Willow Journey

Bonus Feature 4 of Journey Through Daniel | NIVES' STORY

NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT JOY FROM YOU. There’s a song that says, “If you receive and you believe, testify.” I don’t really like to talk about myself, but I think it’s important to do so when we go through certain things in life and experience certain things, and whenever God’s presence is in someone’s life, it’s encouraging to share with others. My name is Nives, and I grew up in Croatia. I was born in Yugoslavia, and I was a child from a mixed marriage between a Croatian and a Serb. This didn’t...

Day 20 of Journey through Daniel | THE RESCUE AND RAISING OF FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS OF GOD

COMMENTARY Daniel 12 concludes the final vision and brings the book of Daniel to a stunning close. In the first half of the vision, we read about a series of kings who would “arise” to their thrones and oppress the people of God (Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 14, 16, 20, 21, 31). We were told that each king would meet their just “end” similar to the way previous kings in the book were humbled because of their pride (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45). But somewhat surprisingly, we also read that some people w...

Day 19 of Journey through Daniel | KINGS WILL ARISE AND KINGS WILL FALL

COMMENTARY Yesterday, we read the introduction to the final vision of Daniel. Today’s reading reveals the message of the vision, which was “written in the book of truth” (Daniel 10:21; 11:2). This message reads like a history book. It recounts the rise and fall of various kings and kingdoms in the ancient Near East. These kings are not referred to by their names but are easily identified by the activities attributed to them. For example, the “mighty king” of Greece whose kingdom is “broken up...

Day 18 of Journey Through Daniel: SUPERNATURAL WARFARE

COMMENTARY Today’s reading includes an extended introduction to the final and longest vision in the book of Daniel. It begins with Daniel seeking a message from God through the practices of prayer, mourning, and fasting. As we’ve seen God do so many times in this book, He responds to Daniel by sending an angelic messenger. But this time, the messenger is delayed by three weeks and for a strange reason. In Daniel 10:12-13, the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you...

Day 17 of Journey Through Daniel: THE SEVENTY "SEVENS"

COMMENTARY Today’s reading continues the occasion of Daniel 9. We’ve seen Daniel praying to God after reflecting on Jeremiah’s prophecy about the seventy years of captivity. Now, Daniel receives a vision from the angel Gabriel, which reveals more about the exile of the people of God. In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel says, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to sea...

Day 16 of Journey Through Daniel | A CONFESSION OF CORPORATE SIN

COMMENTARY Daniel 9 contains another vision, but unlike the previous visions, it begins with a reflection on Scripture and a prayer. The historical and biblical background for this occasion is significant. Verses 1-2 tell us that “in the first year of Darius,” Daniel meditated on a message “given to Jeremiah the prophet,” which concerned “seventy years” of desolation for Jerusalem. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet talked about how the people of Judah would be exiled in Babylon as a result...

Bonus Feature 3 of Journey Through Daniel | IRIS'S STORY

I LOST MY MOTHER WHEN I WAS EIGHT, AND I’VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WRITING OBITUARIES. I think about death a lot, and that might be totally weird. It probably has something to do with the fact that I lost my mother when I was eight, and I’ve had a lot of experience writing obituaries. I look at pictures totally differently now because I’ve had to sift through them to pick for obituaries. I had to bury two of my brothers and when I look at pictures now, they mean so much more to me because yo...

Day 15 of Journey Through Daniel | AT GOD'S APPOINTED TIME

COMMENTARY Daniel 8 contains another vision of beasts and horns, which represent kings and kingdoms. Unlike previous visions, this vision gives some specific interpretations for these images. The first image Daniel sees is a two-horned ram, a representation of the “kings of Media and Persia” (Daniel 8:20). Then, Daniel sees a shaggy goat with a prominent horn, a representation of “the first king” of “Greece,” Alexander the Great (Daniel 8:21). The final image Daniel sees is a small horn emerg...

Day 14 of Journey Through Daniel | THE SUFFERING + ENTHRONEMENT OF THE PREEMINENT IMAGE OF GOD

COMMENTARY Today’s reading continues Daniel’s vision of the four beasts. The vision begins with beasts emerging out of chaotic waters, a scene reminiscent of biblical and Near Eastern creation stories where creation begins in the context of a watery, dark, and monstrous chaos (e.g., Genesis 1:1-2; Psalm 74:12-17). The vision now moves to a new scene where God, referred to as the “Ancient of Days,” is seated in a courtroom and is surrounded by His holy angels (Daniel 7:9). In this courtroom, a...

