Thursday, January 31, 2008

unchristian

Tuesday I asked the question about whether or not anyone had read the book unchristian. This is a book written by David Kinnaman (President of the Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons (founder of Fermi Project). It's the result of their research on what people outside of Christianity think of people who call themselves Christians. It's especially geared towards the younger generations from about age 16 to 39.

A large percentage of young adults today that don't attend church or that are of another religious background consider those who would call themselves Christians as

1) Hypocritical

2) Anti-homosexual (or gay bashers)

3) Judgmental

4) Caring only about people coming into their religion while not caring about the people themselves

5) Too political

6) Sheltered

These are but a few ways that several people outside of our Christian faith see us according to the research done for this book. And if that's true, then the very first sentence of Chapter 1 is also true. "Christianity has an image problem".

I will add more when I have time. I've got to run now, but welcome any comments on the subject.

Thought of the Day !!

Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'
Mark 7:15


Man or woman...it doesn't matter. What he or she eats...it doesn't matter. What's on the inside...Now that's what matters. Filthy mouths that spew venom cannot come from a clean loving heart. There may be mistakes made with the mouth, for as James says,"...no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." But when hateful things constantly come from this mouth, it means that the heart is filled with more selfishness and/or hate than love. On the other hand, a mouth that is constantly lifting people up means that the heart is filled with love. Which do you have?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Question of the Day ??

As yesterday's question lingers on, I will add to it this morning.

Yesterday I asked:
Have you heard of or read the book unchristian by David Kinnaman (President of Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons? If so, what did you think?

For those of you who have not read the book, how do you think we Christians are perceived by those outside of Christianity...especially younger people say from age 16-40?

Today's add-on question is:
Does it really matter if people outside Christianity see us in a negative light as long as we're proclaiming the Word?

(think about this question before answering because the truth may lie in how and when we proclaim the Word)



* I will share some of what the book unchristian has to say soon so keep checking back.

Thought of the Day !!

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)


We see many things in this world from the beauty of creation to the ugliness that we can make of God's creation. We also see struggles; ours and other people's.

But the fact is that none of these things will last forever. There will come a day when our eyes will be opened to unimagined beauty. We will experience things in a whole new way; a way that won't be troubling anymore.

We have a choice in life of whether or not to accept this future. When we place our hope and trust in Christ Jesus, coming into a relationship with God, we will be fixing our eyes on what is unseen, eternal and perfect. It's this hope that can get us through any temporary troubles that come our way.

Be blessed with the hope of salvation today as Christ abides in you through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Question of the Day ??

It's been a long time since I had a "Question of the Day ??". I want to try to get back into asking these. But I make no promises. :)

Check back to see if I succeeded or not!

So on to today's question(s):

Have you heard of or read the book unchristian by David Kinnaman (President of Barna Group) and Gabe Lyons? If so, what did you think?

For those of you who have not read the book, how do you think we Christians are perceived by those outside of Christianity...especially younger people say from age 16-40?


You may have guessed that the second question is what this book is about. If anyone is interested, I'll share some of the information that Barna Group came up with after their extensive research. I have to warn you though, it ain't pretty.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram's horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150 (NLT)


What do you think the Psalmist could be getting at here? Huh?

How often do we praise the Lord throughout the day. I encourage you to seek ways of doing so through your prayers, your conversations and whatever other ways you can come up with. We are nothing without the Lord (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). So Give thanks today for what He's done for you and Praise His Name!

In the love of Christ,
greg

Monday, January 28, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47


This is the early Church. They came together daily. They ate together. They sincerely cared about each other. They praised God. And more and more, people came and were added to their number because they were seen to have something others didn't. Do others see in you something that they do not have? If so, what is it? Is it good or bad, love or hate, faithfulness or hypocrisy? Christians can either turn people on to Christ or turn them off to Christ by the words they say and the way they live their lives. Which have you been doing lately?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.
James 1:27 (NLT)


We live in a world of "me, me, me". But we must shake off that attitude for something better. As we think about others, we honor God and will receive our own blessings in the ways that our Father decides to shower them on us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

P.S. I will be out of town from this afternoon on to Saturday. Please keep me in your prayers as I will be working on my own spiritual renewal along with planning upcoming sermon series for the next several months. For this reason there will be no devotions for the rest of the week. May God bless each of you in the coming days with the blessings that He wants to shower upon you.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

This morning as I opened one of my email devotions, I found this and thought I'd share it with you as our Thought of the Day !! today. It comes from Bibleleague.org.

