Well, it sure has been a long time since I posted and I’m not sure if I am going to get back in the saddle here on the blog, but I am going through tons of wrestling right now, and while I can’t get into it yet, please know I am doing just fine, but I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers! Thanks for that!
So I’ve got some good news… I made it in the Capture Cincinnati Photography Book! I submitted about 10 photos and 3 of them made the book! I am thrilled. For a link to all of the photos that made the book go here, and for a link to purchase the book go here.
Also, I officially have entered the http://photofocus.com emerging photographer of the year award. I seriously doubt that I will even be considered, but I really do love taking classic Black and White Landscape and Travel photography. I realize that classic Black and White Landscape is not as popular in the world today (most want color), but I love the simplicity and contemplative aspects that it brings. And that brings me to the post that inspired this blog post.
Please visit my flickr photo page and look through my photos, I’d love to have some feedback!
Over at photofocus.com there was a blog post talking about art and spirituality and a few quotes from the Pope. Now, this subject of the arts in faith has been intriguing me as of late and I must say that there is a book in me somewhere to help others to see how art (especially photography) can be used to deepen not only a photographer’s spirituality, but could be used to bring about faith discussions with in communities. Anyway, I just wanted to give yall a sample from the Photofocus blog and since they do not allow comments over there at the blog I invite anyone to leave some here.
Here are a few quotes from the blog post by Scott Bourne:
“Recently, the Pope held a meeting with hundreds of artists. Discussing beauty and art, the Pope said, “Beauty … can become a path toward the transcendent, toward the ultimate mystery, toward God,”….I’ve always believed that the artistic expression available through photography reaches higher than most would immediately think.
The Pope went on to say, “In a world lacking in hope, with increasing signs of aggression and despair, there is an ever greater need for a return to spirituality in art.”
I think you can substitute any number of words for spirituality that mean something similar. The Pope believes that faith can nourish art. And perhaps it can. It can’t hurt.” -Scott Bourne
And why can’t art nourish faith? – D.G. Hollums (ha ha ha) Bless yall, and KUTPs!!!
Tiffany and I have some amazing friends and they have decided to plan and throw a Adoption fund raising party for us! So, if your interested please follow the following link to find out how you can attend (tickets are free)
OR if you like you can give to the adoption fund at this paypal link:
The PayPal button works now!
Thank you everyone!!! Oh and if you need to think about it then go here.
Hey everyone:
If your not listening to The Guys’ Podcast then your missing out on a ton of fun! Tonight we recorded Episode #52 live via GeeksRadio.fm ! Please consider joining us every Thursday night 8:00pm Eastern for some good old fashioned fun, nothing religious, just fun geeky guys talking about Tech news, and reviewing movies, games, T.V. shows, and an occasional Sci-Fi book. Anyway, tonight our main topic was the top 5 “real” reasons Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple… each of the guys came up with their top 5, but here are my top five.
D.G.’s top 5 “real” reasons that Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence:
5. Steve is tired of dealing with the peons of this world and wants to take a vacation back to his home planet Krypton.
4. Steve needed to go undercover for the C.I.A. and work at the Buy More.
3. Steve needed to spend more time on the “brain washing” button in his secret laboratory that he built under the hidden lost city of Atlantis.
2. The power drive running his circuit board is almost dead and bill Gates can’t have his plan for world domination ruined!
1. Steve has a hormone deficiency and is taking sick leave for a few months.
Thanks for reading this blog, I know my blogging has been a lot slower now-a-days and you can think Twitter for that, but I promise I’m still here!
I read the blog post of a friend (Chris Marshall) And wanted to post the same kind of memory and understanding of this day. So, here is his blog post with my own names entered:
On this day the Celts believed the veil between this world and the next was so thin that it was almost permeable. It was thought to be a day of transition, from summer to winter, where the dead from the year previous would passover to the eternal realm. I do not worship my ancestors and friends who have gone before me, but I do honor them.
So today I honor the lives that touched mine but have moved on either to the realm where God is or are asleep awaiting the final Resurrection (depending on your theology). These are the people that led me in my faith.
Rest and Reign well my beloved:
-Jay
-Nanaw
-Grandad
-Grannie
-Grandad
Hebrews 12 (The Message)
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Have a happy hallows!
Oh and pumpkin pictures from this years Geek Halloween Pumpkins are below:
Daylight version
lit up on the porch, with the candy bowl lighted from under the candy…looked very cool.
