TREASURE HUNT: The Declaration of Dependence

Greetings Fellow Chewers of the Cud. Are you treasurING your TREASURE? One is a VERB and the other is a NOUN. Where are you treasurING your TREASURE? Do you have bank account, a lock box, a tin can buried in your backyard, a 401 K or a 666 d (little d)? Is your TREASURE safe...or is it being lost in corporate buyouts or decaying in your can in your backyard?

I love a good movie of mystery, intrigue, adventure, love interest, humour, and conspiracy. The movie NATIONAL TREASURE satisfies all my itches.

It stars Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates...who has a family legacy of supposed lunacy... as from generation to generation they have searched for a treasure based on clues left along the way. The clues are linked to the conspiracy of the Freemasons and are found on everything from money to lost ships to the back of the Declaration of Independence.

The SEARCH FOR THE TREASURE...seems to be merely an endless enticement from clue to clue to clue...only to result in another clue. The search become more than just trying to find TREASURE...as much as it is to clear the Gates name.

Another element is the bad guys entering the picture whose motive is GREED versus INTEGRITY. The pivotal CLUE is found on the back of one America's founding documents... THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Even that clue...is another clue to find the glasses that will reveal the ULTIMATE clue that will eventually...actually lead to the TREASURE. Get large Diet Coke and a tub of butter popcorn and sit back for a good time. This review gets four moo's from the Ruminator.

Now...as you know...the premise for the Rambling's...always has other motives. The motives this time...are DEPENDENCE versus INDEPENDENCE... WHERE and WHAT we are TREASURING...and PRISON versus FREEDOM.

The DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE is a founding document as we declared (thus the declaration part)....a break from the rule of England. I would like to go on record that I am declaring...The Declaration of DEPENDENCE on the Lord. On the original Declaration of Independence, there was a signer by the name of Caesar Rodney...but I would like to sign my declaration with larger letters that John Hancock...RODNEY BOYD. The first part of my DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE will begin with PROVERBS 3:1-4)

"My Son...do not forget my teaching
But let (allow) your heart (treasure chest) KEEP (treasure) my commandments
For length of days and years of life (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)
And peace (wholeness/rest) they will add to you
Do not let kindness and truth leave you
Bind them around your neck
Write them on the tablet of your HEART
So you will find FAVOR and GOOD REPORT in the sight of God and man"

This is the purpose of my DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (on the Lord).

The next section of my DECLARATION...is the meat of my document in PROVERBS 3:5-7:

TRUST in the Lord with ALL your HEART
And do not LEAN ON OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING
In ALL your ways ACKNOWLEDGE Him
And He will make your paths straight
Do NOT be WISE in your OWN eyes
FEAR the Lord and TURN AWAY from evil

The next section of my DECLARATION is the CAUSE and EFFECT if I do what I declare found in PROVERBS 3:8:

It will be HEALING to your body
And REFRESHMENT to your bones

NOTE: At this point I would like to give out a big...Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Now that's refreshing.

The next section of my DECLARATION of DEPENDENCE (on the Lord)...will not just manifest in inward healing and refreshing...but will manifest by my purse strings and is found in PROVERBS 3:9-10

HONOR the Lord from your WEALTH
And from the FIRST of ALL your PRODUCE
SO your barns will be FILLED with PLENTY
And your VATS will OVERFLOW with NEW WINE

The last section of my DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (on the Lord) deals with yielding MY WILL to HIS WILL. I need to learn NOT to let MY FREEDOM OF DEPENDENCE to turn into an OPPORTUNITY for the FLESH. This is found in PROVERBS 3:11,12:

My son...DO NOT REJECT...the DISCIPLINE of the Lord
Or loathe His REPROOF
For whom the Lord LOVES He REPROVES
Even as a FATHER...the SON...in whom he DELIGHTS


I am placing my DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (on the Lord) in MY TREASURE CHEST. The Word of God has all the clues you need to find the TREASURE. This TREASURE...is not measured on the size or amount of what is treasured. A little in the Lord far outweighs a FORT KNOX.

"Better is a LITTLE with the FEAR of the Lord...than GREAT TREASURE..and TURMOIL with it." (Proverbs 15:16)

My TREASURE CHEST is my HEART. The men who encounterd Jesus on the Road to Emmaus...had an EYE OPENING experience...and a burning heart that was not HEART BURN. After they realized that they were talking to the RESURRECTED JESUS...they DECLARED..."And they said to one another...were not our HEARTS BURNING WITHIN US...while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"
(Luke 24:32)

"The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good...and the evil man out his evil treasure brings forth what is evil." (Matthew 12: 34,35; and Luke 6:45

"Do not lay up for yourselves TREASURES upon earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS...there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:34)

"But we have this TREASURE in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may BE OF GOD...and not from ourselves..." (II Corinthians 4:7)


Now with the TREASURE and the TREASURE CHEST established in my life... and my DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (in the Lord)...declared...let's talk about PRISON.

In the movie NATIONAL TREASURE...after all the clues have been found... and the treasure has been found...Ben Gates has to face the authorities (the FBI) for stealing the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Actually...this section is what got me to Ruminatin' about all of this.

Ben Gates is being pursued by the F.B.I. led by Agent Peter Sandusky. When Ben is captured (because after notifying them that he had found the treasure).
Sandusky and Gates were sitting at the altar of a church (that was above where the treasure was found)...and they had this dialogue:

SANDUSKY: So...here is your options. Door number one...you go to PRISON for a very long time. Door number two...we're going to get back the Declaration of Independence...you can help us find it...and you still go to PRISON for a very long time...but you'll feel better inside.

BEN GATES: Is there a door that doesn't lead to PRISON?

SANDUSKY: (He shakes his head and then laughing says)...Someone's got to GO TO PRISON, Ben.

My DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (on the Lord) has been fought for...with blood shed...and signed and sealed. My freedom from PRISON was paid for by the DEATH AND BURIAL...and it was sealed with the RESURRECTION of Jesus...D.B.R...NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS.

Someone DID have to go to PRISON...and it was not me. I deserved to go to prison. I did the crime...but JESUS...hung on the cross IN MY PLACE. Jesus became my PROPITIATION...my SUBSTITUTE...what SATISFIED GOD...for the punishment of my CRIME (sin).

"If we say that we have NO SIN...we are deceiving ourselves...and the truth is not in us. If we CONFESS (declare) our sins...He is faithful and righteous to FORGIVE us our sins...and to CLEANSE us from ALL unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar....and His word is not in us. My little children...I am writing these things to your that you may NOT SIN...and if anyone SINS...we have an ADVOCATE (paracletos...on called along side to help)...with the Father...Jesus Christ the righteous...and He Himself is the PROPITIATION (substitute/satisfaction)...for our SINS...and not for ours only...but also for those of the whole world." (I John 1:8-9)

"I have been crucified WITH CHRIST...and it is no longer I who live...but Christ lives in me...and the life which I NOW live...in the flesh...I live by faith in the Son of God (D.B.R.) who loved me...and delivered Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple (sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you ARE NOT YOUR OWN (dependent on Him)...for you have been BOUGHT with a PRICE...therefore glorify God in your body."
(II Corinthians 6:19-20)

"Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's FREEDMAN...likewise...he who was called while free is CHRIST'S SLAVE. You were BOUGHT WITH A PRICE...do not become the slaves of men. Brethren...let each man REMAIN WITH GOD...in that condition in which he was called." (II Corinthians 7:20-24)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone...has to go to prison...and HE DID.

