MY STORY AND HOW I HAVE EXPERIENCED JESUS - P

Tyler, Jesus and How Divorce Can Lead to Polygyny (Sin C & A).
COPYRIGHT JANUARY 14, 1996; Revised 1/7/2004; 05/13/09;12/05/10
All rights reserved.
by R. L. Tyler
elkanahtyler@gmail.com, Elkanah21stCent@aol.com;
Jabez1Chr4@hotmail.com
This file, in its entirety, may be posted on or copied off of
computer networks like Internet or WWW by anyone so
inclined AS LONG AS IT IS NOT CHANGED.

Dear Daughters,
It is popular nowadays to talk about personal miracles
and angel experiences. Christmas is such a miracle of Love.
During this Christmas miracle time,I would like to share with
you some of the miracles and angel experiences God used to
keep your old daddy alive long enough to allow you girls to be
born. I never meant to be such a handful for God, but I seem
to have a knack for it. So bear with me and consider what God
did to let you be born, to have the gift of Life so you too could
experience, know, have and give the gift of Love.

#1 DELIVERED FROM ELECTROCUTION

There was the time when 10 year old me was in the bathroom
standing barefoot on a very wet floor. There were two neon
lights about 3' long, one on each side of the 3' mirror, running
vertical to the floor, and both were turned on. Somehow I
slipped and caught my self spread eagle style, putting my left
hand through the left neon light and my right hand through the
right side neon light. Both neon lights broke and did I get a
shock! But not even bad enough to see a doctor (brain damage
doesn't count :), and my dear Uncle Joe could only shake his
head as he tried to figure out what had happened.

#2. DELIVERED FROM SUICIDE

I was raised in a home where my dad was an active California
supporter of the KKK and White Citizen's Council, who would
proclaim loudly at home that Hitler was one of the greatest
men that ever lived. He partied and drank with his cronies
when both Kennedys and Dr. ML King were killed. He hated Jews,
Catholics, AfroAms, Mexicans -- almost anyone who wasn't WASP.
He was from a factory working family in Missouri. My mom was
an abused, neglected and sexually exploited Ohio farm girl
who looked like the young Mary Tyler Moore and whose
prejudice ran like this -- "You can go to school with
them, work with them, go to church with them, live next door
to them, but never date or marry one."

My dad was a functioning social drinking alcoholic, and was

addicted to porn, so porn was hidden in many places in the
house. By the 4th grade I was becoming sexually addicted
through the National Geographic magazines pictures of
topless African women and nude South American Indians. Between
National Geographic (National Pornographic according to
my students) and my dad's porn my sexual orientation
was completely integrated with a full blown appetite
for all women irrespective of race and ethnicity
before the age of 12.

I was twelve years old and I had just begun the seventh grade
in San Diego, California, September 1953) I
was almost 5' 10" tall and weighed about 140 lbs. and I had a
pretty bad record in the community. I had a "D" average for
grades K - 6 but was never flunked because the teachers
knew I could do the work if I wanted to do it. I was
spanked at least each month by the
principal for misconduct and I was either suspended or
expelled each semester starting with the fourth grade through
the sixth grade. In the seventh grade I had a "C-" average
with a lot of "D's" in conduct and I was getting into trouble with
the girls. I committed a couple of nonviolent felonies but was
never caught. I was miserable, confused, lonely and horny
as could be, already sexually addicted, relationship starved
and headed for real trouble.

I had been kicked out of my church's youth group

because I kept on breaking up the meetings by goofing off and
clowning around. I believed in God and the Bible, but I sure
didn't know Him personally and I figured He was unhappy
with me like everybody else. I figured, at 12, that there was
no Love in the world, that every body only had user unfriendly
conditional love, selfish “love”, and I decided I didn't want to live
in a world where there was no Love. I didn't believe there was
any Love on earth and for sure I didn't believe that my mom
and dad loved me. My mom was so desperate to salvage her
first born son that she decided to force me to go to the church's
September Palomar camp in hope of a miracle. On the way to
Palomar on the church bus, I decided that since there was no
Love on earth, I would either jump off Laurel St. Bridge in
Balboa Park or join the local street and motorcycle gang,
drinking, smoking marijuana and fooling around with the girls
until I got killed like some I knew.
That night at camp I saw people doing something I had
never seen before, i.e. consistently and sincerely Loving on each
other sincerely, unselfishly and joyfully. I wanted what they had
desperately so I decided I would imitate them so maybe I could fit
and they would accept me into their joyful and loving society. I
knew what they had was real when I got up that next freezing
morning on Mt. Palomar, walked into the men's room and saw
guys really joyful and really loving each other, heart to heart
and eye to eye -- like a loving and joyous family reunion on
a Sunday afternoon. All the more I decided that I wanted what
they had and tried to imitate them so I could at least be
accepted by them, if I couldn't have what they had.
On a noon hike that Saturday I was hanging out on the
edge of the group, trying to fit in and catch what they had. I
tripped over a Manzanilla root and meant to say "shoot" but
said "sheet" instead, and said it loud enough for THEM to hear.
I knew that "sheet" was "shit" with a Mexican accent to THEM
and I felt I had totally blown my cover and that THEY all now
knew that I wasn't really one of them. I believed they saw me
for the faker and “great pretender” that I was. I blew up
over that Manzanilla root, kicking it and hitting the bush while
verbally overflowing with stuff like "Doggone it! What's wrong
with me! I can't do anything right! I always mess up! Just
about the time I think I got it right, then I mess up! What the
heck is wrong with me!"

Now I don't know if she was an angel or not. I never saw

her before or after that encounter with the bush. I never got
her name. Later when I tried to figure out who she was, I
thought that maybe it was a young lady at church who looked a
lot like her, but she denied that it was her. Well whoever she
was, she came gently over to me as I was kicking the root and
hitting the tree and verbally dumping. She quietly stood
beside me and asked me if I would like to know why I do
things like I was doing, why I mess up. Well you know that I
wanted to know that, because I was sick and tired of messing
up, especially after messing up in the presence of the first real
joyful and loving people I ever knew. So she asked me to sit
down on a big rock over looking Don Valley on Palomar Mt. and
she proceeded to explain to me why I messed and how Jesus
could still Love a jerk like me, that He wanted a personal and
intimate relationship, to be my God and King, my Shepherd and
my Deliverer, and to make me a forever son of His Father. For
the next three hours she showed me, gently and patiently, how
and why Jesus Loved me.
I believed Jesus was real, but I sure didn't think that He
Loved me. The proof that persuaded me that God not only
could but actually did Love me was that Christ died for me,
died in my place, took my rap and punishment. I
could argue with most other points, but I couldn't deny that
Jesus died. Even unbelievers believed Jesus lived and died.
To me that was a historical fact that few disputed. So when I
saw that I had solid historical evidence that Jesus died, I was
ready to seriously consider that just maybe He Loved me
enough to really die for me. I respected and believed the
Bible, so when she showed me book after book, chapter after
chapter, verse after verse that plainly stated that the reason
Jesus died (that solid historical fact), was because God so Loved
me and the world and because He wanted to Love me as my
Father, as Shepherd, as King, as Deliverer in a very intimate
and personal relationship, - - - - my eyes began to see, my
mind to understand, and my heart wanted that Love. When she
showed me why He let them kill Him, that it was His choice,
that He died to take my place in the court of Divine Justice-----
-- well she had me. I couldn't deny that he died, and she
persuaded that God so Loved me that He sent His only begotten
Son to die in my place so that I could be His forever child ----
Eureka! Yahoo! Hot dog! I had discovered the Love I was looking
for, a Love that I could live for, a Love to give my life to and for.
I already believed that He rose from the dead and was coming
back. Now I could have a relationship with the GOD who was
real, unselfish and compassionate cherishing Love.

I believed her, accepted Jesus Christ as my God revealed in a human

body, Lord, King, Deliverer and Saviour and got all excited. I told
her that I had to check all of this out with the youth sponsor,
Chuck Hill, to make sure that all that she told me was right on.
If she were an angel, then I can see why I had to check it out
with Chuck, because the Bible makes it plain that soul-winning
is the work, not of angels, but of the Spirit and his human
servants. After Chuck confirmed everything the woman had
told me, I tanked him and went up the other hill side to pray
my prayer of thanks, believing, receiving and trusting Jesus as
my God and Saviour. I was such a babe I didn't realize that I
had been born again as soon as I talked to Chuck, because
I believed and had faith in Jesus and His Word as soon a Chuck
confirmed it all. I believed and was born again even before I
made my big formal acceptance prayer.

Talk about a radical life change! Within a month of my

8th grade year (Oct. or Nov.) my grades averaged "B", I was a
leader in my church youth group, my school's Bible club (the
girls had a hard time believing I had changed), and I
determined to do what I could do for my messed up family,
especially my mom and dad.

I don't know if that young lady was an angel, but I never

saw her again at that camp after that three hour talk. I never
saw her again anywhere at anytime. Nobody else knew about
her. But God used her to keep your Dad from jumping off the
Laurel St. bridge or dying with the street and motorcycle
gangsters, perhaps so I could be your dad.

SEX JESUS AND ME

Jesus and I had a beautiful honeymoon of three years after

He saved and regenerated me. I went from being a delinquent
and sex addict (yes by age 12) to being the Bible club leader
at school and youth group leader at my church. Then came
Lady R Naomi Bruce. Great Biblical names right? Well her name
might as well have been Delilah because one day towards the
end of the ninth grade (1955) she “wiggled the bait” and
flirted with me and we struck up a conversation that led
to a friendship. Well one day at school she asked me to walk
her home, which meant a lovely walk through Balboa Park.
She said she wanted to show me something off the road and
down among the trees and bushes. In a secluded and private
spot she asked me if I knew how to kiss a girl, and how nice it was to do so. I
admitted my lack of experience and said I really didn’t know. She asked me
if she could show me how to and how nice it was. She was looking so good
and smelling so good and was so friendly I accepted her offer. Well before we
were finished she had
introduced me to necking and petting and the “sex monkey”was back on my
back after three wonderful years with Jesus.

The struggle with sex sin and sexually sinful thoughts and
pornography returned with great intensity. I went to my pastor
to ask him what to do about it. He was a dear, sincere and
godly man who meant well. He told me to read my Bible more,
pray more, exercise a lot and take cold showers. I did all of
that but I still was losing the battle to control my mind and
desires way too often for my own peace of mind in Jesus.
I was the typical highly testosteroned adolescent who had
great difficulty seeing, smelling and/or touching a good
looking girl without being filled with sexual desire and
thoughts --- many times througout the day and night. My
struggle to resist the temptation of all of my dad’s porn in the house was a
daily struggle, too often lost.

NO ONE told me exactly what heterosexual sex sin was or

consisted of except that genital to genital sexual intercourse
outside of marriage was sinful. NO ONE showed me from
Prov 5 and Ezek 23 with 1 Cor 6 that not only the genitals
of a female but also her breasts are to be intimately done
and enjoyed ONLY BY HER OWN MAN/HUSBAND. NO ONE
showed me from Ezek ch 16 and ch. 23 that it was sinful
for me to see, handle and or feel a female’s genital if she
was not my own woman/wife. So for 15 years of my walk
with Jesus, of teaching Sunday School, of teaching Daily
Vacation Bible School, of leading my church’s youth group,
of being a Christian Camp Counselor, of helping missionaries
in Mexico, and of working with orphanages in Mexico, I
scrupulously and consistently avoided genital to genital contact
with my girls, but way too often there was heavy petting
and nudity which I enjoyed immensely but about which I was
plagued with doubts and a lack of peace --- but I sincerely
believed that as long as there was no genital to gential contact I was not
sinning.

NO ONE told adolescent Christian me that God had a plan for

those of His children who were struggling with sex sin and
losing too often. Even the King James Version hid God’s
plan from me, with its old English and unclear translation
of 1 Cor 7.
“1* ¶ Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a
man not to touch a woman. 2* Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every
man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. . . . . 7
For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man has his proper
gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. 8 I say therefore to
the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. 9* But
if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.”

To Christian adolescent and Bible student me and my understanding

of “let”, that passage meant this:
“1* ¶ Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a
man not to touch a woman. 2* Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, ALLOW
every man have his own wife, and ALLOW every woman have her own
husband. . . . 9* But if they CANNOT contain, ALLOW them TO marry: for it is
better to marry than to burn.”
Well of course I knew that my pastor and my churches ALLOWED
people to marry, especially if they were in need of marital sex.
Furthermore I knew that any good Christian CAN CONTAIN since
we are told that we CAN DO ALL THINGS, including containing
or sexual drives and desires, by Christ who enables us (Phil
2:13; 4:13). Tragically for me and all the wonderful Christian
girls I sex sinned with, that is NOT what the Word says.

It wasn’t until 15 years after Lady R Naomi Bruce that the Spirit
used the Greek and clearer translations to enlighten me that
marriage is COMMANDED to avoid sex sin, especially when one
is struggling to “contain” and not always succeeding. So finally
after these sex snares caused me to stumble, grieve and offend
many Christians and caused my first marriage to fail, I came to understand
the fuller meaning of 1 Cor 7:
***1Cor7:1 ¶ But concerning the things of which ye have written to me: It is
good for a man not to be touching a woman; 2 but ON ACCOUNT OF SEX
SINS, each one SHOULD BE HAVING his own woman, and each woman
SHOULD BE HAVING her own man. . . . 4 It is not the wife, but the husband,
who exercises authority over her body; and so, too, it is not the husband, but
the wife, who exercises authority over his body.. . 8 But I say to the
unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them that they remain
[unmarried] even as I. 9 But if they are NOT HAVING CONTINUING CONTROL
OF THEMSELVES [to keep from sinning sexually once in a while], THEY
SHOULD MARRY; for it is better to marry than to burn.

The “SHOULD” represents the Greek imperative, which means

it is as much a COMMAND TO BE OBEYED as “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN” that
a married couple be having each other, and that the one who fails to keep
COMPLETE CONTROL of himself is COMMANDED BY GOD TO MARRY. Finally I
learned that His solution for avoiding sex sin and for those too often loosing
the battle against sex sin and temptations --- is not more Bible reading,
more praying, a lot of exercise with cold showers. Finally I
learned that MARRIAGE is His solution for avoiding sex sin and for those too
often loosing the battle against sex sin and temptations.
Finally I learned that when under His command to marry I should
marry any willing godly and Spirit filled mate He provides and about whom I
have no godly doubts (Rom 14:22 - 15:5), without waiting until some
Christian comes along who meets all my preferences and/or requirements.

RACE, JESUS AND ME

My Jr. and sr high schools (1953 -1958) were integrated. Since Jesus was
my role model and I considered God my Father, I knew right
away that racism and hatred were sins before God and a large
part of my parent's sickness. I had friends of every race
and nationality by the life changing work of Jesus in
my life. I was still contaminated by my parent's bigotry and
the pressures to conform to my peers enough to believe that
I should Love and be kind to all people, but EuroAms should
never date or marry an AfroAm or MexAm woman.

The first time I ever saw a real live AfroAm woman as a

sexually desirable female that I wanted to know personally
and intimately was when my running buddy, AfroAm Betty
Pryor, IMPRESSED me with her femininity. Betty and I sat
next to each other in our high school 1957 French class and
were the class clowns, passing notes, goofing off and generally
driving the teacher to distraction. I never thought of
her as a sex object/person but we were best buddies in
class. Then one day we all were acting stupid and
tried to all get out the door at the same time. Betty
and I were together and the fronts of our bodies were
firmly pressed onto each others' body. Betty's AMPLE
breasts were FIRMLY pressed across my chest and Betty
and I were face to face. My reaction caused Betty to
almost fall down laughing as she tried to go on to her
next class, because as soon as I realized that I was
getting a "royal boob press" my mouth fell wide open,
my eye almost popped out and I froze like that outside
the door and in the hall---as
if in shock and my body’s reaction embarrassed me.

I had never thought of her sexually but I had to and did then. All I
could do was stagger toward my next class, shaking my head in a
daze, trying to process what had just happened. I must have looked
drunk or drugged (we had marijuana back then) but I didn't care
because I wanted to understand what had just happened. I couldn’t
figure it out and put it on a “figure out later” list in my mind. After that Betty
and i were still clown partners, but now I saw her as a woman
and she enjoyed teasing and tempting me. I went into my parents'
"Look but don't touch" rule and mode when it came to AfroAm women.
I was hypocritically dating EuroAms and/or trying to date
Asians, "discretely" (for sinful fear of social pressures) dating
MexAm girls, but I couldn't bring myself to "cross the line" and date AfroAm
girls “discretely” or otherwise -- until 1964 and
Elea Gray of Altadena. So in high school we all just stayed friends and goofed
off together. Even though saved in Jesus I was still snared in some of the
racist and sinful beliefs and thinking of my parents -- until 1964 and Elea
Gray of Altadena..

