The PRACTICE of the Cross/Crucifixion. The description of all that was involved in the process of crucifixion should bring every person to tears and make him take a closer look at himself and the horrible price that the sin of each of us cost the Son of God. It is a paradox that an instrument […]
Author: bumchecks
Oshiya (train pushers)
Have you ever stopped and thought about all the different jobs that are required to have success in a common business or interest? For example, in Japan, to make sure the subway functions and successfully operates, there are different jobs associated with the operation. There are Crew Members, Train Engineers, Utility Clerks, Dispatchers, Welders, Mechanics, […]
An Abundant Life: Courage
Margaret Court is a legend in the tennis world, at least in Australia. In the 1960s and 1970s, Court won 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Fourteen years ago, Australian Open officials decided to honor Margaret Court by naming one of their premiere stadiums after her: Margaret Court Arena. That is, until Court decided to […]
A Mary Heart in a Martha World Luke 10:38-42
INTRODUCTION: Don’t you want to be a strong, faithful Christian? We all do. We all want to feel, as Adam and Eve must have felt in the Garden of Eden, that we “walk with God.” We want to live above sin. We want to be the “Rock of Gibraltar” in our personal, spiritual lives, to […]
Joy, Joy, Joy – Part 1
“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ 3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. 4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! 5 Those […]
Throwing Stone
About an hour from where I live is an annual event that draws thousands. The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina is a celebration of Scottish heritage, and something like an Olympic competition is part of the festivities. For example, men in traditional kilts compete in “turning the caber”; they pick up a 16-20 […]
Our culture hates kids – and sometimes Christians do, too
The world’s fertility rates are absolutely falling off a cliff. That should be a pretty big deal, right? And yet, for some reason, it’s not. Nobody really seems to care to discuss it – much less advocate for something to be done about it. Even worse, few prominent voices (aside from the world’s richest man, […]
Songs of Ascent “Songs of ascent” are fifteen psalms from 120 to 134. “Songs of the ascent” is the subtitle above the text in most translations of the Bible. The King James Version uses the term, “degree” rather than “ascent.” Most of the older commentaries and biblical writers use the term “degree” rather than the […]
Jumping to Conclusions!
Why is it so much easier to jump to conclusions (and very often WRONG conclusions) about people than to assume the best about them? There’s a story about a man sitting in his living room one evening when he suddenly called to his wife — “There goes that woman Charlie Brown is in love with.” […]
Time Enough?
Romans 13:12 (ESV): The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. The time to act is now! Sometimes we preachers are afraid to sound like alarmists. The time to correct wrong doing in ourselves and others […]