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Go For Launch

Frank

My son’s newest favorite joke: “When do astronauts eat? Launch time!” (Just don’t let him know you’ve heard the punch line if he comes up and asks, “do you want to do jokes?”)

The countdown to launch is an exciting time. Thanks to the Internet you can listen in when launches are broadcast by NASA television or streamed by Spaceflight Now. You can hear the launch director ask each person responsible for a part of the launch, or a function of the launch vehicle, if they are a “go/no-go” to go ahead with the launch.

“Weather” “Go”
“Flight software” “Go”
“Fuel” “Go”

And my favorite from The Simpsons: “Make rocket go now!”

(For an idea of how intense and involved this is, check out the countdown for a Space Shuttle launch. And that list is only a summary; a lot more goes on behind the scenes.) The countdown may be exciting to those watching or listening in. It is exciting for the lay-person. But I guarantee you it is stressful for those involved. Months, if not years, of preparation have come to fruition. And even the best preparation does not completely eliminate the risk of the entire thing blowing up.

I mentioned before that I’m working on small group curriculum for my church. Well my countdown is now at t-minus two weeks and counting. Am I ready? Are you kidding? There is so much to do between now and “launch” that it is hard for me to picture how we’re ever going to get there. Thankfully, I have a group of great people who have been working very hard to make sure the details all fall into place.

If you have a small group campaign or a curriculum launch, please pray for those preparing it. They need to seek the best way to launch the small groups, make sure they cover the essentials, take the proper steps, and prayerfully figure out the secret to being successful. (and as helpful as all these links are, I’m not really doing any of these- at least not in any traditional sense)

So to say the least, I’ll be pretty tied up the next couple of weeks. Not to mention it’s my “busy season” at work which means I haven’t had the down-time I usually have during the day to work on this like I would normally. And I still have a lot of irons in the fire.

In the meantime, here are a couple important announcements. First, the Antelope Valley Christian Writers’ Conference has been cancelled. While that takes some burden off my shoulders it is bittersweet. I am friends with the person who organizes this and I know how much hard work he’s put into it. Second, I haven’t been as active in social media as I would like. One reason is the busyness of work, but the main reason is that I haven’t updated my phone in pretty much forever so none of my mobile Twitter clients work. What also doesn’t help with respect to this blog, is that StumbledUpon no longer supports link-shrinking with su.pr, so I’ve been using HootSuite. I like that platform a lot, but I don’t like its interface on my phone. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers. Regardless, this post needs updating when I’m finally back up and running fully.

Given all that, you won’t see any posts here for a while and you might not see me around on social media (but I’ll still be posting links on my Facebook page!). Please pray for my “launch” and I’ll be back in the swing of things before you know it.

Attention Subscribers!

Frank

(all three of you)

Have you ever blinked and an entire month has gone by? I completely missed June. I know it happened- Father’s Day, my mom came to visit, the kids got out of school; but I’m pretty sure we just celebrated Easter.

Anyway, the end of June brings the end of Google Reader. I’ve been meaning to post an update on this, but like I said June flew by and the end of the month caught me by surprise as well.

What this means for you

From my rough tracking, a majority of my subscribers follow me through Network Blogs and/or Google Friend Connect (used to be networked users on Blogger) so this won’t affect you. The RSS feed (if you use it) should still work as it gives you multiple options besides Google Reader.

But if you use Google Reader to follow my blog then you need to find a replacement ASAP.
I just imported my subscriptions over to Feedly (there’s a helpful automatic import button that will do this automatically for you) but I haven’t used it enough to say one way or another whether I like it. It is the number one recommended replacement it seems, so there’s that.

Because I rely on my iPhone/iPad for remote reading I was also able to import my subscriptions into Pulse and Flipboard; both are good for different reasons. (See my post on Social Media for why I use what)

I wish I could be more helpful, but I’m navigating through this as well. I’m not 100% sold on Feedly, but Flipboard and Pulse are working pretty well. (Although I haven’t tried to add any subscriptions to either since importing my Google Reader subs)

More Tips

For other tips, here are a couple of links for you. I thought I had more bookmarked from when Google made this announcement, but I guess not.

Sorry for the late notice. Good luck!

