Conversations with Ray Martinez

Yes, the miracles of the Bible are to be taken literally, just as all Scripture is to be taken literally, except those portions which are clearly intended to be symbolic.  Each of the miracles in the Bible served a purpose and accomplished something that couldn't be accomplished in any other way.  Once we begin to doubt the reality of any miracle, we have to discount everything the Bible...

You've undoubtedly seen the ubiquitous Capital One ad campaign featuring celebrities asking that now famous question “What's In Your Wallet?” The company wanted to use the quote because it's an interesting question. The stuff in our wallet represents financial security, purchase power, and prosperity. Today we’re gonna be talking about what’s in your toolbox or what’s in your wallet. How do we use...

Being and serving one another is scripturally based for sure.  Let’s think of some other scriptures, from the Words of Jesus, that discusses the idea of “one another”.  If we don’t know how to comfort one another, Paul teaches us that God  is “the source of all comfort.”  Follow in his steps, one step at a time. We are taught to accept one another, to forgive one another, serve...

Five other times in Scriptures the word “fix” is used by God to give us direction. God gives us a clear direction to keep our focus fixed upon His will; for us to permanently maintain our focus, our centre of attention, firmly on God.  We are admonishes to keep our hearts and minds, our intellect and the very fibre of our being, always feasting on the word of God, constantly meditating on His...

People do not drift  towards holiness.  People do not gravitate towards holiness, obedience, prayer, scripture, and the delight in the Lord. We drift towards compromise and call it tolerance, we drift towards disobedience and call it freedom, we drift towards superstition and call it faith, we drift”… It’s important that we engage with faith driven effort. We have to be in pursuit. The b...

Many times in our decision making process we don’t know which way to go. We might not know which way to go, but God does. The Scriptures are clear that God will show us our path in life. the scripture teaches us that if we are godly He will direct the very steps that we take and He really enjoys every detail of our life, even when we stumble, He says I’ve got your hand so you don’t get hurt. God s...

Luke and Cleopus were engaged in a fervent discussion about the death of Jesus.  One may have been doubting, but they were still spreading the good word, even though they are sadden that they have not seen Jesus, arisen.  Jesus suddenly appears to them, without revealing himself, and asks what they are discussing?  Jesus explains to them that he was from the beginning.  In this podcast we discover...

Today's news coverage is at the Town Hall meeting with Rep. Hugh McKean (House Minority Leader) in Loveland, CO. Rep. McKean updated us on the current events at the capitol.  Topics included: The $1m liability insurance proposed on Uber drivers that will only drive up the cost of rides for you and me.  Public Safety the lack of will drive up insurance costs.  Sen Bill #217 to elimin...

There are times, we want to do God’s will, our way, instead of His way. Peter needed to assure his readers that their struggles to live godly lives in the face of false teaching and the world’s mockery would be rewarded. God knows how to rescue us. In other words we don’t know how, but God does. When we are at wits end and don’t know what to do, we refer to God and what He taught us: Trust God. Do...

Even what seems to be some of the smallest things in our life are many times some of the most difficult. Such as: our appetite, exercising to the point of injuries, and our tongue. The Bible warns us that if we do not have self control, we will be slaves to what controls us. Impulse control is never easy. All of us struggle with overcoming sinful impulses. We are not to feed our minds with that wh...

There should be a reason why you are giving. God gave out of love so that no one would perish if they would choose to believe on his son. Are you giving for personal recognition, for personal gain, or to influence someone? Or are you giving just for tax deduction reasons? Will you still give if the federal government takes away the tax deduction? The intent of your giving says it all. The silent d...

Occasionally, I like to send out a podcast on the latest news update.  Hi-lights  of top stories are captured in a few minutes from National, State, local and political races.  Today's podcast captures the Truckers in Canada, local families are done with covid, Critical Race Theory, and Colorado US Senate race in the GOP.

