Journey RVA Podcast

Many people feel intimidated by the Bible. When they've tried to read it they have been confused and found it hard to understand. In this message, you'll discover how to read the Bible, understand what you're reading, and how to apply what you're learning.

Everything Christians believe is based on the teachings found in the Bible. However, many people wonder if the Bible is a reliable source of information about God and his ways. After so many years of copying and recopying the ancient Biblical text, aren't there many mistakes in the manuscripts? Aren't many of the events the Bible speaks of just made up fairy tales? How can you know if they really happened? Doesn't science conflict with the Bible? In this message, James Brummett will tell you about his own crisis of faith and what he discovered about the reliability of the Bible that served to ground him in the Christian faith.

If you have ever been confused or frustrated when reading the Bible, then you will appreciate this first message which he explains how the Bible is structured, what the most readable and reliable versions are, which 13 books capture all of the stories and history in the Bible chronologically, and much more!

Most of us want this year to be better. But "better" requires a bit of honest and awkward evaluation. So what are you holding onto that's holding you back? If you're holding onto something that's making a monkey out of you, maybe it's time to let go of the banana and run away!

We all want to win. After all, winning is better than not winning. In a game a win is defined, but life is not a game. And winning in the most important areas of our lives isn't always clear. So, how do we win?

The Christians in the first century were filled with joy, but their circumstances didn't get any better as a result of following Jesus. In fact, their circumstances grew worse. Following Jesus and being identified with Jesus was costly for them. And yet … they had joy. They were optimistic. What was it that enabled them to have joy?

When life is chaotic and disruptive changes come your way, is it possible to have joy? When circumstances deflate you bringing frustrations and disappointments, how can you experience joy? Mary, the mother of Jesus, has a secret that can help anyone experience joy in spite of their circumstances.

Sometimes the power of the Christmas story is found in the strangest of places. Tucked away in the small letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia is a profound truth of the joy of what Jesus came to do.

At the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the angel described this event as one that would bring joy to all the people. When Jesus came, so did joy. Why would his birth bring joy to all the people? How is it possible to have joy that endures, even when the circumstances of life don't lend themselves to joy?

What goes around often comes around. The powerless often find themselves in a position of power and the people who hurt us may someday need us. In the moments when we've got those people right where we want 'em, what we say will say as much about us as anything else. If our words are stones, will we choose to throw them, or use them to pave the way forward?