Hey there! My name is Hollis.

I earned a Masters in Theological Studies in 2022 and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Ministry in 2019 from Lipscomb University.

Growing up in a Christian home just outside of Boston, MA, I cultivated a love for the things of God at a very young age and developed a dynamic history of serving the local church.

I received the call to preach in April of 2012 and have been serving in ministry ever since. I am deeply passionate about theology and am absolutely fascinated by the academic pursuit of God, but above all I am passionate about making theology and the knowledge of God accessible to the average Christian. I believe God desires to be known and to have a daily, intimate relationship with His people, and I strive to reveal just how present God is in the everyday things of life, to enable others to deepen their relationship with God, and to teach a generation about true worship.

When I'm not geeking out over theology, I can usually be found attempting a brand new hobby (I have way too many).  I love spending time with people and I love hearing stories, so if you want to grab coffee and share some good stories, hit up the contact page. I am so glad you found my site and I hope you stick around! 

*If you keep scrolling down, you can find a little more of my story.

Here's a little more of my testimony!

In March of 2011, I was playing basketball in PE class when my entire life changed. I reached over to get the ball from my friend when I tripped on her leg and fell on my head; getting a concussion that has lasted ever since. My symptoms were very unique and every doctor we went to said they had never seen any case like it before.  I would get these “blackout episodes”, as we began to call them, and they would come sporadically and last indefinitely. In these episodes everything would become dark almost like I was wearing intense sunglasses over my eyes. My hearing would become muffled, I would lose the ability to feel things physically, I could not comprehend the things going on around me and I would forget everything that happened in that time frame. These episodes would come multiple times a day and last for hours on end. The longest one I had lasted for eight days straight; I don’t remember anything that happened in that week. I had a constant headache, light of any kind hurt my eyes, and my brain could not focus on anything for more than 15 minutes.

The average concussion lasts for 3 months but mine has lasted for just over 8 years. That is almost one-third of my life that I don’t really remember. This illness was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I remember during my first year, I was medically bedridden for an entire 4 months. Though the physical pain and hardship was great (and sometimes too much to bare) the emotionally side was far worse. I had just transferred schools and found a brand new church when I got ill so the people I was now surrounded by never met the "real me". I remember wishing it were all over and even crying myself to sleep because I was in so much pain, just begging God to not wake me up in the morning. 

This illness was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, but if I can tell you one thing today, it is that the Lord is so faithful. When I first got sick I was pretty far from God. This concussion forced me to rely on God and trust that He would heal me... and He did. God brought me through a journey of healings and miracles. I had four miraculous healings over the course of my illness and each one launched me further into freedom. I held on to the promises of Job, knowing that in a similar way my illness was not from God, but would be used to glorify Him someday. 

In 2012 I received the call to preach the Gospel and use my concussion as my platform. I have witnessed miraculous healing in my life and I am so honored to share them with the world. I believe God is a God of healing. I believe He can heal any disease or illness! It is the goal of Hollis Ryder Ministries to share what the Lord has done in my life and to share the gift of healing with others. "For I cannot but speak of the things I have seen or heard" (Acts 4:20 ESV). I believe the Lord is the Great Physician and that He intends to heal us, whatever that may look like.

I believe what Revelation 12:11 says, "They triumphed over him [Satan, death, sickness] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...". In the short journey of sharing my testimony so far, I have truly witnessed the lame walk and the lost become found, all under the precious name of Jesus! I have seen God move, and I long for Him to move again. 

I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.  I long to see miraculous healings, mighty moves of God, salvation through Jesus Christ, and a generation who is passionate about the things of God. 

I am so honored you visited my site; I hope you enjoy it and stick around! I will be documenting in my blogs some of the thoughts and revelations God gives me during everyday life with Him. I am so excited to see all that the Lord has planned. It is all to glorify the beautiful name of Jesus!

"For it is because of an illness that I first preached the Gospel to you" (Galatians 4:13).