Ronnie McBrayer
277 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsPodcast of author, speaker, pastor, and spiritual teacher Ronnie McBrayer. This is his collection of talks, interviews, insights from the Enneagram, and conversations with friends on the ever-changing, ever-evolving nature of faith. It is especially for those who are “burned out on religion” - to quote Eugene Peterson’s marvelous paraphrase; for spiritual exiles; and those whose faith is in transition.
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Episodes
Bonus Episode: Daniel, Darby, and Dispensationalism
June 17, 2023 01:03 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBThis is a recording from several months ago when Ronnie and Garet McHugh hosted a Q and A on the book Daniel; how it is almost exclusively treated as predictive material by evangelical readers; and how systems of interpretation determine one's faith and practice. This episode is a bit longer than most on this podcast, but helpful for those restructuring their view of the Old Testament prophets. And...there is a bit of discussion on the books of Revelation for the careful listener.
A Tale of Two Tales, Part 2
June 13, 2023 19:30 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBIn 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 mea...
A Tale of Two Tales, Part 1
June 07, 2023 17:25 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MB"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 ...
We Got Spirit
June 01, 2023 03:11 - 22 minutes - 21 MBFrom Ronnie's talk on Acts 2 for Pentecost Sunday: "A major challenge - a genuine problem when it comes to our religious institutions - is predictability. Everything can be so rote, mechanical. Expected. Boring, if you like. Dead. No joy, no laughter, no life. I’m not saying churches or denominations should intentionally 'mix it up,' or that they should throw out their liturgy or their well-established typical order of service. Because order and routine can be comforting. I am saying that th...
King of Kings
May 25, 2023 16:38 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB"Acts 1, traditionally read on Ascension Sunday, is not about Jesus floating away into the ether. This is a story about power; a story about a different kind of power, a power opposite of today’s brand of pseudo-Christianity driven by ambition (which is the same violence that fueled the Crusades). The moment one uses force, coercion, strong-arm tactics, or manipulation in the name of Jesus, that is the precise moment one denies Jesus...Jesus rises to heaven so his people will be empowered - ...
Teach Your Children Well
May 18, 2023 15:05 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBFusing the cautionary tale of Jesus from Matthew 18 with the prophetic words of the late Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Ronnie speaks of "teaching our children well." This talk sounds an alarm on the dangers of hate, how it is passed along to younger generations, and how we all have a role - a duty - to resist it.
Get Together
May 03, 2023 18:26 - 24 minutes - 22 MBIn a talk spanning from Thomas Cahill's summary of ancient Ireland to what William Miller playfully calls, "Refrigerator Rights," Ronnie speaks from Acts 2:42-47 on the importance of genuine community: "Even if you have just one, two or three others - a precious few, whose hearts are bound together with yours on the journey - it becomes enough to get you through the hardest of times. It will be enough social glue for the center to hold. It will attach skin and bones to the abstract. It will...
Walking Blues
April 26, 2023 14:02 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBTwo 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 travele...
Ring of Fire
April 19, 2023 00:35 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBSpeaking from 1 Peter 1:3-9, Ronnie talks about the role of struggle and suffering in our lives: "There is no gold without the fire. There is no remaking or remolding without the hammer and the anvil...There are no short cuts; no quick fixes; no easy exits. The only challenge is making it today - not tomorrow or next week; the only task is what is - not what could be, might be, or should of been; and the only way out is through - not getting around it, not getting over it - but going into it...
The Dream of the Rood, Easter 2023
April 12, 2023 14:33 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MB“The Dream of the Rood” is an ancient Christian poem, written in Old Anglo-Saxon English. It is a story-telling, meaning-making, Jesus-explaining tale that was shared by word of mouth in a time when Anglo-Saxons, largely could not read - and they certainly didn’t have a runic translation of the Bible. We don’t know who wrote this poem. It’s likely we will never know. But if you are an English-speaker, this poem is one of the earliest known tellings of the gospel in our language. Reflect upon...
Sympathy for the Devil? Or at Least for Judas.
