-05:002009-05-19T10:26:18.822-05:00

Think of a time that you found yourself in conflict with somebody and you had to confront or be confronted.  What was the motivation?  What was at stake?  Was it something like integrity, reputation, pride, protection, respect, or jealousy?  Those are some usual motivators for our confrontation.  We read about a confrontation between Paul and Peter in Galatians 2:11-14.  Peter was missional

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-16926875318201174672009-05-11T15:57:00.002-05:002009-05-11T16:51:32.330-05:00

When was the last time you were humiliated?  What about the last time you were humbled?  Yes, those are two separate questions.  Humiliation and humility are not the same thing.  Humiliation is brought about by things like guilt, embarrassment, ridicule, defeat, or even abuse.  My freshman and sophomore high school football teams combining for an 0-16 record is pretty humiliating. Humility, on

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-12999307274122653012009-05-05T10:35:00.002-05:002009-05-05T11:04:35.135-05:00

Now that the probable issue regarding the Galatians' problems have been exposed (see yesterday's post), Paul unpacks 4 truths of the gospel (and us).Truth 1: There is only 1 true gospel, but people will distort it - Galatians 1:6-7Jesus Himself made the biggest exclusivity claim regarding salvation in John 14:6, and that is the message that Paul preached to the Galatians.  The eye-opening thing

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-64758726439626872192009-05-04T13:53:00.002-05:002009-05-04T14:24:37.497-05:00

In Galatians 1:6-12, Paul literally comes out swinging in his confrontation of the Galatians' abandonment of following the gospel of Jesus Christ and their embracing of the legalism the Judaizer's (traditional Jews who now follow Jesus, but mandate the keeping of ceremonial Jewish laws) are pressuring them with.  He uses some pretty strong language like "astonished" and "deserting" and "distort"

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-84529359851378218152009-04-20T15:36:00.002-05:002009-04-20T16:03:36.099-05:00

First, I'm currently hanging out in my favorite Chicago neighborhood, Lincoln Park.  So I'm happy :-)  Secondly, I got to hang out with a church planter, Aaron Youngren, who's planting The Line Chicago, so I'm extra happy.  Thirdly, I was privileged to deliver to the Youngrens some house warming gifts that our church collected for them...much love going around; so I'm super happy.  All this has

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-66600319081391252232009-04-08T12:54:00.003-05:002009-04-08T13:26:17.806-05:00

With it being Holy Week, I've been thinking quite a bit about the Gospel - the good news about the Person and Work of Jesus.I think one of the most powerful gospel statements in all of scripture came from Jesus' own lips just before he died on the cross: "It is finished", from John 19:30.  The reason I find this so powerful is because it puts to death all things that reek of religion - meaning,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-13376123450823838192009-04-01T13:42:00.003-05:002009-04-01T14:01:35.931-05:00

Vacation is supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating, right?  Not necessarily so.  We've been in and out over the last few weeks with multiple-day trips to both Michigan and then Wisconsin.  We piled our 5 kids (ages 9 1/2 months-11 yrs) into our van complete with cartop carrier and have spent nearly 30 hours in said vehicle, counting all the running around at our desitination places.  On top of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-3140918219898366702009-03-16T09:49:00.002-05:002009-03-16T10:04:41.078-05:00

Yesterday was a great worship gathering for Delta.  One thing that made it so good was that we celebrated God's Story, and how our stories graciously fit into His.Stories are something that people need.  Stories offer us hope, allow us to dream, and they expand our world.  But there is One True Story above all other stories...the story of God and his redeeming love.  With the help of my friend

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-62683990110442977482009-03-09T15:08:00.003-05:002009-03-09T15:52:33.129-05:00

If you've hung around Delta more than few weeks or have listened to more than 3-4 of my sermons, you know that I can be a pretty emotive guy - whether it's getting a little loud and sounding like an old-school bible-thumper or whether it's preaching through tears.One of the tear moments came yesterday.  Now, just so the record's clear, I'm a dude (and a big one at that, being 6'3" and 275lbs), I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-70180180535019652102009-03-03T15:49:00.002-06:002009-03-03T15:59:22.411-06:00

