Looking for wisdom in your family relationships? The book of Deuteronomy is rich with guidance, focusing on two realities: our tendency to forget, and our call to remember. Deuteronomy was given to the Hebrew people as a teaching tool—to give them a kind of ordering of their own knowledge and understanding of their place in the world before each other and before their God, so that they can teach it to the next generation. There is a very familial generational dynamic that's at work in the book o...
Jul 06, 2025•49 min•Ep. 280
Are you experiencing true joy? Richard's guest Mark Gignilliat continues in his discussion of Psalm 100. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness conti...
Jun 30, 2025•38 min•Ep. 279
Do you have pain in your life that is unresolved? Maybe a painful memory, unresolved relationship or self-inflicted wound that seems to be unusually hard to get over? There are things in our lives that can be absorbing, unresolved and unknown and yet really need the grace of God. Hebrews 9:23-26 tells us: Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not in...
Jun 22, 2025•33 min•Ep. 278
Everyone wants peace and hope. As we grow older, we feel a special urgency to make peace with the past and to discover hope for the future. In doing this, it's important to be thinking more and more about eternity. Let the gospel be the lens through which we act and move and have our being. I John 4:19 is the key to our motivation for life: "We love because He first loved us." >>Watch on YouTube The Rev. Dr. Paul F.M. Zahl is a retired Episcopal minister and author, and served as dean of C...
Jun 16, 2025•32 min
Have you given much thought to what God can do through you? Today my special guest is Tim Kallam, senior pastor of Mountain Brook Community Church. His message highlights the life of Barnabas through the book of Acts. From Acts 4:32-37 " All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerf...
Jun 08, 2025•38 min•Ep. 276
Is anything holding you back from fully embracing Christ? Today's message from Jerry Leachman closes with this prayer, interceding for all istening: "Dear God, there's no catch today. We don't have anything for anybody to join. We don't want anybody's money. We don't want anybody's anything. We're a band of brothers in here this morning. Lord, if there are men here that go, 'You know, I've believed in Christ, but I think the chaplain's right. I've been chasing idols. That's what's been holding m...
Jun 01, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 275
The father of the prodigal son gave a hugh banquet to celebrate his son's return home. His son was lost, but now was found. Does this remind you of what awaits believers in heaven? In Revelation 19:6-9, John describes the Lord's future banquet in heaven for those who have trusted in Christ: "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give ...
May 24, 2025•44 min•Ep. 274
What was Paul's legacy to Christians? Paul was a man that was given a real vision. He was an apostle to the Gentiles and he was a man on the move. In many senses we might think of the Apostle Paul in today's terminology as a church planter, but not one who would plant a church in Jasper, Alabama and then stay there for the next 20 years. Instead, he would be like one who planted a church at Jasper, build up some leadership there in that local congregation, and then he's going to move on to Pell ...
May 19, 2025•50 min•Ep. 269
Why do men have difficulty being transparent and sharing vulnerable details about their lives Richard contends that it comes down to problems associated with pride, which drives men to worry about being seen as a failure by those around them. In his book The Power of a Humble Life Richard explains why men especially struggle with pride and humility—and how pride is, quite literally, the driving force behind so many of humanity’s problems, from wars to parenting struggles. >>Watch on YouTub...
May 11, 2025•28 min•Ep. 272
Have you ever thought about the prodigal son's older brother? From Luke 15:25-28a: “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in..." In Rembrandt's famous painting of the Prodigal Son, you see there's a ...
May 05, 2025•32 min
How does a person become "lost?" Many times it's because they have run out of relationships—they've burned through all their relationships, for all kinds of reasons. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, that's what this young son has done. He didn't have anybody to go to. He's in this distant land. He's run out of money, food and resources. He has no friends. Why do you think he didn't immediately go back to his father? Why did he decide to go and work with the pigs? Shame? Obviously, the shame a...
Apr 28, 2025•35 min
Where is the love and hope of the Cross? They are found in the person of Jesus Christ alone, "who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." - 1 Timothy 2:6 This Good Friday annual message from Richard and The Center features a unique performance by the Birmingham Boy's Choir. >>Watch on YouTube...
Apr 20, 2025•38 min
Mark continues his study in Colossians chapter 1: "...The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." >>Watch on YouTube Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teach...
Apr 13, 2025•49 min•Ep. 268
What does true freedom look like in our lives? The parable of the prodigal son is what I consider one of the most significant of all of Jesus' parables, taken from Luke 15:11-32. I discussed this parable with some of the older men in our Bible studies, and several of them said they didn't like this parable because the older brother gets "the short end of the stick." Today we are focus on the younger brother, but when we get to the older brother you'll see that both brothers play significant role...
Apr 07, 2025•40 min
Do you need encouragement in your prayer life? We are studying another powerful prayer of Paul to believers from the first chapter of Colossians. Paul is talking about a knowledge that goes deep into the very fabric of who you are in your affections, your feelings and in your mind. What is this knowledge—this deep intimacy with the Almighty that he's calling us to? It's the knowledge of what God's will is: "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. W...
Mar 31, 2025•51 min•Ep. 266
Where does true belief begin? True belief is an issue of the heart, not the head. Many people believe that a God of love cannot also be a God of wrath. Think about that. But author and pastor Tim Keller says there is no love without wrath. In the book Hope Has Its Reasons Becky Pippert writes, "Think how we feel when we see someone we love ravaged by unwise actions or relationships. Do we respond with benign tolerance as we might toward strangers? Far from it. Anger isn't the opposite of love—ha...
