Mark 12: 41-44; The Widow's Offering

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is very fitting that this passage comes to us just days before Jesus is crucified. This widow gives all she has to the poor, that their lives might be made better. The rich, who are there in the same service, give only a little of their abundance. Jesus, like the widow, will give all he has that we might be blessed. Jesus gives his very life that we might have life in us. We should follow both of these examples. We all have so much to give. Our gifts can be financial, or they can be gifts of time. Either way, we need to be like the widow, and like Jesus, both of whom gave all they had to give. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 12: 35-40; Whose Son is the Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The large crowd listened to him with delight." What it must have been like listening to Jesus firsthand. Of course, we can go back and read the words Jesus spoke throughout his ministry, but I am sure it was a true delight to listen to Jesus speak. We may not be able to hear the real Jesus speak, but we can still take the same delight in his words. Delight is the key word. We get to listen to Jesus, we do not have to. This is a blessing for us, not a burden. Being a child of God is a delight for us, which is something we need to be more aware of. We need to make sure we always have joy in our hearts for the blessing of being counted as one of God's children. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 12: 28-34; The Greatest Commandment

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Love God, love your neighbor. Those are words straight from the mouth of Jesus. We show our love for God through worship, which is why it is so important for us to be here on Sunday morning. We show our love for God through obedience, living the kind of life God wants us to live as an act of gratitude and love. We show our love for our neighbors in caring for them and helping them in whatever way we can. I like what Jesus says in the other gospels, 'against such things there is no law.' If we do these things, loving God and neighbor, then we will never be in the wrong. These are the most important things we can. Let us all make sure we are doing them. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 12: 18-27; Marriage at the Resurrection

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some things just will not matter when we enter the kingdom of heaven. Will we know our spouses, family, friends, etc? Yes, I think so. However, we will be so overcome with joy that some of the concerns we have now will not matter when we are God's kingdom. All the things of this earth will pass away and we will be part of a new creation. Being part of that new creation will fill us with such joy and peace that nothing else will matter. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 12: 13-17; Paying Taxes to Caesar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We belong to God, for we are made in his image. In modern times we are taught to cling fiercely to our independence and self-reliance. It is a bad thing, we are told, to rely on someone else, or to allow anyone to have any kind of claim over us. In some cases these lessons have validity, but not so in our faith. We belong to God. We are his. This is not meant to imply slavery. This is meant to imply the good news that since we belong to God, God will take care of us. Being made in God's image is a blessing, for in being made in God's image we receive a promise from God that he will watch over us and help us in our journey of faith. Celebrate your image, your identity as being God's. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 12: 1-12; The Parable of the Tenants

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This, like so many other things Jesus says, is a reminder. In this parable Jesus is reminding us who is and what he came here to do. Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, come to earth to save us from sin, to be the atoning sacrifice that we might have life in us. This parable has some darker aspects to it, of course, but the main message is to remind us who Jesus and what he came here to do, and just how important it is for us to listen to Jesus and put our faith in him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 11: 27-33; The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The problem with the question 'by what authority do you do these things,' is that the question is not asked in faith. The religious authorities ask Jesus this question to try and trap him, not because they have faith in Jesus and want to know more. We are allowed, even encouraged to ask God questions, but we need to have our faith in the right place. If we ask the questions seeking understanding then God will answer us, according to his perfect will, of course. But if we, like the religious authorities in this passage, try to trap and/or trick God, then God will remain silent. We are supposed to ask God questions, about anything we desire, but we need to make sure we are asking the questions because we want to know more about God, or want to grow in our faith in some way. It is OK to ask, but we need to ask with the right attitude. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 11: 20-26; The Withered Fig Tree

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

These are not the final words that Jesus says to his disciples, but they are some of the last words. Jesus is taking this time, the time in which he is getting closer to his death, to share with his disciples some words of encouragement and help. Jesus shares with his disciples words of faith and forgiveness. In his last few days Jesus is going to be spending time with his disciples and teaching them some final things. Here, Jesus teaches his disciples the importance of having a strong faith and the need for them to forgive anyone who has sinned against them. These are some of Jesus final words with his disciples. Time is of the essence. Jesus knows he does not have much time left, that he needs to spend this time with his disciples teaching them. We should speak with the same sense of urgency. Jesus could be back at any moment, literally. We need to share with as many people as we can the good news of Jesus, that may come to a life of faith in him. Share the good news, for Jesus could be back very soon. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 11: 12-19; Jesus Clears the Temple

