Series: Experiencing the Spirit.
We have been all seeking and even desiring to experience the Spirit more in our daily lives. I have been stressing the importance of growing spiritually over the past few weeks. We discovered that many Christians desire to grow spiritually but fail to follow through with spiritual growth. We have more resources available to us in this country than ever before and yet our countries Christian population seems to be very immature. We have a society filled with Christians who don’t know their Bibles or how to apply biblical concepts to their lives.
My first message highlighted the importance of growing spiritually and emphasized the studding of God’s Word the Holy Bible. This is the base or beginning point for spiritual growth. The Bible is the primary source which helps us mature in our spiritual walks.
My second message emphasized how we need to experience the Spirit at work. We need to pray at work, we need to see and recognize the God moments at work. We need to understand that the Spirit is with us at work and He does not stay in the parking lot when we go into work.
My third message was on the importance of experiencing the Spirit in and through worship. I highlighted how David did this in his life and how he so loved the Lord that he set up the Tabernacle of David. In this place there was 24-7 worship and prayer before the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark represented the presence of God. Worship is a venue where we can connect with the Holy Spirit and experience the Spirit.
My forth message stressed how to experiencing the Spirit through wisdom. We looked at Proverbs 8 and discovered that Jesus is wisdom personified and all wisdom comes through a relationship with Him. Wisdom is given to us by God and therefore we must listen to His wisdom which comes from above. The reason many are spiritually immature is because to many Christians listen to wisdom from below which is of this world. Wisdom comes from God and God alone. In James chapter 1 we are told if we lack wisdom call on God because He does give us wisdom to deal with the situations of Life.
T.S. - Today we are going to explore how we can experience the Spirit through the firestorms of life.
Sermon: Experiencing the Spirit through conflict.
Introduction: Story
My Story: The Day of the fire storm!
I was at Boy Scout Camp when I discovered the terrible damage a fire storm could do to my life. It was a lazy afternoon very hot and dry. John and I were sent back to camp to start dinner for the guys. When I got back to camp I discovered that the camp fire looked as if it had gone out. So I decided to rebuild the fire to get it ready for our meal. So I gathered fire wood and placed it on the coals and tried to get it to burn. It would not start so I decided to pour some Kerosene on the wood figuring it would help get the fire started sooner so that John and I could start dinner sooner for the troop. So I poured the Kerosene on the wood and all of a sudden the fire ignited. It then traveled up the liquid and into the can I was holding in my hand. Within seconds the can exploded in my hand sending burning Kerosene streaming in every direction and most of the burning fuel landed on my lower right leg and it burst into flames.
It was so surreal I looked down as the heat started piercing through to my leg and I began screaming. I was 12 years old and my leg was burning out of control. I screamed for help and thru myself to the ground. I began to roll and roll and the more I rolled the more the ground burst into flames around me. I rolled into a tent and it caught on fire. I was screaming because of the pain and crying out for help. I started thinking this is it I am going to burn to death and right at that moment another Boy Scout came to my rescue. John had a blanket in his hand and he grabbed me and wrapped it around my leg to put out the fire. Once he put out my leg he then proceeded to put out the tent and the burning ground around us.
I laid there in shock and disbelief with horrible pain throbbing up my leg. John held me and asked me to hang in there because he was going to get me help. He ran like the wind for about a mile to the first aid head quarters in the park. I laid there all alone on the ground thinking, “Why did I do that!” then the thought crept in, “Is this it!” It seemed as if I laid there forever starring up into the blue sky.
The Park Rangers came and the troop leaders came as fast as they could. As they pulled the blanket off of my leg part of my jeans and burnt flesh came off with it. They cut my jeans off immediately and started cleaning out my badly burned leg. I screamed in pain. I heard one man get sick and throw up and another say, “Oh my Lord!” I was burned from my ankle to just above the knee. I still remember the awe full smell of burnt flesh rising off my leg. All I could do was moan and cry because of the excruciating pain inflicted from this fire. All I could do was keep asking questions, “What happened?” “Where did the fire come from?” “Why did this happen to me?” I was stunned by how quickly I had caught on fire.
It took the troop leaders 4 hours before they finally got me to a hospital. It was a horrible 4 hour trip from the mountains to the hospital. As I rode in a truck I just moaned as my driver a Boy Scout leader just encouraged me to hang in there, I remember he turned his Air Conditioning on to the floor section so that cold air could blow onto my leg. My flesh was hanging off and I was wishing for a miracle as I looked at my deformed leg. I thought this could not be my leg. When we arrived at the hospital the doctors started to work on my leg immediately. They cleaned it up and put salve on it then wrapped with burn wrap.
