A Sliver of Light

This early morning, I look and see a fading sliver of light, shrouded by clouds from nowhere near.

Then the night light becomes clearer, as the wind shifts, the light takes shape, a quarter-moon does appear.

Now it’s gone again and although it’s so dark I can’t see the clouds; I know they are there.

Just as I know the light still shines, proving that even in darkness we should have no fear.

Now the clouds have parted, and a bright quarter moon shows, the sky is once again clear.

Watching the clouds roll by the light just above the horizon, is like our life’s shifting moods.

If you are fortunate to have experienced a long life, you know not all our days are good.

At times our lives are shrouded in a cloudy darkness, where we grope to find the simple necessities.

Hoping the majority of our lives we can see the light in the dark sky, even if it is just a sliver of light, a quarter moon.

 

I wrote something early Monday, then watched the day unfold.  What did I see but a continued divide in our country.  Where on one hand we celebrate the Holiest of days, Resurrection Day.  A day in history long past that we can’t see or touch in the present.  Belief in death being conquered, is where Faith resides.

On another hand we celebrate painted pagan eggs, and a funky looking bunny.  A tangible physical observance we can touch & see, something we can search to find, dropped from the bunny hero’s woven basket.

And now today more in our face than ever, we are being deceived to believe and forced to celebrate those who just can’t seem to decide.  When 2 million voices are louder than 200 million, you know there’s a problem.  I don’t have to accept undecided deception, no more than I expect for you to accept my beliefs on this worlds history, the life of Jesus Christ and the powers of a living God.    

Look at yesterday’s news.  On one stream, the majority would continue to glorify the Words of God in our modern-day Bible, which is a very good thing.

In other news, the efforts to show and live in Faith continue to be distracted, like clouds covering the nights sky.  To live in darkness is a choice,  to live by Faith is also a choice that will brighten the night.

But now we have the changelings and undecided.  If you were created in God’s image, why are you trying to change it?  We used to help those with mental instabilities, now we are supposed to encourage it.  Paying for a lifelong trail of medications and a sex change operation is a choice some make.  A personal choice to run from your reality and  pollute our children with clouds of confusion. Life is hard enough, why confuse it & drag society into your delusions.

Here’s a simple truth.  You can be Spiritual or secular, believe or not believe…but you can’t be something else or in between.  Just as in this physical life you can be a man or a woman, not something else.  Transgender folks suffer from an undecided and confused mind.  It is like half suicide.  Manipulating your body & mind to alter it into what you think may make you feel better.  Tell me mutilating your body and mind is not a cry and reach for help.  Please explain to me why a woman’s rights are diminished so yours can be held higher.  It’s just one more half-truth clouding the night’s half-moon.

Celebrate Resurrection Day or Easter in the manner you choose.  Just make a choice, knowing we can have Faith, Fellowship, Fun & Friendship…without the need for a new festivity based on fake & false realities.

For the record, I don’t hate confused & unstable people.  I sympathize with their struggles & pray everyday that they find purpose, meaning & normalcy in their lives.

A little word play, with some serious consequences. We’ve all heard in the term R.I.P.  or rest in peace.  That is certainly one end result, to simply rest in the cold dark earth, where hopefully you find some level of peace.  Or, you could meddle in a middle ground, relax in purgatory as so many do…or ultimately you can rejoice in paradise…something for us all to aspire.

 May the moon shine bright and the winds blow in a fair direction for you & yours now & forever.

    

An April Prank

It’s April 1^st and one of the biggest pranks played on all of us is how the right to worship the religion of our choice, has been used to eliminate God from our daily lives. The freedom of religion has been twisted to include any and all kinds of beliefs.  We are a muti-cultural society, even more so in the last twenty-five years.  But this freedom has warped into a way to influence a Godless society. 

Our inclusivity has resulted in exclusivity.  Gentile Christian beliefs have been eliminated at the sake of including any pagan, satanic or secular non-belief.  Appears all you have to do or say is…Yep, I worship that, so it’s a religion with all the rights of any other.  I differ with that in the sense that doesn’t our society as a whole have a say in things…or do we bend to the whims of a few? 

