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God is Still God

Wow! I just watched this video that New Spring along w/ Zac Smith put together.

This story is amazing, crazy, & inspiring all wrapped together. The most amazing part of this video is the last 20 words. Those are some moving words!

After watching this, it makes me want to be a better father, a better husband and a better person and I hope that it doesn't take cancer to make me realize that. Zac is an inspiration!

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

ryancook.net

Hooters!

Ok, so we got a Hooters built in our city,  Grand Junction.  It has been the topic of many conversations in the recent past.

We all know what Hooters is about. It is a bar/restraunt that serves basket food by women in tight fitting provocative clothing.  Chili’s & Apple-Bee’s has the same thing, just not the name & provocative attire.

I actually just tried to put their hyperlink in this blog for Hooters, but was blocked by our web filter,  “This web page was blocked because it is considered inappropriate.”

I know where my wife and I stand on the subject, we would never enter the building, but wonder where others stand on this subject.

The reason I am bringing this up is because I have heard people say things like 'I don't have a problem w/ lust, so it's no big deal' and 'I go there for the chicken wings'.

So knowing what Hooters is about, what they stand for, the way the women ‘gazed’ upon & lusted after (lust is how they advertise) and taking into consideration the 'stumbling aspects' and fleeing from all looks of evil……

Should Christ following people visit and eat at Hooters?

Please leave a comment under the comment tab at ryancook.net or on my fb page.

 

 

 

Just Come Home!

Christmas Opener- Just Come Home!
This is one of the most powerful openers I have ever seen. A must see through the end!

Christmas Opener: Just Come Home from NewSpring Production on Vimeo.

For more information on Jesse Fisher, the lyrical talent from the opener, or to get a copy of this video visit kadence.tv and NewSpring church.
Be Blessed! ryancook.net

Church-Wide Fast

What if you could do something that would bring amazing blessings to your life, would cost nothing, and wouldn’t hurt anyone?  Blessings like;

·       Deliverance from bad habits

·       Revelations from God

·       Divine Healing & Protection

·       Broken Addictions

·       Answered Prayers

·       Constant Supply of your Needs

You can receive blessings and benefits like these through fasting.

So you may be thinking to yourself; what is fasting? Let me take a few minutes to help explain a little bit of this.

Fasting is weaved through out every part of the scriptures. Fasting always involves abstaining from something specific. Food is an easy illustration. Many fasts involve abstaining from 1 meal a day, a certain food for a specific period of time or a total food fast.

There are many types of fast’s to cure different diseases and to break people free from addictions.

David fasted often and was called a man after God’s own heart. David fasted while interceding for a friend. Nehemiah fasted while seeking guidance from God. Daniel fasted often and received many revelations and visions from God. John the Baptist fasted regularly. Jesus began His public ministry w/ forty days of fasting.

If God took fasting so seriously, I believe we should do the same. Matt 6:16 says, “Moreover, when you fast, be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.” Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “if you fast”, He said, “When you fast”, there was no option left for guessing.

Eph. 6:12 says we wrestle against flesh and blood- and this war must be fought w/ prayer.

Let God know what you are praying for, be specific and expect the reward.

There is much power in multiplication and many people praying.

So in preparation for our church wide fast, here are some scriptures you can read. Is. 58, Mark 2:29, Daniel 9:3, 2 Chron 20, Matt. 6:17-18 and Ps. 35:17.

On Sunday, January 10^{th @} 6PM we will be kicking of our 3 week fast w/ a special Plugged in Prayer time. This prayer time is for all ages, young and old alike. Our fasting will run for 3 weeks w/ Saturday & Sundays off. The first week will be from 1/11-1/15 and we will be fasting Television. The next week, 1/18-1/22, we will be fasting 1 meal a day and replacing it w/ prayer. Then the final week of fasting, 1/25-1/29, we will be fasting 1 meal item. For instance this week you may want to fast all sweets, all caffeine, all meats, something like that, but it must be a sacrifice to you.

I hope you can join in our 3-week church-wide fast w/ us. We are expecting miracles and breakthroughs during this time, don’t miss out!

