Shows
Ronnie McBrayerGenesis at the Movies, Part 7: The VillageRonnie's exploration of Genesis arrives at one of the book's most difficult passages: What Jews call, "The Binding of Isaac." Ronnie says, "All ancient religions were built on the same foundation: 'God is angry…We stand in constant danger of being destroyed…Only the blood of the most precious - the most innocent - can save us.' So, when God comes to Abraham with this sinister demand, it wouldn’t have sounded all that unusual to Abraham. Child sacrifice was a customary and common practice of the time. But this God - Yahweh - was not the fickle, unpred...2025-02-2323 min
Ronnie McBrayerGenesis At the Movies, Part 2: GravityIn Part 2 of Ronnie's series entitled, "Genesis At the Movies," he takes on the chaos of the pre-ordered universe; how God overcame darkness and confusion; and how we as God's creatures and Earth's inhabitants are called to foster, cultivate, and otherwise to cause Creation to flourish. Ronnie says, "This isn't 'environmentalism.' No, this is stewardship of all: Natural resources, pristine landscapes, a thriving population, food for the all who are hungry, water for all who are thirsty, peace for all who are at war, justice for all societies and people. It is a call of responsible caretaking, to mak...2025-01-1522 min
Ronnie McBrayerGenesis At the Movies, Part 1: Back to the FutureIn a new, ambitious Sunday morning series of talks, Ronnie dives headlong into the book of beginnings, the Book of Genesis. Each talk will have a movie theme, to engage the listener, this week's being "Back to the Future."
Ronnie says: "The book of Genesis was not composed and collected as a scientific explanation for the formation of the Universe... as literal, datable, fixated history...or as a combative, adversarial text to be placed in the hands of Christians, to wage ideological war with philosophers, archeologists, geologists, astronomers, modernists, post-modernists, or Darwinians. It was composed and collected i...2025-01-0722 min
Ronnie McBrayerHope CallingRonnie shares the story of Gary and Ronda Fleming, emphasizing the hope that comes with the Advent season: "Ronnie, your introduction of Emily Dickinson's poem, ‘Hope is the thing with feathers,’ resulted in a momentary emotion-filled mental trip from the Simple Faith sanctuary to a time in the summer of 2014, where we had a personal and very profound experience with hope as a thing with feathers..."
2024-12-1118 min
Ronnie McBrayerWhat's So Famous About Amos?In this exploration of the biblical prophet Amos, Ronnie talks about what launched Amos' vocation, why the prophet's voice is one of such doom, and how to interpret and apply his words today. Ronnie says, "Amos, for lack of a better turn of phrase, invented the apocalyptic category. All the Hebrew prophets to follow - even the great ones like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel - are standing on the shoulders of Amos, as he in real time processed the events that he witnessed and drew interpretive conclusions as to why these things were happening..."
2024-07-1726 min
Ronnie McBrayerThe Path Is Made By Walking, Part 10In this conclusion to his series on The Emmaus Road from Luke 24, Ronnie makes clear that sermons and talks come to an end, but the road goes on. "Faith will persist. The Spirit will lead. Your journey of faith never ends until you do," he says. And quoting James Hollis, Ronnie reminds the listener: "There is no home ‘out there,’ no Valhalla to attain; there is only the journey. The journey is our home. Our home is our journey...There is no peace, contentment, and tranquility above the fray. We will always live in in-between times, between what has been...2024-06-2424 minRonnie McBrayerThe Path Is Made By Walking, Part 3In this third installment of "Walking," Ronnie clarifies his hopes for this deep dive into the Emmaus Road story of Luke 24. "One: There’s always something deep, innovative, and wondrous beneath the surface of Scripture - it’s only 7 miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, but so much further than that. Two: Luke was not afraid to meet people right where they were, to speak their language, in order to tell the story of Jesus. And three: Can we stop and appreciate the artistry and creativity of the biblical writer?" Ronnie picks up that third hope in this talk, revealing the...2024-04-3026 minRonnie McBrayerThe Path Is Made By Walking, Part 2In Part 2 of Ronnie's exploration of the Emmaus Road text from Luke 24, he takes a deep dive into the background of the story - a background that is more than 400 years old - but one Luke and his listeners would have known all too easily. From there, Ronnie gives a challenge to readers of the Bible to "dig deep," discovering the multiple worlds that are beneath our shallower readings of the text.
