Acts 5:40-42 NKJV - [40] And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten [them], they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. [41] So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. [42] And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus [as] the Christ.
In Acts 5 the apostles found themselves in a very trying situation. They had already been put into prison for preaching about Jesus. Then they were miraculously liberated by the angel of the Lord and told to go "speak the words of this life" in the temple, which led to them once again being brought before the authorities and questioned. Upon proclaiming Jesus as the Christ and confronting the council about murdering Him, the angry council was planning to kill the apostles. However, they were cautioned by Gamaliel and instead settled for beating them and commanding them to no longer teach and preach about Jesus. This is such an interesting ordeal, but what I find most interesting is how the apostles responded to it all. For one thing, they kept obeying God and His will for them no matter what it cost them. Prison, threats, beatings, and even death were not enough to stop or silence them. Not only did they remain fiercely obedient, but they did so with startling exuberance. After narrowly escaping being killed and then being beaten, they went their way REJOICING because of the persecution. Rejoicing. This is not a reaction we're accustom to in the day in which we live. The reaction of the apostles seems odd until you realize that they were just living the teaching of Jesus. Matthew 5:11-12 NKJV - [11] "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. [12] "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great [is] your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. My son and I were discussing the story from Acts 5 and he pointed out how the apostles probably didn't have much energy or strength left after the beating, but they used what was left to rejoice and praise God. They could have used whatever they had left to complain, throw a pity party, and question why they were living for the Lord, but they didn't. They rejoiced. They counted themselves blessed to know and serve Jesus and nothing that happened to them was going to change that. I want to live like this. I don't want to live my life with my head hung low, lamenting the bad things that happen to me, questioning God, and wondering why I'm serving Him. I want to rejoice no matter what situation I find myself in. Lord, help me to remember how blessed I am to know you and to be thankful that I can bring glory to your name even if it means that I have to suffer. This is not an easy prayer to pray, but it's the way our Lord and Savior intends for us to be living. What are you facing? What are you going through? Do you feel beaten up? Do you feel like there's barely any life left in you? Take a cue from the apostles; lift your head, be thankful, and rejoice because YOU ARE BLESSED. It may not feel like it all the time. The blessing might feel more like a curse some days, but no matter what you're facing YOU ARE BLESSED when you suffer for His sake. Use whatever strength and life you have left to rejoice and honor God and watch how he uses your suffering to change the world around you. Rejoice today... You are persecuted. You are suffering. You are frustrated. YOU ARE BLESSED! In Christ, Patrick Thomson
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Think about this scripture text in the light of today’s society:
2 Tim. 3:1-4 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” We live in that day and it’s a very selfish time and it’s all about us: • What do I want? • What do I want to own? • What do I want to eat? • What do I want to wear? • What do I want others to think of me? • What do I want to do with my time? • What do I want? Our days have become filled with what we want and sadly we are less concerned with what others want or need. This spirit of the world is in direct contradiction to the word of God. Phil. 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." But, I’ve got to look out for me, because if I don’t no one else is going to. But, as we are living our selfish life, is that what really matters? Are we getting out of life what we’re supposed to be getting out of life? So, what does God want? Thankfully, what God wants is not hidden, but we can find it in His Word. 2 Pet. 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Regardless of what we have wanted for our lives, God wants us to be saved from our sins and not be lost. God wants each one of us to break free from the constraints of our sinful flesh and to overcome sin’s pull on our lives. He is “not willing”. God is not going to sit idly by while sin and hell ravages our lives. In fact, God is going to do everything that He can to set us free from sins incarceration. One of the ways that He does this is found in another scripture text that shows us what God wants: 1 Cor. 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God wants us to know that the temptations that trip people up are going to try to be active in our lives as well, but we don’t have to be taken down by them. Temptations do not have to rule over us and we can escape its pull. Don’t ever look at any child of God and say “if I could be like them I wouldn’t have the problems I have.” God wants you to know that you don’t have to be taken down by this world’s temptations. When you stop asking “what do I want” and you start searching for “what does God want”, it changes your life. John 10:10 shows us what the devil wants and what God wants, in one scripture: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." If you follow after sin and the flesh, you’re going to get what the devil wants. The devil is more than willing: • To steal your soul • To kill your spirit • To destroy your life But, the Lord wants you to have life, and that more abundantly: • A life without fear • A life without regret • A life lived to the full • A life lived with power, purpose, and direction I could bring you scripture on top of scripture, but let it suffice to say that “what God wants” is more for you. God wants you to have: • More love • More power • More strength • More life • And more eternity Maybe it’s time to see what God wants! Pastor Hoffman Hope. It's a pretty elusive 4 letter word. I don't mean that it is hard to find, but more that it is hard to define. For the sake of all the smartelics out there, the dictionary definition for the word "Hope" is "to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true". This is great start I believe, but the elusiveness that I mentioned before comes into play when we think about hope outside of just ourselves. What gives me hope could be very different from what gives you hope. Also, the things that you hope for are more than likely different than what someone on the other side of the world hopes for. Which brings us back to the original statement of how do we define something that is different for every person? The short answer is we don't, but God does.
