Dwelling

       

      Webster's first definition of "dwell" is "to remain for a time." Above is an old photo of the house I "remained" in with my parents and brother from my birth until around age 8. It was then a humble asbestos-shingled cottage built by my grandfather. It was a happy, spacious place to me, which I delighted in exploring both inside and out. As I described it once in a newspaper article, "...so tall and white in my memory, so small in reality." By today's standards and even in yesterday's reality... well, it's a different story. No matter-- my heart was at home there.

      I've been blessed to spend a few nights here and there in some of the most luxurious hotels in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, I've endured 24-hours on a Soviet Union-era train crossing northwestern Russia, then slept on a rusty cot in a seal-hunters' "lodge" in the icy far north. I've lived in apartments, condos, log cabins, and brick ranchers from coast to coast, and camped in tents and cozy RVs. I suppose those might all be considered "dwellings," no matter how extended or temporary the stay.

      There was one space I dwelt for three nights that has no comparison, really, and it was no man-made structure at all: on top of a sleeping bag beneath the stars alongside the rushing Colorado River deep in the Grand Canyon. Perhaps that is one reason I have felt such a connection to Andrew Cross (See previous post, "Desert Drifter," February 13, 2025 here: https://tippett1.blogspot.com/2025/02/desert-drifter.html).  The ancient dwellings Desert Drifter Andrew discovered in his southwest explorations were usually no more than tumbled piles of rocks or indentations in canyon walls that could hardly be called "caves." As Andrew's sister stated so beautifully and simply last week on His CaringBridge site: "Andrew's spirit is free, surrounded by light & love. He went to be with the Lord ... March 4...." Though my heart aches for Andrew's family ever since reading that news, I couldn't help but breathe this prayer: "Thank You, Jesus, that we know Andrew is with you now, in his eternal dwelling place!" I thought, "He's seeing scenery even more spectacular that he showed us on his explorations. Every moment is more beautiful than the most glorious canyon sunrise or starlit night, and someday I'll meet him there and tell him what a blessing his life was to so many of us!"

      I have recently been studying R.C. Sproul's John, An Expositional Commentary. If you want to grow closer to Jesus, there's no better place to start than the Gospel of John. It may be quite familiar to you, as it was to me, but this book is taking me deeper than ever into these words of the apostle who was arguably the closest one to the Messiah. Yet Sproul's language is simple, clear, and thus quite accessible for anyone: I highly recommend it. Yesterday's passage was John 14:1-3. This has long been a favorite chapter of mine, due to its comforting message; in fact, it is often read at funerals. Verse 2 is probably most familiar in the King James Version: "In my Father's house are many mansions..." (emphasis mine). Sproul illuminates, however: "...the Greek word literally means "dwellings," but even more precisely, the word calls attention to the idea of a suite." (John, an Expositional Commentary, (c)2009  R.C. Sproul, Ligonier Ministries). 

      No matter where you find yourself at any given moment, whether majestic mansion or simple suite, hospital room or comfortable home, or even atop a sleeping bag under the sky, you can trust that if you've opened the door of your heart to Jesus, God's only Son, He now dwells in you. You can also trust that you have a dwelling place waiting for you in Heaven that will be "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20 KJV)

Psalm 84 (ESV)

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

each one appears before God in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

Behold our shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed!

For a day in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

the Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold

from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,

blessed is the one who trusts in you!

    ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

Desert Drifter

     

Grand Canyon, AZ

   It was nearly a year ago, I think, Bill discovered a YouTube channel we both quickly came to love. It's called "Desert Drifter," and it follows a young man named Andrew Cross as he explores, usually solo, the desert southwest of the United States with simply a backpack and his camera (including a drone). With Andrew, we have seen cave dwellings, evidence of daily life such as postsherds and artwork and smoke-charred canyon walls, where few other feet have trod in a thousand years or more. We've come to think of Andrew as part of our family and to look forward to our next adventure with him. 

      A couple of weeks ago, when Bill checked the Desert Drifter channel, we were surprised to see Andrew's wife Evelyn standing in front of a brick wall, sharing tearfully that her husband had been involved in a devastating car crash and pleading for prayers as Andrew fought for his life in the ICU. As my brothers and sisters in Christ will understand, our kinship is often felt deep in the spirit without a particular word being said. Somehow early on, as Andrew explored this extraordinarily beautiful part of our blessed country, his sweet, gentle spirit and his reverence for the "Ancient Ones" and the land made me say, "I bet he's a Christian." Farther along, he made reference to his faith, and I smiled. Upon hearing of his situation, then, we immediately began praying for him, his family, and his caregivers, all the while thanking God for the knowledge that no matter the outcome, Andrew is in Jesus's hands.