Love and Dependent Kisses
Rodney "Treasures of the Heart" Boyd

CH, CH, CH,CH, CHANGES

Hey friends...any changes in your life lately? Did ya like it...or did you hate it?
It has been said that the only thing that is constant is change. Who said that? Was it Ben Cartwright, Jesus, or Bob Dylan? I was on a blog site the other day and someone was blogging about the TOP CHANGE SONGS. The top contenders were Buddy Miles, David Bowie, (Ziggy Stardust/The Thin White Duke) Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Lynard Skynard and Neil Young.

Have you ever heard people say..."You've changed." "Your not the same man/woman that I married." "I retain the right to change my mind." "This ain't the same church that it use to be." Personally...I hope that I AM NOT THE SAME man that I was when I first accepted Jesus in 1970. I hope I have grown, matured, shifted, CHANGED. If you have not CHANGED...then most likely you have grown complacent and STAGNANT. The candidates...mantra...is CHANGE. They are they candidates for CHANGE...while their opponent is for the same old, same old, POLITICS AS USUAL.


Buddy Mile's mind is goin' through dem changes...while David Bowie encourages us to turn and face the strain of ch, ch, ch, ch, changes. Those southern rockers Lynard Skynard lets us know that this bird (freebird) you cannot change. Sam Cooke sang a hopeful song about being born down by the river and his life had been running like that river ever since...but he knew...a change is gonna come.

Neil Young (a favorite of my friend Parke Parham...electrician...who owns Par-Com for your electrical needs)...sings in his song Change of Mind:

When you're confused and the world has got you down
When you feel used and you just can't play the clown
Protecting you from this must be the one you love
Must be the one whose magic touch can change your mind
Don't let another day go by without that magic touch
Protecting you (change your mind),
Restoring you (change your mind)
Revealing you (change your mind)
Soothing you (change your mind)

Mr. Dylan...Bob that is...informs us that the Times They Are A-Changing:

The line is drawn...the curse it is cast
The slow one now...will later be fast
As the present now...will later be past
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now...will later be last
For the times they are a-changing.

I DON'T LIKE CHANGE. I like my COMFORT ZONE...and CHANGE shakes that zone up. Jimmy Stewart in the movie REAR WINDOW...was trying to avoid the concept of marriage to Grace Kelly...and wanted to know...it they could keep things as they were... STATUS QUO? People and things are in constant flux...and again...some is good...some is bad. Loose change...changing dirty diapers... change your world...change your mind...change your perspective. In the words of Aretha Franklin...CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE... CHANGE OF FOOLS. Oh...sorry...that would be CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN...CHAINS OF FOOLS. Oh well...same difference.

Jesus was an AGENT OF CHANGE. He rolled into town and began to shake up the STATUS QUO. People who had grown comfortable in "THEIR" religion...did not like things to be different. Jesus addressed this in reference to the Pharisees began to complain about Jesus' M.O. (modus operandi...aka...the way He rolled). In Matthew chapter nine (9)...verses 1-17 (one through seventeen)...we see Jesus rolling in to His own city. He was met with a paralytic lying on a bed. Jesus SAW their faith (as the brought him physically to Him)...and told the paralytic..."Take courage, My son...your SINS ARE FORGIVEN." Uh Oh...Jesus was shaking up the STATUS QUO.

Some of the scribes said to themselves..."This fellow blasphemes." Jesus read their mail...and responded to them..."Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?" Jesus then ask which was easier...(1) Say your sins are forgiven...or...(2) Say Rise and Walk? The bottom line is... no matter what Jesus said..."And he rose...and went to his home."

The multitudes saw if and were filled with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Jesus next went on to shake things up...by enlisting a TAX MAN (shades of George Harrison)...Matthew. Jesus...the Messiah...the Christ.. the Holy One...the Only Begotten of the Son of God...RECLINED AT THE TABLE IN THE TAXMAN'S HOUSE WITH MANY TAX-GATHERERS AND SINNERS. Jesus' disciples...also joined Jesus at the table.

The Pharisees saws this and began to question Jesus' disciples (not Jesus at this time)...about WHY did he eat with tax-gatherers and sinners? Jesus heard this and let them know in no uncertain terms that it was the sick who needed a physician...not those healthy. He then gives them chapter and verse.."But go and learn what this means...I desire compassion and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). He then told them that he did NOT come to call the righteous...but sinners. NOTE: This did not mean that he would not save Pharisees...but you have to come to the point of realizing your sick before you will let the doctor do his thing.

So far the scribes saw the change...the Pharisees saw the change...and now...the disciples of John came to Jesus. They wanted to know WHY do His disciples not fast like the Pharisees and John's disciples fasted. (That is the OLD WAY...and Jesus was doing it the NEW WAY). There was a CHANGE-A COMING.

Jesus explained the WHY..."The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them...and then they will fast." NOTE: Jesus let them via D.B (Death, Burial)... and there was a time for fasting...but then He came back with the R. (Resurrection)...and then He left again...but sent back ANOTHER COMFORTER...one of the SAME KIND).

After Jesus told the WHY...He then proceeded to give then REASON for the WHY..."But no one puts a patch of UNSHRUNK CLOTH on an OLD GARMENT...for the patch PULLS AWAY from the garment and a WORSE TEAR RESULTS. Nor do men put NEW WINE into OLD WINESKINS...otherwise the WINESKINS BURST and the wine pours out...and the WINESKINS are RUINED; but they put NEW WINE...into... FRESH WINESKINS...and both are preserved."

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY!!!!!

Change for just change sake...is not good....BUT change...is good. Change is necessary. Resistance to change is self destruction.

God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, the Word of God...does not CHANGE.

"For I, the Lord, DO NOT CHANGE...therefore you, O sons of Jacob...are NOT CONSUMED." (Malachi 3:6)

"Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said...I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL NEVER DESERT YOU...NO WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU...so that we confidently say...THE LORD IS MY HELPER...I WILL NOT BE AFRAID...WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME?" (Hebrews 13:5,6/Deuteronomy 31:6/Joshua 1:5/Psalm 118:6)

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you ANOTHER (allos...one of the same kind) HELPER...that He (the Father) MAY BE WITH YOUR FOREVER." (John 14:16)

"Jesus Christ is THE SAME...yesterday and today...yes...and FOREVER." (Hebrews 12:8)

The ULTIMATE CHANGE in our lives...the REPENTANCE. Repentance is CHANGE...it is change of heart, mind, change of attitude, change of direction. Change is a choice.

The only thing CONSTANT...is not CHANGE...but God. Denominations change...theology changes...methods of presentation of the gospel changes...people change...congregations change like a snake changing skin...BUT GOD IS ROCK SOLID.

