Is suicide ever an option for believers?

 If you gave yourself life,

then you might be able to argue for your right to end it.

Might.

2011-08-10 Is suicide an option?

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

(2007)CDC Stats – Suicide is about the 4^th most common cause of death in the US. More people die from suicide than diabetes, HIV, or homicides. Does anyone else find that ironic that more people kill themselves than are killed by others?  Yes, suicide is a problem.

Don't just think of suicide as something for “sad” kids.

Here other reasons given for suicide (taken from letters, notes, videos, and pre-suicide counseling):

Depression, Family Disruptions, Escape,

Coping with Loss, Guilt, Attention,

Manipulation , Love, Revenge, Impulsiveness

We are complicated beings, with complicated lives, and hearts that feel joy AND pain deeply.

Often, thoughts of suicide include multiple reasons that feel stacked together and overwhelming.

This is why suicide cannot remain an "unspoken" problem.  Who better to address suicide than God?  The Bible has many instances of suicide and suicidal people:  GET YOUR BIBLE and look these up –

Ps. 73:13,14   – The writer here sounds like he is fed up with trying to live a good life when it does not seem to matter.  Sounds like me sometimes!  Read the rest and see what else is said.

Job 3:3 – After losing all his wealth, all 10 of his children, and even his own health, Job sounds pretty depressed.  Who wouldn't?  BUT, and this is a big "but," Job does not run away from God or give up.  He goes so far as to even say that "though he [God] slay me, yet will I trust him."  Suicide was not an option for Job, even though his own wife encouraged it, "Curse God and die!"

Here are many places where the Bible details people who committed suicide:

Judges 16:29-30 Samson  

1 Ch 10:4-5 Saul

2 Sam 17:23 Ahithophel

1 Kings 16:18 Zimri

Matt 27:45 Judas

Suicide is not something the Bible covers up, but it is never something approved of or encouraged by God.

The key message of the Bible might be summed up in this:

LIVE for God, or maybe Give your life to God.  Quite different than taking your own life.

3 Questions to answer:

1. Does suicide send people to hell?

2. Is suicide ever an option for believers?

3. How should we deal with suicide?

1. Does suicide send people to hell?

No. Unbelief sends people to hell. Unbelief results in not obeying God. If you do not believe in the God revealed in the Bible, you will not do what the God of the Bible asks you to do.

Hell is for people who do not believe.

Suicide does not automatically send anyone to hell.

Suicide is not the “unpardonable sin:” unbelief is.

Does suicide send people to hell? No.

2. Is suicide ever an option for believers?

No. Many times over, the Bible gives us story after story, example after example, of godly people doing right BUT STILL SUFFERING.

God expects you to trust him.

Following Jesus means trusting God like Jesus did, even when God deals you hard things.

You may remain depressed for your entire life or suffer from a painful disease, but that is the life God expects you to live out IN FAITH.  God wants your trust that HE is God and HE knows best what you need.

Your family pain, your social pains, your physical and mental pains are never an excuse for you to take control of your life, or end your life.

To be a believer is to surrender control of your life.

This is why suicide is an act of selfishness.

Suicide is you trying to get away from the life you are stuck in. God says, “Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest . . .”

No rest in your life? Consider whether or not you are close enough to Jesus.

It takes more to live for God, than die for self.

3. How should we deal with suicide?

GET HELP!  You should not live with this pain all alone.

If you ever hear someone else talking about suicide, then report it to someone who you think can help.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

In ourselves we need to remember that there will always be hard times and dark nights when there seems to be no hope. This is why all of your habits, all of your songs, all of your friends, all of your “good times” need to put God in your heart. Then you will not forget the truth that God wants to help.

In others, remember to Listen and Love. People don't always want answers; they want someone to hear.  You taking the time to listen can really help somone remember and feel like they are not alone.

Prov. 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . . Lean not on your own understanding . . . In all your ways acknowledge Him . . . and He will direct your paths.

