Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.”
Good morning men. This morning I ask for continued prayers for my mothers family. The loss of her dad has hit all of them hard and the reality is starting to set in. Grief comes and goes in waves and hits out of no where. As the days come, it will get it easier as the Lord offers comfort to those in need.
This holiday weekend was definitely blessed, starting with my daughter coming home from college and I getting to take her on a daddy daughter date Monday night, them my company giving us an extra day off on Wednesday making it a long weekend together as a family!
We were thankful and blessed. We ate too much, but it was great catching up with family and extended family. From playing games, watching movies and just hanging out together, we laughed and hugged a lot. All that is awesome but the even bigger picture came on Sunday: the first Sunday of the Advent season. My friend and former college roommate, Roy Harryman put it so well in his blog post:
For further reading look what it meant for Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1
https://biblehub.com/esv/luke/1.htm
May your week be blessed as you seek Him, walk with Him and enjoy Him this week! May you be moved by the Holy Spirit and empowered to glorify Him in everything you do!
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
“Der mentsh trakht un got lakht”
Pastors, make this one great. It’s your opportunity, make the most of it.
The above is a Yiddish proverb. In English it translates, “Man plans and God laughs.” Things can turn in a heartbeat, where is our dwelling place?
In our time on earth, things will happen that we don’t get to understand. When they do, is our faith strong enough to maintain and even grow?
Only we can answer that for ourselves.
Make it a great week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.
Love,
Yancey
John 14:15
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. We’re less than a month away from Christmas and close to a new year, as well.
We know right from wrong. We know what we should be doing even if we choose not to. 
As we finish up this year and head into a new one, let’s make an effort to be an even better version of ourselves. Let’s make a priority to follow the commands and commandments.
Make it a great day in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.
Love,
Yancey
Good morning, men!
When I say that today is my favorite day on the calendar, I admit that I am passing over Christmas, my wife and kid’s birthdays, my anniversary, and other holidays.
So….when I tell you at 39 that I woke up without an alarm at 4:55 this am and couldn’t go back to sleep, I do so asking that you pass on the judgment!!
Tree day at the Runyan house means everyone is together, nothing is on the schedule, the rest of the world is put on hold, and we move at our own pace. I think the main reasons I love this day so much are:
1. It reminds me of a tradition started with my dad in the 80s
2. Sarah and I know we will be together with all 3 kiddos all day long
3. I spend the day in constant gratitude for the people around me and the time we have together
Getting to the point…and even if you are a fake tree person (Jesus forgives you btw)…this holiday season find time to block the schedule, shut out the outside world, and just savor the relationships and people around you. The Father smiles on all of us when we slow down and thank Him for the people he has given us in this life.
Have a blessed day, men!
M.I.T.T. ~ Runyan
Good morning men. Yesterday, one of the greatest men I’ve ever known went home to be with the Lord. My grandpa, Farris Roper, passed away at the age of 97. He passed away 3 or 4 days shy of my grandparents 74th wedding anniversary. Grandpa was one of the most loving and caring people I’ve ever met. He taught us about the importance of family and how to love our families. He was a God fearing man he is entire life and I have no doubt of where he is now. While we will miss him dearly, I know that he’s no longer in pain and is experiencing more glory than we can comprehend. So if you want to pray our family, it would be greatly appreciated but don’t pray for him. He’s in a place where he doesn’t need our prayers anymore. He’s sending prayers our way.
This Sunday we had guest preacher named Dominion preach on the context of Romans 8. He was from a church in our network (Acts 29) out of Dallas (sorry, not sorry Cowboys fans). He shared a fantastic message which runs about 33 minutes.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Romans 8:28-30 ESV
Take the time to listen to it and you will be comforted. The Lord knows our suffering better than anyone. He went through it for our sake and He shared in it for our good and His glory.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Pastors, it’s your day and your opportunity. Be exceptional … fill your congregation with hope.
In a prior message we learned about Biblical hope and how it is an expectation. I feel certain we all have personal hopes, I know I do. My new hope is for our nation, and it has been for awhile.
I see a lot of headlines about people disagreeing and about handling it poorly. I see people being unkind to each other, both in person or in the media. There are simply a large number of things that happen day to day that cause concern.
A solution would be to fill the world with hope. Share it for others to see and spread, as well. Make sure to pray for our nation. We have a lot to be thankful for. Let’s recognize that, as well.
Make it a great Thanksgiving week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.
Love,
Yancey
Proverbs 27:17
17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
This is the third coaching reference in a row.
On Friday I had to talk to our team about the processes liking, then loving, then trusting. I feel like our faith has some similarities.
Love and trust don’t come easy, especially the trust aspect. God is consistent with both every day … that’s what we are receiving.
So what are we giving? Are we consistently giving love and being trustworthy? If not, then we’re simply being takers. Let’s make sure we’re paying God’s love forward to the best of our ability. Are we sharpening those around us?
Make it a great day in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.
Love,
Yancey
 | dlpfeifer on King of Glory |
| dlpfeifer on Grateful heart |
 | Yancey Walker on An Example of Faith |
 | kevin christensen on An Example of Faith |
| dlpfeifer on An Example of Faith |
The Manly Message 
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