Sunday, December 29, 2024
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David Webster

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Insecurity. Jealousy. Frustration. Despondency.

These are all results of focussing too long on things that don’t matter.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but sometimes I put too much weight on what others have said and done. At times, I look around at my peers and wonder how I can’t be where they are. I see the difference in my situation compared to theirs. I hear comments that can rock me to the core if I give them the time of day.

Obviously this is not what God intended for me or anyone else. One of my favorite analogies in the Bible is when the Apostle Paul calls life a race – that we must run it to win the prize. Now I have no idea what the prize would look like, but I know how I would run to win it. I would be focussed. I would not be worried about what was happening around me. My goal would be singular and my lane unique.

HEAD DOWN

This is one of my life lessons – I know I have written about it before but it’s still as true as ever for my season. The technique of a runner is important to note – while your head is down, you are still building up to you optimal speed. Once your head is up, you have hit your stride.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly have not hit my stride yet. So I choose to keep my head down: to not look around at what others are doing, to not compare my position to theirs, to not worry about the pack being a little ahead or a little behind. Only God truly knows where we are in the ‘race of life’. Comparison and distraction are just going to trip you up.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE

There are some people who will always try to assess your race and give a commentary. With all respect – these people usually haven’t been part of your life at all and have no idea what has gone into getting to the pace you’re maintaining now.

If you watch athletics, you will know that the track is round. If you run on the outside lane, you start further forwards than someone running on the inside lane – to compensate for the curve. Everyone is running an equal distance, but their position is different at the starting blocks. In fact, a runner on the outside lane might be winning the race but still look like he is ‘behind the pack’ as they turn the bend.

So when life seems a little more lonely or you feel like you’re losing – it doesn’t mean it’s true.

KEEP UP

Who are you allowing to set the pace of your life? Are you trying to keep up with the Jones’, the Kardashians or your friends? Yes, a little encouragement from other people is important, but in the end they are not responsible for your life.

The only way we will truly ‘win the prize’ is if we allow God to set the pace of our race. He’s the ultimate motivator and the best lifecoach. He wants us to run with him. He knows what we can handle and he knows the ins-and-outs of the racetrack.

But that means you need a personal relationship with God. Not one that is determined by others – just you and God. Otherwise you will get caught up in what God is doing rather than running ahead with who he is. If you want to connect on a more personal level with God click on the link below.

Lorde: ‘green light’ for good music

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This 20 year-old is killing it on the airwaves. The youngest artist to garner a Number 1 hit on Billboard in almost 30 years, Lorde has made her mark with her angsty artful sound. Her first album Pure Heroine was an absolute masterpiece that introduced a much-needed grit to the world of glitzy pop. And ever since it has been missed, but not for much longer – Lorde’s new album Melodrama is on the way! If the first single is anything to go by, it is going to be another progressive trailblazer.

 

An honest break-up record, the key to the success of this track is balance. Coming from an album called ‘melodrama’, this is the exact opposite. It is a masterful composition that balances emotional struggle with uplifting chorused hooks, loneliness with a party beat and a sense of progression that musically makes it feel like a soundtrack to ‘moving on’. Even in terms of textures it is unheard of to have the raw banging piano combined with heavy dance synth, while jumping ranges vocally.

Everything ‘Lorde’ is still there – the use of manipulated beats combined with tight imaginative vocal textures. But never has there been a song in her catalogue that could potentially pull you to the dance floor.

In a recent interview she appreciated the comparison to Robyn – who has made waves in the pop-dance genre for many years. But nothing Lorde does can be satisfactorily categorized. (Her last album was nominated in the Rock category for example). Whatever people try to do with it, there is no question that Lorde’s music is still as honest as she is.

It takes emotional maturity to write about a breakup in a way that helps you move on. It’s not a ‘spill my guts’ type of thing that Adele so magnanimously harnessed in 21 album – but more of a ‘OK this happened and I need to find the best way to capture it sonically’.

No matter what we go through, I believe there is a ‘green light’ to moving on. It may be hard at first, but the most important thing you can have is perspective. Not just the opinion of friends or family – all of them see very personalized sides to what you are going through. You need a big-picture perspective – which is where I find the best place to turn to is God. He sees all of time and all the earth, knows every thought and every action. Including him in the narrative of your life is one of the most liberating things you could do. Check out the link below if you want to know more.

