Juanita Bynum v. Thomas Weeks

Popular pastor Juanita Bynum recently filed for divorce from her husband, bishop Thomas Weeks, who assaulted her in an Atlanta parking lot last month. Charges have since been filed against him. What has happened to this marriage is sad, as everyone was happy for them when they got married.

Many were subsequently sad to learn of the pending divorce that revealed a trail of abuse. Bynum said recently that previously he would push and shove her, but it never turned into the violence that manifested itself, culminating into charges against Weeks.

She said she didn't want to tell people she was having marriage problems. Who would. It doesn't seem like a pleasant thing to go through. I hope some good comes out of this terrible situation.

Weeks has an anger problem. It was alleged by two other members of his congregation that he attacked another woman that demanded her money via her paycheck.

Speaking of money, this issue seems to be at the heart of quite a few problems in Bishop Weeks' life. Records made public reveal he owes a number of companies significant sums of money totaling over $100,000.

For example he was living in a leased $2.5 million dollar home in Duluth, Georgia, where he fell behind on the payments. He had an outstanding bill at Tiffany's for thousands of dollars.

Respectfully, these are debts a bishop should not have. That money could have been put to better use in the church via outreach programs, not paying such a large lease. Georgia is a very nice place. There are many nice homes there for $150,000 to $250,000.

As a bishop on a budget, one should dedicate one's self to living a life of thrift. While many preachers, who I have the utmost respect for, write books and author DVDs that bring in extra income, some do not and must make due with much less.

If you have that money coming in from the books and DVDs you author, that's your income. However, if the funds are not there, it will create unnecessary problems in your life trying to live according to a certain financial standard.

Jesus never wore expensive suits. He never lived in a mansion. He never drove an expensive car - and still His message went out across the world and has been heard by billions, enduring even thousands of years later.

It doesn't matter if a preacher is rich or poor, as that does not define success in the world of faith. The more important thing is how good is your message, does it comfort the broken hearted, does it lead people to God, does it give them a better understanding of faith, does it inspire them.

The Bible is not about getting rich - never was. Some people will be rich in this life, some will not. However, that is not what God looks at. He looks at your heart, deeds and your faith in Him.

There are people in this world who are hurting, broken, devastated, struggling with addiction, some even ill, some their children are suffering. Their souls need uplifting. They need to hear the true words of comfort from the Bible, because there are some things money can't buy - healing and love. These are the things that should be our focus.