Just Another Blog

Frank

I mentioned before that I subscribe to 88 other Christian blogs. I am ashamed to admit that since that post (only last week!) I’ve added three more. I don’t expect others to be as interested or to read that much. I barely expect myself to be able to follow everything. But with so many voices online, all with similar interests if dissimilar doctrines, I often wonder if I am adding anything to the conversation.

In other words, if I filled this space with bullets for everything I’ve read (that I think is worth passing on- only a small fraction of content from those 88 sources I share either through my Facebook page or via a RT in Twitter) would what you get out of this site be any different than what you get out of it now? (Assuming of course, that you’re at least getting something from my 600+ posts)

I recently got an e-book to read on my commute (as if I need something else to read!) and was checking out its reviews on Amazon. There were a couple of negative reviews, noting that the content was unoriginal and was derivative of another blogger’s work. Those reviews prompted the response that the works are similar because the two authors run in the same circles (or swim in the same waters if you prefer that metaphor), and it soon became an accusation of this blogger versus that blogger (the 21st Century version of he said she said).

I’ve attended a few writers’ conferences and my insecurity going in is always questioning myself whether I have anything worth sharing, a story worth telling. And I always come away with the same encouragement- my story is not your story. Even if we witness the same event, my experience- how I perceived the event and what I took from it- is unique to me. You might tell the same story, but you will tell it differently. And chances are, the people I tell my story to are different than the people you will tell your story to. So there is value in both of our stories, as similar as they may be.

I wonder if the Gospel writers had this same insecurity. Imagine John Mark writing his account of the life of Jesus: “Geeze, no one has ever heard of me and I’m only riding on the coattails of Peter. Maybe someone else should write this, like that Q guy from Star Trek” (kudos if you get the joke) Or what about Matthew: “You know, Mark already got most of this down. I don’t need to add anything. But Mark was missing a lot of Jewish theology and Messianic prophesy, yet I don’t want to come across as critical of his work. Not to mention I’m not a writer, I’m a former tax-collector. And it’s clear from what Mark wrote that no one liked me in the first place. Who would read what I have to write?” Or Luke: “Dammit, Theophilus, I’m a doctor not a historian! (two Star Trek references in the same post?) There are already other accounts of Jesus’ life, I don’t need to add to all of that. And who wants to read about what happens after Jesus dies? I mean, that’s pretty much the end of the story isn’t it? I don’t think anyone would really be interested in all the times I was hanging out with Paul. He killed Christians for a living, I’m not sure I want the world to know we’re friends on Facebook.” Or what if John was insecure about his book being so much more radical (pun intended) than the other best-sellers on the shelves?

Can you imagine if these writers remained silent because they felt the story was already told?

So my story may not be unique. My insights may not be that innovative or original. But this is my story, and it’s worth being told.

Too Much Information

Frank

You don’t hear that too much anymore, do you? TMI- too much information. Maybe it’s due to the rise of social media, where we can read in an instant about what our friends had for breakfast or see the latest picture of their cat.

Blogging has become like that too. Everybody has one. A couple of weeks ago I was hanging out with a friend who is a literary agent. He said, “Five years ago, if you had a blog that was considered a big deal- a built-in platform with a following. Now, you’re expected to have a blog- so you need to work that much harder to stand out.”

That’s certainly one problem. But another relates to what I wrote about last time– too many blogs means too many websites to visit to read.

The long weekend afforded me time to go through my blog subscriptions. (And the fact that Google Reader is going away added extra motivation.) I deleted many that haven’t been updated in a year, and deleted others that I just don’t get around to reading. Even then, when all was said and done, I am still subscribed to 88 blogs. I don’t have a traditional “blog roll” on this site because it would just be too long. (And yes, of those 88 there are probably only a dozen that I visit regularly; but still.)

Another problem with this, besides being a complete time-suck and distraction, is that I recognize I cannot cover every subject, nor do I know everything (shocker, I know) so I read a lot with the intention of sharing a lot with my readers. That’s why I have my Facebook page (/shameless plug), to share not just my posts, but what others are writing about on subjects near and dear to my heart and my convictions.