Yep there it is. on my right forearm. I know that several people love it and several people hate that I got a tattoo, but I just wanted to share why I did and the reason for where I did. So,
1. The tattoo is of a window in a church that my brother and his wife attend before he passed away. My brother told me he felt called into ministry at his annual conference, and right before he could get started on track to actually be a minister in the UMC he came down with cancer. So, I felt this was a wonderful reminder for me of how much I loved Jay, how much he loved me, and to allow him to be with me as I follow Christ in the ministry.
2. The window its self is a Trinity Window. It represents the Trinity (Father, son, and Holy Spirit) I have always been a huge Trinity kind of guy, and love the understanding of relationship, and mystery found in the understanding of the Trinity! So, this Tattoo represents God in all the forms that God has chosen to reveal himself to his creation.
3. The Tattoo is on my right arm. In the Old and New Testaments, the right hand has always had the imagery of someone’s actions the “doing” of someone. (hence Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father because he was the ultimate actions of God) And we are to keep the ways of God on our right hands and on our foreheads) to remember that our being/thoughts and actions are to be those of God’s in the world. I desire to be the hands and feet of God in all that I do, so every time I look down an see this tattoo I pray that it reminds me to attempt to live out this passionate desire in my life and in the lives of those around me. I actualy wanted the tattoo to be on my hand, but Craig would not do it because we use our hands so much that it would eventualy just fade away and i would have to get the same tattoo over and over again.
4. When I went to Guatemala on the mission trip one of the things I noticed when we were doing prison ministry to the gang members, was their respect and immediate connection to anyone in our group that had a tattoo. I did not think about this until afterwards, but I also pray that through this Tattoo I may be able to develope relationships with others that I might not have normally been able to by finding some common ground of a Tattoo and possibly being able to have a chance to exaplain the meaning and purpose behind my tattoo and maybe have the honor of finding out about the same meaning and purpose behind thier tattoos.
Well, I am blown away by the responses I am getting from the Tattoo, and surprised that my Father and Mother got over the shock fast. (only 2 small moments of awquard silence over the phone. ha ha ha ha) I am sure that many others will be shocked, and mad over time, but all the more reason to be able to develop relationships and get to love others. If anyone is interested I got my Tatto from a good friend that I went with to Guatemala named Craig. (In Guatemala he was doing tattoo cover ups for gang membersthat wanted out of the gangs and covered up their gang tattoos with Christian art…amazing) Anyway Craig owns two Tattoo shops here in northern KY called:
<–click picture for the link
Craig is now actually going through a 3 year process to go into the ministry as well in his own church, so ministry all the way around, heh.
Here are a picture Tiffany took on her iPhones of the work getting done:
Well, I have been busy trying out living life with different and new ways to think about how to live in this amazing world we live in and lately I have been enjoying Twitter and podcasting.. so let me give yall some links and some info on them all:
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1st up is Twitter:
Twitter is like a Blog, but its purpose is for allowing everyone you know to know what you are doing right now. (just like the “status” under your name in Facebook). And so the cool thing is tha tyou can post to Twitter online but also through texting on your cell phone. And then you can follow others and get reports from them of what they are doing or thinking…and you can even get those messages on your phone too. (be sure to get unlimited texting, heh) So if you have been wondering that is the daily post that is showing up here on the blog.. it is a summary of my “Tweets” from the previous day! So, if you would like to sign up for Twitter (try it out) and follow me (and others) there go to my Twitter page and look for the signup link.
D.G.’s Twitter
BTW: I really believe that Twitter could be an amazing technology for churches and ministries!
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2nd up is The Guys’ Podcast:
The Guy’s Podcast is two of my friends (Brad (in Florida) and Court(here in NKY with me)) and myself that talk about the latest technology news, movie and video game reviews, and anything else that might be Sci-Fi or Fantasy in nature! We are very broad, but we have ton of fun and who knows you may just learn something as well. We try to keep the podcast to less that an hour each week. Please tell you Geek friends and spread the word and ask others to subscribe to our podcast via iTunes.
The iTunes site to subscribe to The Guys’ Podcast
http://theguyspodcast.com
The Guys’ Podcast Facebook Group
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3rd up is the Praxis Podcast:
The Praxis Podcast is me and my friend Kevin Rains interviewing fellow ministers who are doing and being the church in old and new ways. We interview them so that other pastors or people in ministry can be encouraged and challenged to live out their faith individually and in their faith communities. For them to talk about Praxising in the kingdom and helping others to do them same. If you know of people that like the Emergent/Emerging/Organic/Simple Church then this is the podcast for you… and even if you do not know what those thigs are… you might find a new world of living out the Kingdom by listening to these interviews. As always please tell others and have them subscribe via iTunes.