Love and Changing/Non-Changing Kisses
Rodney "Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes" Boyd

STOP...DON'T BOIL THE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

Howdy Oh Ye Trusters in God. How's you TRUST FACTOR doing in the midst of world events?

The year was 1971. I was enrolled at Tennessee Temple Bible School. I was freshly saved from the fall of 1970. During a Missionary Conference at Temple Baptist Church in Murfreesboro Tennessee...I listen to a preacher by the name of Milton Kerr preach a message. I don't especially remember what he said...but I do know that I experienced an overwhelming desire to be used by God.

I made a commitment to do anything that was needed to be used of God. I quite the band that I was still in...THE BLIND DISTORTION. We played one more gig at the Moose Lodge...where we pulled a WHO ending and went out on a feedback frenzy...knocking over instruments and creating havoc. If those Moose members could have had a cow....they would have.

Fast forward to one of my first sermons...that I diligently put together after taking Homiletics. The message was called DON'T BOIL THE BABY!!! After all of these years...as I listen to the economic woes of 2008...the message still rings true with me. The message about not boiling babies was preceded by how the invisible supersedes the visible.

II Kings 6:8-24...the Lord reveal how what appears to be...is not necessarily so. The King of Syria was warring against Israel. The attendant of Elisha had risen early one morning...and saw an army with horses and chariots circling the city. The servant's reaction was FEAR..."Alas, my master! What shall we do?
Elisha's response to the visible was NOT to deny what was visible...but to take control of the FEAR..."Do NOT fear." The reason for not fearing was what Elisha was SEEING...that the servant was NOT SEEING. "...for those who are WITH US are more than those who are WITH THEM." At that point Elisha asked the Lord to allow the servant to see what he was seeing...."O Lord, I pray, OPEN HIS EYES...that he may see." And the Lord did. "And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and HE SAW...and behold...the mountain was FULL OF HORSES AND CHARIOTS OF FIRE all around Elisha. The Lord then orchestrated for the tables to be turned on the enemy by blinding the eyes of the enemy, routing them into the midst of Samaria.

WOW...what a powerful lesson about TRUSTING IN GOD...even if it looks like we are at a disadvantage.

In this crazy world that we live in...it is easy to look as CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, FOX NEWS, read blogs, listen to talk radio, read a newspaper....and begin to trust in our master....MASTER...MASTER...MASTERCARD. Instead of FEARING...We need to pray for the Lord to show us the TRUTH. We don't deny REALITY...but we know that TRUTH TRUMPS REALITY. We need a God's eye perspective on what we are going through.

II Kings 6:25-29 speaks of two women in the midst of a besieged and famininized Samaria. A donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver (Hee Haw), and a fourth of a kab (a kab=1 pint) of dove's dung was going for five shekels of silver. Talk about price gouging. I refuse to give more than 3 shekels for dung. I wonder if they had dung wars at the corner market. If there was a gas station in Samaria...gas would have going for 500 shekels a gallon. One woman cried out to the King of Israel, complaining about another woman. The two women had struck up a deal that they would BOIL HER SON...and EAT HIM...and on the next day....they would BOIL the other woman's son and eat him...HOWEVER...the other woman backed out of the deal after eating the first woman's son...and she HID HER SON.

Sometimes in the MIDST OF BEING BESIEGED and IN THE MIDDLE OF A FAMINE...with out backs against the wall...we do DESPERATE things in DESPERATE TIMES. Thus...the title of one of my first messages a young Baptist preacher boy....DON'T BOIL THE BABY!!!! Instead of boiling the baby....TRUST GOD FOR PROVISION.

NOTE: At this point...I want everyone to take a collective breath...and say...THAT IS HARD TO DO!!!!!!!

God's heartbeat is PROVISION...to those who TRUST HIM...and sometimes even to those who don't. God can deal with honest doubt. There was a man who had a son possessed...and he cried out for pity on him and his son...and asked for HELP. Jesus' response was...IF YOU CAN! All things are POSSIBLE TO HIM WHO BELIEVES." Immediately the boys' father cried out....and began to say...
"I DO BELIEVE...HELP THOU MY UNBELIEF." Jesus response to the BELIEVING UNBELIEF...DELIVERANCE.

"Faith is the substance/assurance of things hoped for, the conviction/evidence of things NOT SEEN." (Hebrews 11:1 NASB)

"Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] DO NOT SEE and the conviction of their reality---faith perceiving as real fact what IS NOT REVEALED TO THE SENSES." (Hebrews 11:1 The Amplified Bible)

"For we walk by faith and NOT BY SIGHT." (II Corinthians 5:17 NASB)

"For we walk by faith [that is, we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with , with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] NOT BY SIGHT OR APPEARANCES." (II Corinthians 5:7 The Amplified Bible)

God is a PROVIDER. He provided food for Elijah via Raven Delivery...Fresh Baked Manna (HOT like a Krispie Kream Donut)...Quail under glass....and fresh, running water from the Rock. All of these items were delivered....WHEN IT LOOK LIKE IN THE NATURAL THERE WAS NO WAY OUT. Faith put eyes on belief. TRUTH TRUMPED REALITY.

One of the COMPOUND NAMES of God...that reflects his character is...
JEHOVAH JIREH...which means MY PROVIDER...the God who will meet our needs according to His riches in Glory...in Christ Jesus.

Why am I Rambling like this? I'm glad you asked. In these last days...we need to start trusting God...in the good times...because...there will come a day when there is no hope to be had in MasterCard...insurance companies...401 K...gas pumps...etc.

IF God can provide when gas was 36 cents a gallon...and if He can provide gas at a dollar a gallon...and He can provide gas at $5.00 + a gallon...He can provide anything.

Oh...by the way...this PROVISION goes way beyond the material. He will provide for your marriage, your peace, your job, your family, your sanity, your destiny

Lord...open our eyes and let us see BEYOND what the world wants us to see. Let us see beyond what is staring us in the face and breathing down our necks. Let us see your PROVISION...let us SEE YOU.

Love and Provided Kisses
Rodney "Eyes Wide Open" Boyd

P.S.

Oh yea...IT'S HARD...but it's WORTH IT. Still kickin' against the darkness till it bleeds daylight.

Love and P.S. Kisses
Rodney "Ain't Gonna Hoard Dove Dung" Boyd

I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN

Hello Kingdom Warriors. How's the battle, the skirmish, the tussle, the war going? Pretty EASY...huh!?!

Lynn Anderson had her big hit...as she sang...I beg your pardon...I never promised you a rose garden. Sometimes...as we approach our Christianity...we have an expectancy of EASY STREET. The life we left behind was hell on earth...and once we accepted Jesus as our Saviour...or took a step in our Christian walk closer to Him...we expect a little heaven on earth...HOWEVER...more times than not...it gets worse.

One comment that I hear a lot...when I write these Ramblings...or as I teach the Ruminator Sunday School Class is..."that's EASY to say...but it is HARD to do." I agree. It is EASY for me to PONTIFICATE about the various principles of God...as I sit in my comfortable office...surrounded by my wall of books and research materials, listening to music on my computer...sipping on my hot cup of coffee. It is especially EASY when I am not going through what others are going through. I guess that would be the next thing I hear a lot..."You don't know what I am going through." "IT'S HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It could be anything from forgiving the unforgivable to disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness.