April 07, 2023 00:17 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBFrom the Palm Sunday Reading of Matthew 26, and based on a song by the legendary Woody Guthrie, Ronnie takes an off-center look at Judas Iscariot. He says, "All the disciples believed that Jesus going to Jerusalem at Passover was for the purpose of pulling some messianic rabbit out of his hat. Now, the kingdom would come, as Jesus, like Clark Kent, would explode from a phone booth, revealing his super-human powers. But it didn’t happen. Jesus failed. Jesus lost. Jesus was overcome. And stran...
Dust and Bones
March 29, 2023 19:59 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB"Can these bones live again?" That is the question put to the Prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 37 as he looked over a valley of skeletal remains. Ezekiel cannot answer, because there is nothing he can do. He can only entrust God with all future possibilities. If there will be life in the afterword of disaster, it will be because of what God knows and what God does. Ronnie says of this encounter, "When we accept what is otherwise unacceptable, because we have no power over it, that becomes the spac...
Simplify. Simplify. Part 8
March 22, 2023 23:10 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBSpeaking from Psalm 19 and the Hebrew Proverbs, Ronnie brings his "Simplify" series to a conclusion, inviting us all to simplify our speech: "It’s perennial wisdom. When it comes to talking, less is more. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all previous doubt. Nowhere is simplification more applicable, no where can it be more readily applied than when it comes to our speech, our words. Spoken, ...
Simplify. Simplify. Part 7
March 17, 2023 13:37 - 19 minutes - 18 MBIn this seventh of eight talks entitled, "Simplify, Simplify," Ronnie says, "Let’s talk about boundaries today. Let’s talk about disentangling our entanglements. Let’s talk about defending ourselves against being pulled into things we have no business being pulled into. Let’s talk about setting healthy limits that will reduce the probability of us being hurt, harmed, poisoned or generally stressed out - by toxic people, participation, programs, powers, and passions. Let’s talk about guarding...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 8 of 8
March 08, 2023 16:30 - 1 hour - 68 MBPart 8: Paul's Theology and Legacy No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 6
March 02, 2023 19:29 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBThis 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
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 7 of 8
February 27, 2023 22:12 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MBPart 7: "Spanish Speculation" (Paul's Release, Further Travels, Re-Arrest, and Death) No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 5
February 23, 2023 17:56 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBThis 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 be...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 6 of 8
February 20, 2023 18:06 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBPart 6: "When in Rome..." (Paul's Arrest and Journey to Italy) No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 4
February 17, 2023 00:38 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBThis 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 ...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 5 of 8
February 14, 2023 14:55 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBPart 5: The Third Time Is The Charm (Paul's Third Missionary Journey) No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 3
February 09, 2023 17:05 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBThis is Part 3 of Ronnie's latest series of talks entitled: "Simplify. Simplify." This episode is about simplifying our "stuff." From the podcast: "If you would serve God well, follow Jesus sincerely, and live a true life of freedom, you will do so without the enslavement of this ugly, false god known as Mammon. This isn’t a shame-inducing strategy by Jesus to make us feel bad about our decisions. It is the God’s honest truth. These are competing gods moving in two different directions, and ...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 4 of 8
February 08, 2023 14:04 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBPart 4: A European Entryway No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 2
February 02, 2023 17:53 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBThis 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, comp...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 3 of 8
January 31, 2023 23:27 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBPart 3: The Barnabas Connection No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Simplify. Simplify. Part 1
January 25, 2023 23:01 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBThis 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...
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 2 of 8
January 24, 2023 16:43 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBPart 2: From Damascus to the Desert No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
The Life and Writings of Paul, Part 1 of 8
January 17, 2023 03:48 - 53 minutes - 49 MBPart 1: Meeting Saul of Tarsus No single individual outside of Jesus of Nazareth has been more influential within Christianity than Paul the Apostle. After his radical conversion he became the church’s most zealous missionary. Without his travels and letters, Christianity would be much different than the version we have inherited today. Join Ronnie as he leads this eight-part study on “The Life and Writings of Paul the Apostle.”
