Hey guys!!!

I just want to update you on what is going on! First of all, I LOVE Tech! I have met so many people!

My dorm is awesome, too! Thank you so much Randi and Kelsey for the pictures! =) They look amazing in my room! I will put pictures on fb up soon!

I am already looking forward to getting involved in Campus Outreach and the BCM! They are all so friendly. =)

Thank you so much for the prayers! Love all you guys!! =)

Not to entertain you.....

John 6

okay so check this out....

This is has really struck me and been on my mind.....

Jesus...

Started His ministry.....

taught for 3 yrs......

that's it....

He had 3 yrs. to say what he wanted to say here on earth....

Soooo....how did he choose to do that?

To great multitudes?

At times....there were great crowds who would gather to hear what this miraculous healer, teacher, miracle performer had to say, but what did Jesus show us?        

               Take the instance where thousands had gathered to watch and listen to Jesus, in fact they had come from so far and had been there so long they had nothing and no way to eat. So what did Jesus do? He feeds them....this is the kind of stuff they had come for right?!!! I bet everyone was so stoked! It probably looked something like our worship services at times. Very entertaining with lights, heart wrenching videos, sweet guitars with maybe an occasional solo, and maybe even a testimony that we know will get peoples emotions stirred just enough so that they will respond to the Holy Spirit. But here's the deal....then what did Jesus do?    He said something tough, something that people didn't want to hear. Something that they didn't know how to handle. He told them without skirting around actually he made sure no one misunderstood that he was God himself. He told them that He was the bread of life( John 6:35), that unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you(John 6:53-56). Now being empathetic, as I try to be in all situations, putting myself in that time and culture on that hillside. I imagine that would be quite a shock to hear. This man that alot of them have watched grow up, knew his parents and where he lived is now claiming to be God himself. And I probably with the crowd, as I often do in my own life, would've begin to question. But see, here's where it gets interesting. Here is where Jesus teaches us something that sadly I feel like we, the American church, have completely missed. See, Jesus wasn't interested in popularity or even numbers. He was interested in making true disciples, and building the church through those disciples. I mean look, as soon as He gave the crowd something tough, something they didn't want to hear, they left. How many times have we seen this in the church. Someone is so dedicated, at every service responding to the "emotion" they're feeling in their soul. Praising with their mouth and hands, but as soon as it's a time of testing or sorrow, they're out. They say, "How could God allow me to go through this?" Just as those weak disciples on that hillside, as soon as we hear or experience something that messes with out comfort, we're gone. WAKE UP! Check it, Jesus didn't come to entertain us. If we come expecting only to be entertained then we will leave Him at the first request for sacrifice or obedience. Can you see what Jesus was doing? What Jesus is trying to show us? He loves His children and does not wish any to perish, but He is interested in making real disciples. Disciples who are grounded in Him, and His word. He could've spent all His time in front of huge crowds, teaching to as many as possible, but see Jesus wasn't initially about numbers. He would even at times turn and hide from the crowds to pray or teach his disciples. When teaching He was about quality over quantity. Because....Jesus knew the way to grow the church was not how we've decided to "do" church here in America. Jesus was showing us we need to build the church through discipleship. Real, true, biblical discipleship. He invested everything He had into those twelve so that they would go out and do the same and invest in the world. Spreading the gospel to the far ends of the earth. Making disciples who would turn around and make more disciples, ect. ect. See, Jesus knew and was trying to show us the way to grow the church was through relationship. Through relationship it becomes, real and challenging. You have accountability and help. So in the end, more would come to know him in an authentic faith than would've had he stood and taught thousands at a time. We wonder why we have so many people in the church that profess with their mouths but are not genuine at their hearts. It's because we have made "church" a very impersonal thing. You come in, sit in a sanctuary, sing, pray, listen, and then leave. Don't get me wrong, I am all for corporate worship and think it's very necessary. However, corporate worship should not be our sustaining factor in our faith. It should not be our main food source of our growth. It should not be the only time in our week in which we are completely focused on our spiritual lives. Sadly, it has become that. We've made it possible in the church to be a Christian and not be a disciple. We have church's full of casual listeners but few who are committed life long learners. Why is that? It's because the "American gospel" that we preach and teach is very selfish at its nature. Our idea of it is Jesus died for me, to save my sins, so that I can have eternal life. And while I am definitely not knocking the truth that lies inside those statements, we do need to evaluate what we're saying we think about what Jesus came to do. He didn't save us for our benefit, he saved us so that we could make His name and glory known!  Isaiah 43:7!  In the new testament you do not see a people who are satisfied to receive forgiveness at Jesus expense and then go on living at a casual acquaintance with Him, it's not biblical. We need to stop making Christianity about us and make it about His glory and other people! I am a huge David Platt fan and one of the things he says is," The greatest need in the church today is for believers to step up and be the disciples they were called to be. I want to be a part of the church that is impacting the world for Christ, for the glory of Christ. I wanna be a part of believers who are not casual in their approach to Jesus, but we are committed followers of Him, and who are embracing and making Him known in all the world!"     So yeah, i know this is getting long, so I will stop this one here(even though I have just as much or more to get out!) haha.....but I am just learning so much and I just want to share it all with you!This was inspired and quoted from a Call to Die by David Nasser and David Platts series, Follow Me.