The iTunes site to subscribe to the Praxis Podcast
http://praxispodcast.com
The Praxis Podcast Facebook group.
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4th up is About The Church:
About the church is just me and a new friend Chris just sitting in a room talking about faith and Christianity. It really is a podcast for anyone that might not be a Christian or looking into Christanit, or Christians for that matter, but we are going to get real about our faith, questions, and challenges we have with the bible, the church, Chrtistianity, and Christians. We are both Christains, but goming from different backgroudns and will be encouraging others to send us topics for discussion or questions. Chris has started his own network of podcasts (something like 17 different podcasts!!!) And several of his podcasts are live online shows discussing TV shows like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, etc… anyway the two podcasts I have done so far (starting with Episode 31) were good, and it looks to be a fun and opinionated show, heh. tune in and point others to check this one out as well. Oh and this is the only podcast I am not doing myself. this is Chris’ show, but he asked me to be a co-host!
About The Church’s Podcast website
iTunes subscription page for About The Church
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Well if yall are bored, and looking for some stuff to listen to on commute drives or just want to listen to my sexy voice, please subscribe via iTunes and thanks for supporting me and these endeavors! Blessings to you all!
The last round of shots did not work. So no pregnancy. Where this leaves us? Sad. It sucks, and it is frustrating like nothing I have ever felt before. It is so hard to ever write this. This was our 10th time to try to have a baby through the help of infertility clinics/Doctors. Tiffany has been poked and prodded, and I have give way too many “samples”. and we are just tired. We tried to take the day off and just spend some time together and that helped, but not near enough. This will be a grieving process just like Jay was those years ago. i still tear up every now and then when I or god brings him to mind, and I have a feeling that the lack of our own baby will be the same way for a few years. We will make it through it. The one thing I wish is that people would know how to talk to us. Everyone and I mean everyone is well meaning, but sometimes they should just love on us without words. Please if you know of someone who is going through this do not try to take care of them by saying:
1. Well my (instert relitative/friend) went through that same thing. just keep trying.
2. Well you know that if you adopt that you will then have a baby.
3. (say anything cheesy)
The fact of the matter is, the best way to love someone while they are going through a loss of a loved one, of the lack of a loved one is probably no words at all, unless they ask for them. But a simple, “sorry” and a hug is all that most people really need (and of course I would add in a ton of prayer, heh heh)
But I must tell you that it is torture going to church or any place else that there are several people that will ask you about it. It is a catch 22, you want tons of people praying for you, but when it does not work out, you do not want to tell them the sad news because you know that one of the three “saying” will occur, and every time you talk about it you tear up and that just makes for a crappy day.
And the real kicker…… Two Sundays from now is Mother’s day. probably the hardest day of the year for both Tiffany and me (because I don’t like seeing my wife’s soul hurt) and it is Pentecost Sunday, and it is Confirmation Sunday! I have a feeling we will be running from the church building as soon as the 2nd service is over, heh.
But, thank you for your prayers, and i want you to know that through the tears we praise God for helping us know a little more direction of where He desires for us to go when it comes to children. Now we get to look forward to what ever God has in store for us in the future! maybe adoption, but we have no idea when or how, but I promise we will be loving God through it.
(oh and you will not be able to leave comments on this post, heh heh)
Here is a quote of a quote from my friend Eric Keib! I loved it so much I had to put it on my blog.. and I am a huge N.T. Wright fan, of course!
Quote of a quote:
“In the latest Newsweek, Jon Meacham and Lisa Miller interview N.T. Wright about his latest book Surprised by Hope. Although I have recently purchased it I have not yet read it but plan to dig in in the next few weeks.
Meacham and Miller, close to the end of the article, ask him the following question:
“At the Lambeth meeting this summer, the subject of gay unions and gay clergy with top the agenda. What do you think will happen?”
Wright admits that although he believes it will be “messy” that he has hopes that people will really listen to each other prayerfully and in a spirit of humility. Then he says the following that I cannot help but adding a very emphatic “AMEN!” to:
“At the same time, I wish we could prioritize so that we were actually talking about issues of global justice and debt remission and global warming and so on. I mean, there’s something very bizarre about the rich arguing about sex while the poor are clamoring for justice“” (emphasis is Eric’s..but I fully support it, heh)
I was listening to Tiffany talk about an individual speaking to someone else about why the US flag was not in a more “visible” place in the sanctuary. And I have got to tell you that kills me! I actually have problems with the US flag being in the sanctuary period! I have a feeling somewhere down the road Christians have decided that politics and faith are so closely connected that they shoulo dnot be apart, but when I read the bible I see Christ consistently dealing with the politics and government of the day. And when he talks about a Kingdom it was meant to be a direct dig on the currently government!!! So come on Christianity, is it a democracy you have chosen to be a part of, or is it a King and a Kingdom? There is nothing wrong with our democracy and I saw Christ working within the one that he lived in where here, but when it comes to your life are you getting caught up in the King and his kingdom, or the government that you find yourself living in?
