Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 30, 2023

When God Confides In Us

“Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?  He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
Psalm 25:12,14   NIV

If you fear the Lord, raise your hand. You, with your hand up: these words were written for you. You can trust the Lord to instruct you in the ways you should choose because that’s what He promised. And He will confide in you as a friend.

There are many times in the life of a Christian when we hear in our hearts that confiding voice or the voice of divine instruction. One way He speaks is through the Bible. Another is through prayer. And sometimes He comes to us unexpectedly as a friend. Here are some real-life examples:

The Lord confided to a high school junior that she needed to take summer school despite already having almost enough credits to graduate. When her parents asked why she made that strange decision, she said God told her to do it. They thought, “Good enough,” but still wondered about it. That fall, in her senior year, she came down with tonsillitis. For a seventeen-year-old, tonsillitis is no light matter. Recovery from surgery was slow and painful, causing her to miss many weeks of school. But because she had obeyed the voice of the Lord by attending summer school, she was able to graduate with her class.

A widow experiencing desperate loneliness was traveling to a conference. From her hotel room, she cried out to the Lord that she needed a husband. He spoke into her spirit, “I’ll be your husband,” but she told Him she wanted a human husband so she could feel loved and cherished. (Can you imagine telling the Lord ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ to a marriage proposal?) During that intense prayer session, the Lord manifested His love to her so strongly that she was overcome with tears. She was shocked that God could touch her emotions that way. Knowing she was already loved more than a human husband could love, she left that hotel room as a happy, content widow. Four years later, the Lord told her, “It’s time. You need to start praying for a husband.” That took her by surprise, but she obeyed, and within five months, she was married.

In the early twentieth century, a girl named Carrie, about six years old, lived on a farm. She was treated harshly by her mother and had no playmates because she was responsible for watching her two younger brothers. The boys had an undiagnosed disease that made them fall continually. An older sister also had the same condition. As a result, the neighbors made fun of the family. Carrie felt shunned by everyone. One day she was allowed to attend a children’s program at the local church. While there, she saw a little girl crying and her older brother putting his arms around her. Carrie’s heart broke. She thought, “I wish I had an older brother like that.” Then a voice in her head said, “I’ll be your brother.” She didn’t learn it was the voice of Jesus until much later, but she felt strangely comforted. Carrie was my grandmother. She told me about this incident shortly before she died at the age of ninety-five.

Countless other people have similar stories to tell, stories that are so private and precious that some of them don’t want to share them publicly. If you have never heard that intimate whisper from God, check your heart. Make sure every sin has been dealt with. Draw close to Him in prayer, and He will draw close to you—close enough to speak into your heart privately.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for Your love that is so extreme that You take time to confide in us, to instruct us in the paths we should choose, and to care for us. Help us to listen carefully for Your voice so we don’t miss anything You have for us.

 

For His Glory

Cherie Harbridge Williams (www.cherieharbridgewilliams.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 29, 2023

Holy, Wholly

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11

There is a song we sing at my church (co-written by one of our music ministers, along with Shane & Shane) called Wholly Yours (Ephesians 3:18-19)—you can listen to it here. The words are very powerful, for sure, but it made me start thinking even more about who God is…and who we are to be because of who He is—and what He’s done.

God is holy—and only God. In Hebrew, the word for holy is “godesh”, meaning “apartness, sacredness, or separateness.” It’s used over 400 times in the Old Testament to describe God as completely holy, sacred, set apart, and separate from His creation.1 He is God, and we are not. That’s why the greatest offense to our Holy God is when people elevate anything or anyone (including ourselves) above Him.

As believers, we could literally spend all our prayer and worship time simply praising God for His “set-apartness”—for His glory, majesty, and greatness (1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 97:1-6; Psalm 145:5; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:11). We can sing hymns of His holiness written throughout the generations, from Moses to the Puritans to Chris Tomlin. And we all need to do just that on a regular basis!

In addition to our response of praise to God for His holiness, there is a second response—a necessary outflow that comes from acknowledging this unfathomable attribute of God: a desire to be wholly His. Not only does the overwhelming majesty of His creation cause us to drop our jaws in awe and wonder, but His absolute above-all-ness ought to also drop us to our knees in submission from the sheer weight of His glory.