But I often wonder, with hundreds of blogs out there covering the same ground as I am, if I’m just another voice in the din? On the other hand, as I was going through my blog subscriptions I was surprised how many blogs folded up shop or only submitted a couple of posts before running out of steam. This is hard and time-consuming and it’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for nearly seven years. So why do I do it? Because I don’t believe there is such a thing as too much information. Sure, there may be not enough time or not enough resources, but when it comes to an infinite God it is impossible to write too much. As a wrote in a post a couple of years ago:

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole [Internet] would not have room for the [blogs] that would be written.” (John 21:25)

Why Do I Care?

Frank

If you have just stopped by or haven’t read my blog in a while you probably haven’t noticed that I have been on a mental health kick, spurred by the suicide of Rick Warren’s son. What I haven’t talked directly about, although I’ve hinted towards it in my last couple of posts, is why.

First I want to make clear that I’m not trying to take advantage of someone else’s personal tragedy to promote my point of view. Rather, I saw Matthew Warren’s suicide as an opportunity to complete posts that were already half-written and prayed that God could use this event to help others. I’m not alone in this. Adrian Warnock over at Patheos.com has been doing the same. I can’t speak for his motivations, but the way I look at it is if the son of one of the most recognized Christian pastors in America suffered from depression then that means the best-selling author struggled as a parent. And if he struggled, then chances are pretty good others are struggling as well. It would be easier for me to say that since I’m struggling then others probably are too, but that is a self-centered assumption. And although I want to relate and be as open and vulnerable as I can on an open forum such as this, I am very self-conscious not to make this about me.

So how did I get here?

My posts on counseling and depression were originally going to be part of a series of posts as I read through Sheila Walsh’s book, God Loves Broken People: And Those Who Think They’re Not. (Which won’t happen unfortunately, but if those posts resonated with you then I strongly recommend that book)

My post on suicide has been in the pressure cooker for some time, most recently following news of the spikes in military suicides.

And my most recent posts on Autism and ADHD obviously come about from personal experience, but also relate back to the post The Impossible Child over at The Psychotherapy Network. (If you didn’t get the hint in my last post I’ll say it again: if you’re a parent at your wits end YOU HAVE TO READ THIS POST!)

And as I’ve mentioned before, there are still a couple of posts to come.

So that explains the posts, but still doesn’t fully answer the question why I personally care. So deep breath, here I go.


 www.parentingwithhope.com


Yesterday I taught my son’s Sunday-school class. Things were going relatively well when we got to snack time and he started obsessing about a cup of water. I was just about to have him share with the rest of the class from his picture Bible but my wife and I could not bring him down off this obsession. It got so bad we had to remove him from the class. Once class ended and he settled down, it occurred to him that he never did get to share and that spun him up all over again. He calmed down by the time we got home, but the tension and anxiety was still under the surface. So we had another blow up as we were getting him ready for bed. This is just one example from one day.

My son doesn’t fit in any particular category, crossing and blending diagnoses, which makes accommodations extremely difficult. It is hard for him to feel loved and accepted. It is hard for us as parents to be patient and work with him. And my ongoing fear that does at times literally keep me up at night is that this pressure and anxiety will someday lead to something catastrophic.

The numbers don’t help. One article claims that 3.4 percent of the US population has Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 60 percent of suicide victims suffered from MDD. A study in the Archives for General Psychiatry found that 39 percent of children with ADHD suffered from depression and 18 percent had attempted suicide. Studies suggest that 30 percent of children with autism are also diagnosed with ADHD. Add to that the recent studies that show rates of autism and ADHD are increasing in children.

Link these all together and hopefully you understand how I can jump from depression and suicide in one post to autism and ADHD in the next and why I feel, as a parent, a blogger, and a Christian that I need to share for the sake of others who may feel the same. Yes, a percentage of a percent is a much smaller percent, but I still struggle with that fear. Maybe you do too.

I cannot change my son. I can only trust God and be as open as I can. And if only one person reads these words and finds comfort and hope in them, then this series of posts was worth it.

