Category: Hope

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Proper Input

Remember yesterday I asked you the question, “What are you considering?” Today’s thought is a follow up to that.

Our most powerful adversary as believers is not the devil. He was defeated when Jesus was raised from the dead and we have been given authority over him and all his evil works. However, our greatest adversary is also our greatest ally – it just depends on how we use it. I’m talking about our minds!

The one thing God won’t do is force us to do things against our will. He won’t force us to accept His wonderful gift of salvation, even if it means we will eventually go to hell, and He won’t force us to accept His blessings that He is pouring out in this life either. We must willfully accept all of His provisions for them to work in our lives.

So how do we move the mind from an adversary to an ally? The answer is simple; it’s by what we consider. Our mind is much like the computer I am using to message with right now. It can only produce on screen or in memory what I input. It becomes our responsibility to input the correct information.

Today’s image is called a “screen saver”. When downloaded, properly input, it will be embedded in the computer’s memory and bring enjoyment until it is removed. We can do the same with our minds; input the good and delete what is contrary to God’s character.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2 “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.”

We let God’s word be our input and then our minds will be renewed. We should be considering what life will be like in heaven and all that Jesus did to provide this for us – if that’s our focus, we won’t have time to be “considering” thoughts that are contrary to God’s way of thinking.

“You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. 3 Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4

It’s imperative that we guard our minds more than we guard our wallets. The damage caused by wrong thinking is more detrimental than losing our cash. In fact, it’s very similar to spiritual identity theft. Thinking like the world thinks will keep us from realizing all the wonderful blessings that God has provided.

“We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 4 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, 5 and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5

So, counteract the world’s influence today and live out this verse. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7

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Looking Up

Today, I want to draw your attention to a time when Jesus “looked up”.

Jesus had left the area of Judea just days earlier because the Pharisees were trying to kill him. Now he learned that his dear friend Lazarus was very sick. He told his disciples that they needed to return to Bethany, and they reminded him that the people in that area were against him.

Jesus waited a couple more days and then he told the disciples we MUST go to Bethany, Lazarus is dead. When Jesus arrived he learned that Lazarus had already been in the grave four days. Martha came out to meet Jesus and told him if He had been there, she knew her brother would not be dead.

Do you get the picture? Jesus is grieving over the death of his dear friend. He is just a two mile walk from a town where a mob had tried to kill him just a few days ago and now his friend’s sister is blaming him for her brother’s death. WOW!

The story goes on from there. Lazarus’ other sister, Mary, and the mourners come to where Jesus is. Mary falls at Jesus’ feet and says the same thing, “If you had been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” And now comes the shortest verse in the Bible – Jesus wept.

I think he wept because he felt the grief of the loss of a friend; I think he wept because he was being blamed for that death; I think he wept because the people around him had no faith and hope. But he wept. And then he did something that we all need to do – He looked up!

“Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. 39 Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, ‘Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.’

40 Jesus replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?’

41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, ‘Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so that the people here would believe that you sent me.’

43 When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44 The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face. Jesus then told the people, ‘Untie him and let him go.’” John 11:38-44

He looked up to the Father – he reminded himself that God the Father had not abandon him and that even in his grief, the Father was there to bring victory to the situation. He looked up and he thanked the Father for answered prayer. And He knew the purpose of all of this – so that the people would believe!

Jesus moved his attention from the circumstances around Him and looked to the One who changes things.

Jesus called Lazarus from the grave – His words, “Lazarus, come forth” brought the power of God to the situation and Lazarus came walking out of the tomb.

Awesome! Absolutely Awesome!

A kind and loving God brought an end to grieving and despair. He brought life to Lazarus and life to the hope and faith of the people who were there. He can and will still do the same today.

What is it in your life that is dead and needs to be resurrected? Your hope? Your faith? Your health? Your marriage? Your joy? Your finances? What???

Look up to the One who has life giving power – look up and thank Him for resurrection and then be bold like Jesus and call it forth from the grave. King Solomon said Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21.

Jesus was focused on looking up – we need to do the same!

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Why Not?

It’s been a particularly interesting week, and it’s only Wednesday. Here we are at the end of February, two months of this year have passed. Sometimes the idea of quitting, whatever it is that you’re doing, seems tempting.

