Thursday, December 2, 2010

8. "Learning to Breathe"

Hello, good morning, how you do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new
So this is the way that I say I need You
This is the way that I'm

Learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Hello, good morning, how you been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never, never thought that
I would fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad

So this is the way I say I need You
This is the way that I say I love You
This is the way that I say I'm Yours
This is the way, this is the way

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The process of constantly failing, constantly needing forgiveness, constantly growing is sanctification. We're quite literally dying to breathe in these abundant skies.

Young Believer
This is very catchy. Especially in terms of new believer. I person not used to our lingo, terms, and knowledge. I new believer is thrown in to a church, not knowing what to expect, and constantly learning how to breathe. A baby not being able to handle solid food, but longing for milk.

Mature Believer
This is a great message to any old believer. The gospel at work. We screw up, God supplies.This song helps me in times when I feel most human. The times I fall, mess up, and need grace shown to me. As I live this life ahead, I will never be sinless, but hopefully I will gradually sin less and less. I'm learning to breathe.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:11-16


Wednesday, November 10, 2010

9. "Lonely Nation"

She turns like the ocean
She tells no emotion
She's been gunning down the fight

She's just reminiscing
Blood, sweat, and one thing's missing
She's been breaking up inside, inside

Singing without tongues
Screaming without lungs
I want more than my lonely nation
I want more than my lonely nation
Desperate we are young
Separate we are one
I want more than my desperation
I Want more than my lonely nation

We are the target market
We set the corporate target
We are slaves of what we want
We're just not amused
And we're just used to bad news
We are slaves of what we want

(Chorus)

Lonely, lonely

Don't leave me hollow
I'm tired
Don't leave me hollow
I'm tired of feeling low
Of feeling hollow
I'm tired of feeling low
Of feeling hollow
I'm tired of feeling low
Of feeling hollow
I'm tired of feeling low
Of feeling hollow
Of feeling hollow
Of feeling hollow

Singing without tongues
Screaming without lungs
Want more than my desperation
I want more than my lonely nation
Desperate we are young
Separate we are one
I want more than my lonely nation
I want more than my lonely nation
I want more than my lonely nation
I want more than my lonely nation

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I still remember hearing this song, for the first time, four years ago. Opening to their rock heavy album Nothing is Sound, "Lonely Nation" sends chills of sorrow through your skin. I could sense depression in the lyrics, and I immediately knew that this album was going to be different.

"We are slaves of what we want", I believe this to be true. Cars, dress, politics, school, careers, sex, girls, friends, food...whatever we put above God is idolatry. So where does that leave us? Lonely. What is lonely nation? Where people are fake, broken, enslaved and without purpose.

When someone's at the very lowest of all lows they might think, "I'm tired of feeling low, Of feeling hollow". I love that line Jon Foreman sings over and over again. Feeling hollow, or knowing that somethings missing. Gives us the feeling of no hope.

BUT...the album doesn't stop with just this song, no no, it continues on into "Stars". A song about looking to God when we're at our lowest of all lows. That song will be reviewed later on.


Friday, November 5, 2010

10. "Home"

It's a long way from Miami to LA
It's a longer way from yesterday To where I am today
It's a long way from my thoughts To what I'll say
It's a long, long way from paradise To where I am today

All that's in my head, Is in Your hands

It's a long way from The moon up to the sun
It's a longer road ahead of me
The road that I've begun

Stop to think of all the Time I've lost
Start to think of all the Bridges that I've burned
That must be crossed


Over, over, over Take me over
I've been poison

I've been rain
I've been fooled again
I've seen ashes
Shine like chrome

Someday I'll see home Home, home

I can see the stars From way down here
But I can't fall asleep
Behind the wheel
It's a long way from the Shadows in my cave
Up to Your reality to Watch the sunlight taking over

All that's in my head, Is in Your hands
If it's in my head, it's in Your hands

It's in Your hands

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-

I love this song. It ranks number 10 on my list for a few reasons...great melody, theological significance, and the realness throughout the lyrics. Sure, you can hear this song and quickly forget ever hearing it. However, I've dug a little deeper than the average Joe. That is due to my love for Switchfoot & God. First of all, this song represents sanctification in my eyes, and with good thought.

