We're gonna make it we are gonna make it.  Oh Ladies and gentlemen if I if I look if I look like death It's because I feel like death. Oh my goodness Holy guacamole it hit the family it hit the family. Oh All right question of the day What is your strategy for? dealing with What is your strategy question of the day? What is your strategy for training while sick? That's a question of the day. Thanks for your insights Maybe there's some doctors out there listening right now. We love you. Keep us healthy doctors It's just like oh, it's been a interesting past 12 hours at the DeBoer household. I'll give you my opinions Later.  All right. There they are taking them out The infinity runs. Oh You know I'm sick when I have two sips of coffee and that's all I can do It's on the tee for the rest of the day. I just oh the coffee just like doesn't sound good to the stomach, so Thank you Surviving we're desperate. I think it's the first time the whole family's sick at the same time We've been married for nine years and I think I Think it's the first time we've been sick all at the same. It just took us out Starting last night Goodness everyone.  All right, so just woke up from like a 90-minute kind of nap. I was in the chair. So I wasn't that comfortable But I didn't want to sleep too much because I won't sleep tonight. I know myself well enough I remember know thyself. That's one of one of the things I'm always saying. So here's the deal This is a daily vlog. I've been a daily blogging for about four years and Almost four years coming up on that and the reason it's a daily vlog one of the reasons is because I love Communicating with all of you the highs right, you know doing well at races and the lows I'm sick as a dog, you know Like so the highs and the lows of life because we all have highs and lows in this world and challenges and Situations that sometimes are just out of our control like I would say this one blaming this on the School that the the boys go to I think they brought it home and it just swept through the family Yesterday slash last night.  I don't know whatever but I'm I'm as you probably know I'm trying to be here for you committed to you despite the Probably little drop in quality of the actual filming of the actual editing Why because I love you guys and I appreciate you coming back and even carrying a small iota about my life about the family's life about running in my life and so Just wanted to put that out there in front right now and Okay running wow Running while sick. Is it a good idea? Is it not so good idea and the reason I'm actually the one of the reasons I decided to also do this blog today Is because this question comes up every now and then not all the time But maybe once every two or three months on Twitter or on on YouTube down in the comments So my general thesis is that I do try to run if I'm not totally Hagger totally taken out by the bug and I think it's a virus We have a cold but now people are you know throwing up inside. So anyway, I think that is my overall because Usually what happens is when I do go run I usually actually feel better and one time in high school. I was so sick I went down to the we had a fire in our living room and I made a bed in front of the fire and I got all cuddled and when I woke up it was gone But I had basically you know, this is crazy, but I had sweat through the nights and I felt so much better So it's it's worked every now and then in the past where I go out for a run and I kind of sweat it out Am I the only one that has done that? I don't think so. I've heard I think I've heard some of you say you've done that as well in the past So I usually attempt to run if you have the flu you have the flu like you really you probably you should not be running with The flu it's it's almost impossible to run with the flu Also, there's the there's the rule of thumb that if the sickness is above your head You can attempt to run meaning you're congested stuff He knows sore throats you can run or sorry above your neck I should say but if it's below your neck if you're achy if you have a fever kind of all over your body Then it's recommended from what I've the research. I've done not to go out and run now today It was honestly it was borderline. I felt pretty good this morning and I was like, okay Maybe I'm turning a corner because last night was really rough But sure enough I just I anyway, we'll see if I run tomorrow. We'll see how I wake up Just like in high-volume training you see how and coming back from an injury You see how you do when you wake up the next morning. All right, so there's my overall basic principles And again talk to your doctor talk to your nurses talk to your physical Your physical therapist. I would say physical therapist so much. I just love you and okay Good news my dad Somehow found out that we are all sick and so he's bringing over some food I think some soup or broth is on the way for me already got you the question of the day if I don't make it inside It's good knowing you it's good knowing it. No, just kidding. Just kidding. Come on now. I love you all.  Forgot to mention Today's run five miles There it is on your screen in kilometers and oh the camera's slipping hold on Gonna make it we are gonna make it. It's that we get sick in this world, but patience Take care of the body rest I'm gonna be okay But I just telling the YouTube family that this is a daily vlog And so we film we film the highs and the lows the highs and the lows because Everyone has highs and lows. Yeah. Oh, yeah We're working together here and we can pass good messages like the Tokyo Joe's lid that I just got says be the best you can be Thanks, it says be the best you can be the the worker wrote it on there And it's like even though we're sick we can still be our best Opposite and now we can pass that off to everyone Have a positive attitude be the best you can be okay, Michael Michael's moving the camera. Oh, this looks good Oh Hot soup You just leave it there, buddy. Oh That's it Shout out to Seth's dad Joe mm-hmm call him text me this morning in between like fourth row It was like what can I be a helpful night to drop off Tokyo Joe's I was like Yes Yes, I guess it would If you're wondering where the children are they're dealing with dealing with situations Deal with situations It's so good. Oh My goodness. All right, I'm out. Thank you for being here. Thanks for sharing your wisdom about Running and being sick and all that good stuff and we're gonna make it We're gonna make it. I feel a better day coming tomorrow better day tomorrow. All right rise and shine rise and shine All right, we're gonna toss it back. I think the last time I was sick on the blog It was a while ago. It'll be on the right and then on the left. I'll pick up. I'll pick a vlog from 2019 that maybe not many people were able to watch. All right, we're gonna see cutie work hard and love each other


In a way problem-solving is a disease, you know, you you want to do it and Although each one's a headache It's it's there to be solved. It's a it's a steeple decline. It's a mountain decline mountaineers have that problem That disease and that we have that We were a group of engineers starting to want to make a different type of product with better technology And we've carried on like that I have 35 years experience of making things and it's taught me a lot. It's no good. Just being a designer.  There are just hundreds of problems in every product What we're trying to do every day is make products work better if we develop breakthrough technology like a high-speed electric motors For me, that's a huge success because this enables so many products to perform so well If you always do what you know, it's gonna work. Then okay, you'll have less failure But you'll never make a substantive change or a breakthrough What we're doing is trying to do something different and better trying to advance technology trying to advance What a product can do. So we're risk-taking all the time. We're stepping off into the unlearn It's a brand word but we're pioneering and I think we've gathered around as a group of people who want to do that It's not a question of coming in to make money or coming in to to make the business grow We come in to make better technology and design develop better performing products


Maer i gael i'r cwestiwn i'r unrhyw yma gyda gael eu gwneud, a'r cwestiwn i'r cwestiwn i'r cyfrifiadau cleansiaf a achor. Mae'n meddygau i ddigwyd i'r cwestiwn i 1, 3 a 6 yma? Rwy'n dechrau i ddweud i'r cwestiwn i 2 a 8 yma. Rwy'n dechrau i ddigwyd i ddweud, maen nhw'n bwysigau, a enti amferwg ddim dim gweld yr ydychu, iddyn nhw'n ddweud i ddweud i gael ei ddweud i'r cwestiwn? iawn i'r cwestiwyr hwn yw'r dweud i ddeithasol, os y gweithwyr awdron ni'n ymddangos. Felly mae'r cwestiwn ni, mae'r cyflwyphol iddynt ar hyn oedd yn ymgyrch i gwych Wonilion Nrheysgrifedd. Grafodd apôl cyfryddiadau roi. That's the question. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any work that its Constitutional Futures division is doing to further the case of Scottish independence. Minister Jamie Hepburn. In common, the wider civil service, the Constitutional Futures division, continues to support the Scottish Government's programme of activity, including the articulation of the case for Scottish independence. I wonder if the minister might give us some clarity on where we are, because we have had three different positions from the SNP in the last few weeks on the question of a day facto referendum. First, they said that they needed a majority of votes cast in an election, then they said that they needed just the most seats in an election, and then they said, I think, that they just need to get a majority of seats in a general election. What they are saying is that, even if the SNP lost 20 seats in a general election, seats lost to the Conservatives, seats lost to Labour and even seats lost to the Liberal Democrats, that they would take that as a mandate for independence, do they really expect people to take this nonsense seriously? I thank Mr Fraser for taking such great interest in the SNP's manifesto for the forthcoming election. Our prospectus is very clear. We have had a full debate at our conference, something that I know is anathema to the Conservative party in terms of their interdimoxy. We have laid out our position, we will take that to the electorate that will seek their support, and I suggest to Mr Fraser that, in terms of our prospects at the election, I think he would be rather better being more concerned about his own party's prospects than the Scottish National Party's. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to further the case for Scottish independence. The Scottish Government will continue to provide information about the opportunities of independence through its building a new Scotland series of papers and various other engagements. We will be building on the plans that we have already set out in the economy, currency, a written constitution and citizenship in independent Scotland, with further proposals including for migration, pension, social security and defence, the EU and the transition to net zero. The next paper is planned for publication shortly. I thank the minister for that answer. Last week, Scottish Labour made a humiliating choice to abstain from voting on devolving more powers to the Scottish Parliament, despite promising a fresh start in their recent campaign. Does the minister agree with me that Scotland's only fresh start is to become an independent country with full control over all the policies that can improve the lives of everyone in Scotland? Of course, I fundamentally agree with the premise of the question, but let me say I would welcome the opportunity to see further powers devolved to this place. This is the debate that we have had in the past, and I understood it to be the case. Certainly it was articulated to me that the Scottish Labour Party position, for instance, was to support the evolution of employment law, something that it is desperately retreating from now. We do not know whether the Labour Party is standing in these matters, but let us be clear where this Government stands and its independence is going to secure a better future for the people of Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government how much public money it plans to spend in this financial year and in 2024-25 on any work designed to further the case for Scottish independence, including the cost of publication of any independence-related documents. The civil service will continue to work on government commitments on the constitution, including independence. From publication of each building a new Scotland paper, we routinely publish the cost of having done so. We will continue that approach. Thanks for that answer. Emergency workers in our police, fire and healthcare services all say they need more resources. With ministers trying to fill a £1 billion black hole in the budget for next year, does the minister not believe that this money would be better spent elsewhere? To be absolutely abundantly clear, the cost of each paper that we have published thus far has been less than £20,000, and compared to the enormous benefits that the opportunity to independence brings, I think that that is money that is well worth expending. Of course we will continue to invest in public services as we have been doing, but the question could equally be posed of the UK Government of Scotland office in the last year spent £1 million in communication staff alone. They have four special advisers in one UK Government department. Let's face it, frankly, Presiding Officer. It doesn't have much work to do, so let's have some answers in relation to the UK Government approach in these matters. Supplementary John Mason. Thank you very much. I wonder if the minister could explain to Murdo Fraser and Sharon Dowie that freedom from London rule has been a huge success for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many others, and that Ireland has a huge budget surplus at the moment? Minister. Well, I think, frankly, me trying to explain anything to Murdo Fraser and Sharon Dowie is probably beyond my best efforts, but I'll continue to do my best. But inherent within the question is something I very much agree with. We don't need to look too far beyond these shores to see the benefits of independence. Countries like Scotland Ireland, which is about to launch a sovereign wealth fund, which it hopes will be worth 100 billion euros by the middle of the next decade, Norway, Denmark, Finland, all countries of the same size as Scotland, Presiding Officer, are healthier, wealthier, fairer and happier than Scotland in the UK. What could be more important than creating a happier society? Independence would allow us to do that. Now, question number two from Karen Adam. Can we have Ms Adam's microphone? To ask the Scottish Government in light of the announcement by the First Minister that it will more than double investment in Scotland's arts and culture over the next five years, how is it ensuring that rural communities benefit from current and future cultural investment? Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I take this opportunity at the first culture question since the announcement to welcome the appointment of Anne Leiden as the next director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland? We wish her well, I'm sure, right across the chamber. In answer to Karen Adam's question, our investment in culture and the arts is nationwide and our funding reflects the diverse communities right across the country. The First Minister's announcement last week is a vote of confidence in Scotland's culture sector. The increase in funding for culture and the arts by 100 million per year by 2029 will drive up opportunities for participation in creative pursuits, support the production of new works and ensure that Scotland's cultural output has platforms all across Scotland and abroad. Karen Adam. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and if I may boast a little bit here, the northeast has some of Scotland's most extraordinary cultural talents and artists across Bamshire and Buckingham coast are putting my constituency on that cultural map. For two decades, organisations like Northeast Open Studios have been ensuring that the work of artists in my constituency and the wider north-east are reaching communities both locally and across Scotland and beyond. With that example in mind, what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that rural and remote artists get the recognition and support that they so thoroughly deserve? As a matter of course, Scottish Government ministers and the Scottish Government will promote and support artists from the length and breadth of the country. I am delighted to hear about Northeast Open Studios being so well promoted by their local member of the Scottish Parliament here, specifically in relation to the funding of cultural organisations. I think that everybody in the chamber recognises that that largely takes place through Creative Scotland, an arms-length organisation who make funding decisions. I am sure that they will be listening very closely to the points that Karen Adam has made because they see it as an important part of their work that there is funding and support for art organisations the length and breadth of Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to cultural organisations that are operating in rural areas. Our culture strategy makes it clear that we want everyone in Scotland to have access to cultural opportunities, regardless of where one lives. That is why we fund a range of organisations that provide access to culture in rural communities. For example, via our regular funding to Creative Scotland, we support 12 organisations across the Highlands and Islands, including Atlas Arts on Sky and the Highland Prince Studio in Inverness. Organisations like the Llyth Centre in Caithness and Inlandshire in Stornoway in my region are central to their communities, reducing isolation and improving mental health alongside and through their arts work. I welcome the recent announcement that was made by the First Minister to increase the budget for art and culture by £100 million by 2028. Can I ask the minister how the newly proposed funding will address the long-term funding challenges for cultural organisations in rural areas? Ms Burgess is right to highlight the importance of ensuring that our increased arts and culture budget is distributed in a way that benefits all communities in Scotland and supports the resilience of cultural organisations in rural areas. While decisions on how the additional budget will be allocated will be subject to the budget process, I can assure members that this will be taken fully into account. Thank you. I've got a lot of supplementaries here. I'll get in most, if not all, but as long as they're brief. The National Museum of Scotland has said that it's facing its toughest financial crisis ever, with fears over the ability to pay staff and maintain the museum. Without a proper plan in place, the solution will mean that they may have to cease some operations. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what further measures can be put in place to maintain, retain and sustain operations like that for Scotland? I begin by saying how sorry I was to learn about the death of Donald Cameron of Lachill and extend condolences via Alexander Stewart to his colleague Donald Cameron MSP, who is not in his place today for very obvious reasons, and to his family at this sad time. In answer to Alexander Stewart's question, I can give him an absolute guarantee that all organisations and agencies that work in the cultural sector that are funded and work with the Scottish Government are absolutely seized of any particular problems that are being faced in venues or organisations. As we know, there have been extraordinary pressures. I don't need to list the number of organisations in Scotland or indeed elsewhere in the UK who have been feeling these pressures, and I would encourage any member across the chamber who is aware of any distress being felt by organisations financial or otherwise to make sure that there can be timious intervention to make sure that we maintain and support the cultural infrastructure, the length and breadth of Scotland. Before inviting the next supplementary, just a reminder that this is focused on arts and culture funding in rural areas, and I call Neil Bibby. As has been mentioned, the First Minister has announced his intention to double the arts and culture budget over the next five years and increase it by £100 million. Yet £175 million is currently allocating Scottish Government's budget for Creative Scotland, other arts, cultural collections and the national performing companies. Can the cabinet secretary explain how he can possibly double a budget of £175 million with only £100 million? I listened very closely to what Neil Bibby had to say, and the one word that I didn't hear him say was the word welcome. I don't know what it is about the Scottish Labour Party in relation to culture and the arts that makes it difficult for them to welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has committed to double the culture spending. It's been welcomed right across the culture sector, and I hope that the Labour Party will join the Scottish Government in supporting the increase in the budget. The budget-related matters are going to be subject to the standard budget procedure of the Scottish Government. That will also include the scrutiny that will be exerted through the Scottish Parliament Committee, and I look forward to giving evidence to explain the decisions that are made in relation to the fantastic increase that the Scottish Government has committed to in the culture and arts sector. Perhaps Neil Bibby can find it in himself either during these questions or the debate later this afternoon to use the word welcome. John Swinney. I wonder if I might encourage the cabinet secretary to visit one of the jewels in the cultural crown of Scotland in rural Scotland, which is Pitlockery Festival Theatre, which has a magnificent record of artistic production in rural Scotland. There may be a suitable opportunity with the upcoming production of Sunshine on Leith, which is not quite Edinburgh Central to be controversial, but it's certainly close to the cabinet secretary's heart. Cabinet secretary. Can I thank John Swinney for extending that invitation? I'd be delighted to return to Pitlockery. I think that it gives the opportunity to highlight the fact that there are fantastic cultural and arts venues and