Have a few minutes on your drive to work or picking up the kids from school? Tune in for some quick encouragement and wisdom from Rusty as he kicks off Simple Faith in 5.

Emmanuel: God with Us in Every Moment

On this Christmas Eve, the traditional hustle slows, offering a moment of quiet reflection. Pastor Rusty takes us on an evocative journey through the scriptures, illustrating God's unwavering presence from Genesis to the birth of Christ in a humble manger. It highlights that God's promise to be 'with us' is alive, not just in historical events but right now, amidst our darkness, ordinariness, and uncertainties. This touching narrative reminds us that Emmanuel, 'God with us,' is a continual promise, even in our everyday struggles and triumphs. As we celebrate the light brought by hope, peace, joy, and love, we're reassured that we are never truly alone. Merry Christmas.

00:00 A Quiet Christmas Eve
00:26 The Promise of God's Presence
01:08 God's Pursuit Through History
03:04 The Birth of Jesus
05:20 Jesus' Life and Empathy
06:20 Emmanuel in Our Lives Today
08:24 The Light of Christmas
09:52 Final Reflections and Blessings

In this episode of Simple Faith, host Rusty George sits down with Dubb Alexander—author, speaker, and global Kingdom influencer—to ask a powerful question: “Is the Kingdom of God different than the Church?”

Dubb, author of From the Cult to the Kingdom and Kingdom Theology Vol. 1, shares his incredible journey from growing up in a cult to becoming a voice of Kingdom transformation at the U.N. and beyond. Together, Rusty and Dubb unpack what it really means to live in the Kingdom, not just go to church.

If you’ve ever wondered how God’s Kingdom and the Church intersect—or differ—this conversation will challenge, inspire, and deepen your faith.

🎧 Listen now and discover how to live as a citizen of the Kingdom in today’s world.

Tune in to this week’s Monday Minute as Rusty encourages us in what it means to take responsibility of our lives. This is a week you don’t want to miss!

Day 9 of “Pray On The Way” is here! Tune in for some daily encouragement as we kick off the New Year through prayer.

Have a free minute on the drive to work? Tune in here for day 8 of “Pray On The Way” with Rusty to start off the day with some encouragement.

Have a free minute on the drive to work? Tune in here for day 7 of “Pray On The Way” with Rusty to start off the day with some encouragement.

Have a free minute on the drive to work? Tune in here for day 6 of “Pray On The Way” with Rusty to start off the day with some encouragement.

Have a free minute on the drive to work? Tune in here for day 5 of “Pray On The Way” with Rusty to start off the day with some encouragement.

Missed the first week of our new series “I Declare” in person? No worries! Catch up here! Rusty walks us through what it looks like to be consistent in our faith and the benefits of doing this in the life of a Christian. Listen in for a powerful message!

Tune in to this week’s Monday Minute for some quick encouragement! Hear from Rusty today about the power of consistency in our faith.

Day four of “Pray On The Way” is here! Don’t miss out on today’s episode as Rusty’s walks us through this daily encouragement.

Tune in to day three of our series “Pray On The Way” as we kick off the new year! No matter where you are, listen in for some encouragement during your day.

THIS WEEK on Simple Faith, Rusty sits down with guest Jason Cusnick, a chaplain, pastor, and author. Jason talks through what it looks like to be a father whose heart is centered in Christ. You won't want to miss this episode no matter what stage of life you might be in.
Check out more below!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonq6/
Church Website: https://journeyoffaith.com/author/jason-cusickjourneyoffaith-com/

Tune in to day 2 of our series “Pray On The Way” with Rusty! Driving to work, commuting to school, or picking up the kids from practice, listen in for some daily encouragement throughout the month of January.

Get ready for a fun and unexpected twist in the final episode of Simple Faith for 2024! In this special edition, Michael Hinton takes the reins and interviews Simple Faith host Rusty. From stories about Rusty’s surprising basketball career in college to some lighthearted and thought-provoking questions, this episode is packed with laughs, insights, and unforgettable moments. Don’t miss out—tune in for a great conversation that’s sure to leave you smiling!

Join Rusty in day one of the 31 days of prayer! If you are looking for some encouragement or prayer this winter season, tune in Monday-Friday for the entire month of January!

In this episode of “Simple Faith,” Rusty sits down with Ken Adams, pastor of Crossroads Church in Newnan, Georgia, as he shares his journey of building a church centered on disciple-making. Drawing from over 35 years of ministry, Ken discusses how churches can move beyond programs to become true disciple-making movements, emphasizing the importance of Christ-like character and conduct. He also explores the powerful connection between sports and discipleship, offering practical insights for pastors and church leaders. Tune in for a compelling conversation on how to live out Jesus' call to make disciples who multiply. For more, check out the “Impact Disciples” website below.

