ame c T R O P S PAS The soonmge in a dream t pg 20
Princess Omaatla Andreck The songbird
All about tithing pg 18
March 2022 l issue 25
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 04 05 08
ABOUT US EDITOR'S NOTE OUR JOURNEY WITH CHRIST TURNING A NEW LEAF
10
COVER STORY: DOBA
15
REAL TALK: TITHING
19 21 24
SERMON:GOD WANTS YOU BACK BOOK REVIEW: THE ABSCENCE OF A MAN EFFECTIVE PRACTICE SESSION
ABOUT US WHO WE ARE
We are an online Christian magazine that aims at sharing, inspiring stories. We celebrate, recognize and appreciate Christian role models in their different capacities
MISSION To share the Gospel truth, inspire, motivate and cultivate faith in our everyday lives
VISION
To give a platform and safe room for growth in the Christianity lifestyle and exposure to local talent in the Christian community.
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Editor's note Hello my SAFE readers We have just celebrated our two-year anniversary and this is my last issue as the Editor. Bosa Sebolai (keep reading the magazine to know more about her) has volunteered her time to help me with this aspect of the publication which allows me to focus more on articles that spread the word. It has been an interesting journey writing and being in this part of the magazine. I have had to do everything with this publication and I am grateful for all the assistance I am getting from all the contributors. I hope that we will continue to grow and produce memorable publications that help you grow in faith. I encourage our readers to also contribute to the publication to help us improve and share the word. This is not goodbye but a most needed growth and development as a way to improve our craft. I would still be writing REAL TALK. Thank you for being the best SAFE Readers, continue to support by reading and sharing and give us feedback. I love you but God loves you more
Malebogo Lepere Youthful4God | Issue 25| Pg 4
OUR JOURNEY WITH CHRIST BY K M NTEBANG As can be evidenced from the word of God, Jesus, being God Many people think that one’s declaration of being a “Christian” means that they are living a beautiful life, smooth sailing or that their life is a bed of roses. They think that the life of a Christian has no challenges, difficulties, sadness, grief e.t.c. Little do we know that the moment you give your life to Christ, the devil releases all his energy to attack and make one doubt their newly found life in Christ. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) states thus,
Himself, suffered such great humiliation for the sake of our redemption. So, if Jesus suffered, it should be expected that even as his followers we will experience challenges of all forms, most of which will be the test of our faith and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to go through suffering and persecution for the sake of His name. And as indicated above, perseverance throughout our lives as Christians should be our drive, for it is only when we are able to withstand all the tests of time that we will be able to achieve our goals in our everyday struggles to continuously better our lives.
“therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so badly entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”.
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When you engage in a journey with Jesus, it is like you are calling all tests of life upon yourself and for that one needs a strong faith in God the Almighty, faith that will not be easily shaken, one that will believe even amidst doubts and one that will trust blindly because God wants true believers who obey Him in truth and in Spirit. For if we are of the Spirit and are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, living in us every moment, then we will see and experience the things of the Spirit, things not understood by the those who are still in the world. We can confirm our conviction in the Spirit who lives in us through the word of God in Romans 5:3-5 (NIV), that says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us”.
Photo by Clemens van Lay God has the greatest love for His children and ensures that they are cared for and protected from the devil’s dirty claws. We should consider ourselves lucky if we find favor in the Lord for He is merciful and slow to anger and His love is the greatest gift in our lives. I encourage all of us this month to have a reflection of our lives and establish the kind of relationship we have with our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior. Let us open our eyes, hearts and minds so that we may see God in everything we do, understand Him and appreciate Him for who He is in our lives. Let us share with everyone, the love that He has filled our hearts with so that even our enemies may find joy in the spillover effect of that love and change their bad and evil ways. Let us work for the Kingdom of God while here on earth by spreading the Gospel and ensuring that we bring as much sheep as possible to Jesus, who is the good Shepard. Let us be impactful in the lives of those we live with and around, because one little change for the better, in another person, maybe just be what is needed to get that person converted into believing the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May our journey with Christ be strengthened by our unshaken love and faith in Him who redeemed us.
