Say, it's been awhile since we met here last. Hope your time away was as blessed as mine.
For the last six summers, the Tahoe Family Encampment has been an annual event. Only problem, though -- coming from the East -- is it never was a true "family" encampment for me. Sure, Mandy made it out a couple of times and Trae came with me once but never had the entire Gardner clan made it to the TFE.
This year, that all changed.
And what a blast!
Aside from the dust and ash residue from the fires that decided to return to Fresno in my lungs and sinuses, it was one of the most blessed weeks of my life. Being together with my girls, in the presence of God's most magnificent creation, in the company of 1000+ fellow disciples of Jesus -- it was nothing short of heavenly.
The memories are indelibly etched. The lessons are eternally cemented.
------------------------
This week, I have the blessed privilege of speaking Monday through Wednesday nights at the Sunset Avenue Church of Christ in Madera. On the return home last night, Tori, Brian Buce and I watched in awe as the moon rose over the Sierra Nevadas. It was a magnificent, 98% full-moon rise that was simply breathtaking. As the moon rose, Phillips, Craig and Dean were singing the following song in the CD player:
How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
TGIF
Thanks for sharing your hymn stories yesterday. Frankly, I'm just not sure most of us incorporate singing into our daily "quiet" time.
In that vein, Larry Parker shared with us on Wednesday night how that, on a drive from Newport Beach to Fresno several years ago, he decided to turn off the radio and just sing hymns. His plan was to see how long he could sing hymns from memory without repeating a hymn.
The result? Larry made the seven-hour drive without ever turning on the radio while continuously singing hymns from memory.
If singing is not a part of your daily relationship routine with God, why not incorporate it today. It might be just the faith-lift you need for "just a closer walk with Thee."
------------------
No softball tonight. The post-season tourney starts next Friday. #1 seed Woodward Park Church of Christ will play Clovis Hills beginning at 7:00.
-----------------
So Barry Bonds is now two away from tying Hank Aaron. Should he hit a homer in his first at-bat in Milwaukee tonight, does Bruce Bochy leave in Bonds with the chance of tying the record on the road?
Something tells me Peter Magowan and crew didn't break the aging Bonds back to the City by the Bay in '07 for him to tie or potentially break the all-time home run record on the road. It'll be very interesting to see how that all plays out should Bonds hit a homer early in the weekend series at Milwaukee (the Giants return to SF on Monday to play the Braves).
-----------------
Tomorrow morning, we leave at 8:00 a.m. for the Tahoe Family Encampment. This will mark my sixth consecutive year to speak on the program at Tahoe but the first time our entire family has been able to attend. In past years, the cross-country flight and its cost was prohibitive for us to come as a family.
But that all changes this year. I am excited about sharing a week of fellowship and deeper faith with my family. It should offer a whole host of new experiences taking in Tahoe as a family!
----------------
Here's a message of hope and redemption for your weekend. It comes from John Mark Hicks in chapter devoted to "What Did God do to Sin and Death through Jesus Christ" in Theology Matters: Answers for the Church Today.
"Just as the death of Christ is the culmination and representation of all that is fallen in the world, so the resurrection is God's pledge to restore the world to its original goodness. God decisively reversed the effects of Good Friday. The resurrection is God's pledge of an eschatological reversal in a new heaven and a new earth. The resurrection is a new day of creation/redemption and signals the defeat of God's enemies, especially the last enemy which is death.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are God's two mighty acts of reconciliation. The cross is God's self-humiliating participation in human suffering in order to substitute himself for the sake of his own self-satisfaction. The resurrection is God's justification of Jesus through which we presently experience the power of a sanctified life, live with hope in the face of death, and expect our full sanctification by God's Spirit in the eschaton" (62-3).
In that vein, Larry Parker shared with us on Wednesday night how that, on a drive from Newport Beach to Fresno several years ago, he decided to turn off the radio and just sing hymns. His plan was to see how long he could sing hymns from memory without repeating a hymn.
The result? Larry made the seven-hour drive without ever turning on the radio while continuously singing hymns from memory.
If singing is not a part of your daily relationship routine with God, why not incorporate it today. It might be just the faith-lift you need for "just a closer walk with Thee."
------------------
No softball tonight. The post-season tourney starts next Friday. #1 seed Woodward Park Church of Christ will play Clovis Hills beginning at 7:00.
-----------------
So Barry Bonds is now two away from tying Hank Aaron. Should he hit a homer in his first at-bat in Milwaukee tonight, does Bruce Bochy leave in Bonds with the chance of tying the record on the road?
Something tells me Peter Magowan and crew didn't break the aging Bonds back to the City by the Bay in '07 for him to tie or potentially break the all-time home run record on the road. It'll be very interesting to see how that all plays out should Bonds hit a homer early in the weekend series at Milwaukee (the Giants return to SF on Monday to play the Braves).
-----------------
Tomorrow morning, we leave at 8:00 a.m. for the Tahoe Family Encampment. This will mark my sixth consecutive year to speak on the program at Tahoe but the first time our entire family has been able to attend. In past years, the cross-country flight and its cost was prohibitive for us to come as a family.
But that all changes this year. I am excited about sharing a week of fellowship and deeper faith with my family. It should offer a whole host of new experiences taking in Tahoe as a family!
----------------
Here's a message of hope and redemption for your weekend. It comes from John Mark Hicks in chapter devoted to "What Did God do to Sin and Death through Jesus Christ" in Theology Matters: Answers for the Church Today.
