233: Mike Steele - Exhortation: The Pages Of Our Lives

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1. 0:13

   Welcome to Good Burger selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:51

   Welcome to the good christadelphians talks podcast. This is brother Brian. This week’s talk is an excitation by brother Mike’s steel that was sent in by recommendation last year. The eggs art is called the pages of Our Lives. And the focus of brother Mike’s exhortation is about how if you examined our day-to-day lives and thought of them as like a diary entry or as in scriptures, how the narratives of certain characters play out, some pages are filled with joy and accomplishments and praise for the Lord. And other times, we are at our lowest, or our most lost point, and it’s times like those That you so desperately. Wish you could turn the page and be done with it. Be done with whatever trial you’re going through, whatever circumstance you’re being made to feel miserable by. Brother, Mike looks at the stories of Joseph David and our lord Jesus and examines how in his opinion, what were their lowest moments?

3. 2:01

   The worst pages. And how quickly by God’s hand their circumstances changed. And in most cases it was within a page or two that there have been completely elevated.

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   And the lesson to us is that no matter what you’re going through at the moment. With God, things can change fast. It is, of course, always our hope that the Lord Jesus Christ returns as soon as possible and that we are preparing ourselves to be his servants, to be his workers in the Kingdom. But there is an acknowledgement that sometimes, it feels like the page that we are stuck on.

5. 2:43

   It’s just never going to turn and we wish that this trial can be relieved from us. But has brother Mike reminds us. The hope that we all have. Is that the Lord Jesus will return? And that will have the same ending, no matter what story were writing at the moment. And that is entering into the joy of his kingdom. so, No matter what you’re going through.

6. 3:25

   We hope that this strengthens your faith and brightens your day. And that this page will turn. Brother, Mike steal the pages of Our Lives. Thank you brother Evan and good morning. My dear brothers and sisters in our Lord. Jesus Christ and our D young people. Wow. It’s great to see so many young people be terrific. Absolutely.

7. 3:50

   It’s been a few years since I’ve been here. I think on the platform or the pre-code pretty servant probably would have been and a lot of things have happened since then I’m sure you would agree. This world is certainly certainly a fire now is that set up a set on fire with all the events that are going on and hopefully Totally out of control as far as the world is concerned, but totally in control by God as as far as we’re concerned.

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   And what do you think about all the things that have happened over the last few years? I think over to probably have to be the number one world event, wouldn’t it? And now I hear on the way here. This morning, they might be bringing masks back in again because we’re about to step right out of line with the numbers that are going to be covid infection. So that’s, that’s going to be interesting to see where we go with that.

9. 4:35

   Then, of course we had Russia, invading Ukraine. That sort of kind of a bit of a style might and we don’t ever underestimate poke out of Russia. By the way, they will ensure that this war of attrition will continue on the way they want it to go. But that is certainly affected the world everywhere including right here in this little state of ours, and of Australian.

10. 4:58

    We everything I’ve just whipping Over America for three months. Only got back, not all that long ago, and I’ll tell you why. It’s it’s America is really feeling the pinch over there with all All manner of things but they’re blaming Russia and China for everything and it’s really quite amazing to see what’s going on over in that that place.

11. 5:18

    Then we got, you know, China rattling the saber and they want to take Taiwan and that’s one of the major objectives to achieve. We got North Korea, still shooting missiles around the place, setting off soccer, and as far away as Japan, we’ve got, we had the transition of presidents in the United States of America, which is Pole The role as the completely pulverized Americans. So they when we go to, we were driving around quite a lot in America.

12. 5:46

    And when we got talking to the general public they’re on the verge of a civil war over there. That’s how serious it really is. Everything is totally out of control in that area of of the world and and just recently in the Middle East, the elections who told Bibby that Comeback Kid Benjamin Netanyahu back in power. You know, you sort of admire the man is a great orator, but there is God’s putting back there for a specific reason, everything that’s going on.

