WHO IS THIS MAN?

Greetings friends. The picture you see is the picture of aman who may or may not mean anything to you...but if you are reading the Rambling...he has had an impact on your life. His name is Gary Montgomery.

This man is the reason that I am sitting here and writing this Rambling. There was a time when we both worked at the same factory. We were both Christians, we were both seeking more of God, we were both hungry for a deeper walk with Him. At the factory where we worked, we would witness our faith to others, pray, read the Bible. We would go to various meetings at churches, Holiday Inns, anywhere that there was something shaking for God.

But one day...there was a shift in our relationship. I slowly began to drift back into the patterns of my old ways. Oh they were subtle shifts...but in the end those old ways crashed down upon me and engulfed my life...to the point where I totally turned my back on God...and backslid...only my backslidding was more of a face first...dive into the muck and the mire of my former way of life. Details are not necessarily important at this point, but suffice to say...I was worse than I was before my 1970 conversion.

One hallmark in this journey was when I gave my Bible study tools to Gary...including my concordance, my Vines Greek Lexicon, my Naves Topical Bible and my Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary. After all, I was leaving God...and would not have a need for them any longer...since I would never teach the Bible again. NEVER SAY NEVER!!!!

I continue my downward descent in the the dog vomit of my past...that was now my present...and if something didn't change...would be my future. Remember...I was just getting ready to get married...to my lovely honey bun of 35 years...but this still did not keep me from CHOOSING death over life...from CHOOSING curse over blessing. This descent (with many cause and effect consequenences to my actions manifested) went on for around a year...until I finally reached bottom like the Prodigal Son in the pig slop. The only way to look up. When I was at that point...there was Gary Montgomery.

When I chose to leave...Gary chose to go to a group of Christians who were meeting in homes...and asked them to pray for someone who they did not know. I'm convinced that this is the reason that I am (1) alive
(2) still married (3) walking with God today (4) teaching the Word of God with renewed passion (5) Ruminating

I called Gary up...and asked him if I could get my books back..and instead of condemning me for past sins and choices...welcomed me back with open arms. Since that point...Gary and I have had many adventures...ups and downs...laughs and tears. Today we stand the test of time...with a love for each other...that is tied together with the common thread of Jesus.

Hey...the next time you see Gary Montgomery...you can either thank him...or blame him for the RUMINATOR. Multiple Mooooo's to Gary.

Love and brotherly kisses
Rodney "Escaped from Dog Vomit and Prodical Pig Pens" Boyd