Mark 6:45-46 (TPT). “After everyone had their meal, Jesus instructed his disciples to get back into the boat and go on ahead of him and sail to the other side to Bethsaida. So he dispersed the crowd, said good-bye to his disciples, then slipped away to pray on the mountain.”
Luke 5:16 (CEV). “But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.”
Matthew 6:6 (NIV). “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV). “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
James 5:13-16 (ESV). “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
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This Verse Secretly Undermines All of Christianity...
I just saw this and thought I would process it on my own.
This YouTuber doesn't sound like he's explored much beyond mainstream Western Christianity. He makes the bold statement that EVERY Christian sect finds indispensable the idea that Christ died on the Cross "for our sins". Period.
For the longest time I found that challenging too. He goes on to talk about many of the same things I've asked, "Why couldn't God just forgive us outright? Why must he go through a generational pageant to do something the God of the Universe could have done of his own accord in the first place?"
You can say this is a dumb question. I've been told this many times.
Yet I have never been the only one asking this.
Many, if not all Atheists ask this question. Frankly, many "Christian" answers sound a little unhinged.
Now, I don't think that his examples necessarily contradict the prevailing point of view though. All anyone has to do is look at the banking industry to see that credit on future earnings is a valid payment method. Now it's true that modern banking, and especially credit, wasn't developed until the European Jews, unable to make a living any other way, started lending during the medieval period. Jesuits came up with the idea of insurance, which didn't technically fall under the prohibition against usury. And with ongoing innovation, modern financial markets developed.
None of these, of course, would have been understood by the local people of Jesus' time and place.
What was understood was life and death.
And this is where I found my peace.
Sins can easily be forgiven, but sickness and eventual death? That's a whole other nut to crack. Now, to be clear, unfortunately even the most traditional Christian communities have started to obsess about how SIN must be atoned!
But there is a strain in the oldest Christian traditions that it wasn't primarily sin that was destroyed on the cross, but rather death, disease, corruption (of which sin is a derivation to be sure, but not the point).
Now it's easy to look around and say - "Look! it didn't work." I myself have had to say good bye to both my parents over the last several months.
However, there is a resurrection that is promised. And if Christ has done what he said he did, then there WILL be a general resurrection.
The key is to be prepared for that resurrection. Now we could go on about which denomination is best prepared, but I have little faith in denominationalism. I think it's a means to conquer and divide the faithful, pitting follower against follower. Soon the God who's being worshiped isn't the most High God, but the Deceiver who encourages us all to call each other heretics. I do not think most "Christians" are Christian, but rather following their own wisdom (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:11, Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 24:11).
Now I may be a false teacher myself for thinking such a thing and putting it out there, but I have faith that God will know his own. And while he loves the rest, and has given them life, that life will be so much less for the fact that they reject what he's given them.
I find the idea of a river of fire helpful - Moses and the Glory of God (Exodus 33:20-23), speaks to the idea that to human senses, God is Fire. The Story of the Three Holy Youths (Daniel 3) has also been seen as an illustration of man abiding in the presence of fire, as a proxy for God, unharmed. Pentecost is God's fire experienced by the faithful after his resurrection. How will Gods fire be experienced by the unfaithful?
I have no idea, but I doubt that it will be pleasant (Luke 16:19-31).
In short, I feel this video failed to land it's point. There's enough diversity in Christianity to survive this argument, though I do not think that most modern Christians are open to my resolution.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
Have mercy upon me,
a sinner.
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~ Scriptures about forgiveness ~
Matthew 6:15
"But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Ephesians 4:32
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Colossians 3:13
"Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Daniel 9:9
"To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him."
Romans 3:23
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Proverbs 10:12
"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses."
Micah 7:18
"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love."
Mark 11:25
"And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
Luke 17:3-4
"Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him."
Luke 6:37
"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:"
Matthew 6:14
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:"
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Isaiah 1:8
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
James 5:16
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
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"THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE"
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WORK IN JEREMIAH: God’s call and anointing upon Jeremiah’s life as a prophet began in the womb. God reveals to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 AMPC). This reveals that the…
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A Golden Treasury for the Children of God
by Carl Heinrich von Bogatzky
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself.
