Ray Burns

I love Christ, my wife and four kids, the Oxford comma, and board games. Although saved at 18, it took 10 years for me to stop chasing idols and find true satisfaction in Christ. God's given me a passion for teaching and writing, and with that a deep burden to be my creator's instrument in giving His people a profound, unshakable relationship with their savior.

(Spiritually) Keeping Up with the Joneses – Dangerous Comparisons

Approximate Reading Time: 7 minutesLooking up to believers in our lives isn’t always a bad thing, but it can be. Last week we looked at how the strengths of other believers are a blessing and encouragement to us. However, our sinful hearts can take the blessing of having mature believers in our lives and make it about us, stirring

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Coming up this week

Approximate Reading Time: < 1 minuteOctober’s window is closing! If you’ve considered supporting this ministry in the month of October, you have about 1 week left to click that Patreon button. Donations are collected at the first of each month, and right now any extra support will go toward my first Facebook ad campaign. Donate today so we can encourage

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Why My Family Plays Board Games

Approximate Reading Time: 5 minutes“Wow, you guys must like board games” is a phrase I hear any time someone enters our home for the first time. Greeting anyone entering the front door is a whole bookshelf of board games, and even more tucked in a corner next to it. Of course their suspicions are confirmed if they enter my

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(Spiritually) Keeping Up with the Joneses – The Blessing of Examples

Approximate Reading Time: 3 minutesMany of us have “that Christian” in our lives. They’ve been saved for decades, perhaps even as long as we have, and their knowledge and passion for God is at a level we could never obtain. We feel a sense of admiration for them, but also a tinge of jealousy because we want to be

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Christians and Psychology (Part 5): Finding the Better Solution

Approximate Reading Time: 9 minutes(This article also includes a podcast discussion. Listen on your Apple or Android podcast app.) My last article was a tough one, taking a very heavy and honest look at my own mental health history and trying to understand that my problem, at the root, was spiritual. Psychology could only look at surface-level symptoms, but

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