RUF at New Mexico State University

"The Joy Faith Brings" (Psalm 126)

There a kind of joy that can outlast the adrenaline rush. Can invade even sadness. Survives the endless monotony of life. And soars even when the wind isn't blowing. Few of us know this kind of joy, even though all of us are looking. Psalm 126 puts...

"Faith in the Noise of Depression" (Psalm 88)

Psalm 88 is called the "saddest psalm" because unlike the other 149 psalms, it doesn't resolve. It finishes with no silver lining or happy ending, just "You have made darkness is my closest friend." What can a psalm like this show us about everyday...

"Faith in the Familiar" (Psalm 19)

We are surrounded by Glory. We're made for Glory. And the world around us preaches to us day and night, testifying of God's glory. But we are also people who are largely blinded to the glories all around us and where they point. And so Psalm 19...

"Jesus' Faith on the Cross" (Psalm 69)

Psalm 69 is a window through which we see Jesus. In a sense, it provides an "insider account" of his death and suffering on the cross. And so in it, we see the clearest picture of his truest instincts and loves when all hope seemed lost and he was...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Forgetfulness" (Psalm 78)

We're forgetful and distracted people. We're people who forget about God and forget God himself... often. And Psalm 78 helps us see why it's so easy for us to forget God, how He he helps us remember him, and how we have hope that even when we forget...

"The Sound of Faith When You Need a Solution" (Sean Troxel: Psalm 33)

Our intern Sean Troxel teaches on Psalm 33 and what Gospel hope looks like in action.

"The Sound of Faith When You Lose Perspective" (Psalm 73)

When you lose perspective, you lose heart. And when you lose heart, you lose your footing and start slipping. That's the way it goes with school, relationships, and life as a Christian. But Psalm 73 doesn't just point out the dangers of losing perspect...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Hiding" (Psalm 32)

It's interesting how much effort we put into covering up our sins from God and others. And yet God is precisely the One who's invested infinite effort covering up our sins! Psalm 32 invites the forgiven-but-still-hiding out of our shadows of silence; ...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Guilt" (Psalm 51)

Psalm 51 is not just an intimate picture of David coming to the Lord in the noise of his own guilt; it's also a template for how we can approach God with our guilt. That approach begins with comparing ourselves to God, not some other standard. It...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Stress" (Psalm 131)

Each new 24 hours brings with it a whole host of new stressors and reminders that we're not nearly as in control of our lives as we like to think. Is there any way out of an exhausted, anxious, over-committed life spent trying to manage the...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Panic" (Psalm 3)

True faith in the Lord can thrive even in moments of panic when life is falling apart, when circumstances are getting worse not better, when the sky is falling. Psalm 3 shows us that it sounds like freaking out, crying out to the Lord, and calmly...

"The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Life" (Psalm 1)

Psalm 1 holds before us two pictures--spiritual decay and spiritual resurrection. But it's not painting these vivid pictures so that we can get our life in order and do better at "choosing the right path." Instead, it's showing us what God in his...

"A Brief Introduction to the Psalms"

We briefly introduce our new series on The Psalms: The Sound of Faith in the Noise of Life.

"Sexuality Redeemed: Part II" (1 Corinthians 6:9-20)

We conclude our message from last week on sexuality and talk about how God painstakingly promises to redeem, renovate, and re-purpose our broken sexuality.

"Sexuality Reimagined: Part I" (1 Corinthians 6:9-20)

Why does the Bible talk so much about "sexual immorality"? Because sexual brokenness is where we all do life. And the Bible doesn't pretend we live in a fairytale land of ideals... but meets us right where we are, in the real world, where things aren't...

"Singleness Reimagined" (1 Corinthians 7:25-35) (Intern Sean Troxel)

Most of us think of singleness just as a temporary holding pattern until we find someone to pair off with. Just waiting. But what if singleness is a positive calling from God? What if it has a special, strategic purpose in the Kingdom of God? What if...

"Marriage Reimagined" (Ephesians 5_22-33).m4a

It's an ironic time for marriage. Never before has such a wide variety of people pursued marriage. And never before have such large numbers of people run away from their marriages. It seems like half of our society feels they can't truly be themselves...

"Community Reimagined" (Ephesians 4:1-16)

Before Christian community is ever a command or an ideal, it's a gift. And before it's something you're called to give, its something you're allowed to enjoy. But let's be honest... there's a lot of obstacles that can threaten our enjoyment of and...

"Dating Reimagined" (Romans 13:8-14)

Legalism is just as spiritually fatal as licentiousness. And legalistic dating is just as spiritually and relationally harmful as licentious dating. Each of us leans more toward one of these than the other... and needs the daily rescue of Grace to save ...

"The Dating Game" (Proverbs 9)

Dating's always been tricky to figure out; but in a digital age when even using the word "dating" seems antiquated and formal, it can be almost impossible to know what you're doing. Modern dating too often ends in scars, confusion, and regret. And the...