JOY

My family recently lost a hero. In his 87th year, my grandfather went to heaven in his sleep. To be honest it isn’t something that I expected to affect me – or at least not in the way it has. But in all the emotions I have been reminded of this essential part of God’s plan – the power of joy.

It is one of the top expressions of the Holy Spirit – second only to love. But as a millennial guy that is prone to getting caught up in the craziness of things, I have realized how joy can be forgotten both in faith and in the ongoing seasons of life we find ourselves in.

One of my favorite scriptures about joy says:

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10

In many instances, I think joy has become watered-down by external representations of happiness and success. But Biblically, this reference to joy actually refers to deep mourning.

Mourning and joy go hand-in-hand because it is only in despair that we truly see the deep undercurrent of joy that supports our daily lives. If you were to take away the familiar and the temporal, what would you find holding you together emotionally, physically and spiritually? I am so glad I found joy.

It was evident in the tears interspersed with laughter as I spoke to my relatives. I found it in the embrace of my dad and the meal we had to celebrate my grandfather’s life. I found it in the insane support of friends and my church community. I found it in the connections with people who had never known him and didn’t know what had happened.

In a time that many people dread – losing someone that truly matters to you – I have found one companion that clings stubbornly: the joy of the Lord. It’s not superficial. It swarms the depths of your being and wells up when the world seems to fail you.

Because God loves us – all of us no matter what we believe or have done – he gives us joy. And the presence of that joy brings a sense of peace that enables us to keep moving forward (little by little). And in that peace, you find the patience to endure and the patience to process. That’s when kindness kicks in, because you have grace for yourself so you can express the same to others. The goodness of this life is then present as we comfort and honor those around us. And in our faithfulness – showing up day in and day out, we learn to be gentle – understanding everyone is busy dealing with their own unique process. And this builds a self-control that enables you to keep on living life instead of crumbling under the weight of sorrow and regret.

Joy is an essential link to the outworking of the Holy Spirit in our lives. First love, then joy, then peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I don’t know how I would live through tragedy and hard seasons without my dynamic relationship with God. In the past I turned to external fulfillment to try to cope. But it is in the depths of my own soul that I discovered there is a source that needs no refreshing. If you want to know God in the way that I do – in the way that supports you no matter what is happening in the world around you – click on the link below and start your own relationship with Him. It’s worth everything. It will change everything.

 

Katy Perry: protest art goes mainstream

Everyone knows Katy Perry is up for controversial expression. Launching with a single like ‘I Kissed a Girl’, there was a clear creative license that many have grown to understand. There has definitely been some backlash to what she has done, but in recent days it was looking like Katy was focussing more on personal upliftment – from ‘Roar’ to her previous single ‘Rise’.

But three weeks ago, Perry took on a new frontier in a way that is as much genius as it is provocative. It has been clear that she is a loyal Democrat – campaigning for Hillary on multiple occasions during the recent US elections. But she has now produced what could be considered the biggest modern-day example of protest art against a regime: her new single ‘Chained to the Rhythm’. Check out the music video and then I’ll break down a few awesome elements of it:

 

The words themselves challenge the idea of the American Dream – especially speaking about willful ignorance and searching for comfort over doing what is right. Featuring Skip Marley, things get even more raw with lyrics such as ‘break down the walls’, ‘time is ticking for the empire’ and ‘the greed of all the people is stumbling’. This is the closest thing to pointing a direct finger to Donald Trump and his rule so far in the White House – whether it is referencing the wall to be built between Mexico and America or some of the controversial oligarchical appointments in his cabinet.

But that is not where it ends. Katy first introduced a lyric video at the same time as the single. In it, there is a gerbil that is simply seen eating and living in a dollhouse, while a giant hand cooks miniature dinners and keeps it happy. The idea of living in a ‘bubble’ that looked a great deal like a 60’s picket-fence ideal is subtly introduced. In this music video, however, the reference to the rodent becomes a mascot for a theme park named Oblivia. Now we venture into the land of people.

