We are so blessed you have visited our website. In the future, we hope to post podcasts and blogs on this page. It has been our goal for the past year to encourage people to reclaim the hope that seems to be lost. One of our primary goals is to share our story, and encourage others to share their stories as well. We plan to give insight from God’s word and inspiration from great Bible characters. We want to challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and find the peace that surpasses all understanding. We serve a great God. He has truly blessed us in our lives and brought us together. We know we are not alone. It’s time to reclaim hope in your life! You are loved. Ray & Misty Reynolds

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 of Jesus in John 17? Jesus spoke about the disciples, and the future church, working together in the same unity as the Godhead. The consistent message of Scripture is that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One God (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29). In John 16:13-15 Jesus said, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." The Holy Spirit confirms that not only did the Father send Jesus (His Son) to the earth... but that Jesus' words of truth are from the Father. The Holy Spirit inspired men to write the Bible. (Psalm 33:6, John 14:26, II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21). What an amazing illustration of unity! The Godhead works as ONE! Wouldn't it be nice if God's people did the same? You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #God #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #GTKYB #Christianity #Trinity #Godhead #unity

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 was: “All things to all men.” This statement emphasizes change, flexibility, and maturity. We should no longer be concerned by what you want or what I want, but with what God wants. (2) It will drive us to our knees. We cannot do things on our own. Do I need to repeat that? I will: “We cannot do things on our own!” When we pray we only ask for prayer requests. Our prayers and our vision is small because we think we have a small God. Do you want a powerful prayer life? To have a powerful prayer you need strong desire, you need to live by faith, you need to cry out, and you need to be bold! (3) It will unify us. We need to unite on our vision. We need to see things God’s way. Are you tired of the endless arguments, fights, and church squabbles? Remember that it doesn’t matter what you want, but what God desires, and God desires unity. We need to stop being so divisive and judgmental. Let God do the dividing on the Day of Judgment! (4) It will ignite our passion. We need to let God ignite us, but we have to see His vision first. Have you asked: “God what is your vision for me?” or “God what is your vision for this church?” We begin to notice different things when we see His vision. It sets our spirits ablaze!!! (5) It will allow God to blow our minds! Yea, you read that right! God will blow our minds if we will see His vision! The reason God is not working in many people, and many churches, is because we are not asking Him! We cannot expect Him to do things we haven’t ask of Him! On the other hand, some people ask for God’s help but are not doing the things He has given us the talent to do! What a strike against us! Who will catch the vision of God? God is able, but we have to see His vision (Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:13)! John 4 tells us that a woman who was a five time divorcee and shacked up with another man saw the vision. If God could take this sinful adulterer (a woman with more baggage than we will probably ever carry) and fire her up with His vision. . . . what will he do with you! Let’s catch the vision! Have a great week!!! You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus#socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #GTKYB #passion #vision #Christianity

The article below was written two years ago today. It was posted to our Google site before we transferred it to Wix. Many of our articles did not transfer over, but we felt this was a good one to share again. Enjoy. ……………..………… The apostle Paul must have had supernatural knowledge of the internet and social media. I love how he says things like... "Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character" (I Corinthians 13:35) and "let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth" (Epheisans 4:29). Social media is a necessary evil. We need it to communicate, spread the gospel and for building relationships. However, we need to heed a few warnings. 1) Be careful of the company you keep. 2) Be careful of the content you share. 3) Make sure that God is glorified in all things. If you are reading this, from my personal page, then you are among about 3,000 people I consider my friends. Over the past 48 hours I have had to "purge" about 1200 people. Many of those people were individuals I did not know well or were unsure of their intentions for "following" me. It is nothing personal. Facebook only allows 5000 followers anyway. If you want to glorify God on social media... let your light shine, but be careful how you do it. The parable of the sower used to be my model (Matthew 13). Sow the seed and let God work out the result. Now I am thinking differently. Let's follow the advice of Jesus to "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). You don't have to fear the enemy, but you also shouldn't invite him to dinner. Have a blessed day! You are loved. Ray Reynolds

