Results 201 - 220 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114630 | ||
I have not seen the movie. | ||||||
202 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114627 | ||
Brother Hank I will fail this test. I cannot cite examples from the movie, because I have not seen it. I do have a promo, put out by Icon Distribution, and I think it is very informative, so much so I have linked it as a new item of interest, to my site, at http://hishows.org. I have looked at many clips and read many reviews. Yet my statement is not a critique of the movie. I understand from Gibson himself that he approached the project from a Catholic viewpoint. He said he was heavily influenced to produce the film by a book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun, a Catholic. Gibson, interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, was asked if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. "There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church," Gibson replied. "I believe it."' See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452/ He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.” Those statements seem to portray a loyal Roman Catholic. They did not tell me much about his personal faith in Christ. What was his motivation in making the film? ‘Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”’ It seems that Mr. Gibson took to the project as therapy for his psychological ailment rather than as an evangelical project. He may well have experienced some catharsis from making it, but it seems likely that his spiritual need is still unmet. Some people have reported that physical healings and other miracles happened during the production, but that is not what Jesus suffered and died for, I think that many on this forum would agree. Jesus did not die to help us to feel better, but to put away our sins. My heart's desire and prayer to God for Gibson is that he would be saved. But that is not my purpose in writing here. I do believe that his giving us this movie is a good thing. He may well affect the world, because the Catholic church affected him. |
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203 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114620 | ||
It is a blessing to read that, mommapbs. The current definitions of the word “Passion” include: “powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger”. “Ardent love”. “Boundless enthusiasm” and “The object of such enthusiasm”. “An abandoned display of emotion”. Another definition is: “The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament”. Your point is well taken. The word may well express the determination, enthusiasm and devotion of the Lord as he set his face as a flint to go, and submitted to the sufferings as a sheep would when brought to the slaughter. Thus he showed his love for the Father and for us. O that we would have that attitude in our relationships. John 3:16 -- God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. 1 John 3:16 -- Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1Pe 4:8 -- And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves. He said (John 15:12) “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you”. How am I demonstrating passion? He has shed it abroad in my heart. I try to demonstrate it to the brethren by, among other thing, coming onto this forum. I demonstrate it to the world by preaching the Gospel, which is what I will be doing later this evening. But that was not your question. You asked, “How are we demonstrating the passion?” I think that love flares up here from time to time, and it is a team of us who will be presenting the gospel to the world in a few hours. That movie is popularizing the word “Passion”. Let us use the opportunity to provoke each other to love and to good works. Let us love each other in fellowship, and the unsaved by giving them the Gospel, with a passion. |
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204 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114612 | ||
That is a good question. I would like it if denominations did not exist, but they do. It does seem to be the state of the church today. I would not like to make an issue of this. If you checked below this thread you will find that many other denominations are considered in other threads. I am simply trying to identify the good contributions coming from various corners of the church. In this case I am looking at the possibility that the Catholic church, through Mel Gibson, has made a positive contribution. It seems obvious that he brings a certain orientation to the subject because of his denominational affiliation. Some of us are trying to promote mutual acceptance and appreciation. Please help the cause by talking about whether the movie is a positive contribution. I agree with you that division in the church is not a good thing. Since it seems unlikely we can get rid of it, I would like to concentrate on making the best of the situation. |
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205 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114600 | ||
Pardon me, me friend. I was asking a question. It occurred to me that the word "passion" is not common among Christians. (To my knowledge it has not been, until now). But Catholics have been using the term. Now there is this movie made by a man who is passionate in his devotion to that denomination. It seems to be that he has done it because of the influence the church has had on him. If I am saying anything, as a context for my question, it is that I perceive this movie to have been inspired by the Catholic church. As in this entire thread, I am looking for something positive, that would have been contributed by one segment of the church. By "church" I mean the entire body of Christ. I take it that the Catholic church is a part, and that it is contributing something positive. |
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206 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114588 | ||
Please read the first post in this thread. The purpose is not stereotyping, or anything else that's negative. The idea is to find something praiseworthy, wherever it exists in the church. | ||||||