1 Samuel 2:2 -- "There is no Rock like our God." (NIV)

Wandering through the desert for 40 years, the Israelites learned the value of rocks. Smaller stones could be used as tools. Large boulders provided shelter from the hot desert sun. One rock even provided water. And God, their provider, shield, and strength, was the best Rock of all. How has God helped you through the deserts in your life?


In the love of Christ,
greg

Monday, January 21, 2008

To Have A Growing Ministry

This past week I had the pleasure of taking a class led by Pastor Tyrone Gordon from St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX. He spoke on leadership. Here is a portion of the notes I took when he taught about how to be an effectively growing ministry:

To have a growing ministry:

  1. I, as the leader, must have a sense of vision and purpose. I must believe that I’m listening to the voice of God and not be afraid to articulate this. I must find confidence in doing what God wants me to do. I need to incorporate the vision and mission of the church more often. This is what God has called us to do.
    1. Jeremiah 29:11
  2. I must make sure that worship is dynamic, transformational and inviting.
    1. Psalm 100:1-2
    2. If worship is not “on” then new people won’t come back.
    3. Make sure everything is done so that the Pre-Christian can fit in – from order of service to hospitality to acronyms that outsiders won’t understand.
    4. Start planning on worship as if we will have outsiders visiting every week and at some point we will.
  3. There must be a strong pastoral and lay leadership.
    1. Exodus 18:17-18
  4. There must be a commitment by the pastor and the church to raise new leaders. We must invest time in leadership development.
    1. Ephesians 4:12
    2. Have a continuing education budget for laity as well as pastor
    3. Expose the leaders to the best there is to offer. Take to good conferences and not just district stuff.
  5. We must be open to new ways of doing educational ministries
    1. Hosea 4:6
    2. Sunday school is losing it's popularity for future generations. There has to be a new and fresh way of doing education.
    3. People or more likely to do midweek studies
    4. Small groups / Short term classes
    5. We’ve got to lead people from membership to discipleship.
    6. Preaching draws people, but quality teaching keeps people.
  6. We must provide a variety of ministry and volunteer opportunities
    1. Ephesians 2:10 & Titus 3:14
    2. Help people discover their Spiritual Gifts
    3. Each member should have a place of ministry
  7. Challenge people to be involved in community service
    1. Amos 5:24 – “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (NRSV)
    2. The Church is a transformational community
    3. At Pastor Gordon’s church they say that they come to worship but leave to serve. Wow!! What a concept.
    4. The Lord came to save us from anything that hinders us from being all that God created human beings to be.
  8. There must be an openness to change and transformation
    1. Isaiah 42:9
    2. We can’t continue to do the same things the same ways and expect different results.
    3. We must not get stuck in a rut in the way we do things or else we’ll become a church that is stuck in a rut in every aspect of the church life.
    4. We must reinvent ourselves as leaders and reinvent the church so that it will be relevant to the community.
  9. Discover and understand our core values
    1. We must know what makes our church who it is.
  10. Teach and Preach about stewardship
    1. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with (your) income…” (NIV)
    2. Stewardship is not just about money but about the whole of life.
    3. We are to move people from trusting themselves to trusting God.

Thought of the Day !!

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)

Have you ever wondered if you had any particular gifts or talents for ministry? If so, you're not alone. Several people over the course of my ministry have come to me and shared this feeling. As a matter of fact, before I was called into ministry, I felt the same about myself. I'm not good with my hands, so every time we worked on Habitat Houses I was used to clean up. I had a terrible stage fright, so public speaking was out of the question (or so I thought - God showed me I guess). I couldn't play the piano or sing. So I felt pretty down about my giftedness, thinking that He may have simply passed me by when He was passing out talents that could be used for ministry.