The word EASY means (a) causing or involving LITTLE DIFFICULTY or DISCOMFORT (b) requiring or indicating LITTLE EFFORT, THOUGHT, or DISCOMFORT.



HARD...would mean...(a) causing or involving DIFFICULTY or DISCOMFORT and requiring or indicating EFFORT, THOUGHT, or DISCOMFORT.

If you are attempting to apply the principles of God in your life...and it AIN'T EASY...that does not mean that the principle is wrong or not worth pursuing. It does not mean that because you are experiencing resistance to your effort that you are OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD.

"And from the days of John the Baptist until NOW the kingdom of heaven suffers VIOLENCE...and the VIOLENT take it by FORCE." (Matthew 11:12)

"And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time the kingdom of heaven has ENDURED VIOLENT ASSAULT...and VIOLENT MEN SEIZE IT by FORCE [as a precious prize]--a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought for with MOST ARDENT ZEAL and INTENSE EXERTION." (Matthew 11:12 The Amplified Bible)

Pursuing the kingdom...in the natural...appears to be a hard thing...but Jesus does promise that if we follow Him his yoke is EASY...His burden is LIGHT.

"Come to Me...all you who labour and are heavy laden...and I will give you REST. Take My yoke upon you and LEARN FROM ME...for I am GENTLE...and LOWLY in heart...and you will find REST for your souls. For My yoke is EASY...and my burden is LIGHT." (Matthew 12:28-30)


In the words of Michael Buffer...."LEEEEEEEEET'S GET READY TO
RUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBBBLE!!!!!" In our last collage...I have place pictures of various rumblers. It ranges from a lion (representing the Lion of the tribe of Judah...aka Jesus), Billy Jack...kicking with Hapkido...Sumo wrestlers...Michael Buffer, Walker Texas Ranger...Paul McCartney's album cover for Run devil Run...Bill Taylor smashing boards...Elvis as boxer Kid Galahad...William Wallace declaring freeeeeeeeeedommm....Old Style Batman fighting the darkness of Gotham city...the boys of Bonanza...the Incredible Hulk....Smith Wigglesworth (a plumber in England filled with the Spirit of God)...Billy Graham with a simple message that changes lives.... Hopalong Cassidy (aka William Boyd)...Hulk/Thunderlips and Rocky getting ready to rock...Chuck Conners as the Rifleman...The Man From Uncle (Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuriaken fighting the forces of evil)...King Creole standing up against the mob and Maxie Fields...Flash Gordon against the evil Ming...Petra album cover with flaming sword...Tojo Yamamoto with his deadly wooden shoe... a Ruminator Cow ready for action...Barney Fife and Sgt. Friday...Rowdy Roddy Piper ready to fight the aliens forces....kingdom warfare...and a Black Belt Cow.

You can put your picture in here...because if you are a follower...you are a warrior.

The things that I write about...are not EASY...but they are WORTH FIGHTING FOR.

In the last Rambling I mention Bruce Cockburn and his song...THE WHOLE NIGHT SKY. Another song that speaks to me about this subject...is LOVERS IN A DANGEROUS TIME. We are living in DANGEROUS TIMES.

When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
But NOTHING WORTH HAVING COMES WITH OUT SOME KIND OF FIGHT
Got to KICK at the DARKNESS...
'Til it BLEEDS DAYLIGHT.

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY!!!!

Remember that in this fight...this spiritual wrestling match...that:

"For we are not WRESTLING with flesh and blood--CONTENDING only with physical opponents--but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of THIS PRESENT DARKNESS...against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere." (Ephesians 6:12) NOTE: Read Ephesians 6:10-20 for full details of battle armour and strategies.

Instead of responding to opposition in your walk like a newspaper man who would yell out...STOP THE PRESSES...I would encourage you to continue to PRESS ON...AND IN...THE LORD.

Love and Rumbling Kisses
Rodney "I Ain't Gonna Stop Proclaiming The Principles of God" Boyd

THE WHOLE NIGHT SKY: KAPOW!!!!

Hello fellow sojourners. How's your journey thus far? In this crazy, swirling, whirling, chaotic, out of control world...do you feel like you have been blindsided with a 2 x 4...and you are waking up to a nightmare? Was your life going along on automatic pilot...where life was good...there were no ripples in your peaceful pool...the forecast was sunny, no clouds, no rain, moderate temperatures, gentle breezes...and suddenly you are smack dab in the middle of a Category 5 hurricane...and you did not get a chance to evacuate? If you relate to any of these scenarios...hold on to your umbrella...and get ready to ride the storm.

Back in 1966...I was 12 years old...immature for my age (in retrospect)...and was enjoying the new hit T.V. show...BATMAN. Of course I had been a big Batman comic book fan...and the thought of Batman coming on at the Same Bat Time... Same Bat Channel every week was a kids dream. I know have in my collection, 2 of the 1940 movie serials of Batman...and if you thought the T.V. show was corny...you ain't seen nothing yet.

Part of the campy appeal to the nation was...the fight scenes in the T.V. show. Some criminal would appear (Catwoman, The Penquin, The Riddler, The Joker, etc.) and wreck havoc with Gotham City. Commissioner Gorden would either flash the Bat-Signal...or call Batman on the Batphone...and set the Dynamic Duo (Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder) into action. The inevitable would be the fight scene with the obligatory words flashing across the screen when some one would get hit with a fist or a chair would crash over their head. KAPOW...ZOK.. ZOWIE...WHAMM. Rod...why are you ruminating on Batman? Well...I'm glad you asked. Because................that's how I feel...when things are going along on automatic pilot with a Jamaican philosophy in my mind...NO WORRIES...and then KAPOW!!!!! My world is turned UPSIDE DOWN. The STORM has hit the land mass of my life...and I am hangin' by the tatters of my faith.

It is easy to be a "believer"...a "Christian"...a "follower of Jesus"...when ALL IS WELL. It is easy to sing the classic song...IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL...when all IS well with my soul. Where the rubber meets the road...is when all is NOT WELL with my soul.

It is like the illustration that we use in the Ruminator Sunday School Class that meets every Sunday at 9:00 A.M Central Standard Time...in the Fellowship Hall at Smyrna Assembly (cheap, shameless plug). When you have a coffee cup full of coffee...fixed to the way that you like...with a little sugar, some cream...not too hot and not to cold...ALL IS GOOD. But if someone comes and SHAKES YOUR CUP...to the point of coffee spilling all over the place (on your Bible, on your clothes, on your fellow Ruminator)...you have to ask a question.

Why did the coffee come out of the cup? The most common answer is..."Because you shook my cup." Of course...the question was a set up. The answer is..." No,
not because your cup was shook...but because COFFEE WAS IN THE CUP. The SHAKING...only revealed what was in the cup all along.

Sometimes when we are shaken...but the TURN OF EVENTS in our lives...our hearts are revealed on our lips and our actions.

