Psalm 148 ~ Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

'Archangel Gabriel' by Alexander Ivanov

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!

9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!

 
The one thing God has told all of us in Scripture is seasons arrive. It rains on the just and the unjust. Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!


What should we do in these times? Not what Zechariah did.

Luke 1

Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”


When we are afraid God does this for us:

14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints


1 Kings 1
And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

God intends all of us to build up our House. To leave a legacy saying, "Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant." We live in confidence, in leaning upon Him, that He would say,

John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.


A Friend of God makes the Lord known.

1 John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Romans 10:9-10
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.


Zechariah praised God for His Mercy. We can do the same today, using the words David wrote in the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 116
I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

Romans 6:
for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

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John 12:14-16 ~ And Jesus found

 

The Coast of Tyre

John 12:14-16

†

14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey's colt!”

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

The Video is similar to Jesus finding a donkey.

Not a long-time pet.

The Possibilities within the Scripture. Are what God is telling us!

Very much so, people are relating their tender hearts to their pets during the Pandemic recovery. And other people enjoy observing this to see tenderness in communications has not moved very far away.

Proverbs tells us a good man is good to the animals. Allowing an ox to graze during harvesting.

The donkey video relates what my brother's family found on their 6 acres in New Mexico. They adopted one donkey from a rescue and found the donkey was miserable. Returning two weeks later to find what they could do to make the donkey happier, they discovered an ancient donkey, who adopted their donkey during their time at the Donkey Rescue. When my brother returned with the bff ancient donkey, suddenly they discovered Donkey Love and Bliss. And their original donkey was seedling pregnant, bringing Donkeys to 3 in number. They were overjoyed, having discovered the wonders of donkeys, even when the first donkey was mourning. And the children loved when the donkeys snuck into the house.

The Scripture of John 12 says Jesus found a young donkey and suddenly the donkey has borrowed. or burrowed, the fame of Donkeys in the Bible. Donkeys are never considered unclean, as some of the more rules oriented books of the ancient Talmud feel about dogs. One could safely adore a donkey for utilitarian purposes. "We, of course, need the Donkey."  My father-in-law, Buddy, fell in love with Judy's, his wife's, cocker spaniel mix. Bijou looked like a Cocker Spaniel Benji Dog. Buddy didn't admit this, he had a Labrador for hunting and affection. But on some days, one could find Buddy, during his retirement years, cooing and sitting on the floor, feeding and being with beautiful Bijou. 

In fact, my father-in-law, who had a seat on Wall Street, felt good deeds were best done in private. Utter privacy. So, no one would consider a brave man too soft or compliant. And Buddy cared for his literally 100-year-old grandmother, moving her a few blocks from his home, his four children, wife, several businesses, his mother, a great aunt and later any member of his family who needed his care. Their live-in maid was, actually, Buddy's Nanny, Mary. You can bet, no one on their neighborhood street, knew this. Mary and Buddy eventually had some altercation tiff. Mary decided to move to West Texas and be with her family. All were astonished. And one day the phone rang and a relative of Mary's said Mary was in the hospital with cancer. Buddy flew out, paid the hospital bill, discovered no one had visited Mary, took her back to Dallas and, later, paid for her burial and funeral, he arranged.  Buddy's mother loved parties and made literal bathtub gin. In their younger days, his flapper parents were always at a party. Mary found Buddy was hugging his mother's clothes goodnight every evening. And the die was cast and set.

Why people find Donkeys to be something to hold on to. 

Like David did for his donkey. They feel safe and filled with JOY! Smart Donkeys!

What is Jesus telling us about Himself?



Zechariah 9:9-10   written in 587 B.C.

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you;

righteous and having salvation is He,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off
 the chariot from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow 
shall be cut off

And He shall speak Peace to the nations

His rule shall be from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

People ask Bible questions about Jesus and dogs. Did Jesus talk about dogs? 

Yes, and Jesus spoke of wanting to be the comfort of his flock.

Let Your Words of Life be the Light guiding us to be the Children of God.

In Jesus, we know You long to hold us and we to be held to You.

 Amen and Amen.

A place of love, shelter and care. 

Matthew 10:29 

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? 

And one of them shall not fall on the ground 

apart from the will of your Father.

Jesus left Judea, went to Tyre, all knew Him and He went into a house to take shelter and teach. A woman came, from yet another country, and begged Jesus to heal her daughter from a demon. Jesus evidently knew something was not what Jews would consider Kosher going on. Jesus'  Words sound as if He knew something in her life was not as it should be. Something she wasn't saying.

