The magi apparently didn’t arrive until two years or so after Jesus was born—they found Mary and the baby living in a house in Bethlehem. It probably took them the two years to travel to Bethlehem after they had seen the star, which appeared right when Jesus was born. When they inquired in Jerusalem about the new King, the priests and scribes were able to tell them He would be born in Bethelehem, because of the writings of the prophet Micah.

The Magi brought gifts to the newborn King. We today can bring gifts as well, and one of the most important gifts that God loves is the worship of those who love Him. Let’s be sure to give our gift of worship to God as we thank Him for the priceless gift of His Son.

See you Sunday! We’d love to meet your friends as well.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Don’t forget to bring in a bag of wrapped hard candy to add to our Party Box which will be sent to our missionaries—so they can have a party for the kids in their mission field.

Please remember to praise God for sending His Son, Jesus, to earth to be born, so that we can learn what it really means to live as God intended and so that Jesus could give His life to pay the penalty for your sins and for mine. It’s a great time of year to celebrate and praise God for His love!

See you Sunday! (And, of course, don’t forget to bring a friend.)

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we’ll look at the angels and learn more about their message. Our memory verse is one you probably already know—John 3:16. It tells WHY God sent Jesus and WHAT He accomplished by His life and death.

We’re all decorated for Christmas, and will be making special gifts for our parents this week. You will want to be there, and to bring a friend.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday, though, we will tie the Old Testament and New Testament together by looking at the prophets Isaiah and Micah, who wrote about the coming of Jesus, the Messiah (or “Anointed One” ) hundreds of years before Jesus was born.

God made sure that people had a chance to know about Jesus even before He was born. This Christmas, take a little extra time to thank God for his special gift of His Son, Jesus, who came to show us how to live God’s way and to die to pay our penalty for our sins.

During December we will be making gifts for our Truck Stop Ministry to help truckers on the road on the holidays celebrate Christmas, as well as making “Party Boxes” to send to our missionaries overseas. Be sure to join us…and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we’ll learn the story of how God took care of the Israelites, His Chosen People, as they traveled across the wilderness. Although they complained a lot, God still gave them everything they needed. But there were some special rules about manna that made sure everyone kept on trusting in God. Do you know what the rules were?

We’ll find out Sunday. We’ll also have a special Thanksgiving video—be thinking about the things you are really thankful for. And don’t forget…this is the last Sunday we can bring in our Thanksgiving bags of food to share with needy families for Thanksgiving dinner (and more). Please bring your decorated bags, even if you have no food to put in them.

And, of course, it’s a great day to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This week we’ll take a good look at the miracle God performed. We’ll have a drama to act out to help us remember the story, as well as some other creative approaches to getting a new view on a story you know.

You won’t want to miss this Sunday’s class, Don’t forget to bring your Thanksgiving bags with food to share with needy families, and of course feel free to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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God was showing the Egyptians that He was more powerful than the Egyptian gods or even their Pharaoh, whom the Egyptians called a god as well. He was also showing the Israelites his mighty power, so that they would know they could trust Him.

God has all power, knows what is best for each of us, and, because He loves us, He wants to give us what is best. Just as the Israelites learned, we can learn that God will take care of us and that we can trust Him.

Don’t forget to bring your Thanksgiving bags this Sunday with food for needy families! And don’t forget to invite a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Last week in our study of Joseph we learned how Jacob and all his sons and family moved to Egypt to escape the famine in Israel. They stayed there for over 400 years! The Pharoah who appointed Joseph as second-in-command liked Joseph, but the new Pharoahs did not know Joseph. The Israelites had become slaves, and had to work building for the Egyptians.

This Sunday we will learn how God called Moses to the job of going back to Egypt and telling Pharoah to “let my people go!”

Remember to bring two things this week: a friend and your decorated Thanksgiving bag with canned goods to give to needy families.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Still, because of his cheating, Jacob had to leave home and travel far away, and live in fear of what his brother would do to him if he returned. God kept His promise in the end, but Jacob had to pay the price for not trusting God.

