Good Friday is a day to remember and celebration the death of Jesus Christ. It may seem very strange to remember and celebrate a death. Especially when we consider what led up to the cross, the cross itself as a form of execution, and what happened on the cross....

A thankful person is someone who recognizes the goodness of God. In fact, the spring of thanksgiving is a deep confidence that God is good. If we do not believe that God is good, then this spring has run dry....

What is the heart of Jesus like? There is only one place in all the New Testament where Jesus explicitly tells us what his heart is like. That is significant and should gain our attention. ...

Should sermons impact our lives? Hopefully you believe they should. The bible says "faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). In an average day we are exposed to thousands of images and videos, in many cases shrinking our capacity to "hearing the word of Christ". ...

The life of faith is learning to live in the power of Someone else....

Nobody enjoys suffering. Well, slightly (or very) strange people may. But we all do suffer. What are we to make of it? How should we respond? Well, certainly Christians should seek relief, help, and healing from God. But that’s not it; we should trust that God is doing something good smack dab in the middle of it. You may not like to hear that, but it is true and ...

Testimony-JennyPowers from Real Life Church Ankeny on Vimeo. Psalm 40:1-3: I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in t...

It has been said that the Holy Spirit is the forgotten member of the Trinity. Whether or not this is true, getting to know the Holy Spirit better only helps. I want to take [at least] a few articles to highlight the Person and work of the Spirit and to underscore how absolutely essential it is that we understand who the Holy Spirit is and seek to live as Spirit-filled foll...

When all seems lost, dear saint of God Recall the treasured news Of how God broke into the world To walk within our shoes When Adam fell both sin and death Covered the world like night Yet in the garden, God promised a Man Who would come and put things right For so long the world yearned and craved God's pledge to crush the snake While His hidden plan rolled along Go...

As we look on the world scene, there are some scary political figures. What if Vladimir Putin tries to rebuild the old Soviet coalition? What if Kim Jung Un gets a nuclear weapon? In our own country, we are rightly concerned with the upcoming elections. What if Clinton wins? What if Trump wins? What will this mean for our country? What will it mean for Christians? Will we ...

The bible tells us that God does not dwell in houses made by human hands (Acts 7:48, Acts 17:24-25. God dwells among his people. We are his house and are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22) And yet, it was when the believers were gathered in the upper room of a house that Acts 2 says, "They were all together in one place....

One of the most shocking scenes in the bible is when Jesus entered the temple and in righteous anger turned over the tables of money changers and chased them out. Then, quoting Isaiah 56:7, he said, "My Father's house shall be a house of prayer". Later in the New Testament, we see that the church is God's new house. So what does it mean for the church to a "house of prayer...

Happy Good Friday! On Good Friday, we remember the death of Jesus Christ. So again, happy Good Friday! Does that sound strange? Wasn't Good Friday the darkest day in human history? In one sense it certainly was. The greatest sins ever committed took place on that day:...

The Thursday of Holy Week was a massively important day! The breathtaking scene of the Lord Jesus humbling himself to wash the feet of his disciples; the institution of the Lord's Supper; some of the most precious words spoken by Jesus in the last supper discourse (John 14-16); the most amazing and lengthy interaction between the Father and Son in Jesus's high priestly pr...

Satisfaction. We all long for it. To be satisfied is to have your desires fully gratified or filled up to the max. We all want this but often find it allusive. More often we seek to be satisfied in all the wrong places and go from one thing to the next seeking what our hearts yearn for. Money, power, entertainment, and sex (and all the offshoots of each) hold out for u...

It is hard to overemphasize the importance of consistent, focused exposure to the bible. As you start the new year, consider 10 reasons to make reading the bible uppermost in your priorities for 2016. ...

Joseph goes from confused to awestruck as the angel tells him that God is coming down to save his people from their sins....

What would it be like to have real, true, lasting peace? Your past redeemed, your present settled, and your future secure. Is it possible? It is. ...

Christmas is a time to celebrate humility and grow in humility. If we're honest, humility doesn't come naturally to us. One thing is clear though. Humility is crucial for Christians. The bible has nothing kind of say about proud people. So, how do we get humility? These verses says we get humility by seeing and loving the humility of Jesus Christ at Christmas....

We know the story well. Some shepherds in a field, the angel of the Lord, and the announcement of news that a baby has been born in a nearby town. But there is more to the story than we may see at first glance. ...

"God's final category for you is not your goodness versus your badness, but your union with Christ versus your distance from Christ. To put it yet another way, what matters most about you in God's sight is not the bad or good things you've done but your trust and openness to Christ versus your self-trust and defensiveness toward Christ." Ray Ortlund, The Gospel: How the C...