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    In this world, we can’t keep up with. I’ll guarantee you before the end of the week, something else will crop up with all go. Wow. The angels are flat-out trying to bring God’s plan and purpose to its culmination of ready to send his son back to this world. But as far as we’re concerned brothers and sisters.

14. 6:34

    It’s all about patience, isn’t it? It’s just patiently. Wait, Dean Whiting and patience is that word that we don’t really like to use in our life because we live in a world where everything is instant. We want things to happen now and it’s affected all of us. Whereas our parents and grandparents and maybe some of you. Your great-grandparents patients was a part of life. They learn to just wake quietly.

15. 7:03

    The things to happen. We want everything to happen straight away. So we need to, we need to be Judging each other just to hang on for that little bit longer because it’s not long to go. Now and this, what I want to talk about this morning brothers and sisters, I want to base our exultation on the comfort of knowing that the Lord is returning but also just having that little bit of patience, especially when difficult times come in our life and they do, I don’t know your circumstances. You don’t know mine and and we do know that difficult times do comments.

16. 7:35

    I’ve titled the x or the pages of our or lat. Because if you really think about it a lot as long as Fulk pocket diary and there’s an entry good in every day of what we got up to and what we’ve done, and really there is a diary kept about our life up in heaven.

17. 7:52

    It’s called book remembrance, by the way, and and there is entries being put into that book all the time. But in reality in our own life, some of you may keep a diary most of us probably don’t. But we do have these entries in our diary A about our life, and let’s face it.

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    Most times, they’re pretty boring entries, it’s too bland day-to-day diary. If you like, you know, get out, we go to work, come home, we go to sleep, we get up, go to work, and it’s just repetitiveness, isn’t that? Then we have the meetings on the weekend and the boy have sharpened to cheer us along on our way and and so on, but by and large things just continue on at infinitum.

19. 8:32

    But sometimes seems that way. And that’s where the patient’s really needs to come in. We’re waiting for that great day to come. but then, suddenly Suddenly there’s an entry into our, our life, into our die erised life, if you like that. None of us really want to be in and out, in our pages of our life because it can really be a difficult entry and it can hit us for absolute seasick. Not right over the boundary for a six, and we don’t know how to cope with that, and it hits us so hard, and we wish those pages of our diary weren’t there.

20. 9:11

    We wish we could tear them out. Screw them up, throw them away. And sometimes when were open up on that book of that page of a Our life brothers and sisters and young people because you’re not even exempt from having trials in your life either. But when we’re open up on that page and we look at that that that page of our life. It’s on.

21. 9:30

    Oh, goodness me. How long it takes that page to turn? It just takes so long for that page turn and there’s there’s a reason why we’ve got to have patience. So I just want to briefly talk about the pages of our life today and I I just chose 61 because here is David reflecting if you lie and remembering that on the days of years, like the pages are in July and here he is in Psalm 61 talking about that. And by the way, we believe this is written in red. Christian looking back over his life because it talks about him being really a king here.

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    Hear My Cry o God. Attend unto my prayer from the end of the Earth. Will I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I now. That’s a reference. The, he’s now the king. But God is way higher than he is. And he’s remembering the times when he was in trouble and how God was always there and wow, oh wow, did David have to have a fair bit of patience in his early life? For years?

23. 10:41

    He was on the run from Seoul years, what the page is must have been they were written in blood. There they were and he was wondering, where does this page going to turn on my life? I can’t cope. And here he is. Looking back now. So, Thank God, you’ve been my shelter. You’ve been my strong tower and verse 3 from the enemies and he goes on and he concludes the psalm.

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    As I said, I’m going to be very brief on this Army. Concludes with the psalm where he says, one thing is for sure. I’m going to continue to pay my vows I’m going to continue to perform my daily vows of bursae and I’m going to praise your name. And you are. The meditation is quite interesting, brother, Evan how that you hadn’t heard it before. I’ve heard that before, Lovely song but I was just looking at the words and how that just fits in with our expectation this morning because of talk about the road of trials that we go on and how we do need our patients and how that we praise God. For his saving name, just excellent little choice. Just happened to coincide randomly. If you like, with the exaltation of smack about his day, the same, Um hey we got to continue to pay our way out. Now what are our vows?

