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Prepare Him Room

There are a lot of things we look forward to at Christmas time. The food, the presents, the shopping, the Christmas services, and the company of friends and family. Many of these will look a lot different this year, but we can’t let our present circumstances dictate our enjoyment of the season. In fact, it should be the other way around!

We're kicking off the Christmas season with a three-part series called "Prepare Him Room" and hopefully it helps to make that switch in our perspective. It is a famous part of the Christmas story that Jesus was born in a manger because "there was no room in the inn." If there was ever a time where we need more room for Jesus, it is now. We are hoping that this series will encourage you not to simply make room for Jesus in your own life, but that others, through you, are able to as well.

After Amen

Prayer. There are probably a lot of different things that come to mind or emotions that you feel when you read that word. Some might be joyful, but many are probably painful, confusing, or perhaps even angering. When prayers are answered the way you expect or desire, it’s easy to celebrate and assume God “has your back.” However, when prayers go seemingly unanswered, you can’t help but question if God is really listening to you or if God cares at all. With all this in mind, how should we manage our expectations in a healthy way and what do we do after we pray and when we’re waiting on God to show up or answer us?

After Amen seeks to help us all out. This is a series based on Pastor Rusty’s book with the same title and it addresses all these questions and more. This seven-part series hopes to offer a new way to help you connect with God and learn to recognize God’s presence after you’ve prayed your prayers. God speaks and moves in different ways in our lives and this is especially seen by exploring the ministry of Jesus. So, we’ll go through and encounter a variety of different people who come to Jesus in need but receive different responses. Through this, perhaps you’ll identify with some of these stories and learn how God is communicating in your own life in order to help you take powerful steps of faith after saying “amen.”

Christianity For People Who Aren't Christian

There are a number of questions that are commonly asked about Christianity and its validity: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" "Was Jesus actually raised from the dead?" "If Jesus is supposed to be good, why do people who follow him act so terrible?" There are probably some other questions that have often turned you off, too. And for good reason! Between cringy anecdotes, unreasonable explanations, and not to mention, hypocritical and inconsistent behavior, the church's answers to these questions has been less than helpful.

This is a series called "Christianity for People Who Aren't Christians" and it seeks to give a better response to these questions and topics. In these five weeks, we attempt to strip these types of questions down to reflect a more loving approach that is consistent with who Jesus is, what he said, what he came to do. In turn, this impacts who we are, why we're here, and what we are to do. If you're curious and are in the midst of trying to answer these questions, or, if you're a Christian who simply wants to have a better response to these questions yourself, this is a great series to check out!

You Belong Here

The pandemic of COVID-19 has ravaged the entire world and drastically changed what church looks like, and that goes for the campuses of Real Life Church as well. Before the pandemic, we were a few campuses in the Los Angeles area with a decent number of people watching online. Now, we are in thousands of locations of people attending from around the globe online, with a few physical campus locations. Big difference! The cool thing, is that no matter where you’re engaging from, or how long you’ve been doing so, you belong here!

We’re addressing this shift by taking three weeks to run through one of the most beautiful stories in the entire Bible. It is a parable that Jesus told that comes from Luke 15:11-32 called “The Prodigal Son.” It is a story of grace, redemption, and unfailing love. And, at its core, it is a story about belonging. So, more than in regards to simply how long you’ve been attending or where you’re engaging from, we also want to welcome you no matter what you’re coming from. No matter if you’re a Christian or not. No matter what you’ve done or what has been done to you. No matter if you’re rich, poor, young, old, married, divorced, or single… we want to say to you “welcome home.” You belong here!

New Normal

Staying at home during a pandemic has caused a lot of anxiety in many of us. Our lives have changed so dramatically and we are beginning to see that things will never be quite the same. What we once saw as “normal” may never return and we are grieving this through denial, frustration, and sadness. We are even beginning to grieve for things that haven’t even happened yet, but that we know will be significantly affected by our current crisis.

In these moments of crisis, we need to be able to “pivot,” that is, to put a foot down on something solid, and be able to move the other foot to keep up with change because the reality is that everything we thought was solid has moved. Instead of trying to stand on shifting sand, the key is that we have to have one foot on something solid that won’t move. That’s what we’re trying to do in this series “New Normal.” By placing our feet on the solid ground of Jesus, we can be ready to face whatever this new normal will be by keeping a strong faith and supporting one another.

Like The Ones You Love

Even though relationships are necessary to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, they can be complicated and messy. “Liking” people can be extremely difficult sometimes, even with the people you are closest to! So, how do we ensure that we actually like the people that we love? How can we make the most out of all of the different types of relationships in our life?

In this series we will answer those questions and provide you with several different strategies through the Relationship Attachment Model (R.A.M.) to create and maintain strong relationships that thrive in every area of your life. This will not only empower you, but will also inspire you to empower others with these simple, yet impactful concepts. So follow along and invite a friend!

The Road to Easter

Over 2,000 years ago Jesus lived and walked in what is now modern-day Israel. In the Gospels, we see many different stories describing Jesus healing, teaching, debating with the elite religious or political figures of his time, and of course, dying on the cross and leaving an empty tomb in the wake. Many of the places where these things happened are still there today and can be visited. So, for this series, we invite you to visit with us.

Walk along with Rusty as he visits some of Jesus’ most famous stories and the very locations where they took place. Visiting these stories from the places they actually happened will bring them to life in a way that is sure to be impactful whether you are familiar with the stories or not. Join us on the Road to Jerusalem all the way up to the first Easter Sunday all those years ago.

