Rusty George Podcast

I'm thrilled to be joined by Darren Whitehead, an extraordinary mind in the church world and founding pastor of Church of the City in Nashville. Darren shares his unique journey into ministry sparked by an unexpected visa error. We also dive into how Darren started Church of the City, how he uses humor to connect with people from the stage, and we reflect on his book Holy Roar, written with Chris Tomlin. In this technology-driven world, Chris and Darren write about the power of worship – and the profound impact of seven Hebrew words used to express our adoration for God inside and outside the weekend service. From the role of millennials in the church to the importance of 'digital fasting', this episode is packed with some great insights. Listen in and share with a friend, because you won't want to miss this one!Resources Episode Transcript Church of the City in Nashville, TN Holy Roar: 7 Words That Will Change The Way You Worship by Chris Tomlin and Darren Whitehead Connect with Darren Instagram Facebook T

This season has seen a lot of job transitions. With tech layoffs and the great resignation, people have been seeking the perfect fit for them professionally. So what happens once you find that job and transition over? Adam Bishop knows a little about that and is on the podcast to talk about his experience with a job transition. I ask him about stepping into his new role at NewHope Church, and about how to manage change through transitions. We also talk about our experience with Courageous Pastors, a great leadership coaching organization.If you’ve got a job transition you’re navigating or you’re just considering what that could look like for you, listen in to our conversation here.Special thanks to our sponsor for the month, Subsplash, the first engagement platform for churches.Resources Episode Transcript Courageous Pastors NewHope Church  Connect with Adam Facebook Twitter Instagram

Two of my favorite people are on the podcast today: Pastors Mike Breaux and Gene Appel. If you’ve ever looked at your teaching calendar and been overwhelmed or unsure of where to start, then this is the episode for you. We dug into what building out a teaching calendar is like for a pastor, what to consider when building it out, and how use your teaching calendar as a tool to better care for your congregation.Between Mike and Gene, they have so many years of pastoral knowledge to share, so you won’t want to miss this episode. Special thanks to our sponsor for the month, Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers.Resources Episode Transcript Connect with Gene Appel Facebook Twitter Connect with Mike BreauxYouTube

All of us wanna pray and be better at prayer. We just don't always know what to say. We panic when someone calls on us to pray in our small groups or at family gatherings. Maybe we even pull out one of the early prayers we memorized in Sunday School.But what if we could ask for something so much more? What if prayer could be so much more than praying for a good day or safe travels, but a real, open conversation with God?In today's episode, I share the five prayers you can pray to change your day. Listen in and let me know which one resonated with you in the comments.Special thanks to our sponsor for the month, Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers.Resources After Amen by Rusty George (Book, Audiobook, and Pastor Resources) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today, I wanted to share a few of my favorite books with you. These are books that really impacted the way I looked at my faith. I hope each recommendation could be helpful to your mind and soul this summer no matter where you are in your faith journey. Now, all the books mentioned in this episode are available as audiobooks as well. So if you're on the go all the time or if the idea of reading brings back memories of high school summer reading lists, trust that you're in good shape. Listen in to this week's Simple Faith to hear a bit more about why I picked these specific books, and let me know your thoughts in the comments.Special thanks to our sponsor for the month, Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers.Resources Episode Transcript Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. Winning the War in your Mind by Pastor Craig Groeschel In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen Move by Brian Tome

Hey listeners! We are doing something new, let's call it simplifying! Moving forward, we are renaming this podcast, Simple Faith. Why, because that's the goal! To help make faith simple. Simple Faith is a chance for us to give more focus to making faith simple. And there was no better episode to start this off with than this one.Kyle Idleman is here to help us figure out how to follow God when our way isn't working. As a matter of fact, he wrote a whole book about it. Kyle and I dig into the process of writing that book and the lessons Kyle learned himself about following God. We also talk about how to slow down and let go of the pressure to perform so we can make room for a greater connection to Jesus. You can find Kyle's new book, When Your Way Isn't Working, here and anywhere else you can purchase books.Special thanks to our sponsor, Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers.Resources Episode Transcript Kyle Idleman's Website