      As details emerged on the accident, it became apparent that Andrew's merely surviving was nothing short of a miracle. A Caring Bridge site was soon set up, and the outpouring from around the globe has been astounding. This young man (age 35, I believe) has 450,000+ followers on YouTube, and MANY of us are believers, judging by the prayers and encouragement that are posted daily. I found a podcast interview a few days ago (done 9 months ago, I believe) in which Andrew talked freely of his faith, his life, and what brought him to "Desert Drifter." He was in Christian ministry, and yet he walked through a valley, and this exploration of remote places arose from his need for consolation and direction. He needed to be alone with God. 

      While I follow the daily updates on Andrew's progress on Caring Bridge, I can't help wondering if this time when his body is necessarily resting and hopefully healing, God isn't somehow preparing His next big step for Andrew. I'm thinking Andrew is even now exploring more caves and petroglyphs with his Savior by his side, guiding him deeper into relationship and the knowledge of His plan for Andrew's future. I'm truly believing that when Andrew emerges from this deep rest, he will have a clearer vision of God's purpose for him moving forward, far beyond what any of us can imagine! (Ephesians 3:20). 

      Yet this one thing I know: no matter what happens to Andrew's broken (for now) earthly body, one day, hopefully many years in the future, he will stand with me and all his brothers and sisters in Christ before the throne of God and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant .... Enter into the joy of your master.’" (Matthew 25:21 ESV) I pray you will be there, too. 

      Dear reader, we ALL have valleys or deserts to walk through in life-- they just come in different shapes and sizes, like those Andrew has explored. Here was a vibrant young man, driving home from one of his adventures, innocently stopped at a red light, when out of nowhere came a speeding van that plowed into him and could have ended his life in an instant. That could be you or me today. Yet this is ALWAYS my prayer for you: that no matter what you may walk through on this imperfect earth, you do so with your hand in the hand of Jesus Christ, Israel's Messiah, God's only Son, the One Who willingly gave His life in a brutal, unimaginably painful way so that each one of us might spend eternity with Him at Our Father's feet, drifting no more. EVERYONE will live forever; earthly death is not the end for anyone. It's just a question of where we choose to spend eternity by accepting or rejecting the Son.

"No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also."                                                                              (1 John 2:23 ESV) 

"I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture." (John 10:9 CSB)

    ✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

NOTES: 

1. Find Desert Drifter here:  https://www.youtube.com/@Desert.Drifter

2. Andrew's Caring Bridge: https://www.caringbridge.org/site/5fcb666d-e0b8-11ef-abc2-a31fd9bc4383

3. Andrew's GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/3c0bcf5b

4. Andrew's testimony podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ6Wr7Jb-oo

 Faithful followers, thank you for adding Andrew & Evelyn to your daily prayers. 🙏

Of Reunions and Dreams

 

1961 Fields Family Gathering

      Autumn is often a season of homecomings & reunions-- in schools, in churches, in families-- and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday is a prime time for such events. This summer, however, I was thrilled to have two reunions with long-time but not recently seen friends, and what a blessing it was! Now they both seem almost like dreams, yet the grace of these gatherings was nearly unspeakable.  

      The first was hosted by a friend of nearly fifty years who was a student during my brief teaching career. We had been instant "kindred spirits" and so our friendship grew far beyond our teacher-student relationship. For the many years during which we've not lived in the same town, or even state at times, we have usually seen each other once a year, during her summer break, as she followed in my footsteps and became a teacher. For the past seven, she has traveled to my home, often bringing with her a lovely lunch of gourmet salads, so that we could enjoy a full day of catching up. Since she had renovated her house during the past year, this time she invited Bill and me to come see her "new" home, and as a special treat included three other mutual friends also long unseen. Jean's lovely decor and delectable, carefully designed luncheon was truly HGTV-worthy, but the gift of reconnecting with "old friends," people who had been such a huge part of my life in a different time, was difficult to describe. It was as if time was no more, and we had all seen one another just days before!

      The second reunion was similarly long overdue: a couple who were in our church briefly twenty-some years ago were celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary! Once again, we had become fast friends right after their arrival at our church, and remained so even after they moved away. Yet it had been many years since we had actually seen one another. Their daughter had stealthily found her mother's Christmas address list from that far back and amazingly was able to pull off a surprise party for one hundred of her parents' friends and family! We knew only one other couple from our church, Polly and Gene (the honorees), and their children, and yet everyone there seemed to chat effortlessly, simply because of their acquaintance with the honorees.

