Unit 7, Session 1: Joshua and Caleb

Thank you for choosing to use the Gospel Project for Kids. Your kids have been learning about the Israelites—former slaves in Egypt—as they moved toward the promised land. Before God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt, He promised to bring the Israelites back to the land He had given to Abraham so many years before. (Ex. 3:8) From Egypt, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and traveled toward Mount Sinai. When they were hungry and thirsty, God provided food and water. (See Ex. 16–17.) Israel spent one year at Mount Sinai, where Moses received God’s law, including the Ten Commandments.

Time and again, the Israelites rebelled against God, Moses interceded, and God pardoned the people. When Israel arrived at the edge of the promised land, God instructed Moses to send scouts into the land. Moses sent out a leader from each tribe. Twelve men, including Joshua and Caleb, traveled through the promised land of Canaan for 40 days. They returned with fruit—grapes, pomegranates, and figs—and gave a report on the land.

The scouts described the land’s abundance, as “flowing with milk and honey.” They gave an account of the people, various tribes who were physically strong and whose cities were fortified. Caleb’s immediate imperative—“Let’s go up now!”—was met with resistance by most of the group. Assessing their own strength against the strength of the inhabitants, they concluded that to move forward would mean certain defeat.

The Israelites complained: “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!” Joshua and Caleb tried to persuade the people of God’s presence and protection, but the people would not trust God. So God gave them what they thought was better. He sent them into the wilderness to wander for 40 years. They would die there. Only Joshua, Caleb, and the Israelites’ children would enter the promised land.

Help your kids contemplate the punishment Israel faced for their rebellion. The Israelites rebelled against God because they did not trust Him. Jesus trusted God perfectly. He took the punishment we deserve for our sin, or rebellion against God. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin and gives us eternal life.

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

  • Babies and Toddlers

    • We can trust God.

    • Twelve men went to look at the promised land.

    • Joshua and Caleb trusted God to give His people the land.

    • God forgives us when we trust in Jesus.

  • Preschool

    • What does it mean to sin? To sin is to go against God and His commands.

    • Joshua and Caleb trusted God.

  • Kids

    • What does it mean to sin? To sin is to think, speak, or behave in any way that goes against God and His commands.

    • Joshua and Caleb trusted God to give His people the promised land.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

  • Proverbs 3:5-6 (Proverbs 3:5 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

Andrea Gooch
Unit 7, Session 1: The Rebellion of God’s People
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 6, Session 3: Rules for Sacrifice

The tabernacle was complete. God now had a place where His glory could dwell without causing the Israelites to fear death. God had given His people laws from the mountain, and He gave them more rules for living and worshiping Him in the tabernacle. These rules are recorded in the Book of Leviticus. The reasoning behind Leviticus can be found in Leviticus 19:2: “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”

In Leviticus 17:11, God set apart the blood of a creature as the means for making atonement. This answers the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?” God’s requirement for the forgiveness of sins was the shedding of blood: “According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).

It is important to note a New Testament revelation about the sin offering. Hebrews 10:4 says, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Then why did God require people to make sacrifices? The institution of a sacrifice was to point to something greater—the ultimate sacrifice God would make by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for the sins of the world once and for all. (See Eph. 1:7; Rom 5:9.)

The sacrifices God required of His people were a hint of what God was going to do to forgive sinners. We no longer need to offer sacrifices because we trust in Jesus. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice that takes away our sin once and for all.


You and your children may not be familiar with the Book of Leviticus. Use this week as an opportunity to emphasize God’s holiness and His requirement of a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Lead them to treasure Jesus as the perfect and final sacrifice “who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

  • Babies and Toddlers

    • God is holy.

    • God gave His people rules for worshiping Him.

    • People brought gifts to God every year.

    • God sent Jesus to earth because He loves us.

  • Preschool

    • What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

    • God made ways to forgive His people.

