Signs & Shadows

Are you actually saved—or have you simply learned how to look and sound like a Christian?
In the opening episode of the **Rapture Ready** series, Bud takes an honest, Bible-centered look at what it truly means to be saved. Salvation is more than attending church, being baptized, repeating a prayer, growing up in a Christian home, or calling yourself a believer. It is a genuine work of God that begins when we recognize our sin, repent, and place our faith completely in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Bud examines the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him. He explains why good works cannot earn salvation, what genuine repentance looks like, and how saving faith produces a changed heart and a transformed life. This episode also addresses assurance of salvation and the importance of examining ourselves—not to live in constant fear, but to make certain that our confidence rests in Christ rather than religion, emotions, or past experiences.
Jesus warned that not everyone who calls Him “Lord” truly belongs to Him. That makes this one of the most important questions any person can answer: **Am I actually saved?**
This message is not intended to condemn or frighten people. It is a loving and urgent invitation to come honestly before God, understand the true Gospel, and make sure your relationship with Jesus is real. Christ is coming again, and now is the time to repent, believe, and live ready to meet Him.
**Rapture Ready: Living Ready for the Return of Christ**
**Signs & Shadows — Watching the signs. Exposing the shadows.**

In this episode of the Spiritual Warfare series, Brandon Butler teaches about the Breastplate of Righteousness—the piece of God’s armor designed to protect the heart and other vital areas of our spiritual lives.
The enemy often attacks through guilt, shame, temptation, condemnation, and accusations about our past. If he can wound the heart, he can affect our thoughts, emotions, decisions, and relationship with God. But believers are not called to face those attacks unprotected.
Brandon explains the difference between depending on our own goodness and standing securely in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He also explores how living in obedience to God helps guard our hearts from compromise and keeps the enemy from gaining a foothold in our lives.
What does it really mean to put on the Breastplate of Righteousness? How can we protect our hearts when accusations, temptations, and spiritual attacks come? And what happens when we leave this crucial piece of armor unused?
The enemy will aim for your heart—but through Jesus Christ, God has given you the armor needed to stand firm.
Watching the signs. Exposing the shadows.

In this episode of our Spiritual Warfare series, we examine the first piece of the armor of God—the Belt of Truth. Paul begins with truth because it is the foundation that holds the rest of our spiritual armor together.
Satan is the father of lies, and his attacks often come through deception, false teaching, fear, shame, accusations, and confusion. He wants us to question God’s character, doubt His promises, and believe that our feelings determine what is true.
We discuss how God’s Word exposes the enemy’s lies, how Jesus used Scripture when facing temptation, and why knowing the Bible is essential in spiritual warfare. But wearing the Belt of Truth means more than memorizing verses—it means living honestly, rejecting hypocrisy, and allowing Scripture to correct how we think and live.
How can we recognize the enemy’s lies? What should we do when our feelings disagree with God’s Word? Join us as we learn how to buckle on the Belt of Truth and stand firm on the unchanging truth of God.
Signs & ShadowsWatching the signs. Exposing the shadows.

In Hayfield Miracle: Part 3, Mitchell Kiser returns to share the powerful conclusion of his story. Although the tragedy in the hayfield was over, the consequences of that day continued to affect every part of his life. Mitchell opens up about the difficult health problems that followed, the emotional weight he carried, and the intense spiritual battles he faced behind the scenes.
As his strength, faith, and hope were tested, Mitchell found himself fighting battles that others could not always see or understand. He shares the moments when fear and uncertainty threatened to overwhelm him, the questions he wrestled with, and the ways God continued to reveal His presence throughout the struggle.
Through every setback, Mitchell’s positive attitude helped keep him moving forward. Rather than allowing his circumstances to define him, he chose to face each new challenge with determination, hope, and faith. His outlook became an important part of his journey, reminding us that even when we cannot control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.
This final chapter is more than the conclusion of a tragic story—it is a testimony of survival, perseverance, healing, and God’s faithfulness. Join us as Mitchell reflects on how the tragedy changed his life, what God taught him through the pain, and how faith and a positive attitude helped him continue moving forward when giving up would have been easier.

Before you can fight a battle, you need to understand where that battle is taking place.
In this episode of the Signs and Shadows Podcast Spiritual Warfare Series, Brandon Butler hosts a powerful teaching titled “Know Your Battlefield: The Three Heavens.”
The Bible describes more than one heaven. There is the first heaven—the atmosphere surrounding the earth. There is the second heaven—the realm of the sun, moon, stars, and heavenly bodies. And there is the third heaven—the dwelling place of God.
But Scripture also reveals that spiritual forces operate in the heavenly realms. What does that mean for spiritual warfare? Where did Satan present himself before God in the Book of Job? What did Daniel’s delayed answer to prayer reveal about spiritual conflict? And what did Paul mean when he said that our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms?
Brandon walks through the Scriptures to explain each of the three heavens, how they are different, and why understanding them matters to every believer. You cannot see the entire battlefield with your natural eyes—but that does not mean the battle is not real.
This episode will help you understand where spiritual warfare takes place, how prayer affects the unseen realm, and why Christians should approach these subjects with biblical truth rather than fear or speculation.
Signs and Shadows PodcastWatching the signs. Exposing the shadows.