#3 DELIVERED FROM ELECTROCUTION AND HERBICIDES

Then there was the time my dad told me to cut the electric
wire with the all metal scissors and bare hands (no insulation
at all). I asked if the current was off and he said he had turned
it off. Well he hadn't and instead of me getting the shock of my
life, the current just blew as 3/16ths" hole through the cutting
blade of the steel scissors and killed the fuse. My dad and I
could hardly believe what we saw.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on 07/25/09 that "there may be a link
between exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange and other herbicides . . .
and an increased chance of developing serious heart problems and
Parkinson's disease, according to . . . the [VA's] Institute of Medicine . . ." In
1960 my mother sent me to Ohio for the summer,

and my hero, Bob Shaw, sent me to the family’s bottom land

to clear trees away from the border of the corn field, using an

herbicide on the stumps of the cut trees to keep kill them to keep them from
growing back. So for about two months, at least four

hours a day, Monday through Friday, my hands were covered

with the tree killing herbicide. After about two months while working in the
bottom land, I went blind. All I could see was

bright white --- a white out like being in a blizzard. I was

very frightened because I was all alone in the bottom with no

one to help, no one to hear my cries for help, and who knows

what kind of animals were around me. I cried out to Jesus for help

and began praying like crazy. After a while my sight came back

but I knew I needed help so I raced to the truck and drove it wildly across the
fields until I got to the nearest friendly farmhouse, where I called Bob. Bob
came and while he was driving me to the

hospital I went “white out” blind again. This kind of blindness

had happened once before when I had chicken pox with a very high

fever. I knew something was very wrong. They kept me in ICU in the hospital
for a week. Here I am, 45 years later, and the only

lasting after effect of all that exposure to a deadly herbicide is

a damaged and weakened liver, that prevents me from using many

helpful medications. I could have died, been permanently blinded,

or had cancer as a result, but Jesus spared me and brought me

out of the experience with only a damaged and weakened liver.That was 48
years ago, and by the grace of God I don't have cancer, "serious heart
problems and Parkinson's disease." Lab tests show that my heart, liver and
kidneys are normal without significant damage. I thank God.

Praise God for His many mercies.

#4 DELIVERED FROM MY DEADLY BAD DRIVING 1962

The driving miracles are the ones I like the best. There was
the convenient driving miracle. I was helping drive a medical
"missionary" and his large family from Sacramento CA to the
county of Belize (British Honduras). We arrived a Laredo Texas
with some tire problems. The garage mechanic, unfriendly
from the start, told us we needed two new front tires and inner
tubes (1962). He and his crew were sullen and unfriendly and
seemed to resent the Christian words the medic had on his big
bus and on the little van I was driving. So they put two new
tires and inner tubes on the front of the van I drove. We were
glad to leave such hostile people and spent the rest of the day
driving into Mexico and to Ciudad Victoria of Tamaulipas.

Just before sunset and after a long hot day driving over
hills, along the side of cliffs with deep drop offs, very rough
roads and rough country (with no AAA help
available) I began to drive up a bridge that arched over
another highway on the outskirts of Cd. Victoria. With a full
load of kids and luggage I slowed to under 30 mph going up
the arch, probably the safest driving situation all day, when
both front tires popped and went flat. There I am at the top of
this arch bridge with two flat front tires. What is the chance
of that? What to do?

Providentially there were nice motel accommodations 100 yds

further along and one block from the "motel" was a tire factory.
I love the good Lord's planning. So it was easy and convenient
to get the tire fixed and get some rest.
The next morning the guys at the tire factory changed the
tires and were perplexed by what they found. They found that
the inner tubes were at least three sizes too big for those tires,
that had caused there to be creases in the inner tubes and
there were 3 to 5 cracks in the creases big enough to slip a
50 cent piece through. He didn't understand why any mechanic
would put such large inner tubes in our tires, and he didn't
understand how we had managed to drive so far before having
any problems. If the tires had given out at any other time that
day at high speeds on rough roads the results could have been
tragic, or at least very inconvenient and difficult to deal with.
We thanked Jesus in amazement for His deliverance from the
malice or carelessness of those hostile mechanics in Laredo
and His care for our safety and convenience.

***************************************

#5 DELIVERED FROM MORE OF MY DEADLY BAD DRIVING

There was Mexico's Yucatan jungle driving miracle of
1962 during the Kennedy-Krushev-Cuba-Missles crisis.
See the picture below. I was driving a van #2 with some
of the medical missionary’s kids aboard and the medical
missionary was driving the big bus #1 in the same direction
with the rest of his family .

[Set this to Helvetica or Palatino 12 to view]

###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~====^^=====~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===B#1BB===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===BBUSB===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===BBUSB===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===B#1BB===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~====..^^..===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~====V#2.===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~====VAN===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~====VAN===~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###
###jungle###~~~swamp~~~===========~~~###

When we came to this stretch of dirt highway under construction suddenly

the bus caused dust to come up so fast an so thick. In the thick dust I
became confused and drove on
in the dust of his bus #1. I could see only a few feet and
knew that what I had seen before the dust was a straight
stretch of three lane wide dirt road elevated about 8' above the
surrounding swamp. I did the dumb thing of deciding that I
should try to catch up to the bus in the dense dust and keep it
in sight. I was driving blind and getting more alarmed by the
moment. I didn't know for sure where I was on the road going
that fast (35 mph +).

Suddenly I see this large dirt moving diesel truck #3

directly in front of me #2 headed right at me---- head on collision imminent.
All I could do was pray/cry out His name, “JESUS!”
***Rom 10:13 For every one whosoever, who shall call on the name of the
Lord, shall be saved.

[Set this to Helvetica or Palatino 12 to view]

###~~~==========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~==========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~===truck!!!==~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~===tr#3ck===~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~===truck!!!==~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~===truck!!!==~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~===VvvV===~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~===========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~===========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~====..^^.====~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~====V#2====~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~====VAN===~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~====VAN===~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~===========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~===========~~~swamp~~~###jungle###

God* worked* in* me* ----------------------------------------------

****Phil 2: 12 ¶ So that, my beloved, . . . . WORK OUT YOUR OWN salvation
with fear and trembling, 13 FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH THE
WILLING AND THE WORKING according to his good pleasure.
***Heb 13:20 But the God of peace, . . . . 21 PERFECT YOU in every good
work to the DOING OF HIS WILL, DOING IN YOU what is pleasing before him
through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for the ages of ages. Amen.
------------------------------so that I wanted to and actually did instinctively turn
hard to the right only to realize that would
send me and the kids into the swamp, so while I was in
terror of crashing into the swamp, God worked in me so that
I wanted to and actually did make a hard left and slammed on
the brakes because I had no idea where I was on the road
which I couldn't see because of all the dust. He had worked
in me to will and do that which I couldn’t do to save us.

My heart was racing and I was praying hard that we were

safe while trying to regain my composure so as not to alarm the kids any
more than necessary. My hands were sweaty and trembling as I waited for
the dust to clear. After what seemed to be forever, I could see our
predicament. I had parked perfectly parallel to the edge of the dirt road with
only 2" or 3" from the right side of the van’s tires to the drop off into the
swamp! He had worked in me to will and do that which I couldn’t do on my
own to save us.

[Set this to Helvetica or Palatino 12 to view]

###~~~=============~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=============~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###.~~~=========.^^..~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=========V#2.~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=========VAN~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=========VAN~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=============~~~swamp~~~###jungle###
###~~~=============~~~swamp~~~###jungle###

I could not have parked that well even if I could have

seen the edge of the road! I can't park parallel that well even
today! And if I could have seen what I was doing, I would
never have parked so close to the edge of the road. So I figure
Jesus used my foolish, panicky and sweaty hands driving blind
to miss the truck and park perfectly with no damage to
vehicles and no injury to persons.

So I sat there waiting for my heart and breathing to slow

down, and began to realize I had another problem. This dirt
soft shoulder was so soft it even looked soft and I realized that
with the rear drive wheel on that soft shoulder just 2" from the
drop off, that soft shoulder could give way under the weight
and the van still could fall into the swamp. Afraid to do anything on the
swamp side of the van, we all got out the driver's door.

The dirt truck #3 came back to see what happened to us and

the medic #1 came back to see what was the problem. They
agreed with the assessment of the problem and tied tow ropes
to the side of the van and the dirt truck so that when I drove
the van away from the edge, the van would not fall into the
swamp even if the soft shoulder gave way. This experience
gave the idea of "leaving the driving to Him" a whole new
meaning and made me learn the hard learned lesson to never
drive blind again, and that---
“every one, without exception, who calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved.” Rom 10:13

*******************************************`
By the age of 20 (1961) I had helped some missionaries in Mexico,
and I had fallen in love with the virtuous Mexican people,
especially the ones who really loved Jesus. My dating life
now included Mexicans but I could never let my parents know
because my racist dad was dangerous with his guns and threats.
I still had plenty of AfroAm friends at school, but I just couldn’t handle the
thought of dating an AfroAm lady. My dad had really done a job on my mind
and gradually Jesus was fixing it, one issue at a time.

By '63 I was in college, vice chairman of SNCC (Student NonViolent

Coordinating Committe-Civil Rights), and active in civil rights
activities in SD. Then there was Elea Gray of Altadena at SDSU. One day
walking between classes I saw a thin/slim, light brown, long haired, Lebanese
nosed young lady coming towards me and I literally lost my breath and
emotionally went into TOTAL FEMALE ALERT mode. She had me from the first
time I saw her, but she didn't even notice me.

So I plotted her course. I learned of the times she came that route and the
other routes she used. Then one day I made sure I was going the same way
as her at the same time, and i struck up a conversation. That led to 20 to 30
hours of face to face and phone conversation for each of two weeks. At the
end of those two weeks, I learned that she was AfroAm-IndiAm, and by then I
didn't care if she was a Yaqui Indian or a Zulu maiden. I was totally hooked
and my heart was captured with her beautiful sweet smile and twinkling
eyes. She had become the Love Tar Baby of my heart, and every move I
made towards her got me more and more stuck and attached to her. I could
hardly focus on my classes.

I was in my senior year (1965) at SDSU and i had already had some run ins
with my prof's. One had given me a C when all my grades were B because I
didn't believe some of his assumptions and conclusions for evolution and
against creation. Now I was madly in love with Elea and dating her every
chance i had. I was very afraid of further reprisals by my profs and feared
that they might mess up my senior year if they saw me openly
dating an AfroAm lady. I was going to school on borrowed money living in a
one two room shack in an alley about five miles from school. I had no car and
had to borrow one to date. My school and work transportation was my trusty
racing bike. Elea saw and understood my fears of reprisal for dating her and
tried
to help me through them. When we dated on campus, we did it
discretely going and being where the profs didn't go. I was so
worried about reprisals that Elea and I realized that i was headed for an
ulcer. By the gracious work of God I finally outgrew the fear as my trust in
Christ was restored and Elea became more precious to me than graduation,
career or economic success.
Amazing how fear cripples and undermines both love and faith.
Amazing how love and faith can overcome fear. He gives us that choice. My
fear of racial reprisal by my profs was vague and
ill defined and it blind sided me. In 1962 in the jungles of Yucatan Mexico the
fear of death was clearly focused and so present I thought I could feel it.
After getting the missionaries across the Mexican-Belize border I had to rest
for a couple of days before returning to California by Mexico’s “Greyhound
Bus”, Tres Estellas de Oro. I was totally alone there in Quintana Roo except
for a Mexican native pastor that befriended me and drank Mexican hot
chocolate with me as we fellowshipped. When my strength had
returned I knew it was time to get on the bus and go.

It was night and the bus was full mostly of Mexican Indians and farmers, all
of whom seemed to have knives and machetes, but there were two Cubans
seated about six rows behind me. Kennedy and Krushev were on the brink of
nuclear WW3 over the Russian missles in Cuba. Tension was high world wide.
Those Castro loving
Cubans spent hours behind me shouting sweet little nothings like
“Kill the Yankee Pig!!!!!!!” “Cut that Yankee’s throat and throw him to the
dogs!!!!!!”, “Kill the Yankee spy!!!!!!”. I didn’t say a word, and every once in
a while looked around to see how the armed Mexicans were reacting, with a
benign and resigned smile on my face. They looked grimly at me and then
looked away. I was so tired, so alone that night on that bus in that dense
Yucatan jungle it was clear that the situation was totally out of my control
and I was totally dependent on Jesus for continued life on earth. I chose to
trust Him with my life, made my peace with Jesus, and prepared to die or
live, whichever Jesus worked. So when we came to a rest stop in the middle
of the jungle at a small Cantina, I had to use the restroom. As I surveyed the
situation I knew that if I went into the Cantina’s restroom it would be a
perfect place to be stabbed in the back, so I chose to put my life in God’s
hand and cautiously stepped into a dark jungle, a jungle I knew to be full of
big spiders and snakes and jungle cats, to take care of business. Finally dawn
and Merida appeared and I had lived through the night and the Cubans and
God had spared me one more time. Faith had won over fear.

Back to 1963 I had a falling out with SDSU’s SNCC when the local AfroAm
chairman decided to accept financial support from representatives of
communist nations and groups. As resigning coChaiman I told him the
communists were as much my enemies as the KKK, and I quit. So I joined the
largest AfroAm Baptist Church in town, became active with the young
people's groups, and became the Sunday School teacher of the college age
class. This was during the marches and demonstrations being led by my
"elder brother", M L King. I delighted in taking the subject for the Sunday
School lesson from the headlines, showing my college age class what the
Bible says about racism, hatred, bigotry, prejudice, social injustice,
oppression and exploitation of the poor, and how M. L. King's strategies
paralleled the instructions in the Bible for dealing with those who wrong you.
The class grew from five to 25. City council man George Stevens took over
the class after I left to marry my first AfroAm wife.

I was a "true believer" but I really got screwed up with my morals

and my horniness. I had fallen into the trap of "leaning to my own
understanding". I decided to accept the current Webster's College Dictionary
definition of fornication, instead of prayerfully seeking God's definition of
fornication. Webster's said that fornication was "Illicit sexual intercourse with
a harlot". Like several other church youth group leaders i knew at the time,
that definition left a lot of wiggle room for testosterone driven young
Christian men. I figured that if i didn't have “sexual intercourse”, genital in
genital union, then it wasn't fornication. I erred by leaning to my own
understanding of fornication and I was like a little kid who just was given free
access to all the candy in the store, AfroAm female chocolate candy.

I tragically had and failed the honor and privilege of celebrating the
awesome physical beauty of way too many nice, lovely, intelligent, sweet,
awesome AfroAm women, many of them devout Christians, in total nude
petting and oral sex while carefully avoiding “sexual intercourse” (i.e. genital
in genital union). They bought into my understanding of the definition of
fornication, and trusted me because I seemed to know so much of the Bible
and seemed to be such a devoted Christian. After all I was a Sunday School
and Daily Vacation Bible School teacher and Christian camp counselor. This
was tragic for me and for them because I learned later from Prov 5:19,20 and
Ezek 23 that the Bible makes it clear that such love making free of genital in
genital “intercourse” is as much fornication/sex-sin as actual genital in
genital intercourse.

Tragic because I should have unselfishly and compassionately cherished the

awesome and precious hearts and beauty of those wonderful AfroAm women
only in the context of marital commitment, as a child of God. I didn't get that
right until my first marriage to my first wife, AfroAm Carol Lynn McIntyre of
Oceanside, a marriage which failed within fourteen months because of my
fears, anxieties and misunderstanding of the Bible’s sexual morality.
Fears??? Fear of failing to be to my wife all that she thought me to be, of
failing to be man enough for her, of failing to be good enough for her, of her
finding out that I was just an ordinary guy with ordinary hang ups and
problems, of not being able to keep a good enough job to provide her with all
that I wanted her to have, and fear of incredibly wonderful and beautiful her
falling out of love with so imperfect me when she found out how inadequate
and fault ridden I felt I was. Fear cast out perfect Love and death followed.

