The Jewish Gospel; March 6, 2026

Posted on March 7, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Matthew was a Jew, writing primarily for a Jewish audience. We only have Greek manuscripts, (though very ancient) but modern computerized linguistic analysis indicates that he probably wrote in Aramaic, which would have been fairly exclusively for the Jews of the 1st Century. Of course, the good news of Jesus is for people of every linguistic background, so what he wrote was very quickly translated into Greek, which was the 1st Century equivalent of English today, used by people of many different nations and cultures. I have seen testimonies, through organizations like One for Israel and Jews for Jesus, in which Jewish people expressed their shock at reading Matthew, saying, “This is a Jewish book!” As a Jew, Matthew was very aware that Jesus wasn’t simply the Savior, He was the promised Messiah that Jews had been looking for ever since Moses prophesied His arrival. (Deuteronomy 8:15) Intellectually honest Jews today acknowledge that the statistical probability of one person fulfilling so many Old Testament prophecies if He weren’t the Messiah is vanishingly small. Jesus is the real deal, and Matthew wanted everyone to know it! Each of the four Gospels has its unique features, but all point to the same historical Person, and to His Father, who loved us enough to send His Son to save us from our sins.

I love all the Gospels, and indeed, the whole Bible, but I will confess to a personal fondness for John. That said, I deeply appreciate Matthew, and not just for the record of the Magi in chapter 2 and the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 and following. The Visual Bible never made it past Matthew and Acts, that I’m aware of, but their enactment of Matthew, using only the NIV for their script, blessed me immensely. The actor who played Jesus, a committed Christian, said that he prayed earnestly for how to portray Jesus, and his guiding principle was that Jesus was delighted to be doing what the Father had sent Him to do. When He healed someone, He was as happy as the person who was healed! And the love that permeates the rendering of chapter 23, which is a vigorous takedown of the Pharisees, is astounding. Matthew never got over his amazement and gratitude that Jesus chose him, a tax collector and traitor to his people, to be one of His close disciples, designated by Jesus as an apostle. That gratitude shines through every word of what he wrote, and the world has been immeasurably blessed as a result. I need to let my own gratitude and obedience shine, so that people will be blessed by me as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for giving me Sunday’s message yesterday, so clearly and simply. I pray that just as Matthew shared what he heard You say, that I would be accurate in sharing what You say to me, so that people will be drawn to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Choice to Listen; March 5, 2026

Posted on March 6, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”

It is important to note that the seeing and hearing here are not a matter of innate ability, but of choice, just as Isaiah prophesied. God doesn’t exclude people, but they exclude themselves. That is an absolute tragedy, because as the Lord said through Isaiah, anyone who chooses to listen and see and so turns to God is healed. (verse 15) That healing isn’t just physical, but extends all the way to eternity. I’m reminded of the thief on the cross beside Jesus, who chose to see Jesus as the innocent Son of God, and so asked to be remembered in His kingdom. That choice brought him eternal life! Our theme is Training Disciples, and that too involves personal choice. God chooses us, but we have to choose to respond, and we have to choose to grow. The more stubborn we are, the more painful it is! It ultimately comes down to faith. We have to believe that God loves us and has the very best plan for us, and accordingly, listen carefully to everything He says to us, choosing to obey promptly and fully. It is incredible how we balk at that, but that’s how we are. Every parent has experienced times when their children would refuse to listen at all, or perhaps, appear to listen but then go off and ignore everything they were told. Conversely, there are times when those same children will be like sponges, absorbing everything their parents say to them. Those are a lot happier for everyone involved! That said, on the human scale, we are imperfect parents, and we all too often impart things we wish our children didn’t pick up! However, God is the perfect Father, so He doesn’t have that problem. Everything we get from Him is for our good.

I wish I could say that I’ve always listened attentively and obediently, but that would hardly be accurate. My own experience should give me patience with people under my care who don’t seem to listen very consistently! Being a pastor is a hard job for precisely that reason. I’ve got to keep listening and growing, because I’m far from perfect, and my job is to shepherd God’s people in the path of growth. I have to tell people about the spankings I’ve received so they can avoid them! I need to have discernment to know when God is using one of the multitude of voices that clamor at me, and which voices are just noise, or even active attacks from the devil. I’m tempted to say, “That’s beyond my pay grade,” but it’s actually one of the fundamental tasks of every human being. I need to be humble enough to know that I can’t keep it straight on my own, and trusting enough to know that God’s got it all in control, if I will relinquish that control to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m in a little bit of a panic moment about the arrangements for our trip next month, but that’s not an issue for You. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, knowing that You are going to guide perfectly, if I will just listen. Thank You. Praise God!

