Glory and Joy

Thanks for tuning in y'all! Keep your eyes peeled for updates about season 3, which is coming soon. Please give us feedback! Take 2 minutes to rate and review us. See you next season. 

"In my alone time with God, I tend to learn a lot and feel closer with Him. However, I often feel fearful of destruction maybe because of what I read in His word or I just feel super serious and not really enjoying the time with God! How can we as Christians feel the joy of spending time with the Lord like we do with our friends ?"Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ talk about how to experience joy during our times of prayer and reading God's word. They talk about God's character, the "good" in the good news, our expectations during our alone time with God, and how to remain grounded in Christ through the ups and downs. If you are wanting to recover joy in your alone time with God, tune in! IG: @rufathowardWebsite: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.com 

See you all next week! 

"What's the difference between a Christian and a Catholic? And which religion came first!"Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ take on the topic of how to relate across differences in the broader Christian religion, particularly between Protestants and Roman Catholics. What are the points of unity? What are the points of difference? How did these two broad traditions develop? How do we as Protestants engage Roman Catholics? What are practical ways we can learn more about other Christian traditions? Join us! IG: @rufathowardWebsite: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comIntro and Outro Beats: @j.treble 

"I think my biggest question/concern is that now that I've gotten older, I've seen these adults that I've looked up to in the church, show different sides of themselves outside of 'Sunday Church.' Like why are these elders of the church so judgmental towards the youth and those younger than them, but yet, have these crazy pasts as well as still not living fully of Christ ? Idk if that's a good question or something you can answer but in the past year I've noticed just how messed up some of our elders are yet they're very judgmental within the church community lol. I've just never truly understood it."Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ discuss messiness in the church, judgmentalism, good vs. bad judgment, how to pursue relationships across differences, and the power of grace within our lives and within the church. If you are struggling with how to engage the older generation of your local church situation, this is for you! IG: @rufathoward Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.com Intro and outro beats: @j.treble 

“One question I can think of is this: What do you do when you feel idle during a season?” Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ address the issue of motivation. They discuss the danger of idleness, the heart-level work that must happen to bounce back, the causes and situations that contribute to a lack of motivation, and the practices to embrace in order to reorient our lives. If you are feeling unmotivated, lazy, and in a "blah" mood spiritually, this episode is for you! IG: @rufathoward Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comIntro and Outro Beats: @j.treble 

Check out what's coming in season 2. See you next week! 

"How do we know if other religions are wrong? I know for Christianity, our truth is that there is only one God who sent his Son to die for our sins, but there are other religions that have convictions maybe just as strong as ours. We have our own evidence for our beliefs, and they have their own evidence for believing what they believe. Would other religions be wrong? I don't know how to word this. Because they are wrong for Christians. Do we just coexist like we do now?”Last week was part 1, and this week is part 2 of the above question! Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ pick up the last part of the above question about coexisting with people who hold other faith commitments. We talk about the complexity of living as a Christian in relation to the world, the power of love, and the necessity of the Spirit for bringing people into saving knowledge of Jesus. If you are wondering how to engage your non-Christian neighbors, this episode is for you! IG: @rufathowardWebsite: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comIntro and Outro Beats: @j.treble

"How do we know if other religions are wrong? I know for Christianity, our truth is that there is only one God who sent his Son to die for our sins, but there are other religions that have convictions maybe just as strong as ours. We have our own evidence for our beliefs, and they have their own evidence for believing what they believe. Would other religions be wrong? I don't know how to word this. Because they are wrong for Christians. Do we just coexist like we do now?”Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ address the first part of this question. This episode may be one of the most important episodes for how to be confident in your faith, to engage skepticism, and to have a firm foundation for what you believe. If you want to deepen your confidence in the Christian faith or explore the Christian faith claims for the first time, then join us as we chop it up on Glory and Joy!IG: @rufathowardWebsite: www.gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.com