Note: For Dum's meme "Persistence," referred to in the talk, visit: http://dumilustrador.blogspot.com/2011/04/ha-momentos-que-devemos-persistir-em.html
2024-04-2322 minRonnie McBrayerThe Path Is Made By Walking, Part 1With this introduction to the Emmaus Road experience of Luke 24, Ronnie begins an ambitious series of talks entitled, "The Path is Made By Walking" (taken from a poem by Spanish poet, Antonio Machado - text below). Ronnie says, "This story has been given for every true believer, for every spiritual seeker; for every honest doubter, and every troubled questioner; it’s for every wanderer and wonderer; for every curious soul, every longing heart, every disillusioned cause-keeper, and every disappointed lover. It is a tale told for the freshie just beginning her walk of faith; for the cynic who has los...2024-04-1522 min
Ronnie McBrayerThe SearchersIn a creative twist, Ronnie imagines the Magi searching for Jesus, not as "three kings from orient are," but as cowboys riding west into the unknown. Ronnie concludes this Epiphany talk: "Christ is both the way and the destination, the road and the arrival. He is the voice that calls us - and the voice that answers. He is the thirst within - and the water that satisfies that thirst. He is the source of our hunger and the satisfaction for that hunger. He is the light in the distance, and the light shining down on us. He is t...2024-01-1221 min
Ronnie McBrayerFor the Long Haul"What if Jesus came back today!?! Would you be ready?!?"
Those are the typical revivalistic questions. In this talk Ronnie asks a different question: "What if Jesus DOESN't come back today...or tomorrow...or next year...or next decade...or next century?" This is a challenge for believers to accept and adapt to "the long haul," as the wait will be far longer than people of good intention could hav imagined.
NOTE: Based on the Parable of the Bridesmaids in Matthew 25, Ronnie addresses this subject at length in his book, "How Far Is He...2023-11-1725 min
Ronnie McBrayer”I Contain Multitudes”Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself (I am large, I contain multitudes). - Walt Whitman
Ronnie chose Whitman's line because it captures the fragmentation, history, complexity, and contradiction - not of humanity in general - but specifically as the best one line explanation for that tiny slice of land containing the state of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. As Ronnie says in this talk, "If ever a section of earth’s geography contained contradicting multitudes - peoples, religions, opinions, atrocities, beauty, bloodshed, glory - it is this piece of the wor...2023-10-1735 minRonnie McBrayerG.O.W.I: Getting On With ItIn a deeply personal recapping of challenges experienced by individuals and families in his own congregation, Ronnie pivots to the theme of "Getting On With It" from Paul's words in Philippians 3. Ronnie says, "I tread lightly and carefully here, because the pain and loss for many of late is still so present and raw; not for a minute will I minimize any of that. Take your time. Heal as best as you can. Pull away into your thoughts and precious memories. Grieve. Process. Cry. Rage. Question. Wrestle. Go deep within. Go way back. But don’t you stay back th...2023-10-1325 min
Ronnie McBrayerDon’t Forget to RememberSpeaking from Philippians 2, the text where Paul write how Jesus "emptied himself," Ronnie uses this episode to talk about "having the attitude of Christ," with is the true essence of being a follower of Jesus. Ronnie says:
"Was Jesus a culture warrior? No. Was he a violent revolutionary? No. Was he a retreatist? No. Was he motivated by fear? No. Was he greedy, driven by money? No. Was he obsessed with power - making or forcing others to do as he wanted them to do? No. That’s not who he was; not how he thought of hi...2023-10-0427 minRonnie McBrayerInside Out, Part 3With an introduction from children's writer Peter Reynolds (and his book, "Be You"), Ronnie continues his series entitled, "Inside Out." Focusing on Paul's great prayer at the end of Ephesians 3, Ronnie says, "Those who have a profound sense of being loved; who have this internal, soul-washed awareness that they are the recipients of the deepest compassion; those with a divine - and it is divine - acceptance of grace: These are the people who find the courage to be themselves, to live truly brave lives. They are empowered, set free, for love undergirds and strengthens and acts as a...2023-09-0724 min
Ronnie McBrayer”A Profession of Hope,” Part 2Returning to Matthew 13, Ronnie picks up the parable of "The Wheat and the Weeds," in this second of a three-part series entitled, "A Profession of Hope." Speaking to how this parable is often missed and misapplied, Ronnie says, "This parable is a phenomenal revivalistic tool for some, giving full-throated endorsement to the 'accept-Jesus-to-escape-hell' gospel. In some circles, that’s all Jesus is good for - but this is a fear-dominated and fear-dominating narrative. The constant single-faceted admonition to 'escape the fires of hell prepared for the devil and his angels, where the fire is not quenched, the worm dieth no...2023-07-2723 minRonnie McBrayer”A Profession of Hope,” Part 1Ronnie launches a three-part series of talks based on the agricultural parables of Jesus from Matthew 13. Using the words of Jesus, the vocation of farming, and quoting Canadian poet Brian Brett - Ronnie speaks about "farming as a profession of hope." He says: "I want you to become a farmer. There is a life and life-giving life that you can take on as a craft, a profession, a hopeful vocation to grow a thriving, bountiful future. It’s not easy. There might be some long days. There is sweat involved. It’s not for those with soft hands or thos...2023-07-2027 min
Ronnie McBrayerInto the MysticTaking a reading from the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Galatians, Ronnie addresses mytical experience and the Apostle's "stigmata." Ronnie says, "To be a stigmatic in Medieval time was to be a mystic. To be stigmatized today would be an act of shame and disgrace. But as understood by Paul, his stigma was a mark of legitimacy...Few of us are persecuted. Our pluralistic world may make us uncomfortable; it might offend us - but few of us - if any - carry physical scars because of Jesus - we haven’t suffered because of faith. But we kn...2023-07-1125 min