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Family; March 4, 2026

Posted on March 5, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 12:49-50 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

This is an absolutely magnificent statement that Jesus claims all who are obedient to God as His family, and at the same time, it presents some real challenges to our usual ways of thinking. It is not teaching us that we are to write off our biological families. As Paul said, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8) After all, honoring our parents is in the 10 Commandments! However, connections of faith can often be stronger than connections of genetics. It is my conviction that any healthy church is going to have a very family atmosphere, as in the Gaither song, The Family of God. This passage also throws a further curve in the Catholic practice of referring to Mary as “the Mother of God.” In the first place, she was certainly the mother of Jesus’ physical body, but no created being could ever be the parent of a member of the Trinity. This extends that further, pointing out that relationships are by faith, and here, obedience. We can indeed sing with joy, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.”

This is very timely for me, since we are making plans to visit biological family in the US, for the first time in seven years. The three drivers for that are the hospitalization of my brother, visiting the grave of my wife’s brother, and meeting our new great-granddaughter. Those things are important, but at the same time, we have our family of faith here in Omura, and actually, around the world. I’m thrilled to say that keeps growing. I have “close kin” who will be returning from Hong Kong at the end of this month, and a sister who will be getting back from Canada this week. It’s a big family! I’m particularly excited about a man I’ll be seeing this morning who seems on the verge of committing to Jesus as Lord, which will make him also my brother. God’s family keeps growing! I’m thankful for my personal heritage, that is deeply rooted in this reality. When my mother’s younger sister was baptized, she said, “Now I’m Daddy’s little sister!” She understood Kingdom dynamics from the outset. I have the privilege of being God’s agent in growing and strengthening His family, and I am to give my all to that end. That is indeed doing His will, just as Jesus said.

Father, thank You indeed for being our Father. Help me relate rightly to all my siblings, both genetic and otherwise, so that You may be pleased as Your will is done, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Training; March 3, 2026

Posted on March 4, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 11:1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

Here’s an important detail about Jesus’ ministry that we might overlook. In the previous chapter it talks about how Jesus sent His disciples out, giving them authority to do what He had been doing and teaching them in some detail about the level of commitment they needed to have and how they were to deal with the reception they would or wouldn’t get. Then, we have this verse that tells us what Jesus did in the meantime. He didn’t just go to a spa! Rather, He got back to work doing what He had been doing all along, essentially the same thing He had sent His disciples to do. In delegating work to His disciples, Jesus was multiplying His own impact. The time would come when He would leave and they would continue, but this wasn’t it. A wise leader will do this, giving people responsibility but not dropping them off a cliff. Not every ministry is going to look the same. The Grahams come to mind. Billy was all about large meetings, and multitudes were indeed saved, but Franklin, though he does do some big meetings, is much better known for the work of Samaritan’s Purse, sharing the Gospel through meeting physical needs. It will be interesting to see how the ministry continues when Franklin joins his father in heaven – if the Lord hasn’t returned by then! We are to prepare our successors, but not demand or expect them to be our carbon copies.

This is a very timely Word. It’s still over a month away, but my wife and I will be away for three weeks, and the believers are somewhat uptight about it. I am to prepare them, helping them understand all the things that are done each week so that they will know what to do and what not to worry about. A number of things are question marks at this point, so this is good training in listening to the Lord. One real issue is music, because my wife generally chooses it and plays the piano. We have people who can choose music, but they aren’t as familiar with the considerable library we have available. Also, I have been creating the Power Point for projecting the music each week, and I don’t know that anyone in the church would be up to that. We have had other pianists in the past, but not at the moment, so any accompaniment will need to be guitar. This will very much be a learning experience for everyone, but I’m trusting the Lord to make it a good one. That said, I need to lay the foundation carefully, so that people will feel encouraged and not abandoned. They need to understand that I will be ministering in various ways on this trip, and not just having a vacation! In a number of ways, it would be far easier on me not to go, but I feel assured that this is indeed God’s plan, for my wife and me, for the people we will see in the US, and specifically for this church.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Thank You that I’ll be communicating our definitive itinerary to the travel agent today. I pray that they will be able to get the tickets we need at the best routing and best price, and that everyone involved will be at peace with the result, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Peace; March 2, 2026