In this podcast we talk about a business here in Fort Collins, Colorado known as Ihop! I talk about their friendly service and survey opportunities to get a free stack of pancakes. What a great response from management and employees which are all very friendly people. But I’m going to advise you how you can get a free smile as well. Carrie Juarez is a super star manager. She deserves recognition f...

To restore means "to repair, renovate, or return to a former condition." The soul is the deepest part of us, our spirit and innermost being. There are people who like to restore cars, old clocks, antique furniture, and even houses. They like to bring them back to their original state and make it look new again. Bringing things back to its original state, or how God first met you when you were so m...

Making disciples is not the same as making converts.  Converts come from decisions; disciples com from dedication.  And it takes one to make one. To obey Jesus’ final commands, we must share the Gospel with others so they will also go and “make disciples of all the nations.” We are not saved to sit and contemplate; we are saved to go and share. It is important that we talk and proclaim t...

Encouragement is something we all need to keep us motivated, loved, and feeling confident in ourselves and what we do.  It’s something that is important for our mental and overall health and it truly can give us just the same amount of joy to give it to others as it is to receive it. Because God created us and knows this about our personalities, he has provided countless verses in the Bible t...

Wisdom comes from interaction, often critical, with a good friend. This is a deep rooted comment and it’s about having that difficult conversation. The World’s way is: Man-up, tough love, confrontation. God’s way is: Through grace, love, truth, hope, and faith all woven together that emanates from the heart into a meaningful conversation.  In today's podcast, we will go over the 10 commandmen...

Relationships are a gift from God, but they are also complicated to navigate. They can be uplifting and encouraging when they go right, yet confusing and hurtful when they go wrong. If you are struggling in a relationship, Bible verses about relationships offer guidance for how to proceed. We will look at several different verses that apply to various types of relationships. As we study and medita...

Everyone is ultimately accountable to God. He is the Creator of all things.  We will learn the difference between responsibility (last weeks study) and accountability today. As leaders, you are held accountable for those you lead. These people are looking to you for guidance, like little children. We have a responsibility to lead and to lead well. We can’t take our leadership lightly, Otherwi...

The Bible teaches the concept of personal responsibility: “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child."  I like verse 4 of our reading. In some respects it’s kind of like saying “mind your own business” or, “it’s none of your business about the faults of others, you have plenty of your own to wor...

When we pause, we suddenly realize that we have a lot of meetings in our life.  It's the key way of getting things done and organized.  The Christian life is not meant to live isolated, but live in fellowship with other believers. For this reason, Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together... Regul...

In today's podcast, we will learn how Jesus comforts his disciples because they are worried about the future. He knows what bothers us and he knows that our emotions tend to run interference with reality or sensibility. After all, he gave us our emotions, but he also gave us the ability to comfort one another. Jesus also promised to send us the Comforter (the Holy Spirit).  When Jesus tells h...

Mary Jane, my sister, had a heart of gold.  She left us to be with the Lord. Nevertheless, she didn't leave without a legacy to remember her by.  I've share some personal stories about her life of struggles and success and how she impressed others because of her love for the Lord and her family. When she entered heaven, I'm certain that God said, "well done my good and faithful servant."...

Hallelujah means, Praise ye Jehovah, Praise God, praise the Lord... The difference between Hallelujah and Alleluia is that the Hallelujah is used for joyful praise of the Lord, whereas, Alleluia is used for traditional chants in the name of the Lord. The term Alleluia is a Latin word that has been derived from the Greek transliteration of hallelujah. Did you know that that word "Hallelujah" is the...

Martin Luther King repeated the phrase ‘we shall overcome’ over and over again. He was echoing the words of folksinger Joan Baez. Life involves many struggles, trials, tests, temptations, difficulties and battles. Yet, in Christ you can be an overcomer. To overcome means to conquer, prevail…to carry off the victory, according to Strong’s and Thayer’s definition. When you come to the point of being...