AWE- ALMIGHTY GOD!
Friday, December 2nd
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Amplified Bible
Thank You For The Songs That Speak God's Truth-Hope-Love Into My Heart
God Of My Days – Gateway Worship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsEkw-KGdZE
Hope of the daybreak as the son slowly rises. God of days, awaken me to Your hope today. Be the prince of our praise today.
You never leave us-You are our faithful God of today. Open our eyes, help us to see YOU as our constant companion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsEkw-KGdZE
#tworship
Awaken me to YOUR Omnipresence. I trust YOU, God of my DAY, every moment is in Your Mighty Hands. #AWE-GOD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsEkw-KGdZE
#tworship
God of my day, my eyes are on YOU, my hope is in YOU, my faith is in YOU today. Fully Focused- ALL IN with YOU
You, Lord God are the love of our lives! Awaken our souls to YOU today in #tworship - God of our day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsEkw-KGdZE
You Are Good – Kari Jobe
Everyday I will awaken my praise and pour out a song of worship from my heart. Awaken my praise in YOU today!
Your Goodness Draws me to your side
Your mercy calls me to be like you
Your Favor is my delight
Every day I'll awaken my praise and pour out a song from my heart! OH AWE-GOD Awaken our praise in 2012! Jesus!
You are good, You are good… AWE-GOD! Your mercy is forever! Infinitely so! Jesus!
We worship YOU, AWE-GOD! Awaken our souls in worship today Lord Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLY8wnsEtTQ
Mercy of God call us to be like YOU today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLY8wnsEtTQ
Awaken our souls in #Tworship today! You Are Good!
Exhortation- The Shepherd's Communicated Love-Wisdom!
I totally have been there, full out in ministry, working on staff and in ministry, there seem to be not enough minutes in a day. But what I learned might help you, take a good look at your inner life and make sure you are not compartmentalizing God. This may not even apply to you, but I was.
I felt I needed God more in ministry than at home, so I shut down when I was home, I was compartmentalizing His Presence, therefore having less JOY and less strength at home. God wants to break down the walls of compartment, He wants to simply-significantly flow throughout your whole day, to HIM there is not signification between your job, ministry, home - His power and presence are the same, yet somehow when we are at home after a very long day of work-ministry, we shut down, even on HIM, the very ONE who is the rest for our soul. When you "go" home after a long day of work-ministry, try to keep the common denominator of your life equation, Jesus, on the platform-position yourself so that never moves. So you have: Work/Jesus Ministry/Jesus Family/Jesus... Jesus makes all things ONE in the same because you are called to HIM 1st. You are not called to your ministry, to your occupation, you are called to JESUS!
I found in all my years of ministry that I felt "I" had to step up higher in "ministry-work" God always had me full out, yet when I came home, I stepped down a notch, began "doing life" instead of being found in God. I had a different level of intensity in my relationship to God at home then I did at work-ministry because I compartmentalized my life... Whewwww I am home, don't need so much of God's help here, this is my safe place, so you let down, step down and the equation becomes unbalanced without God as the common denominator. I had to learn not to compartmentalize God. He just is, He is being throughout my day, throughout my titles and even though I changed hats (administrative secretary, mom, wife, youth counselor, youth ministry, pastor's wife, daughter, sister, tape ministry, staff member and the list goes on…) so many times during the day, my feet were not always shod with the shoes of the gospel. Throughout the waking of each day till and through your sleeping, your common denominator is Jesus and HE makes every minute of your life a miracle-memory. So when you change your hat, don't change your shoes, make the common denominator of every titled equation JESUS and be called to HIM 1st and foremost throughout the whole of your day.
Am I compartmentalizing? You can prove this by your thought life. I always thought: " OMGosh I worked over 70 hours this week, but you don't ever say: "OMGosh, I was at home 28 hours this week" you count up your ministry/work hours, but not your home hours.... You compartmentalize and the hard part is, even though you are in "ministry" unto God, compartmentalizing leads to an undivided heart. You take God out of the equation at home, soon you will be taking Him out of the equation in other areas.
