New Beginnings - New Life - The Grand Plan - Salvation for All

 JOHN 11

John 11:45-53 (NIV) 

"Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life".

After Lazarus's resurrection, "many... believed in" Jesus, but certainly not all. Some saw and reported the event as an act worthy of suspicion and maybe condemnation.

As John describes it, the problem for those who rejected Jesus wasn't that they disbelieved the miracles; the problem was that their view of reality included fears, desires, and obstacles they assumed were somehow greater than someone's ability to work miracles. The perspective of the negative conclusion in John 11:47-48 states the issue exactly and gets the conclusion exactly wrong: "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing? they asked. Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation" (NIV). They feared for their "temple" (their place of distinction) and their "nation". 

John provides us with Caiaphas's pronouncement and then highlights the stunning hidden prophecy it stated. The high priest was acting as a practical power broker, equating one man's life with beneficial collateral damage. He did not realise that he was verbalising the very decision God had made regarding the fate of humanity. The prophetic irony in Caiaphas's statement makes the case for substitutionary sacrifice -- it really was better in God's grand plan that Jesus's solitary, innocent, willing death would spare Israel and God's scattered children from destruction and unite them as one corporate body in Christ. We were included in the high priest's prophecy. The evil plot against Jesus turned out to accomplish part of God's plan for our salvation.

Getting Personal

1. What practices have you found most beneficial in staying awake an alert to the wonders of a God-centered life?
2. How does talking about Jesus with others affect your sense of intimacy with God?

God's grand plan is neither advanced by our deliberate efforts nor delayed by our shortsighted plans. His will is ultimately accomplished. But the benefits we experience are more immediate and positive when we are seeking to cooperate fully with what God wants to do.

Putting It Into Action

Ask God to teach you again today the harmony between living in obedience to him and desiring to see his will be done. Pray that you will always stay open to doing his will.

Bible Verse

"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God". John 1:11–12, NIV

Prayer

Lord our God, we thank you for allowing us to be called your children. We thank you for giving us the power to become more truly your children, so that there may be a witness to your name on earth, so that again and again in the name of Jesus Christ new power may come for body and soul, for the happy and unhappy, for all who are still following false paths, for all who suffer so much grief, fear, and need. We thank you and we praise your name. Help us on our way. Help us weak people who often grow anxious and afraid. Help us in everything. Help us especially in the concern we have deepest in our hearts, that your name may be honored, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

New Beginnings - New Life - Participation

 JOHN 11

John 11:38-44 (NIV)

"Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Martha couldn't help but be practical -- inside that tomb was a mess she didn't want to clean up. And she knew she would probably be the one to have to do it! How often we forget that Jesus's power to intervene isn't sidetracked by dirt or "stench". "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Once the stone was rolled away, Jesus prayed aloud in the same intimate way he had taught his disciples, addressing God as Father (see Matthew 6:9-13). He meant his prayer to be overheard, referring to his listeners as he thanked God for having "heard Me", indicating the Father's agreement and blessing over what Jesus was about to do. Then he called Lazarus by name, not only confirming what he had previously declared, "Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live" (John 5:25), but also narrowing his summons to a specific person. Who know how many people might have sprung to life if Jesus had simply commanded, "Come out!"

Lazarus's raised and restored body appeared in the cave entrance, awkwardly moving while still bound by cloths and grave clothes. 

Getting Personal

1. Since you have been brought into eternal life in Christ, what former habits or troubles has Christ removed, like grave clothes, from around your life?
2. When were you last surprised to see the glory of God?

The belief that leads to seeing the glory of God often manifests itself in a willingness to remove obstacles in our Christian Lives. These are preliminaries and follow-us to the real miracles (Changed Lives in Christ - New Life), but they allow us to see what we might not otherwise see at all -- God's Glory.

Putting It Into Action

No matter how old you were when you came to Christ, you can imagine how your life might have been without his Love and Grace. Thank God for giving you abundant, eternal life. Thank him for being "the Resurrection and the Life".

Bible Verse

This, then, is how you should pray:“ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9–10, NIV

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven. May this continue to be our prayer in the this year, and may we find fellowship with one another in what is eternal and holy. Bless us on our way. Bless us on our earthly pilgrimage so that we may remain free from all bondage, able to thank you day and night for all the good you do, even when things look very dark. We praise your name and we pray as the Saviour has taught us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

New Beginnings - New Life - The Teacher is Here

 JOHN 11

John 11:28-37 (NIV)

"After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

After her declaration of faith, Martha abruptly returned to her sister; showing the busy character that we see in her elsewhere (Luke 10:38-42). Ever the manager, she informed her sister Mary that Jesus was asking for her though John doesn't record Jesus making that request.