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 3:17-22 reminds us that power, love, and knowledge, are the fruits of contentment. God is able to do more than anything I could ever imagine according to His power. What do these verses teach us? They remind us the power of God is still there, for every generation! God owns the Grand Canyon, the deepest part of the ocean, the highest mountain peaks, and every one of the stars! You and I need to exercise our faith and not be afraid of contentment. I preached a sermon a few years ago with the following thoughts . . . . . If you want contentment you need to: (1) Ask God to help you to find contentment, (2) Accept who you are and who you are not, (3) Embrace the words of the song “I am mine no more,” (4) Always do right when you know to do it, and (5) Remember that there will be greater and lesser people than you. Many people chase everything they can in search for contentment. But it's not found in gold, money, self-indulgence, sex, relationships, or in the bottom of a bottle. Contentment can only be found in the arms of God! Moses needed to learn this lesson. He struggled with contentment when he gave the excuses to God at the burning bush and said “I cannot speak!” God looks down on him and asks, “Who made your tongue?” He was reminding Moses that He could meet all his needs. Philippians 4:11-13 tells us a lot about Paul’s view of contentment. Look at some of the key thoughts in those verses. He says, “whatever the circumstances” . . . . “I know” . . . . the “secret of being content” and we can have “everything through Him.” He rested in the arms of God! And, he reveals that: (1) Contentment is learned, (2) Contentment is not determined by things or circumstances, (3) Contentment is powered and modeled by Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, (4) Contentment is based on absolute trust and faith in God. After Paul learned this contentment he told the young Timothy that we need “godliness with contentment” in I Timothy 6:6-10. Wealth is useless. Paul realized that wealth could not buy contentment. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us to keep our minds free from the love of money. People are drawn away from contentment because of money and power. They seek after those things because they lack faith in God’s provision and planning of God. Proverbs 19:23 tells us that contentment can be untouched by trouble. We are going to have trials when we begin seeking for contentment. People often turn away quickly in the face of trials, but if we know who we are, what we have, why we have it, and what we have to look forward to, why worry during our trying times? God is in control! I have no power, but I know the One who does! Have a great week!!! And, remember you are too blessed to be stressed! You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus#socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #GTKYB #stress #contentment #Christianity

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 Bible Studies" link. This page currently has 72 free Bible study books. Some are topical studies and others are textual studies. These are resources compiled for your own personal study. It is our prayer that you will download them, use them, and share the link with others. We jokingly advertise that our workbooks are "almost as good as free donuts." My prayer is that you will download them because they are free, but come back for more because the content is profitable and biblically sound. Please let us know if our website, and resources, have encouraged you. We would also love to hear from you about ideas for future content. I want you to know that I personally appreciate you and your support of this ministry. May God continue to bless the work in His kingdom. You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp #foryoupage #Jesus #socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #freebooks #freeworkbooks #sermonoutlines #Biblestudy

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's Day was established because Father’s were jealous about Mother’s Day. Well, contrary to popular misconception, neither of these explanations are correct. In fact when “Mother’s Day” and "Father's Day" were first proposed as holidays there were no greeting cards! Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "Father's Day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. Mrs. Dodd was so proud of her father, and so focused on his sacrifice that she wanted a special day to recognize him and all other men that are worthy of the title “father.” After much lobbying and by word of mouth, Mrs. Dodd’s dream became true. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to celebrate a "Father's Day" as well. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day, but was unable to produce proper legislation. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day and as Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story . . . . .” Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all be honored on Father's Day. What are your plans for Father’s Day? Why don’t you honor the man who is honored to be called your dad? Have a great week!!! You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus #socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #FathersDay #dads #father

