GET BACK...TO WHERE YOU ONCE BELONGED

Greetings Oh Ye Children of Adam and Eve...how does your Garden grow?

Joni Mitchell wrote the song Woodstock...recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young about the 3 days of Peace and Music...as a musical desire to "get back to the garden."

(WOODSTOCK by Joni Mitchell)

I came upon a child of God
He was walkin' along the road
And I asked him where are you going
And this He told me
I'm going down to Yasgur's Farm
I'm gonna join in a rock and roll band
I'm gonna camp out on the land
I'm gonna get my soul free

We are stardust...we are golden...we are billion years old carbon...caught up in the devil's bargain...and we've got to get ourselves BACK TO THE GARDEN.


Joni spoke of the inward desire of mankind...to get our soul free from the entanglement of sin and get back to what was lost in the Garden because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. (Read Genesis 3:1-24 for full details of the Fall and the cause and effect of the Fall).

The cast of characters is God, Adam, Eve, and the serpent (little s) who we see in later Scriptures is identified as the devil (little d). God gave A & E everything they needed...and restricted them from one tree...the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The day they eat from that tree...they would surely die. (Genesis 2:16,17) The tempter crawled into the Garden and tempted the woman...and placed doubt in here mind about what God said and then countered what God said with twisted lies and logic. (Genesis 3:1-5) While the serpent was talking to the woman...we see that Adam was WITH her, and he ate also. (Genesis 3:6) Later on... the first mention of a car is found..."So He (God) DROVE the man out...and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to GUARD the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-23) This is the GARDEN that Joni Mitchell...and CSNY allude to.

The problem is...that any attempt to "get your soul free"...and any attempt to "get yourself back to the garden." will fail...because...you are "caught up in the devil's bargain"...and only ONE THING can buy off the devil...another's life for the life of the fallen A & E.


The Beatles....who said "All You Need Is Love...and then they BROKE UP."..lamented that they wanted them...and us...to GET BACK TO WHERE YOU ONCE BELONGED.

There really is a cry of the human heart to GET BACK... to where we were created to be. Many people have tried...and continue to try...to GET BACK TO THAT PLACE THAT YOU ONCE BELONGED...by either trying to transcend who they are...or cover up who they are by using everything from metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, drugs, alcohol (the accepted drug), attitude, bravado, intimidation, masks, sexual pleasure, pleasure in general (hedonism), pornographic lifestyles, (FILL IN THE BLANK)...of whatever you use to attempt to GET BACK TO THE GARDEN.


"For if while we were enemies we were RECONCILED to God through the death of His Son, much more, having bee reconciled, we shall be SAVED by His life...and not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have NOW received the reconciliation...therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin (disobedience) entered into the world...and death trough sin (cause and effect of disobedience in the Garden) and so death passed to ALL MEN (Woodstock Generation included) have sinned." (Romans 5:9-11)


"For the love of Christ controls us...having concluded this, that ONE DIED (Jesus) for us ALL (everyone), therefore all died...and He (Jesus) died for all...so that those who live might NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES...but for Him (Jesus) who died and rose again on their (the all) behalf." (II Corinthians 5:14-15)

Well...one thing is right..."There is NO PLACE like home."...but it will take more than wishes and dreams, clicking of ruby slippers...or a good witch with a wand to make that happen. It will take more than just being good, sharing all things in common for 3 days at a music festival.

"He (God) save 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)


NOTE: Our problem is...that we are trying to GET BACK TO THE GARDEN on the basis of how we do...on how much we do for others...on our own goodness...and we keep running into Romans 3:10, 23..."As it is written...there is NONE righteous...NO...NOT...ONE...and "We have all FALLEN SHORT of the glory of God." We keep circling back to a garden of weeds, crop failure, drought, etc...in our own strength.

"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)

NOTE: We keep trying to GET BACK TO THE GARDEN...TO WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED... by trying to die for ourselves...the UNJUST FOR THE UNJUST...and we end up with the same dead spirit as when we started...with the same longings.


FINAL WORDS...FINALLY

The sentiment is NOT wrong...we do have that hole in our soul that longs to GET BACK TO WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED...but the method of filling that hole is like trying to fill a BLACK HOLE in outer space. It is impossible.

The ONLY WAY TO GET BACK TO WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED...is via Jesus.

Sometimes Christians are accused of being closed minded about this thing called salvation and reconciliation to God. We are ridiculed because we don't subscribe to "all roads lead to Rome"... or there are "many paths" to God. The reason that we are so closed minded...is because Jesus is so closed minded.

"Jesus said to him, I am THE way...and THE truth...and THE life...no one comes to the Father... but THROUGH ME." (John 14:6)

As C.S. Lewis states that Jesus is either (a) Liar (b) Lunatic on the same level as a poached egg
(c) Lord.

I choose Lord...the ONLY WAY BACK TO WHERE I ONCE BELONGED.

"Therefore I any man/woman/mankind is IN CHRIST...he/she/we are NEW CREATIONS... old things past away...behold...new things have come." (II Corinthians 5:17)

Love and Garden Kisses
Rodney "Got Back To Where I Still Belong" 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