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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. We love having you

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Speaker 1: guys listening to the podcast and we just speak blessings

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Speaker 1: over you and your family.

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Speaker 2: We sure hope you enjoy these podcasts and we are

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Speaker 2: praying for you and believing for God's very best in

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Speaker 2: this holiday season.

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Speaker 3: So we encourage us.

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Speaker 2: Today about remembering, remembering the good, remembering the things that are.

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Speaker 3: Helpful to us.

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Speaker 2: You see, so many times in life there's negative things

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Speaker 2: that happen to us. Maybe a bad childhood, maybe a divorce,

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Speaker 2: some negative words had been spoken in your life, and

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Speaker 2: those are the things we don't want to remember. We

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Speaker 2: want to remember what is beneficial and what is good.

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Speaker 2: Have you ever been mowing the lawn or maybe washing

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Speaker 2: the dishes, driving down the street and all of a

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Speaker 2: sudden a memory from the past hits your thoughts. Man,

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Speaker 2: it came out of nowhere, or maybe something that had

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Speaker 2: happened two weeks ago at work just kind of runs

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Speaker 2: write into your thought life and it makes you feel

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Speaker 2: sad or lonely depressed. Maybe those negative thoughts made you

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Speaker 2: even feel fear for a moment, fear of what would

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Speaker 2: happen in the future. You see, that's what negative thoughts

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Speaker 2: do to our life.

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Speaker 3: They stop us.

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Speaker 2: They're intended to cause us to pause, to not walk

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Speaker 2: in faith in victory. So that's why I want to

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Speaker 2: encourage us so much to remember what we're remembering.

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Speaker 3: Let's remember the good.

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Speaker 2: The apostles wrote many times in the New Testament. They

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Speaker 2: wrote things like this, I am writing to remind you.

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Speaker 2: I am writing to remind you again. Paul put this,

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Speaker 2: put it this way, he said, I never get tired

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Speaker 2: of reminding you. In second, Peter said this, He says,

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Speaker 2: I'm writing you two letters, two letters to remind you.

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Speaker 1: You.

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Speaker 2: See, they knew the power in remembering the right thing.

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Speaker 2: They knew that it could transform your life when you

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Speaker 2: remembered what God has said, and when you remember what

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Speaker 2: God has done.

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Speaker 3: See, we need to remember.

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Speaker 2: It's easy to put our minds on autopilot, but we

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Speaker 2: have to know that there's transforming power, and it's worth

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Speaker 2: using our time and energy to focus on what we're remembering.

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Speaker 2: The Old Testament, God commanded his people, the children of Israel.

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Speaker 2: He commanded them to take time out from their busy

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Speaker 2: schedules several times a year to celebrate festivals. He called

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Speaker 2: them times of remembrance. See he wanted them to stop

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Speaker 2: to celebrate what he had done. Now, can I tell

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Speaker 2: you this wasn't a suggestion by God. It wasn't something

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Speaker 2: that was optional. God required them to take time to

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Speaker 2: stop and remember the miracles, how he parted the Red sea,

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Speaker 2: how he brought water out of the rock, how Manna

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Speaker 2: came down from heaven.

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Speaker 3: He wanted them to pause and remember the wonders that

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Speaker 3: He had done, the marvelous deeds that he had performed.

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Speaker 3: You know why he wanted them to do that because

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Speaker 3: they are a lot like us today.

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Speaker 2: They get busy doing life, and sometimes when we're so

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Speaker 2: busy doing life, we have a tendency to forget. And

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Speaker 2: in that busyness, and in those struggles and in those

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Speaker 2: places of trying to make things happen, we find ourselves thinking,

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Speaker 2: if I don't make this happen, it's not gonna happen.

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Speaker 2: I gotta get this done, I gotta do this, I

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Speaker 2: gotta do that. And we struggle, and we struggle, and

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Speaker 2: we forget. We forget who's in control, we forget who

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Speaker 2: we can depend on. We forget who can do things

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Speaker 2: that we can't do. We forget the miracles God has done.

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Speaker 3: In our life.