      The week before these two momentous events, I had a dream which was perhaps in anticipation of them both. In it, I was in a sort of gallery of black and white photos of my life so far. The pictures were nicely framed to match and seemed suspended in air with a hazy backdrop of the loveliest spring green trees. It was not until after the two gatherings above that I began to contemplate the dream and its significance. When Polly called a couple of days after the second one and told me, "That was a little taste of Heaven!'" I had to agree. My entire week had been just that -- a preview of Heaven.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV) 

       Though these two get-togethers were from totally different times of my life, in both situations there was one unifying factor which made our fellowship special: a mutual friend. I can't help contemplating a reunion that is yet to come, which will be joyous beyond imagining and will continue for eternity. That will be the reunion at my Friend Jesus's feet with all who have trusted Him throughout time. We'll reunite with not only faces we've known during our brief time on earth, but also our ancestors who passed on their faith to us, those earthly scribes who walked with Jesus and brought us His Word, and the great heroes of faith throughout history.

     Like you, I imagine, I've been to many family reunions, church Homecomings, and even some class reunions. The joy of reconnecting with loved ones was unmistakable, but it can't compare to the gathering awaiting us as we pass from this life into the next-- that is, as long as we have given our hearts and lives to Jesus, God's only Son, none other than the Jesus of the Bible. His Word attests to this Truth over and over: there is only one way to guarantee an eternal future with Him in Paradise, and that is to believe in His one and only Son, turn from our sins, and accept His perfect sacrifice as an atonement for them. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  (John 14:6 NIV)

      My friend, my brother, my sister, if you have never accepted the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for your sins, I implore you not to wait another second before doing just that. We are not guaranteed even the next breath, and make no mistake: only eternal suffering awaits those lost in their own sins, and we are ALL sinners in God's economy. But He loves us so much He made the ultimate sacrifice to put us in right relationship with Him. He provided Himself, the only Perfect Lamb, to die for our sins, great and small. All you have to do is repent and say "Yes!" And then imagine the glorious reunions that will never end!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16 KJV)

This summer's reunions
(Photo credits:
Main- Phil Stith
Insert- Bill Tippett)

✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

Overwhelmed

 

     

   

      How many times have you used the word "overwhelmed" in an entirely negative way? I know I have a LOT! It may surprise you, as it did me, to learn that by definition, there's no negative implication in the word. Here's how Webster's on-line dictionary defines the word: 

1."overcome by force or numbers"

2."completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling"

     Do you see any negative words in there? Neither do I. Of course, it can be used in a negative way. Even as I write this, my neighbors in Western North Carolina have been overwhelmed by the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, which in a few short hours swept away homes, took lives, washed out highways and bridges, cutting off whole towns from power, safe water, food, and even communication with the "outside world." Yet these people and places are already being overwhelmed by an outpouring of loving aid that was no more expected than the destructive storm.

      This morning, looking out upon a gray sky that promised imminent showers, I was experiencing the usual pain that foretells a barometric pressure drop, when I was unexpectedly treated to a visit on my deck by a beautiful red-bellied woodpecker. Then came a brilliant male cardinal, followed by a parade of chickadees, finches, and wrens splashing in the shallow pan of water I had left for them on the flower-laden table right outside the door. At once I was overwhelmed by the beauty and variety of God's amazing creation! I am overwhelmed not only by His creativity, but His imagination! Who of us could make or even imagine something as exquisite as a butterfly or a hummingbird, as hilarious as a giraffe, a kitten, or a puppy dog, as dazzling as a breaching whale or a glowing sunset, as breathtaking as a snow-capped mountain range or a glistening ocean wave? 

      And then I thought, "He cares for ME!" 

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30 KJV)

      He knew since before time began that I would be in this very spot at this very moment watching the birds, sensing His love, and then sharing it with you! Yes, He knew you would be reading these words at this very moment, and He wants YOU to sense His love, as well! It's not just for some of us, but for ALL!

"all my days were written in Your book

and ordained for me

before one of them came to be."

(Psalm 139:16 BSB)

      I determined right then to be MORE overwhelmed by His love and His blessings than by my trials. Won't you join me? After all, trials are temporary, but His love is eternal. 

