The Book of Haggai

November 6th, 2006

The Book of Haggai

In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’”

Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.

Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”

The priests answered, “No.”

Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”

“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”

Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the LORD. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’

“‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on… consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.’
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”

The word of the LORD came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his comrade.”

“‘On that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”

A Meaningful Passage

Introduction

There are sixty-six books of the Bible, and of those, I’ve read just about all of them. There are countless scriptures, many touching the being within me, the pull-strings of my heart. The idea of having a favorite passage and sticking to that same passage throughout a lifetime is a wonderful thing. With that being said, I have found it as situations and trials come into play during my life, some passages carry more meaning and impact. The scripture this essay will be focusing upon is James 1:12-15 which says:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

This essay will look into this scripture in its Greek meaning; it will give background information on the writer on what was happening during those times; and it will show why it is so personal to my life right now.

Searching the Scriptures

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.” Before I even start to look at something in the Greek, I like to check things out in the dictionary first. A trial, in this context, is an affliction or trouble or someone going through a distressing or painful state. And with that in mind, the word peirasmos can not only mean trial, but temptation, experiment and prove. The last word, prove, would be unusual verbage in the scripture, but would make good sense and add good light to what is being said which is about a person’s character through a trial. That character is to show how genuine I am by what it is that I do.

Since peirasmos is a Greek word that means both trials and temptations. It is used in the chosen study verse and shows that God does not lead me into sin, but my own sinful desire to do so. When James switches to “tempted” in the next few verses, he doesn’t use peirasmos, but peirazō which means “to test”. God doesn’t me with sinful desires. I do that and it is when I let my sinful desires takeover my life falls apart.

The Bible speaks of three types of situations in what causes a trial. Job experienced a trial which was a testing by the devil. God gave permission for it to happen, but Job was going through some difficult times. Job went so far as to curse the day he was born in Job chapter 3, just to get the book started.

In Ecclesiastes 8:14 it says, “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve.” The good guys get the bad stuff. The good guys get the struggles and the persecution. The bad guys don’t.

In Hebrews, there is a good deal of talk about discipline. In chapter 12:4-11 is a wonderful passage about discipline. It is also a great passage about a trial of perseverance. In verse 6, it talks about if God receives me, he flogs me. And flogging is a trial, at least in my mind.

And so, we have this at work, these three trials: trials brought on by Satan to test me, trials brought on by everyday life, and trials brought on as discipline. And this actually leads into the next part:

Background Information

It is important to note the audience to whom James is writing. He’s writing to a struggling people, though united in Christ and having trust in Him, they have difficulties. A good deal of James’ writing is very, very interesting to me, if not poetic. So when it is noted that James uses aphorisms in synonymous couplets, it makes sense for the feeling of poetry. These are mostly used in the Old Testament, such as Proverbs and Psalms; James would use them sparingly in his book. The verse in question uses this.

Step-sayings are another technique that James’ utilizes. A step-saying is much like taking a number of dominos and standing them on edge and then knocking them over: A leads to B which leads to C then leads to D and so forth. You see this in verse 15 and also in verses 3-4 of Chapter 1. I remember reading other passages in the Bible and seeing similar step-saying patterns. Knowing this will bring those scriptures into a new light when I read them again in the future.

A debate-saying comes in the general formula of: a) ‘Do not say’; b) a quotation; c) a refutation “for” statement. Debate sayings are found in the Old Testament and in my recollection spoken by Jesus in the gospels quite a bit. In the Old Testament, debate-sayings can be found in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. Similarly, Jesus said debate-like-sayings in all four of the gospels using such phrases as ‘why do you’ followed by a generally same formula.

The man that is James is a very interesting person. I’ve studied him on and off over the years. I know he was known by many to be a man of prayer. He would stop and pray constantly and drop to his knees, hence the nickname “Camel-Knees”. The nickname is due to his callused over knees from dropping so hard.

James is the half-brother of Jesus, but in the opening statement it humbles me how he calls himself a servant to God and Jesus Christ. I think about how hard it must be to know that your half brother is the son of God, and yet James was a strong man in the faith. James’ execution was started as a stoning, but then ended up being clubbed to death. His heart for others is so compelling. He died praying for his enemies shortly before the siege of Jerusalem.