Becareful not to jump to the end of that passage and expect God to show up in your life if you are not doing the other parts: TRUST, LEAN, ACKNOWLEDGE.  God is very concerned about your soul.

Talk to Him about it.

2010-02-24 Revenge

Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus reveals God to humankind.

The pinnacle of his life was his death, burial, and resurrection.

More than anything else, HIS PASSION, revealed that God is a God of Justice, Truth, Mercy, and Grace.

Jesus reveals God to humankind.

The end of his life was the exclamation point, but everything thing he said /did along the way was building up to the cross.

Jesus did not mess around, or waste his words, or relax (think about nothing). Everything had meaning because he was doing what God the Father wanted, and God never rests or stops reaching out to humans.

We are still examining Jesus' first major public lecture, the Sermon on the Mount.

So far, Jesus has warned everyone about the kingdom of God, murder, adultery, and lying. Tonight he goes into your personal space, in your face, with a teaching that is challenging.

Matthew 5:38, Jesus begins,

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person.

The Old Testament allowed for revenge in personal matters, whether accidental or purposeful.

At the time, this was a good thing because it limited revenge and set a tone of finality in personal injury issues.

If someone hurt you, then they had to pay for it.  Revenge may not be the best word for it.

Old Testament revenge was more about retribution and justice.

2 ways to pay in the Old Testament:

1. Suffer identical physical loss

2. Pay money to compensate the person who was injured.

God was teaching temperance. Justice was the point, not revenge. This is where Jesus steps in to expand upon something that the people had forgotten about.

People were using the teachings of the Old Testament to justify their own anger and desire to FIGHT for their own personal rights. 

Yes, God wanted justice, but God also wanted MERCY.

Later, Jesus refers to mercy as a weightier matter than the justice that people were always expecting.

Jesus says to not seek revenge.

Do not resist an evil person. Jesus gives 4 examples to clarify what he was talking about.

Notice that these examples are not all inclusive, they are specific and limited to instances of personal attack.

AGAIN – this is about personal matters. 

Jesus does not say, let evil do whatever it wants at all times.

Jesus is addressing personal revenge, that feeling of rage and anger that wells up within us to not only get even, but get more.

Example 1 – whack attack

If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other.

Jesus expects you to end the fight.

Jesus expects you to not start the fight.

Jesus expects you to not strike back in revenge. Peacemaker.

Example 2 – wallet attack

And if someone wants to sue you and take your sweater, let him have your jacket as well.

Jesus expects you to end disputes on your own.

Jesus expects you to give up some rights.

Jesus expects you to not cling to stuff, money, or possessions.

If giving up your coat can end a dispute, give it up. Peacemaker.

Example 3 – warrior attack

If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

Jesus expects you to go beyond what is required.

How could a Christian talk about God to a Roman and really love that Roman and show it? Go an extra mile. Peacemaker.

Example 4 –

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Jesus expects you to have compassion.

Jesus expects you to be a helper in this world, and not helpless.

Jesus wants the world to turn to his people and get their needs met.

Balance this out with later New Testament teachings about widows and work.

Young widows were expected to remarry or work and support themselves. They were not allowed to be taken care of the same way the church took care of an older, truly needy widow.

In the Epistles it is taught that if a man does not work, he should not eat.

If some young dude comes here asking to borrow money, I'll point blank ask him why he can't take care of himself.

Then I ask him about asking his family first, and then his friends, and then changing his lifestyle. Stop wasting the money you do have on gambling, porn, smoking, and drinking and then the church will help you meet your true need.

The truly needy people are those whose house just burned down or got flooded.

The truly needy people are the kids starving in Haiti, being sexually exploited in Thailand, and getting sold into slavery in India.

Are you, as a follower of Christ giving to those in need?

This is a world of pain and suffering.

Jesus wants his people to be the peacemakers.

Will you lay down your rights to make peace?

