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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1 day ago
What is the Purpose of Pain and Suffering? Part 1
If there is a loving God, if He is kind and loving, why is there so much pain and evil and suffering in this life? Maybe this is not important to you. Maybe right now you’re at a point in your life where you’re kind of insulated from it, you haven’t had any big waves of difficulty come your way, but this question will be important to you one day, I predict.
I had lunch Wednesday with a guy who, a year ago said that life had never been better. But this past November he had to bury his 18-year-old son. And he said to me, "Now, every day I think about this. I think about the pain, and the hurt, and the why."
Today I want to consider some of the questions that are naturally raised when we see dreadful suffering among our fellow man. Maybe you’re experiencing suffering right now, and you have questions. I pray that this message will bring you fresh courage and hope in the God who is there for you.
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6 days ago
Father and Son
In celebration of Father’s Day today, Richard‘s guest is Jeremiah Castille, University of Alabama football legend and All American, who went on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. Jeremiah has a heart for mentoring young people, and currently serves as the chaplain for the University of Alabama football team. Jeremiah gave this message to a large gathering of fathers and sons.
Jeremiah says that when he looks back on his life, he can see how God prepared him for the ministry work he does today. He knows that God used his mother and his Coach Bear Bryant to influence his life to help his fellow man.
The Jeremiah Castille Ministry provides ministerial programs for marriage, family and individual Biblical counseling in addition to individual and group discipleship, motivational speaking forums and evangelist engagements. Find out more by visiting _www.castillefoundation.org_.
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Jun 12, 2022
Raising Daughters in a Sex-Crazed World
With Father's Day coming soon, I wanted to share this talk to fathers and daughters. I believe one of the most important responsibilities that we have as fathers is to teach our children to be wise - that when they leave our houses, they would possess great wisdom.
Proverbs 3 says, “Wisdom is more precious than jewels and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand and in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She’s a tree of life to those who hold her and happy are all who hold her fast.”
Dads, we must be very proactive in teaching our daughters about what it means to be wise. In today's episode I cover four important issues that your daughters really need to understand, along with specific ways we can pray for our daughters. Happy Father's Day!
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Jun 6, 2022
Thinking Clearly About Sexuality
The greater the power anything has for good, the greater the power it correspondingly has for evil. This is called the Principle of Double Effect. An example of this might be nuclear power. When you harness nuclear power, it can be used for such good in generating electricity for people's homes and for businesses. But when it's made into a bomb, it can be incredibly destructive.
Another application of this principle goes like this: the greater the power anything has for joy in this life, the greater the power it also correspondingly has for pain. You see, God has given us a number of wonderful gifts that bring much joy and goodness to our lives, but they bring this joy and goodness when they're used and enjoyed the way God intended. But, when these same gifts are misused and abused by us, they can bring an incredible amount of pain and sorrow to our lives.
I believe this is particularly true of sex. Our sexuality is one of the most meaningful and powerful sources of joy in this life, but it's only when we experience it in the way God designed it. However, when our sexuality is misused and abused, it is the source of unbelievable pain and heartache. Unfortunately, large numbers of young people are finding their lives damaged emotionally, psychologically and physically because of careless and ill-advised decisions they've made with their bodies. Today I'm presenting the Biblical view of sexuality - the way God designed it. I contend that the healthiest, most meaningful, most satisfying and most pleasurable sexual experience is found between a man and a woman in a covenant relationship called marriage.
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May 29, 2022
The Sower and The Seeds
What does the farmer expect from the fruit trees he plants? To bear fruit, of course! Today I want to look at the parable of The Sower and the Seed, and it’s found in three of the Gospels. Today we'll study it from Matthew 13.
The seed is God’s Word, and the soil is man’s heart. Who is the sower that sows the seed? It’s not God. It's you and me! We’re called and have been given the privilege to plant and water God's truth in people’s lives. So God basically has chosen to make His appeal to the world through us.
But Satan desires to blind the mind, to snatch away the message. To snatch away the Gospel. There’s a great verse - it’s Acts 26:18, where the apostle Paul said, “God’s desire is to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those that have been sanctified by faith in Me.”
This should be our objective: to be growing and maturing in our faith, in our relationship with God, so that our life is useful to the Master and has the ability to bear fruit, wherever God chooses for you and for me to be fruitful.
I encourage you to pray consistently Colossians 4:2-3, "...That God would open up a door..." I don’t believe that you should go and barge into somebody’s life and say, "This is what you need to do." Instead, pray this: "Lord I pray that you would open up a door. I’m ready to be used by You, I’m looking to you to open up a door to be used in the life of somebody else."
I promise you, if you will pray that, it will happen. Just get ready.
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May 23, 2022
The Key to a Healthy Life
What is the role of truth in our lives?
I believe we must learn the importance of finding out what is true - because truth is paramount in the Christian faith. King David warns us in Psalm 15, of the importance of speaking the truth in our hearts. Healthy people are willing to confront the truth about themselves - and take appropriate action.
People who have the habit of not facing the truth, have a habit of having trouble living in every aspect of their lives, in their jobs and in their personal relationships as well. Being centered on the truth is crucial to a healthy, vital human life.
How healthy are you?
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May 16, 2022
The Hunger of the Soul
What has shaped your ideas about life and about God? Where did you get those ideas and beliefs? Where did you get the perspective that you bring into your life? If God came and spoke to us, I think He would tell us to listen to the words of Jesus. Listen to what He has to say to you, and about where you are in life. "But why should I listen to Him?" you might ask. What does He have to say that’s relevant to me and my life?
The first reason is that His words are true. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Whether you lived a thousand years ago, or whether you live today, Jesus' words will have an everlasting application to your life.
A second reason is that one day, our lives will be judged by His words. In John 5:22-23, Jesus says, "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father." That sure gets my attention.
And lastly, Jesus warns us in Mark 4:24 to “Consider carefully what you hear...” Our lives are shaped by so many things, by so many influences. What if the influences that have shaped my life turn out to be wrong? What if I’ve been misguided?
I believe that we all need someone who serves as a true compass to lead us to what is true, what is accurate, and what is wise. I contend that Jesus is that compass.
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May 9, 2022
The Danger of an Easy Life
What is the object of life? And what are you hoping to achieve in this life?
American Trappist monk, Thomas Merton said this, "If you really want to know a man - to know what's at the core of his being," he said, find out what he's living for now - in the present. Jesus gives us some good insight on this in one of my favorite parables, found in Luke 12. It's about a businessman who stores up treasure for himself, but he is not rich towards God.
It's not so much that prosperity corrupts men. It's what prosperity makes available to us that potentially can corrupt us. Prosperity can cause us to live for ourselves, to want to be left alone so we can pursue our own dreams. Ahh, a life of ease... is it really as great as it sounds?
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May 1, 2022
The Human Struggle to Find God
How great is my desire to know God and to truly find Him as a living reality for my life? For many people, God is nothing more than a concept or a distant being that’s out there, but not One that's alive and that you can have a relationship with.
Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD..."
If this is true, God should be a living reality to everyone who truly seeks to find Him. But if God is not a living reality in our lives, maybe it’s because we haven’t sought Him. And maybe it’s really because we have no interest in having Him in our lives. Is this willful blindness?
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Apr 24, 2022
Michael Easley InContext - Biblical Manhood in a Man-Hating World
Today Richard joins Dr. Michael Easley of Michael Easley InContext to discuss Biblical Manhood in a Man-Hating World.
Dr. Easley’s experience in ministry spans four decades as a gifted Bible teacher and church leader. He was the 8th president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois He shares a passion for ministry, heart for people, and love of God.
Michael Easley inContext wants to help you understand how God’s Word applies to the context of your life through interviews with subject matter experts, and men and women striving to obey Christ and His Word.
This episode originally aired on Michael Easley InContext. Click here to listen.
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Apr 18, 2022
The Humble Christ
HG Wells was one of the great historians to have ever lived. He was not a Christian nor a religious man, but in his book The Outline of History Wells concluded that Jesus was the most dominant figure in all of history.
How did Jesus do that? How did he become the most dominant figure in all of history? Not by power, prestige, influence nor outward appearance. He chose the path of humility.
Watch the video of this message here!
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Apr 11, 2022
The Hope of Easter: Is it Real?
Is the hope of Easter real?
11 Corinthians 4:16 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." The apostle Paul was saying that with the passage of time, if you don't have a strong, vibrant spiritual life, you cannot help but naturally lose hope. Most of us know that the body is dying. We also know that everything in this life that we've accomplished and worked for will be lost the moment we die.