"No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."  (Romans 8:37 NLT)

 "For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 CSB)

✝️

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

Seeds of Grace

      In twenty-seven years at this house, I've never planted either sunflowers or zinnias. The two photos above were taken at different times this summer in flower pots planted with either nothing (the sunflower) or something else (the zinnia). We don't have any close neighbors, and Bill promises he didn't plant them, and so I must credit a passing bird. Yet I know the ultimate Source, the One Who is in charge of all the birds and all the soil and all the seeds on earth. And what a perfect example for me (at just the right time, of course!) of His grace.

     

      The Biblical meaning of grace is usually expressed as "the unmerited favor of God towards man" (www.biblestudytools.com). I certainly did nothing to deserve these two happy surprises in my yard in the midst of an especially miserable, hot summer. Once I discovered them, however, I watered them, believing I would eventually see their colorful blossoms. God provided plenty of sunshine for them, but it took time for them to bloom, and I confess I grew impatient with the waiting.

      From Genesis to Revelation, God has been displaying His "unmerited favor" to man in countless ways. The most priceless gift of His grace was this: from the beginning He gave us choice; we chose disobedience; He then gave us the Only Way out of eternal punishment-- the death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus as the substitutionary payment for our disobedience. The grace is, we can do nothing to merit this "salvation" if you would; it is a free gift-- we have only to accept it. 

      The question then becomes, what do we do with it? Do we bloom where we are planted and brighten the lives of those around us like the seeds in my yard? If you have trusted Jesus, accepted His FREE gift of salvation from your sins, try thinking of yourself as that empty pot (or plot) of soil. Someone (It will be different for all of us.) planted the seed by sharing the Gospel with you. Others God put in your life (family, a church, friends, or even strangers) watered, but God gave the sunshine (the Light) and nutrients in the soil (the Bread of Life) which made that seed grow and bloom! Without the sunshine, water, and nutrients the seed will die or never even develop. With those elements, it will bloom to brighten someone's day, and even mature to produce seeds of its own to blossom into even more bright spots in someone else's garden! As Paul expressed it,

 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 

(1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV)

      The choice is ours, my friend, but the time is growing short. Autumn is coming, and soon follows the winter when seeds will grow dormant and the sun will wane. We are not guaranteed the next moment, much less another Summer's growing season, so please don't wait!

 "And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.'”

(Revelation 21:6-8 ESV)

*Author's Note: This post is given to you with sincerest love, coming only from His grace to me. I post it with fervent prayer that it may plant a seed in someone's heart who needs Jesus. If you are hearing this message for the first time and would like further guidance, please either request help in the comments or contact me via Facebook Messenger, or seek out a church or pastor or believing friend near you. If you know someone who needs this message, I would be humbly honored by your sharing it. 

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️

Strong Tower

 

Nanny Cay, Tortola, BVI
September 19, 1989

     Each summer when news arrives of the first hurricane developing, my mind is immediately tossed back into the turbulence of Hurricane Hugo. This being the thirty-fifth anniversary, it seems an appropriate time to share my memories. You see, I've never been so literally in the eye of a storm as I was in 1989. I had moved to the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, a mere two weeks before this historic maelstrom brewing far out in the mid- Atlantic quickly made its way to my new home.

  

      I had learned the day before I flew from the United States, September 1, 1989, that the second-floor downtown apartment I had rented for six months was not going to be vacated until a month later than expected. But having bought my ticket and sublet my U.S. home, I made the quick decision to go ahead and take my flight and "wing it" (so to speak) as far as accommodations were concerned. I was familiar enough with the island, and had a few friends there, so my adventuresome spirit was not daunted by the unforeseen glitch in plans. You see, I was in my default setting of fleeing an uncomfortable situation at home, and I was blind to any other way out. But then, I wasn't paying much heed to the God I had given my heart to at a young age. I had been going my own way for quite some time.

      Some would say it was blind luck that led me to decide to stay at the Fort Burt Hotel until my apartment was ready. Actually, when I stopped in for a look while beginning to get more acquainted with my new island home, the manager learned I was a travel journalist and offered me a free room in hopes of getting some publicity in exchange. I had been happily settled in and exploring the island in depth, when the news of a brewing major hurricane had everyone's ears perked up, and we all became more watchful as the track seemed to grow closer to our tiny island. 

      As it turned out, an eclectic assortment of sailors, fishermen, the manager, and myself (thirteen of us!) ended up sheltering in the base of one of the two remaining stone turrets of the ancient fort. This tower had become the hotel's restaurant, while the rooms had been built along the hillside above it. 

