Happy New Year! Steve, Rich and Sarah are back in the studio and are looking forward to this new year. Steve begins by encouraging all of us to put some plans together for this year, specifically in the area of spiritual disciplines. These are things that can be looked at on the micro and macro level. Spiritual disciplines are arguably the most important things to focus on not just in the new year but each day! A good place to start would be thinking through how to be a better student of God's word. Rich gets personal and shares about his study of the Bible has shared in the last six years. A major goal Steve encourages is making it a goal to read through the entire Bible in 2025. Being only a week into the new year there is still plenty of time to start! Another approach to take would be committing to study one book of the Bible for several months to really dig into all the layers. The conversation then shifts slightly as Rich emphasizes the importance of not just being in the Word but being in the church with God's people. It is so important to understand that it will take work and commitment but that it is more than worth it. Rich, Steve and Sarah all give practical tips on how to dive deeper into a church community. Make 2025 a year that you grow deeper with the Lord and His people!

Kelly Lashua's testimony on The Stories Collective, Episode 22

Sign up for the Resident Strangers email list

Questions or comments?
Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world.

Merry Christmas from us at Resident Strangers! This will be the last episode of 2024. But don't worry! Steve, Rich and Sarah will be back on January 7th to kick off the new year. The conversation begins with some exciting updates about Rich's office at GCU (😂😉) and some things coming for the podcast in 2025. Getting into the topic, there are many opinions surrounding Christmas both in the Christian community and the world. The reality is we live in a world where many people need to be reconciled to God. With this in mind Steve says Christians should take every opportunity to point people to truth and light. Christmas is a great time to do that as people are generally more open. Does it really matter if Jesus was born on December 25th? Or if the Christmas holiday has pagan roots? Rich and Steve both speak on this and encourage ways to leverage the gospel in this season. We don't worship a day - we worship Jesus. In a lot of ways culture gives a great platform to emphasize Jesus during this time! Sarah speaks to the fact that the holidays are a wonderful time but can also be a very difficult time for some people. This is another reason to speak Jesus and keep the truth at the forefront no matter what the culture around us is celebrating. Rich brings up a great point that this could be a great time to clarify misunderstanding people have about the Christmas story and birth of Christ as well. There are a lot of great points and suggestions packed into this episode, we hope you enjoy it! See you next year!

Christmas Eve services are the most heavily attended by unchurched people than any other service throughout the year. If you're in the West Valley, we would love to invite you to Desert Springs!

December 23rd at 4:30pm + 6:00pm
December 24th at 3:00pm, 4:30pm + 6:00pm

14440 W. Indian School Rd. Goodyear, AZ 85395
dscchurch.com

Sign up for the Resident Strangers email list

Questions or comments?
Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world.

Happy Thanksgiving! This week Steve and Rich wrap up the topic of the last couple of weeks by talking about loving your brother and sister in Christ. How is loving your brother and sister different than loving your neighbor? Steve and Rich both reference some scripture passages that help to clarify what this means. This really is a unique and special command! It really comes down to viewing fellow Christians as the family of God. Part of being in the family of God means being intentional about developing relationships that will bring those "iron sharpens iron" moments. It is so beneficial for growth but also for support and comfort in times of crisis. Rich brings up that this is totally aligned with the New Testament instruction to love one another - but it isn't something that can be done on the fly. It takes an investment. Another key part of loving your brother and sister in Christ is speaking truth in love. Steve points to Ephesians 4 as a great passage to support this. This and so much more is discussed, we would encourage you to take note on how you love your brothers and sisters in Christ!

Thanksgiving 2023, Episode 16

The Stories Collective, Aaron Holland's testimony (Rich's son!), Episode 138

Sign up for the Resident Strangers email list

Questions or comments?
Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com

Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world.