"Scripted Friendships: Besties & Bromance" (1 Samuel 18:1-5)

Intimacy with friends of our own gender is something we crave and feel weird about at the same time. In an uber-eroticized culture, even expressing innocent love for a friend seems to set off alarms. So, we've learned our lesson and keep our friendships...

"Unscripted Friendships" (Luke 10:25-37)

The key question in every friendship is this: "Knowing what I know about this person, what will I do?" Knowing her inconvenient habits and my lack of time, will I back away? Noticing his awkward personality and my reputation, will I pass by and ignore?...

"Conflict and Collisions" (James 4:1-10)

It'd be easy to doubt that God's even on the scene of our worst relationship collisions and conflicts... and even easier to doubt he's specifically using *those* moments to set our hearts back on track. But... He is, and He does. James 4 shows us that...

"Ruined Relationships" (Genesis 3:1-13, 21-22)

When talking about "falls", distance is crucial. If I fall off a chair the damage is minor and fixable. If I fall off the top of a skyscraper the damage is fatal and irreparable. How far did humanity--our relationships to God and one another--fall...

"Made to Relate" (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:7,18)

Who gets to tell you what your relationships should or could look like? Parents? Pop psychologists? A culture constantly evolving? Other friends' experiences? Our own gut instincts? Figuring out what our relationships should be like can be a pretty...

"Reimagining Relationships" (2 Cor 5:14-21)

Relationships populate our worst nightmares, our brightest dreams, and everything in between. It's not a stretch to say that all of life is relational. God suggests as much in 2 Corinthians 5 when he says "I am reconciling all things to myself through...

RUF Senior Speeches (Spring 2015)

Each December and April, we have the privilege hearing of God's powerful work--even in places or seasons of weakness--from our graduating seniors. Their stories and lives are proof positive of Jesus making all things new through the work of his Spirit!

"A New Ministry" (Rom 15:1-13)

"A New Response to Weakness" (Rom 14:1-4, 15:1-7)

"How Do You Respond to Rejection?" (Luke 9:51-56)

"A New Response to Evil" (Rom 12:17-13:14)

"New Relationships" (Rom 12:9-18)

"A New Sacrifice" (Rom 12:1-8)

"A New Invitation" (Rom 10:1-21)

"Give Me Your Son" (1 Kings 17:17-24)

Our great friend, Rev. Chuck Isaac from Christ the King PCA in El Paso, joined us this week to share the word of God from 1 Kings. He talked about 1) how God is often amazingly difficult to understand, 2) are we asking the right questions of God in our...

"A New Sovereignty" (Rom 9:6-24, 11:5-6)

"A New Security" (Rom 8:28-39)

The Gospel of Grace gives us confidence to face anything because it perfectly secures us in Jesus. In this passage, Paul also shows us our insecurities in life come from building on shaky foundations; our security comes from building on a solid...

"A New Hope" (Rom 8:18-30)

"A New Family" (Rom 8:12-17)

"A New Power" (Rom 8:1-11)

The Christian life is a life of *resting* because of what Jesus has done for you... and it's also a life of *fighting* because of what the Spirit is doing in you. It's a deliverance out of condemnation and a deliverance into life and freedom. And God...

"Senior Speeches" (Rom 16:1-9)

During the last large group of each semester, we take time to give thanks to God for our graduating seniors and we listen as they share stories of gospel transformation during their time at RUF.

"A New Struggle" (Rom 7:14-25)

* We apologize for a technical error that caused a loss of about 3 minutes of the sermon beginning around minute 20.

"A New Freedom" (Rom 6:15-7:6)

What has mastered you? What “thirsts” do you consistently obey? Self, Sex, Productivity, Grades, Comfort, Attention from guys/girls, or… Jesus? In Romans 6, we hear God speak into our lives and see how Jesus, the true Lord and Master, frees us from the...

"A New Life" (Rom 6:1-14)

"God Is Love" (1 Jn 4:7-19)

Rev. Doug Coyle, Pastor of Grace Covenant Church here in Las Cruces, preached on what God's love is, what it's not, how it's a reflection of Him, and how it becomes the life-changing, life-motivating power that it was for the Apostle John. Beautiful...

"The New Man" (Rom 5:12-21)

* Our apologies for some minor microphone problems during the first few minutes of the recording. We've remedied the issue for future weeks!

"A New Normal" (Rom 5:1-11)

"The Rejoicing Campus"

In his final message, Justin walks us through Proverbs 11:10-11 and shows us how much God cares about bringing flourishing and rejoicing to our campuses. But how does he intend to bring about this cascade of blessing? By using his people, because as t...

"Knowing and Loving the Campus"

In his opening message, Justin suggests that the key question facing each of us in our relationships and on our campus is this: "Can I KNOW these people and still LOVE them?" We look at Jonah 4 for God's wisdom and grace in figuring out what it looks...

"A New Faith" (Rom 4:1-8, 16-25)