• The house started to sink

    Billy Graham tells a story about a family who purchased a plot of land for a home in the Appalachian Mountains. It was breathtaking, overlooked a valley, and faced some beautiful mountains. They made plans, chose a builder, and the house was completed. After about a year, things started to… Listen ⇢

  • Negativity is a tractor beam

    In the Star Wars movie A New Hope, a starship called the Millennium Falcon tries to fly away from a massive space station called the Death Star. It’s so big that the young pilot Luke Skywalker first thinks it’s a moon. But as they get closer, they realize they can’t… Listen ⇢

  • When life feels out of control

    We humans like being in control. We’re so used to how much we like it, and to how much control we think we have, that we don’t even realize it. A simple, modern example is how we can control the temperate of our homes from a smart phone app—even when… Listen ⇢

  • Be what you wanna see

    Be what you wanna see. This statement encourages us to model the attitudes and behaviours that we’d like to see in others. Let’s think about this in terms of how it applies to our current situation with COVID-19. What do we want to see? I don’t know about you but… Listen ⇢

  • Intentional simplicity

    Many of us are living a new version of our own lives. Air travel is restricted, work and school patterns are shifting, and “social distancing” is now a real thing. In some respects, we are being forced into a simpler way of life—at least, for now. But did you know… Listen ⇢

  • When you’re confident about what will happen eventually

    Let me share an eternal truth that can encourage you: When you’re confident about what will happen eventually, you have more courage for what is happening currently. Here’s what I mean. When you know that God is eternal, and that one day he is going to one day make all… Listen ⇢

  • Blessed people bless people

    A lot of people are feeling overwhelmed. It’s understandable. After all, there’s a pandemic going on. It’s easy to feel out of control, uncertain, or even paralyzed. But although you don’t have much say about what happens to you, you do have a say in what happens through you. God’s… Listen ⇢

  • Who are you, really?

    In the inspirational movie Overcomer, a basketball coach named John Harrison loses his team. Coaching basketball has become such a major part of his identity that it really shakes him. He’s also a part of his church’s visitation team. In one scene, he visits a man at the hospital. The… Listen ⇢

  • Fighting fear

    Fear. It’s all around us, most recently with coronavirus. Here are 3 suggested responses for God’s people. Listen ⇢

Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.

Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.

The Up Devotional

Your 1-minute shot of soul espresso

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