The Practice Church Podcast
The Practice is a community that gathers for worship, prayer, teaching, and communion. The Scripture, prayers, and songs of our opening liturgy help us to set aside all that distracts us from the Lord’s loving presence. We slow down to learn and engage the spiritual practices that help us to walk with Jesus. Every gathering, we center around the communion table to meet with Christ in a tangible way. Through all of this, we are seeking to create a sacred space, both in our gatherings and in our everyday lives, so we can be formed by Jesus to be like Jesus for the sake of the world.
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The Communion of Saints: Desert Mothers and Fathers
07/22/2024
The Communion of Saints: Desert Mothers and Fathers
From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age. This week, we looked to the Desert Mothers and Fathers. There are remarkable similarities between our culture today and the culture of the fourth century. What word of wisdom might these wonderful saints offer to us in this day and age? What can we learn from their resistance to being carried along by cultural currents? What if God is inviting us to be a little weird, to flee from power, comfort, and significance, and to do it all for the sake of love? For additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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The Communion of Saints: Irenaeus
07/15/2024
The Communion of Saints: Irenaeus
From the very beginning of The Practice, we have always appreciated the important lessons we can learn from various Christian traditions throughout the history of the Church. This summer, we will spend time learning about our sisters and brothers, some you may know and others you may not. We hope to not only learn about them, but also to listen to what they might have to teach us in this day and age. In the first week of our series, we heard about Irenaeus, his stand against gnosticism and how the doctrine of the incarnation helps us avoid gnosticism today. For additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Promised Land: Judges
06/24/2024
Walking in the Promised Land: Judges
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in (Genesis 1-11), (Genesis 12-50), , and . If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links. In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God’s invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In the third week of our series, Jason Hitchcock invited us to consider how the story of Judges demonstrates the faithful love of God in the midst of Israelite failure. We see God's desire for the people's good, and how hope is able to grow in desperate places. For additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Promised Land: The Conquest Narratives
06/17/2024
Walking in the Promised Land: The Conquest Narratives
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in (Genesis 1-11), (Genesis 12-50), , and . If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links. In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God’s invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In our second week of the series, Dr. Walton helped us explore some of the troubling passages of Joshua. He said, these stories are really about making room for God's presence. The land, the text teaches us, does not belong to the Canaanites or Israel. The land belongs to Yahweh and is an important part of God's plan for redeeming all of creation. You can read more in Dr. Walton's book For additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Promised Land: Joshua
06/10/2024
Walking in the Promised Land: Joshua
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. Last year we began our journey walking in (Genesis 1-11), (Genesis 12-50), , and . If you missed the previous series, you can check out these links. In this series, we will join the Israelites as they enter the promised land. We will explore the themes of Joshua and Judges, noticing how God’s invitation continues to echo from the very beginning. What might the text have to say about our own stories as we consider the successes and struggles of the Israelites? In the first week, we explored the story of Joshua. We noticed God's resistance to the kind of in or out determinations to which we so quickly jump. And we considered how we can abide in God's rest, provision, and dwelling presence, so that we might join God in extending these kingdom blessings to others as we reflect God's will and ways. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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A Morning with Malcolm Guite
06/02/2024
A Morning with Malcolm Guite
In this gathering, the wonderful poet Malcolm Guite invited us to consider that the Light of the World is writing us into existence. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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The Gift of Forgiveness: Cutting Ties with the Hurt
05/20/2024
The Gift of Forgiveness: Cutting Ties with the Hurt
Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven. This week, Casey Tygrett invited us to consider how Mark 11:25 invites us to cut our connection to the anger, disappointment, and hurt we so often hold onto that holds us back from a fruit-filled kingdom life. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Practice of Forgiveness
05/13/2024
Practice of Forgiveness
This guided practice is a part of our series The Gift of Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven. This practice comes from the of the series.
