THE WONDER OF BRENDA

Happy Hallmark Card Day...will you be my Valentine? I'm not the obligatory return card...just because your mother made you buy me one...but will you be my Valentine?

Oh I know...hearts, arrows, candy, Saint Valentine, cards with mushy sentiment, chocolates, expensive gifts, going out to eat...all the trappings of a programmed people.

Some live for this day...while others loathe this day. Those who have someone put the day on a pedestal...while those who are alone...avoid the day like a plague.

I remember the day that Brenda Sue Williams walked into my life on a Sunday afternoon in 1969...in a garage on Nancy Avenue in Murfreesboro Tennessee, as the band I was in...THE BLIND DISTORTION (aka THE BLACK ROOM)...was practicing. Here we are in 2011...still together...still in love.

Valentine's Day is merely one day...another day...that I get to express my love to the woman that God has place in my life.

While February 14th is just another day...like the 364 that precedes it...I appreciate the special quality of this day to focus on L.O.V.E.

"Love me tender...love me true...never let me go...I will spend my life with you and I love you so..." (Elvis Presley)

"I will spend my whole life through...loving you...yes loving you." (Elvis Presley)

"She loves you yeah yeah" (The Beatles)

"Love, love me do...you know I love you...I'll always be true...so pleeasse, love me do...oh yeah...love me do." (The Beatles)

Back on June 15 1959 there was a song released by Ray Peterson...called The Wonder of You. Ray...who had a 4 octave voice range...had hits like Tell Laura I Love Her, Corrina Corrina, Goodnight My Love and others. I had the honor of getting to know Ray and his lovely wife Claudia through church. Ray past away on 1/25/05...and Claudia leads the worship dance team (Praise In Motion) as Springhouse Worship and Arts Center. Elvis Presley asked Ray if he could record The Wonder of You...and Ray responded in the affirmative...after all you are Elvis...to which Elvis responded..."You're Ray Peterson."

NOTE: If you get a chance...check out the album...THE OTHER SIDE OF RAY PETERSON...in my opinion...far superior to his "big hits".

NOTE: Ray was also a true RUMINATOR attending THE RUMINATOR SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS. He would come in...kiss me on the cheek...call me a sweetheart...and then open up his Bible and moo and chew on the Cud of the Word of God. I miss Ray.

Ray once told me (an others)...that he sings The Wonder of You as a worship song unto the author of love.

THE WONDER OF YOU (Baker Knight)

When no one else can understand me
When everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation
You gave me strength to carry on

And you try to show...your love for me
(Elvis version: And you're always there to lend a hand)
In everything you do
That's the wonder....the wonder of you

And when you smile the world is brighter
You touch my hand and I'm a king
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune
Your love for me is everything

I guess I'll never know the reason why
You love me like you do
That's the wonder...the wonder of you

I guess I'll never know...the reason why...you love me like you do...That's the wonder...the wonder of you.


When I hear the song THE WONDER OF YOU...of course I think of Ray, Elvis, and the Lord...but I always, always, always, think of Brenda.

NOTE: Brenda and Phillip got to go down to Florida and went to the Yankee Training Camp one year...and also was able to go to a Ray Peterson concert...that was fantastic.

Well...I have said all of the above to say this.

"God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were YET sinners...Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:8)

"For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal..everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. IN this is love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." (I John 4:7-12)

In the fall of 1970...Brenda Sue Williams introduced Rodney Lewis Boyd to the Author of Love. I remember like it was yesterday...when we were parked in her driveway at 426 4th Avenue Murfreesboro Tennesse..."What do I have to do to be saved." Her good Baptist girl instincts kicked in...and she led me down the Romans Road to Salvation...and I accepted the Lord...I received the Lord into my life...and my life has never been the same. I walked the aisle at church next Sunday...got baptized...and the rest is HIStory in our lives.

Brenda has stuck by, supported me, prayed for me, lifted me up, encouraged me...and still does to this day...as I stumble along on this journey...seeking God's will. That's why the song THE WONDER OF YOU...always makes me think about Brenda.

Valentines Day may be just another day....but it is a special day...like everyday is a day that we should be loving the Lord...but Sunday is a special day...to gather together and celebrate.

I love you Brenda.

Love and Wonder Kisses
Rodney "Loves St. Brenda" Boyd

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

Greetings friends and neighbors...been afraid lately? Who is your boogie man?
What goes bump in the night and sends chills up and down your spine. In the words of Jesus...fear not.

Back in the 50's and 60's...on Friday night...after Sea Hunt (starring Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson)....I would await one of my favorite shows...called SHOCK THEATER...aka MYSTIC CIRCLE. They would show various horror movies from the 1940's and 1950's including the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, Creature From the Black Lagoon, just to name a few. Usually these were from Universal Studios...and later in the 60's from Hammer Studios or American International.

Friday nights was my night. (1) I could stay up late (2) I could watch T.V.
(3) I could eat junk food (4) I did not have to sleep in my bed. The T.V. room (our den) was mine...as Mom and Dad had friends over, played cards, drink, play music, and dance. I would watch boxing (sometimes Dad would watch that if no friends were over)...brought to you by Gillette razors.


After taking a card table....making a sleeping area underneath (compete with covers, mat, and pillow)...and then draping a blanket over the table exposing only an opening so I could see the T.V....and stocking my place with cokes, candy, and popcorn...I would settle in for a night of scary T.V. The shows in the 50' and 60's was hosted by Dr. Lucifer (aka Ken Branning). Later on in the late 60's and 70's other shows like Creature Feature with Sir Cecil Creape...or Elvira...later on in the 90's Dr. Gangreen. Shock Theater would open up with mysterious music...of a Spanish influence...and have a circular item spinning (what people would try to hyp-mo-tize you with). Dr. Lucifer would appear wearing a full tux...eye patch over his right eye...smoking a cigarette from a holder...and introduce the movie...with comedy bits between the commercials.

As I sat there and watched these shows...I would be scared...and excited at the same time. Usually...good triumphed over evil...and the cause and effect of trying to tamper with nature (God) would end up against the evil.

I always felt safer...in my fort...and especially safer...if My Father (Dad) would be sitting in a chair right next to my fort. Later on...there was a magazine called MONSTERS...and you could get full details of the movies that you were watching on Shock Theater/Mystic Circle. And as a bonus...in the 60's you could buy models of your favorite monsters form Aurora. (They also had Batman, Superman, etc.)

