The Goodbye Girl

Blaming conservative groups like Family Research Council for their "scorched earth campaign" against her, one of John Edwards' much- maligned bloggers has finally resigned. Amanda Marcotte posted a message yesterday saying that she was a victim of the "right wing noise machine." No word yet on whether her anti-religion cohort, Melissa McEwan, will follow suit.

On Religious Freedom, Justice Is Served

Stating that "nothing defines us more as Americans [than] our religious liberties," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales unveiled the Justice Department's "First Freedom Project" to the Southern Baptist Executive Committee in Nashville yesterday. His new Religious Freedom Task Force will step up enforcement of laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of religion and will educate churches on how to file complaints about violations of their rights. Kudos to Attorney General Gonzales for recognizing the ongoing threat to religious freedom and for taking firm steps to defend our "first freedom."

Jury Still Out on Defining the Unborn

In New Jersey, the abortion debate is taking an interesting twist the Alliance Defense Fund yesterday argued a case before the state's Supreme Court that could have important ramifications for the definition of a "fetus."

The story began when Rosa Acuna visited her doctor with abdominal pains and discovered she was pregnant. When she asked Dr. Sheldon Turkish if the "baby was already there," he responded, "Don't be stupid, it's nothing but blood."

Acuna proceeded to have an abortion but later regretted it when she learned that the "blood" was actually a developing baby. In 2004, Acuna sued the doctor for medical malpractice, arguing that she should have been informed that the fetus was a human being. Her case was originally dismissed, but an appeals court reversed the decision, declaring that a jury should decide what information a doctor must disclose to insure that the patient has given "informed consent" for an abortion.

Acuna's attorneys argue that a doctor should identify the baby as "a complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being." The decision will have important consequences, not simply for the state's doctors, but for framing the entire abortion debate.

Poor Hillary

Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton feels slighted by her Hollywood friends, who hosted a fund raiser for her opponent Sen. Obama. In true Clinton fashion she responded by lashing out at her friends. Read the whole story here.

Good Terrorists, Bad Terrorists

A sparkling afternoon on the White House lawn; the Jewish celebrity world was there, side-by-side with their Muslim cousins. The Israeli prime minister, a war hero, was shaking hands with one of the most despicable mass murderers of modern time, the man who ordered the torture, mutilation, and killing of hundreds of Israelis, as well as Americans (including soldiers and diplomats), Europeans, Canadians, etc.

But this mass murderer had reformed; he now wanted peace. And we believed it. For the next seven years, the fraud continued unabated - the PLO and its leadership encouraging and committing mass murder of Jews while preaching peace and brotherhood on CNN. And we believed it, shielding our eyes from the brightness of the exploding buses and baby strollers.

We went a step further than just believing - thinking that life must resemble theater, we created "good guys" from the murderers, hard though that may be, to distinguish from the "bad guys", believing the truism of the modern world that they can't be all bad. So, no matter what the "bad guys" did, we had to keep talking to the "good guys". And the stories would have been comical, if they were not so tragic. More on this story here.

Now can we end this charade?

Going into Monday’s three-way summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted there was no evidence that the new “Palestinian” unity government was ever going to comply with international demands that it recognize Israel’s right to exist.

That being the case, wouldn’t now be the time to accept that the current Palestinian Arab leadership (Abbas and Hamas and everyone in-between) simply does not represent a viable peace partner for Israel? Wouldn’t now be the time to accept that the Oslo/Road Map peace process is a failure, and that we need some alternative options? Rice apparently feels that the answer to those questions is a resounding ‘NO’.

Despite the fact that even she now admits the “Palestinians” have a government that will never actually implement any peace deal it signs with Israel, Rice insists direct talks with the Abbas-controlled half of the PA must continue. Why? To what end?

Anglican Leaders Warn U.S. Churches to Straighten Up

While New Jersey's homosexual activists celebrate the legalization of same-sex unions, a conference of Anglican leaders convened to consider reinforcing biblical norms in the U.S. Episcopal Church.

