Participants:
Series Code: CW
Program Code: CW000015S
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00:00 (soft music)
00:05 - Oh, yes, settle down, (indistinct). 00:13 Welcome everybody to Talking Donkey International 00:17 in our new television series, "Country Wisdom." 00:18 - Let's set the tone for this new series of ours. 00:21 It's found in Proverbs 4, 00:24 "Let your eyes look directly forward 00:27 and your gaze be straight before you, 00:30 ponder the path of your feet. 00:33 And then all your ways will be sure." 00:36 - Join us now for "Country Wisdom." 00:45 - Jim, I don't know how well you keep up with current events 00:49 but I've noticed the last few years, 00:52 how popular and widespread stories about zombies are there. 00:58 - Yeah, I try and stay away from zombies, 00:59 that's not my thing. 01:02 - Do you think you might be a zombie? 01:05 Stay tuned to find out. 01:07 (soft music) 01:15 You've met my family, Jim, 01:18 Steve and I have two wonderful sons. 01:21 And don't get me wrong, I love my sons. 01:25 I just love them to pieces, 01:29 but both of them were supposed to have been girls. 01:32 - Oh, really? 01:33 - I don't know if you knew that? 01:34 - No, I did not. 01:36 - Both of them because that's what I wanted. 01:38 I couldn't imagine that God wouldn't give me 01:41 the daughter that I wanted. 01:43 So when the boys were 11 and 14, 01:47 I finally got my little girl. 01:50 But we went about it a little differently. 01:53 We applied to adopt a baby. 01:56 Steve was adamant, an infant. 01:59 And we picked China because 02:02 there are a lot of little girls there who need homes. 02:06 So we applied for a little Chinese girl, but you know, 02:10 when you put plans in God's hands, 02:12 which we had both done, we prayed about it. 02:16 And we got something even better, 02:19 'cause God handpicked our daughter. 02:22 Aliyah came to us when she was somewhere 02:27 between five and seven, 02:29 depending on which authority you ask. 02:32 And she was the sweetest thing, 02:35 just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. 02:39 Everything I wanted. 02:41 - A little Chinese girl. 02:43 - But that doesn't mean that everything was easy, 02:47 especially at the beginning, 02:49 because she didn't speak English. 02:52 And Steve and I did not speak Amharic, 02:56 which was her language. 02:57 She was from Ethiopia. 02:59 - That was a big change. 03:00 - It was, it was. 03:02 There was a lot of sign language, you know, 03:04 time to brush your teeth. 03:07 And it's amazing how much you can communicate that way. 03:10 Besides not speaking English. 03:14 She also is deaf in her left ear. 03:17 So there were times she didn't hear things 03:20 just exactly like we would. 03:23 And occasionally that became a problem 03:26 because she didn't quite understand what you had just said. 03:33 There was a lot of misunderstanding 03:34 and that whole process of learning English 03:36 and being able to communicate with us. 03:41 But we overcame those hurdles fairly quickly. 03:44 At least I thought. 03:46 (soft music continues) 03:51 Aliyah arrived here in the United States in mid February. 03:57 So here she came from Africa to snow. 04:01 And, about, five months later, end of July, 04:07 she'd been here just a few months, 04:09 picking up English like a little sponge, 04:12 as you can imagine, only a kid can do. 04:16 And one afternoon it was really hot. 04:19 I remember that I was lying on the couch, 04:21 wondering why we had bought a house 04:24 with no central air conditioning. 04:27 And I could hear she was upstairs in her bedroom 04:31 and she was playing the CDs of children's praise music. 04:35 She just loved them. 04:37 And actually listening to those songs 04:39 she was learning English better anyway. 04:42 And after a while I heard the music stop 04:45 but I could tell she was singing. 04:48 And she came out of her room 04:50 and down the stairs and she was singing, 04:55 ♪ A zombie, a zombie ♪ 04:59 ♪ Jesus wants me for a zombie ♪ 05:04 - No. 05:06 - That was my reaction. 05:08 In fact, it was worse, 05:09 I think I practically fell off the couch laughing 05:14 and she was quite put out about that. 05:15 I remember her standing on the landing 05:17 looking down at me on the couch and just, 05:20 I think girls must be born with this attitude. 