RECENTLY FROM RUSTY GEORGE
Are we Living in the End Times?
The events of the past 2 years have made many wonder… is this the end? Wars, pandemics, social unrest, rebellions, uprisings, hurricanes, earthquakes…it's easy to think the world is about to end. But as a Christian, what are we to assume? Recently I interviewed...
3 Reasons Others See You as the Beast and not the Beauty
So my latest podcast got me thinking about the movie Beauty and the Beast. I had a chance to interview the Academy Award winning animator, Glen Keane and we discussed his work in creating and animating the Beast for Disney’s Oscar nominated film Beauty and the...
Are we Living in the End Times?
The events of the past 2 years have made many wonder… is this the end? Wars, pandemics, social unrest, rebellions, uprisings, hurricanes, earthquakes…it's easy to think the world is about to end. But as a Christian, what are we to assume? Recently I interviewed...
3 Books to Read this Football Season
Football is back! Odds are if you have read this far, then you are excited too! I recently had a chance to interview Hall of Famer and Christian, Bruce Matthews. He had incredible insight into how to follow Jesus through all the highs and lows of not just a...
How to help your student have good mental health this year
By this point, you’ve heard all the usual things to help with your mental health. Eat well. Get good sleep. Have friends. I’ve written and recorded many talks about this. In fact, if you missed it check out ep. 156 of the podcast where I share about some of the...
What I Told My Daughter When Dropping Her Off at College
I knew this day would come... So, years ago when my friend Pastor Ben Cachiaras posted a blog sharing what he told his daughter when he dropped her off at college, I filed it away for when I had to do the same. This past week Lorrie and I left our oldest at...
3 Reasons to Strengthen Your Marriage this Fall
A few years after I became Lead Pastor of Real Life Church, I noticed a heartbreaking trend occur every fall... Seemingly strong and stable couples got divorced. Every pastor knows that spring and summer are the seasons of weddings. So why did fall seem to be the...
Are You Afraid of Becoming Your Parents?
For all who fear becoming their parents... There are certain phrases that we all grow up hearing that we file away and say “I’ll never say that to my kids”… and then one day, we do. ... “Because I said so” ... “Life isn’t fair” ... “I’ll give you something to cry...
The Best Restaurants to Try When Traveling This Summer
Due to Covid shutting things down last year, experts are saying this summer will be one of the most traveled summers in recent memory! So, if you are stateside and traveling by rental car or family truckster, I thought we should discuss what to eat! After all,...
The 3 Things to Avoid When Speaking in Public
Even though most of us are terrified to stand up and speak in public, the truth is that at some point you have to do it. A presentation at work, a toast, a eulogy, or even a backyard bbq. A recent podcast with speaker and activist Danielle Strickland gave us some...
What to Do When You’re Burnt Out on Volunteering at Church
Let’s face it. There are times you just think… “Do I really have to serve at church AGAIN?” This is the time of year that most churches are beginning to recruit volunteers for the fall ministries launch, and you’ll be inundated with many opportunities to serve at...
A Terrible Story with a Powerful Lesson
I'm about to tell you a horrific story that you’ve probably never heard before… But the lesson it shares can help you. To my knowledge, Dateline never covered this one. And it was never on 20/20. I never even saw a YouTube video about it. But it happened. And as...
Three Steps to Help Calm Your Anxiety
Ever wonder why after you pray for God to give you peace you still pace the floor at night? I sure do. When the Bible says “Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you . . .” doesn’t that imply he’ll take your cares away? So then why do we still stress and...
Who is Forming Your Mind?
If I were to ask you what a follower of Jesus should look like, you’d probably say something along the lines of: “Someone who acts like Jesus.” And so would I. A follower of Jesus should be someone who thinks, acts, and reacts like Jesus would if he were living...
I Wish _____ Would Come to Church…
Who is that for you? A friend? A family member? We all have someone, but let me ask you this... Why is it you find it really easy to talk with strangers about the Netflix show you binged, but you can’t talk to close friends about the church that has changed your...
Coming to a Campus Near You… At the Movies 2021
One of our most popular annual series at Real Life Church is kicking off on Father’s Day weekend: At the Movies 2021! For the past few years we’ve taken a few weeks to use popular movies to serve as our illustrations to Biblical teachings. Just like Jesus used...