So we've started this new series at Delta called "V6" that's talking about our 6 Values as a church: love, family, story, feasting, blessing, and missional living.  Ideally, every evangelical church would say that they're about the "Great Commission" and "Great Commandment" (ie., making disciples & growing disciples - although whether or not they actually do that is another thing entirely).  But

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-82714005638371228402009-02-23T15:01:00.002-06:002009-02-23T15:24:47.267-06:00

Yesterday, I finished up a 4-part series at Delta called "Good Sex Revolution."  The main point of the series was to champion a biblical view of our sexuality...mainly, that sex is something holy.'Sex Is Holy' was the theme for the first week of the series.  In a culture where sex is cheap and truthfully, animalistic, when we look at what God has to say about sex we see that when you combine the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-60234814826194615142009-02-13T11:58:00.003-06:002009-02-16T16:24:18.043-06:00

"Kingdoms" aren't something that we in the West really understand.  In fact, fleeing from a kingdom is what got our country started in the first place.  But throughout history, monarchys were commonplace.  When Jesus began his public ministry, one of his more famous lines was "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17 - side note: "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" are

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-76832738756097529972009-02-06T09:30:00.002-06:002009-02-06T10:29:47.368-06:00

What do people get "saved" from?  Usually life-threatening situations.  Lifeguards have jobs because people who don't swim well begin to drown and need saving.  Firemen regularly rush into burning buildings to save people.  The issue that makes "salvation" difficult for people is that most people don't see that their lives are in danger.What we need to be saved from is sin (please refer to my

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-16272958650546792042009-01-30T09:52:00.003-06:002009-01-30T10:48:01.029-06:00

Sin is something that's amazingly popular.  It's the one thing that everybody on the planet participates in.  Even the people who don't recognize or follow any particular religion or faith system believe in sin, as the popular phrase "Nobody's perfect" is what's used when someone says, thinks, or does something not right.Now there are some static, linear definitions of sin like "missing the mark"

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-11283140511997220252009-01-26T13:52:00.002-06:002009-01-26T14:19:05.409-06:00

"Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son; and praise the Spirit Three-in-One" -from the hymn 'All Creatures of Our God and King'Scripture is clear in teaching that there is One God (Deuteronomy 6:4), yet there are three persons in the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.  Each person is fully God - they share the same essence (that's how they're One); but each is distinct

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-51081505748467514462009-01-19T14:14:00.002-06:002009-01-19T14:39:58.839-06:00

The Word of God. Sacred Scripture. The Holy Bible.Pretty powerful phrases to describe a book.  Actually, the Bible is a collection of books, letters, & poetry.  66 of them.  Divided into 2 main categories: the Old & New Testaments.  What's so interesting is that these books, mainly named after their themes (e.g, Genesis, which means "beginning") or authors (e.g., Luke) or target audience (e.g.,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-90207585499161593472009-01-12T23:40:00.002-06:002009-01-12T23:59:49.701-06:00

Simply put, it's good news.  It is "news" to be responded to...a grand story that actually happened and is still happening.  But good news about what?  Good news about who?Practically everyone on the face of the earth, or at least the people that I know and have known over the years, agree that we're all jacked up.  Something's wrong with us.  Parts of us, sometimes all of us, feel broken...

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-42675932863098014112009-01-09T13:56:00.003-06:002009-01-09T14:02:54.196-06:00

The new blog series will begin next week.  Here is a list of topics that will be covered:What is the Gospel?What is the Bible?What is the Trinity?What is Sin?What is Salvation?What is the Kingdom of God?What is the Church?What is Hell?What is Heaven?Since I'm planning on giving simply, brief overviews of each topic, I highly encourage anyone to ask questions by leaving a comment.  Also, for

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-19344279438086461212009-01-06T15:46:00.002-06:002009-01-06T15:51:35.835-06:00

So I think I'm going to start a new blog series for the upcoming weeks.  The series will be called "What is ___?"  I'll deal with things like: What is salvation?  What is biblical authority?  What is the atonement?  What is missional living?So, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.  The idea is for these to be Cliff's Notes sorts of things...so my "answers" to the "what is" questions

