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[INAUDIBLE] Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will pray. I have in the Father become before thee this morning

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thanking thee for the many blessings which you have bestowed upon us. Let's gather here today to give praise to thy holy name, and we ask that thy spirit will be present with us

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in the name of Jesus. [inaudible] (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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(dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) [music]

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[music] Get that other mic on right there. [MUSIC PLAYING] Three, six, seven people in the choir.

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I don't know if there's two or four of them. Seven people. [INAUDIBLE] They don't have a date like this.

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They just didn't get up. [Music] [inaudible] [MUSIC]

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[Music] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC] ♪ In worth and in bliss ♪

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♪ Sweet and strong ♪ ♪ In trust and triumph ♪ ♪ To overcome ♪ ♪ In all past days ♪

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♪ Gives the shining day ♪ ♪ God of the future ♪ ♪ Stands on the earth ♪ ♪ In peace and hope ♪

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♪ With heart and tears ♪ ♪ If ye be of us ♪ ♪ So let me live ♪ - Our scripture lesson this morning is taken from

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2 Samuel 22 chapter 29 through the 34th verses. "For thou art my lamp, O Lord, and the Lord will lighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop.

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By my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

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For who is God? Save the Lord. And who is a rock? Save our God.

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God is my strength and power, and he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds feet and setteth me upon my high places. May the Lord bless us, the reading

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and the hearing of his word. At this time, we invite you to come to the altar if you so desire that we may pray together. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(ominous music) (eerie music) (eerie music) (eerie music)

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(eerie music) (eerie music) [MUSIC PLAYING] (music playing)

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O gracious and wonderful master, we come before thee this morning in all humility, with our heads bowed and our mind upon thee. As we come before thee this morning, O Lord, we ask that you would first incline your ear to our voice, search each one of our hearts, set us upon the right path.

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We come before you this morning, O Lord, asking that if we've done anything wrong, that you would forgive us, enable us to love one another as Christ loved us. We pray this morning for this church, for its mission. We pray that you would strengthen each member, that he or she would take up his or her individual

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cross and march towards Zion. We come at this time, O Lord, and ask that you would touch the sick with your healing hand. If there be any remorse or if there be any grief among us, O Lord, we ask that you would help to lighten the load. Comfort each of us in our individual crisis. May our

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I be upon thee at all times, because thou art the source of our strength and our salvation. We pray this morning a special prayer for the leader of this flock. We pray that wherever he is that thou would be with him. And we ask, oh Lord, that you would accompany us and be our guide as each day we take a

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step towards thee. Help us, guide us, be our comforter. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (ominous music) (soft music) (eerie music)

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(gentle music) (gentle music) (soft music) (somber music)

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(gentle music) (gentle music) [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[ Music ] (dramatic music) (gentle music) (gentle music)

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (piano music) ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪

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♪ To the place ♪ ♪ Where I first received You ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪

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♪ Where I first believed ♪ ♪ First believe ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪

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♪ To the place where I first received you ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back, dear Lord, where I first believed ♪ ♪ I feel I'm so far from you, Lord ♪

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♪ But still I hear you calling me ♪ ♪ Those simple things that I once knew ♪ ♪ Those memories are drawing me ♪ ♪ I must confess that I've been blessed ♪

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♪ But still I'm not sure what to do ♪ But still my soul's not satisfied. Renew my faith, restore my joy, and dry my weeping eye. Oh, take me back.

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Take me back. Take me back. ♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪ ♪ To the place ♪

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♪ Where I first received you ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ I wanna go back ♪

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♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪ ♪ Where I first believed ♪ I've been so hard to make it all along. I need your help just to make it home.

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♪ Take me back to the place where I first received you ♪ ♪ Take me back, I wanna go back, Lord ♪ ♪ Take me back to the place where I first received you ♪ ♪ Take me back, I wanna go back, Lord ♪

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♪ Take me back, dear Lord, where I first believed ♪ ♪ Take me back ♪ ♪ Take me back, dear Lord ♪ ♪ To the place where I first perceived you ♪

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♪ Take me back ♪ [MUSIC] Good morning. I would ask that you please read Church Bulletin,

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Church announcements for the incoming week. We do have a special announcement coming from Brother Alfred Dodson at this time. Good morning, Ebenezer.

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On last Sunday morning, the pastor stated that on next Sunday morning, which is the fourth Sunday, would be observed as homebound day. more familiarly known to us as Sick and Shut-In Day.