My mom showed up at the hospital in tears asking, “What happened?” The doctors informed my mom that I had second and third degree burns on the lower half of my leg. I remember the doctor telling her the importance of making sure that she made sure that my leg did not become infected. So daily she would clean my leg off. I would not look at my leg – my mom said it looked horrible almost like hamburger. But eventually I did heal. I often think about that day. It is etched into my memory forever. It was the painful day because I became a victim of a fire storm.
I learned a few lessons that day that I will never forgot, “Do not dump Kerosene on hot coals!” The biggest lesson I learned that day was not to be careless with a fire. I discovered the hard way that fire is hot and it burns very quickly and it does maximum damage in short amount of time. The firestorm I experienced lasted for minutes but caused major damage to my leg and it took months to heal. I still have scars on my lower leg from that fire storm. It reminds me as I look at that scar the danger of fire storms and how painful they can be.
T.S. - Firestorms happen in this world everyday - maybe not like the one I just described but firestorms in relationships flare up doing maximum damage in a short period of time. A situation or word is misunderstood and the fire ignites scorching and burning up everything in sight.
A few years back I read the book Firestorms. The author Susek warned about the danger, the destruction and the damage that firestorms can do to a church, an organization or even a family unit. He shared true to life horror stories of Christians acting like raging firestorms and leaving a path of destruction in churches, in communities, in families and in individual lives. He shared the tragic stories to warn us Christians, leaders, and pastors how to prevent firestorms in our relationship’s, he stressed how to put fires out quickly in relationships, and even how to rebuild relationships after a firestorm.
Dr. Robert said, “No church is more than twenty-four hours away from a major conflict breaking out. In less than a year, it can destroy years of hard work and growth” (Firestorms, page 12)
He spoke about the danger and the ferocity of firestorms. He warned us that once a firestorm ignites it causes damage quickly to the surrounding terrain and races off to burn up whatever is in its path. They move fast and quickly across the landscape burning everything up in sight. They are dangerous and destructive. They have even been known to be brief but so intense that they cause maximum loss in a short period of time. So we need to learn how to become fire fighters if we want to preserve our family relationships, our friendship relationships, our church relationships, our community relationships and our individual relationships.
Firestorms come in many forms and can ignite in any type of a life situation.
Video Illustration:
Conflict in marriage from bluefishtv.com/ Conflict with in-laws bluefishtv.com
Conflict or firestorms in relationships can either facilitate spiritual growth or spiritual death. I need to ask you a few questions today: “Is anger and conflict hindering your Spiritual growth?” “Do you want to, experience the Spirit through conflict and firestorms?” You can because the experience of conflict, disagreements, arguments, are a common occurrence in this life and God will use those firestorm moments to help you grow if you let Him. The key we need to understand is that they will come and go and it’s vitally important how we handle them. If we choose the biblical way of handling firestorms we will see spiritual growth in our lives.
Quote: CONFLICT IN COMMUNITY: “The difference between spiritual and unspiritual community is not whether conflict exists, but is rather in our attitude toward it and our approach to handling it. When conflict is seen as an opportunity to draw more fully on spiritual resources, we have the makings of spiritual community.” SOURCE: Larry Crabb in "The Safest Place on Earth," p. 40.
Thesis: Conflict or what I call firestorms can ignite quickly over what seems like nothing and do maximum damage. One minute everything is good and the next you find yourself in a blazing inferno of flying hurtful words and emotional pain.
Scripture Romans 12: 9-21 The how to grow spiritually chapter!
Rules for Christian Living
9Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.
10Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.
11Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.
12Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
13Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
14 Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them.
15When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad.
16 Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.
17Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,
18and do your best to live at peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one to take revenge and pay them back.”
20 The Scriptures also say, “If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads.”
21Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
The Christian’s Goal: Peace and unity is the goal. Paul wrote, “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). Jesus said the peacemakers are blessed (Matthew 5:9). Again, Paul reminds us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (Romans 12:18).
James teaches us that if conflict can be prolonged, especially when we are using the wrong methods to resolve it, when we are listening to wrong information, and when we are engaging wrong attitudes in dealing with it (James 3:13-4:3).
I. The reasons for conflict and or firestorms:
a. Biblical examples:
i. Peter and Paul’s firestorm:
1. The book of Galatians deals with the issue of conflict over doctrinal issues. Paul went after a group of Jewish Christians who were telling the newly converted Gentile Christians that they had be circumcised to fulfill their salvation.