In any country there are fundamental beliefs that set the stage & the direction of its culture.  We live in a country founded on the principles set forth in our Constitution.  Under the first amendment freedom of religious worship was established to protect our spiritual rights and just as importantly safeguard our country from a dominant religious force.  Such was the case in Europe when our modern country began to be established.  The settlers and founders wanted to flee this tyranny and allow religious freedoms.  Over the years this “freedom” has been used as a divisive wedge, shaping our country into a separatist and spiritless segregated society.   

In so many ways we’ve developed more into a me for me culture, no matter the consequences… rather than what’s best for all.  Where’s the line between good & evil, or is our country a free for all?

Even if you struggle with the Christian beliefs of Jesus and the contents of the Bible, you cannot ignore the lessons of life in the New Testament.  It is hard for many to grasp, because like all formed beliefs there are struggles along the way.  Many point to the violent history of the long ago past, mostly in the Old Testament.  I would say, no religion or belief of any kind can claim total innocence.  So, if that is the standard then all are guilty, and none are any better than the other.

But we must look at the overall message & separate factual faith from fictitious fables.  It is no different than the simple fact that 99.99% of us, are born either man or woman.  No other words are needed and if you struggle to define either one of those words (man or woman) you are living in a fictious fable. You’re not living in reality; you’re living in a fairy-tale (pun intended).  On a serious note altering your body & mind is a scream for help.  It is an outreach for something better, like alcohol abuse & drug addictions. It is a desperate act of change, like slashing your wrist.  Misguided souls at the mercy of for profit science & medicine, driven by delusional ideology & mass media.

That is just one example of how far we have strayed from God in this country.  We’ve strayed so far, we think we can play God and alter our reality.  Through our Constitutional rights we can do, say and be anything we want and it’s somehow protected and okay.  I’m sorry I don’t aspire to that logic.

For if we do, if we eliminate all forms of logical & factual thought for the sake of the delusional rights of a few, the ultimate peril is an uncontrollable society without any sense of normalcy.  It starts with a lack of respect for authority, develops into defund the police, and ends in a lack of civil discourse, disconnecting us from each other, destroying our foundations & resulting in societal discord that we see and hear all around us.  

Our First Amendment Rights are being used against us whether you want to admit it or not.  The separation of church & state was to prevent a dominant religion in our country…not to remove the God our country was founded on from all aspects of our lives.  You have the right to believe as you choose, that freedom is God given & in our Constitution. That is a fundamental majority belief in this country, a cornerstone to our foundation, celebrated in many ways.  Freedom of religious worship is the freedom to not be mandated to by an established national church that could infringe on our other freedoms.  But we still need some discipline & direction, or we risk drifting like a fatherless son.  It’s time we got back to the Father God & Son we have faith in, that’s what this country was founded upon.

Pray for Others, Pray for Peace…AMEN.

Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday…what does it mean to you?  Is it just another day, or a day celebrated as the best of any Holiday?  In a world going crazy with misguided science & artificial intelligence it’s hard to find truth.  So many distractions around us, a mob mentality pulling us from what matters most.

If you start from the beginning of the three days of Easter, life is a bit easier to grasp.

Good Friday is good for most, but not good for the many that sacrificed over time to allow us to even have such a day.  A day where the ultimate sacrifice was made, spurred by mob mentality.  A night where a man was put to death, when all He wanted was a better life… for you.

But, put it in your own perspective.  Friday was also Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day.  A day recognized for the sacrifices of many, spurred on by a war that no one wanted.  On a personal level it was my mother’s birthday.  So, to me this past Friday saw a celebration and recognition of both life & death.  Some may say, what is good about death?  All I can say to that is, that war is over and although many more are being fought, I like to think of the good in life that will ultimately prevail.

In these three days of Easter, Saturday is a reflective day.  If Friday is about sacrifice & death, I guess Saturday is a day of atonement & reflection.  Which brings us to today, Easter Sunday.  What does it mean to you?  Does it have any significance at all besides hidden & painted eggs?

Easter to me is the best Holiday because it brings new life.  It is in the springtime when flowers bloom and birds sing to take flight to familiar destinations as once again life begins anew.