Later...as technology progressed...scarier and scarier shows of monsters were made...but I did not enjoy being as scared as I did as a child. The new genre of monster movies...became to real. The monsters...were more like men versus imagination. You could start to read in the newspaper of men doing monster like things. The movies became reflections of men's hearts...which as the Bible says...was..."continually evil before the Lord." "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the THOUGHTS of his heart was only EVIL continually." (Genesis 6:5)

The Shadow...mysterious crime fighter...who can cloud men's minds so that they cannot see him...states..."The weed of crime bears bitter fruit...who know what EVIL lurks in the HEARTS OF MEN...the Shadow knows (evil laugh)."

We as a people have become adept at hiding and suppressing the evil and monsters in our lives...I know that I have. We shake our heads as we see people do things that "we don't do"...and point our fingers at the foibles of people around us...because we have victory in those areas and they don't. We watch T.V. shows about crime...and those innocent victims by human monsters (shows like Criminal Minds, CSI [multiple versions], Law and Order (multiple versions) and many more like them. We consume reality shows that outline in gruesome details the horrors of what man can do to man...all the while shaking our heads
in a reality version of SHOCK THEATER in our world...and breathing under our breathe..."Thank God...I'm not like those MEN MONSTERS."

I guess we feel better about ourselves...if someone is worse than we are. We all NEED A SAVIOUR.

HEART CONDITIONS

"As it is written...there is NONE righteous...no...not...one." (Romans 3:10)

"The HEART is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the HEART, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds." (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which FILLS THE HEART." (Matthew 12:33-34)

"Are you still lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For OUT OF THE HEART come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." (Matthew 15:16-20)

"Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you and EVIL...UNBELIEVING HEART...that FALLS AWAY from the Living God." (Hebrews 3:1)

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks but the became FUTILE IN THEIR SPECULATIONS, and their FOOLISH HEART WAS DARKENED. Professing to be WISE...they became FOOLS, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore, God GAVE THEM OVER IN THE LUSTS OF THEIR HEARTS to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the TRUTH OF GOD for a LIE, and worshipped and served the CREATURE rather than the CREATOR, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the NATURAL FUNCTION for what is UNNATURAL...and in the same way also MEN ABANDONED THE NATURAL FUNCTION OF THE WOMEN AND BURNED IN THEIR DESIRE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER...MEN WITH MEN committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO A DEPRAVED MIND, to do those things which ARE NOT PROPER...being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice,; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they ORDINANCE KNOW THE OF GOD, that those who practice such things...ARE WORTHY OF DEATH...they not only do the same...but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Romans 1:18-32)

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousings, and things like these, of which I forewarn you (the believer who has been set freed from the bondages), that those who PRACTICE such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
(Galatians 5:19-21)

NOTE: Realize...that these verses speaks of the nature of the heart of mankind collectively and individually. The problem is...that when we become Christians...we become so cocky...that we are not like those that we read about...and those we see overtly practicing these things...BUT...Galatians makes it clear...that we can be SET FREE...but give the FLESH and OPPORTUNITY...to take us over again and bind us again....the Christians...not the lost.

"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am NOT PRACTICING what I would like to do...but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but SIN which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the INNER MAN, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am!"
Romans 7:15-24)

QUESTION: "Who will set me FREE from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24)

ANSWER: "Thanks be to GOD...THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD...!" (Romans 7:25)


Whether you are not a Christian...or if you are a Christian walking in the flesh and bound again by the sin that you were set free from...JESUS IS THE ANSWER.

I use to have a sign I hung on my dorm room at Tennessee Temple Bible School. I was made to take it down because it was deemed by the powers that be...to be offensive. The sign said...JESUS HUNG UP...FOR OUR HANG UPS.

Well...Jesus being hung up in my place on a bloody cross to free me from my sins....that I committed pre-Christian...and for the sins that I commit post-Christian...is an offensive...bloody...scandalon...stumbling block.

Just like the monsters that would scare me...and the men monsters that are reflective of the sin in us all...JESUS HUNG UP FOR OUR HANGS UPS...aka SIN.



"For Christ also DIED FOR SINS...once for all, the just for the unjust...so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but MADE ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT." ( I Peter 3:18)

"For He RESCUED us from the DOMAIN OF DARKNESS, and TRANSFERRED us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have REDEMPTION...the FORGIVENESS OF SINS." (Colossians 11:13,14)

"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, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 1:20)

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE...where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. SET YOUR MIND on the things above, not on the THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH. For you have died and your life is HIDDEN WITH CHRIST in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

"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 with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk i the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses from ALL SIN. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we CONFESS our sins...He is FAITHFUL and RIGHTEOUS to FORGIVE us our sins and to CLEANSE US from ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." (I John 1:5-10)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY...AND I MEAN FINALLY


Whew...starting out...I did not mean for this to be so long...or even more...so depressing...BUT...we all need a Saviour. Jesus died for ALL... and how we view others who have not accepted Him as their Saviour does not need our condemnation but our reconciliation found in II Corinthians 5:18-21.

"For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this...that one died for all...therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize NO ONE according to the FLESH...even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore...if ANY ONE...is IN CHRIST...he is a NEW CREATION/CREATURE...the OLD THINGS passed away...behold...NEW THINGS have come. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Love and No Monster Kisses
Rodney "New Creation" Boyd

FOOL...NOW AND THEN...

Greetings...Believers in God....I mean believers in Jesus...I mean..."In the beginning was the WORD/JESUS...and the WORD/JESUS was with God... and the WORD/JESUS.....WAS GOD." (John 1:1)

In 1959...Elvis Presley released a song...sandwiched between the song One Night (1958)...and A Big Hunk O' Love (1959)...was a song called...NOW AN THEN...THERE'S A FOOL...SUCH AS I. When this song was recorded... you hear the low tones...of the pre-J.D. Sumner bass singer...Ray Walker. During the recording of this song...Elvis wanted Ray to come over...and sing on the same microphone as Elvis sang...and the rest was history.

One of my favorite Beatles albums is...The Beatles...Live At the BBC. This is a great review of the roots of the Beatles...rough, raw, and brilliant...songs ranging from country...rhythm and blues...to rock and roll. At the beginning of the project...there is what is listed as "speech" which is the introduction by the boys...