The encounter earlier between Martha and Jesus was initiated with Martha's blunt verbal affirmation. Mary's approach was subtly but significantly different. She humbly fell at Jesus's feet before she spoke. The first words spoken by both sisters was the same. But Mary had already acted on her faith, though neither sister expected what was about to happen.

John tells us that seeing Mary and those following her weeping "deeply moved" and "troubled" Jesus. Various explanations have been considered regarding Jesus's tears. Some read the tears as signs of Jesus's care for Lazarus; others questioned Jesus's motive for withholding healing. We are left with the facts of Jesus's tears--signs of humanity and engagement, evidence of emotional vulnerability. We who often cannot explain our own tears are touched by Jesus's demonstration that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15 NIV).

Mary and Martha didn't know what Jesus would do, but they did know Jesus. That was enough.

Getting Personal

1. Jesus knew what he was going to do (John 11:11), so why do you think John made a note of his tears leading up to a great miracle?
2. What does it mean to you that Jesus understands your tears--even the ones unshed?

Jesus's tears confirm our permission to grieve, as long as we are not "uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that [we] do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13, NIV). Tears do not have to be hopeless. Jesus is not ashamed to cry with us, even before He intervenes miraculously.

Putting It Into Action

Jesus completely understands your emotional responses to him as you pray. Even when words don't come easy in prayer, he understands your heart. So pray freely and honestly.

Bible Verse

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin". Hebrews 4:14-15 (NIV)

Prayer

Dear Father in heaven, we look to Jesus Christ, who is at your right hand, through whom you have promised help for the whole world. Unite us with him so that we may receive authority to help all people according to your will. May your name be kept holy among us, for your children have every reason to rejoice in the Saviour you have given them. We thank you for everything you have shown to those who believe in you. We pray to you, hasten the time when your day shall come with glory, the day when you will give the glory to Jesus Christ, when he will reign and triumph over all evil and bring the peace you have always wanted to give the world. We wait and long for this. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

New Beginnings - The Resurrection & The Life

 JOHN 11

John 11:17-27 (NIV)

"On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”"

The maths behind these events isn't difficult: one day for the messenger to find Jesus (during which Lazarus dies), two days of intentional delay, and one more day of travel to Bethany for Jesus and his disciples. Burials in the Middle East were not delayed since conditions led to quick deterioration of a body. Once the body was buried, the grieving went on for a few days.

Exchanges with people in deep grief are usually awkward. Martha heard that Jesus was approaching and felt compelled to share both her frustration and faith. Her greeting is not easy to understand fully. It is possible she hoped God would give Jesus whatever he asked and raise her brother to life, but her later comments don't seem to reflect that expectation. She may have been saying something like "I know my brother would have been healed if you had been here, and even though he died, I continue to believe in your special relationship with God". In that case, she would have been speaking about her own relationship with Jesus, not what she hoped he might still do for Lazarus.

Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and life", declaring himself Lord over both life and death. Any believer in Jesus will live--even those who experience physical death. Life in Jesus is eternal, and not even death can prevent it.

Jesus's gentle confrontation, "Do you believe this?" echoes across the generations to the present day. Martha's simple, direct response was unconditional faith. She didn't make her brother's situation a factor in her belief in Jesus.

Getting Personal

1. How do you apply Jesus's claims of resurrection and life to your own thoughts about death?
2. What would have been the outcome of this story if Martha's last statement had been. "I will believe if you raise my brother back to life?"
3. If Jesus asked you "Do you believe this?", what will your response be? 

Martha's declaration to Jesus--"You are the Messiah, the Son of God"--puts Jesus beyond the company of wise men and profound teachers. The Son of God requires our ultimate response because he is the only one we can trust.

Putting It Into Action

Echo Martha's declaration in your own prayer time: "You are the Messiah, the Son of God". Thank God that every prophetic word of Scripture is true: The promised Messiah did come into the world to be your Saviour.

Bible Verse

"On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken". 