207 | What about "The Passion of the Christ"? | Luke 24:14 | Aixen7z4 | 114154 | ||
I had begun a response that said, “That is good news”. Then I decided (That is my intellectual bent) to do some research on the professions of faith made by Mel Gibson and James Caviezel. To report them here may lead to a discussion of the nature of salvation, and that may be a good thing. I had read that Jim was a believer, a saved man. What I had heard about Mel was that he was a Catholic. Jim had said of Jesus, “I love him more than I ever knew possible. I love him more than my wife, my family”. After making the movie he said, “I connected to a place I could have never, ever gone. I don't want people to see me. All I want them to see is Jesus Christ”. See http://king-of-fools.com/archives/000623.php. Gibson, interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, was asked if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. "There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church," Gibson replied. "I believe it."' See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452/ He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.” Those statements seem to portray a loyal Roman Catholic. They did not tell me much about his personal faith in Christ. What was his motivation in making the film? ‘Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”’ From all I have heard (I have not seen the film) the screenplay is faithful to the Scriptures. As such it would not detract from the message the that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. It would not hide the fact that God puts forward repentance and faith as the requisites for salvation. We are not called upon to judged a man’s salvation or his motives. But from what I have read it seems that Mr. Gibson took to the project as therapy for his psychological ailment rather than as an evangelical project. As I said before, that may be God’s way. This movie probably had to be made in Hollywood rather than by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. It is likely within God’s design that everything happened the way it did. I trust him to use it for the salvation of souls, and for his glory. |
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208 | "The Passion of the Christ" | John 19:30 | Aixen7z4 | 114143 | ||
The question might have been taken as asking why Christ had to suffer anything but the cross itself. Why could he not have had an easy life up to that point? Was it not simply his death that was necessary for our salvation? Someone asks whether he could not have been simply ambushed and assassinated in a moment. He was the Lamb of God. Was it ever necessary to abuse a lamb before sacrificing it? Why was this prolonged passion necessary? Jesus said, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer”. Indeed, the Scriptures seem to indicate not only a day but a life of suffering. “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not”. To be born in a stable, to be thrown out of the synagogue, to be laughed at, to be accused of being an agent of Beelzebub, to have to tussle with the religious leaders, those things would not have been fun. It does say that as a child he had favor with God and with man, but even then he was misunderstood. He did have times of crowd adulation and occasions to rejoice, but his ministry seems to have been full of problems with Satan and with man. It may be said that his passion was only the climax to a life of suffering. Yet I am not sure why the intense suffering was also so prolonged, except it was so that no one could miss it. |
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209 | What about "The Passion of the Christ"? | Luke 24:14 | Aixen7z4 | 114138 | ||
I was not aware that a discussion had been started on this subject. A search on the words “passion” and “Christ” did not show the topic on the first few pages of results. I wonder if this was supposed to happen. Some things seem to happen by God’s will, that we do not understand. In the same vein: Is it not interesting that a movie like this would have been made by people who do not claim to be saved? (Or do they?) The purpose was not to evangelize. (Or was it?) But it may result in the salvation of many souls. Joseph’s brothers had no idea how the Lord would use their actions. Indeed, “As for them, they thought evil against him; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is that day, to save much people alive”. Likewise, those who crucified Jesus did not think they were helping to make our salvation possible. But they were fulfilling the determinate counsel of God. Had they known him they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But then, how would we be saved? That is one reason, I suppose, why blindness was imparted to them. “Because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him”. There are those who would impugn the motives of the film makers. But God is able to accomplish his will through them. As he told it, there is just one reason why the Christ had to suffer and die. It was so that repentance and remission of sins might be preached in his name among all nations. Whether or not these people are aware of it, they are contributing to the cause. |
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210 | unanswered prayer: Good or Bad? | 2 Cor 12:8 | Aixen7z4 | 111385 | ||
It was never this way in the beginning. Neither did they come to conclusions by debating. God commanded and it stood fast. Jesus said, "Haven't you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh--no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart." Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. |
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211 | unanswered prayer: Good or Bad? | 2 Cor 12:8 | Aixen7z4 | 111384 | ||
Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up". | ||||||
212 | unanswered prayer: Good or Bad? | 2 Cor 12:8 | Aixen7z4 | 111312 | ||
Jesus said unto them, "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. | ||||||
213 | Is baptism for salvation? (Mark 16:16) | Mark 16:16 | Aixen7z4 | 111173 | ||
