Ryan Toone

Faith and Family, and a few other things sprinkled in.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@MichaelStanger1 It definitely connects. Your story and testimony are a great one and I love what you share.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Mike, you have a gift for articulating things and I love when you take the time to share them with others. This is such good stuff and it’s a breath of fresh air and a boost in an otherwise difficult place to be. Thank you.

[Mike Stanger ۞ 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇮🇱🌻🇺🇦✝️🎶📚 @MichaelStanger1]

Isaiah begins his book with a terrible diagnosis. Israel has rebelled against the Lord. “My people doth not consider” (Isaiah 1:3). Their wounds are described as being everywhere, “from the sole of the foot even unto the head” (v. 6). Even their religious worship has become empty. They offer sacrifices, keep their feasts, and spread forth their hands in prayer, but their “hands are full of blood” (vv. 11–15).

And then, in the middle of this indictment, comes one of the most beautiful invitations in scripture: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

The word reason is interesting. The Lord doesn't simply announce a verdict and walk away. He invites us to sit down with Him and listen. Part of what Christ must reason with us about is something we find surprisingly difficult to believe: that He has actually forgiven us and declared us free from sin.

Sinners can be strangely incredulous about forgiveness. We can believe that Christ forgives other people, while quietly assuming that our own sins are different. Too serious. Too repeated. Too embarrassing. We may continue carrying guilt long after the Savior has invited us to lay it down.

So the Lord says, in effect, Come. Let us reason together. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” He doesn't say they will be less scarlet. He doesn't say they will be mostly white, just a bit dingy. He says white as snow.

Brother Chad H. Webb recently suggested that Isaiah 1 may function as a kind of introduction to the entire book. Isaiah begins by asking how a sinful and rebellious people can become clean, and the rest of Isaiah unfolds an answer to that question by pointing us toward the Savior. Chad H. Webb, “White as Snow,” Religious Educator 27, no. 1 (2026), 1–14.

There is an especially beautiful detail in Isaiah's imagery that is highlighted by Sister Sharon Eubank:

“The scarlet dye of the Old Testament was not only colorful but also colorfast, meaning that its vivid color stuck to the wool and would not fade no matter how many times it was washed.”

She then connects that apparently irreversible stain with Isaiah 1:18 and says: “the miracle of His grace is that when we repent of our sins, His scarlet blood returns us to purity. It isn’t logical, but it is nevertheless true.”

“In essence: Come, let us reason together. You made mistakes; all come short. Come unto me and repent. I will remember the sin no more. You can be whole again. I have a work for you to do. Christ makes wool white.”

Sharon Eubank, “Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness,” Ensign/Liahona, May 2019, 75.

Isaiah is showing us something about the Atonement that we can easily forget. Christ doesn't merely help us manage our stains. He can make us clean.

Repentance is not punishment we perform to persuade Christ to forgive us. It is our turning toward the Savior so that He can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. But sometimes the hardest part comes afterward: believing that He really did it.

We may confess the sin, forsake it, make restitution, and still feel that the stain remains. We look at ourselves and say, I know what I did. How could I possibly be clean?

And Christ says, “Let us reason together.” He asks us to trust His judgment of our condition more than our own judgment of ourselves. If He says that the repentant sinner is forgiven, then perhaps humility requires us to believe Him. But the miracle is not that we eventually convince ourselves that we are worthy. The miracle is that Christ has already made us worthy through His grace.

Isaiah's message is ultimately not about how filthy Israel is. It is about how powerful the Savior is. Our sins may be scarlet. His grace is greater. Our wounds may reach “from the sole of the foot even unto the head.” His Atonement is infinite. And when we struggle to believe that we can really be forgiven, the Savior does not merely tell us to stop feeling guilty. He invites us closer.

Part of Christ’s reasoning together with us is simply this: Believe Me. I have made you clean.

Thus, Isaiah begins his great book with a promise: there is no stain of sin that is beyond the cleansing power of Jesus Christ; and no repentant sinner needs to remain stained after Christ has declared him clean.