05:23 She had her hands on her hips and she said, 05:27 "Why are you laughing? It was beautiful." 05:31 (both laugh) 05:32 - I love it. 05:34 - She has the same attitudes still. 05:36 And I said, "Yes, honey. 05:37 Yes, it was beautiful. 05:39 Your song was beautiful. 05:41 There's just one little thing wrong. 05:45 Jesus doesn't want us to be zombies. 05:48 You see zombies... 05:50 Well, first of all, they're made up and secondly, 05:54 they look alive, but they are really dead. 05:58 And they're of no use to anyone." 06:00 - How old is she when you're telling her this? 06:02 - Oh, six-ish. - Okay. 06:05 - And I said, "Jesus wants us to be sun beams, it's," 06:10 ♪ A sun beam, a sun beam. ♪ 06:13 And I said, "Sun beams are warm and light and comforting." 06:20 And again, I think it's something little girls 06:22 are born with, again, the hand on the hip. 06:25 And she just sort of nodded like, 06:29 "All right, I'll play along." 06:31 You see, she had two older brothers. 06:34 Remember I said they were 11 and 14. 06:37 - They were instigators. 06:38 - They had told their little sister all about zombies 06:42 apparently because she knew what zombies were. 06:44 She'd heard of them. 06:46 She had never in her life heard of something 06:48 called a sunbeam and she wasn't quite buying it, 06:53 which I also found funny. 06:55 Now, I actually had a point, Jim, 06:58 there's a reason I told you this story. 07:00 - Oh, I'm actually really glad about that. 07:04 - You were beginning to wonder. 07:05 - I was kinda wondering, yeah. 07:07 - The point is this, later that day, 07:11 after Aaliyah had gone back upstairs, 07:14 after I'd given her the little lesson about the difference 07:16 between a sunbeam and a zombie. 07:20 I was in the kitchen. 07:21 I think I was doing dishes. 07:24 It just hit me, 07:26 How often have I been a zombie for Jesus?" 07:30 - That's a really good point. 07:32 - You know, I go to church every week. 07:35 I get up front, I lead the praise music. 07:38 People have told me they love it 07:39 when it's my week to be up there, 07:41 they love the scriptures I read what I get out of it. 07:46 But I can't tell you when I look back, 07:48 how often, while I'm up there looking 07:51 like the perfect little Christian, doing everything right, 07:55 looking apart, I'm dead inside. 08:00 I have not been keeping up my relationship with the Lord 08:03 and it's been put on the back burner 08:06 and before you know it, the burners out completely 08:09 and I'm a zombie for Jesus, useless to Him. 08:16 I'm not a sunbeam. 08:17 I'm something dead that looks alive, 08:20 that isn't doing anyone any good. 08:22 And in fact is destroying me. 08:25 - I've got to ask you a quick question, 08:27 were you born and raised a Christian? 08:31 - Technically. Yes. 08:33 My family had their names on the church books. 08:36 My grandfather was actually a preacher and a Bible teacher, 08:39 but he died when I was very young. 08:41 And what developed my relationship with the Lord 08:48 all the way along were that parent of a friend, 08:51 that teacher that took extra time and had the Lord in her. 08:57 Bible teachers who made the scriptures come alive. 08:59 So for the first time you felt like that's real, 09:03 that's the truth. 09:04 - At some point you knew Jesus. 09:06 - Yes. Yes. 09:07 But just because you know Him once, 09:11 I guess it's kind of like my marriage, 09:13 you can let the same thing happen there, 09:15 where you're going through the emotions. 09:17 You look good, but you haven't talked in forever. 09:22 - Making all the moves but... 09:24 Nothing's holding - Right, dead inside. 09:25 - Yeah. Yeah. 09:27 You know, folks, I don't know if you really realize it, 09:29 but the Bible actually talks about zombies, 09:32 oh, under another name, but we're gonna get to that soon. 09:38 - My grandmother was number 11 in a family of 13 girls 09:44 and she sometimes felt lost in the crowd. 09:47 Do you ever feel that way? 09:49 With nearly 8 billion people in the world, 09:52 it's easy to wonder if anyone even notices you're alive, 09:56 but there is someone who notices. 09:59 The Bible says, "God calls us by name." 10:03 He knows you, knows your name. 10:06 You're His child. 10:08 If you'd like proof, go to talkingdonkeyinternational.org 10:13 and request offer number 130 for this free pamphlet. 10:19 There's not another you. 10:21 (upbeat music) 10:33 - [Announcer] Introducing Talking Donkey International. 