Please pray for all the people who will be affected by this storm. I just heard the governor of Louisiana announce if it stays on the predicted course, the levies will barely hold. If it moves any to the east, flooding is likely. Join me in praying for this area of the country for protection and safety.
Engrafted by His Grace--
I love most aspects of God’s creation. I cant say I enjoy it all as reptiles do give me the heeby-jeebies. Actually I’m down right afraid of snakes. But God created animals for His pleasure, so I take pleasure in them also. I’m especially drawn to cats. Now I know not everyone is a cat-lover, but I am so please forgive me if loving cats offends you.
I heard a repetitive statement as I grew up—“You can do whatever you want when you grow up and live in your own house.” So when I grew up, I did just that. As a child I was not allowed to have a cat for my mother was allergic to them. So therefore, ever since I can remember living on my own, I’ve had a cat. Cats have different personalities, just like people have different personalities. Some cats are loners and prefer not to be around others. Some cats are people lovers and want lots of attention.
Last December upon the prodding of my oldest son, we adopted a cat. In all respect, we all thought this cat would be his cat. But we learned that cats choose who they own. Well, Midnight chose me. She follows me around the house. If I’m in the kitchen, she sits in the kitchen window sill. If I go to living room, she sits in the living room and so forth. So I started calling her girlfriend because she hangs out with me.
I learned to talk to animals from my grandmother, aka Granny. She talked the dogs and cats as if they were people. She was able to discern what they were “saying” to her. So I believe I inherited this gift. My husband laughs when he sees a conversation going on between the cat and myself. Our conversations are like this:
Me: Hey girlfriend, what’s going on?
Girlfriend: Mmm-rrrrrr-eoooow.
Just so you know, she rolls her meows as she speaks in Spanish.
Me: Really? Is that so? I’m having some lunch, do you want some?
Girlfriend: mmm-rrr-oooowwww.
Me: You better stick to the cat food. People food will mess up your bowels and I’m the one that has to do the cleaning.
Girlfriend paces back and forth around my feet purring loudly.
At nap time our conversation might go like this [By the way, I put Girlfriend down for a nap like a mother lies with her toddler. After all it is my parental duty.]:
Me: Hey Girlfriend, are you ready for a nap?
Girlfriend: mmm-rrrrrrr-eoooow
Me: Let’s go.
Girlfriend jumps up and runs to the bedroom claiming her spot on the outside of the bed as she does not like to lie in the middle.
Me: Come on Girlfriend move over I need room to get in.
Girlfriend: mmmm-rrrrrr-eeooow.
I climb over her yielding to her demand. After she drifts off to sleep, I get back up for my other duties.
As I stated before, my husband laughs as he has never seen a person and an animal actually carry on a conversation. I talk and she meows. I think I have finally convinced him we really do have conversations as I “discern” what she’s saying.
Well some people may think I’m crazy when I hear Jesus. But He said:
“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27 HCSB)
In John 10, Jesus tells us that He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep. The sheep follow Him for they know Him and know His voice.
How does one get to know someone’s voice? They spend time together.
I can understand what Girlfriend wants as she follows me around all day. She knows my voice. While I was away at the Siesta Fiesta, she didn’t hear me. When I walked in the house and announced my presence, she came out from where ever she was to see me. My husband told me he didn’t see her much while I was gone.
As believers in Christ, we need to spend time with Him to know Him and to recognize His voice. For me, I intentionally set my alarm each morning to wake up before anyone else to spend time with Him. Then all throughout the day, I talk with Him. I praise Him. I thank Him. I cry to Him. I complain to Him. In return, He leads me. Quiets me. Comforts me. He gives me little “kisses” throughout the day letting me know He’s there.
We’re called peculiar anyway, so lets get even more so by getting to know Jesus more intimately and knowing His voice.
I went to San Antonio for the LPM Conference and Siesta Fiesta excited about what was to come. I left satiated—full of the Word of God, full of fellowship with like minded believers, full of God’s love all around me!
I was thrilled to meet people for the first time in person that I have met via blogs and emails and occasional telephone calls. It’s as if these people came through the computer screen transforming from two-dimensional to real life! And we actually gave each other hugs! No holograms! Real people in the flesh (and beautiful clothes, hair [in spite of the extreme humidity] and smiles)!
I forced myself to watch Beth teach live from the stage instead of watching the monitors. I’m so accustomed to watching her on a monitor or television screen from numerous Bible studies and a recent simulcast. I was there to see and hear her teach in person. The Lord has truly anointed and equipped her to teach HIS word.
