The Road Less Traveled

THE ROAD Less Traveled The hallmark of the just and righteous

By Jason Herring Mike Tyson during his formative years in box-

This past March marked the 50th anniversary ing, once said: “To see a man beaten not by a of Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier in what was better opponent but by himself is a tragedy.” dubbed then and still considered now “The Our greatest battles are always fought with Self. Fight of the Century”. It was the first of an There is no more formidable opponent than epic trilogy that was as entertaining as any Ego. It’s not that sometimes we are our own Rocky film but more so. In the final round of worst enemy. Unchecked and unguarded, we the bout, Frazier sent Ali to the canvas for the are always our own worst enemy. The comprefirst time in his career. As I watched the fight hensive laundry list of sins comes from within replayed in tribute to the classic contest, I was our hearts, Jesus said, and they defile our charstill amazed at how quickly Ali got back up. acter and conduct. The right side of his jaw was considerably swol- How then do we respond to implosion? The len – nearly as bad as Frazier’s left eye. Most same way we respond to any type of adversity. men would’ve stayed down. Ali was not most We get up. We learn from our mistakes. And we men. Two years after the slugfest, a still undefeated Jason Herring grow forward. The sage of Israel wrote to his son: “A just Frazier would face another unblemished oppo- man falls seven times, and rises up again”nent in George Foreman. Frazier was knocked down six times (Proverbs 24:16). He didn’t say why he fell or how he fell. Just in less than five minutes before the fight was called halfway that he fell. And for whatever reason, he gets up again and through the second round. Foreman hit Frazier with shots including an uppercut that would’ve taken the heart out of most men. Frazier was not most men. He kept getting up even as friends and family at ringside were begging him to stay down, even as Angelo Dundee could be heard screaming ringside: “Stop the fight! Stop the fight!” This is what I’ve always loved about the so-called Sweet Science. It’s Mike Tyson getting knocked senseless by “Buster” Douglas before a stunned crowd in Tokyo, and then crawling on all fours to find his mouthpiece so he can regain his feet to keep on fighting even when he’s clearly in no condition to do so. I’m too young to remember Ali vs. Frazier, but I was 13 years old when James “Buster” Douglas shocked the world in Tokyo by knocking out “The Baddest Man on the Planet”. At the time it was unbelievable and I was only too happy to see the undefeated champ knocked off his throne. In the years again and again. If seven is the number of completion, then we can conclude that he always gets back up again. He is committed to the struggle. He will crawl if need be to find the ropes and pull himself to his unsure feet. He is a just man. He justifies his existence by rising up from his mistakes as well as adverse circumstances beyond his control. It’s Joe Frazier begging his trainer Eddie Futch not to stop the fight before the 15th round of The Thrilla in Manila, even though his eyes were swollen shut and he could have suffered irreparable damage in that final round. In the opposite corner, Ali might have been in more serious danger, saying it was the closest he ever came to dying in the ring. He literally collapsed when the fight was called. There was no “Ali shuffle”, no showboating. There were just two men who had left everything they had in a 21-foot square. Call it ‘heart’, call it ‘mettle’, call it since, however, I’ve come to respect and admire the scene of ‘grit’. When it translates into real life, it’s what Solomon called the fighter stumbling on wobbly legs with his mouthpiece stick- the hallmark of the just and righteous. n ing halfway out of his mouth ready to face the next barrage.

The word we use for that is mettle, which is the same as the Jason Herring is a father to four amazing kids and husword metal but spelled differently to denote the figurative band to his wife, Suzanne, of 21 years. In 2009 they sense. These were men of metal – iron men – who showed experienced two miscarriages and the loss of their 4-yearthe quality of their elements by how they responded to getting old son Josiah to cancer. In the wake of that devastation, knocked down. Their substance was revealed in the forge of Jason has sought to share hope with others who walk that adversity. same valley. He is passionate about his family, mountains,

Life has a way of knocking us down and sometimes we have Spartan Races, history books, writing, and speaking on the a way of knocking ourselves down. Cus D’Amato, who trained grace of God.

