Possible Ramifications of the Supreme Court Decision on Homosexual Marriage

I've been thinking about the new homosexual marriage law handed down by the supreme court for a long time (knowing how our supreme court would rule). This is an especially close matter of concern, due to being a minister of the gospel and having the "privilege" to conduct the ceremony that unites a man and woman in the covenant of matrimony. 

I try to think down the natural progression of decisions, especially since I have made so many bad ones, and a lot of consequences came to mind. Some will begin now, others will be years down the road, but will point to this decision as the turning point.

1. Homosexual/ lesbian sexuality will now become mandatory discussions in sexual education in school. Sodomy and oral sex will be discussed in greater detail as "healthy and normal". 
2. Homosexual activities and interactions will be greatly increased in tv shows and movies with a younger rating attached.
3. Homosexual couples will gradually be more open in public.
4. Lawsuits against churches and religious organizations will sky rocket for "equal treatment".
5. The Church will further split between denominations and a greater divide will open, leading to less fellowship and cooperation between "progressive" and "conservative" interpretations.
6. Churches will spend lots of money protecting themselves and therefore have less to do ministry and less to help for others.
6b. Churches will loose their tax exempt status because they are willfully disobeying the law, therefore have less money to do ministry and help.
6c. People will be told they cannot be helped due to the tax and extra legal insurance, thus society will become less favorable toward the churches "responsibility to help the poor".
7. The Church will experience a "weeding" of people which may result in less attendance and activity.
7b. The Church will grow stronger in unity and devotion to God's word, a revival will occur. 
8. Fewer ministers will perform legal marriage ceremonies where they sign a state legal document/certificate of marriage.
9. Those who hold to the Word of God as authoritative will (are) called hate-filled, hypocritical, unloving, and will be heavily ostracized by the vocal of society.
10. The Church will continue and the Word of God will stand forever.

Through all of this, our number one concern as the church is to point people vertically to Jesus Christ. To hold out the Gospel as the Words of Life. To call people to repentance. Make sure we have our crap together so we are not a hinderance to the Gospel of Jesus. 

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life..." Philippians 2:14-15

Until His return, may you be bold and courageous in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. 

JESUS SUFFERED WHAT?!? REALLY?!?

I studied through most of the book of Hebrews this past summer. I've really enjoyed it and learned a lot about it and I have a new appreciation of Jesus being one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. I don't get it, but it makes him cooler than any other God, so there.

It is also easy to see that Jesus is BETTER than everything else. Even better than butterscotch, coffee, or nocturnal horizontal fellowship. 

I came to a phrase I had heard, but always brushed it off and limited to the one place we see Jesus suffering, on the Mount of Olives praying before his arrest and crucifixion.

Hebrews 2:18 says "For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Ok, not a big deal. Satan tried to tempt Jesus three ways covering the basic three sins all others are built on, right. That's how we limit this and make it out to be a simple matter for Jesus. He didn't really suffer all those times. 

But if you keep reading you come to Hebrews chapter 4. (You get that, it comes after 2 somewhere)

Hebrews 4:15 says. “We do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who was tempted in every way, just as we are- yet was without sin.”

Jesus was tempted in EVERY WAY? You mean he was tempted to steal? He was tempted to kill someone? He was tempted to engage a woman in a "biblical way"? Hold on a second. That can't be right. If we follow this on out we have to say he was tempted to lie. He was tempted to gluttony. He was tempted to have relations with things no one should have relations with.

And then to say he SUFFERED in Temptation. 

I looked at this over and over and thought this canʼt really mean Jesus actually suffered when he was tempted in all of these ways.

So I read a few commentaries and study notes. They all pointed to the same idea. Jesus suffered when he was tempted. The text is plain. That is what it says. "Jesus suffered when he was tempted." Jesus was "tempted in every way." This means is wasn't just at the crucifixion. All temptations. They didn't explain it any further than that. Probably because the Bible doesn't explain it any further than that.

