I'm taking a break from blogging

You have no doubt noticed that I haven't posted anything in a while. I am taking a break from blogging and am thinking about starting a new blog in a different format around September. Check back then.

Don't Let Your Moment Pass

Sometimes we need a word from God for the moment. A sermon, a scripture, or even a newsletter can touch us if our hearts are open. I pray that you will open your heart today and let God speak to your heart. A single moment can change everything in our life. Don’t let your moment pass.

Galatians 4 tells us that when the fullness of time was come that Jesus came into the world. I don’t know what made the time right for Jesus to come but I know that it fit God’s plan perfectly. Of course, there were none of today’s multimedia outlets in Jesus’ day. His message wasn’t one of slick marketing it was simply that God loved us and that we could be changed by the power of God. Jesus came so that we could have a fulfilling, lasting relationship with our creator. Those that believed the message would spread the gospel around the world because they had a moment with God that changed them completely.

The birth of Jesus affects every man, woman, and child. Nothing would be the same from the moment he entered into the world. There is also a time that is right individually in our lives to receive from God. How is your heart today? Today could be the day that Jesus changes everything for you. He didn’t come just to change the world in some generic sense He came for you. His coming affects your life today. The Bible tells us that even though Jesus came to give life the thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. The “thief” is anyone or anything that keeps us from drawing close to God. It is that which would steal the moment in your life that God could change everything. In church Sunday I recounted a moment in my life that greatly affected me. It was one of those moments that I believe God spoke to me and I had to make a decision about how I would live my life. I’m glad that I didn’t allow the “thief” to steal my moment. I was a young man when I first made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. One day I was working a gas station on a cold snowy day. Those were the days before self serve. I was sitting in the little hut on the gas island. It was a slow Sunday afternoon. I looked out across the landscape as God began to touch my heart. I decided that I would live for God regardless of what life would bring. If I failed I would repent and ask God to help me be a true Christian. I was 16 at the time. I believe that God can speak to us at any time we are willing to listen. That word from God wasn’t wasted because of my youth. Now, more than 30 years later, I remember that moment and how God spoke to me in such a great way. Even as I write this tears come to my eyes because of the way that God was reaching out to me. God is reaching out to you today. He wants to speak something profound into your life. Will you hear His voice? Don’t let your moment pass.

Search Me O God

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (KJV)11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

God loves us and wants to bless us. He thinks thoughts of peace for us, not of evil, to give us to have an expected end. Often I think of God but how often do we consider that He is thinking of us? God is constantly thinking of us. He thought of us when He created us. Jesus was thinking of us as He hung on the cross. What a great love He has for us! If we will set our hearts and thoughts after God search for Him with all our hearts we will find Him.

Matthew 5:6 (KJV)6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Do we hunger for a relationship with God? Are we thirsty for the Spirit of God? If we are we can have the fullness of God. God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost for those who were seeking. Seek God and have your own Pentecost. God’s power is not diminished. We can be filled with the Holy Ghost just as those at Pentecost were.

Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV)23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


Have you ever heard the story of the king that needed a new coach driver? As he was interviewing people he asked “How close can you drive the coach to the cliff near the castle?” The first candidate stated that he could get within 10 feet of the cliff! The second candidate proudly declared that he could get within 5 feet of the cliff! The third candidate told the king “Your majesty, I’m going to stay as far from the cliff as I can”. The king gave the job to candidate #3.

It seems the attitude of many is “what can I get away with and still be a Christian”?
Do we want God to search us? Do we want God to know our heart? Do we want God to cleanse us of our sin? Do we want God to lead us? The hungry heart says yes God search me, lead me, cleanse me. Do you have a desire to hold onto God with one hand and the world with the other, or do you want a real relationship with Him?

I want to submit myself to God completely.
Lamentations 3:40-41 (KJV)40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. 41Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

The statement “try our ways” means to examine our way of life. I want God to change whatever needs to be changed in my life. I may not like everything I see when God shines His light of truth but it will expose my sin so I can be cleansed. Let’s lift up our hearts with our hands. Let’s invite God into our most private places. We may not want to tell anyone else, but let’s tell God all of our secrets.

John 5:39 (KJV)39Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

The scriptures are important and we emphasize them. As important as the Bible is our relationship in not with a book but with God. The scriptures point us to Jesus but our relationship is with Jesus. Don’t neglect to have a relationship. Relationships must be developed. Take time to develop the most important relationship you will ever have in life.

God Moved in Our Service

We always invite God to have His way in our services. We believe that if we worship God and honor Him in all we do that He will speak to us and meet our needs. We started church with prayer and God just took over our service. He flooded the church with His presence. We worshipped, wept, and sang to the Lord. Truly, I believe that God was there to bless us and give us strength for the daily battles. I know He loves us with a great love and cares for us. The economy has many people concerned for their financial future. I pray that people will become concerned about their eternity. In Jesus Christ we can have peace and assurance of our future. Give your heart to Jesus today and find a peace that will carry you through anything. If you live in the Saginaw area, come worship with us!

Here Comes the Rain

Our church started at the usual time this morning. We had a short Bible study on the gifts of the Spirit and headed out to Anchor of Hope Church of God. I had been invited to preach there so our church went over to their church so we could worship together. We had a great service! The Spirit of God was touching hearts from the very outset of the service. I preached about Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

There was a sore famine in the land. The rain had been stopped by the word of God through Elijah. After 3 years it was now time for Elijah to speak directly to King Ahab and tell him the rain was coming. Ahab was an evil king and was not very happy with Elijah. But Elijah told him the truth of the matter. Ahab had allowed the wicked queen Jezebel to cause the people to worship idols and completely stray from God. We need those who will hold to the truth and speak God's word no matter what the circumstances. We can only be blessed by clinging to the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. Jesus is the truth that we need!