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-61562504668352520522009-01-02T15:56:00.002-06:002009-01-02T16:29:18.661-06:00

2009 has begun, I'm another year older (as I celebrated my 36th birthday on Jan. 1), and as I'm putting in my first hours of work in the New Year, I'm reminded of how much I don't like to be in my office.Why? There's no one there, for one.  I'm the only "employee" of my church. And being a pastor, I'm kind of in the people business, so it doesn't make much sense to be in an environment where I

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-2583661448920168292008-12-27T08:13:00.003-06:002008-12-27T08:31:56.667-06:00

A classic misunderstanding of Christianity is how it's viewed as a religion versus a Gospel-centered movement.  When rules, structure, formalities, performance, judgment, and appearance are highlighted more than love, grace, joy, forgiveness, kindness and just a worshipful response to the goodness of God, people get turned off and can get hostile.  I've had a couple different conversations over

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-10079597585834712562008-12-23T09:18:00.002-06:002008-12-23T09:45:56.322-06:00

I'm reading this book called "Tribes" by Seth Godin that given to me by my friend Dave.  One thing that he points out in his book deals with the idea of being a "true fan" regarding the leader, mission, or philosophy of the particular tribe that the fan is a part of.  He credited the idea from Kevin Kelly.  Godin (and Kelly) define a "true fan" as someone who buys anything you produce (especially

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-36157935328809987262008-12-21T05:53:00.002-06:002008-12-21T05:55:22.485-06:00

Incarnation “Seeing is believing.” “Don’t judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes.” Sentiments like these have woven themselves into the very fabric of our culture.  These statements communicate that we are a culture of experience and relationship. Until an idea has “flesh and bone” we typically fail to buy into it.  God knows this about us.  God knows the power of experience and the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-33013015952761458412008-12-15T13:24:00.003-06:002008-12-15T13:26:16.370-06:00

Peace Confusion…pain…angst…fear…corruption…chaos…not having enough room to breath…always on the move and trying to keep up…these are words and phrases that illustrate both our lives and the world we live in.  We inwardly groan for something – for Someone – to bring order and peace to our lives and to still our restless hearts.  The quiet birth of the Christ Child amid the hustle and bustle of a

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-65704100352164931042008-12-08T07:04:00.004-06:002008-12-08T07:20:30.059-06:00

JoyThe source of our joy is in God Himself.  God is good.  God is trustworthy.  God is love.  He sees us in our great need, marred by sin, unable to save ourselves, destined for an eternity without Him.  And so, driven by love, grace, and mercy, God plans on sending us a Rescuer; One who will save us from our sin and create peace between us and the Father.  This plan for salvation, birthed in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-56054048396010942292008-12-01T16:40:00.004-06:002008-12-01T16:46:54.108-06:00

We are officially in the Advent season, which begins four Sundays before Christmas.  At Delta, we have customized our Advent themes this year, and are encouraging tangible practices of each theme.  This week, our theme is "glory." Glory Our God is a glorious God who had made a promise to rescue us from our sin.  The birth of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of that glorious promise.  And as 1

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-3565752044835261822008-11-24T07:30:00.003-06:002008-11-24T07:58:35.080-06:00

Yesterday at Delta we looked at John 16:16-33 and unpacked what Jesus taught about true, Gospel-centered joy.  Joy is intrinsicly different from happiness, as joy is not dependent on things that will ultimately fail or disappoint like people, things, or circumstances.  Too often people put too much stock into these things but just end up frustrated, easily agitated & angered, confused, depressed,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-91642862982836400352008-11-19T13:41:00.002-06:002008-11-19T13:49:14.847-06:00

I'm currently in Dallas at the Depth Conference - http://acts29network.org/event/2008-11-19-dallas-boot-camp/ - with all of the Acts 29 "superstars": Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, and Darrin Patrick.  It's been great so far.  Be sure to grab the audio when it gets posted on the Acts 29 website.Best quote of the day so far has come from Matt Chandler (I'm actually paraphrasing): "I'm a Baptist,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-12071161486897298332008-11-11T14:13:00.002-06:002008-11-11T14:53:00.883-06:00