Posted on March 3, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

This is a verse many people wish wasn’t in the Bible. It is in direct contrast to the idea of “Go along to get along.” As Paul said, we aren’t to spark conflict needlessly, (Romans 12:18) but we aren’t to compromise our faith for the sake of external harmony. Jesus did say, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” (Matthew 5:9) but that is never to be in violation of God’s principles. Being quiet in the face of injustice isn’t being a peacemaker. Failing to warn someone they are headed for hell isn’t being kind to them, even if they react violently against being told that. There are many seeming contradictions in Scripture, but only if we look at them from a strictly human perspective. Our definitions of “peace” and “sword” don’t necessarily agree with God’s! Right now there are various places on earth that are in active conflicts, notably including Iran. We might be upset at various aspects of what is going on, but the question is always, what is God’s aim in this? We are not to be knee-jerk “peaceniks,” but rather “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” (Matthew 6:33) allowing Him to show us His plans and our part in them. Ultimately, the only peace that really counts is peace with Him.

Having been born in Japan shortly after the end of WWII, spending the first day of the first grade in bomb shelter drills because of the Korean War, and being drafted during the Vietnam War, I am all too familiar with active conflict. At the same time, my personality tries to avoid conflict. I have endured more of it than I would like, but I am well aware that it is part of life on this earth. I keep coming back to the fact that Jesus never promised us things would be easy here. However, He offers us inner peace in the middle of all the conflict. (John 16:33) I am not to pick arguments, but I am to speak the truth in love, regardless of the response. I should aim for peace, just as Paul said, but remember that peace on this earth isn’t the ultimate good. After all, Revelation is pretty violent! I am not to let my soul, my spirit, be agitated by conflict, but rather stand firm and secure in Christ Jesus my Lord. That is peace worth dying for!

Father, thank You for this Word. I run into all sorts of definitions of peace and expectations of peace. May I be a carrier of Your peace, and at the same time be uncompromising in Your truth, so that Your truth may indeed set people free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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To Be Like Jesus; March 1, 2026

Posted on March 2, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:24-25 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.”

This is a powerful truth. Humanly speaking, sometimes we try to violate it, but the “above” is only in achievement, not in net worth. Jesus Himself said that those who believe in Him would do greater things than He did on this earth. (John 14:12) However, we have no claim to an easier life than He had, and He was scourged and crucified! This was the specific area Jesus was referring to here. As He said very clearly in the Upper Room Discourse, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) In places like Japan and the US, we tend to expect things to be easy, and indeed, we live in what would have been unimaginable luxury not so many years ago. However, we need to recognize that is strictly by God’s grace, and not something we are due, because of how wonderful we are. Gratitude is definitely the name of the game when it comes to successful living. In terms of Jesus’ immediate audience when He said this, the only one of the 12 apostles to die a natural death was John, and he had it much rougher than his brother James, who was the first to be martyred. (Acts 12:2) In places like mainland China, a commitment to follow Christ includes an expectation of persecution. We tend to express “accepting Jesus” as all sweetness and light, but that is a disservice to those to whom we minister. If they expect “easy street,” they are likely to fall away as soon as things get difficult. This again is part of Jesus’ famous parable of the seed and the soil. (Matthew 13:3-23) Paul likewise compared it to an athlete, who commits everything in order to win the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:25 and more) In our case, however, the prize is more than worth anything we could go through in this life. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

I have always liked the little chorus, To Be Like Jesus. However, I need to remember all that means. I can never be the Savior, but I can reflect His character and express His truth, whatever is going on in and around me. Jesus talked about that in the Upper Room Discourse, too. As a pastor, it is my desire to instill that desire, that expectation, in each of the believers under my care. They see my imperfections, certainly. I desire that they understand that when God can use me in spite of my imperfections, He can use them in spite of theirs, too – and maybe, far more than He uses me. I do proclaim the truth God speaks to me, but I don’t want the believers dependent on me. I want each one connected directly to the Source, hearing what He is saying to them, regularly and consistently, through the Bible and otherwise, so that together we may all rise up as a mighty army in His hands, destroying the works of the devil and setting people free, (1 John 3:8) for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. Thank You for how things are falling into place for our trip to the US. I ask for Your continued guidance in that, and particularly in the preparations that need to be made right here, for this congregation, so that our 3-week absence will be a growing time for everyone, moving us further along in Your plans, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Evangelism; February 28, 2026

Posted on March 1, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 10:14 “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”

I’m not sure that I’ve ever heard this verse preached on! This too is respecting human free will. We are responsible to share the good news of God’s grace, love, and mercy, but if people won’t receive it, it’s on their heads. Frankly, that’s not a very comfortable truth. However, this teaching is what enabled Paul, and others, to spread the Gospel so quickly, as recorded in Acts. This was under the specific circumstances of an itinerant ministry, but not everyone is called to that. We do need to ask the Lord for the right techniques to share the Gospel in whatever situation He places us, but we should remember that we can’t force anyone to accept it. Doing it by force is how Islam was spread, and that’s certainly not an example to follow! The thing is, we might not be able to get through to someone, but another person who does receive the Gospel might be the perfect messenger to win over that first person we couldn’t reach effectively. We must never forget that it’s not our message, it’s God’s, and we have the privilege of sharing it. Those who receive it are blessed with eternal life, but that is between them and God. We are to rejoice indeed when it happens, but not “take scalps,” so to speak. What God asks of us is faithfulness.

