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HE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44 NIV.
Anything of great value that is hidden points to the subject of potential. Your potential is your hidden treasure and like the man in the parable, God paid the ultimate price in order to redeem you because He recognised how valuable you are (John 3:16). The ability to recognise potential is key when it comes to making any sizeable investment. This is because potential is not always obvious and is only recognisable through knowledge of purpose, wisdom, insight and resources. Therefore it would be true to say that potential is in the eye of the beholder. Treasure is not always something obvious like gold, jewels or money. I believe the treasure could have been found by any passer-by if they recognised it as treasure. Therefore the treasure was only hidden by the fact that it was not recognisable to the average passer-by! As illustrated in the parable of the talents, God is a shrewd businessman and always expects a return on His investment (Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore the fact that He would invest all He had in order to acquire us means that His recognition of our worth goes far beyond any estimation we may have of ourselves. One of my favourite TV shows is Dragons' Den, a venture capitalist TV programme where budding entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to five wealthy business people (the dragons), hoping to procure their required investment. Each of dragon's command multi million pound enterprises and are amongst the most influential people in the UK. Once an entrepreneur (or contestant) has made their presentation, the dragons probe the validity of the idea often revealing an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of the contestants. This often results in harsh, scathing opinions from the dragons.
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Dragon's Den draws many parallels to the nature of
God and His Kingdom. For instance, like the dragons, God is a willing investor: The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT). God is searching for those in whom He can strengthen with the investment of His power. As long as you are willing to commit what you have to him, He is willing to commit what He has to you. This brings us to the key factors in discovering your hidden treasure. Having watched the show from its' inception, I have found that acquiring investment in the Dragon's Den was due to any of the following factors: • the business idea was sound and scalable
This is because an under performing or faulty product reflects badly on the manufacturer. In like manner, before God can release you in your specific field, you must pass the quality control test and show yourself approved. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). The word 'approved' is translated from the Greek word dokimas. This was the name given to honest money changers of the ancient world who would not accept counterfeit coins and only put genuine, full weighted money into circulation. They were given the name dokimas because they were men of integrity. A person of quality bears the hallmark of integrity! Honesty is the outward show or manifestation of integrity which stems from being whole, complete and undivided. The need to lie and deceive is the result of internal lack and brokenness. The building material to achieve wholeness is the word of God (2 timothy 3:16). No matter what your gifting or purpose is, being grounded in God's word is fundamental. Therefore we must study the word and not just read it. • the business idea could only work based on the specific resources of a particular dragon. • the business idea was sound, however, the contestant recognised his/her own weakness in making it a success and were willing to allow the dragon(s) to have a greater stake (and control) of their business. • the dragon had a better use for the product than what was proposed by the contestant. • their business idea was weak, however, the contestant exuded personality and character that the dragons could work with. These reasons parallel Kingdom principles for discovering and realising your potential:
Integrity
Any good manufacturer has a quality control process to test the integrity (soundness) of its' product before releasing it in the market place.
Excellence
In addition to the word of God we must study pervasively and seek to become an expert in our field. God is a God of excellence and we too must adopt the spirit of excellence. When we seek excellence in all that we do we will become a workman that need not be ashamed. Excellence demands that we develop the skills that would hone our talents. The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions (Proverbs 12:27). Talent is given, however,without skill it is just raw material. If you prize the talent you have, then you must be diligent in developing the necessary skills that would best utilise your talent. You maybe a gifted singer, but can you perform? Do you have
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“You will only grow to the limits of your own belief� stamina? Do you have any business aptitude? Do you know how to speak to the media? These are just some of the skills you must develop in order to enhance your gift and achieve a successful career.
