THE FORMULA FOR LIFE: V=P-O

Welcome O Ye Believers in the D.B.R...N.M.N.L.
(Death, Burial, Resurrection...Nothing More... Nothing Less).

In this sick and dying world (in spite of all of the technological, medical, quasi-spiritual advancements)...we sure could use a FORMULA FOR LIFE. Many moons ago...we heard of a formula for life...that sticks with me to this day. It was given to us by a biochemist who was a believer in the Death, Burial, Resurrection. The formula: V=P-O (Vitality) equals (Potential) minus (Obstructions). His premise was...it you could remove the obstruction in our blood system...that was blocking your potential...you could reach maximum vitality. More to follow on that premise.

Huey Lewis and the News sang about that in their hit...I WANT A NEW DRUG...

"I want a new drug...one that won't make me sick...one that won't make me crash my car...or make me feel three feet thick...I want a new drug...one that won't hurt my head...one that won't make my mouth too dry...or make my eyes to red...one that won't make me nervous...wondering what to do...one that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you...When I'm alone with you...."

The song continues as Huey lists the things about this new drug that would not spill, cost too much, come in a pill, won't go away, keep him up all night, won't make him sleep all day, that does what it should, won't make him feel too bad, won't make him feel too good, one with no doubt, one that won't make him talk too much...or make his face break out. OH IF SOMEONE COULD COME UP WITH A FORMULA...TO DEVELOP A DRUG...THAT WOULD GIVE US ALL THAT WE WANTED OR NEEDED.

Of course the problem with mankind mixing chemicals together to help alleviate pain and suffering in the world... is that nothing...can chemically touch our spirits and souls. We may help the body with a pill...or may not...but nothing can fill the emptiness of our voided God space deep within us.

Jerry Lewis in one of my favorite movies...THE NUTTY PROFESSOR...tried to mix an elixir that would take him from being a nerdish professor and ended up with his altar ego...Buddy Love...in a Jekyll and Hyde comedic experience. What started out as a noble scientific effort...resulted in tragic consequences.

I am reminded that I am always trying to come up with ways to bypass God's formula for my life...to make things easier...more palatable...where I can continue to do the things I do..(good, bad and ugly)...and not have to turn to God. The results are the same as The Nutty Professor's...but not as comedic.

VITALITY (God's Abundant Life) equals (=) POTENTIAL (What I can be in Him) minus (-) OBSTRUCTIONS (Sin).

For this formula to work...you must realize:

1-There is none righteous...no not one: (Romans 3:10)

2-All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God:

(Romans 3:23)

3-The wages of sin is death: (Romans 6:23)

4-It is appointed for men to die once...but after this judgement

(Hebrews 9:27)

5-Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

6-The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23)

7-Death, Burial, Resurrection (I Corinthians 15:1-5)

8-Confess, Believe, Be Saved (Romans 10:8-10)

9-God demonstrated His love toward us...in that while we were YET/STILL sinners...CHRIST DIED FOR US...as we are justified (just as if I'd never sinned) by His BLOOD...we are SAVED from wrath...through Him (Jesus) (Romans 5:8-9)

10-This salvation is not on the BASIS of DEEDS/WORKS that we do...but all that HE DID. (Titus 3:5/Ephesians 2:8-10/I Peter 3:18/II Corinthians 5:14-15)

11-When you are IN CHRIST you are NEW CREATIONS...OLD THINGS PASSED AWAY... BEHOLD NEW THINGS HAVE COME (II Corinthians 5:17)

12-IN CHRIST...you go from...there is none righteous not not one...to being THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST...IN GOD. (II Corinthians 5:21)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY...NO REALLY...FINALLY.

If we are satisfied with this life...and the man-made formula's that we concoct...the nothing I have said makes any sense...BUT...if we are really searching...and can't make it on our own...I have got the formula for you...D.B.R...N.M.N.L....DEATH (in our place)...BURIAL..and His RESURRECTION...NOTHING MORE...NOTHING LESS.

Love and Nutty Professor Kisses

Rodney "Minus Obstructions of Sin by The Cross" Boyd

STRANGE CASE OF DR. BOYD AND MR. BUDDY LOVE

Hello all. How's your personality doing? Are you still intact or are you split... and I don't mean banana. I am a big fan of Jerry Lewis movies...even without Dean Martin. In France...Jerry Lewis is considered to be a filmatic GENIUS. (If you get a chance...listen to Weird Al's song...Genius In France on his CD Poodle Hat).

One of may favorite Jerry Lewis movies...is THE NUTTY PROFESSOR. It is the story of a nerdy professor by the name of Julius Kelp who mixes a potion in his laboratory that transforms him from and insecure, bucktooth, inept professor (who constantly has explosions in the lab)...into the smooth, suave, debonair, obnoxious, handsome, BUDDY LOVE. Stella Purdy (one of Professor Kelp's students)...is not attracted to Professor Kelp...but is strangely drawn to Buddy Love.