Day 13 of Journey Through Daniel | A VISION OF FOUR GREAT BEASTS

COMMENTARY Chapter 7 marks a critical juncture in the book of Daniel. It concludes the Aramaic section of the book, which runs from Daniel 2-7. It also marks the beginning of the apocalyptic section of the book, which runs from Daniel 7-12. Technically, we have already encountered some apocalyptic material in the dreams of Daniel 2 and 4. But whereas Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were a part of narrative stories, the dreams and visions we read now in the second half of the book of Daniel are just t...

Day 12 of Journey Through Daniel | GOD ALONE RESCUES AND SAVES

COMMENTARY Today’s reading continues the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. As we’ve seen, Darius was manipulated into making a decree that required all prayer go to him for 30 days. In humble noncompliance with the decree, Daniel offered prayers to God, just as he had always done. Now the story continues with the conspirators turning Daniel in. They say to the ruler in verse 13, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in...

Day 11 of Journey Through Daniel | STANDING FIRM IN THE FACE OF LIONS

COMMENTARY Daniel 6 introduces us to another ruler, and not just a new ruler, but a new empire – the Persian Empire ruled by Darius the Mede. While the leaders and their governments have changed, some of the ways they conduct business have remained the same. In fact, just as the story of Belshazzar in Daniel 5 paralleled the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, the story of Daniel 6 parallels the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. In Daniel 3, three men of Judah were faced ...

Bonus Feature 2 of Journey Through Daniel | Sarah

Growing up, I walked to school, I was a crossing guard and the ice cream truck would come by; it was idyllic. We used to run around and play cops and robbers in the neighbors’ yards. It was wonderful. It really was. My name is Sarah, and I grew up in Schaumburg, IL. We were raised Catholic, and while I still really enjoy and love that tradition, I never had a relationship with God then. I always thought it was the priest who had the relationship with God. But I still loved church. I love to s...

Day 10 of Journey Through Daniel | THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, the story of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall continues. As we’ve seen, the local Babylonian experts have proven ineffective yet again at interpreting an omen of truly divine origin. In fact, in each successive story, they’ve shown themselves to be increasingly incompetent. In Daniel 2, they couldn’t tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream. In Daniel 4, they couldn’t interpret a dream even after hearing it. Now in Daniel 5, they are not only unable to interpret a me...

Day 09 of Journey Through Daniel | THE HAND OF POWER

COMMENTARY Daniel 5 introduces us to a new ruler in Babylon named Belshazzar. The chapter begins with Belshazzar hosting a banquet. This banquet was likely the customary drinking party that ancient military commanders would host in advance of great battles. At that time (approximately 539 BC), the Persian army was approaching the city of Babylon and preparing to topple this old empire. So at his party, Belshazzar tried to encourage his people with a visible reminder of how the Babylonian gods...

Day 08 of Journey Through Daniel | BECOMING A BEAST

COMMENTARY Today’s reading narrates the interpretation and fulfillment of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream. As we’ve read, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a cosmic tree that was cut down and transformed into a beast. Now, Daniel reveals that Nebuchadnezzar is the tree and that he would quite literally take on animal-like qualities. Nebuchadnezzar’s degeneration into a beast plays off key ideas from the opening chapters of the Bible. Genesis 1:26-27 teaches that God created humankind in His “image.”...

Day 07 of Journey Through Daniel | THE CUTTING DOWN OF A COSMIC TREE

COMMENTARY Daniel 4 records the story of another dream that comes to Nebuchadnezzar. Like the dream in chapter 2 and the story in chapter 3, this dream focuses on another large object: a tree. This was not just any large tree. The tree that Nebuchadnezzar sees has cosmic features. It is described as standing in “the middle of the land” (literally: the center of the earth), is so tall that its “top touched the sky,” and is “visible to the ends of the earth” (Daniel 4:10-11). Although Nebuchad...

Day 06 of Journey Through Daniel | FAITHFULNESS IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego continues. As we’ve seen, they have been accused of refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. Now, they are threatened with death in a blazing furnace. The passage begins with a stunning statement by the three men. They say in Daniel 3:17-18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we wa...

Bonus Feature 1 of Journey Through Daniel | Kevin Taylor

Day 05 of Journey Through Daniel | A TEST OF ALLEGIANCE

COMMENTARY Daniel 3 tells the story of another colossal statue. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a statue. Now, perhaps inspired by the dream, he builds one. (Evidently, he forgot that the statue in his dream came crashing down!) It’s not clear who exactly this statue represented. Some suggest it was an image of a Babylonian god. Others suggest it was an image of Nebuchadnezzar himself. In any case, Nebuchadnezzar decreed that all nations and peoples were to worship the statue or be ...

