Friday, May 30, 2008

Decoration Day

In honor of the REAL Memorial Day, not the observed holiday, let us now pause to honor the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our military.

For those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, our grief and sympathy for the loss your friends and families suffer. For those who have come back, our joy and thanksgiving. For those MIA and POW, you are not forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers with you and your loved ones. And for all who have gone before to defend our freedom that we might have a better world, our deepest gratitude that words cannot fully express.


A moment of silence, if you will....






















May the Source of Peace send peace to all who mourn, and comfort to all who are bereaved, among us and wherever they may be, and let us say, amen.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Harrison Ford dons the trademark fedora and once again goes off in search of treasure. Characters from past Indiana Jones movies reappear. And new faces are brought to light. The bad guys in this latest caper are not Nazis, but Russians. The head bad guy is played brillaintly by Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Lord of the Rings, Bandits, The Aviator). Shia LeBeouf (The Greatest Game Ever Played, Transformers) doesn't quite pull off the James Dean "Rebel Without a Cause" character. He's got the look, but that's about it.

In this movie, Jones goes off in search of a mysterious crystal skull that seems to have magical powers. Some say it belonged to aliens. The location of the skull is in the fabled "City of Gold", El Dorado, deep in the Amazon rainforest. He who returns the skull to its rightful owner will possess truly magnificent power. The Russians, of course, want this power and will stop at nothing to get it, including kidnapping a former associate of Jones and his family.

For a man in his 60's, Ford is still pretty spry. He's not as strong or violent as Stallone (Rambo) but his whip and wit are as sharp as ever. The action sequences are exciting. The music, some of John Williams' best (Jurassic Park, Star Wars) helps move the story along. Excellent special effects. The story is far fetched and doesn't try to take itself too seriously.

Recommended viewing.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a college course?!

I heard this story on the news this morning as I was driving in to work. Apparently, some professor wants to do a course based on the popular TV series "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." Why? "Because it poses eternal questions about the battle of good and evil"-or some such dreck.

Really? This is what we've come to? Of the thousands of classics out there that discuss the battle of good and evil, I could probably name dozens before I got to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, I have to admit that I've never watched the show, nor did I see the movie that was the basis for the show. For all I know, it could have redeeming qualities, but I doubt it. Aside from starring Sarah Michelle Geller, who's been typecast into doing horror films, why watch the show? I wonder if it is even worth taking a full college course on.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Prince Caspian

So I saw this movie last night. First impressions... long movie, but worth the time. While parts of the movie may have been a bit slow compared to the battle sequences, the story moved along nicely. Good acting jobs by the leads. The battle scenes are pretty intense but not very bloody. It having been several years since I read the book, I still thought they did a fairly accurate rendition of the story on screen. However, I must admit that my memory is not as good as it used to could. Purists may have some objections, but no retelling of a story from book to screen is ever going to be 100% faithful to the book. I liked the cinematography. Movie makers seem to like to venture into New Zealand for film locations ever since the success of LOTR. Some scenes were shot in Prague, Czech Republic and Poland, as well. The animation was very well done also. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Base Hits Win Games, part 3

This is the third of this 3 part series. Again, these posts are based on the teachings of Alistair Begg (www.truthforlife.org) that I thought I'd share with you fine folk.

We have talked about one thing I know (John 9:25) and one thing I ask (Psalm 27:4). Now we move on to one thing I do.

What do we do in service of God? We each have different talents and abilities. We are not all of us teachers or healers or ministers or preachers. We serve God in different ways. Still, there's one thing each of us can do to further our service of God.

For an answer, we turn to Paul and his letter to the Philippians. The third chapter, verse 13: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead"

What had Paul not apprehended? He had not attained all that he sought to be. He was not yet perfected. 3:11-12. But he pressed on. He continued on his way with all his might. Not having achieved the goal is not a reason to stop reaching. I know that I suffer from questions of doubt and fear about God's calling for me. Am I where I'm supposed to be? Am I doing all that I can for His service? Have I attained the goal? I don't know. But I press on.

How do we press on? How do we continue our quest to be holy as He is holy? How do we love God and love our neighbor? How do we actively seek His face? How do we carry on when we are beset by doubt and fear? When our past mistakes are brought to mind and we see how far short of the glory of God we have fallen, what keeps us motivated?

"But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind." (Emphasis added) You can't change the past. As much as we'd like to, we can't go back in time and correct mistakes we made. If only I'd done this or hadn't done that. If only I'd been more patient. If only I'd been more assertive. We can spiral down a slipperly slope and beat ourselves up. There's a difference between acknowledging your mistakes and repenting of them and dwelling on them to the point of despair. If you're going to dwell somewhere, dwell in the House of God. God knows we are human and prone to mistakes. God knows we fail. He asks that we put our trust in Him to help us through our dark times. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."

