Podcast
Ronnie McBrayer
Hosted by Ronnie McBrayer · EN
Podcast 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.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Wherever The Water Flows
3w ago00:26:16Tap to summarize"Ezekiel’s dream of the future has come true. Not with the construction of some highly advanced cathedral for God with an artesian well, but with the construction of a people, of temples not made with human hands. God no longer lives in a temple. God doesn’t live in a church. God hasn’t been cornered by any religion. God has made a home within you and me. We have inside of us, as in Jesus’ words to the woman at the well, “springs of living water” that will never go dry. The water flowing from the presence of God is the people of God, sent out to refresh and resurrect a dead and parched world."
Transcribe →Worry, Worry Everywhere
4w ago00:22:07Tap to summarize"Water, water, everywhere...and not a drop to drink." So cried the Ancient Mariner. "Worry, worry, everywhere" seems to be the cry today. This is Ronnie's look at Philippians 4, heeding the wisdom of the Apostle Paul who instructed early Christians to, "not worry about anything, but to pray about everything."
Transcribe →The Idolatry of Patriotism
Jul 700:22:38Tap to summarize"You might ask, 'What is wrong with a little flag waving or a pledge to the nation of our birth?' Nothing! But to center American nationalism in the church is to marginalize the Lordship of Jesus. It demands that God share his place of supremacy with the flag. It fools us into calling this Empire, 'home.' It tricks us into worshipping the blessing of living where we live, rather than worshipping the one who has blessed us with this opportunity. Let us remove all politics and nationalism from the church; and concentrate on following the words and way of Jesus - no matter what else might happen in our community or in our nation."
Transcribe →Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
Jun 3000:27:09Tap to summarizeRonnie concludes his series from the Psalms (while connecting these with more contemporary songs), with this episode entitled, "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen." Using Psalm 86, the African-American spiritual, and the insights of Viktor Frankl, this talk challenges the listener to wisely "choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
Transcribe →In My Time of Dying
Jun 1600:25:06Tap to summarizeI know this is not the most pleasant subject for many people. But in the last words of President McKinley, "We are all going. We are all going." So long as death is way down the road, at some far and distant juncture that remains out of sight, it can remain out of mind. But we have no such promises. There are no guarantees that our end is decades or years in the future. Allison Arieff says: “It is the awareness and acceptance of our own mortality that makes us human. And it is the impetus for living our lives to the fullest. The brevity of life leaves me determined to seize, observe and interact with the days that remain. It is the knowledge of how quickly, sometimes tragically, things can change or disappear that fuels my urgency to be in the present.”
Transcribe →Give Thanks And Praises
Jun 1200:23:31Tap to summarizeBob Marley...The Book of Psalms...Meister Eckhart...John Oatman Jr. What do all of these have in common? Gratitude. It's the best way to live your life.
Transcribe →How Great Thou Art
Jun 500:21:52Tap to summarizeI have no way to prove this, but I suspect that more people know the song "How Great Thou Art" than know the Psalm upon which it is based - Psalm 8. I venture to guess that more people have heard this song in the last 75 years than have read the book of Psalms. And I think that’s just fine! Because, the song - “How Great Thou Art” -, remains faithful to the text. Times have changed. Understandings of the world have changed. Theological conclusions have changed. Modes and manners of worship have changed. Attitudes toward ecology and creation have changed. Science has changed. Technology has changed. Religion has changed. But still, there is this eternal hymn written to the glory of God, glory that is recognized in the world around us. For the video referenced in the talk, go to: https://ronniemcbrayer.org/2026/06/04/how-great-thou-art/
Transcribe →Creation Song
May 2900:26:04Tap to summarizeRonnie's continuing exploration of Psalms from the Revised Common Lectionary arrives at Psalm 104, with an ode to the Psalmists and contemporary artist, Fernando Ortega. Ronnie urges listeners to rediscover God's good creation by saying: "We are more fixated on looking through tiny digital windows on the world than living in and enjoying God’s actual, created world - a world that will remain more extraordinary than anything made by human hands or imagination."
Transcribe →Riders In The Sky
May 2000:26:55Tap to summarizeWhat do Stan Jones, King David, the Apache Tribe, the Canaanites, Baal, and Yahweh have in common? You'll have to listen to find out more. My latest talk from Psalm 68.
Transcribe →Fire and Rain
May 1300:23:21Tap to summarize"God protects us from death and keeps us steady. Our God, you tested us, just as silver is tested. You trapped us in a net and gave us heavy burdens. You sent war chariots to crush our skulls. We traveled through fire and through floods but you brought us to a land of plenty” (Psalm 66 8-12). This is really a mixed bag here, isn't it? Praising God for God’s protection and care; and then acknowledging God’s hand in the Psalmist’s troubles. God appears to send the writer through fire and rain - and the case can be made that God is the fire and the rain. Is God the curse or the cure? Or both?
Transcribe →