Real Life Church Podcast

Ricky Bobby famously coined the phrase, "if you're not first, you're last." And it kind of feels that way in society today. People worrying about themselves, doing whatever it takes to be the best of in first place, even if that mean sacrificing who they are as a person. In week three of our message series "Joy Ride" teaching pastor Mike Breaux shows us how being second is actually how God intended us to live. We should worry about others first before ourselves.

Many of us think joy and happiness are mutually exclusive, when in fact they are not. We find joy by choice, by an internal wanting to find joy and is not based on external circumstances. As apposed to happiness, happiness is typically found based on random, external circumstances. As we walk through week two of “Joy Ride” Rusty looks at how to find joy in struggle. How even in struggle we can have still find joy by seeking Jesus Christ.

We all find joy in a variety of different things. Some of us like vacations, others like reading a good book, while others find joy in their relationship with Jesus. Whatever it is you find joy in, are you confident that you will always find joy in that same place? Beginning our new message series “Joy Ride”, Rusty looks at the Christian faith and how it is an inside-out kind of faith. God begins to change who we are on the inside which suddenly begins to impact who we are on the outside.

Real Life Church Ministries is excited to be #for Jesus. From Valencia, to Canyon Country, to Simi Valley to the entire world online, RLCM is dedicated to helping people find and follow Jesus.

The word hypocrite in the Bible can be easily translated to the word actor. Many of us judge others actions as hypocritical, but never look at our own actions but instead judge our own intentions. By doing this, we will never receive the full life that Jesus has for us. In our final week of Weapons of Self Destruction, Brennan helps us walk through how to stop being a hypocrite to help us become more of the person God designed us to be.

Simply put, pride is an overinflated ego that says I am better than those around me; I am far more qualified, I have a better marriage, I have better children. The danger with filling our lives with things that can easily go away, is they often do. In week one of Weapons of Self-Destruction, guest speaker of Mission City Church in Santa Barbara (https://www.missioncitysb.com), Jake Barker talks about pride and what the Lord says about it, how we should eliminate from our lives and ultimately find our identity in the Him.

The Greatest Showman tells the story of American showman P.T. Barnum, founder of the circus that became the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Throughout this movie, we see P.T. struggle and toward his dreams of building something great so that he can give his family the life he feels they deserve. But When he ultimately achieves those dreams it is not enough. It is at this point we see P.T. start to neglect his values and begin to worry more about himself than the people he loves. In Mark 8:36 it says, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” We learn from P.T. Barnum that it is easy to get lost in the world and chase things we think matter, but ultimately it is our core values and the ones we love that matter most. Real Life Church does not agree with every part of the movies we select for the “At the Movies” series. Please use your own description when you consider viewing any of the movies in their entirety.

Beauty and the Beast is the story of a cursed prince and a beautiful young woman who helps him break the spell. Just as the beast did in Beauty and the Beast, many of us look at our outward appearances and will judge a book by its cover. But lucky for us, Jesus looks through that, as just as Bell rescued her father from a lifetime of imprisonment, Jesus can rescue us from a lifetime of sin. With Jesus, He allows us to move from selfishness to selflessness and help us to focus on the good rather than the bad. We’re all beasts until Jesus redeems us and makes us into something new. Real Life Church does not agree with every part of the movies we select for the “At the Movies” series. Please use your own description when you consider viewing any of the movies in their entirety.

Saving Mr. Banks is a movie that focuses on Walt Disney trying to buy the rights to Marry Poppins, a fictional character developed by Pamela Allows. Growing up with an alcoholic father, we see Pamela having a difficult time letting go of her past, and ultimately the rights to Marry Poppins. Our past impacts who we are, but it should never limit who we become. The Lord tells us to forget about the past for He is do something new (Isaiah 43:18-19). We are to look forward and press on–letting go of the past and grasping onto what God is doing in our present lives. Real Life Church does not agree with every part of the movies we select for the “At the Movies” series. Please use your own description when you consider viewing any of the movies in their entirety.

