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God's Grace Defined
2008-06-01 18:17:00
I posted this on my friend's forum www.freebelievers.com It was in response to a discussion on God's grace.What cheapens grace is the dilution of its power to change. I have often been accused of giving my children too much freedom by people who barely know me. Once people get to know my family they realize that my children are very well behaved. I have learned as a father that restricted freedom creates a desire for freedom, but granted freedom is most often not used in its entirety. It is a fact that God grants us the freedom to learn the hard way (by mistake). His law was given as grace to protect and insure a long life. When we disobey His law we bring condemnation upon ourselves, but this does not mean God isn't forgiving us. Look at the story of Samson. Did God condemn Samson or did Samson condemn himself? Read Deut chapter 4 as coming from a loving father's voice and you will see what I mean. Sin is anything that separates us from ourself, God or others. Sin is the opposi...
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Great Debate Movie Review
2008-05-31 19:25:00
Last night I watched "The Great Debate ". There are few movies that make an emotional and spiritual impression like “The Great Debate”. The year was 1935 and racism was running rampant. The debate team was 4 students at an all African American college. As in all great movies “The Great Debate” articulates a spiritual battle of light verses darkness painted on the canvas of human weakness. The enemy in the movie is racism and violence. The hero in the movie is truth manifested through words. Human vulnerability shined in how a particular character dealt with the emotional trauma. Even though this movie was based on a true story from 1935 I felt this movie dealt with a few modern struggles each of us face. The Great Debate presented truth in a way most could receive it.The Practicable Truth in “The Great Debate”What enemies do we face in the world today? The real enemies do not originate as people, but rather the lies that people embrace. The majority may always r...
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Scripted People
2008-05-18 17:59:00
Do you know any scripted people?Have you ever said to yourself OH BROTHER! after hearing someone speak?Have you ever been asked how are you or how was your weekend by someone you know does not really care?Has anyone ever tried to pass off manipulation as sincerity in your life?Do you know anyone who tries to say all the right things to get something they want out of you?Do you know anyone who will dress the part, play the part and even convince themselves they are the part in an attempt to maintain a position of power?Have you ever met a person who even believes their own lies?I classify all of the above people into a group called scripted people. Scripted people can be religious, or political or sales people or any person who places manipulation over being genuinely sincere. Scripted people live in fear of the truth or in fear of losing control. They are afraid their own worst beliefs about themselves will someday be validated by the people or circumstances that surround their life...
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Defeated Christians and Leaders
2008-05-11 16:54:00
The defeated?I am noticing as church attendance is on the decline an increased number of defeated christians and christian leaders. The leaders are let down by lack of church attendance, lack of offerings and some seem even feel let down by God Himself. Most of these defeated people at some point in time truly believed with all of their hearts that God was doing something big through them. These defeated people really believed that God was presenting them with great signs, wonders and financial provision to launch new movements. Many of these people even believed that God would use them to change the world. For many it started as a dream then lead to a Christian school and finally an ordination. These leaders worked hard, spent much time away from their families, wrote books and even traveled abroad preaching. They tried and tried, but only to fail or feel constantly defeated. Eventually many of these once passionate leaders feel let down by God and the people who surround their liv...
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Our First Home Purchase
2008-05-10 15:52:00
The reasons I have not posted in the past 2 weeks are the photos below. We closed on our first home and it was very stresssful and time consuming. My wife is a stay at home schooling mom and we had given up the dream of home ownership. The recent market down turn actually presented us with an opportunity to buy a house we could afford on a single income. I know it is very tough for many out there facing foreclosure, but we would have been happy living in an apartment until our children grew up and moved out. This house costs the same as renting considering the tax breaks. It was actually not that big of a deal for us to buy this first home. The number one reason we are pleased with this purchase is for the financial investment. We expect to use this house to pay for our children's college education someday. Who knows we may end up back in an apartment when our kids grow up. My main priority is to meet the needs of my two handsome boys and make sure they grow up to be mighty men ful...