Mar 24, 2025•38 min•Ep. 265
Is Hell real? In the past most people did not have a difficult time with the idea of hell. But modern American sentimentalism is one indication that people today tend to care only for the softer virtues of God like love and tenderness. They have forgotten the hard virtues of holiness, righteousness and justice. So as we seek to come to terms with the hard issues like hell, we must consider the question, "What is my spiritual authority?" Is my spiritual authority God's Word - the Bible - or is my...
Mar 17, 2025•36 min•Ep. 264
How much is enough? This question can apply to many different areas of our lives, but today we're looking at this question in regard to money and wealth. Other than theological issues like faith and God's kingdom, the number one issue that Jesus addresses in the Bible is the issue of money and wealth. He doesn't condemn wealth. He doesn't say that money is inherently evil, but Jesus sternly warns us against the dangers of the love of money. >>Watch on YouTube...
Mar 07, 2025•34 min•Ep. 263
Have you given much thought to retiring someday? Richard's guest is Phil Reddick leading this seminar on how to maximize your impact as you think about retirement or are already retired. Meet our guest panelists: Mark and Julie Edwards - Mark is with McGriff Insurance Services. Julie is a full-time homemaker. Felix "Tank" Tankersley - Tank is a Senior Wealth Advisor at BMSS Wesson Wealth Solutions. Roger F. Cartwright , Architect - Roger is a retired Architect and now a consultant with Cartwrigh...
Mar 03, 2025•52 min•Ep. 262
What kind of man are you? What kind of man am I? Jesus' well-known "Beatitudes" from His Sermon on the Mount contains some of His most vital promises to us. These verses are Jesus' formula for how to have a successful life and a successful eternity: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6 >>Watch on YouTube Jerry Leachman of Leachman Ministries is a favorite speaker at The Center's events. Along with being an associate Chap...
Feb 24, 2025•58 min•Ep. 261
Are you looking to strengthen your prayer life? Join Richard's guest Dr. Mark Gignilliat as he teaches on the prayers of the apostle Paul. Paul's prayer to believers, from the first chapter of Colossians: "...Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in hea...
Feb 17, 2025•45 min•Ep. 260
Did Jesus have an opinion on money and wealth? There are five primary teachings given by Jesus in the Bible. The Kingdom of God God the Father Faith The nature of Satan and the power of sin Life and everyday living, money and wealth Jesus says a lot about money—He says a lot of hard things about it as well. Why do you think he taught on money and wealth? I believe one of the main reasons is because we struggle with money, primarily because it is hard to see money's real effect on our lives. Like...
Feb 09, 2025•44 min•Ep. 260
What is Epiphany? The idea of epiphany is a pulling back of the curtain, so that one can see something clearly. These are normal, historical events that can be explained by natural cause and effect. Yet these epiphany moments reveal that there's a lot more going on here than what you see on the surface. This is the unveiling. It is a revealing. >>Watch on YouTube Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, an...
Feb 03, 2025•42 min
Where do you find community? Do you feel isolated from others? Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist who taught at Stanford, and by the way was a Christian, says this: "There's nothing more detrimental to a person's life than isolation. There's no more destructive influence on physical and mental health than the isolation of you from me and us from them." Zimbardo believed a primary strategy of the evil one in the times that we currently live is to trivialize human existence by isolating us from one a...
Jan 24, 2025•36 min•Ep. 258
Why is instruction important? The purpose of instruction is to help us understand the basis and foundation of our faith. Deuteronomy 5:32-33 gives us this wise instruction: "So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." > >Watch on YouTube Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor ...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 257
As we start this new year, what kind of plans, thoughts and ideas have you been having? Have you made any resolutions. Two days ago I went to the gym early in the morning - usually only a few people there, but this day the parking lot was jam packed! Of course by mid-February things will probably be back to normal. My question to each of us today is, "Do we need to make any sort of resolutions regarding our spiritual lives?" And before we can answer that, we must first ask ourselves, "Where a...
Jan 10, 2025•44 min•Ep. 253
Both CS Lewis and RC Sproul asked, "If you could boil down take Christian theology and boil it into one word, what would it be?" Love? Faith? They answered that the one word would be Grace . Grace is like a huge bank account and faith is the account number to get access to it. God provides the grace, and we respond to it with faith. Another way to look at it is to contrast 3 words and what they mean: Judgement - getting what you deserve Mercy - not getting what you deserve Grace - getting someth...
Jan 06, 2025•52 min•Ep. 253
What does God promise to those who hope in Him? Last week was an overview of chapters 1-39 of the book of Isaiah . Something occurs between chapter 39 and chapter 40 that is kind of seismic. It's like the car of the prophet Isaiah just shifted into a different gear. Chapter 40 describes where God is moving from judgement to redemption, pronouncing comfort and peace to His people: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will ...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 254
How does Isaiah present the gospel? Early church fathers, interestingly enough, would refer to Isaiah as the fifth Gospel. I love that term. It would be Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and then Isaiah, right? Because Isaiah is a prophet, he prepares us for the gospel in ways that are pretty unique in the Bible. Isaiah points us to Christ. Then we can see our need for Christ - our need for the new covenant. In Luke 24 where Jesus is walking on the road to Emmaus with the two men, Luke says, "And begin...
Dec 23, 2024•57 min•Ep. 253
Where do you look when you need help? Jesus boldly claims who He is in John chapter 10: "Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the Gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the Gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shep...
Dec 15, 2024•38 min•Ep. 252