  • Kids

    • What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

    • God is holy and requires a sacrifice for sin.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

  • Matthew 22:37-39 (Matthew 22:37 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources Unit 6, Session 3: A Picture of Atonement

Sermons on Leviticus 16:
David Platt, The Wonder of Atonement: https://radical.net/sermon/chapter-7-the-wonder-of-atonement/

Mark Dever, Day of Atonement: https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/day-of-atonement/

Ligon Duncan, Yom Kippur The Day of Atonement: https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/yom-kippur-the-day-of-atonement (no audio)

C. H. Spurgeon, The Day of Atonement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GTnAkx58r8
(The written version of Spurgeon’s sermon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-day-of-atonement#flipbook/)

Sermons/Podcast that aren’t specifically on Leviticus 16, but could be helpful to you:
Help Me Teach the Bible, Seeing Christ in the Old Testament: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/help-me-teach-the-bible/nancy-guthrie-developing-skill-seeing-christ-old-testament/

D.A. Carson, The God Who Legislates: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/course/the-god-who-is-there/#the-god-who-legislates (I recommend the entire talk, but if you are limited on time go to minute 27.)

R.C. Sproul, The Necessity of the Atonement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrGYoRdNOes

Gospel Project Podcast, Learning to Love Leviticus: https://www.gospelproject.com/ep-9-learning-love-leviticus/

Articles:
https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/april/atonement-and-scapegoat-leviticus-16-by-dr-kenneth-mathews.html

http://gospelcenteredwoman.com/the-gospel-and-leviticus/

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/day-atonement/

Videos:
https://thebibleproject.com/videos/torah-leviticus/

Fill ins:
pg 122: uniqueness, purity, unstained
pg 123: atonement, innocent

Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 6, Session 2: The Tabernacle Was Built

Thirteen of the last sixteen chapters of the Book of Exodus contain instructions for building the tabernacle. The word tabernacle means “dwelling place.” The tabernacle was a portable tent where God met with His people. God wanted to dwell among them. (See Ex. 29:45-46.)

Moses had been on the mountain talking with God for 40 days. God wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on tablets. When Moses returned to the camp, he called all of the Israelites together and gave them the instructions God had given him. (Ex. 24:3-4)

God’s directions for building the tabernacle were very detailed. God was not trying to burden the people; He was trying to show them His holiness and absolute authority. God appointed Bezalel and Oholiab to oversee the building of the tabernacle, giving them wisdom, understanding, and craftsmanship. Every skilled person “whose heart moved him” eagerly worked on the tabernacle of the Lord. (See Ex. 35:30-35; 36:1-6.)

God gave the Israelites the tabernacle as a visual picture of His dwelling with them. The tabernacle—and later the temple that replaced it—was a temporary place for God’s glory to dwell until the coming of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6) Every part of the tabernacle was designed to illustrate God’s relationship with His people.

Jesus is the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament tabernacle. John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.” Jesus made His dwelling with people.

As you talk to your kids about the building of the tabernacle, show them God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle where He would dwell with them. God desires to be with His people. As part of His plan to save sinners, God sent Jesus to “tabernacle,” or dwell, with people on earth. Emphasize that in the future, He will dwell with us forever. (Rev. 21:3)

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

Babies and Toddlers

○     God is holy.

○     God wanted to be with His people.

○     God told His people how to build a special tent.

○     God sent Jesus to earth to be with His people forever.

Preschool

○     What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

○     God told His people to build the tabernacle.

Kids

○     What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

○     God told His people how to build the tabernacle where He would dwell with them.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

●     Matthew 22:37-39 (Matthew 22:37 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

NEXT WEEK

●     “Rules for Sacrifice” (Leviticus)

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources Unit 6, Session 2: A Place for God's Presence
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 6, Session 1: The Golden Calf

God led His people into the wilderness, but He did not leave them there alone. The Lord was with His people. He provided meat, bread, and water. He guided them to Mount Sinai, where He met with their leader, Moses. The Lord came down on the mountain in fire, and He spoke through thunder. The Israelites could not have ignored His presence.

But when Moses went up on the mountain and did not return for several weeks, the Israelites felt abandoned. They appealed to Moses’ brother, Aaron: “Come, make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!” (Ex. 32:1)

Aaron’s response led the people to commit a terrible sin. He gathered gold from the people and made an image of a calf, and the people worshiped the golden calf. God saw what the people were doing, and He told Moses to go down the mountain at once. Moses confronted his brother. Aaron claimed that when the people gave him the gold, he threw it into the fire, and “out came this calf!” (Ex. 32:24)

God punished His people for worshiping a golden calf, and Moses returned to the mountain to ask the Lord to forgive the Israelites’ sin. Moses could not atone for the people’s sin; God said He would hold the people accountable for their sins, but the Lord did not abandon the Israelites.