My dear friend: There are some who have made diligent search of the word of God and have come to the conclusion that a person is saved the instant they put their faith in the Lord. Others believe a person is not saved until he dies and has kept the faith. Some believe that faith must be proved in an act of obedience such as baptism. What is interesting is the fact that all of these ideas seem to emanate from the Bible. Some people seem to have found them out themselves, while others are heavily influenced by the teachings of others. Nevertheless, there are those who hold their teachings very strongly and would seek to convince others of the correctness of their beliefs. This writer believes that these differences should alert us to the fact that each of us might be partly wrong. Likely, none of us is completely wrong, because we do have the word of God (Psalm 119:98) but we each have a part of the truth (John 17:17). Even this paragraph contains only a part of the truth, because there are other passages that shed light on each point. For lack of space and time they cannot all be referenced. And if they were, you’d find that there are differences among them. The differences, and the ones among us, should send us back to the Lord and to his word (Psalm 43:3), not back to our old opinions. The thoughts of the Lord are very deep (Psalm 92:5) and we might want to dig deeper for them (Job 28). That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? (Ecclesiastes 7:24). The thoughts of the Lord are high as well (Isaiah 55:9), and we might want to reach for them (Deuteronomy 30:12). We might be discouraged with our limited understandings (Romans 11:34). But we should look up instead (as in Micah 4:2). The Lord will speak to his people, and he will bring peace to them (Psalm 85:8) and among them (Psalm 133). We ought to listen (James 1:19). I think we do wrong to take sides and to debate these things among ourselves, for God has called us to unity and to speaking the same things (1 Corinthians 1:10). We ought to be humble and to try to see what our brother sees in the passages he references. It is all the word of God and we should accept it all (Proverbs 30:5). Meanwhile, we should realize that the word of God is not an academic subject (1 Corinthians 8:1). It is to be obeyed (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Now, if we repent, because he demands it (Acts 17:30), if we believe, because he asks us to (John 6:40), and if we are baptized, because he requires it (Matthew 3:15), what cause do we have we to debate these things, or even to disagree? We should go on, I think, to provoke one another to love and to Good works. |
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214 | Are you a follower of Jesus or a church? | Matt 10:32 | Aixen7z4 | 108919 | ||
Although it is not stated in Genesis 12, it is evident that Abraham believed God when God told him to go and he went. It was by faith that Abraham obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (Hebrews 11:8). That faith is pointed out again in Genesis 15 and again in Genesis 22 when God said, “Now I know”. Some will say that it was only then that he was saved, as the sacrifice of Christ was prefigured. But his righteousness was declared in Genesis 15, and I submit that it had been bestowed in Genesis 11 when he obeyed and arose and went. Righteousness never did come by the law because the Law did not have that power. The law judged and condemned. It led men to look to Christ even before he was manifested in the flesh. They laid hold on the promise that he was coming and they trusted in him. When they did they were saved. In the New Covenant our righteousness depends on belief in Christ. And it was the same in the Old. Why was Abram's righteousness so long in coming? It may be it had been there without his realizing it. It may be that intellectual assurance comes with time, but justification is instantaneous when faith is exercised. There is a certain settled peace which we may not recognize at first or ever fully understand. I wonder if Abram had that peace as he left his home not knowing where he was going. That is one reason God gives us his word. And we should wait to hear what the Lord will speak, but the Lord will speak peace to his people. At the moment of faith we have that righteousness imputed. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Sooner or later we will know it. |
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215 | Are you a follower of Jesus or a church? | Matt 10:32 | Aixen7z4 | 108914 | ||
I can agree. Imust agree because you mentioned hope. We have the hope of eternal life and I must consider, is it possible to lose that? It is not a wishful-thinking hope, but a hope which is firm, and steadfast, and sure. It is a hope based on the promises God has made. Is it possible to lose that? Hebrews 3:6 We belong to him and we have confidence and we rejoice throughout our lives because that hope is firm. Hebrews 6:11 And we want every one of you to show full assurance because of the hope we have. Hebrews 6:18 God cannot lie, and he has taken an oath and he has made a promise. These two things can never be changed. Those of us who have taken refuge in him have confidence because of the promises we have been given. Hebrews 6:19 The thing which we call hope is really an anchor of the soul. It is both sure and secure. It is steadfast and unmovable. Hebrews 7:19 We just couldn’t get this by keeping the law. That was hopeless. We knew we would always fail. But this “hope” that we have now makes everything perfect. It causes us to keep close to God. Can hope fail, the hope that God gives us when we fly to him for refuge? Do we lose confidence because we think that God tells lies or that God can fail? No. We have confidence in Him that he tells the truth and He cannot fail and He is able to keep us. I’ve found a friend, O such a Friend All power to Him is given To guard me on my onward course And bring me straight to heaven Are there sometimes when we lose confidence in the pilot and want to take over the controls? We shouldn’t do that, and it is not good to do that, and on the aircraft called Salvation, God does not allow that. We sit back and trust in Him. Are there times when we are too fearful to go to sleep? We should pray the Lord our souls to keep, and sleep. When we lose hope, we should go to him and to his word. The God of hope gives hope. It is true that faith does not stand alone. Now abide faith, hope, and love; these three. If we ever lose one, we can go back to God and find it. May God help us in the times when we feel hopeless that there would be Christian fellowship and counsel and teaching to sustain us. God forbid that we should turn away from him to murder or to suicide. If we turned to Him and to His word we might find that He fills us with hope. And we can pray for God’s children who lose hope, and allow Him to use us to help them. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. That’s Romans 15:13. |