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The Guild Family Puppy
2008-05-10 15:00:00
This is our new puppy. Her name is Lucy. We were hesitant to spend $350.00 on her, but we did it anyway. That night we got an unexpected surprise in the form of a reimbursement from the mortgage company for exactly $350.00. I do not attend or tithe to an institutional church. It amazes me when God winks! File date : Camera make : Camera model : Date/Time : Resolution : Flash used : Focal length : Exposure time: Aperture : Whitebalance : Metering Mode: Comment :
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Consequences of evil defined
2008-04-19 13:45:00
Evil Kills The SoulDo you ever wonder how some people become capable of committing violent acts of crime? Sometimes when I read these horrible news stories it depresses me for the next few hours of the day. Certain acts of cruelty committed by people are absolutely shocking to me. How do people get the place where they have no conscious? After a period of living under the influence of evil their soul dies. That is why many of these people live suicidal lifestyles that end up destroying them physically. Evil takes away your conscious allowing you to lie, kill, steal and destroy (even yourself) without any convictions. Eventually fear and the desire for control will dominate your every breath, every word and every action. A person consumed by evil can no longer be themselves because they no longer have a living soul. A cloud of chaos follows those consumed by evil everywhere they go and creating an ever-increasing appetite making it impossible to find contentment. Those consumed by ev...
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Spiritual Warfare Defined
2008-04-12 22:11:00
The origins of evilEvil actions are a symptom of evil that has already occurred. Evil begins in the heart before it manifests itself as an action. Look at marriage for instance. What makes a couple married is not the wedding day, but rather everything that led up to that day. A wedding is merely a public expression of something that has already occurred in the heart. Divorce is also a public expression of something that has already occurred. By the time an evil action occurs there has been much that has lead up to that moment. I guess you can say that evil is everything that lead to the evil action and the action is just a small part of the equation. Spiritual fruit is the manifestation of something that has already occurred in the heart prior to the action. Jesus said if you hate someone in your heart that you are guilty of murder. By the time a murderer kills his victim many things have happened leading up to that point. It is natural for a human to just see the murder itself as e...
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Evil Satan Defined
2008-04-05 17:34:00
The nature of the worst forms of evilMost people with common sense know the obvious types of evil, but today I am going to define the less obvious types of evil. At times it may seem like I am exalting satan, but please know that I am not. The darkest form of evil is in the less obvious and more deceptive form. This form of evil looks good, feels good and says all the right things in order to deceive the less suspecting victim. The true nature of deception is it's ability to completely go unnoticed by its victim.Evil is beautifulEvil is beautiful because the Bible says that satan comes as an angel of light. The most powerful form of evil makes itself alluring to people. In order to deceive you have to look good so that people will feel drawn by your appearance. When Saul was made king of Israel one of the reasons the people chose him was the fact that he was handsome. A good appearance not only draws people, but causes them to assume good qualities exist. Ask yourself this question...
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Christians are their own worst enemy Written by a Christian
2008-03-08 14:47:00
Most of the church believes the world is getting worse and that evil will win the battle for this world? The church will never improve a world in which they have written off as evil. Few Christian s actually have faith in good. Christian's have become pessimistic and cynical people known for seeing the worst in society. Most Christians repel the love of God, the love of others and even the love of their own children. If you cannot accept your redeemed self then you will never believe God and others will accept you. Christians miss out on spiritual community allowing their wounds to sabotage any hope for healthy relationships. Christians hide their sins because they are afraid others will judge them the same way they judge others. Church starts in the home and our homes are divided, our children are abandoned and our hidden hearts are filled with loneliness. Christians may actually be playing a role in the destruction of modern society.Even the good works the church does are often ro...
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Embracing Struggles and Pain
2008-03-01 11:27:00
This Week's StrugglesThis week I came down with the worst flu that I have ever experienced. Sunday and Monday I felt tired and had a headache, and then Tuesday woke up with lungs that felt strange. As I began my work day Tuesday my physical health declined quickly. Within 3 hours my back started aching, I felt a weight on my chest and incredible fatigue. I had to leave work early. My fellow employees wondered why I even showed up at work. The answer is simply that I have only called in sick 3 times in 3 years. Once I called in sick because my 5 year old at the time went into convulsions after a bark scorpion sting and the other was when my wife and 2 sons were all vomiting with a severe case of the stomach flu. On this day I felt strange calling in sick the first time for my own illness, but I was so sick that I had no choice. I went straight home and to bed only to become worse as time progressed.On Wednesday I woke up at 6AM for a Doctors appointment. I was actually planning on g...
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Church Attendance Necessary?
2008-02-23 15:08:00
Is Church attendance necessary?Spirituality should be a natural part of our everyday life. Jesus said my sheep know my voice and they follow me. Church is not a physical place, we are the church. My church is a combination of me and my relationships with other children of God. Church is not to be centered on learning, but instead fellowship. We can study to show ourselves approved on our own time. Our giving is to be the giving of ourselves. Our gifts should not be the insult of a mere financial appeasement. Our worship is not to be limited to song, but a spiritual sense (built into us) of God’s greatness. Church is not to be a brand we market, a building we beautify as bait to lure people or a man behind a pulpit playing the role of a mediator. Any one who attempts to stand in the gap will be held to a higher standard. Is church really a place we attend?Today church is defined as something far smaller then God intended. We have reduced it to a place, a building, a particular bran...