The rain was going to come but Elijah had some business to tend to first. He called for all of the People of Israel, the prophets of Baal, and the prophets of the groves. Why? He was going to remind them all about the true God. We need constant reminders of who God really is. He is the God that is in control of our life if we yield that control to Him. In good times and bad God is still God. If we dedicate our life to Him we have a sure future.

"Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word."

There is a pull on our hearts from two directions. If God be God, follow Him. There is also that voice tries to pull us away from God. It seems that there is a great multitude that listen to the wrong voice. How about you? Will we follow when all others left? When all left following Jesus he asked the disciples if they were going to leave also. Peter said “Where would we go?” When the world is trying to pull us aside will we keep our eye on the prize? The prophets of Baal answered not a word to Elijah because they had no excuse in front of the true God. What excuse can we offer God? Are we going to say it’s too hard to serve You God? Are we going to tell God we wanted to do our own thing?

Elijah issued his challenge and engaged the enemy. He didn’t hesitate to stand for God and oppose wickedness. Oh for men of God who will stay true to this call! Preachers everywhere need the integrity to declare God's word with authority. It seems that we have had many public failures in the ministry the last few years. It is a stain on all ministers but I believe that there are those who are hungry to serve God and are true to their faith.

Elijah's challenge to the false prophets was to make an offering and let the true God will answer by fire. So Baal’s prophets jumped up and down, cried, and cut themselves trying to get an answer from a god that they had invented and couldn't hear them. There was no answer because there is no answer from the false gods of this world. After they were done, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord. The world is doing everything it can to destroy our altar. We need to repair our altar so it is a place where God can move in our lives. We need a place to cry out to God with complete commitment. After he repaired the altar, he brought his sacrifice and prayed. Once he prayed God answered with fire. Get your altar repaired, present yourself as a living sacrifice, and see if God won’t answer by fire!

Now it was time for the rain.

"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain". Elijah went up to pray. During prayer, he sent his servant to look toward the sea. The servant didn't see anything so Elijah sent him again, seven times! How often do we ask God to move in our situation and then stop because we didn't see an answer the first time? After the seventh time he got a small sign. Don’t overlook small signs. Maybe you’ve prayed over and over again and have not yet seen the cloud. Pray again, look again. Don’t miss what God wants to do in your life.

Dedicate your senses to recognizing the move of God. Elijah’s servant “saw” a little cloud. The wise men “saw” His star. We’ve "seen" His glory in the sanctuary. “See” what God wants us to see. The disciples "heard" the call of Jesus “follow me”. We have "heard" the gospel in preaching. Bartimaeus “heard” that Jesus was coming by and he would not be denied. Don't be denied the blessing that God has for you!

Let’s hear what God is speaking to us. There’s a still small voice in the confusion of this world. "Hear" what the word is speaking. "Hear" the message from pastors and teachers. Don’t miss a chance to reach out and touch Him. The woman with the issue of blood “touched” the hem of His garment. The multitudes of sick reached out to "touch" Him.

The rain came just as God told Elijah that it would. Hold on to the word of God in your life. The rain signifies abundance that’s on the way. Are you ready for God’s abundance?

Tomorrow's Sermon

I've been invited to preach at Anchor of Hope Church of God tomorrow. It has been a while since I have preached away from home. We are going to gather at Redemption Ministries as usual Sunday morning, have a short Bible study, then caravan over to Anchor of Hope. I'm excited for the opportunity and pray that God will bless in a great way. God has poured the sermon I'm preaching into my heart for the last two weeks. I hope I'm able to present it the way it's running through my mind. Our church is excited for the opportunity to meet new people and have some local fellowship. I believe that God is going to bless us all in a special way.

The Gift of God's Love

2 Corinthians 9:15
15Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

I want to describe to people what God has done for me but words are not enough. He has given me the gift of His son. He has give me a relationship with Him. He has given me salvation for my soul that makes me want to praise and worship Him. I am glad for the people in my life that always encouraged me to have a relationship with God. As a young man I made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I have been blessed because of it. The Apostle Paul was convinced that Timothy, one of his partners in ministry, was full of genuine faith. Timothy had a mother and grandmother that Paul also noted to be full of faith. (See 2 Timothy 1:3 through 2 Timothy 1:5)

Timothy had a Grandmother that was full of faith, a mother that was full of faith, and a pastor that encouraged him. All of these things helped him to know Jesus Christ.

I have been given the gift of God’s love. What I mean by that is that there have been people in my life that wanted me to find the joy that can only be found in God. We can all be thankful for the family that loves us. I also had a church family that loved me. They shared Christ with me through their words and through their deeds. I had a pastor that preached the gospel to me and lived by the words that he spoke. My church family prayed for me and prayed with me in my times of need. Through their love and the message of hope in God’s word I responded to God’s tug at my heart.

My life has been blessed since the day I found a true relationship with Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that God will bless our coming and going. We have favor with God when we have a relationship with God.

1 John 3:1
1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: ……


God waits to make us part of his family. We join God’s family when we come to Him in faith and humility. You can start a legacy today of God’s blessing. It will not only bless you, but it will bless your friends and family.

Embrace the Power of the True God

1 Samuel 5:1-12

Israel took the Ark of the Covenant into battle and lost it to the Philistines, their bitter enemies. This would never have happened if Israel listened to God and left the Ark in its appropriate place. The Philistines thought this was a great spoil of war because the Ark was where the Spirit of God dwelt among Israel. This was a disaster for Israel because the source of their blessing was missing. God is the source of a blessed life today. Are you living in God’s blessing? When the Philistines put the Ark next to their god, Dagon, they woke to find their god was cast down before the Ark. Why, because Dagon was a man made false god, hewn from wood. There is no false god erected by men that will ever stand before the true God. The Philistines lived in their sinfulness while worshipping a god that had no power to change their circumstance. “Dagon” didn’t mind the sinfulness of the Philistines. This is why many people seek a false god. The false gods of this world will not challenge our conscience. The presence of the true God condemns our sinfulness. We need to feel guilt over our sin so we can come to God and seek forgiveness. Mankind is condemned to death and hell without God but those who seek after God and accept the salvation made possible by Jesus no longer have to live in condemnation.