So I put on my holy imagination generator cap and tried to wrap my brain around this idea.

1.Jesus is fully God.

2.Jesus is fully man. 

3.Being a man means he would feel the same physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual experience  as anyone else would. 

4. Being fully God means he would feel the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual experience of everything to the absolute fullest degree. He would have the unbridled ability to experience anything at its highest pinnacle of exstacy without physical limitations or concern. This would be for both good and bad stuff. 

We have to remember a few things about temptation. Temptations are natural and all around us, they present themselves to us and we decide whether to take the next step. We decide to engage or flee. We choose to examine it further or consider it. Temptations lead to sins only when we engage it. Some things are harder to resist. 

Jesus knew the effect and experience he could have. Jesus knew it would be extreme to say the least. To chose not to experience something that amazing, for me and every other living human, would be a struggle. Jesus passed by it without sinning. If he had experienced those sin things, he would have sinned as well, thus not being perfect, and unable to die for our sin. 

Jesus had this knowledge. He understands it when we struggle with temptation. He might have struggled more than we can. He understands the powerful pull of temptation. 

What are temptations that we deal with today. Go ahead and name them off?

The good news does not end there with the fact Jesus was tempted. The next verse in Hebrews 4 says,

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in out time of need.” 

He does not leave us alone in out temptations. He offers us grace and mercy before the temptation. He helps keep us from suffering in sin, when we let him.

That is a GOOD God. 

Crowing rooster and laying eggs

The Rooster crowed.

We bought 8 chicks from a farm store this spring. This was a well talked about and planned out decision. We wanted fresh chickens and fresh eggs and fresh fertilizer and someone to till the garden. Well, chickens are perfect for all of that. They live in a mobile chicken coop called a tractor. We move them each day. Have plenty of water for them. Give them garden and kitchen scraps (not dinning room table scraps). They are funny to watch and we no longer use the derogatory term "Chicken" to describe fear. Them things are mean.

Well, we bought mixed chicks so it was a gamble as to how many hens we would get. All eight lived and 5 are roosters.

That Rooster crowed again.

So now that one of them is screaming all the time, it is time for Smokey, Colonel, Crispy and BBQ to take a trip to the freezer. We'll keep the smallest rooster, he'll eat less and let him take care of the edges of the yard around the garage and house in his own little rooster RV, we might name him "Frankie".

The kids love these things and it is their responsibility to take care of them.

Our chickens laid their first eggs. You would have thought we won the lottery, the way it was passed around said be careful a dozen times.

The strangest things have happened. Every since that rooster started crowing, our hens started laying, and I get hungrier. Now it might be that they are all the same age and it would have happened anyhow. It could be that the hens needed to hear that raspy Frank Sinatra style crooning to get their little female bodies into action. I don't know.

But it does make me think.

Jesus told one of his disciples, Peter, that he would deny he knew Jesus. All of this is in Luke 22:31-34. He told Peter Satan asked for him specifically. So was this a conversation Jesus and Satan had over Peter, like God and Satan had over Job? What was said there, "You already have Judas, we both know that, you cannot have the rest. . . . You can try, but you can't touch them." Then Jesus, don't forget now, he is God, gives this statement that shows the power of free will for us humans. "I have prayed that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

Jesus knew Peter would deny him. There were no "if's" in Jesus statement. It was a fact. And we go on to read that Peter did in fact deny he knew Jesus. He even sworn and cursed to prove how emphatically he didn't know him.

Did you catch what else Jesus said. This denial did NOT do away with Peter's faith. Peter still had faith. Peter still believed in Jesus being the Messiah. Peter still believed the teaching of Jesus. Peter still loved and followed Jesus. Peter was still as bull-headed in his approach to evangelism. Peter still continued on with the disciples. Peter still spent time praying with the other believers. Yeah, he messed up. BUT his faith didn't fail. In fact this became the "Twist" in Peter's action story.

