Blog, Podcast, YouTube, and Books by Ray Burns
Approximate Reading Time: 7 minutes I’d like to set the tone of this article with a quote from Martin Luther, the 16th century Christian who is best known for his role in the Protestant Reformation. In a letter addressing how the church should respond to the Bubonic Plague devastating the land, he wrote this: I shall ask God mercifully to […]
The #1 Way to Love Others During the Coronavirus Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 7 minutes (This article also includes a podcast discussion. Click the play button below, or subscribe and listen on your Apple or Google podcast app.) As we get closer to the 3rd month of the year, many people are starting to feel the strain of the new things they planned to do in 2020. The diet is
So You Failed Your 2020 Bible Reading Plan… Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 8 minutes (This article also includes a podcast discussion. Click the play button below, or subscribe and listen on your Apple or Google podcast app.) Throughout history, people have been creating their own gods. They’re often humanoid, although animals and spirits have been popular as well. Whatever form they take, these gods are always easy to understand.
Is It Okay If I Don’t Understand God? Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 8 minutes The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. While many of us know where we’d like to be, it can take years to get there. As such, each of us will find ourselves at different points of spiritual maturity, having different convictions and levels of integrating Christ and the gospel into our daily lives.
3 Dangers of Nominal Christianity Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 9 minutes Using your phone or a piece of paper, I want you to take a quick note. Simply write down three things that you know God wants you to do, but for whatever reason, you struggle to do it (or you struggle to give it up). I don’t mean things like “be happier,” but specific actions
Biblical Faith vs Modern Faith (Part 4): Living By Faith Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 6 minutes This Sunday, the famous basketball player Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash. Although all death reminds us of our mortality, the sudden death of a well-known person tends to cut through the noise. It makes us stop and realize how easily and unpredictably our fragile forms
Let Death Remind Us Who We Live For Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 7 minutes We hate sin. Each sin is why Christ had to go to the cross, it grieves the Holy Spirit within us, and our choice to sin hurts our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We hate sin, and we hate when the temptation to sin comes knocking. And yet despite our constant desire to give in
How to Kill Temptation Before It Starts Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 8 minutes True, biblical faith is a 3-part process. Last time, we discussed why we must have something to put our faith in. As Christians, our faith isn’t in a what but in a person – Jesus Christ. Yet believing He’s real isn’t enough – if we’re going to walk by faith, we have to know it’s
Biblical Faith vs Modern Faith (Part 3): Why Should We Trust God? Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 10 minutes (Click here for the podcast version of this article) In our culture, prayer seems to be equal parts completely natural and totally alien. We find it easy to call out to God during distress and heartache, while at the same time struggle to last more than a minute in our daily prayers. This may be
How Should I Pray? Read More »
Approximate Reading Time: 8 minutes (This article also includes a podcast discussion. Click the play button below, or subscribe and listen on your Apple or Android podcast app.) With a new year comes a certain amount of reflection. We look at things we’ve failed at this year and tell ourselves things are finally going to be different. We’re tired of
Why You Shouldn’t Read the Entire Bible in a Year Read More »