When I started my job on a staff in Florida, I could tell you how many hours I worked and "ministered" at the church, now, my life just runs together and I am wholly HIS. I don't know how much time I "give" to God for ministry, I just give to "GOD" all of my life, my whole day! Everyday, I am called to HIM 1st, everywhere I go and with everyone I am with. My life is in HIM, all of it. Play, Work, Ministry, Hobbie, Family, Church, Home, all of it runs the course with His Kingdom Purpose for me; every day I step into His Kingdom purpose flow and my life position is never compartmentalized, always pointing to HIM and for His Kingdom. At one point in my "ministry" when I was compartmentalizing my life, I completely burned out, emotionally-physically-spiritually. It was not pretty. I hit bottom and when I did, I found out that God was not the common denominator of my "whole life". I had compartmentalized my life by what I felt was "more important" to God's Kingdom and to those areas, the intensity of my relationship with God was stepped up. I used to say and feel when I got home: "I have nothing left". God put His spotlight on that and said to me: "How can it be? I AM the same power, at the same intensity, I do not change. So who changed?" I did! The one scripture He gave me that changed my life was in:
Isaiah 50: 10-11
Who is among you who [reverently] fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His Servant, yet who walks in darkness and deep trouble and has no shining splendor [in his heart]? Let him rely on, trust in, and be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon and be supported by his God. 11Behold, all you [enemies of your own selves] who attempt to kindle your own fires [and work out your own plans of salvation], who surround and gird yourselves with momentary sparks, darts, and firebrands that you set aflame!--walk by the light of your self-made fire and of the sparks that you have kindled [for yourself, if you will]! But this shall you have from My hand: you shall lie down in grief and in torment.
I compartmentalized my home life from my ministry life, when truly in God's eyes, they were the same life, with the same common denominator. I let down and stepped into my own strength at home. I can do this Lord, thanks for all your help today, but I've got this, this is my home, whewwwww I can relax and let down... So you kindle your own home fire, and you walk by the light of a man made fire and it torments your soul...
Kindling my own fire, walking by the light of a man made fire. I did this at times in all areas of my life, I would put my different hats on and I would step off the top of the platform, walking away from my common denominator in the areas I felt I did not need God, "you know, give you a break God, I can do this, this is easy compared to my last few hours." Warning: Just be so careful you don't compartmentalize God, it is so easy to do being in full time ministry, to leave the home out of the "full" to be completely called to God in one, but not the other. As a married couple, you need to hold each other accountable... Bob and I learned so much over the many years, and we together, tore down the walls of compartmentalizing, opening the door wide to God, keeping Him as our common denominator and in the many, many hats we wore, our shoes stayed the same, our feet shod with the Gospel, the Power and Presence of our AWE-GOD!
So, to stay accountable to each other, we used the term: "Omnipresent Reality Check"! Yes, I am home from work, switched hats, same God is here, same intensity, same power flow, same shoes, positioned the same and HE and all HIS provision is available to me here as it was at the youth rally I just taught at. When you compartmentalize, you change your position with every title you wear, think about it... you should be fully facing Your God, always... called to HIM 1st and positioned in HIM, He is the common denominator of your life and when you step off this platform, the solution does not equate, you can't solve it and it torments your soul. It is so easy to do being in ministry, compartmentalize… thinking, I can find rest for my soul at home, but not at work-ministry; I can work-ministry full out for God, fully facing God, positioned in Him, but don't need that same intensity at home.
God's Intensity, God's Sweet Soul Rest, God's Mighty Power, God's Incredible Wisdom, God's Amazing Joy, God's Unyielding Strength, God's Plenteous Provision, God's Perfect Purpose they are ALL in the EVERYTHING of our lives, we damn up the flow by compartmentalizing our lives, and He asks us this one thing: "Precious One, Be ALL IN with ME, keep me as the Common Denominator of Your every minute to your every choice and you will look back with heavenly hindsight at all the miracle moments you are leaving behind as a living legacy, in the whole of your life."