10:36 God once used a donkey to spread His word 10:39 but he'd rather use all of us. 10:41 Our experienced team has preached 10:43 taught and filmed in countries around the globe. 10:46 In partnership with you, 10:47 our mission is to share the saving love and hope 10:50 found only in Jesus Christ with everyone 10:53 in this lost and dying world. 10:55 Your financial partnership with Talking Donkey, 10:58 will enable this exciting ministry to proclaim 11:00 that Jesus is coming soon. 11:03 It's time to prepare quality programming created to attract 11:06 and reach viewers of the world. 11:08 Together, we can carry the final advent message 11:11 to the individuals of planet earth 11:13 and hasten the return of our Lord. 11:16 Please pray for and support the successful mission 11:19 of Talking Donkey International. 11:23 (soft music) 11:28 - I had an amazing time as I found Jesus Christ. 11:32 I had been a drug dealer, alcoholic and a thief, 11:34 God called me. 11:36 What was that like? 11:38 Well, it's a whole nother story, but it was so exciting. 11:41 I absolutely found God. 11:44 God found me. 11:45 He knew where I was really all the time, 11:48 but I finally realized who God was. 11:51 And I began studying, I wanted to know more. 11:54 I hungered to find out really more about 11:57 this amazing God who took all and all the cravings, 12:01 all the garbage out of my life. 12:03 No, of course it didn't all disappear at one time, 12:05 but God gave me strength and courage to make it happen. 12:10 But I would get up at five o'clock in the morning. 12:13 I'd go out under a tree 12:15 and I'd study my Bible for an hour or two hours. 12:18 I'd pray for at least an hour. 12:19 I just talk with the Lord. 12:21 It became such an exciting relationship. 12:25 I begin to understand when the Bible says, 12:27 "He speaks in a still small voice." 12:29 And then He says, "This is the way, walk in ye it." 12:33 I began to understand how that happened. 12:37 It happened because I began to pay attention to who God was. 12:41 I learned of him in these pages. 12:42 I began to hear his voice. 12:44 He says, "My sheep hear my voice." 12:47 Well, "He didn't make that comment just off the cuff." 12:51 He really meant it. 12:53 Those who follow God, those who spend time with God 12:56 really understand and hear God's voice. 12:59 We become His little sheep 13:01 and we listen to His guidance, His direction. 13:05 I would even... 13:06 I get up in the morning. 13:07 I had a business at the time 13:08 and I would go into the business. 13:11 I didn't care about anything else. 13:12 I just wanted share Jesus Christ with a lot of people. 13:17 Then one day I switched the businesses. 13:19 I switched to another business that was real estate. 13:22 And in that situation I found myself, 13:25 well I became so successful that I was in the top 4% 13:32 of all the Coldwell banker agents in all in North America. 13:34 I mean, it was unbelievable. 13:36 It's just like the money began to pour in, 13:38 everything I touched turned to gold. 13:40 I had a radio talk show. 13:43 I was lobbying on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, 13:47 rubbing shoulders with congressmen and senators. 13:50 I had many houses and land 13:52 and my Harley Davidson motorcycle had it all. 13:55 I had it all, I had it all. 13:58 Except what began to happen is that friendship, 14:02 that relationship began to wane, began to go downhill. 14:07 Because like Janice said, 14:09 in a marriage if you don't talk with your spouse, 14:12 things change. 14:14 The fire begins to dwindle. 14:16 The relationship begins to go down and down and down. 14:19 And that's exactly exactly the way the devil likes it. 14:23 That's exactly what happened. 14:25 He doesn't mind if you're in a church, 14:29 he doesn't mind if you come to a building, 14:31 you know and do these things. 14:33 Because matter of fact, I came to the building all the time. 14:36 I, again, kind of like Janice. 14:37 I mean, I had my nice suits. 14:39 I had my nice clothes. 14:41 I was going on out and preaching, 14:43 doing all these things but I no longer spent 14:46 those hours with God that I had before. 14:50 And what happened? 14:51 The fire began to go out. 14:52 It's like, when you have a little fire over here 14:55 and you pull a coal out that coal glows for quite a while, 15:01 but pretty soon if it stays out there, 15:02 that little amber begins to quit glowing, 15:06 it begins to go out and the fire disappears. 