Ronnie McBrayer

For the second Sunday of Advent, Ronnie turns to the Psalm 85 with an emphasis on "chesed," the "unfailing love" of God. 

(Note: Ronnie uses the title of 11 rock-n-roll songs throughout the talk, so listen close.)

For the first Sunday of Advent, Ronnie uses 1 Corinthians 1 and a series of stories to show that what we call "hope" is not wishful thinking. It is resiliency and perseverance, even when our faith is shaky.

Why does the little dog do all the barking? Ronnie answers this question and shows how it relates to each of us, revealing that love is the power that gives us all we need to be at peace.

"Who Are You?"

We all have an identity: It is the complex - sometimes contradictory - construct that we have built for ourselves. That identity determines how we act and the type of people we become.

Two declarations are making their rounds these days: "Everything is Crazy!" and "All We Need Is Love." In this talk, following the words of Paul - with a little help from Van Morrison, Foreigner, and Bonnie Raitt - Ronnie brings the crazy and the love together.

In his conclusion to the series "Dreams That You Dream" based on the life of Joseph, Ronnie uses Joseph's own words to help us make meaning of our experiences. "You intended to harm me," Joseph told his brothers, "but God intended it all for good."

Tyrone Edwards said, “Every parting is a form of death, and every reunion is a type of heaven.” 

In this episode Ronnie talks about life as it will be - and could be - as heaven is more than a final destination. It is a way of being in the world today. 

Enough blood and tears. There comes a time to seek peace and forgiveness, letting past injuries go. 

"You got to be tough if you are going to be stupid." This proverb is the hub around which this talk by Ronnie (and again, from the life of Joseph) centers. When we act stupidly, we have to toughen up because our own actions hurt us. The better option is to let our self-inflicted suffering open us up to a liberated way of living.

Being powerless in the face of injustice is one of the most common and infuriating experiences of being human. But what happens in those rare times when it is within one's power to take revenge? Ronnie explores how Joseph reacted in this exact circumstance in the eighth episode of his current series, "Dreams That You Dream."