Tag Archives: Preparation for endtimes

Time to be prepared and to put your armour on for the coming battle

Coming closer to the end times we notice how things go totally wrong in the world. We have come in an age that we are tested several times. More than once we shall have to struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil.

“11 Put on yourselves the complete armor of The God so you will be able to stand against the deceptive methods of the Devil. 12 Because we are not wrestling against blood and flesh, but against heavenly hierarchies, heavenly authorities, heavenly world-rulers of this darkness, against wicked spirit-beings in the Celestialum.

13 Because of this take up the complete armor of The God so that you might be able to offer resistance in the wicked day, and having worked out everything to hold your stance. 14 So, all of you continue to stand firm with your loins girded about in truth. Also put on yourselves the breastplate of righteousness,” (Eph 6:11-14 MHM)

We have more than time enough. Already for years signs are increasing and should become more clear for everyone to see.

“Put on yourselves the complete armour”: Literally, the panoply. Or, KJV: put on the whole armour of God; KNX: you must wear all the weapons in God’s armoury.

It is a call for us not to go in a real fight but in a spiritual fight. We have to make ourselves strong, standing up straight. We have to clothe ourselves with a battle suit. In verse 11 the Greek word used is  “enduo”, which means “to put on” or to clothe one’s self. In verse 13 the apostle uses “analambano” which means to take up a thing in order to carry or use it.

As such we have to clothe ourselves figuratively that we are “Able to stand against”: Or, PME: successfully resist; TCN: able to stand your ground; BAR: able to resist (Gr. anthistemi: to withstand, resist, oppose).

In a certain way we, by coming into the faith have already put on some new clothes.

“And now that you have put on the New Person, continue to be renewed in complete knowledge in harmony with the image of the One who created [this New Person].” (Col 3:10 MHM)

Coming to Christ, accepting his God as our God, we have Jesus as our mediator, but we can take up his mantle to be as strong as he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the time of his trial. Jesus trusted his God. We should do the same.

We do not need to engage in a personal battle, but we need to realise that in the last days the adversary of God will come to battle even more fiercely than he did before. We may, at times, feel personally attacked, but it is about much more than our own personality, namely our faith.

In any case, we must not doze off or allow ourselves to be convinced that there will be no such thing and that we have nothing to fear. Let us certainly not be deceived by those who do not create faith in God and His Words.

“And, Jesus answered them: “Look out no one misleads you.” (Mt 24:4 MHM)

We must be strong in our faith, not tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.

“So that we may not remain infants–being tossed about by waves and borne around by every wind of teaching, by the slight of hand of persons always working toward methodical error.” (Eph 4:14 MHM)

God’s opponents will make every effort to dismantle followers of Jehovah and turn them away from their faith. We have to know that the adversary of God is a very powerful enemy who hates God and detests all those who follow Him.

When we know what the enemy of God is up to, we shall be better to handle him. With the help of our God we shall be able to be “clothed properly” to withstand his attacks.  In the end, the battle shall end and the people of God shall win!

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Preceding

Could it be that we are living in the Last Days

Signs of the times – As the Day approaches

How to Find the Meaning of Life and Reach a State of Peace

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Additional reading

  1. Matthew 24:4-8 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part One – Beware Being Misled
  2. Matthew 24:29-35 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer Part Two – Sign 2: The Parousia. A Sign after the Great Oppression
  3. Matthew 24:42-51 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Stay Awake!
  4. Living in faith
  5. Running the battle
  6. Making sure to be ready and to belong to the escaped ones
  7. God’s wrath and sanctification
  8. The Rapture Wars
  9. Great Tribulation and Armageddon
  10. Armageddon or the Great Tribulation
  11. Called ones escape
  12. Partakers and sons of the Realm
  13. Reason to look excited about the coming future
  14. Sings of the times giving direction in life

1 Comment

Filed under Being and Feeling, Lifestyle, Reflection Texts, Religious affairs

Blogging into the New Year

Blogging into the New Year, in a certain way as bloggers we might feel connected with other bloggers from all over the world. Its the magic of the internet that catches us.