But in reality we are all gifted for something. A spiritual gift is given "each" of us. You may have the gift of never meeting a stranger. Maybe your gift is the simple gift of listening to people when others don't have the time or inclination do do so. Maybe your gift is the gift of encouragement or joy or giving or teaching or hospitality or working behind the scenes without recognition. The list can go on and on. But just remember that we all have gifts so that "we can help each other."

Let me end with a story that Pastor Robert Schuller once wrote.

A man once had a dream. In his dream he died and a guide took him to a large room. The room had a very large banquet table filled with different kinds of foods, and there were hungry people seated all around this table. The problem was that they were all five feet apart and pushed away from the table. Their arms were not long enough to reach the table and they were unable to rise from their chairs.

As the man looked more closely, he saw a very large spoon that was five feet long that the people were fighting over. In his dream, he watched with amazement how one person used the spoon to dish up some food and then carefully turned the spoon around toward his mouth with all the food falling off the spoon and onto the floor. Then another person grabbed the spoon but was unable to feed himself because of the length of the spoon.

Then the man turned to the guide and said this must be hell. And the guide said, "You are correct. It is. But this is not the place for you." He then led him to another room exactly like the one he had just seen, with a table and chairs and people five feet apart. This room also had a single spoon, which each person took turns dishing up food from the table and turning and feeding each other. The guide looked at the man and said, "This…is Heaven."

The genius of God's plan is that He created each of us to serve one another so that each would be served, and each would be fulfilled by serving.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Friday, January 18, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3 (NIV)


What comes out of our mouths cannot be put back in. What we say can heal or increase goodness. But it can also ruin relationships. Be careful of what you say and how you say it, for you never know the lasting effects.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

At dawn [Jesus] appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
John 8:2-11 (TNIV)


The biblical word for cheating on one's wife or husband is adultery. And it's frowned on heavily by God. As a matter of fact, the prohibition of it made it into the Ten Commandments (number 7). The reason God abhors it so much is that it ruins the relationship between a man and a woman. And God's greatest desire is for us to have relationships…relationships with each other and with Him.

In our Scripture reading the Pharisees bring a woman who has been caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and ask him point blank…what do you say that we should do with her? On one hand, the Law of Moses says to stone her. On the other hand, Roman law prevented this kind of punishment.

And then there's the fact that if he said, "Let her go", the Pharisees could say that he didn't adhere to Jewish Law. Of course if he said to stone her, he would go against everything he taught.

What was he to do? He simply wrote in the dirt (maybe the question – where's the man). And when pressed, he gave an answer that's like one of those great lines from an old movie. One that will last forever in people's memories…kind of like Frankly my dear Scarlet…or I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto…or of all the gin joints in all the…. He said, "He that is without sin cast the first stone." And that line has been repeated over and over through the centuries.

Wow! What could they do? Uhhhh Ummm! Can you imagine them looking at each other. "You do it. No, you do it." Then one by one, beginning with the oldest (probably because they were the wisest) they dropped their deadly weapons and slunk away. Even they weren't hypocritical enough to claim that any of them were without sin.

When all the Pharisees were gone, Jesus asked the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No", she replied. And then we hear those wonderful words of grace, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."

The original Greek means that Jesus deferred judgment. He didn't say to her, "Forget it. It's no big deal." What he meant was: "I am not going to pass judgment on you now. Go out and live a different life and do what you can to become a different person."

In a round about way, isn't that what he's told you before? I know I've heard those words before. He says to us, I don't condemn you. Instead, I forgive you. Now, I want you to change and try to become the person you're meant to be. At that point...it's up to us.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17 (NLT)


In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us that he didn't come into this world to condemn it, but instead to save it. He wasn't a finger-pointing, judgmental kind of person. He didn't come to strictly enforce the law. But instead, according to Scripture, he came to fulfill it.