This Sunday would be a great day to bring a friend with you!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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One of the main things Isaac is known for is keeping peace. Although the people around him kept bothering Isaac’s people and fighting over wells (water was very important in those days), Isaac walked away from the problem and kept on following God.

Finally the people around Isaac came to him and said “We see that God is blessing you, so we want to make peace with you.” Isaac’s example of peace finally paid off!

We’ll have a special treat Sunday as the Wolfe family, our church’s missionaries to Chile, will join us to help us understand what a missionary does and why they do it. Brush up on your Spanish!

See you Sunday—and it would be a great day to bring a friend.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We will learn a lot about trusting God as we study the patriarchs—for God always keeps His promises.

Join us Sunday and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This week is the story of Noah. You have heard the story many times, and some of you told me it is your favorite Bible story. Here are some questions to help you prepare:

1. Why did God send the flood to cover the earth?
2. How long did it take Noah to follow God’s instructions and build the ark?
3. Who actually closed the door to the ark?
4. How long did the rains come down?
5. How long were the animals and Noah’s family closed up in the ark altogether?
6. What two promises did God make to Noah and his descendants (that includes us!)?
7. How many animals of each kind did Noah take on the ark (careful—not as easy as you think)?

This is a great story to help us know that God will always keep His promises, and that He will always take care of those who follow His commands.

See you Sunday! Remember to bring a friend.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Some questions to think about:

1. What were Cain and Abel’s jobs?
2. How did Cain and Abel worship God?
3. Who do you think taught them how to worship God?
4. Why did Cain hate his brother?
5. What happened to Abel?
6. What was the consequence that happened to Cain?
7. How does God want me today to worship Him?
8. How does God want me today to treat other people?

Remember to bring a friend with you!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday we will talk about how our choices have consequences today as well, and how our choices affect other people and things around us. God will help us as we try to make good choices.

Please invite your friends to Sunday School! We’d love to meet them.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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On our first Sunday with our new class, we will learn about the very first thing in the Bible…the Creation. God made everything—from nothing—and declared that it was very good.

We will be welcoming our new fourth graders into our class and getting to know one another. Come join us!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we will learn about the very first disciples and how Jesus promised He would be with us as we teach others what He has taught us.

This is our last Sunday with this year’s Fourth Grade class…next week you will officially be Fifth Graders! We will send you off properly with a diploma, a special CD with pictures, videos, and more from our year together, plus snacks, games, and fun. You won’t want to miss it!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Be sure to plan to attend on August 31. Our class will meet for the last time with our current great group of fourth graders, and we’ll have a graduation party as you go into the fifth grade class. You won’t want to miss it!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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It doesn’t always seem like God is watching out for us. But Jesus talked about how God takes care even of the birds and the wildflowers—and how we are much more important to God than they are! Even when we don’t understand why something happens, we can trust God to make it work out for the best.

Sunday will be a terrific session as we learn to Fully Rely On God (it’s not really an F.R.O.G. Sunday, but we do have frogs and lots of bugs decorating our room). You’ll want to bring a friend along!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We will learn Sunday about the model prayer, and how important it is for us to spend time talking to God (that’s what prayer is!) and really getting to know Him. It’s great to think that God, the creator of the universe and source of all power and good, really wants to spend time with us, show us His love for us, and bless us. As a result, we should really, really want to please Him by doing the things He teaches and commands us.

See you Sunday—and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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The first Sunday we will look at the “Beatitudes,” which all start with “Blessed are….” Jesus showed all of the attitudes that He taught about, and He expects us to show them as well. We will look at each one and find out why we are “blessed” or “happy” if we decide to show that attitude in our lives.

Our attitudes do more than perhaps any other thing to help us have a life which is happiest for ourselves and attractive to those around us. Through right attitudes we can bring glory to God and encourage others to follow Him.

