Cloud of Witnesses Radio

Cloud of Witnesses cast and crew

Audio drama retellings of the stories of the Christian Saints, Panel Discussions, Cast Commentary, Reaction Videos, Screwtape Returns, and more!

  1. 3d ago

    Who Gets To Define What A Man Is? | Extended Conversation with Christian Deacon and LMFT

    Why Men Feel Lost (And How to Find Direction)  Masculinity has become a moving target. One day you’re told male strength is the problem, the next you’re told you’re failing unless you look like a superhero and never show emotion. We sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist Jacob Sedan and Deacon Anthony from St. Anthony the Great Antiochian Orthodox Church to clear the fog and name what healthy masculinity actually requires: responsibility, accountability, integrity, and a life rooted in Christ rather than image. We get concrete about what men miss when “I work and pay the bills” becomes the whole definition of fatherhood. We talk about the power of example, how hypocrisy teaches louder than lectures, and why emotions are not the enemy. From a clinical perspective, Jacob breaks down the cycle of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and what it looks like when men swing to extremes, either suppressing everything until it explodes or expressing everything in ways that make relationships feel unsafe. Then we go straight at the pain point for a lot of young men: dating. We unpack fear of rejection, the trap of wearing a persona, and why authenticity and consistency create real safety. We also share practical frameworks for men who did not have strong role models, including building an “internal board of advisors” from faithful men, saints, and mentors. We close with boundaries that protect marriage, including a hard truth many couples learn late: your spouse cannot be your therapist. If you want a Christ-centered roadmap for modern manhood, press play, share this with a friend who needs it, and subscribe and leave a review so more people can find the series. What narrative about being a man are you ready to unlearn? Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    48 min
  2. Jun 11

    The Ancient Faith Making Modern Christians Rethink Everything | Witness Weekly Kickoff Episode WW001

    Witness Weekly | WW001 | Kickoff Episode! 0:00 Intro 0:15 Mario Andrew – News 6:26 Discussion of the Week 21:05 James St Simon – Book & Film Recommendations / Review 26:28 Michael – Redlines (Philosophy & Politics) 30:25 Jeremy Jeremiah – Viewer Comments & Questions “Smells and bells” vs “bare walls” misses the point. We debate beauty, Scripture, continuity, and why people say they met God at the Divine Liturgy. A bishop detained under murky circumstances. A fresh call for Orthodox unity a decade after the Council of Crete. A study that claims part of a papal encyclical reads like it was AI assisted. We kick off the first Witness Weekly by moving fast through the headlines, then slowing down where it matters: what these moments reveal about religious freedom, public pressure on clergy, and the real stakes for Christians trying to live faithfully in a tense political climate. We launch Witness Weekly with Orthodox news, a deep dive on why evangelicals convert to Orthodoxy, and a candid look at how rhetoric and assumptions can flatten real theological differences. We close with Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, a challenge to political fixes for evil, and listener questions on worship music, conversion, and parish life. • Metropolitan Hilarion’s detention in Lithuania and why prayer for clergy matters • Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s renewed call for Orthodox unity and what changed since Crete • A study suggesting AI assisted writing in a papal encyclical and where the line might be • Archbishop Elpidophoros’ hospitalization and continued prayers for his recovery • Common conversion motives and why “aesthetics only” is an unfair summary • Purgatory as a Roman Catholic doctrine and why Orthodoxy gets mislabeled • Institutional continuity versus doctrinal continuity and how Reformers argued their case • The catechumen process as evidence that conversion is usually slow and deliberate • Book of the week The Brothers Karamazov and why it speaks to believers and skeptics • The problem of evil, the Grand Inquisitor, and the limits of political solutions • Listener comment on worship music, tradition, standards, and Christian art • Advice for Protestants navigating hard conversations when exploring Orthodoxy Please let us know your thoughts in the comments From there, we take on a question we keep seeing everywhere: why are evangelicals converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy? We challenge the lazy take that people switch churches because they got dazzled by “smells and bells” or seduced by a vague sense of history. We talk about the long, prayerful process most converts go through, the catechumen journey, and the way outsiders often lump Orthodoxy and Catholicism together, especially around doctrines like purgatory. We also dissect the rhetoric behind “continuity” claims, including how Reformers like John Calvin argued they were the true heirs of the ancient Church. We pivot into culture and formation with our book of the week, The Brothers Karamazov, and why Dostoevsky still feels uncomfortably current. We connect the problem of evil, the Grand Inquisitor’s political temptation, and the hard truth that there is no ideology that can substitute for personal responsibility and repentance. Finally, we respond to listener comments on worship music, tradition, and standards, and we offer practical advice for Protestants navigating difficult conversations while exploring Orthodoxy. Can worship music be “frozen in time” and still alive? We respond to a tough listener critique, talk standards, lyrics, and the difference between church worship and Christian art. Mario Andrew  ⁨@AndrewStMercy⁩ James St Simon  ⁨@jamessaintsimon⁩ Michael  ⁨@redlineshq⁩   Jeremy Jeremiah  Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    38 min
  3. Jun 2

