The sees of Nashville and Tulsa are among those that are flourishing — in cities where Catholics are a distinct minority.

The Register’s ongoing “Catholic Hubs” series has sought to highlight places where Catholicism seems to be on the upswing, rather than on the decline — places where efforts to promote and live out the Catholic faith really seem to be working. But it’s difficult to describe such places without recourse to buzzwords, like “vibrant,” “thriving” or “flourishing.”

Whatever the adjective, it’s clear that the Dioceses of Nashville and Tulsa are among those Catholic places worth highlighting. In an analysis published last year in Catholic World Report (CWR), Nashville and Tulsa tied for first place among the nation’s most “fruitful” dioceses.

The CWR analysis examined every U.S. diocese to determine which ones have the most seminarians, infant baptisms, Catholic weddings, and adult Catholic converts relative to the existing Catholic population. Weighing all of these factors together produced a unified “fruitfulness” score for each diocese — with “fruitful” defined as places with a “bright future” when it comes to Catholicism, in contrast with the barren fig tree in Christ’s parable (Luke 13:6-9).

Notably, Nashville turned out to have the most infant baptisms per capita of any diocese, while Tulsa had the second-most baptisms and the second-most weddings of any diocese.

Continued below.

Hello, everyone. I'm new to keeping the Torah and I'd like to know if these laws are still applicable:

Numbers 15:38

“Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.”

Deuteronomy 6:8

“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

Leviticus 18:19

“You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.”

Leviticus 23:40

“And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.”

Deuteronomy 24:6

“No one shall take a mill or an upper millstone in pledge, for that would be taking a life in pledge.”

Deuteronomy 24:12

“And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge.”

Deuteronomy 24:13

“You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.”

Deuteronomy 24:17

“You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow's garment in pledge.”

Deuteronomy 25:13-14

“You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small.”

Deuteronomy 25:11-12

“When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.”

Exodus 21:16

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

Exodus 21:18-19

“When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.”

Deuteronomy 22:28-29

“If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.”

Leviticus 27:28

“But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.”

Leviticus 11:34

“All food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.”

Leviticus 11:39

“And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening,”

Leviticus 15:1-15

“The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is stopped up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And any saddle on which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean. And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And an earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the LORD to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge.”

Leviticus 15:16

“If a man has an emission of sperm, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening.”

Leviticus 15:19-24

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.”

Leviticus 15:25-27

“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.”

Deuteronomy 25:17

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt,”

Thank you.

Members of the Society of St. Justin Martyr are reclaiming England’s Catholic history through prayer.

The Society of St. Justin Martyr has a simple yet profound three-fold spiritual purpose: to pray in pre-Reformation former places of Catholic worship as an act of reparation for past wrongs, to pray for the souls of those who worshipped there, and to pray for the unity of the Church.

Founded in 2005 as a confraternity of English Catholics, the Society’s apostolate focuses on these spiritual works of mercy aimed at honoring the memories of those who worshipped in cathedrals, churches and monasteries of the United Kingdom prior to, and during, the Reformation. When entering these sacred places, members of the Society are asked simply to recite, in Latin, a Pater Noster, Ave Maria and Gloria Patri with these intentions.

In this Jan. 30 email interview with the Register, founders Graeme Jolly, Master of the Society, and Antony Pinchin, the Society Chamberlain, explain more about their apostolate, which has grown over the past two decades and now has members internationally, especially in places where their own sense of Catholic history resonates with the Society’s purpose.

Their overriding goal, they stress, is to help bring “the intercessory power of the entire Church to the particular place and the particular situation” and simply to pray, “Thy will be done.”

Continued below.

Ahead of his 80th birthday, Cardinal Christophe Pierre sat down with “EWTN News In-Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro to discuss his tenure as the Vatican’s representative to the U.S.

The relationship between the Vatican and the U.S. Catholic bishops is not as contentious as people might think, according to Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who offered insights into his role as papal nuncio to the U.S. since 2016 during an interview with “EWTN News In-Depth” ahead of his 80th birthday.

The French-born prelate described the past 10 years serving as the papal representative to the U.S. as “very beautiful” and “difficult” years, touching on topics such as allegations of tensions between the Vatican and the U.S. bishops under the late Pope Francis, the Synod on Synodality, the Eucharistic revival, political polarization, and immigration.