Why not?

I was talking to the Lord about that very thing this morning. Do you want to know what He said?

“…those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” Galatians 6:8-10 NLT

Don’t give up! Keep doing good – there’s a time of harvest coming.

I remember the days when we were farming alfalfa. Here in Arizona we got about 10 cuttings of alfalfa a year. That’s a lot of hay and all the baling needed to be done at night when the air was cooler and we had the right amount of moisture.

Toward the end of summer I would be so tired, I just wanted to get one full night’s sleep. Dave did too. But there was no time…there was the irrigating, swathing, raking, baling and repeat.

I found it very reassuring that the Lord knew about farming. “At just the right time we will reap a harvest”. So sure enough, we’d keep going and then we would see the harvest.

We learned to lean into God in our weariest of days.

“Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 NLT

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 NLT

The Lord invites us to rest. In fact, He commands it. It is one of the Ten Commandments.

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” Leviticus 23:3 NLT

We’re more productive when we rest. We’re healthier when we rest. I’m going to circle back to Psalm 23. We have been looking at it all month and it’s an appropriate Scripture for today’s blog as well.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength…” Psalm 23:1-3 NLT

Maybe you feel like you’ve been in a battle or maybe it just seems like you’ve been farming night and day. The battle, or the work, might be physical, financial, relational and you need a rest. We all do.

Even Jesus would separate Himself from the crowds and the work of ministry to go to a solitary place and pray. He would find those green pastures in time spent with His Father in prayer.

Follow Jesus’ advice. Come to me all who are weary and find rest.

Come rest but don’t quit!

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No Greater Love

I’m sure you’ve all heard the expression “Take one for the team”. This can be used in the context of sports, military, family relationships, business experiences – in just about every walk of life. And nowhere is it more applicable than in our spiritual lives.

The very purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to take one for the team. Without his selfless sacrifice there would be no eternal life for any of us. He left heaven to live a heavenly example on earth. He became sin when dying on the cross so that we could live redeemed from sin. He took our sickness, our anxiety, our depression, our death so that we, through Him, could walk free!

Thank God for His marvelous provision through Jesus.

” 4 The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. 5 But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain.” Isaiah 53: 4-5 ERV

It’s impossible to look at the severity of the crucifixion and not see the love of God.

“We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:20-21 CEV

His death brings us life. His anguish was for our peace. His stripes are for our healing. His darkness moment of separation from the Father, brought us to the throne room where we find help in time of need.

“ Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

There’s an old hymn we used to sing. “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow”.

“ The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” John 15:13 CEV

There is no greater love than this!

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Needed Support

There’s an interesting story about Moses that has been going through my mind for the past several days. It’s the story of a battle, persistence and helpful companions.

“When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites. 9 So Moses told Joshua, “Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God.”

10 Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. 11 The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he lowered them. 12 After a while, his arms were so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. 13 That’s how Joshua defeated the Amalekites” Exodus 17:8-13 CEV

As the Israelites were going through the wilderness on their way to the land of promise they faced enemies and had battles to fight. From the beginning of this journey God promised to lead them and fight for them. Moses had a shepherd’s rod or walking stick when God first spoke to him. He was to be God’s voice to the pharaoh and His deliverer for the people.

“Moses asked the Lord, ‘Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?’ 2 The Lord answered, ‘What’s that in your hand?’

‘A walking stick,’ Moses replied… 5 the Lord said, “and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Exodus 4:1-5 CEV

Moses’ walking stick became a sign of God’s power and that’s what he took to the battle against the Amalekites that day. As long as Moses held the rod in the air, Joshua was victorious in battle. But when his arms grew tired and he lowered the rod circumstances changed.

Moses’ two companions, Aaron and Hur, got Moses a rock to sit on. The battle worn on, Moses’ arms got tired, so Aaron and Hur held up his arms and the battle was won.

I prayed “Lord, make me a friend that will hold up weary arms in a battle”.

This morning the Lord put together a few more Scriptures for me.

“Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand.” Psalm 145:13-14 CEV

“Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. 4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid!” Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4 ERV

“ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 ERV

The rock that Moses sat on was a physical boulder but the rock we stand upon is God’s indestructible word.