DISCLAIMER: It is a natural reaction to be shaken at the turn of events. Our soul (the mind, will, and emotions) are subject to frustrations, fears, anxiety, worry, depression, being overwhelmed at not being in control. Grief is good...as long as you don't let the grief become your life.

The second collage shows some STORMS blowing. Some of the pictures are real life...others from the book by L. Frank Baum...The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was living life in Kansas...and as with a lot of us...where we life sometimes becomes mundane. The same old same old people, experiences, etc. We dream of Some Where Over The Rainbow...and next thing you know we are in the MIDDLE OF A STORM. Dorothy's life was turned upside down when a CYCLONE blew in...and transported her OVER THE RAINBOW. In all her journey in the land of Oz...she came to the conclusion that...THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.


As usual...these Ramblings are triggered by something I have seen, heard, or experienced. This one is no exception. I was reflecting on various people in my life...some close friends...some relatives...some co-workers...some my patent's that I see...some total strangers that the Lord places in my pathway as I journey towards glory.

As I was reflecting and praying for this listing of people...I sensed an overwhelming sensation of inability to help anyone. The STORMS that they were experiencing...the physical storms, the financial storms, the emotional storms...were too much. I was NOT going through their storms...but I was getting a taste of the urgency in their lives. I believe that is the nature of what we believers call INTERCESSION.

I began to list in my mind some of the STORMS...the WINDS:

1. A patient with ALS (Lou Gherig's Disease)...who is progressively loosing function in his body while his mind is alive and well. His family is in turmoil as his speech, swallowing, breathing, musculature declines.

2. Various loved ones who died...either at the hand of others or at their own hand.

3. Someone returns from a mission trip...only to find that their job of 10 years was cut to a part time position with part time benefits.

4. People reaping the cause and effect of their sin patterns as they face jail time.

5. A family who raised their son to be a "good boy"...who know has to face a life with their son in jail...facing charges of attempted murder of a girl. (This hit close to home as we know the family and our son went to school with him)

6. Actual storms raging and ravaging on coastal cities...where lives are topsy-turvey...as the waters sweep and destroy.

7. Houses burned down...with loved ones in them.

8. Loved ones dying after years of estrangement...with no chance to bring them back alive for one last word.

9. Living a life in SIN...going beyond the known limits (transgressions)...as they retreat into a life that makes God sick NOTE: This includes a life of gossiping, gluttony, adultery, homosexuality, violence, murder, drunkenness,etc. IT'S NO WONDER WE NEED A SAVIOUR.

10. People sitting around with babies in their arms because of violating God's principles...or people sitting around with the guilt and shame of attempting to correct their violating of God's principles by violating another of God's principle by aborting the cause and effect.

11. And......anything else that YOU ARE GOING THROUGH.

The third collage is one of a favorite artist of mine by the name of Bruce Cockburn. I like Cockburn because he takes his musical musings and reflects of the STORMS of this life (either natural storms of man made storms)...and intertwines them with his faith in Jesus Christ. As I listen to his music...I can pull out obscure nuggets of truth...that make me reflect on the real truth of the Word of God....and I am encouraged to GO ON...IN THE FACE OF THE STORMS OF LIFE.

My favorite album by Bruce...is THE CHARITY OF NIGHT. One song on there really speaks about the EMOTIONAL condition of me and the people that are GOING THROUGH OUT OF CONTROL STUFF. It is called THE WHOLE NIGHT SKY. Indulge me as I lay out the lyrics for you.

THE WHOLE NIGHT SKY

They turned their backs
I made it too HARD
Every place they touched me
Is a LACERATION now

Sometimes a WIND comes out of NOWHERE
And KNOCKS YOU OFF YOUR FEET
And look...see MY TEARS
They fill the whole NIGHT SKY

DERAILED...and...DESPERATE
How did I get here?
HANGING from this high wire
By the TATTERS OF MY FAITH

Sometimes a WIND comes out of NOWHERE
And KNOCKS YOU OFF YOUR FEET
And look...see MY TEARS
They fill the whole NIGHT SKY
The WHOLE NIGHT SKY

Sometimes a WIND comes out of NOWHERE
and KNOCKS you SIDEWAYS
And look, SEE MY TEARS
They fill the WHOLE NIGHT SKY
The WHOLE NIGHT SKY


Bruce does a good job of stating the problem. Words like hard, laceration, wind comes out of nowhere, knocks you off your feet, my tears, night sky (the place of darkness where there is only a reflection of the light), derailed, desperate, hanging, by the tatters of my faith (my favorite line of the song), knocks you sideways.

Well...I find that God will let me...lounge in the chair of problems as long as I want to...but his heartbeat is to move one. Moses died...and there was a time for grieving...but there CAME A TIME...when God told them that the time for grieving was over...and there WAS STILL a PROMISE OF BLESSING waiting. As long as they were grasping to the past...they would NEVER be able to POSSESS THE FUTURE.

NOTE: Beware of pointing your finger at someone who is going through something...and having an attitude that they are spiritually inadequate because of the STORM they are going through. If you do anything...begin to pray...intercede, lift up, encourage, and yes...even give them room for a time of grieving.

As I said...Bruce Cockburn did a great job of stating the problem...but I would like to suggest...HOW TO GET THROUGH WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. The saying is..."If you are going through HELL...don't stop...keep on going...and you will come out eventually." If you are going through the VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH...you do not have to FEAR EVIL. Why do you NOT have to fear evil? "THOU ART WITH ME." (Psalm 23:4). Again...keep walking through the Valley. Fear not the SHADOWS. Shadows are only able to be seen...if there is LIGHT somewhere... so if you are in a SHADOWLAND...realize the LIGHT is there.

FINAL THOUGHTS....FINALLY!!!!!

Years ago...I went to a place in Alabama called CFO (Camp Farthest Out). It was a spiritual retreat designed to draw you closer to God with teachings and worship, nature. One teacher was Tommy Lewis. His theme was love. After one of the sessions...before we went to bed...a small group had gathered out at the large fireplace...with rocking chairs, and we sat with Tommy and he was just talking and answering questions that people had about anything. He related a story about an old Farmer who was hunting with his favorite hunting dog. The farmer love the dog...and the dog loved the farmer. The dog got his hind leg tangled in a barbed wire fence...and was in much pain. The farmer reached down...and attempted to loosen and comfort the dog in his PAIN. The dog immediately began to attempt to BITE the hand that was attempting to free him. The farmer realized that the dog that love him was biting out in pain. He took his gun...and placed the barrel in the dog's mouth so the dog would BITE ON THE SIDE OF THE BARREL...and as the dog was distracted... the farmer was able to get the leg untangled from the barbed wire. Tommy said that the barrel as hard as it was...was LOVE...to distract the dog from the PAIN OF RELEASE.

Instead of the dog going up to the farmer and licking him and wagging his tail...he RAN AWAY FROM THE FARMER...because he was in fear and still hurting...even though the initial event....was over. The dog...ran and hid out in some bushes...and licked his wound...but eventually came back. The dog would always bear the scars of the barbed wire...and even the memory of the event...but he would return to his relationship with the farmer and hunt again.

