Small Step: Follow The Son (take 2)

Speaker: 00:00:01

So bona, my friends, you are listening to

the creative, spiritual journey podcast.

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Small steps, where we give you small steps

to help you walk deliberately with Christ.

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Along your journey.

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I'm Judy Cooley.

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I'll be your host for this episode.

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Thanks for joining me here in South

Africa, Where I'm serving a mission for

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the church of Jesus Christ of latter day

saints with my companion elder Cooley.

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How about we begin where

we left off in episode two.

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We have received the call.

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To go.

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And we've embarked.

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On an adventure.

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And bravely stepped over that

threshold, left home behind.

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And now.

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We find ourselves in the wilderness,

wondering which way to go.

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What direction shall we had?

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So, let me tell you about.

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Navigating our way here in our mission.

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For the first few weeks we

needed our GPS on our phone.

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To get to our house.

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To the church or to the store

and to get ourself back home.

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let me tell you about the

townships that we'd go out into.

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So the townships are.

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big.

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And they have small dirt roads.

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Zero.

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Street signs.

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So we really counted on.

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GPS and how grateful I am

for the miracle of GBS.

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In 1492.

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Christopher Columbus, Navigated to the

new world He used celestial navigation,

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which is Using the moon and the sun.

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and the stars.

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to determine your position.

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Christopher Columbus used

celestial navigation..

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That makes me think of our prophet

president Russell, M Nelson,

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asking us to think celestial.

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that is thinking with the end in mind.

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The long view.

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Christopher Columbus.

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said, following the light of

the sun, we left the old world.

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So the navigating, I want to talk to

you today It's more of the navigating,

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the human heart, and our soul.

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this spiritual navigation.

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So let's change.

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the words on Christopher Columbus's quote.

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Following the light.

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Of the sun.

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S O N.

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We left the old world.

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One of the first steps.

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In navigating.

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Is to know where you are.

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And where is our destination?

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Where you stand.

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And where you are in relationship

to Where you want to head?

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in preach my gospel,

which is the handbook for.

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Missionaries focuses on how to study,

how to teach, how to set goals.

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But just as important.

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As what you do.

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Is who you are and who you are becoming.

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And this isn't just a missionary thing.

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This is a life long journey.

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And so they have a whole chapter that

focuses on Christ-like attributes.

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. So some of those.

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are faith.

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Hope, charity, love, virtue, integrity,

knowledge, patience, humility.

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Diligence and obedience.

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You can see how these are

awesome attributes left Christ.

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That we would love to be like,

I left that there, the end of

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the chapter, there is

an attribute activity.

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It's like a self evaluation of how you're

doing in each one of these attributes.

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it begins with a quote saying, be

comfortable with beginning where you are.

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R And commit yourself to doing

the spiritual work needed to grow.

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seek God's help.

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When you have setbacks, have

confidence that he will help you.

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As you pray, seek guidance about

which attribute to focus on at

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various times on your mission.

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We should say various times of your life.

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So, let me share with you a few of the.

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statements And maybe just close your eyes

and think about how you would respond one

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is never, two is sometimes three, often,

four, almost always, and five, always.

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Okay.

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The attribute of faith.

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I have faith that God will bring

about good things in my life.

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And the lives of others as we

devote ourselves to him and his son.

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Let's see how about one and hope?

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I feel peaceful and

optimistic about the future.

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Okay, one more.

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This one's under the

attribute charity and love.

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I reach out in love to help those who

are lonely, struggling, or discouraged.

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Aren't those wonderful.

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You can see how.

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These help us.

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do some self-reflecting

and see where we are.

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I will attach.

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The attribute activity to the show notes.

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The thing that we need to remember that

becoming like the savior is gradual.

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It's a lifelong process.

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And.

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We need to be patient with ourselves.

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God knows that change and growth.

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Take time.

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A lifetime.

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Maybe even an eternity.

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And he is pleased with your

sincere desires and will bless you.

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And every effort you make.

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Ponder and reflect and evaluate.

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What Christ's like attribute.

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Do you need to improve upon.

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in.

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This is where I'm going to let

you in on the making this episode.

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I have recorded this five different times.

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Each time with a different

story or message.