2. It was a conflict or firestorm which got set on fire over the Jewish practice of circumcision. There where the Judaizers who said that all Christians needed to be circumcised or their salvation was invalid. Peter fell prey to the Judaizers and refused to eat with Gentiles because as believers in Christ they refused to be circumcised. In Peter’s Jewish heritage this would make them unclean and therefore he needed to have nothing to do with them. Paul rebuked Peter for refusing to eat and associate with uncircumcised Christian Gentiles. The issue became a huge rift in the early church and ended up being resolved when all the leaders of the church got together. It was determined that circumcision had nothing to do with our salvation because we are saved by faith not by works. They reiterated the truth that you are saved by faith not by human works or acts.
3. Peter repented and recanted of this error and the whole church experience a new sweet move of the Spirit – where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!
ii. Paul and Barnabas’ firestorm:
1. John Mark was a young man, known, in the Bible, by the name Mark. He traveled with Barnabas and Paul, who worked as an evangelical team, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They faced many hardships as they ministered. At a place called Pamphylia, John Mark didn't want to go on with the two men. Later, Barnabas wanted to include the young man in a missionary journey. Paul said no. He was against it because John Mark, Paul had decided, had deserted the mission before. This refusal to allow John Mark to travel with them caused some hard feelings between Paul and Barnabas. They decided to go their separate ways to carry out Christ's work. Barnabas took John Mark with him. Later in his life, Paul embraced Mark. He said Mark was profitable (very useful) in helping him carry out the Lord's work.
(from http://www.raptureready.com/faq/faq308.html)
a. See Acts 13:13; Acts 15:36-41.
2. Years later, Paul finds the formerly useless Mark “useful,” as revealed in the apostle’s concluding epistle. “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministering” (2 Tim. 4:11). And in Colossians 4:10, one observes that the once-rejected young worker was commended, and the Colossian saints were asked to be receptive to him.
iii. Mary and Martha’s firestorm:
1. Luke 10:38-42:
2. Martha became mad that Mary was not helping her prepare an elaborate meal for the guests. The firestorm erupted between these two sisters over whether you should sit at Jesus’ feet or serve in the kitchen to prepare and elaborate meal. Martha approaches Jesus upset and angry and wants him to rebuke Mary for not helping. But instead Jesus commends Mary for making the right choice and for Martha over doing the meal preparations.
b. Reasons for conflict and firestorms in this life?
i. The following are four primary assumptions of modern conflict theory (from: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Conflict_theory)
1. Competition: Competition over scarce resources (money, leisure, sexual partners, and so on) is at the heart of all social relationships. Competition rather than consensus is characteristic of human relationships.
a. This competition for resources will cause firestorms in life.
b. Many church leaders battle over the Christians who move from one church to the next.
2. Structural inequality: Inequalities in power and reward are built into all social structures. Individuals and groups that benefit from any particular structure strive to see it maintained.
a. This will also be a cause for many firestorms in society.
i. We see this happening in our government today in America and in the protests of the Middle East.
ii. We have seen raise up through different periods in history when people have had enough of unfairness.
3. Revolution: Change occurs as a result of conflict between social class's competing interests rather than through adaptation. It is often abrupt and revolutionary rather than evolutionary.
a. Firestorms like this cause destruction, famine, poverty and needless deaths.
4. War: Even war is a unifier of the societies involved, as well as war may set an end to whole societies.
a. The ultimate expression of unrestrained conflict is war which ravished nations.
b. Africa and the Middle East are examples of this.
ii. Sometimes the reason there is conflict or a firestorm is because of hidden or built up frustrations.
1. This is why it is important to go to a person and deal with conflict and disagreement as soon as possible.
a. We will talk more about this is a moment.
T.S. – We have talked briefly about conflict and firestorms and what may cause them. What is also important to understand is how bad the firestorm can be and the kind of damage it can do. The truth is how we react to the conflict or firestorm will determine how hurtful and destructive they are.
II. The reaction to conflict and firestorms determines if we experience the Spirit or not.
a. The wrong way to react:
i. Unleashing the tongue in the heat of the firestorm does not allow us to experience the Spirit instead it brings death and destruction to a relationship.
1. James 1:19-20: 19 My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry. 20If you are angry, you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done.
2. James 1: 26: 26If you think you are being religious, but can’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and everything you do is useless.
3. James 3:5-8: 5Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark to start a forest fire!
6 The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person’s entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed.
8But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison.
4. Proverbs 10:19-21: You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much so be sensible and watch what you say. The words of a good person are like pure silver, but the thoughts of an evil person are almost worthless. Many are helped by useful instruction, but fools are killed by their own stupidity.