*******************************************
Making a lemonade life out of life’s bitter lemons

Let me tell you a Christian sister's testimony as I recall her telling it to me.
There was this little, slim and delicate Christian sister. I had the honor of
being her house quest back in the '60s and she told me her story. This is how
I remember it. She was gloriously saved in Jesus while married to her
chauvinistic, arrogant, proud, rich and unfaithful Orthodox husband. He
really believed that her place was pregnant, bare foot and in the kitchen.
They found out after their second child that her heart was weak and she
could die during childbirth and so was told to have no more children. He got
her pregnant four+ more times. Soon after being saved the Lord used these
times of great peril to lead her into submission and obedience to His Word in
1 Peter 2 + 3

***1 Pet 2:19 For this [is] a grace, if for conscience [toward] God anyone
endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory [is it] if you patiently
endure [while] sinning and being buffeted? But if you suffer [while] doing
good, and patiently endure, this [is] a grace from God. 21 For were you not
called to this? For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example,
that you should follow His steps, 22 He who did no sin, nor was guile found in
His mouth, 23 who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He
suffered, He did not threaten, but gave [Himself] up to Him who judges
righteously. 24 [He] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that
dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were
healed. 25 For you were as sheep going astray, but now you are turned to
the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1Pt3: 1 ¶ IN THE SAME WAY[--- as
the servants of 2:18-25] , wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands,
------------ with all reverence, not only to those good and forbearing
[husbands], but also to the perverse ones.

>>>>>>>>>>>PARAPHRASED FOR APPLICATION1 Pt 2:19 For this [is] a

grace, if for conscience [toward] God anyone endures grief [because of her
husband], suffering wrongfully. 2:20 For what glory [is it] if you patiently
endure [grief from you husband while] sinning and being buffeted? But if you
suffer [grief from your husband while] doing good, and patiently endure, this
[is] a grace from God. 2:21 For were younot called to this [marital suffering]?
For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that you
should follow His steps [when your husband causes you to suffer], 22 He who
did no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth, 2:23 who when He was reviled
did not revile in return [so when your husband verbally abuses you, do not
verbally abuse him in return]. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but
gave [Himself] up to Him who judges righteously [so you also shouldn't
threaten your sinning husband but instead giveyourself up to His care].

---------------so that if any [husbands] do not obey the word, they may also be
won without the word by the conduct of the wives, 2 having witnessed your
chaste behavior in [the] fear [of God]. 3 Of whom let [it] not be the adorning
of garments, or outward braiding of hair and wearing of gold, or of putting on
clothing, 4 but [let your adornment be] the hidden One of the heart, in that
which is not corruptible, the meek [strength controlled] and quiet [peaceful]
spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God. 5 For so once indeed the
holy women hoping in God adorned themselves, being in subjection to their
own husbands [by their own choice]; 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling
him lord; whose children you became, doing good and fearing no terror.

She became a faster and a prayer, leading all of her kids to be beautifully
saved. Her husband was not stupid or blind, and soon realized and was told
by his buddies that he had a great wife, an awesome wife, and appreciation
and respect began to sink in to his chauvinistic head. He was very proud of
his precious and well behaved children, the envy of his buddies. Sometimes
when he had one on his lap, his beloved child would say something like,
"Daddy, do you love Jesus? Are you going to be in Heaven with us? Daddy, I
want you to be in Heaven with me. Please??????????!!!!!!!!!!
Daddy?????????????!!!!!!!!!!". He was deeply moved.

In the meantime, all the sister's prayer and fasting had resulted in her having
such a close and beautiful relationship with Jesus that He had given her the
gifts of discernment of spirits, healing, prophecy, tongues and interpretation
of tongues. She eventually ministered healing as a part of a well known
healing ministry. He gave her a large women's teaching and counseling
ministry at a large Protestant church.

Finally all her children were grown, and her rich husband was a much better
father and husband ---Jesus was breaking up the hard ground of his heart.
Then Jesus blessed him with a very slow cancer, which humbled him and he
accepted Jesus, giving Jesus his body, soul and spirit. He became one of the
gentlest, sweetest, nicest and most gracious Christians I have ever known
---- and then Jesus took him Home. He honored His Word and used this
sister's obedience to 1 Peter 3 to save and take Home a precious son of God.
Years later she married a godly man. Have faith. Trust God. Little is much
with God's blessing on it. Weakness is strength and power with Jesus'
blessing on it. If you have a Nabal for a husband, be an Abigail (1 Sam 25).

This sister gave me a prophecy about a key issue and phase in my life,
specifically in my first marriage eight years later. She told me that one day
three crows would enter my life. At that time Jesus would try me in a trial
that could cost me my life if I failed it, or could release me to blessed service
and victory in Jesus if I passed the test. About eight years later, EuroAm me,
failing miserably in fear and faithlessness in my first marriage to an
incredibly beautiful and intelligent AfroAm-IndiAm young lady, I walked out of
the back door of my classroom and looked out on the large green field --and
there were three crows --- and they stayed in my life until the turning point in
the trial of my life. That story is for another time.

***************************************************

>>>>>>A different kind of miracle<<<<<<<<<

About 40 years ago when I was attending college in San Diego, CA, I met one
of the most beautiful women in the world. She was a light brown skinned
Filipina with a movie star face. She was on campus that night and needed a
ride home and I volunteered. As we got near to her neighborhood she began
to take off all of her clothes. With clothes on she was a stunning cover girl
beauty. When she sat there next to me with absolutely nothing on, begging
me to get her pregnant, I was stunned and my heart was racing. She said
that I looked very much like her navy husband who had just gone out to sea
for an extended period. She said that they had been trying to have a baby
but weren't succeeding. She said that if she had a child by me the child
would look enough like her husband for him to think the child was his. During
all of this I am looking up and down at her, but especially at hereyes. She
seemed very sincere and every male molecule in my body wanted to
celebrate her beauty, child or no.

My belief in Jesus is the primary force in my life. He gave me the presence of

mind to see beyond the immediate reality of her incredible beauty and my
burning desire, to see the burning end of adultery--- and that sobered me up.
I thanked her profusely, telling her how incredibly beautiful she was and how
honored I was that she would share with me the wonder of her beauty ------
but I feared/loved God more than I desired her and I couldn't do it for her. I
begged her to put her clothes back on and let me drive her home. Slowly she
did, appearing confused and disappointed. Thanking her profusely and
praising her awesome beauty she let me take her home and drop her
off------------------ never to be seen again but never to be forgotten. Only Jesus
working and willing in me was able to keep me from such incredible
temptation.

***********************************************************
It was 1967 and I was active in the Civil Rights movement in San Diego. I
knew I needed to be married and was actively seeking a wife, but I couldn't
find a Caucasian or Mexican or Asian American who believed the same about
Jesus, the Bible and race, that race should make absolutely no difference in
the lives of the children of God and in the churches of Jesus Christ. My last
try was with the wonderful and Caucasian Janice Badgely, who told me that
she felt interracial marriage was not something Christians should be involved
in. When she told me that I just gave up trying to a nonBlack wife and began
to seek a wife in the Afrian-American community, because I had come to
believe that only there would I find a Christian sister who believed what I
believed the Bible says about racial and ethnic differences. Cousin Patty told
me not to marry a brown skinned minority person since she felt the most
important thing Christians should do is try to win souls to Christ, and she
believed that marrying a minority young lady would greatly hinder my
effectiveness in winning souls of any race or ethnicity because of the social
and racial realities of American society. I felt I had no choice and that if I
were to continue my ministry in minority communities, I would need a wife
who shared my understanding of the Bible on racial and ethnic differences. I
knew AfroAm Paula Greene from San Diego State University and she was a
good friend. She invited me to her house one day to meet her friend, Carol
Lynn McIntyre, of Oceanside, CA. From the first time I saw her I was madly in
love with her and immediately began to court her with hopes of marriage.
We were married within months.

A DEDICATION:
AfroAm CAROL LYNN MCINTYRE,
of Oceacnside, California
the first wife of EuroAm me- 1967

She is “black” and so many delicious shades of brown. Her skin

looks more delicious than anything I have ever eaten. She
moves gracefully with strength and purpose in her steps,
unaware of her awesome beauty. I call out her precious name,
almost to make sure she's real and not a dream. She turns and
looks me in the eye and then suddenly smiles so radiantly I
almost lose my breath. It seems as if she glows! I drink her in
as she flows towards me with her arms open wide. The face I
see is Love.

How I love her eyes and her mouth, filled with

kindness and gentleness----from which I fear no hurt or
unkindness. She laughs and it sounds like music. We
touch and my heart soars. We embrace and I put my lips on
her delicious skin. She is so delicious it is hard to keep my
mouth off of her. As the Sun shines on her clean, soft and
oiled skin I'm fascinated by the tiny tints of red, orange,
yellow and all the browns that twinkle up at me. I love the feel
of her light brown skin as my tanned skin caresses hers. She is
sooooo soft and firm, so full of life!

We look into each others' eyes, hers sparkling----we look long

and deep and our souls touch---and then suddenly it seems a
cloud of uncertainty, self-doubt, personal fears, or haunting
memories moves across her face and the lovely pools of her
eyes are troubled. I kiss her passionately and hold her ever so
close, wishing I could pull right into my heart and soul and
bathe her in my love, wanting to make it all right for her.
Hesitantly I look again hoping her radiance has returned and
Yes! the cloud has passed and her face is radiant again. What I
see in her face fills my heart. All is well. We two as one set
out together to face and deal with our world.

We faced our world together so much in love. I thought she

was so incredibly wonderful moving there before me bare and
beautiful that honeymoon night. I thought I had been given
the most wonderful queen for my heart to love. I worshipped
her in her dark beauty. How could I be so blessed? In ecstasy
she said she could make love all night long that Halloween
weekend. Halloween darkness and death covered my eyes
and blinded me. It polluted my mind and it whispered "You
are not good enough for her. She will find out that you aren't
good enough for her and she will leave you for another." The
hissing lie believed, my heart deceived, my soul backed off and
the work of death began. My queen now became my torment,
her excellence rebuking me for being so presumptuous
as to dare to mingle with the gods by loving one of their own.
My heart was chilled with fear that my wonderful goddess
would suddenly see me as I really was and her passionate
desire would turn to loathing. Couldn't she see I was all
crippled and broken inside?

The golden spell that had blessed our courtship was

cracking apart as some dark frozen glacier, one small piece at a
time. She said she loved me for my voice before we met.
When we met I was so amazed my mouth hung open in
amazement and my eyes couldn't open wide enough to behold
her glory. Her laughter rang like bells and chimes all about us.
She flowed to me and into my life. My heart opened wider
than my eyes and welcomed her in, pouring my love upon her
in every way I could imagine. She felt more loved than she
had ever felt before. She gave herself to me in our engagement
and our bodies merged into oneness as our souls had. I
accepted her love without reservation and gave her my love
without reservation. She blessed me in the same manner. I
felt my soul could fly no higher.

I forgot she was a mere mortal with a tender heart and a

history of adversities. I forgot that her heart was as tender as
her breasts. I forgot that though she was bold and out going
like her breasts, she was as sensitive as they and in need of
support and protection. Blinded by unreasoned love I thought
her to be a goddess and worshipped her, when she wanted me
to lead her in the worship of my Jesus. Blinded by unreasoned
love she thought me above weakness and fear. So when that
Halloween darkness crept into my soul, and in its brokenness
and open wounds the darkness found a hiding place, a place for
it to root and grow. By that honeymoon night my soul became
the prisoner of the fear of losing her love, fear of failing her,
fear of not being enough for and fear of losing her to another.
All she wanted me to do was just to keep on loving her as we
had since our engagement. I stepped from the glorious light of
our love into the wretched darkness of my fear. My darling
Carol Lynn couldn't believe that her prince charming was dying
within. She didn't feel the chill and darkness that had just
entered the room.

Fear leaves such devastation. In her torment she felt she was
to blame for the cold iceman that I was becoming. She sought
counsel, tried to provoke me, tried to make me jealous---each
resulting in a veil of tears for her. Then my tormented goddess
sought to kill herself if our love could not be restored. I asked
her parents to come and get her since I was afraid to leave her
alone----------they dragged her away from me as she wept
and wailed begging me not to let them take her. I just stood
there and watched. Oh God have mercy on my Welsh-Irish
soul!

The damned darkness of damned divorce crept between us.

I begged her to return, begged for forgiveness and apologized
for failing her-------but when she didn't answer for a week I
sought the loving I yearned for in the arms of another
wonderful dark queen. I had given up. I thought she would
never come back to one so unworthy as I. I felt I had to have
the love of a wonderful dark queen so that I could know that I
was still lovable, that I could know the love of a wonderful
dark queen again. My Lynn came that night and found me
with the other. Her last words were "Oh no, Ron!!!!!!!! I
never had another chance with her.

Hollywood got her and messed her up so badly she had to have
a total hysterectomy and was in pain daily taking powerful
pain killers. She sought shelter and help in her childhood home
with her parents. She built her nest in her childhood bedroom,
her heart broken, her spirit twisted, her soul so gravely
wounded that no one knew if she could ever fly again-------my
Lynn who had soared in the heights with eagles and falcons.
Her pain. The pain wouldn't stop.

"Oh please make this pain stop! Let me take my pills. I have
eaten and I'll just take these pain pills and lie down to rest.
Oh! My soul is so weary! When will the pain stop? To sleep,
yes sleep. I'm so tired. I'll just sleep a little. It's so good to be
home where I can feel safe, with Dad here. I love him so
much." And my beloved Carol Lynn McIntyre laid herself
down to sleep in the bed of her childhood bedroom----so safe--
--safe at last.

"What's wrong! I can't think---I feel so groggy. What's

happening?! Oh God, I'm going to vomit! Help!----------"
And as she inhaled that last time-----My queen! My goddess!
My darling young wife-------------she inhaled her vomit and
died. Oh God! Dear God! Would that it were I! Oh turn back
the clock and take my soul instead! Oh God------my heart is
broken! Why should I be above the ground and my brilliant
and beautiful young Lynn, my dark queen, be there beneath
the ground? Oh God be merciful to me! I feel the millstone
around my neck. I don't deserve your forgiveness but I
would die without it.

Yet she lives and is loved in the deepest depths of my

soul though the grief and pain wont let me dwell on my
wonderful memories of her and us--- My Scotch-Irish-Welsh
heart grieves over my dark Queen. God gave me a daughter
who could pass for Lynn's sister, a wonderful woman, a
daughter upon whom I can pour out all the love I feel for Lynn.
And God showed me what I did wrong with Lynn and taught
me how not to make those terrible mistakes again. My three
wonderful daughters are the products of His Love working
through me. I lost my dark queen, and He gave me three
wonderful dark queens to help heal my grief. Thank you, Jesus!
Dear God, please heal the hearts of Lynn's family.

**********************************************
I lost my Lynn. I failed my Lynn. I called out to Jesus to save me.

While with my Lynn, in 1968 I stupidly bought a large moth

cake, about 3" by 8" and hung it in my bedroom closet to keep
moths from damaging my clothing. I don't remember if I read
the label that warned that it should not be used where people
are, or in enclosed areas where people spend time. I have
found out since that the chemical in the moth cake is extremely
carcinogenic. Within a month I landed up in the emergency
room with a very high undiagnosed fever. Since they could
not determine the cause of the fever, they put me in isolation
and filled me with antibiotics. I spent most of the day and
night with ice under my neck, under my arms and under my
knees to keep the fever from frying my brain. I spent most of
the time I was awake shivering from the ice. Finally after about
two weeks I was normal enough to be released and went home.
I discovered the moth cake, read its directions and threw it out.
I believe the Lord used that experience to chasten me for the way
I was disobeying Him, for yielding to fear of failure and rejection
instead of to faith in Him, for the way I was failing to kindly and
compassionately Love Lynn. Forty years later I still thank God
that I don't have cancer and lab tests show that my heart, liver and
kidneys are normal without significant damage.
========================================

I was saved/born-again at age twelve. My dad's porn got

me addicted to porn by age 9. When He saved me at age
12 He completely broke the porn addiction so much so that
it wasn't even an issue. Then, three years later, Lady R
Naomi Bruce (a hot Jewish girl) asked me to walk through
the nearby Balboa Park with her on her way home. She led
me to a secluded place in the bushes and trees and invited
me to lay down next to her. She introduced me to petting
and necking and the porn addiction returned. The battle
raged between the Spirit in me and my flesh. Webster's
college dictionary at that time defined fornication as "illicit
sexual intercourse with a harlot". Trying to figure this thing
out by my own understanding with Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary, I came to the conclusion that as long as I
abstained from “sexual intercourse”, coitus/coition/
sexual-penetration, whatever else I did with a girl wasn't fornication.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the ends

thereof are the ways of death. God used the chaos and
consequences of fifteen years of HEAVY &/or nude petting,
oral sex and the death of my first marriage to work and will
in me so that I was driven to my knees, ready to hear from
God and obey Jesus no matter what He said. During those
fifteen years He had never left me nor forsaken me, and
He was chastening me all along the way, but sparing me
from death apparently because I was sincerely trying to do
His will as His young man, Sunday School teacher, youth
leader, Christian camp counselor, missionary assistant,
orphanage volunteer in Tijuana (Mexico), etc etc etc.
But in my snared condition I had come more and more to
the point that I was deceived into thinking that it was okay
to let images and ideas into my mind and spirit from books,
movies, magazines, people and places that were not
true, worthy of respect, just, pure,
lovable, of good reputation, virtuous,
worthy of praise [Phil 4:8]. I had become
ensnared with pornographic magazines,
rationalizing their use by thinking it was
okay as long as I didn’t think of coitus,
sexual intercourse, with the women whose
images were in the magazines [2Tim2:24-26’
Prov 16:24]. I had lost my beautiful and
wonderful AfroAm wife, Lynn, and already I
was involved again in nude petting etc. with
“Christian” women I knew, careful to observe
my snared rationalization of avoiding coitus at
all costs so as not to sin in fornication.

