Do you hate being ignored? Its so frustrating, isn't it? I can recall several times in my life when I was ignored or intentionally neglected. As a child, I can remember many times I felt my voice was not heard. If you are a child of God, I hope you know that your Heavenly Father will never ignore you. That’s right. If you are faithful to Him, He will never look away from you or intentionally ignore your voice. His hearing is never dulled or dimmed. He listens without reser

Today is September 11. It is a day to remember. It is a day we should never forget. This is a season when our nation should put aside our politics, our traditions, our opinions, and our disagreements to focus on what really matters... LIFE. 20 years ago, life was taken from many innocent Americans. On this day, many of us realize that death is tragic, but life is precious. For me personally, I felt a connection with other Americans that I hadn’t felt before (or again) in my

COVID-19 is a truly terrible sickness. One like I’ve never seen or experienced before. I’ve had headaches, body aches, fever, chills, sinus issues, loss of taste/smell, poor appetite, lack of sleep, cough, congestion, runny nose, hiccups and major fatigue. But I think the hardest part is usually one of the simplest things to do… Breathe. It often hurts to breathe. And it hurts to think about breathing. Honestly, I’ve found myself worrying. Not only about myself but Misty and

What does it mean to conform to the image of Jesus and seek the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)? I heard a wonderful lesson once entitled “The Abandoned Water Jar.” It was taken from John 4. What an awesome story! Jesus takes advantage of a “ministry moment.” Are you looking for ministry moments? I know I am. Jesus had tried to teach disciples for sometime about personal work, but this woman gets it quicker than any of the disciples. I would give anything to be surrounde

There was a time that I enjoyed getting on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. And, I realize that I don't have to use these mediums, it is a choice. However, I can honestly say that it is frustrating at times to hear, see and experience the hatred that is spewed on the Internet. There are times when it breaks my heart. There are times when it angers me. And, yes, there are times when I cry and grieve about what is on here. Do you feel that way? People have a rig

Ready for another Monday? Yes, it’s coming again. Every week. Same time Whether you are ready or not. What can you do? True disciples of Christ can understand Paul's words in Philippians 4:13 when he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." If you are a child of God, you should make this a life statement... or at least a Monday statement if you are a "one day at a time" person. YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST... because He will give you the stre

Marriage is the oldest institution in the Bible. However, it is also the oldest covenant in the history of the world. The Old Testament has several covenants like the one with Noah, Abraham and his descendants, the Mosaic covenant, the Priestly covenant, and the one with David. I may be missing some others scattered throughout, but you get the gist. Jesus is teaching that marriage superseded all covenants and began in the garden (Matthew 19). The covenant of marriage continue

I’m not a huge fan of the Huffington Post, but they ran an article in 2017 that had the following headline: “American Bible Reading Statistics Reveal Who Is Studying The Good Book And Why.” It was a follow-up on an article that was written in 2014 and a survey that was taken. I was amazed to see that the number of people in America who do not identify with any religion may be at an all-time high, but the Bible still holds an important place in the lives of many Americans. In

God's ways may be mysterious, but one thing He loves to do is reveal those mysteries to mankind. He wants us to seek the answers to life's questions. Jeremiah the prophet said: “These are the words of the Lord, who made the earth, shaped it, and gave it order, whose name is the Lord: ‘Judah, pray to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you important secrets you have never heard before.’" (Jeremiah 33:2-3) Do you have a tough question? Step one…. Talk to the wisest One you

You have probably noticed that I always end my articles and blogs with the phrase “You are loved .” God loves you! It's true! Look no further than the cross at Calvary. He loves you with an unwavering, jealous, and unfiltered love! Nothing you do, or say, or think, can ever change the FACT that He loves you with an unconditional love. John, the beloved apostle, tells us that "God IS Love" (I John 4:8). In other words, He is the embodiment of that concept. You can't talk about

I was first acquainted with the community of Waterloo in 1996 when I moved to the Florence, Alabama area to attend International Bible College (now Heritage Christian University). In early 2000 I moved back to Cloverdale, Alabama to start working with the Pine Hill congregation. It is a small community in the far western part of Lauderdale County. Our church address for the building was actually a Waterloo address. I often tell people that this was the first community that I

The Trinity. The Godhead. The Immortal 3 in 1. All-Knowing. All-Seeing. All-Powerful. After 44 years of attending services, listening to sermons and studying the Bible myself… I’m still not sure I completely understand the way it works. However, one thing I can know is that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit work as one. We can also know, from studying the Scriptures, that this is supposed to be an inspirational lesson for us as Christians. Do you remember the prayer o

OVERWHELMED is defined like this.... 1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling. 2. to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush. 3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge. 4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything. 5. to overthrow. Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have you ever felt Iike you were in an impossible situation? I know I have found

I’m often struck by the consistency of God’s faithfulness. He promises and He delivers. I Corinthians 1:9 says, ”God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Faithfulness means that God’s always does what He says without fail. Deuteronomy 7:9 says God is “faithful God” and cannot become unfaithful. This is His nature. In fact, His faithfulness is closely related to His attributes of truth, justice and goodness. It is impossi

Recently, I have been wondering about the future of the church. I pondered things that can be done to properly restore the New Testament church of our Lord. I have one simple question to answer in this article today: “What will happen when we finally see the vision of God?” (1) It will force us to change. When we compare our earthly visions for the church we will see that we come up short. Paul was willing to do anything to save a soul. We are afraid of change. Paul’s motto w

A few years ago I heard a sermon on contentment on the radio. The preacher said, “Contentment is knowing that God is in control and He will help you if you have faith in Him.” Would you consider yourself to be a content Christian? The definition of contentment is listed by one source meaning “to appease the desires of a person” or to “limit one’s self in desires or actions.” What an interesting thought. We need to have faith because God will supply our needs. Ephesians 3:17-2

For the past couple of years, we have used www.rayreynoldsrap.com as a free ministry resource for eager students who want to immerse themselves into a study of God's word. We started out on a Google site but about a year ago we moved to Wix. This has been a wonderful transition. At the current time we use this site to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can find links to our podcasts, books, resources, and links to other ministries we support. You may have noted the "The

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the origin of Mother’s Day. For some reason I have become interested in the history, origin, and legacy of various holidays. Two years ago I wrote on the origin of Easter and Christmas. This year I wrote about Memorial Day and Mother’s Day, so I figured I would explain the history of Father’s Day. Someone once told me that Mother’s Day was established as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards and Father'

One passage that I keep in my heart in times of difficulty is Philippians 4:6. It says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Don’t you like that Scripture? There is an important part of that passage we often miss. Let me share it with you again: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God." Did

People often wonder if they missed their calling. Have we lived our best life? Could we do more? I think we all want to fulfill our destiny. Every born again Christian should seek the mind of Christ, the image of the Father, and walk in the Spirit. Those things enable us to see that God has a destiny each one of us. The mind of Christ equips us with the knowledge of the will of God. The image of the Father gives us the example to follow. And, walking in the Spirit causes us t