See, we were created to be in union with Him. But, because of sin, that eternal communion was broken—we could no longer be in the presence of a perfectly holy God. Separation ensued, and death entered the world. But God. In order to reconcile Himself to us, God sent Jesus to live a perfectly holy life (that we couldn’t live), die the death we deserve (because of God’s perfect righteousness), and rise in victory to forever defeat sin and death. When we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are wrapped in His robe of righteousness. In other words, when God looks at us, He sees the holiness of Jesus.

Jesus made a way of reconciliation. We were dead, and now we are alive in Christ. We were DEAD! Not “bad” made “good”…not merely “dirty” made “clean”…dead made alive. Now we are co-heirs with Christ, recipients of the boundless riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Through the holiness of Jesus, we are made holy in the eyes of our holy God. It’s truly mind-blowing. So, let me ask you this: If you have accepted this gift of forgiveness, mercy, and saving grace from our holy God, have you given yourself wholly to Him in response?

“Lord, if I am holding back forgiveness, mercy, or any part of myself from You—whether idolatry of another, of stuff, or of self—I turn away from that now! I surrender wholly to You, for You are holy.”

 

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 28, 2023

Totally Dependent On Our God

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? …”  Matthew 6:26-27 (ESV)

A quiet morning with refreshing breezes – what a sweet relief after a steamy, summer.  The view from my patio was the best ever. Deep blue skies and a few fluffy clouds.  Off in the distance, I watched as they flew, soared and dipped across the sky.  Effortless, carefree chirping – how I wish I knew the song the birds sang.

Don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a frazzled, stressed out bird.  Even uttering those words makes me laugh. With calmness and ease fluttering through the air, they soar to great heights. With joyful songs, they perch on my rose bushes and welcome me each morning. In quietness, they land on our fence enjoying cool breezes. And the truth is they have absolutely nothing. No home. No guaranteed food.  No protection. Totally vulnerable yet completely dependent on their Creator.

Wonder what life would look like for us if we followed suit and trusted God for all we need? Instead of attempting to achieve, conquer and provide for self, we would rely on Him.  In place of worrying, fretting, stressing out and anxiety filled moments, we would release our burdens to Him.

Love the reminder from Matthew 6  – worry and anxiousness never serve us well or achieves our desired results.  We can attempt to manipulate. We can spin our wheels trying to accomplish the impossible. We can exhaust our bodies and minds while our circumstances still remain the same.  God is the only One who can handle, alter and orchestrate the heavy loads we are attempting to bear. Our all-knowing, all powerful God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  He reminds us in verse 26 that we are His valued creation, and He will take care of us.

Wow!! Let those words settle in deep.  When worry or anxiousness seeks to slay us, we can bring our burdens to the Lord and leave them there.  We can land flat on our face pouring our hearts out to God confident He hears and will act on our behalf.  We can be encouraged by reflecting on God’s past faithfulness and clinging to His word.  We can moment by moment resist the tendency to accomplish and resolve it all ourselves.  And when the enemy attempts to stir all those negative and worried thoughts to the surface, we can sing God’s praises and silence the voice seeking to defeat us.

Those who choose to place their faith and hope in God will soar. They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).  Our strength will be renewed, and He will put a new song of praise in our heart.  I can only imagine the songs we will sing when we confidently rest in God’s care, provision and wisdom.  The sweetest sound ever welcoming the unknowns of another day yet fully trusting in His sovereign plan.

“Sweet Jesus thank You for treasuring us and choosing to meet our every need.  Thank You for reminding us to lay our burdens down and walk away in peace and confidence.  Praising You for being more than we ever need to navigate this journey.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 25, 2023

A Web Of Faithfulness

“May He equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”  Hebrews 13:21

It had been one of “those” days.  You know the kind.   It was late and I was ready to fall into bed, but I needed to take the trash to the curb for the next morning’s trash pick-up.  As I was walking back inside, I spotted a sizeable spider on the brick of our house.  We had a brief stand-off while I made sure it wasn’t going to lunge at me or sneak inside.  Once I realized the spider was harmless, we both went our separate ways and I quickly forgot about its existence.

The next morning, I opened our shades to the sight of three huge spider webs on our hydrangeas, thanks to last night’s spider!  The webs were a true work of art- delicate strands of silk connected to each other to form a perfect and beautiful pattern.  But perhaps the most amazing part was that the webs were anchored by a long strand of silk to other plants six feet across the yard.

