Posts by Kyle Rye (Page 2)
The Genius of Jesus’s Genealogy
Ancestry.com is the largest for-profit genealogical company in the world, referring to itself as “the global leader in family history and consumer genomics.”2 It boasts access to approximately 40 billion historical records from 80 different countries of origin, has 3 million paying subscribers, and over 25 million people in its DNA network. User-generated content has resulted in more than 131 million family trees and more than 1 billion photographs, scanned documents, and written stories. Needless to say, what used to…
New Year’s Resolutions
A common practice that coincides with the start of a new year is the making of New Year’s resolutions. A New Year’s resolution is a personal declaration of what one intends to do at the start of a new year in order to change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve one’s life. Setting such resolutions can be beneficial because they provide a strategic plan for how you intend to make beneficial changes in the…
Be the One, Not the Nine
Although the Thanksgiving holiday traces its roots back to the 17th century and was first observed nationally under the presidency of George Washington, it did not become an annual holiday until 1863 by the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’s address regarding the Thanksgiving holiday, he noted that all blessings “are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” His statement is reminiscent of Habakkuk 3:2…
Comfort Zone Caution
The story goes that a mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there, she didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that it hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgment, and she left the room. As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened? The little boy replied,…
Just Like Pluto
For 76 years, Pluto was a planet. Then one day back in 2006, it wasn’t. On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet based on their newly refined definition of a planet.1 The demotion of Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet was influenced by the fact that Pluto acts differently than the other eight planets. In particular, Pluto’s orbit is different. It is elliptical rather than circular and…
Hard to Follow
One of the great fallacies of discipleship is that once you become a follower of Jesus life gets easier. That’s just not true. Nowhere in the Bible are we promised that following Christ makes life easier. In fact, the Bible indicates that the exact opposite is true. Just consider what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14… Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by…
What Does God See When He Looks At Me?
The Bible repeatedly refers to God as an all-seeing entity (Job 28:24; Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13). His ability to see all led Hagar to dub Him El-Roi In Genesis 16:13, which means “the-God-Who-Sees.” Since He is “the-God-who-sees,” what does He see when He looks at me? Many answers could be given to this question. One might say, “God sees our sin.” Another might say, “God sees our faith.” Still, others could say, “God sees our needs,” while others contend that “God sees…
HURRICANE SEASON
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season officially opened on June 1, 2023, and will end on November 30, 2023. Prior to the start of this hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasted “a range of 12 to 17 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those, 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 1 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph…
THE BLESSING OF SEALING
One Christmas four wealthy brothers bought extravagant gifts for their elderly mother. One brother bought her a big house. Another installed a movie theater in that house. A third brother bought her a new Mercedes. But the fourth brother knew that their mother loved to read the Bible but couldn’t due to her poor eyesight. So, he found out about a parrot that had memorized the entire Bible and could recite every passage when instructed. That parrot, which took 12…
Background Check
Ancestry.com is the largest for-profit genealogical company in the world. It boasts access to approximately 40 billion historical records from 80 different countries of origin, has over 3 million paying subscribers, and more than 23 million people in their DNA network. User-generated content tallies to more than 131 million family trees, and subscribers have added more than 800 million photographs, scanned documents, and written stories. Needless to say, what used to be an elementary school project has now become big…
Divine Detours
When you are traveling in unfamiliar territory, and you come across a detour, it feels like a tremendous setback. It interrupts your momentum, your schedule, and, if you’re like me, your blood pressure. Detours are frustrating, stressful, and burdensome, but detours are often necessary. For example, detours are utilized when dangerous conditions are present. You may be forced to detour because a bridge is washed away or debris is obstructing the roadway. Detours are used when improvements are underway. You…
A GENTLE ATTITUDE
In aeronautic terminology, “attitude” refers to the angle of an aircraft in regard to a reference point such as the horizon. It encompasses the yaw (i.e., the left-to-right movement of an aircraft in relation to its vertical axis), pitch (i.e., the up or down tilt of the aircraft’s nose in relation to its side-to-side axis), and roll (i.e., the rotation of the wings around its front-to-back axis) of the aircraft. In simplistic terms, a plane’s attitude refers to its overall…