Along with this one, an outer tower alongside and nearer the water's edge had formed the entryway to the fortress. Our motley group had been shepherded into the lower storage room beneath the restaurant. When the rains came and the winds blew horizontally, however, nearly every inch of that dungeon-like shelter became saturated with the water that blew down through the floor of the restaurant above, in through cracks in the ancient stone walls, and underneath the heavy iron door that kept out the vicious wind. For approximately twenty-four hours we hunkered down, sometimes talking quietly, sometimes laughing, sometimes listening in silence to the wind and pounding rain. Throughout the night, we often clung through a battery-powered radio to the voice of brave DJ Erasmus at ZBVI, operating by a generator, as power had been cut off all over the island for safety. He alternately played music and took calls, keeping families in touch, sharing damage reports throughout the island, and even broadcasting one woman's prayer for our safety. 

      After several hours confined in this space, one couple in our group took a break and ventured out across the breezeway to stretch out on some tables that were being stored in the outer tower. I can't say how long they stayed, only that moments after they returned to our flock, we all gasped with one breath when our low murmurings were shattered by a huge "BANG!" nearby. It wasn't until the storm abated and we ventured outside that we discovered the enormous wooden doors of that second tower had imploded and landed right on top of the tables that couple had been lying on. It was then I began to acknowledge that that islander's prayer, along with many others silently uttered, had been answered. On a drive to survey the damage the next day, I saw a hillside home made entirely of glass turned to a pile of rubble. It had been inhabited by two young British women who had wisely sheltered in a safer place.

      Everyone who took refuge in the strong tower of Fort Burt, in fact everyone on the island of Tortola remained safe throughout Hurricane Hugo, which was truly remarkable considering it was a rare Category 5 hurricane with winds approaching 200 mph, and we suffered a direct hit and much property damage. In my journal of the experience, I at least acknowledged God's providence for the tools of my trade at that time: my computer, printer, and paper had been graciously placed by the hotel's manager in what would end up being the last dry spot in our sanctuary.

      Of course, I know now that none of this happened by accident, but rather by the design of my Good, Good Father. As I was stumbling blindly out of my discomfort into danger and then to safety, He already knew I'd be safe. As my favorite Psalm reminds me,

"You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. 

Every moment You know where I am....

I can never escape from Your Spirit!...

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 

even there Your hand will guide me, and Your strength will support me...."

[Psalm 139: 3, 7a, 9-10 NLT]

      And today, as very different kinds of storms arise in my life, I must constantly remind myself of my many experiences of this truth:

"For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe."

[Psalm 61:3 NIV]

      My friend, our lives on earth are fraught with trials and "hurricanes"-- no one is exempt. Whether your storm be illness, a great loss, family struggles, financial woes, or our shared distress over the state of the world we live in, let us never forget that if we trust in the one true Triune God,

"The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

[Proverbs 18:10 NIV]

Outer tower of Fort Burt Hotel,
Tortola, BVI, today.

 

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️

In the Dark

      

      

      It's Holy Saturday, or the day before Resurrection Day, and I awoke in the darkness of the small hours thinking about Jesus on this day. The Bible doesn't enlighten us much about it. For one thing, it was the Jewish Sabbath, and a special one at that, since it was Passover week, a required day of rest and remembrance. All we are told about Jesus, and His followers for that matter, is that He had been put in a borrowed tomb, and the door had been sealed and guarded, for fear the disciples would steal His body. Then silence on Saturday.

      Paul and Peter both teach that Jesus descended to Sheol, a place of death and darkness. [See Ephesians 4:9, Acts 2:24, 1 Peter 3:19.] All this leads me to believe that on this day Jesus was in a state of complete rest from His labors. After all, one of His last utterances was, "It is finished." And what labors they were-- more painful and ponderous than any of us can imagine! With His torture and bleeding our sins were atoned for, once and for all, His work on earth was done, His purpose accomplished, our salvation complete. 

      And yet, I can't help thinking that wherever Jesus was on this day, it couldn't possibly have been dark, because HE was there! John tells us, "His life is the light that shines through the darkness--- and the darkness can never extinguish it."  (John 1:5 TLB)

      Yes, He came back and walked again on earth for a few days, but His toil was done, and He came back victorious over our last enemy, death. No more pain and hatred, only glory and rejoicing. 

      I wonder, when we have days of heaviness or darkness, if we could possibly look at them as days of rest from our labors and struggles, confident if He is our Lord, that His Light is always in us and the darkness cannot overcome us. And we know that someday soon there will be a day of neverending light and life, when we will shine with Him, simply because we have endured, and then rested.

 "He must increase and I must decrease."

John 3:30

✝️