Forget those things which are behind. In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses an example of maturing from childhood to adulthood. When a child, you thought and talked and acted like a child. When you grow up, you put away childish things. 1 Cor. 13:11 If you're a new creation, regenerated in Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin but alive in Christ. Forget those things which are behind. They will be a snare to you and hold you back from attaining the goal.

In addition to forgetting the negative past, don't be content to rest on your laurels either. Past successes should be celebrated. And they should spur you on to more and greater deeds. If you've written a paper that was well received or delivered an inspired talk or performed beautifully in a concert or recital or scored a game winning run or finally apprehended a concept in (pick a subject) that had been eluding you for months, you don't stop there. Success can and should breed more success. Just as the reward for sin is another sin, so too, is the reward for a mitzvah (commandment, or good deed) another mitzvah. I have participated in Habitat for Humanity for the past 7 years. The first time was a great experience. And I wanted to do it again. And I have. I've donated over a gallon of blood. I hate needles. I'm allergic to pain [ :) ]. I don't like the sight of blood. But I know that I'm doing a good thing. Sure, I could have stopped after my first pint and said, I've done my good deed of saving a life. Now I don't have to give any more blood. But that's not the case. I like to flatter myself into thinking I have some knowledge of Torah and Hebrew and I appreciate y'all's encouragement in that regard. But I discovered that the more I learn, the more I don't know. God is a great mystery that cannot ever be fully comprehended. Even were I to attain the level of knowledge of knowing every verse in the Holy Scriptures by heart, I would not have a complete understanding of God.

You too, have done many great and wonderful things in your service of God. Imagine the feeling you had after you helped someone in need. Imagine what it felt like to be in a worship service that really moved you. Or maybe you gained an insight into Scripture through your own study and shared it with others. Small acts of kindness can mean a great deal. Maybe you held the door open for someone. Or you comforted someone in mourning. Or you paid a visit to someone who is sick, or sent them a card or gave them a phone call. Maybe you cheered up someone who needed it. Maybe you made a donation to a food bank or goodwill or the salvation army. And you don't know who received your donation, but you know it was for a good cause. Maybe you said a prayer for someone. Don't discount the seemingly small stuff. We can't all hit homeruns all the time. But basehits win games. And while our own small deeds may be insignificant in terms of solving the world's problems, to the person you helped, you're incredibly significant. And that's a good thing. That's a great feeling.

But feelings are fleeting. In the movie Ultarviolet, William Fincher's character, Garth, asks Violet (Milla Jovovich) why she won't let anyone in (i.e. love her). And she says, because as beautiful as these moments are, when they pass, they are evil. Emotions come and go. Experiences come and go. You can't hold on to them forever. Life continues. There's homework and sports practice and walking the dog and feeding the cat and washing dishes and doing laundry and going to school and friends to talk with and hang out with and shopping and jobs and exams and going on vacation and a whole host of other things.

Let it go. Enjoy the moment and the feeling and then let it go. And if you want those moments again, work for them.

"One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead" (Emphasis added)

Reaching forward. Keeping our eyes on the prize, we strive forward. We press on. We continue in our struggle to be holy as He is holy. We are beset on all sides by temptations to sin. There are a couple ways of dealing with this. We can shut ourselves off from the world and live inside our tiny little box. Or we can put on the full armor of God and prepare to battle the forces of evil. There are some who do the former. I think they're missing out on the good things this world has to offer. I believe we can live in this world and while we acknowledge that temptation is all around us, we don't have to give in.

There are things ahead worth reaching for. For Paul, it was the 'prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus'. Philippians 3:14. It may be the same for you. I think we'd all like to hear "well done, good and faithful servant." I think we'd like to be able to say, like Paul, that we have fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. 2 Tim 4:7 And to do so, we must constantly strive forward. The verb form for "press on" in Phil 3:12 indicates that Pul is doing this continually. Our call to love another is an ever present command. Our call to love God by obeying His commands and honoring His holy days is an ever present command. Our call to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger is an ever present command. Our desire to gaze upon His beauty and seek His face is to be an ever present desire. The knowledge that once were blind but now we see, is to be an ever present reality.

But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

Lord God, may it be Your will that we be secure in our knowlege of truth, that we gaze upon Your beauty and seek Your face and that we forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead. John 9:25. Psalm 27:4. Philippians 3:13.