organisations, yes, in Perthshire, in Tayside, but right across rural Scotland, and if there's anything that members across the chamber feel that can be done more to help promote cultural and arts organisations across rural Scotland, I, ministerial colleagues and others will be as keen to support them as we can. Beatrice Wishart. In collaboration with the Tate Artists' Rooms, Shetland Amenity Trust is hosting a photographic collection from renowned American photographer Diane Arbus. How will the welcome extra funding that has been announced be dispersed across Scotland's arts and culture sector to ensure that events like that currently in Shetland and other island and rural areas, which often come with much higher costs when it comes to hosting and delivering events, to ensure the breadth and depth that the sector has to offer reaches all parts of Scotland? Cabinet Secretary. I can confirm one thing for certain since last week. There is not a shortage of cultural and arts organisations that have welcomed the proposed uplift in cultural and arts bending and are making proposals for support for local organisations, as the member has just highlighted. I would encourage any member or party in this chamber who has particularly strong feelings about the best way in which funding can be dispersed. Of course, we already have a cultural and arts organisation, Creative Scotland, that is responsible for that in large part, but we also have national performing companies. We also have a range of funding streams. I am open to suggestions from members and indeed parties right across the chamber about how we can make sure that we disperse £100 million additional, a doubling of the culture budget. I hope that the Scottish Liberal Democrats will make sure that it reaches all parts of the country and has a profound impact on the cultural and arts sector for their positive future. Question 4, Richard Leonard. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on public interest journalism. I should declare an interest as a past career journalist and as a past long-standing member of the National Union of Journalists. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the public interest journalism sector. A free independent press is the bedrock of every well-functioning democracy and local news publications play a crucial role by empowering and informing communities and holding institutions to account. In January 2021, the Scottish Government set up the Public Interest Journalism Working Group, which published recommendations later that year. We responded in June 2022 and following this we convened a round table in which a steering group, independent of government, was formed to progress work towards a strong and sustainable future for the sector. Richard Leonard. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer? In June this year, the Welsh Government announced a £200,000 package of funding for public interest journalism in Wales. It's meant new investment in research training and in 10 local news outlets. Is the Scottish Government prepared to provide any pump-priming funds for a Scottish Public Interest Journalism Institute, which its own working group proposed nearly two years ago? Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the urgent need for this is highlighted by the current industrial dispute at national world, including the Scotsman, where recent cuts mean that just eight journalists are left to produce 19 local weekly titles and where local and national journalists have had a real terms pay cut imposed on them by an owner making a whacking great profit? Cabinet secretary. Well, there's quite a lot in Richard Leonard's question there, and I'm sure you, Presiding Officer, would wish me to concentrate my reply in relation to public interest journalism. There are a number of ways in which the Scottish Government can support an emerging institute, and I am open to all suggestions that can be made to bring that about because I wish it success and he's right to highlight that there are different models in different places and there are different circumstances too. I'm sure he would agree with me, I would hope he does agree with me, that it's really important that public interest journalism is separate from government and is separate from any sense that there is government interest or influence on its independence. Given that in mind, notwithstanding that, I'm interested to learn how we can best support the emerging institute. If he has suggestions, if colleagues who are involved in the steering group have that, I am very open to considering any of those suggestions. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary mentioned public interest journalism working group in a previous answer. That was a vital platform to discuss the challenges faced by the sector, one of which is a particular concern, disinformation and misinformation. So can I ask the cabinet secretary what work the Scottish Government is conducting to combat disinformation and support public interest journalism in doing so? I think that this is one of those areas where an institute could play a really important role. I think that we are all aware right across this chamber that the issue of misinformation is a very live one and public information about that is extremely important. There are a number of countries that take this extremely seriously, not least our Nordic and Scandinavian neighbours. We have much to learn from there. I would be very supportive of the institute playing a significant role in helping, particularly a new generation of young voters, explain why misinformation is a fundamentally challenging and dangerous development, and I would wish to see the institute play a leading role in that. Question 5, Martin Whitfield. I am very grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government, what discussions it has had with Creative Scotland about funding for financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25. I attended the Creative Scotland board on 27 September and I discussed current and future funding. The Scottish Government officials have regular formal discussions with officials in Creative Scotland, including regarding budgets as part of the normal sponsorship role as Creative Scotland are a public body. Those discussions include budgets for this and next financial year. My officials will discuss funding for the next financial year with Creative Scotland as part of the budget process. I am very grateful for the Cabinet Secretary's response. He is aware, because he kindly wrote to me about the Lamb & Fewe Festival in East Lothian, who is a consequence of those discussions, has lost its funding from Creative Scotland. This festival, which is an award-winning festival, that has been around for a number of years, is facing the real possibility of closure. So how can the enhanced funding that has been promised for the future do any good if the quality and expertise of the institutional memory of award-winning festivals like the Lamb & Fewe Festival has lost this financial year? Can I first pay tribute to Martin Whitfield, who has been a doubty campaigner on the issue of the Lamb & Fewe Festival and his right to acknowledge that we have been in correspondence about this? So it's no surprise to him that I repeat, as I have made the point a number of times during this question session, that financial decisions by Creative Scotland in relation to specific organisations or events are matters for Creative Scotland, not for Government ministers to be directly involved in. Having said that, he's absolutely right to point out, and I'm not sure if it was a welcome, maybe it was, that this Government is proposing to double the culture budget, which should be hugely welcome in all corners. I would encourage the Lamb & Fewe Festival and all others in these circumstances to make their plans their hopes, their aspirations clear to Creative Scotland for forthcoming funding decisions. Brief supplementary bill, kid. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Can I ask the Scottish Government from the foreign secretary that he will withdraw foreign office support for Scottish Government ministers will impact our ability to promote Scotland's culture at an international level? Not directly related to Creative Scotland's budget, but if there's anything to add briefly, cabinet secretary? I'm very keen that we work as well as we can to promote Scottish culture internationally. We have a forthcoming cultural diplomacy strategy which will be published in full. I'm extremely clear that we should use each and every opportunity that we can to promote Scottish culture internationally, and I certainly would hope and expect that the UK Government will not pursue any measures which would undermine that to the detriment of the culture sector in Scotland. Questions 7, James Dornan. To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support the provision of humanitarian assistance for the civilian population of Gaza. Minister Christina McKelvie. Presiding Officer, we have all looked on in horror at the escalating humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Middle East.  We unequivocally condemn the abhorrent terrorist attacks committed by Hamas. In Israel, like every other country in the world has a right to protect itself from terror. That, however, must be done within international law. As a number of the civilians that increase and supply are restricted, innocent people are being affected and conditions continue to deteriorate. Last week I announced that we will make £500,000 contribution towards the UN's flash appeal in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Those funds will support the immediate food, health, shelter and protection needs of people seeking safety. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and for the creation of a safe humanitarian corridor that allows such and much-needed supplies and innocent people to leave. James Dornan. I thank the minister very much for that answer. I'm sure the minister will agree with me that the First Minister has led politicians across the UK. Sorry, Mr Dornan, we're unable to hear. I don't know if there's something to do with your microphone or it's an IT issue. It's not mine. Do you want to start again, Mr Dornan? Certainly. Okay. I thank the minister for that answer. I'm sure the minister will agree with me that the First Minister has led politicians across the UK in a thoughtful way he shows care and compassion for the victims of the horrendous attacks by Hamas while reminding Israel and others of the need to show the same compassion to the innocent civilians in Gaza as they demand elsewhere. But given the desperate need to protect those affected both during and after the on-going slot of Gaza, will the Scottish Government reiterate its call for a worldwide refugee programme and refugee resettlement programme? Minister. A ceasefire from all sides is needed to allow the creation of a secure and sustained humanitarian corridor to ensure the protection of innocent civilians and the delivery of essential supplies including food, fuel, water and medical provisions. There are currently 1.4 million people displaced within the Gaza Strip. We know that many Palestinians will wish to stay in their homeland and they must be supported with urgent humanitarian aid to do so. Where people choose to leave, however, the Scottish Government is also calling on the international community to commit to a worldwide refugee programme for the people of Gaza. The First Minister has called on the UK Government to take urgent steps to use the existing UK resettlement scheme and ensure that it is aligned with UNHCR to provide those who want to leave with all the support that they require. Scotland stands ready, ready to work with the UK Government to create and implement a resettlement route for the people of Gaza. I welcome the Scottish Government's response to this crisis. Given aid is currently not getting in, how does she expect the money that is already being committed to be used and what work is being done to look at what further support could be given in light of the siege and the worsening conditions? I think that Katie Clark echoes the concerns that all of us feel and to answer her question directly. The flash appeal that we contributed to is a UN appeal and the UNRWA staff remain on the ground in Gaza and that money will be channeled through their work. They are currently protecting 600,000 internally dispaced people and 150 UNRWA facilities. They tell us today that they are running out of fuel and therefore may have to leave the area themselves. We do not want to see that. We want to see that aid money getting to the UN people on the ground and that support given to the people who need it the most. That concludes portfolio questions on constitution, external affairs and culture. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business. The next portfolio is justice and home affairs. I wish to seek to ask a supplementary question. They should press the request and speak button during the relevant question or indicate by entering the letters RTS in the chat function during the relevant question. At question number one, I call Jackie Baillie. To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on the timelines for and locations of the planned closures of up to 30 police buildings. Cabinet Secretary, Angela Constance. Presiding Officer, overall responsibility for managing the police estate is for the chief constable under Scottish Police Authority scrutiny. As approved by the SPA it is for Police Scotland to consult on and announce the details of any proposed estate changes. The Scottish Government is aware of the Police Scotland estate strategy that seeks to deliver modern fit for purpose police buildings which are co-located with strategic partners and to which meet the needs of 21st century operational policing. To date, over 60 co-locations have been delivered. Jackie Baillie. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her response but can she advise when she was made aware of the plans to close the 30 police buildings three of which were in Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Can she tell me if any of the planned closures are in ill division in my area and does she back these plans? Can she also advise whether she is concerned by comments from the Scottish Police Federation who warned that people and I quote, may die as a result of the cuts in police officer numbers? Cabinet Secretary. As I have previously advised this chamber that I am of course well cited on the 2019 Police Scotland estates strategy and the work that flows from that to modernise police states. I reiterate that these decisions are for Chief Constable. We are, of course, aware as everybody is in this chamber what has been reported in the press. I can't, of course, give Ms Baillie any direct information about her constituency but, of course, I would be more than happy on her behalf to follow up on any information and to be as helpful as possible. I would point out that this Government has a good record in investing in Police Scotland and that, while there are challenges ahead, we can continue to have confidence that policing is a priority for this Government and that policing will continue on a safe and secure basis. I have received a number of requests for supplementaries. I intend to take all three. I call supplementary Liam Kerr. Very grateful, Presiding Officer. 18 months ago well before the latest financial crisis this Government has visited upon Police Scotland 13 stations in Aberdeen and the Shire were scheduled to be closed. Given the current situation, can the cabinet secretary confirm that there will be no further station closures in the north-east or can my constituents anticipate even fewer buildings going forward? At the risk of repeating myself these matters are for the chief constable as scrutinised by the Scottish Police Authority and, of course, in terms of resources this Government only this financial year has increased investment in policing by £80 million, a 6.3 per cent increase. It is imperative that, if members look at the 2019 police estate strategy that Police Scotland has been very upfront about modernising and where appropriate rationalising their estate and where they have sold-off premises that has been reinvested into their estate we want to ensure that policing and that their police footprint is effective it is efficient that it is fit for the future that it provides a good place for police officers and staff to work in as well as being appropriately visible to members of the public and also to collaborate with other public services. I call supplementary Rona Mackay. Can the cabinet secretary outline some of the benefits of co-location and can she reaffirm the Scottish Government commitment that policing will always be embedded in our communities? I have recently met the newly appointed chief constable I'm sure all members will welcome her to her post and can, of course, reassure this chamber that police services will always be visible and at the very heart of our communities. A well-established example of co-location can be found in Livingston constituency by chance where Police Scotland is one of seven partners in the West Lothian Civic Centre alongside local authority Crown Office, Scottish Courts and Tribunial Service, Children's Reporters Administration, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as well as the health and social care partnership. Co-location with suitable partners makes best use of the public sector's state and most importantly offers the opportunity for increased visibility, closer working and increased collaboration between Police Scotland and its partners. That will deliver better outcomes for individuals and our communities and it's to Police Scotland's credit that they have on 64 occasions moved to co-location and have plans for a further 22 facilities. I'm sure the cabinet secretary will have been following the public inquiry into the M9 crash with the loss of Lamarabelle and John Yew. The cabinet secretary also noted the comments from the Police Federation's David Kennedy that any further cuts could result in a similar tragedy. I don't get a sense from the minister's response today that she understands the severity of the claims that are being made. Does she get it and is she going to stop the cuts in future? Cabinet secretary. Well, let me repeat once again Mr Rennie, this Government has not cut police services. Investment has increased year on year since 2016. Of course people are well entitled to debate what resource is appropriate going forward. Meantime this Government will continue to work very closely with all our partners, whether that's the Scottish Police Federation, the SPA and Police Scotland, to establish their future needs. Of course we are just at the very start of our annual budget process. With regard to the M9 tragedy that Mr Rennie made reference to, my sympathies of course remain with the families affected by this tragic incident. Members will be aware that there is an on-going fatal accident inquiry, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment on that. Let me say to chamber that since these tragic events in 2015 Police Scotland has made a number of significant improvements to how they assess and respond to the needs of the public, and in particular the contact assessment. Question 2 is clear. To ask the Scottish Government how the recently announced £500,000 fund to leave pilot will support women experiencing domestic abuse. Leaving an abusive partner can be a dangerous and difficult time. It is vital that women are able to access the support when they need it. We know that women experiencing domestic abuse face many challenges and that financial barriers can make it even more difficult to leave abusive partners. The fund to leave pilot will help to reduce the financial burden on women as they will be able to receive up to £1,000 to pay for the essentials they and their children need, including rent and clothing. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. South Lanarkshire, local authority for my Rutherglen constituency, has the second highest presentations of homelessness applications by women due to domestic abuse across the country. As such, I am very grateful to the Government for including the council as one of the five pilot areas for the fund to leave. Can the cabinet secretary outline how women, particularly those from South Lanarkshire, can apply for assistance through the fund? Cabinet secretary. Sign officer, referrals to the fund will be accepted from a range of points, including but not limited to self-referrals, local authorities, trusted agencies and third sector organisations. Women's Aid, South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire are some of the partners involved in delivering the fund. Therefore, I would urge women needing assistance from the fund and the five local authority pilot areas to contact their local women's aid group. I strongly encourage anybody that requires support to contact Scotland's domestic abuse helpline 0800 027 1234. Supplementary Katie Clark. Thank you, Presiding Officer. We welcome this fund, which hopefully will help many women. However, organisations like Great Crisis and Women's Aid highlight other barriers facing women looking to escape abusive partners, including the lack of available accommodation and housing benefit rates sometimes not being high enough to cover the cost of a refuge. Will the Scottish Government seek to explore ways to improve the availability of safe housing for women experiencing domestic abuse? Presiding Officer, Ms Clark raises important points. Of course, there are other barriers to women leaving an abusive partner under a dangerous situation. Finance, of course, is part of that, but I recognise that it is only one of the barriers. She may be interested to know that the group that was commissioned by the Scottish Government was co-chaired by Scottish Women's Aid and the Chartered Institute of Housing, so the point that she makes about the availability of accommodation and, of course, other parts of the welfare state also pulling their weight in meeting other burdens and costs are indeed important. Brief supplementary, Presiding Officer, I welcome that initiative and note the positive outcomes of similar pilots. As the Cabinet Secretary has indicated the point at which a woman tries to leave a perpetrator of domestic abuse can be the most dangerous time of all as the abuser can feel their grip weaken and so try to further ramp up their control. What action can be