One of the most direct references can be found in the American Dream Drop ride – where couples get encased in the perfect little houses only to be raised high and then dropped. Perry is seen pricking herself on a rose with gold barbed wire as a stem – revealing the imperfection under the facade.

References to social media are made on the ‘Love Me’ rollercoaster with Facebook ‘likes’, ‘loves’ and emoticons, as well as Instagram with snaps of the riders being rated toward the end. There is no denying the role that social media has played in the state of US society – the fake veneer of it all seems to suit the analogy of a rollercoaster with all it’s twisted ups and downs.

The choreographed queueing people is where things get a little ‘Truman Show’ creepy. This could be a reference to voters who went to the polls to usher Trump into power – the conservative attire, albeit over the top, could support this observation. As everyone queues for a human-sized hamster wheel, it seems like the delusion of society has reached a shocking standard. Especially when people begin to stumble and fall terribly.

Some harsher references to Trump’s decisions and policy itself can be found in the white picket fence, over which elderly couples are being hurled. This could indicate Trumps commitment to dismantling a healthcare plan that benefits the middle to lower class – especially pensioners. Another direct attack is the H2O Inferno petrol station, where she is offered chemicals to drink. One of the most controversial things Trump has done is open the reconstruction of the Keystone Dakota Access Pipeline, which will affect the water for a key group of Native American people.

My favorite reference, however, is the ride called Bombs Away, which shows a whole lot of bomb-shaped cars being thrown up precariously before hitting the tracks again. Trump has said some controversial things about bombing North Korea and has provoked a recent nuclear bomb test from that nation. The precarious nature of his policy can be seen in the ‘limbo’ state of the bomb cars free-falling from dizzying heights.

Perry pulls all of this off with a great sense of artistic sheen that keeps it firmly in the ‘mainstream’ Pop genre. As many more entertainers and artists create in this new America, it will be interesting to see what is still to come.

No matter how dire the circumstances are – I know that we cannot find peace in the comforts around us. God is the only true source of peace. If you want true comfort, that will not negate the hard parts of life, but help you get through them, click on the link below.

Unlocking your freedom

One of the most limiting factors I believe we face in modern society is stress. This stress can be brought about by internal struggles like insecurity, anger or entitlement. It could be external factors such as family, work, demanding schedules. It could be the environments we find ourselves in: constantly getting louder and demanding more of our valuable attention.

This is completely opposite to what God wants. In the Bible he speaks about bringing us into wide, open spaces – where we have a firm place to stand. He speaks about running and not growing weary. He speaks of our world getting larger and larger. But in all of these scriptural references, there are keys – principles that help us unlock ourselves from the constricting hold of modern life.

Dependence

One of the defining lies of stress is that you have to carry everything. The world does not run because of you. I know it is very fulfilling to think that what you do matters so much that everything would fall apart without you, but that is simply pride. Yes, we should be dependable. Yes, we should all be vital parts of our environments. But in the end, the world does not turn on the axis of you. God is still in control.

In Psalm 18 it speaks about how David cried out to God and he was rescued – placed into a wide, open place. His simple cry is what caused God to rescue him and change his landscape. I spend my life learning over and over again that I cannot live the life I was made to without God. The quickest way to get stressed is to forget about God. If he is the reason for you being where you are, he also has a way for you to live in freedom in the place you find your self.

If you don’t know God, but have recognized how hard it is to make sense of your daily situation – I want to encourage you to call on God. He has not always changed my physical circumstance, but he definitely brings peace, perspective and freedom within that struggle.

Hope

I can say from personal experience that stress is inversely proportional to hope. The more I have allowed hope to die, the greater the weight of the world weighs on my shoulders.

At the end of Isaiah 40 it speaks of those who put their hope in God: that they will run and not grow weary, walk and not faint, rise on wings like eagles. Now you cannot run forever in a small area – this scripture is not referencing a hamster wheel, lab test kind of endurance. The expansive sky is what God wants us to live in. He wants you and me to soar in life. Yet it seems like everything in life is trying to cage and tame who God has made us to be.

That’s where hope comes in. Hope is the belief that there is something greater up ahead – that the part I play in life is only an aspect of a bigger picture that is yet to be seen. It is the belief that the best is truly still ahead.

