Ronnie McBrayer

To Uphold the World

 “The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and the passion of just a few people.” That quote from James Baldwin captures the idea of the "Tzadikim" from Jewish mysticism. Tzadikim means, “the righteous ones." Based on Genesis 18, the Talmud elaborates: “There are no fewer than 36 righteous people in the world who daily greet the glory of God and uphold creation.” That is, a tiny group of people, because of their innate goodness; because of their humble, just, loving hearts, proves to God that humanity is worth all the trouble.
Therefore, God would never go so far as to wipe away humanity, for that would mean wiping away the righteous, and “the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.” Yes, the world is full of corruption; it’s full of every vice and evil - just as in the days of Sodom - and God surely must contemplate bringing it all to an end. But through these righteous ones and their persistent hidden holiness, the world is spared. The questions put to each of us, then, are these: "Could you be one of the righteous? Could you...would you...can you...will you - live in such a way that keeps hope alive in the world? You may be the one upholding God's creation.

The Essentialist

"My wife calls me a minimalist. But a new word has been introduced into my vocabulary: Essentialism. As I am learning, a minimalist is concerned with having less stuff; fewer possessions; buying less. I like all that for sure. 
"But an essentialist is one who seeks to untangle from the unnecessary, turning life toward the vital; the absolute crucial. It’s not so much about having less - it’s holding on to only what counts. Because we only have so much space; we only have so much time. We only have so much energy. Shouldn’t we use our limited personal resources on what is most consequential?"
 
 

The Examined Life

"People behave the way they behave because they are driven by what is within them. That’s simply how the human heart works. If it’s all garbage and rubbish on the inside of a person, then garbage and rubbish is the only possible outcome, and you need not expect anything different. The only way to amend, reform, redeem, or change a person’s actions is by the amendment, reformation, redemption, and change of a person’s heart." RM

The Idiot

Taking a slice from Revelation 7 and the writings of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ronnie speaks to how, "beauty will save the world." He says: "You can call me a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. You can call me a foolish idealist. I’m most comfortable with that. You can call me an idiot. I’ll take it as a compliment. Because I would  rather try - by God's grace try - to be hopeful and faithful, compassionate and empathetic, forgiving and loving, good and gracious - and be regarded as an idiot in this world, than to be a person who is cynical, jaded, hard-hearted, judgmental, hateful, cruel, and gleeful at the suffering of others. Jesus Christ help us all to become raving idiots who can see the wonder and dignity inherent in each and every person we meet - white, black, man, woman, gay, straight, citizen, immigrant, rich, poor, old, young - because each of these is a person made in the beautiful image of God!"

Fear And Faith

"Doubt alone won’t keep you where you are, for honest doubt is a good thing. But fear? Fear stops all forward motion. Fear disables and immobilizes. Fear strangles the courage right out of you. Fear becomes the controlling, overpowering, paralyzing emotion. It can become so crippling, that we are blinded to the possibilities of the future. Faith is the only antidote - actionable faith. Faith is not bare belief, like reciting the creed. It’s not mere intellectual understanding, the ticking off some doctrinal check list. Faith is an action-oriented willingness to trust in, and to rely upon God, that Power greater and beyond yourself." - RM

Deep Waters

"Here is an invitation that is too rarely extended: Come to Jesus and find joy. Find adventure. Find yourself...then, find yourself challenged. Find yourself stretched. Find yourself pushed; pushed into deep water; pushed beyond safety, comfort, manageability, and sometimes, pushed beyond what passes as good sense. Come to Jesus for the salvation of your soul; sure, but stay for the invigoration of your spirit. Come to Jesus for your future; yes, but stay for today. When you hear that still, small voice of Christ say to you, 'Let’s go further…let’s fly higher…let’s launch deeper,' it's okay to be afraid - but don’t let that fear stop you from answering that call. What waits on the other side is a fuller, richer, deeper way of living." - RM 

Communion Over Isolation

"We are a communal species, made in the image of God - for God is a communal being as well: The Three in One. It’s a variation of UBUNTU: We are, because God is. We are not isolated individuals - we are community - we are we. Simply by praying in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - by simply using this Trinity language - we remind ourselves, and we witness to the world, that we are made for relationship and connection.
"If we fail at community, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners - angry, sick, and alone.” 

Recombobulation

A shout out to the Milwaukee Airport...the Ascension of Jesus...and the "recombobulation" of the days to come: Jesus said, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times.” Yes, a day will come when this same Jesus who ascended into heaven will return, but the timing is “not for you to know.” Rather, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses.” That is, stay with the mission. Keep your hand at the work. By the will of God, the love of Christ, and the power of the Spirit, keep telling the story of the kingdom. Keep sharing the grace of God. Keep inviting others to the table. But as to how and when this all wraps up, that’s God’s business. Our business remains the same as it has always been: Not figuring out when we get to leave earth for heaven, but letting the world know that heaven has come to earth.

To Believe in God

“The books of the Holy Bible never say but one time just exactly what God is, but in three little words it pours out a hundred million college educations and says, ‘God Is Love.’ And that is the only real definite answer to ten thousand wild queries and questions that I my own self have tossed at my Bible. That is the only really sensible, easy, honest, warm, plain, quick, and clear answer I found - when I was ready to throw so-called fearful, cowardly, thieving, poisoning, religion out my trash door. It was those three words that made not only religion, but also several other sorts of superstitious fears and hatreds in me meet one very quick death: God is Love. Love is the only God that I will ever believe in.” - Woody Guthrie

Into the Light, Part 2

"When it is love that overturns and redirects your life, how can one not become loving? When light leads you out of darkness, how can you not be a person of the light?
"Enough of this 'Personal Profile' Christianity You know what I mean: Go find the crummiest, nastiest, most curmudgeon-spirited person on social media, or in the comments section, or who attends your annual HOA meeting. He or she will have a 'saved by grace' declaration in their social media profile; a 'I Love Jesus, Yes I Do, How About You' banner blazoned across the screen; and they will be wearing a 'Too Blessed to be Stressed' T-shirt. And 9 out of 10 times, that will be the meanest person in the whole room. 
"These are exactly as Paul would describe them years later to Timothy: 'They are unloving and unforgiving; they slander others and have no self-control. They are cruel and hateful; reckless, and puffed up with pride. They act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!' They have not had a spiritual awakening sourced in the redeeming love of God. They are simply using Jesus as mascot - not a model to follow."