We should build everything in our lives around Jesus, if indeed He is the risen Christ. And yet this is the struggle that so many of us have: we might acknowledge Jesus as Lord of the universe, but we just don't want Him to be the Lord of our lives. Who is Christ to you?
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Mar 27, 2022
The Hope of Easter in an Age of Skepticism
How can the events of Easter transform the heart?
Let's consider the events that took place on that first Good Friday and that first Easter morning. If they actually happened as events of history, then they are the defining events In all of life; in all of history. As Blaise Pascal observed, apart from Jesus, His crucifixion, and His resurrection, we cannot know the meaning of life, of our death, of God, or of anything else.
I contend that these Easter events have the power to convert and change the mind and the intellect, and to transform the heart. Today I want to consider how the cross and how the resurrection impact the mind and the heart. This is an important place to start as we live in an age of skepticism.
What is the foundation that I can build my faith and my belief on? Hebrews 2:9 says, "But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death…
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Mar 21, 2022
Interview on The Brett Snodgrass Podcast - What is The True Measure of a Man?
When thinking about manhood or what really defines what a man is; what do you usually think of? Money? Success? Women? Today Richard joins Brett on The Brett Snodgrass Podcast to discuss what the true measure of a man really is! We talk about fear of failure and unnecessary shame that comes with being a man. We also discuss why fathers need to be teaching their sons about masculinity at a young age and how God plays a role in being a man.
Brett Snodgrass is a successful entrepreneur and host of _The Brett Snodgrass Podcast_. Brett’s vision is to build a community of entrepreneurs and businessmen who truly desire to learn from and help each other to live their purpose. This episode originally aired on The Brett Snodgrass Podcast on March 14, 2022. _Click here_ to watch the complete episode.
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Mar 14, 2022
Wisdom for Life: Dealing with the Future
I believe we have a tendency to live out the future in our imagination before it arrives.
For many of us, our lives are truly out of sync with time because we’re always anticipating the future. We all are always trying to rearrange our lives around future expectations of happiness. Blaise Pascal says this:
“We never keep to the present. We recall the past; we anticipate the future as if we found it too slow in coming and were trying to hurry it up... We are so unwise that we wander about in times that do not belong to us, and do not think of the only one that does... We almost never think of the present and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future.
The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone, our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.”
If we have dealt with our past and we liv…
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Mar 7, 2022
Wisdom for Life: Dealing with the Past
You are what you remember.
I believe that what we remember affects who we are and what we experience in this life. Many people are haunted or weighed down by baggage from the past. Others try to live in the future, thinking that when they get to a certain point later, then life will be full and complete. Either perspective makes their lives in the present miserable.
God designed us to live a full and joyful life each day, with no impediments from the past or the future. Today we're looking at how to deal with the past. Next week, we'll cover dealing with the future.
If our lives are healed of past wounds and moral failures, if we are able to let go of anger, hatred, and bitterness by forgiving others, and if we have a strong faith built on God’s Word, on God’s revelation from the past, just think of the life you could live. Think of how free and how vibrant and how healthy you could be, and think of how abundant life would be in the present. Right now.
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Feb 28, 2022
Life's Great Paradox: The Power of Humility
What is the value of living a humble life?
Life for most of us is all about what we do and how successful we are. Yet in today’s culture and with the power of social media, we also want to be well-known and admired for it. This is called the “pride of life.”
Humble people are grateful people. They recognize who deserves the credit for everything in their lives.
In this message I dig into the issue of pride and arrogance and then explore what I consider life’s great paradox: the power of humility. - Richard
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Feb 21, 2022
Seeking Wisdom in Our Relationships
Do you need help with your relationships?
Donald Miller says, "...the words alone, lonely and loneliness are three of the most powerful words in the English language... Those words say that we are human... they are like the words hunger and thirst, but they are not words about the body, they are words about the soul."
God designed people to need other people. We are relational beings because God is relational. And we love, as scripture says, because He first loved us. The soul needs to interact with other people to be healthy.
Join us for Richard's message on how to make our relationships flourish and thrive.
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Feb 14, 2022
Seeking Wisdom on Human Sexuality
Is your sexuality sacred to you? I contend that one of the most meaningful and powerful sources of joy in this life is our sexuality, particularly in the context in which God designed it. But when it's abused and misused, I believe, and I have seen, that it can be a source of unbelievable pain and guilt.
In our last episode we discussed getting wisdom for handling our money. Well, the way we regard our money and material wealth and the way we regard sexuality says a lot about us and what's going on in our lives. It says a lot about our culture. Today I'd like to lay out and make a case for the Christian biblical view of sexuality.
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Feb 7, 2022
Seeking Wisdom in the Handling of Money
Do you need wisdom for your finances today?
Blaise Bascal once said, "Human beings find life to be unsatisfying and incoherent as time goes by, because they have false beliefs and false ideas on matters important for living a high quality of life." He goes on to say, "Therefore it is critical that gain genuine wisdom by uprooting false beliefs and replacing them with true insights and perspective."
We often are not aware that what we believe is false until we get burned by the belief.
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Jan 31, 2022
Life in Heaven
What will life in heaven really be like? Will we just be spiritual beings floating around in heaven? The Bible teaches that heaven is a place of joyous celebration, and that we will each have a physical, glorified body in heaven. Philippians 3:20-21 says, "For our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body."
In Matthew 22:2 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Revelation 1:9 "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb." Have you accepted God's offer of heaven for you?
Today's message follows up on a recent podcast series that Richard taught on Jesus' parable called The Rich Man and Lazarus.
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Jan 23, 2022
A Study on Ecclesiastes - Part 4
Do you know what life is like if there is no God?
It’s kind of like the view that John Lennon wrote about in his song, "Imagine." He says, “Imagine there’s no Heaven, it’s easy if you try, no hell below us, above us, only sky. Imagine all the people living for today.” Lennon is saying, just imagine what it would be like if there was no God and no Heaven and no religion.
Solomon says that life "under the sun" leads to a life that is empty and meaningless. And so, what do we do? We look for ways to divert the mind and tend to center our lives on pleasure and our work. But then we discover that it doesn’t keep emptiness out of our lives. It doesn’t permanently satisfy.
Dallas Willard said, “Meaning is one of the greatest needs of human life. One of our deepest hungers. Perhaps it is in the final analysis, the most basic need in the realm of the human experience. Almost anything can be born if life as a whole is meaningful. As Albert Camus, the very famous Nobe…
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Jan 17, 2022
A Study on Ecclesiastes - Part 3
What is the purpose of work?
Jeffrey Salkin in the Wall Street Journal said this, “Americans work so hard that we often put work at the emotional and spiritual center of our lives.” And then Sigmund Freud who, in all that I’ve read about him, lived a miserable life - he said, “Work is the most powerful deflector to keep us from having to face the unhappiness of our existence.”
Last week we looked at the problem of making pleasure the highest goal in our lives. This week, we’re looking at a second very natural diversion - our work. Our labor, as Solomon calls it.
Work is good. Work is ordained by God. In fact, II Thessalonians 3:10, Paul says this, "If a man is not willing to work, don’t let him eat!" Your work has the great potential to give your life a certain sense of meaning. The problem with it, just like pleasure, it doesn’t last. It’s just temporary. Join me as we look for wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes!
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Jan 10, 2022
A Study on Ecclesiastes - Part 2
What is the modern secular view of life?
You might say it is the same as Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes - if there is no God, life is meaningless. Your pursuits and your endeavors are temporary, and nothing more than chasing after the wind. Solomon concluded that life "under the sun" means there is no God who stands behind you and existence. There is no God sustaining the universe. No life after death. There’s no judgment. There’s no eternity.
When it comes to all the big questions the philosophers and intellectuals have asked over the centuries, there are no answers, and no one to give you the answers to those questions. Solomon concludes life is meaningless.
If there is no God, if there is no meaning to life, what should we do?
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Jan 2, 2022
A Study on Ecclesiastes - Part 1
"Do you find yourself unsatisfied with things in your life?" Warren Wiersbe asks in his commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes.
He continues, “If so, you are in good company, because dissatisfaction is a part of the human condition. That’s why God gave us the book of Ecclesiastes — to remind us that satisfaction in life is not an external issue that can be appeased by amassing more stuff, or having certain life experiences. It’s an internal condition of the heart,”
He goes on to say, “I believe for the satisfaction of this life is possible, but to only the extent of my personal relationship with God. This is the big idea that runs through the book of Ecclesiastes.”
Join us today as we study the book of Ecclesiastes together!
