Doctorate of Theology – Dr. Ryan L. Sumstad

On Saturday, December 3, 2016, the Lynnaugh Bible Academy held a graduation ceremony for the class of 2016.  This was the 6^th class to graduate from the LBA.  The Bible Academy is accredited by Shalom Bible College and Seminary in West Des Moines, Iowa.  I received the degree of Doctor of Theology at graduation after an intense two year program after completing a Master’s degree in Christian Education.

Class of 2016 (Ryan in back row 3^rd from left

Introducing Dr. Ryan L. Sumstad

Doctor of Theology

Summa Cum Laude

Next, I’ll spend the next two years working on a Ph.D. in Nouthetic Counseling (Christian Counseling).  My dream is to be a counselor who helps individuals and couples find solutions to problems in God’s word. I hope I can guide people away from all the terrible mistakes I’ve made in life and help them find the way, the one way, set forth by our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ.

To fuel my ambition for Christ I will be a new instructor for the Lynnaugh Bible Academy teaching Christian Leadership and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).  I am excited to be teaching Christ’s words to men who want to transform their lives to become better fathers and husbands while earning a college degree.  I will be teaching alongside my brother in Christ and Class of 2016 Valedictorian, Larry Lawhorn.

 

The LBA’s two new instructors (Larry & Ryan)

Please pray for us all that we will be guided by the Holy Spirit to reveal the eternal truths of God’s Word.  I am so thankful to the many volunteers and supporters who have made this possible.  I stand in awe of God’s power to effect the changes I see all around the LBA.  God can reach us anywhere and redeem even the very least of us.  Thank you, Lord, for Your plan for each of us (see Jer 29:11).

Gace & Peace,

Dr. Ryan

Find Your Hope

Where is your hope?  What gives you hope?  What does your hope rest upon?

There is only one true hope.  All else is false hope.  True hope comes from Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:2).  We are saved by this hope (see Romans 8:24).  By this hope we can trust in God’s promises of mercy, grace, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and redemption.  If you do not have this hope, I encourage you to find it.  Start by reading God’s Word.  The Gospel of John will teach you about God’s love for you.  The Book of Romans will guide you through the steps to take. And the First Epistle of John (1 John) will teach you to know for a certainty that you have this true hope.

The future holds a sweet hope for all who believe.  This brings me great comfort.  Search the Scriptures diligently – they are a love letter to you from God.  He loves you.  I love you.  I would lay down my life for you. 

May the Peace of God and His Grace be with you always.  Break the chains.  Amen.

PS: This will be my final Blog for a long while.  Know that I am thinking of you little ones every single day.  I am proud of each of you.  You are each special to me.  I love you all dearly.  God bless you and keep you.  Amen.

PPS: I was blessed with another visit from Dad, Etta, and Amber.  Keep them in your prayers.  Graduation is in December! Yay!  

Happy, Productive Marriages

     The difference between who you are now and who you will be in the future is based on the books you read and the people you associate with.  I’m being very selective with those I associate with – Christians trying to improve themselves.  I’m also very selective with what I read – Scriptures and books based on Scripture.  I’m working hard to remake myself into a new Creature in Christ.  I’m taking this process very seriously.  I’m relying on the Power of the Atonement to give me the strength to do it.

      Part of my reading has been research into marriage.  Heaven knows I need plenty of work in that area – as do most people.  I’ve come across a wonderful book for anyone from 14 – 41, married or years from marriage.  It’s called”

“In Search of A HELP MEET” by Michael & Debi Pearl

(ISBN 978-1-61644-050-3) www/nogreaterjoy.org

     I totally agree that wives are forever, relationships have eternal consequences and “to be perfectly united to a woman is a man’s greatest fulfillment and his finest success, bar none.” This book will prepare you for success and happiness in marriage at the most critical point: before you start looking.  You’ll also find out more about yourself in the process.  The Pearls have an easy sense of humor that will immediately put you at peace and leave you feeling like you’ve known them for a long time.  Please read this book….your marriage depends on it.

Grace & Peace

Dream A Little More

3-3-16

To little angels on their Big Day, allow me to share this nice quote about dreaming:

            “If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.”

                        -Marcel Proust

You both will always be lovely and so delightful to me.  Your beauty is only surpassed by your utter awesomeness. Never forget that you are precious, pretty, and loved so very much.  So, dream more and dream big. I love you both.  Happy Birthday!