Taking up your cross....

Girls, I am loving loving hearing and reading your posts, please please keep it up! We could so use this as a tool to encourage each other and grow! I love you girls!


Here's what i learned today!....

Matt. 16:24-26
²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. ²⁶What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

If your like me you have probably read this verse many times in your life, and had a vague idea of what Jesus is saying right here to his disciples but not really understanding what he truly means. See, to us the cross has become such a common object. We see it around peoples necks, tattooed on peoples arms, and hanging in our homes, but to the disciples it meant something completely different. At the time they were told this, the cross was only a place of absolute torture created by evil men. The most cruel death meant for only the most heinous of men. We read this on the other side of Jesus death, where the cross is a place of torture but also a place of salvation. They however hadn't really caught onto that yet. Try to put yourself in their shoes, what must have been going through their minds. As I was studying this morning this verse came alive to me, and for the first time it started to make sense to me what Jesus was saying to them. He tells them three things: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me. For starters and to make it simple denying yourself simply means saying NO to selfishness. Saying no to our selfish ambitions to rise above other people, our selfish behaviors to get what we want when we want it, our selfish attitudes of caring only for our own interests, and our selfish desires to put our needs first above anyone else. Then we come to the next statement, take up your cross....this is saying yes. Yes I will be obedient in whatever you ask of me.  See enduring the cross was Jesus saying yes to obedience to the Father. Jesus knew what was coming, the torture, the pain. He even prayed so hard in anguish over it that he popped a blood vessel and drops of blood fell from his forehead. But to Jesus obeying was more important than being comfortable.
      SEE! That's what it means for us to "take up our cross." It means we're to say yes to God....yes to obedience. It means we are valuing what God says is important and blowing off the things that aren't. We're being loyal to the Father at all costs because he is worthy of our love, and were obeying him wherever, whenever, and however he leads. And we know that our ultimate reward is in knowing God is honored in our obedience.
So what does this look like daily?? I mean that's great Randi but how do I do this everyday? walking to class? Eating in the cafeteria?  I mean it sounds awesome, but I just don't know how to put it into my life? OKay well check this, I read these things in a devotional and I want to write them out, if nothing else just to make you think about them and how you are working each of these decisions out in your life every day.
We face a few dozen major decisions in our lives that are major forks in the roads in our lives such as:
-our choice of friends
-which college to attend
-what career to pursue
-who to marry
-how far to go in a significant relationship
-what habits we will develop in high school, college, and early adulthood
-how to relate to someone who has hurt us deeply
-whether we will fill our minds with trash or w/ healthy stuff
And.....
We face hundreds of smaller daily decisions like.....
-am I going to spend time w/God every day
-to rob someone's reputation by gossiping about them or to keep quiet
-to say something encouraging to someone instead of being sarcastic
-to take time to listen to a boring person or story
-to refuse to defend ourselves or talk about our success
-to grab a sinful thought and replace it with a truth from God's word
-to overlook an unkind remark
-to give and serve when it would be easier to stay in our own selfish world.
In ALL this remember Jesus is our example. PHIL. 2:5-8. Our motive for dying daily to self is one thing....to bring glory to God. Just as Jesus death on the a cross for our salvation was so that we could be glory to God. Phil. 2:9-11.
What are the benefits of this?? The cost is great but the rewards is greater.....
-We will bring glory to our God and experience the presence of God in our lives
-We will see his hand at work in us and through us
-broken hearts will be mended
-people who have lost their way will find direction and meaning
-prodigals will return home
-He will heal the hurts in our lives and give us hope and purpose
-we will sense the love and power of God in a way we never thought possible.

so this is my prayer for all of us, that we learn what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross so that we can follow him with our whole hearts. And continue to fall more in love with him daily. Loving Him with all of our hearts, minds, and souls. And to understand that with love comes obedience, and we obey not because of obligation but because of our love for our Father.

