Women of Worship just wrapped up their Summer and Fall Session with the “Well Dressed Woman Is Ready For Battle” Conference, please look for upcoming sessions in 2020. 
 
  

WHO ARE YOU WEARING?

by Anita Mondragon
 

Maybe some of you reading this think I have a typo in the title.  I DON’T!  Let me explain. 

We just finished our W.O.W. Conference for 2019.  It was awesome!  The food and snacks served by the Kitchen Staff was amazing!

We had wonderful music done by our own praise team, as well as the praise team from Centro De Alabanza, and a special time of worship from Leticia Torrez.  The music was phenomenal!

Besides words of wisdom given to us from our own First Lady, Sister Francine, we were privileged to have two special speakers, Sister Nancy Hinkle, and Sister Kathleen Le.

I have to admit, at the beginning, I really didn’t want to attend.  ….Hold on now!  Don’t look down the end of your nose at me!  I bet some of you out there felt the same way….  I don’t know what your reason/excuse was for feeling this way, but I can tell you what mine were.

  1. I could think of a hundred different ways to spend $25.00
  2. I couldn’t see myself sitting there for two hours on a Friday night and then ALL DAY SATURDAY! I had things to do…Yeah…Right!
  3. Truth is…I really just didn’t want to go. I’d have to get out of my jammies and get dressed…make an effort.

Am I alone in this boat? 

But, I am so glad that I overcame these obstacles and went!  You see, it was the enemy whispering all these things in my ear.  He didn’t want me to go because he knew I would have my eyes opened and be delivered from some things in my life that held me in bondage. 

I want to share a few points with those of you, who for whatever reason did not make it to the conference.  And…even though it was a women’s conference, the information given was backed up by scripture and is profitable for men as well!  So listen up guys!  These things apply to you too.

In Session 1, Sister Nancy spoke on the subject of, Who are you wearing?  She likened it to her passion of watching the Grammy’s, etc.  It wasn’t the show as much as the Red Carpet.  She liked to see what folks were wearing.  The interviewer always asked the same question-WHO are you wearing, as in Prada, Versace, Gucci, Dolce Gabbana.

As women of God-Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, that same question was put to us.  WHO ARE YOU WEARING?

Then, the list came up:   Are you wearing your mother?  Are you wearing your dad?  Are you wearing the negative, hurtful things that were said to you in the past? How about defeat?  Or divorce?  Are you wearing bitterness, and unforgiveness?  What about hate?  Do you ever put that on?  Do you wear the lies that have been told about you?  Do you wear the abuse you’ve endured your whole life?

 If so, it’s time to change your clothes!  If you do, you will change your life!  Time to put on Jesus Christ!  Joel 3:13 says this: Change your life, not just your clothes.  Come back to God, your God.  And here’s why:  God is kind and merciful.  He takes a deep breath, put up with a lot.  This most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe.

The very fact that the enemy shows up to steal from you, PROVES you have something worth stealing!  Get out of agreement with him! KNOW what God says about you! 

Many times, God leads us to the door of something great…something beyond our wildest aspirations, but we die on the threshold listening to the lies of the enemy.  It’s time to bust through the door!  Time to receive ALL that God intends for us!

Let’s put on the whole armor of God, and confidently walk through the doors of opportunity God places in our path!

Who’s with me?

Anita

 

 



THE EFFECTS OF A LOVING MIND

By Linda Schupp, P.H.D./ Anita Mondragon
 
Last Monday, the W.O.W had a ladies Bible study with Dr. Linda Schupp, PHD. She brought out some very interesting facts that I would like to share with those of you that missed the meeting.

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The Salvation Of The Lord

By Anita Mondragon

10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to- day, ye shall see them again no more forever.  -Exodus 14:10-13

14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

*****************

As a kid growing up, I always marveled at this story!  It was one of my favorites.


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Words To Live By “Overcoming Fear with Faith”

by Francine Rodriguez
 

Faith that conquers is great faith, but faith that continues is even greater. In Hebrews 11 the Old Testament heroes conquered kingdoms, performed great acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness they were made strong, became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight. But that was not always the case…Others were tortured, not accepting their release so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mocking’s and scourging’s, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn in two, tempted, put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins, and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (Men of whom this world is not worthy) wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. (vv.35-38). If they would have recanted their faith they would have been delivered, but they endured suffering because they were looking for a heavenly and eternal existence, not a temporal one. They did not fear death because they viewed their trials through the eyes of faith. “God help us to see our trials the same way.”