25. 11:55

    Well the greatest found with given of course to God is at the day of our baptism where we said, we’re going to leave behind the old way of life. They’re going to serve God with all their heart, mind and soul. That’s The Vow that we made at our baptism. We’re going to try to keep that going every day of our life and young people at something, you’re going to Aspire to if you haven’t already taken that step, that’s what you want to be, looking forward to the outer pay, that they are back to God. David never lost that in his life sometimes sometimes we can lose our way with that that little section there in our life so we could just look at a few little instances in scripture at people.

26. 12:36

    That had a really difficult page in their life to deal with and how did they deal with it? And that’s what we want to have a look at wicked. Wicked. Spend you know many studies on this and look at different people and their life but I just Want to turn up to just a few people and have a look at the most what I believe anyway, is the most difficult moment that they ever were placed in in their life. And the first one I want to have a quick look at is Joseph. Come back to Genesis chapter 40.

27. 13:08

    I reckon this is that the most difficult moment in Joseph’s life and you might. So I was when he was thrown in the pig or it was when he was sold into slavery. Yeah, they were all being very, very difficult moments heat life. But you come back to Genesis chapter 40 and you will see what I believe is the most difficult time in his life. So you got Genesis chapter 40 and we know this is after the incident where he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and he found himself in prison and by the way, he’s not in prison for just three years, he’s in prison for eight nine, ten years.

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    Some say the longer we don’t know exactly how old he was when he landed in prison but he wouldn’t have been terribly old. He probably hadn’t spent year or two and part of his house and he’s only Young when he sold into slavery 78, 80 years old. Old. And he’s now round 30 odd years old when he was taken out of prison.

29. 14:08

    So he, he could be in prison up to 12 Years. A long time to be down in prison. But of course, we find that these two had a dream, the baker, the Butler had a dream and they wanted the interpretation of the dream. And and Joseph gives the interpretation and he says, sorry Baker.

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    You know your life’s not going to pan out terribly well but you the butler you’re going to be elevated back into your rightful position. And then on the side and gets hold of the partners. When all this eventuates and you you are you are restored your rightful position. Can you can you please put a good word in for me to Ferrar?

31. 14:50

    Can you please do that? Because my name is being down in this prison and it was must have been really difficult for and this this is not a beautiful reactor jar where you got your internet, your TVs and everything else that you want lovely comfortable. Be this is a prison down underground in the most horrendous situation you think of in Egypt and he’s been there for years and years wondering what on Earth. Am I doing here?

32. 15:19

    What plan is God, got for me. Please Butler. When you get back into your rightful position put a good word in for me I’m over I can’t cope with this. You want to know when the most I think the most difficult time in Joseph’s life was as he watched that Butler gets taken out of the prison and he heard through the grapevine that had been exonerated of whatever crime was he was accused of and who put back in his position he would have waited And we waited and waited for someone to come and get him out of that prison because he was pinning. His hopes on that mother.

33. 16:01

    Give him a good word affair. In another time. Or wait a month. 12 months. Two full years went by and he’s languishing down in that prison. I’ve been that is that last verse there in verse 42, verse 23. Yeah did not the chief Butler, remember Joseph, but forgot him that moment of that next two years I think would benefit package moment in Joseph’s life. You know what, brothers and sisters he is, he is that page of his life.

34. 16:38

    Here it is. It’s on that that page there. There it is. That’s the page of his life, the darkest page of his life and yet you go of this one page and he’s second in command of the Vendome world has Egypt was the major power of the time. How about that? For a page turn in your life? One page.

35. 17:04

    And he’s now second in command, that’s Joseph. The patient’s, he had to Jeweler as a young person relatively speaking was immense, but it did. What about David himself? We read about the psalm that he wrote. Let’s, let’s come over to what I think is the most difficult time in his life. Come over. The first is Samuel chapter 30 have a. Look at this first of Samuel chapter 30. This is an instance where one of the wars that David was Involved in and off.