"I'm Ringo and I play the drums."
"I'm Paul and I play the ..uh, uh..bass (slight laugh)"
"I'm George and I play a gui-tar"
"I'm John and I too play a guitar...and sometimes I play the FOOL."

"The FOOL has said in his heart, there is NO GOD..." (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1)

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount...Jesus was talking about the Law...righteousness...who can...or better yet who can't keep the Law...and people's attitudes about other people. Murder is compared to heart attitude as people were calling people names...and how that attitude puts them in danger of the hell of fire...Gehenna...a perpetual burning garbage dump outside of the walls of Jerusalem.

"But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother...shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother RACA (empty head) shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say...YOU FOOL, shall be guilty enough to go into the hell of fire."

FOOL= dull or stupid (as if shut up), heedless, blockhead, absurd, foolish, dunderhead.

Well...obviously...at least to me...Jesus is not referring to the mere utterance of the word FOOL...but to the attitude behind the heart of the utterance.

The only thing worse than someone saying in their heart...that there is NO GOD...is when I...Rodney Lewis Boyd...who professes with my lips that there IS A GOD...but with my actions...ACTS LIKE THERE IS NO GOD...or at the very least that...GOD IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HANDLE MY PROBLEMS. I proclaim FAITH...but I live by things revealed to my senses.

The crazy thing about FOOLS...is that they think they are RIGHT...and everyone else is WRONG. They proclaim free thinking...and crucify anyone who thinks that there is a God...or that Jesus is real...or that a gathering of like minded, sinners, hypocrites who gather together (aka church)...are the FOOLS. They preach the age of enlightenment...scientific advancements...medical breakthroughs as their PROOF that THERE IS NO GOD.

"There is a WAY that seems RIGHT to a man...but its END is the WAY OF DEATH/DESTRUCTION."
(Proverbs 16:25) This statement is preceded by..."PRIDE goes before DESTRUCTION...and a HAUGHTY spirit before STUMBLING." (Proverbs 16:18)

NOTE: The Book of PRO-VERBS (Positive-Action) is full of references and contrasts of FOOLS to the WISE.

The question is...how do you deal with a FOOL (or someone who has said in his heart that there is no God)?

Well...we are called to be ready (adjusted, ready, prepared) to give a defense (apologia=a plea, answer for self, clearing of self) to EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU to give an account for the HOPE that is IN YOU , yet with GENTLENESS and REVERENCE...and keep a GOOD CONSCIENCE so that in the THING IN WHICH YOU ARE SLANDERED (what you believe)...those who REVILE your GOOD BEHAVIOUR IN CHRIST...may be put to shame." (I Peter 3:15-16)

We are called to do the above...without FEAR and INTIMIDATION and TROUBLED...of those who want to harm you...because you are ZEALOUS for your faith. (I Peter 2:13,14)

SO....what to do...what to do. We feel so pressured in defending what we believe that we enter into a DEBATE...with the FOOL...and many times our emotions are drawn out...and we start speaking from emotion rather than faith.

"Do not answer a FOOL according to his folly...lest you ALSO BE LIKE HIM." (Proverbs 26:4). NOTE: It does not say...don't answer a fool...but don't answer according to his foolishness. Don't let the fool dictate to you how to answer.

"ANSWER a fool...as his folly (foolishness) DESERVES...lest he be wise in his OWN EYES."
(Proverbs 26:5) NOTE: This is the problem in the first place...there is a way that SEEMS RIGHT to a man...but the end is never building up...it is always tearing down. There is always an under current of strife and a lack of peace on that man/woman's life...who says in their heart that THERE IS NO GOD..and it seems RIGHT TO THEM.

Over my 39 years as a Christian...I have seen...and have been someone who has turned my back on my faith in God. I took on the mantle of a FOOL...as I lived my life as if I believed THERE WAS NO GOD.

Proverbs 26:11/I Peter 2:22...likens this type of person as DOG...that RETURNS to its VOMIT...is the FOOL who REPEATS his FOLLY (foolishness)."

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

You have got to WATCH WHAT YOU ARE DOING...especially when you share your faith. Larry Norman sings..."Ya gotta love everybody...but don't be blind...sometimes people try to mess your mind...you gotta watch who ya know." (Watch What You Are Doing). In Jesus' teaching about how to properly JUDGE (take the log out of your eye before you try to take the speck out of your brother's eye)...he talks about CASTING PEARLS before SWINE. His recommendation..."Do not give what is holy to dogs...and do not throw your pearls before swine...lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and TEAR YOU TO PIECES." (Matthew 7:6). Yes...share your faith...yes defend your faith...yes you will suffer maybe to the point of death for what you believe...but be wiley as a serpent...harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16).

Love and Non-Foolish Kisses
Rodney "I Am A Fool For Christ" Boyd

THE EQUALITY GRASP DANCE

Greetings children...of God. There are two things that are sure (1) If you are reading this Rambling...you have been born (2) If you are reading this...you will die. It is questionable if you have been born twice...born again...been saved...but the first two things are a surety. No matter how people try at the end of life...no matter how hard they gasp and grasp...they can't carry anything with them or prolong the inevitable.

While we are here on planet earth...we perform a little dance ritual called THE EQUALITY GRASP. It is a delusional dance...but many... including myself continue the futile steps with a passion. This dance is all about attitude...and for myself...I need an attitudinal adjustment at times.

"Have this ATTITUDE in yourselves which was also in CHRIST JESUS...who...although He existed in THE FORM OF GOD...did not REGARD EQUALITY WITH GOD A THING TO BE GRASPED...but emptied Himself...taking the form of a bond-servant...and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man...He HUMBLED Himself by becoming OBEDIENT to the point of DEATH...even DEATH ON A CROSS." (Philippians 2:5-8)

Jesus exemplified the EXAMPLE of how to properly do THE EQUALITY GRASP. Now you may be sitting at your computer thinking to yourself...I don't have an ATTITUDE. I don't GRASP anything. O.K...but for me...I need some sort of adjustment.

Now...there is no doubt...that we are NOT equal with God. Jesus was...and is...but in obedience to the Father...He became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1-14). Angels...no matter how much humans worship them...do not compare to the Son...and those angelic beings cannot ever claim equality with God as a thing to be grasped or ever think about being the radiance of the Father's glory and the exact representation of the Father's nature... like JESUS could. (Hebrews 1:1-14) Why? Because He was EQUAL with God...and choose NOT to GRASP IT.