You cannot begin to understand and appreciate the Gospel until you begin to really deal with the depth of your own sin. Until you realize how depraved you are apart from Jesus, he will remain a God of convenience and your Christianity will be more like being a part of a social club than a transforming movement that will change the world.This is the journey I've been travelling on for at least the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-24307669070039547912008-11-03T14:57:00.002-06:002008-11-03T15:11:06.840-06:00

Yesterday at Delta we took a long look at Romans 13:1-7 to discover what exactly God has to say about the Christian's responsibility in and to the government.  The audio should be up soon at www.deltachurch.net for those you who weren't there.  I just want to highlight the takeaway points in how we as Christians exactly "vote for Jesus":Submit yourself to Jesus.  Following Jesus as King of Kings

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-58002863308966240472008-10-27T15:43:00.002-05:002008-10-27T16:07:49.874-05:00

Here we are yet another Halloween.  All of the horror/monster movies are moved to the front of the video stores, ungodly amounts of candy are being bought, and parents are freaking out about their kid's costumes (my kids choice in costumes this year: Wednesday Addams (Hannah), an Angel (Ellie), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Aiden, or as we call him 'Obi-Wan KeMobley'), a Zebra (Rachel), and a Chili Pepper (

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-82025707239489162742008-10-10T15:44:00.003-05:002008-10-10T15:48:56.633-05:00

My wife Dawn was taking our kids to class this morning and on her way was reviewing some of the bible studies we've been doing with our kids.  We've begun going through the Gospel of Mark and spent the first week on talking about "Preparing the Way" (I'll blog on that next week).  But Dawn and the kids read about John baptizing Jesus and was talking to them about baptism.  She asked the kids (

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-49532620213074239232008-09-30T11:58:00.002-05:002008-09-30T12:17:12.254-05:00

This past Sunday we began a new teaching series at Delta called "Mythbusters."  What we're doing is looking at different myths that surround Christianity such as "The Bible is a fairytale," "God can't be good because of suffering in the world," "God is just mean and sends people to hell," and "There can't be only one way to heaven."  We'll then spend the final week looking at the clues of God in

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-65298442011916517962008-09-25T00:05:00.003-05:002008-09-25T00:10:27.535-05:00

We took some time going through our mission statement for Delta the first few weeks of September.  We spent a week on "Loving God", then "Transforming Lives", and finished with "Changing the World".  The second week was particularly powerful, as at the end of the service our worship team played through 'Amazing Grace' and our people filled out cards that read "I once was ______________, but now

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-20582966338026588022008-09-15T14:44:00.003-05:002008-09-15T15:20:07.321-05:00

A couple weeks ago we began a new series called "Transformissionary" (named after this blog) at Delta where we're looking at our mission statement of "Loving God...Transforming Lives...Changing the World."  Yesterday was on "Transforming Lives", and I realized that I had a lot of information, so I thought I'd post it here to save people from writing their hands off from taking notes.  Here's the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-65156277229389225432008-08-27T14:42:00.002-05:002008-08-27T14:50:30.126-05:00

a pdf download of this post is available hereRemembering and Proclaiming the GospelPrimary texts regarding the Lord’s Supper:Matthew 26:26-29 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-28720584501123416042008-08-26T09:56:00.003-05:002008-08-26T09:58:18.889-05:00

I didn't see it live, but Donald Miller (of Blue Like Jazz fame) delivered a really good benediction at the Democratic National Convention last night. You can read it and see it here. Looks like he's also dropped some weight. Good job, Don.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-78861999653449171552008-08-21T14:50:00.002-05:002008-08-21T14:53:12.404-05:00

I thought this was funny...especially since it was in a church parking lot!

