• Hello Glow Stick

    When I was young we would go camping. I loved it. We would set up tents, ride our bikes, go waterskiing and cook marshmallows around the fire. When it got dark my parents would bring out some glow sticks. They were plastic tubes with liquid in them. When you bent… Listen ⇢

  • In a tight spot

    You learn a lot from someone by watching them under pressure. Do they stay true to themselves? Do they buckle?  I can’t imagine the pressure and intensity Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. His betrayal was at hand. He was about to be tortured and crucified (and… Listen ⇢

  • God’s will and God’s word

    “Follow your heart. Go with your gut. Trust you feelings.” These are popular statements. And before I sound too negative, let me just say there are times when your heart, gut and feelings have important things to teach you. But they’re not God. It follows, therefore, that if your heart,… Listen ⇢

  • Trust God, not your gut

    A person with integrity is someone who acts with whole-hearted (or complete) goodness no matter the situation. It’s easy to show integrity when everything is working out fine and when everyone agrees about what should be done. It’s more difficult, however, under pressure. M. Scott Peck says: “Stress is the… Listen ⇢

  • What is integrity?

    Integrity. We know it’s good. We like to see it in ourselves and in others. But what is it? A popular definition is that it is doing the right thing when no one is looking. When a lot of people are watching you there is social pressure to do the… Listen ⇢

  • Three unhelpful over-simplifications

    We live in polarizing times. There are days when I feel that our news programs, social media feeds, and ways of communicating, are set-up to be combative and divisive. But hear this warning from Colossians 4:6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you… Listen ⇢

  • What YOU bring to worship

    “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). An enduring praise song from the 1990’s is Matt Redman’s “The Heart of Worship.”… Listen ⇢

  • What Jesus prays for you

    It’s great when a friend prays for you. Perhaps they pray that you ace your lab test or that you know how to respond to a friend who is being difficult. It feels good when someone prays for you. And you certainly need to trust God’s wisdom and timing in… Listen ⇢

  • Ash Wednesday and holiness

    Today is Ash Wednesday. Some Christians are in the habit of putting ashes on their foreheads because they symbolize our mourning and regret for sin. In fact, we’ll do that tonight at a youth-led service at the church I pastor. [This one is in-person only and at 7pm.] Ashes also… Listen ⇢

Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.

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

Learn More

Your 1-minute shot of soul espresso

Skip to content ↓