Ronnie McBrayer

"A storm is coming. You can count on it. And how I wish the coming storm was just thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening; just a little wind and rain. But the storm I’m talking about is more severe than that. I’m talking about personal, sometimes private storms. I’m not a pessimist. I’m not trying to make you feel bad or make you afraid; to live coiled up, waiting for the next shoe to drop is no way to live at all. I’m just an early alert system: Storms are bound to come. Most of them blow over in a day or two, and we are no more worse off for the wear. But some storms are life-altering, faith-testing, soul-crushing disasters. They break us. They lash and torment us in ways that the outside weather never could. Where do you turn in the midst of one of these land-falling hurricanes? How do you survive the darkest thundering days and the endless, sleepless nights? What do you do in a storm?" (Part 1 of 2.)

"Ezekiel’s dream of the future has come true. Not with the construction of some highly advanced cathedral for God with an artesian well, but with the construction of a people, of temples not made with human hands. God no longer lives in a temple. God doesn’t live in a  church. God hasn’t been cornered by any religion. God has made a home within you and me. We have inside of us, as in Jesus’ words to the woman at the well, “springs of living water” that will never go dry. The water flowing from the presence of God is the people of God, sent out to refresh and resurrect a dead and parched world."

"Water, water, everywhere...and not a drop to drink." So cried the Ancient Mariner. "Worry, worry, everywhere" seems to be the cry today. This is Ronnie's look at Philippians 4, heeding the wisdom of the Apostle Paul who instructed early Christians to, "not worry about anything, but to pray about everything." 

"You might ask, 'What is wrong with a little flag waving or a pledge to the nation of our birth?' Nothing! But to center American nationalism in the church is to marginalize the Lordship of Jesus. It demands that God share his place of supremacy with the flag. It fools us into calling this Empire, 'home.' It tricks us into worshipping the blessing of living where we live, rather than worshipping the one who has blessed us with this opportunity. Let us remove all politics and nationalism from the church; and concentrate on following the words and way of Jesus - no matter what else might happen in our community or in our nation."
 

Ronnie concludes his series from the Psalms (while connecting these with more contemporary songs), with this episode entitled, "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen." Using Psalm 86, the African-American spiritual, and the insights of Viktor Frankl, this talk challenges the listener to wisely "choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

I know this is not the most pleasant subject for many people. But in the last words of President McKinley, "We are all going. We are all going." So long as death is way down the road, at some far and distant juncture that remains out of sight, it can remain out of mind. But we have no such promises. There are no guarantees that our end is decades or years in the future. 
Allison Arieff says: “It is the awareness and acceptance of our own mortality  that makes us human. And it is the impetus for living our lives to the fullest. The brevity of life leaves me determined to seize, observe and interact with the days that remain. It is the knowledge of how quickly, sometimes tragically, things can change or disappear that fuels my urgency to be in the present.” 

Bob Marley...The Book of Psalms...Meister Eckhart...John Oatman Jr. What do all of these have in common? Gratitude. It's the best way to live your life.

I have no way to prove this, but I suspect that more people know the song "How Great Thou Art" than know the Psalm upon which it is based - Psalm 8. I venture to guess that more people have heard this song in the last 75 years than have read the book of Psalms. And I think that’s just fine! Because, the song - “How Great Thou Art” -, remains faithful to the text.  
Times have changed. Understandings of the world have changed. Theological conclusions have changed. Modes and manners of worship have changed. Attitudes toward ecology and creation have changed. Science has changed. Technology has changed. Religion has changed. But still, there is this eternal hymn written to the glory of God, glory that is recognized in the world around us.
For the video referenced in the talk, go to: https://ronniemcbrayer.org/2026/06/04/how-great-thou-art/

Ronnie's continuing exploration of Psalms from the Revised Common Lectionary arrives at Psalm 104, with an ode to the Psalmists and contemporary artist, Fernando Ortega. Ronnie urges listeners to rediscover God's good creation by saying: "We are more fixated on looking through tiny digital windows on the world than living in and enjoying God’s actual, created world - a world that will remain more extraordinary than anything made by human hands or imagination."

What do Stan Jones, King David, the Apache Tribe, the Canaanites, Baal, and Yahweh have in common? You'll have to listen to find out more. My latest talk from Psalm 68.