Selah! Think on this: Your life legacy cannot pay forward the fullness of God's life if you compartmentalize your time. Make sure your life is not compartmentalized, it chains you, it divides your heart focus. Let your heart be free, tear down the walls of compartmentalization, no chains on YOU, be free in Christ! Always…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzu3m9M03sc&feature=related
No Chains By Chris Tomlin
This is my song, the one God gave me about staying FULL-OUT And FULL IN With Him! It is called Always by Martin Chalk, I have it posted at my site here:
Always….
Always I will worship, my life will be one of Worship… Always… no compartmentalizing… just being…always!
http://thebridegroomscafe.com/llliveit777.htm
Always: FULL OUT- ALL IN With My AWE-GOD!
QUOTES THAT ENCOURAGE-INSPIRE GROWTH-CHANGE ME
Behold! I have engraved you on the palms of My hands!" Isaiah 49:16 "Behold," says Immutable One, "I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." Not on the mountains, colossal as they are, for they shall depart; on no page of nature's vast volume, for the last fires shall scorch them; not on blazing sun, for he shall grow dim with age; not on glorious heavens, for they shall be folded together as a scroll. But on... the hand which made the worlds, the hand which was transfixed on Calvary, the hand of might and love; I have engraved you there! No corroding power can efface the writing, or obliterate your name!
Quote By: John MacDuff
40 Day Spiritual Journey To A Generous Life! http://www.generouslife.org/book.pdf
By Brian Kluth
Day Four:
The LORD watches your giving. By Brian Kuth
Mark 12:41 Jesus watched the crowd put the money into the temple treasury. Does you pastor know how much you give? People would be offended by that. Jesus watches our giving, every time there is an opportunity to give. Pastor know everything about our lives except our giving. They know so many things about people, but what they give. It is okay to know everything else, but not about money. Luke 21:11 Jesus saw them put gifts into the temple treasury. God knows everything you have to live on, feed your kids, everything you need and that is why tithing is given in a spirit of trust to God, because He knows all. Once in a church: All tithers stand and we will bless your giving, all others stand and we will pray you repent.
Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on."
Luke 21:1 Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.
2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
Exodus 35:22,27,29 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD…The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems… All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.
2 Chronicles 24:10-11 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.
Your bank and credit card statements are theological documents. They tell who and what you worship. Brian Kluth
With the price of everything else going up these days, aren't you glad the Lord hasn't increased the tithe to 15%? Brian Kluth
Practical Advice about Giving
By Brian Kluth, Pastor and Founder of www.MAXIMUMgenerosity.org
Here is some practical advice for people who have questions, doubts or
fears about giving to the Lord's work.
If you are NOT a Christian: Don't focus on giving to God. Instead,
realize and accept what God wants to give to you—complete forgiveness,
a brand new start, the power to be good and to do good for others, help for
your problems, the ability to forgive, and a home in heaven. If you recognize
your need for these things, pray and invite Jesus Christ to bring these things
into your life.
For all Christians: Always make it a priority to faithfully support the work
of your local church first. Then give special gifts and offerings to other
Christian causes, projects, missions or the needy as God leads you.
If you're fearful about giving 10% or more of your income to the Lord,
try a 90-day test:
In Malachi 3:10 God invites people to "test Him" in the
matter of tithing (giving the first 10% of your income to God's work).
Therefore, I encourage people to try a 90-day test. Begin giving 10% of
your income to the Lord's work and watch and see if God does not begin
working in your life in ways you haven't previously experienced. If you
regret that decision OR if you feel you never experienced God's divine help
in your finances during this time period, then discontinue the test. However,
if you experience God's help, joyfully continue giving 10% or more to the
Lord's work.
If you want to begin to actively give to God FIRST:
Here are four
different ideas to choose from:
1) Whenever you get any money, set aside 10% or more to
give as the Lord directs.
2) Whenever you put a deposit in your
checkbook, write out the first check(s) to God's
work for 10% or more.