Introduce your children to the concept of idolatry. An idol is anything a person puts in the place of God. Explain that idolatry is a sin. The Israelites deserved to be punished for their sin. In the same way, we deserve to be punished for our sin. Point out that God’s people sinned against God, and Moses asked God to forgive them. Moses acted as their mediator, standing for them before God. Moses could not do anything to make up for their sin, but we have a better Mediator—Jesus. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and stands for us before God. When we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven.

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

Babies and Toddlers

○     God is holy.

○     God’s people worshiped a calf made of gold.

○     Moses asked God to forgive the people.

○     God forgives people through Jesus.

Preschool

○     What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

○     God’s people worshiped a golden calf.

Kids

○     What is worship? Worship is celebrating the greatness of God.

○     God disciplined His people for worshiping a golden calf.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

Matthew 22:37-39 (Matthew 22:37 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources Unit 6, Session 1: An Image of Idolatry
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 5, Session 3: The Ten Commandments

As the rescued people of Israel traveled toward the promised land, God gave them laws to guide them in how to live and to help them understand God’s perfect holiness. God’s laws covered every part of their lives and were summed up in the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments can be grouped into two categories: The first four laws deal with a person’s relationship with God and the last six laws deal with a person’s relationship with others. God did not give laws for the sake of giving laws; the laws had a purpose. Not only did they show what righteous living looks like, they were part of the covenant God made with Israel, known as the Mosaic covenant. (See Ex. 19:3-8.)

God had promised Abraham that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him. (See Gen. 12:3.) “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). God’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled in Jesus. But God gave the law to guide people until Jesus came.

As you talk to your children this week, avoid presenting the Ten Commandments as a burden—a list of laws they must try to keep to earn God’s favor. God is holy and separate from sin. His law shows us what He requires—perfect righteousness. Our sin separates us from God, but Jesus came to bring us back to God. Jesus is perfectly righteous. When we trust in Jesus, He takes away our sin and welcomes us into God’s family.

Point your kids to Jesus and help them understand that God is pleased with us because He looks at Jesus, who never sinned. Because of Christ, we have a right relationship with God. He gives us power through the Holy Spirit to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39).

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

  • Babies and Toddlers

    • God is good.

    • God gave us rules to love Him and others.

    • People do not always obey God’s rules.

    • Jesus always obeyed God’s rules.

  • Preschool

    • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

    • God gave rules to show how to love Him and others.

  • Kids

    • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

    • God gave rules to show how to love Him and others.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

  • Matthew 22:37-39 (Matthew 22:37 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources Unit 5, Session 3: A Law for God's People

“The man who does not know the nature of the law cannot know the nature of sin.
And he who does not know the nature of sin cannot know the nature of the Savior.” -John Bunyan

Sermons:

https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/the-new-city-6513/

https://www.russellmoore.com/2007/04/14/exodus-191-2021/

https://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/the-god-who-is-there-part-4-the-god-who-legislates

https://www.universityreformedchurch.org/sermons/a-precious-people/

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/gods-covenant-through-moses

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/why-the-law-was-given

https://www.tvcresources.net/resource-library/sermons/the-path-of-life

Articles:
https://www.gospelproject.com/jesus-ten-commandments/

Videos:
The Bible Project, Exodus 1 - 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH_aojNJM3E

The Bible Project, Exodus 19 - 40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNpTha80yyE

Overview of Exodus from The Village Church: https://vimeo.com/195046729

Tom Schreiner, Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament Laws?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm_-BPFVIgc

Fill ins:
pg 94:
General Revelation: creation, conscience, accountable
Special Revelation: historical events, His Word, Jesus Christ

Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 5, Session 2: Jethro Helped Moses

Moses and the Israelites had experienced a harrowing journey from Egypt into the wilderness. They made their way toward Midian, a land familiar to Moses. As a young man, Moses had fled from Egypt to Midian after he killed an Egyptian. (See Ex. 2:11-15.) Exodus 2 describes Moses’ first interaction with Jethro (also referred to as Reuel, Ex. 2:18), the priest of Midian. Moses rescued Jethro’s seven daughters from some shepherds at a well and drew water for their sheep. Jethro invited Moses to dinner. Moses stayed with Jethro and married his daughter Zipporah.

Moses and Zipporah had two sons. Moses’ family had been staying with Jethro, and now they were coming to meet with Moses in the wilderness—at the same place where God had spoken to Moses through the burning bush. Moses told Jethro about all the good things God had done for Israel, and Jethro rejoiced.