5. Proverbs 21:23: Watching what you say can save you a lot of trouble.
6. Proverbs 26:28: Watch out for anyone who tells lies and flatters—they are out to get you.
ii. The action of “texting” today is another way many are reacting with venomous attacks onto others.
1. Texting of firestorms of words to others have been slashing their way through relationships today. With less eye to eye contact today and the impersonal means of technology we see many relationships being wounded and destroyed today.
2. The Facebook words of the firestorm use digs to get at others. This Social network can produce a moment were you are experiencing the Spirit but it can also be used to actually grieve the Holy Spirit.
a. It all depends upon our spiritual maturity and how we deal with conflict.
b. The right way to react is listen – be quiet and let time pass a little:
i. The time element is important in dealing with the firestorms of conflict.
1. The less said in the heat of the moment the better and it shows that one is wiser.
2. Taking time to cool down and pray is a better way to deal with fiery words from another than quick reactions on the keyboard or phone.
a. Proverbs 16:32: Controlling your temper is better than being a hero who captures a city.
3. Many times today we respond to quickly to a person’s written words.
a. We immediately call to fire back.
b. We text back in the heat of the moment. The fire burning off our words!
c. We write things on Facebook in the heat of the moment – we react out of anger without taking time to allow the words sting to fade.
4. We fail in our instant society to allow things to calm down and too many times we try to bring others into the firestorm circle.
a. Proverbs 16:27-28: Worthless people plan trouble. Even their words burn like a flaming fire. Gossip is no good! It causes hard feelings and comes between friends.
c. The right way to react to a firestorm determines whether we grow spiritually or die a little more spiritually through this moment in time.
T.S. – The way we react to firestorms will either allow us to experience the Spirit or grieve the Spirit. We will either grow through conflict or cause damage to our spiritual growth. We need to make the decision to resolve conflict and firestorms in a Biblical manor.
III. The decision to resolve the conflict or firestorm
a. It’s always our choice on how we will deal with conflict. It’s not the others fault or even the situations fault it’s always my decision on how I handle conflict in my life.
i. Many do the blame game.
1. This does not lead to spiritual growth – example Adam and Eve.
ii. Many decide to break and severe relations.
1. This does not lead to spiritual growth only division and dissension.
iii. Many choose the path of un-forgiveness.
1. This is the bait of Satan designed to destroy the Body of Christ.
2. This is why Jesus at the end of the Lord’s prayer commands us to forgive others or God will not forgive us!
3. Many choose the path of hanging onto the spirit of offense than the spirit of love.
4. Quotes John Bevere, "The Bait of Satan"
a. He states, "In the New Testament it often describes an entrapment used by the enemy. Offense is a tool of the Devil to bring people into captivity. Paul instructed young Timothy: And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare (entrapment) of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26. Those who are in quarrels or opposition fall into a trap and are held prisoner to do the devil’s will. Even more alarming, they are unaware of their capacity! Like the prodigal they must come to themselves by awaking to their true condition. They do not realize that they are spewing out bitter waters rather than pure. When a person is deceived, he believes he is right even though not (page, 7).
b. John Bevere adds, "It doesn’t matter how up-to-date you are in new revelations from the many seminars and Bible schools you’ve attended or how many books you’ve read or even how many hours you pray and study. If you are offended and in un-forgiveness and refuse to repent of this sin, you have not come to the knowledge of the truth. You are deceived, and you confuse others with your hypocritical lifestyle. No matter what the revelation, your fruit tells a different story. You’ll become a spring spewing out bitter waters that will bring deception, not truth" (Bait of Satan, page 19).
b. Firestorms or conflicts are a process God uses to help us experience the Spirit
i. James 1:2-4: 2My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble.
3You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested.
4But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.
1. Firestorms, conflict are allowed by God in our lives to help us to grow spiritually!
2. The Holy Spirit uses these raging moments of life to teach us the importance of Biblical truths and actions.
3. Jesus role modeled for us how He experienced the Spirit through His many firestorms!
c. The Bible tells us how important it is to resolve issues if at all possible.
i. 1 Thess 5:12-19: 12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
16Be joyful always;
17pray continually;
18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not put out the Spirit’s fire…
1. Handling a firestorm of conflict incorrectly will put out the Spirit’s fire and presence!
ii. The following from: http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Bible/Conflict.htm Matthew 18:15-17
iii. A Brother Who Sins Against You
15“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
iv. Teaching on the steps of conflict resolution:
1. Acknowledge the conflict. Conflict is normal; it is a part of human nature. Lack of conflict does not equal maturity.
a. What equals spiritual maturity is handling the conflict Biblically.
b. You must do something about it.
i. Why don't we face up to resolving conflict?
ii. Pride.
iii. Fear.
iv. Stubbornness.
c. Conflict that is left to fester will eventually explode.
