A Better Answer with Kyle Ranson

Heavy and weighty topic this week as we discuss the reality, questions, truths, and unknowns about what happens when people pass away. This week, specifically, if we don't know if the person who passed knew Jesus. Listen in!

This week we talk about losing someone you love as well as the hope we have in Jesus after death. Listen in!

Joy! What a widely used word with so many connotations. Is it happiness? Is it long-term or short-term? Is it about having a good life? In Galatians, Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. AKA, something that springs up out of those who believe in Jesus. Then why does it feel so elusive? Let's talk about that!

Life throws punches. At the end of the day, I just want to check out. Watch TV, play video games, eat ice cream, etc. All perfectly fine things! The problem is when we numb out to life. Avoid the pain and stack up our negative feelings till we're further and further in a pit and not moving forward. God definitely has thoughts here! Let's talk about that.

You know that feeling when someone gives you a good gift and you feel like you don't deserve it? We're digging into that today as God has given us an enormously good gift through Jesus for FREE, and yet we feel we can't receive it or we need to earn it. Let's talk about that.

God will prompt you, move you, and inspire you toward something but only give you a step to take—not a view of the whole path. God will ask us to move forward in faith, choosing to trust Him with incomplete knowledge and understanding! But that isn't easy. Let's talk about that and take that step!

Ever feel like you're stuck on the sidelines? Like you're not supposed to be in the fight? That is not what God wants for you! This week we're taking off the veil and taking a good look at what God calls us to vs what the "father of lies" wants us to believe. Listen in!

This week we're hearing Kyle speak about gaining more margin in your life. In Mark 6:31 Jesus says, "Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile." Does this sound true of your life or more like a pipe dream? And yet, Jesus spoke these words and they've been preserved in the Bible by the Holy Spirit for us to chew on! This can feel hard to live out for sure, so let's lean in and step...

Today we listen to one of Kyle's best messages about the name God has for you. We all have a name. But we fill it up with all sorts of other things. Like calling ourselves successful, a failure, inadequate, wealthy, and many other things, usually from external tangible things in life. But what about God? Do you think God has anything to say to you on this? Could God have a name for you? Listen in!

In Psalm 13, David cries out to God, "Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die." Kind of intense! And yet, very real and honest to where we can feel we are sometimes. It's difficult to be in a place where you don't feel that sparkle and can lead to a similar cry of, "God restore me!" Let's talk about that.

This is part 2 of our live recording at Crossroads College Night! If you haven't listened to part 1, it's the episode right before this. In this second half, we're diving deeper into getting out of a transactional mindset with God and then getting into some Q&A!

This was a live recording from a College Night at Crossroads Uptown! We start off by talking about gaining true wisdom in life and we jump into our main topic about when we make our relationship with God transactional. Listen next week for part 2!

Have you ever had a week where either nothing seems to be going right or you can't seem to bring yourself to do what you'd want to do to consider it a success? And then you can't help but feel like you yourself are a failure? Yeah, not fun. God has something to say about this. Let's talk about that.

If only I could control the outcome of everything in my life, then I would stop worrying, have no anxiety, and just enjoy life. What a dream. And yet, impossible. Jesus offers another way. Let's talk about that.

"Repentance." What a word. Often associated with a lot of cultural or experiential baggage. But what is it, really? Does God have a greater purpose for it, such as your freedom and joy? Let's talk about that.

If you believe in and follow Jesus, you've probably wondered what kind of role He plays in your life. I have things I want to do and accomplish! Can I keep Him on the sideline? Is He a co-pilot? Let's talk about that.

When you speak to yourself, is it kind? What about true and upbuilding? How we talk to ourselves matters as it can change what we believe about ourself or contradict what God says is true about ourselves.

Movies, media, and culture all have something to say or show about what love really is. What if we have it wrong and we're trying to chase something that God didn't even want us to chase in the first place? Let's talk about that.

Doing something a little different this week. Join in and invite a friend! Email me how it went at nick.snider@crossroads.net 

In this episode we get to learn more about who Kyle is, his story, and how asking God if He's real was part of that. Sometimes you just need to ask God directly what you're really thinking. Let's talk about that.

We've heard that following God takes faith, but what does that mean? And how does that play out, practically? How can I personally step towards real faith? Let's talk about that.

We try to earn ourselves a name we like to cover up a name we really don't like. Whether it's "weak," "not enough," "unlovable," etc, we spend our lives trying to earn a better name. However, living into who God created you as means He has a better name for you and you are free from the name you're trying to cover up. Let's talk about that.

We all have giftings whether we realize it or not. How do we identify our gifts? What if you don't believe you have any gifts? Let's talk about that.

Sometimes life just keeps throwing punches and we wonder if we should get back up. But we can and we don't need to rely only on ourselves. Let's talk about that.

The Holy Spirit can be incredibly confusing. And yet, Jesus said it's better for him to leave so that we receive the Holy Spirit. What!? So what, or who, is the Holy Spirit, and what does it mean for my life? Let's talk about that.