So, this made me think about a few words from Derek Webb, of who’s concert I went to last Thursday @ VC…..I was reminded how much I love his music and lyrics.. and I decided to share a few of them with yall:
Album: Mockingbird
Year: 2005
Title: A King & A Kingdom |
|
who’s your brother, who’s your sister
you just walked passed him
i think you missed her
as we’re all migrating to the place where our father lives
’cause we married in to a family of immigrants
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it’s to a king & a kingdom
there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him
but nothing unifies like a common enemy
and we’ve got one, sure as hell
but he may be living in your house
he may be raising up your kids
he may be sleeping with your wife
oh no, he may not look like you think=====================================
And another:
Wedding Dress
if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for
and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you
so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood
because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife
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Well what do yall think? Sadly, I have a feeling not matter how much I would love to sing these lyrics in church that I doubt there would be too many United Methodist Churchs that would allow me. But, maybe not.. 
I have spoke on this before but here are a few quotes I wanted to share from a few of them and in the next post I will give a little more about the way I see it in an United Methodist Church perspective:
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It all started with this post from Chris:
“My truck is paid off but the gas prices are killing me. I don’t drive that much and its over $300 per month, not including my wife’s car. So what does this project to as a national economy? Recession seems inevitable, will it go way beyond that? A nation already ruled by fear and over-spending with no margins by individuals and the government, what will be the consequences?
How will this impact churches and mortgages and credit lines that can’t be fed? As builders pass on who are the committed givers what is left? 1/2 of boomers are there to give and the other 1/2 are driven past their financial margins with consumerism and can’t help. Gen X and Millenials have very little value in long term comittments, are all about instant gratification and consumerism is their native language. Commonly this group of up and comers are living on 125-140% of their income taking on exponential debt per year. What will be the result of these decisions having no margins when the shoe drops?
Will American churches go the way of their European counterparts? Becoming really funky coffee houses, restaraunts, art galleries and dance clubs. Just things I wonder about.”
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and this is a second round from Chris in this post:
“But what I want to re-iterate is that everything needs to be submitted before God. Our expectations of what a comfortable American living has to be submitted. Our expectations of where we hold community meetings has to be submitted. Our assumptions of what we envision our role in the church being has to be submitted. Our financial margins and use of physical resources has to be submitted. Our sense of comfort and security has to be submitted. Where God calls, God provides and that will come at least in the form of daily bread. If we claim to follow Christ, that has to be enough for us. We have to be very careful to guard against making “professional” what is a spiritual role.
It is the sense of entitlement that I am speaking against when it comes to vocational roles in ministry. I am not against the idea of being paid, I am against the assumption that its the way it always has been and always will be. God does not owe us anything! Not a job, not a title of honor, not an air-conditioned office nor full time hours a week to be a spiritual leader. Now his provision may emody all of that for you, but we have to be okay if it doesn’t. Truly, his grace needs to be sufficient for us and its not our place to demand more. Don’t run from suffering, embrace it. Let it change you. Let it bring you to deeper exeperiences of God’s hand on your life. Sweating blood on your night of Gaethsamane crying out to God to take care of your family is what dependence on Him looks like sometimes. If he desires to move in a different mode of paradigm, in submission, we have to be ready to go with him because there is no one else who holds the words of life.
So in this discussion I want to say that we as the Church need to be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to be the people of God on earth and embody his mission here.”
Chris Marshall
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Then Aaron chimes in on his response post:
“What if ministry was defined as beginning and ending with the relationships that already exist in our lives? Of course, we would begin new relationships – some intentionally so – but they are not a means to an end. We take on the role of friend as opposed to director, parent or mentor as opposed to expert, brother or sister as opposed to business partner.
Such a ministry would necessitate a different understanding of finances. Since the intent is not to build a mechanism by which to get Jesus (or get people to Jesus) or a commercial by which to promote Jesus, then we are freed to use our funds for community growth and development. By which, I mean, of course – “Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”. The growth and development of the community of faith blessing and serving the world is an inherently relational project. However that community of faith is by its very nature bound by the laws of relationship (i.e. knowing and being know). The result being that the need for managers and administrators for that community is decreased.”