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 ERV

If you are in a battle and you feel weary, I pray that you have friends who have you sit on God’s word and help lift your arms to heaven. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Lift your hands to Him.

“ So put away all pride from yourselves. You are standing under the powerful hand of God. At the right time He will lift you up. 7 Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7 NLV

Just know that each morning when I complete this blog, I pray for each and every one who will read it. I pray that God will make His word, this word, real in your lives.

Lift up your hands. Let God’s word be your firm foundation and find your victory in Him.

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Filled With Song

You all know that I am a fan of songs – hymns, praise, country, classic, jazz, old rock, musicals. Music fills my soul. I guess that’s why I love the psalms and also love the early mornings when the birds start their chorus.

Music brings healing and peace. Composers have an amazing God-given talent. He is the One who gave each bird their voice, unique and distinct and He also fills man’s heart with song.

I did a search on singing birds this morning and it produced many individual images but what surprised me was how many hour-plus long videos of birds singing were a part of the result.

“ Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in a son of a man, who cannot save us. 4 When his spirit leaves, he returns to the earth. His thoughts end on that day. 5 Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, and whose hope is in the Lord his God. 6 The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is faithful forever. 7 He helps those who have a bad power over them. He gives food to the hungry. And He sets those in prison free.

8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are brought down. The Lord loves those who are right and good. 9 The Lord keeps the strangers safe. He takes care of the children who have no father and the woman whose husband has died. But He destroys the way of the sinful. 10 The Lord will rule forever. Your God, O Zion, will rule over all people for all time. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146 NLV

I will sing as long as I live because the Lord loves me!

“But I will sing about your strength, my God, and I will celebrate because of your love. You are my fortress, my place of protection in times of trouble. 17 I will sing your praises! You are my mighty fortress, and you love me.” Psalm 59:16-17 CEV

Do you remember seeing the 1980’s movie Sister Act? Those kids’ lives were changed when they realized that God loved their songs, contemporary and traditional. Unconventional to some but pleasing to God.

An old hymn they featured goes something like this:

“Why should I feel discouraged,

Why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for Heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion?

My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.”

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

Being in God’s presence is a place of safety and a place of joy. Fill your life with song!

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Surrounded By Love

I hope you are finding strength, joy, comfort and peace in our morning times together, as we explore the depths of God’s goodness.

Each morning the Lord reminds me of His love, girds me with strength, fills my heart with joy and infuses me with confidence that my trust and hope in Him is never in vain.

“Many are saying of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ 3 But You, O Lord, are a covering around me, my shining-greatness, and the One Who lifts my head. 4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice. And He answered me from His holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept, and I woke up again, for the Lord keeps me safe… 8 It is You Who saves, O Lord. May You bring happiness to Your people.” Psalm 3:2-4,8 NLV

This Psalm was written by King David when he was running from his son Absolom who wanted to kill him and take his throne.

Talk about discouragement and hopelessness – this was it.

Your own son and some of your closest advisors and confidants joined together to kill you. If you stand and fight, lives will be lost, probably the life of your son. It seems to be a no-win situation. But then…you turn to God and He provides the safety and protection that you need.

I doubt any of us has ever faced such a situation, but we have all faced weariness and the enemy of hopelessness.

How do we survive? The enemy seems too large to fight any longer.

“ I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep. 4 Listen, He Who watches over Israel will not close his eyes or sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your safe cover at your right hand. 6 The sun will not hurt you during the day and the moon will not hurt you during the night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all that is sinful. He will watch over your soul. 8 The Lord will watch over your coming and going, now and forever.” Psalm 121 NLV

The Father’s watchful care will not cease, He promises it now and forever. We are His beloved children, and He is our loving Father. He is ALWAYS faithful to His word.

“ Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7 NLV

When worries come and they will, we have two choices. We can let them become embedded in our hearts and produce fear or we can give them over to the Father and let Him handle them while we rest in His peace.

“ When we have learned not to give up, it shows we have stood the test. When we have stood the test, it gives us hope. 5 Hope never makes us ashamed because the love of God has come into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.” Romans 5:4-5 NLV

Take today’s worries and hand them over to the Father. Now, rest in His loving care!