Ohhh Philosophy

Hey there guys!!! Sooo I've started classes at UT, and one of them is Philosophy 111. Looks like this class is going to be a doozy, not because it's hard at all, but because today we just BRIEFLY touched on the subject, does God exist and I was literally the only person in there arguing that God does exist!! It was crazy!I'm not entirely sure if there's anyone that agrees with me in there becaues they certainly didn't speak up, but maybe they were just too nervous or afraid to get put in that spot. But i'm hoping that by me giving my opinion maybe i can catch some peoples attention and they'll listen to what i'm saying! So basically i'm just asking for some prayer with this class and that i'll be equipped with the right things to say and know when to speak and when to just bite my tongue. I LOVE YOU ALL!! AND IF YOU ARE STILL IN TOWN YOU BETTER COME VISIT ME IN MY SWEET APARTMENT!!

Katy Perry, I want you to love Jesus again.

I don't know why this bothers me so, but I am so distraught over the Katy Perry disaster. Let me catch you up. Katy was a christian rock singer before she was..well, whatever she is now. She sang under her real name, Katy Hudson. Look her up on youtube. Faith Won't Fail by Katy Hudson. Her songs were good and now she is just caught up in the world. I feel really weird, but I am going to start praying for her. If she came back to Christ she could make such an awesome impression and have a great testimony for America. Who knows, maybe she could be apart of the great revival that will hopefully come soon. Here is the lyrics to one of her songs..really read them. It is mind blowing

You could throw me in the fire
And I won't be burned
For my faith is your desire
And your love endures

You could throw me in the prison cell
Shackle me up against the rail
But time and time again
My faith won't fail (repeat)

For He'll prevail
In the midst of all my trials and tribulations
And He'll prevail
In the midst of all my sin and temptations
He'll prevail
When I fail and He will pick me up
For time and time again My faith won't fail (repeat)

You could throw me in the lion’s den
But they won't harm me
For Your grace surrounds me
And it sets me free

And I can walk upon the water
And I will not drown
For my eyes are set upon You
And no one can bring me down


-Baileyyyy

Abortion...Elijah...

I was reading one of my previous students blogs today and he boldy took on the task of bringing up the subject of abortion and how we're rapidly approaching a day when a Christian could be persecuted(maybe not killed, but definitely fired) for not performing one if the patient is asking for it. And what we as Christians can and should do about it? So we have also been studying Elijah in sunday school and when i read these two things they kind of connected in my mind. So here's what i was thinking about when I read this.... (i posted this on his facebook so some of you may have seen it? but I thought it might be thought provoking for us??)
It kind of goes in a different direction maybe? But hopefully you can use this in your ministry at some point? So In studying Elijah recently I was reading about the evil of the nation of Israel at the time. The Kings that just kept getting worse and worse and worse than the one before. Then there was Ahab and he did more to provoke God than any of the ones even before him(1Kings 16:30-33) I was thinking about Elijah and how he lived counter culturally in a nation that is more like our culture than we realize. They worshiped Baal, who was the God of fertility. They believed the Baal appeared in thunderstorms and rainstorms. They would set up their altars on mountain tops to be closer to their God and one of their forms of worship was child sacrifice. I mean doesn't that sound familiar? Nothing has really changed? We sacrifice nearly 4, 000 children a day and that's just in America! To me sacrificing children on an altar and out of a womb is pretty much on the same level. Their God was Baal, our God is ourselves. One of my favorite things I read in the study was that he called Elijah.... A troublemaker for the Lord. And he said two things about this troublemaker.....when he gets a message from God, he's going to take action.( Your're not going to talk him out of it either), and he was also a man of prayer and enormous faith in God. God used this guy to awaken a nation. Let's Be in prayer. Let's Act on our convictions. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. God will do big things.

Being a man/woman of character

I was listening to Andy Stanley this morning and he was talking about having character, and how that the world looks as "getting ahead" in life is what is important, it is really about your character. And how we need to do what is right not because we don't want to get caught but because God has a set of rules for us to live by. (even if we didn't make the rules)

But the best part of the whole sermon was the last thing he said, it is a prayer that him and his kids say every night "God give me the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do what is right." I believe that if i truly say this prayer ever day that God will change my character, and i can't wait.