10 Books to Read This Summer
Whether on the beach, by the pool, or on a plane, don’t miss the chance to feed your mind a bit this summer with a good book. Here are 10 books that I highly recommend: 10 BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER 1 • Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschell. This is a...
How to Look Like Jesus (besides wearing sandals)
It’s almost summer! In light of us all busting out the flip flops and Birkenstock’s, let’s talk about how we can look like Jesus this summer (whether we are in his footwear or not). I recently came across this blog post by one of my favorite speakers and authors,...
Episode 148: The Real Reason God May Not Be Answering Your Prayers
Leading Simple with Rusty George · 148: The Real Reason God May Not Be Answering Your Prayers We've all faced unanswered prayers... Is God ignoring us? Does he not care? Did we pray the prayer wrong? Is it because we sinned too much? The Bible has a lot to say...
Finding Help for Your Marriage When You Think THEY’RE the Crazy One
Crazy might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean... If you’ve ever had these thoughts about your spouse, I'm talking to you: “Why can’t you just think like me?” “Just do it the way I’d do it...” “I’ll tell you my opinion if you want to know the...
3 Things All Pastors Need to Consider Before Regathering
If you are a church leader, odds are you have either moved back into your facility and started regathering in person, or you are about to. And with vaccines on the rise and restrictions being lifted, many churches (even in California) have started to regather...
What Really Happens to Us When We Die?
Over the past 12 months, our world has faced the reality of death in a whole new way. The possibility of an unseen, unknown virus robbing us of our life only added to our already present fears of murder, cancer, and car accidents... And because of this, many of us...
What Every Pastor Wants from Their Congregation Post-Covid
I know, I know… That sounds a little self-serving. But hang with me here. If you are not careful, you’ll view the church like you view your local coffee shop. You used to go every day, then during Covid, you just started making coffee at home. Sure, you missed...
The Demonic Side of Covid that You Might Have Missed…
Over the last 12 months we’ve all worried about the dark side of a lot of things: … Is Covid an evil plague? … Will the vaccine give me the mark of the beast? … Could the election be unleashing the anti-Christ? … Is the government trying to silence and cancel...
5 Ways to Make Easter an Everyday Event
All the excitement towards Easter is done for the year. Can you believe it? The egg hunts are over, the big worship celebrations at church are finished, and the festive Sunday dinner has been reduced to leftovers in Gladware. All of the joy focused on new life,...
10 Things Pastors Hear in the Church Lobby
We all like to know the hidden side of everything, to hear someone “spill the tea”... Well, it's time to spill some tea. I’m going to let you in on the top 10 conversations pastors hear in the church lobby. My reason for doing this? It's to help you know you...
Bonus: Listen to this Before You Fill Out Your March Madness Brackets!!! ESPN Analyst Jimmy Dykes
Leading Simple with Rusty George · Bonus: Listen to this Before You Fill Out Your March Madness Brackets!!! ESPN Analyst Jimmy Dykes ESPN College Basketball Analyst Jimmy Dykes joins podcast host Michael Hinton and myself to discuss filling out our NCAA March...
What Living 30 Years With a Disease Has Taught Me
On the blog and podcast I try to make life a bit more simple for all of us who are overwhelmed. So, is it possible to make living with a disease “simple”? Maybe not, but after 30 years of living with one, I’ve learned a few things that have helped at least...
Change Your Life in 28 Days
SIGN UP FOR 28-DAYS TO EASTER TODAY Have you ever said these phrases? "I’m not where I want to be." "I really need to really work on…" "I don’t know much about…" "One day I will…" "I’d give anything to be like…" We all have. We just assume that one day we’ll...
Hello Charisma!
I am thrilled to have joined the Charisma Magazine team as a blog writer & new contributor to the Charisma Podcast Network. From now on, in addition to seeing my blog posts and podcast episodes here on my site, you'll also spot them over at Charisma! Click here...
Finding Freedom from Loneliness
“Well they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinking alone.” -- Billy Joel, The Piano Man Before COVID-19 hit, 46% of Americans felt lonely at times. That number skyrocketed to 76% in December of 2020. National and international health...