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Speaker 2: So often we forget what we should remember, our victories,

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Speaker 2: our success, the good times. You see, some people feel

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Speaker 2: guilty if they're having fun. Sometimes we remember what we

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Speaker 2: should forget, the pain, the heartache, the loneliness. You see,

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Speaker 2: we can't allow the things of the past to control

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Speaker 2: our life. God doesn't remember those past mistakes. He doesn't

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Speaker 2: even remember the things that people spoke into your life.

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Speaker 2: All he knows is he wants you to move forward today.

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Speaker 2: He wants you to remember the good, remember what He

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Speaker 2: has done. See when we don't use the power of

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Speaker 2: remembrance for our favor, then it weakens our life. Let's

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Speaker 2: remember the good so that we can strengthen our life.

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Speaker 2: We need to choose to rewrite our history. Now, you say,

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Speaker 2: how do you do that? These things really happen in victoria.

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Speaker 2: You're saying I should be in denial. No, I'm not

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Speaker 2: saying you should be in denial. I'm saying you should

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Speaker 2: choose your pieces to create your God's story. You create

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Speaker 2: your God's story. You don't have to let your past

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Speaker 2: create the story and the history for you. God has

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Speaker 2: already done away with your past. The only way not

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Speaker 2: to let that past be the past is to not.

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Speaker 3: Live in the past. You say, you can't live in

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Speaker 3: the past.

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Speaker 2: If you want to get away from your past, you

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Speaker 2: have to understand today is your future.

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Speaker 3: The past is the past, but today.

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Speaker 2: Is your future. What are you going to remember? What

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Speaker 2: story are you creating for your life? See the Psalmas said,

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Speaker 2: I remember what the Lord has done.

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Speaker 3: I remember his marvelous works.

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Speaker 2: Why because he had to bring something that was from

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Speaker 2: the past, which was a miracle, how God had helped

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Speaker 2: him before. He had to bring it into the future

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Speaker 2: so that he could get through the difficult time he

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Speaker 2: was going through, so he could get through any doubt

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Speaker 2: or any unbelief that was trying to stop him.

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Speaker 3: See, that's our choice today.

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Speaker 2: We can either take a piece of the God's story

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Speaker 2: and bring it into our future, or we can take

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Speaker 2: a piece of something that's not going to help us,

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Speaker 2: that God's already taken care of, and bring it into

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Speaker 2: our future.

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Speaker 3: See what are you remembering? Is so very important today.

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Speaker 2: The Bible records how God also told his people to

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Speaker 2: put down memorial stones stones a remembrance. He said, put

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Speaker 2: these stones down so you can remember the specific victories

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Speaker 2: that I have given you, the things that.

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Speaker 3: I helped you with.

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Speaker 2: See, these were so that they could remember as they

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Speaker 2: passed by, as they lived their life. They put down

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Speaker 2: these memorial stones not only for themselves, but God said,

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Speaker 2: I want you to put these down for future generations.

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Speaker 3: I want them to see how I work in your life.

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Speaker 2: Do you have any memorial stones? Do you have some

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Speaker 2: things in your life? Because I can tell you this today,

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Speaker 2: you wouldn't be sitting here if God hadn't done great

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Speaker 2: things in your life.

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Speaker 3: You have memorial stones, You have victories. You know.

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Speaker 2: Maybe there's a job that you're going to every single

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Speaker 2: day and you can certainly say, God, I wouldn't have

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Speaker 2: this job if.

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Speaker 3: It wasn't for you.

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Speaker 2: Maybe you've had student loans that you've been paying on

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Speaker 2: for a long time and it's been difficult and it's

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Speaker 2: been rough, but you finally got them paid off.

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Speaker 3: Maybe your car is a big.

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Speaker 2: Old memorial stone and you're saying, God, thank you for

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Speaker 2: this car. This is my memorial of your goodness, of

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Speaker 2: your mercy, and your favorite in my life. See, when

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Speaker 2: we look around, we can see these places and spaces

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Speaker 2: in our life that God brought us victory, brought us success.

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Speaker 2: That's why he wants us to remember the good things.

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Speaker 2: He wants us to move them forward and create our

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Speaker 2: God's story. The mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, tells us

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Speaker 2: a story about how his father died when he was

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Speaker 2: thirteen years old, and how his mother raised nine children

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Speaker 2: all by herself. And he tells about how she brought

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Speaker 2: them to church and raised them in church, and how

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Speaker 2: it was very important to her that they got in school,

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Speaker 2: and so she made sure they were in school because

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Speaker 2: an education was very important to her.