The problem is...the more Professor Kelp turns into Buddy Love...the Buddy Love personality begins to take over...and Kelp is driven to keep going back to the potion for longer lasting effects.

Much of the action takes place in the college hangout called THE PURPLE PIT where Love makes his first appearance. He plays piano, handles tough punks, sets the ladies hearts aflutter. He even teaches the bartender how to make a new drink called THE ALASKAN POLAR BEAR HEATER:

--2 shots of vodka
--A little rum
--Some bitters
--A smidgen of vinegar
--A shot of vermouth
--A shot of gin
--A shot of scotch
--A little brandy
--A lemon peel
--An orange peel
--A cherry
--Some more scotch

The bartender is then instructed to MIX IT NICE...and then POUR IT IN A TALL GLASS. The bartender asks if he can try it...takes a sip and immediately becomes in a frozen position. Of course Buddy Love chugs it with no ill effect. Hmmmmmmmmm....Professor Julius Kelp is MIXING a drink to make him cool...and Buddy Love is mixing a drink that is a result of him being cool. Another side note...many movie critics point out the apparent similarities to the estranged Dean Martin (Buddy Love) and Julius Kelp (Jerry Lewis). Whatever the comparison...this is a definite comedic play on STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL and MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE...was a novella written by Stevenson in 1886...as a result of dreams he was having about "bogey men".

The case is told from the perspective of a lawyer who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde. Like the Nutty Professor...the experiment goes awry as Mr. Hyde takes over Dr. Jekyll...and the inhibitions are released...reflected in rampant hedonistic lifestyle. Where the good Dr. had restraints...the bad Mr. has no restraints.

It reminds me of that verse...Proverbs 29:18..."Where there is NO VISION (revelation)...the people perish (cast off restraint...are unrestrained)...but happy is he who keeps the law". The vision talked about is insight into the Word of God...the thing that restrains behaviour. No revelation...no restraint...enter in the world of lasciviousness or licentiousness.

Paul writes about this dualistic personality in Romans 7:13-25 as he struggles with sin, good, evil. NOTE: Depending on which theologian you are reading or listening to...the struggle is Paul BEFORE he became a follower of Jesus...OR...it is Paul lamenting about his life AFTER his conversion. Whatever the time frame of the struggle...the ANSWER to the struggle is found in JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD (Romans 7:25)

I for one relate to my SPIRITUAL ROLLER COASTER RIDE...as I struggle with this thing called the FLESH versus the SPIRIT. A cursory look at the EPISTLES (letters) from the various New Testament writers...you can see a lot of warnings and corrections to believers. Peter...who was ONCE a coward and impulsive follower of Jesus...went from a denier of Jesus in the face of pressure from a little girls accusations...to the chief spokesman of the FAITH. He was saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, a strong witness...some say he was the first Pope...founder of the church. This stalwart of the faith had to be rebuked and corrected in the eyes of others by Paul when he reverted back to OLD FEARS and acted differently in front of religious people than in front of the ones he preached to. (Galatians 2:11-21)

Here is the problem that Paul was encountering...

PROBLEM STATED

"For what I am doing...I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. For what I WILL TO DO...that I DO NOT PRACTICE; but what I HATE, that I DO NOT PRACTICE; but what I HATE...I DO. If, then I DO what I WILL NOT TO DO...I agree with the law that it is good...BUT NOW...it is NO LONGER I WHO DO IT...but SIN that DWELLS IN ME. For I know that IN ME...(that is, in MY FLESH) NOTHING GOOD DWELLS...for TO WILL is present with me...but HOW TO PERFORM WHAT IS GOOD...I DO NOT FIND. For the GOOD that I WILL TO DO...I DO NOT DO....but the EVIL I will NOT TO DO...that I PRACTICE. Now if I DO what I will NOT TO DO...it is NO LONGER I WHO DO IT......BUT SIN THAT DWELLS IN ME. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the INWARD MAN. But I see another law in my MEMBERS...WARRING against the law of my MIND.... and bringing me INTO CAPTIVITY to the law of SIN which is in my members." (Romans 7:15-23)

DECLARATION AND QUESTION

"O WRETCHED man that I AM! Who will deliver me from this boyd /body of death? (Romans 7:24)

THE ANSWER

"I thank God--THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! So then...with the MIND I myself server the law of God...but with the FLESH...the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)

If you are in CONDEMNATION because of the STRUGGLE...there is a way that you can have NO CONDEMNATION.

NEXT TIME: How To Break The Power of HYDE/BUDDY LOVE.

Love and Julius Kelp Kisses
Rodney "Staying Away From the Alaskan Polar Bear Heater" Boyd