The peace of God be with you always,

Amen.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Base Hits Win Games, part 2

One thing I ask.

If you could ask God one thing what would you ask? Would you be like Job and demand an answer to all the pain and suffering in the world? Would you be like Moses and ask to behold His presence? Would you ask to be given a wise heart, like Solomon? Would you ask for a child as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah did? Would you ask for love? Patience? Peace? Kindness? An end to war, famine, disease and poverty? That everybody on the planet be saved? That His will be done?

One thing I ask. What thing? Let's turn to that most lyrical and poetic of Israel's Kings, David ben Jesse. And what did he ask?

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4

What one thing? To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. Why? To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Dwell in the house of the Lord. Psalm 23:6. What does it mean to dwell in God's house?

Dwell-to live in. What do you think of as your dwelling place? For me, it's home. It's my house where I live with the wife. I reside there. It's where I have my meals. Where I entertain family and friends. Where I sleep. It's comfortable and familiar to me. The wife and I put a lot of work into our house to make it as we want it to be. I have put forth a lot of effort into my dwelling. And I put forth effort to maintain it. Which means, fixing things that need to be fixed. Mowing the lawn. Shoveling the driveway after it snows. Making sure it's locked when we're not there, to protect our stuff-kinda materialistic, I know, but hey, that's the reality of this world. The point being that I have invested a lot of time and effort in my house. I care about it and for it. It's more than a shelter from the elements. It's home.

One thing I ask-to dwell in the house of the Lord. When we say God's House, we naturally think of a place where believers gather to worship Him-temple, church, meeting house, etc. When Jesus chased out the moneychangers from the Temple, he shouted a verse from Isaiah at them: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." The obvious reference being that God's house was the Temple.

What is the point of dwelling in God's house? "To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." I find that in worship services at shul, I can gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him there.

Beauty of the Lord? I would submit that the beauty of the Lord is manifest when we worship Him. When we get together to praise His Name, that is a beautiful thing. And when we thank God for all the miracles He has done for us and continues to do, that is a beautiful thing. And of course I'm biased, but I think I worship in a beautiful sanctuary. I'm sure your houses of worship are beautiful as well. And this is fitting. The very best is to be given for the service of God. While it would be pefectly acceptable to worship God in a hovel or a cave or in a place that was badly in need of repair, the Psalmist did say to worship God in the beauty of holiness. The first born, the first fruits, these belong to God. An animal that was going to be sacrificed had to be tamim (perfect, worthy, unblemished). Only the best for the very best.

"Seek Him in His temple" What does it mean to seek? I would say it means to search for, to inquire, to dig in the hopes of discovering something, to follow or pursue. Why seek? Service of God is to be active, not passive. You can seek by searching the Scriptures. You can seek by going to services. You can seek by performing acts of kindness. And all these can be done in God's house. If we are to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might, we must show our love in these ways. Love is a verb. It's a choice. It's more than a feeling-if that. To love God, we must follow the commandments. "Love is the fulfillment of the commandments." "Let no doubt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another."

But on a practical level, can we really spend all our days in His house? What about family and friends and school and work and sports and band and dance and movies and concerts and all the myriad things that take up our days? Even rabbis and priests, whose calling is to be in God's house, don't spend all day of every day in God's house.

What are we asking for then? To be able to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in his temple. Most often, this is done in church or shul. But, why not carry that out into the world? See the beauty of God in nature, in little acts of kindness, in intimate friends who are oblivious to everyone else around them, in the love family members show one another. Seek His face through your study of Scripture. Seek His face by asking questions. Seek His face by struggling with your doubts and fears. We are not meant to know everything. We are meant to serve Him, in whatever way He calls us. And we may not be ready for that calling or know what it is. But that's why we seek His face.

One thing I ask-that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Does it have to be literal? If we go once a year, once a month, once a week, 3 times a week, 5 times a week, every day, what are we doing there? Are we gazing upon His beauty and seeking His face? If not, it matters not how often we go.

May you be granted to gaze upon His beauty and seek His face all the days you dwell in His house.

Base Hits Win Games

Based on the teachings of Alaister Begg:

In baseball, it is not always the homerun, spectacular as it is, that decides the outcome of a game. More often than not, it is getting on base, moving the runners over and getting them home. And more than the homerun, it is the singles and doubles that get players on base and move them along.

