At our attention in recent days has been the story of a great pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he lied about his use of performance-enhancing drugs when he testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in February 2008.
We are also reminded of many others in baseball and other sports who have enhanced their bodies to greater feats by cheating, or should we say enhancing, sports. The mind set is that it is okay to cheat, to take the shortcut to a better life. The Mitchell report named over one hundred players in baseball for ties with performance-enhancing drugs. This report signifies the growing demand that it is proper to cheat your way through life and get paid top dollar for doing so.
But there is a bigger picture to be looking at here. Experience tells us that these ways are learned, and usually it is learned by rolling down hill, or from the top down. Which bring us to our Government or to Congress specifically and it’s Congressional authority.
Each member of Congress was voted in by a majority of the people. Each one ran on a platform promising the American public to reciprocate the vote given to them for the promises their platform was built on. How many of them perjured themselves to their constituents? How many of them said they would promise to do something while in office, and have they worked toward or completed that expectation. If any Congressman has not, maybe the federal grand jury in Washington should indict Congress for perjury to the American people.
Congress has used (sort of) performance-enhancing drugs. These drugs come in the form of selfishness, power, and greed. For if Congress does not follow through with the platform they were elected with, and then they are using that same power that was given them for other means and purposes. It is a misuse of the authority and performance. Have heard the many excuses of why Congress cannot complete the course of action that they were voted in for, but we get a different performance once they are voted into office. Congress enhances their performance to suit themselves and not their constituents.
Most of us forget that we are not a democracy, we are a republic. We vote people into office to run our government. Can we do a better job of voting and giving responsibility and power to others, yes? Maybe we need to put in safeguards to assure the American voters that the ones we vote in do the job they were voted in for.
We learn from our leaders, top down. If we are wondering why sports in recent years are cheating their way through life, maybe it is because sports has seen our leaders for decades doing the same. If things are to change it takes all of us to change, but it starts from the top down. Everything else will roll downhill from there.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Mosque at Ground Zero, Tolerance, and Christianity
In a recent article published by a well known author and speaker about the Mosque being built at ground zero said “But the construction of the mosque at ground zero is not about tolerance. And it isn't about religious liberty. This is about prudence: the good sense to do what is right. That's one of the four classic, cardinal virtues given to the West.”
Cardinal virtues given to the west, whoever said that following good sense was ever correct? Forgiveness does not seem correct, in the eyes of the world and even enemies, forgiveness does not make sense at all. Loving those who despitefully use you and persecute you is more than just words and is also in the same basket as forgiveness. These qualities do not make sense at all. But it is at the heart of what Jesus taught. Sowing peace in a time of turbulence is something we do not want to hear, but it is something that we should do.
Not only do I believe that the New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission and Mayor Bloomberg is doing the right thing, I believe it is the hand of God working through our Government as Romans 13:1-8, and 1 Peter 2:12-21 depict. Despite our intolerance towards loving and forgiveness God is showing us the way we should go. If we live by the sword, we will die by the sword. Let us therefore sow peace, even to the example that we should go and help them build the mosque with our time and finances and sow more than just words, sow actions that speak louder than words.
This is an opportunity, shall we just pass it by, shall we just blow it off because of some cardinal virtue given to the west, or should we be an example of Christ for the whole world to see.
~
Cardinal virtues given to the west, whoever said that following good sense was ever correct? Forgiveness does not seem correct, in the eyes of the world and even enemies, forgiveness does not make sense at all. Loving those who despitefully use you and persecute you is more than just words and is also in the same basket as forgiveness. These qualities do not make sense at all. But it is at the heart of what Jesus taught. Sowing peace in a time of turbulence is something we do not want to hear, but it is something that we should do.
Not only do I believe that the New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission and Mayor Bloomberg is doing the right thing, I believe it is the hand of God working through our Government as Romans 13:1-8, and 1 Peter 2:12-21 depict. Despite our intolerance towards loving and forgiveness God is showing us the way we should go. If we live by the sword, we will die by the sword. Let us therefore sow peace, even to the example that we should go and help them build the mosque with our time and finances and sow more than just words, sow actions that speak louder than words.