In John 1:17 we see that "The law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ." Through this love and faithfulness comes forgiveness. And Jesus was not one to judge, but one to forgive. He was not one to speak harmful words to us sinners, but one to speak words of love. He was not one to point fingers (except to those authorities that were misrepresenting his Father's law), but one to embrace those who were unembraceable to others.

Much too often in today's world, we Christians forget these facts about Jesus. And forget that we're supposed to be like Jesus in these areas.

Let us each have a day of love and forgiveness instead of one of grudges and finger pointing.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (NRSV)

Jewish Law required sacrifices to be made for the atonement of one's sin. Animals were brought to the altar and slaughtered. You might say that these became dead sacrifices. But Paul is speaking to the church in Rome telling them that this system is no longer necessary for the absolvement of their sins. Instead they (and we) are to become living sacrifices.

We are living sacrifices when we dedicate our lives to God's will for us...when we live lives of faith and out of faithfulness to Jesus. Instead of giving up an animal, we give up ourselves, placing God before us. And by doing this, we become holy and acceptable to God.

When we become living sacrifices to God, we will not sell out to whatever new fad or fashion or lifestyle this world is promoting. Instead we will be transformed by the renewal of our whole beings because Christ is at the center. And when Christ is at the center renewing us, we will understand more and more clearly what God's will for us is.

Let us live as living sacrifices to God today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Friday, January 11, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 5:11


When things are getting hard to handle in life, we can take our refuge in Jesus. He told us to bring our burdens to him, and the Psalmist tells us that when we take refuge in our God we can be made glad. I wish I could say that whenever a personal crisis comes up that you could take the burden to Jesus and he would snap his fingers and the pain would go away. But on the other hand I guess I'm not glad. You see, God knows better than me. And even though that's what I would like, He takes care of me in a different way.

You can spoil children by giving him or her everything they want and taking everything bad out of their lives. But what kind of person will that child grow up to be. No...God knows what's best for us, and He doesn't allow anything to come our way that we cannot handle. So we are taught to bring our burdens to Him and take refuge in Him and He will hold us up when we can't stand on our own two feet. He will carry us when we don't want to walk any further. He makes us stronger for allowing us struggle through the hard situations of our lives, all the while walking right next to us. And He makes us better children for it. Thanks be to God. Amen.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Matthew 5:42 (ESV)


A story I found somewhere and once used in a sermon goes like this:

There once was a monk who found a precious jewel. The monk was a traveler, and during one of his travels, he met a man. The man had no food and asked the monk for some. The monk, happy to share with the hungry man, opened his bag to get some provisions.

Upon opening the bag, the man saw the jewel. On impulse the man asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the precious stone to the man.

The traveler departed quickly, overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: "Please give me something more valuable, more precious than this jewel. Please give me that which enabled you to give it to me."


A person's earthly instincts would be to keep the jewel, yet a person's spiritual insight tells him or her that the jewel is not as important as another human being.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Thought / Question of the day !!

But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
Acts 21:5 (NIV)


When was the last time your family prayed together?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Monday, January 07, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

"In Bethlehem in Judea," they said.

Matthew 2:1-5 (NLT)


Matthew calls these men Magi. Magi were actually Persian priests who played an important role in advising kings in their own land. They probably specialized in things such as astrology and interpretation of dreams and quite possibly even magical arts. They may have been followers of Zoroaster, who was a Persian teacher and prophet.

The Magi are led by a star to Jerusalem where they ask around. And when King Herod hears about this, the bible says that he was “deeply disturbed” (verse 3).

This is when Herod calls the leading priests and teachers of the religious law (also known as the chief priests and scribes) so that he can find out where this so called “king of the Jews” was supposed to be. They come in and tell him that he’s to be born in Bethlehem.

I should point out that these religious leaders are the ones in the know. They should’ve been the ones running right out to Bethlehem on the least little chance that the prophecies that they’d heard all this time were actually coming true. But we know the story. The wise men are sent, and they are the ones who wind up worshiping Jesus and offering him gifts instead of the "religious" leaders in Jerusalem.