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why does Jesus clear the Temple? Jesus clears the Temple because the Israelites are not using it in the proper way. Rather than using God's house as a house of worship, the Israelites use the Temple as a place to make money and practice corruption. This passage is important because it reminds us of the importance of keeping God's house a holy place. We do not have the same problem as the Israelites. We do not use God's house as a place to make money or practice corruption. However, a reminder is still a good thing. This church is God's house, and we need to remember to treat it as such. In this passage we see just how important it is for us to keep God's house a holy place. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 11: 1-11; The Triumphal Entry

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

They want a savior, someone who will come in and save them from Rome. They are looking for a military Messiah who will come and give Israel the power they have always wanted. They are looking for salvation. They are going to get salvation, but not in the way they want. Jesus comes to Jerusalem not to conquer, but to die. He comes not to rid the world of Rome, but to rid the world of sin. The people expected something else out of Jesus, but he gives them what they truly need: salvation from sin. Too often we try to make Jesus into what we want rather than what we need. We want certain things, but we need salvation. Take this special time of year to remeber the good news that our needs have been met. Through Jesus our most important need has been taken care of: our need of salvation. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 46-52; Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Rabbi, I want to see." What a request to make of Jesus, one that we all should make on a regular basis. It is not always easy to see. Jesus moves in many different ways, ways that are not always visible to us. Not to mention all of the things we have going on in our lives that sometimes distract us from seeing in the right way. At times, for one reason or another, we are all blind to what Jesus is doing in the world, and in our lives. We need to come before Jesus and say the same words Bartimaeus says: "Rabbi, I want to see." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 35-45; The Request of James and John

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is in it for us? That is a pretty common question of response we ask sometimes. When a neighbor or a friend asks something of us we sometimes wonder what the benefit to us is going to be. Well, James and John have the same thing in mind. They follow Jesus, they like him pretty well, but at the end of the day they want to know what they are going to get in return. Jesus chastises them for their self-interest, and he is very right to do so, but there is still the truth that James and John are going to receive great blessings: eternal life and salvation. We are going to receive the same blessings. We do not need to ask what is in it for us. By reading the scriptures we are reminded of the blessings we are going to receive. What is in it for us? Many great things. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 32-34; Jesus Again Predicts His Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even with this prediction of Jesus' death, there is still hope. Jesus talks about what is going to happen to him when he goes to Jerusalem, and when he does the disciples' hearts are filled with fear. However, Jesus ends this prediction by saying 'Three days later, he will rise.' That is our hope. In a couple of weeks, like the disciples, we are going be filled with fear and sadness at the death of Jesus. The good news for us, and for the disciples, is that Jesus is going to rise again. Jesus defeated death, he was resurrected on Easter Sunday, and he still lives today. It is one of the worst things to think about Jesus dying, but let us remember that he lives now. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for March 21, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from John 12: 1-11, in which Jesus is anointed at Bethany. The sermon is titled 'Are We Ready' and will focus on the need for us to be ready and willing to do all Christ has called us to do. I hope to see you all in Church on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 17-31; The Rich Young Man

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not so much the money the rich young man has, it is his attachment to the money. The richest person in the world can still live a very faithful life and will still have a place in heaven if they care about others, and God, more than their money. And this parable is not only about money, it is about all the material possessions we have that keep us from living the way God wants us to live. Whether it is money, clothes, cars, or any other worldly possession, if there is anything that keeps from being a faithful disciple there may be a need for a change in your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 13-16; The Little Children and Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Children really do have amazing faith. They always seem to believe in God no matter what. They ask questions, but they sometimes seem to accept the answer that are given without too much trouble. We are allowed, even encouraged, to ask questions of God. That is how we get to know who God is, by asking questions. We could all stand to be a little more childlike, though, in the sense that at times we just need to simply believe that God is good and he loves us. Is that an easy thing to believe? Not always. However, that is the kind of faith that will bring us joy. If we continue to believe, like a child, that God is good and loves us, our lives will be much better off. We will hava lot more joy in our lives, and we will be able to better serve the Lord. Have faith like a child. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 10: 1-12; Divorce

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Israelites had 'hard hearts,' which is why they were permitted to divorce. Our hearts have been softened by Jesus in such a way that divorce is not something we should want to do. This softness applies not only to divorce, but other things that come into our lives: other temptations, emotions, etc. Our hearts have been softened by Jesus, which means we should not want to do the things we used to do before he came into our lives. If you are holding on to bitterness, anger, or anything else that causes you to live outside of God's will, allow Jesus to come into your heart and to soften it, that you might live inside God's will. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 9: 42-50; Causing to Sin

