Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - October 23: Courage, Conflict, and the Early Church

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Did You Know? - October 23: Courage, Conflict, and the Early Church · Voices Of Life

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  There are stories we remember, and there are
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  stories we forget. Moments that changed a nation,
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  changed a church, changed a generation. The most
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  fascinating stories are the ones we never learned.
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  To Voices of Life, Did You Know series. A journey
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  through history, where remarkable people, extraordinary
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  events, faith, freedom, courage, sacrifice, and
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  the unexpected. Pages of American history, of
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  the church, from famous names. Every episode
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  asks. Today is October 23rd, and history gives
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  us three powerful stories. One about the fight
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  for equality, one about the cost of military
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  service, and one about foundations of Christian
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  faith. These moments remind us that courage takes
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  many forms. Marching, serving, and standing firm
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  in truth. Let's walk through them together. Did
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  you know the fight for women's suffrage took
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  over Fifth Avenue? On October 23, 1915, more
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  than 33 ,000 marchers filled Fifth Avenue in
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  New York City, demanding the right for women
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  to vote. Contemporary reporting estimated 25
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  ,000 women in the parade carrying banners, marching
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  in formation, and making their voices impossible
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  to ignore. This massive demonstration came just
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  days before a statewide referendum on women's
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  suffrage. Although the referendum failed, the
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  parade proved something essential. Public pressure
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  can reshape a nation. Five years later, the 19th
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  Amendment was ratified, with Tennessee casting
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  the decisive vote on August 18, 1920, which was
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  called the Perfect 36. But even then, Many black
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  women and minority women continued facing discriminatory
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  barriers that kept them from voting at the polls.
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  This moment reminds us that rights are rarely
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  granted without persistence, and that our republic
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  expands when ordinary citizens refuse to be silent.
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  Did you know that October 23rd marks the deadliest
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  days in the history of our United States Marine
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  Corps? On October 23, 1983, at 6 .22 a .m., a
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  suicide bomber drove a truck packed with explosives
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  into the U .S. Marine barracks in Beirut International
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  Airport. The blast collapsed the four -story
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  building, killing 241 American servicemen, 220
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  Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers, making
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  it the Marine Corps' deadliest single -day loss
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  since Iwo Jima. A second bombing that same morning
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  killed 58 french paratroopers well why were the
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  americans there lebanon was in the midst of a
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  brutal civil war after the 1982 israeli invasion
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  and the massacre at sabra and chatilla the u
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  .s marines were not there to wage war they were
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  part of a multinational peacekeeping force attempting
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  to stabilize lebanon during the civil war But
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  peacekeeping does not eliminate danger, and this
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  attack changed American military policy forever.
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  Well, who carried out the attack? This is going
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  to be no surprise to anybody today. U .S. intelligence
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  attributed the bombing to Hezbollah and the Iran
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  -backed militant networks operating in Lebanon.
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  The attack exposed serious gaps in intelligence,
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  perimeter security, and force protection. So
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  let's talk about Hezbollah then and now. The
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  United States attributed the bombing to Hezbollah,
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  a radical Islamic terrorist organization supported
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  by Iran -backed militant networks. Hezbollah
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  is designated by the United States government
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  as a terrorist organization responsible for severe
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  harm, loss of life, and human rights violations.
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  Now, Hezbollah in 1983, they newly emerged but
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  were already lethal. They were backed by the
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  Iranian training and funding. focused on driving
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  Western forces out of Lebanon, and used suicide
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  bombings as a strategic weapon. Let's talk about
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  Hezbollah today. Hezbollah has grown into one
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  of the most powerful militant organizations in
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  the Middle East. It maintains a large paramilitary
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  force, advanced weaponry supplied by Iran, political
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  influence inside Lebanon, A long history of attacks
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  against Israeli and Western targets and these
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  terrorist organizations acting in the name of
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  Islam and fueled by radical Islamist ideology
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  represent a dangerous movement whose actions
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  have created widespread perception that Islam
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  itself is tied to terrorism. A perception that
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  grows because millions of people worldwide are
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  influenced by or exposed to these extremist teachings.
