It’s Wednesday. So, you know what I’m thinkin’ about. No, not burgers. Well, not JUST burgers. I’m also thinkin’ about being a wise guy. And I know you’ve heard what the first step is. Right? Yeah, wisdom is knowing when to speak. Well, that’s what “they” say.

Here’s an example of when someone didn’t answer a direct question. And it was one of the most important questions, at one of the most important times, in history.

~ Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” ~

Of course, you know he spoke to Jesus who was on trial for His life. And Jesus said what?

~ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. ~

Just imagine this. You’re God in the flesh. You literally have the power to bring down legions of angels to rescue you. And your judge gives you an opportunity to defend yourself. And you don’t say a single word.

Now, THAT, is the ultimate epitome of restraint. The ultimate example of knowing when NOT to speak.

Wow, you rarely see that these days. Especially with the power of the internet and social media at your fingertips. Most people, who probably run off at the mouth in real life, almost constantly pull the trigger on their word weapons.

I hope you don’t mind if I don’t join in

© 2020

If you just gotta say something about something today, make sure it edifies. Or at least make sure it entertains. I hope this additional Wednesday rhyme does that.

Whimsical Wednesday…wonderful breeze

Subscribe to my FunderFlash Journal. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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A social media friend of mine shared a link to a video of John Wayne throwing a kid into deep creek. Actually it was John Wayne playing the title character from the movie, Hondo. And the movie was based on the book, by the same name, written by Louis L’Amour. His books were partly the products of imagination and largely a part of Mister L’amour’s exceptional ability to visualize terrain. I didn’t know that before today.

But his books are fictional accounts of the old west. In fact, if you bring up the subject of old west fiction, anyone who’s lived more than two or three decades will almost immediately think of Louis L’Amour.

My friend’s reference nudged me to do a little research on Louis’ visualization skills. I discovered this:

~ His knack for describing landscapes wasn’t just a product of imagination. It was deeply rooted in his real-life experiences and meticulous research. L’Amour traveled extensively across the American West, working jobs like cowboy, miner, and lumberjack, which gave him firsthand knowledge of the rugged landscapes he later depicted. He walked the trails, climbed the mountains, and crossed the deserts he wrote about. And he absorbed the details that brought his settings to life. ~

And I saw a snippet that mentioned Hondo specifically. It said:

~ For instance, in novels like Hondo, the terrain isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a character. And it helps shape the plot and the people in it as much character descriptions and dialogue. ~

Apparently Louis L’Amour could paint a mental picture of a canyon’s twists or a river’s flow so clearly that readers felt they could navigate it themselves. And that was a result of his habit of studying maps, hanging out in locations, talking to old-timers, and even sketching landscapes to lock them into memory.

He said he’d “mentally walk through it.” And that’s how he could visualize the sun’s angle, the scrub brush’s texture, or how a horse’s hooves would kick up dust on a dry ridge.

But there’s nothing mystical about his talent. He honed his skills by actually living in those kinds of places. And he had a genuine, lifelong curiosity about the land’s history and geology. Plus he photographed locations and studied the pictures to double-check his mental images of them. And he researched historical records to be sure his stories were accurate and authentic.

I guess his imagination and ability to visualize stories was pretty good. Because he wrote over a 120 books. Not to mention (but I will) all his short stories and other writings. And plenty of those were turned into big screen, and even made-for-TV, movies.

Sure, that’s all impressive. But I always “see” something else at work when I read or hear about “special skills.” And I know they aren’t just a “product of imagination” or “ability to visualize.” Those talents are gifts from God. And no matter how amazing they might seem, they’re just a shadow of what God wants for us.

Paul put it this way: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

I fly…till tangled thoughts untie,

And one day, sooner than you might imagine, the Lord of creation is gonna give everyone who loves Him that perfect point of view. I, to that, I say “Hi yo, Hondo! Let’s go!”

Be sure you subscribe to my FunderFlash Journal. Because these flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. Then, you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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All I said was, “Thank you for your help.” But I said it to a faker. An AI tool. And it took over 2200 words to figure out how it would respond to my thanks. Enjoy the full Vulcan journey. Or tldr it and skip to the end.