There are various arguments as to what sources James used in his book, if any. Some sources say that James is a full account of the Sermon on the Mount out of the book of Matthew, while others say that it doesn’t pull from the book at all and that its source is completely “Q”. Personally, I think there is a strong case for both. James is the half-brother of Jesus. I’m sure he did learn a few things from him growing up since Jesus was the oldest, which would make sense to me for an obvious “Q”. And the Sermon on the Mount, there is obvious similarities between the two when comparing scripture.

Personal Meaning

I’ve had a hard road over the last eight years. My health has come and gone and come again and it really has been tough, to say the least. And I have turned to scripture for comfort for each trial that I have faced. Friends have held my weary arms up. I am reminded that I have a weak body now, but it will be raised with power. Rejoice in the Lord always! My attitude should be that of Christ Jesus. All these scriptures have helped me through my trails and struggles.

James 1:12-15 provides me comfort now, along with the other scriptures. And with the trial that I am currently going through, this pain issue from my toes, legs, arms, and more, I have found that it is important to know that trials are a joy, due to the growth from which they bring about in a person. That’s part of it in my mind. Trials do more than just that show growth.

I’ve learned that trials show what type of relationship I have with God. It exposes that out of me and allows me to either change that in my character or to continue to wallow within myself. This also goes for sin, should sin be involved. I’ve found that when I’m going through a trial or hardship, I have a choice between two basic things:

a) Do I want to draw closer to God for strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?
b) Do I want to turn away from God and turn to something else for possible strength, love, peace, understanding, etc.?

These are questions asked generally in the back of my mind, in my subconscious, but the character of my being does ask them.

I’ve read that there is a war going on in this world. There is a war going on in America. In fact, there is a war going on right here on the campus of Dallas Baptist University. The war I speak of is the battle between good and evil and it is raging ever so much today as it was yesteryear. But the strange thing is that evil is a person’s sinful nature. I create many of my trials. Other trials are given to me specifically from Satan. Still other trials are trials by “facts of life”. And I almost forgot about the “Pruning Trial”, where I am disciplined as a child of God.

The response to the first trial is the same as the last. The response to all of the trials is one and the same and that: Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8). And when this happens, no matter how I or you or anyone feels, it makes easier to be joyful in the heart.

In Closing

James is a solid soldier, a solid writer, and his scriptures that he added to the Bible are impacting to my heart. It was great to study back into the Greek, checking into trial and tempted. Seeing trials from different perspectives in scripture was eye-opening. Learning about his poetic writing style, the synonymous couplets and such, captures his audience then as it does today. His book and the verses within it help me through my tough times. His book gives me hope that even though my life may feel bad and tomorrow may not feel any better, God is still here with me. That’s what matters to me.

Trials

Ecclesiastes 8:14-15
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Job 3:11-13
“Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest.”

Hebrews 12:4-11
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

A Study on James 1:12-15

James 1:12-15
“Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”

James is writing to people who are struggling. Although they are united now to Christ and learning to trust Him, their lives are full of difficulties. How do should they go through their trials as Christians? This is the question James seeks to answer for them, and for us as well.

In the preceding section, James deals with the rich and the poor. Our perception is that the rich, by definition, are immune from trials. James indicates, however, that riches will fade away, they offer no real healing or solution to our trials. We cannot look to wealth as the answer to the trials that we face, though we are tempted to.

Now James returns to the thought with which he began his letter. “Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.” This is parallel to vv.2-4 “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials...”

We certainly do not feel blessed in the midst of trials. In fact, we may wonder if we are cursed. We may wonder in the midst of a trial if it is ever going to end, if there is any real hope that it is going to turn out okay. In v. 12, as earlier, James reminds his readers that there is an end to this time that will be far more glorious than we can imagine in our present circumstances. To endure, like counting it joy, is not something that we do by sheer will power. To endure is to continue to turn to God as our only source of life. It is to count on Him to give us His presence and His peace in the midst of whatever we are facing. And it is to live as if He is working His transforming and redeeming will through this current suffering. It is to wait on Him to give us wisdom and light when all we seem to have to offer Him is our darkness.