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Dec 27, 2021
It Started With One Man
Today my guest is Dr. Michael Green, bringing us a message from Acts 18, to begin the new year with renewed hope and courage.
Lift up your eyes to see what just one man can do for the cause of Christ. Remember, one person plus God is always a majority!
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Dec 20, 2021
It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times
Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries joins us again today to share a special message about Christmas. His focus is on the shepherds, the first people the angels told about Jesus' birth. They were the first to see the baby Jesus. They knelt and worshipped him.
They were the first to worship and on the way back to their sheep, they witnessed to everybody. They were the first missionaries. They told everybody, the Messiah has come. We saw Him and we praised Him. These humble shepherds. Don’t we all need a bigger dose of humility? And our pride, and our sense of entitlement today?
Jerry is a favorite speaker at The Center's events. Along with being an associate Chaplain in The NFL for many years, Jerry has done ministry in Guatemala, Scotland, Russia, Europe and Africa as well as all over the U.S.
He and his wife Holly have been on Young Life Staff and continue to be involved with Young Life here and also internationally.
Learn more about Jerry here.
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Dec 13, 2021
The Search for Meaning - Part 3
What are you living for? A few years ago USA Today did a poll, asking their readers this one question, “If you could ask God one question and get an answer, what would that question be?” And interestingly, the overwhelming number one question that the readers answered was ‘What on earth am I here for?’ Why am I alive? Why do I exist?
What are you living for? Because the way we answer that question will ultimately determine if we will ever find meaning in life.
French novelist and Nobel prize winner Albert Camus once said, “The fundamental question about life is the question of meaning. Anything else is secondary. Until the question of meaning is dealt with, I cannot give answers to the other questions of life.”
I think Camus is telling us that the question of meaning is the most pivotal question in life. Life can be full of meaning... but it can only truly be found in Jesus Christ.
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Dec 5, 2021
The Search for Meaning - Part 2
How much of your life have you wasted trying to impress others? How much different would your life be if you were delivered from the fear and worry about what others think of you? Today we're looking again at what Solomon has to say about our work in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Solomon says this, “What does the worker gain from his toil? I’ve seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the heart of men.” Solomon is saying that our lives are linked to eternity because we are eternal beings. And he says, because of that, we desire a permanence to our lives. We would like to think that our lives are going to have a permanence and a stamp and a significance in this life that I’ve lived.
If Jesus were standing before us today, and if we asked Him to make a comment about our work and success and the fruit of our labor, I wonder what would He say to us? I believe that out of love, He might tell us the same thing He tol…
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Nov 29, 2021
The Search for Meaning - Part 1
If you could live your life over again, would you do anything differently? As I meet with men every day, I find that there are so many men who live with the pain of regret.
Today's podcast is about the book of Ecclesiastes - a philosophical book about the sorrows, the regrets and the life of King Solomon. You see, he turned away from his faith in his latter years, and he turned away to false God gods and to idols of the many wives that he had taken from foreign lands. And as he writes this book, he often stops and looks back, and he asked this one question, "Can man find meaning in life if there is no God?" I encourage you to join me for today's talk.
As we approach this Christmas, remember the words of the hymnist, "Joy to The World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing."
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Nov 21, 2021
A Second Touch
Are we in the land of the living? Actually, we are in the land of the dying.
My guest today, Jerry Leachman, would tell you that this is a message from a dead man. Five years ago he had a massive heart attack, and experienced what his doctor described as “sudden death”. Jerry tells his story about being with Jesus during that time, and the message that he was impressed with to share with us.
A second touch. A second opportunity to get your life right with God. That's what Jerry got. Could you or someone you love be in need of a second touch from God? Jesus and heaven are real. They are real. Don’t miss either of them.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
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Nov 14, 2021
Transitioning Well - Part 3: Recalibration
What gives meaning to life? How do we treasure God and people? What is God's unique purpose for me, and then how do I wisely invest my life?
Today my guest is Ken Boa, President of Reflections Ministries. In this final message on Transitioning Well, Ken will give us tools on how to live wisely; to give us a sense of encouragement, destiny and an understanding of where our lives are meant to be.
God is ever seeking to transfer our affections and hopes from the temporal to the eternal. The principles in today's message can help you become a person who is able to walk in this world with composure and clarity, so that you can approach relationships out of the overflow of Christ in you.
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Nov 7, 2021
Transitioning Well - Part 2: Living this day as if it's your last.
Today my guest is Ken Boa, President of Reflections Ministries. This is Part 2 of his 3 part series on Transitioning Well – Living this day as if it's your last.
Do you think it's possible for a person to miss his life, like a person that misses a plane? Yes! I can live for the future, thinking if I can accomplish this or that, then I'll be happy, I'll be content. Guess what happens if you are among the rare people who actually achieved that thing you were really hoping to do? You’ll discover it’s not all it was cracked up to be, that the happiness was only temporary.
So, instead of living in the future, we are called to live in the now and to enjoy His presence in the present tense, to live fully and to recalibrate and to have an understanding that God’s presence in our present is the idea of practicing His presence in the now. You only have one day and that’s this day.
Most of your impact is hidden in this life. But there is a purpose, there is a hope and there is a ca…
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Nov 1, 2021
Transitioning Well - Part 1: Taking your greatest years to impact the world
Today my guest is Ken Boa, President of Reflections Ministries. He is teaching a 3 part series on Transitioning Well - How to take the greatest years of your life, when you have the wisdom, the relationships and the resources, to impact the world.
Ken says, “Age conspires with God to take away our temporal hope.”
Think about that again: “Age conspires with God to take away our temporal hope,” forcing you, against your will, to begin to think about the fundamental questions. How much time is there? Why am I on this planet? Because if you really think about it, you know that you’re an eternal being having an earthbound embodied experience.
In fact, your greatest opportunities this day will not be in your calendar. It’s the difference between kairos and chronos. Join us to learn more!
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Oct 25, 2021
Walking By Faith Through a Terminal Illness
Are you walking through a difficult time in your life? Today Richard‘s guest is Tom Bradford, President of the National Christian Foundation of Alabama. Tom is sharing his personal journey of faith while battling terminal cancer. His story is powerful, full of love and hope. We hope his message inspires and strengthens you today!
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Oct 17, 2021
A Life of Contentment - Part 2
Do you have the right kind of wealth? In other words are you rich in the things that really matter? Do you possess spiritual riches?
The word content literally means "to be full, to be satiated, to be satisfied." Jesus said in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst." When Jesus said this, he’s not referring to our bodies, He’s referring to our souls.
Jesus is saying, I’m what your heart is longing for, but the cost is great. Surrender your life to Me, He’s saying. Set aside all those otherworldly things you go dashing after and put Me first. He says because when you do, you will suddenly find you have everything you’ve been looking for in life. And I think this is the key to contentment, putting Christ first. Everything else is secondary.
St. Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."
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Oct 10, 2021
A Life of Contentment - Part 1
Where do you find contentment in life? I believe that true contentment has nothing to do with what you have or don't have. Contentment is in the state of your heart. I believe there are three sins, or vices, that have a huge impact on our lives. They rob us of true contentment.
What do you think these three sins might be? I believe they are pride, greed, and envy. The first reason they’re so deadly is that they’re so hard to detect in your life. Most people don’t think they’re guilty of any of these. I mean, how many people do you ask, “Are you greedy?” Nobody thinks they’re greedy. I’ve got control over the issue of money. Today I want to provide you with an antidote for these vices and how to find real contentment in your heart and life.
Think about the life that you could live if you had contentment... If pride, greed and envy can be somewhat nullified in our lives.
In Part 2 next week we'll look at the secret to finding true contentment.
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Oct 3, 2021
Level 4 Friendship
There is one thing that each of us need - if you have this, it will make your life. Tragedies and heartbreak will come, but if you don't have this - you probably won't do well. I'm talking about deep friendship.
At its center, Christianity is about relationships - our relationship to God and our relationships with people.
What kind of friend are you? I believe there are 4 levels of friendship: an acquaintance, a team member, a social friend, and then what I call a "franchise player friend" - this friend is closer than a brother. A level 4 friend is loyal for life. Whatever it takes they are with you.
Yet, many people don't have a single level 4 friendship.
So how do I get Level 4 friends? Jesus said that whatever measure I give, that's what I will get. So to get a Level 4 friend, I have to BE a Level 4 friend. Be the kind of friend that you long for others to be to you. Love the people you're supposed to love with everything you've got.