Ken Adams & Impact Disciples Information:
Church Website: https://www.crossroadsonline.org/our-history
Impact Disciples Website: https://impactdisciples.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Ken-Adams-100070475418280/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactdisciples/p/DDaSLSkhp7K/

Check out Rusty’s new book “Friend of God” here! http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

Tune in to this week’s Monday Minute as Rusty encourages us to sit in the presence of God this holiday season and focus on being present with others rather than being perfect.

This week at Crossroads, Rusty speaks about the presence of Jesus and how it is a very powerful thing. As he looks at the narrative of the first Christmas, Rusty explores the idea that it was nothing close to perfect, meaning we do not have to strive for perfection in our own lives this holiday season. Listen in as we prepare our hearts for Christmas!

Former player for the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, Dr. Derwin Gray sits down with Rusty George in this episode of Leading Simple to. The now founder of Transformation Church in South Carolina, Dr. Gray discuss the importance of diversity in churches and how churches can achieve true diversity Listen in as Derwin shares words of wisdom and even relieves his memories of eliminating Rusty's Kansas City Chiefs from the 1995 playoffs. You do not want to miss that!

Derwin Gray Social Media:
Website: https://www.derwinlgray.com/
Church Website: https://transformationchurch.tc/pastor-derwin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derwinlgray/?hl=en
X: https://twitter.com/DerwinLGray?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

This week at Crossroads, guest speaker Drew Sherman from “Compass Church” in Colleyville, Texas speaks on the topic of possibilities. God often reveals himself in ways that may seem confusing to us but are really His divine invitations. Listen in to hear more about what possibilities Christians might encounter when it comes to experiencing God. 

This week on “Simple Faith,” Rusty sits down with Peter Ostapko, the founder and publisher of Kinsmen Journal. Through Kinsman Ministries, Peter has been able to share his voice that God is good, and each of us have a story to tell because of a Savior that redeems. Tune in to hear Peter encourage listeners on how faith can be made simple through the redemption of Jesus Christ as well as his personal testimony. 

Peter Ostapko Social Media:
Kinsmen Ministries Website: https://kinsmen.org/about 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterostapko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postapko/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Kinsmenjournaloffical/videos/kinsmen-update/251745241134703/
Kinsmen Journal: https://kinsmen.org/shop/p/kinsmen-journal-volume-1

Join us this week as we dive into the Christmas season with humor, heartfelt moments, and a challenge to embrace the true meaning of the holidays. From the chaos of awkward family gatherings to the anxiety of Christmas expectations, we’ll explore how to navigate the season with grace. Discover how inviting someone to experience the joy of a Christmas Eve service could transform their holiday—and yours. Let’s laugh, reflect, and prepare our hearts for the hope and peace that only Christ brings.

In this episode of Simple Faith with Rusty George, Rusty welcomes Becky Harling, author of How to Listen So Your Kids will Talk for an inspiring conversation on “Making Motherhood Simple.” Becky shares her heartfelt insights on how to navigate the ups and downs of motherhood with grace, faith, and authenticity. Together, she and Rusty explore how simplifying expectations, embracing God’s presence, and prioritizing meaningful connection can bring peace to the chaos of everyday family life.
Whether you’re a new mom, an empty nester, or someone longing for deeper relationships, this conversation offers practical wisdom and spiritual encouragement to help you find joy in the journey.

In this Monday Minute, I’m reflecting on what it means to have a "blue Christmas" and how we can find peace during the holiday season. This past weekend at Crossroads, we talked about grieving the past to prepare for the future. I want to encourage you to take a moment to remember those you’ve lost, release the pain you’ve been holding onto, and forgive where it’s needed so you can move forward. Whether your Christmas feels blue, red with anger, or green with jealousy, my prayer is that you find the peace of Christ—Emmanuel, God with us.

Rusty George sits down with Matt Chandler this week on “Leading Simple” as they talk through what it looks like to overcome challenges and mistakes in ministry. Matt Chandler, senior pastor of Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, talks from personal experience in leadership about how mistakes within ministry can be mended in a healthy way.

Matt Chandler Socials:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattchandler74/?hl=en
X: https://twitter.com/mattchandler74
Website: https://pastormattchandler.com/

This week at Crossroads, Associate Pastor Bryan Mrazek kicked off the series “Christmas at Crossroads” with the topic of purpose. Bryan opens up the story of Jesus’ birth by looking at the aspects of the account that directly point to His high priesthood. Listen in to hear more about the purpose of Jesus that was given to Him from birth as we dive into the Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Lead singer of the band “Big Daddy Weave,” Mike Weaver, joins Rusty as he shares his journey to a relationship with Christ. Mike speaks on the topic of identity and how faithfully understanding one’s identity in Christ is essential in the midst of trials. God is faithful in the midst of pain and trials, and Mike Weaver shares his personal testimony of this truth in this episode. Listen in for encouragement!