3) If you track your finances through a bookkeeping
system or computer program, set
up a category for church giving and another
one for other Christian causes. Then begin
to faithfully set aside 10% or more of your
income into these accounts.
4) If you like to handle your finances electronically, consider using
www.networkforgood.org or the electronic giving option from your
church (if available) to faithfully give 10% or more to the Lord.
If you are married to a Christian, but the two of you do not agree on
how much you should give to the Lord's work:
See if your spouse will read through this material and/or listen to some of the internet messages
at www.MAXIMUMgenerosity.org. Then talk and pray together about a
mutually agreeable "testing period" concerning your giving 10% or more.
If you are married and your spouse is not a Christian:
Identify any money you have freedom to spend (read Luke 8:3) and set aside 10% or
more of this money to give to the Lord's work AN D/OR show this material
to your spouse and see if you can try the 90-day testing period.
If you are deciding whether to give off the gross or the net of your
income:
Pray and ask God what He wants you to do. If He prompts you
in your heart to give off the gross amount, go ahead and do this, trusting
Him with the results. If you don't have a peace about this, begin giving
10% off the net amount for a few months and see what happens. After a
few months, if you experience God's creative care in your life, then begin
to give 10% or more off of your gross income.
If you're wondering about how much to give to your church and how
much to give to other places:
A good practice I have used is to give 10% of my main source of income to my local church (i.e. my main income
goes to support the work of my main source of Christian fellowship
and teaching). Then, I use 10% or more of all other incomes sources and
unexpected blessings to help fund other Christian needs and opportunities
that God brings into my life (see pages 23-24).
If you have children at home:
Help your children set up a place
where they can set aside "God's portion" of any money they receive
(i.e., allowances, work projects, gifts of money, etc.). Have them give at
church, to missions, and/or to help people in need.
If you have "fallen behind" in your giving to God's work:
If you knowingly or accidentally have fallen behind in your giving to God's work,
you will never regret the decision to "get right" in this area. Review your
financial records from the past several months and pray about "making
up" the amount you have fallen behind. One elderly lady in her 90's I heard
about sent a tithe check to the church office with the note, "I want to be
prayed up, paid up, and ready to go!"
© Brian Kluth www.MAXIMUMgenerosity.org
My Thoughts About This:
This is so true, every single bit of it. We have faithfully tithed for lots and lots of years and God has always provided for us in every and all situations we found ourselves in. When the truck broke down in November and it took all of our savings to fix it, I got upset with God and I stopped tithing, I was tempted to not tithe because why should I, I rationalized? All of our savings were gone and I needed to get money back into our accounts… when I stopped tithing all hell broke loose on us in so many ways… So, I am going to make up the money a little bit at a time, like it said above and I started tithing again. Thank God for others who encourage you to do the right thing, even when it feels wrong to you.
A Seasoned Servant Of God Has Encouraged Me Today
Debbie Ray
Exodus 33 ~ The Message Bible
11 And God spoke with Moses face-to-face, as neighbors speak to one another. When he would return to the camp, his attendant, the young man Joshua, stayed—he didn't leave the Tent. 12-13 Moses said to God, "Look, you tell me, 'Lead this people,' but you don't let me know whom you're going to send with me. You tell me, 'I know you well and you are special to me.' If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. That way, I will continue being special to you. Don't forget, this is your people, your responsibility." 14 God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end."
My Thoughts About This:
Oh my gosh! How perfect is that for me in what I am "growing" through. God will see the journey to the end!! Oh I needed to hear that! Thank you Jesus!