"One topic in particular is Romans 8:5-8 when it talks about living according to the flesh and the spirit."Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ discuss a question from a student related to a well-known passage about the flesh and the spirit. Have you ever wondered how we get the power to glorify and obey God? Have you ever wondered as a Christian if you actually have the Holy Spirit? We use the term often, but what is "the flesh?" What are some ways we can embrace a life submitted to the Spirit? Are you struggling with sin and wondering if God actually loves you even if you fail often? If so, this episode is for you!! Tune in!!IG: @rufathoward Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comIntro and Outro Beats: @j.treble

Welcome to season 2! We are switching to a more conversational format, and we have a special guest joining us all this season: Pastor Russ!Pastor Cyril and Pastor Russ discuss the question "Why is it important to understand the Christian faith in college? What has been your own journey in understanding the Christian faith, especially while in college?"

"How do we as Christians confront doubters? Sometimes I feel unequipped with the adequate knowledge to defend my faith against people who doubt it. Especially nowadays when it seems like so many people refuse to acknowledge God's existence." This episode Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. talks about apologetics -- the defense of the Christian faith against people speaking against it. We talk about how to speak, live, and suffer in a way that shows how glorious and enjoyable the LORD is! If you have a friend who you want to know Jesus, have been having spiritual conversations with classmates, or just are curious about different practical ways to learn more about apologetics, tune in!! Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comIG: @rufatdcYouTube: https://youtu.be/HXlT7HWtV-8

"Something I've been going through recently is complacency in my relationship with God so I guess my question with that is, 'What to do when we feel our heart isn't connected to him, or when we feel we've drifted from God? How to reignite the passion for the gospel, his word etc.''" Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. explores what we might call a spiritual dry spot. What are some reasons we go through these? Pastor Cyril explores our sometimes false expectations of the Christian life, practical ways people drift from God, and the truths and habits that must be in place to regain our passion for God. Tune in!! You don't want to miss. IG: @rufatdc Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/Zz9qHZC11Ng

"I have been interested in learning more about Enoch." Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. digs into a few things about what the Bible says about the historical figure Enoch. Pastor Cyril talks about Enoch's long life, his unusual passing into the afterlife, and the ways that he points us to Jesus. And as always, there is a moment where we tap into confessional documents and hear a practical tip! Learn how you can further glorify and enjoy God through learning about Enoch's life! IG: @rufatdcWebsite: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/n-jpzgPdi3s

"I would like to hear more sex/ sexual immorality. I feel it is not something that is heavily talked about in the church, besides waiting for marriage." Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. talks about sex! Join us as we cover a few things that the Bible has to say about it. We talk about sex and its relation to humanity's purpose, its function, its goodness and power, and how difficult sex can be. NOTE: In talking about humanity's purpose, we are talking humanity's collective purpose, not necessarily a human's individual purpose. We realize that God affirms a life-time of singleness and celibacy as a beautiful calling for many individuals the church. IG: @rufatdcYoutube: https://youtu.be/vK9BDCJzYDU

"Why isn't the Apocrypha in the Bible?" This week Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. introduces you to a couple of reasons why the Apocrypha is not in the Bible. He talks about canon, the Hebrew Bible, Jesus' own view of the Hebrew Bible, and more. Tune in!IG: @rufatdc Website: gloryandjoy.buzzsprout.comYouTube: https://youtu.be/gT4_FGSONXQ

"Can you talk about sins that are viewed as abominations if you practice them - even if you do claim to be a Christian?"Pastor Cyril Chavis, Jr. answers this question by explaining what an abomination is, why they are abominable, what happens when Christians practice them, four things you need to know about repentance, and the importance of a local church community. IG: @rufatdc and @rufhbcuWebsite: www.ruf.org/dc

Pastor Cyril Chavis Jr. introduces you to Glory and Joy. IG: @rufatdc and @rufhbcu Website: www.ruf.org/dc