Goats to Tigers
January 11, 2023 21:32 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBUsing 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.
Sam And Ann (Without an E)
January 06, 2023 00:24 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBRonnie begins this Advent/New Year talk with a personal story and ends with the universal one; about kissing, kindness, and the love of God.
Shut Your Mouth
December 19, 2022 22:06 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBFor the Advent Season: Some thoughts on parenthood...angelic messages...unanswered questions...deconstruction...and being quiet.
No CTRL
December 13, 2022 16:14 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBA 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."
”The Path is Made by Walking”
November 21, 2022 19:20 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MB"Faith is not having all the answers. Faith is not being protected from trouble or suffering or cancer or poverty or loss. It’s not this gullible “smile though your heart is breaking” sentimental rubbish that is nothing more than wishful thinking. And faith is certainly not a big payoff - where 'If I just believe then all my wishes will come true.' Rather, faith sees the world for what it is; knowing there are no shortcuts, no easy fixes, no silver bullets, and sometimes no sight of or sound...
Boxing God, Part 2
November 09, 2022 15:46 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBA 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 mistak...
Boxing God, Part 1
November 03, 2022 16:38 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBFrom 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...'"
Displaced
October 27, 2022 00:03 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MB"There are seasons in life when you are exactly where you feel you need to be. The stars are aligned. It’s a groove. Then there are times when all is wrong. In such times you can make changes - if you have a little courage. But sometimes changes can’t be made - not in relation to where you are or what you are doing. You can’t jettison the relationships you have...can’t escape your work...can’t run away to some broader horizon. What then? At such times, "build your home; plant your garden....
Backsliders Bonus: ”Don’t Worry About Tomorrow”
October 13, 2022 00:44 - 4 minutes - 3.99 MBBobby 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."
Life Interrupted
October 06, 2022 19:19 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MB"Your life is a stone thrown into a body of water. The ripples roll causing actions and reactions long after your energy is expended, the moving waters finding shores upon which we will never stand...What ripples are you making? When your existence has been interrupted, and the force of your life has been expended - and it is left to germinate - to expand - to grow or to deplete here - can you leave knowing that you put that force and energy to use in the best of places? I’m not talking abou...
A Backsliders Bonus: ”See Me Through”
September 29, 2022 13:57 - 4 minutes - 3.78 MBBobby 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.
The Cost of Kindness
September 29, 2022 13:51 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBA brush with fame...and a revolutionary, simple way of living. These come together in Ronnie's latest talk on practicing kindness.
The Rusty Goat
September 15, 2022 14:03 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBRonnie 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.
”Floating...Obedient to the Stream”
September 08, 2022 23:58 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MB"Floating...Obedient to the Stream," is line from an early play of William Shakespeare - and it is a prescriptive way to live - as instructed by Jesus in the Gospel of John. He teaches us to "go with the flow" of the living water already within us.
Pay Attention: A Tribute to Frederick Buechner
September 01, 2022 16:53 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBRonnie shares words from the late Frederick Buechner who passed way in August of 2022, at the age of 96 years young.
The Grapes of Wrath
August 24, 2022 19:43 - 19 minutes - 18 MB"Dylan. Ward Howe. Steinbeck. They all find their message and metaphor in the ancient Jewish prophets. It is a consistent message, retold a thousand times and in a thousand different ways and places, with each telling ringing as true as the last: Perpetual, systematic injustice and unfairness always ends with destruction. We can be certain that when we champion greed over fairness and equality; when we take the side of power and the powerful and fail to protect the vulnerable and the least o...
That Great Speckled Bird
August 18, 2022 17:12 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBWhat 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.
Make The World Go Away
August 09, 2022 18:47 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MB"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 gifted." - Ronnie
Where the Lonely Go
August 02, 2022 16:20 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBPut 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.
Getting There from Here, Part 2
July 27, 2022 19:48 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MB"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.
Getting There from Here, Part 1
July 20, 2022 17:01 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB"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.
Christian Savages...Savage Christians
July 12, 2022 23:30 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBRonnie 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 relig...