Be Blessed & Happy Fasting,

Pastor Ryan

www.ryancook.net 

 

Greatest Fears

I was going over my Purpose Quest Profile, a survey given by Dr. John Stanko. I have taken 2 of the profile surveys for myself. The profiles were done about 3 years apart. Guess what, I didn't change a whole lot.

Something that caught my attention while reading through it, well many things caught my attention, but one was this: What is Ryan's greatest fear? Take a wild guess... Being taken advantage of. Yep, there you have it. I don't like it. I didn't realize it was labeled as a fear, I know I just don't like it to happen to me, my family, friends, the church, co-workers and so on. 

I know that 2 Timothy 1:7 says this and I have taught messages about not living in fear. I don't live in this fear. I think it's just something I look out for and something I am very aware of in my life.

Ok, there you have it, that is my greatest fear according to my profile survey. Now I want to know your greatest fear. Blow up the comment tab at ryancook.net or hit me up on fb site.

-Peace

Good Quotes from What Matters Now

Here are a few good quotes from the book What Matters Now, thought were good enough to share, so here you go:

Be honest, be authentic, and speak from your passion. Yes, it means taking a risk. But the results might surprise you.

It’s not good enough anymore to be “pretty good” at everything. You have to be the most of something: the most elegant, the most colorful, the most responsive, the most accessible.

“There’s nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.”

e beautiful thing about being on a team is that, believe it or not, lots of people love doing the things you hate. And hate doing the things you love. So quit diligently developing your weaknesses. Instead, partner with someone very UNlike you, share the work and share the wealth and everyone’s happy.

e best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. e second best time is now.

If we want engagement, and the mediocritybusting results it produces, we have to make sure people have autonomy over the four most important aspects of their work:

• Task – What they do
• Time – When they do it
• Technique – How they do it
• Team – Whom they do it with.

Learn to adapt. Adjust your style of play as the dynamics of the game change.

e players with the most stamina and focus usually win.

Hope is not a good plan.

Stick to your principles.

FOCUSED INTENSITY over TIME multiplied by GOD equals Unstoppable Momentum.

Stop waiting around for bosses and companies to get better and complaining about how are you treated. Build the skills—and use them—that will permit you to create the environment in which you want to live.

Harmony takes bravery, an open heart. It takes lying awake at night when one of your co-workers is having a rough patch and dreaming up ways to help. In the true sense of karma, to achieve harmony, you must always do the right thing with no eye on a reward. e reward will come because there is trust on the other side.

e future belongs to people who can spread ideas.

We can all do more for each other and be better. Be compassionate to everyone no matter the level of connection.

Make compassion a core business value.

Start with a smile to a stranger.

Start by getting others to nod in agreement when you say: “If we’re not compassionate to one another, what’s the point in the end?”

e result of everything you do today will last forever.

When we are young, we learn, we socialize, we play, we experiment, we are curious, we feel wonder, we feel joy, we change, we grow, we imagine, we hope. In adulthood, we are serious, we produce, we focus, we fight, we protect and we believe in things strongly. It’s time we listen to children and allow neoteny to guide us beyond the rigid frameworks and dogma created by adults.

Adventure calls. Blaze a new trail. Cross a continent. Dare to discover. Escape the routine. Find a fresh perspective. Go slow; gaze absentmindedly and savor every moment. Have some fun! Invest now in future memories. Journeys are the midwives of thought; Keep a journal. Leave prejudice and narrow mindedness behind. Make for the horizon and meet new people. Navigate the unknown. Observe, and open your mind. Pursue a road less traveled. uest for truth. Rely on yourself. Sail away from the safe harbor; Take a risk. Unleash your curiosity. Venture further. Why wait? eXpect the unexpected. Say Yes to adventure….journey with Zeal!

We’re wired to focus on what’s not working. But “What IS working, today, and how can we do more of it?” You’re probably trying to change things at home or at work. Stop agonizing about what’s not working. Instead, ask yourself, “What’s working well, right now, and how can I do more of it?”

 www.ryancook.net

 

 

Bigger-Faster Chicken?

Bigger Chickens- Food, Inc


So after watching this trailer, what are your thoughts on the food you consume and where it came from?

Do you care?

Will you change the way you eat?