Scalability
You will only grow to the limits of your own beliefs. Therefore in order to be scalable it is vitally important to identify and eliminate self limiting beliefs. To achieve this you must learn to rightly divide (handle with accuracy) the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Understanding the truth of God's word will free you from all that hinders, especially self limiting beliefs (John 8:32). Ironically, the number one obstacle to understanding the truth of God's word is religion. Religion is man's own remedy for dealing with the guilt of sin that gnaws at his soul. Anything rooted in guilt will only serve to bring condemnation, punishment and imprisonment, physically or mentally. That is why religious people (especially religious Christians) focus on what you cannot do. However, God desires for us to understand and live according to 'the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus' so that we can focus on what we can do (John 8:1-2). It is imperative that you understand the difference between religious assumptions and the truth of God's word. You will never realise the scale of your true potential if you don't. Embracing the truth of God's word will cause you to be effective and marketable across multiple spectrums of people, cultures, genres, industries and a range of other divides. God has made us both Kings and Priest (Revelation 5:10). Therefore we have been endowed with the ability to be leaders in the marketplace as well as in the temple.
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Divine Connections
Another key factor in the discovery of your potential is your ability to work with others. Purpose is never confined to one individual. God's will for your life is interlaced with the purpose and abilities of others. No matter how great your gift is, it's just a small part of God's master plan. Therefore your hidden treasure will only be found through divine connections. There are individuals who are ordained to be in your life whether for a season or for life! Recognising these 'divine connections' and the role they are design to play in your life (and vice versa) is key to your success. That being said we will do well to remember that it takes teamwork to make the dream work!
Submission
You must be open to fact that your hidden treasure maybe the combination of your gifts and talents with the resources and wisdom of someone else. This may require you to submit under the authority of that person or allow them to have a greater say in what you do. Often time on Dragon's Den, it became apparent that one particular dragon was best suited in making a contestants idea work. However, it would also mean that the dragon required a larger stake in the company than what the contestant was willing to provide. It is at that point they were faced with the decision of either keeping 100% of nothing or 50% of millions! No matter how capable you are, you are not designed to do it all by yourself. We all have strengths and weaknesses and it is important to know what they are. Just like a marriage, the strengths of one serves to compensate for the weakness of the other (and vice versa). That is the essence of covenant life.
Insight
Your purpose has larger implications than what you can presently see. God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
DISCOVERING YOUR HIDDEN TREASURE
Corinthians 1:27). Many who we call genius' today were once considered fools! Therefore we must learn to trust in the wisdom of God and not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
Character
He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). There are people who see more in you than what you see in yourself. Dragon's Den contestants would often come under heavy criticism from the dragons because of their poor business ideas. Most of them would declare the contestant 'uninvestable.' However, there would be one dragon, who usually keeps quiet, whilst the others are raging. This is because he/she sees something that the others fail to see. When all the other dragons declare themselves 'out' then they take cash-in and reveal to the others that all that was preventing the contestant from being totally investable is a small 'tweak' in their business idea. Many of you only need a small adjustment in your attitude, focus, beliefs and ideas in order to experience outstanding success. As mentioned, treasure is not always something that is obviously valuable. Your treasure is hidden from others because they only see your limitations. They themselves do not have the resources, insight and wisdom to utilise your abilities.
Wisdom
The wisdom of God is profoundly simple. That is why the most lucrative ideas are so simple you wonder why you did not think of it yourself! God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise (1
In our opening parable, the man first found the treasure and then he hid it again. Why didn't he just take the treasure? Often times we are not ready to be discovered yet! We may have the talent, skills and even the opportunity, however, we are missing one vital ingredient, character. Talent without character is a disaster waiting to happen. I once heard Joyer Meyers say, "your talent can take you to heights your character cannot handle." How many times have we watched on our screens with dismay, sorrow or delight the disgraceful behaviour of gifted entertainers, athletes, politicians, ministers and the like. Many have reached the pinnacle of success only to be toppled by the revelation of their indiscretion. Indeed non of us are perfect, nor do we have to be perfect to be used of God. However, without character, fame and fortune will cause you to have a higher estimation of yourself than you ought. In your arrogance you will mistreat others and behave in a manner that you would not have done when you had nothing. Character is not given. It is something that has to be developed and instilled over time. It is the product of trials, endurance and patience (Romans 5:3-4). Hence God keeps us patiently hidden whilst we develop the character He is looking for. Like a master baker, He will only let us out of the oven when we are fully cooked! It is no surprise that the Greek word used for character is dokimas, the same word used for approved, as mentioned earlier. Character is God's seal of approval, not talent. God can do more with a person little talent but good character than with a person of great talent and poor character. True potential is not about what you can do with your talent and your abilities. It is based on what God can do with you. That is the treasure!