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-21441439842767962212008-08-19T11:36:00.002-05:002008-08-19T11:43:26.185-05:00

John 13:31-35 gives us a great picture on how love moves...the directions love should take.Movement 1: Love moves UPWARD. Verses 31-32 preface the rest of Jesus words by putting everything in the perspective of God's glory. Love begins and ends with God...always.Movement 2: Love moves INWARD. In verse 34, Jesus communicates to his disciples to love each other like he loved them...through

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-14269602867361527182008-08-12T09:57:00.002-05:002008-08-12T10:15:14.890-05:00

Discipleship. Sanctification. Growth. Whatever you call it, Spiritual Formation (my preferred term) is necessary as a Christ-follower. If you are not developing a deeper love for Jesus which will express itself in mission and service, you're probably not a believer in the first place. So what are the necessary components of Spiritual Formation? Basically, I believe there are four:1)

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-73753138796112937102008-07-24T13:59:00.002-05:002008-07-24T14:04:09.878-05:00

I presented the following at Delta's quarterly Family Meeting to communicate the different phases of a church plant. A pdf download of the information is available here.Every church plant is different. Contexts are different, people are different, style is different, personalities are different, growth rates are different, and ministry development is different. But one thing that all church

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-31071960846388575082008-07-21T16:12:00.003-05:002008-07-21T16:18:13.565-05:00

Just like there's a story behind every song, there's a meaning behind every miracle. In John's gospel, he records 7 miracles of Jesus. But these miralces aren't to just show off how powerful Jesus is; no, they clearly tell us what man's disposition is apart from Jesus and how only Jesus redeems that disposition. Check them out:John 2:3 “They have no wine” tells us about man being void of

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-39463295488487837072008-07-18T15:10:00.004-05:002008-07-18T15:56:52.781-05:00

We're about 18 months into our church plant and one thing I'm discovering is that people need constant reminders of who we are, what we're doing, and why we're doing it. You see, we're in the Mid-West and in a fairly traditional context. Most people around Springfield have some sort of "religious memory" of being loosely connected to a church, demonimation, or religious system. When I tell

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-21767095513000262832008-06-30T12:45:00.002-05:002008-06-30T13:05:05.721-05:00

I'm easing back into regular blogging by providing a pretty practical resource. Seeing as how we have a zoo of children around our house, I thought some age-appropriate bible suggestions would be good. So here you go:For infants & early toddlers, we've liked the First Step Bible. It's simple, has some repetative words for easy memory, and has big colorful pictures.For toddlers to preK, we like

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-30799751803892680972008-06-13T17:25:00.003-05:002008-06-13T17:37:04.993-05:00

My new daughter arrived today, June 13 at 4:12pm. She is 8lbs 12oz and 20.5 inches long. Lydia and Dawn and doing great!

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-61851303582122885552008-06-04T13:55:00.002-05:002008-06-04T13:59:07.088-05:00

No, I haven't stopped blogging here...things have been a little crazy lately. My wife Dawn is due to give birth to our 5th child any day now, so we're in a holding pattern.I'm making some notes on what will be a short 3-4 part series of blogs dealing with the topics of being a Conformer, a Reformer, and a Transformer (but not like the robots!). Should be starting those later this month.Pray for

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-10852929186518307562008-05-14T15:45:00.002-05:002008-05-14T16:05:29.167-05:00

From my last sermon on Jesus' deity, I received just a couple questions that I'll do my best to answer:Q: Since Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, could he have sinned or chosen to use his power in a sinful way? Could he have chosen to not die?A: Sin is passed down through the seed of the man (Romans 5:12), which is why the virgin birth is so important. Jesus was born with no sin nature, no

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-75969981942000819572008-05-12T10:44:00.002-05:002008-05-12T11:04:20.026-05:00

Yesterday at Delta I preached on living a Trinitarian Life from John chapter 5. The basis for our entire Christian life is birthed in who God is; not from our preferences, traditions, or expectations from others. The reason that Jesus was in such hot water with the Jews is because he was proclaiming himself equal with God (John 5:18). The following verses go to show how God the Father and and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-5298247333127604782008-05-05T22:43:00.003-05:002008-05-05T22:48:17.119-05:00