How many bloggers are not on the internet willing to shine a light, not wanting to hide, hoping to bring some nice reading and some positive vibes to others, somewhere in the world. Some target a specific public, others do not mind sharing their diary with the world. Whatever reason they blog, is that what they write would be read by ‘some one’.

Janie Leeds writes

I happen to think that there’s a teensy bit of fear in all of us from time to time that squelches our ability to shine our heartlights and I’m choosing to figure out how to allow my heartlight to shine without fear! {This Little Light o’ Mine}

Many therefore just let the words roll over the screen, without fear. Perhaps they too think like J. Leeds that

we have to build our confidence and find someone trustworthy to shine with when we feel that desire to shine and to brilliantly explode our special brand of light into the universe. {This Little Light o’ Mine}

Though many might feel

It’s scary when we choose to be our authentic selves without fear. It’s being vulnerable which sometimes makes people feel uncomfortable. {This Little Light o’ Mine}

We always can wonder why or for whom those bloggers write. For themself? For their community/friends? For the world at large?

Judgy Young Pessimist or Jewish Young(-ish) Professional has the same question as us on her lips:

Maybe we write for different people at different times or maybe we write for all of them. {For Whom Do You Write?}

New Year’s Day finds one reflecting on some of their past resolutions and their outcomes. Bloggers might then perhaps think about what they wrote in the past year or how many blogposts they managed to create.
Lots of bloggers shall express and live by the hope that this fresh year will bring us something better than we had for the last years. So many want to forget Covid (though it is still not finished) and want to see an end to ‘that war‘ going on in Ukraine. Many bloggers leave that war in the fridge, only writing about other and hopefully also better things. Good tidings.
Let’s hope for the best and do our level best to make this year a memorable one for the people around us. Let’s resolve to spread happiness, empathy and goodness in the world. Let’s be humane and humble. {Happy New Year 2023}
writes a freelance writer who finds he is doing fine and has a lot to be thankful for, because “Allah, the Almighty” has been so kind to him. He is also aware we do not know much about the future. He thinks we can not predict the days ahead.

Can we not rid ourselves of unfounded fears? Can we not enjoy this precious MOMENT (present), instead of living in the past or worrying about the future? {Why Do We Worry About The Future? Why Don’t We Enjoy The Present Moment?}

Those who believe in God can find enough advice in the Book of books, the Bible, where the ‘bloggers’ of ancient times wrote down what we should know. In those books is enough said about times still to come, and as such do we know what to expect. Concerning those end times there are several bloggers on the net talking about how we can prepare for those times.

Many other subjects gain much more attention. Many blogging platforms are being used, but also many disappeared and bloggers had to change platforms again last year. The greatest change last year was the leaving Blogger and Blogspot by many bloggers, because those blog systems had become too slow and unworkable. This could be an asset to WordPress, but it was also discussed last year, due to its introduction of the less practical Gutenberg Block editor system.

Several bloggers let themselves be guided by prompts or requested tasks by other bloggers.

sometimes, prompts provide that inspiration for a piece that may have been ruminating,

writes JYP. We also admit some blogposts find their origin in something we notice on the net or some event that reached the news. In any case, the main reason to write such a post is for many to share something they find interesting or has something to do with their community or faith. As such, JYP for example wanted to share about Jewish community prompted by one of Fandango‘s Provocative Questions

– and it’s since become the basis for the whole pond/community/housing search tortured analogy saga. Prompts can provide both the inspiration for something I never expected to write and the necessary nudge to write something that were already ruminating. {For Whom Do You Write?}

Some bloggers like to tell the world about their very private things, whilst others prefer to stay in the anonymity or would not dare to talk about something personal. For some personal self-expression is the primary motivator for writing their blog and wanting to get an audience.