Romans 8:1
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The Philistines found the presence of the true God very troubling. They were a sinful people and the unfiltered presence of God is destructive to sin. Their lives were totally disrupted by the presence of God. They had to deal with their dilemma. The presence of God will cause us to deal with our sin. We can either cry out for forgiveness or we will need to expel God’s presence from our life. The Philistines, like many in this world today, decided to expel the true God’s presence from their lives. They could worship Dagon all day long and not have to face any consequence for sin. People want churches today where they can go and feel good about their sinful lives and never hear the preacher mention a commitment to Christ. We are plagued by the “It’s not so bad” syndrome.
In front of “Dagon” we can justify any action but not so in front of the real God.

The Philistines wondered “what shall we do to the ark of the LORD”? It reminds me of when Pontius Pilate asked “What shall I do then with Jesus?” In both cases they chose to expel the presence of God from their lives rather than embrace it. What does it take for people to recognize the need for real God? The Philistines saw the power but wanted nothing to do with it. Why didn’t the Philistines send an emissary to Israel and enquire about the God of power? Why don’t so many enquire about God today? How will you deal with the power of the real God? Will you embrace it or will you expel it from your life? It is the hungry heart that cries out to know the true God. I pray that you have a hungry heart that longs for Him.

January 1st, 2009

Here we are in the new year. We hosted a new year's eve party last night where we had great food and fun. My wife is a great party giver. She's a great cook and is always welcoming of our guests. We had people from our church as well as friends from three other churches. We ate, played charades, and sang karaoke. The karaoke started out as just plain fun as we all sang and put on our best performances. Getting together doesn't have to be about getting drunk and acting in ways we are ashamed of the next morning. After the entertainment we sang praise and worship songs and felt God's presence in a real way. Some gave testimonies of what God had done for them in 2008. We were all touched and encouraged about what God will do in this new year. With the economy in a mess, people losing theirs jobs, and our
401K's shrinking dramatically, how can we be so positive? Because we have experience with God that validates our faith. We know what God has done in our lives and what He will do for those who trust Him. It is only the power of God that can bring us from despair to a joy that looks forward to each new day. Thank God for what He has done in our lives. I'm looking forward to continued blessing in 2009.

I'm Thankful for my Friend

Tomorrow I am baptizing a lady that has been coming to our church for about six months. Our church is excited for her because God has done a great work in her life. We have been blessed this year to minister to people that have a need of God. They all have wonderful testimonies of what God has done in their lives. Truly, God is our hope in this world. Many years ago my wife and I both committed our lives to God and we have no desire to ever turn back. With every passing year we realize what a blessed life we have lived. We started Redemption Ministries with a mind to minister to people, whatever their situation, about God's great love for them. It is a great source of joy to see God make such wonderful changes them. You don't have to let this world chew you up. You don't have to continue to surround yourself in the noise that tries to drown out the still, small voice of God. God loves you with a great love. He wants to be your friend. We find few friends in this world that will stick with us no matter what. God has been with me from the moment I turned my heart toward Him. I'm so thankful for my savior, my friend.

Into His Presence

Sermon: “Into His Presence”
By Steven D. Niswonger

Scripture Reference: Psalm 84:1-5, 10

David was a man who recognized the value of being in the presence of God. He stated that his “heart and [his] flesh cry out for the living God.” David longed to be in the presence of the Almighty, but was never allowed to be because that was the right and role of the priest alone. Instead, he had to settle for being in the courts of the Lord. Still his heart cried out for a touch, for just a moment in the presence of God. David dwelt in the house of the Lord, but could never know the presence of God. He longed to get past the outer courts and into the Holy of Holies…but he was never allowed.

Today we know and believe in the power of God’s salvation. We know that God honors the prayer of repentance. We know that God washes away our sin in baptism. We know that God fills us with the Holy Ghost when we seek after Him with a pure heart. These things are necessary. These things are valuable. But these are a means to an end. That end is a communion with God and a life lived in His presence. That is what God intends for us.

The Old Testament Temple was full of symbols that would foreshadow God’s plan of salvation and His plan for our life after salvation. The outer court of the Temple was the place of sacrifice and purification. When entering in through the gates of the Temple, the first thing you would come to was the Brazen Altar. The Altar was a place of reflection, a place of recognition, and a place of sorrow. This was the place of repentance. Repentance takes reflection and recognition so that we can see our need for God’s salvation. It is only when we see ourselves as sinners that we see how truly powerless we are to change our situation. After this recognition, sorrow comes at the realization of our trespass against God. This Godly sorrow leads us to repentance. We come to the Altar…the place of death…and we die to our old way of life.

After the Altar, there was the Laver. The Laver was a large pool of water. This was the place of cleansing. After the sacrifice at the Altar, the priests would be filthy and would need to be cleansed before entering into the presence of God. They would completely immerse themselves in the Laver, cleansing them of all the filth in which they were covered. The Laver represents baptism. This is the place of cleansing and preparation. Repentance shows us that we are filthy and makes us want to be clean; baptism cleanses us of the sins that we have committed. It was only after the priest had experience the Altar and the Laver that he was allowed to enter into the presence of God…the Holy of Holies.

