Tag: lying

The Man Of God From Judah

Neal Pollard

THE OBEDIENT MAN OF GOD FROM JUDAH

To me, maybe the most fascinating and mysterious person of this entire time period is the focus of 1 Kings 13. His name is not revealed, but he is simply said to be “a man of God from Judah” (1). His story is utterly tragic and serves as a reminder of how important steadfast obedience to God is. Yet, the first part of his story, as disclosed in Scripture, reveals him to be one worthy of imitation. Consider the positive attributes of this “man of God.”

He was courageous. His commission was to prophesy against the altar of the powerful, first king of the northern kingdom—Jeroboam, the man whose wicked reign is shown in the previous chapter. Given what Jeroboam started and tried to do to him (4), he had to be a man of moxie and bravery. There are portions of God’s message that require readiness, all patience, and instruction (2 Tim. 4:2). The ability to tell the truth even at great personal cost is a mark of highest integrity.

He was faithful. Notice how the text conveys this. He came “by the word of the Lord” (1). He cried against the altar “by the word of the Lord” (2). His message was, “thus says the Lord” (2). He said, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken” (3). Again, his message was “given by the word of the Lord” (5). He was true to his message as was commanded him by the word of the Lord (9). Thoroughly, from beginning to end in this high-pressure, delicate situation, this prophet was faithful to God’s Word. No greater tribute could be paid any follower of God. 

He was compassionate. Though Jeroboam was going to have his men seize him, this man of God showed the king mercy when God afflicted him. The king pleaded, “Please entreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before (6). Jeroboam’s generosity after this act shows that the prophet did not have to do this, and a lesser man would not have. What a great combination to find someone who boldly shares God’s Word but does so with gentleness and kindness (2 Tim. 2:24-26). 

He was steadfast. Apparently, before the man of God made his journey to Bethel, God told him not to delay even to eat or drink there (9). No less than the king of Israel offered to reward him, feed him, and give him drink, but he would not do it. Verse ten says he went home another way, true to the completion of this daunting mission. What an example!

All these admirable traits make what happens next unbelievable! But, this snapshot of the man of God provides an example worthy of imitation as we are going in this world. The world needs Christians who are courageous, faithful, compassionate, and steadfast. They don’t expect it, and even if they oppose the word we share we can know that God is most pleased with such attributes! 

THE DISOBEDIENT MAN OF GOD FROM JUDAH

After his great moral victory in addressing wicked Jeroboam, the man of God from Judah teaches us a different, tragic lesson. Despite his faithfulness in that earlier mission, this prophet allowed himself to be deceived into disobeying God’s Word. In a strange incident, an old prophet whose motives are not revealed persuades him to go against God’s instructions. The result was, literally, deadly. 

An old prophet living in Bethel hears about how the man of God had handled himself with the wicked king of Israel. He appears to want to just spend time with the valiant prophet, but he inexplicably lies to him. When he offers his hospitality to the man of God, the unnamed man repeats his solemn charge. He tells the old prophet, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place” (16). He again cites the Lord’s command and word (17), but he allows himself to be duped. The old prophet persuaded him, saying, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he lied to him (18). The man of God goes with him. Then, God actually does speak to the old man and tells him the fate of the man of God from Judah. He would die for his disobedience. On his way home, a lion mauls him to death. The old prophet mourns him and buries him, bearing the guilt of the man of God’s death. What can we learn from this?

Always take God’s Word over man’s word. God had directly told him his mission and responsibility. Without further revelation from Him, the man of God had no business taking anyone else’s word over what he already knew. No matter how persuasive or reasonable man’s word sounds, reject it if it contradicts God’s.

It’s easy to claim divine guidance. How often do people try to change God’s Word by saying God led them to new truth? Sometimes, church leadership has changed course and positions on biblical matters regarding worship, salvation, gender roles, etc., claiming the Spirit is moving among them and leading them to the changes. Some claim to hear the voice of God, disclosing new truth. Under the law of Moses, there was this warning: “When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22). Under Christ, there is this principle: “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal. 1:6-8). The bottom line is that any claim at odds with God’s revealed Word must always be rejected, no matter what. 

Obedience is serious to God. There can be no doubt of that from this account. God says what He means and means what He says. We violate His Word to our own peril. The disobedient man of God learned that in graphic terms.