Oh we grasp though. Christians and non-Christians alike do the EQUALITY GRASP. Intellectuals grasp on the vast amount of knowledge that they have accumulated...and hold tightly in their hands the various degrees of sheepskins they have accumulated over the years. The Apostle Paul released his grip on his intellectual prowess. "But whatever things were gain to me...those things I have COUNTED AS LOSS (loosened my grasp) for the SAKE OF CHRIST. More than that, I count ALL THINGS TO BE LOSS in the view of the surpassing VALUE of KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things...and count them but RUBBISH/DUNG in order that I may GAIN CHRIST." (Philippians 3:7-8)

The story of the monkey who reached into a bottle to GRASP a banana (or piece of candy depending on who is telling the story)...and got himself trapped because as long as he had a GRASP on the banana... he could not release himself from the bottle. Sometimes we hold on so tightly to what we want...that we become trapped.

The partner that we grasp onto...changes from person to person...but we consider that partner to be our equality with God. Things like our religious experience. We thing that if we speak in tongues and someone else does not...or I have been to seminary and you have not...or I tithe and you do not...or I belong to the First Church of So and So...and you do not...or I do not suffer from donelop disease (where your belly done lopped over you belt) and you do...or I am pretty and you are ugly...or I work at this place and you work at that place....I am white and you are black...I am Aryan and you are a Jew...I am a good old Redneck filled with Southern Heritage Pride...and you are everyone else. NOTE: All of these can be reversed depending on the person. We dance around and grasp our giftings, talents, social standings, intellectual prowess, denominational ties, political pontifications, our religious pride, our maturity levels, to the point of being like the Pharisee who thanked God that He was not like the publican...while the publican cried out...HAVE MERCY ON ME...A SINNER.

NOTE: I heard someone say...No man can judge me...only God can. This was said as an excuse to do whatever they wanted to do...without anyone saying anything to them. Of course if you mention someone like Michael Vick...and they immediately begin to JUDGE THEM...or mention someone...anyone...who does anything that they disagree with...and let the EQUALITY GRASP...begin.

The question is...how can I break the pattern of THE EQUALITY LIFE IN MY LIFE.

As always...Jesus is our example. For Jesus...the facts were actually true (unlike our sense of being superior or equal)...and He did certain things.

1. He did not REGARD equality with God a thing to be grasped. We have to come to a new mindset...of who we are....and loosen our grip. (Phil. 2:6)

"For through the grace given me I say to EVERY MAN/WOMAN among you...NOT TO THINK MORE HIGHLY OF HIMSELF THAN HE OUGHT TO THINK...but to thinks so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)

2. He EMPTIED Himself. (Philippians 2:7) Sometimes...we are so FULL OF OURSELVES...that we have to empty ourselves of our SELF. Bruce Lee was quoted as saying..."Before you taste my tea...you must first empty your cup."

3. He TOOK the form of a BONDSERVANT. (Philippians 2:7) God does not ever ENSLAVE PEOPLE... He SETS THEM FREE. A bondservant is someone who has been set free...but because of love...continues to serve.

4. He was made into the LIKENESS OF MEN (Philippians 2:7) He identified with who had a need not who He was and who he could grasp in His equality.

5. He HUMBLED Himself...by becoming OBEDIENT. (Philippians 2:8) When we don't humble ourselves (not God forcing the issue)...we are walking in disobedience...and GRASPING EQUALITY.

6. His OBEDIENCE extend to the POINT OF DEATH...DEATH ON A CROSS. (Philippians 2:8) We are also called to DEATH...If we want to stop the EQUALITY GRASP DANCE...and begin a NEW DANCE AS WE SING A NEW SONG.

"I have been CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST...and it is no longer I who lives but CHRIST LIVES IN ME...and the life in which I NOW LIVE...I live by FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD...who loved me...and delivered Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"And he who does not take his CROSS and FOLLOW ME is not worthy of Me...He who has found his life shall lose it...and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:38)

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him DENY himself, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS...and FOLLOW ME...For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:24,25)

"And it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him and through Him to RECONCILE all things to Himself, having MADE PEACE THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS; through Him, I say whether things on earth or things in heaven." (Colossians 1:19,20)

"Having CANCELLED OUT...the CERTIFICATE OF DEBT consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has TAKEN IT OUT OF THE WAY...having NAILED IT TO THE CROSS." (Colossians 2:14)

"Fixing our eyes on JESUS...the author and finisher/perfecter of our faith...who for the joy set before Him ENDURED THE CROSS....despising the shame...and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

NOTE: All of these past verses points to what Jesus did on the CROSS...in our place...as HE DID NOT REGARD EQUALITY WITH GOD A THING TO BE GRASPED. If He did that for us...why is it that we GRASP the things that we thing makes us SUPERIOR to others. All we can do is ACCEPT WHAT HE DID. That is what Paul was talking about in Galatians 2:20...and underscores about how he now dies daily. Not Jesus dying daily...but dying to ourselves and living to Him. Dying to what we consider EQUALITY and what makes us SUPERIOR TO OTHERS...and live to Him. We accept the WORK OF THE CROSS.

"I protest, brethren...by boasting in you...which I have in Christ Jesus...I DIE DAILY."
(I Corinthians 15:31)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY.

I was with my Dad...at bedside while he was dying. He was gasping for breath...struggling...and I leaned down to his ear and told him that it was alright to LET GO...we would see Him again...and Mom was waiting...and more than that Jesus was waiting. Almost in an instant...He ceased the struggle to gasp and GRASP this life...and slipped out into eternity....and peace. If I could only learn to let go of the GRASP here on this earth...while I am still alive...die to myself...and live unto Him.

Love and Non-Grasping Kisses
Rodney "Counting Things As Cow Dung" Boyd

THE LONG AND WINDING...WAY

Greetings fellow sojourners...how's the WAY? This JOURNEY that we are on...is filled with turns, hills, valleys, detours, straight roads, adventure, joys... disappointments... HISappoinments...but it is worth it.

Back on May 23rd 1970...The Beatles had their last #1 single...THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD. "The long and winding road...that leads to your door..." It was performed in the movie LET IT BE...that chronicles the final day of breakup of the group that said..."all you need is love...and then they broke up." (Larry Norman) The controversy over the song was in the remixing of the song by Phil Spector without Paul's permission...adding strings, horns, female chorus etc. Phil applied that WALL OF SOUND that he was so famous for in the 60's. Many years later...a version closer to the original intention was released on the album LET IT BE...NAKED. I personally enjoyed both version. "...let me know the WAY." (The Long and Winding Road)

WAY: hodos' (hod-os')= a road by implication a PROGRESS (the ROUTE, act or distance)...figuratively a mode or means--journey, highway.

