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¹ Howdy boys, it's Paul again. I've given my life to God and I ride for the brand of Jesus Christ. I've been tasked with taking the outside and gathering those who want to ride for the truth and want to learn how to live for God. ² The truth I have is a guarantee of eternal life. God don't lie and that's what he's promised to those who ride for his outfit. ³ God has revealed this wonderful truth at just the right time. It's our job to spread this good news. The Boss sent me out to tell it to others and that's what I'll do with every last breath I have. He gave me a job to do and I ain't gonna let him down.

⁴ This letter is for my pard, Titus. He's like a son to me through the trails we ride and the faith we share.

I ask God now to send you grace that you don't deserve and peace that you ain't got.

The Crete Gatherin'

⁵ I left you in Crete to finish the gathering we had started. I asked you to find some cowboys who could lead other men in riding for the brand. ⁶ These ramrods, if you will, should be upstanding cowboys and have good reputations. He must be a faithful husband to his wife and his kids should believe in God without being rebellious and wild. ⁷ A ramrod is a church leader who takes care of God's outfit. That's why he should be a stand-up kind of cowboy. He shouldn't be a braggart or a hothead. He shouldn't be prone to too much whiskey, too much fighting, or a crooked horse trader.

⁸ Instead, he should enjoy having cowboys over for dinner and have a great love for doing the right thing. He needs to be very self-controlled and live like God has commanded us to live. ⁹ He has to believe wholeheartedly in the truth that comes from God. That way, he can teach others the truth and be able to stand up to those who are wrong.

¹⁰ There are a lot of gunsels who all they do is talk and try to lie to others. The one's I'm referring to right now are those who insist you have to have your pickle clipped in order to make it to heaven. ¹¹ These people need to have their mouths shut because they are driving people away from God with their foolish talk. Pickle clipping and selling salvation is big money and that is their god. ¹² Even one of their own men, one who could be considered a prophet in Crete, has said about them, "The people of Crete are lazy, backstabbing, no-accounts." ¹³ I haven't seen anything to change my view of this. So, don't be afraid to speak to them frankly, without any sugarcoating. It's better to hurt their feelings and bring them to faith than not say anything and let them find out how hot hell is. ¹⁴ They are like cows on loco weed. They've developed a taste for Jewish myths and old wives' tales of other people and it's killing them.

¹⁵ Good hay comes from good pastures and bad hay can only come from bad pastures. Same goes for the heart of a man. ¹⁶ There'll be many a cowboy and cowgirl who wear the cross and claim to know God, but the way they ride says something completely different. They deny God with their actions while claiming him with their words. These are charlatans, rustlers, and liars. I'd call them coyotes, but that would be too good for them.