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And as you know, many of the sick and shut-ins have not been to church in years. And so this committee, along with the Tate Ministry Committee, is making a valiant and very serious effort

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to get these people in. Many of you here know of or are either connected with families who have elderly people in them. And we certainly do not only invite you,

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but implore you to assist us in getting those people here, maybe just for one more time, to be able to greet and be able to see their church and to visit the church again. Now, the pastor also stated in his remarks

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that the services would be especially slanted to those people so that they would have a feeling of sharing in and belonging to the service. We had a meeting on Thursday of this week

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by the Homebound Committee. And when I say homebound, I'm really including every one of those people, the tape ministry and the special committee that Reverend Griffin appointed

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last Sunday morning. We had a very fruitful meeting. And if nothing else, we were able to observe all of the difficulties involved in trying

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to get this off on next Sunday. So again, we want you to be reminded and to give us whatever assistance that you can in helping us to bring this off and to make

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it a very successful day. Thank you. [SIDE CONVERSATION] All your names, would you please stand and remain standing

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until words of welcome have been expressed? Deacon and Mrs. Leroy Hunt, Boston, Texas, a member of Faith Temple Church, visiting here with Dorothy McWilliams.

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On behalf of the pastor and members, we would like to extend to you a most cordial welcome to any and all of our services and ask that you please come back and visit us again as soon as possible. Thank you.

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We'd like to acknowledge and thank the top ladies of distinction who have donated the beautiful flowers which you might see to your left that have been given in memory of Sister Mary Louise Burgess. At this time we bless the Lord with our giving we ask that the urchins would come forward.

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(piano music begins) (quiet footsteps) (gentle piano music begins) [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Lord, now we come to thee with our offering of that which we have set aside for thee. Bless us in our giving, but foremost, accept the gift of ourselves.

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In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. [MUSIC PLAYING] (piano music)

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(dramatic music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (piano music)

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(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle music) (gentle piano music)

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(gentle music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music)

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(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (piano music) (gentle piano music)

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(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (piano music) (piano music)

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(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) [ Music ] And now, let's stand and sing Congregational Hymn Number 10.

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[MUSIC - "OH HOW I LOVE JESUS"] Oh, how I love Jesus. Let's sing this like we really mean it. [MUSIC - "OH HOW I LOVE JESUS"]

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[ Music ] First and last stanzas. [ Music ] Oh, how I love Jesus!

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Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus! Because He first loved me. ♪ It tells me of a Savior's love ♪

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♪ And in my weakness fall ♪ ♪ Oh, may these sorrows pass away ♪ ♪ And nothing can be done ♪ Oh, I love Jesus, Oh, I love Jesus,

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Oh, I love Jesus, Because He fights for me. ♪ Oh, I love Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, I love Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, I love Jesus ♪

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♪ Because He first loved me ♪ ♪ You have set me free ♪ - Amen. Our Lord alone is God.

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We have no other savior. God is my strong fortress. He has made me safe. He causes the good to walk a steady tread,

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like mountain goats upon the rocks." Second Samuel 32 through the 31st verses from the Living Bible paraphrased. Perhaps the most beautiful song ever written

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can be found in the book of Second Samuel. In its passages are to be found a psalm of thanksgiving for God's powerful deliverance and manifold blessings. Though there is some vagueness as to the authorship

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of these books, we do know that David acknowledges that the Lord has delivered him out of the hands of all of his enemies and out of the hand of Saul.

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From the depths of the thoughts that are expressed in this chapter, there can be no doubt that David has long realized that God is worthy to be praised and that God is his refuge and his tower.

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In this song, there is no spur of the moment improvisation as songs go. But there is an historical perspective that is injected into the structure of this song's

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composition. Because David relates to a time in the past when he has found himself surrounded by waves of death, where floods of evil burst upon him,

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and he has become trapped, bound by hell and death. Yet he called upon the Lord. He called upon the Lord in his distress, and the Lord heard him from his temple on high.

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This refers to a time of extraordinarily grave events marked by great loss, lasting distress and affliction. But the Lord sets David free. And he not only sets him free, but he

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rewards him for his goodness. And as David says, he becomes the delight of the Lord. You see, David trusts the Lord. The Lord is his rock, his fortress, and his deliverer.

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Can we put ourselves in a similar situation this morning, a similar predicament? Songs like this are not written today. In our pluralistic society, we find

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that our institutions of the mind do not deal with our religion, our schools, our other social institutions, and for all practical purposes have divorced themselves completely from God. an example. We find today that it is legally not permissible for children to

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pray in school. It is a sad state of affairs when our young are not given the privilege to open each day giving thanks to God. You know things have changed. When I was a young youngster growing up in school that was one of the first things if not the first thing that we did in the morning is stood and gave thanks in prayer to God.