"according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:" 1 Peter 1:2

Through the Spirit, we are made more like God. Never fully gaining this (until we die), we are continually chiseled until we die. I've seen ashes shine like chrome....beautiful representation of the process we undergo. The old is gone, and the new has come! We should act differently than we did before Christ. People should notice. However, that is not always so. Many times our new lifestyle isn't so new. The old creeps back in, like a dog returning to it's vomit, a pig to the mud. So are you truly changed??? Are you being changed???

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:11

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

The other point to the song, is simply giving all our thoughts to God. There are plenty of times (per day) were my anxious heart drives my mind mad. I literally have to say, "God all that's in my head is in your hands". God is running the show, He's in charge. He knows what's best. How can we attain peace???

"5b The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 5b-7

-God supplies us with peace, which surpasses our understanding.
-God changes our ashes into chrome.

-We should be changing daily.


Top 10 Switchfoot Songs

1. The Shadow Proves the Sunshine - Nothing Is Sound

Monday, October 25, 2010

Obtaining Happiness

"8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead... 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
Philippians 3:8-11 & 20-21


People will never be happy until they reach an answer to the question, why am I not happy? Nothings ever enough, and for that we complain. Surely we deserve more, Surely we deserve more, Surely NOT. So where does true happiness come from, and how can I get some???

True happiness is found in gaining Christ.
Our comfort, clothing found on our backs, a flower blossoming, that perfect cup of coffee, the perfect essay response, anything that is good comes from God, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). We're told in the passage above, in Philippians, to count everything as loss in view of our relationship to Christ, so that we may gain Him. This is basically telling us to draw closer to God, have better fellowship with Jesus. But how can we gain Christ? I believe we must first look at the word gain, and I'm going to argue the word can mean the same as redemption. From the passage above in Philippians, Paul explains what gaining Christ entails...

Gaining Christ is equal to redemption, and for three reasons:


1.) Righteousness through Faith (vs. 9) = Justified
2.) Sharing in His sufferings, become like Him in in His death (vs. 10) = Sanctified
3.) Transformation of our lowly bodies (vrs. 20-21) = Glorification

Therefore, we can assume, everyday we are/should be gaining Christ. Redemption happens everyday, every moment is forgiveness. So we should be gaining Christ everyday. We no that's no so, because that would mean everyone would always be content and completely at peace, i.e. happy. So what's keeping us from always pursuing and gaining Christ? I believe it's due to our total depravity as a human race. That brings me to a couple of key questions...How can one go about gaining Christ? Why is it important?


How can one go about gaining Christ, and why is it important?

Well since gaining Christ can also mean redemption...we gain Christ by living in Him daily. You ask, "How can I gain redemption?" You don't do anything to gain it! You love God, and honor Him with your life, because of the free gift of Christ. Therefore, in order to gain Christ, we love Him. Then we tell others about the love we've received. There isn't a set of ways we can draw closer to Christ (gain Him), we're called to Love God & Love People. It's not something we should have to think about doing, we just do. We do, because He already did. So where does that leave us, "11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2: 11-12). Our good works don't save us, but they should be a result of His good work in us.

This is important because our lives depend, every second, on Christ blood. His redemption gives us life every day. We need to be gaining Christ daily, drawing closer with Him as we grow older.

Practical Ideas:
-Spend time with Him
-Pray
-Preach the good news

KA - seeking Him

Monday, September 20, 2010

Forever



With legs like grasshoppers;
Can I run to you?
Forever

I've traveled miles to see you;
Will you stay up with me?
Forever

Fast is the pace, don't try and stop her;
Why didn't you remember?
Forever

From roses to rebirth;
Why does pain always find me?
Forever

I will run to you God;
Will you stay with me?
Forever

Pain of a loss, it hurts;
I will remember your death,
Forever.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Past Journal Entries

February 2nd, 2009


It's always easy to be okay with God's will when His timing lines up with yours. But what about when all seems to be lost? Am I going to fall -like some helpless child or am I going to hold strong-- on the shoulders of my Savior?