Today's Church Defined
2008-02-16 14:16:00
A church without love is powerless in society. Most churches are more about making a name for themselves or making a dollar for their building fund then they are about genuine love. Most churches are more about serving the institution then they are about serving the people. This is why I am making my life about starting a spiritual revolution. Don't give to your church, but give to the neighbor who genuinely needs it. Don't go to church, be the church. Truly know what mercy and grace are so you can practice genuine mercy and grace every single day. Don't just stare at the back of a persons head every Sunday when you can look people in the eyes everyday. Don't learn the Bible without first learning to love.It is my son's birthday so I will not be writing a lengthy article today.
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Stress Management Defined
2008-02-16 13:28:00
A lecturer when explaining stress management to anaudience,Raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is thisglass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn'tmatter.It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in myright arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call anambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer Ihold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't beable to carry on. " "As with the glass of water, You have to put it down for a while and rest beforeholding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with theburden." "So, before you return home tonight, put the burden ofwork dow...
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Mark Driscoll Getting Power Hungry?
2008-02-10 00:50:00
Is Mark Driscoll getting power hungry?If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...........then it is a duck. Check out the link below...http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ html/localnews/2004020898_webmarshill18m. html
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Jana Guild's Blog
2008-02-09 19:30:00
Introducing my wife Jana Guild's Blog http://az-stay-home-school-mom.blogsp ot.com/She is as about as real as can be!

Connectors, Peacemakers, Reconcilers, Unity, Oneness
2008-02-09 17:27:00
We are all connected whether we like it or notFirst off, in order to maintain as healthy as possible connection to my readers I must boldly state that I am a Christian.Today I am going to write about spiritual connectedness. According to Hinduism and Buddhism there is in existence an universal soul or universal consciousness that impacts the world around us. Why as a Christian did I mention Hinduism? Let me ask you a question. Why did God lead the non-Jewish magi to baby Jesus using Astrology (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Mag i ) ? I mention Hinduism because it is proven to be the oldest religion in the world. Hinduism is dated as far back as 7,000 years ago. Before the word Jew existed Hinduism existed. Judaism started with Abram and Abram’s father in the Bible was most likely a Hindu. Where was God before the existence of Judaism? He had to exist in a form of monotheistic Hinduism. If you do some homework you will find out not all Hindus are polytheistic (see http://...
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Dave Hunt and Roger Oakland Slander Rick Warren
2008-02-05 02:05:00
Why did Chuck Smith believe the lies of Dave Hunt and Roger Oakland ?Here is the article that beautifully refutes Roger Oakland and Dave Hunt's false accusations Click Here -> http://abanes.com/cc.htmlRichard Abanes deserves much respect for the excellent skill he employed when writing this article. I do not agree completely with Rick Warren , but I love his attempt to make the world a better place. In a way Rick Warren is a pre-millenialist who acts and lives like a post-millenialist. I happen to be a postmillenialist, preterist who believes God can and will turn this world around through His church. I despise the way most Christian bank upon the world getting worse and worse. I believe The Left Behind theory is pure poison and unbiblical. I see premillenialism as a very negative view point that makes God out to be a loser. I do not believe that satan is the God of this world as most christians do. If I am challenged in my beliefs I am more then able to stongly defend my position...

God Created Dreamers
2008-01-27 21:11:00
Who are the dreamers described sometimes by the terms below?FeelersProphetsVisionariesArtistsCo nnectednessEmotionalWord of KnowledgeDiscernmentPsychologistsActivist sSpiritual EyeIntuitersPerceptionBelieversFaithHopeM otivatorsSocionics is one of the ways God designed uniqueness and dependency within humanity. Each Socionic type has a complimentary type. Socionics represents how God uses the unique gifts He has given us to build each other up. Socionics is a law that functions whether we realize it or not. Understanding Socionics creates a way to know how certain types of people can enhance our life. All humans have physiological weaknesses. Socionics reveal how establishing the right types of relationships with the right types of people can enhance our lives. Understanding Socionics will better enable us to know with whom we can benefit most and the specific ways we can better the lives of other socianic types. In Socionics I can learn how people need each other by God’s design.Bel...