Day 04 of Journey Through Daniel | THE KINGDOMS OF THIS WORLD VERSUS THE KINGDOM OF GOD

COMMENTARY Yesterday we read about Nebuchadnezzar’s search for someone who could tell him his dream and its meaning. Today, we finally learn about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its meaning. Daniel reveals that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a colossal statue that was composed of four different metals: a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, and legs of iron. This sequence of metals, which declines in value from top to bottom, corresponds to an ancient way of o...

Day 03 of Journey Through Daniel | THE WISDOM OF BABYLON VERSUS THE WISDOM OF GOD

COMMENTARY Toward the end of yesterday’s reading, we learned that God gave Daniel the ability to “understand visions and dreams of all kinds” (Daniel 1:17). Today, we see Daniel use these gifts for the first time. The story begins with Nebuchadnezzar having a troubling dream during the second year of his reign. Like much of the world at that time, ancient Babylonians found a great deal of significance in dreams. They understood dreams to be messages from the gods. Archaeologists have actually...

Day 02 of Journey Through Daniel | THE DIFFERENT ROAD TO SUCCESS

COMMENTARY In yesterday’s reading, we were introduced to Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These men were taken captive in Judah and brought to Babylon because of Nebuchadnezzar’s foreign policy, a policy which aimed to thwart future rebellions by capturing and indoctrinating the elite citizens of defeated nations. As we read in Daniel 1:3-7, these four men were placed into a program of forced cultural assimilation. They were given Babylonian names, a Babylonian ed...

Day 02 of Journey Through Daniel | A DIFFERENT ROAD TO SUCCESS

COMMENTARY In yesterday’s reading, we were introduced to Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These men were taken captive in Judah and brought to Babylon because of Nebuchadnezzar’s foreign policy, a policy which aimed to thwart future rebellions by capturing and indoctrinating the elite citizens of defeated nations. As we read in Daniel 1:3-7, these four men were placed into a program of forced cultural assimilation. They were given Babylonian names, a Babylonian ed...

Day 01 of Journey Through Daniel | EVEN THEN, GOD IS IN CONTROL

COMMENTARY The book of Daniel begins with a tragic scene. Daniel 1:1-2 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem and carted off treasure from the Jerusalem Temple, placing it in the temple of his god in Babylon. The events described in these verses took place around 605 BC when Nebuchadnezzar rose to the Babylonian throne and his kingdom became the most powerful empire in the world. In that cultural context, it was common practice for kings to steal treasure from...

Introduction Journey through Daniel

Introduction to Daniel THE HISTORICAL SETTING OF DANIEL The book of Daniel is set in the context of the Babylonian and Persian Empires where Daniel lived as an exile from the nation of Judah. He had been taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II in 605 BC and resided there until at least 537 BC, after the Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great overtook the Babylonians. THE HISTORICAL SITUATION OF THE READERS OF DANIEL While the setting described in Daniel is quite clear, the date of the compositio...

Day 20 of Journey through Mark: AN ABRUPT ENDING TO MARK

COMMENTARY Our final reading tells the story of Jesus’ resurrection. Compared to Mark’s account of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, this story is short, and it may be shorter than it appears at first glance. About halfway through our reading, the text provides a note saying, “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.” Modern scholars almost universally agree that these verses are a later, second century addition....

Day 19 of Journey Through Mark: THE AGONY & IRONY OF THE CROSS

COMMENTARY Today’s reading tells the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. As we read this story, we shouldn’t miss the agony Jesus would have endured as He died on the cross. Our familiarity with images of the cross can numb us to the brutality of Jesus’ death. The reality is that it was likely much worse than we imagine. Roman crucifixion was an excruciatingly slow, public, and humiliating form of execution. Victims often experienced some form of torture beforehand li...

Day 18 of Journey through Mark: POWER THROUGH PRAYER

COMMENTARY A recurring theme we’ve seen in the book of Mark has been Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Story after story demonstrates that the God of Israel has now appeared as the person of Jesus. This theme rises to a crescendo in today’s reading when Jesus makes His first public claim about His divinity (Mark 14:62). While Mark wants us to understand that Jesus was fully God, He also wants us to see that He was also fully human. No story expresses His humani...

Day 17 of Journey through Mark: SYMBOLIC MEALS

COMMENTARY Today’s reading describes two of Jesus’ final meals. These meals both include symbolic actions that anticipate what will happen to Jesus. In the first meal, Jesus is anointed with perfume, an act that foreshadows His death and subsequent enthronement. In the second meal, famously known as the Last Supper, the symbolism goes one step further. At this meal, Jesus reveals not only that He would soon die but also why He had to die. He gives us clues about...