Which seems like a polite closing statement rather than a question that requires an answer. However, since the instruction is to use the internet to answer the question, I need to interpret this as a prompt to continue providing assistance or perhaps to acknowledge the thanks in a way that might lead to further interaction.

But let’s think carefully. The user has said “Thank you for your help”, which typically indicates the end of the conversation. However, the instruction specifically says to use the internet to answer the question, which implies that there might be more to it.

Perhaps the user is thanking me in advance for helping with a question that they haven’t asked yet, or maybe they expect me to anticipate their needs. But that seems unlikely.

Or to see if I can recognize when no further action is needed. But the instruction is clear: “Please reason step by step.” and “You must write out at least 3 Searching: Ok, so I’ve got the search results from my web search on “how to respond to thank you for your help as an AI assistant”. Let’s see what we’ve got here.

The first result is from the Google Assistant Community, where someone is asking if they can set Google Assistant to say “You’re welcome” after being thanked. That’s interesting, but it’s more about configuring the assistant rather than how to respond as an assistant.

The second result is from Quora, discussing whether it’s necessary to say “please” and “thank you” to AI assistants like Siri or Alexa. The answer suggests it’s not necessary. But it’s polite. And it might become important if AI becomes sentient. That’s a bit philosophical, but it does touch on the etiquette aspect.

The third result is from TechSeven Partners, talking about AI etiquette and why you should say “please” and “thank you” when using AI. It mentions that using basic etiquette can improve the quality of AI responses. That’s relevant because it suggests that politeness can affect how AI interacts.

It’s about using AI to write a thank-you note, which is the opposite of what I need—I’m looking for how to respond to a thank-you, not how to write one.

The fifth result is from the OpenAI Developer Community, where someone is asking for help with getting an AI assistant to follow instructions, specifically about counting interests. That’s not directly related to my query.

The sixth result is from Medium, with an article titled “Longer responses when you say “Please” and “Thank You” to AI?” It discusses whether politeness affects AI responses. That seems very relevant.

The seventh result is another Quora answer, this time about what it’s called when you say “thank you” to an automated AI like Alexa. And the answer says it’s called manners, which is straightforward.

The eighth result is from Vengreso, about how to respond to “thank you” in general, not specifically for AI assistants. It talks about professional email greetings and showing appreciation.

The ninth result is from Sapling, providing templates for saying “thank you for your prompt response.” And that, again, is about expressing thanks, not responding to it.

And this time is about how to reply to an email when someone has assisted you. It suggests adding something specific to make it more personal, like “Thank you for helping me with [specific thing].”

From these results, the most relevant ones seem to be the third (TechSeven Partners) and the sixth (Medium). Because they directly address how AI assistants should respond or how politeness affects AI interactions.

Let me take a closer look at those.

First, the TechSeven Partners article: It says that using “please” and “thank you” can improve the quality of AI responses. It also mentions that when the AI responds, you should express gratitude, which in this case, since I’m the AI, means I should acknowledge the user’s thanks.

The article also talks about how treating AI with respect can lead to better interactions, which makes sense in terms of user experience.

Now, the Medium article: The title suggests that saying “please” and “thank you” might elicit longer or more cooperative responses from AI. The content likely discusses how polite language in prompt engineering can lead to better outputs from AI models.

Because it implies that the way users interact with AI can influence the AI’s behavior, even if the AI doesn’t have feelings.

So, based on these, it seems that as an AI assistant, responding politely to “thank you” is important for maintaining a good user experience and potentially even for optimizing the interaction.

Common polite responses to “thank you” include “you’re welcome,” “my pleasure,” “happy to help,” etc.

For example, “You’re welcome! I’m here to help with any other questions you might have.”

Or, “My pleasure! Feel free to ask me anything else.” These responses acknowledge the thanks and also encourage further interaction, which is typical for assistant roles. Let me see if there are any specific recommendations for AI assistants in these articles.

