Ronnie McBrayer

Ring of Fire

Speaking from 1 Peter 1:3-9, Ronnie talks about the role of struggle and suffering in our lives: "There is no gold without the fire. There is no remaking or remolding without the hammer and the anvil...There are no short cuts; no quick fixes; no easy exits. The only challenge is making it today - not tomorrow or next week; the only task is what is - not what could be, might be, or should of been; and the only way out is through - not getting around it, not getting over it - but going into it, and out the other side. Faith - and whatever it is about us that will be eternal - is made and built this way." 

The Dream of the Rood, Easter 2023

“The Dream of the Rood” is an ancient Christian poem, written in Old Anglo-Saxon English. It is a story-telling, meaning-making, Jesus-explaining tale that was shared by word of mouth in a time when Anglo-Saxons, largely could not read - and they certainly didn’t have a runic translation of the Bible. We don’t know who wrote this poem. It’s likely we will never know. But if you are an English-speaker, this poem is one of the earliest known tellings of the gospel in our language. Reflect upon this ancient story in union with Colossians 2 and 3. Happy Easter!

Sympathy for the Devil? Or at Least for Judas.

From the Palm Sunday Reading of Matthew 26, and based on a song by the legendary Woody Guthrie, Ronnie takes an off-center look at Judas Iscariot. He says, "All the disciples believed that Jesus going to Jerusalem at Passover was for the purpose of pulling some messianic rabbit out of his hat. Now, the kingdom would come, as Jesus, like Clark Kent, would explode from a phone booth, revealing his super-human powers. But it didn’t happen. Jesus failed. Jesus lost. Jesus was overcome. And strangely, the words they mocked Jesus with as he hung on the cross became true: 'He saved others…but could not save himself.' Judas cannot live with himself. When they laid Jesus in that grave, Judas  chose to crawl into the grave with Jesus - unable to see or understand what would happen just hours later, on Easter morning."

Dust and Bones

"Can these bones live again?" That is the question put to the Prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37 as he looked over a valley of skeletal remains. Ezekiel cannot answer, because there is nothing he can do. He can only entrust God with all future possibilities. If there will be life in the afterword of disaster, it will be because of what God knows and what God does. Ronnie says of this encounter, "When we accept what is otherwise unacceptable, because we have no power over it, that becomes the space where the power of God can work. For when something is truly dead - and we know it - and we are no longer attempting to do the work of resurrection by our own strength - then whatever it is, might be remade, it might be reborn, by that higher power outside of ourselves."

Simplify. Simplify. Part 8

Speaking from Psalm 19 and the Hebrew Proverbs, Ronnie brings his "Simplify" series to a conclusion, inviting us all to simplify our speech: "It’s perennial wisdom. When it comes to talking, less is more. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all previous doubt. Nowhere is simplification more applicable, no where can it be more readily applied than when it comes to our speech, our words. Spoken, written, hurled as darts with the intention of causing pain, blasted over emails, trolling in the comments section, in the heat of battle saying things you can never pull back: Hear the voice of Wisdom: A truly wise person uses few words…keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” 

Simplify. Simplify. Part 7

In this seventh of eight talks entitled, "Simplify, Simplify," Ronnie says, "Let’s talk about boundaries today. Let’s talk about disentangling our entanglements. Let’s talk about defending ourselves against being pulled into things we have no business being pulled into. Let’s talk about setting healthy limits that will reduce the probability of us being hurt, harmed, poisoned or generally stressed out - by toxic people, participation, programs, powers, and passions. Let’s talk about guarding our hearts, as the wisdom of the Proverbs informs us in our Scripture reading. Let’s simplify."

The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 8 of 8

Part 8: Paul's Theology and Legacy
No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.” 

Simplify. Simplify. Part 6

This is Part 6 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." The subject is stress, and how to lighten our emotional and spiritual burdens in this ill-managed, tumultuous world. Based on Philippians 4, Ronnie follows the Apostle Paul's advice: "Be Glad. Be Gentle. Say Grace. Seek the Good." This is no silver bullet, no magic formula or elixir. It is a way of living, and it takes practice.
 
Support Ronnie's podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/ronniemcbrayer

The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 7 of 8

Part 7: "Spanish Speculation" (Paul's Release, Further Travels, Re-Arrest, and Death)
No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.” 

Simplify. Simplify. Part 5

This is Part 5 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." Ronnie talks about the "success" in this talk, a visit with Jesus and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), Martha the struggling and suffering perfectionist. In a talk that became deeply personal, Ronnie said: "The more quiet and more still we become - the more we are able to know and experience the love of Christ. His perfect love is the only cure for our perfectionism. How I wish for myself, and for us all, that we can begin to understand that, while it is still called, 'today.'"