15:10 Now, it might be still setting on the hearth. 15:12 It might still be in the area of the stove 15:17 but it no longer heats anything, 15:18 it no longer gives anybody any heat 15:20 because it's dead and it's out. 15:23 And that's really kind of the way it was with was church. 15:25 Now, we pick this beautiful little church today 15:28 I think was built in 1876, I believe. 15:33 Amazing little church, 15:34 but it just simply represents 15:37 what happens in so many churches so many times. 15:40 I had a preacher friend that said, you know, 15:43 "Most of our churches are so cold, 15:45 you could skate down the center aisle." 15:48 Sad, sad situation, because the fire has gone out. 15:52 The fire has gone out. 15:53 And what does it take to have a fire? 15:57 Well, let me share with you what it takes to have a fire. 16:03 Let me give you a example of the relationship 16:07 and how it all happens. 16:10 A fellow traveled out to Africa 16:12 and he wanted to go on safari. 16:13 So he hired a guide. 16:15 They began traveling on safari. 16:17 Well, after a few days, they were having a good time. 16:20 They saw a lot of wildlife. 16:23 The guide every night would build a big fire. 16:27 And the fellow asked, "What's that for?" 16:31 "Well, it's to keep all the animals away, 16:32 keep us safe at night." 16:35 Every day, same thing every day, within pretty soon 16:38 he noticed when they got to the next campsite, 16:41 big pile of wood was already there. 16:44 They finally asked after a few days of this, 16:46 "Why the pile of wood?" 16:48 The guide said, "Here's the situation," 16:49 he said, "The monkeys watch us gather all the wood up. 16:53 And we start the fires. 16:56 So they know where the next camp is. 16:57 They'd been to those camps before 16:59 and they bring all the woods." 17:00 He said, "The problem is there's one thing 17:02 that they're lacking, fire. 17:05 They're lacking the fire." 17:06 And see that's what happens to us as Christians. 17:09 The only thing that gives fire according 17:12 to the Bible is the Holy Spirit. 17:14 We need the fire of the Spirit. 17:16 And unless you spend time in God's word, there's no fire. 17:21 No time with God, no fire, no time with God, no Holy Spirit. 17:27 No relationship, no situation with God any longer. 17:31 Let me read something to you, the wind's blowing so hard 17:34 I don't know if I can get to it here but, 17:37 it says in Matthew 6:5, 17:42 "And when now prayest, 17:43 thou shall not be as the hypocrites are, 17:46 for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues 17:49 and in the corners of the streets 17:51 that they may be seen of men." 17:53 Where are they praying a lot of times? 17:55 In the synagogue. 17:56 Where do they wanna be seen of men? 17:58 In the synagogue. 17:59 What are they doing? 18:01 Well, they're praying there it's a religious exercise. 18:04 They're in the synagogue. 18:06 They're looking cool because they... 18:07 These are the guys with the long robes, 18:09 all that finery, all the good stuff. 18:11 And they're standing there looking really cool. 18:15 And what do they call them here in the Bible? 18:16 Hypocrites. 18:18 I would submit to you that 18:19 these are the zombies of Jesus' day. 18:23 These are the ones who did all of these things 18:27 for show and for glory, because they wanted to be cool. 18:31 They maybe even knew the right thing to do, 18:34 but they were doing it for all the wrong reasons. 18:38 In Matthew 6, Jesus continues. 18:41 He said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth 18:44 where moth and rust doth corrupt, 18:46 and where thieves break through and steal. 18:50 But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, 18:52 where neither moth nor rust does corrupt 18:55 and where thieves do not break in and steal." 18:58 Where are we laying up treasure? 19:00 Not here on earth. 19:01 Nope, that's where I was laying up treasure. 19:03 I was gathering things up, 19:05 all the good things of this earth. 19:07 I began enjoying all those things. 19:10 I began working harder and harder and harder 19:12 to make more and more and more. 19:14 See it's a crazy life cycle, 19:17 we get on this treadmill and it just begins 19:20 to suck us in more and more and more. 19:23 And the devil wants to destroy us. 19:26 He doesn't want us like God at all, 19:29 happened all the way back in the garden. 