Worship Defined in Layman's Terms
2008-01-20 17:00:00
Worship, Spirituality and Art IntersectWhat makes people spiritually alive? Let’s talk about art and how it ties into the spiritual. Human beings are the only creature with artistic abilities. As humans our artistic abilities set us apart amongst all living species. The word holy in the Bible is defined as being set apart for God's purposes. Animals do not give amazing speeches, write diverse music, perform entertaining dramas, build diverse structures, paint amazing pictures or choreograph advance dance routines. If you watch an animal for a number of days you will find they live out of pure instinct as do spiritually dead humans. Animals find nothing interesting about watching TV or listening to music. If you change an animal’s environment or give them a unique problem to solve they usually do not fare well. One of the foremost traits of all humans is some sort of artistic ability. God created man in His image and obviously passed along the artistic characteristic of His crea...
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Love fulfills law, God’s word is living and bigger than the Bible alone
2008-01-13 18:08:00
Love is truth, God is love, the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. The same freedom we gain from God’s love is also gain with truth because truth and love are synonymous. Love does not lie, but always is the truth.I have been studying the Bible for 24 years. I have gotten to the point where it is written on my heart and never returns void. I now live and breathe the word because it is written on my heart. I have grown up spiritually and am no longer a baby. We all have to grow up and learn to speak on our own at some point. RIGHT?When Jesus gave the 2 commandments that fulfill the whole law there was no printed New Testament. For almost 1500 years Christians survived without a printed Bible. When the apostles carried the gospel to a new city they carried it in their hearts it was not yet in print. It is possible to worship a printed book and fail to have a relationship with the true and living God. The Pharisees knew the law to the letter, but failed to recognize the messiah ...
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Love fulfills law, God’s word is living and bigger then the Bible alone
2008-01-13 18:08:00
Love is truth, God is love, the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. The same freedom we gain from God’s love is also gain with truth because truth and love are synonymous. Love does not lie, but always is the truth.I have been studying the Bible for 24 years. I have gotten to the point where it is written on my heart and never returns void. I now live and breathe the word because it is written on my heart. I have grown up spiritually and am no longer a baby. We all have to grow up and learn to speak on our own at some point. RIGHT?When Jesus gave the 2 commandments that fulfill the whole law there was no printed New Testament. For almost 1500 years Christians survived without a printed Bible. When the apostles carried the gospel to a new city they carried it in their hearts it was not yet in print. It is possible to worship a printed book and fail to have a relationship with the true and living God. The Pharisees knew the law to the letter, but failed to recognize the messiah ...
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Christian Accountability Partners Necessary?
2008-01-13 18:02:00
This is just my opinion, but I must say that I completely disagree with the standard Christian idea of accountability partners.Do I need someone to keep me accountable for the following?-Loving my wife-Loving and tending to my children-Taking care of myself-And most importantly loving GodWhen I was a child I did need 2 loving parents to teach me and keep me accountable. Did you brush your teeth? Did you take a bath? Did you do your homework? Now that I am grown up reality and the Holy Spirit work in a partnership to keep me accountable. If I did not brush my teeth I would have large dental bills. If I did not keep myself clean I would lose my job. If I did not work a little harder at the office when necessary I would fail to make progress. If I ignored The Holy Spirit my life would lack joy, peace and the Spirit in me would be grieved.If I were spiritually enslave to addictions to drugs or alcohol then I would need an accountability partner from AA or NA to call me everyday. If I wa...
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Organic Church Organic Giving Part 2
2008-01-06 18:58:00
Organic Church DefinedI saw this simple definition at OrganicChurch.Com. “Organic is love not legalism. Organic is faith without religion. Organic is spirituality without elitism. Organic is church without the artificial crap”. The model we currently follow for conducting church is a protestant mock up of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther the founder of Protestantism was in fact a Catholic priest. Today instead of priests we have Pastors, Ministers or Reverends. It is important to know that when the Roman Emperor Constantine merged religion and politics he created a church that was unnatural. The Roman Christians / Catholics then began to steal pagan temples and turn them into churches. Before Constantine there were no church buildings the oldest ruins of a church building date back between 300 and 400AD. These so-called Christian leaders launched the crusades and even invented holidays like Christmas and Easter to compete against pagan holidays. Rome launched a campaign agains...
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Organic Church Organic Giving
2007-12-26 13:40:00
What do you think about when you consider the term Organ ic Church ?My next article will about organic church. Maybe some of my readers would like to help by sharing some ideas on the subject. Since I am going to spend the next week with my dad and extended family I thought I would seed the topic. On the long drive my wife Jana and I often share in fantastic conversations about these issues. A dear friend of mine had a dream where God spoke to him and said "Just Be". Here is the question. What is the difference between doing church and being church?What do you think about when you consider the term Organic Giving ?When I do something special for the ones closest to me, I never feel the need to tell anyone about my good deeds. Then when I do something for a stranger I am always tempted to boast about it. I think the differences between the two different types of giving and the desire to tell people is simply motive. When we give to out family we consider it our responsibility ...

