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Jesus Looks Beyond

23 Nov

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

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I’ve never thought much about my abilities, but my inabilities come up and sting me all the time. As I age and become more “wise” I discover that my physical abilities and stamina wan. How could I possibly make a difference in God’s Kingdom; I can’t even open my own water battle half the time.

I think of great people who have made an incredible impact on God’s people; the sacrifices they made, the changes that took place because they took a stand and reached out to hurting people. I see Mother Teresa holding dying people in Calcutta and Billy Graham standing at a podium, speaking to tens of thousands of people about God’s glory. I see A. A. Allen standing in a faith so strong that he laid hands on the hopelessly ill and they became whole. I see Kathryn Kuhlman’s faith and the lives that she touched. How could I ever make a difference in God’s Kingdom; I have nothing? God, how can I make a difference?

I spent time watching these great people on YouTube clips and it all became very clear to me. Each person we call “great” were simple people who recognized their own frailties and inabilities. They were available humble vessels who believed in the power of God to do all things. They realized that in and of themselves, they were nothing – just like me.

God, let me always remember that I am nothing more than an empty vessel, filled with the Holy Spirit. Help me to realize that although I am nothing, when yielded to your plan and guidance, miracles can happen. In my inability, God, You can build a church.

 

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Written 1-14-2010

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DETERMINATION

22 Nov

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.    Ephesians 6:13

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In the area where I live we have huge black ravens, much larger than the hens in my chicken coop. When we first moved here we were in awe of them as several would group by the side of the road taking care of an unfortunate rodent left lifeless by the wheels of a car.

Having one quite small child, the older boys decided they would make it a point to keep a close eye on him at all times, lest 2 or 3 of those ravens took a notion to carry him away. Jon is now big enough to fend for himself – but over the years we’ve heard many stories of missing kittens, chicks and puppies at the strong and powerful claws and wings of the ravens. Many wish they could banish the threats to the mini-farms in the area, but the ravens are protected birds because of their scavenger lifestyles and the service they do to the community by cleaning up the roadways and fields of carrion.

This time of the year, a little past spring but not into the hottest of summer, the birds are making their nests, laying eggs and tending to hatchlings. Crisp morning songs fill the air and faint shrill chirps announce new life. I sat on my porch with a steamy cup of tea, enjoying my time with Jesus, when I heard the loud deep “Caw” of the raven and sharp screeching of a smaller bird. There in front of me flew the duo – big black bird in the lead and the smaller bird behind – diving at the raven and pecking him hard on the back. Across, as far as I could see, this continued – “Caw” – shriek – attack– “Caw” – shriek – attack.

That momma bird was not going to allow that predator to take the treasures of her nest – even though she was less than 1/10th the size. Nothing could stop the instinctive determination of that momma bird – even though the raven was easily strong enough to turn around and destroy the threat that pursued it.

My, my, my – would I have done the same? When an overwhelming spirit of evil shadows my life, do I look at the size and the “apparent” hopelessness of the situation and give up my chance to stand? Do I remember the words of God that tells me “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” (PS 91:4-6) and that “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD . . .“ (IS 54:17). That “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Mt 17:20). That if I had the determination of a small momma bird – no predator could displace the tiniest twig of my nest.

Jesus, help me to meditate night and day on Your promises, knowing that they are not only for others, but also for me. Keep my feet strong in adversity and when I have all that I know to do to stand, that yet still I WILL stand.

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Written 6-14-07

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DEAD BRANCHES

19 Nov

 

”But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6 (KJV)

 

Many years ago we experienced a winter far colder than any other I had experienced. Lakes frozen over, streets frozen over, chunks of ice were inches thick on the electrical and telephone wires all over town. People couldn’t drive their cars up the steep streets of Prescott, AZ. Police officers were turning lines of cars around in an attempt to reduce further accidents. It was COLD!

 On a warm afternoon, several months later, I was enjoying a quiet moment on my front porch. There was a light breeze blowing and suddenly a large branch fell out of our tree in the front yard. The tree was beautiful green and full with leaves. There wasn’t any sign of dead branches, until this one fell.

 I wandered over and looked up into the tree. It looked green and healthy. I looked from a different angle; green and . . . oh, wait, what was the brown in the middle? I brought over a ladder and looked closer – dead branches. There were a number of dead branches broken loose from the tree, being held in place by the new growth, waiting for a wind to set them loose. I suspect that these branches were broken loose by the heavy ice that had rested there in the months before. I pulled a few of the branches out and left those that were out of easy reach.