Above all other friends, God, the King of…
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Sep 26, 2021
Recognizing the Lies of This Life
Have you ever thought about the ideas you have and how they shape your life? Philosopher Dallas Willard says "Our ideas are the assumptions we have about reality. They are the way we think about and interpret life. Ultimately our beliefs and ideas determine how we live, and therefore our ideas about life will lead to certain consequences."
Today I am addressing three false ideas about reality, and how to choose wisely what to believe.
God is most interested in who we are becoming - and the objective is Christlikeness. Christlikeness involves your character, your wisdom and your ability to love and have deep substantive relationships. These sound very appealing, but we cannot achieve any of these in our own strength. We can change our habits and behavior, but we cannot change our own heart. God has to do a work in your life, and the only way through a relationship with Him.
The deeper a person goes into a relationship with God, the greater the transformation that takes place in t…
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Sep 19, 2021
Sowing and Reaping
Today's podcast is from a group Bible study I am teaching about the principle of sowing and reaping. I believe that for every person who is listening to this podcast, God would desire you to have a ministry of some sort. It doesn’t have to be a big ministry, but I believe that there is something that He wants to do through each one of us as we live this life. And I would also say that if you’re at home, and if you have kids at home, that’s probably one of your biggest ministries right there, is raising your children.
Ephesians 2:10 - Do you know that verse? “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” That word “workmanship” is a Greek word poiéma, which literally means "work of art."
We are God’s work of art! You have been created in a very unique way, with unique talents, gifts, abilities, resources, and He says He wants you to take all that you have been given and use it for certai…
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Sep 13, 2021
The Rich Man and Lazarus - Part 3
Today we're finishing the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This parable reveals something about eternity. Many people don't realize the fact that in Heaven, you will have a physical, resurrected body. We're not going to be these spirits floating around in the clouds like some people think. In this parable, Lazarus and the rich man weren't spirits. They had physical bodies.
Think about the Apostle's Creed - it says, “I believe in the resurrection of the body”. That's not talking about Jesus' body. It’s talking about our bodies. II Corinthians 5:1-2 says, "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. For in this tent, we groan, longing to put on our Heavenly dwelling." The apostle Paul was saying that when our bodies die, they're going to be replaced by a permanent, glorified body that will never pass away.
So, what does it mean if Christ really rose from the dead? It…
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Sep 6, 2021
The Rich Man and Lazarus - Part 2
Today's podcast is the second part of my Bible Study series on Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus. This parable is found in Luke 16:19-31.
Last week, we considered what the Bible tells us about hell. Hell is a real place - a place of agony, a place of torment, and it’s a place that no one really would ever want to end up. If hell is real, what should our lives be about, particularly as we consider people in our lives who may not have a relationship with Christ?
Today our focus is on the rich man in the parable. Did the rich man go to hell because he was indifferent to the poor? No. Did he go to hell because he was rich? No. Or did the poor man go to heaven because he was humble and poor? And the answer is no.
Mark 8:36-37 tells us, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Tim Keller says if you build your identity on anything but God and then something jeopardizes that thing or so…
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Aug 30, 2021
The Rich Man and Lazarus - Part 1
Today's podcast is from a Bible Study series I taught at The Center. We're looking at one of Jesus' parables that I think is very pertinent to us today. This parable is found in Luke 16:19-31 and is about the reality of heaven and hell. It talks about the human condition and man’s resistance of God. It talks about the irreversibility of death, which closes the door to grace. And that’s very seldom taught.
Jesus mentions hell 11 times in the Scripture. He also spends a lot of time talking about those who will enter the kingdom of God and those who will not. Those who have eternal life and those who do not. The Bible teaches us that there is a place of torment apart from a relationship with God.
Jesus primarily used parables to teach His people and give us greater insight into the mysteries of the kingdom of God. What is Jesus is trying to teach us here?
This is Part 1 of a 3 part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Aug 23, 2021
Practical Faith
Today I'm honored to share a talk with you that my good friend and former NFL chaplain Jerry Leachman gave at a large men's breakfast hosted by The Center. Here is an excerpt:
"There is an incident that happened a few years ago in Cleveland. I had a guy from Cleveland in one of the groups and he said, that happened. They tell the story about the Cleveland symphony orchestra. Some seasons ago, the orchestra was forming a well-known piece by Mozart called “The Magic Flute”. Midway through, a powerful storm raging outside the symphony hall caused the lights to go out. Undaunted by the darkness, the musicians hardly skipped a beat. The members of the orchestra knew the music so well, they carried on the performance even though it was pitch black dark in the symphony hall. At the end of the Mozart symphony, the audience burst into thunderous applause, clapping and loud at this extraordinary feat. A stagehand illuminated the conductor with a flashlight, shined it along the front row.…
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Aug 16, 2021
God Exists or He Does Not. There Is No Third Option - Interview with Billy Hallowell
Faith. Culture. Hope. Life. Longtime journalist and commentator Billy Hallowell has covered thousands of the biggest faith and culture stories. Today I am honored to share a recent interview I had with Billy discussing my book Reflections on the Existence of God.
Either God exists or He does not - There is no third option. The question of God’s existence, in my opinion, is the most significant issue in all of life. As renowned French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal said, you are betting your eternal destiny that you are right.
My prayer for you is that through this podcast you will encounter truths and reasoning to challenge and bolster your faith.
Billy Hallowell is the director of communications and content for PureFlix.com, the former senior editor at Faithwire.com and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze; he has contributed to FoxNews.com, The Washington Post, Human Events, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, and The Huffington Post, among other outlets.
S…
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Aug 9, 2021
What Does It Mean to be a Man?
Today's podcast is a message that I’ve been sharing for over 25 years, and about 10 years ago, it made its way into a book. What I really hope to do this morning is to help you understand yourself as a man. John Calvin said that “all true wisdom consists of two things, knowledge of God and knowledge of self.” And yet, one of the things that I find is that we as men don’t really understand ourselves that well.
So, let me start by just kind of laying a couple of thoughts out for you. Think about this. Growing up, I wonder how many young boys hear, during their adolescent years, these words: “be a man, be a man.” I wonder what they think when they hear those words, usually coming from maybe their fathers, a coach, an older brother, “be a man.” You have to wonder what they’re thinking when they hear that. What does that mean? Does it mean to be tough, to be strong, never cry, never show emotion? I think that most modern men have a real problem understanding what true mas…
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Aug 2, 2021
The Struggles in a Man's Life
Today I am discussing the struggles that men deal with. Life is difficult. I don’t care how talented you are, how wealthy you are, how knowledgeable you are, life is difficult and it’s full of pain. Most men tend to withdraw - we tend to isolate ourselves in reaction to the pain and struggles in our lives. We just withdraw.
Did you know that eighty percent of the suicides in this country are committed by men? Eighty percent. What’s also interesting is of all those men who commit suicide, ninety percent of them are white males. There was an interesting article in the New York Times saying that researchers are really baffled over why so many middle-aged men are taking their lives.
I had a chat with a man who had struggled with depression and yet he seemed to really be a put-together individual. He made this comment that powerfully struck me. He said, “You know, I have never contemplated suicide, but there’s been many times I wish that I was not alive.”
There is a question…
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Jul 25, 2021
Praying for Your Business Life
Today I welcome back my friend, Drayton Nabers. This time he is speaking on praying for your business life.
Nabers says that, "Prayer connects us to God’s grace. As we pray, we are seeking God’s grace with respect to whatever might be the subject of our prayer. The access to grace is always through faith."
In Romans 5:1, Paul says, "Since we have been justified by faith, we have access to God’s grace." So, if we are seeking God’s grace in prayer, we’ve got to pray with faithful hearts, believing hearts, and, as Paul says, with clean hearts that have been justified by faith in Christ.
Christ has an important role to play in the life of our business life. As we seek Him in prayer and come to Him with a humble heart, He will give us wisdom. He will help us to see the work we’re doing in the business world as God’s calling on our life. God has placed us where we are to bring Him glory by what we’re doing.
*You can download Drayton's 3 resources referenced in his talk…
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Jul 18, 2021
Looking Reality in the Eye
Today I'd like to share a principle that I believe is the most important principle in all of life. I want to start with a theory that has to do with this principle, then close with how to apply this in your life.
Jack Welch, the well-known retired CEO of General Electric had this principle as the core of his management philosophy: the key trait of a vital, dynamic corporations is this: looking reality straight in the eye, then acting upon it with as much speed as you can. He shares,
"At GE you could be a hero no matter who you were or what you looked like. All you had to do was face reality and perform... yet I found it hard for people to actually do this... Self-delusion can grip an entire organization, and lead the people in it to ridiculous conclusions..."