JESUS HUNG UP FOR OUR HANG UPS. We need a SAVIOUR. You may know people who are going through STUFF...and they are still LICKING THERE WOUNDS. Who do you know going through stuff...storms...winds...emotional upheaval...financial whirlwinds...physical plummelings? Let Jesus...flow through you to them...love em...and don't be offended if they try to bite you or run away...they will eventually get up (especially with God speaking to them)...and realize the time of grieving over the loss of a job, a home, a loved one is over...and it is time to get up...wash your faces, take off the sackcloth and ashes...and SET OFF FOR THE PROMISED LAND.

Love and Wind Blown Kisses
Rodney "Praying for You" Boyd

WEAK TOWER...STRONG TOWER

Greetings friends. Back in the mid-eighties...One of my favorite movies was BACK TO THE FUTURE. The soundtrack had songs by various artists including HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS. Brenda and I went to Middle Tennessee State University to see Huey Lewis and the New during their SPORTS (name of an album) tour. It has to be one of the BEST concerts I have ever been too...and I've seen a lot of concerts. During that time there was a horn section known as THE TOWER OF POWER. They were a 10 member band out of Oakland California...who added the funk to the rock.

Seven years ago...today...there was an attack...not only on the TWIN TOWERS..
but also an attack on the economic, political, emotional, security of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. From the beginning of time...TOWERS have been symbols of STRENGTH, POWER, and points of REACHING UPWARD TO THE HEAVENS.

Genesis 10 reports that Nimrod (a mighty hunter before the Lord)...became a mighty one on earth. Babel was a part of the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom. (Genesis 10:8-10). At this time in the point of history on the time-space continuum...the whole earth used the SAME LANGUAGE...and the SAME WORDS. (Genesis 11:1) One of the things that they spoke to each other using this common communication...was "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." (Genesis 11:2) They used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. (Genesis 11:3) NOTE: It is just like the world to use substitutes for the real deal. We do the same thing today with our substitute of religion for relationship with God.

They continued on with their REASONING..."Come, let us build FOR OURSELVES a CITY...and a TOWER whose top will REACH INTO HEAVEN." (Genesis 11:4) The reason for making a city and tower for themselves was..."And let us make for OURSELVES a NAME...lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4). On the surface this looks like a reasonable plan...BUT...God saw it differently.

"And the Lord came down to see the CITY and the TOWER...which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said...Behold, they are ONE PEOPLE...and they ALL HAVE ...the SAME LANGUAGE." (Genesis 11:5-6) Again...on the surface...it seems like a good thing to all be ONE...as the song says..."we are the world...we are the people..." We get warm fuzzies...as we link our hands across the world. But again... God saw beyond the immediate thing. "And this is what they began to do, and now NOTHING which they PURPOSE TO DO WILL be IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM. (Genesis 11:6)

At this point...the God who is NOT the author of CONFUSION but of PEACE (I Corinthians 14:33)...came down and begin to cause CONFUSION and UNREST. "Come, let Us go down and there CONFUSE their LANGUAGE...that they MAY NOT UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER'S SPEECH. (Genesis 11:7). That was the LORD'S PLAN...and then He carried it out. "So the Lord SCATTERED them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth...and they STOPPED BUILDING the city (their plan). Therefore (cause and effect)...it's name was called BABEL...because there the Lord CONFUSED THE LANGUAGE of the whole earth; and from there the Lord SCATTERED them abroad over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:8-10) NOTE: As a Speech-Language Pathologist...I find this account fascinating.

TOWERS...have always been symbolic of points of STRENGTH. Strong means: strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise)--boldness, loud,might, power, strength, strong. This is from a root word that means to be stout, harden, impudent, prevail, strengthen (self), be strong. The tower is a point of height/size...a castle.

I remember driving through Atlanta once...and a friend and myself were marveling about the magnificence and beauty of the buildings of Atlanta at night. Before I knew it...I heard myself uttering..."Yes...it is a real monument to man." These towers...building...cathedrals...monuments, ARE wonderful architect wonders...some for sure are built unto the Lord...and others for sure...monuments to humanity. Our problem is when we focus so much on the wonderment of man/woman and his/her intellect...we lose view of how our human towers will crumble. When the enemy strikes...our hand made towers will fall...and the things that they represents...whether it is pride, or economics, or security...the will fall. WHAT CAN WE DO as our world CRUMBLES AROUND US? I'm glad you asked.

"The NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER...the righteous RUN into it (the name of the Lord)...and is SAFE/SET ON HIGH." (Proverbs 18:10)

We usually read that ONE verse...and flip on to the next promise. The next 2 verses really are companion to verse 10.

"A rich man's WEALTH is his STRONG CITY...and like a HIGH WALL in his own IMAGINATION. Before DESTRUCTION the heart of man is haughty...but HUMILITY goes before HONOR." (Proverbs 18:11-12)


As the TOWERS GO DOWN...there needs to be something to be RAISED UP...for our SAVING. In the Old Testament...when the Wilderness Children were COMPLAINING against God and Moses...the cause and effect of the COMPLAINING was fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people...so that many people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:1-7) The solution for SALVATION was...to make a fiery serpent, and set it on STANDARD...and it shall come about that everyone who is bitten...when he LOOKS at it...HE SHALL LIVE. (Numbers 21:8-9)

Fast forward to Jesus. "And as Moses LIFTED UP the serpent in the wilderness...even so...must THE SON OF MAN BE LIFTED UP...that whosoever BELIEVES may in Him have ETERNAL LIFE. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever BELIEVES in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:15,16)

Mankind...LIFTS UP TOWERS...as symbols of who/what they trust in...and they crumble (due to decay)...get destroyed (by enemies with airplanes)...or get scattered (by God)....BUT when JESUS IS LIFTED UP...instead of our TOWERS...we have life.

I guess on this anniversary of the destruction of the TWIN TOWERS...the question that I am asking myself....who or what am I putting my trust in? Do I trust in nationalism...economics...political manipulations...world events...oil prices...humanism with a fallen humanity deciding what is right or wrong...OR...am I gazing upon the CROSS OF JESUS? Is the TOWER...that I am running into...the NAME OF THE LORD...A STRONG TOWER? Is my tower like a WAFFLE HOUSE hashbrown order...scattered, smothered, covered, etc?

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY!!!!

I love America. I am blessed to be born in the United States of America...but as we STAND AGAINST TERRORISM...I am first going to run into the STRONG TOWER...and stand against schemes of the devil.

Love and TOWER OF POWER kisses
Rodney "Gazing at the Cross" Boyd

TOP TEN REASONS I DON'T PRAY

Greetings to all of you who need a PRAYER CRUTCH. I understand why YOU need PRAYER... but for MYSELF... I find that I DON'T need a crutch. Here are the TOP TEN REASONS I DON'T PRAY.

#10 Prayer is for kids, old women and FOOLS...and as is so obvious...I ain't none of these. "The FOOL has said in His heart...there is no God." (Psalm 53:1) I believe there is a God...I just don't act like it.