 It made me think about new Christians and how they have broken and wounded spirits that are hiding in their newly born lives. Lives full of enthusiasm and desire to grow with Jesus, covering over the brokenness and wounds that first drew them to Jesus. They look fresh and beautiful on the outside, hiding the pain inside.

 So many times we rejoice with their salvation and ignore the task set before us to help them grow. We often think they’ll find their own way to their faith and the truth. We might “toss” a scripture their way if they ask a specific question or two, but don’t get too involved in explaining what it means. After a while they become discouraged and disappear.

These “Babies” need someone to come along and embrace them, pray with them, teach them to let go and allow the pain and wounds to drop away through the healing of Jesus. Like us, they are called to be fountains of living water. They are to grow and be pruned by the Master, just like we were. They will be shaken clean by the winds of trial. Their roots will grow strong with dedicated study, prayer and intercession. But, only if we will teach them how.

 What sort of witness are we if we spend our time preening ourselves and not guiding them along the way? Do we allow them to be tossed by the winds of doctrine, or do we show them how to receive the wind of the Spirit and the healing Word of God? Do we allow them to wander and be confused by tempting spirits, or do we teach them to discern and recognize the truth? Do we brush away the dead branches we can easily see and leave the deepest, furthest away to remain? Or do we dedicate our works to intercession and instruction, so that they can recognize the things in their lives that they have the authority to cleanse away themselves. Do we care?

 God, help me to never forget how confused and lost I was when I first came to You. Help me to remember the outstretched hands and dedicated prayers that lead me to a strong knowledge of You. Help me remember how strong the pull was to give up and walk away when things just didn’t make sense, and the joy of breaking through with a well guided word and a moment of encouragement. Help me to be the example to help others find true relationship with You.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 10-1-2012

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Simple Peace

27 Oct

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15 (KJV)

This has been a most unnerving year. Going back to college has opened my eyes to a side of life I was completely unaware of. I had to fight to maintain my faithful fruits and pray continuously to be able to explain why my faith is correct and true.

At the same time we were preparing our home for sale; packing those things that made our home personally ours, those little treasures and comforts that mean so much. All of this culminated at its highest peak in December, a week before the celebration of the Birth of my Lord.

With packing for a move and sorting out what to take and what to leave, we gave away our Christmas tree; we figured we’d already be moved by Christmas.

Shopping was all last minute with a minimal budget. I was overwhelmed and frazzled with each stop; people pushing, crowding, blocking the aisles, children crying and screaming, adults screaming and threatening; I just wanted to hide and let Christmas go by without me. Depression stepped in.

Sunday before Christmas came and the children were doing their program that morning. The adult worship team was going to sing a few songs and as we practiced the children were being transformed into angels. It all seemed so mechanical, lacking Jesus.

I had to get something out of the prayer room. When I opened the door I walked into a tiny forest of Christmas trees, simply decorated and set there to make room for the Children’s set. I stopped. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the trees. The depression and tension lifted. Jesus! Jesus! Over and over I heard his name. He had come as a baby, announced by a star.

Memories of past Christmas trees flooded my mind. Nativity, ornaments, angels, a star on the top, Christmas carols honoring my Lord. I hadn’t realized how much a tree meant to me. I hadn’t realized how much the tree spoke to me of Jesus. I hadn’t realized the peace of sitting at the base of a lit Christmas tree brought, lights twinkling, glowing in wonderful colors in a darkened room. All the story of Christmas played in my mind.

We borrowed one of those little trees to put our presents around, just a simple tree. It was a small symbol reminding me to thank God for sending His son as a tiny vulnerable baby; a baby that would hunger, be cold, be hot, be confused and filled with awe, just like us. It was a tiny baby, humbled by a simple birth, honored with my Christmas tree. This baby would one day give His life for me. Thank you Abba Father.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 12-27-09

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ISOLATION

20 Oct

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15

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I have fallen back into myself,

It’s so comfortable there.

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I see the child

Looking for shelter, reaching out to me,

By my solitude – so precious –

Keeps me from reaching back.

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I see the man

Drinking away his pain.

“No, no, no.” I shout,

But from my safe place no one can hear,

They continue toward death.

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I see the woman

At the point of desperation

Mouths to feed, bills to pay, all alone.

I start to reach out

But in my isolation she can’t see I care.

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The pain of others so overwhelms me

That I crawl farther out of sight

To my safe place with Jesus.

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Yet in my safe place there’s a stirring

Scriptures echo in my mind

The rumbling of the Spirit bursts through bone and sinew!

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“Is this what I’ve called you to?” Cries God.

Hesitantly I look into the eyes of my Father,

He’s not angry, only hurt.