- 2 Timothy 2:13
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
- Isaiah 42:3
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- Romans 10:13
Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
- Matthew 5:6
Whoever has such a hungering and thirsting heart, desiring grace above all things, calling upon the name of the Lord, and depending only upon Christ, as a justifying faith already, and is in a state of salvation, though as yet he has not the full assurance of it. This is a fruit of the former, but it is not always enjoyed so soon, nor constantly, at least not without hard conflicts.
Jesus, if still the same thou art,
If all thy promises are sure,
Set up thy kingdom in my heart,
And make me rich, for I am poor;
To me be all thy treasures given,
The kingdom of an inward heaven.
Where is the blessedness bestowed
On all that hunger after thee?
I hunger now, I thirst for God!
See, the poor fainting sinner, see,
And satisfy with endless peace,
And fill me with thy righteousness.
Lord, I believe the promise sure,
And trust thou wilt not long delay:
Hungry, and sorrowful, and poor,
Upon thy word myself I stay!
Into thine hands my all resign,
And wait till all thou art is mine.
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Four Dimensions, Deeper Love: How God Loves You Back
Four Dimensions, Deeper Love: How God Loves You Back
In Ephesians, Paul mentions the four dimensions of God’s love as if everyone knew about them; so tell me, have YOU ever thought about the four dimensions of Christ’s love? In his book of superlatives, Paul talks about where God’s love is planted, and what it looks like. Even if you think you have love all figured out, his description is a revelation that will push your boundaries and redefine…
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many left but still claim right theology is the sacrement that matters; when knowing the truth was never an issue but common knowledge. The battle ground lies in our actions bc what we believe affects how we live, that is you will know them by their fruits... not profession
caveat: Mt 7:15-20,21-23 vs. 25:42-46; 25:14-30 parable of talents
caveat: out of the overflow of heart—the mouth speaks.. but confession of sins redeems if GOD heals us of it. [Lk 645 v Jm516]
opps cycle back to that old hat
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and the evil out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Don't call me good, when only GOD is good [Mark 10:18]
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? [Matthew 7:11]
I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness]. Luke 5:31-32 AMP
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Be Led by His Cloud by Day, Fire by Night (255) - July 20 2024
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The Lord endeavors to lead His creation away from evil and captivity and into a better place in relationship with Him. Out of the Kingdom of Darkness and into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, Jesus (Colossians 1:13).
He led His chosen children of Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire day and night. His Spirit led His Only Begotten Son into the wilderness to be tried…
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warning: every post will include smut! minors do not interact! (18+)
these will be posted at midnight (CST) from Oct. 1st to Oct. 31st. the links will be added accordingly after each one is posted!
* titles are subject to change up until posting date!
go to the bottom of this post to join the taglist! ↓
1. Video Games | Enhypen Jay
— angry sex + makeup sex
2. One Night Stand | Seventeen Hoshi
— anonymous sex + roleplay
3. Relax | Ateez Yeosang
— bath sex
4. Insatiable | Enhypen Sunghoon
— biting kink + blood play [vampire!au]
5. Merciless | Stray Kids Hyunjin
— bondage
6. Countdown | TXT Taehyun
— brat taming
7. All Of Me | Monsta X Jooheon
— breeding kink / creampie
8. Stargazing | Monsta X Changkyun
— choking
9. Sunday Morning | P1Harmony Jiung
— cockwarming
10. Cowgirl | Ateez Wooyoung
— costumes
11. Pretty When You Cry | NCT Jeno
— dacryphilia
12. “It Just . . . Slipped” | Stray Kids Chan
— daddy kink
13. Play Thing | Twice Mina
— degradation
14. Open Wide | BTS Taehyung
— dom!idol
15. Score | Stray Kids Minho
— dry humping / thigh riding
16. Wicked Games | NCT Haechan
— edging / orgasm denial
17. Watch Yourself | Seventeen Jeonghan
— mirror sex
18. That’s My Girl | Twice Jihyo
— mommy kink
19. Thin Walls | ZB1 Matthew
— masturbation
20. I Can See You | The Boyz Sangyeon
— office sex [coworkers!au]
21. Sit | Blackpink Rosé
— oral
22. Good To Me | Seventeen Wonwoo
— overstimulation
23. Kiss Me Thru The Phone | Stray Kids Felix
— phone sex
24. Beautiful | NCT Jaehyun
— praise kink
25. Focus | Ateez San
— sex tape / filming
26. Knew Better | Seventeen S.Coups
— spanking
27. First Time For Everything | (G)-Idle Soyeon
— squirting
28. Bad Day | Wonho
— stripping
29. Hotel Room Service | TXT Huening Kai
— sub!idol
30. Three’s Company | P1Harmony Keeho & Theo
— threesome
31. Weapon | ITZY Chaeryoung
— toys
🕸️ Taglist 🕷️
to join the taglist for this event only, please comment on this post! asks or comments on any other posts will not be valid.