In approaching God, be it through His word or prayer or fellowship or acts of kindness, we strive for the homerun. And that is well and good. We'd like to be able to quote applicable Bible verses at will. And we'd like to have very successful food drives and hunger banquets and clothing donations and so forth. And helping to construct a home or go on a missionary trip or volunteering at a soup kitchen or shelter, these are all big deals. And wouldn't it be great if we knew all the hymns and understood their meaning? And maybe we'd like to lead a service. Or give a testimony about how God is present in our lives. There comes a point where we may press too much. In trying to hit a homerun, we strike out. If you look up some stats on baseball players, those who hit a lot of homeruns also strike out a fair amount. And even the players who are considered really good hitters, i.e. have a batting average around .300 fail to get on base 7 out of 10 times! How many other businesses would accept a 70% failure rate?

In order to come back to home plate, you have to touch all the bases first. And it is easier by far to get a base hit than a homerun. So, think on three things and these will help you in your quest.
One thing I know; one thing I ask; one thing I do.

One thing I know. Peter says to always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15. People may come to you with all sorts of questions about your faith. Or maybe someone struggling with their faith will come to for guidance. What if you're not especially learned in Scripture? What if you don't feel like you know the answers or what to say? Certainly, we can go to the default of 'praying without ceasing.' We can hold believers up in prayer. That's a great thing. But what if someone wants concrete answers? What if you're looking for something more? Where to begin?

One thing I know. When a blind man was healed by Jesus, (John, chapter 9) he was asked all sorts of questions about his healing. And they questioned him about Jesus. "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" And he had no idea. He didn't know if Jesus was a sinner. But he did know one thing.

"One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see." John 9:25 What is it that we are blind to and need to see? The need for a savior. We blindly follow our own eyes and hearts that lead us astray. See Numbers 15:39 We may think that we are doing God's will in pursuing our own selfish ambitions. And it is not so. There is none who does good. Not even one. Apart from God. Apart from following His Word, what are we? With what can we approach the Almighty? What can we give to Him on high? Our righteous deeds are as filthy rags. It is by the shedding of his blood that you are saved from the punishment for sin.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." Lev 17:11 And Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He gave his life as a ransom for many. Worthy is the lamb that was slain.

One thing I know. I was blind but now I see. How do we see? Light. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2 Jesus said he is the light of the world. John 8:12 Those who follow him shall not walk in darkness, but have light. By your light, O God, do we see light. Walk in the light, as he is in the light. 1 John 1:7. (See my post on this verse)

to be continued...

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

For teens and parents of teens

If a man has a wayward and defiant son, who does not heed his father or mother and does not obey them even after they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his town at thepublic place of his community. They shall say to the elders of his town, "This son of ours is disloyal and defiant; he does not heed us. He is a glutton and a drunkard." Thereupon the men of his town shall stone him to death. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst: All Israel will hear and be afraid. Deut 21:18-21

Ah, the ben zorer ("defiant son", read "rebellious teenager"). What to do? Is it fathomable that parents would bring their defiant son before the community to have him stoned? Let it be said that of the only 2 instances of the death penalty being carried out in Torah, neither was for a ben zorer (defiant son). In fact, there is no record that this law was ever carried out.

What shall we say then, that the Israelites ignored this law? Heaven forbid. It is the very Word of God. But it is also very troubling to our conscience. The text must be examined very closely. And we must try to make sense of this very troubling passage.

First, context. This passage comes after laws dealing with women captured in war and the rights of the firstborn son, even if he be born of an unloved woman. Why does this passage come here? To teach that if a man take a woman captive in war and have a son with her, the son is likely to be rebellious. Why rebellious? Unknown. But perhaps because he was the product of a relationship from war rather than marriage blessed by God. Just because you can take a woman captive in war doesn't mean you should have sex with her. (Consider the relationship between the fifth and tenth commandments "honor your parents" and "don't covet" If one covets another man's wife and has a child with her, their son is not likely to honor them.)

Consider all the elements that have to come into play for a defiant son to be able to be put to death.

First, only those subject to the commandments could be put to death. This meant the son had to be at least 13 years old. (That idea is found in rabbinic writings that came after the Torah was written. It has been accepted ever since as the age at which a boy becomes subject to the commandments-i.e. responsible for his violation of Torah.) A child under that age is not held to the same standard of law as an adult.

Secondly, no one can be put to death except on the testimony of at least two witnesses. This is why BOTH parents have to come before the community. And they must speak together with one voice. If the father is willing that his son should die, but the mother is not (or vice versa) there can be no death sentence. If there is any deviation or hesitation on either parent in their testimony, there can be no death sentence.

Now, what must happen before the parents can bring their child forward? He is wayward and defiant (does not honor his father and mother; does not revere his mother and father; curses his parents; strikes his parents-Ex 21:15, 17. Lev 20:9. Deut 27:16). He does not heed his father or mother AND does not obey them even after they discipline him.