There were some incredible guests this month on the podcast. I got to sit with not one but two executive pastors who had some great insight on what it's like to lead from the second chair. Mark Mears walked us through his marketing tips and how to grow from a leader to a legacy builder. May was also Mental Health Awareness month, and just in time I got the chance to talk with two incredible individuals about mental health: Bryan Hixson, a neuroscientist and Chad Veach, pastor of ZOE Church. I'd love to hear from you about your favorite episode from the month in the comments. You can find the full episodes and resources from this month below: Episode 255: Jim Sheldon makes Executive Pastoring simple Episode 256: Lane Jones makes leading from the second chair simple Episode 257: Bryan Hixson makes the brain simple Episode 258: Mark Mears makes marketing simple Episode 259: Chad Veach makes authenticity and overcoming anxiety simple Special thanks to our sponsor, Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers. If y

It’s the last day of Mental Health Awareness Month and I’m so glad to have Chad Veach on the podcast this week. Chad is an author, speaker, and lead pastor of ZOE Church in Los Angeles. Chad shared some of his stories as a founding pastor and a father. We also got to talk about his new book, Worried about Everything Because I Pray About Nothing. But what he had to say about authenticity and overcoming anxiety is worth the price of admission alone. I know that you’ll be able to get some great insight from my conversation with Chad. Listen in and let me know what you think in the comments below.Special thanks to the Saga Center for Mental Health for sponsoring this episode!HighlightsChad’s Story - 2:08 How Chad got started in ministry. Chad’s experience parenting his daughter with a rare brain condition. Becoming a pastor when you were a pastor’s kid. Prayer as the antidote to worry  - 10:10 How ZOE Church began. The inspiration behind Chad’s new book. Chad’s rhythms for prayer and routine for podcasting. Overc

 If you’ve ever supersized a Pepsi, ordered a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake factory, or enjoyed a Schlotsky’s sandwich, then you have my good friend Mark Mears to thank for that. Mark has been a chief marketing officer for companies like Pepsi, Cheesecake Factory and Schlotzky's Deli. And he’s on the podcast this week to talk about how he got there as well as his new book The Purposeful Growth Revolution: 4 Ways to Grow from Leader to Legacy Builder. Listen in as we dig into the marketing skills you can keep in mind for your organization, the mistakes to avoid, and how to figure out your purpose.Special thanks to the Saga Center for Mental Health for sponsoring this episode.About Mark - 02:17How he got into marketingBe the Best Tree You Can Be - 08:40 The fig tree story that shifted Mark’s perspective A fig tree can’t be a maple tree… Serving the whole person through LEAF - 25:16 Mark shares a bit about the heart behind LEAF. Mark shares about his new book. Resources Episode Transcript Mark Mears’ W

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so it seemed fitting to have a brain expert join me on Leading Simple. Bryan Hixson leads an incredible research organization focused on understanding how the brain works. How our brain functions can dramatically affect the way we lead and the way we live. It influences how quickly we can bounce back from difficulties and how easily we can let things go. I sat down with Bryan to learn more about why that is and came out of our time with my mind blown. You won't want to miss our conversation. HighlightsAbout Bryan Hixson - 02:10 A little about Bryan Hixson Why do we call it Mental Health? What is a brain map? How does stress affect our brains? - 10:49 The pandemic’s effect on our brain health. The value of in person connection. Thoughts around the current mental health epidemic. Healing our Brains - 23:12 Bryan explains how our brains function. What are some helpful tools for us to help our brains? Resources Episode Transcript Brain Performance Centers of Southern Califor