If you are already gone organic, has it made a difference on how you feel?

www.ryancook.com

Guard Your Marriage

Recently I have been hearing a lot about divorce, adultery, cheating, immorality and so on.  All over TV and billboards you sex being glamorized. Just today, a friend of mine came and talk about this messy subject of affairs and adultery that he was in the middle of.

Look at this heart wrenching, staggering stat- 65% of men and 55% of women will commit adultery by age 40. That is so sad!

I heard a message the other day about this subject and want to hit some points and add some of my own to it.

5 Ways to wreck your marriage-

Neglect your marriage

Start w/ yourself and your body

Give majority of energy to something else besides your marriage

No relational intimacy- no sex- if so, by all means, make it boring and as predictable as you possibly can

Enjoy common interests & form an emotional bond w/ someone else besides your spouse

Projects at work, co-ed sports, training at the gym

Try to relate to them and tell them things about your spouse you don’t like

Anticipate your time together w/ another

Extra cologne/perfume, make excuses to leave the house

Flirt w/ others

Email, FB and text them

Make sure you delete all communication between you 2 so spouse doesn’t find out

Leave notes, touch, joke w/ one another

Make excuses and rationalize your actions

Lie and deceive your spouse

By all means, God wants you to be happy!

Now that I have your attention, lets talk about this subject!

People never intend to commit adultery, it happens subtly.

Do whatever it takes to radically reduce and remove the risks.

God’s line w/ adultery isn’t just the act of, we think “well, we are friends, we haven’t crossed the sex line yet” but God’s line starts w/ our eyes, heart and mind. Check out Matt 5:28.

Guard your heart, eyes and mind.

Listen, if you kept a video log w/ all your interactions w/ other people through out the day, whether same or opposite sex and showed it to your spouse, would you be proud of how you behaved?

If emails, FB, and texts were fair game and you didn’t delete them, would you be able to say you treated others w/ integrity and not be ashamed of what they saw? Or would you say YIKES, I wouldn’t want them to see how I gave this other person so much attention, or when I got w/ m buddies/girlfriends, how we talked about others of the opposite sex.

5 ways to help your relationship w/ your spouse-

Keep a growing relationship w/ Christ. When you neglect your relationship w/ Christ, things go downhill.

Never be alone w the wrong people. Who ever that may be, same or opposite sex. What’s the appearance seem to be?

Never talk badly about your marriage w/ the wrong people. Find another married couple to talk to

Surround yourself w/ strong marriages

Avoid all inappropriate place and situations. Ex old flames looking you up on fb or texting- don’t let it happen. Don’t put yourself or your spouse in that situation

·      Avoid ALL appearance of evil.

If you have a job that puts you in bad situations, then quit. It’s easier to find another job than another father or mother to your children. True-life example- I have a buddy that got a job. I mentioned my concerns, he started anyways. The first day of training he went home, talked to his wife about it, listened to his wife’s views, went back and quit the job. He didn’t want to be put in any situation that could possibly lead to something else. Was he weak? HECK NO, he was avoiding the situation, guarding himself, and heeding the advice of his wife. Smart man and I respect him for that move!

Do what it takes to invest in your own marriage. When the grass looks greener on the other side, it’s time to water your own yard!

Your marriage takes work. After going on 18 years, I think Renee and I’s marriage is stronger now than it’s ever been. Why? Because we have been working on it for a while. It just doesn’t happen. We have open talks about things and situations in our lives.

• When we don’t work at it we fail.

4 ways to help our marriage

1. Get transparent- open up and share your feelings and heart
2. Get alone w/ each other- no kids or friends
3. Get spiritual- Best thing that happened w/ Renee and I, we learned to pray together
4. Get help- if you need help, find it

Adultery can cause devastation and a huge mess. Visualize telling your kids you cant live w/ them anymore. The respect they would lose for you. Telling your spouse who has sacrificed everything for you that you want to be w/ someone else. A person can destroy in 15 minutes what has taken a lifetime to achieve.

When we are unfaithful, God is always faithful.

If you wish to leave a comment about this blog, click the comment tab at the bottom of the page @ www.ryancook.net

 

 

Freeloading Letter

I came across this today. There are some things I really like about this letter and the heart of it, but also some things that rub me the wrong way and seem a little harsh.

