Reliable Truth

Today's message might possibly be the most important message I could ever share with Christian men. Proverbs 16:5 says, "The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished." Think about those words. Then James 4:6 tells us, "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." The Greek word for opposed there means "to be at war with." Now who in the world wants to be at war with God?There are two types of pride. The first is what you would call good, like taking pride in your work and striving for excellence in your life. The Bible is talking about the second type of pride, which is arrogance. We can easily see arrogance in the lives of others, but it's so difficult to spot it in our own lives. I have to stop, step back and ask myself, could this be true in my life? Tim Keller says that pride is the carbon monoxide of sin. Pride silently and slowly kills you without you even knowing it.If arrogant pride is the utmost evil, and yet we have a hard time seeing it in our own lives, should this concern us? I think the answer is yes. I'd like to share several good applications that you can apply to your own life, starting today. I believe we should be praying every day, "Lord, show me the pride in my life. Help me to see it. Help me to see what is true of my own heart."

Today Richard joins Jeff Pinkleton on the Pinkleton Pull-Aside Podcast to discuss Biblical manhood, the existence of God, Alabama football and much more. Special thanks to our brother in the Lord, Bob "Coach Schue" Schuemann, for connecting Richard with Jeff and the good folks at The Gathering!Jeff Pinkleton is Executive Director of the Gathering of the Miami Valley, where their mission is to connect men to men, and men to God. You can reach Jeff at GatheringMV.org or find him on Facebook at The Gathering of the Miami Valley.This episode originally aired on the Pinkleton Pull-Aside Podcast. Click here to listen.

We live in an age of constant distraction. We have to be intentional to find space for reflection, for prayer - to crowd out the noise of existence. Many people are marked by angst, depression and even suicidal thoughts. Where are you looking for hope in your life?Dr. Mark Gignilliat joins us with a message about Lent and the book of Psalms. Psalm 121:1-2 tells us, "I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."The season of Lent is a gift to us, especially in an age that's marked by distraction. Lent is a gift for reflection, a gift for prayer, and a gift for renewal. It's also a time for us to think about basic questions of our existence: Why am I here?  For what purpose have I been made?  Is life worth living?  What are we heading toward?  What's the purpose for our existence? I believe that the Bible is extremely interested in all of those questions.The Lord has promised that He will not lose us, that He's not going to fall asleep on us. He will keep our souls with that very thing that animates our being and gives us life. He will hold it and he will keep it. In the midst of the busyness and distractions of our lives. I pray that we will remember that our help comes from the Lord. That we will believe that this promise is true, and that it is true for each one of us. Watch on YouTubeRecommended devotional for Lent: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene PetersonDr. 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.

Scripture tells us that God always saves for Himself a remnant. What about you? What about me? Are you part of the remnant? Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries joins us today with a message calling us to prayer, commitment to Christ and to have a deep, fervent love for our fellow man. Like Ambrose's Band of Brothers, come together and spur each other on to love and good deeds. Be on the "battlefield", share your faith by loving people, caring for people. Be in each other's lives.We are the Lord's remnant. Instead of praying for God to get you out of hard places, pray that whatever's ahead of you, that God would help you be faithful and persevere to the end.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. Watch on YouTube here

Isn't it interesting to think about how we let other people have such an influence on how we live our lives. I think we would all agree that the people in our lives are important to us. In fact, relationships are the substance of life. We were meant to be with other people.But, am I living my life to please others? Or am I living for the approval of God? I can't do both. You cannot truly live to please and approve Christ and live to win the approval of man at the same time. One has to be above the other.Today we're discussing a single verse, Galatians 1:10, to learn how to find true freedom from the fears that drive us to comparison, envy, jealousy and loneliness. Watch on YouTube here