It’s Not About Me

Frank

Not long ago I entered a contest that relied on people voting for my blog- whoever got the most votes would win. Well I voted for myself, I think my wife voted for me, and that was probably just about it. I’ve never been very good at self promotion. There are blogs that specialize on having successful blogs: how to generate traffic, how to encourage return visits, how to write catchy titles, how to maximize SEO, and on and on. I’m sure if I put out the effort, I might actually get good at this thing. But that just isn’t my style. That, and I’m a little bit lazy. I admit I check my site visits and feel slightly insecure when I think I write my best post ever and it doesn’t take off like I think it should. I get mad at Stumbled Upon when it crashes and my scheduled posts don’t go up (like last week). I get frustrated that my work firewall forces this blog to be a habit that I can really only dedicate an hour or two a day towards.

But none of that really matters. When I first started this blog I was motivated by a couple of observations. One, I saw that many in my fellowship of churches had isolated themselves on a spiritual island and two, that mainstream Christianity seemed to be more about politics and consumerism than about Christ. So I set out blogging to address each of these: by sharing to the brothers and sisters in my fellowship what I was reading/learning from mainstream Christianity and sharing my personal studies and convictions to those outside of my personal fellowship. I wasn’t expecting to change the world, but I was hoping that I could at least set the bar a little higher for each of us in our walk with Jesus. And even if no one else read a word, it was healthy for me to express the many thoughts in my head and convictions in my heart.

That was six years ago. A year ago things were serendipitous for a big blogiversary bash: five years is a nice round number, I was at roughly 500 posts, and I was just shy of 500 followers on Twitter. But I couldn’t shake making it all about me and I ended up doing nothing.

So here I am celebrating six years. Six, in biblical numerology, is less than perfection. I think that’s appropriate.

In those six years, I have met some great friends online. Brothers and sisters who have encouraged me, taught me, and humored me. I’ve also won a lot of swag- books, CDs, virtual conference registrations, and so on. So here’s my chance to give back.

A couple of months ago I created a Facebook page for this blog. At the time I wanted it to act like a message board to talk about my blog posts and pretty much whatever else came to mind. More importantly, I wanted to use it as a “portal” so to speak where I (and really anyone else who wanted to) could share news, articles, blogs, prayer requests and so on that encourage each of us to live a life of “Public Christianity”. Since then some of my friends have liked that page, but I have only received one like coming directly from my blog.

So here’s the deal: between now and Friday, if you like my Facebook page you will be entered into a drawing. (And not to keep out all 11 of you who have liked the page so far, you’ll be entered twice!) Because I’m an avid reader, of course I’ll be giving away books. I’m also a little bit of a small-group nerd, so there might be some small group material mixed in as well. And these won’t just be any books- I have been encouraged to see many of my blogging buddies get published in the past year or so and this is my chance to spread the word.

You don’t have to comment. Don’t have to tweet. Just like my Facebook page. It’s that easy.

And thank you all for six blessed years.

Review: Philippians Community Commentary

Frank

(Reposting because this was getting a lot of spam. I apologize for the broken external links)

Recently, a friend asked on Facebook to recommend a Bible commentary. I wanted to answer but was ill-equipped to do so. I was wondering the same thing myself quite honestly, because I get overwhelmed every time I browse the shelves at the local Christian book store or dig deep into the multiple study tools included in the numerous versions of Bible software I have downloaded. I was hoping someone would reply that would satisfy my own personal interest. Some friends on Facebook answered with the standard public-domain options- Matthew Henry or Adam Clarke- others recommended websites that are more topical Bible-studies than actual commentaries. So I am left back at square one. I go to the store and look and the numerous options, unsure of a particular author’s doctrine, or feeling the sticker-shock of considering entire commentary volumes covering every book of the Bible. Other single-volume commentaries I find to be simply expository studies that are helpful to provide background for sermon preparation but lack in personal application.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a commentary that offers a variety of perspectives as if the writers were sitting around a coffee table, offered not just informative insight but was also practical, that included Greek and English word studies, AND was affordable?

Well look no further because Dan King, the “chief instigator” of BibleDude.net and author of The Unlikely Missionary gathered a diverse group of bloggers to assemble a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Philippians, titled simply Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: BibleDude Community Commentary*.

Sales pitch aside, this is why I love blogging. Different voices from different backgrounds offering different perspectives of the same Biblical text. And because the discussion did not happen in a vacuum, the thoughts shared are in a sense peer-reviewed. So this is not some amateur effort but a thoughtful inspection into arguably Paul’s most popular epistles.