edit: if your age isn’t visible on your blog you will not be added! you must be 18+ to be eligible for this taglist. thank you!
if you’d like to join my other taglists, you can do so here.
if you have any questions, i suggest sending those through my inbox!
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Church notes - 26th February 2023
26th
James 1:2 - 4
Luke 18:1-8
1 John 1:3: - 11
We whould walk in a sincre way.
vs 3 - 6
Put our faith in Him.
But we meed to walk in obedience. Our behaviour needs to reflect His teachings. Walk a life of love. Live like Jesus.
Ephesians 5:25
Live our lives for the LORD daily.
But not in a legalistic way. Nor in a self-righteous way.
vs 7, 8
The Old Command
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Jesus loved by self sacrifice.
Jesus said 'Love your enemies'. This is the opposite of today's Cancel Culture.
Agape - The love giving. God sees how we are and loves us anyway.
Philia - Brotherly/Friendly love
Eros - Sensual love (Not used in the New Testament)
We need to act lovingly.
John 13:34
vs 9 - 11
The relationship between us and other believers is very important.
The only way of growth is through forgiveness.
Romans 14:13 - 18
The most important thing is not being right, but being in a healthy relationship with other Christians.
Everyday walk.
It calls us to:
Obey
Love not Hate
- We need to be mindful of what we say.
Be willing to forgive
Matthew 6:14, 15
Philippians 4:8, 9
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The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.
As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of
The New York Times Book Review.
NYT Article.
*************
Q: How many of the 100 have you read?
Q: Which ones did you love/hate?
Q: What's missing?
Here's the full list.
100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson
99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith
98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward
96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman
95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel
94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith
93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante
91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth
90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen
89. The Return, Hisham Matar
88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters
86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight
85. Pastoralia, George Saunders
84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee
83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat
82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor
81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan
80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante
79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin
78. Septology, Jon Fosse
77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid
74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout
73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro
72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich
71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen
70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones
69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez
67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon
66. We the Animals, Justin Torres
65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth
64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai
63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill
62. 10:04, Ben Lerner
61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon
59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
58. Stay True, Hua Hsu
57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner
55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright
54. Tenth of December, George Saunders
53. Runaway, Alice Munro
52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson
51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
50. Trust, Hernan Diaz
49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang
48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison
46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson
44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin
43. Postwar, Tony Judt
42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James
41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan
40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano
37. The Years, Annie Ernaux
36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine
33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward
32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst
31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith
30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt
28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
26. Atonement, Ian McEwan
25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
24. The Overstory, Richard Powers
23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro
22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond
20. Erasure, Percival Everett
19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty
16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
14. Outline, Rachel Cusk
13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald
7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
6. 2666, Roberto Bolano
5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones
3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson
1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
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FAITH!