The priests and religious teachers are the ones in the know…but they don’t go. Why is that? Could it be that things were too comfortable for them? Could there be other reasons that they didn’t react, such as lack of faith or even lack of caring?

What about us today? Are we more like the magi who would give up of our time and energy and effort and even gifts so that we could worship Jesus? Would we travel 2 or 3 hours each week if it were the only place we could worship Him? Or do we know about him, but don't really "go" out of our way much to be the person he wants us to be?

May we all be the ones in the know. And may we all be ones who go.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Thought of the Day !!

[Jesus says,] "Keep alert and pray -- otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing, the body is weak."
Matthew 26:41 (NLT)


I believe we fight more demons than we're aware of. So "Keep alert and pray". Otherwise you may slowly fall into Satan's trap, waking up one morning to realize that you're not the same kind of person you once were. The key is to stay focussed on God. If we don't do that, the devil will get our attention without us even realizing it. He's good at that, so be careful. Be alert.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

What will a new year bring?

(This is my article for our January newsletter at Gibson Memorial UMC)


A New Year

A new year is upon us. 2007 is gone and 2008 has arrived. I’d like to quote that famous theologian, Rev. Ed Hightower (our retired assistant pastor), and say “I don’t know where it went.” But whether 2008 came before you realized it, or it didn’t seem like 2007 would ever end, the question for each of us is the same. What will this year bring?

This year will most likely bring joy and sadness. It will be a year of good and bad fortune, successes and failures, miracles and mistakes. I believe that these are things we can all anticipate seeing every year to some extent. They are a part of life. They will look different from years past and from other people’s lives. But they will come just the same.

We choose how we deal with the good and bad. We choose whether to get puffed up and proud or to act humbly when we succeed. We choose whether we will give up or get back up and dust ourselves off when we fail. We choose whether to hold grudges or to forgive when we’ve been wronged. And most importantly we choose to serve ourselves or to serve God in everything we do.

So what choices will we make this year as individuals and as a church family? Will they show Christ in us? Or will they show that we are no different than what the world teaches us to be? In ending, allow me to quote another famous person. His name was Joshua, and he’s quoted as saying “As for me and my household, we [choose to] serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

May we all choose to serve the Lord in all we do this year. God bless. And Happy New Year!

Thought of the Day !!

"Yes, [God] humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the LORD."
Deuteronomy 8:3 (NLT
)

Each of us needs physical food to survive. God made us this way. But He also made us so that we could be filled completely with His Word. When we think about His Word, we typically think of Scripture. But let me suggest that His Word comes to us also by way of prayer. These are two ways that we come to know God and His will for us. And when we put them together, or when we prayerfully read our bibles, then we are being nourished by that which far outweighs any portion of food and water we can receive. For physical food provides strength for a short period, while spiritual nourishment lasts forever.

So immerse yourself in prayer and Scripture as you begin this new year so that God can nourish you.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

May God bless each of you in 2008.

May you have a better year this year than last.

May your dreams come true.

May you come closer to God.

May you use your God-given gifts to help others.

May you receive joy from being who God wants you to be.

May you have a healthy 2008.

May you enjoy the company of others.

May you find time for meditation with God.

May you eat good food.

May you see beautiful sights.

May you experience wonderful things.


May God bless and keep you

May He grant you all the gifts He has in store for you

And may you share those gifts with all whom you meet

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Amen!!

Methoblogosphere Fantasy Football

League Champion

CONGRATULATIONS
2007 League Champion!

Mississippi Madness
Owner(s): Greg Hazelrig
Regular Season Record: 9-0


With all the hype in the sports world over the 16-0 undefeated New England Patriots this year, where's the love for the 9-0 undefeated Methoblogosphere Champions in Gavin Richardson's Fantasy Football League?

Headlines in today's paper read:

Mississippi Madness to be donned "Greatest Fantasy Team in History"




I'm trying to be humble. Please excuse any gloating. Oh, I'll have to get back to ya'll, the NFL Commisioner is on the phone asking my advice about next season. :)