All Articles For Barnhill, Ryan

How much do you know about locusts? Let’s go over some facts. Locusts are a kind of insect. More technically, locusts are acridids in the Acrididae family in the Orthoptera order. Locusts have hind legs for jumping and wings for flying. Adult locusts can grow to around two and a half inches long. The creature can be found all around the world. The Bible has much to say about locusts. Scripture especially points out the ability of locusts to gather together in a large group and leave widespread destruction in their path. Exodus 10:14-15 record the plague of locusts that...

Jehovah has been faithful to the Protestant Reformed Churches in the one hundred years of her existence. Through all the years, He has been so good and gracious to us, and we have not deserved it at all. We have much reason to celebrate His tender mercies through the generations. One such celebration took place at Calvin University this past June. What an event that was, full of gladness and joy as we looked back on one hundred years as a denomination! Many thanks to those who organized that edifying week. [For more on that, see the September 2025 issue.]...

pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota   Psalm 25:4-5, penned by the psalmist David, is a beautiful prayer for young men and women to make daily: “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” We can organize these two verses around three “Ps”: paths, problems, and prayer. PATHS Young people, you are in a busy time of your life. Depending on your age, you have a set of wheels and the...

member of Faith PRC in Jenison, Michigan, full-time librarian/registrar/archivist at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and SB book review editor The following book is reviewed by Rev. Ryan Barnhill, pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.   How Does Sanctification Work?, by David Powlison. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017. Pp. 123. Author David Powlison does the church of Christ a service in this brief work on God’s work of sanctification. This is a down-to-earth, easy-to-understand treatment of a topic that in Reformed and Presbyterian circles has been studied and discussed for many years. If you are looking for a...

pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota   Have you ever experienced the following? Situation #1: You are sitting elbow to elbow with your peers at another Young People’s Society meeting. The leader has prepared a sheet of questions on a section of verses. A couple of young people diligently prepared for the discussion, but most in the group neglected even to look at the questions prior to the meeting. The leader asks the first question, looking for discussion. Crickets. You look around the table: everyone is either awkwardly looking down at their paper, or nervously shifting their...

by Bruce K. Waltke and Fred G. Zaspel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023. Pp. 588. $49.99. Hardcover. ISBN 9781433584336. Reviewed by Ryan J. Barnhill. Most pastors likely have some books on or near their desk, readily accessible because of the book’s importance in the daily work of the ministry. You might consider including How to Read & Understand the Psalms in that special group of books; such is its value! Any pastor who is preaching or teaching from the Psalms will profit from a careful reading of this work. The layperson, too, will benefit from this relatively non-technical treatment. Summary The...

pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota It’s that time again. Former President Donald Trump, flanked by his Secret Service agents, appears from behind the curtain: the music begins, the thousands roar, and he pumps his fist—another campaign rally. Vice-President Kamala Harris makes an appearance in an ad on your phone, making her personal plea for your donation. Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC give their viewers a steady diet of the latest political news and commentary. What time is it? An election year— 2024. At the point of writing this article, it appears that voters will make a choice...

Pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota   “Hate” is a strong word. When the Lord gives us a list of seven sins that He hates (Prov. 6:16), we ought to sit up and take notice. Topping that list at #1 is the sin of pride. Abominable pride! Pride is an attitude of superiority over against others and even God Himself. Proverbs 6 refers to a “proud look.” In the original Hebrew, “proud” is the word “high,” and “look” is the word “eyes.” Thus, the title of this article, and a fitting description of pride, is “high eyes.”...

Pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and secretary of the Foreign Mission Committee   The Foreign Mission Committee (FMC) consists of ten men from the Iowa/Minnesota/South Dakota area, normally divided evenly between elders or ex-elders and ministers. The FMC meets in Doon PRC’s council room on the third Tuesday of every month. The Constitution of the FMC sets forth the committee’s duties as follows: The committee shall carry on such investigation, study, correspondence, and propaganda as may prove beneficial in locating a field of labor. Once a field of labor has been located, the committee shall present...

Pastor of Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and secretary of the Foreign Mission Committee   The Council of Hope PRC (Grand Rapids, MI) would like to provide an update on the past few months on the saints in Myanmar. There have been many questions and concerns about the saints and the church in Myanmar, showing the support and care that our sister churches have for these dear saints. Throughout these difficulties, the concern and encouragement truly has demonstrated the unity of Christ’s church. The Myanmar Committee (Hope’s Council) would like to express our appreciation to our sister churches...