I hope that in some way you can pause and reflect on not just your own life, but on the life around you.  While many in this world struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis, for just the essentials of food, shelter & water, know that we are blessed in this country.  But it’s a country being driven further and further from the truth.  A country whose leaders seem to care less about your life and more about their own.  A country becoming more secular & Godless, a country driven by a mob mentality which if left to continue is destined in only one outcome…death.  History doesn’t lie, but it does repeat.

Today is Easter Sunday and many do not believe in its true meaning.  A day when new life is born, in the springtime, not the cold of winter or the heat of summer.  It is the best of Holidays, even when we think of the pain, hardships & sacrifice made to celebrate it. 

Whether you are secular or spiritual, this day exists so we can all take a step back, pause & reflect, and try and put into focus that no matter what you want to believe, search yourself…do you really think we are nothing more than flesh & blood where our bones eventually turn to ash? 

Tell me, have you never had even one thought in your head of something better than what this world provides?  To chase dreams of lust & luxury that only end in a cold grave.  No…you are more than that, we are all more than that.  So today, this Easter Sunday, celebrate in knowing that there is something better out there and if you haven’t found it, I pray one day soon you will…why not let it be today?  It’s the best day to start your life anew.  Don’t let mob mentality and media driven madness steal your life, your spirit, your soul.  In a country founded on trusting in God, it’s time we trusted. 

No matter your beliefs, no matter your religion, no matter if you’ve never cared or are scared to think of it, have faith that there is something more to your life…something more that through out history many have died for, but in the end new life begins.  I invite you to enjoy what this new life has to offer this Easter Sunday.  Have a blessed day knowing that no matter what, life can & will begin anew.

Confidence & Teamwork

Individual confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance with one’s own abilities.  Teamwork is defined as the combined actions of a group working to achieve a common goal.

So, on any team the challenge is to identify individual abilities and apply them in the best ways to achieve those goals; and the ultimate goal of any endeavor should be to increase our individual abilities through the cooperation, communication & comradery of working as a team.

This past Friday I learned, or should say relearned, a valuable lesson on confidence & teamwork.  We all have different levels of skill, and those skills can vary day to day, especially at our age.  I have played this game since I was eight years old.  I am not and never have been a top-notch player.  But as I got older, my health, instincts & running abilities stayed with me, something I am most grateful for.  It has led at times to over confidence in my abilities, which can hurt the efforts of those around you and diminish your team goals.

You undoubtedly have experienced some level of this in your life.  Even if not personally you’ve certainly seen the effects overconfident people can have.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t…but in the end the odds will always favor the team with the most collaborative effort.

In the first inning of that game, the third batter was up and there were two outs.  Carlos is a deep ball hitter, so I had him played deep.  He hit a towering fly ball that was less than midway out to left field.  I charged hard and made a sliding catch just before the ball hit the ground.  It was the 1^st inning…and it raised my individual confidence.  In the last inning, with us up only 2 runs we had to hold to win.  We got two quick outs and then another high pop up, this time more center left…again I charged and as I was concentrating on that ball, I heard someone yelling my name & the ball seemed to hang & drift towards me, which was the way the wind was blowing.  I didn’t have time to look where my teammates were, I was confident I could make that catch, so I called it…and then the ball drifted away from me and in a last-ditch effort I reached and as I slid my knee dug in…I stopped cold dead.  There were two other players that may have had a shot at that ball and as teamwork goes, I should not have even been trying to catch it…but my individual confidence in my abilities ending up hurting team goals, as we lost the game.

It certainly wasn’t the only play that cost us that game.  As a team we had numerous errors and struggled at the plate.  But I use this simple one play example to show how in any team sport we must consider not just our abilities, but those around us as well.  Baseball, football, and basketball are team sports.  Golf, bowling, & tennis are individual sports.  There is a major difference here.  In individual sports you are subject to your own abilities and over all confidence…but in team sports it is the abilities of the individuals working together that make the team confident as a whole.

The beauty of sport is that it can teach us valuable life lessons, while competing & having fun.  In life you can be overconfident, arrogant, self-centered, boastful & dictorial…but you will get nowhere far if you over play your abilities …especially when you come up against a confident & collaborative team.  Nothing wrong with confidence, it is the backbone of heroism, just remember you have a team around to help in your goals and aspirations.  A lesson often forgotten in the heat of battle, that leaves us more humble in our individual abilities & confidence. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 AMEN.   