Only once a year was the priest allowed into the presence of God. He had served day after day, longed day after day, and was allowed one day in the presence of God. The death of Jesus and His offering of blood unleashed the presence of God in this world. Now, He manifests Himself in the Holy Ghost and has made Himself available to all who would seek. The gift of salvation…repentance, baptism, the infilling of the Holy Ghost…gives us unlimited access to the Throne of God.

What have we done with this gift? David was happy to sit in the courts of God, outside of God’s presence, because that is all he was allowed to have. Too many today, even the saved, are happy with David’s experience. But even David’s heart and flesh cried out for something more…something that he could not have, but is available to each of us. We can do what David could not. We can get past the Altar, past the Laver, past the ceremony of religion, and into the very presence of God. He waits for us to cry out for Him, to yearn for Him. He waits for the day that we will learn to live in His presence and will push through every obstacle to reach Him.

Are you ready to enter into His presence?

There’s No Christ Without the Cross

Matthew 26:36-46 (KJV)
36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

The time had come for Jesus to fulfill that for which He came into the world. The cross was just before Him. He was sorrowful and heavy in spirit so He went to Gethsemane with some of His disciples to pray. The prospect of facing the cross was terrifying. Jesus prayed for another way, if possible. But He prayed for God’s will whatever may come. Of course, Jesus knew there was no other way. This plan had been put in motion from the foundation of the world. Gethsemane means “oil press”. Jesus won the battle in the press.

Sometimes we think that the purpose of prayer is so we can escape whatever bad that we might be facing in life. Perhaps we need to go through the oil press so that we can stand firm in our faith no matter what comes our way. The Christian life isn’t about ease and pleasure. It’s about denying the flesh and standing firm in God’s will. The cross was all about denying the flesh. Jesus wouldn’t be who He was without the cross. He couldn’t be the savior without the cross. Is it any wonder that the cross is a universal Christian symbol?

The disciples slept through Jesus’ most trying hours. There may be things you face where it seems you are alone. Be strong. God will see you through your most trying times. Though it is comforting to have brothers and sisters in Christ to help us pray and give us words of encouragement, we must face the cross with God as our only help.

Let’s see what Matthew chapter 16 tells us about the cross in our lives.

Matthew 16:21-26 (KJV)
21From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?


When Jesus told the disciples how He would suffer Peter said “Be it far from thee, Lord:…” But Jesus rebuked Satan. Sometimes Satan works through people to discourage us. He wants to sidetrack us from God’s will. As I said earlier, the cross is about denial of self. Jesus denied Himself when He took up the cross. Then He told us that we need to deny ourselves and take up the cross.

The following is from Barnes notes on the NT:

“When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. Thus, Christ carried his, until he fainted from fatigue and exhaustion. The cross was an instrument of death. To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment. So “to carry the cross” is a figurative expression, denoting that we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. “

There is no Christ without the Cross! It’s a place of self denial. It’s a place of death.
But the place of death led to the place of life. Whosoever will save his life will lose it and whosoever will lose his life for Christ’s sake will find it. When we fall on our knees at the cross, thank God, we can find life.

Romans 6:23 (KJV)
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Where is the Answer?

We are in the middle of an economic meltdown. The stock market has dropped dramatically despite the governments efforts to stabilize things. We have been in a home mortgage crisis that has been brewing for some time. Why are there so many foreclosures? Basically, a reckless policy of loaning people who couldn't afford homes money they couldn't repay. Government officials turned a blind eye to the problems, more worried about being reelected that doing what is right. Does anyone just want to do what is right? Now the government is desperately trying to come up with answers. Everytime they do something the stock market drops further. Our retirement savings are taking a major hit. It is clear that they don't have the answers. With the election upon us people are hopeful that a new administration will provide new answers. Is this where you want to put your faith? The only answer the government ever offers is more government. They have just decided to spend another trillion dollars for this bailout mess. They are now buying troubled banks. I just heard that hearings have taken place about the possibility of wrapping our 401K's into social security! Can you believe it? Things are getting desperate. Here in Michigan, we have been in recession way ahead of the rest of the nation thanks to a state government that thinks that it's financial needs are more imporant than it's citizen's needs. People are concerned about their jobs. The auto industry reeling.

Have I sufficiently depressed you? Where is the answer?

There is hope in this world but it doesn't come from men. I have put my hope in God. He is the rock that will always be solid and never change. Don't you want something that you can depend on that is always there? I may have lost money in my 401K but I know that God will take care of my every need. I have peace in my soul. When I lay my head on my pillow at night I thank God for His blessings. I know that I am in His hands. Jesus Christ is the answer for your life! Have you put your trust in Him?

I Want God to Move

Mark 1:40 through Mark 1:42 (KJV)
40And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

Jesus is compassionate and loving. He showed compassion to a man with leprosy and healed him. Leprosy was a dreaded disease. People wouldn't want to be approached by a person with leprosy. But Jesus welcomed this man who had this great need. I believe that Jesus wants to move in our lives. We need to seek Him and let Him into our lives with enthusiasm.

It's been 37 years since I gave my heart to God. I’m still excited about my relationship with God. I still desire to feel His presence, to let the praises ring, and to let the tears flow. This is what I want to feel every Sunday in our church and every day in my life.

I want God to move in my life. He has a plan for me. I don't believe that a child of God wanders through this life aimlessly just hoping that things will work out. He wants me to prosper and succeed in my walk with Him. I believe He wants that for you as well.

I pray that God moves in your life. God will move in your home and in your family in ways we can’t comprehend. If we will seek God's will and set our heart to please Him he will bless us regardless of any negative situation in our life.

I want God to move in our church and to speak to our hearts. I believe that God can send us people that want to help and want to be a part of something greater than self. To be a part of something that will last for eternity.


2 Chronicles 20:14-15 (KJV)
14Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 15And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:17 (KJV)
17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.