As Dan puts it, “the Word of God was intended to be discussed and interpreted in community.” And this commentary not only does that as the writers explore Paul’s text, but it also enables the discussion to continue as it provides the tools you need for small group and personal study. Frustrated following link after link in blogs or tracking hundreds of Twitter accounts looking to get deeper into the Word of God? This commentary, unique in its scope and approach, takes advantage of social media to consolidate the advantages of blogs, tweets and online studies into a single, easy to read volume. I’m looking forward to additional commentaries to come.

*I am reviewing this book for the Philippians Community Commentary and received an advance free e-book. I am not affiliated with BibleDude.net, nor am I a contributor to the Commentary (at least not this one!). I received no other compensation for my review.

The Internet Fan

Frank

The first chapter of Kyle Idleman’s Not a Fan is titled D.T.R. for “define the relationship”. Makes sense. Like a good technical paper, we want to define terms up front. And since the focus of this book is our relationship with Jesus it is best to define where we’re at right from the start.

Are you a follower or a fan? Yes, it’s that simple. Are you in the heat of the game or are you in the stands cheering?

It may not be an obvious difference, but the difference is huge. You might say, eternal. Of course the instinct is to answer with an emphatic “follower!” That’s how I would have answered the first 24 years of my life. (at least once I was old enough to speak) But once challenged to look back at the choices I made and the priorities of my life weighed against God’s own Word, I saw that I was just a fan.

Eleven year later, by no means do I consider myself to be perfect. Today I’m still tempted to be just a fan. It’s easier to sit in the stands and play Monday morning quarterback on internet forums. (sitting faceless behind a computer screen and writing this blog without ever actually doing anything) Being in the game is hard. It risks injury. It risks defeat.

Like I said, easier to be an internet know-it-all. This reminds me of a Bud Light “Real Men of Genius”. (Don’t know if this ever was an actual add, but it circulated on sports forums and fits perfectly to this discussion. Though the version I remember had a verse about criticizing athletes for their performance though you’ve never once played the game, you still get the gist.) Read this and ask yourself again if this could describe you.

***

Bud Light presents…Real Men of Genius

“Reeeeal Men of Geeeeniuuuus…”

Today we salute YOU, Mr. Really Mad Internet Sports Fan

“Mr. Really Mad Internet Spo-orts Fan!”

Only YOU can fully appreciate the mind-blowing tragedy of a bunch of 18-22 year old athletes you’ll never meet, losing a game.

“Don’t you TAAAAALK to me about perspective!!”

While others are too preoccupied with things like real life, you take your anger directly to the place where it will make the absolute least possible impact: An Internet discussion forum.

“Loggin’ on now!”

Your unique eye for logic allows you to sling turds of doom every which way, and then brag about how you were RIGHT as soon as one of the pieces sticks to the wall regardless of how many dozens fell limply to the floor before that.

“See I told yooooooooou!!”

And if some idiot newspaper columnist has the gall to not be as incensed as you are, you unleash your fury down upon him with all the tenacity and mercilessness of a rabid pit bull with a tender buttock locked in its jaws.

“Total anonymity!”

So keep clicking away, oh Marauder of the Mousepad. Because when the results you so desire finally come about years from now, you can say it was because YOU demanded it.

“How come they haven’t fired that clown, yet? Mr. Really Mad Internet Spooorts Fan”

Anheuser-Busch St. Louis, Missouri…

***

Let’s try a not-so-creative rewrite:

Water to Wine presents, Real Fans of Jesus

Real Faans of Jeesuuuuus!

Today we salute YOU, Christian blogger!

Here’s to youuu, Christian blog er!

You had an emotional response at a Christian rock concert and now you want everyone to know!

I went to this concert and all I got was saved… and this t-shirt… and this Jesus fish for my car… and this NOTW sticker…

You read a best seller and want everyone to live a Crazy Radical Wild life in devotion to Christ.

You’re preaching to the choir!

But don’t dare disagree with your doctrine or you’ll release the fury of a thousand Twitter followers.

Farewell Rob Bell!