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TURNING A NEW LEAF By
Harry Tawiah Ussher
The “leaf” in this phrase does not refer to
From time to time it is imperative that we access ourselves
the leaf on a tree, but rather the pages in a book. In the 16th century, the pages of a book were referred to as leaves. The allusion to turning over to a blank and starting over has been used since the 1500s. Even though it has not always meant “change for the better” it has always meant that you are starting over. When
as individuals to identify areas where we need to turn to the next page. For the reason that, no matter whom we are there are certain areas of our lives which need to be worked on to become better in life. This is a sensible way of living. Comprehend that God is more concerned about our character than the blessings He will give us. A person whose character brings glory to God is what He is after. The reason why many people are living in regrets is that
you turn to a new, clean page you are leaving the past behind you and starting over.
they lived their lives without amending their ugly ways, even when they noticed that what they were doing brought more problems to them and ignored the advise of many.
We live in a world where many people are stuck in life without any noticeable progress in their existence as a result of how they have always done things that haven’t helped them over the years, but because of their beliefs, traditions and
In our families, communities and among friends and colleagues I believe we know some worldly people who have not progressed in life because of what they seem to believe in, however that is not what God expect from us as believers. Consequently, how then does God expect us to
stubborn nature they do not want to do away with what is not working for them. Albert Einstein once said , “IT IS INSANITY DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS”. Someone also said , “YOUR LIE DOES NOT GET BETTER BY CHANCE, IT GETS BETTER BY CHANGE”. In other words turning a new leaf is very important for anyone who wants a change in life.
live our lives as Christians? In 2 Corinthians 5: 17 it may interest you to know that as soon as you come to Jesus Christ, God makes the one a brand new person by letting the past go and turn new pages of your life. Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! Amplified Version.
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Turning a new leaf CONTINUES Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! New International Version. As we are in a new year with new possibilities, it is vital that you have a drastic look at your character and amend certain areas of your life that has prevented you from moving to the next level and has let people to abandon you. In 1 Corinthians 11:31 the Bible makes it clear that the Word of God is a mirror that we can use to check ourselves whether we are living right or not
Photo by Waranont (Joe)
so that no one will judge us.
For if we searchingly examined ourselves (detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition), we should not be judged and penalty decreed (by divine judgment). Amplified Version. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. New International Version. TURN A NEW LEAF.
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COVER STORY
Princess Omaatla Andreck popularly known as DOBA was born on the 12th of April 1993 in the capital city, Gaborone. DOBA is the first of 4 children raised by her parents, Bishop Dithapelo and Pastor Peggy Lubinda. The name DOBA came as a pet name given to her as a child by her neighbor and she is now fondly known as Doba by family, friends and people in the music fraternity, which is how she ultimately adopted “DOBA” as her stage name. She is married to her Executive Producer and Manager, Obakeng Mothusi Andreck, and they both own their record label, Andreck R3C0RDS. The couple has been blessed with a beautiful daughter, Azaryāh Destiny Andreck. Youthful4God | Issue 25| Pg 10
DOBA has been singing from as far back as she can remember, which was influenced by the fact that She was born in a musical family. She has been in the music industry professionally for 15 years. She started school at The Learning Center school from pre-school, kindergarten and the first term of her STD one. She then transferred to Phakalane Primary School where she went on to complete her STD 7. She then proceeded to Nanogang Community Junior Secondary high school where the love of music grew. She joined the drama club where she grew her singing skills. Because of her interest in music from a young age, she joined her father's church Greater Light Church's praise and worship team after being born again and baptised at the age of 15. She has always been a consistent and committed participant in all music activities in the church. She is currently a praise and worship member of the Faith worshippers team at Faith Covenant Ministries International, her spiritual home. In 2009 she became a member of the group Jam In Christ, where she was introduced to many renowned gospel personalities such as Tshepo Lesole, Apostle Joel Keitumele, the late Tebbie and many others. She became a resident backing vocalist for said artists and that's how she was introduced to the gospel music industry, where under the tutelage of multiple people she honed her skills. DOBA was recruited to be part of "We must Praise choir" in 2017. She went on to embark on her solo career with her live album recorded on the 30th of October 2021 and soon after released her first single titled "PASSPORT" in December 2021.
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The year 2022 promises to be a fruitful and monumental season in her music career. In addition to her recently released second single, "TRUST IN THE LORD" which she released in the month of February, she is set to release her full album and DVD.