Looking reality in the eye is to see things as they really are, not the way it was and not the way we wish it would be. Year after year Welch would tell a particular story to drive the point home to his employees. Tune in to he…
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Jul 12, 2021
In Search of the Good Life: Why is it so hard to find?
If you were to Google the question "What is the good life?", you'd be overwhelmed by the response. Some of the answers are shopping, consumption, places to live. You'll find a host of books that offer formulas on how to find the good life. There are many retail stores that sell goods that promote the good life. Buy this, and it will contribute to your life.
But what you won't find is that the good life is a life of wisdom and knowledge that leads to a virtuous life. Instead, most of the entries involve material pursuits and games, which sadly, I think, reflects our modern definition of what's good.
There seems to be a huge gap for so many adults between the life that we dream of and believe we deserve, and the life that we actually end up with. I believe this is why Pulitzer prize-winning author John Cheever made this observation. He said, "The main emotion of the adult American who has had all the advantages of wealth, education, and culture is disappointment." And for this reason…
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Jun 27, 2021
The Heart of Christianity
My message that I'm sharing with you today is, I believe, one of the most important messages to anyone that I would describe as a church-going person, or a person with a church background.
This message is a result of two experiences I had. The first comes from a number of conversations I've had with men who are struggling with life and with their faith - church going men who intellectually believe in Christianity but who would acknowledge that clearly their faith has no impact on their day-to-day lives. Their faith is not a big priority in their lives, and they don't seem to be too concerned about it - this is where they are.
The second comes from my experience closely reading the New Testament and what it says about having a real, legitimate faith in Christ.
I would ask you to listen carefully, to think clearly about what I am saying, and to be honest with yourself in where you are. Ask yourself, "How does this message apply to me spiritually?
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Jun 21, 2021
What Do Men Really Want?
Today I want to continue discussing the heart of a man as we look at this question: What is it that men really want?
In Dr. Armand Nicholi's book The Question of God, he says this is what he's observed about the faculty and students at Harvard, "They avoid examining their lives, and they do not seem to want to understand themselves. They are afraid of what they might discover."
Is this true of us as men? Are we afraid to confront the truth about ourselves? I am reminded of a quote by George Gilder: "Men lust, but they do not know what for. They wander and lose track of the goal. They fight and compete, but they forget the prize. They spread seed, but spurn the seasons of growth. They chase power and glory but miss the meaning of life." We are all in search of something. What are you looking for?
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Jun 21, 2021
Understanding Your Heart: The driving force in a man's life
How well do you know yourself? How well do you understand yourself?
In John Calvin's massive work called The Institutes of the Christian Religion, he opens the volume with this: "All true wisdom consists of two parts: knowledge of God and knowledge of self." French philosopher Blaise Pascal said, “One must know oneself. Even if that does not help in finding truth, at least it helps in running one’s life...”
Yet in this, we come to realize we have a problem. King David realized this in Psalm 64:6 when he stated, "Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep." So what is this driving force in our lives? Join me today as I delve into this important conversation!
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Jun 14, 2021
The Fears Men Struggle With
Today I'd like to start by sharing with you how I came upon this message.
At The Center, we do a lot of one-on-one meetings. One of the guys that I meet with is in his mid-30s, a very sharp young man, well-educated and articulate. He shared with me that he struggles with fear in his life, and we’ve talked a lot about those fears. And there’s another guy that is a good bit older, and who’s very, very wealthy, and has done extremely well in his life. He shared with me how he wakes up in the middle of the night and he’s got all these fears running wild in his mind, and he that can’t sleep well.
From these and other discussions, I’ve concluded that if you met either one of these men and interacted with them, you would never in your wildest dreams think that they had any worries because they seemed to be “so together.”
I’ve concluded how easy it is for us as men to fake and pretend that we have no worries in life. You know, men aren’t supposed to worry. We’re su…
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Jun 14, 2021
The Struggles of Modern Life
Many scholars would agree that probably one of the most thoughtful books written in the last 30 or 40 years is Ernest Becker’s Pulitzer prize-winning book, The Denial of Death. Becker wrote, “Every person seems to have a need for cosmic significance”. In other words, purpose and meaning in their lives.
He says, throughout history, all the way up until modern times, people knew that they had value and purpose because of the transcendent, because of God. Becker said, throughout history people knew their place in the universe, they knew who they were, they knew their value and identity. He adds, but modern people have lost this. They’ve lost that sense of purpose. He said, “We have become secular.”
So where do we find our meaning in life? Well, 3500 years ago, King Solomon said in the book of Proverbs, that our knowledge of God is where we get our understanding of life; our knowledge of God is how we interpret life. Dr. Tim Keller says, “How we relate to God is the found…
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Jun 7, 2021
The Role of Christ in the Life of Business
Today I have a special guest, Drayton Nabers, speaking on the role of Christ in the life of business.
When we’re doing business, we can think that spiritual things are to be done with nonprofits or in the Church, but not in the business world. When we’re in business, we’ve got to make some money. We’ve got to work hard. It’s a competitive marketplace out there. We gotta be tough. So, therefore, why Christ?
Well, Christ has an important role to play in the life of your business. He’s there with you, and He wants you to succeed. And by His Grace, He wants to equip you and empower you, and give you the wisdom to practice whatever you do in the business world in a way that brings Him glory.
So, what does the Bible have to say about the world of work and what does it have to say about God in the workplace? That’s what we’re going to talk about today. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jun 7, 2021
The Pursuit of Happiness: Why is it so Elusive? - Part 3
How can I live a life that has purpose and meaning? That is the topic of today's podcast, Part 3.
In Part 1, we talked about how many people see happiness as a feeling. We looked at all of the destructive tendencies that creep into a person’s life when they believe that pleasure is the source of true happiness in life.
In Part 2, we considered the factors that lead to happiness, starting with God’s role. We concluded that God is the true source of happiness. But to really get this, I must ask myself: What kind of man do I want to become? We tend to focus on what we’re experiencing, but God is more interested in the kind of men we’re becoming. When you become a man of strong Godly character, then obedience to God becomes natural. So we talked about the importance of obedience.
How does Christ play a role in helping you find purpose and meaning in life? Answering this question is critical. It’s the foundation of finding true purpose and meaning in life.
This is Part 3 o…
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May 31, 2021
The Pursuit of Happiness: Why is it so Elusive? - Part 2
*This episode has been updated to correct an error that occurred last week. Enjoy!
What is it that satisfies the thirst of the soul?
In Part 1, we talked about how many people see happiness as a feeling. We looked at all of the destructive tendencies that creep into a person’s life when they believe that pleasure is the source of true happiness in life.
What is the role that God plays in the search for happiness? Why is He important in finding happiness? Let's start by thinking about the human desires of the body. When we enter into this life we have four basic desires - all physical desires. We get hungry, thirsty and tired, so we eat, we drink and we rest. Then we hit puberty and our sexual desire kicks in. These four basic desires of the body called the sensual side of life.
Yet what is this desire that we have for joy and happiness, for peace, to love and be loved - not sex, but to love and be loved? It’s not a physical desire. It’s a spiritual desire. It’s a desire o…
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May 30, 2021
The Pursuit of Happiness: Why is it so Elusive? - Part 1
I truly believe that many adults experience great unhappiness in life. A lot of them experience depression, which is not something that people want to admit, particularly men. We’re supposed to be on top of things, we’re supposed to be competent, together, and to acknowledge our unhappiness is something that we’d rather not do. This is a fascinating topic and I've found that it really is resonating with so many people that I’ve been sharing it with.
So, the question is, where is happiness found in this life? Over the next 3 podcasts, we’re going to explore this.
In our search for happiness, does God have a role to play? Why is He important in finding happiness?
I believe that happiness is a byproduct of living in the center of God’s will. You see, God never intended for happiness to be the object of life. It’s a byproduct of living our lives in the center of God’s will. When we seek to be in the will of God, we will find we are living in harmony with our design. We…
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May 23, 2021
The Mystery of Evil
So much has been written on the issue of evil, but today I'd like to take all that I have read over the last six weeks on evil and try to distill it down into a 45-minute presentation. I pray that it will be enlightening to you. If at any point you get hung up with anything I’m saying, just hang on with me because we’ll keep going.
I've taught a two-part series on “Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?” where I discussed evil in a general way. There’s a difference in natural evil, like a natural disaster or physical disease and what I want to cover this morning, which is human or moral evil.
The issues that I raise this morning about moral evil are crucial for any thinking person to understand. I ask you to hang with me as I go through this, and I think when we get to the end, you will see that there is a critical application to every single one of us. My prayer is that each of us would be open to see what God would show us about our own hearts.