Hey girls, this is so sweet and i wanted to share it with you all! It is called, "A Dance with Jesus, Waiting for His lead" By: Dan Holmes

"Imagine that one night you are woken from your sleep and Jesus is standing there, His hand extended toward you, and He is asking you, "Shall we dance?" You rise from your bed, offer your hand to Him, and off you go to dance with non other then the "Lord of the dance" Himself. As soon as your hand touches His you find yourself in a huge ballroom elegantly decorated with chandeliers, luxurious fabrics, a huge wooden dance floor with angels gathered around to watch and you are wearing a dress fit for a queen.

With loving strength Jesus takes you in His arms and leads you around the dance floor. He twirls you one way then another, swooping you into His arms and then spinning you out again. You become absolutely abandoned to the dance, lost in His love, secure in His leading. He pauses for a moment to slowly turn you and you feel His loving gaze fall more fully upon you. You dart a glance into His eyes and in that instant you see a love incredibly deep and pure for you. His joy seems to be only that He is dancing with you. And then as suddenly as it began, there you are again on your bed, heart pounding furiously, the dance is over, and Jesus is gone.

Dance for you would never again be the same. You would lie on your bed wide awake for hours, longing for just one more dance with this One who so adored and loved you. The intimacy you discovered with Jesus in the brief moment would transform the way you danced from that time forth. I used to ballroom dance weekly for a number of years before the Lord transformed my dance as a gift offered up to Him. As a man, I would be the one standing there with my hand extended and asking one of the many women who were there, "Shall we dance?". The question implied that we would dance together. It was invitation to her that she allow me to lead her in a dance and that she would in turn follow my leading. This mutual agreement to lead and be led was what made the dance a dance.

Imagine for a moment that you again found yourself on the dance floor with Jesus, but instead of letting Him lead you, you simply did what ever moves you felt like doing. You would no longer be dancing with Him even if your hand continued to rest in His. There would not be the intimacy, nor the abandonment of yourself into His care and into the dance.

I remember once dancing with such a woman as I have just described above. I could tell she had previous experience as a dancer but had not yet learned how to respond to the leading of a man . Although my intent was to spin her once, she would turn twice. I would initiate turning her to the left and she would go right. Her upper body would be so busy that she was unable to discern my subtle leading. I had the choice to either use my strength forcing her to follow my lead or else resign myself to the realization that she was not one to be led and simply let her dance how she wanted. Either choice meant that we were not dancing together as one. I was simply holding her hand while we each danced our own dance.

As the woman grows in her ability to respond to a man's lead she becomes more and more free to let Him worry about her safety and the direction and flow of the dance. The more she dances with him the more instinctively she responds to his lead such that she does not even think about it. She becomes so responsive to his subtle touch that if he were to stop leading her for a moment she would simply stand there refusing to initiate any further movement of her own doing.If she were to act apart from him, then the two are no longer one, but two...each dancing alone, side by side.

I tell you this story for Jesus stands before you even now and asks the question of you, "Shall we dance?" How will you walk on that dance floor with Him? Are you busy thinking about the moves you will be doing or is your heart quiet and still as you wait for His leading? Do you really want the responsibility that comes with the lead, or would you rather let Jesus do the driving and you close your eyes and enjoy the ride? Do you want to dance beside Him or with Him? I have never met a woman who wanted the lead and I suspect, if you are a woman, you are no different.

Now is the season for you, and the bride of Christ, to grow in your ability to recognize His lead. Trust me, Jesus is one awesome dancer and you will have the time of your life. Why not take a moment to tell Jesus you would love to dance with Him and express to Him your desire to grow in learning how to more clearly recognize His leading. "Shall we dance?""

noise

Hey loves, I just watched this video and it has really helped me with some stuff so i thought i would share..

LOVE YOU GIRLS

Back to real life!

Hey Guys!

I have enjoyed the posts so much! Especially the choosing post! I read it to my room-mate Kirsten and she LOVED it! Anyway, I am all settled in and this is my first break I have had for the past four days, but I am loving every minute of it! We ran the mile the other day and then we went on our retreat! The freshmen are so great and our team is really bonding. However, what I wanted to share was what we did on the last night of our retreat. We went on a legacy walk were many volleyball players from King College past came and challenged us to change our campus for Christ. Coach Mrs. Toomey read the legacy these women left at King. So many of them were this women was a prayer warrior and so on and so on. What challenge I want to leave is. . . what kind of legacy are you leaving behind. Is it legacy that point to Christ? Really think right now what people will say say about you when you are gone!

The CHOICE...

