Being a Teacher Hurts

This is a fact to which I keep needing to submit. Having opportunities to lead Ladies Bible studies, and to speak before groups of women, I need to keep myself in the Bible and be sure that what comes out of my mouth is true to Scriptures and does not blaspheme God.

I have to be aware that what I teach or speak on is something I am certain is Biblically true and in no way will harm my listeners or students in their relationship to God. In that thought, I fear God, that I may in some way get it wrong. Then my judgement is deserved, because I dishonored holy perfect God.

So, when God takes me through something that brings me into closer relationship with Him and restores my faith in Him, this honors God in me. That end is which is the entire purpose of my witness to Him in my life and manifests itself to others.

If you think it doesn't hurt to care about the things of God--try be a teacher of the Bible sometime
One of the things that happens to someone who joins the hosts who in some way teach the Bible, is that God makes them learn the harder lessons than, say, someone who just comes to church once a week and absorbs.

"My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive the stricter judgement. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble... in word, he is a perfect man, able to also bridle the whole body" James 3:1,2.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved unto God, a worker who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the truth" 2 Timothy 2:3.

The teacher must learn the lesson themselves, or otherwise the topic/object is without example in their own lives, making it just stories, tradition, and platitudes.

(in the parable of the good servant) Luke 19:12-27 "So he called ten of his servants, and delivered to them ten minas, and said to them 'Do business till I come'" Luke 19:13.

For God gives us the means and the material to do His business until He calls us to be with Him.

"For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him" Luke 19:26.

And our reward comes in glory when our works go through the fire and we can here God say "Well done, good and faithful servant" Matthew 5:23.

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The Sovereignty of God Maintains the Holy Bible

While there may be some discrepancies between copies and versions of the Holy Bible today, we have no business claiming it has errors, or that any parts are not inspired by God. We do have very old copies in original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, but God is the only One who has true knowledge of the contents of the originals. That does not make our copies erroneous, or not part of inspired Scripture, for God's sovereignty maintains the accuracy of the Holy Bible.

Almighty GOD is not living within our time. Time was created for us.

He sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10). God is talking to Adam in the Garden of Eden, even as He is accepting our worship on the new earth. He is Eternal. Time does not exist in God's realm of eternal being. GOD is the I AM.

God is instructing Moses to write the 1st five books of the Bible. He is overseeing Jeremiah write his books. Matthew, Mark, Luke & John are writing the gospels per God's guiding inspiration even as you sit and read the Holy Bible at your table in this instant. Pick a writer of one of the 66 books of the Bible and God by His infinite wisdom is having it penned even as you think on it.

Hold your fingers together as tight as possible, until they hurt. The space between your fingers is still longer than your lifespan.

God indwells His people yesterday, today and forever. (John 14, Ephesians 1:13,14, Galatians 3). He indwells believers before us and He will indwell believers after us. (even if we are raptured today)
In every Bible study, or Biblical teaching/preaching, the eternal existing God is actually watching over the person writing the book we are reading at the same instance.

I am not talking multiple dimensions, I am talking about God's BEING. God IS the I AM.

WOW! WE SERVE AN AWSOME GOD!!!

The Bible that the world has today, no matter what version, or language is being preserved by God Himself, outside of time. This is the Holy Bible of the Christian, not the religious books of other world beliefs.

If any parts of the Bible could be in error, in any language or translation, then don't you think Almighty God is able to correct His word, which He is overseeing the writings of even now?

We don't have the originals, but God does.

If today's Bible study guides are exalted over the Holy Bible, that's saying to God the writers of the study guides know more about the Bible than He does.

Consider the danger of your own error attempting to correct God.

Considering that the Author of the Bible is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God, if you decide that you can identify parts of the Holy Bible that are in error, consider these two scenarios:

#1

For some spectacular reason, you can move through the dimensions of Time and Space.

Today, a Christian brother has just watched a group of ISIS militants rape and murder his wife. In the next hour he will be beheaded for his faith in Christ. But he is steadfastly remembering the verses he has memorized from his Bible as he faces this horrible death. (it doesn't matter what language or translation the Bible is written in, it's a Holy Bible, maintained by Sovereign God)

Suddenly, you pop into his presence and announce, "My Bible study guide says that certain parts of certain translations and versions of the Bible are wrong and are not inspired by God because we have discovered they are not in the 'Best Manuscripts". We have decided that they are in error and we no longer teach them as being the inspired words of God."