Beth may not know this, but she is my mentor as a Bible teacher and speaker. I learn from her as I watch and listen to her. I found her to be a real person with real emotions and fears of being in front of approximately 10,000 women (and a few men). She stated something to the effect that she researches new topics for each event and she does not know how it will turn out for the first time in front of thousands.
For me, her realness allows me to be able to relate to her. A Bible teacher who is so perfectly polished is so hard for me to relate to in my everyday life. A very polished teacher to me is like an air-brushed model on a glamour magazine. I enjoy how Beth is so excited about sharing the Word of God with all who were in attendance. Her passion for Christ and His Word radiates from her. It is apparent she spends time with HIM.
The crowd was so gracious to her and laughed at something that others had to explain to me as I was preoccupied writing notes. I missed the “peeps” comment. I did not receive the remote control with the arm band for admittance; therefore, I could not rewind for a moment, listen and then press live TV. I was surprised Saturday morning when Beth said that her daughters chastised her about using the word “peeps” after the previous night’s event, so she played on it even more. I just loved it!
As Beth continued in her teaching and in her excitement, she forgot to tell us point number 4 (out of 8 points), but the crowd would not let her move ahead skipping such important information. Her daughters sitting on the front row also corrected her on a few other things. She so graciously went with the flow of it and continued in the anointing of the teaching the Lord put on her heart.
For me, I cannot emphasize enough that I can relate much better to a teacher who is real. In the surreal circumstances as I never imagined a LPM conference so close to home, I met the real deal as I heard Beth humbly present the gospel message—the good news that as believers we have an inheritance.
The theme of the conference was “The Inheritance” with the scripture reference in Psalm 16. The key verses for the teaching were Psalm 16:5-6 from the ESV translation.
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have abeautiful inheritance.
We have an inheritance as heirs of God, co-heirs of Christ Jesus. The inheritance theme starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation. It is consistent throughout the Word of God. She stated that if we get this into our marrow and really believe it that we wouldn’t deal with ourselves so cheaply and easily.
Beth delivered an eight point message over the course of the conference. There’s no way I can summarize in one post. But know this & wake up each day to say, “I am an heiress of God.”
After the conference the Siestas met with Beth, Amanda and Melissa. We formed groups for group photo opportunities. (You can see my group photo with Beth here.) Then for an hour we had a Q & A session with the three Moore’s. What a great opportunity to get to know them better as real people who love the Lord and in turn love HIS people.
I’ve posted some pictures of this conference here and here.
I want to thank the Lord for the opportunity to attend a Beth Moore conference. I want to thank my husband who arranged his work schedule so I can go as well as finance the trip. Thank you dear!
I'm posting a few more photos from the weekend. These photos are courtesy Rich Kalonick with LPM. Thanks Rich! Thanks Beth, Amanda and Melissa! This two photos are the group photo after the conference. My friend Melissa and I were in the front where Beth sat for the close up photo with us. Actually I think Rich was shooting a close up of Beth with the girl, but we got to be close. :-)
Melissa & I just met Alene (in the pink) from Corpus. I've been talking with her for several months as she and a team of women are hosting a Living the Life Conference in Corpus Christi on Oct. 2-3 with Becky Terabassi as the guest speaker. I'll be there as a volunteer; ya'll be sure to check it out and come back to Texas!
These photos are courtesy of Annie at Annie's Eyes. Thanks Annie! I had a great time! Below is Angie, me, Annie, and Bev. I'm so glad I got to meet each of you.
Annie took a shot of me with Fran, Blessed by Him. Glad to meet you Fran!
Thanks for the donated photos! Love and blessings in Christ!
Engrafted by His Grace--
My friend and I went to San Antonio for the Living Proof Conference with Beth Moore and the Siesta Fiesta. The Word of God through Beth was fantastic! The fellowship with blogging friends was great! I'm still tired, so I'm posting a few pics for now. Words later.
Amanda posted a slide show on the Living Proof Blog.
Engrafted by His Grace--
Psalm 134 (WBC)
Come, bless YAHWEH, all you servants of YAHWEH, Who are standing in YAHWEH’s house by night.
Raise your hands toward the holy place and bless YAHWEH
May YAHWEH bless you from Zion, the one who made heaven and earth.
Let us bless the Lord!
Many women are converging on San Antonio today and tomorrow as they journey to worship in the house of the Lord. The Alamodome, a multi-venue coliseum, will become a house of the Lord as His people come to bless His name there.
I studied the Psalm of Ascents from the Stepping Up study by Beth Moore. On the pages of the study of Psalm 134, Beth Moore quotes from the New Interpreter’s Bible:
“After Psalm 133 has celebrated the unity of the gathered people of God in Zion, Psalm 134 addresses the gathered congregation, inviting them to do what they had come to Jerusalem to do: praise the Lord.”