19:31 He did not want them to be like God, 19:35 he didn't want you to be like God, 19:36 he doesn't want you to have that experience, 19:38 that friendship, that relationship. 19:41 But it happens so easily, 19:43 "For where your treasure is, 19:45 there your heart is also." 19:48 Good gauge. 19:49 What's going on in your life? 19:50 Where's your treasure right now? 19:53 Where are you spending your time? 19:55 Are you spending it? 19:57 You know, I don't know at the theater, 19:59 at here there, any place but in prayer and study 20:06 and listen to this in verse 22 of chapter six, 20:08 "The light of the body is the eye, 20:11 if therefore the eye be single, 20:14 my whole body shall be full of light." 20:17 The eye be single, what's it mean? 20:18 What's it talking about? 20:19 It means, where's your focus? 20:22 Where's the direction? 20:23 If your focus is upon Jesus, 20:25 the Bible says, Jesus is the light. 20:30 Jesus is light, if Jesus is coming into our lives. 20:33 And matter of fact, He says, 20:34 "He stands at the door and He knocked." 20:37 If any man or woman opens the door, 20:40 He will come in to me and spend time with them. 20:44 And if God's light is in our lives. 20:49 Then we began... 20:50 Everything begins changing. 20:52 And Jesus also said, when he departed of this earth, 20:56 he said, "I'll send another comforter to you. 20:58 I'll send you the Holy Spirit." 21:00 And He breathed upon the disciples 21:02 and they received the Holy Spirit. 21:05 That's what we need to be praying for. 21:06 And that's what we need to be seeking. 21:08 Is God's in dwelling Spirit into our lives. 21:11 The fire. 21:12 The fire of the Spirit. 21:14 Remember it, the day of Pentecost, 21:16 that disciples prayed and prayed and prayed for 10 days, 21:18 they put everything else aside. 21:21 They put away anger and hate and envy and strife. 21:25 Unfortunately, you wanna find hate and envy and strife 21:28 a lot of times, look in the church. 21:31 Now, I'm not saying that's the way it always is. 21:33 I'm not saying that's the way it is in every church. 21:36 But unfortunately it seems like 21:38 in the church we eat our own. 21:41 We tend to destroy those that that God has called in. 21:45 And we're a hospital for sinners. 21:46 We're not a museum for saints. 21:49 And I found myself spending so much time doing 21:53 all those other things. 21:55 I still preached. 21:56 I looked cool, I paid tithe. 21:57 I did all the things that just like the Pharisees did, 22:01 the hypocrites. 22:02 Only today may be a zombie, you know. 22:06 I did all those things. 22:08 Verse 24, listen to this, 22:10 "No man can serve two masters for either 22:14 he will hate the one and love the other 22:17 or else he will hold onto one and despise the other. 22:20 You cannot serve God and mammon," or the devil basically. 22:24 You can't serve both. 22:26 One or the other. 22:28 When you get out of bed in the morning, 22:29 when your toes hits the floor, 22:32 you choose by that time to serve one or the other. 22:34 And it's a good idea to stay in bed 22:37 and dedicate your life to God that day 22:40 before you get out of bed, choose God that day. 22:42 Choose Him at that time. 22:45 Verse 25 says, "Therefore I say unto you, 22:48 take no thought for your life." 22:50 Take no thought for your life. 22:53 Boy, we live in such interesting times. 22:55 It's kinda hard not to take a little thought for your life, 22:58 but God says, "Trust in me, I will take care of it. 23:01 I will handle everything in your life." 23:03 So listen to this, 23:04 "What you shall eat or what you shall drink 23:07 nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. 23:11 Is not life more than meat 23:12 and the body more than the raiment?" 23:15 God the talks about the fowls of the air. 23:17 All these things. 23:18 He clothed the grass. 23:19 He takes care of the fowls of the air. 23:21 All these things God takes care of. 23:25 And He promises He'll take care of us. 23:27 We are really in some interesting times in Earth's history. 23:31 I believe with all my heart, 23:33 if we could have a Bible study here 23:35 and I could show you how we are very near the end of time. 23:39 All of these things that are happening, 23:41 they need to happen before the end, 23:44 I believe it, predicted to happen. 