Of course, as a missionary in Japan, this applies very strongly to me. I haven’t been given an itinerant ministry, but rather have been planted in one place for now going on 45 years. I have had people receive the Gospel with joy, a very few react with hostility, and the vast majority with polite indifference. There’s a reason Japan is known as a graveyard of missionaries! My parents ministered faithfully for many years, and are buried here. Though they didn’t see the numbers they desired, they did bear lasting fruit, and I am honored to follow in their footsteps. To me, the most heartbreaking thing is when someone seems to delight in Christ for a while, and then seems to fade away. However, Paul encountered that, and Jesus spoke to it directly in the parable of the seed and the soil. (Matthew 13:3-23) I need to apply myself not only to planting, but also to preparing the soil and dealing with weeds, so that the seed will have the best opportunity for fruitfulness.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have had many people leave this church, some to go and minister elsewhere, and some, seemingly to leave the faith. I cannot evaluate them accurately, but I entrust them to You. May I present Your words as accurately as possible, in Your love, and allow Your Spirit to work them into the hearts and lives of my hearers, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Harvest Workers; February 27, 2026

Posted on February 28, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

God is supreme over all, but He uses people to accomplish His purposes. God could speak a word and instantly cause everyone to repent and believe, but that would violate human free will, and in God’s economy, that’s the most valuable thing of all. Apart from free will, we would bear no responsibility for our sins, and Jesus would not have had to come to die for us. However, we aren’t robots, we are headstrong children, and that brings all sorts of complications. Accordingly, each individual has to choose to repent, to stop ignoring and/or running away from God and trust Him with all they are and have. For that to happen, someone has to tell them the good news of God’s love, grace, and mercy, and then nurture them in the knowledge of God after they have committed themselves to Him. Those are the “harvest workers” Jesus is talking about here. No individual, not even Billy Graham, has ever been called to do the job alone; we are to work together. The scale of the task is essentially beyond our imagination, because God loves every human individual, personally and not just in the aggregate. That calls for personal contacts. Broadcast evangelism certainly has its place, but each individual, at the very least, needs someone to guide and disciple them. When we pray for harvest workers, we are really praying for God’s children to wake up to the task that is all around them, to express their love for Jesus by obediently telling others about His love and grace and mercy. We aren’t all gifted as evangelists, as in Ephesians 4:11, but we can all allow God to love people through us. Any time we pray we need to offer ourselves as instruments of that prayer being answered, so praying that God would send forth harvest workers is also volunteering to be one of those workers yourself. The work isn’t necessarily easy, but it can have enormous rewards, and the retirement plan is out of this world!

I have been delighted, and frankly, amazed, at how many people God seems to be calling from Hong Kong and Taiwan to minister in Japan. We keep hearing about, or actually meeting, more, and I rejoice. There are language and cultural barriers, but at least such missionaries don’t look so different from the Japanese! I am to shepherd and mentor such workers, not limiting them to what I have done and experienced but allowing them to avoid some of the mistakes I have made. I desire that God pour out a spirit of repentance and faith on this nation, but I have to be willing to play whatever part God has for me in that, not thinking I’m more important than I am, but allowing God to use me however He chooses. Frankly, training new workers can be a lot of work in itself, but as Paul said, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) I just need to keep praying that God’s will be done, whatever it means for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. There is so much going on, on so many levels, and I certainly can’t keep it all straight. Help me be quiet enough before You to hear what You’re saying to me, and obedient enough to follow through fully. Thank You for what You did yesterday, both in the work that got done on the garden and what is happening in the heart of the man who helped me. The latter of those is far more important! Help me be faithful at each task You set for me, today and every day, so that Your will may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Matthew; February 26, 2026