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May 16, 2021
The Great Paradox of Life
Today I'd like to talk about something that's very important to me - I call it the Great Paradox of Life.
The apostle Paul addresses this in I Corinthians 1:18-24, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Paul is contrasting the wisdom of t…
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May 16, 2021
Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness
The topic that I want to address this morning is fascinating. And, I believe that it will be of real benefit to you. One would think this concept is just common sense. Unfortunately, many modern people don’t seem to use common sense.
I'd like to start with some words that I know you’re familiar with: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These are the opening words of the Declaration of Independence.
Of course, that was 1776. From those words, we in America as a nation seem to have this foundational belief that there truly is a connection between liberty, or freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, and finding happiness.
Now, fast-forward 13 years from the signing of the Declaration to 1789, when George Washington gave his first inaugural address. In that inaugural address, he added a lit…
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May 2, 2021
The Power of a Humble Life
What is it about the human condition that causes us to want to “one-up” someone else all the time? What is it that causes us to, and it makes us feel superior to others? What causes us to always compare ourselves to other people and why is it we’re always worrying about what other people think about us? This is what’s called the pride of life.
C.S. Lewis says that each of us have this great flaw within, and though we see it in other people, and we loathe it, we have a hard time seeing it in our own lives. He says it’s like a spiritual cancer that eats up our souls. It keeps us, he says, from being able to love, or ever find any real contentment in life.
You’re probably thinking, isn’t there a positive side to pride? Yes! There are two definitions. The first is, “justifiable self-respect”. It’s the idea of taking pride in what you do. Seeking to be the very best you can be in what you do, and that’s a positive definition of pride. But what I’m going to be t…
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May 2, 2021
The Pearl of Great Value
Today I am discussing Jesus' parable about the pearl of great value, taken from Matthew 13:44-46. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid, and, for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Is there anything out in the world that you would sell everything you have for: your house, your cars, any investments you have, liquidate your retirement account, take all of that and sell it so you can get something of great value? You know, in order to do that, it would have to make everything you own pale in comparison to whatever that object is.
So today, I want to look at two things 1) What does it mean, to sell everything you have in order to get this treasure? and 2) What is the parable of the pearl merchant all about? Then we’ll look more sp…
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Apr 26, 2021
Pride and Humility - Part 4
Today is the last message in my 4-part series on pride and humility. I want to look at how God has special regard for the humble, and then I want to look at how to integrate this life of humility into our personal lives. I want to share a few verses with you and look at how God has special regard and honor for the humble.
Psalm 10:17. “Oh, Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble. You will strengthen their heart. You will incline Your ear.”
Psalm 25:9 “He leads the humble in justice. He teaches the humble His way.”
Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but, with the humble, there is wisdom.”
Proverbs 29:23, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
And lastly James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and He will exalt you.”
God has incredible regard and honor for the humble, and what’s interesting is, He doesn’t have that kind of regard for anybody else.
This is Part 4 of my…
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Apr 26, 2021
Pride and Humility - Part 3
This morning, I want to share a few more words with you about pride so that we can truly see how destructive it is in our lives. And then I’m going to share some words on humility. As I’ve said before, pride is so insidious and that it slowly grows and develops in our lives and becomes well-established without our knowledge. God hates it because of what it does to us. And I want to look at one more aspect of pride and how it impacts our thinking in how we regard other people.
This is Part 3 of a 4-Part series. In these final two episodes, we’ll look at God’s promises to those who live humbly as they walk through life. There will be a major application in Part 4, so you don't want to miss it.
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Apr 17, 2021
Pride and Humility - Part 2
Today I want to look at the pitfalls of comparison. Comparing ourselves to others impacts our lives, our behavior, our relationships with others, and ultimately it impacts our relationship with God. Now, I’ll start by looking at some scriptures that I think will be helpful, staring with I Thessalonians 2:4, where Paul says, “Just as we’ve been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak not as pleasing men, but God Who examines our hearts.”
How is my life, my thinking, my behavior, and the motive of my heart affected by what others think of me? In other words, why do we allow other people’s opinions of us to be the gauge in which we measure our lives? And why do we think our lives don’t count very much, unless they count in the eyes of others?
This is Part 2 of a 4-Part series. In the final two episodes, we’ll look at God’s promises to those who live humbly as they walk through life. There will be a major application in Part 4, so you don't want to mi…
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Apr 17, 2021
Pride and Humility - Part 1
Today I am starting a new series on the issue of pride and humility. In the first two episodes we’ll look at the issue of pride and just how deadly it is in our lives, and then, in the final two episodes, we’ll look at God’s promises to those who live humbly as they walk through life. There will be a major application in Part 4, so you don't want to miss it.
I want to start with the book of Isaiah, chapter two beginning in the twelfth verse. It says, “For the Lord of Hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty, against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, against all the lofty mountains, against all the hills that are lifted up, against every high tower, against every fortified wall, against all the ships of Tarsus, and against all the beautiful craft. The pride of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men will be abas…
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Apr 12, 2021
Three Days That Changed the World
Today I'd like to share my Good Friday message I gave last weekend, focusing on Isaiah 53. It is interesting to note that chapters 40-55 of Isaiah have to do with what God will do in the future, yet Isaiah was written over 700 years before Christ even enters the scene. Many scholars contend that this is the best single chapter in the Bible to explain what will happen in Jesus' crucifixion.
"Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God,
stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:4-6
Do you see the significance of this? The crucifixion was all about us. Jesus did it for us, and He did it voluntarily - for you and for me.
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Apr 2, 2021
The Difference Easter Makes
Easter weekend is really different from all other weekends and holidays on the calendar. Because if you think about it, we’re commemorating two of the most significant events in all of human history. And of course, Easter weekend, I guess some would say, started last night on Maundy Thursday, but really, it starts in my mind today, on Good Friday, that somber day where we reflect on the Crucifixion and then leads on to Sunday when we celebrate joyfully Resurrection.
Today I want to share with you some thoughts on both of these events, and then I’m going to, at the end, bridge them together, really pull it together into a central theme.
I want to read to you two verses out of the book of Acts. It’s Acts chapter 17, and it’s where Paul gives his famous sermon at Mars Hill in Athens, Greece. You know, Paul goes into Athens, that was the center of learning and scholarship where all the Greek philosophers were, and as you’re reading, Paul interacts with some of the stoics who we…
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Apr 2, 2021
Finding God's Peace at Easter
How can we find real peace? Physician, futurist and author Richard Swenson's work focuses on what he calls, “cultural medicine.” I’d never heard of that. He researches the intersection of health and culture. He looks at how culture impacts our mental, emotional, our psychological, and even our physical health. Interestingly, he wrote these words well before this current pandemic came along. Listen to what he says,
“People have always been stressed.” He said, “It’s simply part of living this life.” He says, “There’s always been change to cope with. There have always been economic problems, and people have always battled depression. It’s the nature of life to have its ups and downs. So, why all the fuss?” He said, “I’m not the one making the fuss. I’m only writing about it. I’m only being honest about what I see all around me. I sit in my examining room and I listen to people. Then I report what I hear. And, I can tell you,” he says. “Something is wro…
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Mar 28, 2021
What It Means To Have True Belief
A couple of years ago, I noticed something in the Bible that I had never recognized, and in the book of John, whether you are aware of this or not, there are 21 chapters, and it dawned on me that the last 11 chapters, over 50 percent of the book of John, deals with really the last week of Jesus’ life. And then you have the Resurrection. I share that because in John chapter 11, we read of an incredible event that ultimately led to the crucifixion, which is what we reflect on Good Friday.
What happened was that this event pushed the religious leaders to the edge. They finally realized, we have got to get rid of this guy. And the event that I am speaking of, which you may or may not be familiar with, is when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:19 says, “There were many, there were many Jews present who had come to console Martha and Mary.” In other words, Jesus performed this incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead in front of a crowd of people. He didn’t d…
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Mar 28, 2021
It Is Finished
Why did Jesus’ death change everything forever? What did He mean when He said, “It is finished?” Well, the answer glimmers all through scripture, but it’s packaged precisely in Romans 1:17, where the apostle Paul writes, “For in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed. A righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, 'the righteous will live by faith.' For in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed.”