36. 17:35

    He went with all these 600 mighty men that he had to go and and and have one of these these major Wars that he had. And they left the camp alone with the women and children and we read in first Samuel chapter 30 verse the first few verses and it came to pass when David and his men were come to ziklag on the third day that the amalekites had invaded.

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    The South and ziklag and smitten ziklag And burn it with fire. There’s a flag, of course, is where David left all the men and women and children while they were out, fighting this battle and they came back in and we won’t go into this in any great detail. They came back triumphant after the battle, but unfortunately, the amalekites snuck around the back way, going into the village and taken all their wives, and all their kids happy and all the grandkids wooden grandkids as well. How Dreadful was saying was this? They walked in silence.

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    They have no idea what was happening to their wives. I have no idea what was happening to their kids and the whole lot of them. It tells us here in verse 6 wet greatly and David was greatly distressed will burst forth then David and the people that were with him and this is 600 Mighty loyal Warriors that were with him lifted up their voice and they wept until they had no more power to We that in the Hebrew means, they were totally physically bereft of any more strength. They couldn’t even take that SOB anymore. They were junkies.

39. 19:15

    This was, I think one of the darkest moments of David’s life because he filled implicated in this whole thing that this had happened. And he was rightly distressed. It says, in verse 6, this is a terrible time. We know the outcome of the story, all the wet men, women children were were retrieved and were saved.

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    We know that men, the women and children but you know there’s there on that page is one of David’s if not the greatest most severe moment in his life. There it is. And brothers sister you turn to pages of his diary Hurry. And he’s now king of Judah. Waiting become king of all of Israel. You see, the pages of a life.

41. 20:03

    Do turn, young people brothers and sisters. They do turn. Sometimes. They don’t turn terribly quickly, but they will too one more before we get to the man set before us on the table. Esther. What about this? Beautiful young lady. Chosen for a specific reason. When was the darkest moment in her life brothers and sisters when you think about It might have been, well, I believe it was in this time in Esther chapter 4, and again, we know the story. Great, the chapter 4.

42. 20:38

    Hey, Matt have made his decree. All the Jews in the land and all the provinces would be would be killed on one particular day. And that implicated, of course, Mordecai and Esther, and a nest of all this for we have the Esther very, very grieved. Very grieved Esters May told hurricane and told it to you to her. This was the decree and, and all about how more Decay I had had totally become distressed himself over it. Then was the queen exceedingly rare. Not just gree this.

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    She was overwhelmed. With total distress and grief. And she wanted to get more to Kor back in a frame of mind, a helper through what she knew, what. Okay, I told her she needed to do, and of course, you just turn the page in verse 16. And this is, this is how desperate and how grieved she really was.

44. 21:44

    And she said, Okay, mortar Ki wants me to go down this track old do it. I will do it. She’s only going to, by the way. She’s not very old. She’s so she says go gather together all Jews that are present in shushan fast ye for me neither eat, nor drink three days night or day. And I also, my maidens will Fast likewise, and then I’m going to go into the King which motorcade explains you needed to do, which is not according to the law, you just don’t walk into the king unannounced, and if I perish, I perish shared set her face, as it were like a fleet that she was going to go through with what she had done.

45. 22:25

    This is arguably one of the most Cerny darkest moments in Esther’s life was this moment in time and yet, brothers, and sisters, you turn the few pages over and she becomes one of the greatest queens that Persia has ever had even written in their own history books today. How amazing? That all the Jews are saved haman’s gone.

46. 22:54

    The enemies destroyed more Decay has elevated and S2 becomes that beautiful queen of Persia. You see, brothers and sisters. This is the pages, people’s lives, our brothers, and sisters of old, and really our pages are no different as pages will turn Well, I just wanted to talk about this man. Has we bring out or X or Too Close?