The man of God’s disobedience did not nullify God’s Word or His purpose. The old prophet understood this, in the aftermath of the man of God’s death. What he prophesied “shall surely come to pass” (32). Jeroboam persisted in evil and disobedience, and it would end his dynasty and set up a legacy Israel would never recover from. What the man of God foretold would happen (1 Ki. 14:10; 15:29-30; 2 Ki. 17:21). Both the man of God’s death and His judgment against Jeroboam proves a changeless truth, that “the testimony of the LORD is sure” (Psa. 19:7; 2 Pet. 1:21).

Handling Guilt

Cooper Dillingham

I want to talk about something that everyone has some experience with: guilt. I think it’s safe to say whether you’re a little kid sneaking cookies from the pantry, lying to a friend, or disappointing someone you care about, we’ve all felt guilt and shame. I know I’m not an exception. Not long ago, I went to a friend’s house. It was supposed to be a stay at home night with a few friends. At least that’s what I thought, and what my mom had signed off on. Little did my mom or I know, my friends had other plans in mind, and that chill night went out the window. I ended up driving around harmlessly with my friends. I ‘forgot’ to tell my mom that things had changed, or that I would even be leaving my friend’s house. I thought that if I acted normal it would be fine, and what my mom doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?  But, I forgot about a minor detail. That little detail was that I had Life360 constantly giving my phone’s location to my mom. So, imagine her surprise when she looks at it, and sees me on the other side of the town when I was supposed to be at my friend’s house. I came home apologizing for breaking my mom’s trust, and lying to her. I learned my lesson, and luckily, my mom forgave me since it wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it would be.

Sometimes in life we feel guilt or shame from our sins, and we think we  have wandered so far away from the path God wants us on that he’ll never take us back. But, God never gives up on you, and you can always get back on track. The first example that comes to mind is the parable of the Prodigal Son, which is found in Luke 15. We all know the story. The younger son wanted his inheritance early, which his father graciously granted him. It didn’t take long for the son to lose every last cent of his dad’s money, and he then found himself at a low point in his life. He had no choice but to go back home poor, dirty, and ashamed. He just knew his dad was going to be so mad at him, and if he was lucky, maybe his dad would let him come back as a servant . But look at verse 20 through 24 “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” You see the son made a lot of mistakes, but His biggest was underestimating the love his father had for him.

God has that same love for us, and Romans 5:8 reassures us of that, saying, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Turn with me, also, to 1 John 4 verse 16  ”So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.“ God’s love for us is stronger than any mistake we could make. All that matters to God is that we trust him and are willing to follow his commandments.

When we take Christ on in baptism we are supposed to stop walking our own path and follow him.  If you disobey His commandments, you are denying Him, therefore you are separating yourself from him.  But, even though you may be temporarily lost, that does not mean you’ve lost your salvation. One great analogy that Hiram mentioned at a recent Bible study, was for us to imagine our Christian walk as a literal walk. Everyone starts in one place and with each step that you take forward you stay on the path of God. Many people think that when you disobey God’s word and you go off the path, that you’ve lost your salvation, and are away from God. What Hiram reminded us however, is much different. I was told that every wrong direction that we take in life is just us taking one step back. It isn’t getting off the path of Christianity, it’s just a slight mistake in this long walk of life. I know many times I’ve taken a step back in my faith.  In the  story of the prodigal son, he took several steps back and his father was still waiting for him to come home. Our Father waits for us too, just like my mom was waiting for me when I got home that night. 

Examine Yourself

Carl Pollard

We usually lie to ourselves more than we do to others. However, repentance in and of itself is being open and honest with God. It’s recognizing sin, and turning from it. 

The prodigal son took his inheritance, left home and blew all his money. He waisted his money fulfilling his every desire. But after a while, the money ran out and he was forced to get a job working with pigs. He was so hungry the pig slop looked appetizing. 

Jesus tells us this parable in Luke 15:17-24, 

“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ’” So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Notice that the son said to himself, “I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.” Do we really want to know ourselves? Be honest. Not a single human on earth is without sin. When the son was honest, the Father was forgiving. 

If you’re a Christian and there’s sin in your life, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. 

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is READY and FAITHFUL to forgive…but we MUST confess! God doesn’t want you to bury them deep down; confess and get it over with! He’s waiting. He already knows what you’ve done, but we act like we can hide it from Him. 

You owe it to yourself to be honest, not just to others but in the conversations you have in your head. Be honest in the decisions you make, the sins in your life and you’ll be closer to knowing who you REALLY are. 