Well, from the outside, it doesn’t seem like much, that a Man died on a cross. I’ve heard the Gospel likened to a jalapeño pepper; it looks cold on the outside but when you bite into it, it will burn like no tomorrow. Ingest the Gospel, understand it down to the core of your being and it will burn its way down to every fiber of your being and have an impact on everything that you do and every decision that you make. How you spend your money. How you treat your wife. How you treat your ex-wife. How you discipline your children.…
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Mar 21, 2021
Life's Great Treasure
When Jesus speaks, everything He says that’s recorded in the Gospels is significant. Some of the things he says are parables, or stories with symbolic meaning. I am intrigued by these parables. Today I will dig into one of these parables, taken from Matthew 13:44-46. This message is from a weekly Bible study that I teach at The Center for Executive Leadership in Birmingham, Alabama.
Some of my Bible studies right now are hosted via Zoom. If you are interested in attending one, please email me at richard@thecenterbham.org. Be sure to tell me that you heard about it here on my podcast. Best regards, Richard
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Mar 20, 2021
Tim Keller on A Revolutionary Worldview
Today I'd like to share a message by Dr. Tim Keller, which he gave at The Center's Mens Breakfast in November 2019 here in Birmingham, Alabama. Tim's message draws some lessons from the early Church for us today and what we’re facing in our own culture, as the Christian church is declining. Increasingly, you have people out there who not only don’t believe in God or don’t believe in Christianity, but actually think Christianity is bad for people. And say that religion is bad for people. And religious people are a threat to our democracy and a threat to our social order. We’ve never faced anything like that, but the early Christians certainly did.
So, then the real question is why did so many people become Christians then in the first three centuries when Christianity was so persecuted? Why would anybody want to become a Christian? Keller ends the talk with a special time of Q and A. I hope you enjoy it! - Richard
Tim Keller is the Chairman and co-Founder of Redeemer City to C…
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Mar 15, 2021
Why Is Our World So Broken? Finding Our Way Out of the Darkness
Why is our world so broken? I believe the world is broken because of the spiritual condition of man. The Bible describes our natural condition as being in spiritual darkness. Tim Keller says spiritual darkness comes when we turn away from God as our true light and make something else as the center of our lives.
In John 8:12 Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life." In Luke 11:34-35 “The eye is the lamp of your body and when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light, but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness." He’s warning us to watch out and make sure that the light that you think you have is not actually darkness. This was written 2000 years ago and unbelievably pertinent to our lives today.
So how do we find our way out of the darkness? Well, your eye, or perspective, is the lens through which you see life. It’s…
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Mar 14, 2021
What Has Gone Wrong With The World?
Throughout history, one of the intellectual debates that seems to come and go is this question, “Is mankind intrinsically good or is he intrinsically evil or depraved?” In fact, I think it would be interesting to hear the diversity of opinions then we might get from all those listening to this podcast.
As we are experiencing many changes in our world today, I think it’s important to understand why our world is so broken. So, I want us to consider this: What is the true condition of man, and is there any hope, particularly for our kids’ generations as we look out into the future?
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Mar 7, 2021
Jesus: Divine or Mythological?
Was Jesus more than a man in history? Was he just a great moral teacher? Great moral teachers don't make the kind of claims that Jesus made. Was he the Son of God? He claimed to be, so if he isn't actually the Son of God, then he was lying.
Whether we believe Christ was the Son of God or whether we don't, or whether we're not sure, I personally believe that every one of us should ask the question, "What is the evidence that would lead me to believe that Christ is the Son of the living God?" Consider that question - is it reasonable? Is it rational for an educated man or woman living in the 21st century to believe a claim such as this? In this talk I will point to four different parts of evidence for you to consider.
This is a follow up to last week's podcast episode "The Bible: Truth or Fiction?"
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Mar 1, 2021
The Bible: Truth or Fiction?
Back around 1984, I came to the conclusion that I had committed my life to a religious faith that had as it's source, a book. The Bible. A book that claimed in fact to be God's divinely inspired revelation to mankind. And though I had discovered personally that it was experientially true. I had to admit that the primary reason I believe that the Bible was God's Word is that, that I'd been told that all my life.
Maybe you've experienced that as well. But for me personally, I needed to go deeper. I needed more of an intellectual foundation on why Christians throughout the centuries have staked so much there - even their very lives on the words from a book that claimed to be God's Word. And that's the basis of this message this morning. It is a work in progress because I'm continually refining it.
For more on this topic, check out my apologetics book Reliable Truth.
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Mar 1, 2021
The Deep Longings of the Soul
Have you given much thought to the big questions of life: Why am I here? Why do I exist? Author Peter Kreeft observed that, "We are the first civilization that does not know why we exist."
Author and pastor Tim Keller says this about our Western culture, "We're the first culture in history where men define themselves solely by performing and achieving in the workplace. And because of this," he says, "in men's lives, there's never been more psychological, social, and emotional pressure out in the workplace as there is today."
In the traditional social order, work was seen merely as a functional means of providing for the family and improving the quality of life within the community. In other words, work would not and could not define your life worth and value in a more absolute sense, as it does today.
“How relevant is God in my life, and do I get a sense of meaning and purpose from Him in my relationship with Him? Does he impact who I am as a person? Do I really matter to anyo…
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Feb 19, 2021
The Compelling Evidence for the Existence of God
Today I want to discuss the evidence I have found for the existence of God.
Christian author Tim Keller said, “Though you may not realize it, how we relate to God, either whether we believe in Him or whether we don’t believe in Him - it is the foundation of your thinking. Because it determines the way you view the world, whether you believe God exists or not, this belief is the foundation in which all of your reasoning proceeds.”
I believe that the greatest influence on your world view - the way you see the world - is based on how you see God. Your worldview really informs you about everything; it informs you on on life's biggest questions: Why am I here? How am I supposed to live? How do you find meaning in life? And, what is my ultimate destiny once this life is over?
More about this talk can be found in my newest book Reflections on the Existence of God. Read Chapter 1 for FREE - Click Here!
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Feb 14, 2021
Is Jesus the Only Way to God?
Today I am going to address a very important question: Is Christianity the only valid religion, or are there other paths to God? As we live in this world full of religions and full of diversity, this question is going to continually come up.
Is it true, as some religions teach, that there is one God, but many paths to that God, or is Jesus the ONLY way to God?
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Feb 8, 2021
Centering Our Lives on the Truth
Today I’m going to tackle a very difficult topic - to tackle this in 45-minutes is difficult because of the nature of the content. If you read the book of John, there is a very important word that’s mentioned 27 times. And, yet, when you look at the other gospel books of Matthew and Luke, this word is rarely mentioned. This word is almost exclusively used by Jesus.
The word I am referring to is the word TRUTH. In John 8:31-32 Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you will truly be My disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Then in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through Me.”
In the Christian life, truth is paramount. When Jesus was speaking the truth with Pilate, Pilate asks Him, “What is truth?” and then walks away as if he doesn't actually want to know how Jesus would respond.
In its simplest definition, TRUTH is that which is real and actual. It’s that whi…
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Feb 8, 2021
Barriers To Belief
In today's podcast I share about two different meetings with 2 different men, both who had some type of belief in God and Jesus, but they didn’t want Him to play an integral role in their lives. Clearly, there were certain barriers in their lives that kept them from coming to a legitimate faith.
What is it that causes men to keep God out of their lives?
I wonder, how many of us, when it gets right down to it, really don’t want any part of Christ because of the fear that He might disrupt our lives. I really believe this is a barrier in many men’s lives. A barrier to faith. A barrier to belief.
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Feb 1, 2021
Discovering the Principles that Govern Life - Part 2
Today I want to continue discussing the relationship between wisdom and the principles of life. In Part 1 we discussed the Principle of the Path. In this talk I discuss 3 other principles that are crucial to leading a healthy life. You don't want to miss this!
This is Part 2 of my 2-part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jan 31, 2021
Discovering the Principles that Govern Life - Part 1
We have a great need in the challenging days we are living in for wisdom. In today's talk, I want to introduce to you the relationship between wisdom and the principles of life. Principles are not good or bad - they are not moral. They are simply true. And what's important to know is that principles make life predictable. They give life order. Are you in need of order and peace in your life?
This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jan 18, 2021
Dealing with Fear, Anxiety and Stress - Part 4
One of most enlightening things that I have learned this past year, especially when I counsel men, are some words from Blaise Pascal, who says this, “One of the primary reasons people struggle so much with life is because they have false ideas about reality.”
We need to work on our perspective so that each of us will know how to have a strong foundation to weather the storms of life. I think it’s important that we realize that maybe, just maybe, God’s perspective on the struggles we face is different from our view. So, the question that we need to ask ourselves is this: What is it I need to know about God and His truth that will enable me to properly interpret what I’m experiencing in the hardships of life?