This is an opportunity, shall we just pass it by, shall we just blow it off because of some cardinal virtue given to the west, or should we be an example of Christ for the whole world to see.
~
Friday, August 6, 2010
Only Some People are Created Equal
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
If your not born in this country and you also presently live in Arizona the above statement from the Declaration of Independence is not true. Xenophobia, the 14th Amendment, being Mexican, being whatever is different from you means that all men are not created equal? Our Government is now backtracking and say that we are not sure what the drafters of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence had in mind. I guess we all have been out to lunch the past two hundred and thirty four years.
The problem with men learning from history is that they have not learned from history and that is why history repeats itself. All the historical facts, writings, musings do not mean a thing about how this country was founded. From the mind set in Congress this is apparently so. Our country ideals are based on jurisprudence, so lets just change the rule of law to suit whatever whim and fancy that comes our way. Let’s see, the Declaration of Independence also says
“ Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. “
Light and transient causes, may we all stop and ponder this. Maybe a visit to Ellis Island will awaken our senses from where we come from. My great grandparents were immigrants, glad that they did not cross over from Mexico to Arizona. My parents who were born here were not shipped back to Ireland and the history that we have all come from this ideal is where we have not learned from that historical fact.
When the people have spoken and it is declined by one judge that sure is a problem for jurisprudence. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg address where he ends by saying “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Apparently our government does not want to honor freedom for all, especially in our own country, and dishonor all who died for those freedoms in the past. Only some are created equal is the rally cry in our economic downturn, it is only a light and transient time. We will throw our history and equality aside for a temporary fix that will disfigure us in the years ahead. Let us learn from history.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Forgiveness in the Church and the Mosque at Ground Zero
The New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 on Tuesday August 3, 2010 to allow the Mosque and Islamic center to be built just two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It is refreshing to see and hear a start of forgiveness and healing and to reaffirm that our country can and will move on and be a light in this dark world.
To my dismay though, the church has not learned this yet. As an example there was a men’s meeting recently at a local church and was sitting at a table discussing many things when the topic of Ted Haggard came up. One of the pastors of this church replied and enumerated that Ted Haggard really messed it up for church leaders and fellow pastors. He was angry in what Ted Haggard had allowed to happen and blamed him for some of the moral decay going on in churches.
I was dismayed in hearing this, never was there anything remotely familiar to forgiveness in his attitude or his words. If this is the kind of leadership that church’s can expect they are far from walking with Christ. There was no grace in his words or attitudes. This is what is being found in more and more churches today, judgment.
We are all sinners, my hat is off to Ted Haggard for moving on in his life and allowing healing, mercy, and grace just as Christ would do, in his life. True forgiveness comes when one forgets the past, real love happens when no record of wrongs is kept.
It should be the church teaching the world how to forgive and love. Society, the political world is teaching the church how to forgive and love. This should not be so. It has been said that the world has become so churchy and the church has become so worldly that you cannot tell the difference between the two. Well in this case, the world 1 and the church 0.
~
To my dismay though, the church has not learned this yet. As an example there was a men’s meeting recently at a local church and was sitting at a table discussing many things when the topic of Ted Haggard came up. One of the pastors of this church replied and enumerated that Ted Haggard really messed it up for church leaders and fellow pastors. He was angry in what Ted Haggard had allowed to happen and blamed him for some of the moral decay going on in churches.
I was dismayed in hearing this, never was there anything remotely familiar to forgiveness in his attitude or his words. If this is the kind of leadership that church’s can expect they are far from walking with Christ. There was no grace in his words or attitudes. This is what is being found in more and more churches today, judgment.
We are all sinners, my hat is off to Ted Haggard for moving on in his life and allowing healing, mercy, and grace just as Christ would do, in his life. True forgiveness comes when one forgets the past, real love happens when no record of wrongs is kept.