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And it has taken days and hours.

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And I.

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Have even posted it and have.

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Re posted it.

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So you might have heard.

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Follow the sun.

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Version one.

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This is version two.

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After posting it and losing sleep about it

because I just didn't feel right about it.

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I was.

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Pondering on.

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How can I do this Different.

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next time?

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Reviewing.

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The Christ, like attributes

in preach my gospel.

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And When I came upon the question

in number four in diligence.

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I focus my thoughts on my

calling as a missionary.

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And I thought about all the thoughts

and the times and the focus.

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That I had given to.

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this message in this podcast and

it reminded me of the time that.

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All of a Calgary.

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I prayed to be able to translate and.

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Nothing happened.

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And the Lord basically said

something that you gave it.

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No thought you didn't study

doubt in your mind, any.

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Shares with all of our Calgary, how to

receive answers to prayers of how to.

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Pray about it and study it out in your

mind and you should receive this burning.

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In your bosom, right?

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This confidence, this faith

that is going to be okay.

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And if not, you received

a stupor of thought.

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And I felt like, oh man, I.

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Trying to do this episode, I had load

shedding happened for hours on end.

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I would have our internet go out.

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I'd wake up with a whole

different direction.

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I wanted to take this.

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And.

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I think it was a lesson.

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In fact, I know it was

a great lesson to me.

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Too.

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Ponder upon.

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This Christ-like attribute.

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Of diligence.

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President Irene said in this, the

Lord's church, he called us and

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trusted us, even in the weaknesses.

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He knew we had, He knew

the trials we would face.

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Uh, by faithful service

and through his atonement.

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We can come to want what he wants and

be what we must be to bless those.

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we serve for him.

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As we serve him long enough.

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And with diligence, we will be changed.

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We can become.

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Evermore.

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Like him.

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And the first episode of

embarked, I shared the scripture

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of doctrine covenants for.

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oh, you that embark in the service of God.

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See that you serve him with

all your heart might mind.

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And strength.

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I had been so focused on

getting my heart here.

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Because it was so homesick.

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That I neglected to get

my mind here and focus.

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So what does this all mean?

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It doesn't mean I'm no, I'm

not going to stop the podcast.

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It just means I need to have.

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More diligence.

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And doing.

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What I'm sent here to do labor.

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In the mission field.

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And set aside a certain amount of time.

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To share with you.

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My experiences here.

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And have my message be more of one of.

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The miracles and the blessings.

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And the work that we are

involved here in South Africa.

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I would like to close with a poem

that I received from Coq our mission.

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President's wife.

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It is titled.

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Follow me.

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The sun was high.

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The water still there

nets cast in the sea.

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When Jesus called from distant shores.

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Leave work.

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And follow me.

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Another came to see the Lord.

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He cried on bended knee.

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I'll come.

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But let me say goodbye.

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Lee friends and family.

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And follow me.

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Uh, Richman came, who loved the Lord.

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He promised loyalty.

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But beg to keep his riches.

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LEED gold.

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And follow me.

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The winds were fierce.

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And cold the night he walked upon the sea.

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Lord save us, cried

his frightened friends.

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Lee fears.

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And follow me.

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And so he calls to each of

us upon our stormy seas.

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Lee Franz.

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LEED gold.

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Lee fears, leave all and com.

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And follow me.

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So leave that old world behind?

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like Christopher Columbus

and follow the sun.

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I know, sometimes you feel alone.

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But you've got this.

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He walks with you.

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Remember.

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Jesus Christ is the way he

is the only way to happiness.

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And joy in this life.

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He is the only way back

to our heavenly home.

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Every other way.

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Any other path, whatever way it is.

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It's like being lost.

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Without a GPS.

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In a township little dirt

roads, no street signs.

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So my invitation to you, my

friends is will you, when you

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were wondering which way to go.

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Look to the savior, Jesus Christ, follow

him and his way and your thoughts.

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And your words.

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And I promise you.

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That there is joy on that path.

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And I testify.

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That Jesus is the way.

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How about you head that way?

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And if you know someone

who needs some light.

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On their path.

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Bring them along, And I'll see you on

the trail and we will walk with him.

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Together.