Posted this on my facebook wanted to share it, Bailey said something about printing it off for her dorm room. I think that would be awesome to give ourselves reminders of how we as Christians are called to act on a daily basis. Sometimes we forget, and like I read from good ole Beth Moore this week, God is saying...."I didn't raise you to act this way." Just good reminders....

IT'S QUIET. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love . . .

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy . . .

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace . . .

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience . . .

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness . . .

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness . . .

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness . . .

Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness . . .

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control . . .

I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

This is not the point, I'm sure.

ello there lovely ladies. Hope all is well. Update in pre-dorm room life.... 

Painted a picture with my favorite bible verse on it to hang up in the dorm..

Also, painted this one for my friend and her apartment far far away at mtsu..

And you can bet I am doing this to almost everything that is going to college with me...

byebye. 

 

Mmmmmm.....God is so good.

Hey Soul sistas,
So several weeks ago I hit low, I mean not like bottom of rock low, I mean like under the dirt of the bottom of the rock low. I just felt, overwhelmed, unwanted, accused, mistreated, helpless, hopeless, confused, scared, and pretty much every other word that describes depending on humans and not trusting the Lord. I was crying, literally crying out to the Lord to make sense of everything that was and is going on around me. i was down on the dock in the hammock just crying to myself and the Lord, and then decided to open my phone and read one of my devotionals(side note=always a good idea when satan is trying to tell you lies, replace the lies with the truth, a thank you Lies woman believe by Nancy Leigh Demoss). So anyways....God spoke. Straight to me as if I could hear His voice like any human voice I know. And he has been repeatedly since that moment reaffirming that conversation we had. Even with things like fortune cookies, haha. So yeah, I thought I might share one of the devo's with you all just in case you are struggling in the same area or just need to be reminded that our God ALWAYS has a plan, and ALWAYS wants to and will work things out for the good of those who love him. Rom. 8:28.

For the Greater Good
Micca Monda Campbell

"But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Genesis 50:20 (ESV)


Devotion:
Beyond a doubt, Joseph was a beloved son. In reading Joseph's story recorded in Genesis 37-50, I couldn't help but think how Joseph would make a great guest on any talk show if he were alive today. The title of the TV program might go something like this: From the Pit to the Palace.

Joseph's story begins much like ours. He came into this world an innocent child. He didn't ask to be born. Joseph, like any of us, deserved to be cared for, loved, and nurtured by his parents. On the other hand, so did Joseph's brothers. But in the eyes of their father, they were second best to Joseph. The rejection of their father caused terrible sibling rivalry until one day Joseph's brothers threw him into a pit.

While Joseph's brothers were eating supper and discussing what to do with Joseph, the opportunity of a lifetime arose. A caravan of Midianites passed their camp on the way to Egypt. Seizing the opportunity, the brothers sold Joseph as a slave for twenty pieces of silver. In U.S. money, that amounts to $1.28.

Is that where you are right now, friend? Have you been rejected by someone and thrown into the pit? Don't fear. You're not lost. God has not abandoned you. He knows your whereabouts. He is using your circumstance as a stepping-stone for a greater plan just as He did for Joseph.

Several years later during a life-threatening drought, Joseph's brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain. It was Joseph, their brother, who had foretold the drought and prepared Egypt for survival. Many came from all over to buy grain, and so did Joseph's brothers. By now, Joseph had been promoted to second in command in Egypt.

In his powerful position, Joseph could have taken revenge on his brothers for betraying him. Instead, he chose to forgive them and reunite with his family.

As his brothers bowed before Joseph in fear of their lives, Joseph said, "But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:20). This verse is often compared to Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).

When you and I let down those walls of fear and trust God for the greater good, we'll find a measure of healing and restoration just as Joseph did. Instead, we often want to cling to the pain. That kind of thinking only keeps us in the pit and allows our wounds and fears to fester and grow. God has so much more for us.

What was meant for evil in your life, God wants to use for your good. The Lord wants to bring you and me out of the pit and place us in His palace. The choice is ours. We can focus on our own bad experience and miss the joy that can be ours. Or, like Joseph, we can take the risk, venture out, forgive those who hurt us and truly believe that God has a greater plan for our future.

Is this how you write on here??

Slap in the face

This really challenged me.... It is from the book that the girl's bible study is about to do called RADICAL by David Platt.

"The gospel reveals eternal realities about God that we would sometimes rather not face. We prefer to sit back, enjoy our cliches and picture God as a Father who might help us, all the while ignoring God as a Judge who might damn us. Maybe this is why we fill our lives with constant drive of entertainment in our culture -- and in the church. We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him."

What do yall think?

hello world, is this working?