"Just as the death of Christ is the culmination and representation of all that is fallen in the world, so the resurrection is God's pledge to restore the world to its original goodness. God decisively reversed the effects of Good Friday. The resurrection is God's pledge of an eschatological reversal in a new heaven and a new earth. The resurrection is a new day of creation/redemption and signals the defeat of God's enemies, especially the last enemy which is death.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are God's two mighty acts of reconciliation. The cross is God's self-humiliating participation in human suffering in order to substitute himself for the sake of his own self-satisfaction. The resurrection is God's justification of Jesus through which we presently experience the power of a sanctified life, live with hope in the face of death, and expect our full sanctification by God's Spirit in the eschaton" (62-3).
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Of Psalms and Hymns
On our Wednesday evening tour through the Old Testament, we've paused the last two weeks to reflect on the fact that God chose to place an inspired hymnal smack-dab in the middle of the Bible. The Psalms served as Israel's songbook -- the tried and true resource for family singing on the road to the Jerusalem festivals and sacrifices.
As we've reflected on the impact of singing and how singing becomes embedded on our heart through its beautiful poetry and repetitious conditioning, it got my thinking...
What is your favorite/most inspiring hymn?
Why is that particular hymn your favorite?
Email me today at jim@wpcoc.com and let me know all about your favorite/most inspiring hymn.
As we've reflected on the impact of singing and how singing becomes embedded on our heart through its beautiful poetry and repetitious conditioning, it got my thinking...
What is your favorite/most inspiring hymn?
Why is that particular hymn your favorite?
Email me today at jim@wpcoc.com and let me know all about your favorite/most inspiring hymn.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A Prolonged Engagement
It likely comes as no surprise to those of you who wander over to my blog that I love to read.
That hasn't always been the case.
As a kid and even through college, I despised reading. It was an exercise in boredom. But as I've grown older and as the demands to stay fresh with the message in ministry have heightened, reading has become an indispensable part of what I do...and who I am (the aforementioned reality would come as a total shock to every teacher I had during Jr. and Sr. High School).
In each of the books I've read this year, I've found some nuggets that have altered the way I think about life.
But then there are some books that totally alter reality. The depth of insight penetrates to such an extent that my routine must be rearranged to apply the new insight in a tangible way.
One of the books that has deeply affected me this year has been Meg Meeker's Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Since reading that one book, I've come to a firm understanding that I have a God-given responsibility to my daughters that trumps my other commitments. Their faith and their futures are contingent upon having a dad who loves them and who loves Jesus and who prioritizes the transfer of faith from my generation to theirs.
Achieving that aim requires energy and Meeker calls workaholic dads on the carpet for expending all their physical, mental and emotional energy on their job and leaving nothing in reserve for the all-important "work" at home:
"Home life requires just as much tenacious engagement as work does. So consciously spare some energy at work.
I am convinced that if fathers recruited even 20% of the intellectual, physical, mental and even emotional energy they spend at work and applied it to their relationships at home, we would live in an entirely different country. I'm not referring to coming home and doing more chores around the house, the yard, or at your kids' schools. I'm talking about truly engaging with your family as a husband and father. Much of what you can do for your daughter is simply to engage her in conversation and listen. Men often talk little, but they listen more. Your problem-solving brain can analyze what your daughter tells you, and you can help her think of ways to smooth over volatile situations" (136).
That hasn't always been the case.
As a kid and even through college, I despised reading. It was an exercise in boredom. But as I've grown older and as the demands to stay fresh with the message in ministry have heightened, reading has become an indispensable part of what I do...and who I am (the aforementioned reality would come as a total shock to every teacher I had during Jr. and Sr. High School).
In each of the books I've read this year, I've found some nuggets that have altered the way I think about life.
But then there are some books that totally alter reality. The depth of insight penetrates to such an extent that my routine must be rearranged to apply the new insight in a tangible way.
One of the books that has deeply affected me this year has been Meg Meeker's Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. Since reading that one book, I've come to a firm understanding that I have a God-given responsibility to my daughters that trumps my other commitments. Their faith and their futures are contingent upon having a dad who loves them and who loves Jesus and who prioritizes the transfer of faith from my generation to theirs.
Achieving that aim requires energy and Meeker calls workaholic dads on the carpet for expending all their physical, mental and emotional energy on their job and leaving nothing in reserve for the all-important "work" at home:
"Home life requires just as much tenacious engagement as work does. So consciously spare some energy at work.
I am convinced that if fathers recruited even 20% of the intellectual, physical, mental and even emotional energy they spend at work and applied it to their relationships at home, we would live in an entirely different country. I'm not referring to coming home and doing more chores around the house, the yard, or at your kids' schools. I'm talking about truly engaging with your family as a husband and father. Much of what you can do for your daughter is simply to engage her in conversation and listen. Men often talk little, but they listen more. Your problem-solving brain can analyze what your daughter tells you, and you can help her think of ways to smooth over volatile situations" (136).
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Sabbath Principle
First things first. The Woodward Park softball team completed the regular season undefeated and marchs into the post-season tourney as the #1 seed. Our first game in the post-season tourney will be on Friday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m. against Clovis Hills.
Mark your calendars!
--------------------
On the heels of the weekend, let me ask you a question. Be honest with yourself as you answer it.
Do you honor the principle of the Sabbath in your life?
Of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20, I would submit the principle of the Sabbath is the most often abused by sincere believers. In our industrious era when a work ethic that is borderline unhealthy is applauded and admired, it is easy to allow the principle of the Sabbath to slip past our priorities.
But the principle of the Sabbath is very real and very required for healthy disciples of Jesus.
In Genesis 2.1-3, on the heels of exercising his genius in creating the world, God took a break. He called for a rest day and programmed that rest day into the framework of human life, even before the giving of the Commandments.
For example, in Exodus 16.27-30, God takes some of the Israelites to task for attempting to gather manna on the seventh day. Before the Sabbath was ever commanded as a 24-hour period of rest, it was expected by God of his children.