Aaron Klinefelter
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Jason then chimes in on his response post:
“It’s true. We’ve got to start thinking long term about some of this. The trends do not seem to say that we can fend this off by building bigger, regional churches. Though there is limited success there, I don’t see it being a long term fix to a growing problem. I’ve said this before, but I really don’t think the experts have many answers for us. They have too much invested in the Christendom machine. So, it’s going to be up to the rank and file folks to come up with the solutions.
For example, I’ve just been checking out a few video clips of the stuff Alan and Allelon are talking about on their site. It’s good stuff. But while it seems to be covering the theological shifts necessary we’re still in serious need of how to do the practical stuff. All the while, we watch pastors that have seen the necessary shifts, follow those shifts and sink further into debt and depression trying to figure this out all alone… not a good place to be when you’re trying to reinvigorate the Body of Christ.
Both planters and pastors have got to do self-image re-alignment, learn other skills/trades, learn how to be entrepreneurs, become community organizers, etc. No longer can we depend upon our previous economic paradigms within the Church…”
Jason
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And Alan chimes in with a Roman Catholic response post (but the part I put here is the end and applies to everyone):
“Things seem to be moving in a direction that might cause us all to have to rethink what we spend, what we build, how we pay our staff, etc. Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, whatever – things will change and we will all have to face it sooner or later. This all makes me remember a story an old Priest told me about something a friend said to him who had spent a lot of time in Rome, that the best thing that could happen to the Catholic Church is for an oppressive government to take over and strip it of all it’s wealth, tear the external institution down and push it back into the catacombs. OK, the catacombs part was my creative addition, but you get my point. And it’s not only the Catholic Church but much of the rest of the whole Church – let us all lose the ability to own buildings, to pay our leaders or our tax exemptions. Bring it! Where would our focus be then? Maybe on the Kingdom of God, something novel like that. It’s time for some Body of Christ creativity. Maybe we should start practicing now – maybe. Lord have mercy.”
Alan Creech
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And here a guy named Mark gives a great response post:
“The down side to this is that the mainstream church has all of its vast resources tied up in maintaining the status quo (even if they are innovating their practices, they are largely doing so in a way that reinforces the dominant Christendom paradigm). As a result, these subversive pioneers are doing a LOT with very little. And they are doing it in a way that escapes the notice of the mainstream. Why? Because the mainstream lacks the lens to notice what is happening and why these pioneers are doing a vital job.
I know this sounds dramatic. Because it is. I’d like to think I am one of these pioneers. I have, in the same week, been told by one mainstream Christian that “I have little to show for myself” and been told by one supportive friend in Philadelphia that “it is amazing I am able to accomplish so much.” I share this to highlight that people see what they are looking for. The mainstream church is looking for practitioners who can maintain the status quo. These starving ecclesial artists are looking for ways of being faithful in the future.
Our task isn’t to keep Christianity going as usual. Instead, we need to find ways of equipping and enpowering the next generation to do ministry in a way that is sustainable, even if we are currently struggling with doing sustainable ministry.”
Mark Van Steenwky
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And even Kevin chimed in here in this post:
“There are strategic reasons why I don’t work full time in paid ministry: Namely I am around “normal” (aka non-christians) all day every day. I have a reason to be involved in many peoples lives and am available to them and I know them not as a professional minister but as a friend and co-worker. This also gives me multiple entry points into the life of my city. I am known by several on city council and by the mayor as well as the fire department (they do my permits for the shop) and the police department (I fix many of their cars).
- Others are empowered to serve and don’t overly depend on me. Because I have a full time job in the “real world” (I know that is faulty but it is where most people are and we’re trying to contextualize right?) people naturally understand that I am not available to do every wedding, counseling session, or ministry idea that they want me to do for them… it creates a high ownership environment where everyone has jobs and everyone contributes as they can to the mission in the neighborhood.
- It ain’t perfect, neat and clean… I remember a conversation I had with Todd Hunter, Mark Palmer, and Jason Evans where Todd said to us that we would likely have to “cobble something together from a job, support raising, part time staff etc… This is a transitional time and transitions aren’t tidy.” When it comes to day to day realities we all know that there is not a perfect answer or one size fits all. We have to just put the pieces together as they come to us and move toward ideals over time.
- There are prophetic reasons to not get paid by a church namely you can fully speak your mind/heart/word of the Lord and not have in the back of your mind “what will happen if I offend a big giver?” or “I can’t afford to lose my benefits and retirement so I better watch my step in this situation.”
Kevin Rains
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And i will post concerning this in a United Methodist context in the next post. it seems to be very clear that God is working on the hearts and lives of several people at the same time!!! Dang yo!
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