Jesus made a statement...that at the time was religiously incorrect...and if uttered in these days...would also be religiously incorrect as well as politically correct.

Jesus was talking to his boys...about where he was about to go...to prepare a place for them. There hearts were troubled...and Jesus was telling them to replace their troubled hearts with belief in God and Him. Good words for these troubled times. (John 14:1-3)

Jesus stated...YOU KNOW THE WAY...where I am going." (John 14:4). This statement brought up the question in Thomas' mind..."Lord, we do not know where Yo are going; how do we know THE WAY." (John 14:5) Jesus dropped the bomb (shot) heard around the world...that is still reverberating...

"Jesus said to him (Thomas)...I AM THE WAY...and THE TRUTH...and THE LIFE...NO ONE comes to the Father...but THROUGH ME." (John 14:6)

"...I am the ROAD/PROGRESS/ROUTE/JOURNEY/HIGHWAY....no one comes to the Father but THROUGH ME...JESUS...D.B.R...BLOOD....NOTHING MORE...NOTHING LESS.

Note that Jesus did not say that He was A WAY...A TRUTH...A LIFE. All roads may lead to Rome...but NOT to the Father. If you put THE FATHER in your SPIRITUAL GPS SYSTEM...it would not come up with various religious leaders, philosophies, cults, sects, etc...it would come up with JESUS. If you try to go any other way other than Jesus...you would hear...RECALCULATE.

"Every man's way is right in his own eyes...but the Lord weighs the heart... motives...and attitudes." (Proverbs 21:2)

"There is a way which seems right to a man...but its END is the WAY of death (destruction)." (Proverbs 14:12)

"There is a WAY which seems right to a man...but its end is the WAY of death (destruction)." (Proverbs 16:25)

Sometimes...it seems in our minds...that we are going down the RIGHT ROAD... the correct WAY...but when you place it on the Lord's scales...that weighs our motives and attitudes...we end up lost...circling the mountain again and again like the children of Israel in the wilderness.

During the late 60's and early 70's there was a revival going on among young people...that was dubbed by Time Magazine as THE JESUS MOVEMENT. Larry Norman who was with a rock and roll group called PEOPLE...had a #1 hit called I LOVE YOU (originally done by the Zombies). Larry dropped out at the pinnacle of success...and hit the streets to sing and witness for Jesus in L.A. The index finger...extending heavenward...was the battle cry for the movement...ONE WAY...ONE WAY TO HEAVEN...HOLD YOU FINGERS HIGH. The song speaks of the poet who wrote about two ROADS diverging...and taking the one LESS TRAVELED.

The ROAD less traveled that the Bible speaks of is the THE WAY.

One of the names of this "new religion"...that followed Jesus was called THE WAY.

Saul...latter to get saved and be called Paul...was breathing threats and murder against the DISCIPLES OF THE LORD (Acts 9:1) "And...asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus...so that if he found ANY BELONGING TO THE WAY...both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." (Acts 9:2)

It was around 10 years from the original event of the D.B.R. where these followers of the WAY...were first called CHRISTIANS in Antioch.
(Acts 11:26) They were still called followers of the WAY after being called CHRISTIANS..."But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of THE WAY before the multitude..." (Acts 19:9) "And about that time there arose no small disturbance concerning THE WAY." (Acts 19:23).

Paul testifying...spoke of his former way of life..."And I persecuted THIS WAY...to the death, binding and putting both men and women in prison..." (Acts 22:4)

"But this I admit to you...that according to THE WAY...which they call a sect...I DO SERVE THE GOD of our fathers, believing everything that is written in accordance with the Law, and that is written in the Prophets..." (Acts 24:14)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

This WAY...is motivated by LOVE. "And I show you a still more EXCELLENT WAY." (I Corinthians 12:31) Paul then proceeds to outline the nature and character of the LOVE (agape') that should rule all other loves (eros, phileo, storge')...because the GREATEST of faith, hope, and love...is THE EXCELLENT WAY.

This is the WAY...into the presence of the Father..."Since therefore brethren, we have confidence to ENTER the holy place...BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS..by a NEW AND LIVING WAY WHICH He (Jesus) inaugurated for us through THE VEIL...that is HIS FLESH...and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...havin our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water..." (Hebrews 10:19-22)

If you took a piece of paper and wrote on one side...YOUR WAY...and on the other side JESUS...you would probably come to the conclusion that your WAY was RIGHT...but...the END of the journey would be destruction. The END of the journey...through THE WAY...the TRUTH...and THE LIFE...is into the arms of the Father.

Enjoy the journey...and if you are going the wrong way...RECALCULATE.

Love and Traveling Kisses
Rodney "On The Road Again" Boyd

TOP TEN REASONS IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER THAN THOU

Greetings and Salutations all of you "other people". Welcome to MY world. It really is hard to be humble when you are...well...ME...and I know that you agree with ME. When I get up to sing before MY public...I warm up my running a few scales...like...ME, ME, ME....ME, ME, ME. By the way...don't I Iook pretty in pink as my alter ego...CAPTAIN LOVE?

DISCLAIMER: For the uninformed...this Rambling is a tongue in cheek look at attitudes.

In this world we live..and die in...everybody seems to be dying...well at least the famous people are dying...or should I say infamous? It seems that when those who live the lifestyles of the rich and famous pass away...they become magnetic fodder for opinions of the non-rich and famous...and those rich and famous who have not died yet. Michael Jackson, Steve McNair, Elvis Presley, Adolph Hitler, Martin Luther King, and anyone else that you can think to list...all have something in common with Rodney Boyd. They all put their tights on...one leg at a time. Well...I do perform a triple spin and land in them...but other than that we are all the same. At this time...I would like to present the TOP TEN REASONS WHY IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER...THAN THOU (that would be you). The opinions run the gamut from...Michael Jackson is the Messiah to Michael Jackson is the scum of the earth...or Steve McNair is a saint...just look at his good works and his love for children and charities...to...Steve McNair is a thug of a football player on the same level as Pac Man Jones...who is an adulterer...a fornicator...BUT man can he play football. Emotions run from devastation that our icons have passed away and now we need to immortalize them...to gleefully glad that they are dead with no sorrow or remorse for our emotions. Let's forget these people for a while and focus on ME.

