Reliable Truth
Richard E Simmons III
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Welcome to Reliable Truth with best-selling author Richard E Simmons III.
Are you searching for truth in your life? Looking for talks that will get you thinking? Each week Richard talks on topics like how to find happiness in your work, or how to improve your marriage. Listen anytime – on the way to work or over a lunch break – and you should come away feeling challenged and encouraged.
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Oct 10, 2019
Financial Wisdom from Proverbs - Part 1
Billy Graham once said, "If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life."
I couldn't agree more! If your attitude on money is right, it's easier to develop the proper balance between work and family. Most issues regarding money are judgement issues, and for this reason we all need wisdom in handling our finances. There is much wisdom in the book of Proverbs, especially in the area of relationships, work and finances.
This is Part 1 of a 2-Part series. I hope you enjoy it!
Sep 16, 2019
The Law of the Harvest
British scholar C. S. Lewis says that, “Every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before... You are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature.”
Could there be a slow deterioration of the quality of my life based on what I am sowing and reaping? And if so, am I willing to sow in a different direction?
In this week's podcast, Richard Simmons III discusses sowing and reaping, and how the quality of our choices truly determines their outcome. Join us!
Sep 2, 2019
The Reason For Life - Part 2
Do you feel alone and separated from God? Are you longing for something or someone that can truly satisfy the deepest longings of your heart?
You can go to the greatest resorts, eat at the finest restaurants, drink the finest wines, play on the world's top golf courses, have great sex, but the problem is when you wake up the next morning, you're still thirsty. These are wonderful things, but they don't satisfy you fully, because ultimately, our thirst is in our souls - we have a thirst that can only be satisfied by the Spirit of God. We were made in the image of God and we need to know our Creator.
This is God's great Rescue Mission - Christ became a man, and has come to rescue and free us from our brokenness and the powers of darkness. We cannot rescue ourselves - let Him rescue you today!
This is Part 2 of Richard's 2-part interview with Carrie Abbott, host of Relationship Insights Radio show based in Seattle. You can find this and hundreds of other interviews at carrieabbott.com.
Aug 26, 2019
The Reason For Life - Part 1
If you could ask God one question, and be guaranteed that He would answer, what would it be? Recently USA Today conducted a survey asking this very question - the number 1 question people wanted to ask God was this, "What is my purpose here?"
In this podcast, Richard discusses his personal journey in searching for his purpose in life, and how this led him to write his most recent book The Reason For Life. In this book, Richard writes that purpose implies design. If this is true, then there must be a Creator. Be encouraged - your life matters! In Christ, life makes sense!
This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview with Carrie Abbott, host of Relationship Insights Radio show based in Seattle. You can find this and hundreds of other interviews at carrieabbott.com.
Aug 4, 2019
Pain, Suffering and Evil Part 2 - Preparing For and Responding to It
It seems that when it comes to pain and suffering, I think our natural first response is, how do I get this out of my life? Most of us are more concerned with how things are going to turn out, but God is more concerned with how we’re going to turn out. That’s His focus.
How do you prepare for the storms of life? How do you respond to them when they come into your life?
Dr. Hans Selye, the first true pioneer in discovering the impact of emotion on a person’s health, wrote 30 books on the subject, and at the end of his life, he summarized everything he’d learned in all of his years of research. He concluded, “Vengeance and bitterness are, as the emotional responses to our circumstances that will do us the most harm,” but “gratitude is the single most nourishing attitude for a person’s good health and well-being.”
This is Part 2 of a two-part series on Pain, Suffering and Evil. If you missed Part 1, be sure and go back and check it out!
Jul 11, 2019
Pain, Suffering and Evil - Part 1 - Why Does God Allow It?
Why does God allow pain, suffering and evil in the world? And why is it that suffering sometimes causes people to turn away from God? I believe we're not dealing with a problem that needs to be solved - rather, we're dealing with a mystery to be understood.
My purpose in this podcast is for us to gain understanding and make sense of the pain, suffering and evil around us. This topic leads to a very important question we should all ask ourselves - What is the ultimate good in life? Please tune in and join us!
Next week in Part 2, we'll deal with how to prepare for, and then respond to pain and suffering when it enters into our lives.
Jul 6, 2019
What Is Your Purpose In Life?
What is the purpose of your life? If your life has a purpose, your life will be fulfilling and you will have a deep sense of joy.
At the end of your life, don't you want your life to matter? Just as happiness is a by-product of a meaningful life, so futility is a by-product of a worldly life. Tom Brady, winner of six Super Bowls said, "There has to be something greater for my life."
In a hostage rescue attempt, Navy Seals were shocked that the hostages they were trying to rescue wouldn't leave until one Seal 'became one of them.' That's what God did in sending Jesus to earth. He became one of us.
Jun 24, 2019
Finding The True Riches In Life
So many of us want success and riches and fame, but at the end of the day, what that comes down to is our deep desire for significance.
Why do we live to impress those around us? Why do their opinions weigh so mightily on us?
In this podcast, we look at the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12. Richard asks us questions like: What would you call your true riches of life?
What will be of value to you when you are lying on your deathbed? What is wisdom to you, and how much of that do you truly possess?
C.S. Lewis said, “If you’re spiritually going in the wrong direction, or really in no direction, it’s never going to become the right direction... Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”
Are you headed toward the true riches of life?
Jun 14, 2019
The Success Trap - How Do You Measure A Man's Life?
How do you measure a man's life? What are your aspirations for the rest of your life? What are your dreams?
