Ryan Guard

Your Hope: Christ In You

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:11:00 -0400

Have you ever listened to a sermon that changed your life forever? I have twice. The first one was in 2001 at Forest Home, and the second one was 4 years later at Passion ‘05. Louie Giglio said this,

The question isn’t, “Do you know where you will go if you die tonight?” It’s, “If you don’t die, do you have the hope & confidence of a power source that will enable you to live triumphantly tomorrow?”

He went on to unpack Colossians 1:27, which speaks of Christ being in us, giving us that power to live triumphantly in this life.

It hit me like a wrecking ball. I’ve heard other people say similar things at that point, but for some reason those words grabbed me and have stuck with me ever since. That sermon that night changed me.

I’m sharing a similar sermon this weekend, and my prayer is that God will give many of the people in the crowd the same life-altering, world-view shattering experience.

Study tip: don’t just underline the noteworthy quotes and...

Thu, 03 May 2012 20:00:37 -0400

Study tip: don’t just underline the noteworthy quotes and sections, write them on the blank pages in the front & back of the book. (Taken with instagram)

Gavin is here!

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:23:39 -0400

Our baby boy is home!

Gavin has been home for two nights now. He’s eating and sleeping really well, although I can’t say the same for his mommy! She’s been really strong this week and I’m so proud of her.

Gavin’s cleft lip makes feeding him a little more challenging than a typical baby, but he’s really getting the hang of it. We were able to get a really good idea of what to expect with his cleft lip and pallet while Lindsay was pregnant, and so far things haven’t been too difficult. The most difficult things when it comes to feeding him is keeping him awake long enough to eat!

He will have plastic surgery in 3 months to repair his lip and nose, and then another surgery at 8 months to repair his pallet. Until then he’ll have what Lindsay calls a “fancy face”. I like that :)

We’ve seen some really great “before and after” photos of babies who have had the surgery. We’re super encouraged by the confidence of Gavin’s surgical team. He might have a minor scar on his lip when he grows up, but everyone knows that chicks dig scars.

He’s gangly like daddy and has adorable blonde hair like his mommy. He sleeps allllll day like his mommy and he gets grumps once in a while for no reason like his daddy.

Both of our boys have pretty remarkable stories already. We wouldn’t want it any other way!

Griffin helping feed Gavin. Most adorable freaking thing ever?!...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:59:46 -0400

Griffin helping feed Gavin. Most adorable freaking thing ever?! (Taken with instagram)

Any Day Now

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:29:19 -0400

Every time my phone rings I wonder if it’s my wife, and every time it’s my wife I wonder if she’s going to tell me she’s going into labor.

We are so close.

Lindsay’s due date is the 28th, but the baby weighs about 43 pounds right now, so it could happen at any moment.

She’s scheduled to be induced on Monday, but my phone could ring in the next few minutes. I might not finish this blog.

If you haven’t been keeping up on our story, you might want to read my wife’s previous blog post before you see us post a photo of our mystery baby. He or she will have a funny little smile for a few months, one that we’ve already fallen in love with.

I slept well last night. I’m just writing that because I’m not sure when I’ll be able to say that again.

lanewood: Caine’s Arcade: This short film will be the best...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:22:50 -0400

lanewood:

Caine’s Arcade: This short film will be the best thing you watch all week. I want to meet this little guy.

Ten results of the resurrection.

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:35:00 -0400

Ten results of the resurrection.

The Griffin Diet (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:20:39 -0400

The Griffin Diet (Taken with instagram)

"The journey of the spiritual life calls not only for determination, but also for a certain knowledge..."

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:11:00 -0400

““The journey of the spiritual life calls not only for determination, but also for a certain knowledge of the terrain to be crossed.””

- Henri Nouwen, “Life of the Beloved”

Photo

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:49:05 -0400

"Cover the Night"

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:49:00 -0400

Invisible Children is encouraging people to post hundreds of thousands of posters & fliers all around their cities & towns on April 20th, calling it “Cover the Night”.

I love the energy… and I love the idea of getting the word out about this criminal.

But the police have another name for what will happen during those early morning hours:

VANDALISM

Here’s why… Who’s cleaning up the mess from those posters and fliers? Do those shop owners want your posters plastered to their walls?

Do you want to know what hates the whole idea? The city workers who are going to clean it all up when you’re asleep the next day.

If you’re planning a “Cover the Night” event on April 20th, you should also plan a “Clean up our crap” on April 21st.

Maybe I’m just getting old… or maybe I’ve been teepee’d one too many times!

I love the vision of our church, which is from Micah 6:8. It...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:16:04 -0500

I love the vision of our church, which is from Micah 6:8. It steers everything we do from big events to bible studies, adults to babies.

In addition to our vision, we have five core values that steer our weekend gatherings:

Christ is exalted in all things
Word of God is central
Micah 6:8 vision is on display
Technology is not a distraction
People are led deeply into worship

They call me Mr. Guard

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:38:00 -0500

My full-time job is still as the High School Pastor at MISSION Community Church, but starting this Monday I will have a second job. I’m ridiculously excited to become the Freshman Bible teacher at Gilbert Christian High School! I’ve committed to finishing out the school year for them.