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Speaker 3: He tells how it was rough. Times were tough.

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Speaker 2: They couldn't always have what they wanted or even sometimes

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Speaker 2: what they needed. He said, But the thing I remember

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Speaker 2: about my mother is this, She never complained. She never

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Speaker 2: told me how hard it was. She always said this, Sylvester,

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Speaker 2: Tomorrow will be a better day than today. Tomorrow will

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Speaker 2: be a better day than today. You know, Sylvester Turner

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Speaker 2: is a Harvard grad. When he became mayor of the city,

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Speaker 2: he gave his inaugural address, and this is what he said.

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Speaker 2: He said, today is evident what my mom always said

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Speaker 2: was very true. Tomorrow will be better than today. You see,

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Speaker 2: Sylvester's mother laid down a memorial stone of faith to

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Speaker 2: her children. You see, with her words and with her actions,

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Speaker 2: she erected God's goodness in their life.

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Speaker 3: She laid down a memorial stone of hope for his

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Speaker 3: future that he always remembered.

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Speaker 2: You see, oftentimes we want to tell our children how

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Speaker 2: hard it is and why they can't have this, and

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Speaker 2: how they shouldn't do that because they may end up

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Speaker 2: like this. But can I suggest to us today that

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Speaker 2: we begin to bring those God peces and lay them

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Speaker 2: at the feet of our children. Let's create a God's

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Speaker 2: story for their future. Let's tell them how God got

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Speaker 2: you through and how He's going to get them through.

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Speaker 2: You see, those stones will create stepping stones for their future.

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Speaker 3: We need direct, some memorial stones.

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Speaker 2: We need to remember what we're remembering. Bring your God's

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Speaker 2: story forward.

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Speaker 3: So that it'll energize and infuse your life.

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Speaker 2: You see, when you tell the next generation of the

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Speaker 2: deeds of the Lord in his mighty power, it makes

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Speaker 2: a difference in your family line. It makes the difference

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Speaker 2: for your future.

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Speaker 3: Remembering God keeps us.

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Speaker 2: Hopeful, and it encourages us, and it shapes our thoughts

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Speaker 2: and prepares us yes for the faith to allow God

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Speaker 2: to bring those good.

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Speaker 3: Things in our life. Amen. Amen, He's an autome God.

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Speaker 4: Do you have a dream that's waiting to happen, but

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Speaker 4: it often feels like you'll never get there? Is your

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Speaker 4: dream to start a business, to see a loved one

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Speaker 4: come to the Lord? Are you asking God? Will it

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Speaker 4: ever happen?

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Speaker 1: Sometimes it feels like our dream is so far off.

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Speaker 1: But I believe you're closer than you think.

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Speaker 2: You're on the verge of seeing things change in your favor,

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Speaker 2: new doors opening, the right people showing up.

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Speaker 1: I'd love to send you are New Hopes and Dreams

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty four Planner. It's not only a calendar, but

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Speaker 1: it has scriptures, an inspiration, a place to journal.

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Speaker 2: It'll help you stay focused and encouraged so you can

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Speaker 2: see your dreams come to pass.

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Speaker 4: As you support the Ministry this month with a special

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Speaker 4: end of year gift of any amount. We would like

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Speaker 4: to bless you with the Hopes and Dreams twenty twenty

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Speaker 4: four Planner. The New Planner, you will start the new

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Speaker 4: year with fresh ideas, fresh hope, and endless possibilities. You'll

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Speaker 4: find monthly calendars and plenty of space to plan for

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Speaker 4: a better day ahead. Plus there are inspiring scriptures and

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Speaker 4: thoughts that will encourage you to believe for your dreams.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your prayer and support your

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Speaker 1: year in giving, you're making a difference around the world.

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Speaker 1: And a special thank you to our Champion of Hope

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Speaker 1: partners for your monthly gift. If you're not a partner,

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Speaker 1: I hope you'll consider becoming one. Remember you can watch

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Speaker 1: the services online every Sunday morning, see all the music

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Speaker 1: and ministry, and you can download our daily podcast.

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Speaker 2: We hope you and your family have a very blessed

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Speaker 2: Christmas season and a healthy, productive favor Field twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of The Hopes and

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