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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Well, hey there, friends, I'm Jody Nisnick and

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Speaker 1: welcome to a bonus episode in our lent series. We've

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Speaker 1: been walking through the I Am Statements of Jesus, a

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Speaker 1: phrase that echoes God's self revelation back in Exodus and

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Speaker 1: declares who Jesus is, that he is God and reveals

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Speaker 1: how he cares for us. My prayer is these guided

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Speaker 1: moments of reflection will help you slow down and consider

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Speaker 1: more of who Jesus is for you. We'll be back

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Speaker 1: to begin our meditation after a quick word from our sponsors.

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Speaker 1: Before we begin our meditation, I want to invite you

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Speaker 1: to head into the show notes, where you will find

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Speaker 1: a link to download the free I Am can Pan

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Speaker 1: journal that I've made for this series. It has each

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Speaker 1: scripture that we are meditating on, all of the reflection prompts,

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Speaker 1: and it gives you space to take notes on your

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Speaker 1: prayers and meditation time. I do hope you'll take advantage

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Speaker 1: of this free resource. Well, with that, let's get started.

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Speaker 1: Let's begin with a few deep in and out breaths.

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Speaker 1: As you breathe slowly in, just notice that God is

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Speaker 1: present with you right here, right now, no matter where

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Speaker 1: you are, and as you slowly exhale, notice what feels

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Speaker 1: tight in your body right now, consciously loosen that up.

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Speaker 1: Take another deep breath in and again as you slowly exhale,

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Speaker 1: notice us what's on your heart right now? Ask God

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Speaker 1: to hold it for you. He will keep taking those

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Speaker 1: deep in and out breaths as a way to settle

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Speaker 1: you in as a way to just signal to your

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Speaker 1: heart and mind, this is exactly where I want to be.

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Speaker 1: And as you're doing that, let me pray for you.

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Speaker 1: Lord Jesus, thank you for the space that we have

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Speaker 1: set aside to be present with you. We ask now

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Speaker 1: that all the distractions, the to do list, the many

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Speaker 1: things that we have facing us, would just fade away,

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Speaker 1: and that you would help us be fully present here

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Speaker 1: and now. Lord, we ask that you would guide and

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Speaker 1: lead us into your word, and that you would help

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Speaker 1: us notice exactly what we need to notice so that

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Speaker 1: we can have the conversation with You that we need

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Speaker 1: to have. Mostly, we just want to grow deeper in

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Speaker 1: our love for you, and we asked that you would

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Speaker 1: guide us into that for our good, for your glory.

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Speaker 1: We asked this in the name of Jesus, Amen our

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Speaker 1: passage today goes back to one of the more traditional

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Speaker 1: I AM statements of Jesus. It is when he says

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Speaker 1: I am the resurrection and the Life. All of the

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Speaker 1: I AM statements are powerful, but if I were ranking them,

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Speaker 1: I would say this one may be one of the

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Speaker 1: most important, because death is our enemy. When Sin entered

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Speaker 1: the picture back in Genesis, the consequence was death. We

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Speaker 1: all know the pain of death, and here Jesus is

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Speaker 1: stating I have overcome death. This is the heart of

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Speaker 1: the gospel. Death no longer has the final say it

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Speaker 1: is defeated. Life, true, abundant and eternal life wins, and

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Speaker 1: this is the life Jesus offers us. Our passage today

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Speaker 1: is part of a much larger story about the death

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Speaker 1: of Lazaruth, the brother of Mary and Martha. All three

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Speaker 1: are people Jesus loved deeply and cared for deeply. Jesus

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Speaker 1: perceives the news that Lazarus was sick, and he responds

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Speaker 1: that Lazarus won't die. But then Jesus waits two days

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Speaker 1: before going to see this family. Why wait, Jesus tells

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Speaker 1: us it was so God in the so would be glorified.

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Speaker 1: God is able to work through every circumstance in our lives,

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Speaker 1: even the most difficult ones, to bring about His glory

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Speaker 1: and our good. This is the Gospel. Death surrendered to

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Speaker 1: God leads to life. Physical death, yes, at some point

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Speaker 1: there will be no more physical death, but also right

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Speaker 1: now it's all the little deaths we die, death to sin,

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Speaker 1: death to our will done in our way. When we

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Speaker 1: surrender these things, we find life. This is the upside

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Speaker 1: down way of the Gospel. Death leads to life, and

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Speaker 1: Jesus is the resurrection and the life. For our first reading,

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Speaker 1: I want to invite you to just listen so you

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Speaker 1: know where the passage is headed. Martha has heard Jesus

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Speaker 1: was on his way, so she goes out to meet him.

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Speaker 1: This is where a story picks up. Our passage is

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Speaker 1: John eleven twenty one through twenty seven in the New

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Speaker 1: Living Translation. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if only you

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Speaker 1: had been here, my brother would not have died. But

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Speaker 1: even now I know that God will give you whatever

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Speaker 1: you ask. Jesus told her, your brother will rise again. Yes,

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Speaker 1: Martha said, he will rise when everyone else rises. At

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Speaker 1: the last day. Jesus told her, I am the resurrection

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Speaker 1: and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live

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Speaker 1: even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes

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Speaker 1: in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha, Yes, Lord,

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Speaker 1: she told him, I have always believed you are the Messiah,

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Speaker 1: the Son of God, the one who has come into

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Speaker 1: the world from God. Ask Jesus to help you identify

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Speaker 1: where you need him to be the resurrection and the

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Speaker 1: life in your life. Right now, holding that as I

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Speaker 1: read a second time, ask God to draw you to

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Speaker 1: a word or phrase that He has for you in

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Speaker 1: this passage. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if only you

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Speaker 1: had been here, my brother wouldn't not have died. But