This is Part 4, the final message in this 4 Part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jan 18, 2021
Dealing with Fear, Anxiety and Stress - Part 3
How do we view difficulty when it comes into our lives? In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we looked at the issue of perspective, which is a critical part of having a strong foundation for life.
Pastor and best-selling author Tim Keller says, “We all have a basic motivational drive. Every human heart has something that drives them. It gets us out of bed and it gets us through life. It moves us to do what we do and for most of us, I believe what drives us is fear. After all these years of pastoring, I truly think this is it. The fear of missing out, the fear of not proving ourselves, the fear of not living up, of being somebody, the fear of failure, the fear of death.” Today and for Part 4 we’re going to go deeper and look at how we live our lives and how we respond to the storms of life.
This is Part 3 of a 4-Part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jan 11, 2021
Dealing with Fear, Anxiety and Stress - Part 2
How do we deal with fear, anxiety and stress in our lives? In Phillip Yancey’s book, Where is God When it Hurts. well-known Swiss physician Paul Tournier says, “Only rarely are we the masters of events in our lives, but we are responsible for our reaction to the event, to the events that come into our lives,” and he says, “what counts is the way a person reacts in the face of suffering, because when it comes, a positive, active, creative reaction will develop us. A negative one will stunt the growth in our lives. The right response at the right moment may determine the course of a person’s life.”
This is Part 2 of a 4-Part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Jan 11, 2021
Dealing with Fear, Anxiety and Stress - Part 1
It’s the middle of the night. You know, you went to sleep, hoping for a good night’s rest, now it's 2 am. You get up and go to the restroom, come back and get in the bed, and all of a sudden, you start thinking about things. You don’t intend to, you just start thinking, and the next thing you know, you’re wide awake, and all these little mole hills in your life have become a mountain, then you can’t go back to sleep, and you’re feeling all this anxiety.
In these unprecedented days of uncertainty, how will you deal with your fears, anxiety and stress? I'd like to share 4 primary causes of fear and anxiety in this life and how to deal with them in a healthy way.
This is Part 1 of a 4-Part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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Dec 27, 2020
God's Great Rescue Mission
Merry Christmas! Today's podcast is taken a Christmas blog that I originally wrote several years ago. I share one of my favorite stories that illustrates the ultimate reason Jesus came into the world.
I hope that as we enter this Christmas season, and get caught up in the pageantry and celebration of His birth, that we would not forget that God sent His Son into the world, to rescue us from the domain of darkness and from the wrath to come.
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Dec 21, 2020
Finding True Freedom
Are you experiencing real freedom in your life? Are you overspending this Christmas? In an attempt to give your family everything they could ever want, have you become a slave to a job that you hate? What is freedom anyway, because our wants are endless.
Today I share a story from Paul Harvey that reveals the one essential ingredient necessary to experience true freedom. Tune in now!
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Dec 21, 2020
How Good is Good Enough?
Now more than ever before, we need truth! In Hosea 4:6, God says, “My people perish because of a lack of knowledge.” And then 2 Timothy 2:15 speaks of the importance of accurately handling the word of truth. And the reason Paul says is, it’s so easy to mishandle it. Today I'm looking at questions that people wrestle with as they consider the Christian faith. I was meeting with a guy yesterday, where he asked this question, “Why is there evil in the world? Why do babies die innocently from accidents?” It’s important to answer these hard questions, making sure we have a true knowledge and understanding of the Gospel to have a true knowledge of salvation.
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Dec 7, 2020
In Everything Give Thanks
I believe all of us worldwide are ready for the coronavirus to be over. Austrian-Canadian scientist Dr. Hans Selye wrote a total of 30 books in his quest to better understand stress and human emotion. Toward the end of his life, Dr. Selye summarized his research, declaring that anger, bitterness and revenge are the emotions most harmful to our health and well-being. He also concluded that a heart of gratitude is the single most nourishing response that leads to good health. Gratitude and thanksgiving are like therapy for the soul.
In this holiday season, much emphasis is placed on thanking God for the positive blessings of life. And we should. But how should we respond to negative circumstances when storms blow into our lives?
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Nov 9, 2020
Walking by Faith Through a Pandemic
Most of the natural disasters we face have a beginning and an end. Once they are over, the damage is assessed and the rebuilding begins. There seems to be at the very least some degree of certainty about the future, and what it might look like.
This however, is not the case with the Coronavirus Pandemic. We do not know when or how this is going to end and consequently are forced to admit that we are not in control. Furthermore, if you are in a high risk category, whether by age or an underlying health condition, you face daily the possibility of serious illness or even death.
In this podcast I am sharing about my recent book Walking By Faith Through a Pandemic. My prayer is that you would experience genuine peace in the times we are living, and gain valuable insights from this talk. Best regards to you! - Richard
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Oct 8, 2020
Interview with Kerby Anderson on The Point of View Radio Talk Show
How do we articulate our own personal world view? More importantly, how do we defend our point of view? Today Richard joins Kerby Anderson on the Point of View Radio Talk Show to discuss Richard’s book Reflections on the Existence of God.
Kerby Anderson is the President of Probe Ministries and host of Point of View Radio Talk Show. This episode originally aired on the Point of View Radio Talk Show on August 6, 2020. Click here to Listen to the complete episode.
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Sep 21, 2020
Humility and Courage
Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the most visible spokesman and leader of the civil rights movement in America. He is best known for advancing civil rights using the tactics of non-violence through civil disobedience. It is quite evident that Dr. King approached those he was seeking to influence with great humility. However, it was not from a position of weakness or condescension, or speaking from the moral high ground. He approached them as an equal, as one seeking to be a person of good will who was speaking to another person of good will.
In his own words, King said, "If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness."
As you listen to this podcast, I ask you to consider how he approached those who opposed him and racial integration. We could all learn a great deal from the example he set.
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Sep 10, 2020
Freedom vs Law
Have you ever noticed the competing desires in your life and how they can be so contradictory? For example, if you want to be healthy, fit and live a long life, but you also smoke cigarettes and drink heavily, at some point, you realize your model breaks down. The competing interests require that you choose a side, and you finally understand freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want, as your desires can be endless, easily colliding with each another. We believe we are only free if we can do whatever our heart wants.
Author Tim Keller says that sometimes you have to deliberately give up your freedom to engage in activities and thought processes that will enable you to release yourself to a richer kind of freedom. Do you want that kind of freedom?
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Sep 7, 2020
Finding Peace
Child psychologist David Elkind believes there are at least three contemporary sources of stress that mark our age as a difficult one. First, due to the alarming increase in violence and crime, we are more afraid. Second, due to rapidly changing job markets, technology, and economic factors, we are more professionally insecure. Finally, due to widespread separation and divorce, we are more alone.
These words were written several years ago but they still ring true today. I think when we faced riots in our streets, businesses boarding up their windows, and curfews being enacted, many people experienced a great deal of anxiety. However, as I have worked with men over the years, it is hard to determine if a man is struggling with fear, because we do a good job concealing it. In our culture, real men are not supposed to be afraid, so we fake it. Is it possible to have real peace? And is this life all there is?
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Aug 31, 2020
A Personal Reflection On Racism
In March of 1965, I remember driving home from the beach. It was a Sunday. We stopped to pick up a black man who was hitchhiking to Selma. I remember my Dad asking him if he was participating in the march and the man said that he was going to see his girlfriend.
Then something happened in August of 1965 that is still seared in my memory. Our family went to New York to attend the World’s Fair. One day we stopped by Macy’s department store. I was thirsty and looked for a water fountain. When I finally found it, I noticed there were two fountains, one for blacks and one for whites. To this day I can remember how stunning this was to me. Yet this is the world I grew up in.
I think many of our leaders are trying to determine how we find our way out of this racial divide. How do we deal with the sin of racism? I keep hearing of new legislation, but really, will new laws root out a heart of superiority? Can a law make a white person love a black person? I’m now 66 and wonder if much h…
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Aug 23, 2020
Financial Wisdom From Proverbs - Part 2
Most issues regarding money are judgement issues. For this reason we all need wisdom in the handling of our finances.
There are 3 questions that the Bible and the book of Proverbs asks us about money: 1) How did you get it? 2) What is money doing to you? and 3) What are you doing with what you have?
Learning the answers to these questions can reveal the heart of our attitude toward money and give us true financial freedom.
This is Part 2 of my two-part series. I hope you enjoy it!
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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!
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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!
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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.co…
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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 hea…
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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!
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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"
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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?
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Nov 24, 2018
Cultivate A Thankful 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 thankful heart today?
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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.
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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?
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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!
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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?
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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?
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