These are the posts that arguably could have been written in a private diary. These are the posts that might have less “polish” because sharing a message with an external audience isn’t the primary goal. These are the blog posts that feel less like public speaking, and more like casual conversation, or even just venting. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

These posts are the casual conversation, maybe even the therapy sessions, of blogging – intimacy, sweats, and all. Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-women-talking-to-each-other-4051134/

The problem with some of those blogs is that we feel more like in a café, catching up on some conversations. Others have a message they want to promote like we too have some good new to tell.

According to JYP promotional blog posts are those that:

  • Have a message that the author wants to share externally. (eg. This is not a post that the author could have written in their private diary)
  • Because the author wants to share this message, the post tends to have some “polish”. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

she rightly compares this to public speaking

– the most heartfelt, sincere, genuine speaker is going to make a point of revising and editing, practicing, and putting on more professional attire/ hygiene/ grooming/ makeup etc. (vs. brain dump whilst looking disheveled) to look more presentable to an external audience so the message comes across better. {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

For her

the promotional vs. personal classification applies to all kinds of blogging {Blogging About Judaism: Promotional vs. Personal}

What we notice, looking at the Blogosphere and social media, is that lots of people want to be part of a community.

JYP thinks

the sense of community is probably the greatest strength of a well-run prompt. {For Whom Do You Write?}

In our globalising industrialist capitalist world, where there are so many people walking around, most people are just lost in the mass. Several people hope to escape their loneliness, but on the internet, they also find such an empty space. By blogging they do hope to have some reactions by which they would not feel so on their own. By writing a blog they want to break the silence and their loneliness.

Look, the internet is a big, lonely place. Blogging helps build community. Prompts can create a sense of community rituals and norms. It’s been fascinating to see the way bloggers will show up for each other, even within the simple forum of a prompt response. And it’s incredible to see how a prompt “ritual” goes beyond that, like when fellow bloggers share sad news with other prompt participants who respond with tributes and memories. {For Whom Do You Write?}

It is by such reactions the blogger may feel his or her work is appreciated and worthwhile doing. Responses on blogs also may trigger curiosity to go and look at that blogger his pages. If answers are given to a blog post, those comments may prompt the blogger to check his or her blog with that responding person. In this way, an exchange of ideas can arise among certain people who eventually become part of a small or larger group of regularly exchanging people.

To be clear, I think blogging without prompts can build community as well. But if you imagine the blog world as a religious community (bear with me), while you absolutely can and should socialize with fellow congregants outside of regularly scheduled services, some members will really appreciate the regular weekly meeting times to connect with their fellow congregants. {For Whom Do You Write?}

writes JYP. As such we can find bloggers who make it a custom to publish every week on a certain day an article. They even go to apologize when they did not. Or certain bloggers want to see for every day another sort of blog, be it a poetry day, haiku day, tanka day, garden day, short story day, thriller day, relaxation or meditation day  …. Some even want to have days for an amount of words.

We may not forget

Not all of our followers will care about everything we say. And even in blogging where we create more community through prompts, not all of our fellow prompt participants are going to be interested in our other writings. {For Whom Do You Write?}

Another aspect we may not forget or overlook

The reality is that almost none of us will become famous or make any real money from blogging, so you might as well write for yourself in addition to whomever else you’re writing for.

If, in the course of blogging and responding to prompts, you don’t feel like you’re writing for yourself, it might be a sign to take a step back and figure out how to incorporate prompts in a way that feels more authentic to you. {For Whom Do You Write?}

In our busy world, we have limited time to do certain things for ourselves, like reading. On the net there is so much to read, it is impossible to read everything or to follow every blog full-time. Even when we are following a blog or others are following our blog, we can not expect that they read every blog, and certainly not that they notice or look at every blog on the day it is written.

we’re not necessarily interested in every post that another blogger writes. {For Whom Do You Write?}

It is logical that everyone has their own preferences for certain subjects and will look for interesting literature in this area. In that respect, it is not bad that the internet offers such a variety of subjects so that everyone can find something to their own liking.