The principle of the Sabbath was put in place by God to allow his children to experience a 24-hour period in every week to rest, relax, renew and reorient without feeling guilty. In our production-based society, we sometimes feel a tinge of guilt when we are "unproductive." But the principle of the Sabbath reminds me that in the eyes of God, at least one day a week, the most productive thing I can do is rest.
Sabbath is not just rest for rest's sake; it is rest for the sake of renewal. That is why the day was marked as "holy" -- as a day set aside and separate from the other six days when a person can devote some time during the period of rest to refocus on the eternal.
Today, if you are burned out and stressed out, make a date on your calendar to Sabbath -- to take a break one day this week to rest and renew yourself as a child of God.
Mark your calendars!
--------------------
On the heels of the weekend, let me ask you a question. Be honest with yourself as you answer it.
Do you honor the principle of the Sabbath in your life?
Of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20, I would submit the principle of the Sabbath is the most often abused by sincere believers. In our industrious era when a work ethic that is borderline unhealthy is applauded and admired, it is easy to allow the principle of the Sabbath to slip past our priorities.
But the principle of the Sabbath is very real and very required for healthy disciples of Jesus.
In Genesis 2.1-3, on the heels of exercising his genius in creating the world, God took a break. He called for a rest day and programmed that rest day into the framework of human life, even before the giving of the Commandments.
For example, in Exodus 16.27-30, God takes some of the Israelites to task for attempting to gather manna on the seventh day. Before the Sabbath was ever commanded as a 24-hour period of rest, it was expected by God of his children.
The principle of the Sabbath was put in place by God to allow his children to experience a 24-hour period in every week to rest, relax, renew and reorient without feeling guilty. In our production-based society, we sometimes feel a tinge of guilt when we are "unproductive." But the principle of the Sabbath reminds me that in the eyes of God, at least one day a week, the most productive thing I can do is rest.
Sabbath is not just rest for rest's sake; it is rest for the sake of renewal. That is why the day was marked as "holy" -- as a day set aside and separate from the other six days when a person can devote some time during the period of rest to refocus on the eternal.
Today, if you are burned out and stressed out, make a date on your calendar to Sabbath -- to take a break one day this week to rest and renew yourself as a child of God.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Brain-dead for Baseball
How 'bout a "brain-dead" blog this morning, post Vacation Bible School? In my moments of brain-deadness, it is baseball that steals my attention.
So, what are the Mets thinking hiring Rickey Henderson as their hitting coach? Can you imagine any advice he might have that would be agreeable to Carlos Delgado? Or Carlos Beltran? Maybe "Rickey will be Rickey" (a classic, must-read on the jump) as hitting coach or maybe as first base coach. Either way, rest assured "Rickey will be Rickey."
With the July 31 trading deadline looming, here's my one big trade prediction. My beloved Rangers will trade Mark Teixeira to Joe Boe's/Erick Boggs'/Michelle Knutsen's/Gary Villamor's beloved Dodgers in exchange for James Loney and other prospects.
Have a great weekend.
So, what are the Mets thinking hiring Rickey Henderson as their hitting coach? Can you imagine any advice he might have that would be agreeable to Carlos Delgado? Or Carlos Beltran? Maybe "Rickey will be Rickey" (a classic, must-read on the jump) as hitting coach or maybe as first base coach. Either way, rest assured "Rickey will be Rickey."
With the July 31 trading deadline looming, here's my one big trade prediction. My beloved Rangers will trade Mark Teixeira to Joe Boe's/Erick Boggs'/Michelle Knutsen's/Gary Villamor's beloved Dodgers in exchange for James Loney and other prospects.
Have a great weekend.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
On Worship "Experience"
We are in the homestretch of VBS at Woodward Park. This year's tour of "Avalanche Ranch" has been a wonderful excursion for our kids as they have learned that God is real (the story of Rahab), God is with us (the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan), God is strong (the felling of Jericho's walls), God is awesome (the death and resurrection of Jesus), and God is in charge (the healing of Naaman).
Additionally, God is good as God has blessed us with three more baptisms thus far this week, keeping the pace of two baptisms a week since Easter still intact!
It warms a dad's heart to hear words like Trae uttered on the way home from VBS on Tuesday night: "Daddy, I love VBS!"
I love VBS too, although this year, my assignment has been to teach an adult class. We have been thinking through and discussing the tension that exists between church and culture and the subtle ways Satan uses the culture to impact and influence the way we do church.
Eugene Peterson in his book The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way speaks to the very tension in an episode as old as Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). Read how Peterson accurately compares the quest for "experience" to the ancient idolatry of Baalism:
“Sensory participation is featured in Baalism. Images are required – the bolder, the more colorful, the more sensational, the better. Music and dance become the means for drawing persons out of their private diversities and merging them into a mass response…
‘Harlotry’ is the stock prophetic criticism of the worship of the people who are assimilated to Baalistic forms. While the prophetic accusation of ‘harlotry’ has a literal reference to the sacred prostitution of the Baal cult, it is also a metaphor that extends its meaning into the entire theology of worship, worship that seeks fulfillment through self-expression, worship that accepts the needs and desires and passions of the worshipper as its baseline. ‘Harlotry’ is worship that says, ‘I will give you satisfaction. You want religious feelings? I will give them to you. You want your needs fulfilled? I’ll do it in the form most arousing to you.’ A divine will that sets itself in opposition to the sin-tastes and self-preoccupations of humanity is incomprehensible in Baalism and so is impatiently discarded. Baalism reduces worship to the spiritual stature of the worshipper. Its canons are that it should be interesting, relevant, and exciting – that ‘I get something out of it.’
Baal’s Mount Carmel altar lacks neither action nor ecstasy. The 450 priests put on quite a show. But the altar comes up empty” (110).