Besides music, my other great passion is anything arts-related, I'm such a creative. I love drawing, fashion, spoken word, graphic design, makeup, a wide array of anything that gets my creative juices flowing. The song PASSPORT came to me in a dream funny enough. I have a lot of those, dreams of songs and what have you, but this one was the first one I actually remembered after waking up. It holds a very powerful message, that we don't qualify or earn our way into heaven with good deeds and such, but that the only way to make it to heaven is through Jesus Christ the son of God” she explains. Doba has recently released another single TRUST IN THE LORD which is a song she wrote years ago. “I was meditating on the scripture Proverbs 3:5-6, which says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. And I just gave it a melody and that's how it came about.” Both songs are available on all online stores, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer to name a few. “I live my life with the thought that at the end of it all when it's just me and the great Judge face to face, I want to hear Him say "Good job my girl". I always imagine that He's watching my life like a movie and I just want to make Him smile. I call it my driving force. I live to please God and trust me I don't get it right all the time, but I know that I can always come back to Him and get a fresh start, and that's a privilege I don't take for granted”. When asked about music sales she explains “Truthfully, people buy music, think they do, it may seem like they don't buy music but I think that's because most Batswana don't know about us newcomers. We have a tendency (unintentionally of course) of keeping to our circle. We market to our families, our Facebook friends, our colleagues and church brethren and that's it. We don't make a big enough effort to reach beyond that. Bearing in mind of course that we're basically winging it, there's no template for our particular audience. What works for other African markets may not work here, so we're working on trial and error.”
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Doba is already working tirelessly on the next project already, but for this year and probably next year she will be working on marketing her album, TESTIMONY. The is a plan to have a tour soon but nothing has been finalized. Last words from Doba to the public and my supporters I would love to appreciate all the support they are showing me. We're going places. To the Christian body I will say bakaulengwe Jeso oetla. We need to be working really hard to spread the message of God's love and His saving grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's evangelise because our main purpose is the great commission by winning souls for Christ.
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REAL TALK Tithing
We (Christians) believe that everything we have, God gave to us. HeR gave usLall T that have especially our income, he only asks EA Awe LK for 10% of that to help in His house(church). 90% is all yours and you can use it as you please. In the old ways, people brought land produce because it was what was used as payment at the time. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord.”
PHOTO BY GABRIEL IVERSON
Tithing is a reminder that everything belonged to God and a portion is given back to God to thank him for what they have received. What is tithing-A tithe is a part (10%) of your monthly income that you give to your local church Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy.” There is a difference between tithing and first fruits. Firstfruits are when you get a job or new job or promotions and you decide to give in your first fruits (from first income) giving to the church on top of your tithe.
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TRUTHS ABOUT TITHING ·Trust Tithing is a way of showing God that we trust Him with our lives and our finances. It is showing Him that we give Him the percentage He asked for and trust that the 90 will see us through. It’s a way to show God that we believe in Him and He can trust us with the little that we have which He has given us. ·Tithing is not for God’s benefit God does not need our money. Tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing part of our income encourages us to rely on God to meet our needs and it makes us more aware of the needs of others too. Tithing helps your local church in helping others. This could be to advance the gospel or support the needy. Giving encourages a grateful and generous spirit and can help steer us away from being greedy or having an unhealthy love for money. ·Bad Christian Tithing 10% of your income is biblical but it doesn’t mean you have to be a Christian to tithe. It also does not say you are a bad Christian if you don’t tithe. God loves us when we give and when we don’t give. Most of those who go to church don’t give a tithe. But God instructs us to be shepherds and spread the gospel which does not come cheap. We should strive for spiritual growth and things like tithing will come naturally and with understanding. Photo by Mark König ·Tithing is not a way to earn God’s love We already have God’s love. In Matthew 23:23, Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Jesus warns us against focusing too much on the rules of tithing without paying attention to the more important things like mercy, faithfulness and fairness. It’s not about the money Tithing is more of a spiritual topic than a financial one. It’s not about the money, it’s about the heart and why you are doing so. It’s about living with the attitude that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others. When you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it, it’s easy to notice the benefit and the cover that God grants you unlike doing it because it is written. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
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Commonly Asked Questions About Tithing 1. If I don’t go to church, should I still “donate” 10% of my income? Giving 10% of your income to anything other than the local church is not really a tithe but a nice gift and it is never a bad thing to do. Even if you’re not a part of a local church, there are plenty of ministries and organizations that are doing great work and could benefit from your gifts. 2. Should I tithe while trying to pay off debt? Tithing should still be a priority. Even if you are in debt or walking through a rough or tough financial season, you still must tithe. It’s very appealing to put that money towards your debt. Even while you are paying down debt, you can still have an attitude of generosity. But you can hold off on offerings (extra gifts) while you’re paying off debt. And if you are in debt, you should put all your extra money toward your debt clearance. Once you are out of debt, you’ll be free to give as generously as you want to. 3. Do I give 10% of my income before or after taxes? And do I add income from side hustles? Whether you tithe from your gross pay or your take-home pay is totally up to you. What matters to God is that you are tithing. Dave Ramsey says: “Just give and be a giver. It’s about changing your spirit anyway.” Your side hustle is also included in your monthly 10% tithe. This is a percentage of all the income you receive monthly. If you have a part-time job on the weekends that brings in P500 extra each month, add that amount to your total monthly income and tithe P50 of it. 6. Should I tithe on gifts? There’s no scripture that outright says you have to tithe on the money you receive as a gift, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. So, it looks like this is a decision between you and God.