As the leader of God’s people, Moses had the job of judging the people. Anyone who had any reason to complain stood around Moses all day, waiting to present their case. Jethro observed Moses’ long and lonely work, and he confronted Moses about it. Judging all the people was too much responsibility for one person.

Jethro gave Moses advice about leading the people. Simply, don’t lead alone. He encouraged Moses to choose trustworthy men to act as judges over smaller groups of people. These men would judge the minor cases and bring the major cases to Moses. Then Moses would not have to work so much, and the people would not have to wait so long to solve their problems. Moses followed his father-in-law’s advice.

Moses needed others to help him lead God’s people and teach them God’s laws. God does not want believers to follow Jesus alone. He gives us brothers and sisters of faith who can help us love God, obey God, and tell others about Him. As you spend time with your kids this week, emphasize the importance of cooperation and humility in wisely carrying out God’s mission of making Jesus known.

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

  • Babies and Toddlers

    • God is good.

    • Jethro came to see Moses.

    • Moses needed help to lead God’s people.

    • Moses chose men who loved God to help him.

  • Preschool

    • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

    • Moses needed help to lead God’s people.

  • Kids

  • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

  • Moses needed help to lead God’s people.

UNIT KEY PASSAGE

  • Matthew 22:37-39 (Matthew 22:37 for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers)

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources Unit 5, Session 2: A Leader’s Wisdom
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
Unit 5, Session 1: Bread from Heaven

The Israelites’ future looked bright. The Lord, through Moses, had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. He fought for them, displaying His power by parting the Red Sea and subsequently destroying Egypt’s army. God was working out His plan to bring the Israelites to the promised land, the land God promised to Abraham’s family.

But the journey from Egypt to Canaan was not direct. The Lord led His people into the wilderness. The Israelites’ bright future seemed to fade. Their dry mouths and rumbling, empty stomachs produced complaints and accusations. They doubted the Lord’s goodness.

The Israelites traveled three days into the wilderness and were unable to find water. When they found water at Marah, they must have rushed to it—only to find the water was too bitter to drink. The people grumbled to Moses. Of course, Moses had no power to change the water. But the Lord did. Moses cried out to the Lord, and He showed Moses a tree. Moses threw the tree into the water, and the water became drinkable.

Then the Israelites moved farther into the wilderness. Their hunger produced despair: “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt … Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to … die of hunger!” (Ex. 16:3).

Again, the Lord gave the Israelites what they needed. Moses and Aaron explained the purpose behind the Lord’s provision: “You will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 16:6). God sent bread from heaven and quail for the Israelites to eat. They ate manna in the wilderness for 40 years.

As you talk to your children this week, remind them that the Lord is our Provider. In the New Testament, Jesus said that He is the Bread of life. (John 6:31-35) God provided manna from heaven for His people’s physical hunger, and later He provided His Son, Jesus, for our spiritual hunger. The Israelites needed bread to live for a little while, but whoever has Jesus will live forever!

FAMILY STARTING POINTS

  • Babies and Toddlers

    • God is good.

    • God’s people traveled in the wilderness.

    • God gave His people food and water in the wilderness.

    • God sent Jesus because He loves us.

  • Preschool

    • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

    • God gave His people food and water.

  • Kids

    • What is God like? God is holy, loving, and good.

    • God provided for the physical needs of His people.

Parent ResourcesAndrea Gooch
Resources: Unit 5, Session 1
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
We value people, all people, at any stage in life

This article is reprinted from the Gospel Coalition website

In 2013, The New York Times Magazine published an article called “What Happens to Women Who Are Denied Abortions?” It traced the story of a woman referred to as “S.” whose baby, at 20 weeks’ gestation, was too far along to be aborted by her local Planned Parenthood. S. reluctantly carried her baby to term, and the journalist chronicled all of the devastating financial and emotional consequences that came with single motherhood. S. lost her job, felt overwhelmed, and thought the baby was mad at her when it cried.

And then, buried in the middle of the dire warnings about the cost to women denied abortion, this paragraph:

S. now says that Baby S. is the best thing that ever happened to her. “She is more than my best friend, more than the love of my life,” S. told me, glowingly. There were white spit-up stains on her green top. “She is just my whole world.”

