AAAAAAHHH Stuff.

Why do they ever set times for Wedding rehearsals. They never start on time. Ever. Ever. Seriously ever.

It sure does take a looooooong time to fix a bunch of WordPress crap from your past. Thankfully that’s over!

This is a sweet test of a blog post through HootSuite.

[Link] Get the most out of your sites with HootSuite – A lot of JuggleMedia clients are set up to manage a Facebook… http://ow.ly/17wxxP

Hey there,

It’s me. Ryan. I’m not really sure who I’m talking to right now as I post this on my blog that I’m sure nobody reads, but if you are here, then Welcome!!!

So I’ve been perplexed a little the past few months. I’m one of those people who likes to write and think and blog, but it seems that at the end of the day it gets shuffled in the mix of life and is always low on the priority list. The last post here was July 7th after all!

So there’s been a few things that have happened since July 7th. The important thing I want to write do is that my faith has continued to grow and since then I feel my heart transition quite a bit.

You see, I never thought I would be one of those “I’ll pray for you.” “What’s God saying” type of people. You know the kind that use this vernacular on a daily basis. One of those people that makes you feel a little uncomfortable because they are adding that “God” component to your life. You know what I mean. But. Thank. God. I’ve. Changed.

I’ve learned to rely on God so much more in my life in the past half-year since we spoke. I’m no longer performance-based, seeking affirmation in jobs, women and stupid things like food, but in the Father. I’ve worked through a tremendous amount of issues that allow me to wear my faith on my sleeve. Ask me those deep questions. I’m all ears. Open about my opinion on my faith.

So where do we go from here? Well, for one, I hope to blog more. Seriously. I’m not gonna commit to blogging 3 times per week, rather when the mood strikes me and I need to type through some issues. I feel like I can use this page as the spiritual conversation with the Lord, everybody is allowed to see it.

So leave me a message if you have questions about me. My life or the Lord. He’s a really cool guy. Some don’t understand faith and I pray that they do soon.

I just want to be a light on a hill. Bringing Him to you!

Love you.

In my moms bathroom there’s a plaque that says “Friends are Gods apology for relatives.” It’s hanging right above an urn that says “Ashes from the House-Guest from Hell.”

I used to think that was funny and think that. But after much though and spending some QT with my family this past weekend, I’ve changed my outlook on that saying. A sparked was ignited or something like that. Call me old, wise or more tolerant of who they are, but I believe that my family is a blessing, however nuts they may be to outsiders.

God gives us family as a foundation. Some are cracked. Some unlevel. Some are deep. Some shallow. I believe that God allows us through friends and family to build that foundation. To become better people. Better believers for Him.

My grandpa just told me that there are 51 people under his branch of the tree, with my dad and his crazy past accounting for 17! As I sat and watched my dads fifth wedding Saturday, next to a sister from his first wife and watching a four-year-old sister from his fourth, I realized that friends are not an apology. Your family may be a little nuts, unstable, growing or shrinking, but isn’t that life? Your family is your family. You have no control over who they are or how they are, but they are there. God gave you that specific family to learn from, grow from and love!

Friends, on the contrary are a choice. All of them. Even your best friend, girl friend, boy friend are a choice to meet the person and grow a relationship out of nothing. Family is just there. No choice, just there.

So instead of us sitting back and being negative or second-guessing our family, maybe we should love them. Unconditionally. Forever. Where THEY are, not where you want them to be. It’s taken me a long time to realize that, but once I got there, the other “crap” doesn’t matter. Seriously. It goes away.

Lord, thank you for my family. They are a true blessing in my life and they have shaped me into the great man I am today. I truely appreciate the gift you have given me with each family member. Please help me realize their impact on my life and help me lead them towards you. Give me grace to love them unconditionally today, tomorrow and always. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

May your day be blessed!

Call your mom.

I was driving to work this morning listening to the morning show bubblies on Air 1, and she stared to tell this story that initially bothered me. It was about how she went to church that past weekend and was whining because she said that after 45 minutes, the pastor still hadn’t started his sermon yet. I almost changed the station, because I just felt that there was no point.

The funny thing is that she continued to say in the story that when she and her husband were about to get up and leave, a lady b-lined it to them and sat down and had a conversation. They ended up staying and really enjoying the sermon.

Now, my reluctance to change the station is very interesting in that God wanted to tell me something today, much like he wanted to tell her something. She said that the pastor gave this amazing message and then asked one simple question:

“What does the world think of Jesus when it looks at you?”

I thought that was an incredible thing to share and leave with someone today! In our personal times of struggling, our ego writing checks our body can’t cash, the motivation to go to work after a vacation and all the other crap that happens every day, the world is still looking at you as a person. Unfortunately, those who are blessed to be Believers in Christ, and thus well-versed in the struggles of judgment, are ourselves judged everyday. I personally think more so than those that are non-believers. Seriously- how many times have you placed judgment on another Believer because (s)he isn’t doing something in what you view God’s plan? Moreover, how does one get from one side of town to another without freaking out because some grandma is in the left lane going super-slow? Seriously- these are my struggles.

To a lot of people, Jesus and God are a Sunday thing. Some people go to church on Sunday to “get God,” and not “GIVE GOD.” I struggled with it for a very long time. Going on Sunday isn’t about another thing on your iPhone to-do list that you need to check off to have a successful week. If you don’t honestly want to go to church- don’t. But here’s the beauty of the Lord: He works in very strange ways. Much like the morning radio show that I almost changed this morning, the ability for God to show you something may happen a lot more if you surround your life with Him.

Now, this quote. I almost just ended it there, but upon further review, and giving it the “Clayton” test, (Clayton is an ultra-smart friend of mine who is probably one of the most complex and connected believers I know) I’m not sure what I think of that question. I feel it could be good for one to ponder it and think about how your actions are perceived by others, but at the same time, Jesus teaches us about judgment, forgiveness and that nobody’s perfect. If all believers walked around with that question in their mind, I feel that judgment would be more prevalent throughout our society (like we need THAT!). I would also personally feel a tremendous amount of pressure to “get it right” all the time, because others are looking at me. Judging me. Wanting me to be a “better Believer.”

So, I guess what I’m saying is that that question is something to think about. Your actions and thoughts, while they may effect others, ultimately affect your conversation with Jesus. You own your life and your faith is between you and the Lord. Spreading a question like that promotes one thought of what a “Believer” may look like, when in essence, everybody’s different. Sure, I suppose I can accept the question at it’s root and say that we should all be conscious of what we do and how we are and who we effect and all this other stuff. But, the deeper meaning bugs me, while is still a blessing to kick-start my brain this morning after vacation.

So instead of placing the WORLD’s view of Jesus on you (HUGE ORDER), just relax and talk to Jesus. Ask Him how you are supposed to be. How you are supposed to help further His Kingdom. That’s something nobody can take away from you, or judge you about.

Word.