In this episode of the Signs and Shadows Podcast, hosts Bud Shropshire and Brandon Butler continue the Spiritual Warfare Series with “Knowing Your Enemy.”
What does the Bible actually reveal about Satan, demons, fallen angels, and the powers of darkness? How does the enemy deceive, tempt, accuse, divide, and use fear against believers? More importantly, how can Christians recognize his strategies without becoming obsessed with darkness or living in fear?
This episode examines the origin, nature, limitations, and tactics of our spiritual enemy while emphasizing an essential truth: Satan is not equal to God, and Jesus Christ has already secured the victory.
We are not called to ignore the enemy, underestimate him, or fear him. We are called to remain watchful, test everything against Scripture, put on the whole armor of God, resist the devil, and stand firmly in the authority of Jesus Christ.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8 
Join us as we expose the enemy’s tactics, separate biblical truth from popular mythology, and learn how to fight from Christ’s victory rather than for it.
Signs and Shadows PodcastWatching the signs. Exposing the shadows.
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Deep within the Uwharrie Mountains, on the wooded trails surrounding the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, local legend says something is still hunting.
In this episode of the Signs and Shadows Podcast, Bud Shropshire and Brandon Butler investigate The Haunting of Purgatory Mountain and the terrifying legend of “The Hunter.”
During the Civil War, Peter Garner was a Confederate conscript assigned to guide soldiers through Randolph County in search of deserters hiding in the mountains. Garner became so successful and so feared that people began calling him “The Hunter.” After he was violently killed in 1864, stories began spreading about a large, dark figure wandering Purgatory Mountain before dawn, as though The Hunter were still searching for his next prisoner.
Today, the Purgatory Mountain Trails wind for nearly five miles through the forests, creeks, and rocky terrain surrounding the North Carolina Zoo. But some believe these are more than ordinary hiking trails. Visitors and local storytellers have described strange figures, unexplained sounds, and the unsettling feeling that something is following them through the woods.
Who was Peter Garner? What really happened to him? Is his ghost haunting the trails near the NC Zoo—or could something else be using his story and appearance?
Join us as we separate documented Civil War history from Randolph County folklore, explore the alleged haunting of the Purgatory Mountain Trails, and examine what the Bible teaches about ghosts, familiar spirits, and the unseen realm.
The Haunting of Purgatory Mountain: The Hunter of the NC Zoo Trails
Watching the signs. Exposing the shadows. Pointing everything back to Jesus Christ.

We are at war—but the greatest battles are not fought with weapons. They are fought in the unseen spiritual realm and within each one of us.
In the opening episode of the Signs and Shadows Podcast’s new Spiritual Warfare series, “The 3 Parts of Man,” host Bud Shropshire and co-host Brandon Butler explore how Scripture describes us as spirit, soul, and body.
What is the difference between your spirit and your soul? How do your thoughts, emotions, desires, and physical choices affect your spiritual life? And why is understanding these three parts so important when facing temptation, fear, and attacks from the enemy?
Join Bud and Brandon for a practical, Bible-based conversation that will help you better understand how God created you, where the spiritual battle takes place, and how you can begin walking in victory through Jesus Christ.
Watching the signs. Exposing the shadows. Pointing everything back to Jesus Christ.

In this episode of Watchmen on the Wall, a special series from the Signs & Shadows Christian Podcast, Bud Shropshire and Brandon Butler examine the marketing strategies behind several popular products and ask whether consumers are being sold more than they realize.
From Liquid Death’s dark and rebellious branding to The Honey Pot’s controversial advertising and the spiritual messages printed across Dr. Bronner’s products, we examine how companies use shock, symbolism, identity, and spiritual language to influence what people buy—and sometimes what they believe.
Is it all harmless marketing, or are consumers being sold more than just water, soap, and personal-care products? We’ll compare these messages with Scripture and discuss why Christians must look beyond the label, test everything, and guard what influences their hearts and homes.
Signs & Shadows is a Christian podcast dedicated to watching the signs, exposing the shadows, and examining today’s culture through a biblical worldview.
Stay alert. Stand firm. See what others miss.
“Test everything; hold fast what is good.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)

In “Hayfield Miracle: Part Two,” host Bud Shropshire continues his powerful conversation with Mitchell Kiser. After surviving a devastating accident while mowing hay, Mitchell faced a difficult road filled with pain, uncertainty, and challenges that tested his faith.
Mitchell shares how God carried him through the darkest moments, gave him strength when he wanted to give up, and helped him overcome obstacles that once seemed impossible. This story is more than an account of survival—it is a testimony of God’s faithfulness, healing power, and purpose through suffering.
Join us for the inspiring conclusion to Mitchell’s story and discover how a tragedy in a hayfield became a powerful miracle and testimony of God’s grace.
“Watching the signs. Exposing the shadows.”