Ronnie McBrayer

In this timely talk, Ronnie talks about the different understandings of hope, from Pandora to the Apostle Paul. He equates hope with "meaning" - finding necessary purpose and significance for living.

The word "apocalypse" gets thrown around a lot these days. It's appropriate, as the word doesn't mean, "the end of the world." It means, "to reveal...to unveil...to unmask." Listen to Ronnie's talk about how the current crisis reveals our true character.

Turning to the Psalms for this year's Easter talk, Ronnie picks up a tradition from the Eastern Orthodox Church: One of telling jokes in the aftermath of the resurrection, as Easter will always get the last laugh.

Jesus wept twice in the New Testament: 1) At the grave of his friend, Lazarus; 2) And on Palm Sunday as he approached the city of Jerusalem. Ronnie challenges the listener to embrace this gift of grief for Palm Sunday, 2020. This year, while the celebration of Holy Week continues, it is also a time to take inventory of our world and our own hearts.

"Broadcasting" from the Upper Room (aka Ronnie' office turned studio during these days of quarantine), Ronnie speaks on Jesus' willingness to take on the wounds and sufferings of others. He challenges listeners to take up the wounds of the healers and helpers who are working so hard in the face of the Coronavirus outbreak. The text from Matthew 8 is read by Anna Balfour. 

Taking words spoken to Joshua in Joshua 1, Ronnie McBrayer delivers honest, heart-felt encouragement for these unprecedented days. 

Adapting the title of Gabito Marquez's masterful novel, Ronnie speaks directly to the fears, concerns, and opportunities to serve and love others during these days of unprecedented disruption. Quoting Gabito: "Think of love as a state of grace - not the means to anything - but the end unto itself. For it is love and life - not death - that has no limits.”

In this second part of Ronnie's telling of the Prodigal Son, he focuses on the "older brother" in Jesus' story. He too was lost, though he never left home.

In this telling of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Ronnie takes an emotional dive into the steady, unyielding grace of God that will always welcome us home.

A follow-up to an episode entitled, "Go to Jesus," Ronnie returns to Jesus' Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, focusing on how love is a practical expression of who we can be, not something we do.