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The tenderness in His eyes draws me.

I reach for His outstretched hand,

And step back out of myself.

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In my mouth He’s placed the words that I must take,

To the Child, To the Woman, To the Man.

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The words that will turn their pain to Hope,

Their death to Life.

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The Words – The Gift – of my Father.

 

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Written 2/5/2003

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“HAVE YOU SEEN MY SERVANT . . .”

20 Oct

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psalms 40:1-2 (KJV)

All my life I have been drawn to birds. My great desire was to have my own chickens and ducks. A few years ago my Mother’s Day Gift was the converting of a shed into a chicken coop. We bought baby chicks and raised them in the bath tub until they were big enough not to escape through the fence openings. We learned that just because a sign says “Pullets” you are only guaranteed that 80% of the birds are hens – we weren’t that statistically fortunate – more like 75%. If you’ve ever had to deal with territorial roosters, you will understand the importance of that.

About 8 months ago we took in a foster-adopt dog named Patches. She was over a year old and had been seriously injured on a number of occasions by other dogs. At first she would just lay on the floor for hours, not moving. The vet recognized that she had an eye problem where the lid of her eyes would turn all the way inside, causing large sores on her eyeballs. After her eye surgery she took on a whole new hyperactive personality. We grew to love her and her silliness very much.

A few days ago I was heading out to put the dogs in the house and let the chickens and ducks out of the coop and pen to wander the yard and eat their fill of bugs – but something was wrong. On the back porch lay one of my little banty hens, dead. I looked toward the pen – Patches was inside.

I ran as fast as I could to get her out and protect my little flock – but what I saw completely devastated me. All 3 ducks were dead. 7 hens were dead. 2 hens were horribly mutilated but breathing. One rooster was mildly hurt.

How could this happen? We so carefully built the coop and pen to keep out predators, but our own dog got in. On the side of the pen was a hole about 12” wide that she had ripped with her teeth.

We latched down all the coop doors and blocked the hole – but she went back in several times. The other 2 hens died that night, only the rooster remained. We thought we had the pen secure again and I opened the little door from the coop to the pen, so the rooster could walk around. He wasn’t much interested in venturing. He was still so scared.

I checked on him every few hours to see how he was doing, and on one trip found a duck egg in the corner. I took it in the house, washed it and opened the egg carton to put it away – every egg in the carton was cracked open, somehow they had frozen on the top shelf of the fridge. Overwhelming grief struck me. All but one of my chicks and ducks were dead. All of their eggs were destroyed. It was as if God was erasing a section of my life.

That night I kept hearing noises and kept checking the coop. At about 2am I finally fell asleep. At about 4am I woke again – the dog was back in the coop and had mangled the rooster after ripping a 3’ wide hole in the fence. The rooster lived until late in the day. We took the dog to a foster agency that morning, being sure to tell them that she should not be placed in a home with any kind of birds. I could no longer trust her and knew I could not keep her inside either as I have a large collection of domestic birds.

I was filled with pain. I could not understand what had just happened. I had lost all 13 of my flock and I had lost a dog I loved. Even the broken eggs in the ‘fridge seemed to be a message. I was so overwhelmed with grief and cried out to God “Why?”

I pray over my home and animals every day. I pray over the land and the safety of everything on it. I stand in faith believing that when I pray, my prayers are heard and honored. I couldn’t understand why my God would allow this.

I prayed and cried for hours – until I heard God’s voice. “Have you seen my servant Job?” What? Was this merely a trial?

“But God I prayed.” Job prayed and even sacrificed for each of his children so that they would be pure before God as they did not live holy lives.

“But God, you said if I prayed believing . . .?” Job said that God gives us all, and He can take it all away (Job 1:5, 1:8 & 1:21).

God and I spent a lot of time together that day. I was so confused and hurt; He was patient. I was angry; He was loving. I finally said “God, if this was Your will, please take the hurt away and give me peace.”

A soft cloud of peace wrapped me like a blanket. The pain slipped quietly from my heart and I felt such comfort.

I don’t understand why we are given such trials of faith. I don’t know why some things have to be so hard. But I know that when we cry out to God, He is there to bring comfort and peace.

I’m already planning my new flock. This time we’ll use heavier gauge fencing. I will still pray over them every day. I will still trust in those prayers. And, if God allows me to be tested again, I will cry out again for peace – knowing in Who’s hands it rests.

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NOTE:  Since this piece I have raised several flocks of chickens and ducks.  It is such a blessing to see them roam around and enjoy life.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 7-5-07

**The Road To Emmaus”

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GENTLE BREATH

13 Oct

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

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A rush of angel’s wings,

Soothing,

Drawing away,

The stress of yesterday.