To grow our faith, we need other people: Battle Formation: While the Roman shield was carried by an individual soldier, it was most effective when combined with the shields of other soldiers.

In Paul’s day, archers of the Roman army would put cotton like material on the tips of their arrows and soak it with pitch. Before they shot the arrow, they would light the material. It would burn slowly but it was very hot. When the arrow hit the target, the pitch would splatter and start little fires, sometimes even the soldiers garments were set on fire.

To prevent this the soldiers would get into battle formation called the tortoise or phalanx. This is called the shield of faith; they would lift their shields and interlock with the soldier next to them. This shield of faith is utilized in community. Sometimes God will strengthen us when we are all alone but most often he strengthens us through the words or presence of other people in our lives. So do not neglect the benefit of following Jesus as a part of a community of believers, and let God grow your faith alongside, and as a part of His people.

God never intended for people to follow Christ alone. To grow faith that dispels your fears, you need other people. Faith is Contagious! “Every Word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” As long as you believe God, your shield is up. When you believe Satan’s lies, your shield comes down.

Faith is the most important element in life– without it; it is impossible to please God. At the core, faith is an act of trust by which we commit ourselves to someone or something. Faith is believing in the object of our trust. Believing in ourselves. Believing in another person. Ultimately, believing in God.

Faith is so important that it is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible!

The power of our faith rests in the object of our faith. At the foundation of all love is belief in the object that is loved. If we do not believe in a person we cannot love him or her. The same is true in our spiritual journey. We must begin with God: believing that He exists, believing that He cares, and believing that His love is real. “There is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear” (1John 4:18).

The object of Abraham’s faith was not just the promises of God. His faith rested in God Himself. The key to the Christian life is our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrificial and atoning death for our sins. We do not only believe that He died on the cross as a fact of history, but we believe that He died for our sins personally.

When we trust what Jesus did for us on the cross, we receive the gift of eternal life. (John 3:16-18) God has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.

What Abraham believed in his mind and heart, he put into action with his life. He turned trust into travel and experienced God’s grace and power along the way. Despite his imperfections God blessed him and Sarah with their promised son Isaac. Through them the nation of Israel was born- the lineage of Jesus Christ was begun. The plan to bless the world with a Savior continued to develop. God’s plan rested on the shoulders of a man who practiced faith.

I pray that we will be like the saints of old. Each one of them trusted God in a unique way. Their confidence in God’s promises resulted in personal obedience to His will for their lives. They clung to the hope that God would eventually triumph over what was challenging them. May we believe the same!



Be of Good Cheer

by Anita Mondragon

“In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

 I’ve heard this verse quoted since I was a little kid, and since becoming an adult, I have experienced it…literally; so I should not only KNOW it’s words, but I should at this point in my life realize the truth and the power in these words!

Yet, here I am again, going through some stuff; and while my boat is hurled about upon the waters of life’s troubled sea, I find myself doubting once again.  When you’re in a storm, holding on for dear life, it’s difficult to “be of good cheer.”


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The War Is Not Over

by Anita Mondragon
 

“Things are not what they seem.  This is a world at war.  Each of us has a crucial role to play….  A battle is raging, and it is a battle for your heart.” -John Eldredge

Years ago, I read a book by John Eldredge, entitled:  Waking the Dead.  There were many things in there that spoke to my heart!  In one chapter called, “Spiritual Warfare”, he says, and I quote, “This is the heart of our Enemy.  He is determined to hinder and harm and ruin God’s image bearers.  To steal and kill and destroy…the story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you COULD be, and fears it!”


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Will You Fall or Stand?

by Anita Mondrgon
 
“The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane. In the first, Adam took a fall. In the second, Jesus took a stand.” –Max Lucado
 
I can really identify with the first garden! I believe most of the human race can. However, the second garden is where I usually fail. How about you?

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Our Weakness Equals His Strength

by Anita Mondragon
 
Dr. Jeremiah was telling the story of Denny Morrison the speed skater.  During his career, he encountered many obstacles, but with fierce determination, he pushed through them all to arrive at his goal.  I’m sure during the times of his severe health problems, fear crept in as well as discouragement; but he never gave up!
 
We as saints of God are to have the same fierceness regarding our walk with God.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 24:16, “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again…”  How can that be?  What gives us the strength to keep getting up?  It is nothing less than girding our loins with truth, and our faith and trust in a mighty God. He gives us the strength and the courage to rise again and keep going!
 