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Others watch us, especially children. We need to take this responsibility very seriously. Others will often look to us as an example. In some cases, others may look to us as a model for their own faith. That can be, at times, an overwhelming feeling, but it something of which we need to be aware. We are not just called to make disciples. We are also called to help disciples. We are to help one another in our respective journeys of faith. One of the ways we help is by leading in the right way. Be a blessing to those around you by leading them faithfully in their journey of faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 9: 38-41; Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Other Christians may do things a little differently than we do, but that does not mean they are not doing the work of God. Denominational loyalty can be a good thing, but sometimes it causes us to question the validity of the ministry of other churches. What we need to realize is that we can all work together for the common good, even if we go about it in different ways. We are all God's children. As such, we all have work to do. Whoever is doing the work of CHrist is for us, not against us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 9: 33-37; Who is Greatest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who is going to be named the greatest disciple? At this, Jesus shakes his head because once again the disciples seem to not be getting everything he is trying to teach them. Discipleship, faith, is not a contest. We are not in this for our own glory. We are in this for God's glory. Everything we do is, or should be, an act of worship of God. When we make disciples of all nations we do that so others will know the same peace and joy that we know. When we reach out to those who are in need we do that so others will have what they need in their lives. We do all of this, and everything else God has called us to do, to please God, not to win glory for ourselves. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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All Committee Luncheon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There will be an All-Committee Luncheon on March 14, 2010 after the worship service. This is a time for all the teams of the church to gather together to discuss the business of the church: both the things that are going on now, and the things we would like to see happen in the future. I encourage you all to attend this event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 9: 14-32; The Healing of a Boy With an Evil Spirit

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have to believe in what we can do. Jesus has taught his disciples a lot up to this point. He has taught them what to say in order to cast out a demon; he has taught them how to use parables for teaching; he has taught them how to perform other miracles. The only thing the disciples lack in this story is faith, not necessarily in God, but in themselves. They believe with their hearts that Jesus has the power to cast out demons, but they do not believe that they can do it. The disciples have no faith in themselves, and so are unable to perform this task that needs to be performed. We need to have faith in ourselves. We need to believe that we truly can do what Christ has called us to do. Only then will we be able to continue Jesus' ministry. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for March 14, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Joshua 5: 9-12, in which Israel celebrates Passover for the first time in many years. The sermon is titled 'Going Home' and will focus on Israel's return to a normal life on entering the Promised Land. I hope to see you all in Church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 9: 2-13; The Transfiguration

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Transfiguration marks a transition in the ministry of Jesus. The time prior to the transfiguration has been a time in which his main concern was to heal, preach, and teach Now, though, Jesus is going to be concerned, mainly, with getting to Jerusalem to provide salvation for the world. In Marks's gospel we get the best of both worlds, really. First we are introduced to a Jesus who is going to heal us, teach us, and guide us. Then we are introduced to a Jesus who is going to save us from sin. Both of these roles Jesus plays still hold true today. Jesus still heals, teaches, and guides. And Jesus still saves us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 8: 31-38; Jesus Predicts His Death

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows what he is supposed to do. Throughout Mark's gospel are instances in which Jesus predicts, or makes reference to, his death. Jesus knows what he is going to endure. Jesus knows what he was sent here to do: to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins. Is that easy? No. For Jesus' disciples it means they will be without their leader and friend. For those in need of healing it means they may have to suffer for a long time. For Jesus it means the end of his life. Is the cross an easy thing? No, but it is necessary, and Jesus is not going to let anything, even one of his own disciples, keep him from the cross. That is Jesus' mission, to make sure we are saved from sin. No matter what, Jesus is going to continue to move toward Jerusalem to grant us salvation. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 8: 27-30; Peter's Confession of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who do we say Jesus is? To some Jesus is a historical figure who had nice things to say, and managed to do nice things for some people. To some Jesus is someone we should look to merely as an example for how to live our lives. To others Jesus is a questionable figure who may not have even existed. Who is Jesus to us? Is Jesus just someone who said some nice things, or are we going to follow Peter's example and call Jesus the Christ the Son of the living God? Calling Jesus Lord might offend someone else. Calling Jesus Lord may cause others to reject, and maybe even persecute, us. Calling Jesus Lord can have some negative consequences for us. Are we going to let that stop us? Despite the consequences are we going to stand up and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus is, in fact, our Lord and Savior. Are we going to confess him as such. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 8: 22-26; The Healing of a Man at Bethsaida

