WEBVTT

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 welcome everyone and welcome this week to Dottie Dora the Explorer she's our beloved

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 T4 campervan and apparently you have to name your campervan so Mandy came up with the red

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 spotted theme and Dottie Dora was named she looks absolutely gorgeous now thanks to a significant

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 makeover and Mandy's interior design but look deeper and she's had a tough life she was originally

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 a builder's van and still carries quite a few marks of the life that she lived for many years

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 the thing about exploring is that there is always something new ahead and Dora I guess never guessed

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 that her life on a Scottish building site would be radically transformed in later life and that

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 there was a whole new adventure and a new life at waiting for her Sam's reading from Acts is about

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 a radical transformation a life and world changing moment for Peter his fellow disciples and 3 000

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 people that day you see they'd hidden away in fear they denied Jesus in fear for their own safety

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 and when Jesus was arrested and then crucified and you you'd understand maybe how they had felt

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 and yet what a change you see here is Peter courageously and boldly encouraging everyone

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 to step out in faith and to be baptized and to follow Jesus you see in the political setting of the day

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 it doesn't get any more radical and courageous than this God takes Peter and he puts him here in the right place

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 at the right time with the right message maximum engagement with a group of people who were open to change

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 and that brought about amazing transformation in the lives of so many Jesus has risen and they the disciples

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 were filled with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and the effect and new boldness was just amazing

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 you see the news at the moment is full of courageous acts it's wherever you look or listen in the media

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 everyday people like you and me courageously stepping out into settings that are brave and sacrificial

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 and in many cases risking so much to see others saved the thing is that many people when you applaud their courageous acts

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 they just say I was just doing my job or I knew I had to do that which is what I'm hearing from many Christians at the moment

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 I'm just doing what I'm called to do there is a renewed sense amongst Christians

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 of missional courage and boldness in reaching out to people who need to be saved

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 I remember quite a few years ago a police colleague who dived into Bridgewater docks to save a dog

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 now if you have ever seen Bridgewater docks in those days before they dredged it and turned it into a very nice marina

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 I can tell you you'd think twice about diving in even for a human being

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 yet Roger did

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 and I remember in the police canteen afterwards and it was before political correctness was born

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 and I'll leave you to picture the banter and I'm not sure whether he even did give the dog the kiss of life

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 but the bottom line was would you risk your life for a dog

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 but we all knew that we if we had been there on the day we'd have all done it

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 because when you arrive in a desperate situation people look to you for actions and for answers

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 and my colleague Roger did exactly what we would have all done

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 when you were in a tough place courage kicks in

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 he wasn't prepared to walk away through his lack of courage

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 I'm not wishing to be too dramatic here today folks

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 but today in our country people are drowning in fear at the moment

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 and everything in the gospel that I read says do not be afraid

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 Jesus says he has conquered the world

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 we have been given the gifts we've been given the tools we've been given the courage

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 to save this nation because the risen Christ gave those tools to us

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 when he stepped out of a cold stone tomb and the Holy Spirit breathed life into us

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 I think it's a moment for us all to be bold and courageous

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 the church you and I an opportunity to be missionally courageous right now

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 I remember Karl Martin at New One coined the term

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 embolden my bold and encourage my courage

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 and I sense that's a message that many of us are experiencing

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 as we face a nation seeking new life and new hope

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 and the church faces a new challenge

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 as Karl was talking about boldness and change

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 he told us a story

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 he was driving home to Scotland on the M6

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 and I don't know if you know maybe it was in a T4

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 but the snow was coming down

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 the blizzard was making driving almost impossible

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 visibility was poor

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 and it took every ounce to keep focused on the job in hand

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 to arrive home safely

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 but there it was

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 on the inside lane

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 creeping along of all things

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 was an ice cream van

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 an ice cream van

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 I mean who wants an ice cream

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 in the midst of winter

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 but he sensed God saying to him

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 that's often like the church

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 it's a great thing

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 and we want to share what we have

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 but sometimes we find ourselves in the wrong place

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 at the wrong time

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 and frankly sometimes we just look ridiculous

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 today I want to encourage your courage

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 and embolden your bold

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 because I think after many decades

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 we the church

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 the people of God

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 are exactly in the right place

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 at the right time

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 to do the right thing

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 and if we seek the Lord afresh

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 in the power of his Holy Spirit

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 with boldness and courage

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 people will see that

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 and experience in that

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 and they will find in us

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 God's love

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 and fresh hope

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 and new courage for today

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 you can't walk away

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 when you see something unfolding in front of you

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 and God often places us in the right place

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 at the right time

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 to do the right thing

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 but he will give us boldness

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 and courage to do that

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 perhaps at this moment

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 your finger is hovering over the send button

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 now to send this maybe to five people

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 who you know

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 who you wouldn't normally encourage them

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 with a Christian message

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 perhaps the phone is within easy reach

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 to send a link or a prayer to them

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 to speak to them

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 you know

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 do you see Peter and his disciples

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 were in the right place

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 at the right time

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 and were courageous

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 and the people of God

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 grew dramatically overnight

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 and kept growing

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 you see the cross was a sort of reset button

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 and maybe that's true for us

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 the old was gone

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 and the new was here

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 you see we face an enemy

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 and we are

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 if I'm sure there's enough

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 of us and Christians

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 to be courageous enough

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 to dive in

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 when we get to Acts 12

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 the church is under attack

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 James has been beheaded

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 Peter is imprisoned

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 and the church

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 what does the early church do?

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 they are bold and courageous

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 and they pray

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 and by the end of the chapter

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 Peter has been miraculously freed

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 Herod is dead

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 the people of God are emboldened

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 and encouraged

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 and the church continues growing

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 faster than anyone

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 could have imagined

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 courage brings breakthrough

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 and victory

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 and I suppose the question is today

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 will we dive in?

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 I hope we will

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 who are the five people

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 you will contact

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 to encourage their courage

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 and embolden their bold

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 with the gospel of Jesus today?

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 those who accepted

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 his message

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 were baptised

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 and about

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 three thousand

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 were added

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 to that number

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 that day

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 I don't know

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 when Dora

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 will be allowed out

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 on her next adventure

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 but for many of us

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 that adventure

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 could start

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 with the click of a button

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 or a phone call

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 right now

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 or a random

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 a courageous act

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 of generosity

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 can I pray with you?

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 can I pray with you

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 so that we get

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 that sense of courage

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 and boldness

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 to be in the right place

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 at the right time

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 let's pray

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 Holy Spirit

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 come and embolden our bold

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 and encourage our courage

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 in the face of this virus

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 may we stand in faith

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 in your promises

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 thank you for those

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 that have fought the fight

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 and now stand with you

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 and I pray

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 in this moment

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 while the fire

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 of the Holy Spirit

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 burns in us

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 and rises up

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 to stir up our courage

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 and embolden our bold

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 that we will risk

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 everything

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 to bring others

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 into relationship

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 with you

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 so Holy Spirit

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 come now I pray

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 fill us afresh

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 and heal this land

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 in Jesus name

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen

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 Amen