Then she goes on to quote Peterson:
“The sentence [‘Come, bless Yahweh’] is an invitation: it is also a command. Having arrived at the place of worship, will we now sit around and tell stories about the trip? Having gotten to the big city, will spend our time here as tourists, visiting bazaars, window shopping and trading? Having gotten Jerusalem [or San Antonio for the siestas] checked off our list of things to do, will we immediately begin to looking for another challenge, another holy place to visit? Will the temple be a place to socialize, receive congratulations from others on our achievement, a place to share gossip and trade stories, a place to make business contacts that will improve our prospects back home? But that is not why you made the trip: bless God. You are here because God blessed you. Now you bless God.”
Then Beth wrote:
“Briefly summarize Peterson’s basic point in your own words:
I wrote: ‘Do what you came to do!’ Of course, God blesses our fellowship and our shared experiences; each of those have important places in our travels here on earth. You and I, however, were created to praise God, so let’s spend priority time doing what we came to do. I felt a tang of conviction over my attention during worship in my own church. I dearly love the people who sit in my same general section and, goodness knows, God wants me to! He desires us to embrace and be happy to see one another; but when worship begins, God wants us to push the hold button on our fellowship with one another and give HIM 100 percent of our attention. He wants us to do what we came to do! Anybody else a tad convicted?” (Moore, Stepping Up, Lifeway Press, 2007, pp. 163-4)
I chose to quote Beth’s words on this as she articulated it better than I ever could. We’re going to worship the Lord with Travis Cottrell and Beth Moore as the hosts of the event.
I look forward to meeting so many of you! We have plans to meet before the worship or afterwards! I look forward to enjoying the fellowship with you. I look forward to the friendships that will come out of this gathering. I hope and pray we will become life long friends as we all have a heart for the Lord.
But when it is time--let us remember our reason for this journey: to bless the Lord! I’m sure we in turn will be blessed!
Ezekiel 22:30-31
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Who among us will stand in the gap on behalf of our country and pray? Will you?
Our times today are not much different from the times of the prophets.
Let us pray for our land. Timothy urges all believers to pray for kings and all in authority.
2 Timothy 2:1-6 NIV
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
I have written a prayer for our nation and placed on my prayer page on the website. You can go directly to that page here. This prayer is a place to start; please continue to pray for our nation as the Holy Spirit leads you.
My heart grieves this day for the Myers family. We prayed, believed and the Lord heard. I cry with you for Clifford will be missed much. To the family, your faith in Jesus our Lord has blessed me and inspired me. I pray that if God allows, that I get to hug your necks on this side of heaven. I cant articulate what the Lord has done through you in me. I feel a heart felt love through Christ that I believe can only happen because the Holy Spirit binds the body of Christ together. Much sympathy, love and prayers to you this day.
Engrafted by His Grace--
Our sincere thanks to all of you who have made our cherished son, Clifford, a part of your thoughts and prayers over his 14months. As many already know Clifford's heart stopped on Thurs. night and was not able to be revived. He was hooked up to an ECMO machine which took over his heart function however the 50 min. he went without oxygenated blood flow resulted in brain bleeding and swelling. We learned yesterday when he would not wake up and had showed visible neurological damage that the affects were permanent and severe. Yesterday afternoon, in his daddy's arms, and over our prayers and "I love you's" we allowed Clifford to be removed from his life suport equip. and sang him into heaven. Godspeed with all our love Clifford, we will always remember your wonderful smile and laughter. Your family,
Dawn, Abe, Henry & Clara
Yesterday I sat with my husband and son at the orthodontist office. We were quite entertained by the news while we waited. A live police chase unfolded on the television in Houston. The reporters told us details of the events unfolding while the helicopter camera kept a tight focus on the truck & driver. Though we could not see what part of Houston, what streets, what direction the suspect was driving, how many other police were involved or other helicopters were in the air, we were verbally informed by the reporters. I had no problem believing what I heard from the reporters.
Why is it when it comes to believing what God says, I have a harder time with it? Romans 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing and hearing the Word of Christ. So why is it that I hear, but it doesn’t seem to yet take hold in belief?
What I mean is that there are times that I believe, but I act like I don’t by allowing anxious thoughts to run through my mind. Doubts. Fears. Oh Lord, calm my anxious heart!