47. 23:20

    I want to talk about this man on the table before us because he also had pages of his life. Free difference with his pay is in his life and ours. He you the detail that was waiting here and every page of the Prophecies of what he was doin, cure every son that he read about him.

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    Every prophecy in Isaiah and Jeremiah that concern was concerning the last 24 hours of his death, his life. He you, what was on those pages. He was a difficult read for him. Could you imagine him reading those pages brothers or sisters of? When do you reckon was the darkest moment of his life? Well, I’ll tell you where that was. You come over to Luke 22?

49. 24:06

    Here it is. He is, I think that darkest moment of our Lord, Jesus, Christ’s life. Wasn’t when he was on the cross for other. It’s just these difficult, although that was painfully difficult from a point of view of being in total and absolute mental, anguish and sorrow and difficulty, it was previous to the crucifixion. It was when he was in The Garden of Gethsemane praying to his Heavenly Father, Strength to getting through the next 24 hours.

50. 24:40

    And he’s own disciples couldn’t even stay awake while he was doing that today. You have a look at verse verse 44 of Luke 22, and he’s their brothers and sisters in that Garden. Knowing all, what was on those pages of his life. What was about to happen to him? And he’s in agony, he’s not in necessarily physical Agony, but mental Agony so much. So it says he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Now, you know what young people brother-sister, you probably heard, they said medical condition happens. Very, very rarely, but it does actually happen to those that are under extreme duress, the pores of their sweat glands, expand and open up completely and mix in with the blood vessels of your thyroid.

51. 25:37

    So that the blood and the sweat mix and will just drip Looks like blood dripping out of your far. And that happens with it’s under extreme duress. That is the, I believe it. Most difficult time in our Lord’s life because he knew what was ahead of him. He read the Psalms he read, Isaiah 53, he read the Prophecies of Jeremiah. What?

52. 26:00

    We’re going to happen to this man here. We’re about to remember knew everything he knew that he was going to be betrayed by one of his own. He you though going to get it. And they were going to build him to the point where he was unrecognizable, he knew is going to get lashings on his back by his stripes.

53. 26:18

    We are healed. He knew that how the Romans did that. He probably even witness that he saw how cruel they could be, but they were extra pulled grilled him because he became a matter of entertainment for them. Didn’t know, he knew that, that was spit on him, they would punch him. They were Jane crown of thorns on his head till it ripped into his skin.

54. 26:38

    He you all that from the prophecies. Brothers and sisters, he knew that these Roman thugs were going to throw him down to the ground and laugh at him and kick him, and hold him down, and rip his beard out of his face. He knew all that he knew what was on that page. is it any wonder that this is a lot of sweat with just ripping off his head because He really felt as I am I going to be able to cope with all this. That’s what he says.

55. 27:09

    But rather if there’s any other way Not my will be done, but thy will is two wheels, he neither of them are wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ is not wanting to go against the father’s will. That’s why ads not my will be done but I will. But I don’t know whether physically I’m going to cope. I know I’ve got to see this all through, right to the very end of read about it.

56. 27:33

    And I just feel as though I’m not going to make it and sell it for probably twenty four hours previous to this imagine trying to sleep, knowing what’s about come about in your own life and he can feel pain like you. And I could feel pain brothers and sisters, and he knew what was ahead of him.

57. 27:48

    I don’t know. If I’m going to make it and what does God do? Brothers and sisters. There’s God, just leave. His only son down there and that time of absolute difficult in his life. Oh no, it absolutely not. You know what? He does previous verse there in verse 43 and there appeared an angel unto him. From Heaven, strengthening him.

58. 28:16

    This is no ordinary Angel, brothers and sisters. They would have been angels in that Garden. There was Angel’s on the earth. There are angels, pray, and those disciples. They had their own Angel. God says, no, this is, this is my son, he is in absolute need. I’m not just going to send any ordinary angle.

59. 28:32

    There’s no such thing as ordinary Angel, so I apologize for using that term but I’m not just going. I am sending the angel from heaven. And I think he looked at to either Michael or Gabriel one of those two and said, this is a very critical time in my son’s life. I need you to go down there and help. Our Lord, Jesus Christ was greatly strengthened by that. Angel from heaven, the Angel Michael Gabriel, doesn’t matter. Both of them.

