Ryan Ingersoll

Ryan’s talk focused on calling as an expression of our unique identity as God’s beloved. Sharing from his work with the Trinity Education Foundation, he described how the closure of Trinity Lutheran College became new life through scholarships and support for students. He highlighted common struggles like purpose, loneliness, and financial barriers, reminding us that calling is not just about careers but about being our authentic selves. Drawing on scripture and voices like Henri Nouwen, Mary Oliver, and Howard Thurman, he urged us to let go of what no longer serves, listen for the “sound of the genuine” within, and live with courage, creativity, and love.

What if love didn’t ask you to prove anything—but instead undid everything holding you back? In this deeply personal and stirring detour from the planned message, Ryan invites us to explore a kind of love that liberates, offends, protects, and expands. It’s a love that breaks rules, challenges egos, and redefines how we hold space for others—and for ourselves. Whether it’s in broken relationships, messy faith, or hard conversations, Ryan names the tension and gently reframes the story. This isn’t love that fixes—it’s love that frees. And in that freedom, we just might find our true selves waiting.

Peace isn’t something to chase—it’s already within us. Advent peace calls us to let go of illusions about how life or others should be, embracing the here and now as God’s gift. It’s a challenge to stop striving, to release our timelines and expectations, and to trust God’s presence in every moment. True peace comes when we stop trying to control outcomes and begin to live fully in God’s grace. This season, pause to recognize that the Prince of Peace offers freedom, wholeness, and rest—not through striving, but by surrender. How can you live in this peace today?