Deacon publishes devotional book

SARNIA, Ont. – Dcn. Brenda Ryan, a former Director of Parish Services, recently published a book, Journey through the Bible, to guide readers through the entire Bible in 406 days. Self-published through Friessenpress, the launch was held at her home congregation, Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sarnia, on February 22, 2020. Several other book talks and signings were postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19. However, Ryan has found it interesting that people are seeking to find answers and digging into Scripture more than ever, and are calling her and requesting the book to assist them.

Although no longer serving a congregation full time, Ryan says: “I did not love to serve God’s children because I was a called deacon, but I am a deacon, always, because I love to serve God’s children. Serving and encouraging is who I am.”

In 2016, Ryan began writing devotions with a desire to share with people who needed to hear them, and in 2017 LWML-Ontario supported her attendance at Speak Up, a conference for Christian writers. This led her to begin a blog called started CoffeeTime with Brenda Ryan, where she posted a devotion every Monday morning. Currently there are more than 150 posts which have found readers in 57 countries.

The book began in September 2017, when Ryan first posted a week’s worth of Bible readings along with words of encouragement and points of interest for each day. “God is true to His Word, and the Holy Spirit works through God’s Word,” Ryan says. “I knew that even if I was not face to face with people, like when I served in full-time ministry, God would draw readers’ hearts to Him, He would reveal himself, and the Holy Spirit would work faith in the hearts of the readers. The first time I read the Bible all the way through, it changed my life, and I wanted that for others.”

“The first time I read the Bible all the way through, it changed my life, and I wanted that for others.”

With an average three chapters each day, it took 58 weeks, or 406 days, to read through the Bible. Ryan also presented the Bible in chronological order so that similar points in history were presented together, like some of the events of the kings and major prophets of the Old Testament, as well as the same stories as told by multiple people in the New Testament. The journey through the Bible ended in October of 2018, while weekly devotions continued. There were challenges keeping the vast number of entries in proper format for future readers, so friends encouraged Ryan to offer the material in book form. In 2019, Ryan began doing just that.

Ryan concludes: “It is my prayer that these devotions are available for those who are seeking the Lord, his truth, and salvation, and who desire encouragement in their faith.”

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With notes from Dcn. Brenda Ryan

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