But hope can also be misplaced. You can place hope in your ability – which will result in stress as you try to prove yourself to yourself. Alternatively you can place hope in a system – which can falter, leaving you disappointed and desperate. You can place hope in other people – who all have their own faults and will inevitably disappoint you in some way. Locating your hope in those areas will enable you to run for a while, but you will become tired.

The most freeing thing you can do is place your hope in the eternal, faithful love of God. He was constant before time began and will outlast anything we try to build on this earth. If our source of hope is drawn from the One who is endless, then our hope will be endless. And we will have the strength to try and span the breadth, height, width and depth of this wide open life he has given us.

Generosity

This may be a little bit of a contradictory one for some. I almost burnt out trying to be ‘generous’ to others. But self-sacrifice is not a sustainable form of generosity. Generosity is a principle that is continuous. Where self-sacrifice demeans and denies you, generosity esteems and empowers you.

One of the most meaningful gifts I ever received was from my little cousin. He had recently won his first ever medal for a sport activity – he was obsessed with all of trophies I had in my room. But one day while I was receiving gifts from my family, he ran home and came back with a big gift bag. Inside was his small medal. His generosity was not expressed in monetary value, nor in size, nor was it impressive for those who witnessed me receiving it. But it grew him. And it grew my gratitude as well.

In Proverbs 11:24 it speaks about how the world of the generous is constantly expanding. Where stress highlights what we DON’T have – causing us to shrink and tighten our grips on life; generosity highlights what we DO have – allowing ourselves to embrace those around us.

Generosity also operates on the understanding that God is in control. If you are desperate for your world to open up. If you need a greater perspective and want freedom from the demanding pressure that this life can give us, the only true solution is engaging with Jesus. Click on the link below to find out more.

Ed Sheeran – new music

Ed Sheehan is silent no longer! After a miniature twitter meltdown over the X Factor UK single that was written by the former busker, his fans can finally relax and enjoy some new tunes from an artist who is slowly becoming an icon in music.

After breaking records in single number 1’s, arena tours where he played by himself (no band or backing vocals – just him) – you would think Sheeran warranted some downtime. But like many things in society today, people wanted more – aggressively so.

It was his album ‘+’ that catapulted him onto the world stage. Songs like ‘A Team’ flooded airstreams and took the awkward redhead into a different kind of fame. He has confessed numerous times that the only reason he is successful is because he writes his own music. But Sheeran brings a raw British perspective that is relatable without being showy – an unpretentious approach that can be seen to lesser degrees in the music of James Bay and Adele.

Then along came ‘X’, which held the household song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ as well as ‘Photograph’ and ‘Bloodstream’ – all incredibly well received records.

Last month, however, two new singles dropped from his up coming album ‘÷’: the nostalgic ‘Castle on a Hill’ and the closest thing to a club anthem he will produced – ‘Shape of you’, which he performed at the Grammy’s.

But just when the stream of new music seemed to be tapering off, Ed celebrated his birthday by dropping a new song: How Would You Feel (Paean). It’s a sweet love ballad that hearkens back to Thinking Out Loud. Check it out below:

 

One thing that I appreciate about music is that it universally communicates – beyond a situation or specific relationship. This song could be sung to a lover, a loved one or to you from God. The theme of love is communicated effortlessly.

I believe in Jesus – who declared that God is love. It is the greatest discovery I ever made – if you want to find it out for yourself, click on the link below.

End//Beginning

As I was driving this past weekend, I somehow started thinking about endings. There is so much tied up in that concept – a sense of panic and dread, a sense of relief and release, disappointment and achievement. It’s a time to mourn and a time to celebrate. It’s harder than ever and something that we can hold out and hope for beyond anything else.

I don’t know if you have ever been ready for the end of a season in your life… But I have. You may be on the other end of the spectrum – where you sit dreading the possibility of things ending. But endings are a symbolic part of life – they make you live richer and they are the catalysts for so much beyond. Like any 100-meter sprinting champion would tell you – the end is something they desire with every fiber in their being, but once they reach that end first it is the beginning of a completely different kind of race. For the rest of their lives, their value will lie in how they ended things in their past – it could become the achievement that measures everything else they do if they are not careful.

