Ronnie McBrayer

Light and Life

As Advent draws near, Ronnie provides a history of the celebration, albeit by early and accidental means. Give this talk a listen to prepare for the season of light and love.

For the Long Haul

"What if Jesus came back today!?! Would you be ready?!?"
Those are the typical revivalistic questions. In this talk Ronnie asks a different question: "What if Jesus DOESN't come back today...or tomorrow...or next year...or next decade...or next century?" This is a challenge for believers to accept and adapt to "the long haul," as the wait will be far longer than people of good intention could hav imagined. 
 
NOTE: Based on the Parable of the Bridesmaids in Matthew 25, Ronnie addresses this subject at length in his book, "How Far Is Heaven," available by following this link.

Saving Daylight

"I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial..." Words from the Prophet Isaiah (Chapter 38) to King Hezekiah inspire this talk from Ronnie as he connects it to "Daylight Savings Time" and the "extra time" we have all been given to live our lives.

Happiness Is An Inside Job

"The search for happiness can lead people to do strange things...radical things...even criminal things. Blaise Pascal said, “The aim of every person is to be happy - even those persons who take their own lives.” It’s such a universal desire - to have a little joy; a little contentment; a light heart and mind. But it can be so universally elusive. This is because happiness is an inside job. There is no secret to unlock; no skill to develop; no elusive mystery to chase. Happiness is already there within you. It’s there for the taking. So, if you don’t find true happiness within yourself - you will never find happiness anywhere in the world." 
(Reading from Philippians 4 by Anna Balfour)

”I Contain Multitudes”

Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself (I am large, I contain multitudes). - Walt Whitman
Ronnie chose Whitman's line because it captures the fragmentation, history, complexity, and contradiction - not of humanity in general - but specifically as the best one line explanation for that tiny slice of land containing the state of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. As Ronnie says in this talk, "If ever a section of earth’s geography contained contradicting multitudes - peoples, religions, opinions, atrocities, beauty, bloodshed, glory - it is this piece of the world." In a departure from his regular talks, Ronnie takes a deep dive into Israeli and Palestinian history and the implications for today.
A direct note from Ronnie: This is the longest talk I have given in probably 15 years - not that it is an hour-long diatribe - it's just north of 35 minutes. But I've always tried to get to the point as efficiently as possible, and leave the receiving, thinking, and mulling over to the listener. I maintain that same efficiency here I hope, but this is a subject matter that required those few extra 12 to 15 minutes. Thanks for listening. RM

G.O.W.I: Getting On With It

In a deeply personal recapping of challenges experienced by individuals and families in his own congregation, Ronnie pivots to the theme of "Getting On With It" from Paul's words in Philippians 3. Ronnie says, "I tread lightly and carefully here, because the pain and loss for many of late is still so present and raw; not for a minute will I minimize any of that. Take your time. Heal as best as you can. Pull away into your thoughts and precious memories. Grieve. Process. Cry. Rage. Question. Wrestle. Go deep within. Go way back. But don’t you stay back there. Get depressed. Get angry. But get well and get going. No, not everyone can hear this today - and that is as it should be. But some of us need to hear this. We need to do business with the past, our past... We cannot change a single thing about the past. We can’t go back, and all the 'I should haves' and 'I could haves' and 'What ifs' are grave markers in the cemetery of a reality that will never be. To use your precious energy trying to reconstruct a better past, to return to some golden era of your life, to try and rewrite your personal history book is a fool’s errand. You have today. You might have tomorrow. But you certainly don’t have yesterday. You have to get on with it."

Don’t Forget to Remember

Speaking from Philippians 2, the text where Paul write how Jesus "emptied himself," Ronnie uses this episode to talk about "having the attitude of Christ," with is the true essence of being a follower of Jesus. Ronnie says:
"Was Jesus a culture warrior? No. Was he a violent revolutionary? No. Was he a retreatist? No. Was he motivated by fear? No. Was he greedy, driven by money? No. Was he obsessed with power - making or forcing others to do as he wanted them to do? No. That’s not who he was; not how he thought of himself. These were not his attitudes...In Jesus there was an unselfishness, a drive to serve, a sacrificial motivation at his core. And we who bear his name, would do well not to forget that, for we must bear that same quality. The essence of “being like Jesus,” is consistently an emptying, a surrendering. It is loving service.

Pastures of Plenty

In this re-telling of Jesus' Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 20), Ronnie connects Woody Guthrie with C.S. Lewis, apple picking with communism, and gives a shout out to both Disney World and Ann Rand. He concludes: "The kingdom of God is not about fairness. It’s not about justice or earning what is rightfully yours. It’s not about what’s in it for you. The kingdom of God is only for the asking. It is about grace - all about grace - and nothing else."

Inside Out, Part 4

The great Bonnie Raitt sang, "I can't make you love me if you don't." Truer words have hardly ever been spoken. Likewise, it is impossible to love others by our own power. In the conclusion to his series "Inside Out," Ronnie talks about how only the spirit and love of Christ can transform and empower us to do what religion cannot: Love those we find unlovable.

Inside Out, Part 3

With an introduction from children's writer Peter Reynolds (and his book, "Be You"), Ronnie continues his series entitled, "Inside Out." Focusing on Paul's great prayer at the end of Ephesians 3, Ronnie says, "Those who have a profound sense of being loved; who have this internal, soul-washed awareness that they are the recipients of the deepest compassion; those with a divine - and it is divine - acceptance of grace: These are the people who find the courage to be themselves, to live truly brave lives. They are empowered, set free, for love undergirds and strengthens and acts as a launching pad for them..."
 
For more on Peter Reynolds visit: https://www.peterhreynolds.com.