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choices

The narrow gate

July 26, 2021July 21, 2021 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Life contains a baffling number of choices. But Jesus said:  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). This is the word of … Continue reading The narrow gate

What you expose yourself to

April 6, 2020April 5, 2020 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Christian Keysers has an article about “mirror neurons” in a book called What’s Next? Dispatches From the Future of Science. He’s a super-smart guy with a Ph.D. in neuroscience. In it he highlights findings about how our brains operate. Do you ever feel happy when you see someone else laugh? Or hurt when someone’s in … Continue reading What you expose yourself to

What he did with his hardship

December 5, 2018December 4, 2018 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

When we hear about other people going through hardship in a noble way, it can actually be a source of encouragement for us. First, we sympathize with their situation and offer help. But it can also make us think: ‘If they can do it, so can I!’ We can learn from their example. Recently I … Continue reading What he did with his hardship

Punishment? Or consequence?

November 22, 2018November 21, 2018 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Today I want to address something that sometimes comes up in conversations. It’s kind of a big one. Someone will say, “Because of all this bad stuff happening in my life I feel like God is punishing me.” Have you ever said something like that? Have you ever felt it? I get where it comes … Continue reading Punishment? Or consequence?

Until we are aware of God’s marching orders

March 8, 2018March 7, 2018 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Life is full of decisions. Small ones, easy ones, tough ones, and over-sized. But how do you make decisions in a faithful way? That is true to what God’s purposes might be for your life? Well, you’re right. That’s a big question. But here's some advice: Consult God FIRST. Carl George writes, “Until we are … Continue reading Until we are aware of God’s marching orders

The view from the top

November 30, 2017November 29, 2017 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Every day we’re faced with choices about what route we’re going to take. These come in the form of decisions. A lot of them are simple. You don’t even have to think about them. But there are also difficult choices. These are choices like whether to do the right thing or the easy thing; whether … Continue reading The view from the top

Not the easy thing

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

When you think of someone who is "strong," who do you picture? If you do this on a daily basis, I think you can be strong too.

Do you make decisions… or reactions?

March 7, 2017March 6, 2017 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

A woman from Texas kept having her car vandalized. At first she discovered dents in the side. Then it was “keyed.” Someone ran their car key down the length of the vehicle ruining her paint job. So she had it fixed. And then it happened again! After an all-night stakeout she discovered that the culprit … Continue reading Do you make decisions… or reactions?

169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000

November 30, 2016November 29, 2016 / MatthewRuttan / 2 Comments

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything..." (NIV) Today's Thought So many different things can happen in life. I recently read about how many possible outcomes there are in the first 10 moves of a chess game. It’s a lot because of all the different directions that the chess pieces can move. Okay, ready … Continue reading 169,518,829,100,544,000,000,000,000,000

Feed tomorrow’s dreams

October 18, 2016October 25, 2016 / MatthewRuttan / Leave a comment

Ephesians 5:15-16 "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (ESV) Today's Thought We humans make hundreds of decisions every single day… Do you hit the snooze button, or get up? Do you gossip about a friend, or stand … Continue reading Feed tomorrow’s dreams

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