Ronnie McBrayerA Tale of Two Tales, Part 3With readings from Ecclesiastes 1 and 5, Ronnie continues his impromptu series, "A Tale of Two Tales." Beyond the science of "what" and when" - as it relates to life and creation - Ronnie turns to the spiritual questions of "why" and "what?" Why are we here? What is the meaning of this life? He says, "Science can tell us with more and more detail HOW life happens, but it cannot tell us WHY. It does not have the capacity or language to express in words or theory, how the holy switch that was turned, or why the divine spark ignited...2023-06-2128 minRonnie McBrayerA Tale of Two Tales, Part 2In this second part of "A Tale of Two Tales," Ronnie continues his discussion of Genesis 1 and 2, fusing with it the Creation Psalms (8, 19, and 33), and summary of the Church's ongoing - but necessary - suspicion of science. Ronnie says, "We live in a universe so vast - so massive - that we cannot comprehend it. It is useless, almost, to even share the data. Yet, the cosmos has been this enormous, this incredible, the whole time - we just didn’t know it. And when I say the whole time, I mean for all of human history and for at...2023-06-1323 minRonnie McBrayerA Tale of Two Tales, Part 1"The story of Genesis 1 and 2 is a story of two stories, a tale of two tales, about creation," so Ronnie proposes in this first of two talks on the subject. Ronnie invites 21st Century believers and skeptics to consider anew the questions being asked and answered at the outset of the Hebrew Scriptures. Straight to the point, he says: "We cannot read these two chapters literally; the people who wrote them didn’t. We cannot read these as historical; the Jewish community didn’t. We cannot read them as scientific; that was impossible for people living during the Iron Age...2023-06-0725 min
Ronnie McBrayerWalking BluesTwo of Jesus' disciples took to walking the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) with the blues. Their journey ended with the unexpected. Ronnie says, "This is one of the more remarkable post-resurrection accounts in the New Testament. There are so many opinions, interpretations, applications, observations, and themes here. It is like the proverbial blind men reaching out to describe an elephant. we can only take in parts of it." But the part Ronnie centers on in this dark is how Jesus met these travelers right where they were - in doubt, confusion, and grief. He embraced them - joined them...2023-04-2625 min
Ronnie McBrayerSimplify. Simplify. Part 6This is Part 6 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." The subject is stress, and how to lighten our emotional and spiritual burdens in this ill-managed, tumultuous world. Based on Philippians 4, Ronnie follows the Apostle Paul's advice: "Be Glad. Be Gentle. Say Grace. Seek the Good." This is no silver bullet, no magic formula or elixir. It is a way of living, and it takes practice.
Support Ronnie's podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/ronniemcbrayer
2023-03-0225 minRonnie McBrayerSimplify. Simplify. Part 5This is Part 5 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." Ronnie talks about the "success" in this talk, a visit with Jesus and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), Martha the struggling and suffering perfectionist. In a talk that became deeply personal, Ronnie said: "The more quiet and more still we become - the more we are able to know and experience the love of Christ. His perfect love is the only cure for our perfectionism. How I wish for myself, and for us all, that we can begin to understand that, while it is still called, 'today.'"
2023-02-2324 minRonnie McBrayerSimplify. Simplify. Part 4This is Part 4 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." Ronnie talks about the "seasons of life" in this talk (Psalm 90), specifically two seasons, the two halves of life. In the first half, we are striving. We are working on our edifice, our image, the container of life. We seek accomplishment. We seek our people, our place. We have much to prove; demonstrating to ourselves, to our parents, to our peers, to the culture - that we are worthy. The second half of life is about substance and the depth of the inner life. Now, it is...2023-02-1723 minRonnie McBrayerSimplify. Simplify. Part 2This is Part 2 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." Ronnie takes on faith, church, and all the accoutrements that keep us from simplifying our spirituality. Turning to the Great Commandment in Mark 12, Ronnie says, "Love is the solution for calcified, legalistic, short-sighted, institutionally-obsessed religion. Love is the cure for the compartmentalization of our faith - where we can choose greed, or xenophobia, or racism, or rank nationalism over decency, compassion, and justice. Love is the counterbalance to how we like to exclude others. Love is the way to reverse our corporate failures to find consensus in...2023-02-0223 minRonnie McBrayerSimplify. Simplify. Part 1This in an introduction (from Psalm 46) to a series Ronnie is introducing for this late winter and spring (2023), entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." Ronnie says, "This series isn’t about cleaning out your garage, your closet, or that junk drawer of yours. A little, maybe, but not exclusively. It’s about untangling your life. Decluttering your spirituality and your faith. It’s about traveling light and easy. It’s about paring away all that is unnecessary. It’s about reducing the items on your to-do list. It’s about playing small-ball on a field you can actually cover. It’s about staying afloat...2023-01-2621 min
Ronnie McBrayerGoats to TigersUsing Matthew 3, the baptism of Jesus, and a wonderful tale from Frederick Buechner, Ronnie takes on the subject of Christian baptism - as sacrament, symbol - and most importantly a sign of things to come.
