Seeking God and Deepening the Bond

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Hey, welcome to Renewed Mindsets, where we study the basics of the faith through the lens of our middle-aged experiences.

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I'm Rick.

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Welcome to the show where I help you, gen Xers and Millennials, navigate spiritually through a world that looks nothing like we expected back when cars were square and mullets were totally awesome.

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I am so glad you're here, hey, and welcome back to Renewed Mindsets.

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I'm Rick, and I'm so glad you're here With me.

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Back by popular demand is Lauren.

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Say hey to the world, lauren.

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Hey Rick, How's it going?

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It's good to be back.

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Oh, everybody loved you.

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That halloween episode was one of the biggest episodes we'd ever had.

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Everybody says that it's the controversial subject, but I think it's because you were on here yes, it was a very controversial topic, but I feel like it was one that was much needed during this season.

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Yeah, you're not even going to acknowledge that I said I thought it was because of you.

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No.

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Okay, well, today we're digging into a powerful promise from God.

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It's found in Jeremiah 29, 13.

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You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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Now this verse holds so much depth, especially in the fast-paced world that we live in, with all the distractions and the pressures.

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Now, what does it mean to truly seek God, and how can this pursuit transform our lives?

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So, together with Lauren, today we're going to explore what it looks like to genuinely seek God and the incredible changes that it brings.

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That's right, rick.

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It's easy to feel lost or overwhelmed in today's world, but God's promise in Jeremiah gives us hope and assurance when we choose to seek him earnestly amazing- things happen.

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So let's break down what seeking God really means and why it's so essential.

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All right to happen.

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So let's break down what seeking God really means and why it's so essential.

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All right, to start off, let's talk about what seeking God truly entails.

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It's more than just a casual glance in his direction or a quick prayer when we need something.

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Imagine losing something irreplaceable a cherished heirloom, or your child at the mall.

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Irreplaceable, a cherished heirloom, or your child at the mall.

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Would you just look around for a moment and give up?

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No, no, you'd search relentlessly until you found it.

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That is the intensity that we need to have when we're seeking God.

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That's absolutely right, rick.

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It's about making God our highest priority.

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Like Psalm 63, 1 says you, god, are my God.

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Earnestly I seek you, I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.

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This verse emphasizes wholehearted seeking.

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It is not passive.

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It involves dedicating time, energy and intention.

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Yes, seeking God means that we read his word, we engage in prayer, we worship him, we make a conscious choice to daily draw closer to him.

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It's about creating space in our hearts and our lives to experience God's presence.

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Let's be honest, Rick as much as we want to seek God, it's not always easy.

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Our lives are filled with so many distractions from work, family responsibilities, social media, entertainment.

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These things can slowly edge out the time we intend to spend with God.

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Yeah, that's true.

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These things aren't really bad, though, but they can become idols if we let them overshadow our relationship with God.

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Another major issue is self-reliance In our culture.

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In this culture that we live in, we're all about independence.

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It's tempting to think that we only need God during a crisis, but the Bible challenges that mindset.

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In Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, says trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

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In all your ways, submit to him, and he'll make your path straight.

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That's a really powerful reminder, rick.

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Trusting in God requires us to acknowledge that we need him, not just in the difficult times and when things are going bad for us, but in every moment.

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It means surrendering our plans and our ways and admitting that we can't do it all on our own.

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Yes, exactly, and when we push aside distractions and self-reliance, we make room for true seeking, that deliberate pursuit of God with our whole hearts.

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Now let's dive into the heart of today's message God's promise that he will be found by those who seek him.

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Jeremiah 29 13 is reassuring because it reminds us that God isn't hiding, he's not distant or detached.

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He's waiting for us to draw near.

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Yeah, Lauren.

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And when we understand that the creator of the universe is waiting for us to reach out to him, it's very humbling.

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James 4.8 says draw near to God and he'll draw near to you.

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Now, this shows us that God is responsive.

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He wants to engage with us and be found by us.

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It's not a one-sided effort.

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He delights in our pursuit and he reveals himself to those who seek him.

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Right, that's very, very true.

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It's actually incredible to think that God's desire is for a personal, one-on-one relationship with us.

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He promises to meet us where we are and respond when we approach him with genuine hearts.

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So, lauren, how do we practically seek God?

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We overcomplicate things, and especially with this, we think that it requires some kind of monumental effort, but we know it's the simple, consistent actions that make the biggest difference.

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We really do make it so very complicated, and actually here are five ways that we can seek God daily.

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Okay, you can start with prayer, start and end your day with prayer.

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It helps me to wake up in the morning and give thanks to God and say a prayer to him.

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It's not just a ritual.

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It's inviting God into your life and sharing your heart with him, having a one-on-one conversation.

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Great, what else you got?

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Spend time in his word, make time to read and reflect on scripture.

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The Bible is where god speaks to us most clearly.