• “Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” —Hebrews 11:1
• “And without FAITH it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” —Hebrews 11:6
• “I tell you the truth, if you have FAITH as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” —Matthew 17:20
• “Fight the good fight of the FAITH. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ” —1 Timothy 6:12
• “We live by FAITH not by sight.” —2 Corinthians 5:7
• “Be on your guard; stand firm in the FAITH; be men of courage, be strong.” —1 Corinthians 16:13
Faith is the most important gift a Christian has (other than Salvation in Jesus Christ and God’s Word: The God-breathed, Spirit-filled Holy Bible). With God and faith, the impossible can become the possible. Hebrews chapter 11 (https://bible.com/bible/116/heb.11.NLT) is all about the faith of people in the Bible: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses (and his parents), Rahab and the people of Israel! And these are just the people mentioned in Hebrews 11! There are many more ordinary people throughout the Bible who were chosen by God and, by faith (and with God’s help), did amazing, miraculous things.
Friend (just like the people in the Bible), with faith and God’s help, there is nothing you and God can't achieve together. Keep seeking God’s will, keep praying, keep believing (Lk 11:9-10, Mk 11:24) and you will see miracles begin to happen. Amen and Hallelujah! 🙌🙌🙌
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The Hour Has Come
The Hour Has Come
Jesus knew His purpose. Nothing was going to divert Him from that purpose. He came to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). And timing was everything. The gospel of John makes this perfectly clear. Seven different times we are told that “His time had not yet come” and then in the last 18 hours of His earthly life we read that Jesus knew that “His hour” had come just before…
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Revelation: The Lion is a Lamb
For prophets, visions tend to be highly symbolic, with imagery that arouses heightened passions as well as points to an absolute reality. In a sense, visions are both a veil, and a veil being removed. #Revelation5 #LionisaLamb #SevenEyes #SevenHorns
Symbology
For prophets, visions tend to be highly symbolic, with imagery that arouses heightened passions as well as points to an absolute reality. In a sense, visions are both a veil, and a veil being removed.
A veil, because what is seen only represents, or indicates, the true reality.
But also a removal of the veil, for once the symbology has been deciphered, what is revealed displays a…
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"THE CHRISTMAS GUEST THAT WILL NEVER LEAVE!"
Matthew 1:23, “Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and He shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God Is With Us.”) (TLB)
During the holidays you have to admit there’s quite a bit that can make you cry! Seeing family, exchanging gifts, watching kid’s faces light up, reading heart-felt cards and the like. However, there’s an even bigger Kleenex moment that…
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AN INCOMPLETE LIST: THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HRH PRINCE HENRY OF WALES:
1. The sound of your laugh when I piss you off. (@magsalecs)
2. The way you smell underneath your fancy cologne, like clean linens but somehow also fresh grass (what kind of magic is this?). (@alexshenry)
3. That thing you do where you stick out your chin to try to look tough. (@tylerposey)
4. How your hands look when you play piano. (@nostalgiaisabitchhuh)
5. All the things I understand about myself now because of you. (@userstede)
6. How you think Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars (wrong) because deep down you're a gigantic, sappy, embarrassing romantic who just wants the happily ever after. (@magsalecs)
7. Your ability to recite Keats. (@magsalecs)
8. Your ability to recite Bernadette's "Don't let it drag you down" monologue from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (@darwinsfinchesx)
9. How hard you try. (@sheisraging)
10. How hard you've always tried. (@stevenrogered)
11. How determined you are to keep trying. (@simon-eriksson)
12. That when your shoulders cover mine, nothing else in the entire stupid world matters. (@magsalecs)
13. The goddamn issue of Le Monde you brought back to London with you and kept and have on your nightstand (yes, I saw it). (@sheisraging)
14. The way you look when you first wake up. (@magsalecs)
15. Your shoulder-to-waist ratio. (@gay-bucky-barnes)
16. Your huge, generous, ridiculous, indestructible heart. (@thomasbrodiesandwich)
17. Your equally huge dick. (@tylerposey)
18. The face you just made when you read that last one. (@uglygreenjacket)
19. The way you look when you first wake up (I know I already said this, but I really, really love it). (@magsalecs)
20. The fact that you loved me all along. (@magsalecs)
— I can't match you for prose, but what I can do is write you a list.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (2019) and Matthew Lopez (2023)
Credit to all the gif makers and editors, the real heroes of the fandom.
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