Peter realized he blew it when he heard the rooster crow that morning. I used to think of the rooster crowing as sign of a bad thing, but that may not be true. It is true that it signaled Peter of his sin, making him aware and responsive. He left the area. He got away from the place of his sin. He repented. Jesus told him he would. Jesus didn't make him, but he knew it would happen. Jesus restored him as a leader of the disciples. Peter was reminded  that Jesus was was the rock the church was built on, not Peter.

When we hear something that brings our sin to mind we should be like Peter, turn back.  It doesn't mean our faith has failed, it means our faith has won. It doesn't mean we hide from our brothers and sisters , but we can encourage others.

As I ate my first home raised chicken egg sandwich this morning, I thought about some of the struggles I have with sin. I don't always need a rooster to point it out to me. When I do, in faith in God's forgiveness, I repent right then. I hope you will too. Good things come when the rooster crows.

That rooster crowed again. Time to make room in the freezer..

Remember to Forget

We live in a culture that is always reminding us to do something. My kids are good at this. "Dad, you said we could get Ice cream next time." "Dad, you said we could go hiking when it warms up." "Dad, you said you would take over the world and give me Europe with all it's pretty castles." (Sometimes timing is the hard part for completing what kids want to do, but world domination is still be on the list.) My dad is very forgetful and says he has "part-timers" a younger version of Alzheimer's (which he pronounces "Alls-timers". He's not making fun of it at all, that just how it sounds with his accent.) My wife, Katie, says I have the same thing Dad has. There is also an inner ear problem for both of us, we aren't paying attention to what's going in there. 

BUT, there are a lot of things I can't seem to forget.

We, as humans have the problem that we forget things we should remember, and remember things we should forget. It’s not a new problem. It started in the Garden of Eden when Eve forgot what God actually said, and the serpent twisted God’s words against her. Then the Israelites were accused of “Forgetting God’s Law, word, commands, covenant” which caused God to have to act against them. Even today we forget songs, what our mom told us to do, details of a story. We as humans are in constant need of reminders. Sometimes we even forget to celebrate. We forget our anniversary or wife birthday.  To truly remember the way God remembers, we have to make ourselves do something very difficult. We have to Remember to Forget. 

We do have to remember to FORGET OUR SINS. Forgetting our sins is sometimes one of the most difficult things to do. Between our own sinfulness and ability to remember things we don’t want to, and Satan, called “the accuser of the brothers”, our past sins can pop up in our minds at any time. But we have to remind ourselves that, “If I’ve repented of this sin, it is no longer counted against me.” John wrote 1 John 1:9 “ that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us.” Did you get that? He dishes out Justice when we confess our sins. For the believer, forgiveness is what God says we deserve. Paul quotes Jeremiah in Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) 

Not only is there forgiveness, but also forgetfulness. God seems to have a selective amnesia. Katie,  says I have this, but with God it isn’t a random forgetfulness or distraction. His forgetting is intentional. Psalm 103:11 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

So because of his nature, God is always showing His Love to us, by giving his grace, a gift we don’t deserve, and his faithfulness by forgetting when we sin against him and repent.

Forget Everything But God

Philippians 3:12-14 “12 Not that I have already obtained all this,[becoming like Christ and having first hand knowledge of his own resurrection] or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind [this would be his perfection in the Law and life before Christ] and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is saying he is forgetting everything except God. Everything else is out of his Mind except for what Paul referred to as our predestination, which is to be made into the image of God's Son, Jesus.

So take your post it notes, tie a string around your finger, set an alarm on your smart phone to remind you to forget some stuff. When it pops up in our head, let's remind ourselves it's forgotten. When Satan tries to accuse us of stuff we have repented of, let's remember we  have no idea what he's talking about. When we start beating ourselves up over sins let's remember to have selective amnesia, like God tells us he does in scripture. 