But life is not a 100-meter sprint. It requires endurance as well. The ability to labour continuously – winding your way towards a checkpoint where you get to rest for a little while and then keep on going. To many, this concept could be seen as depressing. But consider this – as much as you want the ending NOW, a 100-meter athlete only covers a short distance. The question is – how far do you want your life to go? What distance will you cover in your lifetime so that those after you start ahead?

I recently received my Great Grandfather’s Bibles. He was a pastor whose legacy is a tangible part of who I am today. As I get to examine the 80-year-old scribbles of revelation in his crumbling texts, I am so aware of the amount of ground he took so that I could have a head start in life. But what will my legacy be? Will I be able to play my part  in pulling this world closer towards the heart of God just as he did?

You may not know God like I do. You may not have a legacy of faith – or you may have even rejected it. But the awesome thing about endings is that with God there is always a new beginning that comes after. Even death isn’t a definitive ending when you have God in your life. Jesus himself came back to life – bringing with him the beginning of the ultimate reality: a relationship with God himself. If you find yourself at the end of your rope; if you feel like everything around you is dying – choose the beginning that will never end. Choose a relationship with your heavenly Father. Click on the link below if you want to find out more.

Three ambient albums worth listening to

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Music is one of the most powerful atmosphere controllers. It can set the tone externally, but also can regulate our internal thought lives. It heightens emotions – bypassing logic to connect with your soul. It can calm you as it directs your thoughts without you even realizing it. Not only does it belong behind films or in the clubs, it can hold its own in your private life.

Personally, I enjoy ambient music playing in the background while I work or spend time alone. Here are a few of my favorite ambient albums that I’ve come to enjoy:

Without Words Synesthesia – Bethel

This album is compiled of instrumental versions of Bethel Worship’s greatest songs, with some originals in there as well.  It is masterfully constructed, with contemplative, intimate tracks interspersing some grander tracks that are beautifully layered. It is in itself a beautiful world of wonder that pushes the boundary when it comes to communication through music. The absence of the words also allows you to sing along and contemplate their meaning in new ways. Check out ‘It is well’ below.

 

Atomos – A Winged Victory for the Sullen

This duo has produced some great work that creates a broad canvas on which the reverberating manipulated synths and acoustic instruments are projected with a light touch. Their art lies in the music’s simplicity and mixing, with the changing volume of various sounds creating the depth some instrumental albums lack. The gradual building of sound is done masterfully – in a way that seems to narrate the rosy-hued epiphany of some well-shot indie film. Check out Atomos VII below:

 

Gravity (Bonus Track Version) – Ben Lukas Boysen

This album holds the greatest balance of technological and acoustic sounds. The simple high frequency white noise in tracks like Only In the Dark is the kind of genius that pulls the listener into a world where everything feels more. It’s an internal nourishment that goes straight to the soul. But just before you think there is endless echoing, there are some excellent uses of drums  and percussion (as found in Nocturne 1) – as well as some more disturbing tones in the music fabric of track such as Vega. Check out To the Hills below:

 

I must confess, the main reason why I love music like this is because it helps me focus on God. There is no better way to turn your focus away from the world around you than to put some headphones in, close your eyes and speak to the God who created you. There are no words to distract – and you can read the Bible or journal while engaging in the most deeply personal conversation we were created for. That daily conversation is the very source of my life. If you have a relationship with God – maybe try these tracks out next time you set aside a moment to connect with Him. If you don’t have that relationship with God, I want to encourage you to click on the link below. God made us so that we could KNOW Him – it’s the greatest purpose we will ever have.

Labels

Somewhere around adolescence it seems like our generation was told, “Welcome to the world – choose some labels to live by so that everyone else can be comfortable with you.” And we readily identified ourselves – with things as mundane as clothing, video games, and nostalgic moments from the “80’s” or “90’s”. But we also grew up with multiple ways to explain our dysfunction: Introvert, Extrovert, ADD, ADHD, Emo, High I, S, D or whatever else.

As much as the world seems to be more ‘free’ than ever, there is still huge pressure to fit somewhere – to identify with a category so that others can feel safe around you. But I have yet to experience life that is as rigid as we make it out to be. I wouldn’t go as far as saying, “everything is relative”, but everything is definitely personal. Whatever happens, it will affect individuals in multiple ways – all valid and real.

So here are a two labels I have decided don’t belong over my life.