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  Hezbollah's continued presence and capabilities
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  remain a major concern for the United States
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  and the international security agencies. The
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  Beirut bombing is a reminder that violent extremist
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  movements which radicalize and act in the name
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  of Islam and claim to be the only true faith,
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  while branding others as infidels, can turn religious
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  language and ideology into tools of terrorism.
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  So the question you have to ask yourself, If
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  Islam can so easily become radicalized and so
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  many millions are using it that way, when does
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  Islam turn from a religious organization to a
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  terrorist organization? If this growth continues,
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  how long will it be before Islam will no longer
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  be regarded as a religion and instead will be
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  regarded only as an ideology, a terrorist movement,
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  and a terrorist organization? Question we have
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  to wrestle with. But the lessons learned here,
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  the Beirut bombing reshaped American military
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  policy. Peacekeepers can still be targets. Intelligence
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  must inform security. Commanders need clear missions
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  and realistic defensive capabilities. Political
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  leaders must weigh strategic goals against operational
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  risk. In remembering the fallen, the Defense
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  Intelligence Agency wrote of the Marines, They
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  came in peace. Their sacrifice remains a solemn
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  reminder of the dangers faced by those who serve
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  far from home. We pray for their souls. We pray
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  for their families. And we pray that an action
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  like this never happens again. Did you know?
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  James of Jerusalem helped shape Christianity
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  itself. James, often called James the Just, was
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  one of the earliest leaders of the Christian
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  community in Jerusalem. He is traditionally identified
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  as the brother of Jesus, though Christian traditions
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  differ on the exact relationship. A leader at
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  a turning point, the earliest Christians were
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  Jewish believers wrestling with profound questions.
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  How does faith in Jesus relate to Jewish scripture?
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  Must Gentile converts follow Mosaic law? James
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  stood at the center of these debates. Acts 15,
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  the Jerusalem Council. When early Christians
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  disagreed over whether Gentile believers must
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  be circumcised, James offered the decisive judgment
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  that helped preserve unity and open the door
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  for Christianity to spread beyond its Jewish
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  roots. Acts 15, verses 13 -21 records his role.
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  Paul's testimony. Paul calls James a pillar of
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  the church. Galatians 2 verse 9, showing his
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  authority among the earliest believers. The epistle
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  of James. The letter attributed to James emphasizes
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  practical faith. Be ye doers of the world and
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  not hearers only. James 1 verse 22. And its central
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  theme, faith if it hath not works is dead. James
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  2 verse 17. And then there was his death. The
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  Jewish historian Josephus reports that James
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  was executed by stoning around 62 AD, making
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  his account especially valuable because Josephus
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  was not a Christian writer. Eusebius later preserved
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  additional traditions about James' martyrdom.
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  Is October 23rd his feast day? There is no firm
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  historical evidence that James died on October
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  23rd. Different Christian traditions assign different
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  feast days, but his leadership makes him a fitting
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  figure to remember today, a man who helped define
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  the church's identity, unity, and mission. October
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  23rd brings together three powerful stories,
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  a parade that pushed America toward greater equality,
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  a bombing that revealed the cost of service,
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  and complexity of peacekeeping, and a leader
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  whose wisdom helped shape the earliest Christian
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  community. Each reminds us that history is built
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  by those who march, those who serve, and those
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  who lead with conviction. As we close today's
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  reflection, October 23rd reminds us of those
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  three truths. Courage changes nations, sacrifice
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  protects freedom, and faith shapes identity.
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  From the marchers on Fifth Avenue to the Marines
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  who came in peace, to James of Jerusalem guiding
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  the earliest believers, each story calls us to
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  live with conviction, compassion, and clarity.
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  Thank you for joining me today. This is Pastor
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  David, and this has been Voices of Life, a ministry
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  of the Church for Life. Until next time. It gives
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  us stories, stories of courage and failure, faith
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  and doubt, freedom and sacrifice, and people
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  who faced moments that changed the course of
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  history. But history isn't just about what happened
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  then. It's about what we can learn from it now.
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  For joining Pastor David and Voices of Life,
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  until our next journey through history, keep
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  asking questions, keep learning. You never know
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  what you might discover when you simply ask.
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  This is Voices of Life.