It should be the church teaching the world how to forgive and love. Society, the political world is teaching the church how to forgive and love. This should not be so. It has been said that the world has become so churchy and the church has become so worldly that you cannot tell the difference between the two. Well in this case, the world 1 and the church 0.
~
Discipleship happens when we relinquish our hearts to the Lord
Mark 7:15
15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'
Jesus was simply explaining that the condition of our hearts should be given preeminence over our physical bodies. Our hearts control our bodies (Pr 23:7), not the other way around. Sin doesn't make our hearts corrupt, but our corrupt hearts make us sin. God looks on our hearts (1Sa 16:7), and our cleanliness or defilement in His sight is dependent solely on whether or not we have been made clean in our spirits by the blood of the Lamb.
Society has told us that the makeup of a man is in what he does. The bible teaches us that the makeup of a man is in who he is and out of who he is he goes and does. We are not human doings, but human beings. In the process we always get the cart before the horse.
2 Timothy 2:6
6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Paul was telling his spiritual son Timothy that you have to get the crops in you first before you can give out to others. You can’t give out what you don’t have. Which bring us to the topic of discipleship?
You might think that being a disciple means being a follower, but the word disciple primarily means being a learner. In biblical times, a man would attach himself to a teacher and learn from him. He would sit at his feet, listen to him and walk with him. He would take on the characteristics of his teacher. If we would take on Christ, than we would reflect His character, conduct and commitments. Discipleship is a lifelong process of learning in an intimate relationship with god and His people. We follow Jesus because He has written us into His Story (History).
We normally look for a set of orders for good behavior, that is what Jesus was getting at when confronting the Pharisee’s. It is about what is going on in the heart that counts, when the change of heart happens all the rest will follow. If your wondering why your life does not match up to what you read in the new testament, it is because the cart has gotten before the horse.
It does take time,
Mark 4:26-29
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Here Jesus is letting us know that it is a process, sleep and rise night and day, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Fruit cannot be eaten till it has had time to grow, so it is with the word of God and discipleship. One cannot continually get the cart before the horse and expect God to override His word. We need time with the Lord, we need time for His word to change us. Then we can give out of what we have.
We must learn the centrality of Jesus Christ, learn to examine and grow our hearts, sit at Jesus’ feet by spending time in the word, the church, bible study group, an individual mentor/teacher. Discipleship cannot be done alone, in a vacuum, it must involve the body of Christ. Give it time, allow the Holy Spirit to engage your heart, then out of what you have you can go and do.
~
15 Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'
Jesus was simply explaining that the condition of our hearts should be given preeminence over our physical bodies. Our hearts control our bodies (Pr 23:7), not the other way around. Sin doesn't make our hearts corrupt, but our corrupt hearts make us sin. God looks on our hearts (1Sa 16:7), and our cleanliness or defilement in His sight is dependent solely on whether or not we have been made clean in our spirits by the blood of the Lamb.
Society has told us that the makeup of a man is in what he does. The bible teaches us that the makeup of a man is in who he is and out of who he is he goes and does. We are not human doings, but human beings. In the process we always get the cart before the horse.
2 Timothy 2:6
6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Paul was telling his spiritual son Timothy that you have to get the crops in you first before you can give out to others. You can’t give out what you don’t have. Which bring us to the topic of discipleship?
You might think that being a disciple means being a follower, but the word disciple primarily means being a learner. In biblical times, a man would attach himself to a teacher and learn from him. He would sit at his feet, listen to him and walk with him. He would take on the characteristics of his teacher. If we would take on Christ, than we would reflect His character, conduct and commitments. Discipleship is a lifelong process of learning in an intimate relationship with god and His people. We follow Jesus because He has written us into His Story (History).
We normally look for a set of orders for good behavior, that is what Jesus was getting at when confronting the Pharisee’s. It is about what is going on in the heart that counts, when the change of heart happens all the rest will follow. If your wondering why your life does not match up to what you read in the new testament, it is because the cart has gotten before the horse.