If this article has been a blessing to you in anyway please email pearls@ministryinart.com
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to the Ant you sluggard consider its G oways and be wise! It has no overseer
or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest. PROVERB 6 V 6-8
As Christians we know that the true meaning of the Christmas is not the exchanging of gifts, consumption of large amounts of food and drink or just an excuse for a party, but it is in fact the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was God's greatest gift to mankind. Nevertheless we also treat this special time of the year as an opportunity to spend time sharing the joys of the season with our friends and family and rightly so. Sadly this time of the year is also ever increasingly becoming well known for another reason; people getting into debt. The overwhelming pressure from the media, school friends, work colleagues, family and relatives to enter into the "Christmas Spirit" and spend lots of money is often too much to resist, and many people just give up and think "don’t worry I will deal with the once the holidays are over". The result is that year after year people from all walks of life overextend themselves financially thereby entering the New Year with the hangover of large credit card bills, bank overdrafts and another new year’s resolution broken before the year has actually begun. So how can prepare ourselves for the inevitable financial pressures of this time of the year? Well here are the Ant's top 10 tips for a debt free Christmas: • If you don’t have the money don’t spend it – Yes I know it sound Scrooge like and that you will probably end up disappointing a lot of people but just because its Christmas this is no excuse for you to stop managing your money, act irresponsibly and end up entering 2010 with debt that it will take probably months, or even the remainder of the year, to pay off.
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• Give gift vouchers or money – Giving vouchers or money can be an inexpensive way of giving Christmas presents. Vouchers can be purchased for a wide range of gifts including books, clothes, CDs, and for purchases at department stores. The advantage of gift vouchers is that they can be combined with money by the recipient to buy a much more expensive gift than you can personally afford. Likewise money is a nice gift young children or teenagers and can be either placed in savings account or again combined with other Christmas money to buy that desired toy, computer game, console or clothes. In either case the cost to you is reduced. • Buy gifts online – The internet is now widely recognised as one of the most economic and efficient ways of purchasing gifts generally and in particular for Christmas, Birthdays, Mothers Day etc. A large number of the major high street stores now have a presence online and often will sell goods cheaper online than in store. In addition there are companies who sell on the internet only and without the overheads of retail stores
are able to offer a considerable discount on the prices charged by retail stores.
slashing prices, with even John Lewis – which traditionally never cuts prices before Christmas – offering £50 discount to customer if they buy both a washing machine and a tumble dryer
• Shop around – Even at Christmas there are still variations in the price of identical goods in different stores so shop around. In the current climate it is not unusual o find some stores even having pre Christmas sales in an attempt to steal a march on their competitors.
• Buy nearly new – Ebay and other auction sites are a valuable source of nearly new or cheap goods which substantially reduce your outlay on Christmas.
• Join a Christmas Club – This is too late for this year but an ideal way of saving for Christmas is to join a Christmas Club. These are often set up at work or between friends; there are also professional clubs to which you can subscribe. The principle is that you make a weekly or monthly contribution which is paid out at Christmas. The money paid out can cover gifts, food and drink or other expenses incurred during the festive period.
• Shop with cash – Withdraw the total amount in cash you want to spend on Christmas, put your debit and credits away and do your shopping. The most obvious advantage of this is that it helps you restrict what you spend, but it may also get you deals from vendors for cash that you might not otherwise get. In concluding whatever you do make sure you don’t end up sacrificing the financial stability of 2010 for an expensive Christmas and most importantly of all remember that the true meaning of Christmas is found in Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas and a Happy and financially secure 2010.