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A Message of Hope

Watching old westerns on the movie channel, preachers are depicted the same way over and over again. Hell fire and brimstone – turn or burn – tellin’ folks that God’s judgin’ them and thar goin’ to hell. Boy, how many times have we see that not only on the silver screen but in our churches.

One thing I know for certain, you don’t have to tell a sinner he’s sinnin’ cuz he already knows that – the Holy Spirit will convict of sin. Paul put it this way in Romans 2.

“God has been kind to you. He has been very patient, waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don’t understand that God is kind to you so that you will decide to change your lives.” Romans 2:4 CEV

Paul was preaching the Gospel of Christ – gospel means the “good news, nearly too good to be true news”. Good news is that God loves you and sent someone else to take your place of punishment so that you could live in right relationship with Him and enjoy all of His blessings.

“ All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:23-24 ERV

I’ve had folks in the past tell me that I am always focusing on God’s love and his blessings and not making people responsible for their sin but I choose to focus on that because the sacrifice that Jesus made is so much greater.

Do we go on sinning – the Apostle Paul said “God forbid”. But if folks think that God’s mad at them and that “God’s gonna get ya for that” then why would they want to come to Him. When we’re focused on God’s great love, we aren’t going to want to do things that will shame Him.

“ So what should we do? Should we sin because we are under grace and not under law? Certainly not! ” Romans 6:15 ERV

“So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you. Then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants.” Galatians 5:16 ERV

The people in our life don’t need to hear about their faults and shortcomings. They need to hear about God’s unconditional love – who am I kidding, I need to hear about God’s unconditional love.

That first sin of Adam in the garden brought sin into the world for all of us but Christ’s death on the cross brought us all into a place of grace – we simply need to receive it.

“So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life. 19 One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right.” Romans 5: 18-19 ERV

The Father wants relationship not rules, sons not slaves, grace not groveling.

“ For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. 10 When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers.” Colossians 2:9-10 NLV

Let God’s love be paramount in our lives and our actions today. Let’s bring a message of hope to our world!

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Keep Going

The year is almost over and maybe you are feeling disappointed or discouraged that you didn’t get more done.

You had goals and hopes that have not yet been accomplished, keep going!

Just because the calendar date is about to change it doesn’t mean that you have failed. As long as you are making progress you are succeeding. There are baby steps and giant leaps, both are forward progress.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:9-10

God has a plan for each of us, something that is designed for our personality and is for our benefit. Don’t give up.

If you are weary stop and rest but don’t quit.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 ERV

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:1-3 ERV

Let the Lord restore you. His strength is sufficient in every situation. He knew how to rest in the midst of a storm.

A number of years ago we were hosts at a campground in the mountains. One day I saw an eagle across the valley, it was circling in the sky. There was a stiff wind. As the eagle circled it was soaring, without effort, on the air’s current. I must have watched for almost 30 minutes. The eagle continued to soar higher and higher until it was covered by the clouds.

“Even young people get tired, then stumble and fall. 31 But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.” Isaiah 40:30-31 CEV

Someone needs to be reminded to keep going. I just got reminded by the Holy Spirit and these verses.

It’s time to soar!

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Filled with Wonder

This past summer it seems that the whole world was sharing a marvelous experience. For nights the sky was filled with the beauty of the aurora borealis.

The pictures of the northern lights saturated social media, local and national news reports and other media outlets. The lights in the summer night sky were gorgeous, awe-inspiring.

Now imagine if when you saw those lights they were accompanied by an angelic choir. Can you place yourself with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem? Sheep resting peacefully on the grassy plain, a warm fire burning and the quiet. Aahhh, the quiet.

“That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9  All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

14 “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”

15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:8-15 CEV

A Savior was born for you!

This story…this miraculous birth is one I have heard and told for many years. Does its familiarity and tradition dull our senses? Do we lose the wonder of that connection between God and man? Have our souls been calloused to the fact that Jesus, Immanuel (God with us) changed the course for all the world?

I hope not.

May our hearts always be stirred, may hope always rise, may faith always increase and may we always be filled with wonder!

Merry Christmas to all.

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