In the clearest statement yet, the Anglican Communion is demanding that U.S. clergy stop blessing same-sex unions and ban the consecration of gay bishops by September 30. If the church does not comply, its relationship with the Communion will be "damaged at best."

Across the country, dozens of American parishes have already severed ties with the U.S. Episcopalians for violating scripture and consistent Christian teaching. Kudos to the global Anglican resolve to preserve the Christian understanding of marriage and human sexuality. For more on this story read here.

Dramatic Case for Life

Before the U.S. Supreme Court hands down its ruling on partial-birth abortion this spring, it should take note of the evidence of little Amillia Taylor.

After less than 22 weeks in the womb, Amillia was prematurely delivered to her Florida parents last October. A typical newborn is born after 37 to 40 weeks.

Barely the length of a ball-point pen at birth, Amillia was not expected to live. Now, five months later, she is scheduled for release from the hospital where doctors say her prognosis is excellent.

Expectant mothers are repeatedly told that the life within them is not a baby but a "blob of tissue." Advances in medical technology continue to move the point of viability, the point at which a baby can survive outside its mother's womb. This "blob of tissue" known as Amillia is taking regular feedings and will soon be sleeping in a normal crib.

While the Supreme Court routinely usurps the legislative branch of government and changes the law, it cannot change the facts. As this tiny baby testifies, life begins at conception--not birth. For more on this story read here.

Double Standards in Our Universities

Once again we can see that liberalism and anti-Christian sentiment is alive and well even in some of our oldest universities, what I'm going to relate next is taking place at William & Mary University, which used to be one of the most conservative universities in this country.

While William & Mary President Gene Nichol opposes the display of a cross in Wren chapel, he apparently is not offended by a display of campus cross-dressers. In a shocking move, America's second oldest college opened its doors to a "Sex Workers' Art Show," sponsored in part by the school's gay and lesbian club.

As part of its nationwide tour, the event included male, female, and drag strippers, escorts, and prostitutes "in various stages of undress" discussing subjects from employment to geopolitics.

William & Mary has been embroiled in controversy since Nichol ordered the removal of a 67-year-old cross from the campus chapel. In his defense, the president said that the display of the cross was an affront to students who practiced other religions. When students and alumni confronted Nichol about the invitation to host the sex workers, he responded, "I don't like this kind of show, but it is not the practice... of universities to censor or cancel performances because they are controversial." How, then, is it the school's practice to censor a religious symbol?

The outcry over this recent hypocrisy has prompted many alums to withhold their financial support. As for the cross, a graduate of the college's law school is filing a federal lawsuit to force William & Mary to restore it to the chapel.

You can read additional story on this subject here.

Privileged

Every once in a while we have the privileged of listening and learning from great people of God. Yesterday was one of those times for me. I had the privilege of sitting at a teaching given by Dr. Robert Foster. Dr. Foster was a guest speaker at my Church CCK.

Dr. Foster is an extraordinary man who has spent most of his life as a missionary to Africa. To be able to listen to the many anecdotes he has from his many years of service would be enough, but Dr. Foster is a man who is totally surrendered to God and in love with Him. He was an inspiration to me just to see him at his age (82) still talking about missions with such a joy. One thing he said really stuck to me, he said that to be a missionary you don't have to get on a plane and go to a far away place you just have to totally surrender your life to Jesus and let Him use you wherever you are. May God continue to bless this great man and may he continue to be an inspiration to many, I know he was to me.

Mecca Agreement

Palestinian leaders recently met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to discuss how to curb fighting between rival Fatah and Hamas factions that has brought Gaza to the brink of civil war. At the meeting, representatives of the two groups came to an agreement—the "Mecca Agreement"—that calls for a ceasefire and requires the two groups to form a unity Palestinian government.

For some, this agreement raises hopes that a new Palestinian leadership coalition has emerged that may be willing to make peace with Israel. They argue that Hamas, the more radical of the two Palestinian groups, will now be forced to moderate its virulently anti-Israel positions.