Let's approach it biblically and then we will come back to how it applies to you and I. We know that hope is necessary for a few different reasons. The first being that hope is needed when faith is involved. We know that "faith is the substance of things hoped for", so without hope faith is not produced. The reason many begin to lose their faith is simply because they have already lost their hope. This leads to the second reason hope is necessary, which is that without hope we are lost. Paul wrote to remind the church in Ephesus about this very thing by saying "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). There is one final point about biblical hope that is the most important and I intentionally left out of the first two reasons. Our hope must be in Jesus Christ. Every other thing is fallible. If I hope in God and not the things of this world I can rest assured that I will be safe (Proverbs 29:25). Hope is something that looks different from every person's perspective because we all have different situations, circumstances, and problems that our hope is being applied to. That is why it is hard to define on our own. What we can agree on, however, is that our hope is (or should be) in Jesus. He can be the "author and finisher of faith" or first and final say in our lives if we put our hope in him. It's then that faith has it's full potential and the things unseen can begin to become a reality. Put your hope in someone that will never leave you or forsake you and see how your environment changes. So how do we define hope? The answer is we don't, but God does. Coburn Hoffman As a kid, one of the popular field trip destinations was to Luhr Park. It seemed like every year or every other year we would find ourselves there walking nature trails, or making bird feeders out of pine cones. While it was nice to get away from the heavy work load of my elementary school career, most of this didn't leave an impression on me. I can't recall most of what happened, but on several of those trips, especially the younger years, there was one activity that I can recall with a great amount of clarity. The person in charge would have us walk up to these boxes that we couldn't see in and feel what was in the boxes to try and guess what it was.
For most of my peers this was a chance to show how brave they were. For others a slight fear or apprehension could be seen on their faces. For myself, this was a specific torture aimed in my direction. They wanted all of us to do it, but I don't like anything that puts me in front of a crowd. That being only a minor flaw compared to the complete trust I was asked to give to this park employee whom I barely knew and just hoped that she didn't stick a dead bird in that box. Now, I know what you're thinking, what kind of sick person would force first graders to touch dead birds and as an adult I know how ridiculous this sounds. But that's all that crossed my mind as I anxiously watched the children in front of me take their turns. I remember how usually I would hang back not wanting to be a part of the crowd, but this time I was drawn in with suspense as children stuck their hands in slowly to discover the lifeless robin surely waiting on the other side. I remember how we would all jerk back when the student jerked their hand out quickly confused by what they were touching only to find out it was a cotton on the stem. I soon came to discover there was in fact no dead birds but various plants and things related to nature and after many of my friends reviewed their experience, the park employee earned enough trust for me to come to the same conclusion. It's not easy putting your trust into someone. If you are in a group project, you want to be partnered with a friend or someone who is known for having good grades. Someone who puts little effort into their work could possibly give the same effort to your combined work. When you go to a new restaurant, with the help of online reviews or past experiences from friends and family, you can decipher how much you too will enjoy the experience. You risk wasted money, a chance at a good meal, and possible illness from a shady looking eatery. There are risks, but there are also missed opportunities from not having a little faith. There could be new friends to be made on branching out in your group projects. There could be amazing meals in restaurants that have little being said about them. Sometime we have to just risk it and go all in. In Mark chapter 10 and starting at verse 46 we see someone who set aside their risks to take part in an opportunity. Bartimaeus heard Jesus was coming and being blind, he saw an opportunity to be healed. He begin to cry out, "Jesus son of David have mercy on me!" He had no idea where Jesus was, he was a beggar on the streets and begun to make a scene in front of all these people who wanted to get a closer look at Jesus. They were annoyed by his disruption. Mark 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. But Bartimaeus was all in! He had no idea what was going to happen. He relied on the change from these people to get what little he could. To make them angry was a financial risk to his way of life. If one of them tried to harm him, he wouldn't be able to see what was headed his way. Yet here he was faced with an opportunity that could make his life better and Bartimaeus had to go all in. He had to put all his trust on Jesus and all he had heard about Him. Bartimaeus was noticed by Jesus. Jesus called Bartimaeus to him and said: Mark 10:51-52 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. Bartimaeus no longer had to beg. He didn't have to risk his life trying to get through town. He could now see because he was noticed by Jesus. We could sit down and list all that could go wrong, we could hide our heads in the sand and hope to just make it through, or we could try it the way God intended and go all in. Trusting that God can see you through and that he isn't trying to put you in harms way is not the easiest option, but what if it could make your life better? Is that a risk that you are willing to take? May we all look pasts the risks, to the opportunity for a better life, Amber Klein I recently read a post by Derald Weber, where he said “There are 3 lies the devil told Israel when it was time to go into Canaan. The same 3 lies he tells God's church today. 1: The enemy’s too strong. 2: Your need is too great. 3: And there’s no help coming.” So I began to ponder these 3 lies and how actively the enemy uses them against so many people.