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Christian Rapper

Rapper: RandyB Funk Don’t try to slow Christian Rapper RandyB Funk down, he has a gift and wants to use it to benefit his community!

RandyB continues to create powerful ways of sharing God’s love and Christian HipHop with the Treasure Valley, and the world. Known for his Christian Hip-Hop music and his monumental SOS Service Drives that benefit The Boise Rescue Mission and The Idaho Humane Society, he is one of the hardest working teens in the area.

In 2020, along with his busy performance schedule, he produced two additional hiphop shows, dubbed the Annual Fired-Up Benefit Tours. The best Christian rappers in the area were selected for these shows and the door revenue went entirely to the Boise Rescue Mission. This year’s 3rd Annual Fired-Up Benefit Show, took place in April 2021, followed by a performance at Preview, both at Boise Bible College, where he is a cocurricular student; both high school and college.

RandyB was also chosen by nationally known Effect Radio 91.9 FM, to be the “ARTIST OF THE MONTH,” in September 2020, and in December he was awarded the “DO GOOD CHAMPION,” by Project 88.7. He was the December 5th SPOTLIGHT with our own Sandy Jones for Christian Living Magazine’s radio show, Christian Living Spotlight; and this April was interviewed by Discover Idaho on TVPBN.com and his Fired- Up concert in April was aired live!

RandyB has multiple songs on Christian radio and is now preparing for the release of his next single, followed by his newest video. He is currently working on the production of the Hip-Hop Love Fest, which takes place in the Treasure Valley on July16th. While he still has a few more spots open, he has been booked for over a dozen performances this spring/summer. Additionally, Project 88.7 recently announced that RandyB Funk had been selected to be included in the line-up for SUMMER SPLASH at Roaring Springs, which features KB, WANDE, ZAUNTEE and, yes, Treasure Valley’s own, RANDYB FUNK!

Having been featured in multiple publications, as well as on radio and news shows, where he has consistently shared that he loves serving his community through his volunteering and music; finding inspiration for his music through his interaction with those in need.

After an EP and multiple singles, RandyB Funk dropped his first album, titled “DIVIDED,” in 2020. He followed up with another single in January 2021, titled “WORK,” and is working on his second album! No stranger to work, he never stops giving 100 percent to his community. His next song is scheduled to drop this month and features R-Swift, who many in the industry call the ‘Godfather of Christian Rap.’ R-Swift also headlined with RandyB at the 3rd Annual Fired-Up Tour.

RandyB also has an upcoming video shoot in Hawaii this June, (where he was raised until age seven) for his popular song “NEW DAY” with Derick Sebastian, who is hailed as the best Ukulele player in the world!

He’s been blessed to perform with Steven Malcom, 1K Phew, R-Swift and many other talented rappers. He reports that there is a movement in the Boise area to offer Christian rap as a vehicle to comfort and reach those broken and affected by the shut down - especially the teens.

The Hip-Hop Love Fest will take place on July 16, 2021 and will focus on the love of God, and victory over depression and suicide. RandyB shares the following quote, “I want to encourage my peers and the community that there is comfort and hope, in the love of Jesus. I want to create a space for people who come to my concerts, where they can feel God’s love; connect and belong.” He stresses that all ages and families are welcome and encourages them to come and support these concerts. “I like to keep it positive and fun. I’m doing what I love and trying to change our community for the better.”

When asked if he prefers to be called a ‘rapper’ or a ‘Christian rapper,’ he answers, “I don’t care if you call me, a rapper or a Christian Rapper, Jesus is a huge part of my life and that’s always going to show through in my music.”

Team RandyB Funk can be contacted at: phone (208)-914-3793; email mcfunk48@gmail.com. Find him at randybfunk.com, on social media @ randybfunkmusic, and heard on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music