It does take time,
Mark 4:26-29
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
Here Jesus is letting us know that it is a process, sleep and rise night and day, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Fruit cannot be eaten till it has had time to grow, so it is with the word of God and discipleship. One cannot continually get the cart before the horse and expect God to override His word. We need time with the Lord, we need time for His word to change us. Then we can give out of what we have.
We must learn the centrality of Jesus Christ, learn to examine and grow our hearts, sit at Jesus’ feet by spending time in the word, the church, bible study group, an individual mentor/teacher. Discipleship cannot be done alone, in a vacuum, it must involve the body of Christ. Give it time, allow the Holy Spirit to engage your heart, then out of what you have you can go and do.
~
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Unity of the Faith
The Lord’s Prayer, not the one where the Lord is teaching His disciples to pray but the one He actually prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to the cross in John 17. Jesus was very specific in this prayer, when Jesus says something once, it is important. When He mentions something twice He is saying listen up boys this is really important. In John chapter seventeen, Jesus mentions unity or oneness five different times. The is really important. The first thing in the art of war is to divide and conquer.
Luke 11:17
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (NIV)
Paul wrote to the Ephesus church about unity and the fullness of Christ that we need to grow into. Paul knew something about disunity, he was once against Christ even though he was pro God. He understood exactly about a house divided cannot stand.
Eph 4:13
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(NIV)
The church today is immature, have read countless articles of Christians against other Christians in being so contentious with one another the picture that Jesus wrote in Luke 11:17 is very vivid today. How can the bride be ready to meet the bridegroom when the bride is not ready. There is no maturity level to speak of. Here we are, having the best means on learning the word with technology to help bring us to the knowledge of His word and we are so contentious with one another that it does no good.
In Genesis eleven six we see the people in unity with one another in building a tower to heaven and the Lord says something very profound, if we are in unity there is nothing that we can’t do.
Gen 11:6
6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
We have been caught up in seeing what is different about other Christians but we use it against them and break up the unity and we bring division. Satan is laughing at us and does not even have to lend us a hand for we are doing it all by ourselves. In the process of pointing fingers at others we are being less and less mature. If they are for Jesus then they are for us.
Mark 9:38-40
38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,
40 for whoever is not against us is for us.
(NIV)
Jesus in the parable of the wineskins says:
Luke 5:37-39
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'" (NIV)
Jesus has given us new wine, but we are so caught up in looking at the wineskin and pointing out the differences that we have missed what is inside the wineskin. It is the wine that is important, not the wineskin.
Are we ready to mature? It starts with unity.
~
Luke 11:17
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. (NIV)
Paul wrote to the Ephesus church about unity and the fullness of Christ that we need to grow into. Paul knew something about disunity, he was once against Christ even though he was pro God. He understood exactly about a house divided cannot stand.
Eph 4:13
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(NIV)
The church today is immature, have read countless articles of Christians against other Christians in being so contentious with one another the picture that Jesus wrote in Luke 11:17 is very vivid today. How can the bride be ready to meet the bridegroom when the bride is not ready. There is no maturity level to speak of. Here we are, having the best means on learning the word with technology to help bring us to the knowledge of His word and we are so contentious with one another that it does no good.
In Genesis eleven six we see the people in unity with one another in building a tower to heaven and the Lord says something very profound, if we are in unity there is nothing that we can’t do.
Gen 11:6
6 And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
We have been caught up in seeing what is different about other Christians but we use it against them and break up the unity and we bring division. Satan is laughing at us and does not even have to lend us a hand for we are doing it all by ourselves. In the process of pointing fingers at others we are being less and less mature. If they are for Jesus then they are for us.
Mark 9:38-40
38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,
40 for whoever is not against us is for us.
(NIV)
Jesus in the parable of the wineskins says:
Luke 5:37-39
37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.
38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.