Deb, God moved us so quickly in the middle of November, to a very rural place it is like living in the old south, very pretty. Bob was working on this project in Ft Benning and we were supposed to be there another year to build the same Gym on a different part of the base, we were set in the Military Ministry, serving every weekend, teaching in four services a day, encouraging soldiers, leading soldiers to Christ and this move makes absolutely no sense to me… The company we are working for needed Bob right away at this new job they got at Ft. Bragg, it is a high security clearance job and he was the only one who the company could clear. He goes to work, can't tell what he is doing or who he is with. He is assigned to a security team each day he is there. It is the weirdest job. I am working no where with no one doing something! LOL… He can't use a phone with a camera, can't call while on the project, can't use the internet… So here I am, knowing no one and doing what God has already given me to do, but not knowing the WHY I am here. It has been a growing time for me. So this really spoke to me today… thanks…
Here is a little bit of what God is doing in me here:
http://www.youversion.com/notes/3250133/attending-god-s-purposes
http://wisdomhunters.com/ Boyd Bailey
God's Messenger
David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment..."
I Samuel 25: 32-33a
God dispatches His messengers daily. You can expect a regular word from the Lord through others. They may represent His envoy of much-needed encouragement, or they may engage you with a regiment of rebuke. Whether He sends His messengers with a positive or a negative word, it is critical that you concur with their instruction. Your emotions may be driving you in one direction because you have been treated unfairly, even inflicted by a gross indiscretion. But God's messenger is imploring you to take the more reasonable road of understanding and forgiveness. Just because you have been wronged, does not mean you are to wrong. Anybody can do that; it takes strength of character to not retaliate.
God is in control. So leave your transgressors in His hand. Let the Lord deal with them in His timing. God's messenger may be telling you to wait. This opportunity staring you down does not deserve your acceptance. Your pride and ego have nominated you to the task, but you know in your heart it is not the wise thing to do. Listen to God's messenger and avoid a year of regret. Money and status are not worth jeopardizing your marriage and your health. There will be other opportunities, much better ones that will fit in your next season of life. It is easy to ignore, reject, or argue with God's messenger, but think twice before you debate with Deity's representative. They are ambassadors of heaven, reaching out to you on earth. He has things under control and desires His very best for your life.
Many times, God's messenger comes in the form of a friend who knows you all too well and has seen some of your destructive patterns over the years. He has your best interests in mind. Their desire is for you to learn from your unwise decisions of the past and flourish in the future. They are taking a risk with their friendship because they care. If they were self-serving, they would shut up. So, listen to God speaking through your friend, especially when it is not what you want to hear. He also speaks, frequently, through your spouse. They love you, and yes they may be fearful and insecure, but it is because they don't want you to miss God's very best.
Do not allow ego and pride to blind you to their warnings and concerns. They may not understand all of the ins and outs of business, but they do understand the Holy Spirit's promptings. This is a level of discernment, which God has wisely given to them as your gift. Make sure you receive it and use it well.
Lastly, reward God's messengers. This is behavior that deserves recognition and appreciation. You reward the behavior you want repeated, and you rebuke or ignore the behavior that you want to cease. Do more than say you agree. Instead, make a big deal over their determination to deliver the truth. Instead of blowing off the messenger of good will, invite them into your circle of influence. Promote those who persist in pitching the facts. God's messengers can be trusted because they bear news from your heavenly Father. Therefore, take seriously their words, and act accordingly. Listen actively to God's messengers, and in turn, become one.
The Bible says, "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise" (Proverbs 15:31).
My Thoughts About This:
Wow that was amazing! Thank you Lord for Boyd Bailey, He truly hears from YOUR heart and speaks with Your wisdom. Pride is a big stumbling block to hearing what God has to say through others. Pride automatically tunes out God's wisdom if it steps on your toes. I have a hard time when God uses my spouse to be His messenger. I admit that. God does not want me to miss His best, or be as best as I can be and my ears need to be opened to HIM and His messengers whenever, however and who ever. AWE-GOD! Don't crucify the messenger, because so many other before us did!!
A Minute With Maxwell
Listen! The great leaders have a three step process of leading: Listen-Learn-Lead Leaders do not have a biased opinion and move out with that. Most effective leaders get their wisdom about those they lead from leadership clues they got from listening to people as they walk through the crowds. Great leaders do not ask people to come to them, they go to where their people are, they find them and then they take them to where they should go. The only way to find anyone is by giving to them a listening ear.
