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Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my"); document.writeln("iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.¹

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There was once a"); document.writeln("little town sheltered in the protective heights of a mountain range. High up in"); document.writeln("the hills, a quiet forest dweller had taken it upon himself to be the Keeper of"); document.writeln("the Springs. He patrolled the hills and whenever he found a spring, he cleaned"); document.writeln("it of fallen leaves, mud, and mold so that the water which bubbled up ran down"); document.writeln("clean, cold, and pure. It flowed over rocks and dropped in crystal cascades"); document.writeln("until, swollen by other streams, it became a river of life to the busy town."); document.writeln("Millwheels were whirled by its rushing stream. Gardens were refreshed by its"); document.writeln("waters. Swans sailed on its sparkling surface, and children laughed as they"); document.writeln("played on its banks in the sunshine.

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The Town Council, a"); document.writeln("group of stubborn businessmen, scanned the civic budget and found in it the"); document.writeln("salary of a Keeper of the Springs. The Keeper of the Purse said, Why should we"); document.writeln("continue to pay someone we have never seen? It is unnecessary. Let us build a"); document.writeln("cement reservoir just above the town, we can dispense of his services and save"); document.writeln("his salary. And so they did.

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The Keeper of the"); document.writeln("Springs watched from the heights while they built the reservoir, all the while"); document.writeln("neglecting the pools that had now turned brown. When it was finished and filled"); document.writeln("up, the water did not seem to be the same. It did not seem to be as clean, and"); document.writeln("a green scum soon covered its stagnant surface. The machinery of the mills"); document.writeln("often became clogged with slime. The swans left for a cleaner pond. And soon,"); document.writeln("sickness found its way into every home. Sorrowfully, the town council met"); document.writeln("again. In the face of their plight, they acknowledged the mistake of the"); document.writeln("dismissal of the Keeper of the Springs and sought him out to beg him to return"); document.writeln("to his former labor. Gladly he agreed, and began, once more, to make his"); document.writeln("rounds.

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It was not long"); document.writeln("until pure water came flowing down\'�”sparkling in the cleansed reservoir."); document.writeln("Millwheels turned freely again, sickness waned and convalescent children"); document.writeln("playing in the sun laughed again because the swans had come back.²

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Are the springs of"); document.writeln("your heart so cluttered that they are making you spiritually sick? Today is a"); document.writeln("good day to make rounds and clean up those springs so that the living water of God can run freely, pure and clean, refreshing your soul.

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Suggested prayer: Dear"); document.writeln("God, I have allowed worry, doubt, and stress and other sins into my life and it"); document.writeln("has become stagnant. Cleanse my heart so that the springs of my life run clean"); document.writeln("and pure, and so your love can flow freely, blessing all those around me. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

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1. "); document.writeln("Psalm 51:1-2 (NIV).

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2. "); document.writeln("\'��The Keeper of the Springs\'�� by Peter Marshall (paraphrased)

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Today\'��s Encounter"); document.writeln("was written by: Veronica B.

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