2. Go means go or approach. Go does not mean avoid or pray or think or forget. But before going, ask yourself:
a. Why am I angry?
b. There are three major reasons that we get angry:
i. Hurt
ii. Frustration
iii. Fear
3. What do you want?
a. Go directly to the person involved. NO third parties, no mediators, no friends. Conflict is inevitable. Resentment is optional. Resolution is up to you.
b. To deal with conflict means we need to go to the person we have the conflict with.
4. Talk in private. Be sensitive. Approach the other person as you would like to be approached.
a. Anger Myth: The best way to handle anger is to ventilate it.
b. Reality: Ventilation only reinforces anger. It is also not appreciated by those ventilated on. It accomplishes nothing positive in either person.
5. Use direct communication.
a. Describe clearly what you observed. (Example: "You didn't listen to what I said.")
b. Explain how it hurt you. (Example: "My opinion doesn't matter to you.")
c. Tell what the consequences have been. (Example: "I'm feeling quite resentful." or maybe "I feel like smashing you one when you treat me like that.")
6. Ask for what change you would like. Change implies more than simply an apology, although an apology is often a good place to start.
7. Aim at reconciliation.
a. The goal is to restore the relationship.
b. The goal is not to prove who was right, not to get back at someone, not to avoid the situation, not to turn away and forget.(The above is from www.SwapMeetDave.com).
Conclusion:
Jim Kane from sermoncentral.com states: “Conflict is a part of life; it is a part of human history. A study reported in the Canadian Army Journal regarding the frequency of human conflicts came up with this interesting statistic – since 3600 B.C. the world has only known 292 years of peace. During this period there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which 3,640,000,000 people have been killed.”
Today we have learned not to do the following:
How to turn a disagreement into a feud and hinder your spiritual growth - from Paul Fritz sermoncentral.com:
1. Be sure to develop and maintain a healthy fear of conflict, letting your own feelings build up so you are in an explosive frame of mind.
2. If you must state your concerns, be as vague and general as possible. Then the other person cannot do anything practical to change the situation.
3. Assume you know all the facts and you are totally right. The use of a clinching Bible verse is helpful. Speak prophetically for truth and justice; do most of the talking.
4. With a touch of defiance, announce your willingness to talk with anyone who wishes to discuss the problem with you. But do not take steps to initiate such conversation.
5. Latch tenaciously onto whatever evidence you can find that shows the other person is merely jealous of you.
6. Judge the motivation of the other party on any previous experience that showed failure or unkindness. Keep track of any angry words.
7. If the discussion should, alas, become serious, view the issue as a win/lose struggle. Avoid possible solutions and go for total victory and unconditional surrender. Don’t get too many options on the table.
8. Pass the buck! If you are about to get cornered into a solution, indicate you are without power to settle; you need your partner, spouse, bank, whatever.
Illustration from Preaching Today:
In 1937, a researcher at Harvard University began a study (originally named The Harvard Study of Adult Development) on what factors contribute to human well-being and happiness. The research team selected 268 male Harvard students who seemed healthy and well adjusted to be part of what is called a longitudinal study, which means that the researchers would study the lives of these men not just at one point in time, but rather over a period of time. In this case, the period of time in what is now called the Grant study has been extraordinary: 72 years. With 72 years of perspective, the Grant study gives a comprehensive viewpoint on what has affected the level of health and happiness of men over a lifetime. The Grant study has tracked an array of factors, including standard measurable items like physical exercise, cholesterol levels, marital status, the use of alcohol, smoking, education levels, and weight, but also more subjective psychological factors such as how a person employs defense mechanisms to deal with the challenges of life. Over the period of 72 years, several men have directed the research. For the last 42 years, the director has been psychiatrist George Vaillant. In 2008 someone asked Dr. Vaillant what he had learned about human health and happiness from his years of poring over the data on these 268 men. You would expect a complex answer from a Harvard social scientist, but his secret to happiness was breathtakingly simple: "The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people."
Craig Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com; source: Joshua Wolf Shenk, "What Makes Us Happy?" The Atlantic (June 2009), pp. 36–53
We have the choice in our spiritual growth and we can choose to grow spiritually through conflict or choose to spiritually die through the firestorms of life.
The Bible tells us to choose to grow and to mature in our spiritual lives!