60. 29:03

    Very important Angels far as the Heavenly angels are concerned and down that angel went and strengthen the Lord Jesus Christ. How did he strengthening? Where we know from Hebrew is that we the chapter on faith? For the joy, that was set before him. That’s what the age of death. He put his arm around the Lord Jesus Christ, who said you could, you’ll be okay.

61. 29:27

    We’re going to be with you every step of the way and have a look at the future that awaits you. And I think he set the joy that was set before him was set before him by God, and the angels, he can fish allies, the Finishing Line where he is waiting. Beckoning you and me, and all of us keep running. Keep coming.

62. 29:48

    We’re going to get into the kingdom. We’re all going to be in this Kingdom. Don’t give up. That’s the joy. That was set before him and causeth that he was able to you know, in Jewel the cross and despised the shame that was about to happen to him. He can do all of that brothers and sisters because An angel strengthened.

63. 30:10

    And that’s the darkest moment of our Lord. Jesus, Christ’s life is on that page, brothers and sisters. And you know what? You turn the page. One page. And our Lord is elevated to second-in-command of the universe.

64. 30:32

    There’s the page of his life brother and sisters. I don’t know what page you’re on in your life at the moment, it may be one of those Bland Pages where we just everything goes on as it were, that’s a danger page as well, because sometimes we can lose sight of where we really are at in this world and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ or perhaps in your page, it’s a pretty difficult one and you are scrambling to really want that page, 22, rest assured brothers and sisters.

65. 31:00

    The page and pages will turn. They will turn And you think of those three examples were gave and of course, the Lord. Jesus Christ, what actually was achieved in the difficult moments of their life? What you think of what Joseph went through the Dreadful trial? He went through, what had? What was ultimately achieve. Well, the ultimate result of that brothers sisters Was Not only, was he a little bit elevator, he saved his family. He saved his family as a result of that, that they were destined for certain ruin, but he was able to extract from them, I’m talking necessary that Jacob, but he Brothers future for them. And David, he went through difficult trial. What was that?

66. 31:47

    Well, he the result of that, is he saved the nation for certain collapse. Esther went through terrible trial and she the result of that was hundreds of thousands of Jews were saved and this man here. And went through that extraordinarily difficult time. And finally went through everything and, you know, when he was on the cross, he uttered those words, it is finished.

67. 32:13

    That was pretty well-defined a words that he said, it is finished, you know, probably what was going on in his life. I think what was going on in his mind was every prophecy of what he had to endure all the way, right from the moment of his betrayal, right to when they parted lots for his garments white. When They Jam vinegar in his mouth to drink right through all prophesied in scripture and and he’s going off at his ticking them off in his mind.

68. 32:42

    He’s taking him off, and he can hardly breathe on that cross. He’s taking each breath. Breathe. And then finally, the last prophecy the last Psalm is fulfilled. It is finished.

69. 33:00

    He gave us two. And what did that man? Achieve working. He can be paved the way for salvation of all those. That would take hold of that pathway to Salvation. He saved the world. That was what happened? As a result of that man’s, try and silence. So brothers and sisters, our trials and sufferings are not just for us.

70. 33:26

    They are for others as well. And I really hope that when we come across those haters and our life that are difficult, we really do hope brothers sisters that they will turn quickly. But one thing we can be guaranteed and that’s this. And this is the, this is the past on guarantee that God’s given us brothers and sisters and that is this every one of us. Every one of us has been given a guarantee that the last entry on that last little paragraph of the page of our life is Going to be any identical.

71. 34:01

    And it’s simply going to be this. Well done. Well done. Enter into the joy of thy Lord. Thank you for listening to the good christadelphians talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review and apple podcast or whatever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for it. If you enjoyed this Secular talk, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy it as well for show notes on the talk.

72. 34:50

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73. 35:13

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