2023-01-1124 min
Ronnie McBrayerSam And Ann (Without an E)Ronnie begins this Advent/New Year talk with a personal story and ends with the universal one; about kissing, kindness, and the love of God.
2023-01-0619 minRonnie McBrayerNo CTRLA timely message from Ronnie: "Most of the control you think you have is an illusion...Most of what you think will strengthen that control is an empty scarecrow...Most of what is left to do, is the best you can...and leave the rest in the hands of God."
2022-12-1325 minRonnie McBrayerBoxing God, Part 2A continuation of his talk from Genesis 32, "Boxing God," Ronnie uses the example of Jacob to plot a path of personal transformation. Ronnie says, "Surrender means accepting things as they are: Yourself - others - the world - realty; and admitting your limitations in how you can change any of those things. Surrender meaning taking the days as they come, rather than imposing your predesigned, prefabricated template onto them. Surrender is letting go of the past - all those regrets and mistakes - and taking hold of the future, even when reaching for that future comes out of the m...2022-11-0924 min
Ronnie McBrayerBoxing God, Part 1From Genesis 32:22 and following, Ronnie speaks about his self-admitted favorite story from the Old Testament: Jacob's Wrestling Match with God. Ronnie says, "Jacob ended up crawling in the mud begging for mercy - but it was not for the purpose of humiliating or harming him. It was for the purpose of remaking him - and setting his life in an entirely new direction...As Dr. James Finley rightly says, 'Transformation is the result of our willingness to open our hearts to the aching...'"
2022-11-0321 min
Ronnie McBrayerBacksliders Bonus: ”Don’t Worry About Tomorrow”Bobby Rains captured another fun recording from those old boys Ronnie plays music with: The Backsliders. This is a great blues tune - "Don't Worry About Tomorrow."
2022-10-1304 minRonnie McBrayerA Backsliders Bonus: ”See Me Through”Bobby Rains, who provides recording and technical assistance for Ronnie's podcast, occasionally snags audio from "The Backsliders," the band Ronnie has fronted for the last decade. Here is one of those audio grabs: "See Me Through." It is a song based on an obscure Van Morrison tune, adjusted and rearranged by The Backsliders.
2022-09-2904 minRonnie McBrayerThe Cost of KindnessA brush with fame...and a revolutionary, simple way of living. These come together in Ronnie's latest talk on practicing kindness.
2022-09-2924 min
Ronnie McBrayerThe Rusty GoatRonnie uses this talk to announce a new project that he and Cindy are undertaking: "The Rusty Goat - A Coastal Farm and Retreat." Listen to hear more about this worthy project.
2022-09-1520 min
Ronnie McBrayerPay Attention: A Tribute to Frederick BuechnerRonnie shares words from the late Frederick Buechner who passed way in August of 2022, at the age of 96 years young.
2022-09-0124 min
Ronnie McBrayerThat Great Speckled BirdWhat do Charles Darwin, Jeff Miller, Guy Smith, and Roy Acuff have in common? You will have to listen to Ronnie's latest talk to find out!
This talk was delivered on the 15th Anniversary of the first meeting of A Simple Faith.
2022-08-1825 minRonnie McBrayerMake The World Go Away"The easiest path to take in regard to our world is to simply curse the darkness. It is to 'rage, rage against the dying of the light.' We would make the world go away by damning it all to hell on the one hand - or by force - attempting to shape it into our image on the other. But the only way to make the world as we know it to go away is by changing it; and the only way to change it is by loving service in the small ways each of us have been...2022-08-0923 min
Ronnie McBrayerWhere the Lonely GoPut your phone down. Step away from the screen. Turn down the noise.
Because your technology is making you stupid.
It's also killing your spirit.
Here is a talk by Ronnie sure to give you something to think about, and hopefully you will do exactly that. Listen, then sit; think; be still.
2022-08-0224 min
Ronnie McBrayerGetting There from Here, Part 2"You can't get there from here!" It's a common expression, not only accurate about travel, but also life. In this episode Ronnie talks about finding a way forward - by means of trusting a sure guide - instead of stubbornly trusting one's self. Based on Proverbs 3, Part 2 of 2.