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Where do I begin 1. Take part Don’t just attend church on Sundays and mid-week. Get involved in the church and its activities. There are so many departments within the church that you can lend a hand. When you get involved in the church, you get to see what the money it’s been used for. You can also see where there is a need for caring for others. 2. Donate Some people struggle with tithing. Deep down they want to give every month. I always ask people to start with a certain amount every month. It might not be 10% of the monthly income but it's something and the point is to build the norm of giving money every month. Keep increasing that money until you reach 10% of your monthly income. 3. Time Sometimes when you don’t have the money you can tithe your time but there is nothing wrong with doing both. Even if you have money and you tithe, spending time volunteering for programs in the church can help you exercise your sympathy and give hope to the people that believe that people that6 tithing or wealth do not have to be hands-on in the church. As we conclude this month's real talk, Malachi 3:10 says Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. The word of God is challenging us that we should tithe and see if God will not bless us or multiply us. Why not give tithes and observe any changes in your life? Tithing is not giving a portion to get more money. Think about it and consult with God regarding tithing, until next month. Stay blessed
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GOD WANTS YOU BACK! GUARDING AGAINST JEALOUSY
Have you ever felt like you have strayed away too far to return? Gone in too deep to change your mind? I say, for
as long as you can remember home, for as long as you can remember God, that’s a chance for you to rise up, pack up and go back. If you’re still alive then you have a chance to make things right with Jesus, the Savior King. His death was for me and you. He paid a ransom that we may be saved from the penalty of sin, which is eternal damnation.
Dr. Luke recorded a parable about the lost son; some versions of the bible call it the parable of the prodigal son. This parable reflects the attitude of the Father towards sons and daughters that have gone wayward. It seems pivoted around the forgiving father, whose character remains constant throughout the story; constant in love and forgiveness. Luke 15:11-32 tells us a story of how the youngest son in the family demanded his inheritance, left home and went to a faraway country only to squander it all till he had nothing left. He demanded freedom; freedom that only later relegated him to a state of immense destitution and beggary. The bible says one day, “he came to his senses” and remembered that even servants in his father’s house lived better. He started to rehearse his speech of repentance and then headed By backTsaone home. He was content to return as a servant and slave, but to his astonishment, he was Makula restored to full privilege as his father’s son. We are told that as he approached home, his father saw him from afar distance and ran towards him to welcome him back. The young man’s father was so happy that he kissed his boy, gave him a robe (a sign of dignity and honor), a ring (a sign of authority and sonship), sandals (a sign of not being a servant) and threw a big welcome back party. What a great welcome this was for someone who had displayed tendencies of a little rascal. What a constant attitude of love the father had! The father had been longing for the return of his lost son all these years, he had been longing for fellowship with his son and the fact that he was now back was all that mattered.
Photo by Edwin Andrade
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We all possess this foolish ambition to be independent from God, which is at the root of the sinner persisting in his sin. Have you persisted and acted on this foolish ambition? Has this socalled desire for freedom pushed you far from fellowship with God? Do you find yourself living a life you never thought you would live? A life of sin and waywardness, which has stifled the fire and passion for God in you? Just like the prodigal son reflected and came to his senses, it is time for you and I to reflect and see if we have not gone to a “faraway country”, far away from fellowship with God. Sin tends to impoverish a man’s spirit and leaves him spiritually bankrupt and very dry. It’s time to rise up and return to your father’s house, return to fellowship with God because He has been waiting for you, he cannot wait to wrap His arms around you and restore you to a state of royalty and dignity. His love and forgiveness are constant. He is longing for your return. God wants you back!