Fear or Faith

The outbreak of COVID-19 has shaken everyone around the world. Our lives have been interrupted in a way that a majority of us have never experienced before, and many of us have been impacted heavily whether it be through our jobs, health, family, or a host of other things. We ask ourselves what all this means, what comes next, and where God is at in all this mess. We are wrestling with two words: fear and faith.

We all deal with fear differently and during times of crisis we all have differing degrees of fear. But, throughout Scripture, one of the most common phrases is “fear not.” Story after story is told of people confronting fear and using it as an opportunity to act in faith. These stories remind us to keep things in perspective in the midst of all the uncertainty around us, and be a part of how God is redeeming the world and working through the church. In this two part series, we look at a few of those stories and how we can respond by moving from fear to faith.

Signs

When you think of “signs” you may think of traffic signs, famous or iconic signs that mark places or landmarks. Signs can also be evidence that point toward something. This is appropriate because signs never exist for the sign itself. Signs always point to something else, or something bigger.

Over the course of a couple weeks, this particular series will look at some of the signs that point to Jesus as God. The truth is many of us are skeptical or cynical of Jesus, especially his followers today. Some of us “grew out” of faith or have given up on faith but maintained the parts that are comfortable to us. Many of us, still, know what we believe but we can’t give a reason why. In truth, faith and belief are two of the most misunderstood words in religious practice. We often choose what we want to believe and have faith we are right. Instead, we should have faith in what we hope for and belief in the signs we see. And when we look at these signs, we can move closer to what they are pointing to.

Anxious For Nothing

We are all anxious for something, but ideally, we would love to be anxious for nothing. But, is there any way to actually accomplish this? Author Max Lucado defined anxiety in this way: “It’s a low-grade fear, it’s an edginess, it’s a cold wind that just won’t stop howling. It’s not so much a storm as it is just a hunch. Maybe even the certainty that a storm is coming. Always another storm. Sunny days are just an interlude… it’s a meteor show of ‘what if’s.’”

Anxiety is one of the top mental issues in the U.S. today. On the outside, we like to appear as if we have it all together, but on the inside, we are filled with worry, insecurity, and we feel completely alone. In this series, we get some simple tools to help us not only get through the day, but to lower the anxiety so that we can enjoy life and make the most of it. With these simple tools, we can begin to say along with Paul, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!... Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Debt Diet

With a new year comes the tradition of “New Year’s resolution.” Many resolutions are centered on a diet and/or getting in shape. Though many resolutions end by February, there is one “diet” that we should see through until we see full results and that is the “debt diet.” For many of us, debt is out of control and causing us to drown in our finances. This, in turn, causes stress and anxiety in a lot of other areas of our life. This makes the debt diet one worth going on.

Whether it is credit card, student loans, car, mortgage, a lack of retirement funds, many of us are stuck and can’t save for the future because we are too busy paying off the past. In fact, most of us are so deep into debt that we can’t even pay off what’s next. So, the cycle continues over and over again. This is not the “abundant life” that Jesus talked about, but that life is not out of our reach if we can draw a line in the sand. When we commit to the debt diet, our life, relationships, and future can reap the rewards of the choices we make in the present.

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What Happy Couples Know

Does it ever seem like every couple around you has it all together, while you can’t even agree on what’s for dinner? Wanna know the secret?

Invited

The kingdom of heaven is an awesome place to be, and for many, they feel this is a place far from reach. But, guess what, you are Invited.

During this two week series, we will look at how Jesus has invited everyone to this eternal party that never ends, but not all will choose to attend.

Better Together

Exercise. Eat right. Share your faith. Produce fruit for God. Oh, and try to relax. Ever feel like trying to succeed is all about you? Or that trying to “die to yourself” only makes you more self-focused?

The Bible certainly has a lot to say about “me,” but it has much more to say about “we.” In fact, there are over 100 passages in the Bible where the two words “let us” are used. Let us not give up meeting together, let us encourage one another, let us serve one another. Could it be that the only way to fix “me” is found in “we”?

Together we connect with God better. Together we heal better. Together we overcome fears, raise families, fight temptations, and bless the world around us better.

Is God Fake News

"Fake news" has come to be a phrase on the hot stove of our culture in the last year. It has grown to be used in any scenario or conversation that might be considered suspect, shady or downright false. For many of us, religion, church and God have always fallen under those categories. There is a lot we don’t understand, can’t wrap our heads around and so much more that just seems like fairytale bedtime stories we tell ourselves to feel better. In short, God has become a topic of "fake news" as we grow older, become educated, and experience real life.

In this new message series "Is God Fake News" we aim to investigate if God really is "fake news". Is there any ounce of truth to this whole Jesus guy? If there is a God, is he really out to get us if we don’t fall in line? These types of questions and more will be discussed and we invite you to bring friends, family and co-workers to investigate with us. You just might be surprised by what you find.

Uconomy

the same. But when we start having money troubles, we pray to God for help or blame others for the bind that we are in. Wouldn’t it be much easier if money weren’t always a point of contention?

Well, it doesn’t have to be. In this two-week series, Uconomy, we learn how God cares about us, our money and ultimately wants to free us from over the stresses of debt and finances.

Running With Giants

Hebrews 11 is referred to as the “hall of faith.” The author lists all these heroes of the faith who displayed incredible courage and trust in God; Abraham, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and many more. Then the first verse of the next chapter says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses…let us run the race with endurance.” The witnesses are not the world, but these heroes of the faith–they are cheering us on.

All In

As we kick off a new season at Real Life Church, Rusty challenges everyone to grow and dig deeper in their walk with God.

Insomnia

What is that thing beyond your control that haunts you and creates tightness in your chest when you think about it? The world can be a scary place, and many of us might be carrying a lot of fears. But in the sea of threatening voices we want to hear God’s voice. His appeal from Scripture is clear and constant: Fear not!