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Angels of protection,

Wrap your wings about,

That no evil,

May Penetrate.

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Gentle breath of God,

Wash over,

Cleanse – Fill – Release.

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Precious Holy Spirit,

Heal the broken walls,

Fill the voids,

With Your joy.

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Release Your anointing,

To bring a new walk,

Stepping in the footprints,

Of the Father.

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** Prayer – May your time with Jesus be tender, precious and everlasting. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Written 1/13/2004

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COMMUNICATION

13 Oct

Words, Actions, Prayers

 

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.   Psalms 19:14 (KJV)

Probably the most difficult challenge as human beings is communication. It would be simple if we could rely on verbal language to express everything we need to communicate, but words come with multiple meanings, sarcasm aside, and can only be truly understood with tone of voice and emotional body language.

As wonderful as email, texting and IMing is, it can be easily misunderstood. I’ve been told people don’t know if I’m angry or teasing in my emails, because they can’t hear my voice inflection; they can’t see the twinkle in the eye or the suppressed smile.

God gave us so much more to communicate with than mere words. God gave us emotions; explosive and tender. God gave us body movements to emphasize our words – but even more, God gave us touch. God gave us a tender caress, a gentle pat, a moment of understanding through direct eye contact that communicates far more than reams of paper could ever express. He gave us the ability to hold and comfort the broken, then jump and rejoice with the excited. He gave us the “parent face” to correct our children, and the “I love you” face that can be seen across crowds.

God also gave us the ability to communicate by our chosen actions. How much clearer can you communicate love than by handing a hungry child a plate of warm food? How clearer can you say you care than by putting a warm jacket or blanket around the shoulders of the homeless? How much clearer can you speak love and friendship than to sit quietly with one who grieves?

Greater yet is the communication that not only says “I care,” but says “My Father in Heaven cares and He is with you always.” Prayer is the ultimate communication because it opens the loves, desires, visions, joys, sadness, pains, illnesses, and brokenness to the one true God who can make a change. Prayer takes the situation directly to the throne room of God. We can pray alone and intercede. We can pray with the person individually. We can pray in a team or for the person in a circle. We can pray in corporate prayer, bombarding Heaving until the hand of God moves.

Communication is using the whole person (body, soul, spirit) to touch a whole person or community. It is not sterile words on a page. It is not long distance ministry – it can’t be. Communication is you and me and God intimately touching the world.

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Written 8-1-2010

 

** NOTE:  Since this was written we have been given the world of emojis and gifs!  That does help in texting and messaging, but there is still the issue with the email having a bit of confusion.

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DANCE

7 Oct

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.   Psalm 149:3

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Fears fly.

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Drop down the grave clothes,

Shed them – break free,

New Joy – New Laughter,

Dance now for Me.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Soul fly.

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All chains are Broken,

Past debts are gone,

Your tears are bottled,

You’re never alone.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Let your Heart fly.

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Clothed in New Garments,

Love leads your way,

God Kissed – My Daughter,

Hear what I say.

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Dance, Baby, Dance

Reach to the Sky,

Eyes set on Heaven,

Know that You’re MINE.

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Written 2-4-09

 

 

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COME YE

7 Oct

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And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.   1 Corinthians 12:28 (KJV)

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Sun glistens through the flowing golden honey,

Slowly – deliberately – gracefully,

It edges downward toward the earth.

The secret of the hive is revealed,

The source of perfect sweetness at the hand of God.

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There it glistens – calling to a tender heart,

“taste and see” – “taste and see”

“the incomparable savor of God.

Come ye born to Apostle.

Come ye born to Teach.

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Reach forth ye Shepherds and collect enough to satisfy your flock.

Help him to carry – those called as Servants.

Come ye – those called to pray the gift of Healing into this treasure.

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Multiply the pots – those called to Miracles.

Prepare the way – those called to chart the Path.

Speak the Word of deliverance – in the tongues of angels,

That no soul will go untouched.

Raise up your voice in harmonious worship,

Preparing the Heavenlies.

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Let the song of the Lord flow forth,

Golden – Sweet – Pure

As God’s rich nectar.

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Fear not the gifts God has birthed inside you.

Fear not the power of the Anointing as it flows through you.

Be not concerned at the doubting words of man,

they understand not.

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Speak the Word with a tongue touched with honey,

Pure – untainted – deliberate.

Be the untouched – untouchable Gospel,

To The WORLD.

Amen!

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Written 6-16-07

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