We from our site are happy you came to read this post, and honestly do hope you’ll have also got a taste for reading here a bit more than just this article.

Welcome to From Guestwriters in 2023, and hope to see you more.

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Preceding

Asking for a Re-Blog

When you think you have nothing to say or to show

Readers, likes and comments

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Additional reading

  1. WordPress appears to have fallen off its best horse
  2. A Classic Editor versus Block Editor
  3. From old times and sites to new linkings
  4. Five years on WordPress
  5. From MSN Groups and MSN Spaces via Multiply to Blogspot now transferring to WordPress
  6. In case Blogger goes further with her new interface
  7. Blogger seems too slow to be practical
  8. Our World on Blogger coming to its end
  9. “Our World” Moving from Blogspot to WordPress
  10. Walking alone? (Our World) = Walking alone? (Some View on the World)
  11. What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?
  12. Companionship
  13. Presenting views from different sources
  14. Newspapers: Dying or Changing
  15. Pleased to find Christadelphian World on the net
  16. 2010 – 2014 in review
  17. First blog post
  18. My World…
  19. Blogging in the world for Jesus and his Father
  20. Immanuel’s first two years of blogging on WordPress
  21. If no one died because of War – how different would worlds appear to be

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Related

  1. WordPress on Linux Servers
  2. Why I will be writing a blog, and why you should too.
  3. To blog or not to blog? (Asha Seth)
  4. To Blog or Not to Blog? (The Lolatalks)
  5. To blog or not to blog (Miss A.J. My thoughts exactly)
  6. My 2022 Year in Books
  7. What kind of blog reader are you?
  8. This Little Light o’ Mine
  9. The Potpourri of Blogging Comments
  10. Draft Queen
  11. No Way Home
  12. 4 things that helped me make affirmations work for me
  13. Carol Anne asks
  14. An Ode to Courage
  15. 2022 Wrap Up | 2022 Favourites and 2023 Goals
  16. A Fresh Start
  17. A Brave New Year
  18. Happy New Years
  19. My New Year’s Resolutions 2023
  20. Daily Blog #412: It’s been weeks (Part Two) Weird Dreams, Manifestations/Goals, New Years Blog
  21. As Horrific As Lord Of The Flies
  22. guest posting is super OK
  23. December wrap-up!
  24. The Morning After
  25. 3 Reminders for the New Year
  26. About Those New Year’s Resolutions …
  27. A random memory
  28. Happy New Year!
  29. Share Your World 2nd January: my response
  30. Share Your Blog 2023
  31. Author Journey (January 2, 2023)
  32. Confusion Rant- Not my best Post, a break from PVX
  33. My first collaborative project !

6 Comments

Filed under Announcement, Being and Feeling, Educational affairs, Knowledge & Wisdom, Lifestyle, Publications, Questions asked, Quotations or Citations, Re-Blogs and Great Blogs, Religious affairs, Social affairs, Welfare matters

Optimism or pessimism: Which is better for you?

If it would be up to us to say, we would assure you that optimism is the best way to live longer. We advise you to do away as much as you can from negative influences.

In these dark Corona days and time of Climate Change, we are pulled back and forth by the many changing reports and many feel very insecure. Today, for the umpteenth time in a row, the government is coming up with new tightening corona measures that will again restrict us in so many areas. (Positive thinkers will rather look at the new or renewed measures with an attitude of “ah, we can still do this!

Negatively you could say “what the heel, again a lockdown”. Positively you could say

“Is it only the fourth wave of the pandemic, or is it already the fourth lockdown?”

For many it almost has become part of their everyday life.