#10 Because I am ME...nuff said.

# 9 For God so loved Rod...that He gave His only begotten Son...if Rod believes Rod shall not perish...but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 Rod Style). The rest of you will have to fend for yourselves.

# 8 On the surface...I am a nice guy. There is no need to scratch beneath the surface...all you need to know is that I am a nice guy.

# 7 Hey...I am a Christan. Thank God I am not like these other yahoos.

# 6 I don't commit sins like homosexuality, fornication, adultery, stealing, getting high, getting drunk, looking at pornography, child molestation, lust, smokin' and drinkin' and chewin'...and hangin' 'round women that be doin'. NOTE: It's always easier to point to what other people are doing...to distract away from what I am doing.

# 5 I am a legend in My Own MIND.

#4 I do good works on a regular basis...more than ye all.

# 3 My denomination is far superior to your denomination.

#2 At least I am not one of those godless, mumbo-jumbo religions. I follow Jesus not man made rituals.

AND THE # 1 REASON IT'S O.K. FOR ME TO BE HOLIER THAN THOU....

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

Well...how stupid is that list. What can we do...to combat the arrogance and stupidity of us thinking that we are better...superior to anyone else? Well... if we are going to be a follower of Jesus...we might as well follow Him...and act like Him.

Paul lays it out...that "...there is NONE righteous...NO NOT ONE. (Romans 3:10)...He follows that thought up with "...for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

God's heartbeat was...and is for the WORLD...not just Christians. "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son...that WHOSOEVER believes in Him would have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Why did God send Jesus into the world. John 3:17 lays out the reasoning behind God's actions. "For God did NOT send the Son into the world to JUDGE the world...but that the world should BE SAVED THROUGH HIM." He continues... "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already...because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...and this is the judgment...that the light is come into the world...and MEN LOVED THE DARKNESS...rather than THE LIGHT...for their DEEDS WERE EVIL. For everyone who is EVIL hates the LIGHT...and does not come to the light...lest his DEEDS SHOULD BE EXPOSED...but he who PRACTICES the truth comes to the light...that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:18-21)

The problem is...even though Jesus did not come into the world to judge...we feel that once we have been cleaned up by grace (unmerited favor, free gift, the divine influence in the heart...manifested in our lives)...that we can now take out our fingers...and begin to point out and judge others who are NOT LIKE US. We develop a hard-nosed...holier than thou attitude...that makes it very hard for us to LOVE THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD...who really do need a Saviour.

We like the idea that we are AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST...and MINISTER'S OF RECONCILIATION...but we really don't know what that is. We think our job is to expose everybody's sin...and take a record and account for all the bad stuff they are doing...keep an account/tally of their sins...SO they will know they are sinners and then...we invite them to church....but clean up your act first...and then we will love you.

II CORINTHIANS 5 is a great chapter that defines what are attitudes should be towards the lost.

"Now...all these things are from God...who RECONCILED us to Himself through CHRIST (yoke destroying, burden lifting, oppression removing, healing power of the Holy Spirit Acts 10:39)...and gave us the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION." (II Corinthians 5:18)

Verse 19 defines what the MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION IS..."namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself...NOT COUNTING THEIR TRESPASSES AGAINST THEM, AND He has committed to us THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION. Therefore...we are AMBASSADORS for Christ, as though God were entreating through us...we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God...He made Him who knew no sin to BE SIN ON OUR BEHALF that we MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." (II Corinthians 19-21)

NOTE: We always like to say...well...I don't hate the sinner...I hate the sin. (insert Bronx cheer here). In our finite minds...we can't separate the two.

To get to II Corinthians 5:18-21...we have to pass through II Corinthians 5:14-17:

1. The LOVE of Christ has to control us
2. WE must come to the conclusion that one died (Jesus) for ALL (not just Christians or repentant sinners)
3. Because He died...ALL DIED (Galatians 2:20) The work of the cross is all inclusive...however there are requirements.
4. He (Jesus) died for all. WHY? That they who live should no longer LIVE FOR THEMSELVES...but for HIM WHO DIED AND ROSE
AGAIN ON THEIR BEHALF.
5. THEREFORE: This refers to the previous verses and sets the tone for what follows
6. FROM NOW ON...we recognize NO MAN ACCORDING TO THE FLESH. I think this means that I will no longer look at anyone through my fleshly, earthly, judgmental eyes and that I will no longer look on what I see on the surface. I begin to look on man/woman/human through the eyes of God...and do not COUNT THEIR TRESPASSES AGAINST THEM.
7. THEREFORE...refers to what we just read...IF ANY MAN IS IN CHRIST...he is a NEW CREATION...the old things passed away...behold NEW THINGS HAVE COME.

NOTE: For those who are about to have a conniption cow....We don't just blindly close our eyes to peoples sins...but we do begin to DEMONSTRATE GOD'S LOVE TO THEM...the same way that GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE TOWARD US...in that while we were YET SINNERS...CHRIST DIE FOR US. (Romans 5:8)

Galatians speaks to those who continue to practice the deeds of the flesh...how they will reap the flesh...BUT we are called to RESTORE THEM "Brethren...even if a man is CAUGHT (gotcha) in ANY trespass...you who are spiritual (not holier than thou)...RESTORE such a one in a SPIRIT/ATTITUDE OF GENTLENESS...looking to yourselves, lest you too be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

Well...this issue will not be resolved for everyone. People will continue to sin (Christians and non-christians alike). People will continue to feel superior to those who are doing the sins that they are not doing. People will continue to count peoples trespasses against them and judge them. People will still witness to the sinner hating the sin...and the fact that they are doing the sin...BUT maybe, just maybe, we will begin to have a GOD'S EYE VIEW...love them...present the gospel...the DBR...the Death, Burial, Resurrection...nothing more, nothing less and allow people to make their choice...and let God deal with them.

Love and Very Non-Judgemental Kisses
Rodney "Have Mercy On Me Lord" Boyd

FREEDOM...JUST ANOTHER WORD?

Greeting FREE PEOPLE What are you doing with your FREEDOM? The word freedom evokes many images with each individual. You hear the word free... you thing of no cost...no attachments...no responsibilities...no nothing.