How did this tiny spider anchor its webs to plants six feet away, and then get back to the hydrangeas to continue its web building?  How does it know to build such beautiful, intricate webs?  And to think the spider did all this work just so it could catch its next meal.  What faithfulness!  God didn’t spare any detail when He equipped His creation to fulfill its purpose.

The book of Hebrews is full of reminders to remain faithful to Jesus while pursuing our purpose here on earth.  The author encourages us to fix our thoughts on Jesus (3:1), to not harden our hearts to God’s voice (3:8), to hold firmly to our faith (4:14), to remain diligent (6:11), and to draw near to God (10:22).  At the end of the book, the author tells us that God will “equip you with everything good for doing His will (13:21).

Just as sure as the world turns, life will be full of distractions.  Cultivating the habit of remaining faithful to Jesus takes time and effort.  But the good news is that God doesn’t equip us with only a few good things and then send us on our way, hoping for the best.  Instead, He gives us instructions on how to remain faithful to Him, and then He equips us with everything good for doing what He has created us to do.

How can you be faithful in your purpose today?  Is God calling you to extend extra grace to your people, to clean up the same mess for the tenth time, to take a meal to a neighbor in need, or to accomplish a task that seems impossible?  Just as God created the spider with the ability to spin webs and anchor them for stability, God has equipped you with all you need to do His will for today.  Fix your thoughts on Jesus and draw near to Him, and God will equip you to build your own web of faithfulness.

“Lord, thank You for speaking to us through Your creation.  May we never stop pursuing You while we fulfill our purpose here on earth. 

 

For His Glory

 

Aubrey Carrales
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 23, 2023

When We Find Ourselves In A Predicament

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.” Daniel 2:20,23 (NLT)

Daniel was in a predicament. The future of all the wise men of the kingdom depended on Daniel interpreting the king’s dream. One minor problem: the king expected Daniel to interpret a dream without knowing what the dream was about.

Have you ever been faced with a seemingly impossible task? When my husband and I moved into our house, we were met with a yard blanketed in leaves. We should have anticipated this greeting when we noticed the shed carried not one, but four rakes. We raked for hours with only nominal change. A small cleared section disappeared by the time we were ready to tackle another section the next morning. Blowing the leaves didn’t work either since we were fighting ever-present rain showers that dampened and weighed down the leaves. At his wit’s end, my husband came to a solution: “Is it really necessary to get rid of the leaves? Do we really need grass? Or can we just let the grass die under the leaves?”

Stan to the rescue! At the suggestion of a friend, we contacted a gardener who spent the entire day blowing, raking, and hauling leaves to the street for pickup. He had more experience than we did. He had better tools for the job. In short, Stan was better equipped to handle our predicament.

Daniel was not equipped to handle the predicament in which he found himself. God was. After asking his friends to join him in praying for a miracle, God revealed the secret of both the dream and its meaning in a vision that very night. Our key verses record the praise Daniel expressed to God. God has all wisdom and power. He reveals His wisdom and strength to us.

Whatever predicament we may find ourselves in, God alone possesses the wisdom and strength we need. Will we ask? Will we seek the God Who has all wisdom and power, seeking His solution to our predicament? He alone is the only One equipped to handle our predicament.

“Lord, You alone have all wisdom and power. I come to You with my predicament, trusting that You will reveal to me the solution that brings glory to You.”

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett(http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 22, 2023

Choosing Joy

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Did you know that joy is not a feeling? It is a choice—no matter our circumstances. This is actually true for Christians and non-Christians alike. But here, I want to speak to believers, because we have a great advantage in leading a joy-filled life. Maintaining joy is about staying focused on just one thing (well, one Person): the Lord. Now, this singular focus is multifaceted. And we can consider so many aspects of our astounding God.

First and foremost, there’s the joy of our salvation. We were dead! Now we’re alive with Christ (Romans 6; Ephesians 2; Colossians 2)! We are new creations—the old has passed, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)! Our sins (past, present, and future) have been forgiven. We are free (Galatians 5:1). And there is nothing that this world, other people, or even Satan himself can do to take this away from us (Romans 8:31-39)!