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

He can see, but he cannot quite see well enough. What is the problem? Who knows for sure. What we do know is that this man needs a little more Jesus than he thinks. This man believes that one touch from Jesus will heal his blindness. However, it takes two touches for this man to receive his sight again. Is that not how our lives go sometimes? Sometimes we think just one touch from Jesus is enough, when in reality we need a lot more. We walk away too soon. We say thank you and disappear too soon. We need to hang around for a little bit longer. We need more of Jesus than just one little touch. We need to hold on to Jesus with all we have if we are to be healed and made whole. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 8: 14-21; The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The words of the Pharisees and of Herod are poison, leading people astray and destroying their faith. Jesus is telling the disciples that they need to be careful here, so they are not led astray. We need to hear these words as well. We may not have Pharisees and evil kings speaking to us, but the world will sometimes try to lead us astray, to try and make us let go of our faith. In those times we need to remember these words from Jesus, to be careful. We need to listen to Jesus who will never lead us astray, and who will only enhance our faith. The world will sometimes lead us astray, but we need to make sure we are listening to Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 8: 1-13; Jesus Feeds Four Thousand

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus shows a great amount of compassion here. He has been with these people for a while now, but he cannot send them away because he does not want them to 'faint along the way.' Like with his other miracles, this miracles serves a purpose. In other words, Jesus is not showing off here. He is giving these people something they need: food, so they have strength to carry on and return to their homes. Jesus does the same for us. He may not magically multiply food for us, but he does see to it that we have the strength to carry on in our journey of faith. Just like he does with the Four Thousand, Jesus feeds us with what we need that we might have strength. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Evening Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will be having an evening worship service this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. This service will be a little more laid back, and will be more of a time of reflection and rest. You are all invited to come to this service to have your cup filled. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 7: 31-37; The Healing of a Deaf and Mute Man

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This deaf man whom Jesus heals is, in part, a symbol for all of us. We all are, to a certain extent, deaf. We are unable to hear everything that God says to us. Sometimes we close our ears by ourselves. Other times something, or someone, else closes them for us. The point is that we need Jesus to come into our lives and open our ears. Without Jesus doing that we would not be able to hear him, or God speak to us. Allow Jesus to come into your life and open your ears, that you might hear the Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Scripture and Sermon for Sunday, March 7, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is Luke 13: 1-9 in which Jesus reminds his disciples about the need to repentance, but also gives the good news of our salvation. The sermon is titled 'Second Chances' and will focus on the second chance we have all been given through Jesus. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 7: 24-30; The Faith of the Syrophoenician Woman

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is for everyone. This woman, according to Jesus, is not a member of the people he came to save. In the end, though, Jesus saves this woman's daughter from the demon that possesses her. This woman may not be a member of the people of Israel, but Jesus still helps her. Jesus did not come for a select few, and he is not for a select few now. Jesus is for everyone. Everyone is invited to accept Jesus as personal Lord and savior. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 7: 1-23; Clean and Unclean

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is telling us to be mindful here. We need to be mindful of what we do and say, and that those are the things that truly matter. The Pharisees believe it is what a person eats, or drinks, that makes them unclean. In other words, they believe, as Jesus says, it is what goes into a person that makes them unclean. However, we learn from Jesus that it is what comes out. It is what we say, what we do, even what we think that makes us 'unclean.' We can eat whatever we want, drink whatever we want, etc. but we need to remember the importance of what we say and do, and remember that those are things that matter most to God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 6: 30-44; Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is one key phrase that we are supposed to notice as we read this passage, 'green grass.' When we read those words we are supposed to remember Psalm 23, in which the Lord makes the writer lie down in green pastures. When we read this story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand we are supposed to see Jesus as our shepherd, the one who provides for all our needs. Jesus is our shepherd, we shall not want. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside still waters. He restores our souls. Jesus is our shepherd who takes care of us, who makes sure we have all we need. Jesus feeds the five thousand not because he has to, or to show off, but because he wants to. Jesus is our shepherd. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mark 6: 14-29; John the Bapsist Beheaded

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

John never wavers in his message. John knows Herod is not happy with the message he is bringing, but John never stops bringing the good news God has given to him. In the end, those words cost John his life. Jesus is the same way. The message he brings is not well received by some of the powers-that-be, but that does not keep Jesus from doing, and saying, what God has given him. In the end, Jesus' ministry cost him his life as well. How long will we hold on to the words God has given us. Not everyone wants to hear what we, as Christians, have to say. That, inevitably, causes us to sometimes give up, because we do not want to offend anyone. When yo feel like that remember John and Jesus, and how they never stopped doing what God called them to do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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