February 2012
6 posts
5 tags
Loved As You Are
I was listening to one of Brennan Manning’s final sermons, and I had to write this part down. You can find a clip that contains this HERE.
“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity, that he loves you in the morning sun and the evening rain, that he loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse...
7 tags
My Worst Sermon Ever
They say public speaking is the #1 fear for most people.
That seems silly to me, maybe because I’m comfortable speaking to large groups… but also because I’m much more afraid of guns, sharks and checking my bank account balance.
But on a Wednesday night back in 2008, I stood in front of a large group of teenagers, microphone in hand, and I was petrified.
I have been speaking...
5 tags
Brennan Manning
I’m really thankful for Brennan Manning’s books. I hope you’ve read them all, or at the very least THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL.
I just finished ALL IS GRACE tonight, and I feel sad. I love a lot of writers, but none of them have impacted me in the same way as Manning. I’m sad that there are no more books on the way…
Here are some of my favorite quotes from his books. If...
I'm Hard to Read
Someone I respect said this to me right after I gave my life to Christ:
“Ryan, sometimes your confidence comes across as arrogance.”
Someone I respect said this to me a few months ago:
“Ryan, people either love you or hate you; nobody is indifferent about Ryan Guard.”
People always say your name before they say something you’ll never be able to forget.
I...
January 2012
2 posts
2 tags
3 tags
3 Years Ago Today
Lindsay had a miscarriage three years ago today. We knew it was coming, but we had no idea how painful it would be.
Lindsay started experiencing a lot of physical pain that Saturday afternoon. We knew it was time to head to the hospital. I don’t know why I didn’t just call an ambulance… I felt like I could get there faster. I think I was right. I probably hit 140 down the I-5 in...
December 2011
7 posts
One Word Resolution
There are plenty of things that need to change in my life. That last sentence didn’t surprise anyone that knows me well. Sure, I’ve got some good things going for me, but even this sentence is an attempt to take the sting off the first sentence. If I listed them all here, and then attached resolutions for each one of them, we’d all be exhausted. It just wouldn’t be...
“Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a...”
– Leonard Cohen
2 tags
God Hates Liars
My wife and I were sitting in the waiting room at her doctor’s office last week. We only had a few minutes to wait until they called Lindsay back for her 21-week ultrasound.
There was a woman sitting across the room from us along with 4 small children, 2 boys and 2 girls. She looked absolutely miserable as she sat slumped in her chair. The kids were surprisingly well-behaved, especially...
Griffin's Surgery
Griffin has had some minor issues with one of his kidneys since he was born. We’ve had it checked every 3 months since then, and it improved each time we went, until his check-up last week. It got bad enough that the doctor said he needed surgery right away.
Tomorrow morning we will be heading up to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to have his kidney repaired. We’ll get there at 10a...
November 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Getting What You Deserve
I live near one of the worst intersections on the planet, Higley & Warner in Gilbert, Arizona. I approach that intersection fully convinced that everyone approaching it wants to kill me. I’ve been cut off, swerved around and almost t-boned a thousand times at that crossing. I usually show them THE WRATH OF RYAN by glaring up and them (it’s always up because of my Honda Civic).
One...
October 2011
3 posts
6 tags
2 tags
Halloween by the Numbers
Halloween is right around the corner! Lindsay and I love Halloween, especially now that we have a little creature we can dress up! Griffin’s gonna be the cutest pumpkin the world has ever seen. Oh, and when else do people in Arizona actually go outside and talk to their neighbors?! Once a year.
Here are some interesting facts about Halloween, courtesy of the US Census Bureau among...
2 tags
September 2011
4 posts
Jesus the Drunkard
All of us care about what other people think about us. When I know that someone believes something about me that’s untrue it drives me nuts. I will do whatever I can to make sure that they know the truth about me. Other people’s opinions matter to me, sometimes to a fault.
I read this text recently from the book of Matthew: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they...
“Modern man is drinking and drugging himself out of awareness, or he spends his...”
– Ernest Becker, “The Denial of Death”
August 2011
2 posts
February 2011
2 posts
January 2011
1 post
Better than Wordpress?
Considering a switch…