“A frequently used phrase in North American culture that is symptomatic of Baalistic tendencies in worship is ‘let’s have a worship experience.’ It is the Baalistic perversion of ‘let us worship God.’ It is the difference between cultivating something that makes sense to an individual, and acting in response to what makes sense to God. In a ‘worship experience,’ a person sees something that excites him or her and goes about putting spiritual wrappings around it. A person experiences something in the realm of dependency, anxiety, love, loss or joy and a connection is made with the ultimate. Worship becomes a movement from what I see or experience or hear, to prayer or celebration or discussion in a religious setting. Individual feelings trump the word of God.
Biblically formed people of God do not use the term ‘worship’ as a description of experience, such as ‘I can have a worship experience with God on the golf course (or in my garden).’ What that means is, ‘I can have religious feelings reminding me of good things, awesome things, beautiful things nearly any place.’ Which is true enough. The only thing wrong with the statement is its ignorance, thinking that such experience makes up what the Christian church calls worship.
The biblical usage is very different. It talks of worship as a response to God’s Word in the context of the community of God’s people. Worship in the biblical sources and in liturgical history is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all. The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around” (111).
Additionally, God is good as God has blessed us with three more baptisms thus far this week, keeping the pace of two baptisms a week since Easter still intact!
It warms a dad's heart to hear words like Trae uttered on the way home from VBS on Tuesday night: "Daddy, I love VBS!"
I love VBS too, although this year, my assignment has been to teach an adult class. We have been thinking through and discussing the tension that exists between church and culture and the subtle ways Satan uses the culture to impact and influence the way we do church.
Eugene Peterson in his book The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way speaks to the very tension in an episode as old as Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). Read how Peterson accurately compares the quest for "experience" to the ancient idolatry of Baalism:
“Sensory participation is featured in Baalism. Images are required – the bolder, the more colorful, the more sensational, the better. Music and dance become the means for drawing persons out of their private diversities and merging them into a mass response…
‘Harlotry’ is the stock prophetic criticism of the worship of the people who are assimilated to Baalistic forms. While the prophetic accusation of ‘harlotry’ has a literal reference to the sacred prostitution of the Baal cult, it is also a metaphor that extends its meaning into the entire theology of worship, worship that seeks fulfillment through self-expression, worship that accepts the needs and desires and passions of the worshipper as its baseline. ‘Harlotry’ is worship that says, ‘I will give you satisfaction. You want religious feelings? I will give them to you. You want your needs fulfilled? I’ll do it in the form most arousing to you.’ A divine will that sets itself in opposition to the sin-tastes and self-preoccupations of humanity is incomprehensible in Baalism and so is impatiently discarded. Baalism reduces worship to the spiritual stature of the worshipper. Its canons are that it should be interesting, relevant, and exciting – that ‘I get something out of it.’
Baal’s Mount Carmel altar lacks neither action nor ecstasy. The 450 priests put on quite a show. But the altar comes up empty” (110).
“A frequently used phrase in North American culture that is symptomatic of Baalistic tendencies in worship is ‘let’s have a worship experience.’ It is the Baalistic perversion of ‘let us worship God.’ It is the difference between cultivating something that makes sense to an individual, and acting in response to what makes sense to God. In a ‘worship experience,’ a person sees something that excites him or her and goes about putting spiritual wrappings around it. A person experiences something in the realm of dependency, anxiety, love, loss or joy and a connection is made with the ultimate. Worship becomes a movement from what I see or experience or hear, to prayer or celebration or discussion in a religious setting. Individual feelings trump the word of God.
Biblically formed people of God do not use the term ‘worship’ as a description of experience, such as ‘I can have a worship experience with God on the golf course (or in my garden).’ What that means is, ‘I can have religious feelings reminding me of good things, awesome things, beautiful things nearly any place.’ Which is true enough. The only thing wrong with the statement is its ignorance, thinking that such experience makes up what the Christian church calls worship.
The biblical usage is very different. It talks of worship as a response to God’s Word in the context of the community of God’s people. Worship in the biblical sources and in liturgical history is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all. The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around” (111).
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
My Wife...I Think I'll Keep Her
Last week when Mandy and the girls flew back from Arkansas, Mandy had one of those serendipitous moments on the flight from Little Rock to Phoenix. Aboard that flight were Steve Gartman and his son, Michael. Steve and Mandy worked together before we were married at Gartman Systems, a computer systems company in Sheridan, Arkansas. It was the first time Mandy and Steve had seen each other in over 10 years.I received an email from Steve sharing his joy over seeing Mandy and the girls and in that email, he shared a hilarious story on my bride that I share with you today.
After seeing Mandy, I was reminded of my favorite Mandy story. I'm not sure you ever heard it and I don't tell it to embarrass her -- actually it was kind of cute.
As you remember she was our receptionist. When cell phones first started coming out (wasn't that long ago), we got our salesman Bobby a bag phone to assist him while on the road. Mandy's reception area was just outside my office. We also had a new "fancy" phone system where we could play music while someone was on hold. One day while sitting at my desk, I could hear Mandy obviously getting upset. If I leaned in my chair I could see her from my desk. I could see her with the phone to her ear and then I'd hear another line ring in. She got more and more frustrated.
Finally I decided I better intervene before she let someone, possibly a customer, have a piece of her mind. I went out and asked what was wrong. She said she was trying to get a message to Bobby and every time she called his cell number someone would call on the other line so she'd put the line to Bobby on hold and answer the incoming line only to have someone playing music in her ear.
Hmmmmmm?
As it turned out, Bobby had forwarded his calls back to the office. When Mandy would call him, it would forward back to our office, Mandy would put her call to him on hold (remember the music?) then answer the incoming call just to hear the music. It was funny and we reminded her of it often.
In reality, we could see ourselves doing the same thing but we never let her know that.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Brotherhood
Baseball has reached the half-way point in the season and it is time to look back on my preseason picks to discern if the luck that allowed me to pick all 4 Final Four teams has continued into the baseball season.