Kris Kristofferson penned the song ME AND BOBBY MCGEE...that was made popular by Janis Joplin...and declared that..."Freedom's just ANOTHER WORD for nothing less to lose...nothing don't mean nothing honey if it ain't free." Is it really JUST ANOTHER WORD...or is it a word that carries deep meaning that will have a deep impact on the way the we live our lives.

Harry Houdini...master of escape...would self inflict himself to shackles chains, imprisonments...and would always effect an escape based on illusion. Houdini would live a well calculated life of bondage and freedom...to leave the effect of one who could set himself free...but he was bound in the mind about the other side once someone died.

At the mythic 3 day festival...Woodstock...that started out as a capitalistic endeavour to cash in on the freedom mindset...and only turned into a free concert when people exercised their freedom to tear down the fences (don't fence me in)...turned in to three days of sex, drugs and rock and roll...Richie Havens opened up...with the song FREEDOM. It started out by Richie playing guitar with background of various drums...singing the word FREEDOM 8 times,
followed by..."sometimes I feel like a motherless child (sung 3 x)...a long way from home." In this quest for freedom...there is a loneliness. It is like being alone in a crowd. The theme/thoughts of freedom...is not a new thang...but an age old cry of the heart...of either people who were bound against their will in slavery...inflicted by either an oppressive nation...or sold into slavery by their own people...bound and brought to another land against their wills. There are those who are bound into mental slavery as their environment, family, experiences dictate how they act out their bondage by fear, anger, humor, intimidation...anything to act as if they are free. Some are bound by the tyranny of the urgent as we fill our time with whatever we want to fill it with...and push out the things that we need to fill it with...resulting in being bound by the clock. Stephen Stills sang a song that epitomized the carnal nature of what we call freedom..."If you can't be with the one you love...honey...love the one you're with...love the one your with." Of course that FREEDOM PHILOSOPHY ended up in a generation bound by self desire...manifested in alcoholism, drug dependency, social diseases and unwanted pregnancy that was easily dealt with with abortion. As Steve Taylor sang in his song...WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SIN..."If you can't support it...why don't you abort it instead." This leads us into the ultimate form of bondage...SIN....thus the need for a Saviour...Jesus... who hung on the cross in our place to redeem us from sin. There was a saying that I hung up on my door at Tennessee Temple Bible School...that got me into some trouble...because it was viewed as sacrilegious...JESUS HUNG UP FOR OUR HANG UPS. I still stand by that statement.

Freedom...the release from the pressure of stuff...feels REFRESHING. The misconception of freedom is...that I am free...not bound by anything...no responsibilities....no pressures...not nothing....just free to do anything I want to do...not answering to anybody.

Teenagers long for this freedom...away from parental guidance...free from rules and regulations...free to do what they want to do. Again...their ain't nuttin' new under the sun...this has been the age old struggle between kids and parents. The only problem is...they have idealistic views of how things ought to be in this world called freedom...but they can't afford to live in the lifestyle that they are accustomed to...without their parents. The sad thing for the parents...is to watch their children make mistakes...get bound into sin...and generally make a mess of their lives. The happy thing for the parents are to watch their children... make wise choices...leave the nest...and learn to fly.

The question is...how can we make FREEDOM...MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER WORD...FOR NOTHING ELSE TO LOSE?


"My son (daughters can also follow this advice)...do not forget my law, but let (or allow) you heart to keep my commands (it always starts in the heart before being manifested in actions)...for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you (cause and effect)...Let not (don't allow it to happen) mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart (keep them near you) and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man (cause and effect in heaven and on earth)." (Pro-Verbs 3:1-4)

The above passage is the ideal for freedom. The next verses is the HOW.
"TRUST in the Lord with all your heart and LEAN NOT on your own understanding; In all your ways ACKNOWLEDGE Him...and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes...FEAR THE LORD and DEPART EVIL. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones."
(Pro-Verbs 3:5-8) The old hymn says..."trust and obey...for there's no other way...to be happy in Jesus...but to trust and obey." The flip side of that song is..
"Don't trust and don't obey...for there is no other way...to be miserable in life..but to not trust and not obey."

The heartbeat for humanity was...and still is FREEDOM. Galatians 5:1 says it all.

"Stand fast therefore in the LIBERTY by which Christ has made us free, and DO NOT BE ENTANGLED again with a YOKE OF BONDAGE."
(Galatians 5:1 New King James Version)

"It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us FREE; therefore KEEP STANDING FIRM and DO NOT BE SUBJECT AGAIN to a YOKE OF SLAVERY."
(Galatians 5:1 New American Standard Bible)

"In [this] FREEDOM Christ has made us FREE--completely LIBERATED us; STAND FAST then, and DO NOT BE HAMPERED and HELD ENSNARED and SUBMIT AGAIN to a YOKE OF SLAVERY--which you once put off."
(Galatians 5:1 The Amplified Bible)

This is the revealed WILL OF GOD...for your life. The thing is...there are a couple of aspects about God's will...one is His sovereign WILL...because He is God and He can do whatever He wants...and it does not matter if you get in line with His plan or not....HE IS KING...HE IS LORD...HE IS SOVEREIGN. The other aspect of His will...is His wish...His desire...BUT...His wish and His desired...IS HINGED ON YOUR RESPONSE.
His WILL IS FOR YOU TO BE FREE AND STAY FREE...but His will...is hinged on YOUR RESPONSE. You can choose NOT TO BE FREE.

"For you brethren...were [INDEED] called to FREEDOM; only [do not let your] FREEDOM be an incentive to your flesh and an OPPORTUNITY or excuse [for selfishness], but THROUGH LOVE you should SERVE ONE ANOTHER." (Galatians 5:13 The Amplified Bible)

The starting point of this thing called FREEDOM is to have a relationship with the one who sets you free. Become a follower of Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus...and you are following Him to where He goes...He will lead you into the PRESENCE OF THE LORD...THE FATHER. No longer will SIN separate you from the Lord...but now...you are FREE.