The problem is that the Mecca Agreement does not require either Palestinian group to recognize Israel or renounce terrorism—two steps that are absolutely necessary for a lasting peace. How can Israel be expected to coexist with a neighbor whose founding document, the Hamas Charter, refers to the Jewish state as the "Zionist invaders" and declares that "Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it"?

From Hamas' standpoint, the Mecca Agreement is a "win-win" situation. It can retain its founding principles and, by clothing itself with a false air of respectability, possibly regain hundreds of millions of dollars in financial support from the West that was withdrawn nearly a year ago when Hamas first came to power.

Just how serious is Hamas about making peace? You can judge for yourself. Shortly after the Mecca Agreement was announced, one Hamas leader was quoted as saying, "Our battle with the Israeli enemy is still on…. We will be the spearhead of jihad … to defend Arab and Muslim nations."

These are not the words of someone interested in making peace. Quite the contrary. These words reflect the "heart of Hamas" and give testimony why past agreements and cease fires have been quickly broken. The fact is, no agreement will bring peace to this region of the Middle East until Palestinian leadership commits itself to ending terrorism and recognizing Israel's right to exist. And, until this happens, Israel has every right to remain skeptical and refuse to recognize the new Palestinian government.

Epicenter

I just finished reading Epicenter, my good friend Pedro Carrion recomend it to me and I am glad he did. The book was written by Joel Rosenberg a Jew who is also a believer in Jesus. Joel in this book analyzes events occurring in the Middle East from what he calls the third lense of Scriptures, in other words he studies the prophesies in the Bible and then applies them to what is happening in the middle East today. He especifically concentrates in the book of the prophet Ezekiel the 38 and 39 chapters. The book is well written and Mr. Rosenberg is a very knowlegeable man.

On a scale of one to five with five being the highest rating , I give the book a solid five. I recomend it to everyone whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim or even atheist, if you want to better understand what is going on in the Middle East and why, this is the book to read.

Christians in the Crossfire

In the Gaza Strip, Sunday, January 28, a 20-year-old man was shot through the heart and killed. He was the AWANA Club driver for Gaza Baptist Church. The next morning, a bullet stuck the home of another church member, barely missing his head.

On Friday, February 2, Fatah police broke into the church. They commandeered the six-story building to use as high ground to cover the main police station next door.

“The situation in Gaza is very dangerous,” says Pastor Hanna Massad. “We are not able to leave our homes much. We continue to hear shooting, especially at night. Streets are blocked. People are afraid and confused. It is the worst situation we ever went through, even more dangerous than any Israeli invasion.”

Gaza Baptist Church is the only evangelical church in Palestine’s volatile Gaza Strip. The believers are surrounded by nearly 2 million Muslims. Gaza is also the stronghold of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Despite the dangers, the church’s prayer team continues to travel house to house to strengthen and encourage believers. The congregation continues to minister to hundreds of impoverished Palestinian families in neighboring refugee cities.

That they remain in Gaza at all is amazing, in light of the massive flight of an estimated 1,000 people every week out of Iraq and the steady exodus of Christians from Palestine and Lebanon.

Equally as amazing is that, in the midst of the terror, bloodshed and chaos in Gaza, two young people in the church are preparing for fulltime ministry.

“I believe in the power of prayer,” Pastor Hanna wrote in a recent email message to friends in the West. “Please unite with us before the throne of God and pray that He will protect the believers in Gaza, that He will give me the strength and wisdom to minister to the church family at this difficult time and that He will give wisdom to the leaders in Gaza to stop this evil fight.”

Let's unite with this courageous godly man in prayer.

Slow Bleed

The Democrat strategy on Iraq is finally clear.

We've known all along that they want to cut and run before the job is done. But they've been afraid to confront President Bush directly. Yesterday, Democrat Rep. John Murtha let slip what he and Nancy Pelosi really intend to do, and it is genuinely frightening.

They call it their 'slow-bleed' plan. Instead of supporting the troops in Iraq, or simply bringing them home, the Democrats intend to gradually make it harder and harder for them to do their jobs. They will introduce riders onto bills to prevent certain units from deploying. They will try to limit the President's constitutional power to determine the length and number of deployments. They will attempt to keep the Pentagon from replacing troops who rotate out of Iraq. They may even try to limit how our troops operate by, for example, prohibiting our armed forces from creating and operating bases in Iraq.