Psalm 37 says over and over—“Do not fret.” Anger only leads to sin and we’re not to sin in our anger. This passage brings me much comfort from the Lord. When I lift things to the Lord in prayer, it helps calm my anxious heart. When I hear a song of praise and glorify the Lord, it calms my anger. When I hear an encouraging word from a friend, it relieves my thoughts. By putting the focus on Christ and not on me or the circumstances helps calm my soul and live by faith.
If I could see the whole picture, would l walk by faith? The word says that the “righteous shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11) Those with Jesus Christ in their hearts are righteous by faith. We can believe that. Why can we believe for other areas of our lives? Health. Finances. Children. Other People. Work. Spouses. Parents. Grandparents.
We can! We know that the Lord knows all and sees all. Like the reporter in the helicopter who saw more than what was shown on the television screen, the Lord sees more than what our eyes see. He sees everything!! We can trust HIM to direct our lives—step by step! By that then, we believe HIM and we’re living by faith and not by sight!
Engrafted by His Grace--Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Friday Morning: My email seems to be working today!! Praise the Lord!! Thank You Jesus!
Update (Thursday nite): I can receive mail in webmail service, but it is not sending out. My service provider site announces things should be fully functional by Saturday afternoon. I'm learning patience through this experience. May you all be blessed!
My email server experienced an outage yesterday. Therefore, I'm not able to receive or send email from my email accounts. If you have sent an email to me and I have not responded, it is due to technical issues. I have internet service. I reviewed the server site for email status and to make a long, technical story short--they're aware of the issue and working to get email working again.
If you need to contact me, please call or email me at an alternate email address I have: shondawhitworth (at) gmail (dot) com.
Am I seeking life the way I want it? Or seeking life the way the Lord wants it?
This week in the chronological reading, I read a lot of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet of God to Judah. At this point most of Judah has already been taken into captivity to Babylon. The Lord prophesied that due to their hard hearts and rebellious attitudes that Judah would go into captivity. Yet the people did not want to believe that God would do such a thing.
I’ve been like that. The Lord warned me over and over not to do certain things. But I didn’t want to believe that a kind and loving God would let anything happen to me.
During Jeremiah’s time, the rebellious people wanted to live the good life. Do whatever they wanted, when they wanted and be merry in their rebellion. So they refused to listen to the prophet the Lord sent telling them the truth to repent and turn from their wicked ways. They chose instead to listen to the false prophets who told them that the captivity would be short. It was just a brief period—not 70 years as Jeremiah spoke from the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:16-17
16 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the LORD.17 They keep saying to those who despise me,
'The LORD says: You will have peace.'
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, 'No harm will come to you.'
Because they listened to the false prophets, they had false hopes. False dreams. They wanted peace so bad they deceived themselves into believing it was from the Lord.
I have had desires I wanted so bad that I thought it had to be from the Lord. Surely it would come to pass. I listened to teachings that satisfied my flesh and gave me hope—false hopes that is.
I sought the Lord earnestly seeking HIM for what I wanted. I used HIS word to try to manipulate my way. But I learned a hard lesson—God cannot be manipulated. Everything that was false was cut out from under me. I was left barren. All the hopes and dreams I had crashed. Smattered. Shattered. The only things left in my life were what was from God—including the hurt.
I had to be pruned to a stump to see what was false. I had to make a choice—follow what was true or follow what was false.
I chose to follow truth and allow the Lord to reshape me and teach me HIS truth.
I learned that the Lord wants to give me life and give it more abundantly. (John 10:10) But I learned that an abundant life does not mean material things. Because I listened to false teaching, I sought after more material things and did not seek first the Kingdom of God. (Matt. 6:33) I thought that by being a godly person I would experience financial gain. (1 Tim. 6:5) I wanted to be relieved of debts and wanted money fast. What the Lord taught me is He is my gain. I am learning step by step how to live the way He wants me to live. I must be a good steward over what is entrusted to me.
This financial lesson came to me three years ago. It was a very painful lesson and now I certainly try to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I want a correctible and teachable spirit. I want to keep my heart bent toward what is True and put aside what is false.
Let’s heed the warnings spoken by the prophets of old. Let’s ask for a discerning spirit to hear what is True and not take in what is false.
Lord, I seek You this day as it is the day You have given to me. Lord, I pray that by Your Holy Spirit that You reveal what is truth. Lord, I pray that all the false teachings be revealed and I not accept them as truth because my flesh desires comfort and ease of life. Lord, I pray that You guide me on the path that leads to You. Lord, may my life be a life lived in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I pray my life will point to Your saving grace—Jesus Christ. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Engrafted by His Grace—
Shonda
Does God bring dreams to pass? Do you have dreams yet to be fulfilled? The Bible gives lots of examples of people with God given dreams that came to pass.