It's easy to praise God when your happy. I'm learning, our reliance on Him, is critical for life here on earth. We are nothing. He is something. We are incapable..of living, getting a good job, dating, anything. If our view of God is small, what's gong to happen when we figure out we can't "live" without Him. Relying on God is key for surviving this world. We are nothing, He is everything. As a tree's roots give it strength and nutrients to grow, surely we must be rooted in Christ. We must trust in Him, we have no clue what to expect in our life's. My prayer is that my view of God would be big and I would see myself as very very very very small.


"Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off" Psalm 37: 34

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" Matthew 6:33

"Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases" Psalm 115:3


Our God is one of second chances; well second, third, and fourth chances...lucky for me because I sin every single day. "Every breath is a second chance" J-Foreman


"I, I am He
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" Isaiah 43:25

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" Psalm 103:2-3

Friday, May 28, 2010

Hosea 6:6

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings"

Am in VA. God's love has been close by my side, as I've needed it to be. I've done nothing in my self to earn it, or deserve it. But I've also had to of done nothing to receive it. No change is required before entering into God's love. It snatches, changes, and forms us to His perfect image. I've needed this reminder now more than ever. As this summer goes on, Hosea will be on my mind. His faithfulness to an adulterous wife, just as God is faithful in His pursuit of me. Hosea never stopped loving, because he truly knew/experienced God's love. My prayer is that God would hold me close as I pursue students this summer. When I feel like your love is far from me, lavish it on me.

God is always good. After going through something very dramatic and frustrating, I arrived to find that the very first Sunday's lesson (I have to teach) is "Students will understand that it is possible to love and forgive others who have hurt us". Wow. That hits right at home. God is good for what He is doing. Being in Hosea is right where I need to be right now. God's never-ending persistence towards our hearts. My God makes the mountains tremble.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

James 4:4-17

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit hat he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calling his Jewish audience "Adulteresses" was a big slap in the face. We are called to choose God over this world. In the world, but not of it.

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Matthew 6:24

His audience was clearly stumbling with inner-conflict, and the desire of the world over God (James 4:1-3). Our choice is world or God. A constant theme throughout the passage is humility or submission to God. James uses this word to get his point across. Verses 4-10 talk about man's spiritual unfaithfulness to God. Just as an adulteress is unfaithful to her husband, so are we to Christ. Verses 11-12 command that we're to not judge one another. This is wisely placed after 1-10; James knows that he's dealing with sinners, and rightly explains that when we see someone chasing the world, we are not to judge them. Verses 13-16 give us a great application for what has been said already. Tells of a Jewish merchant not submitting to God's will. We are called as Christians to submit and respect God's will. Hold everything we want to do with an open hand, and be willing to let everything we have go. I love the simplicity of the passage, "If the Lord wills, we will live" amen. It's not a bad thing to set goals such as graduating, getting a job, or a family. Just be cautious, remember God in the midst of your "success". Pray that He would be glorified, not you.

Pray for poverty.

My pray recently, is that if God wills, He would let me be poor. Not just in spirit, but in wealth. I'm not saying that to impress anyone, I could care less what people think of me. I say that because it lines up with scripture, and although I realize that God calls some to be rich and do it well....my hope is that I would be in poverty.

Verse 17 raps up the passage with, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin". Basically....Our failure to submit/humble ourselves before God = sin. This is James main idea, just summed up in one sentence. We are called to humble ourselves to God; "draw near" to Him. Our hope lies in verse 8, that He would surly draw near to us.

God enable us to draw near to you,

So you can draw near to us
So you can equip us
So you can use us

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

just give me Jesus

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

This world is broken; we live in ruins. As a believer; however, I can live without fear, because Satan has no power over me. My God is sovereign, in control, over all Satan does. (1 Peter 3:17, James 4:15) I truly believe that. The Lord controls the roaring lion, and only has to decide when and when not to stop him. He's capable at any time to completely destroy him, but He allows Satan to tempt us for our own benefit (Hebrews 12:6). Demons shudder at His name (James 2:19), and He commands the unclean spirits (Mark 1:27). My God cannot lie, cannot sin, cannot be unholy (Ps. 145:17)--"The Lord is righteous in all His ways".