We are sinful, we are human, but God gives grace to those who come to Him. Let’s be honest, and a truthful examination will show us that we need God in our lives. 

The Unethical Understudy

Neal Pollard

One wonders if perhaps Elisha saw Gehazi as being to him what Elisha was to Elijah, an heir-apparent to his own work. Indeed, Gehazi had been with him from at least since the miracle with the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:12), witnessing God’s providential care of the prophet, seeing Elisha raise the dead (4:32ff), and now the curing of Naaman’s leprosy (5:1-14). Gehazi had seen God’s power firsthand in incredible ways. He had to be aware of Elisha’s inclination to execute justice on the ungodly–from disrespectful lads to the rebellious Moabites. But Gehazi had some internal problems, moral weaknesses that would literally plague him. Notice 2 Kings 5:15-27.

First, he rationalized (20). Elisha had continuously shown his faith in God’s ability to provide. Naaman generously offers to give the prophet a handsome reward. Gehazi witnessed Elisha’s refuse to “take a present” from the army captain (16). Elisha was more focused on Naaman’s physical and spiritual cleansing. Rather than trusting God’s provision, Gehazi saw an opportunity for himself. He thought to himself, “As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him” (20). We get in a lot of trouble when we feed our desires for what we want and work to convince ourselves it is the right thing to do. Maybe Gehazi forgot about Achan (Josh. 7:20-21). Remember this warning: “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts” (Prov. 21:2). In other words, we can find a way to justify any sin in our hearts, but God sees through it. So it was with Gehazi.

Second, he premeditated (21). He chases Naaman down. How often he rehearsed the story he was about to share, we don’t know. But even if he made up the story on the spot, it was in his heart before it was on his lips. Later, the prophet Isaiah would warn, “Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the Lord, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” (29:15). Micah adds, “Woe to those who scheme iniquity, Who work out evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, For it is in the power of their hands” (2:1). 

Third, he lied (22). Up to this point, Gehazi’s sin was personal and internal. At any point, he could have reversed course with a penitent heart. He could have repented of his coveting. He could have stopped his pursuit. Instead, he catches up with Naaman, who asks him what’s wrong. Then, he audaciously tells this whopper: “My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes’” (22). He must have been very pleased when Naaman gave him even more than he asked for. Maybe, the rationalizing servant even convinced himself God was with him since things were turning out so well for him financially. 

Fourth, he covered up (24). After the deed was done and he was returning to his “day job,” Gehazi gives evidence that he knew he was dead wrong. He went to his house before returning to Elisha, and he dropped off his stash before nonchalantly “went in and stood before his master” (25a). 

Fifth, he lied again (25-26). Elisha does something we’ll see again in the case of Peter and Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1ff). The prophet asked him where he had been and Gehazi lies to him. Lying is a cascading crime. Usually, it requires more lies to protect the previous ones. Unfortunately for Gehazi, Elisha already knew the truth. Would things have been less severe for the servant if he had come clean? We’ll never know. 

Ironically, a heathen obeyed God and was cleansed. Now, a servant of God disobeyed Him and was sullied with the stain of his sin. He found out what Moses once told Israel: “…you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). The leprosy of Naaman clung to him and would on his descendants forever (27). Thus ended the story of Gehazi, special servant of the mighty prophet. Thus began the story of Gehazi, the terminal leper. 

We live in an age where the moral compass of the world is broken. As we are in the world, we find ourselves tempted to abandon “true north.” It is so important for us to stay vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8), keeping our conscience sensitive (1 Pet. 3:16) and our motives pure (1 Chron. 28:9; 1 Th. 2:3).  The world needs examples of moral strength, in an age where rationalizing evil, plotting evil, and doing evil are commonplace. Honesty, integrity, unselfishness, humility, and the like are qualities the world will not find within. They will have to see it reflected in the lives of people whose ethics derive from God and His Word. 

“Partnership” (1 John: Part One)

Wednesday’s Article: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

I’ll be repeating the book of I John in present-day terminology. It’s not a true translation of the book, as I am not qualified to do so. It will be based on an exegetical study of the book and will lean heavily on the SBL and UBS Greek New Testaments, as well as comparisons with other translations (ESV, NASB, NIV, ERV, NLT). My goal is to reflect the text accurately, and to highlight the intent of the author using concepts and vocabulary in common use today. 

This is not an “essentially literal” translation, and should be read as something of a commentary. 