***** Word of Caution**** 
This method of forgetting is also beneficial in marriage and  parenthood. Choosing to forget other's "sins", or not holding things against them, is the best thing we can do for ourselves and our significant other half. 
Forgetting to get the kids ice cream may lead to a rebellion, and being greatly out numbered could prove traumatic and not easily forgotten. 

Dying to Love

The fairy tale "Phatasties" by George MacDonald ends (spoiler alert) with the main character dying in his "fantasy" (a type of literature, not a delusional dream) in Fairy Land having never reached the woman that he wanted to love him. He chased her all across Fairy Land, through many strange and magical forest, castles, and terrain. Finally, visiting her through a magical door, in a Scrooge sees the present christmas sort of way, he learns she does love him, but loved a knight more. At the end of the story the hero saves a multitude of worshipers of a false god, but selflessly dies in the process. As he is in his grave here is his realization.

"I knew now, that it is by loving, and not by being loved, that one can come nearest the soul of another; yea, that, where two love, it is the loving of each other, and not the being loved by each other, that originates and perfects and assures their blessedness."

During his time overseeing the lady and the knight talking about him through the magical door, they talk about how he had done no great things. How he just aimlessly wandered hoping to find her. This caused him to consider his life. What he does and how he "loved". He realizes it was all selfish.

We can't really blame the hero. Actually, I think we are all like him. Until we learn to sacrifice ourselves, we cannot come near the soul of another. Until we learn to put our beloved first, we cannot be assured of their blessedness.

We see it all the time when two young people start "dating". If one is "dominate" then the other looses their life and identity to be with the other person. For argument's sake lets say the female is the dominant one. He will have to give up hanging out with his friends. He will have to always go to her house. He will always be defending why he talks to that other girl all the time in that class. He will give up his hobbies, because she needs him to help her bathe her dog. He will stop making plans with friends because he doesn't know what is going on. This would be a selfish love on the black widows part, because she is forcing someone to love her and devouring his life.

When Jesus, the apostles, and God talk about love it is always in the actions, thoughts, and emotions of how we interact with others. When Jesus said to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37), he says nothing about God giving us anything. When he says to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), he doesn't talk about receiving anything in return. When Jesus talks about loving our enemy and praying for them (Matthew 5:43-48), he doesn't say they will come around or be reconciled. It is completely for the one who loves.

Of course, we cannot talk about love without looking at the list of characteristics in 1 Corinthians 13, it is list for the lover. The lover is to be patient, in turn it gives his beloved (which is anyone he comes in contact with, not just a spouse) freedom and safety. When it says the lover is not to keep records of wrong doings, it is so he can truly love as God does and forgives. Love protects, hopes, trusts, perseveres. All of this benefits both people, but it is the lover who is being made perfect by these virtues (Matthew 5:48).

Song of Songs, the holiest song in the Bible, is about two people making preparations to wholly give themselves to the other person. They are not singing about what the other will do for them, but what they will do for the other. They are not describing what they will receive, but what they will give. In this beautiful ballad, we see the purity of unrestrained love and how the other is blessed by it. As MacDonald put it, these two souls were becoming nearest each other because they are loving each other.

Now personally,I cannot find in myself to think of loving my enemies, the Taliban, Democrats (just being funny), that crazy neighbor, or sometimes even family like is described in 1 Corinthians or Song of Songs. When I pray for them it is more like one of David's "God will you smite them down, O mighty smiter" type prayers. But by loving and praying for them, we might come closest to their soul, allowing us the opportunity to be a blessing and be made perfect. Hopefully though, you will not have to learn it by strangling a demon wolf god to death while dying in a fairy land

SOMETIMES IT'S HARD

Let me introduce you to two of the coolest kids in the world. This is Lucas, in yellow, and Caleb, in red for those of you who need it. I cannot remember how this particular story started out. Caleb just crawled up in my lap, saw the pictures and said, "We were fighting over jelly beans and had to hold hands. I cried." At least he remembers. I do remember they were fighting. They had been fighting a lot lately and we had enough of it. We had tried separating them. We tried making them work in different places. We tried "time out". We probably swatted their fanny a couple times (which is a great way to teach a kid not to hit;-)  note my sarcasm.)