Lane Jones is one of the co-founders of North Point Ministries, an incredible church with multiple campuses across the Atlanta area. I’ve gotten to know and learn from him over the past five years and it’s great to have him on the podcast to share his insights with you. He led along Andy Stanley as they started and grew North Point to what it is today. Lane shares his experiences from the early days, the lessons he learned about leadership over three decades, and what’s next for him in the coming years.HighlightsLane’s Story - 02:36 About Lane Jones Ministry beginnings in Atlanta Three Decades of North Point  - 12:47 What the early days at North Point were like. Gaining notoriety as a ministry Navigating exponential growth North Point today What’s Next? - 43:11 What does the next decade look like for Lane? How to support leaders from the second seat

People hear the title Executive Pastor and wonder what that title actually means? Well, my guest Jim Sheldon sheds some light on what that role has meant for him as he helps lead Mission Church, a church plant in Ventura, California. He also gives some background about what it was like for him moving from a corporate setting to into ministry (including a role as a police chaplain).Maybe you've considered transitioning from a corporate role to a role in ministry. We got to touch on that with guests like Jodi Tonarelli (listen to her perspective on being an executive pastor here) and Debbie Robert (listen to her story here). And Jim's story is another one to hear if that's a question you're asking yourself. I think you'll get a lot from his experiences guiding staff and his own self discovery in this role. I think you're going to be really blessed by what Jim has to say.Special thanks to the Saga Center for Mental Health for sponsoring this episode.HighlightsAbout Jim  - 01:35 Jim’s early years Moving from the

April was an exciting month as we sat down with with Jim Wallace as he reflected on a new chapter in his life and Debbie Robert came from behind the scenes to share her experience as an executive assistant. Roy Ratcliffe helped us look at grace through his eyes as he detailed his time with the infamous Jefferey Dahmer, and Bjorn Bjornsson helped to make therapy a little more accessible. If you hear something in this month's Best of that stood out to you you can find the full episodes and resources from this month below: Episode 250: Detective Jim Wallace processes the crucifixion crime scene Episode 251: Debbie Robert makes Executive Assisting simple Episode 252: The Pastor who baptized Dahmer makes grace simple Episode 253: Bjorn Bjornsson makes therapy simple Special thanks to our sponsor over at Saga Mental Health and Relationship Centers.

My guest for the week is Bjorn Bjornsson from Saga Center based in California. He was previously in ministry back in Iceland before becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist. Bjorn sits down with me and talks about his early experiences as a pastor, the need for mental health support in the church, and how you can find a counselor who is the right fit for you.Therapy can feel like a taboo word for so many people, particularly in the church. Going to therapy used to be seen as a sign of weakness. But over the years, people have become a lot more open about sharing their own experiences with mental health and finding the support they need.If you’ve heard me speak on a Sunday, maybe you’ve heard me talk a little about my own journey with anxiety and mental health. Or you’ve heard me talk with previous guests about their own journeys (like in this episode with Dan Broyles, LMFT) If you’re feeling a little skeptical about therapy, or you’ve been wondering where to even start, then take a listen to this epi

You might be familiar with the name Jeffery Dahmer. In the nineties, the world was horrified to learn about his crimes. He was even the subject of a recent Netflix series. His name has become synonymous with the most extreme, the worst of the worst, and maybe somebody beyond the grace of God. So how does one forgive what seems to be the unforgivable? And what is it like to be in the position of a pastor who is asked to baptize someone as infamous as a serial killer? Well, it was a surprise to learn that Jefferey Dahmer gave his life to Christ during his time in prison. And  I had a chance to talk with the man who baptized Jeffrey Dahmer, a pastor named Roy Ratcliff. Roy shares his experience with Jefferey and the incredible grace in his story of faith.You may know someone who is wrestling with the idea of God’s grace. Maybe you’re struggling to give grace to yourself, and you don’t know where to start. If that lands for you, listen to today’s episode and share it with someone you think might want to hear this