This past Sunday I preached on "Sabbath" at Delta, taking a topical look at John 5:9-17. It was chock full o' information; so here's a summary of the what, why, when, & how of biblical Sabbath. Enjoy!Biblical rest is called Sabbath. Its origin comes from Genesis 2:1-3. God rested from his work of creation (not his work of maintaining & sustaining or else we’d cease to exist; see Colossians 1:

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-64289621392457639512008-04-28T12:34:00.000-05:002008-04-28T12:35:28.257-05:00

The first round of auto-deposits for the electronic stimulus went out today. What are we to do with this "free" money? Buy a TV? Put a down payment on a car? Get some new furniture?Here's my challenge to you all: think first of how you can glorify God, help others, and then see what's left for yourself.We are given physical resources like money to be stewards of. Everything belongs to God...

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-75204973863389500722008-04-21T10:13:00.002-05:002008-04-21T10:28:24.356-05:00

Over the last couple weeks at Delta, we've looked at John 4 and Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. The overall theme to the passage is the idea of "authentic worship". The first half (verses 1-26) speaks of what authentic worship is. The second half (verses 27-42) speaks of what authentic worship does. A summary of this entire passage could be stated as: "Authentic

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-83681754310643979012008-04-15T15:56:00.001-05:002008-04-15T15:58:53.364-05:00

http://sj-r.com/News/stories/28691.asphttp://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=jonah+4%3A11We may not have much cattle, but we sure do have corn.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-7722602124210660042008-04-07T22:14:00.003-05:002008-04-07T22:25:23.475-05:00

The family and I are in Memphis doing a little vacationing/homeschool learning adventure. We arrived today and our first stop was the National Civil Rights Museum. The NCRM located at The Lorrain Hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King was shot 25 years ago. The museum was an amazing journey through the history of slavery, segregation, integration and equal rights. I was thinking how the

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-55776210095210406382008-04-04T15:11:00.002-05:002008-04-04T15:28:46.273-05:00

Have you ever seen a presidential race like the one we're in? Never before has religion, race, gender, war, and economy been such hot issues...and we're talking about the candidates themselves! So, how is a Christ-follower to vote? What is the proper criteria?I have a couple thoughts, and they're not very conservative by traditional standards. For the first time in my life, I'm really trying

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-4518497255708094752008-03-24T15:06:00.001-05:002008-03-24T15:07:53.610-05:00

A couple weeks ago I preached on John 2:12-25, where Jesus whips some lazy worshippers and extortionists into shape and cleans up the Temple. I took some time at the end of that sermon to show how you can best prepare yourself to come to a worship gathering.Don’t blow it off – Hebrew 10:24-25Scripture tells us to be intentional about gathering for worship so we can encourage each other and

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-38719933435198516402008-03-10T16:10:00.002-05:002008-03-10T16:38:13.032-05:00

So I was talking with a guy from church the other day about reading the Bible. He was very honest about not being a big reader and would rather be out hanging with friends. I totally get that this is where many guys are at. So, to not just excuse any spiritual laziness, here's a suggestion to help guys read their Bibles more:Read in the bathroom.Seriously. A guy's "bathroom schedule" is

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-51216178936463289372008-02-19T14:35:00.003-06:002008-02-19T15:21:41.349-06:00

Here are our next round of Bible questions. Today's grouping has to do with the Bible and the writings of other belief systems.Q- How do we know the bible is the standard (the only authoritative Scripture) and not other writings (e.g., Qur'an, Hindu scriptures, etc.)? How should we look at things like the Book of Mormon that claim to be in alignment with the Bible and subsequent 'revelations

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-26319406457045084042008-02-15T15:08:00.002-06:002008-02-15T15:52:13.452-06:00

OK, here's the next round of questions about the Bible that we'll tackle this week. Remember, these are real, honest questions from the peopel at Delta Church.Q- Did only the disciples write the Bible?The Bible was written by solely by Prophets. Prophets were basically mouthpieces for God; speaking to people on behalf of the Lord. Some writers were prophets by office (e.g., Moses, Samuel,

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-80024322795554660512008-02-15T10:55:00.002-06:002008-02-15T11:03:19.995-06:00