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BOOK REVIEW by R. Carlos Pius TITLE: THE ABSENCE OF A MAN AUTHOR: Phatsimo Rankgo Contents: 3 chapters, 163 pages
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At times, I wonder, “What in the world was going on in the mind of a writer when s/he wrote about men?” Before you read on, this book was a gift and I treasured it like some of my sacred words of wisdom, I never meant to share it with you but since I did, make the best of it. However, it is great to read a book authored by a believer of Christ explaining what went wrong and what the solutions are or at least could be. Being male and a man myself, being a reader and a good listener I often long for a message that can remind me of the purposes of God about my life. The author has ascribed to men their roles and responsibilities before the Sovereign Lord and to all humanity as well as all of creation. The importance of reading such a book is to get ready to correct the head (man) who signals all other parts of the body (women, children, the world, organizations and many more who are troubled because of the absenteeism of a designated lead.) See, truth of the matter is that an absent man, husband, father, brother, boy, grandfather, godfather, uncle and or sometimes in very rare situations (boyfriend/male-bestie) will push the whole world to the sharp self-destructing edge of chaos. Still in the truth, when man sinned against God things shifted only a bit but a lot of confusion ruled the domains that man was supposed to dominate. The man became absent before God and that was the beginning of every trouble we see today. An absent man in aspects of humanity is so destructive that if God did not hold all creation in the palm of His hand, all of it won’t be standing. I personally give this masterpiece a high book rating and recommend it to ALL MALES to restore their presence everywhere and to ALL FEMALES and children to support the restoration of their heads. As we speak, we only are at the mercy and grace of God for He loved the world this much. We can point fingers to men and call them trash as much as it pleases us, and the more you call them trash, the more the world continues to stink. Well, that is what trash does, stink but also men may have no right to explain away their failures.
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Hear me and hear me good, everyone can correct anyone and I love the fact that Phatsimo Rankgo penned it down. Get the book yourself and be blessed. CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: The role of a man Chapter 2: What happens when a man is absent Chapter 3: A man who is present but not really present ABOUT AUTHOR Phatsimo Rankgo is a husband and a father, a teacher and a worshipper serving in Mochudi Assemblies of God. Author contacts: +267 74686691 Published by: Kingdom Publishers Printed by: Perfect Black
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Heavenly Sound
Playing an instrument brings so much joy to those who do. It allows one to express themselves in a way that words would not explain. However, this needs a lot of time, effort, and most of all practice. It is important to know how to practice effectively and practice time will be twice as useful if it is done right. One important thing to understand is that “You are your own best teacher”.Only you can make yourself a better player, not your teacher.
EFFECTIVE PRACTICE SESSION by: Teacher Akhu
Let’s get into the basics of an effective practice session 1. Organise yourself and all the materials you will need. These may include your sheet music, tuner, metronome, music stand, etc. Organising yourself and gathering everything you need will help you structure your sessions and reduce interruptions during your session. 2. Find a quiet place to practice in. Choosing a space in your house that is less used will help you practice without any distractions
Photo supplied by writer
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3. Set a goal. It is better to have something you are working at than just practice without a goal in mind.
6. Play something fun and easy at the end. Once you’ve reached your goal, spend the last 10-15 minutes in playing
4. Create a practice schedule and stick
your most favourite song/chord which you mostly like and just play with some
to it. If you want to advance, you should play your instrument 6 days a week, whether that’s for 15 minutes or 2 hours each day. Pick consistent times and days that work best for you and always practice when you’re scheduled to.
happiness to finish with a positive attitude. ` Be patient with yourself. Learning to play an instrument is a long-term project. If you are taking lessons, you should
5. Warm up first. Once you have
ensure that your session cover these three things:
everything set up and ready, spend about 5-10 minutes working on scales and doing other warm-up activities. You can also do some breathing and stretching exercises at this time.
1) Review of your last lesson, applying what you learned 2) Preparation for your next lesson (i.e., your assignment) 3) Anything else that you feel is important to you - or fun for you.
For your music lessons contact Kingdom Arts Academy, where your music is our passion!
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