I’ll have two classes in the morning (7:45-9:30), then I’ll head to MISSION. I’ll have to adjust my hours at MISSION, but my supervisor and the rest of our Spiritual Formation Team were gracious enough to make some adjustments for me so this would work out.

I have a good amount of students that attend GCHS. It’ll be great to spend two hours with students every day, plus I’ll get to do one of the things I was born to do… teach the bible! They call that a win-win.

If the 1997 version of me heard that the 2012 version of me was a pastor AND a teacher, he would laugh himself into a heart attack.

How fun is this?! I’m a high school teacher… ha! So crazy.

OH, and the classroom has a Promethean interactive whiteboard. You might have seen them on CNN. Can’t wait to use that!

Check out my classroom HERE.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love…”...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:29:03 -0500

“I have loved you with an everlasting love…” Jeremiah 31:3 (Taken with instagram)

“Put me in coach!”. Griffin is a couple years away...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:28:16 -0500

“Put me in coach!”. Griffin is a couple years away from dominating out here. (Taken with instagram)

Loved As You Are

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:01:11 -0500

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 it,
and your whole being rejects it.
Do you believe that God loves without conditional reservation,
and loves you this moment as you are,
and not as you should be?”

I believe it.

My Worst Sermon Ever

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:51:00 -0500

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 once or twice to students since the beginning of 2002, not to mention some camps, trips and other events, so I had probably given 700 or 800 sermons before that day. At least a dozen of those sermons were the same topic that I was about to teach through.

It was week #1 of a love/sex/dating series. There were probably a couple hundred kids in the room.

It was absolutely horrible.

Problem #1: I was still pretty new on staff, so I didn’t feel like I had much credibility yet. All I had going for me is that I was (usually) funny, and that I looked like Dane Cook.
Problem #2: About an hour before we met, another youth group of about 40 said they were going to visit our group that night. They all walked in looking like they wanted to stab me.
Problem #3: Our church’s lead pastor decided to come visit us on this night, and this night alone. He stood in the back the entire time, right underneath a light fixture.
Problem #4: I titled the sermon, “Taming the Inner Stallion”. I was trying to be funny, but it was a dumb title that didn’t fit. I definitely avoided eye contact with the Lead Pastor while sharing the title.
Problem #5: I had no passion whatsoever, and I spoke with no authority. All of the sudden I didn’t even know if I agreed with what I was saying, like, ya know?

At one point I froze up, and I think I made eye contact with every confused kid before I uttered another word…

At that point what I could have (SHOULD HAVE) done is wrapped it up and trusted the Holy Spirit to translate my mess into something helpful.

But no, I am stubborn… and I thought, “I can fix this”.

Thirty minutes later, I wanted to drive to the Huntington Beach pier, cover myself in shark bait, and take a dive. I think I faked a stomach ache and went home immediately.

I say all of this because tomorrow night I’m kicking off a 3-week teaching series on love, sex and dating.

Wish me luck :)

Brennan Manning

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:56:45 -0500

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 you haven’t read any of his books, I hope they compel you to pick one up.

Some have labeled my message one of “cheap grace”. In my younger days, their accusations were a gauntlet thrown down, a challenge. But I’m an old man now and I don’t care. - ALL IS GRACE

Jesus Christ is crazy about you. He loves you just as you are, not as you should be. - ALL IS GRACE

The Father not only loves you, but likes you. - THE FURIOUS LONGING OF GOD

We are, each and every one of us, insignificant people whom God has called and graced to use in a significant way. In his eyes, the high-profile ministries are no more significant than those that draw little or no attention or publicity. On the last day, Jesus will look us over not for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars. RUTHLESS TRUST

Anyone God uses significantly is always deeply wounded. - RUTHLESS TRUST

The gospel of grace announces forgiveness precedes repentance. The sinner is accepted before he pleads for mercy. It is already granted. He need only receive it. Total amnesty. Gratuitous pardon. - THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL

I'm Hard to Read

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:55:00 -0500

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 think that the second person was utilizing a bit of hyperbole, but I understand what he was saying: I can be a polarizing man!

The crazy thing is that 99 out of 100 times I’m completely oblivious that someone feels anything but love for me. I just assume that people like me, and that they know I like them. I would have said love, but it sounded arrogant to say “I just assume people love me”, and I’m still working on that perception thing.

As the High School Pastor, I’m on our church’s “Spiritual Formation Team”. We recently did an exercise in which our names were written on a huge sheet of paper that divided us into our various personalities & leadership styles.

My name was the first one to be written down, probably because it was the most obvious.

I was the only one on my side of the paper.

My side of the paper was all about results and drive and getting things done. Many of the other areas were about emotions and affections and analyzing.

I could blame God for the way he has wired me, or embrace the fact that he has wired me to operate a certain way. I need to be sensitive to my blind spots, and I probably need to be much more obvious in my affections and gratitude.

For the record, (insert your name here), I love you and appreciate you and I want to give you a hug. A real hug, not a side-hug. I like your shoes, you have a nice face, and I can learn a lot from you. I want to be your friends, but I’m socially awkward unless I’m holding a bible and a microphone, and sometimes even then.

I know myself too well to be arrogant. I’m driven and passionate because I know I’m loved by God, I have something to say, and it’s likely I’ve just had three cups of coffee.

Photo

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:10:20 -0500