Partnership

It’s existed since the beginning. We’ve heard it ourselves and we’ve seen it with our own eyes. We’ve studied it and touched it with our own hands. This is the word of life, and this life was shown to us. Everything we’ve heard and witnessed and told you about is this eternal life. He came from the father and was revealed to us. We’ve told you everything we’ve seen and heard so you can partner with us. We have this partnership with the father, as well as with his son Jesus Christ. We’re writing this to you to make our joy complete.

The message that we’ve been hearing from him is the same one we’re giving you: God is made of light, and no darkness exists in him whatsoever. If we claim to be partners with him while our lives are defined by walking in darkness, we’re liars and can’t even practice the truth. But if our lives are defined by walking in light, we have partnership with each other. On top of that, the blood of God’s son Jesus gets rid of any and all sins we have!

If someone says they don’t have sin, they’re lying – no truth exists in them. If we admit that we have sin in our lives, he is consistent and morally pure, so he’ll forgive us and get rid of our moral impurity. If someone says they’ve never even sinned, they make God a liar. His word will have nothing to do with them. 

Why Do We Sin?

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

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Carl Pollard

 
Have you ever wondered why someone would take the life of another human? Or destroy another man’s property? Or kidnap a child? Or abuse their spouse? I can never wrap my head around why someone would do something so sinful. I understand why someone would cheat, lie, or gossip. I can see why someone would do something like this because it’s a temptation that I understand. But the bottom line is that a sin is a sin.
 
Cheating on a test will separate you from God just as quickly as murder. Gossip will ruin a relationship with God just as quickly as robbing a gas station. Granted there are earthly consequences that make one sin seem more serious than another, but God sees all sin  as just that, an action that goes against His Will.
 
Why do people sin? What is it about mankind that makes us want to sin? Why does the murderer take a life? Why does the liar refuse to speak the truth? There are a couple of instances I can look back on and think, “Why didn’t I just do the right thing?” When we sin we do it because we believe it to be the easier choice. If we lie we don’t have to face the hard truth. If we cheat we don’t have to put in the work of being honest. If we lust we don’t have to practice self control. Why do people sin? In most instances we sin because it’s easy, because it’s what we want to do.
 
In Romans 3:3-8, Paul is refuting the arguments of men that are claiming that we should sin more. These men reasoned that grace comes because of sin, more sin requires more grace, grace is a good thing, and, therefore, we should sin more to receive more grace. Paul responds to this claim with 3 arguments:
  1. On what basis does God inflict wrath (5)?
  2. Is He unjust for judging the world (6)?
  3. Sinners should be congratulated for being the object of God’s Grace (7).
If more sin was a good thing, then why not just preach “do more evil” so that “good may come”?
 
Since we can’t argue that more sin equals more grace, why do people continue to sin? The answer is simple. Romans 3:18 says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” The underlying reason that people sin stems from a lack of fear in God. We live in a fearless world, and it shows. Fearing God is understanding Who He is and what He can do. Those who fear God try to avoid the things that make God angry. If we lose our fear of the Almighty we open the door to a sinful lifestyle.
 
The world says being fearless is a good thing, but we must never lose our fear of God.

A Need For Honesty

Thursday’s Column: Carlnormous Comments

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Carl Pollard

 
How much do you trust a liar? A study was conducted by Psychology Today where they asked 1000 people how many lies they’ve told in the last 24 hours. The average answer was two lies, but 75 percent of men said they would lie if they were talking about their social status. 80 percent of women said they have lied about their weight.
 
The average person we come in contact with has no problem lying to us. Whether it’s at work, in school or to friends and family, the majority of people feel that it’s morally okay to lie.
 
Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
 
“Therefore” is a grammatical tie to previous verses. Each time we read this word we should see it as a finger pointing up to the previous verses. Contextually Paul is saying, “Therefore, since we have put on the new self lay aside falsehood.”
 
If you’re a Christian reading this verse, you have put on the new self. So we are commanded to stop lying and be truthful in our interactions with others.
 
Paul commands us to tell the truth. This seems like a simple command, yet sadly we get caught up in telling lies. We want what’s easiest. Many are tempted to take what seems to be the easy way out.
But there is something to keep in mind the next time we are tempted to lie:
 
Our reputation is ruined by dishonesty. If people catch us lying, why would they believe us at all? The boy who cried wolf is a prime example of this very fact. We all know how this story goes, and the bottom line is we lose our credibility if we lie. When we are honest and choose to tell the truth, people will trust us, and God’s Word has a better chance of reaching the lost.
 