'Slow-bleed' is exactly the right name for this incredibly irresponsible and dangerous strategy. Cutting and running is bad enough. But the Murtha-Pelosi 'slow-bleed' plan is far worse. It is a cynical and dangerous erosion of our ability to fight the terrorists while we still have men and women on the ground in Iraq. It will put their lives in far greater danger, as resources slowly dry up. How can our troops operate without bases? How can they fight without backup?

'Slow-bleed' cannot become law. Luckily, we have an opportunity to stop it. The Murtha plan depended on stealth. Now, however, the press has broken the story. And now we can act.

No Matter What

Last night I saw the movie Facing the Giants, I'm not going to get into reviewing the movie or talking about the acting or directing or the predictability of the plot, there has been a lot said by others already.

I will say that the movie had an awesome message of faith and trust in God. There was one question asked in the movie that really impacted me, the question was, would you love God no matter what? Now before you answer take a moment to really see the meaning of this question. Get alone with God and ask the question again and analyze all the implications of it. Would you still love God if you loose your job. If you are a parent would you still love God if something happens to one of your children. If you are married would you still love God if your partner leaves you or if something terrible happens. Would you still love God if the doctor tells you that something is drastically wrong with you. I could go on and on but you get the point.

So you see the question is not as simple as it seems. I don't mind telling you that I struggled with this question last night, all I could do was go to my knees and pray to God that He will give me the strength and the courage to always love Him no matter what.

The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 6:5 that we must "and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength". This we can't do on our own we need Him to help us apply this verse no matter what.

Free Pancakes

Here is a message that my good friend David sent me.

International House of Pancakes, a valued Bunge customer, is asking people to join them in celebrating National Pancake Day and supporting a good cause.

On Tuesday, February 20, 2007, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., IHOP will give customers one free short stack of their famous buttermilk pancakes. All IHOP asks is that customers consider making a donation to support the Children's Miracle Network or other local charities.

In 2006, IHOP raised $340,000 for charity on National Pancake Day. In 2007, they hope to give away enough free pancakes to raise $500,000.

Saying Yes to Self-Control

While House liberals tinker with an Iraq Resolution that offers free advice but no solution, the President has made progress on another front by refusing to cave on abstinence in his administration's final two years.

In his 2008 budget, he proposes a $28 million increase for abstinence programs without boosting funds for value free sex education. If the measure succeeds, the government's commitment to abstinence programs would reach an unprecedented $191 million. Although many believe the idea will be dead-on-arrival in the new Congress, it does suggest that the White House is willing to fight on issues that affect the family. If the new Congressional majority was sincere on its promise to reach out to the faith and family community, they should have no problem in supporting the President.

Blogotry is OK?

Former Sen. John Edwards says he is offended by the vile posts of his presidential campaign's two anti faith bloggers, but apparently not enough to fire them. Edwards defends his decision to retain Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan in a press statement. "I talked personally to the two women who were involved. They gave me their word they, under no circumstances, intended to denigrate any church or any body's religion, and offered their apologies for anything that indicated otherwise. I took them at their word."

Given the level of obscenity and vituperation in the women's words, Edwards should have taken them to the woodshed instead. When actor Isaiah Washington slandered a homosexual, he was institutionalized. When Mel Gibson lashed out against the Jewish community in a drunken tirade, he became a Hollywood outcast.

Marcotte and McEwan are being allowed to blog on in Edwards' name. Edwards said, "That kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign." What he does not say is why it was acceptable to utter such language in the recent past

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his Own Words

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views place him and the Iranian regime among the foremost threats to Jews and the state of Israel. Read full story here.

The Three Greatest Threats to Israel in 2007

Anyone who cares about Israel wants to know if her Arab and Muslim neighbors will ever recognize the right of the Jewish state to exist—and whether or not there will come a time when Israel's people will be allowed to live in peace.