Mark 7

24 And from there He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 

And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25 But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 

26 Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 

27 And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 

28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 

29 And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

We are all familiar with Mark 7 and the Canaanite woman's humble request.  The reference is that dogs are part of life. And are fed from the table. The comfort of a dog being at our feet. Our willingness to not store food for later use, but sharing of life sustenance. 

 In this time of entitlement for hurt feelings and wayward outspokenness, Jesus is saying He is willing. Jesus is there for those with loyalty, devotion and some humility. 

Dogs love beyond measure. 

One of our Springer Spaniel dogs loved, adored and followed our toddlers. One day, the child picked up a bat and let the old dog feel the bat as hard as he could. Human beings would be wary, to finished with the relationship. The old dog was pretty badly injured and I was ashamed the child had done this. 

We diligently explained and prayed and rubbed the dog's back.  We kept praying and hoping this Spencer dog's incredible love, loyalty and kindness would be repayed to Spencer by the Lord, with healing for his injured back. The Vet had not given a lot of hope. We would just rub his back and pray. That Spencer dog fully recovered. Boy Doggie. Lamb. Our Spencer always smiled. He was the smilingest dog ever. Spencer was just a dog who always felt Blessed. The Lord Jesus Christ was good to Spencer beyond his circumstances. And our small boy was given the comfort of forgiveness, on many of God's levels. A good soul.

Spencer in Heaven!

Luke 1:77-79

Giving knowledge of salvation to His people

in the forgiveness of their sins

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

79 Giving light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet 
into the way of peace.

Abba, Father

Bless us to stay close beside Jesus.

To be like the Ten Talents Parable,

to trust the Lord's Goodness

and Mercy every day.

We ask the Lord's Pinions to cover us!

Dwell in us, Father

and with Your Help

What Jesus finds

will be loving!

Let all of Creation

Pray with us now!

Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

We thank You, Father,
God’s covenant with Noah included both people and animals in Genesis 9:9-11. 

The fourth commandment, as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 

includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. 

Psalm 148:5-6

Let everything He has made give praise to Him. 

For He issues His command, and they came into being; 

He established them forever and forever. 

His orders will never be revoked.

Bless those we Love to be near Jesus the Lord God Almighty, 

the Son and Christ of God.

Bless this Nation to Trust in You and have Your Favor.

Help Mississippi

and Covenant Church and School in Nashville heal.

We ask in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Bless the Nations of the world, coming to Your Brightness.

Bless the Children of God, by His Will, to ask You 

for more Heaven upon this earth.

And we are blessed indeed, indeed, indeed. 

Amen Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

YAY JESUS

Luke 13:22-30 ~ once the master of the house has risen and shut the door

Luke 13:22-30

He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”

And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

What will my life and my words look like to you today Father God? Isaiah asked Him, "Send me!" Jacob saw going to Him was like ascending stairs. Surely stairs are the narrow door..

Stephen saw the Heavens open for him, welcoming him Home. And as Beloved of the Holy Spirit, we should be aware not all know Him. Not judging. We have no place to judge what souls He judges. But to be conscious of being for Him as ambassadors for Him. 

Build up our faith - to share Love. Pray knowing the Holy Spirit is there. Keep loving the Lord, looking for the mercy Jesus Christ wanted to bring to the whole world into eternal life. Having compassion, to make a difference. Save others from fire, worry about darkness. 
  - Jude 1.

Father God, Let my words be life. Let my words be truth. I don't want to say a word, unless my words point to You. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing and acceptable to You O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer. May Your will be done, bringing more Heaven to earth. This day. Bless You, Jesus, who Love us as High as the Heavens allow. Amen. 

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Luke 6:12-19 ~ when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles

Luke 6:12-19

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Jesus' surprises, He is not the usual Jewish leadership, and not self-righteous elitism. He chooses disciples needing God, knowing Jesus' authority to forgive sins. Come Work with Me.

God chooses whom He will.

1 Samuel 16:12-13
For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

The Lord said, “Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one.” Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Lord’s Spirit came over David and stayed with him from that day on.


Jesus was healing all the multitudes who came to Him. And still the Son of God was working - after a night of prayer - Jesus took on the people to apostle with Him, whom God asked Him to.

Leading by example.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 14:15
If you love me, keep my commands.

Philippians 2:6
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage

He prayed all night. And in the morning healed the multitudes. All of them.

Philippians 2:7
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men

Jesus healed them all.

Isaiah 30:18
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!


Father God, You knew exactly what You were doing. Choosing deliberately to be with people who were difficult. Teaching people who needed lessons several times and were imperfect. Help us be grateful. Gratitude is the Spirit of God. Jesus worked when He was tired. And HE created joy and wonder. Let me remember Your work and be grateful. In the name of the Highest - Jesus. Amen.