39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'" (NIV)
Jesus has given us new wine, but we are so caught up in looking at the wineskin and pointing out the differences that we have missed what is inside the wineskin. It is the wine that is important, not the wineskin.
Are we ready to mature? It starts with unity.
~
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Do not Let your Hearts be Troubled
John 14:1 (NIV)
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
It's up to us to control our heart. It's God's power that makes that possible, but we have to make the choice and draw on God's ability. How do we do that? This verse goes on to say, "believe in God..." Faith is how we conquer our emotions.
Jesus made these statements to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. Even in circumstances like they would experience, Jesus was telling them not to let their hearts be troubled. That's amazing. And that reveals the authority we have over our emotions. The Lord would have been unjust to command His disciples to do something they were powerless to do. Therefore, we can control our emotions regardless of how things are going.
The fact that Jesus mentions controlling our emotions first in this list of all the things we should do is also significant. If we let our emotions run away with us, then it's nearly impossible to reign them in. It's easier to hold them at bay than it is to stop them once we have let them go. Harnessing our emotions is the first thing to do in a crisis situation. Most battles are won or lost in the first few moments according to the way we allow our emotions to go.
The understood subject of this sentence is "you." "You" let not your heart be troubled. You are the one who has control of your heart. Other people and circumstances cannot trouble you unless you allow them to divert your attention from the Lord and His Word (Isa 26:3, Joh 14:27).
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
John 14:27 (NIV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Jesus had just told the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled, and here He told them how to do it. Believe! Faith in God is the victory that overcomes the world and all its troubles (1Jo 5:4).
1 John 5:4 (NIV)
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
The disciples believed in Jesus enough to be totally devastated when He died but not enough to believe His prophecies concerning His resurrection (Mt 16:21).
Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Jesus made it very clear in this same teaching (Joh 16:1) that He was saying these things so that His disciples would not be offended, but His words didn't profit them, because they didn't mix them with faith (Heb 4:2).
John 16:1 (NIV)
1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
Hebrews 4:2 (NIV)
2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
They had enough faith to be dissatisfied with failure but not enough to have victory. It's better to go all the way in believing God than just part way.
~
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
It's up to us to control our heart. It's God's power that makes that possible, but we have to make the choice and draw on God's ability. How do we do that? This verse goes on to say, "believe in God..." Faith is how we conquer our emotions.
Jesus made these statements to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. Even in circumstances like they would experience, Jesus was telling them not to let their hearts be troubled. That's amazing. And that reveals the authority we have over our emotions. The Lord would have been unjust to command His disciples to do something they were powerless to do. Therefore, we can control our emotions regardless of how things are going.
The fact that Jesus mentions controlling our emotions first in this list of all the things we should do is also significant. If we let our emotions run away with us, then it's nearly impossible to reign them in. It's easier to hold them at bay than it is to stop them once we have let them go. Harnessing our emotions is the first thing to do in a crisis situation. Most battles are won or lost in the first few moments according to the way we allow our emotions to go.
The understood subject of this sentence is "you." "You" let not your heart be troubled. You are the one who has control of your heart. Other people and circumstances cannot trouble you unless you allow them to divert your attention from the Lord and His Word (Isa 26:3, Joh 14:27).
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
John 14:27 (NIV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Jesus had just told the disciples not to let their hearts be troubled, and here He told them how to do it. Believe! Faith in God is the victory that overcomes the world and all its troubles (1Jo 5:4).
1 John 5:4 (NIV)
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
The disciples believed in Jesus enough to be totally devastated when He died but not enough to believe His prophecies concerning His resurrection (Mt 16:21).
Matthew 16:21 (NIV)
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Jesus made it very clear in this same teaching (Joh 16:1) that He was saying these things so that His disciples would not be offended, but His words didn't profit them, because they didn't mix them with faith (Heb 4:2).
John 16:1 (NIV)
1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
Hebrews 4:2 (NIV)
2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
They had enough faith to be dissatisfied with failure but not enough to have victory. It's better to go all the way in believing God than just part way.
~
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