I thought about it for a while. What could I do that could possible scar them for life? What would release the sweet sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth? What could I do that is so heinous and deplorable, I could get my children taken away from me? What would be etched in their little developing brains for all of eternity? Then it hit me. I made them sit together.  . . . nothing happened. I made them give each other a hug. . . no tears. I made them hold hands. . . this is a picture of those beautiful result. They cried and wailed and tears flowed down their faces. It was a beautiful sight. It was then that I realized, as their little cheeks were streaked with sorrow, I was a good parent.

Lucas and Caleb in trouble for fighting.

My wife, Katie, and I have 5 kids. Lucas and Caleb are the youngest two. One of the most important things we desire as parents is the unity of our family. Having just moved back close to family I feel this more and more. Our families are the most important group of people God has designed and given us. It is were we learn love, or hate. It is were we feel absolute safety or fear. Brothers and sisters are more important than anyone. After my wife and I are gone on to Paradise they will be all they have left. Their unity and love will affect generations of Esteps. 

I feel a similar urgency for my kids as Jesus had for the apostles and the church. I pray this for myself and then for our kids. Here is a part of Jesus' prayer for the church. You can read his whole prayer in John chapter 17. 

“My prayer is not for them alone [Apostles]. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message [everyone after the Apostles], 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

We live in a culture and society where the church is at odds with each other. Denominations and churches not liking, making fun of, and even condemning other churches over non-salvation issues to Hell. Mahatma Ghandi said once that Christians were the reason he was not a Christ follower. (This in not a good excuse, but I can understand where he is coming from.)

I know of a church that has 20 people in it and they think they are the only ones going to heaven. I know of churches that think using instruments during worship is a horrible atrocity. I know of churches that tell their congregations what kind of underwear to use and clothing to sleep in, everyone else is going to hell. I've heard of churches that have divided over whether or not to place a hook at the back of the church for the pastor to hang his hat and coat on. (On a personal note, I think this is a story they tell at Bible colleges just to illustrate how silly a lot of our disagreements are in the church.) 

I have to admit, I am like this as well. I have a  prejudice against prejudice people. I don't want to be around them. I don't like being told I'm not saved because I don't speak in "tongues". I don't like arguing with people. I don't think things like underwear, types of pants, which version of the Bible, or using notes to preach with are really worth the aggravation of being around some people. 

The division of the church is the saddest blight affecting Christians throughout history. It has all but destroyed our witness to the world. We must pray, as Jesus did, for the unity of believers. A wise pastor has said we are to have UNITY not UNIFORMITY, LOVE not LEGALISM, GRACE not GUILT, and RELATIONSHIP (with God) not RELIGION.  

If we were to rewrite Jesus’ prayer so we could pray it, it might go like this. “I pray that all of us who believe in Jesus through the Apostles Teaching and the Bible may be one, just as you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you. May we be in you so that the world may believe that you have sent him. You have given us the glory that you gave him so we can be one with each other: your son in us, and we in him. May we be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent Jesus and have loved us even as you loved him.”

Let's think of the believers we work with and know. Are there any we need to forgive? Are there any we need to love? Are there any who need grace? Pray for THEIR unity with the Father and the body as we pray for OUR unity with the Father and body. We, followers of Christ, need to repent of the hatred we have for each other. We need to forgive each other, so Christ can forgive us. We need to confess our unity to the Father and the Family. The unity process may look and feel like the one my sons went through. I think the unity of God's kids would be just as beautiful to him as it is to me.