Big Daddy Weave on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SsMf4SjhOlSqEitcprgBt?si=7YhsA8WJRAOaUIIStUaong

Instagram: bdwmusic - Big Daddy WeaveInstagram · bdwmusic205.7K+ followers

X: Mike Weaver (@mikedaddyweave) / XX · mikedaddyweave13.4K+ followers

Check out Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here! http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site

This Sunday, Rusty spoke about the Givitude of faith as we continued in week four of the sermon series “GeneroUS.” When we have faith in Jesus and are obedient to His calling and plan for our lives, we live out generosity to our Heavenly Father. Listen in as Rusty unpacks what this looks like in our everyday lives. 

Check out Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here! http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site 

This week’s Monday Minute recaps week 4of the sermon series GeneroUS! Listen in to hear from Rusty George  about the flow of obedience to blessing and the life of a Christian. 

Check our pastor Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here! http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site

This week, Rusty George sits down with Greg Holder, pastor of the Crossing Church, and discusses creative ways preaching can draw in first time church guests. Listen in to hear the mega church pastor, multi-book author, and leader Greg Holder speak into his strategy behind preaching.

Website:https://gregholder.com/
Check out Rusty’s new book “Friend of God” here:http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

This Sunday, Rusty George spoke about worship in the form of giving. When we think of worship, we typically think about singing songs of praise to God. Listen in the this week’s sermon as we hear what it means for giving to be an act of worship.

Check out Rusty’s new book “Friend of God” here: http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

This week’s Monday Minute, hosted by Rusty George, looks at how giving is an act of worship. Listen in for encouragement about how worship is more than just singing songs!

Check out Rusty’s latest book, “Friend of God,” here: http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

Jordan Montgomery is an author, motivational speaker, podcaster, and coach. He is head of Montgomery Companies. In this episode Jordan and Rusty talk about growing up in Iowa, love for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and yes, early advice he gave a young Caitlin Clark. They also discuss different ways to positively motivate others and Jordan's USA Today best selling book, "The Art of Encouragement".

Montgomery Companies: https://www.montgomerycompanies.com/

THIS WEEK on Simple Faith, joining us are guests Mike and Debbie Breaux, speaking about marriage, parenting, and everything in between from a Biblical perspective. Mike has been a pastor for over 40 years, and married to his wife Debbie for over 30 years. Together, they have three children, nine grandkids, and have learned a lot over the years about what Biblical parenting and marriage looks like. Tune in to hear more about this!

This week’s Sunday Sermon continued in the series, “Generous” where Pastor Rusty unpacked what it means to store up our treasures in heaven and set our eyes on eternity. Listen in for what this looks like in our practical everyday lives.

Check out Rusty’s new book “Friend of God” here!
http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/ 

This week’s Monday Minute focuses on the idea of giving back what God has so graciously given to us. We are called as Christians to store up our treasures in heaven, and this begins with setting our eyes on eternity and giving back what God has given to us. Listen in for some encouragement about what this looks like!

Check out Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here: http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/ 

Listen in as author Mac Lake gives an in depth description of his leadership workshop, “Multiply Group.” Mac Lake seeks to encourage leaders in organizations to lead in a healthy way as he walks through what this can look like with Rusty. Check out more information below!

Mac Lake:
Website: https://www.maclakeonline.com/
Book: https://multiply-group.myshopify.com/collections/books
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maclake24/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maclake24/
YouTube: http://youtube.com/maclake

Check out Rusty’s latest book here!
https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

Welcome to Monday Minute! We're diving into the idea of contentment, starting with our first teaching from "Generous." If you haven't caught part one yet, definitely go back and give it a listen! In this session, we’re tackling the challenge of being content no matter the circumstances. The exercise I shared is simple but powerful: practice saying, “It could be worse.” Think about it—each time we scroll through social media or watch TV, we're bombarded with messages that make us feel like our lives could always be "better." But what if, instead, we grounded ourselves with a quick “it could be worse”? This week, I encourage you to step back, unplug if you need to, and try this mindset shift. You might find yourself just a little closer to true contentment.

We're kicking off a new four-week series on Philippians 4, diving deep into what it means to be content and generous. With the upcoming election and the tensions it may bring, it’s a timely reminder that regardless of outcomes, Jesus remains on the throne. As we anticipate some may feel joy and others disappointment, we'll gather for a special prayer and worship night on November 10th to ground ourselves in God’s kingdom.