2022-07-2723 minRonnie McBrayerGetting There from Here, Part 1"You can't get there from here!" It's a common expression, not only accurate about travel, but also life. In this episode Ronnie talks about finding a way forward - by means of trusting a sure guide - instead of stubbornly trusting one's self. Based on Psalm 32, Part 1 of 2.
2022-07-2021 minRonnie McBrayerChristian Savages...Savage ChristiansRonnie delivered this recent talk at A Simple Faith, a "re-run" of a story he has told many times - but this is the first time it has been captured on audio for further distribution. It is the tale of Roger Williams, America's earliest champion of religious liberty. His experience, convictions, and life form a story more timely than ever. From the talk: "If you think that government should enforce 'proper' religion or be employed to 'protect God,' let me simply ask this question: Which religion and whose God? Because there is no better opportunity to oppress, persecute...2022-07-1326 minRonnie McBrayerGoing HomeDo you love someone who struggles with mental illness...addiction? Ronnie addresses both of these In this episode, and speaks of "going home" as returning to the true God-given, Christ-seen self. This talk just might be for you.
2022-07-0723 minRonnie McBrayerGod: For Geeks and Seekers, Eggheads and ExplorersCould it be that scientists, philosophers, theologians, and spiritual seeker are chasing after the same "Wondrous More" that religion calls God? This is Ronnie's talk for "Trinity Sunday, 2022."
2022-06-2924 min
Ronnie McBrayerCrickets, Christ, and CanadiansCrickets...Christ...and Canadians? Listen in to this episode to see what these have in common. This is Ronnie's talk for Ascension Sunday, 2022.
2022-06-1624 min
Ronnie McBrayerA River Runs Through ItRonnie is back after a vacation to Colorado! This talk is about embracing the unexpected and "going with the Spirit" and wildness of life instead of holding to preconceived expectations. Enjoy!
2022-06-1323 minRonnie McBrayerAll My TearsThis talk was delivered just days after Ronnie's mother's death and before the mass shooting in Texas. May all who listen find some comfort from these words.
2022-05-2622 min
Ronnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 10In the conclusion of his series on the cross of Jesus, Ronnie speaks to the suffering of God and how that suffering is an act of solidarity with all who face injustice, pain, and inexplicable hurts. Ronnie says: "To speak of a God who cannot suffer is to speak of a God who cannot sympathize or understand. To believe in a God who is indifferent and unaffected, is to believe in a God who is deaf, blind, and calloused. But God, in suffering love, has in Christ come to join us in our own sufferings. Thus, when we suffer...2022-05-1325 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 9"Our Lord Jesus Christ, through His transcendent love, became what we are, that we might become what he is." So said the Church Fathers, and so says Ronnie in this 9th installation of his series on the Cross of Jesus. The cross must mean something for today, Ronnie says, as we "don't have to die to get in on it."
2022-05-0122 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 8In Episode 8 of Ronnie's series on the Cross of Jesus, Ronnie addresses "everything that is wrong with the world" (An overly ambitious statement, he admits). But he also address the solution, as the cross is a way of God saying: "I know you need to offload the burden of simply being a human, of being that unique species, the only one on the planet committed to revenge. I know you are capable of envy, hatred, violence - the very worst - so put it on me. I can take it. I’ll bear it.I’ll give it a rest...2022-04-1825 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 7"Everyone into the DeLorean!"
And with that, like Marty McFly going "Back to the Future," Ronnie takes listeners back in time to the ancient roots of our faith, exploring the sacrificial system of the Hebrew people. Why the strange rituals? What was all this blood about? What happened on the Day of Atonement? What is a scapegoat? These are questions that Ronnie answers and then applies to our understand of the cross in this seventh installment of his current series.
2022-04-1323 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 6Ronnie takes on a view of the cross now known as "Penal Substitution." While honoring the image of Jesus as a substitute and sacrifice for sin (more about that will be forthcoming in this series), Ronnie outright rejects the idea of a furious, Puritan-like God whose murderous anger must be assuaged only by blood. Adapting a a line from Jonathan Edwards, Ronnie says, "Not for one more minute longer will I believe in a God who, 'not only hates us, but who holds us in the utmost contempt; who wants nothing more but to trample us down as the...2022-04-0623 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 5In episode five of "Crosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God," Ronnie talks about the importance and impact of an overlooked view of the cross called, "Moral Exemplar." Ronnie describes it like this: "The death of Jesus was such an act of loving sacrifice, such a far-reaching, world-transforming, relationship-changing event - that if understood even remotely - then Jesus’ example of all encompassing love would break our hearts open to love in return."
2022-04-0126 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 4Ronnie's continuing exploration of the cross of Jesus arrives at what scholars call, "Christus Victor;" summarized best by Irenaeus, who was born not long after the first Apostles died, said: “[in Jesus] God came to Earth that he might kill sin, deprive death of its power, restore life and freedom to all humanity, and raise a monument of victory.” But this is not a stuffy, theological lecture. Ronnie uses contemporary examples to help us think about how the victory of Christ works itself out in the world today.