He allowed the consequences of my sins and self-deception

to drive me to the desperation I had when I was originally
saved, not wanting to live if I couldn't live, love and Love
right and well. He worked a reckless desperation in me so
that I threw myself into the Esther fast (no food or drink
for three days Esther 4:16) for three days without preparing
my body for such an ordeal. He was working and willing in me so
that I had to know what I had done wrong, know how not
to ever hurt anyone like I had hurt my wonderful AfroAm Lynn, and
learn how to be the EuroAm husband and man Jesus wanted me to
be. I knew my life hung in the balance. I realized the recent
two week hospitalization for undiagnosed fever, the earlier
two week bout with pneumonia were His chastening of me.
I remembered the prophecy of the three crows and they
were present asprophesied, the symbol of impending doom
if I didn’t come
out of this crisis right in Jesus.

On day three of my total fast, He worked in me so that I

was kneeling in prayer just going over the issues in my life,
asking "What about this, Lord? What about that, Lord?"
Without expecting anything He worked and willed in me to
say, "What about the porn, Lord?" Instantly there was this
deep powerful thundering voice saying "It has to go!" I
was startled and jumped up in a storm of emotions, ran to
all the windows and doors to see if someone had just walked
by and said that ---- no one there ---- how could a human
have such a powerful voice ------ and then very shaken I
returned to my knees and He worked in me to say, "Lord if
that is you, I hear you. I understand that to mean You want
me to get rid of the box I have in the closet full of porn
($200 worth in 1969, $1000 today). Lord, I'll get rid of it now and
all I ask is that You show me in Your Word why my using porn
is sinful, since I'm so careful to NOT “fornicate” by thinking of
coitus/coition/sexual-penetration with the women when looking
at the pictures of the women."

Still shaken, fully alert and tingling, God worked and willed in
me to get up off my knees, wrap up the box fullof pornography
in all the tape I could find in
my house, take it out to the dumpster and bury it in the trash.
I realized something awesome had just happened but He
enabled me to know that I was walking in faith and not
according to my own understanding, so I just accepted it all
and was amazed. Finally the three day fast came to an end.
My body was so incredibly weak I couldn't do anything
strenuous, but my spirit and soul were soaring.

Within two weeks He answered my prayers and showed me

in the scriptures (Ezekiel 16 & 23; Prov 5 and 1 Cor 6) that
petting and touching the genitals and breasts of a woman
who is not my own woman in marriage, and that seeing the
pudenda/vulva/vagina of a woman who is not my own
woman in marriage were just as much fornication as actual
coitus/genital penetration. He showed me in those scriptures
that the only person who had any business intimately and
passionately seeing and enjoying a woman's pudenda, vulva,
clitoris and vagina is her own husband, and for me to be
seeing those parts of a woman’s body without being married
to her was sex sin, fornication. Since then He has shown me
by Romans 1:24-32 that it is a grievous sin worthy of death
for me to even enjoy and take pleasure in the women, or
pictures of the women, who intimately show their genitals
to others than their own men, who allow others to touch/
press/feel/caress their breasts and/or genitals outside
of their own marriages, even if they are fully clothed or
appropriately covered by bathing suits or lingerie. That
eliminated from my enjoyment most of the movie stars,
rock stars, recording artists and celebrities since they
openly and admittedly have sex with people other than
their own mates, and most have exposed their genitals
publicly.

It has been thirty years since that experience and the

addictive/compulsive power of porn in my life has been
broken and remained broken. That is not to say that if I let
my eyes linger on the magazine racks too long I will not be
tempted. Since sin now has NO DOMINION over me (Rom 6)
and the devil and demons can’t MAKE ME do anything (Eph
2:1-10), I am free to choose to not sin and to obey Jesus.
If I choose to sin by "setting evil before my eyes" I will
be sorely tempted, and I might sin by taking pleasure in
the awesome beauty of the evil sinning women, and I may need
to again “call on the Name of King Jesus” to save me and work
and will in me to run back to Jesus in repentance and confession,
agreeing with Him about the sin.

But still the sin of porn no longer has power over me, no longer
compels me, no compulsion, no irrational yearning, no monkey
on my back driving me to do the porn thing. By the grace and
power of God working in me it has no power over me unless I
choose to give it the power and the opportunity in my life. Yes
the addiction to female beauty, the powerful combination of
endorphins, testosterone and adrenaline always lay in wait just
below the surface and are always ready to respond, but now
I am enabled by Him to control those mental forces whereas
before they controlled me.

That is His miracle in me. I sometimes fail to walk in the freedom

Christ has given me, especially when I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely
and/or Tired (see Biblical 12 Steps). In those times I sometimes
fail to run to Jesus for His comfort and deliverance. In those times
I sometimes choose to lean to my own understanding
and I choose to run to sweet and needy women for comfort
and reassurance. He's in the process of working and willing in
me to deliver me from that "ritual", that false solution, that
inadequate solution, that idolatry, and I thank Him for that.
I know that all I have to do is “call on the Name of Jesus” to
be saved when in HALT mode and sorely tempted to run
to a sweet and needy sister for comfort and affirmation.
One step at a time with Jesus. One temptation and victory
at a time with Jesus. One day at a time with Jesus for
“Every day has trouble enough of its own. Enough for
each day are its own troubles.” Mt 6:34.

After the deliverance from the power and domination of porn, He showed
me His plan and His will for us to avoid and live free from sex sin.
1 Cor. 7:2 but on account of sex sin, each one should be having his own
wife, and each [woman] should be having her own husband. 3 The husband
should be rendering to the wife the benevolence that is due her, and in
like manner the wife to the husband. 4 The wife has not authority over her
own body, but the husband [has authority over her body]: in like manner
also the husband has not authority over his own body, but the wife [has
authority over his body]. 5 Do not deprive one another [of the use of this
sexual authority], unless, it may be, by consent for a time, that ye may
devote yourselves to prayer, and again be
together [exercising authority over and having each other's bodies], that
Satan tempt you not because of your lack of self-control. . . . 9 But if
they are not having control over themselves [sexually], they are under
command to marry; for it is better to marry than to burn [sexually and
in the day of judgment].[1Cor 7] Just like with the porn, I had to call on
Him to enable me to yield myself to Him and marry/accept the woman
He wanted for me, instead of the one I wanted. Like Jesus in the garden
I had to come to the place of knowing I was under His command to marry
in order to avoid fornication, so it had to be “Not my will, but Yours be done”.
It had to be ‘Not the woman I prefer, not the time I prefer, not the way I
prefer,
but I commit to accepting the godly woman You provide, when You provide
her, however You provide her. That's the testimony I have of my second
wife, AfroAm Lady Derly, the mother of my children, for another time.

*********************************************************

#6. AN "ORPHAN" FINDS A LOVING HOME A THROWN

AWAY "ORPHAN" FINDS A LOVING HOME
Then there is the Felicia miracle. God didn't save my life but
He used me to save Felicia's life. She was a 16 year old hippie
run away from an Arizona foster home. Her parents
didn't want her. She ran away to LA and
she landed up at the Christian Communal Home that three
Christian "Hippies" got after they were born again in Jesus.
They wanted a place where they and their hippie friends who
were coming to Jesus could come, stay, be comfortable, meet
and grow in Jesus. It was a big house with about 8 bedrooms.
The police knew about this hippie halfway house and
approved of runaways like Felicia staying there. After about a
week or two, Felicia got mad about one of the rules of the
house, had a temper tantrum and stormed out of the House
during a Bible lesson with about 25 people present. She said
she was leaving and not coming back!

It was dark and it was an integrated low income neighborhood

with a lot of prostitution, drugs and violence. She was a small
white hippie girl walking out into the darkness and into all of
that spiritual darkness. I tried to decide what I should do since
she wouldn't listen to reason. I prayed.

I figured either I could stick with her and keep on trying to

reason with her, but I was concerned that we'd both land up in
a situation where we would both be in danger. So I decided
the best place for her was the Christian Hippie House. So I
believe God* worked* in* me* ----------------------------
****Phil 2: 12 ¶ So that, my beloved, . . . . WORK OUT YOUR
OWN salvation with fear and trembling, 13 FOR IT IS GOD
WHO WORKS IN YOU BOTH THE WILLING AND THE
WORKING according to his good pleasure.
***Heb 13:20 But the God of peace, . . . . 21 PERFECT YOU
in every good work to the DOING OF HIS WILL, DOING IN
YOU what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for the ages of ages. Amen.
------------------------------------------to want to and then to actually
run after her, to try one more time to persuade her to stay, but
when she refused to just pick her up and put her across my
shoulder with her screaming, hitting my back and trying to
kick loose of my arms all the way back to the House, through
the evening Bible Lesson and into the prayer room where the
House elders were having a meeting. I still believe that God
kept the neighbors from calling the cops and enabled all the
people in the Bible study group to continue that Bible lesson.
I sat her down in the midst of the House elders and told them
what had happened. We talked and we prayed until Felicia
was past her crisis and was willing to stay.

A couple of months later, a much more godly and spirit-

filled Felicia announced to us that God had worked and
willed in her so that she felt led to go back to Arizona, end
her run away status, turn herself in to her social worker and
trust God for the consequences. The few elders who were
present said they agreed with her, had no doubts about it
(Rom 14:22,23) and had peaceful and confident conviction
about it (Phil 4:3-8). A little later that Saturday evening God
was working and willing in
her so much so that she said she felt she HAD to go that
night and asked if I could drive her over to Hollywood to
catch the last Greyhound bound for Arizona that night.
I said sure, gathered some of the brothers and sisters to
see her off that night.

We got to the bus stop shortly before

the bus arrived. She tried to buy the ticket but found she
didn't have enough money. We all chipped in everything we
had but we still didn't have enough money to get her to her
social worker’s town. God was still working in to want to go
so she felt she HAD to go on that bus at that time. We
prayed and God worked in us so that we decided that she
would buy a ticket to get her into Arizona Sunday morning
and then she would have just enough change to call her
social worker and have her pick Felicia up sometime later.
We all prayed for and over her and our sweet 16 year old
little barefoot hippie girl in a granny dress with flowers in
her hair got on the bus and left in a cloud of prayers and tears.

Later we got her letter and "the rest of the story". She
arrived in a small Arizona town around 9 am Sunday morning.
She had only enough money for the phone call and her social
worker didn't answer her phone. So God worked in her so that
she decided to walk around town, bare foot in a granny dress
with flowers in her hair, that bright sunny Sunday morning. A
little into her walk she heard people singing and she thought
she knew the song. She came up to a small town steepled
church and realized it was church time and the church service
was just beginning. So little Felicia walked her little barefoot
self into the back of that church, probably with some flowers
in her hand or hair, and joined in the service.

After the service was over, God worked and willed in the the
pastor so that he asked her what she was doing in town and
where she was staying. Felicia told him the whole story of
parents not wanting her, running away from foster home,
living on the streets of L.A. and being born again in a Christian
Hippie House. God worked in the the pastor and his wife so
that they asked her if she would like to come home with them
for lunch and stay until her social worker could come. By the
time lunch was over, God worked in the pastor and his wife to
tell Felicia they would love to have her as their daughter and
would she please let them be her parents. She could hardly
believe it and
God worked in her so that she joyfully accepted their offer.
God worked in her social worker to approve, and they adopted
her and sent her through Bible college where she prepared for
full time Christian service.

The little broken thrown away girl, unwanted by her parents and
foster parents, who ran away to find Love and Life, found Love,
Life and a home with parents who loved and cherished her
dearly, by the compassion and mercy of God working in her life
and in the lives of all involved. If He hadn't worked in me to bring
her back that night ----- if He hadn’t willed in her so that she
would obey His leading to leave that Saturday night ---- if He
hadn’t will in me and enabled me to drive her that night ------
if He hadn’t worked it all out so that we had only enough
money so that she landed up in a different town than originally
desired----- if He hadn’t worked it all out so that her social
worker didn’t answer her first phone call ---- but He did work
it all out in all involved so that the miracle happened and the
once homeless, unloved, grieved and lonely little girl found
a home, Love, Joy and family. What a wonderful miracle and
evidence of the fact
that our God WORKS EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE
COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE
WHO LOVE H IM IN DEED AND TLady R AND ARE CALLED
ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE (Ephes 1:11 & Rom 8:28).
The miracle happened and the homeless, unloved,
grieved and lonely little girl found a home, Love, Joy and
family. What a wonderful miracle.

Some time later, Tirzah Lelah and Talitha Cumi were born of my second wife,
Lady Derly.
I was a broken shell of a grieving man after losing Carol Lynn. I was in search
of my
next wife because I had learned that I was under God's 1 Cor 7:9 command
to be married
while in the prayerful fasting that followed Lynn's departure. I committed
myself to marry
the first godly Christian woman I met that God led to marry me. Realizing
that Shuana
was one of the godliest young ladies I knew, I went to Shauna Ridguard's
Plymouth Brethren Church service in Watts one Sunday and met Lady Derly
between Shauna
and Lisa. The three were good friends from school and church. I asked
Shauna how old she
was and when she said she was 17 I knew she was too young to be my wife.
When Lisa
told me she was 17 also I realized the same. When Lady Derly said she was
18 I began to
strike up a relationship and friendship to see if she might be my next wife,
figuring that
if she was a good friend of Shauna she must also be a godly Christian young
lady.
We became friends and began to date. Lady Derly thought I was just being a
friendly guy
and had no idea I was trying to learn if she would be my next wife.

I understand the Scriptures (Mark 10:1-15; Luke 16:18; Rom 7:1-3;

1 Cor 7:10-15,39) to declare that the marriage of two genuine believers in
Christ who were free in Jesus to marry when they married - are maritally
bound to each other in the Kingdom of God as long as they both live.
I believe that the Bible indicates that not even adultery or homosexuality
or any of the sins of Lev 18 & 20 dissolve or end a marriage of two such
people. There is no command from God in Scripture for anyone who is
genuinely saved to divorce one's marital partner, even for immorality. Jesus
does give the wife the celibate separation option because the woman is
weaker and more vulnerable than the man. I believe that if one or
both become snared in sex sin, that the course to follow is Gal 6:1; 2 Tim
2:24ff; Mat 18:15-18; 2 Thess 3:6-14; 1 Cor 5:3-11. If all this results in
godly sorrow and repentance (2 Cor 7) on the part of the offending party,
then reconciliation and restoration should follow (2 Cor 2). I knew that
Biblical Christian polygyny, one man having more than one wife, was not
wrong/sinful, since Jesus had legislated polygyny for female bondservants/
maidservants (Ex 21:7-11) shortly after giving the Ten Commandments (Ex
20); again in Deuteronomy 21:15-17 where a man had two wives; and
portrayed Himself as a polygynist in Ezekiel 23. When I saw that Jesus
punished David for his adultery, but greatly blessed David the polygynist,
I realized the status of polygyny in the Bible and in the sight of God. As a
Welfare Caseworker I had learned that one could be "married" without a
legal
or church wedding, so informal, private and discrete Biblical Christian
polygyny
did not violate Romans 13.