And you disappear as suddenly as you arrive, leaving this brother alone wondering if the verses he has memorized are the parts that are not Inspired by God.

#2

Still jumping through Time and Space, you travel back to a cold, dark cell in the German Concentration Camp Ravensbruek, where two young women are huddled together with a Bible open between them. One is reading scripture to her dying sister. (it doesn't matter what language or translation the Bible is written in, it's a Holy Bible, maintained by Sovereign God)

Suddenly, you pop into their cell, point to their Bible and say, "In the future, we learn that certain parts of certain translations and versions of the Bible are wrong and are not inspired by God because we have discovered they are not in the 'Best Manuscripts". So we have decided that they are in error and we no longer teach them as being the inspired words of God."

And just as suddenly, you disappear from their sight, leaving Corrie Ten Boom and her sister, Betsie, holding worthless scraps of paper.

What has your knowledge just done to these people who have no access to whatever Bible study guide you may have read. Where is your proof that your Bible study guide is true and their Bible's are wrong? Your so-called knowledge gained form your study guides is of no advantage.

Only God has the knowledge to maintain His word as without error and all Scripture is inspired by God. (2 Timothy 3:16)

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any private interpretation,

for prophecy never came by the will of man,
but holy men of God spoke as they

were moved by the Holy Spirit"
2 Peter 1:20,21.

But of Bible Studies and study guides, the bookshelves are breaking from the strain. Be very careful of what you read outside of the Bible itself, for God has not breathed the words of Bible Study Guides, only the words of the Holy Bible. (John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16. 2 Peter 1:20, 21, Rev. 22:18,19, Is. 55:10,11, Eccl. 12:11.12,13,14.)

If something you read has an argument pointing to an error, stop and hold up any version of the Bible and say to the One who sits on the throne in Heaven, "Holy Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient GOD, because of this or that I've read about Your word, I know for certain that this text of this Bible is in error and is not inspired by You. You, Almighty God must have made a mistake putting this into this version of Your Bible, because this man, or this woman said so. So, now You, God are corrected by my knowledge."

Aren't you putting a lot of confidence in the idea the authors of study guides know more than God knows about His word?

Then you are telling God He is not Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God.

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Salvation Through The Word Of God

The awesomeness of God's Holy Bible is that if anyone wants to know God and finds a Bible, they can read it and come to know God and His free salvation. They don't need to study any other books along side the Bible to lead them to God.

Sometimes too many study helps can get us off track from the simplicity of the Bible. And that can be very, very dangerous. We can get into the most ridiculous arguments over which version is right, but it is the Word of God, not our interpreta...tions of it that save people.

Paul warns, through Timothy, "Remind them of these things charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers" 2 Tim 2:14
and to Titus Paul wrote,"But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless" 3:9.

I've read and heard testimonies of people who have found only a page, or a scrap of the Bible, even a Bible tract, that have been saved through the power and love of God.

If you are a born-again Christian, saved by the grace of God, don't ever, ever, ever say anything about the Holy Bible other than what it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work"

"For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piecing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" Hebrews 4:12.

"My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement" James 3:1.(Jesus prayed to God the Father) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" John 17:17.

Don't ever say any part of whatever version of the Holy Bible you prefer is not able to save, for it is the power of God to save. Your thoughts for or against which Scripture is used by God don't have the smallest iota one way or the other. If the words are between the cover of the Holy Bible, God can use it for His glory! And God preserves His word for that very purpose.

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Brother Against Brother: Short Fiction

Reassuring himself the Enfield was loaded; Seth pointed it at the Confederate. The man remained calm, propped against the remains of the stonewall.

“How old are you, Son?”

“What?”

“You ain’t old enough for fightin’, Son. You should be in school, or fetchin’ for your mother.”

“You shut up!” He tried to be threatening but failed. He was just a scared kid in a war that was supposed to be over.

A Private in Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s Twentieth Maine Infantry, who were occupying this hill, miles from the main battle, Seth was still amid the horrors. The moans and screams of the wounded and dying added to his mental anguish. Somehow, when they swung down the side of the mound named Little Round Top, he had separated from the main group and stumbled into this depression, and away from the major shooting.