2022-03-1825 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 3In his third installment of "Crosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God," Ronnie reaches for the oldest image Christian faith used to understand the death of Jesus. From the oldest Gospel, the words of Jesus himself: "The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom .” Ronnie explores how the cross "works" as a ransom, liberating us to live in freedom.
2022-03-1423 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 2This is Ronnie's second installment of a series on the Cross of Jesus. It could be sub-titled, "Love and Scandal." Using provocative, contemporary examples, Ronnie talks about the "foolishness of the cross." From the talk: "Could you for a minute get your mind around the fact that a military and political prisoner, taken in the land of our enemies, and executed by the world’s superpower, is the hope for the world? Or would you find such a story to be so far out of bounds, that the only conclusion you come to is absurdity, stupidity, scandal?"
2022-03-0422 minRonnie McBrayerCrosswords: How the Cross of Jesus Reveals the Love of God, Part 1In what promises to be a thought-provoking, belief-behind series of talks, Ronnie has launched a series on the meaning behind the Cross of Jesus. In this introductory talk, Ronnie points to Divine Love as the energizing force behind the "sacrifice of Jesus." Ronnie says, "Jesus did not come to save us from God - but to show us who God is. So, whatever happened on that hill outside Jerusalem all those years ago, it wasn’t God torturing his Son. Love cannot do that. It wasn’t God committing an act of colossal child-abuse. Love cannot do that. It wasn’...2022-02-2424 min
Ronnie McBrayerGood News...Not So Good, Part 2In this conclusion of a two-part talk from Luke 4, Ronnie says: "We live in such an entitled, selfish, self-centered society, that when we begin to broach the subjects of concern and care for others, patient assistance, breaking the cycles of poverty and violence, intervening to help the 'least of these,' of intentionally taking sides with the weak - the very crux of what Christianity looks like when practiced publicly - it is dismissed as Pollyanna at best or Marxism at worst. I get it; I know how this game works. But we must also re-learn how the Gospel...2022-02-1826 min
Ronnie McBrayerGood News...Not So Good, Part 1In this first of two talks from Luke 4, Ronnie says: "When Jesus comes preaching about 'releasing the captives' and 'setting the oppressed free' and 'God’s good favor' coming to us, it is good news...so long as it us. But when come come to understand that Jesus' intent is to spread his grace to 'them," - not just 'us' - all those people we have spent our lifetimes being suspicious of, if not outright hating, then the good news may not sound so good after all."
2022-02-0924 minRonnie McBrayer”Doctor, My Eyes”After an interruption from a Covid outbreak at home, Ronnie is backwash his fifth year of podcasts! This talk, taking its title from Jackson Browne, is an appeal to look and see, to stop and listen, as God speaks to us in the Creation around us. Ronnie asks, "Have we grown so world-weary and tired that we have lost our vision? Have we grown so cynical and soured by the awfulness of what we humans do to each other, and how we act, that we can’t hear the beauty of Creation - thus we can’t hear God, if w...2022-02-0421 min
Ronnie McBrayerThe Day AfterWith what a listener called one of the "most provocative, thoughtful messages I've heard from him over the years," Ronnie talks about moving on - into the new year to come. Based on Isaiah 65, he encourages listeners to believe that "the ones who have been harmed, hurt, and battered in the past, are the very ones who will rebuild a future." Things may never go back to the way they were, but things will go on - and so will we.
PS - Ronnie credits the "provocative, thoughtful" nature of this talk to new doses of albuterol...2022-01-0524 min
Ronnie McBrayerWWHD? A Path to PeaceWWHD? What Would Hilda Do?
Synthesizing the final Sunday of Advent with a remembrance of his dear friend Hilda McDonald, Ronnie plots a path to personal peace in spite of these chaotic times.
2021-12-2121 min
Ronnie McBrayer”Let‘s Get This Over With:” Facing a Blue Christmas"Let's get this over with." That's what Elvis Presley said just before recording the now classic Christmas song, "Blue Christmas." In this talk Ronnie talks about how the holidays can have that exact effect on us, but how we can still find lasting joy for this season and beyond.
2021-12-1623 min
Ronnie McBrayer”Hope Is A Thing With Feathers...”This talk fuses the Apostle Paul with Emily Dickinson and the need of all our hearts: Hope. Using Dickinson's image of hope as a bird that sings and Paul's encouragement that God finishes the work that God begins, Ronnie delivers timely words for Advent and beyond.
2021-12-1126 minRonnie McBrayerTake Me to the River, Part 2Ronnie concludes his talk on the story of Naaman and Elisha from 2 Kings 5, focusing on gratitude - and how it is often the best medicine to cure what ails us.