Today's Dream

It is Saturday February 10^th, 2024…4 AM EST.   What are you dreaming about?

For many, they don’t remember.  Their dreams are a shattered and polluted destiny, for this it’s best they don’t remember, but the soul never forgets.

For others, their dreams set a course for their reality, if in Faith they are envisioned. 

We all have dreams, some selfish and others giving…where do yours reside?

Since you cannot answer me, I’ll tell you some of my dreams, which are a faith-based reality.

Dreams of a cool mountain stream, flowing over rocks that in the sun light gleam.

Visions of a country not divided, but in God’s Harmonies they’re sided.

Thoughts of a marriage between a man & a woman, spirits who once met in Heaven.

In that stream, in nature’s harmony with the one I love, together once again.

But that dream was long ago, a reality once, now forever gone.

So, I must seek a new dream...one without cares or cause it would seem.

Where do I find this magical place where all is silent except the breeze?

In my dream today I am by myself, but not ever alone.

Surrounded by the gifts of nature and the lives of creatures so misunderstood.

I walk among herds of horses, float with the butterflies & fly with the eagles.

I sit with the lion and swim with the dolphin & talk to the trees.

This is my dream today, for mankind has cluttered the forest & damaged the sky.

The waters are darker and slimier than ever before, but nature holds on.

You see, nature has her dreams too.  And one day soon we’ll see its’ reality.

Placed here before us, she is God’s gift to this world.  We just muck it up.

My dream is shared with nature because we are one in the same.

With dreams of faith each of us can hear nature’s call & see her dreams fulfilled.

Then, and only then, will your dreams, visions & thoughts become as one.

For if born of faith your spirit will gain & once again be free of all this worlds pain.

Gospel of John 1:23…Revelations 22

The Candle

The candle only burns on one end.  It all depends on which way the wind bends.

The story never ends.  You must listen carefully for whispers they’ll send.

In the dark, they’re a long-lost friend.  Earthly treasures you hoard, others will spend.

Do not on plastic & machine depend.  You only have one spirit, you cannot resend.

Today it seems so many want to unfriend.  They can’t, for the sake of love, comprehend.

It’s not the voice of separation to send, but rather for our hearts together to blend.

So, if we burn the candle at both ends, its life-giving light will be hard to defend.

Its life cut too short my friend, use the candle sparingly & it will shine until darkness’s end.

Gospel of Luke 7: 39-49.  Proverbs 20:27 AMEN

I Refuse

I refuse to believe that you cannot make a difference.
I refuse to believe one person cannot change their world.
I refuse to believe you must be “normal” to be accepted.

I refuse to believe history is made by the masses, rather than the few.

I refuse to believe that one person cannot change that history.
I refuse to believe that you are destined to be only what others tell you to be.
I refuse to believe everything I see, hear, feel, taste and smell.
I refuse to believe that your “sixth sense” does not outweigh the other five.
I refuse to believe that one person cannot do what it dreams as impossible.

You believe what you want to believe. We all share in our own lies. Mine is not the path most traveled. It has always been the trace of another’s footsteps that caught my eye. That made me think there might be, just might be, a better way, a more fruitful path, than one the masses herd to. Nothing wrong with that, but we all have our own streets to pave. For us to think that the great history makers and world shapers we have had since the beginning of time did not at some point feel grief and despair… is shallow in thought.

How would history be if Washington decided it was too cold to cross, if Custer would have retreated, had Patton taken a couple days off, had Lincoln not gone to the play, had Kennedy not gone to Dallas, had Martin not gone to Memphis, had John Lennon not gone for a walk, had Neil Armstrong never stepped, had Lance Armstrong never thought he’d live, had it not been foggy over Martha’s Vineyard for John John, had the Apostle Paul ever truly questioned his faith, or had Christ been tempted by the devil…course we know that was a losing battle on satans part, as always. 

And the list goes on and on. You have your memories and I have mine. If you are like me, no matter how many you list, you always think of more to add.

I refuse to believe that world changers & world changing events are not pre-destined by lots cast by God.  The greatest history gifted & shared with this, and all worlds, being our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  But, with His Son’s exception, who was beyond mortal…all the other events & people in our world history could have gone different than they, or it did.  God has endless reserves & backup plans.  