Today, we start by exploring how our relationship with money affects every aspect of life—from family dynamics to inner peace. Whether we’re savers or spenders, money has a powerful influence on our emotions, decisions, and even our faith. For many of us, money issues are a source of stress, but we’ll see how biblical principles of generosity can bring peace, strengthen relationships, and even transform how we manage our finances. Together, let’s uncover what it means to live with open hearts and open hands, trusting God’s provision and seeking His purpose.

In this episode, Richard Reising, Founder and Chief Strategist of Artistry Labs, shares his transformative journey to Mexico and his mission to elevate church branding. Richard, an accomplished author of Church Marketing 101, teams up with Rusty to explore how effective branding can help churches connect with their communities and expand their reach. Discover the power of impactful language in services and learn how to draw more people to Christ through thoughtful branding strategies. Tune in for insights that could change your church's approach to outreach!
#leadership #churchgrowth #marketting

Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.reising
Website: https://www.richardreising.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardlreising

Artistry Labs Resources:
Website: https://www.artistrylabs.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaadYLKy5FkNuWiKyjdxw16pOAkWIK4tNqb8EexOLgGEzKZqBAyd5JrmKMw_aem_pHdmRKONupmfJF_v_O6XEw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistrylabs/?hl=en

Rusty George
Check out his latest book "Friend of God" here! https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

This week at Crossroads, we continue in our sermon series “Different” with a message from associate pastor Bryan Mrazek. This message looks at the passage 1 Peter chapter 4 as Bryan dives into what fuels us in our lives. Listen in for encouragement from 1 Peter as we wrap up our “Different” series.

Check our Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here: pastorrustygeorge.square.site 

Listen in to this week’s Monday Minute as Brian Mrazek walks us through what it looks like to be different. His encouraging words about what this looks like provide a great start to the week!

Brian Tome, pastor of Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio has authored five books including “The Five Marks of a Man.” In this episode, Brian talks with Rusty about his men’s movement called “Man Camp.” Listen in to hear about what “Man Camp” looks like and how it came to be as well as Brian’s journey into ministry.

Brian Tome Resources:
https://www.briantome.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Briantome/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briandtome
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@brian_tome?si=scYuhG3YOBIO1Wja
X: https://twitter.com/briantome?lang=en
Five Marks of a Man: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1540903125?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_X129B8EHDRKBY278TC7G&dplnkId=67d84fd0-2776-49aa-9f05-f5cdac942ad7&nodl=1

Check out Rusty’s latest book here: https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

This past Sunday, Pastor Rusty spoke about living differently through purpose in Jesus. Loving others the way Jesus does identifies a sort of purpose in our lives. Listen in to identify what this love could look like in your daily life as we live out purpose filled lives that Jesus calls us to.

Check out Rusty’s latest book “Friend of God” here!
https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/ 

Rusty George sits down with Rodney & Michelle Gage—pastors, authors, and founders of The Winning Family
—to talk about what makes a marriage thrive. With over 30 years of marriage, three kids, and a ministry dedicated to helping families stop drifting and live with intention, they share practical tools for unity, communication, and faith.

Discover more from the Gages: Winning Family Podcast
| Books

This week’s Monday Minute! Listen in to hear some encouragement about purpose found in Christ. It is easy to feel stuck in the mundane things of life but realizing our purpose in the world is found in Jesus is key.

Check out Rusty’s latest book here! https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/

Manny Fernandez is the President of World Link Ministries. He grew up in Spain as a son of a missionary and then has spent time as a missionary in Spain with hbis wife Jaime. Rusty and Manny discuss the importance of being missionaries and a lot of time talking about the different ways they reached the Spanish population for Christ. One involving Cowboy hats and square dancing. Later neat the end of the episode can Manny make Rusty a soccer fan? Find out.

Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionlife365/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@missionlife365?xmt=AQGzYZ1fHlxt5lfaNw07UHo8OQFqFjKtLoV9v1TVCSmZImk

World Link Ministries Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldlinkministres/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldlinkministries/
Website: https://wlink.org/

Rusty George
Check out his latest book "Friend of God" at https://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/.

This week, Matt Harvey draws from 1 Peter 1 to explore the call to live as distinct citizens of God's kingdom in a world that often promotes values contrary to our faith. Peter urges us to embrace holiness, reminding us that we are chosen, redeemed, and called to reflect the character of Christ in our daily lives. Listen in to hear how we can better embody Christ daily.

Check out Rusty’s new book “Friend of God” here!
http://pastorrustygeorge.square.site/