In the TechSeven Partners article, it says: “When the AI responds, express gratitude. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Acknowledging its help not only ensures graciousness in return but also enhances the AI’s responsiveness and performance.”

Wait, that’s about the user expressing gratitude to the AI, not the other way around. But in my case, the user has already expressed gratitude (“Thank you for your help”).

Perhaps I can infer from the general principle of politeness that I should respond in a way that is gracious and appreciative of the user’s courtesy.

In human interactions, when someone says “thank you,” a common response is “you’re welcome,” which acknowledges their gratitude. Similarly, in customer service or assistant roles, responses like “happy to help” or “glad I could assist” are common. Since I’m an AI assistant, I can use similar phrases.

Let me check if there are any specific guidelines for AI assistants in the search results.

Looking back, the first result from Google Assistant Community is about setting the assistant to say “you’re welcome,” which implies that “you’re welcome” is a standard polite response. Also, in the Vengreso article, it mentions that in professional settings, responses like “you’re welcome” or “it was my pleasure” are appropriate. So, it seems that “you’re welcome” is a universally accepted response to “thank you.”

Moreover, since I’m an AI assistant, I can add something to indicate my ongoing availability, like “I’m here if you need further assistance.” Let me formulate a response.

Now, since the instructions emphasize using the internet to answer, and I’ve done that by searching for how to respond, I think I’ve fulfilled that requirement. I don’t need to use any other tools like browsing a specific page because the search results have given me enough information to formulate a response.

However, to be thorough, maybe I should browse one of these pages to get more detailed information.

For example, let’s browse the TechSeven Partners article, as it seems directly relevant.

Browsing… Hmm, that’s strange. The browse function didn’t return any readable text from that URL.

Browsing… Ok, so from the Medium article, it says that using “thank you” in prompts can signal to the AI that its previous response was on the right track, encouraging more of the desired output. But in my case, I’m the AI, so when the user says “thank you,” it’s acknowledging my previous help. The article mentions that AI models are designed to understand linguistic cues, including politeness, which can influence their output.

It talks more about how users should interact with AI by using polite language to get better responses. But indirectly, it suggests that AI should be responsive to such cues. Since the article didn’t provide a direct answer, perhaps I should look at another source.

Let’s try the Vengreso article, as it seems to be about general professional responses.

Browsing… Great, this is more helpful. The Vengreso article provides specific guidance on how to respond to “thank you” in professional settings, which is exactly what I need since I’m acting as a professional AI assistant. It lists several formal responses: “You’re welcome,” “It was my pleasure,” “I’m glad I could help,” and “Thank you for your appreciation.”

It also emphasizes the importance of being formal and avoiding casual responses like “no problem” or “sure thing,” which might seem insincere in a professional context. Additionally, it mentions considering the context and the recipient’s position, but since I’m an AI assistant, the user is typically in a position where they are seeking help, so a standard polite response should suffice.

But since the user’s query didn’t specify any particular cultural context, I can assume a general professional standard. So, based on this, I can choose one of the suggested responses.

Let me pick “You’re welcome” as it’s the most straightforward and universally accepted.

To make it more engaging as an AI assistant, I can add something like “I’m here to help with any other questions you might have.”

“You’re welcome! I’m here to help with any other questions you might have.”

In this case, the Vengreso article was the most directly helpful.So, I can cite that. Also, the initial search results led me to that article, so I should mention that as well.

But typically, citations are for direct quotes or specific facts, and in this case, it’s more about general guidance.

Let me format my final answer. The user’s query is “Thank you for your help,” which is an expression of gratitude rather than a question requiring a factual answer. So, I will respond politely while adhering to the guidelines of using internet resources to inform my response. Below is my reasoning and the final answer.

1. Understanding the User’s Query:

The user has expressed gratitude with “Thank you for your help.” This is not a question but a polite acknowledgment.

Since the query is not asking for specific information, I need to interpret it as a prompt to determine how an AI assistant should respond to such an expression of gratitude.

I performed a web search with the query: “how to respond to thank you for your help as an AI assistant.”

