Reliable Truth

The podcast explores the importance of wisdom in our lives and relationships. It highlights how seemingly harmless choices can lead to marital infidelity and emphasizes the need to consider wisdom in decision-making. The significance of light in perceiving spiritual reality and making wise choices is discussed, along with the message of finding wisdom through Jesus Christ.

In your eyes, what is a good man? To be caring? Honest? To put others' needs ahead of your own? Now, what does it mean to be a real man? Many men would eagerly answer: "a real man takes charge, takes risks." Some might say "a real man walks like a man, talks like a man, and never cries." There's a real disconnect between the description of a good man and of a real man. Many men today are confused about what it means to be a man. I believe we have false ideas on what it means to be masculine. In today's podcast I discuss some of the traps men fall into, like the fear of failure or what I call the performance trap. These things steal our joy and weigh us down. And guys, if we fathers don’t know this, what do we teach our sons about manhood?Who is the most important person in your life?How would it change you if Jesus were the most important person in your life? I would tell you that it would change you radically, and would set you free from the performance trap and put you on a path to becoming Christlike.

Exploring the challenge of reconciling the exclusivity of Christianity with religious pluralism, various beliefs about afterlife in different religions, and the importance of considering spiritual authority. The chapter also addresses the dangers of subjective beliefs and the need for religious exclusivity.

Who is caring for the caregivers? Today Richard's guest is Phil Reddick, along with a panel of speakers, each giving their perspective on decision making, coping with these issues, grieving, and how to prepare for your loved ones during this critical time. This special seminar was hosted by The Center and YBL 2nd Half. Here is our panel of speakers:Robert Atherton - Sales Executive with Temenos, who has gone through care-giving and loss with both sets of parentsChristy Baynes - President and Care Manager of LifeCare Solutions, Inc, who deals with and helps others with these issues daily.Bill Nolan - The Alabama Elder Care Law Firm, LLC, who will discuss thinking through questions of legality and finances.Loring Muir - retired banker, who lost his wife to dementia and just recently remarried.Watch on YouTube hereFind out more about The Center: https://thecenterbham.org/ More about YBL 2nd Half: https://ybl.org/2nd-half-ministry   

The most important thing that you bring to your marriage relationship, and really to any relationship, is yourself. And the healthier you are individually, the healthier your marriage will be, the healthier your relationships will be. Your character, your humility, your willingness to be transparent, to be honest, to be vulnerable, your ability to love, the wisdom that you attain, will all ultimately determine the quality of your relationships. You see, the person you are becoming is most significantly impacted by your relationship with Christ. As men, what do we focus on? We mostly focus on achieving and what we are experiencing through our work, sports, and our activities. Rarely do we stop and think about what God says is most significant. But in doing so, we are looking for something from our wives that only God can provide. In his book, Sacred Marriage, author Gary Thomas says,​​“I believe that much of the dissatisfaction we experience in marriage comes from expecting too much from it. We want to get the largest portion of our life’s fulfillment from our relationship with our wives. And they cannot provide it.”The deeper we go in our relationship with Christ, the greater the transformation that will take place in our lives. And consequently, the healthier we will be.What kind of man or woman are you becoming?

What is love? Dr. Mark Gignilliat from Beeson Divinity School, joins us today teaching on the book of Song of Solomon, also called Song of Songs.This book of lyrical poetry is a collection of 10 simple poems, where the couple speaking are freely describing their marital intimacy with joy and freedom. Song of Songs gives us a biblical example of God's beautiful gift of physical intimacy in marriage for a husband and wife. This kind of love is a foretaste of the eternal love we will experience in heaven.Medieval theologian Bernard of Clairvaux had this to say about Song of Solomon, "If anyone desires to grasp these writings, then he needs to love. For anyone who does not love, it is vain to listen to this Song of love, or to read it, for a cold heart cannot catch fire from its eloquence." Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, and also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children. Watch video on YouTube here

What would you say to Jesus if He asked you, "What do you really want?"Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries joins us today with a message to inspire you to get creative - to get off the sidelines and get onto the field. With the time you've got left, when you're around people - build them up. Give them a lift. Be a blessing. Point them towards Jesus Christ. Every great coach will tell their team during training, "You've got to want it - you can't just show up in a uniform, you've got to want it - love it, eat it, breathe it, drink it. You've got to want it."How will you spend the rest of your life?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.

Do you find yourself in a game of comparison? Dr. Tim Keller says that we are the first culture in history where men get their sense of worth and significance based on how well they perform and achieve in life. It’s not that you want to be the greatest coach in America. What you find is that you just want to be a better coach than you, and you, and you, and you, and you. It’s a comparison thing. It’s a competitive thing. And, that’s where we get our sense of worth and value.This creates envy and jealousy. Do you know what envy is? Wanting somebody else’s life. If I want someone else’s life, that means I’m not content with who I am, what I have and what I’m doing. And yet, contentment is God’s will for your life - that we would be content with where He has placed us, with the abilities He’s given us.The question is: "How can I be set free from this trap of comparison that I’m in?”

In the work that I do, I have noticed a frustration in people’s lives. It usually starts in their 30’s and continues on for the rest of their lives. This is the frustration they express, ”Why is there such a gap between the life I’ve aspired to and dreamed of, and the life I’m actually living?”In evaluating my own life, I have asked myself, "Have I come, even partially close, to doing my very best in this life? And, in reality, does anyone ever really do his or her best? If not, why not?How can you change the course of your life? How do you achieve a life of excellence? Today I discuss the importance of learning to use the accumulation of time. Multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, and you can accomplish magnificent things. You can find that life of excellence. But it is crucial to remember this: the most important areas of your life require regular deposits of time as the years go by. If these opportunities are missed, they are lost forever.Since your final destiny has yet to be determined, starting today, why not live an exceptional life and leave a lasting legacy behind?

Today my guest is champion golfer Bubba Watson, who candidly shared about his victories and struggles over the course of his life at our recent Men's Breakfast.  Watson is a multiple major champion, with victories at the Masters Tournament in 2012 and 2014. In February 2015, Watson reached a career-high 2nd place in the Official World Golf Ranking.  Growing up in the small-town of Bagdad outside of Pensacola, Florida, Bubba Watson dreamed of being a champion golfer, and he has more than fulfilled that dream with twelve wins on the PGA Tour, including two Masters. A man of faith, he loves spending time with his wife, Angie, their two children, Caleb and Dakota, and his friends. Bubba is also a big supporter of his hometown, where he is part owner of the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos baseball team, a car dealership, a candy store, and a driving range. But his family’s support of the Studer Family Children’s Hospital and the opportunity to help improve the community provides him the greatest satisfaction. Bubba Watson’s book Up and Down: Victories and Struggles in the Course of Life can be found on Amazon. Watch on YouTube here