#ComeFollowMe
#SundaySchool
Art: Howard Lyon, Though Your Sins be as Scarlet

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Lost in all the mayhem is the incredible catch. We knew JJ was legit and he just went up and grabbed it.

Also, WK coach; incredibly graceful in postgame.

And super sad for Raider. One of my favorite players and a great great guy.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@mcsuggafree Yep, but it’s Ogden. Seen that view many many times.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

That’s my hometown and I’m proud of it. Ogden, UT

[Global Break Alert @GBreakAlert]

Guess the city without googling...

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Long break from the platform and saw this first thing getting on tonight.

I love Bolles and love this example in every way.

What a stud.

[College Transfer Portal @CollegeFBPortal]

NEW: Denver Broncos Pro Bowl OT Garrett Bolles stopped to help a woman change her tire on the freeway.

True class on and off the field ����

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@bundial It isnt a superiority issue at all; statistics show when you back in when parking, vs when you return to your vehicle, you are much less likely to have an accident. Our minds are in drive mode and thinking safety, vs shopping/going inside for something to eat before backing out.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@DaniMariaRyan @BYUfootball @CriddleBenjamin @RossApoWR_EZ @Red_Env_Sports @BYUCougars Still shocked he didn’t get an invite to the combine. He will make a team very happy.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Really interesting to see both sides of the Whitt stuff. Each side has legitimate questions and frustrations.

Quite the scene.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Life is full of trials and challenges and often they feel more than we can bear on our own. But there is a way, and it is in Him. Life is also full of miracles and opportunities to experience joy and happiness. Even when all feels lost and there is no way forward, we can with Him

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Also, why didn’t you have this same perspective when it came to the injury/availability report all those years?

You want BYU to open the books on this but defended not having to share who was injured and who wasn’t because the U/Whitt didn’t have to.

But trust Whitt right?

[Alex Markham @AMarkham_UN]

This isn’t a slam on @ambernn_, it’s a way to prove everyone’s point. If the number myself & others have been saying, is wrong, then open up the books @BYU. What is there to hide? If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.

Or wait, just trust them since they’re a private institution.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@AMarkham_UN @ambernn_ @BYU Alex, when someone wants to know your source on some information you are sharing, why don’t you just divulge that? What is there to hide bu not sharing your sources?

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Sheesh. This is awesome.

The best kind of content.

[The Players’ Tribune @PlayersTribune]

“You have three older brothers that now look up to you. You will always be our champion.”

As Haley Winn gets ready for @TeamUSA’s gold medal game against Canada, her brothers, Casey, Ryan and Tommy, leave their sister an encouraging and heartwarming voicemail. ❤️

@usahockey | @Olympics

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

@LizLloyd You are awesome, Liz. Stuff like this is so hard. It’s the worst feeling just knowing how lives have been changed and so deeply impacted. It makes it worse when we do what we do on social media and treat it like one big contest or game. I’m praying for the best outcomes for all

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

We are all hypocrites in some way, but my goodness, Ute fans lecturing us BYU fans about campus police and how things are handled with outward communication is about as bad as it gets. Sheesh.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Love what Scalley quoted, and love the good people around who can maintain perspective and continue to spread love and kindness no matter what is happening around us.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Oh how I love this.

Each of us are worthy of God’s love!

[Lumen Rose @mamalechesocial]

EVERYONE needs to hear this👇

Spread this message to honor his life.

Enjoy heaven James Van Der Beek

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Rough news, that’s certain. Get it taken care of properly, whatever that outcome is.

Also certain, the 25 same Ute fans that crawl out of the cellar to chime in. Always good to see them.

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Critical to remember, using the Ok St. student section stuff as an example:

Anywhere from 100-a few hundred very loud individuals on social media make things sound so much worse than they are. The tens of thousands of other fans don’t care and don’t make something from nothing

[Ryan Toone @rctoone]

Boom, roasted.

[🦣🤙Paul Cherrington 🍒🇺🇦🤙🦣 @PaulCherrington]

@UtahCFBstats He's the guy that ran through your "defense" like he was earning his physical fitness merit badge. 🤙💙