Given the news coming out of the Middle East in recent months, it is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for peace. The three volatile situations I describe below—which most Israeli leaders agree pose the greatest challenge and danger to Israel's future—will help you understand why I believe 2007 will be a watershed year for both Israel and America.

Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel and the world today. This Muslim fundamentalist state provides weapons and money to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and groups murdering civilians and attacking American soldiers in Iraq. The Iranian president has not backed away one inch from his hateful anti Israel, anti Western rhetoric, and continues his country's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons, in defiance of the international community.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is struggling to attain more power, leading supporters in violent protests against the government and clashing with rival Sunni Muslims. United Nations' forces charged with enforcing the ceasefire that ended last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war have stood by as Hezbollah rearms and develops more lethal fighting capabilities.

While a Hezbollah takeover in Lebanon would be a disaster for Israel, and would almost certainly mean war on a large scale, maintaining the status quo is not a recipe for peace either: in a recent appeal for an end to sectarian strife in his country, the Lebanese Prime Minister reminded warring factions that they must save their energy for fighting "the real enemy"—meaning Israel.

Scores of Palestinians—including children and other innocent bystanders—have been killed, and hundreds more injured in Gaza during the past few months of bitter fighting between rivals Fatah and Hamas. The likelihood that a true Palestinian partner for peace will emerge from the bloody battle is slim to none. Several "ceasefires" between Fatah and Hamas have been broken, and fighting has begun to spread to the West Bank.

Meanwhile, rockets fired from Gaza by Palestinian terrorists continue to fall on Israeli cities such as Sderot, and suicide bombers—like the one that murdered 3 Israelis last week in the southern city of Eilat continue to enter Israel from the region.

There are few "good" options for addressing these threats. With none of her Arab and Muslim neighbors interested in making peace, Israel will be forced for the foreseeable future to maintain and even increase spending on defense, even though it is likely to come at the additional expense of social programs that benefit Israel's poor and needy.

Christian Persecution Alive and Well

If you do not think that Christians are being persecuted in the United States and Canada, think again. Read this article that my good friend Berny sent me and you will see. A country that was founded on religious tolerance no longer tolerates religion.

Renewing Our Minds

Today during my devotions I came across a verse that I read many times before, the verse is in the book of Romans 12:1-2 and it says: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What would it be like if we took these verses to heart and made them our own? What would the world think if every follower of Christ made such a radical commitment to living each day as if Christ himself were shining his love through us? as if nothing on earth mattered except discovering a complete and unbroken communion with the Father?

Perhaps that’s what Paul had in mind when he encouraged us to no longer conform to the “behavior … of this world,” but to instead let God transform us by “changing the way [we] think” (Romans 12:2 ).

In a word, he was telling us to surrender. To give up. To change—not only our way of thinking but also our way of living. To allow the Holy Spirit to mold and shape us until our heart and mind are wholly devoted to the things of God. Sound a bit radical? That’s because it is. But does Jesus deserve any less?

A Culture of Death

The family of the terrorist bomber that carried out the latest attack in Israel said that they are proud of what he did. Read full story here.

The ERA: IT Serves You 'Rights'

Instead of lobbying for special rights in the face of growing opposition, the Left is promoting legislation that would quietly usher in their agenda through the back door at the state level.

Arkansas is facing a powerful challenge by anti-family groups lobbying for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which, until recently, was a largely irrelevant piece of feminist propaganda dating back to the early 1970s. Now, state Rep. Lindsley Smith (D) is dusting off the amendment in a campaign to "protect women," when in fact, the U.S. Constitution already does so. Smith is pushing her state to ratify the ERA, which seeks not to end discrimination, injustice, or chauvinism, but to undermine motherhood, traditional sexuality, and innate gender differences.