• Buy gifts earlier in the year – Like point 5 above this probably too late for this year but an ideal way to shop for Christmas is to shop before Christmas; this is because at Christmas prices, not surprisingly, increase. If you buy your gifts during the spring, summer, or autumn sales by the time Christmas comes you won’t need to spend that much, if anything at all. • Pre Christmas Sales – These are becoming increasingly common as stores try and steal a march on their competitors before the New Year. These are currently being held at Argos, Debenhams, and Tescos Laura Ashley, Homebase and Sofa Workshop are all
Isaac Carter is the author of ‘Go to the Ant’ a simple but effective guide to money management. www.gotheant.co.uk
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MiriamVirgo Author of The Naked Truth
As I sat waiting in the Holiday INN hotel lobby, I was slightly anxious about how to approach this interview, the sensitivity derailed me slightly not to mention the occupation of the interviewee, caught up in my thoughts I nearly jumped at the loud voice behind me. “Hellooooooooo” a big grin, a pair of shiny white teeth and a bubbly personality jumped towards me, “You must be Allan.”‘Nice to meet you’ I said professionally. “Cha man, your Bajan, leave out the posh talk” she tapped my shoulder and fell into a comfy cushion “So whassup bruv?” Immediately at ease the interview commenced…. STW So Miriam Nice to meet you Thanks, you too. Well what can I say, overnight you seem to have become a media sensation, I read about you in worldwide and National press and heard you on the radio? Ha ha, that’s interesting, I wouldn’t say a Media sensation, God opened doors and I ran through them. STW So talk to me, it seems you have had a horrific time but your faith seems to have sustained you, the media reports some horrific cases of sexual abuse? Yes I was sexually abused for many years as a child and grew up to be drug raped, when I was raped, I was not aware this had happened to me until I discovered that I was pregnant. STW Were you a Christian at the time? Yes. STW So I assume then that you were supported by the church through this? Actually no, quite the opposite, I was accused of lying and persecuted by many members that would not accept something like this could happen. I was also thrown out of the praise and worship team and it was suggested to me by the Pastor to marry the father of the child. STW My Goodness, that is awful, so did you remain in God? Miriam became slightly saddened as she looked down at her feet, “No I tried but the stress was way too much, I resented my child, feeling that she had ruined my life. I felt the only way out was to have an abortion.” STW Wow!!! That’s intense, so you went through with the abortion? That is the miracle, I booked for the abortion and felt that by doing this I could forget all that had happened to me and that I would be able to get on with my life. Ironically I was so far gone that during a scan they accidentally told me the sex of the baby, this made it more real to me although I still could not go through with keeping her. The night before the operation I was in the clinic and I couldn’t sleep, I prayed and said “Lord you can see my life with the
baby and without her, I do not want to have this child, nevertheless your will be done” I tossed and turned all night but heard nothing from God. As I walked to surgery the following day, just as I was about to go through to the theatre I suddenly felt a whoosh and something touched my stomach, all of a sudden a rush of love overwhelmed me for my unborn child and I felt as if I was on death row. I screamed and said “Stop, if you are going to kill my baby then you have to kill me too” STW My Goodness so you kept her? Yes. A nurse at the clinic tried to get me to change my mind, she shouted at me and said “look the police are here waiting to take the baby for examination, you have to do it.” Because she was also a black lady and much older than me, I respected her wisdom I almost felt that she knew better than me, so I said “Ok I wont have it,” but when she tried to shout to the surgeon the lift door slammed shut and the surgeon couldn’t hear. I took that as a distinct sign not to test God and that he must want me to keep her. STW So that was in 2001 I believe? Yes. STW And now you have a beautiful daughter? Miriam’s smile bounced back and her eyes lit up, More than beautiful, she is my world and my best friend, because of her so many blessings came into my life. I shudder each time I think that she might not have been here but I thank God for intervening. STW So now we are in 2009 and I see God has done great things with your testimony and life, you are now a Police officer? Yes that’s right, I joined the police in 2003 to make a difference and help others like me. STW And you are very active in your Christian Police ministry? Yes I am on the faith committee for the area and actively promote God at work. STW That’s amazing and if that’s not enough you also run a ministry is that correct? Yes it’s called Fire-fighters. The name is based on the book of Jude 22 and 23, “You need to save some people who have doubts, You need to save some people you will be pulling them out of the fire.” I also host empowerment conferences and speak at various churches. The conference we held last year was called Footprints in the sand and it was a personal message that God gave me entitled “It was then that I carried you” for abused and hurting women.