We all experience various times of weakness throughout our life. But we must always remember that Jesus has already won the battle. We possess the victory through Christ and His shed blood. Paul reminds us that we are not fighting for victory but from the victory that Christ already secured for us at the cross.
 
So when the enemy comes knocking…do we run…or STAND?  The choice is yours; but be careful how you choose, for one choice makes you win…but the other, makes you lose!
 
Make the choice to win!  Stand your ground, and let the Lord fight your battles. We must align ourselves with the truth of God if we are going to stand firm in our faith. You do your part through prayer and the study of God’s Word!  Remember what the author said?  ….”If your Bible is falling apart, it usually means that YOU are NOT!” Buckle up before going out!
 
See Psalm 119:28- “I am melting away from anxiety and grief; renew my strength, in keeping with your word.” 
Worship and Praise are also weapons of our warfare against the enemy.  Practice them daily along with your Bible reading and prayer time! Allow God to fill the broken places of your life.  Let Him bond them together and strengthen you with His peace!


On Your Feet Soldier

by Anita Mondragon
 
Overcoming is a spiritual issue. There are three main obstacles to overcome sin, the world, and the

devil. When we face these obstacles, we must NOT look at the physical implications. The devil will ALWAYS make the problems appear to be much larger than they are! I don’t have a dishwasher, so every time I have company over for dinner, by the time they leave…I have dirty dishes on the stove, the counters, and filling both sinks! It looks like it will take me all night to get the kitchen cleaned up. But…once I sort everything out, I find, it’s not really that big of a job after all. The same holds true of the trials and tribulations we face in life. Sometimes, our problems look insurmountable…but if we give them to God and let Him sort them out, we will find they really aren’t that big! Ministry is no different. When and if God calls you to do something…just go ahead and do it. There will be many who tell you that you’re NOT qualified, you can’t do it, it’s impossible, stop being proud, etc. The disdain and angry remarks will continue long after you have accomplished your task. But if you do it as unto the Lord, and in the power of HIS might, you WILL achieve success! Dr. Jeremiah gave five key points in becoming an Overcomer. 1. Refuse to be discouraged. Be persistent in your calling! 2. Reinforce your focus. Look to God for direction and help. 3. Reflect on your past victories. Take a look at what God has brought you through. So encouraging! 4. Run toward the problem or challenge. Meet it head-on! 5. Remember WHO your captain is…THE LORD ALMIGHTY. Do it for Him! In his message to the troops, General Dwight D. Eisenhower started out his speech with these words, “…The eyes of the world are upon you…” The eyes of the world are upon us Believers who profess to KNOW and serve a living God as well, but even more importantly, the eyes of the LORD HIMSELF are upon us, and when we follow His call, He will show himself strong in our behalf and we WILL succeed in our purpose! Take a look at 2 Chronicles 16:9…it’s a promise you can count on! 9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. -2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV The General’s speech went on to say, “Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely…. But I have full confidence in your devotion to duty and skill in battle.” Can God Almighty say that about you? Is your heart completely His? Can He count on you to be devoted to His cause? This battle between Believers and Satan’s hoards is REAL people! ON YOUR FEET SOLDIER! Put on the full armor of God and get ready to fight! Anita Mondragon




 

Face To Face-The Wrap Up

Face To Face-The Wrap Up
Anita Mondragon
 
Why is it so important that we love the Lord, our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?
 
I believe the importance lies within the relationship we are to have as Believers.  We as Christians are all the Bride of Christ.  In a marriage relationship, there must be communication, respect, truth, love, and trust.  Without these things, there is no ‘marriage’…you’d be more like room mates.
 
However, most of our conversations with the Lord consist of us telling Him what we want and need.  We rarely ask Him what He wants and needs from us!  Why is this so?  I honestly believe that some, if not all of us are afraid to ask God what He wants and needs from us.  We are fearful that He will ask us to go to a place we’d rather not go…or do something that we don’t want to do, OR to stop doing the things we are doing.  So we stay in our ‘stale state’ of pretending to be a good Christian, but never reach our full potential.  
 
For those of us that have children, we know how sad it is to see our child not live up to his/her full potential!  It’s heartbreaking!  Our sad wail is, “They could have been so much more!”  I’m sure the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a few of those same conversations about some of us!
 