Pierre turned 80 on Jan. 30. Cardinals remain cardinals for life, and age-specific norms mean that cardinals retain their title and may continue other functions but cannot vote in papal elections after this age. Pierre’s successor is expected to be named shortly.

Pope Francis​

Continued below.

The faithful should “ask God’s grace and God”s presence as we address very difficult and challenging situations on the ground,” Archbishop Paul Coakley said regarding immigration issues.

Archbishop Paul Coakley said immigration remains a “very high priority” for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

In a Jan. 30 interview with “EWTN News In Depth,” Coakley discussed “the unrest taking place in our cities, particularly in Minneapolis and the violent outbreak,” following the recent death of Alex Pretti, the man shot and killed by federal agents on Jan. 24.

The incident marked the second death by federal agents in the city. Renee Good was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

Following Pretti’s death, Coakley, president of the USCCB, called for his brother bishops and priests across the United States to offer “a Holy Hour for peace.”

Continued below.

I was raised Roman Catholic until I lost interest in the church and became an agnostic. I don’t blame the RC but do blame the ignorance of their priests and those that just discard questions because they find the questions hard to answer. The typical answer was go read the catechism.

In my thirties the Lord called me back. Dragged me back is more fitting lol. My wife led me to a Baptist church that some friends attended and I was hooked. All of those questions that I had I was able to answer and actually grow and mature in my faith. Unless the Lord leads me somewhere else I will remain a Baptist.

Hi. It sounds like you are experiencing some demonic activity, like the enemy is trying to bring you down. I will pray God protects you from him.

I'm sorry but, I have no idea who Jelly Roll is. Or Brandon Lake. First time hearing those names.

ChubbyCherub said:

Thank you.

I will probably uninstall it.

As you say, there's nothing good that comes from it and I think your comment around my question highlights this perfectly.

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Yeah, Tiktok went from being kind of annoying to aggressively unpleasant; YouTube has better content, for example, Fr. Josiah Trenham and Abbot Tryphon, but even more useful are the many lectures by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, memory eternal and Archpriest John Behr, former dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and now serving in the position previously held by Metropolitan Kallistos at Oxford.

Indeed the lectures of His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos, memory Eternal, and Fr. John Behr were instrumental in my conversion. It was so refreshing seeing a Christianity so traditional, so intellectually robust and so filled with love.

President Reagan — 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA)​

Reagan signed a law that allowed millions of undocumented immigrants to legalize their status if they met certain requirements. This didn’t create a “right to apply,” but it created a legalization program that didn’t exist before.

People often remember this as “Reagan let illegal immigrants apply.”

In all these circumstances, Jesus’ exhortation to us is the same. Forgive him. Forgive him “seventy times seven,” as Jesus tells St. Peter when asked how many times to forgive an offender (Mt. 18:21-22). And, as Jesus shows us on the cross, that forgiveness is to be offered even to enemies who haven’t shown the slightest bit of remorse.

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St. John Bosco took the lesson to heart and wrote to his students, "Let us devoutly say a Hail Mary whenever we are tempted, and we'll be sure to win."

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According to Psalm 95 v. 5 in the Septuagint, which corresponds with Psalm 96 v. 5 in the Masoretic, the gods of the gentiles are demons. The MT says “idols.” Both are correct - since the gentiles worshipped idols of demons.

In His epistle to the church in Pergamon included in the Apocalypse (Revelation) Christ our God referred to the city as having the throne of Satan, likely a reference to the Pergamon Altar, a massive sacrificial altar, which in antiquity would have been a horrifying place, flowing with the blood of victims (the verses in question are Revelation 2:12-13). There were a few other Pagan centers of worship in Pergamon which our Lord might have been referring to.

It is clear if we examine heathen religions that the vast majority are at least accidentally diabolatrous - in the case of Islam for example Allah has evil properties, Hinduism with Shiva and Shiva’s avatar Kali being another very blatant case, whereas in other cases the false religions promote self-worship which is the sin that caused Satan’s downfall; self-worship is something we Christians must avoid by refusing vanity.

I have heard of One Piece, I just have never seen it. Don't think I'd really be a fan though.

No offense, but I'd rather go back to my childhood roots of Pokemon than watch a show about Pirates. I prefer cute animal characters to human pirate characters anyway. Just a personal preference. It's my taste in anime I think. I tend to gravitate towards animal-based anime and characters.