When it comes to our Christianity, we want people to trust us. When we lie we lose our credibility and our ability to proclaim the gospel is harmed. Telling the truth in every situation is an attribute we are to have in our new walk with Christ. Plus, nobody wants to be friends with a liar.

How To Slay A Dragon

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

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Carl Pollard

There’s a part in Sleeping Beauty where the Prince slays a fire breathing dragon with his sword. This is at the climax of the movie, so this entire time the story has been building up to this one, final moment. It’s pretty epic. In our lives, we have many “Fire Breathing Dragons.” At this moment I would like to talk about three of them and how to “kill” them.

First, notice with me the “dragon” of lying. If you look at Colossians 3:9, it says, “Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all it’s wicked deeds.”
Lying in Colossians is labeled under “evil nature.” If we have stripped our old ways, why do we continue to lie? Because much of the lying that we do is for personal gain. For example, someone could come up to me and ask, “How much can you bench?” and I might say “850 pounds.” That’s a classic example of lying for personal gain. From now on that person will believe that lie I told them and possibly tell others. We can slay this dragon by telling the truth. Challenge yourself to tell full truths, and not half-truths.

Second, there is the “dragon” of Hate. Luke 6:27 says, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” The hardest part of this verse is the second half. Trying to love those who hate us is extremely difficult because in our minds they started it so we have the right to hate them back. If you look at Jesus, our example, He says to love those who hate us. How do we do this? It requires a change of vision. We should try to look at those who hate us as a lost soul that needs saving. Looking at them this way might help us to love them more.

Third, and finally, is the “dragon” of Gossip. This one can be very dangerous because it might tear apart a friendship, a person, and the church. If you look at Ephesians 4:29, It reads, “Let no corrupt communication proceed from your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Instead of tearing down someone or spreading rumors, let’s try to build up one another! To keep from letting something slip about someone, let’s try to practice what our parents told us from day one: “Think about what we say before we say it.”

Now there is one more thing we can use to slay “dragons.” The ultimate Two-Edged Sword is for slaying any kind of “dragon.” This Two-Edged Sword, the Bible, can slay any dragon that Satan sends our way. Today we only looked at three of the dragons that Satan uses against us. There are many more, and we must study Scripture to see what they are, and how we can slay them.

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The Bible And The College Cheating Scandal

Neal Pollard

One of the nation’s biggest news stories last week involved a college admissions scam that included several high-profile people, including at least two Hollywood actresses. A California man, Rick Singer, spearheaded a scheme to bribe coaches and administrators at such colleges as Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, USC, and other prestigious universities. The bribes bought these privileged High School students extra time to take the SAT and ACT, make fake athletic profiles, and substitutes to take their entrance exams for them. This has proven embarrassing for both the colleges and those breaching this most basic of ethical codes (via Foxnews.com, Madeline Farber). 

Someone observed that there is a bit of irony and hypocrisy in all of this. We feel outraged at this glaring lack of honesty and ethics, but students who attend these (and other) universities have been taught for decades that there is no such thing as absolute truth and an objective standard of right and wrong. Are we surprised when people live out the consequences of such world views? Remove a measurable, immutable standard, and anything goes! It disgusts us to see such values in action, but people of influence in our society have been pushing such values for a long time. 

In addition to its answers to all of life’s crucial questions, the Bible lays down an ethical code that is universal and logical. Its rules are blind to nationality, economic status, gender, age, or any other category one falls into he or she might appeal to as an exception. In fact, those who have more have greater expectations made of them (see Luke 12:48).  The Judgment Day will be eminently impartial. No one will manipulate the results. No one can sidestep heaven’s requirements for salvation without an eternal consequence. Just because one is religious leader does not mean that they are above the law of Christ. Again, there are higher standards for those who are in positions of leadership (Jas. 3:1; Heb. 13:17; 1 Tim. 4:16; etc.). 

It’s not at all surprising that a society which rejects God’s guidelines finds itself sinking into a moral and ethical abyss (cf. Prov. 14:34). But, it does go to show that no one wants to reap the harvest from sowing the seeds of sin. However, there is no way to avoid it (Hos. 8:7; Gal. 6:7-8). Our challenge is to live lives of consistency, exemplifying the benefits of respecting and adhering to God’s standards. Jesus calls such modeling “salt” and “light”which highlights God’s existence and relevance in our world (Mat. 5:13-16). 

We cannot keep others from being cheaters and liars, but we can show them a powerful alternative!

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