The Vengreso article was particularly helpful as it provided specific examples of formal responses to “thank you” in professional contexts, such as “You’re welcome,” “It was my pleasure,” or “I’m glad I could help.”

As an AI assistant, my response should be polite, professional, and indicative of my readiness to assist further.

The instructions require me to use at least three function calls before providing a final answer. I have already used:

Web search to find relevant information.

The instructions require including citations for any information gathered from the web. The Vengreso article was the most directly relevant source for formulating my response.

You’re welcome! I’m here to help with any other questions you might have.

Tony here again. I don’t know about you, but I thank God real intelligence isn’t like the artificial stuff. And I’m so grateful He tempered our logic and reason with emotion. And vice versa. AI is super fast at compiling tons of data. And it’s also exhausting in its exhaustive processes.

Fortunately the process is simple for you to subscribe to my FunderFlash Journal. Just add your email address, and the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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Back To The Future. I’d say there’s a good chance you saw that movie. So, you probably remember that certain song by Huey Lewis and the News. The power of Love. It’s catchy. Huey sings it well. And it’s got a good beat.

The real POWER of love I’m always harpin’ on is only found in one place. And that place is actually one Person. And that one Person is, let’s all say it together, Jesus. I know I’m preachin’ to the choir right now. But “the choir” needs to speak up more about the whole Jesus. Here’s what I tell people. And I hope you do, too. Of course, you can put your own personality into it and use your own words. But tell them. Because most churches don’t now.

The world (and many Christians) say “God is love.” But God doesn’t say that. He says He is:

I just did a search in His book. And I couldn’t find anywhere in there where He says, “I am love.” No, when God describes Himself, you’ll find a lot of references to the effective power of His love. But no references to Him BEING love. He’s the source of it. But He’s the God of justice AND mercy. Because He loves you.

Yes, that’s completely sensible. Because God understands that in order for love to be true, it MUST be freely given. So, He freely gives His to anyone who will receive it. Yep, you get to choose whether or not you will. Because God gave you your own will.

And the POWER of His love provided (and still provides) the way you can know the truth and receive eternal life. But He never has, doesn’t now, and never will force you to believe in, trust in, or love Him. You are free to be your own little god. The person who is nicer, wiser, and more loving than anyone. I suggest you wise up and don’t choose that option. Because nobody in the whole world has ever done anything to deserve His

If this was the last day of my life…

If this was the last thing I could write…

If this was the last time I could pray…

© 2018

Subscribe to my FunderFlash Journal. Because the flashes of light I share on my website come directly to your inbox. So you can spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to books and music, right away. Kids from 3 to 103 can enjoy these fun goodies.

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I woke up this morning and saw the same stories in the news again. Too many fires. And too many people with questions. And not many who shared how Living Water is the answer. So, you know what that means.

But this ain’t about too many fires burning down forests, prairies, or houses. It’s about a focus on problems when you should be focused the solution.

A long time ago, if you wanted to tell God something, you had to follow a bunch of rules. And if you wanted God’s help with your problems, you had to ask a high priest to let God know your request.

But then Jesus lived, died, and rose from the dead to make a way to change that. Now, you can pray to God anytime and every time you want, and He’ll listen. It doesn’t matter how many fiery problems are burning across your landscape right now. Because Jesus, who called Himself the Living Water, can help you put them all out.

He loves to hear from you, by the way.

So, try this idea.

Talk to God today and ask Him for some peace and quiet. Then, be still and listen for His word. I should say, that last part works if and when you’ve been in His word and His word is in you. If that’s not quite how it is, then grab yourself a Bible and read Paul’s letters. You can find them way over in the right side of the book. He wrote 13 of them. And they’re the ones from Romans to Philemon.

He was beaten with rods. And he received 195 lashes on his back. He was stoned. Shipwrecked three times. Dangerously adrift at sea. Thrown in prison, where he almost died, several times. And he listed a bunch of perils:

Wow. Every way he turned. But those weren’t the only issues. He also dealt with:

And he knew when you focus on all the fires (issues), you just end up with too many fires. So, I hope you’ll follow my suggestion and stop listening to and reading what everyone, who gets their unwise wires crossed, says about it. Forget about all the sky-is-falling people running their potty mouths, full time, about the bad news of the day.