Back on April 2, my preseason picks were as follows:
AL East -- Yankees
AL Central -- Indians
AL West -- Angels
AL Wild Card -- Red Sox
NL East -- Mets
NL Central -- Astros
NL West -- Padres
NL Wild Card -- Phillies
World Series -- Yankees over the Mets in a Subway Series
The Yankees pick is looking disastrous as the Bronx Bombers have imploded, currently sitting 1 game under .500 and 10 games out. The Red Sox, my preseason wild card pick in the AL, are comfortably leading the AL East with a 52-34 record, 10 games ahead of the Yankees. In the AL Central, the Indians are 16 games over .500 and trail the Tigers by 1 game. In the AL West, the Angels are 18 over and 2.5 games ahead of the Mariners.
In the National League, the Mets lead the East by 2 games over the Braves with a 48-39 record. The Phillies, my NL wildcard pick, sit 4.5 back of the Mets at 44-44. In the NL Central, the Astros have been horrendous, 11 games under .500 and 10.5 back of the surprising Brewers. In the NL West, the Padres go into the break in first place but just 1 game ahead of the Dodgers.
--------------------
"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18.24).
Are you fortunate enough to have a friend closer than a brother in your life?
I do. His name is Rick Northen. During our seven years in Hot Springs Village, Rick served as an elder and our common bond in Christ, in baseball, in hunting, in serving in the school community, and in striving to be godly fathers forged a bond that the geographic distance now existing between us cannot undo.
Today, Rick and his wife Gail work tirelessly in Cambodia to spread the good news of Jesus up and down the Mekong River. But during a season of discouragement in my life, it was a phone call yesterday morning from Rick that snapped me back to reality, reminding me how incredibly gracious God has been to me.
I hope for you a friend like Rick -- a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Our quest for Christlikeness places us in the crosshairs of Satan's fury and a friend, a brother, who understands and cares and is deeply committed to prayer is an invaluable resource along the journey of life.
Back on April 2, my preseason picks were as follows:
AL East -- Yankees
AL Central -- Indians
AL West -- Angels
AL Wild Card -- Red Sox
NL East -- Mets
NL Central -- Astros
NL West -- Padres
NL Wild Card -- Phillies
World Series -- Yankees over the Mets in a Subway Series
The Yankees pick is looking disastrous as the Bronx Bombers have imploded, currently sitting 1 game under .500 and 10 games out. The Red Sox, my preseason wild card pick in the AL, are comfortably leading the AL East with a 52-34 record, 10 games ahead of the Yankees. In the AL Central, the Indians are 16 games over .500 and trail the Tigers by 1 game. In the AL West, the Angels are 18 over and 2.5 games ahead of the Mariners.
In the National League, the Mets lead the East by 2 games over the Braves with a 48-39 record. The Phillies, my NL wildcard pick, sit 4.5 back of the Mets at 44-44. In the NL Central, the Astros have been horrendous, 11 games under .500 and 10.5 back of the surprising Brewers. In the NL West, the Padres go into the break in first place but just 1 game ahead of the Dodgers.
--------------------
"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18.24).
Are you fortunate enough to have a friend closer than a brother in your life?
I do. His name is Rick Northen. During our seven years in Hot Springs Village, Rick served as an elder and our common bond in Christ, in baseball, in hunting, in serving in the school community, and in striving to be godly fathers forged a bond that the geographic distance now existing between us cannot undo.
Today, Rick and his wife Gail work tirelessly in Cambodia to spread the good news of Jesus up and down the Mekong River. But during a season of discouragement in my life, it was a phone call yesterday morning from Rick that snapped me back to reality, reminding me how incredibly gracious God has been to me.
I hope for you a friend like Rick -- a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Our quest for Christlikeness places us in the crosshairs of Satan's fury and a friend, a brother, who understands and cares and is deeply committed to prayer is an invaluable resource along the journey of life.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Professional pressure
Hard to believe but I actually wrote these words on my blog one month ago yesterday:
I'm typing this late on the evening of June 5th. Yes, June 5th. The low temperature tonight? 49. The high tomorrow? 76. Humidity during the day? 19%. It is San Diego-like wonderful in the Valley, known for its unrelenting summer heat. The smog has eased, the snow-peaked Sierras to the east are majestic, and the mercury is perfect (if only it could stay this way for, oh, about three more months)!
What a blessed, beautiful time to be alive and to be a child of the Creator.
Yesterday, the mercury peaked at 110 degrees in Fresno and the 10-day forecast doesn't show a single day with temps below 103 degrees.
But you know what? It is still a blessed, beautiful time to be alive and to be a child of the Creator!
This morning, the girls (and that includes Mandy, she is a girl you know!) and I return to the Bay Area to take part in the wedding ceremony tomorrow of Cory Holman and Joelle Harrington. Cory just graduated from Cal Poly and Joelle finished up her second year at Harding. They have frequented my classes at Tahoe the last several years and have become dear friends to me. Thankfully, their wedding on beautiful Mare Island promises to be a little more pleasant weather-wise thanks in part to some cool breezes off the north bay.
Meanwhile, back in Fresno tonight, the undefeated Woodward Park church softball team takes on Sun River at 7:00 (if you can stand the heat). I have thoroughly enjoyed getting back in the groove with softball. With the season winding down and the post-season tourney looming, it would be great to get a church league championship in the first year back!
------------------------
My buddy, Allan Stanglin, and I have been feeding off one another recently in the quest to better understand the place of the church in relation to culture. For over two months now, my email inbox has housed the following excellent article by John Piper entitled "Brothers, We are not Professionals" (May 14, 2007 from Desiring God Daily Devotional at http://www.crosswalk.com/). It is a penetrating call to ministry leaders to stay true to their God-given calling rather than conciliatory to the crush of the culture at large.