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Speaker 1: even now I know that God will give you whatever

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Speaker 1: you ask. Jesus told her, your brother will rise again. Yes,

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Speaker 1: Martha said, he will rise when everyone else rises. At

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Speaker 1: the last day. Jesus told her, I am the Resurrection

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Speaker 1: and the Life. Anyone who believes in me will live

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Speaker 1: even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes

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Speaker 1: in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha, Yes, Lord,

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Speaker 1: she told him, I have always believed you are the Messiah,

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Speaker 1: the Son of God, the one who has come into

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Speaker 1: the world from God. Take a moment to reflect on

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Speaker 1: what you notice and ask the Lord how this applies

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Speaker 1: to the area where you need him to be the

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Speaker 1: resurrection and the life in your life Today as I

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Speaker 1: read a third time, notice again which you noticed in

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Speaker 1: the second reading, and ask the Lord how he's inviting

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Speaker 1: you to move forward with him. Perhaps he's inviting you

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Speaker 1: to reframe a situation in your life, or renew your

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Speaker 1: hope in his plan and timing, or lay aside a

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Speaker 1: lie you've been believing, or perhaps something else. Martha said

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Speaker 1: to Jesus, Lord, if only you had been here, my

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Speaker 1: brother would not have died. But even now I know

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Speaker 1: that God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus told her,

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Speaker 1: your brother will rise again. Yes, Martha said, he will

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Speaker 1: rise when everyone else rises. At the last day, Jesus

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Speaker 1: told her, I am the Resurrection and the Life. Anyone

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Speaker 1: who believes in me will live even after dying. Everyone

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Speaker 1: who lives in me and believes in me will never

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Speaker 1: ever die. Do you believe this, Martha, Yes, Lord, she

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Speaker 1: told him, I have always believed you are the Messiah,

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Speaker 1: the Son of God, the one who has come into

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Speaker 1: the world from God. Take a moment to talk with

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Speaker 1: the Lord about what He's leading you toward be open

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Speaker 1: and honest about any fears or hesitations you have. Give

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Speaker 1: him space to speak back to you in love. Before

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Speaker 1: I read a final time, I want to remind you

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Speaker 1: how this story ends. This story ends with Jesus raising

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Speaker 1: Lazarus from the dead. After four days being in the tomb,

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Speaker 1: Lazarus walks out alive. Death is defeated in his life.

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Speaker 1: For now. This miracle points to the larger hope that

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Speaker 1: one day all who belong to Christ will be healed

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Speaker 1: from the effects of physical death. No matter where you are,

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Speaker 1: no matter when or how healing comes to you or

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Speaker 1: those you love, hold on to this hope. Because Jesus

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Speaker 1: is the resurrection and the Life, we can trust that

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Speaker 1: God is not finished. As Revelation twenty one promises us,

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Speaker 1: there will come a day when there will be no

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Speaker 1: more death or mourning or crying or pain. So as

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Speaker 1: you listen this final time, rest in God's goodness and

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Speaker 1: love for you. Rest in the truth that Jesus is

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Speaker 1: the resurrection in the life, that he has defeated death,

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Speaker 1: that he is coming again, And until that day we

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Speaker 1: can cling to the sure and true hope we have

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Speaker 1: in Him. Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if only you

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Speaker 1: had been here, my brother not have died. But even

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Speaker 1: now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.

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Speaker 1: Jesus told her, your brother will rise again. Yes, Martha said,

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Speaker 1: he will rise when everyone else rises. At the last day,

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Speaker 1: Jesus told her, I am the Resurrection and the Life.

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Speaker 1: Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying.

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Speaker 1: Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will

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Speaker 1: never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha? Yes, Lord,

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Speaker 1: she told him, I have always believed you are the Messiah,

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Speaker 1: the Son of God, the one who has come into

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Speaker 1: the world from God. Lord, thank you that you are

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Speaker 1: the resurrection and the Life. And Lord, whatever it is

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Speaker 1: that you helped us, notice, would you carry that with

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Speaker 1: us today? Lord, the places where we need resurrection, the

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Speaker 1: places where we need life, we ask boldly be that

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Speaker 1: for us, bring new life in, restore our hope, renew

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Speaker 1: our trust. Remind us you are not done. You are

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Speaker 1: coming again. And Lord, we ask, would that day come soon?

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Speaker 1: We cry out, together, Come, Lord, Jesus. Come until that day, though,

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Speaker 1: help us keep our eyes fixed on you, help us

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Speaker 1: to keep trusting you, to keep finding our hope in you.

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Speaker 1: We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Resurrection

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Speaker 1: and the Life. Amen. Well friends, if you are new

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Speaker 1: to the So Much More podcast or if you're new

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Speaker 1: to the season of LNT, I want to invite you

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Speaker 1: head into the show notes and grab the free I

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Speaker 1: AM Meditation journal. I unpack a little bit more about

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Speaker 1: what LNT is and why Christians have been practicing it

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Speaker 1: for a very long time. You'll also see in the

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Speaker 1: notes my partner Life Audio, and I encourage you to

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Speaker 1: check them out at lifeaudio dot com. Finally, if you

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Speaker 1: are enjoying these meditations, one of the greatest things you

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Speaker 1: can do for me is either share these with a

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Speaker 1: friend or follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and if

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Speaker 1: you're able, leave a review. All of those things they

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Speaker 1: just go a really long way and spreading the word

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Speaker 1: and helping get these meditations into the hands of those

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Speaker 1: who might need them. As always, my friend, thanks for

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Speaker 1: joining me on So Much More, because we really do

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Speaker 1: believe Jesus has so much more to say to us,

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Speaker 1: and this is one way we are creating space to

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Speaker 1: listen