2021-12-0131 minRonnie McBrayerTake Me To The River, Part 1The story of Naaman and Elisha falls on our ears like a simple Sunday school tale. Yet, it's far more tangled than that. Based on 2 Kings 5, this is the first part in Ronnie's exploration of Naaman's healing, the complexities that surround the story, and the implications for each of us today.
2021-11-2527 min
Ronnie McBrayer”Sick and Tired,” Part 2In the second part of his talk, "Sick and Tired" - which could be subtitled, "A Deal With the Devil," Ronnie talks about consequence, shares thoughts on divine punishment, and how we all come to a crossroads with the choice to wipe the slate clean. Legendary bluesman Robert Johnson is featured as well.
2021-11-0427 min
Ronnie McBrayer”Sick and Tired,” Part 1Visiting the man at the pool of Bethesda and connecting that story from the Gospels with Fannie Lou Hamer and how we all desire change, Ronnie talks about how we must become "sick and tired of being sick and tired" before real transformation is possible.
2021-11-0426 minRonnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part 8In this conclusion to his series of talks on "letting go," Ronnie talks about surrendering the future: "Make your plans - sure. Set some goals. That’s good. Use some common sense and apply some hard-earned wisdom. You’re going to need that. And then, when all your plans are made, your goals have been adapted to melodic slogans and website catch-phrases, and you have wisely and sincerely anticipated every possible outcome - make sure it’s all written in pencil. Nothing will happen as you think it will - and to say otherwise is foolishness. You can conceive, concoc...2021-10-2225 min
Ronnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part5Ego.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Religious Extremism.
Wild Horses.
Find out what all these have in common in the fifth installment of Ronnie's current series, "Try Something Different: Surrender."
2021-10-0227 minRonnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part 4“Look at me…I am the captain now.”
That was the iconic and improvised line delivered by Barkhad Abdi to Tom Hanks in the film, "Captain Phillips." It is a line, an attitude, used by us all - not of personal autonomy or personal liberty. It is a question of control. We all want to be in the captain’s chair. Ronnie explores this theme in his fourth installment of the current series.
2021-09-2224 minRonnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part 3This is Part 3 of Ronnie's latest series: Try Something Different, Surrender. In this episode Ronnie confronts our "rights-driven" culture, in light of the self-limiting, self-surrendering Jesus. He concludes that to take the attitude of Christ, we must "give up on all we think you deserve...we stop worrying about reputation...about trying to prove something. We stop clinging to our place at the front of the line."
2021-09-1528 minRonnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part2This is Part 2 of Ronnie's latest series: Try Something Different, Surrender. He answers these crucial questions: What is Jesus after from us? What does God want? What is it that we need to let go and surrender? The answer to all of these questions is ego and pride. Self-centeredness is the biggest barrier to our spiritual development; the biggest roadblock preventing us from following Jesus and being truly free.
2021-09-0726 minRonnie McBrayerTry Something Different: Surrender, Part 1Drawing inspiration from Jesus' words to his disciples, the mediations of Meister Eckhart, and an ancient poem by Rumi, Ronnie launches an ambition series of talks entitled: "Try Something Different: Surrender." In this introductory talk, Ronnie speaks to the "how" of surrender and letting go, and the role that suffering plays in our transformation.
2021-08-3127 min
Ronnie McBrayer"Leaving Evangelicalism:" A Conversation with David GusheeRonnie has a conversation with ethicist, distinguished professor, author, and pastor Dr. David Gushee. David's new book is entitled, "Leaving Evangelicalism."
2021-08-2444 minRonnie McBrayer6-5-4-3-2-1, Part TwoRonnie completes his thoughts from a previous episode, concentrating on the necessity of surrender as the only means to achieve personal peace.
2021-08-1630 minRonnie McBrayer6-5-4-3-2-1, Part OneRonnie returns and relaunches his podcast after months away recovering from Covid-19. He leads with a question, "When you come up against something that undoes you; that hurts you; that knocks you off your game; that pulls the curtains back on your vulnerabilities and your fragility: What are you going to do?"
2021-08-1227 minRonnie McBrayerCarry Hope In Your Heart, Part 5In his conclusion to the book of Ruth, Ronnie illustrates how hope is the product of God’s work and human will.
2021-03-2026 minRonnie McBrayerCarry Hope In Your Heart, Part 4In the fourth installment of his series on the book of Ruth, Ronnie uses events from Naomi and Ruth's life to illustrate that after you have done all you can do, you have to do the hardest thing of all: You have to wait - because waiting is as much a part of hope as working. Sometimes the work is the waiting.
2021-03-1023 minRonnie McBrayerCarry Hope In Your Heart, Part 3In his third installment on the Book of Ruth, Ronnie reminds us to throw ourselves on the providence and possibilities of God. But hope is a verb. It moves you. It keeps us pointed in a God-ward direction.