Lynn had left me after I broke her heart, claiming to be a genuine child of
God,
and since I was a genuine child of God by faith in Jesus Christ, I understood
that we were therefore maritally bound for life. For me to maritally repudiate
and reject Lynn and then marry Lady Derly would have been adultery (Matt 5
&
19; Mark 10; Luke 16; Rom 7). So when Lady Derly and I got to the place
where
we were considering marriage, I told her that the only way I could marry
her is if she were to accept my belief that I was still maritally bound to Lynn
in the Kingdom of God, and that if Lady Derly married me, and Lynn
returned
to me seeking marital reconciliation (1 Cor 7:10,11,39; 2 Cor 2 & 7), I would
have to maritally reunite with her, making Lynn, Lady Derly and me
polygynists.
Lady Derly thought about it for a while, and finally said she didn't think Lynn
would ever want to reunite with me, so she was willing to take the risk and
marry me with the possibility of such serious risks and serious complications
like Biblical Christian polygyny. It was 1971. Our romance was sweet and
poetic - - - for a while.

**************AND THEN THERE WAS Lady DERLY*****************

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ
A DEDICATION: Lady DERLY TYLER, My second wife and the mother of my
children

Unknown to me, a mysterious young lady, looking so very sweet,

she stands there calmly and quietly between Lisa and Shauna,
Sunday morning between Sunday School and Church, there in Watts.
She is black and so many delicious shades of brown. Her dark brown skin
looks more delicious than anything I have ever eaten. She
moves gracefully with strength and purpose in her steps,
unaware of her awesome femininity. In fact she didn't even think she was
attractive and she was mystified by my desire of her. At first she
couldn't even believe that I felt such deep romantic and affectionate
love for her. She was so gentle, so humble, so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet I
could hardly keep my mouth and hands off of her. To the world she
wasn't a cover girl beauty, but to me the beauty in her eyes flooded out
and over her so that she walked in beauty to me. She filled up my heart
and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. It was 1971.

She turns and looks me in the eye and then suddenly smiles so
radiantly my heart leaps for joy. It seems as if she glows! I drink her
in as she flows towards me with her arms open wide. The face I see is
Love.

How I love her eyes and her mouth, filled with

kindness and gentleness----from which I fear no hurt or
unkindness. She laughs and it sounds like music. We
touch and my heart soars. We embrace and I put my lips on
her delicious skin. She is so delicious it is hard to keep my
mouth off of her. As the Sun shines on her clean, soft and
oiled skin I'm fascinated by the tiny tints of red, orange,
yellow and all the browns that twinkle up at me. She is
sooooo soft and firm, so full of life!

I understand the Scriptures (Mark 10:1-15; Luke 16:18; Rom 7:1-3;

1 Cor 7:10-15,39) to declare that the marriage of two genuine believers in
Christ who were free in Jesus to marry when they married - are maritally
bound to each other in the Kingdom of God as long as they both live.
I believe that the Bible indicates that not even adultery or homosexuality
or any of the sins of Lev 18 & 20 dissolve or end a marriage of two such
people. There is no command from God in Scripture for anyone who is
genuinely saved to divorce one's marital partner. I believe that if one or
both become snared in sex sin, that the
course to follow is Gal 6:1; 2 Tim 2:24ff; Mat 18:15-18; 2 Thess 3:6-14;
1 Cor 5:3-11. If all this results in godly sorrow and repentance (2 Cor 7)
that reconciliation and restoration should follow (2 Cor 2). Carol Lynn
had left me, claiming to be a genuine child of God, and since I was a
genuine child of God by faith in Jesus Christ, I understood that we were
maritally bound for life. For me to maritally repudiate and reject Carol
Lynn and then marry Lady D would have been adultery (Matt 5 & 19; Mark
10; Luke 16; Rom 7). So when Lady D and I got to the place where we
were considering marriage, I told her that the only way I could marry her
is if she accepted my belief that I was still maritally bound to Carol Lynn
in the Kingdom of God, and that if Lady D married me and Carol Lynn
returned to me seeking reconciliation (1Cor7:10,11,39), I would have to
maritally reunite with her, making Lynn, Lady D and me polygynists. Lady D
thought about it for a while, and finally said she didn't think Lynn
would ever want to reunite with me, but she was willing to take the
risk and marry me with such serious risks and serious complications.
It was 1971. Our romance was sweet and poetic - - -

We look into each others' eyes, hers sparkling----we look long

and deep and our souls touch---and then suddenly it seems a
cloud of uncertainty, self-doubt, personal fears, or haunting
memories moves across her face and the lovely pools of her
eyes are troubled. I kiss her passionately and hold her ever so
close, wishing I could pull right into my heart and soul and
bathe her in my love, wanting to make it all right for her.
Hesitantly I look again hoping her radiance has returned and
Yes! the cloud has passed and her face is radiant again. What I
see in her face fills my heart. All is well. We two as one set
out together to face and deal with our world.

We faced our world together so much in love. I thought she

was so incredibly wonderful moving there before me bare and
beautiful that honeymoon night. I thought I had been given the
most wonderful queen for my heart to love. I worshipped her
in her dark beauty. How could I be so blessed? In ecstasy we
celebrated and enjoyed each others bodies, soul and spirit. Every part of
her body was a delight and I delighted in celebrating her and pleasing
her. She was my perfect sexual helpmeet. I had learned in losing Lynn
that as long as she was happy I should just keep on loving her in every
way I could, not worrying about my inadequacies. She rejoiced in our
loving and our loving filled my heart.
I accepted her love without reservation and gave her my love
without reservation. She blessed me in the same manner. I
felt my soul could fly again.

I learned that she was sensitive and in need of support and

protection, that she had a heart breaking childhood. Though I loved
her dearly, affectionately and passionately, I failed to accept her just as
she was. I failed to accept the fact that somethings I wanted her to do,
she simply could not do. I felt that she was being stubborn and
uncooperative and I began to resent this in her. Our love became
clouded by my failure to accept her just as she was and her heart began
to hurt. The seeds had been planted that would break her heart and
drive her to leave me. Oblivious to the pain I was causing her, I
thought we would be together for ever. She left me the day after
Christmas after sixteen years of marriage and three darling children.
ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

#7. DELIVERANCE FROM MORE OF MY DEADLY BAD DRIVING

It was in the mid 1970's. The road out of Valley Center to
Escondido was just a two laner, one lane each way. I had had a
long had day at my job on Mt. Palomar at the La Jolla Indian
Reservation. I wanted to get home to my wife and kids. I had
just driven out of the flat area of Valley Center and was at the
top of the two lane two way descent to Escondido. There was a
big diesel milk truck with two full milk trailers followed by
three passenger cars and lastly myself. Real quick I realized
that the truck was using his gears to brake his speed down the
hill and he was going to be very slow going all the way down. I
couldn't figure why none of the other passenger cars passed
the truck since the oncoming lane was clear.
Full of stupidity and impatience I decided to pass all

three passenger cars as well as the milk trailers and diesel.

Just as I pulled out to make my pass, the car in front of me
pulled out in front of me to pass all the others. I had to swerve
hard to the left to avoid hitting that car. The last thing I saw
was the retaining 2' wall and the drop off about 6'-8' in front of
me closing very fast. I don't recall ever making any move to
avoid hitting the wall and going over the cliff. The next thing I
knew was that I was about 100 yards ahead of the diesel, milk
trailers and the three passenger cars which were still behind
the milk truck. I have no idea why I didn't hit the wall and go
over. I have no idea of how I got in front of the milk truck and
cars. I never cease to be amazed at how Jesus can drive my car
when I am asleep, have fainted or whatever. I am unable to
doubt this kind of Jesus who rescues even the stupid from their
own deep pudding. Doesn't it make you afraid to be on the
road with me? It does me! Thank God for God!

#8. TALITHA'S MIRACLE 1974 +/-

We were having one of our many park experiences at an
Escondido park. Tirzah was four and Talitha was two. Lady D
was pushing Tirzah on the swing and I was pushing Talitha.
Talitha and Tirzah both had their backs to us. Both were
laughing and carrying on. Talitha stopped laughing and
talking. I though she was just enjoying the swing, when
suddenly on one of the forward swings Talitha just tumbled
forward out of the swing, hit the ground on a roll, rolled on
down the bank, and started crying. She had fallen asleep in the
swing and fallen off. She could have broken her neck, had a
severe concussion, broken an arm or leg or both. We rushed
her to the hospital to see if she had a concussion. Talitha was
so hysterical we couldn't hold her still enough for them to get
an adequate X-ray. They expressed their
regrets and we took our hysterical Talitha home and did the
best we could. We noticed some changes after that fall, but we
were just so very thankful that she hadn't damaged her spinal
column or had a severe concussion. For us that was a miracle
because we couldn't forget the sight of her as she flew out of
the swing and rolled down the bank that sunny day in
Escondido. We couldn't forget how badly she might have been
hurt, how easily she could have broken her neck.

Philema Beth-shua Tyler was born a few years later.

#9. DELIVERANCE FROM MORE OF MY DEADLY BAD DRIVING 1970s

Then there is my Home Federal miracle. Perhaps this added to
the demise of Home Federal????? :) :) I worked three 12
hour graveyard shifts each week as a mail and message courier
driving company vehicles. It was my third shift and I used
everything to keep me awake (coffee, coca cola, hamburgers,
chocolate, etc.) to help me stay awake because I was so very
tired. It didn't work. One morning after my shift, I drove my
wife to work and then tried to drive my self and my three
daughters home. The sun was rising and was in my exhausted
eyes as I tried to drive us east to El Cajon from downtown San
Diego. The sun was too much for my exhausted eyes so I had
to stop at 70th/Lake Murray Dr. and sleep in Denny's parking lot
until I could drive the kids and I home. It was very hard for
them to understand but they watched over sleeping me for
almost two hours before they woke me up because they were
worried what the Denny's employee in the parking lot was
thinking (he was staring at us for so long).
It was 5:30 am and sunrise (the sun finished off my
eyes). I was driving the 1/2 ton pick up Toyota truck south on
163 going downtown with a full load of mail, tapes, microfiche,
print outs and reports for branches up the coast. I had just
cleared Hwy 8 heading south on 163. The next thing I
remember or knew was that the left front wheel and the left
rear wheel were on top of the elevated center divider and I
was somewhere on 163 under Washington or University or
Robinson. I can't believe what I see or where I am. The fence
on the elevated divider is angled so that you can't drive on the
divider. I'm going about 50+mph and the fence is closing on
me giving me the choice of hitting it at 50+ mph or driving off
of the divider at 50+mph with traffic all around me. I shout-
prayed JESUS!!! , held on to the wheel for dear life, and drove
off of the center divider before hitting the fence. The truck
rocked hard but miraculously amateur driver (not stunt driver)
me managed to maintain control and come out of the whole
incident with no damage to the truck, the contents or me. You
couldn't pay me enough to try that trick again awake driving
anything but a stunt car with big roll bars, safety gear and no
more than a quarter gallon of gas. Again I left the driving to
Him.

So Jesus saved your dad one more time so you could have a
dad to help you grow up good and strong like you are today.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++
The mother of my children left me in 1986. I knew there was no hope of
reconciliation.
During a wonderful divorce recovery group series I met wonderful
Lady T and fell madly in love with her. I committed to each other maritally.
Then she put me in a situation where I had to choose between being with
her or being with my AfroAm-EuroAm daughters for Thanksgiving and
Christmas, because her dad was a racist bigot. I chose my daughters
and we broke and reconciled two very painful times. I couldn’t do it again.
I was fleeing from what I thought could destroy me, my grief over having to
choose between a woman I loved with all of my being, and my beloved
daughters who mean more to me than my life. She was trying to force me to
choose between her and them and the struggle was more than I could bear
---- so I fled. I called out to Jesus because I was so incredibly horny I knew I
was under His 1 Cor. 7:1,2,3,5,9 commands to marry and I had just fled from
the woman I thought He wanted me to marry. I called out to Him and told
Him I had failed miserably choosing my own lovers and wives, that I wanted
and needed to obey His command to marry, that I would marry whoever He
chose and I asked Him to bring us together. The year was 1990.

Weeks later, while at my easy and comfortable teaching job, I found myself
with nothing really important to do that day and found myself under
compulsion to call the district office to see if they needed a substitute
teacher anywhere. My supervisor and peers thought I should stay and have
an easy day, but I couldn't rest until they called to see if a sub was needed
somewhere.
Finally they gave in, called and found that just then a school in the ghetto
was in desperate need of a substitute since the regular teacher couldn't
finish the day. I landed up being there for three days. In another class there
open shouting, insulting and reviling had broken out between the teacher,
the students and the parents. They let the teacher go, and asked me to take
her class for the rest of the year. I accepted. These events were not by luck
or accident, but were being worked by Him who works all according to the
counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11).

A couple of weeks later it was time for my class to spend a week in the
Science Lab. I took my class as scheduled and met the teacher of that class. I
thought she was a pretty cute little Irish Canadian, tried to make
conversation with her even though I knew she wasn't my type, and found her
to be totally uninterested. I learned later that she thought I was a fat, bald
and old man who wore polyester priest pants (she was raised Catholic). Since
she didn't respond, I figured I had done my duty of wife hunting for the day
and went on about my business. Sometime later that period I passed by her
desk again while supervising my class and she asked me where I had taught.
I told her I had been teaching at Christian schools. She had been recently
born again and was open to dating Christian men, few and far between
though they be, so she opened a conversation with me. I invited her to go to
church with me because I found that a good way to weed out the
unacceptable marital prospects.

She and her daughter met me at church that Sunday and we enjoyed the
service together. We began to talk frequently on the phone. I decided to do
my best to discourage her by telling her all my problems, that I was
searching in my horniness for my Rebekah at the well who would become my
wife, that my mother was into seances, Ouija board, astrology, reincarnation;
than my brother was a practicing New Age sorcerer/channeler with his own
personal demon ("spirit guide"), about my sister's outrageous conduct, and
my three AfroAm-IndiAm-EuroAm daughters. After two weeks of going to
church with me and hearing my testimonies and all about my crazy and
complicated family members, she decided she would give me the Dear John
"Thanks, but no thanks" deal the following Sunday after church.

So we met at church again and were enjoying the praise and worship. She
was planning on how to break the word to me after church, but had really
got into the service. As we stood to praise and worship, she had put her
hands on the back of the seat in front of her. I affectionately reached over
and put my hand gently on her hand, and noticed an emotional reaction. I
didn't find out til after the service, but when I put my hand on her hand her
whole body felt like it had been electrically shocked, her body hair stood up
and she got goose bumps and heard a strong and powerful voice tell her,
"You chose your first husband. This is the husband I have chosen for you."
Her mouth dropped open in wonder and amazement. I thought she was just
deeply moved by the worship.

After service I walked her out to her car. Just before she stepped off of the
curb to get into her car, she turned to me and said, "I'll be your Rebekah. I'll
be your wife." I was dumbfounded and amazed, mouth hanging open in
shocked surprise. We hadn't even known each other and been dating for
more than a month. She was tickled with my response and drove off with a
big
smile on her face. I felt I had stepped into a time warp. The world seemed
muted, distant and in a haze. In this trance like state of shock, amazement
and wonder I finally found my way back to my car, sat down and tried to
understand the meaning of what had just happened.

We were engaged a month later after a very unusual exchange in the

parking lot outside the restaurant in a Fashion Valley parking lot. We were
discussing becomng engaged in the restaurant. After we finished eating I
told her that there was one more obstacle to our becoming engaged. I told
her that since I was a genuine Jesus believer, and if Lady D was a genuine
Jesus believer, that I was maritally bound to her for life, until death ends our
marital bond (Mark 10:1-12; Rom 7:1-3; 1 Cor 7:10,11,39). I told her that if
Lady D was genuinely saved it would be adultery for me to maritally
repudiate her to marry her (Mat 5:32; 19:1-19; Mark 10:1-12). I knew that
polygyny (one man with more than one wife informally, unofficially, privately
and discretely) was not sin and was legislated by Jehovah-Jesus in Ex 21:7-
11; and Deut 21:15-17. I knew that God never portrays Himself as sin or as a
sinner and that God can't sin, so when He described Himself as having two
wives in Ezek 23, I knew He did not consider polygyny to be sin. I knew that
USA state and federal laws (Rom 13) allowed a man to practice polygyny as
long as he did it informally, unofficially, privately and discretely, as in Rom
14:20-23. Lady D agreed to let me formally and officially divorce her since
she didn't want to be married to me anymore, and I was careful to make it
clear to Lady D that the divorce in no way ended or voided our marital
covenant. If she ever wanted to be my wife again I would readily accept her
back, but she would have to share me with Lady R. I told Lady R the only way
we could marry was if I was careful not to maritally repudiate my marital
bond with Lady D, and that I would have to accept Lady D back maritally if
she ever wanted to be reconciled and reunited with me -- in polygyny.