Isaiah 25:7–8, NIV

Prayer

Lord our God, your kingdom is coming. Your help reaches us. However much we may suffer, we look to you, for you have given us your promise. You have promised that all shall go well with us. You have promised that while still on earth your people may have strength to trust in you and wait for you in patience and joy. So lay your hands upon us, O Lord our God, and let your redeeming strength be revealed in us. You know all our needs. You see into each heart and know how to help, as you have promised. Bless us and help us, and may your name be honoured among us. May your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

New Beginnings - New Life - Time to Go

 JOHN 11

John 11: 7-16 (ESV)

"Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin,[Didymus] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”"

As far the disciples were concerned, Jesus's announcement that he wanted to return to Judea came as an unwelcome development. They raised the possibility of a hostile welcome for Jesus in that territory. 

Jesus responded by telling them his main purpose was to "awaken" Lazarus. But he also included a "hidden" statement about the hours of the day and the difference between walking by light and or in darkness. Jesus was using the observation about natural light to point to the significance of supernatural light and the specific time frame by which his "day" was unfolding on earth. As long as the disciples were walking in the light of Christ, they would not stumble like those in the world who had no real light.

When the disciples realised that Jesus was finally answering the call to help Lazarus, they were puzzled by what they thought was Jesus's unnecessary visit to a friend recovering from an illness. So Jesus clarified by telling them his friend was dead and that there would be a benefit for them because of Jesus's absence during Lazarus's sickness and death. His purpose was that they "may believe". Jesus intended to bring his friend back to life, and part of his purpose was to strengthen the faith of the disciples.

When Jesus then said, "Let us go to him", Thomas voiced what must have been the general thought among the disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him". The mixed faith revealed by Thomas was precisely the reason Lazarus was raised.

Getting Personal

1. In what ways might following Christ open you up to new areas and therefore new fears?
2. What incidents in your life with Christ have particularly increased your faith?

God knows our faith is always a work in progress. We believe, and yet we struggle with unbelief. Even though Thomas couldn't imagine a good outcome, he was still willing to go. We often won't take even that first important step of faith to follow Jesus wherever he leads.

Putting It Into Action

Thank God that he is more powerful, and more wonderful than we are able to imagine. Ask Him to give you faith to follow where he leads, no matter how uncertain the future may seem.

Bible Verse

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31–32, NIV

Prayer

Dear Father in heaven, grant that we may come to you in the Spirit. Through your Spirit gather us and many others on earth around our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Savior of humankind. May our hearts become truly free because you deliver us from all bondage to our own natures and to the world around us. As free people may we be led safely through distress, fear, and want, through need and death. May we become happy children whom Jesus Christ has called to life, children who are not discouraged by the struggle but who fight joyfully for your kingdom until it can be revealed to all the world. I Jesus Name. Amen.

 

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

New Beginnings - New Life

 JOHN 11

John 11:1-6 (NIV)

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days".

John 11 opens with an individual named Lazarus who was sick. We learn Lazarus is from Bethany and that he has two sisters (Mary & Martha). Luke has already introduced Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42), creating the impression that Jesus was a frequent guest in their home. Now the sisters sent word to Jesus that "the one you love is sick:.

Jesus treated family units in ways that allowed them to learn significant spiritual lessons about themselves and about him. He treated them as individuals, but he also spoke into their relationships with one another--most notably with Mary and Martha in handling Martha's complaint that her sister was not playing the part of hostess (Luke 10:38-41). Jesus recognised the needs presented to him, but he also underlying needs that were even more important. Even though we might consider keeping someone from dying as the highest priority for action, Jesus clearly made decisions based on his authority even over life and death. This is apparent in his actions related to the sisters urgent message that their brother was sick.

Jesus declared that the events about to happen were not about dying but about the glory of God. Since it is likely that Lazarus was already dead by the time the messenger found Jesus, it seems ironic that Jesus could say, "This sickness will not end in death". Lazarus did die, so what was Jesus saying? Jesus rejected the understanding that "death" and "end" were synonymous, even in casual conversation. He knew more. Death for Lazarus would come, but it wouldn't be the end of the story. Jesus would make sure of that.

John heightened the tension for his readers by pointing out that Jesus "loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus", but he remained where he was for "two more days". By mentioning both aspects of Jesus's actions, John shows that Jesus's response did not alter his love for these three siblings. This delay is directly connected with the purpose of this event: "for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it". 

Words related to the Greek expression doxa are used for "glory" and "glorified", a term we also use directly in doxology--meaning "words of praise or glory to God". Jesus could see that what would happen in the lives of his friends would bring a heightened awareness (glory) to others about God. This incident demonstrates how both delightful and difficult times can point others to God. God's glory can be described as anything that makes God more difficult to ignore. The more we are exposed to the truth, divinity, and power of God's character, the more we find our attention drawn to him; and the more we become aware of God's glory.