At a time when confusion abounds in our culture surrounding sexuality, and society tells us that the meaning of marriage and even one's gender is malleable, we need a dose of sanity. Isaiah 40:8 says, "the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."...

Below is a video update on the work Brian and Mandee Loudermilk are doing in Tanzania followed by a letter from them to RLC. Real Life Church We miss you all so much! It never gets easier being so far away from you all. I am sure you have been keeping up through our newsletters, facebook post, and video updates. We are so excited with the fruit that we are seeing here ...

Oh sing to the Lord a new song! What is God up to here? God loves music and he loves when his people sing and make melody. Why does he love music so much? Because God is a Musician, the Master Musician! And because singing people - a people who sing and make melody and music in their hearts and then out loud glorify God. God's own works and perfections are beautifully re...

There is no way to overestimate the importance of the Holy Spirit! Think about it. Can we overdo it in talking about God, relying upon God, seeking God, or following God's lead? Well, the Holy Spirit is God. Moreover, Jesus said that he would send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to his followers. Consider what the Holy Spirit does: The Holy Spirit gave us brand new life wh...

As part of growing together at RLC, we want to memorize scripture together. The memory passage for February is Colossians 1:15-20 and it is awesome!...

Treasure by Luke Strahan is a song about the true treasures we have in Christ. He's greater, better, more to be desired than anything we could gain in this world. And he offers himself to be the treasure of all who will have him. ...

Is your faith in your faith or in the Faithful One? Are you trusting in your strength of trust or in the One who is eternally trustworthy? Faith in faith leads to striving, pride, and frustration. Faith in Christ leads to rest, humility, and satisfaction....

Why do you celebrate Christmas (if you do, that is)? Many would acknowledge that it is a time to remember the birth of Jesus Christ but may only have vague ideas why this is such an important event. Vague ideas are good for sentimentality, but won't have a very big impact on your life. So whether you celebrate Christmas or not; whether you sing Christmas tunes, exch...

I'm no Grinch when it comes to Christmas and the many traditions that people incorporate into their celebrations, but when you know the story of Saint Nicholas (you know, jolly old Saint Nick), the myth of Santa Claus loses its draw. Yes he was a real man that (unbeknownst to him) later became Santa Clause. By all accounts, he was a truly amazing man. And it is right an...

The point of Advent is worship. The point of Christmas is adoring Christ. We see this from every prophecy of the coming Messiah. We see this in every Old Testament shadow revealing Christ in the in the law, the Psalms, and the prophets. We see this especially magnified through the Gospel accounts of Christ's birth. ...

Christmas is a time of reflection and a time of expectation. Christmas for the Christian has far deeper meaning than merely putting up decorations, or exchanging gifts, and singing seasonal songs. So this season, we want to remember the coming of Jesus, the promised Messiah, God's beloved Son, our gracious Savior. We want to celebrate hope entering into the world, love ...

Today is the tale of two days. One day, most Americans know well. The other, they should. Today, millions of people will celebrate Halloween Day with its accompanying costumes and trick or treating....

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Who doesn't want a word from God? To hear him speak is powerful. And if he can give us a "now" word, even better. A word that is for right now, right here; a word that is relevant, powerful, and needed - give me some of that. Well, here are two "now" words from God. These are relevant, helpful, and life altering!...

Some places in the bible are like a goldmine - overflowing with treasures that just seem to gush out like Niagara Falls. Romans chapter eight in one such place....

God's Kingdom is a Kingdom of praise. Why? Because when it comes to our salvation, God did everything so that he gets the glory and we get the joy which then leads us to joyful praise. And when God's children live to praise God, they are lights in the world - shining brightly to show how amazing God really is. Come join us at Kingdom of Praise 2014 July 20-23! Learn more...

Good Friday is the day of Holy Week when Christians celebrate the death of Jesus Christ. Why would we celebrate the death of Jesus? Wasn't that the saddest, darkest day in world history? Well yes and no. Yes because it was the day that Jesus was condemned, rejected, and cursed by God; treated as a sinner "" bearing the sin of the world. And yet, it was a glorious day becau...

I want to love God more. I want to be known as someone who loves God; not just someone who talks about it, but one who shows it in my worship, obedience to God, service of others, and motives. And since loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-38), this matters....

In Psalm 68, David is recalling the ways that God has cared for Israel, led them through the wilderness, daily bears Israel up. It goes on to celebrate God's victory over the Gentile nations. David remembers the works of God - leading, bearing, caring, and fighting for Isreal. And in verese 28 he utters amazing words - "Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by whi...