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But be that as it may, I read somewhere the other day where black children are saying, as long as they're going to have to be bused, as long as they are going to have to go to schools where the majority of the teachers

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are white and the principals are white, and there are going to be final examinations, there will be prayer in schools. But David is the important man of the hour this morning.

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And it's fascinating to look at and study history to find how different ages have called out different capacities in people and has exalted such different types of people.

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Exalting different types of people as the important people of that particular hour. All of the ages have not been alike. There was the age of faith, the age of reason,

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the age of discovery, the age of industry, the atomic age. And now we stand on the threshold of the space age. In ancient Greece, the big man and the man of the hour was the thinker and the philosopher.

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In China, the most influential man around was the sage or the man of wisdom. In the Middle Ages, it was the architect. In 16th century Europe, it was the artist.

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In 19th century England, it was the man of letters. So we see that every age exalts its own ideal man. But as that went, we note that there is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood

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leads on to fortune. And one is unable to go very far very fast. And such is the case of David. He becomes exalted going from a keeper of sheep

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to king of Israel. We're told that he was a remarkable man with a picturesque ancestry that was inspiring, praiseworthy, but yet at times tainted by sin.

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So in all of the remarkable traits and attributes that David has, we find that faith somewhere intervened. And today, we see the same kind of fate intervening in the lives of so many people.

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Just the other day, I happened to pick up a paper and read an article which related to a very catastrophic kind of situation that occurred in the life of a young man who,

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Shortly after graduating from college, being very gifted as an athlete, cast into a situation where he became virtually a millionaire overnight, had his problems in adjusting, and finally found someone,

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he says, who taught him how to love. And out of nowhere, a mysterious disease invaded his life and took away his loved one. So fate does intervene.

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But in looking at David, we see that he possessed musical gifts, not just able to play an instrument, but excelled in playing the harp, playing the harp with unequaled skill.

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And he was also able to compose, a composer of songs. His works were so marvelous until he was enabled to find himself close to the king. Now that's quite a distance from a shepherd of sheep

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to being a personal type of a company to the king. And we're told that this came about because he excelled in the playing of the harp. And that the reason was that he played for the king

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when the king became disturbed and the king's countenance was changed. But God had endowed David with other positive attributes. And David acknowledges these when

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he petitions God in his praises and his thanksgivings, as well as in his strong statements of faith. David says, without any equivocation, I have not departed from my God.

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I have not departed from my God. How many of us this morning can say that we have not departed from God. How many of us this morning can say

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that when we leave these walls that we will not depart from God until we return? There is a greater meaning to these words than we think as one decides and makes a statement saying

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that I have not and I will not depart from God. He should be well aware that God hears these words. Amen. Amen.

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I have not departed from my God. For God alone is capable by his will to make the darkness bright. Amen. I'd like to know how you sleep out there this morning.

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You see, God's power is able to crush armies. And in reading somewhere, one day the angel of God led the children of Israel out of Egypt. He moved a cloud around them, and the cloud stood between the children of Israel and Pharaoh's army.

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army. And in the night, the cloud became darkness to Pharaoh's army, but light to God's people. God caused his angel to move the water so that the children of Israel were able to march through on dry land. But as the Egyptians attempted to pursue them, the The sea became normal again and not one of Pharaoh's army remained alive.

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So God is capable of destroying armies. And when we cry unto God for his help, and we do find it necessary to call upon him to help us. Life is such that we can't bear it alone. Daily there may come a situation which confronts us that we find ourselves unable, not strong enough, not

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knowledgeable enough, not really strong enough in our faith to overcome and that That is the time that we call upon the Lord. And if we call upon him in earnest, he will hear our cry. He hears us, and he answers us.

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And we should give thanks to him for his tender mercies. He teaches us his laws, and each day we should be thankful for what he has done for us. Who can we turn to when the adversities of life confront us and we find that in

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our humanness we are unable to rise to the occasion sometimes. When we find ourselves confronted with situations of which we have no backlog of of information in order to deal with, when we find that we have found our lives shattered

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and we seek to make a new start, who can we go to except the Lord alone? There is no other savior. There is no other who is able to keep us from falling.

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We take great pride in our accomplishments, in our educational achievements, in the way in which we have come to find ourselves having progressed from a state of infancy to adulthood.

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And we take great pride on what we have become. and we say, you know, I raised myself from my bootstraps. But do we ever really take the time and the earnestness of heart and spirit to really say to ourselves

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and admit to the fact that it isn't on our own accord that we've come as far as we've come, but only through the grace of God. I come to you this morning saying, "Amen."