reallifechurch.org — Hidden Figures tells the incredible untold story of Katherine Jonson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the Space Race. The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial line and inspired generations. Jesus brought His word and truth for everyone, regardless of race or gender. He wants you to use the gift, talents and abilities to be used for His glory, no matter the difficulty or circumstances. Real Life Church does not agree with every part of the movies we select for the “At the Movies” series. Please use your own description when you consider viewing any of the movies in their entirety.

reallifechurch.org – Lion is the real-life story of Saroo Brierley. His story began as a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family. Throughout life many of us go through a season of trying to survive; looking for answers, seeking healing from sickness, disappointed with our job or struggling through a broken marriage. Just as Saroo became lost in life, he was always seeking to find his mother. And just like his mother, God is searching for us and He will never give up until we find Him.

During week one of our message series "At the Movies", Rusty unpacks the movie Hacksaw Ridge, the true story of Desmond Doss a United States Army corporal combat medic. During World War II, Doss saved the lives of 75 men without ever holding a rifle or firing a single shot at the enemy. Many of us have convictions from God, but because of fear, doubt, criticism and so many other reasons we never follow down the path the Lord has set in front of us. All the while the Lord tells us not to fear what others say because we should find our comfort and safety in Him. Real Life Church does not agree with every part of the movies we select for the “At the Movies” series. Please use your own description when you consider viewing any of the movies in their entirety.

It isn't often we wake up and think, "God, how can you use me today?" We typically wake up thinking about pain, can I sleep for five more minutes or begin to worry about the stresses of the day. Going into the last week of our message series "Me", Rusty looks at a world in which we do ask the question, "God, how can you use me today?"

Money and church should never be in the same sentence together. At least that is what most people say when it comes to the local church. But if that statement is true, why would money be the most talked about topic in the Bible? In week three of our message series "Me", Rusty begins to look at how God expects us to test Him when it comes to our finances. Through this idea testament idea, we learn that giving is not only meant to serve as obedience to God, but rather give you blessings in your life.

We have heard it said that "money is the root of all evil". But many of us get that reference wrong. It is the "love" of money that leads to the root of all evil. And knowing that, should change our perspective on how we handle and look at money in our lives. This week of our message series "Me", Rusty makes us aware that if we are not careful, we will love money and use people. Rather than allowing God to work through us to love people and use money.

Wouldn’t it be great to just ask God for blessings and they would happen? No waiting, just instant blessings. The problem with this type of thinking is that we were not made to simply receive, we were also made to give back. In week one of our new message series “Me”, we learn about where are blessings come from, how we should handle what we are blessed with and ultimately where are focus should be here on earth.

Moms do a lot–from soccer practice to laundry to homework, there is no end to what they do for their kids. But in doing so, there can sometimes be an underlying struggle of being perfect at everything. This Mother's Day, Rusty looks at the last letter Paul wrote to Timothy, encouraging him to remember his faith in God when feeling not capable of doing the tasks that are before him.

In this day and age, it isn't very hard to be skeptical with just about everything. Fake news is rampant, everyone says they have a magic pill to make you happier, skinnier or more rich. And religion isn't any better, or is it? This week we have guest speaker Shane Philip from The Crossing church in Las Vegas, NV showing us how we build walls to keep us skeptics about God's amazing love for us. And how by overcoming those walls, we learn that Jesus is better experienced than explained.

We now know that many of our desires in life are selfish wants vs core values, and in order to obtain those values, we need to die to ourselves. But how do we do that? As we finish up our series "How To Get What You Really Want", Rusty unpacks scripture from Romans 12:2. In order for us to obtain what we really want, we to transform our minds and stop listening to the world, but rather focus on God.

If you were to die today, what would people say about you? Would you want people to remember you for your fortune, car or awards that you have won over your lifetime, or would it be something else? Using that as a basis, in week 3 of How To Get What You Really Want, Rusty shows us how looking at this question will help us unpack what it is we truly value rather than the quick pleasure of what we want.