The 1st lie the enemy tells is probably the one he uses the most. He tries to convince us that everything is against us and there is no way to ever win. This lie is not just used against the lost, but it’s used against the church as well. The enemy of the church wants to paralyze the body of Christ into not trying to reach any other souls. If he can make us believe that what he is doing cannot be changed or overcome by anything else, then we will give in and give up. Don’t believe this lie, but instead reach out to the lost. The 2nd lie plays upon people’s feeling and judgment of them self. I think at our core we all think our need is too great. We know the “us” that no one else can ever know. If you can imagine how much of a hindrance this could be for a child of God, then try to fathom how debilitating this is for someone who is trying to come out of sin. To someone who is trying to break free from the pull of self, sin, and the world the lie of your need being too great would be more easily digested. We must believe for ourselves and help those around us see that Jesus can take care of any need that we will ever have. The 3rd lie adds to the hopelessness that already exists in our world. For someone who feels like they are pushed into the corner, to believe that they are never going to receive help would be a grievous way to live. Let me encourage someone today. Help has already come and he will not give up trying to reach you. If you will just turn to the Lord and surrender to His will he has already paid for all the help you need. This is the truth: Jesus is the answer to the questions and the needs that exist in your life. Don’t listen to the devil’s lies, Pastor Hoffman "Is it in you?". That is the question that was asked in the ubiquitous ads put out in the early 2000's by the Gatorade sports drink company. These ads asked athletes if "IT" was in them. It was a question as to what was fueling them, and were they driven by a drive and passion deep inside to compete at the highest level. I understand that this was a marketing campaign designed to sell a product and that they were ultimately asking "are you drinking Gatorade?", but there is a truth to what the ads were implying: To be successful as an athlete "IT" must be in you, pushing you even past your physical limits to keep you going when you want to give up. If you were to go back through history and examine the athletic careers of the most prominent and successful athletes you will likely find that there was an almost superhuman drive in them. When obstacles that would have derailed the average person presented themselves, these athletes pushed through them. When they felt discouraged and wanted to give up they kept pushing on. Rejection, injury, personal loss, and the agony of defeat were not enough to stop them, but only made them better and more determined to be successful. "IT" was most certainly in them.