Grace & Peace

“Every Child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once you grow up” – Pablo Picasso

In our youth we had colorful ideas waiting to be shared with the world. We were so alive.  Did we let this side of us show?  Ws it stifled somehow?  Many things can close up our childlike openness.  Maybe we just denied it ourselves thinking it was what we need to do to “grow up”.

Claim your child, the artist, inside ofyou.  Do not be ashamed.  We each still have our unique artistic side living inside. The more we tap into that energy, the more color and joy we bring to others as well as ourselves.  Don’t be afraid to add color to life.  It is a choice, joy is a choice too.

Don’t hide from yourself and others.  Let your creative side open up your child inside.  Allow Heavenly Father to help you.  Claim the child inside of you.  Have the faith of a child.  “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” (Ps 8:2)

When I Was 14........

I was already 4 months into my freshman year of high school.  My best friend and I both got new jeans and jean jackets for the new school year.  Mine was all black and his was all blue denim.  We were totally not cool, we were freshmen.  I was playing the violin in the school orchestra and the only county youth orchestra.  Pegged pants, neon laces, and Michael Jackson were cool.  I was a skateboarder and towards the end of winter I went snowboarding for the first time and loved it.  I fell a bunch and by the way, pegged pants are very hard to get off when they are soaking wet.  Snowboarding was still outlawed on the California side of Lake Tahoe so we went to the Nevada side and also to Mt. Reba/Bear Valley.

I did well academically except for a science class.  I had a crush on the teacher.  There was a senior in the class too.  She liked my skater hair cut and would flirt with me all class period.  I had zero flirting skills so it was exciting and extremely frustrating at the same time.  I would go home and think up cool things that I should have told her, but being hours too late to actually say them.  I should have been studying my science instead.

That summer after freshman year I was racing my buddy down  a steep hill.  I beat him, the got “speed-wobbles” and ate it.  I had so much road rash, I couldn’t walk.  I still have scars on my knees and both sides of my hands from that fall.  I was also shaving my face regularly – some sort of Norwegian super beard thing.  I was a terrible shaver, I have a huge scar on the side of my face to prove it.  I have to explain that dumb scar every time I get a new barber to cut my hair.  I started playing football (JV) and started in all the preseason games. I played right guard.  Then one day after learning “Ollie North”, I was skating home and broke my left ankle trying to Ollie over a drainage ditch.  I was on crutches the rest of the football season – physical therapy either wasn’t in vogue yet or it wasn’t part of my Mom’s HMO.  I’m still missing ligaments in that ankle and there’s a dime-sized bone chip floating around in there that locks up the joint from time-to-time.

My Dad was in and out of rehab during this time. I wish he had been around to tell me how proud he is of me and how much he loves me.  I really wish he would have taught me how to shave or maybe how to talk to girls.  He could have helped me rehab my ankle and even given me some training pointers to make me a better athlete.  He should have taken me to church so I could develop an “eternal perspective” on life and not be so anxious about being cool or fitting in with my peers. 

It was during this time that I began to develop the philosophy that I would be a good man if I was the opposite of my Dad.  If you know me, you might see how that didn’t work out well for me.  If you really know me, then you know how hard I tried to follow hat on my own.  If you know me now, you’ll know I am never alone anymore – Jesus is with me and I also have a good relationship with my dad.  We have an eternal perspective that can see beyond our failings big and small. 

If I could give that special, loved 14 year old any advice then I would start with Jesus and the Bible.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God, so go to church and be motivated to develop and eternal perspective of your own.  Don’t just go through the motions.  Read and study the Bible a little bit every single day.  Do it first thing every morning and night.  Talk about anything you want.  You do this and you won’t have to worry about girls or peers.  Study to get all A’s.  Public school is super easy.  If you have anything less than an A, just ask your teacher what you can do to bring it up or how to get an A.  They are there because they enjoy helping kids learn.  As for athletics goes, read the book “Supple Leopard.”  It’s a weird title, but it is amazing.  It would help in football, running, skateboarding, snowboarding, you name it.  You’re young, so learn to push yourself harder while you still can.  Life is all about experiences, but it’s also the on-ramp to eternity, don’t get lost in the worldly, fleshly things and miss out on the eternal.

I love you, buddy.

Grace & Peace