taken to protect those and keep those safe of those seeking financial support from the pilot as they escape the control of their perpetrator? Presiding Officer, there are, of course, well-established supports that are funded through the Delivering Equally Safe Fund and there are legislative protections in place that can be utilised to provide other forms of wraparound support. This pilot, we hope, will be able to support between 450 to 950 women and it will have invaluable learning for the safety of women across Scotland, including in Ms Beatrice's constituency. To ask the Scottish Government what preparations are being made for the bonfire night period. Minister Siobhan Brown, who is joining us remotely. Minister. We all want everyone to have a safe bonfire night this year. As part of the preparations, I met with our emergency services gold commanders for Operation Moonbeam on 5 October. Operation Moonbeam is a multi-agency response to the potential challenges of the bonfire night period and has been activated to ensure a swift and coordinated response to any serious incidents. Through our partnerships we are delivering public awareness campaigns focused on firework safety and preventing bonfire night attacks on the emergency services. There is a significant amount of multi-agency partnership work continuing at local level with our community safety partners, including awareness raising in schools, targeted work to prevent antisocial behaviour, trading standards activity with retailers and a range of measures to reduce the risk of bonfires and will fill fire raising. I thank the minister for her answer and also thank her for her very helpful letter to all MSPs on 17 October. I also commend those involved in Operation Moonbeam and Operation Crackle here in Edinburgh, preparing and planning for the bonfire night period. The minister is aware of the Fire Brigade Union's concerns about the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's recent operational changes that came into effect in September and I appreciate the financial considerations regarding that. Can the minister advise whether the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have provided reassurance that the fire service will have the capacity to be able to respond to any increased demand during the bonfire night period, including here in Edinburgh? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Firstly, the Firework control zone guidance was co-designed with a number of key stakeholders, including representation from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and they are fully supportive of the new powers. The legislation empowers local authorities to introduce control zones and I have written to all the council chief executives encouraging them to consider how those powers might be applied in their areas and setting out the support, including financial support available to them. A point that I did point out so that in my letter to the MSP that the member refers to, Scottish Fire and Rescue will continue to respond to every incident with the appropriate level of resources and in partnership with Police Scotland it is well prepared for an additional demand during bonfire night. Supplementary Russell Finlay. Thank you. The SNP Government says that bonfire night safety will be improved by its new firework law, a key part of which gives councils the power to impose firework control zones. However, via freedom of information I've established that at least 28 of Scotland's 32 councils have no plans to do so. These include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee. It's being shunned by SNP councils. So can the minister explain why this Russian legislation has turned into such a damp scrub as my party warned? Minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is for the local authorities to utilise the discretionary firework control zone powers based on their own assessment of their needs and the communities. However, it is untrue that local authorities are not interested in making use of these powers. My officials are continuing to engage with local authorities on the utilisation of the discretionary power. I can confirm that we have received a number of early expressions of interest from local authorities exploring designating a zone in their area. I think it's really very important to highlight that firework control zones have been developed to support a long-term cultural change in fireworks, not a quick fix. So while these zones will not be in place this year, local authorities across Scotland have a wealth of knowledge and experience of preventing planning for and responding to issues involving fireworks using a multi-agency response and approach. Supplementary, Pauline McNeill. Thank you. In many parts of Scotland and Glasgow the city I represent are plagued with antisocial behaviour because of fireworks. Firework control zones became quite an important aspect of the bill. Given what other members have already asked and have never established as a result of Russell Finlay's question whether local authorities have not applied, does the minister now think that perhaps the Scottish Labour argued for an amendment that community groups should have been able to apply for control zones in order to make sure that if a local authority didn't apply there was another way for communities to be protected by this legislation perhaps in hindsight at the very least the minister gave me assurance that she will monitor the situation to make sure this legislation is used? Thank you. I will give my reassurance to Pauline McNeill that I will be monitoring this very closely as I do want to be implemented within all local authorities because I think there is a desire within the communities for that. I think also I just want to say that the legislation did come in June and there was a recommended guidance in time for consultation although it was up to the local authorities to utilise discretionary firework powers based on their decisions and I will be monitoring it and I'm happy to keep Ms McNeill updated. To ask the Scottish Government what action it's taking to support migrants living in Scotland who have experienced domestic violence. Minister Siobhan Brown Domestic abuse is abhorrent. It is a blight in our society and no place in the Scotland that we all want to live in. Through the delivering equally safe fund we will provide approximately £1.5 million in 23 to 24 to domestic abuse support services including women's aid organisations that provide specialist support and access to temporary accommodation. We have been clear that anyone experiencing domestic abuse but has no recourse to public funds should be offered the same level of support as anyone else in Scotland and should not face disadvantage or discrimination because of their immigration status. Maureen Wight there. Minister for our response and dedication to support all victims of domestic violence. I welcome the recent Scottish Government pilot fund for women experiencing domestic violence to access essentials. That will go a huge way to help victims to be financially independent as we know it's a huge barrier to women when they're able to flee. Given that migrant victims of domestic abuse may face unique problems such as immigration status or lack of access because the UK Government's no recourse to public funds does the minister agree with me that the UK Government's hostile environmental policies are particularly harmful to migrant women affected by abuse? Yes, I do agree. The UK Government's hostile environment and no recourse to public fund restrictions limit the support people can access at time of crisis including migrant women experiencing domestic abuse. The Scottish Government and COSLA develop the Ending Destitution Together strategy to prevent and mitigate destitution arising due to the no recourse to public funds. The strategy also presses the UK Government to extend the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession to make it available to anyone who is in the UK as a dependent on someone else's visa or protection status. Question 5 Do you ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce retail crime? Scottish Government recognises the destruction and the harm to both businesses and the individuals who work there from retail crime. As the First Minister made clear in the chamber on 5 October the Scottish Government supports the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime strategy. The partnership is led by Police Scotland and includes other organisations including retailers and outlines a partnership approach to prevention, deterrence and enforcement of a range of crimes including shoplifting and I would of course urge anyone affected by such incidents to report them to the police. Can I thank the minister for that answer? Usdaw's latest survey of over 1,000 shop workers found that incidents of violence, threats and abuse has doubled since 2016 showing the challenging reality facing retailers and their workers on a daily basis. The Scottish Grosses Federation has approached the Scottish Government to fund a renewal of their Don't Put Up With It campaign encouraging retailers to take a zero-tolerance approach by reporting all offences. Will the minister support this request from the Federation? Minister. Thank you. The Scottish Government recognises a vital role of retail workers in our society and wants to ensure that they are protected just like everyone else. Retail workers should be safe at work and should never have to experience abuse or violence when simply doing their job. The Protection of Retail Workers Scotland Act which came into force in August 2021 created a statutory offence for threatening, abusing or assaulting a retail worker ensuring that the seriousness of this behaviour is highlighted through a specific offence. There is already access for advice, guidance and financial support to a wide range of organisations across the public sector and these are available to businesses anywhere in Scotland and to social and enterprise as a third sector community-based organisation as well as private companies. Brief supplementary, Audrey Nickle. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, what analysis the Scottish Government has undertaken as to the reasons why retail crime including incidents of violence against staff has risen? Minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is correct to mention that a significant rise in recorded shoplifting is being seen throughout the whole of the UK. Our own figures and those recently released by the Office of National Statistics confirm a similar trend across both England and Wales and Scotland for the year ending June. We know that the cost of living pressures can influence shoplifting while it might not be the driver in all cases. The Scottish Government is currently finalising two pieces of research that consider the relationship between economic performance and crime and crimes recorded under the Protection of Retail Workers Act and these are due for publication in the coming months. Question 6, Emma Harper. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the recruitment of police officers in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Cabinet Secretary. Presiding Officer, as the recruitment and deployment of resources is a matter for the chief constable, it is for Police Scotland to determine recruitment approaches both locally and nationally. Thanks to the additional £80 million of funding from the Scottish Government in 2324, Police Scotland has invested in their workforce recruiting around 1480 new officers since the beginning of 2022. Scotland has over 350 more police officers than in 2007 and more per head of population than England and Wales with 30 officers per 10,000 population of Scotland compared to 25 officers per 10,000 population in England and Wales. Emma Harper. I understand that the division in Dumfries and Galloway is struggling to meet the demands of the large rural region with the current number of officers. As the cabinet secretary will know, Police Scotland relies on officers and staff to do more and more overtime to keep the service operating and to keep people safe. The division has also raised concerns with me over a lack of experienced officers coming into the region. Can the cabinet secretary therefore comment on what specific action in rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway as a priority? While the recruitment and deployment of officers as a matter for the chief constable, I can inform the member that, according to Police Scotland figures for June 2023, officer numbers in the V division were broadly similar to the same point in 2022 348 compared to 349 where vacancies are identified in specific geographical areas, Police Scotland hold targeted recruitment events with two such events held in Dumfries and Galloway on 20 March this year and the 21 March also this year both in Stranraer and Dumfries. Additionally, individual divisions can access specialist expertise at a regional and national level to meet demand that would not have been possible before the creation of Police Scotland in 2012. Despite being the third biggest region in Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway has the smallest number of local officers of all the local police and divisions just 320 at the moment not the 349 that the cabinet secretary reported from June and a lot less than the 411 that we had in June 2020 and that's led to community policing being dismantled in many parts of the region. Given the recent warnings by Police Scotland's deputy chief officer of more cuts to come can the cabinet secretary give a category of work assurance to my constituents in Dumfries and Galloway that there will be no further reductions in the already low level of officer numbers? Cabinet secretary Once again, let me repeat this government has not implemented cuts to investment in police services quite the reverse we have increased resource year on year policing both locally and nationally remains secure and stable no one is disputing the pressures on the public purse but despite UK Government austerity record levels of inflation and of course the Scottish Government's budget hasn't kept up with inflation we continue to focus on policing as a priority Question 7 has been withdrawn To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the action plan put in place by the Scottish prison service to address reported concerns raised by local residents about HMP sterling Cabinet secretary I would like to thank the member for raising this important issue on behalf of his constituents and assure him that this has been taken seriously by both the Scottish Government and the Scottish prison service while this is primarily an operational matter for SPS both SPS and the Scottish Government are very sympathetic to the impact on residents and a range of infrastructure and operational measures that have been explored to address the concerns To date, six of the 10 recommendations in the SPS action plan have been implemented and continue to be monitored Keith Brown I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, for the progress and indeed for the discussions that she has held with me on this issue As she will be aware from my most recent correspondence on this matter I continue to receive contact from constituents who are being adversely affected and incidents at the prison Unfortunately, SPS would not attend a meeting with my constituents to discuss the situation on Monday night which was subsequently cancelled I do understand that they have agreed to attend a future meeting but does the cabinet secretary agree with me that SPS who say and I believe them when they say they want to be a good neighbour should meet with local people and engage with them on these issues as a matter of urgency to address their continuing concerns Mr Brown has indeed written to me regularly and spoken to me on a number of occasions about his concerns and I am sorry to hear that residents are continuing to be affected by this and of course agree with the member that the prison service continues to meet with local people to hear their concerns SPS officials have met with the local councillor and residents on two occasions including a community meeting on 8 August to discuss their concerns regarding noise levels and I am also aware that SPS offered to hold smaller engagements and discussions with concerned residents and will also attend the public meeting that is being proposed I have received requests from two members to ask supplementaries, I would wish to take both if I could please have brief questions and brief answers I call supplementary from Alexander Stewart Thank you cabinet secretary the facility cost over £80 million it was designed with a trauma informed approach but it would appear however frequently flawed and not fit for purpose when residents' lives are being disrupted on a daily basis so can I ask the cabinet secretary to confirm what support is being provided to protect the inmates and support the local residents from this living hell as they call it cabinet secretary I am sure the member is well aware that it is a first class facility it is of course a new facility which is newly populated and there are of course issues in and around the bed and down of the support for the women I have met Mr Stewart to discuss this I know that he understands very much the vulnerability of the women concerned and that they have a high level of needs and that he is also aware of the six operational recommendations which are very much about supporting the women to modify their behaviour but also to do so in a way that is trauma informed in the interests of the women and indeed the residents and supplementary Mark Ruskell Thank you, these disturbances are obviously deeply distressing for residents in Velgrove but can I ask the cabinet secretary what kind of assessment of noise was conducted by SPS during the design phase especially given the proximity of the residential wings to housing in the local area Cabinet secretary the statutory obligations were met during the planning and construction processes for the new prison an assessment of noise disturbance was not undertaken as the member may be aware prisons by their very nature are predominantly located within or close to residential areas and negative reporting from neighbouring communities continues to be the exception rather than a rule a prison has been located at Cortenville site for nearly 50 years now and the new prison remains committed to maintaining its positive relationships with its neighbours the level of noise being experienced is also due, as I indicated to Mr Stewart to some of the newness particularly of the new women arriving and the prison staff are working very hard to continue to ensure that both staff and prisoners are becoming acclimatised to the new buildings and the very important operating procedures Thank you cabinet secretary that concludes portfolio questions on justice and home affairs will be a very brief pause before we move on to the next lines with business to allow front bench teams to change positions should they wish


Thank you all for joining class and very good morning to all of you. Can one of you please give us a brief piece? Father, we come to the throne of grace. Lord, thank you for this day. You have witnessed Lord. Lord, as we are going to learn from your word, Lord, your doctrine, your doctrines, Lord, your theology, Lord. Whatever the knowledge we are getting by your word, Lord, by the teacher which the knowledge this teacher is pouring in our hearts. Lord, thank you for the pastor, teacher, Lord. Thank you for all the students which are here, Lord. We all are learning from your word, Lord. We need your wisdom. We need your understanding and we need your fear, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Okay, so last week we studied about which doctrine? Which doctrine did we study about? The doctrine of man. Okay, thank you, doctrine of man. Thank you, Anika. So what did some of the points that we learnt or we saw in the doctrine of man? Anything that you remember? God created man specifically in a personal way and God created man in his own image. Okay, God created man special from the rest of his creation. He created man in his image and likeness. Thank you. Anyone else? So what do we mean by image and likeness of God? That Jesus Christ represent God. But how are we as human beings, you know, we are created in the image and likeness of God and what does that mean? What does that mean? Our moral standards. We represent God. Okay, we represent God. Okay. Spiritual aspect. Okay. In our moral aspect, in our intellectual aspect, in our spiritual aspect, in our spiritual aspect, we are like God in a certain way. So what do you mean that we are created in the image of God? Are we having the same nature of God? Nature and attributes of God? God is omnipresent. We are not omnipresent. And so and so. Okay, yes. In certain aspects like being sovereign, being turned, being omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and eternal, we are not like God. But, you know, we are created in some aspects to have the nature of God like God is, you know, we can love others. You know, we can be caring, compassionate. Like God is caring and compassionate, but not to the extent that he is.  But not in terms of his attributes, where, you know, he is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, sovereign and eternal. Those are specific attributes or characteristics that define who God is. Okay, so we also saw that, you know, what created us in his image and likeness means that God is holy and righteous. He created animals which were holy and righteous. God is without sin. He created animals which were without sin. God never dies. He created them never to die. And God gave minds that we can comprehend, understand, discern what God is speaking to us. God gave us a heart so that we can respond back in love to him and be faithful to him. And God gave us a will so that we can choose what also has a will. When we choose whether to obey him or not. So, we then we saw the essential nature of man after that. And then we saw that even though God has created, you know, male and female, both of them are equally important and equally valuable to God. And hence we need to give honor to both men and women, because both of them are equal in sight of God. Okay, today we look at chapter 6, sin, the fall and salvation by troops. So, what is sin? How do you define sin? According to you, what is sin? An act that separates us from the presence of God. Okay, any act that separates us from the presence of God. Okay, anyone else? Yes, go ahead.  