If you are snickering at me, just know this: I am a female. Women tend to like different things than men. Including cutesy animal characters.

They need to make more anime that women will like, like Sailor Moon or something.

I think porn is also such a guilt trip. It hangs over you. I was brought up Catholic so we carry guilt twice as much. But it naturally is something that weights males down. Even though there seems short term pleasure. Its a downer later on.

Similar to drugs in that a person looks to the high. That peak and then it deminishes and the guilt comes and you feel bad. Or even eating disorders and the comfort of the cream cake and the guilt and feeling sick and bad later on.

But primarily I think its demonic. Its a weakness of men mostly. It has a way of getting in and taking over. Its all around and I think the only thing that defeats this is a full on spiritual awakening. The realisation of porns power as an evil force that can take over you and control you and is the deepest and darkest evil.

That thought scared the living hell out of me that my spirit jumped out of my body. I vitually swore off porn on the spot. I think God injected His spirit that if I did not acted on what He revealed I was heading for hell. A scare really. But also one of deep respect and fear for God and for the evilness of sin.

But this also came as part of transitioning over time and gradually commiting more deeply to God. Sort of off loading sin one by one. The sin that persisted and was harder to overcome. Each persons sin weakness may be different.

God peels away the layers getting deeper to the core. He challenges you and makes you more aware and sensitive to sin. If you keep coming to Him even in the tough times we overcome these sins. But I think for most it takes persistence. It rarely happens suddenly. Mine came sudden but it took a long time to work my mind and spirit into being ready for that change in my core psyche.

I also noticeed its about habits and totums. Little signals or permissions you give yourself prior that can set you up later to sin. You recognise these and stop buying into them. Then the habit changes. New ones are created to take its place which give styrength and more faith. Positive spirits beat negative ones.

Good advice. I'd heed it.

31 January 2026 – Pakistan​

Pray for God’s comfort and strength for Nawab Bibi, whose husband, Zafar Bhatti (pictured), died shortly after being released from prison in October. He had been behind bars since 2012, having been falsely accused of blasphemy. Nawab is supported by a Release International partner.

30 January 2026 – Pakistan​

Thank God that, although Christian women can be discriminated against and are unable to find work, many have been able to start small businesses with loans from their S2S groups.

29 January 2026 – Pakistan​

Pray for Strength to Stand (S2S) groups, which work to increase resilience and protection for some of the most persecuted, deprived and vulnerable Christian women in Pakistan. One participant, Shimon, said: ‘I feel a new strength within me – a strength that comes from God’s Word and the encouragement I receive from my group family.’

28 January 2026 – Somalia​

Pray for the terrorist group Al-Shabaab that pursues and kills Christians within Somali. Pray that the Lord would bring them to justice and to Christ.

27 January 2026 – Somalia​

Pray that believers in Somalia would be blessed with access to Bibles, which are currently prohibited. Pray that physical copies would not be found by persecutors and that efforts to increase digital access would be both safe and successful.

26 January 2026 – Somalia​

Pray for the underground church within Somalia. There are no church buildings in the country and it is illegal to evangelize. Pray that the church would remain faithful and grow in number as they meet in secrecy.

25 January 2026 – Somalia​

Pray for Operation Joshua’s various media projects that aim to increase its reach and effectiveness in areas from trauma response to material for bible study groups.

If we are those who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, via being crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as servants of righteousness, we should be those who are echoing the psalmist’s words to God. We should desire that our Lord teach us His ways so that we will walk (in conduct, in practice) in his truth and righteousness, by the grace of God, in the power of God, as we yield our lives to the control of the will of God.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And these are the ways of God that he would have us to walk in them. This is the truth of God’s word and of the gospel of our salvation that we are to uphold and to follow after in obedience to our Lord. For we don’t “get saved” just so we can escape hell, be forgiven of all our sins, and so we can go to heaven when we die. For Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will die to sin, and we will now follow him in obedience to his commands, as our life practice.

For the fear of the Lord is not about being afraid of God, but it is about us honoring God for who he is by giving him the respect, honor, and obedience that he so deserves and that he requires of us. If we fear the Lord we respect him and his word, and we take his teachings seriously and to heart to obey them, in practice, in the power of God at work within us. We believe in his promises, and in their conditions, and we also believe his warnings to us all that we must not return to walking in sin and not have eternal life.