Lady R said she had to think about it, so she did so in complete silence for
five minutes in my arms. It was a beautiful clear and moon lit night, but
those were very tense five minutes. Finally she told me she would marry me
anyway, because she was quite sure Lady D would never want to be my wife
again. We became formally engaged. We had a glorious courtship and
wedding.

===========================================
Five years after Lady R and I married, I turned Lady R's son in for juvenile
probation violation, and I wasn't earning enough money in her eyes, so she
told me to move out until I got my act together. I realized I was still maritally
bound to her since we were both genuine believers in Jesus Christ
(1Cor7:1,2,10,11,39; Mark 10:1-12). I knew I would be tempted sexually
according to 1 Cor 7:5 and I saw no hope of reconciliation so I knew I would
probably have to find a polygynous mate, one who would understand my
marital obligation to Lady R, Lady R etc.

I met AfroAm and single mother RF in Lucky's supermarket on a rainy night.

She and her daughter needed a ride home because of the rain. I gave her a
ride and we became friends. Eventually I made some platonic promises of
financial and transportation assistance. I invited Lady R to join me in giving
this assistance to this needy family, but Lady R demanded that I break my
promises to help RF. I told her I couldn't do that because it would be the sin
of breaking covenant/promise (Rom 1:31,32; Psa 15:1,4; Ezek 17:13-21). She
said there would be no reconciliation if I didn't break covenant, so I figured
there would be no reconciliation. I told RF about all this and my need to have
a wife, and she said she would like to be my concubine (marital partner by
unofficial and private covenant). We maritally covenanted, a thing I should
never have done since it later became clear she was not genuinely saved in
Jesus. So now I was maritally bound to her according to 1 Cor 7:11-15. Lady
R gave me a tip about a job in Imperial County. I got the job and moved to
Imperial County.

Lady R, RF and I were on again off again for four years. RF didn't want to
break up Lady R and I, so she always deferred to Lady R when Lady R
wanted me to be with her.
RF decided not to move to live with me so we were separated by 120 miles
five days a week, like Lady R and me. Being alone without a marital partner
at least five days a week, and sometimes two or three weeks, 1 Cor 7: 5 was
happening and I knew I was under command to be having a wife to avoid sex
sin (1 Cor 7:1,2,5,9).
After being separated for four years, Lady R had told me that if I wasn't free
and clear of RF within 12 months, she would file for divorce. For four months
I tried to show her the error of her verbal abuse, but when she didn't accept
the fact of her verbal abuse (1 Cor 5:11), I gave up trying and left the
relationship in God's hands.

Soon after Lady R set the time limit, and we didn't get together weekends
after that. I met MexAm and single mom DH and three of her 8 children at
Vons one evening. I told her I needed a house keeper once a week to clean
up my apartment, that I paid $10 an hour and I gave her my phone number if
she decided she wanted the job. She called me two weeks later to take the
job. After working for me 6 months, I asked her if she would let me assist
her, and if she would be my concubine (marital partner by unofficial and
private covenant). She knew I was married to Lady R and maritally
committed to RF, but two weeks later she told me she would be my
concubine in polygyny. After the agreement was made I realized that I had
screwed up again, going marital with a good woman but one who was not a
genuine disciple of Jesus. Again too late I realized I was now bound to her
according to 1 Cor 7:12-15. Twice now I had fallen into Solomon's sin of
going marital with unsaved women.

DH had a series of severe migraines requiring hospitalization. After a month

of weekly hospitalizations DH began to come right and I related DH as
intimate friends with no marital/sexual intimacy because I told God I would
back off maritally if He healed her. I was so convicted and confused by my
relationship with DH, that I felt I had to move back and be with Lady R
because it was getting harder and harder to resist the temptation to be
marital with DH.

One day I met CD, a starvation skinny and wrinkled widow who looked and
acted 70. I felt sorry for her and wanted to do James 1:27 with her, to
comfort her after her loss of her husband and son five years earlier. I began
to visit her after work for a couple of hours before I went home and called it a
day. Soon thereafter I learned I could retire with benefits so I decided to
retire and return to Lady R. I made arrangements to help the Chaplain after I
quit my job, so I rented a room from her to store some of my stuff in her
town to use when I was there for the weekend to help the Chaplain.

Until I moved back to Lady R, I continued to visit CD as the Bible says to visit
widows in their affliction -- bereaved of son and husband all within one year
five years earlier. During one of those visits CD indicated that she had come
under command to marry, not managing her sexual needs well enough (1
Cor 7:8,9), but no godly man wanted to marry her that could make a
marriage work. She is a devout Christian and knew she could marry only a
believer but there were no eligible believers who could manage marriage
with her.

Lady R didn't want me to have another woman of my own, yet Lady R knew
and knows CD to be a godly woman, actively serving the poor, other widows,
the handicapped, prisoners and the fatherless and evangelizing in the
community. Since CD lives out of her area, Lady R decided she could handle
me staying with CD for my weekends of helping the Chaplain, but only
because of CD's exceptional character. I knew the Scriptures where the
widows are supposed to remarry, and are under command to remarry if they
are having problems managing their sex lives in a godly manner (1 Cor 7:8,9
and 1 Tm 5:14 and Deut 25). When it became apparent no other believing
male would step up to the plate and be marital with CD, seeing her
commanded need for marriage and knowing I could meet her needs and
believing I should meet her needs since no one else was going to (1Jn 3:14-
19), I decided to be her own man to her to meet her commanded need,
hoping Lady R would follow my lead. CD accepted me as her own man
(1Cor7:2,3,4,5) and Lady R followed my lead because I make her feel so
loved, so cherished when we are together. Lady R declares she has never felt
so loved, and her lady friends are tempted to envy when she tells them of
the loving affection I lavish upon her with massages of her back, neck, scalp,
but and feet. On the dark side, if Lady R ever opts out of our marriage and
separates us again, she is the most capable of making it and doing well on
her own without me.

Later I realized I was still bound by covenant and 1 Cor 7:12-15 to DH,
apologized to her for failing to be her man to her, failing to abide by our
agreement and we were reconciled, resuming marital relations. So now we
are CD, DH, Lady R and me. Each of my ladies are in different towns, go to
different churches, have their own places, have their own rich and full lives
with their children and grandchildren, and somehow have time to squeeze
me in. The only down side is the cost of gas and my finite inability to be in
more than one place at a time.

Like Maharaja Jai, I can't be with each of my three ladies every day and
night. I diligently seek to live considerately with them, making sure to have
plenty of eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart time, making sure to have dates and
do fun things together, showing due regard and honor to them as the weaker
sex, not forgetting that they are coheirs of Life in Christ with me, so that they
may know my love for them and that my prayers be not hindered (1Pet 3:7).
My ladies agree that it is better to share one good man than for each lady to
have her own jerk/dog, but they love me, not polygyny. They respect each
other but they wouldn't be upset or mind it if the others left me monogynous
with one of them. They are each so very different and unique, having in
common their respect for Jesus, love of their children and love of me, but not
much more.
==============================================
=======

And there are many more testimonies I could tell, but this
will have to do for now. The rest of the story is in lock box 903
at El Cajon's UBC on Second Ave, with the loan notes. So
girls, the Lord and his angels have been pretty busy first to
make sure you were born to Ron and Lady D, and then to let Ron
and Lady D raise you. I thank God for you girls. You are the joy
and the crown of my life. I thank God for saving me so many
Ûtimes so I could be your dad. I thank God for the honor of
having, raising and loving you three precious ladies. I hope
you girls will walk close enough to the Lord so you can see His
mighty miracle working power in your lives too. The closer
you walk with Him, the more miracles you'll. When you get to
fasting, meditation and praying, you get to the miracle
highway. I have all the proof I'll ever need to know how very
real Jesus is. I wish that for you too.
Love,
Your Dad.

P.S. My darling daughters, there was one,before you were born,

whose sacrifice and suffering was used to build into my
character those attributes that you love and hold dear, that
enabled me to cherish you far better than I could have without
the lessons learned from the tragedy, and that enabled me
to raise you under the enabling and shepherding the God who
is Unselfish and Compassionate Cherishing, The TLady R, The
Life, The Light and The Way---Jesus. Here is how he raised
me from the dead, where I belonged.

TITLE: POLYGYNY AND CONCUBINES IN THE BIBLE

COPYRIGHT © JANUARY 14, 1996 All rights reserved.
Copyright © 01/14/'95; 01/12/’96; 05/11/'09 (Revised)
By R. Tyler
This file, in its entirety, may be posted on or copied off of
computer networks like Internet or WWW by anyone so
inclined as long as it is not changed.

By L. Tyler P.O. Box 620763, SanDiego, CA 92162-0763

Is polygyny a dead and old issue? In January of

'96 the New York Times ran an article about more than
100,000 polygamists living in Paris, France, alone. An e-
mail correspondent from Paris wrote to me telling me
that reportedly a recent Prime Minister of France was a
practicing polygynist. Polygamy, in one form or another,
is being practiced on every continent today.
St. Augustine of Hippo, 4th century Christian
Patriarch, stated the following of the Western Christian
community of his century:
"But here there is no ground for a criminal
accusation: for a plurality of wives was no crime
when it was the custom; and it is a crime now, because it
is no longer the custom......The only reason of its
being a crime now to do this, is because custom and
the laws forbid it.>1. . . . That the holy fathers of olden
times . . . to whom God gave His testimony that
'they pleased Him'. . . it was permitted to . . . them
to have a pluraltiy of wives. . .>2 . . . the honorable name
of saint is given not without reason to men who had
several wives. . . nor did the number of their wives
make the patriarchs licentious.>3
[>1 A Select Library, vol. iv; p. 289; >2 A Select Library,
Vol. V; p. 267; >3 A Select Library, Vol. iv; p. 290]

It is so very disappointing to hear gifted Bible teachers and scholars

misrepresent what God said in the Bible about polygyny! Pat Robertson of
the 700/CBN Club, Charles Stanley, MacArthur, James Kennedy of Coral Ridge
Ministries (before he died) are right 99% of the time, but it hurts to see their
lack of intellectual and spiritual consistency and integrity when it comes to
Biblical polygyny. They know full well that within 35 verses and surely a
matter of hours after giving the ten commandments in Exodus 20, Jesus-
Jehovah legislated polygyny in Exodus 21:7-11

"7 If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant or bondwoman, she shall

not get her freedom as menservants do. 8 If she does not please her master
so that he does not chose her for himself, he shall let her be redeemed. To
sell her to a foreign people he shall have no power, for he has dealt
faithlessly with her. 9 And if he espouses her to his son, he shall deal with
her as with a daughter. 10 If he [does not let her be redeemed or does not
espouse her to his son and] marries another, her food, clothing, and privilege
as a wife shall he not diminish."

Did you notice there is not condemnation or denunciation of the man for
keeping his maidservant/bondwoman wife and then taking another
wife?!?!?!?!

There is no way that this can be legislation that does not involve polygyny.
Again in the Law Jesus-Jehovah legislated a polygynous issue in Deut 21
"15 If a man has two wives, one loved and the other disliked, and they both
have borne him children, and if the firstborn son is the son of the one who is
disliked, 16 Then on the day when he wills his possessions to his sons, he
shall not put the firstborn of his loved wife in place of the [actual] firstborn of
the disliked wife--her firstborn being older. 17 But he shall acknowledge the
son of the disliked as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that
he has, for he was the first issue of his strength; the right of the firstborn is
his.

Did you notice there is not condemnation or denunciation of the man for
having two wives?!?!?!?!

The God's Law deals with sin, especially sex sin, in great deal in Lev 18, Lev
20 and Deut 22. If polygyny were the sin those leaders make it out to be,
there would have been a passage in the Bible like the following:
 5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances which, if a man
does, he shall live by them. I am the Lord. 6 No husband shall approach
another woman besides his own wife to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7 The nakedness of a woman who is not your own wife in monogamy, you
shall not take her as another wife to have intercourse with her. . . . 9 You
shall not have intercourse with or uncover the nakedness of another women
as an additional wife in polygyny. 10 You must not have sexual relations with
any other woman besides your own heterosexual wife in monogyny; the
nakedness of any other woman you shall not uncover in polygyny. . . . 18
You must not marry another woman in addition to your own wife, to be a
rival to her, having sexual relations with the second woman when the first
one is alive. . . . 24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for in all
these things the nations are defiled which I am casting out before you. 25
And the land is defiled; therefore I visit the iniquity of it upon it, and the land
itself vomits out her inhabitants.
THERE IS NO SUCH CONDMENATION OR DENUNCIATION OF BIBLICAL
POLYGYNY IN THE BIBLE. Please note that Jesus-Jehovah clearly and plainly
judged and condemned David's adultery, but NEVER JUDGED DAVID FOR
HAVING
WIVES AND CONCUBINES, but instead gave great blessings and made great
promisis to David, the polygynist. Please note that Jesus's angel told Hagar,
Abraham's wife in polygyny, to return to Abraham and Sarah and submit to
them, promising great blessing on her son, Abraham's son by polygyny.

How dare any person, let alone prominent Christian leaders and spokesmen,
call sin that which Jesus-Jehovah legislated!!!! Haven't they ever read Matt
5?
"17 Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law or the
Prophets; I have come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill
them. 18 For truly I tell you, until the sky and earth pass away and perish,
not one smallest letter nor one little hook will pass from the Law until all
things are accomplished. 19 Whoever then breaks or does away with or
relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall
be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but he who practices them and
teaches others to do so shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

What a shame these Christian leaders will be called the least in the Kingdom
because they have broken, done away with and/or relaxed these
commandments and teach others so.

I understand Rev. Gerhard Jasper to make the

following points: (1) In Old Testament times a Jewish
polygynist's marriage was fully recognized as marriage,
protected by the Law and the elders; (2) the Jewish
polygynist's faith in or faithfulness to God was not
questioned because of his polygyny; (3) the polygyny of
the Jewish polygynist did not keep him from being
admitted to the congregation with full membership.>44.
Moses did not forbid polygamy but apparently it was
unusual among average people .>45.
" . . . Yet polygyny is adopted from the time of
Lamech (Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture . . .
Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in
Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African
countries." >25
“Concubine. A secondary wife acquired by purchase
or as a war captive, and allowed in polygamous society
such as existed in the Middle east in biblical times. . . .
Concubines were protected under Mosaic law (Exod. 21:7-
11; Dt. 21:10-14), though they were distinguished from
wives (Jdg. 8:31) and were more easily divorced
(Gen.21:10-14)”>26
" . . . Concubinage was a legally sanctioned and
socially acceptable practice in ancient cultures, including
that of the Hebrews; concubines, however, were denied
the protection to which a legal wife was entitled. . .”>27.
" . . . Herod had nine wives at once. . . Its possibility
is implied by the technical continuance of the Levirate
law," [Deut. 25:5-10] "and is proved by the early
interpretation of 1 Ti 3, whether correct or not. Justin
reproaches the Jews of his day" [A.D.] " with having 'four
or even five wives,' and marrying 'as they wish, or as
many as they wish.' . . . Polygamy was not definitely
forbidden among the Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c.
A.D. 1000), and then at first only for France and
Germany. In Spain, Italy, and the East it persisted for
some time longer, as it does still among the Jews in
Mohammedan countries.">28
[Footnotes: >44. Trobisch, MY WIFE MADE ME. . . P.18;
(AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Rev. Gerhard Jasper of
Lutheran Theological College in Makumira, Tanzania;
Februrary 1969, p. 41). >45. Please see Deut. 21:15,16
and THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COMMENTARY; p. 407.
>25 IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas; 1962,W. B. Eerdmans
Publishing, p.787. >26 IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas;
1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing. >27 1986, Funk &
Wagnalls NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA. >28. HASTINGS
DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; p.583ff.] .