2010-02-10 Adultery

Before we dive head first into what Jesus has to say, I want to rewind a couple of weeks to mark the target for this incoming bomb from Jesus.

Previously, Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Those who are starving and thirsting for GOD will get all of Him that they need.

Jesus goes from the physical side of life into the spiritual side of life.

God wants us to be spiritual, and connected with him through all of life.

With that in mind, and merely seconds later, Jesus goes from spiritual ideals about righteousness, and the kingdom of heaven, and being merciful AND STARTS stepping on toes.

Stepping doesn't cut it: Jesus breaks some toes, and feet, and ankles, and a few legs when he looks at the crowd before him and says,

“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27,28

For hundreds of years these people and their descendants were thinking ACT RIGHT, BE RIGHT, but Jesus totally puts it back the way God intended it:

BE RIGHT, ACT RIGHT.

People always tend to focus on outward actions first, in order to correct the inward life.

Jesus reminds us of the truth: Outward can look right, but inward can be wrong.

Inward first, outward second.

Heart change first, life change second.

Want right, do right. Devotion before motion.

Pure mind before pure action.

All sexual sin comes down to self gratification. This begins as an inward sin.

Suppose your right eye could do something worthy of hell. Wouldn't it be better to pull it out, suffer some loss, but inherit heaven?

If you know where the problem is, then you should do whatever it takes to fix it.

If you know you are going to hell because of your right hand, then you should chop it off.

You can't fix the problem until you know where the problem is.

BUT the problem is not the eye or the hand – it is your heart.

Jesus says, the guilt for all sin comes from the inside first – the wanting more than you have.

Tonight it is adultery – wanting sex from someone you are not married to.

“But she's not married” – she is someone else's, maybe not now, but eventually

“But he's my boyfriend” – but not your husband, so he's probably someone else's, eventually

“But we love each other” – no marriage means no love, no marriage commitment means you really don't love each other.

There is a price to be paid for sex, and it involves all of you being given to the other person, not just sexually.

You cannot serve 2 masters. God or self?

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Guilty.

We all fail this simple test, and it proves how much we NEED the forgiveness that God offers. 

Jesus is showing everyone they are guilty before God.

Do you understand how much you need forgiveness?

Now is a good time to say thank you for the cross. 

2010-02-03 Murder

Matthew 5:22

For over 400 years, God's people had heard things watered down, argued, explained, and justified for so long that they accepted it as normal.

Jesus came along and blasted the status quo.

The most “pressing” or “urgent” thing that the Jews were dealing with was oppression under Rome.

Rome was occupying and controlling the Holy Land. Any good Messiah would change this instantly, right?

Not Jesus. He did not come with an agenda to change who ruled the lands.

Jesus was out to change who ruled the heart.

People wanted to be free from the Romans.

Jesus wanted people free from their sinful selves.

People wanted the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Jesus wanted the the people to have the kingdom of heaven within.

This rule of God was personal and spiritual.

This rule of God put Him in charge of you.

This rule of God was a heart issue, and Jesus knew that everyone had a heart problem.

Like a good surgeon, Jesus cut straight to the issue and began working it out, in all its blackness and evil, in order to hold it up publicly for everyone to see.

Heart surgery, or rather, a transplant, was what Jesus was after.

Jesus holds up a human heart and declares in Matthew 5:21, 22, “You have heard that it was said, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.

Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

2 examples to make one point.

The first parallel is extreme:

- murder someone and you get punished

- be angry with someone and get punished

Outward murder deserves punishment.

Inward murder deserves punishment.

The same punishment, judgment, is handed out for BOTH the outward and inward act of murder.

The second parallel is more common:

- publicly slander someone and face judgment

- privately insult someone and face judgment

Outward hatred deserves judgment.

Inward hatred deserves judgment.

Jesus is telling people that what the inward you does is just as important as what the outward you does.

The inward you is more important to God than just the outward you.

FYI – we are all murderers at heart, and deserve hell.

We live in a world of inward secrets and outward lies.