Join us as we learn more about Jesus’ teachings this month. And, of course, don’t forget to invite a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday’s story is about Peter and a Roman Centurion named Cornelius. Cornelius was the very first person to become a Christian who was not Jewish to begin with. That’s a big deal, since Christianity started out with only Jewish members in Jerusalem…but now it’s spreading to other places and other races of people.

We need to remember that there are lots of different kinds of people, around the world and in our own communities, and that all of them need to hear that Jesus loves them. Who do you know that you can invite to VBS or to Sunday School, or share a Bible verse or story with?

See you next week…and don’t forget to invite someone to come with you.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday’s story is about Stephen, the first Christian martyr. A martyr is one who is faithful to his faith until death…and his death is caused by his standing up for his faith. Stephen was called before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish “Supreme Court,” and boldly preached to them about Jesus and the faith Stephen had in Jesus. The Sanhedrin, who had put Jesus himself to death on the cross just a little earlier, didn’t want to hear about Jesus and killed Stephen by throwing stones at him. Stephen prayed for them even while he was being stoned. And he never gave up his faith in Jesus.

We can depend on God to guide us, help us, and give us the strength we need, as long as we are doing what pleases Him. He’s a great God.

See you Sunday…and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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The Bible is clear: everyone has sinned, and we continue to sin no matter how hard we try. It’s only when we get close to God and look to Him, instead of our own problems, that we can come close to living the way He wants us to…pleasing Him and having the best possible lives, the way He meant us to live. Jesus said it best: “I am come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”

Jonah was a strange prophet. When God gave him a job to do, Jonah tried to run as far and fast as he could in the opposite direction from where God sent him. Next Sunday we will learn about Jonah, and how God forgave him and allowed him to continue to serve God even though he willfully defied and disobeyed God. God loves us, has mercy on us, and will always forgive us when we confess our sin and ask His forgiveness.

Come learn about Jonah with us this Sunday, and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Our subject is Daniel. You might remember him only from his experience in the lions’ den, but there is much more to his story. This week we’ll learn about a really scary event where hundreds of people saw a hand writing glowing letters on the palace wall. No one could read them except Daniel, who was able to interpret the message from God.

What message do you think God would write on the wall for you, if He had to get your attention that way?

Come join us Sunday and bring a friend…

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We’ll learn Sunday about how God continued to take care of Elijah in a mighty way, spoke kind words of encouragement to him, and continued to use him to do God’s work.

In the same way, we can trust God to care for, comfort, and encourage us…and also to use us to do the same things for other people in God’s name.

We’ll be using an interactive CD game for this Sunday’s lesson. Come join us with a friend…and get there five minutes early to watch “Are You Smarter than a Kids’ Sunday School Class?

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday we’ll be learning about a story that you probably know very well—David and his opponent in battle, Goliath.

For starters, here are some preview questions:

1. What was Goliath’s challenge to King Saul’s army of Israel?
2. What do you think you would have thought if you had been a soldier in King Saul’s army?
3. Why did David think he could defeat Goliath?
4. What part did God play in the battle?

Most of us are out of school at this point, so it’s a great time to invite a friend to come with you to Sunday School! See you next week.

Tom and Sydney Cook

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Obeying God’s commands means listening to the teaching of our father and mother. This week we’ll learn more about what that means.

Be with us this Sunday, and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we will look at a different kind of family, Naomi and Ruth. Ruth was Naomi’s daughter-in-law, and moved with Naomi back to her home town of Bethlehem after the end of the famine that had forced the family to move to Moab. They were both widows with little money, so Ruth went “gleaning” (picking up leftover grain) from the barley fields to provide a little food for Naomi and herself. But God had more in store for that family. They both trusted God to take care of them, and God blessed them with a relative who married Ruth, took care of Naomi, and had a baby who was the grandfather of great King David. It’s a great story, and you will enjoy learning about this Bible family.