Then, his father and mother shall take hold of him. If either parent was maimed, there was no death sentence, for one who is maimed, cannot take hold).

And bring him out to the elders of his town. If either parent was lame, there could be no death sentence, for one who is lame, cannot bring another out.

And say to the elders-if either was mute, there could be no death sentence, for one who is mute cannot speak.

"This son of ours" (If either parent was blind, there could be no death sentence, for one who is blind cannot say so).

"He does not heed us" i.e. hearken to our voice (If either parent was deaf, there could be no death sentence, for one who is deaf, cannot hear).


But must these be literal physical limitations? On the contrary. When you read, "Take hold" consider that if niether parent raises their hand to stop their child from bad behavior, there can be no death penalty. Verse 18 admonishes the parents to discipline their son.

Similarly with "bring him out". If neither parent walks in the way of the Lord by doing what is just and right, they cannot expect their son to do the same. This is meaning of "lame."

So too, if the parents were blind to their son's behavior, they cannot say our son is a glutton and a drunk. They turned a blind eye to their son's excesses.

And so too, if they were deaf to their son's cries for help (destructive behavior is often attention seeking) they had no cause to have him stoned.


Suppose all these requirements could be met, can the defiant son then be stoned? The Mishnah (written codification of the Oral Tradition compiled in 200 CE by Rabbi Judah ha Nasi) reports that the parents must admonish the child before three judges. And the judges must give a stern warning to the child. And if he does not regard their warning, he is scourged. If he remains unrepetant, he is tried before twenty-three judges (3 of whom must be the original 3 judges). Because the parents have to say "this our son" i.e. our son who was scourged before you.

Who then does the stoning? The men of the community. NOT the parents. There is no provision that allows parents to kill their children. I wonder if a parent would allow someone else to stone his/her son?

So we see that this law was almost impossible to carry out and in fact there is no record that it ever actually happened. Why then was it written? The last part of verse 21 gives one answer: "All Israel will hear and be afraid." The level of punishment for a crime dictates how serious a crime is. The penalty of death is the most serious punishment.

Why then was being a wayward and defiant son considered so serious? Deut 6 commands parents to diligently teach their children the words of the Lord. The covenant given by HaShem at Sinai is not just for those who stood at Sinai but for all future generations. If a son is defiant and rebellious and doesn't heed the instructions of his parents, the chain is broken. The covenant dies with that generation. But this is to be a covenant for all time.

This passage on the ben zorer teaches the importance of children honoring their parents and of parents acting worthy of honor.

Friday, May 2, 2008

1 John 1:7

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Walk in the light, as He is in the light.

What is light? God's Word. Psalm 119:105. Spend some time in Bible Study. Don't just read a few verses here and there. Devote a set period of time every day (meditate on it day and night) to engage in the words of Scripture. Psalm 1 promises happiness (or blessing) to those who meditate on God's Word. And in Joshua, we read "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." 1:8

What is the connection between God's Word and Jesus being in the light. John 1, says that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. John 8:12 says Jesus is the light of the world. If you follow him, i.e. follow Torah, for so he did, then you shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

Walk in the light, as He is in the light.

What is light? Light is good. Light is a blessing. Light is good deeds. "Light is sown for the righteous, gladness for the upright in heart." Psalm 97:11. "Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." The mitzvah is a lamp. To do a mitzvah is to do a good deed. How do we let our light shine forth? Isaiah 58:6-15 Loose the bonds of wickedness, undo heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke, share bread with the hungry, bring the poor into your house, clothe the naked, don't hide from your kin "then your light shall break forth as the dawn." Don't trample the Sabbath, but call it a delight. Honor the Lord by honoring His holy days. And you shall call and He shall answer "Here I am."

Walk in the light, as He is in the light.

He fulfilled all the mitzvot. And he gave sight to the blind. He healed the crippled. He cast out demons. He fed the hungry. He gave hope to the afflicted. He broke the bonds of oppression by freeing men from their sins.

Walk in the light, as He is in the light.

How? Through study, and acts of kindness. And when you do this, you have fellowship with one another. Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world." How is this reconciled with John 8:12? Jesus identifies with his followers. Matthew 10:40; 25:40, 45. Acts 9:4. Who is this 'you'? You could refer to his disciples. You could refer to the multitudes that Jesus saw. Matthew 5:1-2. The you is plural. The KJV keeps this sense by using the plural form 'ye'. When believers get together in His Name, even if there be only two or three, there He is in the midst of them. And it is a good and pleasant thing for brethren to dwell together in unity. Psalm 133:1

Peace and blessings,

Leo