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What happens when we truly understand the power and privilege of prayer?

In this encouraging and challenging message, Richard's guest, Jerry Leachman calls believers to take their prayer lives seriously—not as a religious exercise, but as direct access to the God who created and rules the universe.

Drawing from Scripture, personal experiences, and powerful stories from history, Jerry reminds us that praying in the name of Jesus is powerful, that God looks for a sincere and humble heart, and that forgiveness is essential to a life of effective prayer warrior.

He shares practical ways to develop a consistent prayer life, including keeping a prayer list, using short “breath prayers,” and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us when we don't know what to pray.

Above all, this message is a call to trust God even when we cannot see what He is doing.

As Jerry's closing story reminds us: sometimes we cannot see God, but He can see us. The question is, will we trust Him enough to jump?

2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us, "If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

>>Get Jerry Leachman's new book! Brave Hearts, Strong Arms ⁠

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

We are re-airing this popular episode by Richard's guest, Jerry Leachman of ⁠Leachman Ministries

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.

⁠>>Get Jerry Leachman's new book! Brave Hearts, Strong Arms ⁠

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

*This episode originally aired on November 21, 2021

What kind of friend are you?

I'm going to talk today about something that affects our everyday life. If you have it or if you don't have it, it'll make you or break you. I'm talking about friendship.

The entire Old Testament and the entire New Testament is all about friendship, not religion. Christ is not looking for Christians or religious people—He's looking for friends.

In the Old Testament Abraham was called a friend of God. God is offering us friendship.

Now if a great man called you around his deathbed and he said, "I got a few things I want to tell you. I'm on the way out." Would you listen to that? He is going to give you the good stuff.

These are some of the last words of Jesus before He was arrested, brutally tortured and then murdered. He looks at His guys and a lot of women that were following their band, and He says:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." - John 15:9-11

What kind of friend do you have in Christ? He laid it all out there for you.

Are you holding anything back? If you give it all, you'll never be afraid again.

>>Get Jerry Leachman's new book! Brave Hearts, Strong Arms

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

How important is our human sexuality?

In Chuck Colson's last book The Final Word, he writes "Christianity is becoming more and more unpopular in our culture, primarily as a result of conflicts over sexuality. This is where modern human beings do not want to be in any way restrained.

Most of the Bible they accept; they just do not like the way it governs sexual passion."

Conflicts over sexuality is a very serious issue in our culture, and we may not be paying much attention to it. But as you'll see in today's talk, this issue really has implications for our children.

Our souls have a deep longing to belong and be accepted and to have soul oneness. All of us desire to alleviate our sense of loneliness and to be deeply and permanently connected with someone else.

This is why God created sex. It is the means of expressing and achieving complete life unity between a man and a woman in the covenant relationship of marriage.

In this episode, Richard is discussing his book Sex At First Sight, available on Amazon and Audible and richardesimmons3.com.

What gives your life lasting significance?

In this encouraging Bible study, we explore what Scripture reveals about God's purpose for every believer and how our value is found not in achievements, status, or circumstances, but in our relationship with Christ.

The word glory is an interesting word in the Old Testament. It comes from a Hebrew word, "kabod", which means "importance or significance." The best English word that we can equate to kabod is this idea "to matter."

Tim Keller believed that every human being cannot live without glory. In other words, we can't live without this deep assurance that we matter, that our lives matter.

Do you realize that your life is important and your life matters?

God designed us to get our identity from Him. In other words, we matter because we matter to Him. Think about these truths from scripture:

• He loves me with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)
• He wants to teach me what is best for my life. (John 14:26)
• He wants to give me an abundant life. (John 10:10)

When a man can really get that he matters to God, he can be secure and at peace with his life because he realizes, "I do matter because I matter to God."

Why does my life matter? Because God has pursued us, revealed Himself to us, redeemed us through Christ, and invited us into an eternal relationship with Him. Our significance is not something we achieve—it is something we receive from the God whose glory gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

Psalm 16:11 tells us, "In Your presence is fullness of joy."

What does it mean to have a living faith?

In the Bible, Paul and James began at different places in the Christian life. Paul begins at the beginning, when a person is considering to become a Christian and enters into a relationship with Christ. Paul says, it happens by putting your faith in Him. It's by grace through faith.

And in James chapter two, after you've entered that relationship by grace through faith, such a man James says, must live a new life. For he is a new creature. He's first justified by grace through faith, and now is beginning the sanctification process of growth.​

I've concluded that in order to truly become a Christian, we have to have that living faith that James talks of. 
James 2:14-17 tells us, "What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

Are you building a strong foundation for your life?

It is important to know that everyone is building a house with their life. We are constructing a strategy that we believe will best prepare us for the future. Yet no one is exempt from hardship or pain.

The good news is that we can be prepared when they do come. Philip Yancey says the best way to prepare for the storms of life is to work on a strong, supportive life when all is going well. You cannot suddenly construct a foundation of inner strength. It must be built day by day.

This is such a significant issue because the storms of life, or potential storms, are what generate fear in our lives. We fear the uncertainty of the outcome of these storms.

Throughout the Bible we see God telling and instructing us to “Fear not; do not be afraid; Be anxious about nothing; Let your heart not be troubled.”
Isaiah 41:20 tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand."

>>Watch on YouTube⁠

>> Here's the Handout that goes with this message.

We are re-airing this popular episode by Richard's guest, Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries

Scripture tells us that God always saves for Himself a remnant. What about you? What about me? Are you part of the remnant? 

Jerry's message is a call 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. >>Watch on YouTube

>>Get Jerry Leachman's new book! Brave Hearts, Strong Arms

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.

*This episode originally aired on February 24, 2023

Today Richard's guest is Norman Jetmundsen, retired attorney and active member of The Center's Bible Studies.
The faith of C.S. Lewis can be summed up in his own words:

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” ― C.S. Lewis
Norman Jetmundsen is a retired attorney and graduate of the University of the South (classmate of Richard E. Simmons), University of Alabama Law School, and Oxford University (Magdalen College). He practiced law with Bradley Arant and Vulcan Materials Company. Norman is married to Kelli, and they have triplet sons, Taylor, Nelson and Jonathan. He is also an active member of Bible studies at The Center. >>⁠Watch on YouTube

What is the source of love? And what is belovedness?

Belovedness engenders love. If you are actively cherished altruistically by another, despite all of your own shortcomings and feelings of loss and history, that spontaneously and inevitably creates the fruit of love.

1 John 4:9-10 tells us, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Today Richard's guest is Paul Zahl, Dean Emeritus of Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. He is an active member in Bible studies at The Center. >>Watch on YouTube

*This episode features a clip from the 1954 film "Brigadoon" by director Vincente Minnelli, produced by MGM. Both the clip and the image used in the thumbnail belong to MGM. This talk provides commentary on the film and thus falls under fair use guidelines.