I want to share with you four thoughts today to help you evaluate your life as it relates to what I call the performance trap. I’d ask you to be honest with yourself, because I think it’s a very healthy thing to examine yourself, to know yourself. In fact, John Calvin says that wisdom consists of two parts: knowledge of God and knowledge of self. So, it’s a healthy thing to understand yourself. Please join me and listen in!
Jun 6, 2019
Why Am I This Way? Part 2
Can the human heart be changed? Can it be transformed to do good? I invite you to join me in considering these questions.
Many years ago, in its infancy, Time magazine asked several hundred prominent philosophers and theologians to write a response to the question, “What is Wrong with the World?” _G.K. Chesterton_, the celebrated English journalist and novelist, was among those contacted. He wrote back: "Gentlemen, In response to your question, 'What is Wrong with the World?' I am. - Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton"
May 30, 2019
Why Am I This Way? Part 1
Many years ago I asked a group of men if they believed human morality was improving and if we were becoming a better society. To my surprise a bright attorney quickly responded, “Absolutely.” I was dumbfounded. He proceeded to share his optimism about the future as if human beings were perfectible and that a Utopian society might be achievable in our lifetime. That was well over twenty-five years ago and I wonder if he has changed his mind.
In his early years, the great twentieth century thinker and author _H.G. Wells_ believed passionately in the perfectibility of human beings in our society. Yet shortly before his death, Wells completed his final work, _The Mind at the End of Its Tether_. In it, he concluded that "there is no hope for mankind."
Can the human heart be changed? Can it be transformed to do good? I invite you to join me in considering these questions.
Mar 15, 2019
Good Morning, Ozarks!
If there is a God out there, why did He put me here? What is the reason for my earthly existence? Join Richard today as he discusses these questions from his newest book, The Reason For Life. Today's podcast comes from the "Good Morning, Ozarks" show with KLFC Radio in Branson, Missouri.
To get your FREE copy of Richard's new book, The Reason For Life, text WISDOM to 345345. Get yours today!
Feb 15, 2019
Walking In Wisdom
The decisions and choices we make are the foundation of our life. Jordan Peterson says our choices either lead to order or they lead to chaos. They lead to excellence or they lead to mediocrity.
You see, life is not made by the dreams you dream. It is made by the choices you make. Do you need wisdom for your life? Join us and listen in today!
Jan 4, 2019
The Beginning of a New Year
As we enter 2019, I want to address an issue that has great influence on our individual lives, though we generally are not very aware of it. I would like to introduce it through a riddle. Can you guess the answer?
Dec 14, 2018
The Epidemic of Loneliness - Part 2
Stanford psychologist Phillip Zimbardo made this observation, “There is nothing more detrimental to a person’s life than isolation. There is no more destructive influence on physical and mental health than the isolation of you from me and us from them.”
Yet, incredibly, we trivialize human existence and human relationships with the excuse of time-demands and the pressures of work.
Can a person be truly happy if they struggle with loneliness? Join me to listen in on my thoughts on this.
Dec 4, 2018
The Epidemic of Loneliness - Part 1
Harvard Business Review recently reported that, “Loneliness is a growing health epidemic. We live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s."
Why is human loneliness so problematic? Why does it cause such harm and dysfunction? There seems to be something in our wiring that requires us to be in relationships with others if we are to be healthy people.
This issue, I believe, strikes at the heart of the existence of God, the reason we are here, and what we are designed to do. When we live as we were designed - to think, to reason, to communicate, to love and be relational - we flourish.
Nov 26, 2018
What Battles Are You Fighting?
We are all fighting battles of some kind. The truths of the Bible serve as a powerful comfort in difficult times and teach us how to respond to adversity. What battles are you fighting?
Nov 24, 2018
Cultivate A Grateful Heart
Last Year I wrote a book titled, The Power of a Humble Life. In the book I write that “Humble people are grateful people.” This is one of the main qualities that characterizes the lives of the humble. They recognize who deserves the credit for everything in their lives. True heartfelt thanksgiving is a way in which we humble ourselves. Are you cultivating a grateful heart today?
Nov 9, 2018
The Search For Meaning in a Chaotic World
Philosopher Dallas Willard says that, “Meaning is not a luxury for us... It is a kind of spiritual oxygen that enables our souls to live.”
Do you live your life with a sense of real purpose? Does your life today have a deep sense of meaning? I’m convinced it’s very difficult to live a healthy, vibrant life without the thought, without the knowledge that my life does have a sense of meaning.
Nov 9, 2018
A Life of Excellence
Are you making a lasting difference with your life? How do you want to be remembered when your life is over?
This message lays out three principles that clearly point to a life of excellence. I am convinced that if one lives in accordance with these principles, his or her life will flourish and prosper. Are you living a life of excellence?
Oct 29, 2018
The Pursuit of Happiness
The great philosopher Augustine once said, “Is not a happy life the thing that all desire, and is there anyone who altogether desires it not?”
Do I live this life with a sense of purpose? Does my life have real meaning to it? True happiness is a byproduct of living a meaningful life, but how does one find that meaning?
Listen in to find out!
Oct 10, 2018
Four Fears Men Struggle With
If you knew that no one would ever know, what would you say that you fear? Or who? Would you get rid of those fears if you could? The fear of failure and the fear of rejection, along with other fears, can just cascade into our lives and create all kinds of problems. Then of course, we never talk about them. Because if I talked about my fears, what would you think about me?
Sep 25, 2018
Satisfying the Desires of Your Heart
Welcome to the first episode of Reliable Truth with Richard E Simmons III! Today Richard talks about our search to satisfy the desires of our heart. When you get or achieve the ultimate and it lets you down, it makes you wonder - if this doesn't satisfy me, what will?