Falling into the hole, Seth landed on a body, which grunted and moved. Terrified, he scrambled around for identity, discovering the powdered blackened face of one of General Hood’s Texans, the very army they were killing. The Texan was unarmed, his Springfield broken beside him and his arm too mangled for bayonet use. Triumphantly, Seth had ‘captured’ an enemy single-handed. This glory soon faded, as he realized he was as trapped as the other was. Where could he go? He didn’t know if they had succeeded.

"Son, you ain’t fighin’ for slavery any more than I am.”

“Ain’t you?”

“Nope,” the Texan replied. “I’m a Texas soldier. That I’m in the Confederate army is just an odd detail.”

“But this is about slavery, ain’t it?” 

The man chuckled. “This war is about Government and politics, neither of which you or I care one whit about.” The Texan waved his good hand. “You let me palaver. You’ve probably heard speeches ‘bout the horrors of slavery, most not even half-told of the evils. There's a man in Washington that made some noise about the evil and it made a large part of this country a bit worried 'bout their rights as slave owners. I don’t own slaves, never have, never will. I’m in this ‘cause Texas said we’d fight and I’m Texas. As for the Cause, the Good Lord above will abolish slavery. He hates it and He won’t allow it, no matter what some may think. I can't agree havin' a war over the trouble is the best way to fix it, but that's the way it's come about. You and me are just a part of something a whole lot bigger." he chuckled. "hate to admit it, but it's even bigger than Texas."

Shifting slightly made his coat open, revealing his bloody chest. A grimace twisted his dirty face. he asked Seth, “Ya got any water?”

Seth tossed his canteen. “You said the Good Lord. You mean Jesus?”

“Born again into Jesus Christ twenty three years ago. Bet I was older’n you are now. How old are you, Son?”

“Sixteen.”

The Texan smiled. “Yup. Was seventeen when I accepted Jesus’ salvation. Have you, Son?”

Seth swallowed hard. “Yes, Sir. Three years now.” In fear, he lifted his rifle as the Texan reached under his coat. For a pistol?

“Whoa, Son, just getting’ my Prayer Book.” He held up a small ragged book bound together with twine. “A’right if I show you somethin’?” The Texan shifted and then settled back. “No need to keep pointin’ that gun. I surrender. I ain’t gonna fight no more ag’in ya.” He settled down next to the boy. “Do you know that right here, in the second letter to Timothy; we have the power to end all wars?”

The sour-sweet smell of the dark, thick, of the Texan's congealed blood rose in his nostrils. Swallowing bile, Seth leaned over and read from the Texan’s Bible. ‘All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

He smiled, although through the blood, grime and black powder soot the action made him seem more a ghoul than a man. There was no threat to Seth from the wounded man as he talked.

“An old man named Paul wrote that to a young soldier for Christ. And I’m sharing it with you, ‘cause there’s a place for enemies and there’s a place for killin’, but there’s a place in the hearts of all men for the truth of God. That, Son, if every man believes it, would end all wars. If only all people would turn to God, wars would cease.”

Seth never saw the rock. Lights burst in his head. Aware through a fog, the gun taken from his hands, he lay stunned and helpless.

“Forgive me, Son.”

Incredibly, he saw the sadness in the face of his enemy.

The Texan gazed at him a moment longer before turning to walk into the bullet shattered forest.

Seth thought, ‘Lord Jesus, that man’s not my enemy, he’s my brother.’

The End

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Heard From God Lately?

To sit down with God and have a conversation with Him is the highlight of a Christian’s day. How, you may ask, do I do this with the God of the universe, the unapproachable light, and invisible God?

Simple, read the Bible, God’s Holy Word, and pray. We are then in close, personal conversation.

Listen to His voice speaking to you through His Word and your response to Him is in prayer and adoration, learning and desiring understanding.

A Christian knows God’s will through communication with Him. If you are not reading His Word, praying, and listening to sound Biblical preaching and teaching, you will have very little knowledge of God’s will.

With so much pseudo-biblical teaching around today, there is the danger of drawing away from the truth. If He gave us the written Word for instruction, we should be getting our instruction from it.

"Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" 1 Timothy 4:16.

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Notes From The Gospel of Luke, Part 2

Here are more notes and comments from my Bible reading in the Gospel of Luke, along with the expanded clarifications of my thoughts.

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Luke18 & 19

     Chapter 18 introduces us to a young man who comes to Jesus with a question of the value of his own righteousness.

     The rich young ruler is upset when he finds he cannot buy his salvation but that he must have a change of heart. And Jesus says this after he leaves:

     "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" 18:25.