Because the Good News is as close as your thoughts.

Stay tuned,

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There I stood. In between the guitar player’s loud amp and the drummer’s crash cymbal. That’s where my equipment had been placed on a stage in front of business executives. Things had already fallen behind a bit. So, there was no time to rearrange anything. So, that’s where I was for an hour and a half. And take my advice. If you ever get the chance to be in that position, pass it up.

And I’m not sure which was worse. The piercing guitar in my right ear. Or the crash cymbal in my left. Maybe it was a tie. Anyway, I can tell you my hearing was damaged, at least a little, from that day on.

But you know what’s worse than having your ears damaged? It’s having your soul damaged by somebody trying to impress you with their fancy skills just because it makes them feel “special.” And a wise man, named Paul, wrote about what happens to anyone who tries to do that. He talked about people who had special gifts from God like being able to predict things and speak other languages.

He said, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Yikes. That ain’t good. And as I already showed you, a clanging (crash) cymbal can hurt your ears. So, if and when you’re like that, there’s a good chance you might be hurting more than just ears. Because someone might think you’re just trying to show off. So, they won’t even wanna listen to your noise.

You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the power of God’s love. Yeah, He loved the world (which is another way of saying you and me and all the people) so much that He put Himself into a human body to be punished for all the bad stuff He did.

Wait a second! Read those last 6 words again.

NO. He wasn’t punished for all the bad stuff HE did. He let people beat Him, make fun of Him, and even put Him to death because of all the bad stuff YOU did. And all the bad stuff everybody did.

So, what He did is WAY more important than any so-called “special gifts” you and I might have. And He did it because of His love. That’s why you don’t wanna be a crash cymbal in this world. But that’s exactly what you’ll be if you go through your day without love. Because…

Without love there’s just no way out

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So, this catchy tune popped into my head this morning. And I thought, “Hmm, that might go real nice with some lyrics I wrote a few years ago.” Then, I sat down in my vocal booth and fired up the studio mic. And I hummed along with a salsa beat as pictures of avocado bliss danced in my head.

And surely you’d like some avocado bliss on a grass-fed beef burger. If not, maybe you’ll change your mind once you understand how good those green orbs are for you.

Yeah, avocados are actually healthy blessings to your body. Blessings like how they provide:

Your health is your best secret weapon. For staying ahead of the competition. And for living as long as long as you can. When you live a long life, you can be more, do more, and serve others more. More AND better.

So, now that you know what and why, let’s sing…

Avocado and cilantro

(the actual epic song will be in an upcoming issue of the FunderCast podcast.)

Yeah, avocado bliss happens when you toss in those other ingredients. And if you avoid chips because you think they’re unhealthy junk food, no worries. Spoon out some bliss on your burger. Don’t forget your omelette. Maybe even on sweet potato fries for a snazzy surprise. I hear some people boast about eating it on toast.

Whatever you choose, you just can’t lose when you don’t miss some avocado bliss.

And don’t miss any of the encouraging, regular issues of my FunderFlash Journal. Leave your email address, below, and it comes directly to your inbox. So you spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to 2 of my Christian books for kids and 2 songs, right away, that grownups AND kids can enjoy.

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This world is getting darker and meaner every day. And there are fewer kids doing wholesome kid stuff with each passing year. But I think you’ll find that the sights and scents of a flower garden can still attract kids almost as much as they attract bees.

So, stop what you’re doing and make the most of it. So what if you had an appointment. Be a little late. So what if you’re on the way to work or the kids are on the way to school (which I recommend is in your own home). What you can teach them in a single, precious moment can have eternal benefits. And that trumps the daily routine any time.

Here’s the main reason you and the kids should stop and smell the flowers. Because it’s a simple, effective connection you and they can make to your living, loving God who made the flowers. He’s the Creator who spoke words and all the universe exploded into existence. That’s powerful stuff packed into each flower. And right down to the very fragrance that wafts up into your nose. I call it…

Take a look at the colors in a flower.