Well, today, you’re in for something special. You get to hear first hand what it’s like to be an executive assistant from my good friend, Debbie Robert. Debbie is the Executive Director of Administration at Real Life Church and has a wealth of wisdom to share from her time here. Debbie gives her perspective on how she navigated rapid growth, difficult situations, and working alongside me. She also highlights some of the differences between working in the marketplace versus working in ministry and lays out what it takes to find a great executive assistant. (One way is through one of our sponsors this year, BELAY Solutions). It’s been an honor having Debbie as a part of the team, and I really think you’re gonna have a lot to learn from what she has to say in our conversation.Special thanks to the Saga Center for Mental Health for sponsoring this month’s episode.Highlights About Debbie - 2:43 Debbie’s life before RLC The trip that changed Debbie’s whole world. Working in the medical field versus working in minis

It's great to have one of our favorite guests, cold case detective and author J. Warner Wallace back on the podcast. He's joined us before to make the case for Easter and the case for the resurrection. This time around, we talk about his upcoming book, Jesus' impact on the world at large and how being in a different season of life has called Jim to different things. Jim offers some incredible wisdom and insights that I know you'll want to hear, so listen in to this week's Leading Simple.Special Thanks to the Saga Center for Mental Health for sponsoring this month's episodes!Resources Episode Transcript  Previous J. Warner Wallace Episodes Episode 104: Understanding the Resurrection with J Warner Wallace Episode 193: The Importance of Easter and the Case for the Resurrection with J Warner Wallace

From figuring out how to deal with content overload to better understanding the future of church to figuring out why God cares about who we sleep with and rounding it out with the excitement of a new Dodger baseball season. I've gotta say, March was an incredible month for Leading Simple. It was great having each guest on the show this month. If you hear something that stood out to you and want to know more, then you can find the full episodes from this month here: Episode 244: Brad Lomenick makes navigating content overload simple Episode 246: David Kinnaman makes the future of church simple Episode 247: Sam Allberry answers why God cares who we sleep with Episode 248: MLB Scout Marty Lamb makes this season for the Dodgers Simple  ----------------------------------------------------------------Special thanks to our sponsor, BELAY!If you're a church leader trying to do it all, you don't have to anymore. BELAY’s modern church staffing solutions have been helping busy church leaders delegate important the deta

It's springtime, so you know what that means: It's time for Dodger baseball! It's an honor to have Marty Lamb back on the podcast. We spend some time talking shop about what to look out for this upcoming Baseball season. With new players, new rules, and new prospects, there is a lot to talk about. We also look back on the legacy of the late Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. And if you've never heard of Refuge for Women, Marty gives an overview of the incredible work they do to support women recovering from human trafficking. Special thanks to our friends over at BELAY Solutions for sponsoring this week’s episode. You can access a free leadership resource here at belaysolutions.com/rusty. Or you can text RUSTY to 55123 to claim this exclusive offer.HighlightsNew Season, New Scouts - 2:33 Preparing for a new baseball season. Who's got the best player prospects this year? Marty's shares stories about Tommy Lasorda What does Dodger Baseball Look Like This Season? - 08:29 Marty talks about the future of Dodger Baseba

There are no more controversial issues in our culture right now than the issue of sex and identity. We’re having those conversations at Real Life Church in our series Sex&Theology. And last month on the podcast, we got to hear Becket Cook’s experience (you can take a listen to his episode here)This month, you’re in for another insightful episode. Sam Allberry is a pastor, speaker, and author of several books, including Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With? We get to sit down and work through talk through the theology behind the Christian sexual ethic and how to approach these conversations in real time with friends, family, and loved ones. I know you’ll get a lot out of this episode.Special thanks to BELAY Solutions for sponsoring this week’s episode. And you can access a free leadership resource here at belaysolutions.com/rusty. Or you can text RUSTY to 55123 to claim this exclusive offer.HighlightsSam’s Calling - 2:56 About Sam Allberry The story behind “Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?” Wrestling with