A horrible thing happened yesterday. A gunman stormed the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. 21 were shot. 6 were killed (including the gunman, who shot himself). Lives will forever be changed.Sin has a devestating effect on the world and on individual lives. I pray for those who are wounded and for the families and friends who have undergone a terrible loss.Many questions

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-77968039008000253932008-02-05T15:23:00.000-06:002008-02-05T16:12:11.034-06:00

This past Sunday I began preaching through the Gospel of John. I began the series in a very introductory manner, emphasizing the reliability of Scripture and Jesus as the center of the entire Bible. Now, teaching a subject like that brings up a myriad of questions, so I gave Delta the opportunity to write down some questions about the Bible that I would categorize and answer here on the blog.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-70880678887258849632008-01-31T22:34:00.000-06:002008-01-31T22:43:13.322-06:00

The Acts 29 Chicago Bootcamp went really well, but my ride home just sucked. I left Chicago at 2pm, and got home at 10pm...yeah, 8 hours. The weather was terrible (most of Illinois is getting covered with 6-12 inches of snow). I got stuck for 45 minutes on the 55 south exit of off 294. But the worst of it was when I got to Bloomington, a mere hour away from home, I hit a patch of ice, fish tailed

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-83082799806869752562008-01-30T09:37:00.000-06:002008-01-30T09:46:02.364-06:00

I'm currently up in Chicago (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, to be exact) for the Acts 29 Network Bootcamp. What we do is basically provide large-group training, networking opportunities, and assess potential church planters for the Network. It's been a great time being with my A29 brothers and meeting new guys around Illinois who are wrestling through a call to church

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-17117607679909962492008-01-29T08:30:00.000-06:002008-01-29T08:48:28.383-06:00

I'm currently up in Chicago for the Acts 29 Bootcamp...I'll write an update on that in the next day or so.1 John 5:21 "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."This past Sunday at Delta we explored idolatry. Idolatry is pretty much anything, anyone, any idealogy, any whatever in your life that takes the place that only Jesus deserves, which is #1. Theologian FF Bruce defines idolatry as:“[

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-29606676581561095762008-01-21T18:56:00.000-06:002008-01-21T19:04:17.437-06:00

Today marks the official 1 year birthday of Delta. We launched our Sunday services on January 21, 2007 on a very cold January day (not something I would recommend). Yesterday as we celebrated, it was eerily familiar as the temperature was hovering somewhere around 10 degrees. But we had a good crowd, some new visitors, and I was able to finish up our "Foolishness" mini-series by exploring

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-80215142144621661902008-01-14T15:27:00.000-06:002008-01-14T15:28:46.563-06:00

Check this out from the missional yoda, Ed Stetzer:http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/01/new_research_on_the_unchurched.html

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-19083416815765444592008-01-14T12:26:00.000-06:002008-01-14T12:36:43.676-06:00

This week leads up to Delta's 1 year Anniversary on January 21. One year ago I was going in wide-eyed into the "public" phase of church planting. I've been personally celebrating the occasion this whole month by preaching through 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 talking about the "foolishnes" of the cross, the church, and my church, specifically.Not that I think that the cross is foolish...but Paul makes

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-25393692155505800862008-01-12T09:25:00.000-06:002008-01-12T09:27:53.227-06:00

You gotta love John Piper...especially when he gets riled up!http://youtube.com/watch?v=ukcV-xtU3hc

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-9704623193983453292008-01-11T15:11:00.000-06:002008-01-11T15:14:03.868-06:00

We're in the midst of redesigning our Delta's website, and the blog I moved over there will now be moved back here, but we're losing the cheesy "Adventures in Abe-Town" title as well as the also lame "Delta Devotional". As you can now see, the new title for my blog is "Transformissionary." This lines up much better with Delta's mission of "Loving God, Transforming Lives, and Changing the World.

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28514711.post-16591955327996947212007-04-17T14:48:00.000-05:002007-04-17T14:50:19.552-05:00

I'm moving my devotional/blog to:http://deltachurch.net/ryan_s_blogSee you there!

Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703961059363739739noreply@blogger.com0