We need the Spirit of the Lord to move in our congregation. This can be a place of healing for you. This can be a place where you get strength to live for God. Don’t be afraid or dismayed by the great multitude of resistance in front of you. The battle belongs to God. Just let Him fight for you. We don’t need to fight. We need to set ourselves, be still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Jehoshaphat and the people won this battle with worshippers instead of soldiers because God fought for them. Be a worshipper, God will fight for you.

Let God move in your life!!!

Tarry until Pentecost

1 Corinthians 16:8 through 1 Corinthians 16:9
8But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

To “tarry” means to abide, stay, or continue. The apostle Paul said that God had put an open door in front of him. He saw a great opportunity to bring the message of Jesus Christ to people but there were many adversaries in front of him.

Pentecost was the day the Holy Ghost was first poured out upon the believers of Jesus Christ. (See Acts 2:1-4) Those there were filled with the power of God to live the Christian life. I am thankful that I have experienced my own Pentecost. I feel the power of God within me and I have the joy of the Lord in my life. Pentecost puts us in the place where God communicates with us.

In Acts 2 they tarried until they got their Pentecost. They pursued God with a passion. It was in an atmosphere of worship that they experienced God in the way that He wants us all to experience Him. I want us to create an atmosphere of worship in our church that puts us in the presence of God. There is salvation in God’s presence, at Pentecost. There is healing in God’s presence, at Pentecost. There is fulfillment in life in God’s presence, at Pentecost.

There are situations that come into our lives where we need to tarry “until Pentecost”. Life can be overwhelming. I need comfort from God. The world can’t offer it because it doesn’t come from this world. I am renewed when Pentecost comes.

We have faults and shortcomings because we are human but there is rest in the Spirit of God. If people don’t believe in you, know that God does. He gives us Pentecost for power to walk in Him and assurance of our salvation. I want to God transform me through the power of Pentecost.

God opens a great door to every believer. We just need to walk through the door he has opened. It’s a place where we experience God’s power. It’s a place where we get an eternal perspective.

Adversaries were at the original Pentecost and will be around to try and deny you of your own Pentecost. I don’t want to miss out on what God has for me.

Have you had your own Pentecost? Jesus waits at the door or you.


Today's Worship

Even before the service started, we were singing and felt God’s presence. I was sitting down when a ray of sunshine hit me for a few seconds. It made me think of how God shines on those who praise and worship Him. We could immediately feel the power of God fill the church as we began the service. I felt goose bumps as we stood in God’s presence. Tears of joy filled my eyes as I was overwhelmed by God’s great love. We are truly blessed to feel God in this way as we call out His name.

The blessing of God is waiting for you. He desires to touch you in a special way. I want to invite you to worship with us and find out how God can be everything that you need in life.

We pray for needs and believe that God hears and answers our prayers. We want to pray for your needs. Go the the Redemption Ministries web site and contact us so we can pray with you for God to move in your life.

When It's All Said and Done

I heard an expression one time that has stuck with me over the years. It goes like this "When it's all said and done more will be said than done". In this political season we have already heard more than we care to know about things that won't effect our lives. I want to know what each candidate will do rather than all of the accusations that comes from each side. But when it's all said and done we will go back to our lives as we did before the elections. The politicians will still be politicians and argue about everything while accomplishing little. That's not to say that I don't have a favorite in this race. I don't want to pay more taxes. I don't want an extreme abortionist in the White House. I don't want the government interfering in even more of my life. I want drilling in ANWR and anywhere else so that energy costs will be lower. But what matters the most in life will not change no matter who is elected. God is my refuge. He is my hope. I will continue to strive to live a life that honors Jesus Christ. That doesn't depend on a politician.

Still Going....

Since January I have lost 45 lbs. I feel better and I think I look better also. But there is always something that wants to burst your bubble. I found a "body mass index" calculator on line and put my height and weight into it. It came back and said that I was still too fat! How dare it say that to me. Regardless of the insult I am still going forward. I have joined my wife walking about 3.5 miles a day. And even though I embarrassed her by eating too much "never ending pasta" at the Olive Garden last night (my never ending and hers are two different things) I intend to continue this pursuit of a healthier, better looking me.

The never ending pasta may have been a small setback, but I will overcome! It's just like that in our walk with God. If you have a determination to succeed, life's setbacks will not keep you from moving forward. God is loving, forgiving, and willing to help if we will look to Him. After 37 years of the Christian life with all of the obstacles that have been put in my way I'm glad to say I'm still going...

He is God of the Mountain and God of the Valley

In 1 King chapter 20 a man named Benhadad, King of Syria, along with a league of 32 other kings, warred against Israel. It seems Israel has been hated by it's neighbors forever. Benhadad lost a battle against Israel although he had superior numbers. History just seems to repeat itself. Benhadad's advisers counseled him to engage Israel in the valley because, evidently, Israel's God was a God of the mountains. What they found out was that Israel's God is also God of the valley

The Syrians made the mistake that the God of Israel was like their gods. Their gods were limited, in fact they were powerless. They were only gods in the sense that they worshipped them. They were powerless to affect their condition. Their gods were not gods of love and mercy but of wood and stone.

Today's Christian knows that God is God of the mountain. It is easy to trust God when everything is going good and the sun is shining. But is God the God of your valley? The valley where the enemy want to strike. Can we say like David:

Psalm 23:4 (KJV)
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Why would we not trust God in the valley? He’s been there in my darkest hours and kept me from harm. He’s led me past all of the dangers of the dark valley. He is God of the valley just like he is God of the mountain.

We sing the following song in church occasionally. It reminds me that God is God when things are going good and when things are not going so good. I am determined to praise the God of my mountain and the God of my valley.