For more information about this FREEDOM...you can contact me...Ruminatin' Rod...as 415-7577 or by email... ruminator12@comcast.net

Love and FREEDOM KISSES
Rodney "Free At Last...Free At Last...Thank God All Mighty I'm Free At Last" Boyd

THE ANATOMY OF A CULT

Greetings Pro-Christ people. Take a look at the first collage. Take a good look. These people all have one thing in common...well maybe two things in common. (1) They are all religious (2) They all deny that Jesus is God in the flesh. They all attack the Deity of Jesus. Of course there is nothing new under the sun. L.Ron Hubbard (Scientology/Dianetics), Oprah/Eckart Tolle (new age mumbo-jumbo)...Victor Paul Weirwille (The Way International), Sun Myung Moon (Unification Church), Marshall Applewhite (Heavens Gate), Jim Jones (The People's Church), Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah's Witness), Joseph Smith (Mormonism), David Koresh (Branch Davidians), David Moses Berg (Children of God/The Family), The Nation of Islam/Black Muslims (W.D. Ward/Louis Farrakhan)...are but a few of the people who deny that Jesus was the Christ...and that He was God in the flesh. Many started off believing the truth... but then deviated from the truth...and began to thing they were the direct mouthpiece from God...and were above the rules of morality. They become like the Pharisee....who was PRAYING TO HIMSELF...and thanking himself that he was not like other people.



"That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So...there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, see this, it is new? Already it has existed for ages which were before us." (Ecclesiastes 1:9,10)

"In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was with God...and the Word WAS God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it...But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man...but of God. The Word BECAME FLESH...and DWELT AMONG US...and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-5; John 1:12-14)

NOTE: God back and read the John passage and put in the name Jesus where it says the Word. ie. In the beginning was Jesus...and Jesus was with God...and Jesus WAS God.

The ANATOMY OF A CULT is centered around the Deity of Jesus. They always have to take Jesus down a notch and deny who He was...and who He is...GOD IN THE FLESH. Jesus is always less than who His followers say He is. He is either a great teacher...a miracle worker...a lunatic...delusional...merely a human who may have had the christ-spirit...BUT NEVER GOD IN THE FLESH. Even Islam acknowledges that Jesus was a good teacher...but He was a bastard. Some would even include Jesus in the ways to God...but that He is only one of the many roads that leads to the Father. If you want to believe in that resurrection stuff...then that's O.K....but if someone wants to believe in humanism...that we are intrinsically God and can make our own roads to the Father. Jesus is LOWERED TO THE LEVEL of other religious leaders...or even worse...He is an angel...or He was merely human...who elevated Himself to godship...just like you can elevate yourself to godship by what you DO. And if you don't make it the first time...don't worry...you can always try something different the next time you come around in reincarnation.

"Truly, truly, I say to you...he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but CLIMBS UP SOME OTHER WAY...he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters BY THE DOOR is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the DOORKEEPER opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out....Jesus therefore said to them again...truly, truly, I say to you I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP...I AM THE DOOR...IF ANYONE ENTERS THROUGH ME...HE SHALL BE SAVED...AND SHALL GO IN AND OUT, AND FIND PASTURE." (John 10:1-9)

"Thomas said to Him...Lord, we do not know where you are going...HOW DO WE KNOW THE WAY? Jesus said to him...I AM THE WAY...and THE TRUTH...and THE LIFE..NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER...BUT THROUGH ME. If you had known Me...you would have known My Father also...from now on you know Him and have seen Him." (John 14:5-7)

C.S. Lewis writes in MERE CHRISTIANITY..."yet (and this is strange, significant thing) even His enemies when they read the Gospels, do not usually get the impression of silliness and conceit. Still less do unprejudiced readers. Christ says that He is "humble and meek" and we believe Him; not noticing that, if He were MERELY A MAN...humility and meekness are the very last characteristics we could attribute to some of His sayings. I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept that Jesus as a GREAT MORAL TEACHER...but I don't accept HIS CLAIM TO BE GOD. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was MERELY A MAN and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a GREAT MORAL TEACHER. he would either be a LUNATIC--on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the devil of hell. You must MAKE YOUR CHOICE. Either this man WAS and IS...THE SON OF GOD...or else...A MADMAN...or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool... you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon...or YOU CAN FALL AT HIS FEET AND CALL HIM LORD AND GOD. But let us not come with any PATRONISING NONSENSE about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
(C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity Book II: What Christians Believe (The Shocking Alternative)


Another aspect of CULTS...is that they always, always, always...deviate from the D.B.R...NOTHING MORE...NOTHING LESS. That's right....the Death, the Burial, the Resurrection...with nothing added. Cults always...like religion...always...is reaching up to God with their own ways to get to God... while Christianity is God reaching down to man.

Jesus...the Word...God in the flesh...came down in the form of man...lived for 30 years...then for three years ministered the will of God on earth as it is in heaven...became the propitiation/substitute for our sins...to give us access back to the Father...died, was buried, rose again...and went back to the Father.

Cults claimed that Jesus failed in His mission...and that he either did not raise from the dead...merely swooned and did not die...or His followers perpetrated a hoax by stealing the body to look like He did raise from the dead...and then... just so people would not get wise to the hoax...became martyrs for a lie.



"Children...it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen...from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they WERE NOT REALLY OF US...for if they had been of us...they would have remained with us; but they went out...in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the LIAR but the one who DENIES THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." (I John 2:18-23)

"Beloved, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERY SPIRIT...but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By THIS you KNOW the Spirit of God: every spirit that CONFESSES THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME IN THE FLESH IS FROM GOD; and every spirit that DOES NOT CONFESS JESUS IS NOT FROM GOD; and this is the spirit of the antichrist...of which you have heard that it is coming, and NOW it is already in the world.." (I John 4:1-3)

Jesus is God in the flesh. Deny it...join the antichrists.

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways; in these last days has spoken to us in HIS SON whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He MADE THE WORLD. And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His glory and the EXACT REPRESENTATION of His nature, and upholds all things by the WORD OF HIS POWER. When He had made purification of sins (D.B.R.) He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become MUCH BETTER THAN THE ANGELS, as He has inherited a MORE EXCELLENT NAME than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say...Thou art my Son...today I have begotten Thee? And again I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to Me? And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says...And let all the angels of God WORSHIP HIM." (Hebrews 1:1-6)

NOTE: You can worship yourself...you can worship religions and cults and cult leaders...you can follow Oprah into hell...you can trust your ability to be good...you can stick your head in the cultural sand and ignore the need for salvation...you can follow any road that you want to follow...BUT...in the words of Bob Dylan...you got to serve somebody...it may be the devil...it may be the Lord...but you got to serve somebody.

Love and Non-Cultic Kisses
Rodney "Jesus Came In The Flesh" Boyd