Real Life Church Podcast

Though many of us acquire and get what we want in life, not many of us see that getting what we want may compromise what we truly want. Human nature at its core is selfish and ultimately destroys what we really want. During week two of "How to Get What You Really Want" Rusty shows us how we seek happiness through our wants even though they may contradict our values.

Many of us get what want in life, for others, that is not always the case. But when you do get what you want, is it really what you wanted. We typically are seeking constant pleasure, quick fixes, immediate satisfaction, when at times we get it, it becomes our immediate regret. In week one of "How To Get What You Really Want", Rusty talks us through the difference between wanting something and really wanting something. We all have instant wants, but are those the true wants and desires of our heart?

At some point in our lives, we feel a sense of hollowness or hopelessness. We worry or have anxiety about our futures, our children and so many factors that are truly out of our control. And for many of us, we try and fill this hopelessness with things rather than someone. This Easter Rusty shares that we should find in Jesus rather than in things. That if we begin to put our hope in Jesus, the sense of hollowness and hopelessness will slowly begin to be filled with His great love. If you would like to download the fill in the blank card Rusty talks about throughout the message, you can download it here: https://www.reallifechurch.org/resources/Handout_Easter.pdf

As we continue to live out our faith with the Lord, there are several steps along the way that we need to take. Living out our faith is more than just acts of kindness, but requires us to RSVP to a way of life. As Mike Breaux finishes up our two-part series of Invited, he talks about what it means to RSVP to a life with Jesus. We must: Repent Say We’re Sorry Verbalize Our Trust Plunge Our Past

Many of us think we know better, and for some of us, that is true. But a large majority of us are always seeking instant gratifications in the choices that we make. One such story told in the Bible was the story Jesus told of the prodigal son, and like the prodigal son, many of us have desires and appetites that will never fully be satisfied. This week as we begin a new message series Invited, Mike Breaux unwraps the lesson behind the prodigal son. It is when our hearts are captured by the Father, we begin to change and no longer seek instant gratification in our desires, but rather live to love others as Jesus loved us.

We have all heard the phrase, “it takes a village to raise a child.” But what exactly does that mean? When it comes to raising our children we have it covered so why would we need anyone else to do that for us. In our last week of Better Together, Rusty unpacks how raising our children together is better than doing it alone. By seeking help in raising our children with others, we can leave a legacy that will honor God for generations after we are gone.

We all have hurts, habits and hang-ups. Whether it be addictions, relationships or struggles, we will all go through life dealing with issues that need immediate attention. But when those situations arise, should we try and handle them alone or together? In week four of Better Together, guest speaker Jud Wilhite from Central Christian in Las Vegas shows us that it is better to overcome our weaknesses together. You can also learn more about overcoming your hurts, habits and hang-ups together at Celebrate Recovery by visiting rlc.is/cr.

For many of us, our relationship with God and our faith is a private affair. We all have different styles of worship, ways of praying to God and the list goes on and on. But is this how God intended us to experience Him and our faith? As we enter week three of Better Together, Rusty shows us how even Jesus needed to get away and just be with God by Himself. But, after each of these occurrences, we see Jesus returning to the people to be in community because of the importance of being Better Together in your faith.

We all have people in our lives that drive us crazy. They can’t seem to do things right, are always causing trouble or simply won’t give us the space that we need–something even Jesus himself was not immune from. But as Jesus walked this earth dealing with man’s crazy, somewhat stupid problems, how did He deal with it? We learn during week two of “Better Together” that we need to extend compassion to those far from us, but give responsibility to those close.

It isn't hard to turn a corner and see someone taking a selfie of themselves. We have become a self-consumed society that is constantly checking our selfies of emotional, spiritual, financial and physical well being. But is trying to better yourself a problem? In week one of our new message series "Better Together", Rusty shares his own experience with becoming self-consumed. And through his experience, we learn that our Christian lives were never meant to be a solo act, but that the best version of me can only be found with we.

As Super Bowl weekend approaches, many of the players on the field that day will be facing giants standing close to seven feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds. And though we may not be in the game, many of us have giants in our lives that seem impossible to breakthrough. This week Mike Breaux looks at the story of a simple boy who faced a giant who was defying God, but through his faith, was able to defeat the giant Goliath. And through this story, we see how with the Lords help every giant in our lives can go down.

Many of us walk away from God for one reason or another; it doesn't fit into our worldview, I am tired of feeling guilty, accountable or wrong. Whatever the reason, God is and has always been a God of love and mercy. As we wrap up our series "Is God Fake News?", Rusty looks at all these reasons why we turn a blind eye toward God and what it could look like if we turned back toward Him.

One of the most common questions people ask when it comes to God is, "why do bad things happen to good people?". We all take a look at events like 9/11 or the Las Vegas shooting and wonder, "where is God in all of this?". In week three of "Is God Fake News", Rusty unpacks this question to show us that if we remove God from the equation than the world would seek their own justice rather than the justice that God promises will come.

It wasn’t until Jesus started teaching and performing miracles that people started to believe that Jesus was who He said He was–God. But after His crucifixion, Jesus’ followers lost their faith in the belief that Jesus was God. This week we in part two of “Is God Fake News”, we look at Jesus’ victory over death and the 3 different things that Jesus says God is: 1. God is Spirit (John 4:24) 2. God is Father (Luke 11:2) 3. God is Love. (1 John 4:16)

Many of us grew up believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and many other imaginary figures. But as we got older, we began to realize that all these figures aren’t real. So has God become just a childhood belief for you? This week we are looking at six different gods that may have swayed you away from the God that Christians worshipped in the first century. As we dive deep into each of these "fake gods", we see how these gods are just unmet expectations for what we want God to be.

Jesus is all about reconciliation–that’s why He came. He came to restore the broken relationship, the tense relationship between us and God. This week as we finish out our message series for Awkward Family Photos, we learn we need to let Jesus photobomb the snapshots in our lives, and allow Him to be the center of our family photos.

Before Jesus was born, we see an awkward story unfold between Joseph and Mary and she was now pregnant, but not with Joseph's baby. And as the story progresses, we can only imagine the feelings that Joseph must have been going through. In week 1 of Awkward Christmas Photos, we see a photo of a married man keeping faith and staying with a pregnant woman that is not carrying his child. And as we look at the scriptures, Philippians 4:4-8 helps us to understand that in times of stress or anxiety we need to: Be calm Celebrate God's goodness Ask God for help Leave our concerns with him Meditate on good things

In the book on Matthew, we learn that one cannot serve two masters–both God and money. And one of the chief competitors that is after our hearts beyond Satan is money. This week, Rusty shares insight into how we should see money in our lives. Are we living lives that are focused on obtaining "stuff" that will never truly satisfy us, or are we trying to live the fullest life Jesus has for us while on earth.

For most of us, money and church should be two separate conversations–never one in 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. In week one of our two-part series "Uconomy", Rusty turns to the wisest, smartest and richest man that has ever lived–Soloman. And through the book of Proverbs, we learn three simple principles on how to manage our money: 1. Invest in wisdom 2. Pay now, enjoy later 3. Refresh yourself by refreshing others By living these three principles, we learn that money fills your life with stuff, but God fills your heart with satisfaction.

Since the beginning of time, man has wondered what is beyond death–do we just die and return to the earth, or is there something more? And, if there is something more, what is it like, who do we see, are we still ourselves? This week Rusty dives into what the scriptures say about the end times. Looking at what Peter wrote, we are able to extrapolate ideas but learn that it is fullish to suggest a day and time for the end.