God sees through that, and commands HIS people to change from the inside out.

Our outward life needs to match our inward life.

Who do you need to apologize to? No texting.Do it face to face.

Who do you need to clear things up with? Be personal. Clean up your murderous ways.

Who do you need to forgive? Do your part, let God in to do some personal renovations in your own life.

2010-01-27 Righteousness

Matthew 5:6

You'll need an index card and a pen.

Write your name on the card, small, and legibly.

Don't get distracted and write embarrassing things on the card, you'd hate it if someone used it against you.

Here's what I need you to do.

Listen to all the instructions before you begin.

Leave one side blank.

On the side you wrote your name on, I want you to write down everything you ate or drank today, and to the side make an estimate of the time you spent eating or drinking that item. Include driving time, chewing time, waiting in line time, or cooking time.

On the back side of the card, the blank side, number 1-5: 1.Sleeping, 2.Eating, 3.School, 4.Sports/Band/Debate/Online time, 5.God time

JESUS says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6

How hungry are you for God?

I mean really hungry. I mean you actually have pain from being so desperate. So hungry that it affects the way you feel. So hungry that you make plans to feed yourself BEFORE you are even in need of food or water.

Looking at our cards, and the way we spend our hours, and the way we feed ourselves. Who can say they meet Jesus' statement?

Do you want Jesus to fill you with himself, with meaning, with purpose, with passion, with spirit filled power and determination to do right, live right, speak right, and have no fear of death and have no risk of depression or abandonment or abuse?

Do want total security and safety?

You will only be filled IF you really want it.

Looking at your card, do you want God as much or more than, or less than food and drink?

Do you spend more money on food than you give to God? You shouldn't.

So much of your life is just going into the trash or toilet – wasted, empty, hollow, meaningless.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

God, please help me to want you more.

Help me to see my need.

Help me to be so sick of the way that I am, that I pray to you more everyday to change me, and my friends, and my family. Please make me hunger for truth, you.

 

God wants to fill you with answers and meaning, but you need to want it.

Are you hungry for God and his righteousness?

What does hungry look like? Laundry love, Planet Wisdom, camp, manna worldwide, food drive, bible reading, praying, YWCA, notes, serving, doing, giving – - – looking for God everywhere – - and finding Him. Hunger for God.

Hungry looks like going to bed at a respectable hour so you can make it to church the next day.

Hungry looks like you controlling your life, and not something else controlling you.

If you want God, live like it. 

2010-01-20

Forgiven

Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; Matt. 9:2

Jesus came to preach . . .

. . . the kingdom of heaven was near

. . . the poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven

. . . sternly

Jesus pulled no punches.

Jesus has peeps, thousands in fact, and it is becoming increasingly hard to get near him. The disciples begin acting like his presidential cabinet and secret service rolled into one. Jesus is really popular, interesting, and amazing. Sometimes magnetic, sometimes polarizing.

The crowds around him are mixed. Some are already calling him the Messiah. Some just want to be healed. Some are just waiting for him to fall, or make some kind of mistake so they can discredit him.

Here is the situation tonight:

Jesus is teaching in a house. People are packed within, and without. Four men are carrying their sick friend, but they cannot get into the house, where Jesus, and healing are to be found.  The four men carry their friend to the roof, and begin tearing a hole in the roof. They then lower their friend into the room where Jesus is teaching.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

Is that what the four friends wanted to hear?

Is that what the disciples expected to hear?

Is that what the sick man wanted to hear?

I'm warning you, Jesus DOES NOT fit your mold for him.

C.S. Lewis captures this at the end of one of the Narnia books when Aslyan, that victorious, kingly lion is walking off into the sunset. The kids want him to stay, but they are reminded that Aslyan, a picture of Jesus Christ, is wild, and no one can control him. Jesus does God's will to the point of isolation.

Jesus is not a genie out to grant your wishes.