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If you're looking for a starting point, try the psalms or the gospels.

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Next will be worship.

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Worship goes beyond singing.

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It's a mindset of gratitude and praise.

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It's about acknowledging god's greatness in our daily actions and thoughts.

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And then you have fellowship with believers.

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Surround yourself with others who encourage your faith journey.

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Join a small group, attend church or find a community where you can grow spiritually.

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Then, most importantly, seek his guidance in all decisions.

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Involve God in your decisions, whether big or small, in your everyday life.

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Trusting him with your plans shows that you rely on his wisdom.

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Wow, did you come up with that?

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Plans shows that you rely on his wisdom.

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Wow, did you come up with that all by yourself?

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Because that's awesome.

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I knew there was a reason that I needed you for a co-host.

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Now, all those things that you talked about when they're done consistently, they keep us connected with God.

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They build a foundation that helps us to seek him with all our hearts.

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Now, when we seek God wholeheartedly, transformation is pretty much inevitable.

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We start to reflect his character, becoming more patient, loving, forgiving and wise.

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Psalm 37.4 reminds us delight in yourself and the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

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This doesn't mean he grants us everything we want.

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Rather, our desires align with his as we grow closer to him.

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That's a great point, lauren.

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The more time we spend, rather our desires align with his as we grow closer to him.

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That's a great point, lauren.

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The more time we spend with God, the more our perspective shifts, the more we renew our mindset right, we can find peace and joy that surpasses anything this world has to offer, and even in challenges, we experience a deeper sense of purpose and resilience.

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So, as we wind down this discussion, I want to encourage each of you to prioritize seeking God, not out of obligation, but because it's a privilege.

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God invites us to know him and promises to reveal himself to those who seek him with their whole hearts.

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Yes and remember in Jeremiah 29, 13, which has become one of my favorite verses you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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Take that promise to heart.

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God is waiting to be found and he's ready to meet you wherever you are.

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Thank you, lauren, for joining me again on Renewed Mindsets.

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I love having this discussion and this bounce back and forth, and I'm assuming that people are liking it because they're tired of hearing me talk by myself.

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I just hope that this episode inspires all the listeners to seek God daily and to experience the unmatched peace and joy that comes from knowing him.

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Rick, I enjoyed being here.

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I've enjoyed you having me back.

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Um, I can't emphasize enough the importance of seeking God in your everyday life and including him in everything that you do.

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There is a peace that like none other.

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When you truly begin to seek him, everything will fall into place.

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All right, that's true Until next time.

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I'm Rick and I'm Lauren Keep seeking, keep growing and stay rooted in him, see ya.

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Bye.

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It's a short daily podcast that takes you through the entire book of Proverbs in a year.

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Wisdom for your day starts here.

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Hey guys, welcome back.

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This is Lauren, and I want to tell you a bit about my favorite verse, jeremiah 29, 13.

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And that says you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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This has been a promise from God to his people, israel, about how they would find him through genuine, wholehearted seeking, even as they face judgment in the hardest times of their lives.

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It's also a reminder for us about finding satisfaction in God when we truly seek him.

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Now this is a satisfaction found in God.

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God, grant us the grace to seek you and be fulfilled in you.

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May we only boast in you.

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This theme appears all through the Bible and into the New Testament.

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Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

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In Jeremiah, god says you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

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That means there's no half-heartedness in seeking God.

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There is no.

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You can't have the wrong heart motives when you are seeking God.

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It is all in or you're all out.

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Now Jeremiah 29, 13 shows the joy of knowing God.

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Think about that phrase all your heart.

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It means fully focusing your mind and your soul's desires on God.

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Like Jeremiah 9, 23 through 24 says we long to know you more, to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

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God, I pray this for myself and each of us.

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Help us to seek you with our whole hearts, to know you with our whole minds and to honor you in everything we do.

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God, we want to know you, to find you and to be close to you.

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We want to fully experience life with you in everything that we do, to know you deeply, to seek you sincerely and to worship you with all that we are.

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Jeremiah 29, 13 praises God's invitation to relationship.

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God, thank you for this amazing privilege.

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We're not doing you a favor by seeking you.

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You're blessing us with a chance to know you because of your grace.

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Thank you for inviting us to seek you wholeheartedly.

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Thank you for making this relationship, this knowledge and this joy possible.

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May Jeremiah 29, 13 become true in our lives, as we seek you every day, knowing, experiencing and exalting you with all our hearts.

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We pray this in the name of Jesus, who makes this possible.

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Amen.

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Well, that's all for this week's show.

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You know the name of this show speaks my hope for you.

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It's taken from the words of Romans, chapter 12, verse 2.

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

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Until next week, I'm Rick.

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I love you.

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See ya, are you ready to go See ya?

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By Floodgate From the album Are you Ready, copyright 2002, offbeat Ministries Incorporated.

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