Reflecting the reality of how Israel and Judah

divided after Solomon died, Jesus (as Jehovah) presents
Himself as the husband of two wives in the following:
*** EZEKIEL 23: 1 ¶ The word of the LORD came again
to me, 2 Son of man, there were two women, the
daughters of one mother. 3 And they fornicated in Egypt;
they whored in their youth, their breasts were handled,
and there their Oholibah, her sister. And they became
Mine, . . . ."
God never presents Himself as sin or sinner to us
except for when holy Christ became sin for us on the
cross. In Ezek. 23, the sinners were His wives and He was
righteous as the husband of two wives. It was only two
wives in accordance with His own Law that decreed that
the ruler must not multiply wives to himself. Polygyny ,
even God’s polygyny , is NEVER labeled or declared to be
sin or sinful in the Bible.
*** GEN. 4: 19 ¶ And Lamech took two wives to
himself. The name of the first one [was]. Adah, and the
name of the other [was]. Zillah;
*** GEN. 16: 2 And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now,
the LORD has kept me from bearing. I pray you, go in to
my slave woman. It may be that I may be built by her.
And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai,
Abram's wife, took Hagar her slave woman, the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
God intervened and sent Hagar back into the
marital situation with Abram and Sarai>41 When God
next spoke to Abraham>42 there was no condemnation
of his polygyny , but instead God blessed him with an
even greater blessing than before. In response to the
blessing he takes his son by Hagar and circumcised
him>43 . "in all things the Lord had blessed Abraham"
(Gen. 24:1).
[Footnotes:>41 (Gen 16:9-16.); >42 (Gen. 17:1--); >43
(Gen. 17:23-25);
Polygyny and bigamy were recognized features of
the family life. From the Oriental point of view there was
nothing immoral in the practice of polygamy. . . . At all
events, polygyny was an established and recognized
institution form the earliest times">8 HASTINGS
DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; p.259.
God blessed Sarah with fertility in polygyny>44
and God blessed Hagar and Ishmael even though she was
cast out of Sarah's house at Sarah's confirmed request
because of the question of an heir, not polygyny>45 .
Abraham had another concubine after Hagar, named
Keturah>46 by whom Abraham had six children without
any condemnation or denunciation by God.
[Footnotes:>44 (Gen 21:1-7); >45 (Gen. 21); >46 (1
Chron.1:32) ]
.
Culturally it is interesting that Nahor, Abraham's
brother, also was a polygamist having a concubine>47.
Abraham had at least another concubine besides Keturah
under God's blessing>48 although he diligently protected
the heir status of Isaac. Hezron’s Caleb had two
concubines>49.
[Footnotes:>47 (Gen. 22:20-24); >48 (Gen. 25:1-6); >48
(Gen. 25:1-6)]
.
Eerdmans' Douglas' New Bible Dictionary:
“Concubine. A secondary wife . . . . allowed in
polygamous society such as existed in the Middle east in
biblical times....Handmaidens, given as a marriage gift,
were often concubines (Gen. 29:24,29). Concubines were
protected under Mosaic law (Exod. 21:7-11; Dt. 21:10-14),
though they were distinguished from wives (Jdg. 8:31)
and were more easily divorced (Gen.21:10-14)."
[Footnote: >10 1962, IVCF, Editor J.D.Douglas; W. B.
Eerdmans Publishing]
.
FUNK & WAGNALLS NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA:
CONCUBINAGE, “refers to the cohabitation of a man and a
woman without sanction of legal marriage. Specifically,
concubinage is a form of polygyny in which the primary
matrimonial relationship is supplemented by one or more
secondary sexual relationships. Concubinage was a legally
sanctioned and socially acceptable practice in ancient
cultures, including that of the Hebrews; concubines,
however, were denied the protection to which a legal
wife was entitled. . . . . the concubine's status was inferior
to that of a legal wife. Her children had certain rights,
including support by the father and legitimacy in the
event of the marriage of the parents” [>11 1986, Funk &
Wagnalls]
.
HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE: “The relative
positions of wives and concubines were determined
mainly by the husband's favour. The children of the wife
claimed the greater part, or the whole, of the inheritance;
otherwise there does not seem to have been any
inferiority in the position of the concubine as compared
with that of the wife, nor was any idea of illegitimacy, in
our sense of the word, connected with her children. . . .
>12
[Footnote: >12. HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;
p.259.]
.
“ The difference between a wife and a concubine
depended on the wife's higher position and birth, usually
backed by relatives ready to defend her.” >13
[Footnote: >13. 1989, HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE
BIBLE; p.585.] .

>>>>THE BIBLICAL RECORD CONTINUES

Esau's polygyny >55 was not condemned but his
unequal yoke was the point of grief to his mother. Esau’s
son had a concubine>56 . [Footnotes:>55 (Gen. 26:34,35;
28:9); >56 (Gen. 36:12); ]Jacob marries Rachel and Leah>58 , and goes on
to
have children by his concubines as well>59. Sure,
treachery was involved in the Rachel and Leah marriage,
but it appears that the treachery stands alone as the evil
since at the first mention of the polygyny option,>60
Jacob has no moral objection and nowhere does God
denounce his marriage to the two women. Yes Lev. 18:18
shows that much later in the time of Moses, God forbade
two sisters being wives to one husband at one time and
makes rivalry the issue.
God deliberately involved Himself in the polygyny
of Jacob by blessing Leah with fertility>61. God repeated
himself by blessing the mother of Samuel with fertility
without denouncing her polygyny>62 . God intervened
and granted fertility to Rachel in her polygyny>63 . God
not only blesses Jacob with fertility but also with
miraculous prosperity in his polygyny> 64 . God not only
blessed Jacob in his polygyny but also delivered him
from evil and harm as a polygynist>65
[Footnotes:>58 in Gen 29 & 30; >59 (Gen. 35:22; 37:2);.
>60 (Gn. 29:27,29). >61 (Gn. 29:31,32; 30:17); >62 (l
Sam 1:1-6); >63 (Gn. 30:22); >64 (Gn. 30:41-31:10); >65
(Gn. 31:24, 29,42)]
.
Jacob’s son Ashur had two wives >68, and his son,
Manasseh, had a concubine>69. Benjamin’s Shaharaim
was also a polygamist>70.
[Footnotes:>68 (1Chron. 4:5); >69 (1 Chron 7:14); >70 (1
Chron.8:8)]
] .
The next occurrence is controversial but interesting.
Before the Law and in accordance with the principles of
Genesis, Moses interracially marries Zipporah a Midianite.
She seems to do a Michal>71 and apparently suffers the
same fate because next we see Moses interracially marry,
after the giving of the law, an Ethiopian Cushite>72 in
polygyny . Under God's Law Moses gave instructions
about polygyny>73 affording it the full legal status of
monogamy with no stigma or denunciation.
[Footnotes:>71 (l Sam 6) in Ex. 4:23-26; >72 (Num 12:1-
10); >73 in Ex. 21:10,11]
.
*** EXODUS 21: 7 “And if a man sells his daughter to be
a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants
do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has
betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be
redeemed. He shall have no power to sell her to a strange
nation, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if
he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her as
with daughters. 10 If he takes himself another
[wife] .,
her food, her clothing, and her duty of marriage shall not
be lessened. 11 And if he does not do these three to her,
then she shall go out free without money.”
*** LEVITICUS 19:20 “And whoever lies with a woman
with semen, and she is a slave-girl, betrothed to a
husband and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her,
there shall be an inquest. They shall not be put to death,
because she was not free.”
*** DEUT. 22: 23 “If a girl [who is] a virgin is engaged
to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies
with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the
gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones
that they die; the girl because she did not cry out in the
city, and the man because he has humbled his neighbor's
wife. So you shall put away evil from among you. 25 But
if a man finds an engaged girl in the field, and the man
forces her and lies with her, then only the man that lay
with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the girl.
No sin [worthy] of death [is] in the girl; for as when a man
rises against his neighbor and slays him, even so is this
matter. 27 For he found her in the field, the engaged girl
cried out, but [there was] none to save her.”
God's Law forbade a king from "multiplying"
wives>.75 to himself without making such a command to
we nonkings. It appears from later scripture about Godly
and God blessed kings of Israel that God makes a
distinction between MULTIPLYING wives & horses to
yourself and adding wives & horses to yourself. None of
us object to King David having more than one horse but
many object to King David having more than one wife, yet
it is the same command "he shall not multilply hoses . . .
wives to himself." By 2 Samuel 5-12 God had “given” him
seven wives plus a number of concubines. We see His
implied blessing on David’s polygyny . This implied
blessing of his polygyny would have to mean that David,
with concubines and seven wives, had not yet violated
the prohibition against a king multiplying wives and
horses to himself.
[Footnotes:>75 De 17:15 “You shall only set him king
over you whom Jehovah your God will choose: from
among your brethren shall you set a king over you; . . .
16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, . . . 17
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart
turn not away; neither shall he greatly multiply to
himself silver and gold.” NO PROHIBITION FROM HAVING
SOME HORSES , SOME WIVES and some
gold. .
In Deut. 21:15-17 God intervenes and acknowledges
and vindicates the second wife in a polygamous marriage
where the sin of partiality >76 was being practiced. If
polygyny were sin why didn't God condemn it in this
passage instead of covering it with the dignity and
holiness of His Law? The wife is vindicated, not
condemned. [Footnote: >76 (James 2:1-7)]
.
Deut. 21:15 ¶ “If a man have two wives, one beloved, and
one hated, and they have borne him children, [both] the
beloved and the hated, and [if] the first-born son be hers
that was hated; 16 then it shall be, in the day that he
makes his sons to inherit [that] which he has, [that] he
may not make the son of the beloved first-born before
the son of the hated, who is the first-born; 17 but he
shall acknowledge as first-born the son of the hated, by
giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is
the firstfruits of his strength: the right of the firstborn is
his.”
Gideon had MANY WIVES, was blessed and used of
God without any condemnation/denunciation from God
about his polygyny>77 .[Footnotes:>77 (Judges 8:29-32) ]
.
What about the Levite’s? These keepers of the
tabernacle, did they have special rules that kept them
from polygyny? Not according to the following, because
when his concubine was mercilessly murdered by rape,
the nation of Israel rose to vindicate him and avenge her
murder.
Judges 19:1 ¶ “And it came to pass in those days, when
[there was] no king in Israel, that there was a certain
Levite, . . . who took to him a concubine out of
Bethlehem-Judah. 2 And his concubine . . . . went away
from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-Judah, and
was there four whole months. 3 And HER HUSBAND rose
up and went after her, to speak friendly to her, [and] to
bring her again; . . . And she brought him into her
father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw
him he rejoiced to meet him. 4 And his FATHER-IN-
LAW, the damsel's father, retained him, and he abode
with him three days; . . .5 . . . And the damsel's father
said to his SON-IN-LAW, . .”

SO A CONCUBINE IS NOT A HARLOT. Just like any

other wife, she can become a harlot while married (Ezek.
16 and Hosea). HARLOTRY IS AN EVIL THAT EITHER A
WIFE OR A CONCUBINE CAN PRACTICE WHILE MARRIED.
Not only is a concubine not a harlot, the Holy Spirit by the
writer of the book of Judges declared the Levite to be the
concubine's "husband", declared the father of the
concubine to be the Levite's "father-in-law", and declared
the Levite to be the "son-in-law" of the concubine's
father. This is a very strong legitimization of the
husband-concubine marital status. It is the same
legitimization of the relationship that the Holy Spirit used
in Matthew 1, calling the espoused Mary "wife" and the
espoused Joseph "husband". If God so recognizes them
and describes them, then who are we to do any less. By
the Holy Spirit here in Judges 19 we see that a concubine
had a "husband" who was the "son-in-law" of her father,
his "father-in-law". A wife has a "husband" who is the
"son-in-law" of her father, her husband's "father-in-law".
David is a fascinating case. He marries Michal in l
Sam. 18. Then, as the anointed future king of Israel,
David took to himself three additional wives in l Sam 25,
and one is recognized by the Spirit for her grace and
wisdom. He does this at a time of God's miraculous
intervention and blessing in his life. God neither
denounces or condemns him or his polygyny. In the case
of three or four wives you are still dealing with addition,
rather than the multiplying of Deut.
It is interesting that horses, silver and gold - AS
WELL AS WIVES - were not to be multiplied. I can't
believe this was meant to limit the king to ONE HORSE, or
ONE SILVER OR GOLD BAR, even so I can't believe it
limits a king to one wife.
In fact in 2 Sam 6, it is Michal who is condemned
and punished instead of her polygamous husband David.
By the time he becomes King in Judah he has 6 wives>83
and is being blessed and prospered by God. At the time of
the wonderful Covenant with David in 2 Sam. 7, God
specifically blesses and covenants with polygamist David
and his concubines and his seven wives, as part of his
house, receive a blessing. God even said "I gave you . . .
your master's wives" >84 ". And Nathan said to David,
you are the man! Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel:
I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out
of the hand of Saul; 8 and I GAVE YOU YOUR MASTER'S
HOUSE, AND YOUR MASTER'S WIVES INTO YOUR BOSOM,
and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if
[that] had been too little, I would moreover have given
unto you such and such things."
[Footnotes:>83 (2 Sam. 3); >84a 2Sa 12:7]
.
At this time God had “given” him seven wives plus
a number of concubines (1 Chronicles 3). God here
condemns David’s adultery and murder, but implies His
blessing on David’s polygyny . This implied blessing of
his polygyny would have to mean that David, with
concubines and seven wives, had not yet violated the
prohibition against a king multiplying wives to himself.
>84b to David in his polygyny. Apparently even
concubines plus seven wives is not "multiplying" wives to
oneself. He had about 14 wives and concubines at the end
of his life>85. David the polygamist was declared to be
loyal to God>86. God declares that David, the polygamist,
fully followed God>87.
[Footnotes:>84b 2Sa 12:7; >85 (1 Chron 3); >86 ( l King
11:4); >87 (l King 11:6)]
.
Both David and Abraham recognized all the rights
and responsibilities of the concubines as if they were
official wives. The bottom line is what does God say and
how does He view concubines. Reflect on the following:
*** 2 Sam.12: 11 “So says the LORD, Behold, I will raise
up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take
your wives before your eyes and give [them] to your
neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of
this sun.”
*** 2 Sam 16: 21 “And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go
in to your father's concubines, that he left to keep the
house. And all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by
your father. And the hands of all who [are] with you will
be strong. 22 And they spread Absalom a tent on the top
of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's
concubines in the sight of all Israel.”
***2Sam.20:3 “And David came to his house at
Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women,
[his] .
concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put
them in ward, and fed them but did not go in to them.
And they were shut up till the day of their death, living
in widowhood.”
In these passages you see God calling and
recognizing as "wives" David’s concubines. If that is the
way God sees them, only a fool would treat them as less
than a wife (Malachi 2). Malachi 2 makes it pretty clear
how God feels about those who break their covenants
with their concubines and wives.
Solomon's polygyny was sinful first because He
disobeyed God’s command against a king multiplying
wives to himself>89; and secondly because he married
unbelievers with whom God had specifically forbidden
marriage>90. Too many wives and forbidden wives both
had the same predicted result, that they turned his heart
away from God. Solomon was declared to be disloyal to
God in his polygyny>91 while David the polygamist was
declared to be loyal to God>92 . God even declares that
polygynist David fully followed God>93 . [Footnote: >89
(Deut. 17:15-17); >90 (Nehemiah 13:23) ; >91 (1 Kings
11:1,2,6, 11); >92 ( l King 11:4); >93 (l King 11:6)]
.
Evil king Rehoboam imitated Solomon and almost
had 18 wives and 60 concubines in 2 Chron. 11 & 12.
Then Godly king Abijah, blessed and prospered of God,
also had fourteen wives>94 . The Godly High Priest
Jehoida gave two wives to godly king Joash in 2 Chron 24.
Godly queen Esther was a wife blessed by God in her
polygyny . God Himself describes Himself as a polygamist
in Ezekiel 23. Jesus reaffirmed the Old Testament
teachings on polygamy and concubinage in Matt. 23:2,3.
[Footnote: >94 (2 Chron. 13)]
.
*** MATT. 23:2 “. . . The scribes and the Pharisees sit
in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to
observe, observe and do. But do not do according to their
works; for they say, and do not do.”

So even after Acts' Pentecost and Acts 15 the

apostles and believing Jews in Acts 21 still believed that
they were to obey the Law of Moses including the laws
about marriage (including polygyny ) and morality.
The only thing they wrote about polygyny was that the
elders/bishops /deacons should have only one wife at a
time.

So we see Paul, the Apostle of Grace to we non-

Jews, purify himself with four other Christian Jews under
a vow, pay the expenses of their being under the vow
including the shaving of their heads, and have an
offering offered for them all so that he could show the
believing Jews that he walked orderly, keeping the Sinai
Law and its customs and telling the believing Jews to
circumcize their children and walk in Moses' customs.
These customs of Moses included the laws given to Moses
regulating and recognizing polygyny. So the apostles and
believing Jews were still keeping the Law, not for
salvation, but to obey Jesus in Mat. 23:1-3, and still they
do not condemn or reject the polygyny being practiced all
around them by both Jews and Romans (See the quotes
below).