StoneBridge Church hosts 400 North Side Players and people not associated in a professional way with the sport of Disc Golf. Edward does play DG professionally. It is with profound gratitude these men come and play here. The sport takes time. Usually the game concludes for tallies to be taken and has an hour of fellowship. These men support one another and usually the comments are exceedingly kind about amazing shots and athleticism. The sport draws all ages and all walks of life. DG is not anything other than an amazing mixture of people. Edward meets surgeons who play and Jiffy Lube workers. We learned the sport from our Youth Ministers. Yesterday, the FB community shared news a body was found on the grounds of StoneBridge, after the police received a welfare check phone call in the afternoon.

The entire community is concerned. This person says to StoneBridge Church - Your good works are discussed on the grounds. People remind one another on your Disc Golf course - these are Church grounds. We hope together this sad event will be resolved. No one wants their House to have this sad, sad situation. And would reach out to you and say Thank You for His Hospitality.  

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Luke 10:25-37 ~ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Luke 10:25-37


  And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”


Eternal life is going pretty far.

What about neighboring ideas of theories of life lived with heart, soul, strength, mind - -


The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.
Oscar Wilde

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.
William Shakespeare

I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.
Mahatma Gandhi

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.
Albert Ellis


Conversation is a subtle flow chart. Were people explore ideas and the gently eddies are where people find the spark of interest and chemistry. If life, and I believe this is correct, pushes us - then these eddies are the spark that helps us choose the direction He would want us to have.

Take Oscar Wilde. He is haled as being extremely interesting. He did realize as he was abandoned, cast-out and dying, the wallpaper was more lasting than his ebbing life. Eventually we get to the part where future meets eternity. So I'm going to have to disagree with Oscar there.



Shakespeare. My son tells me every fiction we encounter is the offspring of his thirty-seven plays, some missing and some collaborated with. Wellll. I took a personality test. It seems there are only twelve personalities in the universe. So. Definitely. I'm personality twelve. And... Shakespeare has cornered the market. I did try the theory on him that all stories are HIS stories. But I'm inclined actually to agree with the late Comedian Carlin. It's like reincarnation. More people alive today than ever in the history of the world - Some ONE is printing up souls.

Shakespeare meet Psalm 100 and Psalm 139.

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his; and not we ourselves
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture


Psalm 139
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

However, Shakespeare is saying our destiny is not lofty far away, rather closer to home....

13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

I'd say Shakespeare has two ideas here I can love. The stars are far and cold. Instead we learn God would walk with us, among us. Learning, just as we would not push down a child learning to walk, to encourage that child - God would not push us down. Instead celebrating How Wide, How Deep, How High is HIS Love for us. That Father lets us wander off and runs to us upon return. We are the Beloved of God. God created us, formed us, loved us and celebrates who we are. Waiting with joyful anticipation for the revealing of the Sons of God.

Hebrews 13:21
equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 8:19
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.




Mahatma Gandhi had a huge task. Insurmountable. He had no way to know how to get to the goal line.

Philippians 2:23
I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.

Paul wrote this to Timothy. Peace, Hope, Faith, Love are goals of Father GOD. We see so many times in the Word of God people People inquire of Him what they should do next.

Micah 6
Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.

3“My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.

8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

This is HIS Story.




The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.
Albert Ellis

Albert. We just don't own our own destiny.

Romans 14:7
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.

I heard a very fine Sermon given once by an SMU Professor of Hebrew. On "Eleanor Rigby", given after a terrible, terrible accident had claimed the Professor's - a Priest - his son. Our lives interweave and twine. Sometimes gracefully, sometimes with effort and pain. Meaning for ourselves and others involves doing what the early Church found out in the Gospel of John, the first Chapter of Acts, the Ascension of the Lord - people rely upon us and we upon them. With Faith, Hope and Love -

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose

Requiring - Fight the good fight - forgive those who injure us. Jesus did. And HE made allowances for deliberate injury. Just as Jacob did as he blessed his own children who injured him. Jacob had a difficult life and he believed in spite of his mother, father, brother, wives, father-in-law, children, that he was giving, and given, the spark of God to bless others.




Sinners and Saints have a future with Jesus. He came to save the sinner.

A star shone brightly. Truth and Grace upon Grace came to dwell with us.

Take care of the present. Let the day be sufficient to find the grace. Let the worries of tomorrow go. Gratitude.

Owning your own problems. Salt and Light. The interesting thing about Psalm 107 - life has storms. Creating a beckoning harbor with wonderful Light. Rely upon HIM, know the winds will blow where it will. Jesus sleeps during a storm because He can call upon Him.


He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

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