2021-02-0823 minRonnie McBrayerCarry Hope In Your Heart, Part 2In this second installment from the Book of Ruth, Ronnie connects the biblical story to the statesman Vaclaz Havel: "Hope is not optimism. It is a state of mind. It is the certainty that life has meaning, regardless of how it turns out…I am not an optimist, because I am not sure everything will end well. I just carry hope in my heart."
2021-02-0821 minRonnie McBrayerCarry Hope In Your Heart, Part 1In this creative introduction to his series on the book of Ruth, Ronnie retells her story in a contemporary context, inviting the listener to reimagine her journey. Carry Hope in Your Heart is a five-part series.
2021-01-2917 minRonnie McBrayerPut Away Your SwordWith this sincere and earnest talk Ronnie takes on the myth of a Christian nation and the heresy of attempted violence to accomplish some good end.
2021-01-2123 minRonnie McBrayerBless Your HeartBeginning with that Southern saying for every occasion and ending with the "Raising of the Hands," Ronnie gives a talk about receiving and extending God's highest blessing.
2021-01-1320 minRonnie McBrayerWinter Is ComingWith a timely appeal given the New Year, Ronnie reminds listeners of how the seasons of our lives are bound to change - and how time and action are of the essence.
2021-01-0726 minRonnie McBrayerAdvent 2020 (4): Mary, Mary Quite ContraryIn the final talk of his Advent series, and final installment of 2020, Ronnie turns to The Magnificat, Mary’s radical, revolutionary song. Hers is a defiant call to overturn the status quo.
2020-12-2823 minRonnie McBrayerAdvent 2020 (3): Does It Bring You Joy?For the third week of Advent Ronnie turns to the Psalms and the question of joy. Joy is not so much about what’s going on outside, as is what happens within our hearts.
2020-12-1822 minRonnie McBrayerAdvent 2020 (2): "Kiss A Guilty World in Love"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.)
2020-12-0921 minRonnie McBrayerDreams That You Dream, Part 6In his continued exploration of the life of Joseph, Ronnie McBrayer explores the tension of these two statements, both of them true: 1) You have almost no control over what happens to you; and 2) You are the only one who can take responsibility for your own life.
NOTE: Apologies for a rough spot in the audio about half-way through (technical gremlins).
2020-09-2421 minRonnie McBrayerDreams That You Dream, Part 3In Part 3 of Ronnie's series on the life of Joseph, it is "Life in the Pits." Ronnie makes the point that “Life and God aren’t the same things, and should not be confused with each other." While God is good, just, and loving, there is no guarantee that life will be the same.
2020-08-2731 minRonnie McBrayerIs Love the Answer?In this talk Ronnie agrees with the calls from all quarters that, "Love is all we need" to solve the most pressing issues of our day - so long as we know what love is. Using 1 Corinthians 13 as a guide, Ronnie talks about actual, factual, tactical, and practical love for this summer of 2020.
2020-06-1122 minRonnie McBrayerWounded Healers"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.
2020-03-3022 minRonnie McBrayerSimply StrongTaking words spoken to Joshua in Joshua 1, Ronnie McBrayer delivers honest, heart-felt encouragement for these unprecedented days.
2020-03-2419 minRonnie McBrayerForever Is A Mighty Long TimeIn the Advent talk that focuses on John the Baptist, Ronnie address how we must wait - sometimes a long, long time - for God's purposes to be fulfilled. While we wait, we work, doing all we can until the Kingdom of God arrives.
(Sorry this took Ronnie "forever," but technical difficulties and travel prevented him from posting new material.)
2019-12-1126 min
Ronnie McBrayerBy the Rivers of Babylon"Taking a musical approach to this difficult Psalm might the way to get the most out of it," Ronnie says, "because the Psalms were made to be sung." Mixing spoken word with familiar and new songs Ronnie talks the longing we all have for home.
2019-10-0723 min
Ronnie McBrayerThe Voice of Rage and RuinSpeaking from Psalm 81 and his recent experience in Central America, in this talk Ronnie McBrayer talks about a "Bad Moon Rising," consequences, and how God is not "out to get anyone," but we are often our own worst enemy.
2019-09-0224 min
Ronnie McBrayerI Saw the LightWith a refreshing take on the Magi (Wise Men) who came to visit Jesus, Ronnie McBrayer challenges listeners to be open to all seekers - no matter who they are, or where they come from.
2018-12-3120 min
Ronnie McBrayerAlways On My Mind, Part 7: What Friends Are ForPart 7 of Ronnie McBrayer's exploration of Philippians.
2018-07-3025 minRonnie McBrayerAlways On My Mind, Part 4: CitizenshipIn this challenging talk, Ronnie takes up the question of citizenship as defined by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1. Ronnie asserts that nationalism is the biggest single challenge to authentic Christianity in North America today.
2018-06-2825 min