What about you, do you still have dreams inside that you believe are from the Lord? Are you still waiting for those dreams to come to pass?
The Lord appointed seasons for our benefit. In this season, plants are in full bloom. Could it be possible that our dreams are in full bloom? Think about the following statement.
Dreams are in full bloom.
Bloom. What exactly does it mean to bloom?
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary (online), it means to produce or yield flowers; to mature into achievement of one’s potential.
Let’s dissect the part that may apply to us; to mature into achievement of one’s potential.
Mature means to come to full development. We can understand that a child is not mature while a parent may be considered mature. In Christ, to be mature is to be planted and growing in discipleship thus having a continuing relationship with our Lord.
Achievement means something accomplished successfully especially by means of exertion, skill, practice or perseverance. To achieve, we must put forth effort and not quit before it is completed. In Christ, we have to persevere in what we’re called to accomplish for His glory. Some of our achievements may be education, marriage (and still married years later), having our own family, career, and so forth.
Potential means possessing the capacity for growth or development. It’s an ability that is present, but not visible at this point. As a parent, I can see the potential in my children. I can see that each one has skills that can be developed. The Lord, know what potential we have within us and each stage of our life is a process preparing us for that purpose.
Therefore, if our God given dreams are in full bloom, we’ve reached a place of maturity in Christ that we’re ready to yield and produce sweet fragrant flowers. We’re rooted in His deep love. We’ve persevered through storms and trials to reach this point in our growth with the power and strength of other believers rooted in Christ. Now we are another step closer to realization of our purpose. It’s there ready to produce. Stay firm.
Ephesians 3:20 AMP
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—
To God be the glory in Christ Jesus forever and ever, Amen!
Engrafted by His Grace—
______________________Have you ever been in a predicament that seemed life or death? That if you didn’t get an answer quick, it was over? Daniel faced this situation. King Nebuchadnezzar (King Neb) had a dream and he didn’t know what it meant. He wanted an interpretation. But he had a catch—he would not tell any of the wise men, astrologers, enchanters, or magicians the dream. Who can do that? No one.
Extremely angry that none of these men could tell him his dream and interpret it, King Neb decided to put all the wise men to death—all of them! Daniel and his friends were part of this group of wise men. When the commander came to Daniel, “Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.” (Dan 2:14)
Isn’t that cool that Daniel kept his cool? I think I’d be a bit terrified knowing I was about to be put to death. Not Daniel, he kept his cool and “spoke with wisdom and tact. “ Once he found out the situation, he went to the king to ask for more time so that he may interpret the dream for King Neb. After making this request, Daniel returns to his home. Did he throw a party? Did he tell his friends, “all right we have one night to live, so lets party it up?” No. “He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Dan 2:18) They spent the night in prayer!
Daniel 2:19-23 NIV
During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."
The Lord revealed the dream to Daniel who went before the king. Before Daniel told King Neb the dream and the interpretation, he gave all glory to God. Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Dan 2:27-28) He accurately discloses the dream and gives the interpretation and saves the lives of the wise men—by God’s grace.
God reveals His mysteries to us. We can rationalize—well I’m not a Daniel. Who am I that God will reveal things to me? If we have Jesus Christ, then we’re a child of God. His disciple. He wants to show us the mysteries hidden in his word. His word is a deep treasure chest for us to discover something new each day that we spend with Him in it.
Beth Moore pointed out in the simulcast this past weekend. As we treasure His wonder, the gift of His Word, we’re privy to the secrets in His Word. Jesus spoke in parables to the disciples.
Luke 8:9-10 ESV
9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said,
It has been given to us!! We have revelation knowledge from God! If we don’t understand, we can ask Him what it means. We may have to spend a night in prayer to get our answers in urgent situations or we may have to wait a few days, weeks, months or even years for other answers. But He answers!
God chooses what He will reveal and what He won’t reveal to us. But there is so much He is ready to reveal if we seek HIM and ask HIM for HIS revelation knowledge. Ask!
James 1:5 NIV
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Engrafted by His Grace--
Note: To join in the chronological reading, please visit Bev on her blog. It's never too late to join in reading HIS word!!
I hope you're having a great weekend!
I've went to the Beth Moore Simulcast. Those of you who were actually in Lu-ah-ville, I hope you put up some pics! I wanted to look for you, but the cameras never panned the crowd. The Word of God is so refreshing!!
Today you can find me at Faith Lifts. I wrote a devotional as a guest contributor called "Trust in the Lord." Let's keep our eyes on Jesus!
Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!!
Engrafted by His Grace--
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