And if we glorify the name of God, this is not empty praise just for the sake of appearing as though we honor him. This is not in lip service only. This is in surrendering our hearts, minds, and will to God’s plan and purpose for our lives in obedience to his commands and in following him wherever he leads us in doing his will and purpose for our lives. For he rescued us from the domain of sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in going where he sends us, in saying what he commands, and in doing his will for our lives.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

When I Was Walking

An Original Work / January 16, 2020
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I was walking along the way,
My Lord was with me, and He did say,
“My child I’m with you. I hear you pray,
‘Oh, help me, Lord! Need You today!’”

He is my friend, near to the end.
Gently leads me. His servant be.
He helps me pray – knows what to say.
He’s all I need. On Him I feed.

When I am wond’ring of what to do,
He gently leads me to what is truth.
He is my helper. He strengthens me.
When I’m in want, supplies my need.

He comforts me with all His love.
Gives me His grace from heav’n above.
I heed His call to watch and pray,
To guard my heart throughout each day.

When He is calling to come to Him,
To let Him lead you, trust Him within,
How will you answer to Him today?
Will you say, “Yes, Lord, have your way”?

Do not neglect to let Him in,
Cleanse you from sin, made new within.
Leave all your sin, obey your Lord,
Trust in His Word – His mighty Sword.

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I Will Walk in Your Truth
An Original Work / January 31, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Michie said:

Garments that reflect Mary’s poverty, humility, purity and obedience ...

Have you ever considered the story told by Our Lady’s garments?

Whether you have come across the delightful children’s book Our Lady’s Wardrobe by Anthony DeStefano, find yourself an avid collector of Marian iconography, or perhaps have contemplated Marian apparitions over the ages, one thing is certain: The clothing of Our Lady is intentional.

The patterns, color palettes, textiles and designs tangibly point to Mary’s maternity and queenship. Her garments remind us of her constant intercession, through which she draws us to Christ.

Continued below.

The Fabric of Faith: What Our Lady’s Wardrobe Reveals About Her Mission

Garments that reflect Mary’s poverty, humility, purity and obedience ...

www.ncregister.com

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I love this article by the way. People who do not ask for the intercessions of our Lady I feel so sorry for they don’t know what they’re missing.

Dont lose hope. Cling to hope. Hope is powerful. The enemy tries to destory your hope. he lies to you. cling to hope as if it is your precious treasure.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This was a prayer of King David, but I do not know if he was king at this time or not. David was a man of God who followed the Lord in obedience to his commands, as his life practice. He was not a perfect man, and there was a time in his life when he sinned against God and other humans grievously, but God used Nathan, the prophet, to point David to his sin, which then brought him to genuine biblical repentance. And I do not know if this Psalm was written before or after David’s moral failure, but God did forgive him.

Here David states that he himself was a godly man, so this was not the time in which he sinned grievously against the Lord. This was a time when his life was committed to obeying the Lord and to doing his will and to walking in his truth and righteousness. His heart and mind were surrendered to the Lord to do as he commanded. But it was also a time of trouble and distress, for he had enemies who sought to take his life, who did not honor God. But he had confidence that God would hear his prayer, and would answer him.

Now, perhaps some of us can relate to what David spoke of here and to some of David’s history. I know that I can. I also had a time of moral failure, but God brought me back around, and he forgave me, and not too long afterwards (4 years) he called me to writing down what he teaches me each day from his word and to post these writings on the internet. I can identify a lot with David’s heart and with his love for the Lord and with his desire to serve the Lord with his life, and with having people come against him, too.

But we read in the New Testament that if we follow Jesus Christ with our lives that we will be hated as he was, and that we will be opposed, mistreated, slandered, thought ill of, and persecuted for the sake of the name of Jesus, and for the sake of righteousness. We will have enemies if we are serious about our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, and especially if we are verbal about our faith and the true message of the gospel of Christ which teaches us to die to sin and to obey God’s commands.

And when David wrote that God is good, and that he is ready to forgive, and he is abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon him, he was not speaking of giving lip service only to the Lord or just asking God for favors. For all who call upon the Lord must call upon him in truth with a sincere desire to have a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior, i.e. to truly repent of their sins. We must want to have our sins put to death so that we can now live for the Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

You are Loving and Forgiving

Based off Psalm 86
An Original Work / February 19, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.

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Abundant in Lovingkindness
An Original Work / January 31, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love