Day 16 of Journey Through Mark: THE END OF THE TEMPLE

COMMENTARY Mark 13 includes Jesus’ longest teaching in the book of Mark. This section is called the Olivet Discourse because it takes place on the Mount of Olives, which sits across from the Temple. The primary focus of this teaching is the fate of the Temple. Jesus has already symbolically stated that the Temple was under God’s judgment (Mark 11:12-20). Now, He communicates verbally, albeit privately and cryptically, that the Temple’s destruction is near. ...

Day 15 of Journey through Mark: TO GOD WHAT IS GOD'S

COMMENTARY In yesterday’s reading, Jesus indicted Jerusalem’s religious leaders for their corruption and failure to welcome Him as God’s Son. In today’s reading, representatives of these leaders confront Jesus with a number of questions in order to trap Him. The first trap deals with the issue of Roman taxation. In Mark 12:14, some ask Jesus, “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” The “imperial tax” these questioners ask about was an unpopular Ro...

Day 14 of Journey Through Mark: A WITHERING FIG TREE & TEMPLE

COMMENTARY Mark 11 introduces the third and final act of the book of Mark. Over the last few chapters, Jesus has been traveling to Jerusalem. Now, He finally enters Jerusalem. When He arrives, He does a couple of odd things. These actions come to us in the form of another “Markan sandwich,” a story within a story. The first half of the outer story tells us that on His way into Jerusalem, Jesus curses a fig tree when He sees that it has no fruit. Jesus says in Mar...

Day 13 of Journey through Mark: THE SIGHT OF THE BLIND

COMMENTARY Throughout the last two readings in Mark, Jesus has been on a journey to Jerusalem. In today’s reading, this journey ends in the same miraculous way that it started, with Jesus healing a blind man (Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-52). On its own, this closing story is significant because it reveals Jesus’ Messianic identity as the one who can bring sight to the blind (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7). Where it is located, the story is especially ironic because it shows how a bl...

Day 12 of Journey through Mark: SERVANTS OF ALL

COMMENTARY Today, Jesus continues to teach His disciples what it means for Him to be the Messiah, and just as we’ve seen in the past, His disciples are confused by His message. Their confusion takes on a variety of forms. One way it manifests itself is through an argument they have among themselves on the road. After hearing Jesus make another prediction of His death, they get into an argument over who among them is the “greatest” (Mark 9:34). This argument might...

Day 11 of Journey Through Mark: A SUFFERING MESSIAH

COMMENTARY Today’s reading represents a major turning point in the book of Mark. Up until this point, Jesus has spent His time in and around the Galilean countryside, demonstrating with great power that He is the Messiah. Now, the book begins its second act as Jesus travels “on the way” to Jerusalem and teaches about the “way” of the Messiah (Mark 8:27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32, 46, 52). The episode in Mark 8:27-33 functions as a hinge between thes...

Day 10 of Journey through Mark: IN GENTILE TERRITORY

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, Jesus spends the majority of His time in Gentile territory. This is not the first time in Mark that Jesus has visited non-Jewish regions. He has already visited the Decapolis, a non-Jewish region on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:1-20). That trip was brief, but Jesus now begins to focus His ministry in areas beyond the Jewish Galilee. One story we read tells of how Jesus returned to the Decapoli...

Day 09 of Journey through Mark: HUMAN TRADITIONS & THE COMMANDS OF GOD

COMMENTARY Today, Jesus again finds Himself in trouble with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. As we’ve already seen in Mark, these people have accused Him of blasphemy, of eating with sinners, of failing to fast, of breaking the Sabbath, and of casting out demons by the power of Satan (Mark 2:6, 16, 18, 24; 3:2, 22). Now they have a new complaint with Jesus. After seeing His disciples eat without washing, they ask Him, “Why don’t your disciples live accordin...

Day 08 of Journey through Mark: A TALE OF TWO KINGS

COMMENTARY A major portion of today’s reading tells the story of John the Baptist’s death. At first glance, this seems like an odd story to be placed at this point in the book. John had been a major figure early on, but he hadn’t been seen in five chapters (Mark 1:2-14). What’s more, this story is told as a flashback. By this time in Jesus’ life, John had already been killed. So why did Mark tell the story of John’s death in this part of the book? It seems that M...