Yes, James assures his readers--there is an endpoint. We endure not for the sake of the current chaos, but for the promised resolution. God will bring good out of this, and we count on Him to do this. We await the crown of life which is the same as being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”(v.4)

Sometimes when we are in a trial, we are ambiguous about God. In fact when James speaks of being "double-minded" in vv. 7-8, he could mean our being in two minds about the character of God. We may be tempted to say that since God got me into this mess, it is His fault if I sin. In fact He is tempting me to do evil by leaving me in this difficult circumstance. We are tempted to think that God is double-minded about us! God both promises to help us and tempts us in our difficulties.

James deals with our temptation to see two sides to God here in this passage. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one...”(v.13) When we are in a trial, we are tempted to doubt God’s word and to take matters into our hands. We are tempted to find our meaning, purpose, identity and life elsewhere than in our heavenly Father. But, James assures us, God is never the one tempting us. His purpose in allowing us to walk through the trials of living in the broken world is never to tempt us to not trust Him. Rather, He plans, in spite of it, to enable us to more and more receive the transforming grace He is pouring on us, to make us truly His children.

James leads his readers to see that to say that it is God tempting them in their trials is to misunderstand or misrepresent the very nature and character of God. God is not the tempter just because He chooses at certain times not to be. No. God has no relationship with evil at all. God is never tempted with evil Himself. There is not “dark side” to God. And “he himself tempts no one.” We can be assured that God is consistent, He is not “double-minded” about us. Whatever we are going through and whatever temptations we face, it is wonderful to remember that God is never the one tempting us to see if we will step away from Him. He always and only intends our ultimate good.

So then where does the temptation come from? Who is to blame? James goes on to say that it is our own desire. We are “lured and enticed” by our own desires--our desire to be secure, or free of pain, or well-liked, etc. These desires can lure us to be tempted to find a “quicker” or “more efficient” way to meet those needs and wants that does not come from God or lead to God’s best for us. My desire to be well-liked can tempt me to be deceiving. My desire for security can tempt me to ill-advised moves financially. God of course, wants to meet our desires in the deepest ways, but we are tempted to look elsewhere when we don’t want to wait for God’s best and right solution.

But merely going ahead and acting on a particular temptation presented by our desire is not the end of the story. James wants to show his readers that just as trusting God with our trials leads to perfection, so our succumbing to temptation has an endpoint as well: “desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”

James is warning his readers not to be deceived. Going ahead and succumbing to a temptation now has consequences that go on and that we cannot control. It is interesting that James uses the picture of birth and growth here. There is a development to whatever we do. There are ongoing effects. We do not just live a series of isolated incidents. Our actions have consequences. And the direction that our temptation will take us is eventually death. Now that’s something to ponder. It’s so easy to take lightly our little sins. We fail to see where they will lead us.

James wants to emphatically point out that no one and no other way can give us our identity or our lives. Only God can. The other options out there are not just other forms of slightly lesser lives—no, they all lead to death, non-life.

I have certainly seen the wisdom of James's words in my own life many times. When I have not taken the time to wait on God and be reminded of His character so that I can respond in faith, the end results are never good and often horrible.

As in previous passages, James points us to the truth of God's good and gracious character. He is enabling us to focus again on Him so that we can hand our present circumstances back to Him. He is never toying with us when we are struggling. It is great to remember that God has only one mind about us--He is, as Paul says, totally and completely with his whole Triune being “for us.” (Ro. 8:31)

Found at http://www.trinitystudycenter.com/james/james_1-12-15.php

An E-Mail in Search of Wisdom

October 30th, 2006

An E-Mail in Search of Wisdom

This e-mail was actually sent to me on 10/8/06 and I’ve been sitting on it, pondering it, letting it swirl around in my head for quite a time. The opening sentence is what gets me the most… I don’t believe I’m a wise person, but evidently Susan does, since she sent this directly to me, so she values my thoughts on the matter. I would appreciate it for those who I send this to, to read it over, and if you have any thoughts, to maybe send her an e-mail as well. You don’t have to, that’s your decision. After reading this over about a good two dozen times and praying about this, whether this is spam or not, I think it will still make for a great quiet time all the same.

Dear Church of Christ men,

If you believe you are a wise person, can you please help me with this scenario of conflict?