We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ.
Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness (Matt. 18:3); there is no professional tenderheartedness (Eph. 4:32); there is no professional panting after God (Ps. 42:1).
But our first business is to pant after God in prayer. Our business is to weep over our sin (James 4:9). Is there professional weeping?
Our business is to strain forward to the holiness of Christ and the prize of the upward call of God (Phil. 3:14); to pummel our bodies and subdue them lest we be cast away (1 Cor. 9:27); to deny ourselves and take up the blood-spattered cross daily (Luke 9:23). How do you carry a cross professionally? We have been crucified with Christ; yet now we live by faith in the one who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20). What is professional faith?
We are to be filled not with wine but with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). We are God-besotted lovers of Christ. How can you be drunk with Jesus professionally? Then, wonder of wonders, we were given the gospel treasure to carry in clay pots to show that the transcendent power belongs to God (2 Cor. 4:7). Is there a way to be a professional clay pot?
We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus (professionally?) so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested (professionally?) in our bodies (2 Cor. 4:9-11).
I think God has exhibited us preachers as last of all in the world. We are fools for Christ's sake, but professionals are wise.
We are weak, but professionals are strong. Professionals are held in honor; we are in disrepute. We do not try to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be illclad and homeless. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
Or have we?
Brothers, we are not professionals! We are outcasts. We are aliens and exiles in the world (1 Pet. 2:11). Our citizenship is in heaven, and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil. 3:20). You cannot professionalize the love for His appearing without killing it. And it is being killed.
The aims of our ministry are eternal and spiritual. They are not shared by any of the professions. It is precisely by the failure to see this that we are dying.
The life-giving preacher is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God's Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river.
We are most emphatically not part of a social team sharing goals with other professionals. Our goals are an offense; they are foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). The professionalization of the ministry is a constant threat to the offense of the gospel. It is a threat to the profoundly spiritual nature of our work. I have seen it often: the love of professionalism (parity among the world's professionals) kills a man's belief that he is sent by God to save people from hell and to make them Christ-exalting, spiritual aliens in the world.
The world sets the agenda of the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man. The strong wine of Jesus Christ explodes the wineskins of professionalism. There is an infinite difference between the pastor whose heart is set on being a professional and the pastor whose heart is set on being the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of death to some and eternal life to others (2 Cor. 2:15-16).
God, deliver us from the professionalizers! Deliver us from the "low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us." God, give us tears for our sins.
Forgive us for being so shallow in prayer, so thin in our grasp of holy verities, so content amid perishing neighbors, so empty of passion and earnestness in all our conversation. Restore to us the childlike joy of our salvation.
Frighten us with the awesome holiness and power of Him who can cast both soul and body into hell (Matt. 10:28).
Cause us to hold to the cross with fear and trembling as our hope-filled and offensive tree of life. Grant us nothing, absolutely nothing, the way the world views it. May Christ be all in all (Col. 3:11).
Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremitting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord.
Humble us, O God, under Your mighty hand, and let us rise, not as professionals, but as witnesses and partakers of the sufferings of Christ. In His awesome name. Amen.
I'm typing this late on the evening of June 5th. Yes, June 5th. The low temperature tonight? 49. The high tomorrow? 76. Humidity during the day? 19%. It is San Diego-like wonderful in the Valley, known for its unrelenting summer heat. The smog has eased, the snow-peaked Sierras to the east are majestic, and the mercury is perfect (if only it could stay this way for, oh, about three more months)!
What a blessed, beautiful time to be alive and to be a child of the Creator.
Yesterday, the mercury peaked at 110 degrees in Fresno and the 10-day forecast doesn't show a single day with temps below 103 degrees.
But you know what? It is still a blessed, beautiful time to be alive and to be a child of the Creator!
This morning, the girls (and that includes Mandy, she is a girl you know!) and I return to the Bay Area to take part in the wedding ceremony tomorrow of Cory Holman and Joelle Harrington. Cory just graduated from Cal Poly and Joelle finished up her second year at Harding. They have frequented my classes at Tahoe the last several years and have become dear friends to me. Thankfully, their wedding on beautiful Mare Island promises to be a little more pleasant weather-wise thanks in part to some cool breezes off the north bay.
Meanwhile, back in Fresno tonight, the undefeated Woodward Park church softball team takes on Sun River at 7:00 (if you can stand the heat). I have thoroughly enjoyed getting back in the groove with softball. With the season winding down and the post-season tourney looming, it would be great to get a church league championship in the first year back!
------------------------
My buddy, Allan Stanglin, and I have been feeding off one another recently in the quest to better understand the place of the church in relation to culture. For over two months now, my email inbox has housed the following excellent article by John Piper entitled "Brothers, We are not Professionals" (May 14, 2007 from Desiring God Daily Devotional at http://www.crosswalk.com/). It is a penetrating call to ministry leaders to stay true to their God-given calling rather than conciliatory to the crush of the culture at large.
We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not the mentality of the prophet. It is not the mentality of the slave of Christ.
Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness (Matt. 18:3); there is no professional tenderheartedness (Eph. 4:32); there is no professional panting after God (Ps. 42:1).
But our first business is to pant after God in prayer. Our business is to weep over our sin (James 4:9). Is there professional weeping?
Our business is to strain forward to the holiness of Christ and the prize of the upward call of God (Phil. 3:14); to pummel our bodies and subdue them lest we be cast away (1 Cor. 9:27); to deny ourselves and take up the blood-spattered cross daily (Luke 9:23). How do you carry a cross professionally? We have been crucified with Christ; yet now we live by faith in the one who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20). What is professional faith?