We will also be making a surprise gift for mothers in class this Sunday. You’ll want to be there, and to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we’ll learn about Moses’ sister, Miriam, who was about seven years older than Moses. She was a terrific big sister—we’ll find out why.

We can learn from Miriam how we can be good brothers and sisters to our own family members, and how God had put our families together as a very important part of our lives. Each one has a part to play as the family works together—and you do, too!

Come Sunday and think about your own family together with us—and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We will first learn about the Passover celebration which was what Jesus and His disciples actually celebrated at the Last Supper, then about the memorial celebration that Jesus turned it into. The most important thing is that we do it, as Jesus told us, “in remembrance of Me.”

Come and learn what the bread and cup represent, how we should prepare to take part, and what we should be doing and thinking during the Lord’s Supper.

It’s a great week to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We will learn about Jesus’ baptism (by his cousin John), and how He asks us to follow Him in baptism as a picture of what He has done for us (his death, burial, and resurrection).

Hope to see you this Sunday…and bring a friend.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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“Master, we know you are a teacher sent by God, because only God can do the things you do,” he said. Jesus answered in a very strange way: “You must be born again.”

The man’s name was Nicodemus, and he didn’t understand what Jesus was saying to him. This story is in the third chapter of John’s Gospel, and there in verse 16 you will find the most famous verse in the Bible. John 3:16 says “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life.”

That’s really good news!

This Sunday we will learn more about this famous verse, and what Jesus really meant when He said, “You must be born again.” We’ll be studying the church during April, and start out by talking about how someone becomes part of the church—also known as the Body of Christ.

Please plan to join us—and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday we’ll talk about Jesus’ Ascension…meaning to go up in the air. That’s literally what Jesus did, while the disciples watched with their mouths open. An angel had to ask them why they were standing looking up into heaven when they had work to do…the job that Jesus had given them just before he ascended, of telling everyone in the world about Jesus and His love for them.

The angel also promised that Jesus would come back to earth again, just the same way He left. Only this time He will come as the Righteous King, not the humble Servant. That’s good news…Jesus is coming back, and it could be any day now…

See you Sunday as we study this exciting scripture. Bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we will practice saying “The Lord Is Risen!” to one another just as the early Christians did, and celebrate the resurrection by learning the story of the last few days of Jesus’ life as a man. We will celebrate the fact that His life, death, and resurrection was for us, and allows us to spend eternity in heaven with Him even though we have all sinned and do not deserve that kind of love.

It’s a great Sunday to bring a friend to celebrate with us!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This Sunday we celebrate the fulfillment of that prophecy, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey colt, while the people waved palm branches, laid their coats in the path to honor Jesus, and shouted “Hosanna!” (meaning “Save us” ) and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

We call this the Triumphal Entry as Jesus entered Jerusalem while thousands praised Him, shouting that He was the Messiah and the King. They were right, but it was only a few days later that Jesus would be crucified and die for our sins. The good news is that just a week later, on Resurrection Sunday, He would be alive again, and show that His sacrifice for us was acceptable and approved by God.

We will have palm branches for you this Sunday, so we can praise Jesus much as the children and others in Jerusalem did. You’ll want to be with us as we celebrate Palm Sunday together.

As usual, this would be a great Sunday to bring a friend.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Sunday we will talk about many of the miracles that Jesus did, but we will look especially at the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. It is important for us to know that Jesus has power over death, so that we know we can trust Him in times when death touches those we know and love.

Don’t forget to set your clock forward next Saturday night as Daylight Saving Time begins. We don’t want to miss you on Sunday morning!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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We will be talking this month about some of the things Jesus did, including his crucifixion and resurrrection. As God’s Son, and because He himself never did sin, Jesus was the only one who could pay the penalty for our sins. He did it because He loved us.

This would be a great Sunday to bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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A special treat for next Sunday will be the Cedarville University Master’s Puppet team, who will be presenting their show during Jericho Junction. You are invited to see it at the 11:00 hour. I’m looking forward to enjoying it with you.