Posted on February 27, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

There are a number of things about this record that are very touching to me. In the first place, Matthew is writing about himself, but he does so in the third person, not putting himself forward. He is just giving the bare facts. However, those facts were earth-shattering for Matthew himself, as well as for the local community. As is widely discussed in relation to Zacchaeus, (Luke 19:1-10) tax collectors were despised by the Jews because they sold out their own country and people, serving the Romans for financial gain and being agents of Roman oppression in the process. On top of that, many were very corrupt, overcharging taxes and generally doing anything to increase their personal wealth. Matthew doesn’t go into any detail as to his personal history, but simply states that he was seated at his workplace when Jesus told him to follow Him. The very next verse implies, though it doesn’t state it explicitly, that they then had a meal at Matthew’s house, since it mentions “many tax collectors and sinners” as participants. Just as with Zacchaeus, the only friends Matthew could count on were others who were likewise despised by “good” people. I think Matthew was overwhelmed by the grace and love of Jesus, that He would reach out to a tax collector and receive him as a disciple, and eventually an apostle, even. For all his cooperation with the Romans, Matthew was intensely Jewish, and modern linguistic analysis indicates that he wrote originally in Aramaic, rather than the Greek that is left to us. A major distinctive of his Gospel is the way he points out repeatedly how Jesus fulfilled all sorts of Old Testament prophecies. As a wealthy man, it’s quite possible that he even owned his own copies of the Torah, probably Isaiah, and maybe other Scriptures as well. He was certainly familiar with them. All of these things fit together to make him a fitting choice as an apostle, and he never forgot his gratitude for God’s grace, love, and mercy.

We tend to forget that God can use anyone, and we sometimes write people off. We also forget that God never wastes anything we go through, if we submit it to Him. My own life hasn’t been much like that of Matthew, but it hasn’t been exactly ordinary, and at the urging of many people over the years, I am currently writing an autobiography as a record of God’s grace. As a pastor, I have encountered many people who have felt their life experiences disqualified them from discipleship, or even salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth! As Jesus Himself said, in this very story of Matthew, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13) If God can use me, with my incredibly stupid pride, then He can use anyone! I encounter examples of that every day, and I am not only to rejoice in being used, I am to lead others to understand that God can use them, too, whatever their life has been like to this point. As the hymn says, God is indeed a “God of grace and God of glory.” I am to rejoice at the privilege of introducing people to Him, for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this amazing reality. Thank You for yesterday, and for the three distinct situations in which You used Cathy and me to touch people with Your grace and blessing. Thank You for being able to talk with my brother by phone this morning. Thank You that I’ll be seeing at least one person today who is being strongly drawn to You. May he have the courage to believe that You can and will save and use him, too. May we all rejoice to be Your children, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Cost of Discipleship; February 25, 2026

Posted on February 26, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 8:19-20 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

This interaction, along with the one following about family responsibilities, should give us all pause. Following Jesus calls for total commitment. I am impressed that here it was a scribe, a theologian of the day, who was pledging to follow Jesus. Like Nicodemus in John 3, he recognized that Jesus fulfilled too many of the Old Testament Scriptures to be just an itinerant preacher, and he wanted to absorb as much of what Jesus said as he could. However, Jesus didn’t coddle him in the least. Most people would be very honored, flattered, even, to have this happen, but Jesus laid it on the line. He didn’t need the opinions of men to tell Him who He was! We have no record of what the scribe did after this, but I would certainly hope that after the resurrection he joined the group of believers. Likewise, the next person should make us think. Most scholars agree that the man’s father wasn’t yet dead, but he was asking to become a disciple after that happened – which could have been years in the future. The Bible tells us to honor our parents, even in the 10 Commandments, but following God is to be our first priority. Jesus Himself left Mary to His siblings as He did His ministry, and from the cross He entrusted her to John. This in no way says we are to discard our families, but again it comes back to priorities. This comes down to the first of the 10 Commandments, to have no other Gods besides Yahweh. Anything we put ahead of obedience to Him becomes an idol in that moment, and we should have none of that.

My mother, as a missionary from her 20s, said that the only thing she felt she really sacrificed to be a missionary was proximity to family. That was long before routine air travel, much less the Internet, and even international phone calls were difficult and terribly expensive, so it was indeed a real sacrifice. I am currently getting a taste of that, with wanting to be there physically for my brother, but I have far more options than my mother did. Caring about and for my family isn’t a bad thing by any means, but it isn’t my first priority. At this point I am reassured about his situation and condition, and am at peace about our current plans to go for a visit in April, but my priority must first and foremost be obedience to my Lord, whatever He says. There are things for me to take care of here, and I am to be faithful in every detail. God has good plans for each of us, and I am to trust Him enough to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Help me indeed be faithful at the tasks You have for me, accepting Your priorities and not interposing my own, so that all of Your purposes may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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