Blessed be Your Name

Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name


We don’t have to surrender to negative influence of this world. Satan wants you to believe that there are no answers to the problems you face in life. He’ll say you can never be happy again or that you can never feel good about life again. But he is not the final authority. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ and let Him guide you through the valleys and over the mountains of life.

God said He would deliver Israel and they would know that He is the Lord. When you win victories with God you know He is in your corner. You know that Satan can’t win against you.

Our God is God of the mountain and God of the valley!

God Wants to Build You a House

Matthew 7:24-26

In this parable Jesus talks about how a wise man builds his house on the rock and how foolish men build their house upon the sand. Every building needs a firm foundation. It is critical that we build our lives a firm foundation. A wise man will build his life upon the rock, Jesus Christ. In order to build we need the appropriate tools. We need to be filled with the Holy Ghost to be properly equiped. Jesus said many things that are important to our lives and will equip us to build.

Here are a few of the critical things that Jesus told us:

Come unto me and I will give you rest.
Drink from the well of living water and never thirst again.
You must be born again.
You will receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.

Read God's Word to learn about the things you need to obtain to become a wise builder.

Build upon the rock that is the stone that the builders rejected but has become the chief cornerstone.

The nail, the board, and the hammer.

Trying to live our life without the power of God is like trying to drive a nail with our hand. None of us would try to build a house without the proper tools. Why do we try to live life without the power of God’s Spirit dwelling within us? We need the power of the Spirit to be the “hammer” that will give us the power to “build our house” and live the kind of life that God has for those who believe.

We don’t have the ability to cleanse ourselves from sin.
We need the power!

We don’t have the ability to deliver ourselves from sin’s burdens.
We need the power!

We can’t give ourselves peace and contentment.
We need the power!

I found peace because I let God build my house! Only through the power of teh Holy Ghost can we build a house that stands.

Chris' Testimony

I told you last week I would post the testimony of a man I baptized Sunday. Chris Ruth wanted to detail his journey to God with family & friends. Here is what he shared in our church just before he was baptized.

Testimony

Greetings and welcome to Redemption Ministries. My name is Christopher Walter Ruth and I am very happy to be here with you today. I apologize to Pastor Steve and his family for referring to this church as Redemption Ministry, it is actually Redemption Ministries - plural. They do much more than simply run a church. I suppose that’s where the Ministries part comes in.

I would like to thank you all for coming today in support of this church, in support of yourselves as fellow children of God, or in support of me and the commitment I have made. Hopefully you are here for all three reasons, but regardless, I am pleased to see you all.

Before I give my testimony, I would like to introduce and honor my two new best friends. They are my father and mother, Donald and Theresa Ruth. If not for their continual support, love, and the powerful prayers of my mother, I would not be alive and well as you see me here today.

I would like to read and present them with framed copies of letters that I wrote recently.



Now you may ask why my mother’s poem was short and my father’s letter was quite detailed. I believe that my mother knows she is quite special to me and our heavenly father. However, I feel that my father needs a little more encouragement to feel special.

Please give them both a hand…



And now for my personal testimony…

I stand before you, a weak sinner composed of flesh, but after today, I shall be strong and filled with the Holy Spirit.

I have been through 29 years of depression
27 years of lustful thoughts and excessive pornography
23 years of chronic marijuana use
23 years of binge drinking
The last 6 years without working or being a productive member of society
2 years of heavy cocaine use
And worst of all, I made 3 attempts at taking my own life.



As I have confessed, I made 3 attempts on my life. After the third attempt, I realized that if I tried again, I would be successful. I could not let that be my legacy to my mother, my family, and my friends. It finally sunk in. I realized that I, alone, was powerless, and I quickly admitted myself to the White Pine Behavioral Health Unit at Saginaw Community Hospital.

I spent a full week in that mental hospital, and at that time, it was far and above, the best week of my life. I learned to laugh and enjoy life without drugs. I learned that by sharing my story, I could help others as they helped me. At the time, I was without faith, but by confessing my defects, I unknowingly opened myself up to new ideas.

I am forever grateful to the entire staff at White Pine and also to the Saginaw County Department of Human Services for picking up the tab. I had spent the last of my money on drugs and didn’t plan on needing living expenses. I was so very very sad. People who didn’t know me personally, gave me money and hope, for I had none.

Covenant Hospital has also cleared a 1,200 dollar debt for their pre-screening emergency room admission prior to transferring me to White Pine. I thank them as well.

I highly recommend the treatment center at White Pine for anyone with suicidal thoughts or severe mental conditions. During my stay, I found that many patients had been petitioned by the courts for their mandatory stays, and some of them made great progress because of it. I implore you all to seek a similar petition for suicidal friends & family. It may be their only chance, but you must do it for the right reasons and in a caring way.

While I was a patient at White Pine, I met many wonderful people. There was one particularly religious woman who told the rest of us during a crafts activity: “You don’t need money, All you need is Jesus”. Being a non-believer, I couldn’t resist a little humor at her expense, and I said “ Well it’s kind of hard to spend Jesus at a strip club!” we all laughed, but not her…

At the time, I had no idea how wrong and how right I was. I was very wrong to persecute her for her beliefs, and also, what I did not know was:, IF YOU HAVE JESUS, YOU DON’T NEED A STRIP CLUB! I have since asked for forgiveness from God for that remark as well as many other similar ones I have made in my lifetime.

As a matter of fact, I used to regularly persecute and ridicule those I called “Jesus Freaks” and “Bible Bangers”. I would consider them weak, ignorant, annoying, and most of all hypocritical. I also thought they were all the same. I now know that Christianity has many “True Believers” who are strong, intelligent, interesting, and free from hypocrisy.

I will say that over the past several months, I have often referred to myself with joy and happiness as a “FULL-ON JESUS-FREAK” I belong, I feel welcome, I feel special, and I have never felt better in my life.