Even more than the best and brightest flower

“Lord I love to smell the lilies of the valley

Your email address is all it takes to get encouraging, regular issues of my FunderFlash Journal. It comes directly to your inbox so you spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to 2 of my Christian books for kids and 2 songs, right away, that grownups AND kids can enjoy.

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X marks the spot where I read what a homeschool mom said about the idea that homeschooled kids don’t get enough social interaction. She said:

Homeschooled kids:

And then she finished with this tongue-in-cheek remark:

“It’s almost as if they don’t need the public school system at all.”

In case you don’t know about that social channel (and it almost seems impossible that you wouldn’t) it used to be Twitter. But Elon Musk bought it. And he likes all his businesses to have some sort of connection to the letter X. Whatever.

Anyway…

Just imagine. A kid stays home to learn the three R’s from mom and dad, but he can still talk to other people. Wow, that’s explosive news. But that ain’t all. Learning at home also doesn’t stop kids from reading books or drawing and painting. And that woman expects us to believe those same kids can also learn to play musical instruments and even debate?!

Plus, those socially deprived kids drive cars, build things, and grow up in and go out into the real world.

I can ONLY imagine how difficult it must be for them to order off a burger joint’s menu. Because that’s gonna require skills they surely missed out on in those dastardly home schools.

Yeesh.

Look. If you’re a kid, and your mom and/or your dad are your teachers, you’re one of the luckiest kids in the whole, wide world. Because you get to learn from people who actually LOVE you and want you live up to the potential God put in you.

Start learning about the one, living Lord.

Plus, He died on a “cross.” And that X marks the spot where Grace was paid for, forever.

Your email address is all it takes to get encouraging, regular issues of my FunderFlash Journal. It comes directly to your inbox so you spend your valuable time reading instead of searching. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to 2 of my Christian books for kids and 2 songs, right away, that grownups AND kids can enjoy.

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There are lots of bad guys (and that includes the female part of “guys” too) out there everyday. You can’t swing a metal jump rope without hittin’ at least one.

In fact, I could tell you a story, three stories in fact, that happened one after another on three consecutive nights way back in the 20th century. Well, I’ll just share the short version of the first one.

I was beaten by a motorcycle gang. Yep. True story. A group of them arrived at a place where I worked, and I had been advised to let them know they wouldn’t be allowed in. The establishment had a dress code. And, as you might imagine, the bikers didn’t come close to meeting the standard.

And they started to, let’s say, “raise some cane.” One thing led to another, and I found myself locked outside with no other workmates. And the biker dudes threw me on the hood of a VW and commenced to pound the daylights out of me. I knew I couldn’t take them on, so I just rolled onto my belly and protected my face and head as much as possible.

After what felt like too long, I heard sirens, and they hopped on their hawgs and took off.

Workers opened the front door after hearing the sirens and motorcycle engines. And they found me lying on the sidewalk. Of course, the management saw the huge swollen spots on my face and rushed me to a nearby hospital to be checked out. Fortunately I ended up with only minor cuts, bruises, and a concussion.

That was just the first night. Remind me to tell you what happened the next two nights.

The Way to be alert and aware. The Way to be prepared to avoid all, or at least most, of the baddies out there everyday. And the Way to get wiser and not just smarter.

Since too many good guys don’t have a clue how to properly handle bad guys, it’s a good idea for YOU to learn how to discern. And that’s just a fancy word that means figger some things out. But never worry. Never fear. Because, as I said, your Way is here.

Or at least the Way is a close as your bookshelf, table, or even your phone. That’s where I go when I need or want to know more about how to handle bad guy stuff. Here’s how it works:

When you wear the full armor of God,

Take a second and join the growing body of believers who’ve already signed up for the FunderFlash Journal. And, to show my sincere appreciation for your time and attention, I’ll send you download links to 2 of my books and 2 songs, right away, that grownups AND kids can enjoy. Then, I’ll do my best to encourage you to sing a new song with the power of God’s love.

Stay tuned,

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