Watch and listen to latest messages from Real Life Church.
Messages
Mike Breaux
20
Kevin Finkbiner
13
Rusty George
06
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 canât 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.
Messages
Rusty George
15
Michael Hinton
08
Rusty George
01
Kevin Finkbiner
25
Rusty George
18
Rusty George
11
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, itâs easy to celebrate and assume God âhas your back.â However, when prayers go seemingly unanswered, you canât 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 weâre waiting on God to show up or answer us?
After Amen seeks to help us all out. This is a series based on Pastor Rustyâs 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 Godâs presence after youâve 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, weâll go through and encounter a variety of different people who come to Jesus in need but receive different responses. Through this, perhaps youâll 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 âamen.â
Messages
Rusty George
20
Rusty George
20
Rusty George
13
Rusty George
06
Rusty George
30
Rusty George
23
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!
Messages
Rusty George
16
Rusty George
09
Rusty George
02
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 youâre engaging from, or how long youâve been doing so, you belong here!
Weâre 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 âThe Prodigal Son.â 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 youâve been attending or where youâre engaging from, we also want to welcome you no matter what youâre coming from. No matter if youâre a Christian or not. No matter what youâve done or what has been done to you. No matter if youâre rich, poor, young, old, married, divorced, or single⊠we want to say to you âwelcome home.â You belong here!
Messages
Matt Grubb
14
Cole Parrish
07
Kevin Finkbiner
31
Rusty George
24
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 ânormalâ may never return and we are grieving this through denial, frustration, and sadness. We are even beginning to grieve for things that havenât 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 âpivot,â 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 wonât move. Thatâs what weâre trying to do in this series âNew Normal.â 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.
Messages
Rusty George
17
Jodi Hickerson
10
Rusty George
03
Mike Breaux
26
Rusty George
19
Like The Ones You Love
Even though relationships are necessary to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, they can be complicated and messy. âLikingâ 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!
Messages
Rusty George
12
J. Warner Wallace
11
Rusty George
10
Rusty George
09
Tuvya Zaretsky
08
Rusty George
07
Rusty George
06
Rusty George
05
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 Jesusâ 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.
Messages
Rusty George
29
Rusty George
22
Rusty George
15
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 âfear not.â 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 âsignsâ 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 âgrew outâ 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 canât 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.
Messages
Rusty George
23
Mike Breaux
16
Rusty George
09
Carey Nieuwhof
02
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: âItâs a low-grade fear, itâs an edginess, itâs a cold wind that just wonât stop howling. Itâs 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⊠itâs a meteor show of âwhat ifâs.ââ
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, âRejoice 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.â
Messages
Kevin Finkbiner
26
Matt Grubb
26
Mike Breaux
19
Rusty George
19
Rusty George
12
Mike Breaux
12
Rusty George
05
Debt Diet
With a new year comes the tradition of âNew Yearâs resolution.â Many resolutions are centered on a diet and/or getting in shape. Though many resolutions end by February, there is one âdietâ that we should see through until we see full results and that is the âdebt diet.â 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 canât 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 canât even pay off whatâs next. So, the cycle continues over and over again. This is not the âabundant lifeâ 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.
Messages
Rusty George
27
Rusty George
20
Rusty George
13
Rusty George
06
What Happy Couples Know
Does it ever seem like every couple around you has it all together, while you canât even agree on whatâs 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.
Messages
Rusty George
11
Jud Wilhite
04
Rusty George
25
Rusty George
18
Rusty George
11
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 âdie to yourselfâ only makes you more self-focused?
The Bible certainly has a lot to say about âme,â but it has much more to say about âwe.â In fact, there are over 100 passages in the Bible where the two words âlet usâ 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 âmeâ is found in âweâ?
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.
Messages
Rusty George
28
Rusty George
21
Rusty George
14
Rusty George
07
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 donât understand, canât 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 donât 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. Wouldnât it be much easier if money werenât always a point of contention?
Well, it doesnât 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.
Messages
Mike Breaux
06
Mike Breaux
30
Mike Breaux
23
Dave Dummit
16
Shane Philip
09
Rusty George
02
Rusty George
25
Rusty George
18
Running With Giants
Hebrews 11 is referred to as the âhall of faith.â 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 âTherefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnessesâŠlet us run the race with endurance.â The witnesses are not the world, but these heroes of the faithâthey 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.
Messages
Rusty George
08
Rusty George
01
Rusty George
24
Brennan Conklin
17
Rusty George
10
Rusty George
03
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 Godâs voice. His appeal from Scripture is clear and constant: Fear not!