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216 | Are you a follower of Jesus or a church? | Matt 10:32 | Aixen7z4 | 108872 | ||
My dear friend: Your question has been asked in a thousand ways on a thousand different forums. The gist of it seems to be that there is something we can do to earn acceptance with God. I will make just one effort to show that this cannot be, and it is not so. By ourselves we cannot please God. When he is in control, we do. God requires two things of us, and these combine to establish a right relationship with him. One is repentance. The other is faith. We have to come to the end of ourselves, and stop relying on our wisdom and our strength. We have to realize that we are sinners by nature and that we do not have what it takes to please God. We then cease that reliance on ourselves and turn instead to him. When we have turned to him, he requires that we trust in him. He is able to do what is necessary, and he has done it. We have to submit to him in simple faith, and trust him. When we do that, he changes us. He changes our heart. He changes our nature. As new creatures, we are able to obey him and to produce righteous acts. The good that we try to do without repentance does not count. We must surrender to God to do things his way. When we surrender, God declares us righteous, and we are saved from ourselves, from our sin, and from the eternal consequences of sin. We are then free to be righteous in our ways. We are also free to do bad things, but those are contrary to our nature. We will not continue doing them. There have been people, from the time of Abel to this day, who have put their faith in God. They are righteous, and it is because of their faith in God. This is what I understand, and this is what I have experienced. Am I saying that the righteous did not need to love God or follow the Ten Commandments in order to live by faith? I am saying, because I believe it is what God says, that when we believe God we are declared righteous and we will keep his commandments. This is a part of living by faith. It is not a means to an end. The essence of it is trusting God. We do that even when we do not know or understand. We look to him for knowledge and for guidance in what we do. We depend on him to teach us and to show us, to be patient with us, to work with us and in us, to will and to do his good pleasure. We depend on his promise that he will never leave us or forsake us or fail to guide us and protect us. Knowing all he has done for us, we love him, and we do the things that please him. |
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217 | Are you a follower of Jesus or a church? | Matt 10:32 | Aixen7z4 | 108864 | ||
Michelle: Can we encourage you to simply trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? He is able to keep you. I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12). He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy (Jude v.24). |
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218 | Are you a follower of Jesus or a church? | Matt 10:32 | Aixen7z4 | 108862 | ||
Good post. Period. Righteousness comes by faith. The ones who are counted righteous are the ones who believe God. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. The same goes for Moses and David and all the righteous of the Old Testament age and the New. So, in context of Psalm 14, some Israelites were clearly righteous. How did they get that way? Probably not (not probably, certainly not) by loving God and following the Ten Commandments as best they could. It was by faith. Romans 1:17 The just shall live by faith. Romans 4:5 To him that works not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Romans 3:22 The righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. Romans 3:25 God has set forth faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. Romans 4:9 Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. Romans 4:11 He received the sign, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had. Romans 4:13 The promise was not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Romans 9:30 What shall we say then? The Gentiles have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. Romans 10:6-10 The righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness”. Philippians 3:9 … be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (Hebrews 11:7) By faith Noah, became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:33 Through faith (they) wrought righteousness, God declares us righteous when we trust in Christ. He accomplished death, burial and resurrection on our behalf. That work fulfilled all that God requires, and it avails for us when we trust in him. But that faith is prompted and preceded by repentance. Repentance plus faith equals salvation. Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. |
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219 | What is God's Son's name? | Phil 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 108183 | ||
I read that article and found the following: "Catholicism also sometimes gives Mary the same exact titles which belong to Jesus alone—Life, Hope, the Way, Morningstar, etc. In fact, Catholicism has given their Mary more names and titles than the Bible has for the Lord Jesus". I found it hard to believe. |
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220 | Doesn't it say that? | Prov 3:5 | Aixen7z4 | 107810 | ||
Think positive, EdB. They've gotten the message. They're considering the improvements. And I'll be back. God bless us all. | ||||||
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