And don’t expect you to practice what you preach. You’re too busy reading everyone else’s blogs, following your Twitter stream, and updating your Facebook account to actually step outside and live like Jesus.

Follow my tweets as I follow the tweets of Christ!

So keep pecking away at your keyboard, Christian blogger, calling out every moral slight. Because since you know Jesus, you also know you’re right and everyone else therefore is wrong.

Do as I say, not as I do because I’m a Christian blogger!

Water to Wine, Jerusalem

I Wish I Could Just Show Up

Frank

Once upon a time I just showed up. I didn’t think twice about it. In fact, if I did think twice it meant I probably wouldn’t show up at all. And it wouldn’t bother me a bit. Too hungover? Sleep in. Feel too guilty over the sins of Saturday night to show up Sunday morning? No problem, there’s always next week.

But then that all changed. One Sunday while in college, God’s Word spoke to me like it never had before. I knew at that moment I couldn’t turn back. I began to devour the Word. I would spend hours in Barnes & Noble flipping through every book on the shelf in the Christianity section. I started to listen to different preachers on the radio. Like a sponge, I absorbed everything I could read, see, or hear about how to live like Christ. I could no longer just show up.

I look around some Sunday mornings now and wonder if anybody feels the same as I did, or feels the same as I do now. When I reach out to another and they tell me they attend such-and-so church, I wonder if they are just showing up, or if they have a fire burning inside of them like I feel.

But I wish I didn’t feel this way. I wish I could just show up. I wish I didn’t care. Because the more I read the more I wrestle, and the more I wrestle the more I question. So I read more. And more. And more. I wish I could just show up, nod my head at whatever preacher-man has to say and close my Bible as I close the door of the church behind me.

As they say, you can’t un-ring the bell. I wish I didn’t care. I wish church was just religion and God was just an idea. Instead I now wrestle over theology that is way over my head. I wrestle over the tension between Gospel and Kingdom; between Paul and Jesus. I wrestle with the New Perspective of Paul and am curious about the Federal Vision. I am fascinated by the subject of soteriology. And yes, all of these are related.

That’s this week.

That’s why I blog. That’s why I read other blogs. That’s what keeps my faith fresh and keeps me ever-striving to learn what it means and how to be Christlike. If you’re a regular reader here, I expect you feel the same way. If you’re another writer, blogger, theo-thinker, I appreciate your unique perspectives and reflections. I thank both of you. We are growing together. Prayerfully, we are doing this as Paul described:

“… being built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-15)

What’s the Point?

Frank

There are times I want to just walk away from this blog and never look back. Times I’m discouraged that some things never seem to gain traction, other times I’m discouraged that I can’t spend as much time as I want on it. Admittedly my posting has been sporadic at best recently. I just made it through my “busy season” at work and I followed that up with a nice relaxing vacation. So maybe I’ll fully get back in the saddle… or maybe I won’t. But you’ll still find something up here to provoke thought, challenge, and hopefully encourage. Thank you for being patient, whether waiting for follow-up posts that haven’t come, or guest blogs that I haven’t delivered, I appreciate your readership.

So why the lament? Well a couple of things I read last week caught my eye and stirred my heart. The first is this tweet from Paul Washer (tried to do the twitter blockquote, but the text doesn’t show):

Why do so many young men spend time blogging about theological nuances while the world dies without the Gospel? Why?

Then there’s this blog post from Dad Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum: How Would Jesus Blog? I agree with every point of his and I refuse to contribute to the increasing vitriol and hate that is spewed in the name of Christ.

Interestingly, this hate sounds the same regardless of which side you’re coming from politically. I may of written about this before. If not, I’ve certainly thought it. But Get Religion nails it, comparing Westboro Baptist with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

So what do I glean from all this?

  • This blog is just electrons on a screen unless I’m actively doing something. (This is an ongoing struggle for me)
  • I will do everything I can to approach topics in a non-denominational, non-partisan way. My doctrine and politics spill out every now and then, but I assure you that both are rooted not in the particular name of a church or political party, but in the Word of God.

The election cycle is about to heat up again, so expect to see the return of more posts. Also expect to hear about me putting more of what I write about into practice. Hopefully you’ll hear about the latter sooner rather than later.