My name is Michael Bunch and this is my personal online library. It’s a place for me to to collect and share some of the most helpful resources I have found along my journey. I needed a place where I could find and remember the crucial turning points. It is not fancy or polished; neither am I. Like the image here of Moses looking out over the promised land, knowing he would not be joining the others, my journey bears the earthly consequences of mistakes and lessons – even if I am forgiven from a heavenly perspective.

Growing up

I grew up in the Mississippi Delta in the late 1960’s and 1970’s – the age of segregation.  Those were interesting times. Greenwood, MS was a place where I could ride my bike all over town and explore. I made forts and collected stickers. I loved Batman. I made money as a youngster by picking up glass coke bottles on the side of the road and redeeming them for a nickel a piece. I built and ran a lemonade stand. I played in the band and loved basketball. In middle school, I got business cards and mowed lawns. Eventually, I went to work in the family business. By most accounts, I grew up privileged in the white upper middle class. Working was a high value in my family and that work ethic lives on in me today.

Racism is woven into the fabric of The Delta. I grew up 10 miles from where Emmitt Till was murdered. The contrast between the haves and have nots is staggering. I am still haunted by that. There is a reason parts of the movie The Help were filmed in my hometown. Many things have changed over the years; but some things haven’t.

I grew up in St. Johns United Methodist church and I recall going to church most every Sunday. I remember Sunday school and Bible stories. I remember going through Confirmation Class in the third grade and getting my first Bible. I remember being afraid of spending eternity in Hell sometime around my 10th grade year and asking Jesus to save me from myself. I remember a few years later treating that decision like “fire insurance” and taking it for granted. Somehow, I was still living two lives.

Turning a Corner

Peace would not come until many years later through Evangelism Explosion training. It was there that I came to know for sure that my salvation in Jesus Christ was secure. I learned that I could, and did, know for certain that I would spend eternity with God in Heaven. I had to wrestle hard with my faith during those years. I believe there comes a point in everyone’s life when we have to stop cruising on inherited beliefs (what we have been taught) and “own” our own worldview.  We have to decide who God is because how we live our lives hinges on it. We have to decide who we are going to be.

Some say I think way too much. That could easily be true. I do think about world views all the time. I wrestle and it is messy but I am not along. The Brennan Manning excerpt on this blog’s homepage describes this paradox well.

Another Turning Point

2020 proved to be another pivotal time in my journey. I now have a page on here that chronicles what this looked like. [click here]

Bottom Line

I chose to be a Follower of Jesus Christ because no other worldview made sense to me. If you are curious about who Jesus Christ is and how he lived, I am share what I have learned and experienced.