     Then we meet Zacchaeus in chapter 19, a very rich man who proves a rich man can enter the kingdom of God because he met Jesus and understood his riches meant nothing at all for his salvation.

Margin Note for the conversion of Zacchaeus: Contrast the rich young ruler who thought keeping the law would save him. Zacchaeus met with Jesus and was saved.

Expanded: Unlike the rich young ruler who was upset because salvation wasn't obtained through his social status, Zacchaeus' was commended by Jesus for his life-changing faith

     "And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham" 19:9.

     Cross referenced Zacchaeus' story with Matthew 5:3.

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Luke 20:27-38 record the absurd question of the Sadducees about the resurrection.

     The Sadducees are the silliest cult that questions Jesus. They don't believe in the resurrection, the afterlife, spirits, or souls, yet they follow Jesus and pester Him about His knowledge of God? Whatever for?!

     Just like today. Born again Christians are followed by many who pester us about our faith in Jesus. They do not bother so much to question Buddhists, or Muslims, or witches, or Hindus, or Evolutionists about their faith or the origins of their religions. They ridicule, persecute and question the faith of Christians and attempt  to turn people from following Jesus.

     Notice Jesus' response to their question did not answer the Sadducees according to their religion, but He did speak Biblical truth to them, quoting Scripture.

     Matthew 4, Jesus answers Satan the same way--with Scriptural truth, quoting the Bible correctly. Not answering Satan according to his lies.

     Ephesians 6 says put on the armor of God and use the sword of the Spirit--the Word of God--The Scriptures. So does 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

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"Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was one of the twelve" 22:3

     What a sad verse. And after Satan used Judas, he destroyed him with so much guilt that Judas hanged himself. Matt 27:5)

     For many lost people today it's the same story. The same demons and Satan destroy people today with hate, anger, drugs, crime, murder, sex, possession and the like. And Satan even uses power and wealth sometimes to destroy people. After the demons are through sadistically playing with people as toys, they leave them broken and destroyed. If they haven't gotten them killed, then they bury them in so much guilt their former hosts kill or destroy themselves.

     And it all began in the Garden of Eden when Satan asked Eve to question God's love for her because God told her not to do something. Satan is still getting people to not believe God loves them.

But the Christian has a different perspective.

     "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12.

    There are a lot of movies and books with the topic of demon possession. How interesting that many people will believe in demonic spirits possessing people to commit evil, yet they cannot accept the fact of God the Holy Spirit indwelling people to give them eternal life.

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Bonus: from Luke 9:12-17, the record of Jesus feeding the multitude

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A Theorized Explanation of Satan in the Garden

This is not to be taken as a Biblical fact, nor to be used as a commentary, but it is my theory and mine alone, of which I hope you find interesting.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”1 Timothy 2:14.

There is no way to say how long Satan examined this couple before he approached them. My personal theory is Satan fell from heaven after God created the heavens and the earth and Adam and Eve.

Here he is, the most beautiful creature ever created. He’s the voice of worship and his place among the angels of glory is gorgeous and glorious. He enjoys pleasing God with his music, his magnificence, and all the splendor of his being, created to lead worship before God’s Throne. Lucifer is a great worshipper.

Then God fashions this tiny thing called the universe, and these puny little beings He calls humans. Suddenly, God has another worship leader, Adam. Yet Satan sees something exclusive about the worship Adam brings to God. Adam freely adores God with loving reverence. Worse, it brings God enormous pleasure the more Adam learns to worship.

Not one of the angels ever had the thought of not worshipping God. God created Lucifer to worship and lead worship. It hadn’t been a thing to contemplate before; it was how God ordained heaven's business.

Satan starts looking at Adam as a rival. Now Satan’s character changes and he begins to see where he is now second fiddle and it’s no place to be in the orchestra of the heavenly host.

That’s where we get God’s explanation of Lucifer’s sin in Ezekiel 28. Satan decides he wants the type of worship Adam brings to God. God says that pride entered into him and the most gorgeous cherub suddenly became the most abhorrent thing in heaven. Sin can never stand before God’s perfection and Satan has to leave heaven’s throne room.

Where’s he going to go? He’s a created being and there’s only two places available. Kicked out of the one God entirely occupies, he heads for earth and the garden.

