Reliable Truth

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!

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.

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!

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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?

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?