We are to be filled not with wine but with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). We are God-besotted lovers of Christ. How can you be drunk with Jesus professionally? Then, wonder of wonders, we were given the gospel treasure to carry in clay pots to show that the transcendent power belongs to God (2 Cor. 4:7). Is there a way to be a professional clay pot?
We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus (professionally?) so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested (professionally?) in our bodies (2 Cor. 4:9-11).
I think God has exhibited us preachers as last of all in the world. We are fools for Christ's sake, but professionals are wise.
We are weak, but professionals are strong. Professionals are held in honor; we are in disrepute. We do not try to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be illclad and homeless. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
Or have we?
Brothers, we are not professionals! We are outcasts. We are aliens and exiles in the world (1 Pet. 2:11). Our citizenship is in heaven, and we wait with eager expectation for the Lord (Phil. 3:20). You cannot professionalize the love for His appearing without killing it. And it is being killed.
The aims of our ministry are eternal and spiritual. They are not shared by any of the professions. It is precisely by the failure to see this that we are dying.
The life-giving preacher is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God's Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river.
We are most emphatically not part of a social team sharing goals with other professionals. Our goals are an offense; they are foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). The professionalization of the ministry is a constant threat to the offense of the gospel. It is a threat to the profoundly spiritual nature of our work. I have seen it often: the love of professionalism (parity among the world's professionals) kills a man's belief that he is sent by God to save people from hell and to make them Christ-exalting, spiritual aliens in the world.
The world sets the agenda of the professional man; God sets the agenda of the spiritual man. The strong wine of Jesus Christ explodes the wineskins of professionalism. There is an infinite difference between the pastor whose heart is set on being a professional and the pastor whose heart is set on being the aroma of Christ, the fragrance of death to some and eternal life to others (2 Cor. 2:15-16).
God, deliver us from the professionalizers! Deliver us from the "low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us." God, give us tears for our sins.
Forgive us for being so shallow in prayer, so thin in our grasp of holy verities, so content amid perishing neighbors, so empty of passion and earnestness in all our conversation. Restore to us the childlike joy of our salvation.
Frighten us with the awesome holiness and power of Him who can cast both soul and body into hell (Matt. 10:28).
Cause us to hold to the cross with fear and trembling as our hope-filled and offensive tree of life. Grant us nothing, absolutely nothing, the way the world views it. May Christ be all in all (Col. 3:11).
Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremitting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord.
Humble us, O God, under Your mighty hand, and let us rise, not as professionals, but as witnesses and partakers of the sufferings of Christ. In His awesome name. Amen.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Dad's Turn
In back of day camp and YBC, we've been privileged to witness nine baptisms in the last two weeks at Woodward Park. And one of the real blessings has been to watch dad's role in the new birth.
Every precious child enters this world courtesy of mom. But in the delivery room that is baptism, dad has the opportunity to deliver his child into new birth in Christ. In the last two weeks, we've witnessed Michael and Sierra, Grady and Garrett, Ariana and Rich, Scott and David, and last night, Kevin and Tyler. What a blessing to see these dads in the water with their child, delivering them in baptism into the eternal care of the Father.
Every precious child enters this world courtesy of mom. But in the delivery room that is baptism, dad has the opportunity to deliver his child into new birth in Christ. In the last two weeks, we've witnessed Michael and Sierra, Grady and Garrett, Ariana and Rich, Scott and David, and last night, Kevin and Tyler. What a blessing to see these dads in the water with their child, delivering them in baptism into the eternal care of the Father.
Monday, July 02, 2007
The Truth War
YBC...what can I say?
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Yosemite Bible Camp but it was my first ever experience. What an absolute blast!
205 participated in this year's edition of YBC, sponsored by the Woodward Park church. From the classes to the campfire, from the softball to the spiritual sharing, it was fantastic. My duty was to teach the high school class, all 52 of them. I feared I would be unable to hold their attention for the daily hour-and-a-half class sessions but my fears were unfounded. The kidos did awesome and their questions and sharing challenged me in a host of wonderful ways.
The staff, led by Mike Avedikian and Steve Powers, was awesome; the kids and their rapt attention at every spiritual encounter was incredible; and God, well, he blessed us with great weather and a wonderful harvest. Six young people committed their life to Jesus and were baptized during the week.
To God be the glory!
(As soon as Cheri Walters sends me pictures, I'll post some so you can get a feel of the blessed week all of us enjoyed at YBC).
---------------------
Despite the demands of camp, I've been able to get through a couple of books I've been chomping at the bit to read.
One is The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception by John MacArthur. In the book, MacArthur takes to task the postmodern inclination sweeping Christianity that undermines the existence of absolute truth.
On balance, MacArthur's book is a must-read, especially for anyone who has found the Emerging Church movement to be the end-all, be-all of the contemporary church.
"A secular writer doing an article on the Emerging Church movement and postmodern Christianity summed up the character of the movement this way: 'What makes a postmodern ministry so easy to embrace is that it doesn't demonize youth culture -- Marilyn Manson, South Park, or gangsta rap, for example -- like traditional fundamentalists. Postmodern congregants aren't challenged to reject the outside world.'
I've noticed the same thing. Whole churches have deliberately immersed themselves in 'the culture' -- by which they actually mean 'whatever the world loves at the moment.' Thus we now have a new breed of trendy churches whose preachers can rattle off references to every popular icon, every trifling meme, every tasteless fashion, and every vapid trend that captures the fickle fancy of the postmodern, secular mind. Worldly preachers seem to go out of their way to put their carnal expertise on display -- even in their sermons. In the name of 'connecting with the culture' they boast of having seen all the latest programs on MTV; memorized every episode of South Park; learned the lyrics to countless tracks of gangsta rap and heavy metal music; or watched who-knows-how-many R-rated movies. They seem to know every fad from top to bottom, back to front, inside out. They've adopted the style and the language of the world -- including lavish use of language that used to be deemed inappropriate in polite society, much less in the pulpit. They want to fit right in with the world and they seem to be making themselves quite comfortable there" (140).