Somehow it is everyday life. This pandemic reminds us of what we like to ignore: life is unpredictable. Now it’s just being taken to the extreme. {Another Lockdown}

Thanksgiving Day and weekend is already behind us, but soon we shall get some other days of family gathering and happiness. For some Christian it is now Advent (peculiar to the Western churches) and a time to prepare for Christmas. In the old days that period was a time of fasting and meditation. For Catholics with November 30 (St. Andrew’s Day) it is the beginning of the liturgical year. So, when you think of starting a new year, hopefully, you would not do that with a grim, dark mind, but would look forwards with a lot of good ideas, positivism and hope. In many Eastern churches, the Nativity Fast is a similar period of penance and preparation that occurs during the 40 days before Christmas. Normally having a ‘Fast’ a person would take such action to clear the mind and to do away with all bad things. As such in that period a person should also do away with negative thoughts and come to see the good things in life, appreciating again all the tiny bits.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have the advantage, that there is hope for them for better times. Therefore, there should be no reason for a Christian to run around with the chin hanging on the ground. Our faith provides the foundation of courage to assist us when we have to endure that difficult ‘walk of life‘. Even when the days are becoming shorter and darker, this does not have to make our mind darker and has to stop us from dreaming or going further with our bold adventure and directs our steps to greatness. The light in the darkness Christians may see, they can show also to others, to bring them some positive news in these darker days.

The coming of Christ in his Nativity was overlaid with a second theme, also stemming from Gallican churches, namely, his Second Coming at the end of time. Some people are convinced we have already entered that time of the end. For others, this interweaving of the themes of two advents of Christ gives the season a peculiar tension both of penitence and of joy in expectation of the Lord who is “at hand.”

In life it often goes the wrong way with people when they have too many expectations. We typically do demand too much from ourselves. At the same time, we create borders for ourselves thinking that we shall not be able to do this or that. By setting such limitations in front of us we collide with a bare wall. We should know our feelings have all to do with our attitude to ourselves and to others. But it also has to do with what we want from ourselves and how we want to project ourselves to others.

Some of us are afraid to have some dark thoughts or see such pessimistic ideas as a threat or danger to our well-being.

Studies suggest that around 80 percent of people have an optimism bias, or tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive events. But does that mean they live happier lives?
Marnie Chesterton – accompanied by Hannah, a CrowdScience listener and self-proclaimed pessimist – investigates how we form our views on what the future holds, and whether it’s better to always look on the bright side of life.

‘If we think things are gonna be good for us in the future, we tend to put in the effort’

Can CrowdScience answer your question?

Let us not forget even when we are becoming restricted, we can use this time of more isolation, to think more about ourselves, what we have done and what way we shall continue to go. Now it is time to think of ways to go forward, even when we have to face certain times to draw back, and considering that tis moment may be totally different from the moment and time of someone else we know. Not comparing ourselves with others all the time shall make life much easier.

In this darkness, dare to step forward at your own speed and with your own capabilities!

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

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Preceding

In October-November People often too busy with death and the dead

Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism

What kind of attitude do you have?

don’t look at me in that tone of voice!

Some Hope for 2021

Expectations

Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself

Getting up to bring changes into your life

On Positivism

Benefits of Positive Thinking

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Additional reading

  1. Unlikely silence
  2. CoViD-19 Curation
  3. No time yet to relax the CoViD-19 restriction measures
  4. Another Lockdown
  5. The importance of utopia and how to get there
  6. Utopian dreams
  7. Thoughts for the day (Our World) = Thoughts for the day (Some view on the World)
  8. Thanksgiving wisdom: Why gratitude is good for your health
  9. Good time to sort out your friends and contacts
  10. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement (Our World) = Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement (Some view on the World)
  11. Offering words of hope (Our world)Offering words of hope (Some View on the World)
  12. God, let me be a light in these dark times

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Related

  1. Punch Through: Harsh Life and the Problem of Positive Thinking
  2. When You Make A Mistake
  3. Seeds, Roots and Shoots
  4. Changing World
  5. Confidence in the Lord
  6. 🤗 A Better Life ~ Sing a Happy Song
  7. 👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ Yes, Good Things Are Headed Your Way
  8. 👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ You Have Undiscovered Potential
  9. Review of “The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis”
  10. Throwing of the Gauntlet: Quotes for Philosophical Dads
  11. The Walk down Memory Lane
  12. One Lesson From a 100 Day Tweet Challenge
  13. Dancing Lights 