I am reminded of the prophet Jeremiah, who became weary with delivering the word of the Lord to the people. He had become a laughingstock for delivering God's word (Jeremiah 20:8), but in spite of the weariness, the frustration, and the shame it brought he couldn't stop proclaiming what God gave him to say. He wanted to stop, but he simply couldn't. Why? Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV - [9] Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But [His word] was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding [it] back, And I could not. The reason he couldn't stop is because "IT" was in Jeremiah, driving and pushing him past his weariness, past his fear, past his frustration. There were plenty of reasons to give up and quit, but there was a cause that was greater than those reasons. There was a burning inside of him that wouldn't let him just stand silently in the shadows while his community advanced in a downward spiral of sin and darkness. He had to do something no matter what it might cost him. They weren't listening. They didn't see any merit to his pleas. They mocked him. There was an onslaught outside him pressuring him to give up, but "IT" was in him pushing him through all of that to continue speaking God's word to the lost souls. Now here we are in 2018 and just like Jeremiah we're surrounded by people who are in a nose dive toward hell fire with no parachute to slow them down. The very concept of God and eternity is being eroded at a rapid rate in our society and sin is being celebrated like never before. The question is not "is there a cause?", because there most definitely is one. The question is not "do people need to hear our testimony?", because they no doubt need to hear it. The question is, is there a passion inside of you to involve yourself in the cause? Is there a drive within you to do something about the lost and hurting world around you? Is there a burning inside of you pushing you past your fears, past the nay-saying voices, and beyond the seemingly insurmountable odds? Are you just going to sit by while sin continues to destroy the lives all around you? The question is, is it in you? There is too much to do, there are too many lost souls, and we are too close to the coming of the Lord for the church to be apathetic and silent. We need to be praying like never before, we need to be committed to our local church like never before, we need to be in the Word of God like never before, and we need to be telling people about Jesus and sharing our testimony like never before. We need "IT" to be in us. So, "IS IT IN YOU?" Patrick Thomson Besides God, what else persuades you the most in life?
That might be an easy question to answer, but it also may be a difficult or disturbing question to answer. Our lives have been compelled by so many different things throughout the course of our days. What compelled us 10 or 20 years ago may not compel us today. I began to think about this when I was reading 2nd Corinthians 5:12-15. "For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." Specifically, in verse 14, the NIV translation says "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." The word constrain used in the King James text, means “To compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force”. We have the love of God shed abroad in our hearts and this causes us to love God intensely. We desire to spend and be spent for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. In the New Testament the apostles endeavored to persuade men of the grace and salvation of God. It was the love of Christ that constrained them to act in this manner. The word sunechoo [Constraineth us] properly means that the "impelling, or exciting motive in the labors and self-denials" of Paul was the love of Christ. It was this love which Paul showed to those he came in contact with and tried to persuade and compel them to Christ. The bible says that Jesus Christ so loved the world that he gave himself for it and His love for the world was a demonstration that people were dead in sins and needed a way out of that sinful life. We are now urged by the same love and we are prompted to acts of zeal and self-denial to save the world from ruin. Those of us who have been redeemed by the one who for their sake died and rose again should now live wholly for their Lord. Not for ourselves. 1 Cor 6:19-20 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. The love of God has a way of inciting and compelling more from our lives than would have ever been possible without God. We are the work of the potter’s hands and we are being shaped and molded into what God so desires us to be. His love should be manifested from our lives in all that we do, so that we example the Lord through our words and actions. We must be constrained by the love of Christ. Eph 3:17-21 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. I desire to be compelled by God’s love to fulfill His will, Pastor Hoffman You can tell a lot about a person when they answer the question of whether they are a dog or cat person. There are certain characteristics that go with both of those animals that tend to be the exact opposite of the other. Dogs want to be loved any time they can get it, but cats want love strictly on their own time. Cats have a mind of their own and Dogs learn from their owners how they should mind. I can probably think of many more examples where they are different, but you get the idea. We can learn a lot about a person when they choose which pet they prefer. And if they are one of the weirdos that prefers neither, you realize that they obviously are missing some part of their soul and need prayer. Jokes aside, I believe there are even biblical examples of this question that prove true. I should admit beforehand that I’m a dog person, so this next part may seem a bit biased. In my defense though, I believe I am rightly dividing the word of truth.
At the end of Luke 10, there is a short story of two sisters named Mary and Martha. They’d just opened up their home to some very important guests and Martha was running all over the place. Mary, on the other hand, has made herself comfortable right in front of the most important guest, Jesus. This doesn’t bode well with Martha though because, just like any sibling relationship, the chores need to be evenly shared or you call them out on it. Martha, being wise beyond her years, decides she will bypass the argument and just address it with the one who is at the center of Mary’s attention. This is the point where I feel Jesus tells Martha she’s a cat person. The original text reads in verse 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” What does that have to do with being a cat person you might ask? If I’m being honest, not too much scriptural, but for the sake of my illustration I will attempt to add a little interpretation. When we look at the current situation that Martha and Mary are in, we see a lot of similarities in our own lives. There are points where we are concerned with what we want to get done. There are other points in our lives where we are consumed by only what needs to be done. It’s not my place to tell you what you want, but we all know exactly what we need every single day. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.." (Matthew 6:33). In this instance, Martha was a lot like a cat because she was distracted by what she wanted. Regardless of who was in the room or what everyone else was doing, Martha had a mind of her own (just like a cat). Jesus tells her this very point and reminds her of what she needs all in two sentences. The truth is that when we realize we need God first and foremost we not only get something that can’t be taken from us, but we get so many other things added as a benefit. Regardless of which kind of pet you prefer, we can all agree that making God and the things of God a priority is the most important choice. When your Martha wants start to get the best of you, remember to be a bit more like Mary and focus on what you need. Seek first his kingdom. Your fellow dog person, Coburn Hoffman It’s hard to believe but half of the year is now history. I guess it’s true that as you get older, time seems to go faster. It seems like the year just began and now we are getting ready to enter the seventh month.
