• This is how we know that we love the children of God

    The apostle John wrote: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20). As we can see, loving other people in… Listen ⇢

  • A Christian one-liner that makes you think

    Recently someone sent me an email with some “Christian one-liners” (Thanks Eileen!) Perhaps you’ve seen some of them. They usually highlight comical aspects of the faith or funny things that kids say.  One of them in particular grabbed my attention. It was funny, but also provided a reason to pause… Listen ⇢

  • When your prayer life hits a dry spell

    When it comes to prayer, I sometimes hit a dry spell. I’m a pastor. So perhaps that surprises you. In case it isn’t obvious, we’re human too! Very human. Most of the pastors I know love Jesus, want to serve him, care for his people, and struggle with many of… Listen ⇢

  • The rabbit holes of speculation

    I’ve been thinking a lot about how Jesus said he was coming back. The reason it’s been on my mind is because I’ve been teaching through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and that’s a topic that comes up a lot. The congregation to which Paul was writing was confused. So Paul… Listen ⇢

  • Deep fakes, AI, scammers and news: What’s real?

    It’s getting more difficult to know what’s real. “Deep fakes” are a growing genre of videos. They make it look like someone is saying or doing something, but it’s all fabricated. A tech wizard has digitally recreated someone’s voice or body movements.  When it comes to the news, we often… Listen ⇢

  • Why are we doing this?

    “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done…” (1 Chronicles 16:11-12) With December comes traditions.  People start to sing carols, light candles, put up Christmas trees, buy gifts, and send cards. Traditions can be good. But not if they obscure the… Listen ⇢

  • Advent: preparing for Jesus

    The season of Advent has begun. Some of you will know what that means. Others won’t. That’s because some Christian traditions have emphasized it and others have not. It is the four-week season that leads up to Christmas. The word “advent” itself means “coming,” referring to the coming of Christ.… Listen ⇢

  • Stay Weird

    Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian, pastor and professor. In 1928 he wrote: “It is almost impossible to be sane and Christian at the same time, and on the whole I have been more sane than Christian.”* What honesty. Implied in his comment is, I think, the idea that genuinely… Listen ⇢

  • A house that will not stand empty

    William Gurnall wrote extensively about spiritual warfare. He said that “a man’s heart is a house that will not stand empty.”* He wrote in the 1600’s. So he’s using “man” in a general sense; what he says applies to women as well. The idea is that our heart (metaphorically speaking)… Listen ⇢

Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.

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

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