Thanks for bringing your friends! It’s great to meet new friends, and share with them the fun we have while we learn about Jesus and the Bible. See you Sunday!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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I have a new book of skits that we can try out, complete with sound effects. This is one story where most of the parts are for girls!

Thanks for bringing your friends to Sunday School! It helps us meet new people and have more fun, plus it’s a great way to help others know more about Jesus and His love for them.

See you Sunday!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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The story is about the prophet Elisha and a woman who helped him by giving him food and a special place to stay while he traveled around Israel telling God’s story. Elisha wanted to help her in return, and the story is about how he did that. Helping others pleases God, and it also makes our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Sunday is also our Valentine’s Day party—we’ll have refreshments, games, and a good time with our friends. Invite someone to come enjoy the party with us!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Next Sunday we will be learning about telling the truth. Caleb and Joshua were two of the twelve spies sent to search out the land God had promised to the Israelites. Their report was different from the report of the other ten spies. They were able to trust in God’s promise and see things differently. As a result, they were the only two adults allowed to enter the land God had promised.

Remember to bring in a can or box of food this Sunday to send on our church’s mission to Mississippi to share with the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Also plan to join us for our Valentine’s Day party on February 10—a great Sunday to invite a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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This story will help remind us what it really takes to become a Christian, and challenge us to be able to help other people understand the Gospel and believe.

A couple of things coming up to remember:

• Sunday, February 3 — bring a can (or box) of food which will be taken on our church’s mission to help people still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
• Sunday, February 10 — our Valentine’s Day party, with refreshments, games, and, of course, exciting Bible study. A great day to invite a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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One big reason we should show mercy to others is because God shows mercy to each of us. If we got what we really deserve, we would be really hurting…because we all have sinned and keep sinning, and we don’t deserve God’s love and favor. But He gives it to us anyway, because “while we were still sinners, God loved us.” That’s really good news, and it should make us want to show mercy to others just as God does.

This Sunday we’ll be learning about a time in the Bible when King Saul was trying to kill David, and David had a chance to kill Saul. His men wanted David to kill the king, but David showed mercy to Saul and only cut off part of his cloak, so he could show Saul that he could have killed him but chose not to.

We’ll have some fun with this story and act it out, while we are learning about why, when, and how we should show mercy to others.

See you Sunday…and keep bringing your friends!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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Once we know what choices God wants us to make, which we can learn from studying the Bible, we need the courage to stand up for what we know is right, even though people around us might not want to do the right thing. Remembering Queen Esther will help us when we need courage.

Remember, we will celebrate our excellent Lottie Moon Christmas Offering collection next Sunday with orange juice and doughnut holes…come join us, and bring a friend!

Tom and Sydney Cook
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One great new year’s resolution would be to read the Bible each day! The Bible is God’s “instruction book” for our lives. And He should know how we can get the most out of our lives…after all, He made us!

This month we will be learning about how to make good choices. The place to start is with the instruction that God gives in the Bible. But we need to read and study the Bible in order to follow God’s instruction.

This Sunday we will begin with the story of Daniel and his friends, who were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar to train as his royal advisors. The King had certain ideas on how the young men should be treated, but Daniel and his friends knew that God’s way was best…and had some very good ideas on how to get permission to follow God’s rules.

Join us Sunday as we look at the importance of obeying God in making our choices…and some of the best ways to do that.

Tom and Sydney Cook
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• Crossing the Red Sea
• The Passover
• Wise Men from the East
• Happy Birthday, Jesus!
• Angels Everywhere!
• Let My People Go!
• Moses Birth and Calling
• Joseph Part 2
• Joseph, Part 1
• Jacob's Name Changed

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• 2012 (47)
• 2011 (45)
• 2010 (42)
• 2009 (51)
• 2008 (45)
• 2007 (41)
• 2006 (24)