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The Gift of Forgiveness: Received When Given Away
05/13/2024
The Gift of Forgiveness: Received When Given Away
Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven. This week, Father Michael continued our examination of Christ's teaching on forgiveness as we considered Matthew 6:14-15. Father Michael reminded us that unforgiveness restricts the flow of grace into our lives and invited us to "recieve the forgiveness and grace only God can bestow, received when given away." For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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The Gift of Forgiveness: Surrendering Our Right to Get Even
05/06/2024
The Gift of Forgiveness: Surrendering Our Right to Get Even
Forgiveness is a foundational characteristic of God's kingdom. We understand this easily when we consider our own forgiveness, but how often do we recognize this is also true of our forgiving one another? This month, we seek to respond to God's invitation to forgive as we have been forgiven. We began our journey exploring the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. Jesus teaches us in this parable how radical forgiveness is a fundamental characteristic of God's kingdom. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Experiment in Joy: Fertile Ground
04/22/2024
Experiment in Joy: Fertile Ground
Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. In the third week of our experiments we asked, what if God is dancing through creation spreading the seeds of joy and connection all over? How might we become fertile soil for those seeds to take root and flourish? If you haven't yet crafted an experiment, it's not too late to join us. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment . If you are forming a group or would like help, please ! For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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An Experiment in Joy: Our Joyful God
04/15/2024
An Experiment in Joy: Our Joyful God
Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. In the second week of our experiments, Bethany Timmons reminded us it is okay to wrestle with joy because God is always joyful and always offering joy to us. If you haven't yet crafted an experiment, it's not too late to join us. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment . If you are forming a group or would like help, please ! For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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An Experiment in Joy
04/08/2024
An Experiment in Joy
Joy is a foundational element of our faith. It connects us to God, ourselves and one another, it helps us endure difficult seasons, and it grounds our lives in the loving presence of God. This month, we will craft experiments to practice together that will help us deepen our capacity for joy. You can find the handout for crafting an experiment . In the first week, Nicole guided us through crafting our experiments. She invited us to consider how we might move toward centering ourselves in Christ and cultivate the conditions necessary for joy to grow in our lives. If you are forming a group or would like help, please ! For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Easter: Resurrection Hope
04/01/2024
Easter: Resurrection Hope
On Easter Sunday, we gathered to celebrate the risen Christ. This year we considered three great hopes of resurrection. First, Jesus is with us in our suffering. Second, God’s kingdom is present and available here and now, and finally, one day God’s kingdom will arrive in its fullness, God will make all things new and everything sad will become untrue. If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Gratitude and Memory
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Gratitude and Memory
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This is one of the practices from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Stillness
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Stillness
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This is one of the practices from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: An Imaginative Encounter with Jesus
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: An Imaginative Encounter with Jesus
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This practice comes from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: Guided Meditation on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: Guided Meditation on the Parable of the Prodigal Son
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This practice comes from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: An Embodied Practice of Centering
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: An Embodied Practice of Centering
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This practice comes from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Curiosity
03/18/2024
Practice of Joyful Connection: A Practice of Curiosity
This guided practice is a part of our series . We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. This practice comes from the of the series. A tax-deductible gift can be given to The Practice Church at
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Attached: Practices to Deepen Our Capacity for Joyful Connection
03/18/2024
Attached: Practices to Deepen Our Capacity for Joyful Connection
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. In the final week of our series, we considered how we are being invited to move forward. Rather than seeing this series an end, what if we saw it as a launching pad into a deepening capacity for joyful connection? Our hope in this series is that we gain a framework for understanding how our wounds impact us and our relationship with God, and begin to receive some practices that help us to open ourselves to the healing, delight-filled presence of God. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Attached: Barrier or Conduit?
03/10/2024
Attached: Barrier or Conduit?