Next, we can look back on everything the Lord has done for us—praising His name and boasting in Him for all the times He answered us, rescued us, and protected us (Psalm 34:1-9). There is no doubt that each one of us can glance in the rearview mirror and see where and when God’s hand guided, shielded, and flat-out miraculously intervened. We must rehearse these times of providence.

Moreover, it’s an act of obedience to be joyful. The Apostle Paul says it pretty clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” And he says it again (twice) when writing to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” [3:1; 4:4] You can read these commands throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms (check out these few: Psalm 5:11 Psalm 33:1-5, Psalm 97:12)

But the best part about choosing joy amid any and every circumstance? It just makes the minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years better. Even in the midst of suffering, pain, and sorrow—because these situations will happen. (Life is hard—even the Christian life.) Through it all, we do have a choice. We can be bitter, gripey, complaining, and anxious. Or we can keep our eyes on the Lord—His amazing grace, His mind-blowing blessings, His incomparable glory—and choose joy. Which will you choose today?

“Lord, despite my circumstances and even within my pain, You are Sovereign, and I am saved. So today I choose joy.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Attitude, Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 21, 2023

The Ultimate Pivot – Hard vs Ease

“The Lord is good to those who put their hope in him. He is good to those who look to him for help.” Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

“This too shall pass.”  Sound familiar?  We love those words when it relates to hard places.  When difficulties rise to the surface, we want the suffering, challenges and heartache to dissolve quickly.  We give voice to those words hoping to encourage others and reassure ourselves that we can endure because whatever we’re going through will be over soon.  As we navigate what seems like forever, we finally arrive to the passing of hard and exhale deep of ease.  “This too shall pass” equals welcomed words to weary souls.

Have you ever thought that those moments of ease applies to “This too shall pass?”  We don’t quite like that pivot, do we?  Keeping it real here, but I want ease to stay forever.  Honestly, I cling to ease. Clutching it ever so tightly as if I could make it multiply and never end.  Joy, stress-free, pain-free,  drama-free – the list could go on and on.  Basically, we thrive in the lane of ease or do we?  When life runs on auto-pilot it’s tempting to simply glide along.  It takes great intentionality to take advantage of the peace, solitude and carefree days to draw near to our God.  Discipline serves us well when lives are not desperately holding on by a thread.  It compels us to carve in margin for reflection and seize opportunities to serve others.

Spiritual growth and depth are the blessings birthed as God develops character and compassion within His children in ease and hard places.  Tough lessons gently taught by our loving God designed to cultivate abundant fruit, lasting fruit evidenced in those who embrace rather than resist God’s classroom. Those who trust, lean in and draw strength from the One who walks alongside them reap the joy of an intimate relationship.  Regardless of our circumstances, our devotion to God should always be unwavering.  And for those moments when we can’t even utter a prayer, His grace abounds totally aware of the struggles and difficulties we are facing.  All along the way, He is still right there with us carrying us until we can walk again. God’s grace draws us and ignites even the most weary soul.

There is nothing in our lives that is wasted.  God has a divine sovereign plan – one that is guaranteed to serve us well.  The key is to keep our eyes focused on Him.  Cherish sweet moments when ease is our venue.  Savor His word and cultivate a heart of gratitude even in seasons of empty.  Purposefully choose to rest and draw hope from His promises and past faithfulness.  Avoid isolation and be strategic in gathering with trusted, godly friends. Journal prayers you wouldn’t dare give voice to.  Recognize that “This too shall pass” can be our friend if we cling to our God.  Bottom line hard and ease –  God uses it all to bring glory to His name.

“Father, You are all we need to navigate our journey – hard or ease.  You are our constant companion, and you desire to birth beauty even in the most ugliest of days.  We can truly rest in You.”

 

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 18, 2023

The Power Of A Praying Woman

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Do you believe in miracles? Have you witnessed one? Want to? Can you recall the last prayer God answered?

An active prayer life is essential to function as a child of God!! E.M. Bounds says it best. ‘Prayer must be set on fire by an unquenchable desire. This prayer must be accompanied by such a sense of need that it cannot be denied, and by a fixed determination that will NOT let go and that will never fail until it secures the BEST and last blessing God has in store for us!’