I thought of S. and her baby last week after watching Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran calmly argue that a single physician should be able to abort a baby even after the onset of labor, if she believes it will injure the mental health of the mother. Many concerned doctors would have written off Baby S. as a danger to her mother’s health. But they would have deprived S. of the best thing that ever happened to her.

Regrettably, full-term abortion for the mental health of the mother is already legal under U.S. federal law, as Joe Carter explains in 4 Facts Every American Should Know About Third-Trimester Abortions. If you feel outrage about what’s happening in states like Virginia, let that outrage fuel fervent prayer to end the murder of infants who happen to be on the wrong side of the birth canal.

Betsy Childs Howard 
Editor

Ray Brandon
Rudolphs January 2019 Update
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The beginning of the New Year has brought one be change in our lives. We have moved…just down the street. The home we were living is being sold, which meant we had to find something.  We were able to find an apartment in the city and we are so thankful for it. You can imagine the stress we had after Christmas in terms of finding the apartment and packing. Now we can catch our breath a little bit. We are still trying to find everything that was packed, but the next couple of weeks we should be finished and settled in. If you need our new address please email me. 

We had a great Christmas Eve service. Many visitors came and heard the Gospel and we are praying that some will end up coming back in the future. All of the unbelieving spouses who are married to members in our church, came to the service. What a praise! Keep praying for them and their salvation.

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In 2019 we are beginning to take the next steps to help our women’s and men’s groups in our church. We are doing two bible studies that will focus on biblical manhood and womanhood. There are some people who are interested in the courses and even two men who are unbelievers. Pray as we challenge our people to take the next steps in their walk with Christ.

We have a couple of people that come to our church who are interested in Jesus, but have never made a decision to places their faith in Him. I have asked one those people, if they would like to do a Bible study about the basic core beliefs of Jesus and the Bible. This has been a good resource in order to reach people and see them come to faith. Not everyone desires to do it, but those who have, have come to Christ. This man, who has been coming regularly took the book and is looking it over. Pray that he will take that next step and begin the Bible study.

A more positive twist to our new ministry slogan (just among Rich and I), is “The exciting new opportunities or people we meet today, will be what draws us to our knees tomorrow.” In other words, we are excited for the new people God adds to the church, and yet he keeps us clinging to him as we seek for his wisdom in how to love them and guide them through their trials. We all are like sheep who desperately need a shepherd. Thankful that God came as the good shepherd who continually and gently guides us back to his side! A recent new Christian said They’d rather be on Satans side because it is easier and they’re very discouraged. The fight is real. It is not easy to go the narrow road. But we know it is worth it.

On a side note, we are also going to be hosting a “Missions Academy” in our church planting center. It will be from May 14-24, 2019. If your church has anyone interested in missions or ministry this would be a great missions trip for them to come on. Please contact me as the spots are filling up! 

Please pray that we can get a new van for our refugee ministry and other network ministries. At the moment the old van continues to break down and they are heavily used during the week. At the moment they are using the van to pick up 20 or more refugees for their Bible studies. You can imagine how many times and miles they have to drive for one Bible study. These are people who do not know Christ who want to know more about him. Please pray for the Bible study and the means to pick them up! 

Prayer Request

- Please pray for the unbelievers to begin the Bible study. 
- Please pray for our Men's and Women's Bible studies.
- Please pray for our church as we a developing and electing leaders.
- Please pray that our network of churches can get a new van. 

Praise

- We praise God for new apartment
- We praise God for the people who heard the Gospel on Christmas Eve.
- We praise God for the men who are taking leadership roles in the church.

Ray Brandon
Resources Unit 4, Session 6

Connected

by Erin Davis

$1.99 on Amazon

The following resouces are not necessarily related to the Gospel Project study but are timely and worth digging into as you have time. While we make an effort to provide additional resources to you, do not feel like you need to read every one, listen to everyone. Use wisdom, ask God for guidence and don’t allow yourself to feel overwhelmed. The most important resource is the Bible itself. Make sure you are reading and listening to God in the Bible first, everyday.

Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity

by Tim Challies

$2.99 on Amazon
Gospel Project ResourcesGuest User
21 Days of Prayer - Day 21

Happy New Year! You just finished the first month of 2019 talking with your LORD and Savior.

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Think about furture blessings one for each of the months ahead. Pause to express your gratitude to God.

Think about how you can be a blessing in each of the months ahead. Many blessings!

Thank you for praying!

Ray Brandon