Salt Sometimes the most common items are of the greatest value and contain the most important lessons. One of the traits that made Jesus the greatest teacher was His ability to use the common items and turn them into powerful visual lessons. When Jesus finished giving the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12 which describe the character […]
Author: bumchecks
More churches are closing their doors each year
The coroner closed the door, and another death was recorded. Years earlier a diagnosis had been made and treatment was started. For months doctors tried to get the patient turned around and moving in the right direction. Lab work and scans were ordered, but often the results were ignored or overlooked. A specialist was brought […]
The Police Officer
Returning from a short trip last week I pulled off the interstate, and as I did, a police car pulled in behind me. I kept watching for his blue lights as I pulled into a shopping center, again he followed. When I parked, he stopped behind my car. “What have I done wrong,” I thought, […]
The King of the Jews
The events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus make for a great drama. We can see the hatred of the Jews but also the attempts to save Jesus by the Roman proconsul Pilate. Some of it may seem to be harsh, but this is the world of the Romans. “Then Pilate took Jesus and […]
Why is St. Patrick’s Day a day to get smashed for so many?
This past week our nation celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Like usual, posts came out about people looking forward to drinking and partying in order to “celebrate.” I don’t know about you, but this has always been very confusing to me. This day is dedicated to a guy named “Saint Patrick.” This is supposedly a day […]
Positive Preaching + Truth Does Not Fear Investigation
I like positive preaching. I like to hear it. I like to do it. It is like watching the sunshine glisten on the dewy leaves of the apple tree by my window, fresh from a springtime shower. I appreciate the knowledge that the sunshine and the rain will make the tree grow, bloom and bring […]
Tracing My Roots And Finding My Heavenly Father
I have ADHD, so my passions swing wildly. I may be enthusiastic about something until I am not. But I’ll return to this topic when something piques my interest. It has been this way with genealogy. I did a lot of genealogy research until I ended up in the hospital for nearly four months in […]
PERSPECTIVE AND JUSTICE FOR POOR BRETHREN JAMES 1:9-11
Sometimes it seems the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. It seems this way because sometimes it is this way! But we would be amiss not to look both deeper and further down the road. There is a spiritual and eternal realm to consider. Perspective is vital for our continued faithfulness and it is rooted […]
A Bible Study on John 1:1-3
It is difficult to find a good way to describe Jesus before He was Jesus. He didn’t have that name given to Him until after He was born (Matthew 1:21, 25). The same thing goes with calling Him the Son, because (regardless of what Catholic theologians claim) He did not take on a role as […]
Some thoughts on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
The world, as a whole, does not understand the significance of this day. They go about their business as usual. Embrace their routines. Enjoy a Sunday morning to sleep in. But for us, as Christians, we realize this day, more than 2,000 years ago, changed the course of history and turned despair into hope, defeat […]