The ERA specifically states that there can be no discrimination based on "sex," language which has since been used in the courts as an argument to legalize same-sex marriage in such states as Maryland, Hawaii and New Mexico. Now the Left, desperate to find some way around public opposition to homosexual marriage, hopes to revive the amendment under the guise of "female oppression." As the state's Republican Assembly points out, the ERA is problematic because it surrenders more rights than it confers. If approved, the ERA could forfeit: women's rights by requiring them to serve in the military; voters' rights by allowing the courts to interpret whether the ERA nullifies the state's marriage protection amendment; and the right to life by requiring the state to pay for abortions as it would for any other "medical procedure."

Welcome to Palestine

In the world of international diplomacy few issues receive more wall-to-wall support than the notion that it is essential to establish a Palestinian state. Leaders worldwide are so busy speaking of how essential it is for a State of Palestine to be founded that none of them seems to have noticed that it already exists. Read the story here.

Leftist Group Seeks To Use ‘God Talk’ To Lure Christians To Democrat Party

A two-year-old public relations firm called “Common Good Strategies” is working behind the scenes to help Democrats convince Christians that they should vote for Democrats of “faith.” Read the story here.

No Guarantees

I wrote in an earlier post that I would be sharing some of my thoughts relating to my hospital stay, well here it goes.

One of the things that became real to me was the fact that we are not guaranteed our next breath or tomorrow for that matter. Yes I know that I have heard this a thousand times, but like I said it really became real to me at the hospital, especially during the time when the doctors were trying to find out what was wrong with me. All I could think of was that I wanted the pain to go away. I would ask the nurses to tell me what was wrong and all I would get was the polite answer of "you'll be alright". Well I knew I wasn't alright I mean I had a fever of 102.7, my head felt like it was going to explode, and my back felt like I was constantly getting stabbed. Yet no one could tell me what was happening. Finally one of the doctors told me that I had a pretty acute kidney infection, great I thought now they can fix it, not so fast, for you see they knew what I had but they couldn't find the medicine to kill it. So there I was I felt like a guinea pig because they kept trying all kinds of medicines and nothing would work. In the meantime I kept getting worse, and I started thinking that I may not make it. I also started thinking of all the things that I had planned to do and all the things that I wanted to say to those I love. You see I'm a person that likes to plan and there is nothing wrong with planning, but let's not let the planning get in the way of living life to the fullest which is how God wants us to live.

So, if there is a phone call you have been meaning to make, make it today, if you want to tell someone you love them do it today don't wait till tomorrow for tomorrow may never come. If you need to forgive someone forgive them now, today. But most important if you need to get right with God do it now, remember we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. Matthew 6:34

Super Sunday

As I write this the super bowl game just finished, and the Indianapolis Colts are the new champions. It wasn't the best superbowl game that I have seen but it was entertaining. The Colts dominated totally, and Peyton Manning had a great game and now the monkey is off his back all the critics that said he couldn't win the big game will now have to look for someone else. I think they already have the next victim in Rex Grossman the bears quarterback, I've been an apologist for Rex the past few weeks, but tonight he was exposed, he played a terrible game, I won't say that he caused his team the game but he sure was a contributing factor.

Anyways, the best part of the whole game was the trophy presentation, to see the owner and the coach of the Colts give all the honor and glory to God, how awesome is that. Well another football season is over and all we can do is wait till the next season starts and hope that our favorite teams will make it to the biggest football game of all. Congrats to the Colts.

I'm Back

I know I haven't posted for awhile, but I've been out of comission with an infection that took me to the hospital. I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better now and I think that the worst is over, so I'm back. Since my good friend Berny has encouraged me to post about it, you guys will be reading about some of my experiences and how I managed to get through them. All I got to say for now is that once you have health and start taking it for granted is hard when it gets taken away from you. I'm 46 years old and have always boasted of having great health so this episode was really a wake up call for me, however, the Lord was with me the whole time and I really felt His presence. I'm also humbled and grateful for the amount of friends and even strangers that were praying for me during this time, to you guys I say thank you and that I truly felt your prayers.

As I write this I still have to go back to the doctor for more tests and to make sure that the infection is totally gone, I am encouraged by reading psalm 27 which says:
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The LORD protects me from danger—
so why should I tremble?

So as I wait I can rest easy in knowing that my God is looking out for me.