Has there been a lot of compromise in the name of "all things to all people"? Certainly and perhaps the gravest consequence is the emergence of the culture's conversion of the church when it should be reversed. What MacArthur aims to inject into the discussion is a resolve to stand for truth, as revealed in the Word of God, even in the face of a culture that rejects the existence of such truth.
Frankly, I appreciated this book as much as any I've read in some time. Based on the little letter of Jude, MacArthur holds nothing back in showing how the fight for truth is as old as the first century. He articulates a return to the reality that absolute truth is revealed in the Word of God and underscores the danger of minimizing or rejecting the truth God has revealed.
"The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age and can't stand to have authoritative biblical truth applied with precision as a corrective to worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior.
But that is not authentic Christianity. Not knowing what you believe (especially on a matter as essential to Christianity as the gospel) is by definition a kind of unbelief. Refusing to acknowledge and defend the revealed truth of God is a particularly stubborn and pernicious kind of unbelief. Advocating ambiguity, exalting uncertainty, or otherwise deliberately clouding the truth is a sinful way of nurturing unbelief" (xi).
------------------
Finally, I'm off to the Bay Area this morning for my final premarital counseling sesssion with Cory and Joelle before their wedding on Saturday. Tonight, my good friend, John Wiegand and I will take in the A's and Blue Jays game at Oakland. John has graciously agreed to house me overnight in advance of my girls' return into San Jose on Tuesday.
As excited as I am about being with good friends today, that excitement doesn't hold a candle to the anticipation of seeing my girls again.
Have a great Monday living out the truth of God's Word.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Yosemite Bible Camp but it was my first ever experience. What an absolute blast!
205 participated in this year's edition of YBC, sponsored by the Woodward Park church. From the classes to the campfire, from the softball to the spiritual sharing, it was fantastic. My duty was to teach the high school class, all 52 of them. I feared I would be unable to hold their attention for the daily hour-and-a-half class sessions but my fears were unfounded. The kidos did awesome and their questions and sharing challenged me in a host of wonderful ways.
The staff, led by Mike Avedikian and Steve Powers, was awesome; the kids and their rapt attention at every spiritual encounter was incredible; and God, well, he blessed us with great weather and a wonderful harvest. Six young people committed their life to Jesus and were baptized during the week.
To God be the glory!
(As soon as Cheri Walters sends me pictures, I'll post some so you can get a feel of the blessed week all of us enjoyed at YBC).
---------------------
Despite the demands of camp, I've been able to get through a couple of books I've been chomping at the bit to read.
One is The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception by John MacArthur. In the book, MacArthur takes to task the postmodern inclination sweeping Christianity that undermines the existence of absolute truth.
On balance, MacArthur's book is a must-read, especially for anyone who has found the Emerging Church movement to be the end-all, be-all of the contemporary church.
"A secular writer doing an article on the Emerging Church movement and postmodern Christianity summed up the character of the movement this way: 'What makes a postmodern ministry so easy to embrace is that it doesn't demonize youth culture -- Marilyn Manson, South Park, or gangsta rap, for example -- like traditional fundamentalists. Postmodern congregants aren't challenged to reject the outside world.'
I've noticed the same thing. Whole churches have deliberately immersed themselves in 'the culture' -- by which they actually mean 'whatever the world loves at the moment.' Thus we now have a new breed of trendy churches whose preachers can rattle off references to every popular icon, every trifling meme, every tasteless fashion, and every vapid trend that captures the fickle fancy of the postmodern, secular mind. Worldly preachers seem to go out of their way to put their carnal expertise on display -- even in their sermons. In the name of 'connecting with the culture' they boast of having seen all the latest programs on MTV; memorized every episode of South Park; learned the lyrics to countless tracks of gangsta rap and heavy metal music; or watched who-knows-how-many R-rated movies. They seem to know every fad from top to bottom, back to front, inside out. They've adopted the style and the language of the world -- including lavish use of language that used to be deemed inappropriate in polite society, much less in the pulpit. They want to fit right in with the world and they seem to be making themselves quite comfortable there" (140).
Has there been a lot of compromise in the name of "all things to all people"? Certainly and perhaps the gravest consequence is the emergence of the culture's conversion of the church when it should be reversed. What MacArthur aims to inject into the discussion is a resolve to stand for truth, as revealed in the Word of God, even in the face of a culture that rejects the existence of such truth.
Frankly, I appreciated this book as much as any I've read in some time. Based on the little letter of Jude, MacArthur holds nothing back in showing how the fight for truth is as old as the first century. He articulates a return to the reality that absolute truth is revealed in the Word of God and underscores the danger of minimizing or rejecting the truth God has revealed.
"The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age and can't stand to have authoritative biblical truth applied with precision as a corrective to worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior.
But that is not authentic Christianity. Not knowing what you believe (especially on a matter as essential to Christianity as the gospel) is by definition a kind of unbelief. Refusing to acknowledge and defend the revealed truth of God is a particularly stubborn and pernicious kind of unbelief. Advocating ambiguity, exalting uncertainty, or otherwise deliberately clouding the truth is a sinful way of nurturing unbelief" (xi).
------------------
Finally, I'm off to the Bay Area this morning for my final premarital counseling sesssion with Cory and Joelle before their wedding on Saturday. Tonight, my good friend, John Wiegand and I will take in the A's and Blue Jays game at Oakland. John has graciously agreed to house me overnight in advance of my girls' return into San Jose on Tuesday.
As excited as I am about being with good friends today, that excitement doesn't hold a candle to the anticipation of seeing my girls again.
Have a great Monday living out the truth of God's Word.
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