Jesus is the HOLY SON OF GOD, who does what God wants. Don't you dare get upset with God because your life is not going the way you want it to.

Chances are 100% that you and some other people along the way made decisions that got you where you are today. That is the sad news. The good news is that you can change the direction of your life.

Fix everything, NO way. Fix the important thing, YOU bet.

“Son, your sins are forgiven.” But the story doesn't end.

Everyone was stunned. Some were silent.

The religious teachers said to themselves, “This is blasphemy. Only God can forgive sin.”

Jesus, knowing their thoughts!, responds,

“Is it easier to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Rise up and walk?'” Tell me, which is easier? Words or action?

“So that you may know that I have power to forgive sin, 'Rise, take your mat, and go home!'”

AND HE DID!

Jesus is showing divinity. Teacher, no. Prophet, no. God, yes.

“We've never seen this before!” Duh, no one has.

Jesus has, and can do some very miraculous things, but don't you dare forget THE MOST PHENOMENAL thing that Jesus does: HE alone offers forgiveness.

Only Jesus can make us right with God.

Only Jesus can change our direction.

Only Jesus can give you a new heart.

Only Jesus can know all there is to know about you, and love you anyway.

Jesus is not always who you want him to be; he is more.

I am asking you to give this God your life; not some, all.

2010-01-13

Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35

Sternly

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”

 

Our lesson is not so much about what Jesus said, but everything else surrounding this statement.

Read Mark 1:21-28 for the complete situation and context.

First, I like how distinctly different Jesus' teachings are from everyone else. Like he knows what he is talking about.

Second, I like the response of the demon. The demon is genuinely afraid of Jesus, and addresses him with his full title. How often do we remember ALL that Jesus is when we talk about him?

Third, I like how everyone, friend and foe, is amazed by what Jesus does, even if they don't understand it.

People are thinking, “Like, wow. This Jesus guy kicks demonic butts, and takes no lip.”  FYI – he didn't even break a sweat.

Things we can learn:

- Jesus is more than a just a dude from Nazareth, he is not your homeboy

- Jesus has some mystery in his identity, more of this truth will come later

- Jesus is pushing an agenda that does not include promoting himself. He gets attention without trying.

- Jesus still speaks sternly in believer's lives.

 

Jesus was not a push over, and HE remains the defining force in a believer's life.

It is this power and force of Jesus that gives us the power and ability to say no to sin in our lives.

Jesus in you allows you to control your mouth. To curse is to reveal that you lack control in your life. To speak the truth is to reveal the control of Jesus in you. It is not about only stopping, it also involves doing.

Jesus in you allows you to avoid being controlled by drugs, alcohol, sex, or violence. To be addicted to anything is to reveal that you are mastered by something other than God. Stop it, but start something to replace it.

To worship and give money to God and to serve the needy is to reveal the control of Jesus in your life.

Jesus still speaks sternly today.

He can speak sternly TO you or THROUGH you.

When you sin and guilt hits you, or shame, that is God reminding you that you need him. Stop living for self.

Sometimes Jesus has to speak sternly to us to remind us that He is God, not us.

How do you recover?

You confess, repent, fix it, and do right.

That is Jesus speaking sternly TO you.

You need to grow up to where he can speak sternly THROUGH you. Not mean, but firm.

Jesus wants you to stand up for the truth, speak it, and defend it. How awesome would it be if Jesus spoke sternly THROUGH you?

There is the stop factor, but there is also the go factor.

Did Jesus intend for this possessed man to just go now and live life any way he wanted?

God expects us to take life and aim it, live it, right back at Him. 

2010-01-06

Matthew 5:3

Poor in Spirit

In Matthew 5:3, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

To paraphrase a-la-craigo, "Forget about your life – aim for God!"

Jesus kicked off his public ministry by preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

The kingdom of heaven is what we all need: the rule and reign of God over our lives, in our hearts to the point that God is truly our King and Savior.