Getting Personal

1. How do you tend to respond when you ask God for help and he seems to delay?
2. In what ways are you most aware of God's love for you?

We see three values at work in this incident with Lazarus: what God does about our needs in the short term, what God does regarding his plans, and what God does for us in the long term. We tend to expect God to act based on our immediate needs, but he repeatedly teaches us that he has a much larger picture in mind.

Putting It Into Action

Praise God that his plans and his means are always greater than your own. Ask him to help you trust him in confusing circumstances and long periods of waiting. Ask him to show you his glory, even in your difficult circumstances.

Bible Verse

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?...Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God". Psalm 42: 1–2, 5, NIV

Prayer

Lord our God, as the deer pants for refreshing water, so our souls long for you, O God. Our souls thirst for you, for the living God. We stand in your presence and pour out our hearts to you. We bring before you everything that is painful to us, all our suffering and needs. We also bring you all our hopes and the many proofs you have given us that our lives need not go to ruin but can be directed to greater things. May the light of your Spirit shine on us today and always. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com

MARTHA

(Mary & Lazarus's Sister)

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)

Many older brothers and sisters have an irritating tendency to take charge, a habit developed while growing up. We can easily see this pattern in Martha, the older sister of Mary and Lazarus. She was used to being in control.

The fact that Martha, Mary and Lazarus are remembered for their hospitality takes on added significance when we note that hospitality was a social requirement in their culture. It was considered shameful to turn anyone away from your door. Apparently Martha's family met this requirement very well.

Martha worried about details. She wished to please, to serve, to do the right thing--but she often succeeded in making everyone around her uncomfortable. Perhaps as the oldest she feared shame if her home did not measure up to expectations. She tried to everything she could to make sure that wouldn't happen. As a result, she found it hard to relax and enjoy her guests and even harder to accept Mary's lack of cooperation in all the preparations. Martha's frustration was so intense that she finally asked Jesus to settle the matter. He gently corrected her attitude and showed her that her priorities, though good, were not the best. The personal attention she gave her guests should be more important than the comforts she tried to provide for them.

Later, following her brother Lazarus's death, Martha could hardly help being herself. When she heard Jesus was finally coming, she rushed out to meet him and expressed her inner conflict of disappointment and hope (John 11:20). Jesus pointed out that her hope was too limited. He was not only Lord beyond death, he was Lord over death--the resurrection and the life! Moments later, Martha again spoke without thinking, pointing out that four-day-old corpses are well on their way to decomposition. Her awareness of details sometimes kept her from seeing the whole picture, but Jesus was consistently patient with her.

In our last picture of Martha, she is once again serving a meal to Jesus and his disciples. She has not stopped serving. But the Bible records her silence this time (John 12:2). She has begun to learn what her younger sister already knew--that worship begins with silence and listening to the Word.

Strengths

1. Martha was known as a hospitable homemaker.
2. Martha believed in Jesus with growing faith.
3. Martha had a strong desire to do everything exactly right.

Mistakes

1. She expected others to agree with her priorities.
2. Was overly concerned with details.
3. Limited Jesus's power to this life

Lessons to Learn from Martha

1. Getting caught up in details can make us forget the main reasons for our actions. 
2. There is a proper time to listen to Jesus and a proper time to work for him.
3. Martha learns that very important 'one thing' that Jesus wants for all of us. Jesus teaches Martha that the most important thing in life is to seek His presence. We need to have a close and intimate relationship with Him. When we get that 'one thing' right then everything else will fall into place. Pray that God gives you a listening ear to hear his voice so that you know how to respond to him.

Bible Verse

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation". Isaiah 12:2, NIV

Prayer

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that you are so near us and that we may be near you. We thank you that throughout our days we may be people who listen to you with all our hearts and minds, a listening people who can receive what is good and true for our lives and who can witness to the power you give us through the Savior. Protect us in all things. Look into our hearts and into the situation of each one of us, where many things are still faulty and unclear. Deliver us from evil, for the kingdom shall be yours. From you the power shall come. Your glory shall radiate from our lives, and we shall praise and thank you forevermore. In Jesus Name. Amen.

For Further information please contact

Martin      082 645 3008

Tryphosa 067 091 4402

For any additional information email ccnokuphila1@gmail.com