How is your underwear

We all have them. They are comfy and secure. We know when we wear them we are not going to have to worry about crawling, wedgies, slipping, and whatever else could happen down there. And then we have that pair we keep in the back of the drawer in case we haven't done our laundry lately. We can all relate to the feeling and excitement of underwear that fits good, comfy, and proper. When your underwear fits good, your more likely to be comfortable and pleasant. When it doesn’t, the day can be really long and we can get really agitated with people.

Our conscience is the same way. When we have a clear conscience there is that deep down comfort. When we don’t have a clear conscience, then we are getting spiritually chaffed. That’s why we need to put on first things first, like our underwear first thing in the morning before any other cloths. Our life on the outside, what everyone can see, must begin inwardly, with what others can’t see. In other words, a clear conscience isn’t just knowing the truth, it’s being true.

A clear conscience gives us freedom and confidence. Confidence happens when people see an “outside of you” that matches the “inside of you”. It all begin with what’s under. Let’s Check the Word: 1Jn 3:19-22 "Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God's side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord. But if we have bad consciences and feel that we have done wrong, the Lord will surely feel it even more, for he knows everything we do. But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying him and doing the things that please him. And this is what God says we must do: Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. Those who do what God says--they are living with God and he with them. We know this is true because the Holy Spirit he has given us tells us so."

SO, the Apostle John says that what is on the inside has to come first, he is talking about having the Holy Spirit in us to guide, act, move, and help us. When He is in there first, we are able to stand before God, and others, with a clear unwedgied conscience. If you do not have one then John writes that we are to Confess and Believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 3:21, Romans 10:9,10).  Repent of your sins (repent means turn away from the junk and bad fitting underwear of life) (1 John 1:8-10). And finally be  Immersed in the name, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-14).

Now I don't care if you wear whitey-tighties, boxers, thongs, or go commando, and I REALLY DO NOT want to know about it. I do care if your conscience is clear. I care more if you have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you and the promises that come with that. So start your day with what matters on the inside and enjoy the crawling-wedgies-slipping free life.

 Mitch, a lump of clay

Peace on Earth

“Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Peace with God. I don’t know if you think the way I do, but I have a hard time excepting peace, forgiveness, and grace for myself. I know what goes on in my mind. I know what rises up in my heart. I even think the way I smell after working outside all day is repulsive. I wake up with morning breath and think, how could anything, much less an all knowing God, want a relationship with me.  I know the feeling I have and all the ways in which I lack in my maturity in Christ. and I know the conflict that goes on in my mind over my salvation. 

Now, I can give peace and forgiveness. I can even tell you, quote scripture, and pray and lead you to salvation. I can give you scripture of God’s reconciliation and desires to be in a right relationship with us as humans. But I have a hard time excepting it for myself. 

Now this is not peace of mind. Where your mind is clear and calm, and flowers are blooming and birds are singing and everything is good and right with the world. this is a peace in this verse of an end to conflict. 

Peace with God means that we have been reconciled with him. There is no more hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with him. Peace with God is possible only because Jesus paid the price for our sins through his death on the cross.A perfect example of the definition of peace, proving you care more about others than winning an argument.” 

.   

In Chapter 5:8 it says, “God demonstrated his love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” 

I can get that. but then he goes on. 

verse 10 “For if, when we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” If Jesus was willing to die for us as sinners, how much more will he do for as as his brothers and sister. That is his ministry now, to keep us in relationship with him. This is a fact I remind myself of often. Not as much as I use to.

As we stop everything, and try to get a little peace of mind to sit and talk with God, remembering his sacrifice. Remember that he has reconciled us to himself. He Got rid of everything that did keep us from him. The details are different for each of us, but the basics is sin. 

You might be like me, having to remind yourself, God does want me, loves me, and has given me a peace treaty he won’t break. 

You might be totally different from me, its something you have complete confidence in, and it never crosses your mind. Enjoy your time. 

Or, You might be sitting there having never accepted his love for you. You’ve never accepted his reconciliation. Give in. He is a God that has this absurd love for humanity. It doesn’t make sense to me. But he does and he proved it.