So, we’re half the way through and I’ve got some questions: • How’s your first half of 2018 going? • Have you gotten done what you intended? • Did you have any new year resolutions? • If you did, did you follow through with them? • Are you more intelligent, better fit and a more well-rounded person? But, in reality, the only question that truly matters is: • Are you closer to The Lord, than you were 6 months ago? • Do you know more of His Word? • Are you more attuned to His voice? • Have you gotten rid of those weights that were holding you back? • Is your prayer life better? I know that looks like 5 questions but, in reality, they all are in conjunction with the first one. We only have a finite amount of time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone and nothing we do will ever bring it back. We must make sure that with all of our work, rest, family time, and entertainment choices that we utilize the time we have with God and become better Christians. The Pentecostal evangelist and missionary, Charles Studd, penned the words "Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last.” So, since we are half the way through the year 2018... And since there is nothing we can do with the time that has already passed... And since we may have regrets or lost opportunities ... And since nothing will change any of that... WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE SECOND HALF? Psalms 90:12 says "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Let the rest of this year really matter: • Start that new prayer regimen • Get back into your Bible reading • Invest spiritually in a young person • Change your church attendance practices and stop missing • Reignite your family devotions • Draw closer to God and shed the worthless weights of this world • ___________________________________ (you fill it in) Make the most of the 6 months that are left in this year! Pastor Hoffman Do you remember the first time that you visited a car wash? I remember it seeming like a small-scale amusement park ride. We’d wait in line for our chance to go through and then once we’d pulled up to the entrance Dad would pay the fee to get in. Once we’d pull in and thread the needle on the correct place to catch the magic carpet (what was really the towing mechanism that pulled the cars), we moved through these stations of sprays, sponges, and soap. It seemed like each one was bigger and louder than the previous. The suds would make different designs as they were scrubbed all over the windows, which would make me think this is what it would look like on the inside of the mouth when we brush our teeth. After the suds had cleared and the water had washed away any remnants of residue you’d faintly hear this roar in the distance. Suddenly, the drops of water on the windshield seemed to get legs and scurry off the glass. Moments later I’d see the source of their energy which was this blower slowly lowering from the sky, getting louder and louder the closer it got. Once it had hovered over the entire length of the car, we usually received the green light to pull out and the sun would always seem brighter on the other side.
This was how I viewed the experience, but not everyone in my family had the same enjoyment. My little sister used (I don’t think she still is) to be very afraid of the whole car wash experience. She disliked it so much that when we would go as a family my mom would get out of the car with her before we went through. Once Dad and I had gone through the swishing and the washing of the car, there would be my mom and sister waiting to get back in. The experience of the car wash was totally different for me than it was for my sister, but in the end we both liked riding away in a shiny clean car. What I’ve been dancing around by telling this story is that although experiences can be shared they are not always shared in the same way. A church service is a great example of this because it is a place where many people from many backgrounds come together and have an experience with God. We all desire to be spiritually clean and free of the dirt of sin, but are we willing to go through the cleaning process that comes first? Unfortunately, there is no option to skip the cleaning process spiritually. We must come to the point where we realize that we are covered in dirt and need deliverance (every day). However, I’m happy to tell you that the price was already paid on Calvary and Jesus will wipe away every stain of sin. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He is faithful because his car wash (so to speak) is always open. He is just because he gives his grace freely. Not just freely either, but sufficiently. Regardless of how much dirt you may have, he’s going to give you as much grace as you need to come clean. So, whether you have been through the cleaning process many times or you are still standing on the outside wanting to get clean, he is still faithful and just. He is still in the cleaning business. Coburn Hoffman Just in case you were thinking it too, click here. |
First Thoughts
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