 

Think of it this way…. If 10 cooks are all given the same ingredients & told to make their best chicken cacciatore…all the dishes will mostly likely look, smell & taste a bit different…but the outcome is the same…chicken cacciatore.  All the difference makers listed above thought they could make a difference in their world(s). For if they didn’t, it would never have been. So…I refuse to believe that I too, cannot make a difference in the world around me, no matter how small or large that world may be. 

God created Paradise in the beginning & in the end we are promised a return to this Paradise.  The ingredients are the same, the outcome was foretold long, long ago.

Give yourself the best gift you could ever give yourself or someone else. For once in your life believe in yourself and your abilities and feel good about it. And in turn let that feeling rub off on someone and help make them believe that they can make a positive difference in their world as well. 

For many the first step is saying, “I refuse.”  Say, I refuse to let the influences of evil, no matter how petty or large they may be in your life, control me any longer.  I refuse to let satan have his way with me and condemn my soul.  Once you see evil for what it is and what it is trying to do to you…it’s not hard to refuse it.  And once you do, in the same breath, accept love…His Love for you…once you feel that sensation in your heart…it will influence your mind, which will enhance your soul & guide your spirit on a journey of Faith…rather than a destiny of death.

We are all teachers & learners, craftsmen & apprentices, finders & seekers.  But do not ever lose grasp of the fact we are watchers & defenders first, of a sacred Promise made to each of us.  It is up to you to accept & cherish the Covenant God made with mankind.  Your belief & faith in this Truth will decide your souls end realities.

If we all thought more positive and less negative, the result is destined to be positive.  Just remember to count & share your blessings & love…. Someone else is.

Go in Peace & Love will Follow.

Hebrews 10 & Psalm 72   AMEN

 

Emotions

 Most times I feel I don’t need anyone.  Guess that’s because I’ve been alone so much in my life.  I struggle like anybody to cope with my emotions.  But it is hard when you’re alone.  The past couple years have been good for me, and I have no reason to feel depressed.  In the past, stresses over finances & my own situation usually brought me down.  But this time is different.

Those who know me well know I have had a few major personality swings in my life.  There is not one thing to point to or blame.  It is an accumulation of my life experiences & the memories I have of them.  None of us are the same and we act and react differently in given situations.  So, as I sit here, I am trying to react to my negative feelings and bring them into a positive light.  

Throughout my life I have had a deep empathy for the less fortunate.  Perhaps it’s because I have been in their shoes.  The homeless, the troubled, the lonely, the poor & the sick.  It runs so deep in me it has cost me dearly, not so much financially but emotionally.  When you see & feel so much sadness & division around you…it starts to affect you.   

I feel at times most positive…but then there are the days & sometimes weeks where life is different.  I told someone yesterday that when you feel tired & rundown…it’s your body telling you that you need a break.  Well, I need to take some of my own advice, regroup & stay focused.

Here’s an example of my current emotional swings.  Even though I’ve not been feeling well I went to the grocery store yesterday morning.  On the side of the store there’s a small parking area & some trees.  I often park there and the last couple times there was a homeless man sitting in a wheelchair under one of the trees.  He was there today…but today was different, it was raining pretty good.  As I rode by, I circled back and asked him if he was hungry…he looked up and said yes…so I told him I’d get him a sandwich at the store.  I did my shopping, loaded the car in the rain (hey, I was out of milk, bread & eggs, but had plenty of bacon) and drove over to where he was sitting. 

I gave him the sandwich and had a short discussion with him, asked him his name…Donnie…& I told him I would pray for him that his situation would get better.  The whole time I felt and portrayed a positive demeanor.  But as I drove off…my emotions boiled over.  I started to pray, not just for Donnie, but for all the homeless & hungry in this country and around the world and the tears just flooded my eyes.  It’s a desperate feeling to have when you know all you can really do is pray about it and have faith God will make things better.

I wiped my tears and finished my prayer and realized my situation is nothing like Donnie’s and I have the whole world in front of me.  But where to start in making my own self better, as well as whatever piece of the world around me I can make better.  How do I stay positive in such a negative world?  There is only one way and that is to trust my faith in God and keep a handle on my emotions.