Introvert

Now, to be clear, I am completely drained by being around people. Time alone regenerates me. I have melancholic tendencies and a level of social anxiety that I am dealing with at the moment. But that does not mean I have to live under these symptoms forever. I have come to learn I need people more than ever lately – whether they make me tired or not doesn’t matter. Jesus came for people and preached a gospel about others. So I’m not going to hide behind some random label as an excuse.

Musician

This one has infuriated me for many years. To be honest – most people mean well when they refer to me in this way, but it is one of the most limiting label. It pushes me out of conversations more than anything else. I may have honed my skills in a specific craft at university, but that does not mean that it is all I am good for. In fact, my passion for creativity goes far beyond the ability to make nice sounding noise. There are those who enjoy simply playing their instruments and want to do that for the rest of their lives. But that’s not me. God values character way higher than what you may be doing. Ability is praised by the world but it is simply the byproduct of a whole person. My musical ability is only due to discipline as much as an athlete’s ability is a result of discipline. So maybe rip off the labels of occupation or ability when considering others.

There are many others, but I just want to encourage you to think about your own life. What labels are you allowing yourself to wear? Are you identifying too much with things that are external – instead of focusing on what God has spoken into your very being? Our value as God’s very own cannot be quantified into any label. If you want to know more of what God has placed in you – it starts with knowing him. Click on the link below to find out how you can start that relationship.

The (second) resurrection of Sherlock

I have never watched something with such mortification. I have been an avid fan ever since I was introduced to Sherlock and was truly excited to witness the genius of the writing and acting in what is arguably Britain’s best television show ever. But watching the first episode of the latest series, a sense of absolute disbelief seemed to settle as I witnessed an over-soppy, far-fetched and disjointed mess of a narrative play itself out on screen.

You may think these words are harsh, but I have had a few days to process and I have figured out why it was so disturbing: the essence of Sherlock is the detailed factual explanation for random events. It is all about explaining the bizarre through logical, remarkably normal situations. In this episode, however, we see Sherlock solve multiple cases within minutes. The whole wonder of ‘the game afoot’ is completely exhausted – hardly even explored unless you have an ear for really fast dialogue. And through it all, there is this overarching disturbed love story that requires more budget than it warrants. No one really cares whether John and Mary Watson are having domestic struggles. In the end, I even found it hard to feel anything for one of the main characters that died – the result of an absolutely one-dimensional case. To be honest, I was downright disappointed.

And I think you would be too… if you only watched episode one.

Never before has there been such a turn-around in my memory of television. The true nature of a series is that it is episodic – it fulfills a certain desire to be satisfied before leaving a tantalizing chunk of possibility so that you look forward to the next installment. But in this latest season of Sherlock, they seemed to have done what old series like Smallville used to do at the end of every season – create an apocalyptic-scaled mess that completely unravels the characters and their narrative. But doing it in the first episode of one of the most awaited moments in modern television was extremely brave – mainly because it was not the characters’ futures that were in question, but the taste level of everyone involved.

But as much as you leave episode one convinced a good series has died a terribly overlong death, episode two coaxes it all back to life. It starts off in the same discombobulated world and then gently nudges you towards the logical explanations of what seemed like the drawl of some inebriated writing team. Episode two brings an oasis of humor into this desert of melodrama. Combined with one of the best villains that could even rival Moriarty, the reintroduction of post edit writing and graphic that shows Sherlock’s view as he processes, and a plot twist that makes you question your judgment, the series reinstates itself as the cleverest thing you will have seen on screen.

It brings about a catharsis that is absolutely genius. What is at first seen as a huge disappointment becomes the beginnings of what is delayed gratification, which heightens the amount revelations and questions – that cajoles its audience to love the show more than ever. That combined, with the relief that Sherlock had not gone as bat-crazy as the world seems to have done today makes it worth watching.

In life, there are many times we could think that things are over. Whether it is our doing or a result of others’ decisions – disappointment does not mean the end. What seems to be the worst can end up turning into the greatest revelation in your life. In my opinion, the greatest plot twist ever was the introduction of Jesus Christ to our fallen existence. If you are desperate for a new way of life – in which everything that has happened can be redeemed, click on the link below to find out more.

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