Intense prayers, regardless of circumstances, have allowed me to witness God perform miracles resulting in a stronger faith today than yesterday. Recognition that God always answers prayers in His timing and way. And, for the record, there have been yes and no answers. Growing in faith has given me a desire to continue my spiritual journey with Jesus so all my yesterdays echo the same message. If we can by faith internalize the awesome God we serve, sincerely acknowledge the power of the One and Only – a personal God who loves so much deeper and unconditionally than our humanity can embrace would we live differently? Sure. How? Prayer – the key that opens the heart of God.

God listens and cares. Pray with fervency – a passionate intensity BELIEVING God for what He can do. Don’t give up – persist – prevail – seek Him with all your heart. After all, impossibilities are His specialties!

“Dear Father, please let us pray fervently believing You can do the impossible.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 17, 2023

End Of Summer Project

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8 (NLT)
 

Some people ascribe to the practice of spring cleaning. Spring is a time for discarding jackets, scarves, and gloves in order to better enjoy the fresh warmth. Spring is a time for buckling down and finishing schoolwork for the year, so we can enjoy summer vacation the moment final exams are over. Any deep cleaning gets pushed to the back burner for later.

Our family ascribes to the lesser known practice of the week-before-school-starts cleaning. A wave of loathing for all things cluttered or overflowing starts the week off. Working under the pressure of a deadline—before the chaos of a new school year derails any extra projects—usually keeps us motivated. Some years, we lose steam partway through the process, giving up in exhaustion before crossing the finish line. This year we tackled every drawer, cabinet, and closet trashing, giving away, or selling everything that wasn’t necessary for our daily survival.

Just as we took the time to clean and organize our drawers, cabinets, and closets, so we as believers, must take the time to examine our hearts—every nook and cranny. What does our key verse mean when it refers to a pure heart? A pure heart is one which is free of the guilt of sin, the pollution sin causes. Our hearts and minds relish the purity that comes with living free of the pollution and guilt of sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NASB)

Our reward for an organized, clean house is a temporary feeling of satisfaction knowing there is room … for more junk to fill up every space in the coming year. The reward for a clean, pure heart is infinitely better. To “see God” is not just to see Him with our eyes but to perceive Him in all His glory, to truly know Him more than words on a page but with every fiber of our being. More than mere temporary satisfaction, seeing God fills us to bursting.

Is it time for some end of summer cleaning?

“Lord, we bare ourselves before You to be cleansed of our sin. Thank You for Your forgiveness and the clear perception to really see You.”

 

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett (http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 16, 2023

Hearts of Gratitude

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”  Psalm 100:1, 2, 4   NKJV

Psalm 100 was a passage that I memorized and loved as a child. It paints a picture of joy bubbling over as worshipers go into the temple of the God they love, praising and giving thanks. In my mind, I can see them streaming toward the temple courtyard, almost dancing with their hands raised and a shout of praise on their lips. Praise and thankfulness go hand in hand, don’t they?

What would life be like if we were not thankful for anything? What if God continued to lavish good gifts on us –life, salvation, family, friendships, provision, guidance, wisdom, and protection – and we did not appreciate it? We would surely be able to see His hand all around us in the beauty of nature. Think of the starry skies, majestic mountains, and waterfalls. But the only emotion I can imagine if we weren’t genuinely thankful is—boredom. Boredom fills the vacuum left when thankfulness is absent.

There is no joy in boredom. There is only tedium, dullness, sameness, and a sense of entitlement. There is a feeling of emptiness, of being certain something is missing without knowing what it is. That leads to frustration. Do you know anyone like that? Do you want to be her? Me either.

The ability to be thankful and appreciate the power and grandeur of our Lord is what gives us the enjoyment of all His benefits.

Anyone of any age can practice gratitude. Even children can “count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God has done.” But the longer we walk with the Lord, the more aware we are of His hand at work in our lives, and the more we can appreciate the subtle things He has done for us. We also grow in appreciation for His might and power. So one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to instill in them hearts of gratitude.

“Dear Heavenly Father, help us to always approach You with praise and thanksgiving. We are thankful for the blessings You shower upon us, for they make our lives worth living. Thank You for enabling us to recognize and cherish the good things You provide.”

For His Glory

Cherie Harbridge Williams (www.cherieharbridgewilliams.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope

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