God's everlasting love, destroyed sin at Calvary, and continually saves me.

just give me Jesus


Friday, February 12, 2010

Passion2010 - Louie Giglio Part 1


Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God hsa highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 5-11

http://www.268generation.com/passion2010/

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Passion2010 - John Piper


God is an Egomaniac?

For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24


I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my songs from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:6-7


-Why is our God a "self-centered" God?
-Do we truly love for God to magnify His name?
-Do we love God's commitment to God?
















"The Cross is central to Christianity. It meets at the very center of God's relentless 'God-Centeredness', and fallen humanity."

~John Piper



Eternity Past--Predestined:

"even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:4-6


Central--Cross:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:23-26


Eternity Future--Destined

"Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." John 17:24



Conclusion:

1.) God put Christ as propitiation

--God put Christ forward to absorb His anger against my sin. I am saved, forgiven, and justified.


2.) Why did God do it this way?

--Romans 3:25 (to show His righteousness)


For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Psalm 25:11

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake.
1 John 2:12


"We won't be fully happy until we get it."
~John Piper


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Passion2010 - Andy Stanley


"Before you decide what you're going to do, you must first decide who are you going to be."

Who you are (on the inside) will determine what you do. Andy's main point throughout his sermon was not worrying so much about who you know or what you're going to do. As to, who you truly are on the inside. He referenced Daniel 6 in the sermon.


"3Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirtit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and nor error or fault was found in him. 5Then these men said, 'We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." Daniel 6: 3-5

The could find no fault in Daniel; his spirit was "excellent". Who we are on the inside will determine what we do in this life.

Here's a couple of examples of traits Andy tries to instill in his life.

Honesty
-foundation of all relationships

Pure
-paves the way to intimacy

Generous
-the things that you own, never own you

"What I wanted to be started turning into what God wanted me to be"


Monday, January 18, 2010

Passion2010 - Francis Chan


Francis Chan led our second main session at Passion2010, and it was quite re-memorable.

"All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word."
Isaiah 66:2

Do we tremble at God's Word?

"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. As behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and on for Elijah." He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." Matthew 17: 1-5

We are called to tremble at God's word. Are we doing so??? Are we reacting as if the passage above was always taking place? God talking down from heaven....we have His word! Are we truly seeking after it, after Him? I'm continually challenged by the verse in Isaiah. I need to be trembling at God's word everyday, every single time I read or hear is spoken.


"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. what the true proverb says has happened to them: 'The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire'." 2 Peter 2: 20-22

A pig is still a pig, even if you wash it off. Some of us are just going to church and getting cleaned up a bit, then we'll surely return to the mud. The verse above refers to those who were never truly "called" by God. This isn't talking about a christian losing his or her salvation. It's all about someone's nature, if your a pig no matter how clean you become...your still a pig. You WILL return to the mud. God makes us new creatures or new creations. We are no longer pigs, we go from slaves to sons.


http://www.268generation.com/passion2010/

Passion2010 - Beth Moore

This was our first session at the conference, and I was thrilled to hear Beth Moore for the first time. I’m just going to break down a little of what she talked about. It’s going to be a little broad.

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13: 20-21


God equips us with everything good for doing His will

Equip: (means all of these things in Greek’s root form)

-To Prepare

-To Adjust

-To Repair

-To Complete


God equips us by preparing us.

“[e]ven as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1: 4

We have been prepared for good works before the creation of the world.


“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2: 10

We are His workmanship…made renew to do good works.


“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1: 5-6

We have both a spiritual and physical line that feeds into us. Both lines fed into us have been prepared by God to make us into the people we are.



God equips us by adjusting us.

Puts us in situations to adjust us. God puts us around people that we normally can’t stand.

“Until you are around people that bring out the worst in you, you are not in the position for God to bring out the best in you.”



God equips us by repairing us.

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” Galatians 6: 1

This word restore refers to actually mending or resetting something in place. God does this in our lives.



God equips us by filling us.

“[e]quip you with everything good that you may do his will…” Hebrews 13:21a

It’s God that makes us complete, through His grace, to do His will.


http://www.268generation.com/passion2010/

Thursday, January 7, 2010