My Thoughts About This:
For me, I have found listening is about laying down "your rights" to walk in what you know, what you have learned in wisdom through your life perspective experience. It is your right to talk up the wisdom you have "grown through", but not at the expense of your leadership relationships. I did that so much as a young leader, never really listened, but was thinking about what to say next out of the great wealth of "wisdom" I had to share. I interrupted people all the time with "my valuable wisdom" I mean… how rude is that?! But as I became a "seasoned servant of God", I realized leadership is mostly about the proper use of "rights". It was my right to share with my team, I had earned it from all the wisdom I had gained through all the hard work put in by me. BUT, Jesus, He laid down His rights and He listened, even when He was on the cross, dying for our sins, He listened!! I too am learning to listen more, by laying down my right to speak and honoring their right to be heard 1st, truly heard and through this, my leadership has had much favor and God has been given much glory!
Listening is so much more than just hearing words. Listening is about loving and respecting the speaker enough to pay attention to their views, their emotions and reasoning. The times that you disagree yet still truly listen, the message you give is, "You matter!"
Gregg Stone · Top Commenter · GRADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
He that hath an ear, let him "HEAR." Maybe God gave us two ears, because sometimes it's twice as important to listen as it is to speak. When you listen, you learn, you understand, you realize what people need in their life and then when you speak, your words make sense and can bring healing and hope to the one's that you listened too. Many times we want to speak into people's lives and our words are misguided simply because we have not listened to that person, therfore, we do not know what they truly need to hear.
sangansi Asangansi Effiong · Subscribe · C. E. O at Elegpra Co. Ltd
It takes humility to listen; our innate pride makes us interrupt discussions in expressioon of our "intelligence" which is a show of ignorance in fact.
Mark Roozen · Strength and Conditioning Coach at Cleveland Browns
In this day and age of facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and other modes of social media - we have to be careful that we don't just pass words back and forth as communication and listening to what our folks want and need, but as you say John - we need to GO TO those that we want to lead, mentor and make an impact on their lives! Nothing like looking someone face to face, giving them your ear - and then FOLLOW THROUGH on the coversation - which shows we didn't just hear the words, but we listened to the thoughts, the passion and the desires behind those words.
Paul Simkins Jr · Owner/Trainer/Consultant at Ah-Ha! Moments Learning
So many "leaders" just want to jump in and run, but they forget the people they are leading. You have to connect with them and care for them. That starts by simply listening to them. Who they are, what they care about, what do they think, what kinds of ideas they have. Listen to lead.
Narendra Man Pradhan · Subscribe · Top Commenter · Shanti nikunja
You cannot learn without listening and you cannot lead without learning.As a leader you have got to know what people want, what they need, and what they are.And the way to know what people WANT, NEED and ARE is simply LISTEN to them.
King] David certainly was aware that his lust for power had
become a barrier to inwardness. Careers, even religious careers, may become little more than forums for our own advancement. But how are we to deal with such ambition? Our longing after Christ must exceed our need for status in the world.
Quote By -- Calvin Miller
Check Out My Website For Further Encouragement-Exhortations From God! Enjoy!
The Bridegroom's Café http://thebridegroomscafe.com
Currently Posted Menu
AUTHOR TABLE****************** Twas The Night Before Christmas
BREAKFAST TABLE*************** Foundation Of Thanks!
FAMILY TABLE******************* True-Thanks
LISTENER TABLE*****************Christmas Champion
MILITARY TABLE*****************Merry Christmas
SERVANT TABLE******************Christmas Bling-Bling
SMORGASBORD TABLE ***********Christmas! Point Is?
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I have written an amazing book, actually God wrote it to His Bride and I penned it. It will be an incredible journey for you with AWE-GOD. It will be available in 2012 online. If you are interested email me your email address at kmac4him@maxforcepublishing.com I will make sure you get notified when the Bridegroom's Voice is ready to be purchased online. God Bless You Huge!
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