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STW Miriam as if you don’t already do enough, you have now written a book The Naked Truth, Can you explain? That is another miracle in itself, (she grins from ear to ear) I was on premier Christian radio giving my testimony and I received a call from a woman asking me for a copy of my book, I was perplexed as I never had a book,. Ironically three weeks later I was in church and the Holy Ghost told me to run, I did not understand it and felt a little silly nevertheless I was obedient and started to run, I ran 14 times and God told me to stop. The very next day I sat down and started to write and before you know it, I had written my whole story within 14 days. I stayed up for many hours but it was worth it. STW Just 14 days, that is a blessing So what is it about? It is a real revelation of a God that never lets go. It is based Hebrews 4; 13 that nothing in creation is hidden but everything is naked and exposed before God. My theory is I have become naked and God has covered me with the truth of his word. It covers my childhood abuse and church experiences, my experiences of a God that never let go even when I became a hypocrite and was clubbing and drinking and still going to church and living a ‘fake’ life. Ultimately it may not sit right with everyone as I have exposed everything, down to church manipulation, abuse from people in the church, and the realities of the naked church, as well as my own encounters with men and gangs and fights etc...whilst some may think I am on the rampage I hope that when they get to the end of the story they will catch the twist and see that actually I am on the church’s side, but I do not believe you can grow in God by hiding things under the carpet. STW So who is the book for? Everyone and anyone, maybe a Pastor who is struggling to deal with rebellious youth or church members, or maybe someone who wants to know how to help abused women, a mother who wants to educate her daughter on the reality of relationships and running from God, men who want to understand women and some of the biblical takes on Pornography, lust, perversion, sex you name it, its all in there I shock myself each time I open the cover ha haaaa. But it’s all Godly I assure you! STW Where do you go from here, I understand we will be seeing you on television soon? Yes I am featuring in a documentary on a national station so watch this space. STW Miriam it’s been a pleasure, thank you for your time. Bless you Bajan! She laughed as she left.
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MZ Tell us a bit yourself, where are you from?
I've lived in Philadelphia for about 20 years cumulatively! I live with mom, dad, sister, brother, and niece (she's about a year and a half now.) I live in the same house I've always lived in. My mother is a teacher and was actually my pre-K and kindergarten teacher. I went to three different high schools! I love the show "the office" and am eternally grateful to the English people for sharing it with us - it has blessed me tremendously! I attend a growing church plant "Epiphany Fellowship" and serve on the praise team there. I sing soprano most of the time. My favorite food right now is hot wings (subject to change). I was raised in church in A REAL WAY! I grew up churched through and through. Even my DNA was churchy. I don't despise that though; I learned great things in the church. I came to learn of Christ's salvation and embraced Him as a child.
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MZ Have you always been
musically inclined? I guess so. I don't remember having any special connection to music as a kid, like some other singers/ musicians do! I sang because everyone at school or church sang. Now, the elementary school I went to had a fabulous music program and I really enjoyed playing mallets, xylophones, keyboards, recorder, and chimes. We really did it all at school! I think that my experiences in elementary school pushed me in a musical direction. I'll put it like that.