Christian Depression
2007-12-22 18:13:00
Physical Symptoms - Depression has physical and spiritual symptomsLast night my son Elijah had a burning fever. Usually when my kids are sick I let their bodies fight it off naturally. As their father I watch the symptoms carefully and let them be my guide to the next course of action. The human body communicates very efficiently when there is a battle going on inside us. Yesterday Elijah said his knees were hurting and this was an indication that a flu virus was affecting his joints. When he gets a fever we measure his temperature and if it gets too high or lasts more then a few days then we take him to the doctor.Change in consumption - Depression requires a change in spiritual and emotional dietChange is good when a person gets sick. I am going to take extra good care of Noah my eight year old to try to prevent him from catching it. Today I will be going to the store to get some juice, popsicles and other items for them to consume. They will drink more fluids today then usual. I ...
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Phoenix Preacher Bans Joshua Guild
2007-12-20 01:53:00
Phoenix Preacher Banned me todayIn order to prevent gossip I decided to post my last comment on PhoenixPreacher below. The following was the last formal comment by me on December 19th 2007. I am not joking when I say that this is the actual comment that got me banned."Everything God does is motivated by love. When God executes His wrath He is protecting His people. God obeys His own rules concerning love. Without love there is no power to conquer. Where there is no love there is worthlessness. God does not exist in evil, God is light and cannot exist in darkness. The fruit of the spirit is love and that means where love exists so does God. Love is the evidence (fruit) of God’s very existance and that is why where love is not present God’s power to conquer is not present and all efforts become worthless.God cannot be connected with the cruel actions taken upon the innocent or any other form of evil. God weeps with us when we fall victim to the sins of others. When the curse ...
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Christmas Defined by Jana Guild
2007-12-19 02:20:00
I need to do some venting, I hope you don't mind. Sometimes I have a hard time expressing what is in my heart by using my mouth. This is not directed at anyone specifically, I’m just writing about something my heart has been feeling. Over the years, Josh’s jokes about Christmas have always bugged me because I have wanted him to really be part of the season. However, when the Bible said that the two shall become one, it has been happening in a number of areas in my mind and in my heart. The same Spirit that lives in my husband lives in me and that same Spirit lives in all who are God’s children.I was having a hard time with Christmas and knowing exactly how to define it to my sons. Last year I heard a P.E. Coach speaking to the kids in an angry tone and telling them Christmas is not about presents, it's about Jesus. The guilt trip he was placing on the kids bothered me. After all, it is quite often the parents that get the kids all excited about presents and the seas...
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Gay Christians are my Friends
2007-12-15 15:45:00
A man whom I greatly admire posted a question on his blog regarding gay Christians . Below are my thoughts.Who am I to judge where a person is at on their spiritual journey?When I was God's enemy He not only sought me out, but He loved me and drew me unto Himself. I was chosen before the foundation of the world and it had absolutely nothing to do with my works. In God's sovereignty He knew exactly what it would take and how much time it would take to get me to where I am now.Where am I now you ask? Who do I think I am? Here is the answer. The more I know the more I realize I am no better than anyone else. The more I know the bigger God becomes and the smallness of my knowledge of Him becomes more apparent. Yet through the course of this journey even in my arrogance God has chosen to love me even adopting me as His child.The rudest people I have met have been Christians. The nicest people I have met would be considered vile sinners by the church. Something is terribly wrong when Chr...
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Church Defined for a High School Project
2007-12-15 03:50:00
A Calvary Chapel high school student recently e-mailed me asking if he could interview me concerning my emerging church. It honestly took me 20 minutes to write the following.1. How did your church come to be (history)Over the last 24 years of being a Christian I have established many meaningful relationships. Today I have been available to minister to these friends in Christ. Usually when I make a friend I keep them in my life showing genuine love for them. Over the years I have continued study the Bible at my leisure, I fellowship with more mature believers and read the writings of many. I pass on the truths that God uses others to bring into my life. 2. When and where do you have fellowship?I have fellowship in both my home and my friends’ homes. Sometimes we meet at a Starbucks like this past Sunday. Through-out the week we call each other on the phone and sometimes we request prayer. All of us are very close like a family.3. What do your gatherings look like?They look like...
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