Because everything is as it should be, Eve would have no qualms about submitting to Adam. He shows her around the neighborhood introducing her to the animals and all the fruit trees. She learns him and he learns her. It’s flawless, they are one, and both are naked. They’re naked of clothing because it wasn’t necessary and they are naked of fear, faults, or worry. God visits and the abundant life is theirs. Nothing is missing in Eve’s life. Eve’s submission was without fault and there’s no flaw in her marriage. There is no pain, no sorrow, no jealousy, and no strife. Their relationship doesn’t hurt at all.

The lord of the flies is about to land in the perfume. Satan has examined these simple little creatures for some time now and has seen how they walk and talk and interact with God. Since his defection, his one desire is be worshipped and these creatures have minds of their own. Maybe he’s tried to get cows to worship him, or serpents and concluded that’s futility. Adam and Eve, they’re different.

He can’t approach Adam, he’s always studying what to ask God at the next meeting But Eve, well, she’s always studying how to please both Adam and God.

Satan comes dressed as one of the peaceful garden creatures and offers her something other than submission. It might have seemed natural for it to speak to her, after all everything God made was good. Instead of asking why it was speaking, she entered into conversation with it. The first thing Satan does is deceive her with a lie about her relationship.

Eve could have said no. She should have said no. Eve had the perfect support group to run to and rat him out: Adam, and God. However, Eve stopped being submissive the moment she desired that fruit and ate it.

In the Garden of Eden, Satan won a small battle. But a small victory was all it was, even for the centuries he's walked to and fro on the earth, tormenting people and destroying souls. Compared to the Omnipotence of Almighty, Eternal God, it is a small victory. The created being he is, there is no successful future for Satan. His defeat was at the cross where Jesus Christ died.

And his future, final defeat is when Satan loses even the stolen control of the world when he is thrown into his eternal prison, the Lake of Fire.

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4 Lessons From Paul

"For you will be a witness for him to tell all men what you have seen and heard" (Acts 22: 15 Good News for the Modern Man).

Paul is a good example of a changed life.  Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He knew his religion and kept the rules down to the last one. When this man met Jesus he went from being zealous for formal religious rituals to a man zealous for the peaceful and life-changing love of God. 

This is the foundation of Christianity. God loves us all-sinners everyone, yet all can be saved by the love of God--in Jesus.

Paul says, "This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but it was for this very reason that God was merciful to me, in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life" (1 Timothy 1: 15, 16 Good News for the Modern Man).

Here are four things we can learn from the Apostle Paul's life.

1. Humility.

The hard part of true love is humility. Do you find it hard to be humble? It goes against our natural self-preservation. Paul had to learn how to be humble but he says he learned it. "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little" Philippians 4:12. (NLT) This man, who at one time was so proud of his social stature, had to be let out of a window in a basket to save his life. Paul, the law-keeper, would have most likely stood up to his persecutors, but Paul the evangelist took to his heels for the sake of the little church just being born in Damascus. (2 Corinthians 11:33) That takes humility.

2. God-Dependent

Paul's life made a 180 degree turn after he learned Jesus truly is God. Before his conversion he was faithful to everything he could do in keeping the law and all the Pharisaical rules. After he was talked to by Jesus, he went from self-sufficiency to God-sufficiency. "For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ" Galatians 2:19. (NLT)

3. Be Encouraging

Today's times are hard for God's church. All around the world persecutions are arising more and more, and even more in America, the church is now being turned on vigorously by those in political power. In the 1st century church, when Emperor Nero was running amok and killing Christians, Paul sent letter after letter encouraging his small churches. We know Paul sent many encouraging letters from prison cells. If this man could comfort others while being so debased and socially degraded, today's Christians need to be sending encouraging letters, email's, texts, tweeting, phone calls, any way possible to all those in their sphere of social activities. 

4. A Student of God's Word

By God's power and grace, Paul's letters are now a part of our Holy Bible. One familiar passage God had Paul record is "All Scripture inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do" 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. (NLT). If it is that important for God to record, then it should be vitally important for all Christians to read and study it.

Historically, and in Scriptures, we could name Paul as a very great man, yet he made himself every man's friend, brother, and co-laborer for the sake of the Gospel. Paul understood that all his work only made sense if he told others about the Free Salvation offered by Jesus' death on the cross.

Whatever our background, let us also be good examples of a changed life. Show Jesus in all we do. Give Him the glory and honor and praise for all things whether alone or publicly. Because of the mercy God has shown us sinners, He deserves all praise.

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