One great biblical principle that I preach over and over is that we are NEVER alone. When God called Moses He promised, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). Later when Moses would pass the baton to Joshua he said, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Joshua would repeat that to God’s people in Joshua 1:17. In Matthew 28:20 after giving His disciples the Great Commission Jesus says, “I will be with you always.” Paul seems to echo this same thought in Romans chapter eight. You already know this, don’t know? Then, do you believe this promise? Do you believe that God will never fail you? I want to encourage you to check out on the new song “Always” from Building 429 on the web and watch the video behind the song. Words cannot describe how I feel when I hear this song. We can never forget that God will ALWAYS be with us. Listen to the lyrics of this great song from Building 429. . . . . I was standing in the pour raining One dark November night Fighting off the bitter cold When she caught my eye Her face was torn and her eyes were filled And then to my surprise She pulled out a photograph And my heart just stopped inside She said He would have been three today I miss his smile, I miss his face What was I supposed to say But I believe always always Our Savior never fails Even when all hope is gone God knows our pain and His promise remains He will be with you always He was living in a broken world dreaming of a home His heart was barely keeping pace When I found him all alone Remembering the way he felt When his daddy said goodbye Fighting just to keep the tears And the anger locked inside He's barely holding on to faith But deliverance is on its way 'Cuz I believe always always Our Savior never fails Even when all hope is gone God knows our pain and His promise remains He will be with you always Friend I don't know where you are And I don't know where you've been Maybe you're fighting for your life Or just about to throw the towel in But if you're crying out for mercy If there's no hope left at all If you've given everything you've got And you're still about to fall Well hold on, hold on, hold on Cuz I believe always always Our Savior never fails Even when all faith is gone God knows our pain and His promise remains Always, Always He will be with you always He will be with you always He will be with you

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 to stay on track. All three things are necessary for us to discover our destiny. Inside of the Body of Christ we should be seeking to discover our own destiny every single day. What does God want from me? What does He have planned for my life? Ephesians 1:11 says, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." I think this is what Paul is speaking of in Romans 8:28 when he hints about being called according to a purpose, a predetermined course. Let me be clear about one thing, I do not believe in what is often called "predestination." I do not adhere to the teaching that we are pre-programmed drones, only doing what God has predetermined for us. Instead, I believe the Scriptures teach that God has predestined the courses laid out before us and gives us the opportunity to choose. All we have to do is follow Him! What happens if I take the wrong path? God loves to give second chances. You’ll find the path again. Just hold to His hand and He will lead the way. Paul reminds us that God "has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (II Timothy 1:9). One way you can assure yourself you will find the answers is to seek God first (Matthew 6:33). Ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7). Pray for wisdom. Read your Bible. Spend time talking to godly people. Do what is right. That is how you discover your destiny. You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus#socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #destiny #Heaven #follow

When I was young I remember thinking about Heaven often. I guess it’s because I heard so many preachers talk about it. There are so many songs in our hymn books that speak of Heaven. We need to realize that Heaven is a real place! We need to hear more about Heaven in the pulpit, in the classrooms, out in public, and even around the dinner table. Life takes us and our friends in different directions. When our family and friends die we grieve for them. Some move away and we miss that bond of closeness. However, if they are Christians we know that even if they die we will never be apart for a long period of time. Earthly reunions are special, but Heaven will be the greatest reunion we’ve ever attended. But that’s not the best part of Heaven! When we get to Heaven there will be people we have never seen, people we have met or bumped into along our life’s journey, people whom we knew early in life, and more importantly, people we have loved all of our life. But that’s not the best part of Heaven! There are some things that I know about Heaven (a subject I have studied for two decades). I know that the Bible tells us a lot about Heaven (Revelation is a good place to start). Heaven will be absent of sorrow, tears, and pain. But that’s not the best part of Heaven! Heaven will be a place of endless day. A place where there will be no night. The reunion and painless environment that Heaven offers will never end. But that’s not the best part of Heaven! Heaven will be a place of eternal rest and reward. It will be a place where the struggles of this life do not exist and cannot reach us. In Heaven people cannot harm us, let us down, or hurt us. As great as that is, that’s not the best part of Heaven! So what is the best part of Heaven? The best part is something that we cannot comprehend. Heaven is where God will be! We will be with God forever. We will see His illuminating glory all over Heaven. His praises will be sung for eternity. Jesus will be at His right hand and His Holy Spirit will inhabit all of Heaven. Heaven is the place where we will finally see God! We will meet our Creator, our Maker, our Savior, and the Author of the Bible and eternal Salvation. That will be the best part of Heaven! I would almost give anything to be in Heaven with God. But have you ever wondered “What does God want from me?” Simple, He wants my life! God asks for our lives, in exchange for eternal salvation and a place to be with Him for eternity. He asks us to give up who we are and what we want to become. This cost may seem too high. However, when we consider the price that God paid for our salvation, the blood of His only Son on the cross, how can we complain? Give God your life today. Show Him how thankful you are for Heaven! Are you ready to experience the best part of Heaven? You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp#foryoupage #Jesus#socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #love #Heaven #eternity #God