I don’t really consider myself a “Bible-Banger”, but I would not mind being called a “Bible-Nudger” or a “Bible-Whisperer”. Regardless, I am now open-game for persecution, and I look forward to taking on the enemy as a true soldier and servant of God!

The devil does not attack us in strip clubs, bars, and casinos. He owns those places, and conspires to create trendy or fashionable styles which undermine “True Faith”. The devil attacks us in our dreams, our cars, our homes, our schools, and believe-it-or-not, the devil attacks us in our churches! We must be very discerning about what we believe, even in church. If there is no basis in the Word, you are probably being deceived. While the “True Believers” are probably a minority among all church-goers, I no longer categorically dismiss them. All church-goers are not hypocrites, all lawyers are not evil, all men are not sex-fiends, and all inner-city residents are not criminals. I ask the Lord almost daily to help me see beyond my stereotypes in all people, because we are all equally deserving of His love.

One more quick note on the Devil. Satan really gets fired-up when you get closer to the truth. If you start noticing coincidences, strange messages, and other seemingly supernatural events, be objective and realize that the Devil will shout to get your attention away from God & the Truth. I suggest you seek guidance from a pastor instead of jumping to conclusions. I mention this because I have been tricked many times, and I am certain I have more battles to come.

Once I got out of the mental hospital, my life stresses were back, but I was now partially prepared to handle them. My first week out, I had an appointment with a substance abuse therapist. The first thing he did was question my religious beliefs. I was furious! I almost stormed out, never to return, but suddenly I felt calm, and told him that I would try to be open-minded. My therapist also decided to keep things secular. I think he realized my fierce defiance to organized religion. The second week, he recommended to me a secular self-improvement book. I read the book titled “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. I loved the book, it was the best book I had ever read, I told everyone about it, and it introduced me to many wonderful topics including personal spirituality. But at the end of the book, I found out the author was a Christian! That Tricky therapist! Well, that didn’t make me a Christian… yet!

While reading that book, which took several weeks, an old work colleague and neighbor by the name of Steve Niswonger Sr. stopped by to see me. As a fellow engineer, I had admired Steve and his son Steve Jr. for their intelligence, likeability, and pleasant demeanor. I also knew that they had started their own company and might have some leads on jobs. Then he started talking about church! I thought to myself, Not again! Well, I missed the healthy social interaction from the hospital and also thought there may be some single young ladies at church, so I decided to give it a try.

That Sunday was Mothers’ day. Mom, I guess you got more than flowers. I voluntarily went to church for the first time in my life. I was brought up Catholic, but I don’t recall ever going to church voluntarily. I dressed up in my best suit and found out that I was the only person here with a last name other than Niswonger! So much for those ladies!

The church service was quite pleasant. The Niswongers were friendly. And I could not detect the faintest hint of hypocrisy. I decided to come back. I wasn’t hooked, but it was better than loneliness.

I gave a long-time friend, EJ Schwanbeck, a call shortly after that. EJ has been a faithful and devoted Christian the whole 20 years or so I have known him. I told him to sit down. I think he still fell over when I told him I had been to church. I think he was nearly as happy about my revelation as when he married his wonderful wife Shannon, or when they had their adorable daughter Morgan. He has been and continues to be an inspiration to me. I apologize for saying to him that religion is a crutch so many years ago. I thank you, EJ, for your faith, your inspiration, and your prayers.


Also around that time, I ran into an old high school neighbor, Steve Simmet, at his garage sale in Lathrup Park. My dad was interested in some scaffold levelers that Steve was selling, but I didn’t get back with Steve until I ran into him and his wife Stephanie while I was bicycling in their neighborhood a week or so later. Out of the blue, Stef invited me to a cookout on the Sunday before Memorial day. I didn’t really know Steve that well, but I thought that perhaps Stef had some cute friends, so I thought Why Not? Well, there were two couples, three children, and me at the cookout. Strike two, or so I thought. I ended up sharing my story, and Stephanie invited me to check out a bible study and church service at Peace Lutheran Church.

I decided to check out the bible-study called “The Source”. Finally!!! there were some attractive single ladies. The strange thing was, I was so thrilled by the topic that I forgot all about the ladies. I met Kevin and Nikki Hofman, and I was mesmerized by their story of the spiritual healing of their unborn daughter Kiersten. Contrary to the best medical science available, they prayed and fought and believed and thanked the Lord for their healthy baby girl. They had true faith in her health even before the birth. They chose to disagree with science, and their faith was justly rewarded. They have a healthy daughter who just celebrated her first birthday. They don’t brag. They don’t badmouth anyone. They are definitely not hypocrites. They are loving parents. Hearing and seeing them is the highpoint of my week. They were pivotal to this day, the highpoint of my life. Thank you Stephanie, for letting the Holy Spirit work through you, and a blessed Thank you to the Hofman’s, Kevin, Nikki, and Kiersten for being the most spectacular rainbow I have ever witnessed.

I tell everyone I meet. You have to come. You must see. It’s like visiting the Grand Canyon in a church basement!!!

Admittedly, I was blown away by this bible study, but I still had some loose ends about how Christianity really worked. My therapist suggested some books by a popular author named C.S. Lewis. CS Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, and is known as a particularly insightful man who turned from atheism to Christianity. I read his book “Mere Christianity” and I found again, THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ!!! If you think Christianity is full of holes and loose ends, read this book. It stitched up the holes and answered every argument I had against Faith. I was hooked!

Since I had begun to refer to myself as a fledgling believer, my awesome therapist suggested a Christian Faith-based 12-step recovery program for help in remaining free of drugs. This incredible program is called Celebrate Recovery, and it meets on Tuesdays here in Saginaw at the New Life Christian Fellowship church on Shattuck near Lawndale. There are other meetings in both Midland and Bay City on other days. Pete Diaz, who just celebrated a very significant milestone in his recovery, started and leads the program. I thank Pete and his wife Sookie for their significant efforts to help many people as well as myself.