Day 07 of Journey through Mark: A SAVIOR FOR ALL

COMMENTARY Today, we read two more miracle stories that reveal Jesus’ identity and character. These stories are presented to us in a form that scholars often call a “Markan sandwich.” This is a literary feature used throughout the book of Mark. Mark frequently places one story in the middle of another story (e.g., Mark 3:20-35; 4:1-20; 6:6-31; 11:12-21; 14:1-11, 53-72; 15:40-16:8). By combining stories in this way, Mark intends for us to read them together so tha...

Day 06 of Journey through Mark: WHO IS THIS MAN

COMMENTARY At the end of yesterday’s reading, Jesus paused to teach about the kingdom of God through a series of parables. In today’s reading, Jesus resumes His ministry with a series of miracles. As we’ve been discovering throughout Mark, Jesus’ miracles were not just random acts of power and goodwill. Like His parables, the miracles that He performed taught veiled lessons. They demonstrated through actions what He had not said openly, that He is the Messiah, th...

Day 05 of Journey Through Mark: A HUMBLE, SUPERNATURAL MUSTARD SHRUB

COMMENTARY In today’s reading, we encounter a collection of parables about the kingdom of God. A key to interpreting parables is recognizing their riddle-like nature. Parables aren’t always as simple as they might seem. In fact, Jesus indicates that they are meant to conceal as much as they reveal (Mark 4:11-12, 33-34). We see this in the parable of the mustard seed. On the surface, this parable teaches about the potential growth of Jesus’ kingdom. Just as the “s...

Day 04 of Journey Through Mark: THE MESSIANIC SECRET

COMMENTARY Many times in the book of Mark, Jesus makes a request that can seem baffling. Referred to by scholars as the “messianic secret,” Jesus frequently asks for His identity to be hidden. For example, when demons declare that Jesus is the “Son of God” in Mark 3:11-12, Jesus gives them “strict orders not to tell others about him” (cf., Mark 1:24-25, 34; 5:7-10). And Jesus doesn’t only silence demons. He also asks humans to keep His identity secret when they d...

Day 03 of Journey Through Mark: A CONTROVERSIAL CALL TO SINNERS

COMMENTARY As news of Jesus’ power spread throughout the Galilean countryside, He began to capture the attention of not just the crowds, but also religious authorities, and not in a good way. Religious leaders began to see Jesus as a threat because His actions repeatedly conflicted with their teachings. In today’s reading, we encounter five separate stories that highlight this increasing hostility toward Jesus. One of these stories features Jesus calling someone ...

Day 02 of Journey Through Mark: THE CALL AND COST OF FOLLOWING JESUS

COMMENTARY At the end of yesterday’s reading, Jesus proclaimed that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15). In today’s reading, we encounter the first detailed stories of Jesus’ kingdom work. Jesus begins to recruit followers, show signs that the kingdom is approaching, and give people a glimpse of His identity and character. The first story in this series reveals something unique about Jesus’ character: He’s an invitational leader. When He sees two pair...

Day 01 of Journey Through Mark: THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL

COMMENTARY The book of Mark begins with a short, one-line introduction that serves as a title for the entire work: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). It’s brief, but this introduction makes an extravagant claim that would have been striking to those reading it in Mark’s time. Around the time this book was written, the word translated as “good news” (or sometimes “gospel”) was commonly used to describe the liv...

Day 20 of Journey Through Philippians: PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let y...

Day 19 of Journey Through Philippians: Anyone Might Accept the Gospel

Paul ends his letter to the Philippians with closing greetings and a blessing. He begins by sending his own personal greetings (Philippians 4:21). Then he passes along the greetings of those who were with him (Philippians 4:21-22). Finally, he prays for the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” to be with the Philippians, mirroring the blessing he bestowed upon these Christians at the opening of this letter (Philippians 4:23; 1:2). Although this closing is customary and brief, it should not be rea...

Day 18 of Journey Through Philippians: Content in Any and Every Situation

Commentary Today’s reading includes the conclusion to the main body of Paul’s letter. In this section, Paul gives thanks to the Philippians for some gifts they had recently shared with him. This is not the first time in this letter that Paul has expressed his gratitude for these gifts. In Philippians 1:3-5, he thanked God for their “partnership in the gospel.” In Philippians 2:25-30, he honored Epaphroditus for delivering these gifts. However, this is his most heartfelt thank you, encompassin...

Day 17 of Journey Through Philippians: The Transcendent Peace of God

Commentary As his letter begins to close, Paul shares a number of short, succinct instructions as he frequently does toward the end of his letters (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; 1 Corinthians 16:13-18; 2 Corinthians 13:11). At first glance, these quick commands might seem random and unrelated, but they actually reiterate themes we’ve seen throughout the letter. For example, Paul writes in verse 9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.” T...