MZ So you have already
toured quite a bit of the world. Where have you been and with whom have you had the opportunity to share the stage with? Wow! The Lord really blessed me to be able to travel all around the world for a year and a half with the famed gospel group, Israel and New Breed! All expenses paid!!!! I got to see a little of: New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Nigeria, Jamaica, Japan, England, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and (of course) US. The music business is funny because you never know who you'll end up on stage with. So, some people I've ended up (amazingly) sharing the stage with in that year and a half included: Melonie Daniels, Aretha Franklin, Bebe Winans, and Alicia Keys. This doesn't mean I've sang duets with these people, but that I've merely been onstage with them. If you ask them they'll inevitably say, "Leah Who???" Gotta love life!
MZ You have been likened to
artists such as Alicia Keys and India Arie. How would you personally describe your music? My music is a fusion of a few
genres. There's gospel and soul meshed with elements of pop and folk. I'm definitely all about lyricism so I know I can come off very singer/songwriter-y.
MZ Your music has been
describe as a ‘sound is one that transcends genres, race, and time, reaching music lovers of all ages’, did you find this a great challenge to achieve? Not really. When I write music I'm not really thinking, "How can I transcend race in this song." Hahaha. All I know is that I write on topics I'm passionate about, and compose music based on my influences.
MZ Where do you find your inspiration comes from when it comes to your music? I'm inspired by life experiences for the most part; riding on the subway, hanging around the house, going to church, being in a bad relationship, watching good relationships, battling sin, watching others' battles, considering the falleness of the world, experiencing the beauty of Jesus……Almost anything can spur me on to write a song. I'm also inspired by other artists. MZ You worked with Israel Houghton and New Breed for a while, in fact it was whilst touring with them that you got a chance to perform your own compositions. Did working with them prepare you for your time now and how so? The group did a tour in the summer of 2007 (it was a small tour in the US) and I got to sing "Beautifully Made" at a few of the dates. Right in the middle of the set I'd do my song and then it would go right into "Not Forgotten." If I hadn't worked with Israel and New Breed and learned all that I learned about
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MUSIC ZONE LEAH SMITH traveling, and touring, and life as a musician than I would've totally been thrown to the wolves when I started solo. I learned what life on a tour bus is like; the grueling ins and outs of living life on the road (from nutrition to sleep and lack thereof). I learned how to maneuver the airport intact; how to pack. I learned a thing or two about making a set cohesive and flowing (by watching how Israel and the team did it) and SO much more!
MZ The first time I heard of you was through a mutual friend who shared a video of you singing ‘Beautifully Made’ online...what was the inspiration behind that particular song? I wrote that song for a job I got back in the 10th grade. The job description included me putting on a show every Thursday night for 6th graders - every week was a new bunch of kids. Everyone agreed that we should do all original music so I tried to travel back in time in my brain and remember what kinda things I was going through as a 6th grader. Self-esteem was a really big one for me! So I decided to write a song about it. time.. J MZ So, do tell us more about your latest project
‘Beautifully Made’. Well it's an EP. About 50% of the folks I say that to reply, "What's an EP." And I always say, "Oh, it's like a CD but shorter!" There are 6 songs on the project. My team and I decided earlier this year that it was time to do a project and get a finished product out there! So, I won some studio time after winning a competition in Philly and worked on the project. I didn't have a grand concept behind it or anything. My only goal was to get the thing finished!MZ
MZ You a have a strong message in your music, what do you want people to experience when they listen to your music? I want people to listen in on a girl who loves Jesus and seeks to serve and glorify Him in all things despite her struggles and failures. I want people to be able to relate and therefore be encouraged, or not be able to relate because they don't know Jesus, and become increasingly uncomfortable with my music and (hopefully) figure out why they're uncomfortable (because of Jesus) and be introduced to life in Christ and come to embrace the salvation He alone offers. MZ Is your music available in the UK and how can
we obtain your music here? I think I'm on UK itunes. I'm pretty sure. I'm not sure if CDbaby.com ships internationally or not but something makes me want to say it probably does. S
MZ And when can we here look forward to seeing
you and hearing your music, live in the UK? AHH..I DREAM of the day that I'll get back to the UK! I really love it!!! I don't have any dates as of yet…but we'll see what the Lord does! I really can't wait though!o
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Thank you for your time and God Bless you.what
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