3 Comments

Filed under Being and Feeling, Health affairs, Lifestyle, Positive thoughts, Social affairs, Spiritual affairs, Welfare matters

Seeds to be planted soon

Last month was perhaps cold for many, but when we look at the calendar to plant things we can see that it is a great time to start planning what vegetable varieties will be grown in the garden. Having the flue now I am remembered of those who should have planted them end of January. Loving lots of green and colours in the garden I also know that now is a great time to get your spring flowers germinating and ready for spring! There are many different varieties of annuals and perennials with different grow times, which need your attention to grow times so that your flowers are ready to be planted after last frost. Below are some good varieties to start in January for a last frost in March and April!

For those who want to plant vegetables February is the month, though the cold does not seem to invite us to come outdoors.

Beans at the CIAT gene bank in Colombia, which...

Beans at the CIAT gene bank in Colombia, which has just sent its latest consignments of seeds for conservation at the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we choose our seeds or plants it is important that we look at them not being ‘festered’ with. Man has come to love to play for god and to create all new sorts of plants. Genetically manipulated plants are something we should avoid at all cost.

When people muddle with the plants we can see the disastrous consequences.  Last Summer the harvest did show her grim face in Dunklin County where conveyor belts teem with peaches inside the packing facility at Bader Farms, where fruit is prepared for shipment from its Bootheel source to stores across a nearly 500-mile radius were seriously worried.

Of the 900 acres of peach trees that fill Bill Bader his orchards, some have limbs that are almost entirely defoliated, while countless others have tufts of leaves that are crinkled and yellow, or remain green but are full of holes.

“That’s why you come out here and look at them early in the morning, ’cause you don’t wanna think about them at night,”

Bader said, surveying a field of peach trees.

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Preceding

Seeds of promise

A bird’s eye and reflecting from within

Commemorating the escape from slavery

You’re Lighter Than Air~

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Additional reading

  1. World Agenda for Sustainability
  2. Forbidden Fruit in the Midst of the Garden 4
  3. Necessity of a revelation of creation 5 Getting understanding by Word of God 3
  4. Engaging the culture without losing the gospel
  5. Picking Stones
  6. Testify of the things heard
  7. Chemical warsite and Pushing king of the South

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Further reading

  1. Missouri Peach Farmers Threatened by Pesticide Drift
  2. Dicamba may threaten Missouri peach farm
  3. When to Start Your Seeds
  4. Seed calendar – What to plant now
  5. Seeds… how do they grow?
  6. Vegetable Gardening Know-How : Germination Temperatures & Times
  7. How to grow heirloom tomatoes from seed
  8. The Secret of germination That No One is Talking
  9. AboutGermination shelf
  10. Germination table coming together
  11. Inventory of WIP seeds
  12. Efficient planting, or notEffects of plant growth regulators and NaCl on early developmental stages of Striga hermonthica -IJAAR
    Don’t bother washing the hatPerfect Partners: Oaks & SquirrelsTime to Bloom!
  13. Beautiful yellow daffodils
  14. Hoping against hope
  15. Lightness of being
  16. The perfect soil!
  17. Good Soil (by Gail Ramesh)
  18. Good Soil (by Table Field Farm)
  19. Good soil (by Tokyo Purple girl)
  20. Good Ground, Bad Ground
  21. The Forty-Second Letter: The Basil Metaphor
  22. Success
  23. The Little Things
  24. sometimes the seed falls into good soil…
  25. Ungrateful Me
  26. Organic Fruit: Sermon for June 26, 2016
  27. Produce a Huge Harvest
  28. Sowed on Good Soil—Parable of the Sower
  29. Thorny ground
  30. Die to sin and grow: Analogy between you and a seed
  31. Longing to Stay Thirsty
  32. Women are important to Jesus

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Filed under Ecological affairs, Headlines - News, Health affairs, Nature, Religious affairs