This means that the marriage and morality

teachings of 1 Thess. 4 ; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 5, 6 and
7 were written before the time of Acts 21:16 while Paul
and the believing Jews, including the apostles, were still
obeying and teaching the marriage and morality laws of
the Law of Moses, discussed at length above including
polygyny . The change of significance was not that
polygyny was condemned or forbidden but that
monogamy was made a prerequisite for holding an
official position of leadership in the local church. The
polygyny of the Jewish, Greek and Roman world was not
attacked, but the leadership of the local churches was
transformed by the monogamy restriction, probably to
prevent polygamous leaders from getting involved in
church service that would result in the neglect of time
with their own children and/or wives. What was the
actual status of polygamy in New Testament time, the
First Century AD? Christian elders agree that during
Jesus' physical and visible walk on earth, the Jews
practiced polygamy>24.”
[Footnote: >24. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME..P. 23. ;
"Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the Jews
till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.d. 1000), and then at first
only for France and Germany. In Spain, Italy,m and the
East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still
among the Jews in Mohammedan counties". HASTINGS
DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.584. ; A Select Library of
the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian
Church, Vol. V, p. 267.; A Select Library of the Nicene
and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. iv,
p.290.; A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene
Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. VIII, p. 258. ; St.
Augustin: On The Trinity, p. 402.; HASTINGS
DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE, p.259, 583ff.]
.
It is incredible to think that Jesus and the apostles
would say nothing about such a widespread
contemporary practice as polygyny if it were indeed
sinful, less than God's best, carnal and reprobate to good
works. God never said such a thing in Old Testament
times and He obviously never said such a thing in New
Testament times. When you consider how specific God
was in Lev. chaps. 18-22; Deut. chaps. 22-24; Romans 1; 1
Cor. 6; 2 Cor. 6; Gal. 5 and etc., I can not believe that God
would "forget" to include polygyny if it is as bad as most
Christian leaders say it is.
"Yet polygyny is adopted from the time of Lamech
(Gn. 4:19), and is not forbidden in Scripture . . ..
Polygamy continues to the present day among Jews in
Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, Asian, Oriental, and African
countries." [>25 The New Bible Dictionary,IVCF, Editor
J.D.Douglas; 1962,W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, p.787]
.
"Polygamy was not definitely forbidden among the
Jews till the time of R. Gershom (c. A.D. 1000), and then at
first only for France and Germany. In Spain, Italy, and
the East it persisted for some time longer, as it does still
among the Jews in Mohammedan countries."
[Footnote: >28. HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE;
p.583ff.] .

IN CONCLUSION:
God portrays Himself as a polygynist in Ezek 23, then you have
Lamech (GN4); Abraham (2 concubines GN+1Chron1:32); Nahor
(Gen. 22); Hezron’s Caleb had two concubines; Esau's polygyny
was not condemned but his unequal yoke was the point of grief
to his mother. Esau’s son had a concubine. Jacob’s son Ashur
had two wives >68, and his son,
Manasseh, had a concubine>69. Benjamin’s Shaharaim
was also a polygamist>70. [Footnotes:>68 (1Chron. 4:5); >69 (1
Chron 7:14); >70 (1 Chron.8:8)] ..

At the time of
the wonderful Covenant with David in 2 Sam. 7, God
specifically blesses and covenants with polygamist David
and his concubines and his seven wives, as part of his
house, receive a blessing. God even said "I gave you . . .
your master's wives" >84 ". And Nathan said to David,
you are the man! Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel:
I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out
of the hand of Saul; 8 and I GAVE YOU YOUR MASTER'S
HOUSE, AND YOUR MASTER'S WIVES INTO YOUR BOSOM,
and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if
[that] had been too little, I would moreover have given
unto you such and such things." [Footnotes:>83 (2 Sam. 3);
>84a 2Sa 12:7]. At this time God had “given” him seven wives
plus a number of concubines (1 Chronicles 3).

Solomon's polygyny was sinful first because He

disobeyed God’s command against a king multiplying
wives to himself>89; and secondly because he married
unbelievers with whom God had specifically forbidden
marriage>90. [Footnote: >89 (Deut. 17:15-17); >90 (Nehemiah 13:23)].
Evil king Rehoboam imitated Solomon and almost
had 18 wives and 60 concubines in 2 Chron. 11 & 12.
Then Godly king Abijah, blessed and prospered of God,
also had fourteen wives>94 . The Godly High Priest
Jehoida gave two wives to godly king Joash in 2 Chron 24.
Godly queen Esther was a wife blessed by God in her
polygyny . God Himself describes Himself as a polygamist
in Ezekiel 23. Jesus reaffirmed the Old Testament
teachings on polygamy and concubinage in Matt. 23:2,3.
[Footnote: >94 (2 Chron. 13)

What a record! Two authors of the Old Testament,

David and Solomon, possibly three if you count Moses,
were uncondemned and God-honored polygynists in their
polygyny. Four godly patriarchs with whom God entered
into special and unique covenants (Abraham, Jacob,
David, Solomon; five if you count Moses) were polygynists
at the time God covenanted with them. In every era of
the Old Testament (Pre Law, Sinai Law, Judges, Kingdom
prophets, Dispersion prophets) you find God’s people and
leaders practicing polygyny and practicing it according to
God’s will or commands. Yet many Christian leaders
agree with the brother that apparently maintains that the
Bible offers little defense for polygamy in comparison to
monogamy, that because of its shortcomings polygyny
cannot be tolerated as a form of marriage willed by
God.>22. Perhaps that's why God chose the polygamous
marriage of Solomon and his Shulamite in The Song of
Solomon to be the model for marriage in Israel and the
marriage model for His relationship to Israel>95.
[Footnotes:>22. Trobisch; MY WIFE MADE ME..P.21; >95
(Ezekiel 23)]
.
St. Augustine, 4th century AD of Hippo, has a good
word, as follows:
" . . If our critics, then, wish to attain not a spurious and
affected, but a genuine and sound moral health, let them
find a cure in believing the Scripture record, that the
honorable name of saint is given not without reason to
men who had several wives; . . .nor did the number of
their wives make the patriarchs licentious. But why
defend the husbands, to whose character the divine word
bears the highest testimony. . . ." [Footnote: >.23 A
Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian Church, Vol. iv; p.290]]
.
AND JESUS SAID:
Mat. 5:17 ¶ “Think not that I am come to make void the
law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to
fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and
the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise
pass from the law till all come to pass. 19 Whosoever
then shall do away with one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called
least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall
practise and teach [them] , *he* shall be called great in the
kingdom of the heavens.”
Matt. 23:1 ¶ “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his
disciples, 2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set
themselves down in Moses' seat: 3 all things therefore,
whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not
after their works, for they say and do not, . . .”

St. Augustine of Hippo, 4th century Christian Patriarch,

stated the following of the Western Christian community
of his century:
"But here there is no ground for a criminal
accusation: for a plurality of wives was no crime
when it was the custom; and it is a crime now, because it
is no longer the custom......The only reason of its
being a crime now to do this, is because custom and
the laws forbid it.>1. . . . That the holy fathers of olden
times . . . to whom God gave His testimony that
'they pleased Him'. . . it was permitted to . . . them
to have a pluraltiy of wives. . .>2 . . . the honorable name
of saint is given not without reason to men who had
several wives. . . nor did the number of their wives
make the patriarchs licentious.>3
[>1 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian Church, , vol. iv; p. 289; >2 A Select Library of the Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian Church, ,
Vol. V; p. 267; >3 A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian Church, , Vol. iv; p. 290]
.
"BUT HERE THERE IS NO GROUND FOR A CRIMINAL
ACCUSATION: FOR A PLURALITY OF WIVES WAS NO
CRIME WHEN IT WAS THE CUSTOM; AND IT IS A CRIME
NOW, BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER THE CUSTOM......THE
ONLY REASON OF ITS BEING A CRIME NOW TO DO THIS, IS
BECAUSE CUSTOM AND THE LAWS FORBID IT.>1"
Thanks St. Augustine. And as you have so eloquently
pointed out, not only was it not a crime, it was not a
spiritual sin or flaw as seen in the following
of St. Augustine: . . . THE HONORABLE NAME OF SAINT IS
GIVEN NOT WITHOUT REASON TO MEN WHO HAD
SEVERAL WIVES; . . .NOR DID THE NUMBER OF THEIR
WIVES MAKE THE PATRIARCHS LICENTIOUS. BUT WHY
DEFEND THE HUSBANDS, TO WHOSE CHARACTER THE
DIVINE WORD BEARS THE HIGHEST TESTIMONY. . . ."
[Footnote: >.23 A Select Library of the Nicene
and Post-Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, Vol. iv;
p.290]
.
So today where it is not the legal "custom", it is
illegal and a sin against Romans 13. Not because it is
illegal and sinful in and of itself, but because it is not the
legal "custom". On the other hand, where it is the legal
"custom", it is neither illegal nor sinful and saints may
practice polygyny and concubinage without fear of
condemnation of God, and should not have to fear the
condemnation of man, as in Africa, India, China, SE Asia,
all Islamic nations and among indigenous indian tribes
around the world. Something every missionary should
know.
Peace

BIBLIOGRAPHY

>1. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of

The Christian
Church, Vol. IV; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.); W.B.
Eerdmans
Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956
>2. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian
Church, Vol. V; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.); ; W.B.
Eerdmans
Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956; p. 267
>3. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian
Church, Vol. VIII; edited by Philip Schaff (D.d., LL.D.) and
Henry Wace
(D.D.) ; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids
Mich; 1956
>4. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of
The Christian
Church, Vol. XIV; edited by Philip Schaff (D.D., LL.D.) and
Henry Wace
(D.D.) ; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids
Mich; 1956
>5. Amplified Bible, The; 1965, Zondervan Publishing House
>6. ANALYTICAL GREEK LEXICON, THE: Harper & Brothers,
New York
>7. Arndt & Gingrich: A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON OF THE
NEW
TESTAMENT and Other Early Christian Literature ; By
W.F.Arndt & F. W.
Gingrich; The Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill.; Cambridge
at the Univ.
Press.; 1957
>8. ASV: The Holy Bible, American Standard Version 1901 &
1929; Thomas
Nelson & Sons, New York
>9. Gold Cord, by Amy Carmichael, Christian Literature
Crusade, Fort
Worthington, Penna.; London's Society for the Promotion of
Christian
Knowledge, Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone Rd., N.W. (N.Y.
The
Macmillan Company).
>10. CUSTOMS AND CULTURES, Anthropology for Christian
Missions,
by Eugene A. Nida1954, Harper & Brothers, New York
>11. Darby's 1890 translation: Most of the scriptures quoted
in this work, if
not otherwise indicated, are from the a modernized version
of J. N. Darby's
translation, the OnLine Bible computer program of "Online
Bible f ", Ken
Hammil 1-908-741-4298; [E-Mail: khamel@aol.com]..
>12. DIVORCE, John Murray, Presbyterian and Reformed
Publishing Co. \
>13. G. Duty's book on divorce and remarriage , Downers
Grove, Ill.
>14. HASTING'S DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE; 1989,
Hendrickson
Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Mass;, Editor James Hastings, DD.,
>15. I LOVED A GIRL; Walter Trobisch, Inter-Varsity Press,
Downers
Grove, Ill.
>16. INTERNATIONAL BIBLE COMMENTARY, THE; Editor,
F.F.Bruce;
1979; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids
Michigan.
>17. Jay Adam's’ book on divorce and remarriage
>18. JEWISH: The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic
Text, 1955,
The Jewish Publication Society.
>19. KINSHIP & MARRIAGE, Robin Fox, 1967, Penguin Books,
Inc., USA &
England
>20. LAMSA: The Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern
Manuscripts, 1940,
Holman Co., by G. Lamsa.
>21. MARRIAGE EAST AND WEST; David & Vera Mace, 1960,
Dolphin
Books, Double Day & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY
>22.MARRYING AGAIN; David Hocking, 1977, Fleming H.
Revell Co.
>23. MY WIFE MADE ME A POLYGAMIST; Walter Trobisch,
1971, Inter-
Varsity Press,
>25. NASB: Holy Bible New American Standard; Broadman &
Holman
Publishers, Nashville Tenn.; The Lockman Foundation, 1977
>26. NEB: NEW ENGLISH BIBLE, 1970; Oxford/Cambridge
University
Press
>27. NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY, THE; Editor J.D.Douglas Ph.D;
1962; W.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.
>28. NEW TESTAMENT GREEK FOR BEGINNERS, By, J. Gresham
Machen, D.D, Litt. D.,1959
>29. NIV: "Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL
VERSION. Copyright @ 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society." Used
as required by Zondervan Bible Publishers.
>30. NKJV: New King James Version, 1984, Thomas Nelson,
Inc.
>31. OnLine Bible computer program of "Online Bible f ", Ken
Hammil 1-
908-741-4298; [E-Mail: khamel@aol.com] ..
>32. PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE LOVE ME!; Walter Trobisch,
Inter-
Varsity Press,
>33. St. Augustin: On The Trinity; translated by Arthur West
Haddan, B.D.;
W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids Mich; 1956
>34. Strong’s Lexicon, Open Bible "Online Bible f", Ken Hammil
1-908-741-
4298. Also Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich.
>35. Thayer: Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament;
Joseph Henry
Thayer, D.D.; American Book Co., New York, 1889
>36. The Septuagint of the Old Testament and Apocrypha
With an English
Translation; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids,
Michigan; 1972;
Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd. London
>37. WOMEN'S LIVES IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE - A
SOURCEBOOK;
Edited by Emile Amt; Routledge, Chapman, Hall; NY, NY;
1993
>38. Wuest's THE NEW TESTAMENT, An Expanded
Translation, Kenneth
S. Wuest, 1961
>39. YLT; Young's Literal Translation, 1898: OnLine Bible
computer
program of "Online Bible f ", Ken Hammil 1-908-741-4298;
[E-Mail:
khamel@aol.com] ..

TYLER,P.O.Box 620763, San Diego, CA 92162-0763

AS THE LORD LEADS.

EDUCATION - TEACHING - HUMAN RESOURCES

Classroom Instruction ... Training/Staff Development ...
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development working with youths (K-8) of all races and socio-
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teens in rehabilitation programs, and adult traffic violators
(Traffic Violator School) ... experience includes documenting,
evaluating, revising and reporting progress towards identified
goals ... reporting to governmental agencies and nonprofit
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positive situations ... strong organizational and administrative
skills coupled with the ability to work calmly and decisively
under pressure .. excellent communication skills complemented
by the ability to motivate, train, and focus others' energies on
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KEY STRENGTHS

Hard working achiever - delivering results, not excuses

Effective communicator and writer - motivating and
training others
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pressure
Working well with people - able to win confidence and
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EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVENESS
Organized a team teaching modular schedule for 4-6th
graders in a troubled school in a violent inner-city ghetto
school---involved winning respect of students and staff, being
sensitive to needs of teachers, parents and students, and
resolving conflicts in a quick and positive manner ... resulted in
a highly successful program which gained state-wide
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As on-site supervisor and teacher for projects for

developmentally disabled adults, identified and implemented
all licensing and vendor requirements and procedures,
prepared Hallelujah Corp. for accreditation by CARF
(Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) ...
resulted in the granting of proper licensing and accreditation
which ensured the continued growth and expansion of the
programs. - Successfully intervened in a highly volatile Afro-
American 5th grade class situation where the teacher had lost
control ... resulted in making a major change in the mood of the
class within 30 days ... within five weeks the class had made
such a dramatic turn around that it no longer needed the
services of the District Counselor, and developed a real
bonding between students and teacher. These intervention
skills were instrumental in restoring order and program to the
Indian tutorial program after the former teacher had lost
control. Again these same intervention skills were
instrumental in turning around a predominantly Hispanic
(many commuted from Tijuana, Mex.) 2nd grade class which
was experiencing deep depression due to the mid-term loss of
their beloved and gifted teacher.

EDUCATION &amp; CREDENTIALS

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY - San Diego, CA

Bachelor of Arts (Soc. Anthro. &amp; Spanish) with honors 1965
Teaching Credential = 30 units 1967

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woman to die for your failures so that you do not have
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by trusting Jesus alone to save you from Death and
failure, and make you right to Live with the Eternal
Father of Love forever.