Dr. Mark Gignilliat from Beeson Divinity School joins us again, this time with a message from the book of Psalms.If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one book of the Bible with you, which one would you choose?For me, I think it would be the Psalms. They are rich. There’s a treasure trove here of insight into what it means to live all of life In God’s presence.Now, let me stop and just talk about that for a second. The Psalms are inviting us, and let me up the ante, the Psalms are actually commanding us to live all of life in God’s presence. From mountaintop moments, to the valley of despair, from confusion, to reorientation, in moments where you need wisdom, in moments when you are rejoicing, in moments when you are giving thanks, the Bible and the Psalms are instructing us that God wants all of our lives lived in His presence and in a spirit of prayer.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

How do we find the true riches of life? In this series of talks we've discussed many fears and pitfalls that men experience - the fear of failure, battling the pressure to perform and 'act like a man.' We compare and compete constantly. This leaves men feeling isolated and alone.If you think about it, a man's greatest fear should never be the fear of failure, but the fear of actually succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.Author and coach Joe Ehrmann said, "At the end of our life, we ought to be able to look back over it from our deathbed and know somehow the world is a better place because we lived, we loved, we were other-centered, other-focused."Every real man should be investing their life in a cause that is bigger than your own individual hopes, dreams and desires. But how do we make the changes necessary to do that?Today is the last of 3 talks that I gave back in 2009 after the stock market crash. These talks became the foundation of my book The True Measure of a Man, which continues to impact many lives, both men and women.Learn how to get Chapter 1 of The True Measure of a Man for FREE here.

Fear is a very interesting emotion. It's created by one thing: uncertainty over the future, and it operates in the realm of our imagination. It's amazing how we play things out in our minds, and most people don't know what to do with it. Fears end up running wild in their imaginations, particularly when they wake up at two or three o'clock in the morning and their minds start whirling. That's when fear runs rampant, and it cripples our lives in a multitude of ways.Interestingly, in both the Old and the New Testament, the number one imperative from God to His people is to fear not. Be anxious for nothing. Do not worry. So what is it that we fear? Well-known psychologist Larry Crabb says that we all have two basic psychological needs in our lives: The need for security, and The need for significance What do I mean by significance? It's the belief that your life makes a difference that will last over time. At the end of our lives, each of us hopes that our life was important in some way. Our need for significance creates an incredible fear of failure in us that we carry around - an incredible fear that we're going to fail somehow out in the workplace or in our relationships. As you listen to this message, ask yourself these questions: How is God trying to use this in my life? What's He trying to teach me? Maybe for some of us, He's trying to make a spiritual breakthrough in our lives.Today is the second of 3 talks that I gave back in 2009 after the stock market crash. These talks became the foundation of my book The True Measure of a Man, which continues to impact many lives, both men and women.Learn how to get Chapter 1 of The True Measure of a Man for FREE here.

How do you cope when you experience hardship or failure in your life? Going through difficult times or failure exposes our true selves, which leads to more questions:  How do you define and measure your worth as a person?  What are the motivations that drive you?  Where do you get your worth as an individual? Our culture tells us that our worth is all about performance and success. We've somehow gotten personal achievement confused with our value and worth as people. How different would your life be if you did not fear and worry about what others thought of you, if you never had to impress anyone?Today I'd like to share with you the first of 3 talks that I gave back in 2009 after the stock market crash. These talks became the foundation of my book The True Measure of a Man, which continues to impact many lives, both men and women. Learn how to get Chapter 1 of The True Measure of a Man for FREE here.

If there were only room for one thing in your life, what would it be? You know, when we're dead and gone, I can promise you this, people will not remember us for the houses we lived in, the cars we drove or what we accomplished in our business or personal lives.They will primarily remember us for the kind of people we were. Character, wisdom, love, and compassion. And if these qualities are what our lives are about, then we will naturally impact the lives of other people. And in the end, our lives will be known by the impact we have had on other people.What is my primary loyalty in life - what is at the core of who I am? Is it money? Is it prestige and success? Is it the pleasures of life? There's something that is at the core of each of our lives. If it's not Christ, I want to challenge you to give Him preeminence in your life.