The kingdom of heaven is God's answer to our need. We need acceptance, peace, unconditional love, and meaning, and security, and hope, and assurance that we are meant for more than this.

SO, Jesus offers the kingdom of heaven.

The next logical question then is,

“How do I get the kingdom of heaven?”

Repent – that was the action. Now the attitude -

Jesus' answer, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The people who GET what God has to offer, “heaven,” are the people who know they need it.

Poor in spirit means you know you are needy.

Poor in spirit means more than you are unhappy with your life, it means you hate your life.

Most people are unhappy with life, but they don't HATE it enough to change it.

Poor in spirit means you hate the way you are, and you WANT what God has to offer.

Poor in spirit is an attitude of brokenness that we all taste from time to time, but very few people live that way everyday.

Poor in spirit remembers EVERYDAY what a failure we are, how messed up we are, how insignificant we really are, how hopeless we really are – HOW NEEDY we are for God.

Needy, desperate, empty, hopeless, dead -

Jesus says these are the people who find God, those who need Him.

It seems like a paradox, two truths that can't go together: hopeless and blessed.

Really it is simply seeing how broken you are, and coming to God to be fixed.

Poor in spirit is not an experience, it is a lifestyle.

How poor is your spirit?

Ever disgusted yourself by doing something stupid, or shameful, or just flat out embarrassing? Take that feeling of failure, and wake up that way everyday – realizing that without God you are a failure, especially if everything looks good.

That is poor in spirit. That brings the kingdom of heaven very near: where we need it.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.     Come Thou Fount by Robert Robinson

2009-09-02 Day 18

from The Purpose Driven Life

I need BELIEVERS in my life. (so do you)

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. Colossians 3:15

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1

Life is meant to be shared.

God intends for us to experience life together.

The Bible calls this shared life fellowship.

Fellowship is more than just showing up for church, it is really living life together.

You can't live life together if you don't spend time together.

Spending time with other believers means learning the Bible together, asking questions and getting answers together, praying together, hurting and crying together, celebrating and laughing together, serving and helping together.

Fellowship leads to authenticity; people see who you really are, and learn to like you like that.

Fellowship means people get to know your problems.

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. James 5:16

Fellowship leads to sympathy. You gain new family members to help you through your pain. Many people will help you IN your pain, but how many stick with you THROUGH it?

God intends for you to be part of a church, sharing life with other believers, and learning how valuable fellowship is.

Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

The law of Christ is this:

1. Love God

2. Love other people, starting with the church

What one step can you take now to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart to heart level?

Family member a believer?

Pray with a counselor?

Echo group?

Just get your body to church every week, and see what happens!  Church is not an option, it is expected.

2009-08-19 Day 17

from The Purpose Driven Life

You are called to belong, not just believe.

How important is it to believe the Bible?

James 2:19 – Even the demons believe, so how are you different?

How are you different from God's enemies?

The difference is commitment to God's plan and leadership.

God tests your level of commitment by calling you into an “assembly” of other believers.

These “assemblies” of believers are what we call churches.

God's plan for your life involves you belonging,

not just believing.

Romans 12:5 We who are many form one body,

and we all belong to one another.

Think of the groups that you are a member of.

These memberships don't make you fit, athletic, famous, or intelligent until you get involved.

Membership in God's family requires involvement for you to have a healthy life, but it also means something different than the usual idea of membership.

The Bible tells us that God's assembly (the church) is a body. We are the body of Jesus Christ here on the earth.

What happens when a body part is cut off and left alone?

The same thing happens in your spiritual life when you live without being involved in God's assembly.

The difference between God's enemies and friends is not belief.

God's ultimate enemies and friends believe He exists.

The difference is a commitment to live by and follow God's plan and leadership. God started the church, and expects you to be a part of it.

How committed are you to God's family, this church?

How committed are you to God's leadership?

God expects you to follow his lead.  How are you doing? 

These are your responsibilities: Parents, jobs, music, movies – to name a few.

Now, go forth and belong, not just believe.