What God said we should not do, verbiting, that is sin. And the sin has levels, but sin is sin. And the most terrible thing is the sin of sin against one's flesh and the spirit of God. When God says don't do this, you will not do this. God automatically departs from you. Which is sin against the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Thank you, sir. I hope I got you right. I heard you right. To say sin is doing anything that God has commanded us or told us not to do, is that right? That's what we said. Yeah. Okay, thank you. Anyone else? Yes, go ahead. To my level of my understanding, sin is failure to do what God asks you to do. If God commands you to do something and you fail to do it, it's a sin. And if God asks you not to do something and you do it, it's a sin. So when it goes against the word of God, it's a sin. Okay, thank you, sin. It says it's failure to not do what God has asked us to do. Sin is failure in doing one shot of what God has commanded us. Sin is failure in the part of mankind that separates him from God. Thank you. Anyone else? Yeah, go ahead, John. I was saying, sin is anything that separates us, our relationship with God. It could be an act, it could be an attitude. Sin is anything that separates us from God. It could be an act or an attitude. Sin is actually a fully shot of the standard that God has set for us in His laws, in His commandments, in the holy standards that He has set for us. Someone has said that sin is missing the mark, basically going against or missing, not doing what God has set for us, commanded us, what God has ordained for us in His laws. So sin here, in your notes, it says sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God, and it can be not just an act, it can also be an attitude or nature.  All of those things are the acts that we do and the sin against God. Sin is also an attitude like pride, hate, anger, prettiness, jealousy, what we show for, and all is revealed in our actions. So sin is not just in our acts, but also our attitudes. And sin is also in the very nature of man. What do we mean by sin is also the very nature of man? What do we understand by this? That our very basic nature is sinful. Yes, Go ahead, Rebella. I think it starts from the fall. After the fall, this is how our nature changed to be sinful. Thank you, Pastor. Thank you, Rebella. Yes, so when Adam and Eve were created, they were created without any sin, but when they became sin, their whole nature itself became sinful and the generations after that were born in sin. Yes, success. Thank you very much, Ma. What we're talking about in nature of a man is what man loves to do. It's already in our system. That means there is only God's mercy and discipline to be able to shift away from the sin. We were talking about sin as the nature of a man. We were born with sin. We are living with sin. We eat with sin. It's our genotype in our blood. It's sin only God. That's what we're talking about. Thank you, Ma. Thank you, success. Yes, it's in our very core nature. It's in our genes. It's in our blood. It's who we basically are. Whether we eat, sleep, talk, walk, before we've accepted Christ, we are sinners. That's what Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says, that God demonstrated his own love for us when we were yet sin sinners or when we are still sinners. Christ died for us. So we are born with a sinful nature and some of us do not agree to it but let me just give you an illustration. You know, if you put two small kids, say like two years old in a room and if both of them are boys and we just give them one football or one softball or whatever, what will happen in a couple of minutes? Or if you put two girls in a room and give them just one toy to play with, it can be a doll or it can be something else, what will happen after a couple of minutes? Say they are two or three years old. What do you think will happen? Ma'am, maybe the boys will start playing together and the girls will be quarrelling with each other. It's taking us so biased. He says, okay, the boys will be playing together and the girls will be fighting. Okay, I think you missed the point but we said it in the last class. Okay, anyway, doesn't matter. So we find that both of them, whether it's the boys or the girls, both of them will be fighting for that one toy or that one ball or one will end up crying the other will not be wanting to share. Now, did their parents teach them to do that? Did the parents teach them to do that? No. Where did they learn it from? It's basically that they are born in less info nature. We don't have to teach our children to lie or to get angry. We have the small kids who get angry, small kids who throw tantrums, can be stubborn. And where do they get all this? We have the nature of sin. So let's read Ephesians chapter two verse three. One of you can read Ephesians chapter two verse three please. Ephesians two, three. Among whom also we all once conduct ourselves in the last of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature children of blood, which just as the others. Thank you. So all of us at one point of time, we were clarifying the cravings of our flesh, like success said, it's so much in our blood, in our genes, that we are giving into our sinful nature and that is what I was also explaining in astrology about the law of sin. So we have the law of sin, that means the law of sin means, you know, the rule or the domain, the meaning of sin in our body, sin reigns in our bodies and because sin reigns in our bodies, the law of sin is not allowing us to, you know, to do what is vital, to follow God's law, to keep His commandments. So there's a big struggle for the Israelites. They had the law of God and they have the law of sin, that means the rule. We talk about law of sin or the law of spirit, specifically talking about the rule or the domain of sin or the rule or domain of the holy spirit reign in your body. So the law of sin, you know, which ruled and donates our very being was not able to allow us to keep the commandments or the righteous laws that God had given us and that is why Paul writes in Romans chapter 7, he says, you know, is the law bad? Is the law not holy? Is the law not right? And he says, no, it's not that. The law is good. But he says, I do what I don't want to do. I say what I don't want to say. Why? Because my basic nature is so simple. The rule of the meaning of sin in my body is really in me and it does not allow me to do even the things that I know is right, that I want to know what is right, say what is right, but it does not allow me to do or say what is right because of the sinful nature of the law of sin that reigns in my body. And so here in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 3 is saying that, you know, we all are following the desires and the thoughts like the rest of the sinful people in our flesh, in our sinful nature and what did we deserve? We deserve what? But Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says, but God demonstrated his own love for us while he was still sinners. You know Christ died for us. Now the biblical description of sin is found in 1 John chapter 3 verse 4. Okay, one of you will read 1 John chapter 3 verse 4 please. 1 John chapter 3 verse 4. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness. Thank you. So here it says, whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness. Sin is, you know, making the laws not keeping the rules but keeping the commandments and so sin is lawlessness. And we know that sin originated through the voluntary choice of Adam and Eve when they chose to go against what God had commanded them. But God had told them not to do, they chose to do what they wanted to do and they went against the will or the standard or they broke, you know, what God commanded, they broke what God had asked them not to do, they chose to disobey him. So sin gives us a different answer to the question, what is true? So what do we understand by this? In Genesis chapter 2 verse 17 we read that, you know, what told Adam and Eve that they can eat from any tree in the garden but they cannot eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and you have to eat from it, what will happen? They will certainly die.  But in Genesis chapter 3 verse 4 when, you know, Satan is the serpent is tempting Satan Eve, what does he say? He says, yes God told us not to eat from this tree. He told us not to touch it and certainly if we eat of it or touch it we will surely die. And what does Satan reply?  Okay? So sin gives a different answer to what is cheap Satan knows God's word very well he knows what God has obeyed what God has spoken and he will twist the truth and so it's so important for us to know the truth and that's why Jesus said in John chapter 17 you will know the truth our word is the truth and the truth will set you free and why do we say that the truth will set you free is because Satan will come and fill your mind or fill your life with the lies that are against the word against the truth in God's word and we need to know the truth not just know the truth but when he fills us with his lies or when he pops up the lies in our minds it's so easy for us to give in to those lies to accept those lies but it's important for us at those times to speak the truth then we overcome those lies Sin gives us a different answer to question what is right. Okay?  Okay? So we see that gives a different question to what is right why does it give a different answer to the question what is right is because what is the writing that Satan said you know if you eat from this tree you will become like God knowing good and evil it's kind of twisting the truth because it's trying to twist their identity Adam and Eve you know they were created already in the image and the likeness of God and hence they were like God in its aspects and here you know Satan was trying to give them a different answer to the question what is right in the sense saying that you know you will become like God you will become like God when they were already like God in certain aspects so we need to know who we are in Christ we need to know our identity so scripture is filled with who we are in Christ basically in the New Testament it gives us an identity about what God thinks about us even in the Old Testament who he has created us to be and we see where Christ has raised us up to be after we are born again we have made new teachers as spirit men and so it is important for us to know our identity if you do not know our identity we will continue to live as slaves we will continue to live with a fallen identity a servant like attitude a servant like identity compared to who we are now in Christ that we are sons and daughters that we are children of God we belong to his family we are seated with God in heavenly places he has given us the authority over sin over Satan he has given us the power to manifest his glory he has given us the sonship glory that we can do greater things than what he has done so all of and we are made righteous in God's side sin has no control over our bodies all of these identity about who we are in Christ needs to be very much in our system, in our minds and when we live up to that identity we will be able to fulfill the purpose of