Guilt: a feeling of responsibility or remorse for an offense whether real or imagined. Shame: a feeling from one’s consciousness of something dishonorable or improper done by oneself or another. Fear Mongering: the action of deliberately arousing fear, or taking advantage of ones fear, in an effort to manipulate. For the past few days I’ve watched silently while people tear each other apart online. It is actually appalling. What’s happening? Guilting people for not walking the party line. Shaming people for having strong emotions regarding COVID-19. Fear mongering through manipulation and humiliation. Who’s doing this? People who claim to be Christians. Some ministers and church leaders are the most vocal and harsh. Why use guilt, shame, and fear mongering? Simple. Because those are the devil’s favorite tools. Read Genesis 3. Read Matthew 4. How are these tools used? By posting, sharing, and liking comments about individuals who worship at home on Sunday and publicly condemning churches that choose to close their buildings or alter their worship times. Guilt is a useless emotion. It is a complete waste of time. Decisions made for safety, out of good conscience, or because of health reasons should be a personal choice. Trying to force someone to feel guilty is demeaning, demented, and destructive. Shame is a reckless effort. We shouldn’t bind our own opinions (Romans 14). If you attempt to shame someone for taking care of their health, or protect a congregation of elderly members, check your heart. Fear mongering is an evil practice. First, if you serve God, take off the enemy’s uniform and release his tools. Stop spreading fear. Strengthen the faith of others. Second, read your Bible, especially Leviticus. Self-quarantine and congregational quarantine are commanded by God in times of sickness, death, and natural disasters. Let’s use this time to share messages of hope. Spread love and kindness. Stop lecturing and judging. Let’s start showing mercy (Matthew 5:7). You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp #foryoupage #Jesus #socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #love #mercy

Have you heard the story of Earnest Shackleton? He left England in August 1914 on the ship Endurance. He and his crew had planned to cross Antarctica on foot. There were 27 men that accompanied him on that journey. By January of 1915, when they were within 100 miles of land, but the ship was trapped in ice. The ice was, of course, adrift in the water, which caused them to be carried farther from land. Shackleton and the crew lived on the ship until November 1915, when the ice finally destroyed the ship and it sank. They then lived on a large shifting ice pack with supplies salvaged from the ship until April 1916, when they finally sailed to Elephant Island in three lifeboats they had salvaged from the ship. In Steve Farrar's his book Finishing Strong he reveals three things about sin: (1) Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, (2) Sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and (3) Sin will cost you more than you wanted to pay. I believe that the ice that Shackleton encountered is like sin: (1) It took them away from their goal, (2) It kept them there longer than they wanted, and (3) It cost them the success of their expedition and the loss of the ship. Shackleton had a goal, a vision, and a plan, but he never did accomplish his goal of crossing Antarctica on foot. Sometimes things do not work out like we plan. If we are focused only on success, we might fail. But, if we are focused on maturity and learning life lessons, life will always be a terrific journey full of amazing stories. When forced to make a difficult decision about abandoning his ship, Earnest Shackleton commented, "She's pretty near her end. The ship can't live in this…. what the ice gets, the ice keeps." Do you feel like you are in a shipwreck? In Psalm 69:1-4 David compares his life to one who is drowning and calling out for help. Water has reached his neck. His voice is sore. His eyes are tired from waiting for someone to rescue him. What did he do? He cried out to God! Then, he lifted himself up and started over by praising God (vs.29-36). I wonder what might be eating away you. What have you sunk into in your own life? Will you abandon ship? Paul warned Timothy not to shipwreck his faith, but to "do what you know is right" (I Timothy 1:18-20). Forget about your failures and cast off the sin in your life. Don't let your pride lead you to become ignorant. You'll only sink deeper and deeper. Take a hold of the lifeboat of salvation and start your journey home. Jesus is stretching out His nail-scarred hand. Will you take it? You are loved. Dr. Ray Reynolds #ReynoldsRap #WixBlog #authentic #Christian #positive #practical #community #fyp #foryoupage #Jesus #socialmedia #Facebook #Twitter #Instagram #YouTube #Twitch #Reddit #TikTok #WWJD #donotgiveup #endurance