# 9 Prayer is a Holy crap shoot...and 9 times out of 10...I get snake eyes. I don't like the odds.

# 8 I prayed once...and nothing happened. I could have got the same results by not praying.

# 7 I got into trouble once...prayed for deliverance from the cause and effect of my deed...and still had to pay the consequence for my action. I got caught speeding and prayed that I would not get a ticket...and got one anyway. If prayer can't change my consequences...what good is it.

#6 I bought a dollar ticket for the $20 million dollar lottery...and prayed that I would win. I told God that I would tithe off the $20 million (after taxes of course)...and promised to pay off the church loan...and I STILL DID NOT WIN. Obviously...prayer does not work.



# 5 I prayed that my wife would get into BIBLICAL ORDER...and submit to my every whim. The only thing missing in the Garden of Eden in the Garden of Eden...was a kitchen. After all I am THE MAN. I am the spiritual leader...the HEIR of the Kingdom. It's almost as if my words of prayer are HINDERED. "You husbands likewise...live with your wives in an UNDERSTANDING WAY...as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman...and GRANT HER HONOR AS A FELLOW-HEIR of grace of life...SO that your PRAYERS MAY NOT BE HINDERED." (I Peter 3:7)

# 4 I don't like to leave answered prayer to four little words....like..."THY WILL BE DONE". If I'm going to pray...I'm going to pray for OTHER little words...like...ROD'S WILL BE DONE".

#3 We are told to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. Come on...who has got that kind of time on their hands. If I was praying 24 hours a day...I would not have time to send out these time consuming blogs. You think I live in a monastery where I ain't got nuttin' but time on my hands?

# 2 If I can't KNOW that God hears me...why should I waste my time speaking to the wind?

"And this is the CONFIDENCE which we have before Him...that if we ASK ANYTHING... according to HIS WILL...He HEARS us...and if we KNOW that HE HEARS US...in whatever we ASK...we KNOW that we HAVE THE REQUESTS which we have ASKED FROM HIM."
(I John 5:14-15)


And the NUMERO UNO reason I don't pray....................

IT'S ALL ABOUT ME BABY....IT'S ALL ABOUT ME.

Well...as you know...this is a tongue in cheek look about why I DO PRAY. In my practice of Speech Therapy...I make it a practice of letting ALL of my patients that I am praying for them. If they respond positively...I will ask if I can pray for them NOW. I have only had ONE PERSON turn me down for prayer in over 15 years. He told me in no uncertain terms that he was an atheist...and that he does not need my !@#$%^&*(#)&^%$ PRAYERS. After three speech sessions...I told him that I was STILL praying for him...he responded..."Thank you...I appreciated it." So much for atheism. After all...the atheist may not believe in God...but God does believe in the atheist...and sent His son to die in His place too.

FINAL THOUGHTS....FINALLY!!!

Once again...let us turn to our hymnals to page 396...and sing a rousing version of SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER...or the 2008 version for many Christians in this McDonalds fast food world...SWEET 5 MINUTES OF PRAYER.




SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Sweet hour of prayer...sweet hour of prayer...that calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne...Make all my wants and wishes known
In seasons of distress and grief...my soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempters snare...by thy return...SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Sweet hour of prayer...sweet hour of prayer...the joys I feel...the bliss I share
Of those whose anxious spirits burn...with strong desires for thy return
With such I hasten to the place...where God my Saviour shows His face
And gladly take my station there...and wait for thee...SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Sweet hour of prayer...sweet hour of prayer...Thy wings shall my position hear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness...engage the waiting soul to bless
And since He bids me seek His face...believe His Word and trust His grace
I'll cast on Him my every care...and wait for thee SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Love and Prayerful Kisses
Rodney "It's All About HIM" Boyd

THE FACE OF d-EVIL

Hello fighters of EVIL. Do you recognize the enemy? Do you know when you're looking into the face of EVIL? I always found it interesting that when you add a little d to the word evil...you get dEVIL (with a little d). Take the little d out...and turn evil around and you get LIVE.

One of my favorite movies...is a wonderful little B-Movie starring one of my favorite Professional Wrestlers by the name of Rowdy Roddy Piper. He would always make a grand entrance into the ring...wearing his kilts to the sounds of bagpipes. He played it to the hilt. He was tapped by John Carpenter (horror/sci-fi movie maker)...to star in a movie by the name of THEY LIVE. The promo on the movie poster reads:

You see them on the street.
You watch them on T.V.
You might even vote for one this fall.
You think they're people just like you.
You're wrong. Dead wrong....THEY LIVE.

The story line of this 1988 classic (well...classic in my mind)...is a drifter by the name of John Nada...comes into town riding the rails...looking for a job. Through a series of events...he stumbles on an underground group who are convinced that aliens have taken over...and are eating, living, working amongst us. The only way you can tell the real people from the aliens...are to put on a special pair of sunglasses.

When you put on the sunglasses...what you thought was real and normal... turned out to be unreal and deceptive. Not only would you see people for who they really were...but even billboards...and magazines...T.V. Newscasts were spewing out subliminal messages...only revealed by the sunglasses.

It so easy for us to identify the OVERT evil in this world. We know that child molestation is EVIL and WRONG. We know that SERIAL KILLERS are EVIL
and WRONG. The problem is that the line between EVIL and LIVE is becoming more and more blurred.

On the surface things may look good, nice, non-evil...but on the inside...things are dark. I for one...am pretty good at putting my best foot forward. I can put on the mask...I can cover up my intentions and motives where you can see me on the street...watch me on T.V...vote for me...look like people like you...BUT when you put on the SUNGLASSES OF THE WORD...what once was hidden is now revealed...and it AIN'T pretty.

A sweet, cute, little ole granny...can have a hardened heart. A man of God may have a dirty ring around his collar. The average Joe Shmoe may show up on a show about child predators.



Let's put on the sunglasses of the Word of God...and see REALITY about EVIL.

"And he who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For yo tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have NEGLECTED THE WEIGHTIER PROVISIONS of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE OTHERS. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the OUTSIDE of the cup and of the dish...but INSIDE they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees, first CLEAN THE INSIDE of the cup and of the dish, so that the OUTSIDE of it may become CLEAN also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like WHITEWASHED TOMBS....which on the OUTSIDE appear beautiful...but INSIDE...they are FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES and ALL UNCLEANNESS." (Matthew 23:22-27)

Jesus is speaking to those "religious leaders" who do things that should be done...but neglect doing the "weightier provisions". They LOOK GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE....but are DEAD BONES on the INSIDE.

Now...it is easy to cluck our tongues...shake our heads....and thank God that we are not like those RELIGIOUS PEOPLE...but the same principle applies to us common folk. If Rowdy Roddy Piper showed up on our doorstep...with a pair of special sunglasses...what would he see....a normal, average person...or hidden aliens? Would there be...whitewashed sepulchers...or dead bones or both? What kinds of words would he see revealed...hidden, subliminal messages...or the Word of God alive in our lives?

What we need to do...is not to wait for someone with a pair of trick sunglasses to reveal who we are...BUT...we need to submit our INSIDES to the SEARCH LIGHT of God.