23:46 Not viruses have not this specifically, 23:50 but earthquakes and famines and disasters. 23:53 Since we may have more famines, 23:55 we may have a lot more disasters, 23:58 but Jesus said, "Follow me and I will take care of you." 24:03 God sees the end from the beginning. 24:06 He looks at everything out there 24:08 and He sees the pathway for you. 24:11 And let me tell you, He loves you. 24:13 He hung on a cross to die for you. 24:17 Had there been no one else on planet earth. 24:20 He wanted to save you. 24:22 He wants to save you. 24:23 He wants you to choose Him. 24:25 He wants to have that fellowship. 24:27 He is standing at the door, continually knocking. 24:29 Saying, "Let me in? 24:31 Let me in." 24:32 I got to the point in my experience, 24:34 all of a sudden one day in church, 24:36 I'm sitting there and Jesus said, 24:38 "Basically the end will come. 24:41 And if you don't change your situation, 24:43 you're lost, you're lost." 24:46 I didn't wanna be lost. 24:48 And that was a wake up call for me. 24:50 I hope whatever is going on in your life, 24:51 there's a wake-up call for you. 24:52 At this point the stuff that's going on right now 24:55 in the United States and the world 24:56 that is a huge wake up call. 24:59 Time to get our act together. 25:01 And you know, God called me. 25:02 I changed what I was doing. 25:04 I switched around. 25:06 I began putting more energy and more time in the study 25:09 of God's love letter to me, same love letter for you. 25:14 And I fell in love with Jesus all over again. 25:17 And as the song says, you know, 25:19 "It gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by, 25:20 over the love between my Lord and I." 25:24 God wants to have that love relationship with you, 25:25 that friendship with you. 25:27 So please today, choose Jesus, seek Him with all your heart. 25:33 He will help you, through whatever time there is, 25:36 whatever situation. 25:38 "My sheep," He says, "Hear my voice." 25:41 Do you hear His voice? 25:42 If not, study His word, begin praying, 25:46 talking with Him just like a spouse. 25:48 You begin hearing the voice. 25:49 You'll recognize that still small voice. 25:52 Choose Jesus today, please. 25:55 It'll be well worth it from now, 25:58 all the way through eternity. 26:02 - [Announcer] Introducing Talking Donkey International. 26:04 God once you used a donkey to spread His Word, 26:07 but he'd rather use all of us. 26:09 Our experience team has preached, 26:12 taught and filmed in countries around the globe. 26:15 In partnership with you, 26:16 our mission is to share the life saving love 26:18 and hope found only in Jesus Christ 26:21 with everyone in this lost and dying world. 26:24 Your financial partnership with Talking Donkey 26:26 will enable this exciting ministry to proclaim 26:29 that Jesus is coming soon. 26:32 It's time to prepare quality programming created to attract 26:35 and reach viewers of the world. 26:37 Together, we can carry the final advent message 26:40 to the individuals of planet earth 26:42 and hasten the return of our Lord. 26:45 Please pray for and support the successful mission 26:48 of Talking Donkey International. 26:52 - My grandmother was number 11 in a family of 13 girls 26:58 and she sometimes felt lost in the crowd. 27:00 Do you ever feel that way? 27:02 With nearly 8 billion people in the world, 27:05 it's easy to wonder if anyone even notices you're alive, 27:09 but there is someone who notices. 27:12 The Bible says, "God calls us by name." 27:16 He knows you. 27:18 Knows your name. 27:20 You're his child. 27:22 If you'd like proof, go to Talking Donkey International.org 27:26 and request offer number 130 for this free pamphlet. 27:31 There's not another you. 27:35 - Prayer is the key and the hand of faith 27:37 to unlock heaven's storehouse where it's treasured boundless 27:40 resources of omnipotence. 27:42 Let's pray. 27:46 Heavenly Father, 27:47 please draw near to each viewer right now. 27:50 You know, their hearts, their lives. 27:52 And Father, I pray that you'd speak to them. 27:54 Draw them close to you. 27:56 That they might form a relationship 27:58 for now through eternity in Jesus' name. 28:01 Amen. 28:05 Hey, thanks for joining us for "Country Wisdom." 28:08 - See you next time. |
Revised 2021-04-15