John owned a new house worth $200,000.00 and he was renting it to a friend (Doug) in the church.

One day Doug asked John if he could buy the house and so John agreed.

Because Doug was new to the country John decided to give him $30,000.00 off of the appraised value.

So the price was set at $170,000.00 and they agreed to the deal.

Because they were friends, John and Doug did not set a specific date for when Doug would need to obtain financing but John was expecting it to be 3 to 6 months at most.

However as time went on, Doug was unable to get financing but John was not concerned because they were good friends and he assumed that Doug would respect that properties do appreciate in value.

But then 1 and ½ years later, (when John and Doug were not as good friends anymore) Doug obtained adequate financing.

However, now the house had been appraised at $270,000.00.

Doug then went to John and insisted that he sell the house to him for $170,000.00.

John felt that the $30,000.00 that he had already given him was a very generous gift, and that Doug should really take into consideration that houses and land appreciate in value.

Doug strongly felt John was in the wrong.

Here are my questions:

1. Is greed involved here?
2. Could they both be greedy?
3. In your opinion which one more, Doug or John?
4. Is it possible for a person to be greedy and not know it?
5. If so, how can God condemn the greedy?
6. In short, how could this situation be resolved?

If you feel you have a clear answer to this situation, could you please email me, but please if possible, don’t email me without first sending this to someone else who you feel is wise - you must know someone. I would really like as many replies as possible to obtain a “FAIR” evaluation.

Please reply in the 1. 2. 3. Format

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help.

Susan.
wisdomplease@shaw.ca
(All names assumed for privacy)

I personally feel there is way more to this story than what is given. I am not a lawyer or a judge, so I don’t know what an official would say. But I do know a little scripture, and that’s what I will address this with…

“If you believe you are a wise person…”

Isaiah 5:21
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Proverbs 28:11
A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

“…when John and Doug were not as good friends anymore…”
This is a curious statement. Why are they not good friends anymore? Doug is still renting from John, so they still have monthly contact with each other, at least for rent. Hopefully, John and Doug are both faithfully going to church, so they have that contact as well. Something doesn’t seem right… there’s some information that is missing here.

1. Is greed involved here?
Maybe. Then again, maybe not. It could be a problem with undisclosed assumptions. John assumed but didn’t tell Doug things. Doug assumed but didn’t tell John things. As a result, feathers became ruffled, and what was already a failing friendship just became a bit tougher. Which of the two is going to be the bigger person?
2. Could they both be greedy?
Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
3. In your opinion which one more, Doug or John?
If greed is involved, which I can’t say that it was based on the information given (it’s a pretty short synopsis), I would say it was even-steven. But I don’t think greed was the real issue. I think it boils down to expectations not being lined out or voiced and a friendship that has grown distant and maybe hard feelings by a lack of love by one or both parties.
4. Is it possible for a person to be greedy and not know it?
Yes. Ignorance is not necessarily bliss.
5. If so, how can God condemn the greedy?
That’s a strange question. Matthew 19, Mark 10 and Luke 18 all discuss how greed can make it hard for a person who has wealth to make it to heaven. Mark 7:20-22 says, “He went on: What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” And then there is Luke 12. And in that chapter one verse really sums up everything: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
6. In short, how could this situation be resolved?
Matthew 5:21-26
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But 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.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

This is good, but the real issue is the two greatest commands. John and Doug need to be resolved with each other, I am sure anger has settled in between the two.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So how can this situation be resolved? How can many situations be prevented/resolved? Love God with every ounce of my being, or in this case, John and Doug love God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind. And then, to love each other as they would love themselves. Hypothetical or not, they come to talk to each other with a humble heart, a loving heart for God and each other, then it should be resolved fairly quickly.

And then, there is also Matthew 18.

I think this was fun. I don’t know if I did all that good a job with addressing the questions, but I did enjoy studying the scriptures. It was nice to break away from crushing my brain into commentaries and M’s, L’s, J’s and Q’s… it’s just a great feeling. And now, I have to go back to squishing my brain into these things. I will say this, I am learning a lot, but I really miss doing my Quiet Times the way that I was doing them before. Hopefully, soon, I can get back to doing them that way. Johnny Out.