The battle cry for the resistance force in the movie...was THEY LIVE...WE SLEEP.

"Therefore...do not be partakers with them (sons of disobedience)...for you were formerly DARKNESS...but now you are LIGHT in the Lord...walk as CHILDREN OF LIGHT...for the fruit of the light consists in all GOODNESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS and TRUTH...trying to learn WHAT IS PLEASING TO THE LORD. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead...even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things BECOME VISIBLE when they are EXPOSED BY THE LIGHT...for everything that becomes VISIBLE...is LIGHT. For this reason it says...awake, sleeper...and arise from the dead...and Christ will shine on you."
(Ephesians 5:7-14)

In the golden days of the Jesus Movement (late 60's and early 70's)...Nancy Honeytree had a song called SEARCHLIGHT. The lead guitar player was a guy by the name of Phil Keaggy. It was based on Psalm 139:23-24...as the Psalmist (David) yielded to inspection by God to search him from the inside out.

"Search me...O God...and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me...and lead me in the everlasting way." (Psalm 139:23-24)

Again...David sings for examination by the Lord.

"Vindicate me O Lord...for I have walked in my integrity; and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. EXAMINE ME....O Lord and TRY ME...TEST MY MIND AND HEART." (Psalm 26:1-2)

The young beloved John...now John the seasoned veteran encourages us to have something in common with one another....THE REVEALING LIGHT.

"And this is the message we have heard from Him...and announce to you...that GOD IS LIGHT...and in Him there is NO DARKNESS at all. If we say that we have fellowship (something in common) with Him...and yet WALK IN DARKNESS...we lie and do not practice the truth; BUT if we WALK IN THE LIGHT as He Himself is in the light...we have fellowship (something in common) with one another...and the blood of Jesus His Son CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN (from the inside out)" (I John 1:5-7)

The FIRST STEP to being CLEANSED from all sin...is to allow the light to reveal what is INSIDE. The second step is to allow the BLOOD OF JESUS to deal with the sin. The third step...is to CONFESS (come into agreement with God about what is revealed). The cause and effect is found in I John 1:9..."If we confess our sins...He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins...and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

No longer will we be whitewashed on the outside...and dead bones on the inside. DEM BONES GONNA RISE AGAIN!

In the movie...THEY LIVE...Rowdy Roddy Piper...would put on the SUNGLASSES...and then eliminate those who were aliens. When we step into the LIGHT....we can eliminate the sin effectively by THE BLOOD OF JESUS.

"They" may think they "live"...but because HE LIVES...d-EVIL LOSES.

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY!

Everybody turn to page 106 in your Hymnals (songs about Him...so that would be HIMnals)...and sing loudly....loud enough to raise the dead as we sing HE LIVES (with a Tip O Da Hat to Pastor Bruce)

I serve a risen Saviour...He's in the world today
I know that He is living...whatever men may say
I see His hand of mercy...I hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need Him...He's always near

HE LIVES...HE LIVES...CHRIST JESUS LIVES TODAY...HE WALKS WITH ME AND TALKS WITH ME ALONG LIFE'S NARROW WAY...HE LIVES...HE LIVES...SALVATION TO IMPART...YOU ASK ME HOW I KNOW HE LIVES....

HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART!!!!

Love and Rowdy Kisses
Rodney "HE LIVES" Boyd

THE BASICS

Greetings. Every once in a while...I have to get back to the BASICS. I need to review and realize my condition... B.C. (Before Christ)...the gap/gulf between me and God because of my sin...my inability to work my way into heaven....my inability to effectively deal with sin...the cause and effect of the sin...and GOD'S SOLUTION.

"As it is written...there is NONE (including Rodney) righteous...NO NOT ONE." (Romans 3:10)

"For ALL have sinned and FALLEN SHORT of the Glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

"For the WAGES of sin is DEATH, but the FREE GIFT OF GOD is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to DIE ONCE...and after this comes JUDGEMENT." (Hebrews 9:27)

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world...and DEATH THROUGH SIN...and so DEATH SPREAD to all men...BECAUSE ALL SINNED." (Romans 5:12)

Once we determine that there is a gap between us and God...we try to determine how to build a bridge across that gap with our good works.

"He saved us...NOT on the BASIS OF DEEDS...which we have DONE in righteousness....but ACCORDING to His mercy...by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."
(Titus 3:5)

"For by GRACE have you been saved through faith...and that NOT OF YOURSELVES...it is the GIFT OF GOD...NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS....that no one should bast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS...which God prepared beforehand, that we should WALK IN THEM." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

"But God DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE toward us...in that while we were YET SINNERS...Christ DIED FOR US." (Romans 5:8)

"For God so LOVE the world...that He gave His only begotten Son...that whosoever believes...should NOT PERISH...but have EVERLASTING LIFE." (John 3:16)

This is the most open/closed invitation there is. The provision is for WHOSOEVER...but it is HINGED on WHOSOEVER'S CHOICE...VOLITION...FREE WILL.

"But as many (whosoever) RECEIVED Him...to them He gave the RIGHT to become children of God,...even to those who BELIEVE IN HIS NAME." (John 1:12)

"But what does it say? The WORD is near you...in your MOUTH...and in your HEART...that is THE WORD OF FAITH which we are preaching...that IF you CONFESS with your MOUTH... JESUS AS LORD...and BELIEVE in your HEART that God RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD....you shall be SAVED....for with the HEART man BELIEVES...resulting in RIGHTEOUSNESS...and with the MOUTH he CONFESSES....resulting in SALVATION. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him...For WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." (Romans 10:8-13)

"Truly, truly, I say to you...he who HEARS MY WORD...and BELIEVES HIM who sent Me...HAS ETERNAL LIFE...and does not come into judgment...but has PASSED OUT OF DEATH INTO LIFE." (John 5:24)

This is the basics of Christianity. It is all ROOTED in the D.B.R. That would be Death, Burial, Resurrection...nothing more...nothing less.

"Now I make known to you, brethren...the GOSPEL...which I preached to your...which also you RECEIVED...in which also you stand...by which also you are SAVED..if you HOLD FAST the word which I preached to your...unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also RECEIVED, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures...and that He was buried...and that He was raised on the THIRD DAY...according to the Scriptures...."
(I Corinthians 15:1-4)

This is where I started out in 1970....and in 2008...it has not changed. The simplicity of the GOSPEL...nothing more...nothing less.

Well...wonder no more. Now you KNOW. You don't have to just hope...you can KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

"These things I have written to you who BELIEVE IN THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD...in order that you may KNOW...that you have ETERNAL LIFE."
(John 5:13)

FINAL THOUGHTS....FINALLY

Works can't get you in...but you were created unto works (Ephesians 2:8-10). You can spout off all day long about your faith...but if you don't have WORKS...all you have is DEAD FAITH. (James 2:14-26). You can believe facts about the faith all day long...even demons believe...and shudder (James 2:19) "It's not WHAT you know...it's who you know." (Ronnie Meek...my Pastor).

Love and Workless Kisses
Rodney "The Basics" Boyd