This program is totally positive and encompasses recovery from drugs, alcohol, co-dependency, sexual addiction, pornography, anger, depression, overeating, and the list continues to grow. Celebrate Recovery helps to free its members from sin in all its various manifestations. It was through the discussions within Celebrate Recovery that I realized that my drug abuses were driven primarily by my addiction to pornography. The other secular recovery programs help thousands of people every day, but they would have only given me a temporary fix and not my current everlasting success.

While I was beginning to realize how big my pornography problem was, I would pray to God for strength, signs, and assistance in my spiritual growth. Well, he came through for me in many ways.

For example, I have lived in my house on Thistle Drive for ten years and up until a month or two ago, the power has only been out for maybe ten seconds in that ten years. On the evening of Friday, the 27th of June, I was about to view my favorite adult DVD, and suddenly the power went out for several hours. Oh well, I thought, there’s always tomorrow. Saturday came, I went to our church cookout, and then went home planning to watch that DVD. I remembered that I had promised to trim the rosebush on the West side of the church, and since the next day was Sunday, I decided to prune the rosebush first. While pruning that rosebush, some very strange things occurred, I was confronted by a stranger who cautioned me about baptism, a very sudden and strong wind blew up, I started saying “Our Father’s” back to back because I was quite freaked out, then a loud bang occurred, and the wind died back down. I quickly finished pruning the rosebush and returned to my house.

There were people out on the street everywhere, I had no idea why. I went inside my house to find the power out. No porn again tonight, I said to myself. I went outside to find that a tree-limb, across the street from my house, had fallen on the power lines. This tree had been professionally trimmed the year before, but All-Powerful really means All-Powerful.

This power outage caused Steve Niswonger Jr. to lose his sermon for the next day on his computer. I think he gave his best sermon that next day, he went off notes and let the Holy Spirit speak through him. I got chills and was brought almost to tears several times.

I am getting a little ahead of the story, so on Sunday morning, the power was still out. Church starts at 10am, and at 9:40 I was preparing to take a shower in the dark, and then… the power came on. I showered and got to church to hear Steve Jr’s awesome sermon.

Now I said on my invitation that I don’t need money, I did that to prevent this day from being corrupted by my greed. I am still weak and composed of flesh. And I really don’t have much money. I tell you this because at that particular service, I was planning to contribute 10 dollars to the church collection, but I only had a 20 dollar bill. It has been over 20 years since a 20 dollar bill meant a lot to me. It means a lot to me right now, but I so enjoyed the service and fellowship that I gave the 20.

I am getting to the point shortly, but there is quite a bit of set-up so please bear with me.

Anyway, later that Sunday I wanted to purchase some inexpensive cologne, so I walked up to Walgreens at State & Center to see what they had. The colognes I was interested in were 32 dollars and I couldn’t justify that in my current financial state. I decided to walk down to the new Rite-Aid in Green Acres Plaza and see if they had a more inexpensive selection. While walking out, I noticed an attractive woman bending down to check out some make-up. Her pants were coming down a bit, reminiscent of a plumber’s, but far more enticing. I stared and had a few moments of guilty pleasure. I felt bad, I felt weak, I felt dirty, and as I exited the store for the first time in my adult life, I asked the Lord for forgiveness. I asked him to forgive my transgression in that store. I took several steps toward Rite-Aid, looked down and saw a crisp new 10 dollar bill lying beside some trash.

Wow… WOW! Did that really just happen!!! I was amazed!

God made change for me! For Me!!!

God also made change in me! I scratched-up & threw out my adult DVD’s that very night. He gave me the strength to overcome my weakness, and He helped me by knocking out the power to my home, and letting me witness His compassion.

As a finish to the story, I went to Rite-aid, and I bought a bottle of cologne and a bottle of vitamin water for a total of 9 dollars and 96 cents.



I have found purpose and meaning outside of and in spite of society. I will no longer compare myself to others or others to me. We should all strive for the perfection of Jesus Christ and be willing to give our lives, as He did, to save our brothers and sisters of humanity. By giving my life to God, I am now free, free to pursue my dreams without earthly chains. I must also state that my dreams are His Dreams, for all things originate in our Father,

I have a dark past. Today, I am leaving that behind. I will face hardships, loss, and tragedy in the future. I do not fear them or waste time worrying. I live only in the present, because God’s biggest present to us is not our past or future, it is our present, dwelling in Him.



The devil dwelled in me for decades, leaving me depleted, dirty, dark, and depressed.

And now: The Word welcomes me and washes me with a wonderful wellspring of hope and love.

Can I really do this? What makes this possible? How can this be?

It is definitely possible…
- Due to the grace afforded us by the death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
- Due to the faith in God I now have.
- Due to my confessions of sin and asking forgiveness.
- Due to my repentance, or changing my direction away from the shadows of sin and moving toward the Light of God.
- And due to my Baptism where my sinful life will die.
- I will then experience a rebirth and be cleansed, refreshed, and filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can endure with the strength of God’s personal direction both in this world and for all eternity.




Ask… ASK… ASK!!!!

I never used to ask anyone for help. This is a sin of pride or arrogance. I am now able and willing to ask for help. I ask all of you to help me stay on the path of righteousness, but most of all I ask our Heavenly Father for the strength to listen to others.

Please do yourselves a favor and ask God for what you need, and ask in Jesus’ name.

And in closing, I would like to thank then Niswongers for graciously accepting me into their family here at Redemption Ministries, and I would like to thank each and every one of you here today. You lift me up. Thank you.