Ok, I really want some feedback on this and to know what you think.  Read this letter in it's entirety before you comment. Log onto www.ryancook.net and click on the comment tab or if you are on fb, you can do it from the comment tab there. 

WINSTON-SALEM — Julie and Bob Clark were stunned to receive a letter from their church in 

July asking them to "participate in the life of the church" — or worship elsewhere.
    "They basically called us freeloaders," says Julie.
    "We were freeloaders," says Bob.
    In a trend that may signal rough times for wallflower Christians, bellwether mega-church Faith Community of Winston-Salem has asked "non-participating members" to stop attending.
    "No more Mr. Nice Church," says the executive pastor, newly hired from Cingular Wireless. "Bigger is not always better. Providing free services indefinitely to complacent Christians is not our mission."
    "Freeloading" Christians were straining the church's nursery and facility resources and harming the church's ability to reach the lost, says the pastor.
    "When your bottom line is saving souls, you get impatient with people who interfere with that goal," he says.
    Faith Community sent polite but firm letters to families who attend church services and "freebie events" but never volunteer, never tithe and do not belong to a small group or other ministry. The church estimates that of its 8,000 regular attendees, only half have volunteered in the past 3 years, and a third have never given to the church.
    "Before now, we made people feel comfortable and welcome, and tried to coax them to give a little something in return," says a staff member. "That's changed. We're done being the community nanny."
    Surprisingly, the move to dis-invite people has drawn positive response from men in the community who like the idea of an in-your-face church.
    "I thought, 'A church that doesn't allow wussies — that rocks,'" says Bob Clark, who admires the church more since they told him to get lost.
    He and Julie are now tithing and volunteering. "We've taken our place in church life," he says. 

www.ryancook.net

Youth is All that . com

The other day I received a phone call from Trish Mahre.  Trish is a Community Prosecutor for Mesa County D/A, Community Liaison, and chairs a committee for Mesa County Under Age Drinking Task Force.  The website link is youthisallthat.org.  Look around their website, there is great info for both parents and teens. This is a great campaign against underage drinking and drug abuse.  

Having an alcoholic father, grandfather and many relatives, abused alcohol myself in the past, and now raising 4 children, this is an issue that is very close to my heart.

From someone that has been there, here are some practical things that my wife and I do as a parents:

1.  Love our children unconditionally, but do not enable them.  I have seen time and time again, parents think they are helping there children by bailing them out of problems and debt.  In rare cases does this work, it usually makes things worse.

2.  Talk to your kids about alcohol & drugs.  Your kids will learn about it in school, you might as well get it out in the open and teach them correctly and the bad affects drugs and alcohol have on lives.

3.  Spend time w/ your kids.  Many times parents drop their kids off at the mall and let them wonder around aimlessly.  Sometimes I have seen them as young as 10 or 11 years old, just walking the mall or walking the town.  Trouble usually finds these kids.  When the kids turn 15/16, the parents sit back and ask what happened?  Well, maybe you didn't spend time w/ them.

4.  Communicate.  Be involved in your kids life.  Know what kind of music they listen to.  Know who their friends are.  Know what they like and dislike.  Know what they are watching on TV and looking at on the Internet.  Learn their dreams and aspirations.  Learn how to use and utilize new technology to stay up w/ your kids, its not all bad, use it for good.  Remember, your kids still live under your roof.  

5.  Do not be a hypocrite.  If you fail in front of your kids, admit it, learn from it, openly apologize and move on.  Don't try to act like it didn't happen, kids catch everything.  Hypocrisy is the biggest turn-off.

I hear this over and over again, kids will experiment w/ things just as I did when I was young.  I disagree.  We can pray for generational curses to be broken.  We can pray for crop failure, (reap what you sow).  I didn't know there was a different way of life, we can offer hope.

These are just a few that things we practice w/ our kids.  Will they still mess up?  Yes.  Will we be there for them when they do?  Yes.  Do we still mess up?  Yes.  Is God always waiting for me w/ open arms?  Yes.  Remember to trust your kids.  Deep down they really want to please you, just as we want to please God, but sometimes they just get side tracked, just as we do. 

Please refer all comments to the bottom af this blog at www.ryancook.net

www.youthisallthat.org   

-Peace