Resident Strangers

Tuesday is here which means it is time for another episode of Resident Strangers! This week Steve and Rich are diving into one of the most important points on our doctrinal statement (linked below) as they discuss who Jesus is. This is such an important topic to talk about because as Steve says if you get the truth of who Jesus is wrong you are going to get it all wrong. To begin, how do we understand the two natures of Jesus? Rich walks us through the Chalcedonian Statement that was created in 451 AD and why that was important for our faith history. Steve talks with us about how impactful it is that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Ultimately, the incarnation of Jesus was not a temporary thing and Rich talks through how that affects our faith today. It is truly incredible what God was willing to do for us with the gift of His son Jesus. As you learn this week you will certainly be encouraged!Chalcedonian Creed - https://www.ccel.org/creeds/chalcedonian-creed.htmlDesert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsQuestions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

This week on Resident Strangers Steve and Rich answer a few questions they received about last week's episode on the Holy Spirit. Sarah actually kicks off the episode with a question and story about an old college roommate who was questioning her salvation because of a perceived lack of work of the Holy Spirit. The question being, is speaking in tongues the only evidence for salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit? Other questions discussed are, what is the "filling of the spirit?" How do we determine what the evidence of the Holy Spirit is in our own lives and others lives? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit?Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsQuestions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

The part of the trinity that can feel like the hardest to understand is the Holy Spirit. That is what Steve and Rich are tackling this week on Resident Strangers. Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it even a person? How is it present in our lives? What does it mean for those of us who have relationship with Jesus? These questions are answered, and the discussion ultimately turns toward how the Holy Spirit calls us into a body of believers. We hope this conversation gives you a greater understanding of who the Holy Spirit is!Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsRich Holland's Stories Collective interview: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4O9jSmbkZgC9taWVeRiqxS?si=2129e5a6fdca496bQuestions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

Steve and Rich continue the conversation this week on who God is. Both have received many questions about God and who He is over the years but the one that is the most common is how to know the will of God for our lives. The majority of the conversation is spent on how to know God's will and how to live that out each day, even if you feel like you've made a wrong decision. Rich wraps up the conversation by going over some ideas about what God is like. Once again, you'll be amazed at how much was covered in less than 25 minutes! Listen in and take some time to think about who God is and what He might have in store for you. Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsRecommendations from Steve:Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen - https://www.amazon.com/Decision-Making-Will-God-Alternative/dp/1590522052/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=decision+making+and+the+will+of+god&qid=1693697706&sprefix=decision+making+%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1Questions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

This week on Resident Strangers Steve and Rich do their best in answering a pretty big question: who is God? This is the second item that appears on the Doctrinal Statement of Desert Springs Community Church (you can click to link below to view the full doctrinal statement). Right away Rich gets into what the trinity is. Whether you've heard the egg analogy, water analogy or any other kind of analogy about the trinity you will hopefully be able to better comprehend each part of who God is on a holistic level. He is The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. The eternity of God is also a central part of the today's conversation. Ultimately, Steve reminds us that the consistency of the Word of God is something that really helps us to understand who God is. Towards the end of the conversation another question is answered, are all religions worshipping the same God? We hope this episode helps you to better understand who the God we worship and serve is! Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsRecommendations from Rich:Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical and Systematic by Adam Harwood - https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Theology-Biblical-Historical-Systematic/dp/1683596013/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=systematic+theology+adam+harwood&qid=1692829478&sprefix=systematic+theology+ada%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-1God, Time and the Incarnation by Rich Holland - https://www.amazon.com/God-Time-Incarnation-Richard-Holland/dp/1610977297/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I7X0TQ0CUEDK&keywords=god+time+and+the+incarnation&qid=1692830135&sprefix=god+time+and+the+incarnation%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1Questions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

This week on Resident Strangers Steve and Rich answer a few questions they received about last week's episode on the Bible as well as common questions they have received throughout their years of preaching and teaching. You'll be amazed at how many questions were covered in less than 25 minutes! Questions discussed are: How did we get the Bible? How did the New Testament come about? Did the Church invent the Bible? What about those "extra" books of the Bible? How do we study the Bible? How do we understand doctrine correctly? Does the Bible speak for itself? Why are there different translations of the Bible and how do we determine which is the best one to use?Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement - https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsRecommendations from Steve:Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World - https://www.amazon.com/Evidence-That-Demands-Verdict-Life-Changing/dp/1401676707/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GZ5LODOOAWNP&keywords=evidence+that+demands+a+verdict+by+josh+mcdowell&qid=1692043626&sprefix=evidence+tha+%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1Recommendations from Rich:The Case for Byzantine Priority - http://jbtc.org/v06/Robinson2001.htmlQuestions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

We are looking forward to diving into our first theological topic here on Resident Strangers - The Bible! Steve Engram and Rich Holland kick off their conversation with Sarah Schalow by starting with defining what the Bible is. This is the first item that appears on the Doctrinal Statement of Desert Springs Community Church (you can see the full doctrinal statement below). A big controversy in our current culture is the question of the inerrancy of the Bible. Steve and Rich do not shy away from this and spend a good portion of this episode talking through how to know that the Bible is true. They also talk through how to think about the Old Testament, especially the Law, in the world that we live in today. You will have a better understanding of the importance of The Bible after listening to this episode. Next week Steve and Rich will be diving into some questions about the Bible so make sure you join us again next Tuesday!Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement: https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsRecommendations from Rich:How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth - https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310517826/Is Biblical Inerrancy Defensible? - https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/is-biblical-inerrancy-defensibleQuestions or comments?Email residentstrangers@dscchurch.com Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world.

Welcome to the first episode of Resident Strangers! Our hosts Steve Engram and Rich Holland are joined by Sarah Schalow as they lay the groundwork for what this podcast will be. You'll get to know Steve and Rich on a personal level, but they pretty quickly jump into how to think like a Christian in this foreign world that we live in. The year 2020 was unknowingly a catalyst for wanting to create a space to have conversations about why studying theology is important. So, that's exactly what is discussed in today's episode - what is theology and why should we care about it? Listen in as we kick off Resident Strangers! We look forward to continuing to share with you this fall! Rich Holland's Stories Collective interview: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4O9jSmbkZgC9taWVeRiqxS?si=3aa82f495eaa4a44Desert Springs' Doctrinal Statement: https://www.dscchurch.com/values-beliefsInterested in studying theology on a deeper level? Check out this book Rich recommends: https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Theology-Biblical-Historical-Systematic/dp/1683596013/Would you please subscribe and leave us a review? This will help our podcast reach more people! We’d love it if you’d share this podcast with your friends on social media and beyond. Join us next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world. 

Christian thinking in a foreign world. Join us every Tuesday starting August 8th as we discuss important theological topics and how to think about the world through a Christian lens. Hosted by Steve Engram and Rich Holland.