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. In our fifth week, Aubrey Reynolds invited us to consider how the barriers to connection we experience, might actually be conduits if we seek to love these wounded parts of ourselves. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Attached: Intimacy and Independence
03/03/2024
Attached: Intimacy and Independence
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. In our fourth week, Nicole invited us to consider what strategies we have employed seeking protection instead of joyful connection. Have we pushed for intimacy without independence or independence without intimacy? She then asked, what it might look like for us to return to joy. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Attached: Rupture and Repair with God
02/19/2024
Attached: Rupture and Repair with God
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. In our third week, we reflected on the neuroscience of rupture and repair and how it impacts our capacity for joyful connection with God. Cyd Holsclaw invited us to consider our implicit views of God and how we can engage our bodies as we participate with God in the process of repair. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Attached: Curiosity Instead of Shame and Fear
02/11/2024
Attached: Curiosity Instead of Shame and Fear
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. Our series began by wondering if we might see salvation as "a new and active attachment with God that forms and transforms our identities?" What if we grounded our journey in the reality that we are created for joyful connection, and that God doesn't just love us, but God likes us and even delights in us. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Attached: What if God Actually Likes You?
02/04/2024
Attached: What if God Actually Likes You?
We were made for joyful connection with God. The truest thing about us is that we were created to live in joy-filled communion with God and one another, but we think we can do better. We choose what is right in our own eyes and introduce disorder into the world. That disorder infects the world, and the pain, sorrow, and injustice leads us to question if God really loves us. In this series, we hope to become aware of what gets in the way of our attachment and deepen our capacity for attachment to God. Our series began by wondering if we might see salvation as "a new and active attachment with God that forms and transforms our identities?" What if we grounded our journey in the reality that we are created for joyful connection, and that God doesn't just love us, but God likes us and even delights in us. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Wilderness: Wrestling in the Desert
01/22/2024
Walking in the Wilderness: Wrestling in the Desert
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. After spending time in 2023 walking in (Genesis 1-11) and (Genesis 12-50), and , we now turn our attention to Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. What teaching can we receive from the story of Israel's journey from Sinai to the promised land? How is grumbling different from lament, and why does Moses tell the next generation over and over to remember their parents? For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Wilderness: Purity and Sacrifices
01/14/2024
Walking in the Wilderness: Purity and Sacrifices
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. After spending time in 2023 walking in (Genesis 1-11) and (Genesis 12-50), and , we now turn our attention to Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. What is the story being told by the sacrifices of Leviticus? While burnt and purification offerings may seem outdated and maybe even primitive to our modern sensibilities, they actually offer important teaching about God and God's relationship with us. The teaching of Leviticus shows us how God has made a way for us, people who live close to death and disorder, to live with the One who is the source of life and order. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Walking in the Wilderness: Leviticus Details
01/08/2024
Walking in the Wilderness: Leviticus Details
In this recurring series, we are walking in the story of scripture, noticing the intricate way God’s story is woven together and shines a light on our own stories. After spending time in 2023 walking in (Genesis 1-11) and (Genesis 12-50), and , we now turn our attention to Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the first week of our series, we considered how God is with us in the details. Leviticus is full of details, and a part of the Torah (teaching) of this book is, as Casey said, "The good stuff of life is being in the weeds with God." For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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Advent: Longing for Jesus
12/18/2023
Advent: Longing for Jesus
Advent is a season of waiting and longing. Through history, the church has identified the weeks leading up to Christmas as a time of preparation, a season to notice our deep and innate longing for Jesus. We anticipate the coming of the Christ child and his presence with us today, and we wait in hope-filled longing for the day when he will come again. As we journey together through Advent this year, we will seek to consider, welcome, and hold our longings as we anticipate the coming of Jesus. We hope for his presence with us today, and we look forward to the day of his return when everything sad will become untrue. This week, Casey Tygrett invited us to consider the longing we see revealed in the Psalms of David. For some additional resources, please visit our . If The Practice Church is your home community, please join the . If The Practice Church has been meaningful to your journey, would you consider a tax-deductible gift? You can give at
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