Shellie made a lot of good points in this chapter!  The one that stuck out most to me was when she said, “God isn’t meant to be a PART of our lives…HE IS OUR LIFE!”  She went on to say that the only way for us to accomplish God being our life, is to “Ask…and keep asking.  Seek…and keep seeking.  Knock…and keep knocking.”  That statement really struck me as I thought about God in His pursuit of me and my eternal soul!  I recall Him “Asking me” to come to Him several times!  I could feel His presence as He “sought me out.”  And even when I tried to hide from Him, His “knock” at the door of my heart grew louder!  So, I realize now that persistence, and constant prayer is the key to allowing God to BE our life!
 
When I finally get to see Jesus face to face, I want to see a smile cross His face as He welcomes me home!  I want Him to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!  You loved me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…AND you loved your brothers and sisters in Christ…even though some of them were hard to love.  You kept my commandment to love them and your neighbors as much as you loved yourself!”
 
So-as hard as it is sometimes in my flesh, I strive to give my broken want-to to Jesus on a daily basis.  I’ll admit…He has to remind me from time to time, because I’d rather let my fleshly desires kick in, and take care of nasty people and situations by myself…in my own way; and…I admit that I do try to give Him some pointers on how He should handle things…but He gently reminds me that My way…is NOT His way, and that His way is always best!
 
Years ago, I wrote a poem about my desire to see Him…face to face.  Some days, my longing to go Home and be with Him, causes me to ache!  It’s a desire that is so deep, I can hardly wait to see Him…to look upon His face…to catch that first glimpse of His smile as I enter that wonderful place called Heaven!     
 
Here is the last stanza of the poem I wrote called, All of Who I am!
 
…When my brown hair turns to gray…
My life slowly slips away…
 
When the lines upon my face,
Mark the course of my life’s race;
 
With my destination in full view,
I’ll bid my loved ones here adieu..
 
I’ll be looking just for YOU, Jesus…
And that smile will cross Your face! -anita
 
Are you ready to meet Him, face to face?  Or, do you have some broken things in your life that you’d like Him to fix first?  Take them to Jesus!  He’s ready, willing and able to fix whatever is broken in your life-especially your want-to!  
 
Anita


THE EFFECTS OF A LOVING MIND

By Linda Schupp, P.H.D./ Anita Mondragon
 
Last Monday, the W.O.W had a ladies Bible study with Dr. Linda Schupp, PHD. She brought out some very interesting facts that I would like to share with those of you that missed the meeting.

Read more...

Face To Face

Face To Face
Anita Mondragon
 
We, Christians hear all the time that we need to have a relationship with Jesus.  We have all heard the Great Commandment…”To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  Why is this so important?

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“May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name”

“May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name”
By Esther Hernandez
 
Wow!  “Heart Wide Open” just gets better and better. Meaning that God continues to move in my heart and allows me to see wonderful things in His word and in His people.  “May We Have Permission To Slap ‘Em Silly In Jesus’ Name” touched a time in my heart that I will never forget, nor do I want to.

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Keep your hands in your pockets (then you won’t be able to slap them)

“Keep your hands in your pockets (then you won’t be able to slap them)”
By Anita Mondragon
 
As most of you know, my dad was a Baptist preacher for over forty years, so I saw many things from behind the scenes.  Many of those things were the ‘dark side’ of professing Christians.  They were the smiling faces of Christ Himself on Sunday morning…but catch them after church was over, and you’d be looking down the roaring mouth of Satan ready to devour anything in his path!

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Are Some of Us Stuck With Messed Up Mustard Seeds?

Here we are…almost at the end of this study.  I must say, I’m having mixed feelings about this book!  I’m enjoying it very much, but at the same time, it has opened my eyes and caused me to see a few things about myself that I KNEW were there, but I’d denied them for years!  Why?  Because they are UGLY!  That’s the part I’m having trouble with…I think it’s called, “Conviction”!
 


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Learn To Forgive…And Forget

LEARN TO FORGIVE…AND FORGET!

Like all young parents, I made many bad choices.  They were done with the best of intentions, but I was new at being a mom, and some of the choices and decisions I made turned out to be the worst things I could have possibly done!  Yes!  I was stubborn too, and would not listen to wise counsel and advice given to me.  And…I sure didn’t need God’s help!  Or so I thought! I knew it all!  I was an adult and could make my own decisions. WRONG!  I see that now…you know what they say about ‘hind site!’


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Does God Want Out Of Our Quiet Time?

Well…I must admit…Shellie hit me right between the eyes a few times in this chapter!

My intentions are good. The desire of my heart to be close with the Father, is sincere! But I get distracted very easily! I’m like those birds in her back yard she was talking about. Some new idea strikes me…and off I run to pursue it. Instead of falling on my knees in prayer, looking in Scripture to see if this is what HE wants…I decide it’s a ‘good’ thing…and run after it. This has gotten me into more trouble than I care to think about!