God in a greater way, in a greater manner and also we will be able to show for a Roman festival here for a greater extent, in a greater measure now the reason why we are not able to live up to the purpose of God or fulfill the purpose of God is because we constantly are oscillating between our fallen identity and our God-given identity sometimes in some areas we live with our God-given identity but in most areas we continue to live with our fallen identity I can't do this and feel your life I'm good for nothing, I can't speak I can't be like that person I can't teach, I can't teach, I don't have the skill sets I don't have the wisdom, I don't have the knowledge and all of those things are things that are of our fallen identity but now we are in Christ, we know we can operate with the strength of wisdom that God has given us all rights and says that we are not competent ministers but God has made us competent not of the letter that kills but of the spirit that gives life yes, we are not competent at one point at a time but now God has made us competent ministers I think we are competent for anything that God has called us to do not by the letter, but by words but by the spirit of God will enable us, will teach us, guide us and give us the skills that we need to fulfill the calling, the purpose that God has for our life sin also gives a different answer to who am I we know that Adam and Eve were created in God's image and likeness, they were dependent on the creator of God but they succumbed to temptation to be by God, it was very sad that they no longer even have the image and likeness of God, but now they were slaves of Satan and they carried his image and gave his nature became our nature his carnal fleshly, evil nature became our nature I just like to throw this question or ask you on this question when God said that he will certainly die he will eat that food from that tree and Satan said he will not certainly die and when he ate that food they did not die so was God lying or did God make a mistake? no ma'am ma'am because God created man in his own image and he loves his creation and he will not lie to us okay so we know that it is not God's nature to lie, we already saw that in this nature God cannot lie he is going against his nature, contrary to his nature so he did not lie then why didn't Adam and Eve die? God said he will certainly die, but why didn't they die? spiritually they died, but later they died physically also yes, thank you Zeutoli so what God was saying was that spiritual separation thank you also going back that God created man in his image and likeness God is spirit he does not have a formal shape but of course he reveals himself to us as a person as a personality so we can understand him but God is basically spirit and so when he created man in his image and likeness they had spirit of God in them and spirit was able to relate to God's spirit okay and of course they went the fruit of that tree they died spiritually they were not able to relate to God and we see that when we are born again our spirit man is born again but our physical bodies and our souls have a need to be renewed daily okay to be transformed and renewed in the likeness of God in his image, in his nature and we see that when we are born again we are born again in our spirit man and our spirit is to our spirit senses we are able to relate to God we are able to hear him, we are able to see him we are able to feel him, we are able to experience him and we know that whatever we receive in our spirit man that goes to our soul which is our processor and it processes things and we act on it so God was not lying there because he cannot lie and he is talking about spiritual death and of course yes one day all of us will die physically as well, that is the consequences of sin so we look at what are the consequences of sin okay the first thing is inward spiritual death when we are talking about inward spiritual death it means that we no longer have the life and nature of God so when we are talking that we don't have the life and nature of God it is basically meaning that when God created Adam and Eve in similar lightness He created them holy as He was holy but now when they sinned they no longer have the nature of God they no longer holy God created them to be without sin but after they sinned we see that sinned reigned in their bodies God created them never to die but we see that after they sinned we all die one day Adam and Eve died as well God gave us a mind that we can discern him we can understand him but the word of God says that when we sinned our minds become foolish, dull and darkened because of simple nature and we are not able to comprehend understand the things of God it is important that we renew our minds so that our minds are able to perceive and understand the things of God what the spirit is our spirit man, our spirit faculty is responding on our minds to be able to discern that and understand it it is very important for us to transform in our minds and also we see that man was no longer able to relate to God as a friend talked to him there was a separation that happened and we know that when we are born again we have the access to go before the very throne of God to receive praise and mercy that time of need we also see that when God created Adam and Eve in his image and likeness he gave them a will to choose but when we sinned we saw that their will gave in to their simple desires simple pleasures, the simple nature so our will is constantly wanting to fulfill the cravings of the pleasure that is what God says we want to know what is right but we cannot do what is right because of the Lord of sin that reigns in our so inward spiritual death we no longer have the life and the nature of God and that is where we say that when we are born again we have the life of God in us can one of you please read Ephesians chapter 4 verse 18 someone else can read Romans chapter 5 verse 20 Ephesians 4 verse 18 says having their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart okay so here we see our understanding is darkened we are alienated from the life of God from the very nature of God because of the ignorance that has come in because of sin and the blindness that covers our heart we are not able to see and we may know of yours Romans chapter 5 verse 12 Romans chapter 5 verse 12 Romans chapter 5 verse 12 therefore as by woman sin enter into the world and death by sin and so death pass upon all men for that all are sin yes so we see that to one man iron sin reign in the world sin enter the world and also death came to sin and death spread to all because all of them are sinned okay we look at the second point sin separates us from God Isaiah chapter 59 verse 1 and 2 says that behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor is here heavy that it cannot hear and so what is basically Isaiah saying is that you know God is not someone who cannot hear and hears but why is he and he is not someone who cannot save and does save but why is he not able to save you all or cannot hear is because sin that has separated us from God okay can one of you read Micah chapter chapter 3 verse 4 it also talks about how sin separates us from God so one of you read Micah chapter 3 verse 4 in Isaiah chapter 59 verse 2 Micah chapter 3 verses 4 then they will cry out to the Lord but he will not answer them at that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done thank you see here it says that you know God will hide his face from them because of the evil that they have done hide his face basically means God separates us from God Isaiah chapter 59 verse 2 we already read that okay behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save nor is here heavy that he cannot hear and it's a sin that separates and that is why sometimes we feel that God is not answering us we can't hear him or he seems far away from us it's because of some sin or some door in our lives that we are hoping to sin it's a good time for us to go back to God and ask him and ask him for forgiveness of our sins whatever we have done consciously unconsciously and check every door that we are hoping to sin once we do that we are restored in our relationship we became help of God we receive a download of what he wants to tell us what he wants us to do and how he wants us to act before we close Siddiqui knows I have a question ma'am why there is so difference between the nature of father and Jesus there but Adam in ancient that food father became a using it okay so whenever we read things like this you know you know you see the anger of God or we see places that God put upon them curses or put upon them disease you know he strike them you know we always need to interpret all of scripture with the background of who God is his basic nature his basic nature is you know God is loving his precious his compassionate we also saw that he is a God of justice so when there is something that is wrong God will you know bring about his justice he will act on his justice because he is a holy God he cannot stand sin and he is a just God that is his basic nature so when we see God is not angry in the sense of when we think about human anger in terms of retaliating you know but this is a righteous anger righteous means a right anger because God is righteous is God of justice so when he brings out his punishment it is according to his righteousness is according to his justice and it's not like human anger that retaliates you will not do this you know you will be punished you will not get this I will show you who I am you will suffer you will have a hard time no that's not God because the basic core nature of who God is you know along with him being a just and righteous God is also that who is a God of love so all operate in the same way okay but for us it does not become love sometimes we hate sometimes you know our love is based upon the works of people and our anger is not a righteous anger all the time it's retaliation it's getting back it's a jealousy it's hate it's pride but it's not the same with God so here when we see any time when we see God anger or it's not it's all we need to understand it in this righteousness and injustice so righteous God and the just God when he sees a sin he has to pronounce his just judgment as a just judge and and you know and there is a punishment for it but that's not coming out of his you know anger that is in retaliation you know a righteous anger a redemptive anger you can say a redemptive anger a redemptive anger that will redeem us back so when we face a lot of God you know it shows us that we miss the mark that we are facing God so it will lead us to go back to him asking forgiveness for sins and get ourselves to live with God so God's anger is righteous and God's anger is also redemptive okay I hope I answered that question sorry I've taken excuse me ma'am your mic is mute okay sorry I I just accidentally clicked the exit button sorry for that I hope I answered your question okay thank you for the clarification you said thank you for joining class sorry I took 4 minutes extra time all the best for your test and if you have any queries please put it on the stream page and I will help you don't be worried you can always reach out for help and I hope you do our best to help you okay have a good day and I'll see you on Friday bye everyone