 If you surround yourself in negativity, you will stay stuck in that hole.  As an example…if you’re sad and you continue to watch sad movies or listen to sad music…how are you ever going to feel positive.  So, you must either find something uplifting or do something yourself that has positive actions &  reactions.  A change in direction that leads to a healthier outlook on yourself & the world around you.

The emotions I’ve had over the past week can be attributed to several things; three cracked ribs, the holidays alone, a sprained back, but I think it has been an accumulation of things, chief of which is the pain & division I see in this world.

I may not be able to do much about things overseas…but I can do some things right here in my hometown to give me direction and help others along the way.  Whether our emotions run high, low, or mid-stream, the peace we seek can only be found in the expressions of love…even if it’s just a sandwich, a kind word, and a prayer from a stranger.  

Seek, find, create, and share love…it is why we were created; it is the most positive feeling we can give or receive, and what will see us through in our most emotional of times.

Luke Chapter 11:33-36   AMEN.   

The American Spirit

 

Patriotism…defined is “vigorous support of one’s country.”  This definition is at the core of the American spirit & has sustained this country for generations.

 Lately many have forgotten the past or want to erase it.  They have lost touch with what got us here, what sustained us in the rough times and what we were thankful to have in the good times.  Everywhere you look there is someone shouting from their hilltop…I question them, and they have no answer…for our mountain casts its shadow on their divisive hillside.  Our message is of faith, family, freedom and flag…theirs is hard to define except at the core is their own selfish, destructive, divisive, and perverse ideologies.

 Today everyone wants paradise, but some can’t get out of their own hell.  So, they try to drag you down with them.  This country was born by some of the greatest leaders and thinkers who ever walked this planet, and it was built by men and women of all colors.  So don’t tell me the American spirit is dead, on the contrary it is embattled & fighting for survival, but still very much alive.  

The divisive groups and individuals that seek to destroy the American spirit are weak in multiple layers of faith.  They are weak in their faith in God and in their faith in this country.  They are weak in their spirituality and in their American spirit. They are weak in their belief in God and in their belief of their fellow man.  They are so distracted by hate & greed; they don’t see the real storm that is approaching.

 From the Introduction section of “The Patriots Handbook” this was written by Alexis de Tocqueville who was a French diplomat observing America in 1835, he is quoted, “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.  Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because she is good and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  That was observed by an outsider in 1835 and still holds true today. The good of this country far outweighs the bad, but we must not continue to be fooled by those pretending to be good while harboring bad & selfish intent.  Read between the lines & observe them closely, they are promising paradise & delivering hell. 

 If we continue to dwell on the past in a negative way…we will never have a positive future.  We have a strong foundation, that although cracked in many ways, still maintains the cornerstone of faith & the building blocks of truth, justice & the American spirit.  As a country we must remain good and that good starts with having faith in God as a country…this is where a strong & good foundation resides & always will.  

In God we trust…so in God we must.    

Psalm 125   AMEN.

The Cliff

When I was a child there was a public service announcement that would come on TV every night at 9PM.  It simply said, “it’s 9 PM, do you know where your children are?”  I also remember the standing rule, “when the streetlights come on, it’s time to come home.”

We could use more of that today.  Where are our children and are they blind to the light & left in darkness?  As adults we can substitute these words and sum up our societal situation very easily.

The hour is getting late, do you know where your spirit is?  The Light is on, but many choose to stay in the darkness.  It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, the question & the rules are the same.  But many have been deceived and walk a path that has no shadows, because there is no light.  Lost in the desires of this world, in darkness, they don’t see the cliff that is just ahead.

In darkness they will eventually fall off that cliff, it swallows all who pass by.  The earth around it is loose so even if you get close, you’ll slide into its mouth.  The ground is loose because it has a weak foundation surrounding it, sand instead of stone, so you sink into the trap it sets.

Base your life & the lives of your children on a strong foundation of truth & honor, rather than a loose foundation of lies & hate.  Do not fall off the cliff from living in darkness.  Search & find your inner self for that is where your soul resides & the Light that is the Love of God, will guide you home. 

1^st Peter Chapter 5: 1-11 AMEN