For as long as I have been preaching, when it is around holiday time, I will hear some tell me that the reason they weren’t at church services was because they had “unexpected visitors.” This explanation is usually offered without any shame or embarrassment, indicating that in their way of thinking, their behavior was totally […]
Author: bumchecks
I Can Do That!
It’s easy to become overwhelmed at the thought of a big assignment or a difficult challenge. Sometimes the contemplation of a long and hard task makes us weary even before we begin. In such instances it can be helpful to break the job down into smaller, ‘do-able’ segments. As these manageable ‘bites’ are accomplished, the […]
Second Mile Religion
There are two classes of men: those who act only when circumstances force them to do something, and those who gladly volunteer to act regardless of circumstances. One says: “What do I have to do?” The other says: “What may I do?” One is always looking for a way out of his duties. The other […]
A Better World
The following words seem especially fitting to our time and to the craziness lately gripping our country: “My favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote, ‘Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace […]
Are you sanctified?
“In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures” James 1.18 NASB 1995). In James 1.18, we learn about our identity as believers and what it means to be a new creation in Christ. James, the […]
Memorizing Scripture
It was Mr. Powell’s sixth grade class, and the plan was for a special celebration of Lincoln’s birthday. I was tall and skinny, and with a stove pipe hat made of construction paper and a fake black beard, I made a pretty fair ‘Abe Lincoln’. My assignment was to memorize the Gettysburg Address and recite […]
A Beauty Contest
It is obvious from America’s beauty contests with swimsuit and evening wear competitions that most people think of beauty in terms of shape and size. If there is a talent competition the winner is the one who is the most entertaining. So, it really interested me to hear of the “Miss Senegal” contest in Africa. […]
A Prayer for the New Year
May the Lord make my New Year a happy one… Not by shielding me from sorrow and pain, but by strengthening me to bear it if it comes. Not by taking hardship from me, but by taking all cowardice and fear from my heart as I meet hardships. Not by making my […]
The Prayer Life of Jesus: Our and Our Spouses Desires Luke 23:44-49
When Rachel and I first met and married, she did not know how strongly we would be pulling for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team throughout our years of marriage. In fact, early in our marriage, or rather through most of our marriage, she could not have cared less about football. I even wasn’t all […]
Working with Elders
Hebrews 13:17 says: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” When the writer mentions those “that have the rule over you,” it […]