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I Suppose CliffsNotes Are Out

The title of chapter three in the study book Heart Wide Open is, I Suppose CliffsNotes are out.  That got me to thinking…”What are CliffsNotes anyway?”  I asked a few folks, and finally looked it up on Google.  The definition was, a series of student study guides….    It still didn’t make sense to me, so I looked up the Urban definition and here’s what it said:  

“I got the cliffnotes.” noun. Used to brush people off during a potentially long-winded story or explanation of current events.
When someone is talking or telling you a story and you don’t want to hear it, say “Thanks but I have the cliffnotes,” to shut them up. This works in many ways, like if someone asks if you’ve seen a movie, etc., you can say you have the cliffnotes (to the movie). You can experiment and enjoy (ticking) peopleoff.
by mike viviano June 13, 2007
 

In other words…


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I Know I’m Not A Super Saint!

As I read chapter 2 of Heart Wide Open, I again could see myself.  I know I’m not a “Super Saint”!  I am anything but!

I’m more like the children of Israel.  I know God’s promises to be true…I’ve experienced them many times.  I can recall several times when He rescued me from certain death.  Times when He proved to be The God of, More than enough!’  But, like them, I seem to forget often!  They wandered in the wilderness for forty years….  Why?  It surely wasn’t because of God!  He promised to give them the land…but they were afraid.


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8 Responses to “Women of Worship”

  1. Terri Garrett McCarley says:

    So. nice to read reflections of attendees. Bible studies have a way of touching areas we like to ignore. Glad to know more women are having experiences they never expected. I felt the same way when I did Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer type studies. So much richness is available when we really dig into the Word. Good I so good.

  2. LINDA PEREZ says:

    Open the heart of my eyes Lord and how about me to unclutter all the ugly that may be in my heart give me directions and guidance through my life so I may be victorious Give me definition of things I may not understand but most of all show me how to love as You Love and to help my sisters in our ministry class to understand words they may not understand to pray for one another to learn to trust again to pray out loud so that my father may hear me Proverbs 3:5 calluses to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not at your understanding and continues in Proverbs 3:6 acknowledge Him in all your ways and he will make your path straight I thank you my father and I thank you sister Francine for the opportunity to deal with my inner feelings because you have made this possible with this ministry class God bless you all and I love you and sister Anita thank you that was beautiful and you’re right we all have to deal with things and be out of denial and I guess we should all start by helping each and one of our Sisters in Christ so they may see the light that shines upon our faces because of our Father Almighty God bless you all may the Lord watch over you and keep you safe at all times

  3. Anita M Mondragon says:

    Linda- I love your response. It’s like a prayer! How wonderful that you take responsibility for your own self first and let God begin His work in you, and then you share that with others! That’s what we all must do! The verse says, “Search ME oh God and know MY heart! …” May God bless and keep you always sister! And thank you for the encouraging words! -anita

  4. Dema Herrera says:

    Awesome recap on the women’s conference Nita and as always, I appreciate your writing and your candor.

  5. Barbara Kirby says:

    Anita, I was checking the Praise Center Site to see if they had a prayer group I could visit from time to time, given the times and seasons we are in, and saw your posts. I have been remotely connected to this church in a small way and so love and appreciate Pastor William and Francine. They are awesome. I was blessed to read your posts which are very anointed and from the heart of God. I pray that the Lord will expand your ministry and continue to bless and anoint you for his service. Love and blessings, Barbara Kirby

  6. Pastor Todd Boxley says:

    Hello, Ms. Meredith, I pray the Lord has blessed you with all spiritual blessings. I don’t believe I noticed a prayer request page, so I’m sending these precious souls to your heart. Could you please pray for Gabby, Rachel, Arleigh, Abby, Donna, Brook, Bree, Demetrius, Samantha, Jeremy, Kiley, Nicole (2), Ashley, Amanda, Shana, and Jarrett.

    These are souls that I have continued to pray for daily to see God transform their lives. There are salvation needs and deliverance needed. I believe when Gods people pray, the enemy is defeated, and God is glorified. Thank you for praying. Please give these names to others at your church. Lastly, please pray that God would bless this ministry. Thank you for your labor of love.

    Blessings,

    Pastor Todd Boxley
    Worship Center Ministry
    TJForlife.com
    (412) 616-3572
    PTB510@Comcast.net

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