    Girls Gone Bible Goes Orthodox: Fr Josiah Trenham Just Explained the Eucharist to 150K Protestants

    A host admits taking communion at home daily, then asks what the Eucharist really is. The reactions are priceless, but the pastoral wisdom is the point. A priest goes on a massive Protestant podcast and a slice of Orthodox internet melts down. We don’t. We ask the harder question: if we won’t talk to people outside the Orthodox Church, how will anyone ever hear what Orthodoxy actually teaches, believes, and lives? Father Josiah Trenham’s appearance on Girls Gone Bible becomes a real-time case study in evangelism, online criticism, and what it looks like to show up publicly without compromising the faith. “The Eucharist is just a symbol” sounds harmless until John 6 lands with full force. What happens when a huge audience hears the Orthodox view of Communion for the first time? Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, and Michael of Cloud of Witnesses talk through the backlash to Father Josiah Trenham (Patristic Nectar) appearing on Girls Gone Bible and argue that Orthodox evangelism requires real conversations outside Orthodox-only spaces. We also dig into why the Eucharist is not merely symbolic, how John 6 reframes everything, and why the Divine Liturgy is where many people first feel the presence of God and can’t look back. • why some Orthodox listeners object to public conversations with Protestants • the case for assuming good intent instead of hunting for scandal • how common ground can open doors without conceding doctrine • a host’s “Eucharist journey” and the confusion around at-home communion • Father Josiah’s John 6 teaching on the body and blood of Christ • why the symbolic-only view is rejected and what that implies pastorally • the Divine Liturgy as an encounter that convinces seekers • Paul on preparation for Communion and the fear of receiving casually • why the Protestant Reformation is not one thing and why that matters • born again language alongside baptism as water and the Spirit From there we follow the thread that grabbed the hosts and their audience: the Eucharist. You’ll hear why “Communion is just symbolic” isn’t a harmless difference in emphasis, how John 6 frames Jesus’ words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and why the Orthodox Church insists on the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. We also react to the surprising honesty of a host describing daily at-home communion, curiosity about transubstantiation, and a search for healing, then break down the pastoral wisdom of responding with one clarifying question: “What do you mean by that?” We widen the lens to the Divine Liturgy and why so many visitors say they feel the presence of God and can’t leave, plus Paul’s warnings about approaching Communion without preparation. Finally, we touch the complexity of the Protestant Reformation, the wide range of Protestant sacramental beliefs, and why “born again” language is incomplete without being born of water and the Spirit through baptism. If you care about Orthodox Christianity, Eucharist theology, and real conversations across denominations, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more seekers can find the show. An Orthodox priest goes on a major Protestant show and people panic. Should Christians avoid hard conversations, or is that exactly where conversion begins? Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    27 min
  4. May 31

    Nobody Taught Men This: The Masculinity Advice That's Failing Men & Why it Matters More Than Ever

    Men are tired, and it’s not just work and bills, it’s the mental pressure of trying to decode what “being a man” is supposed to mean now. One voice says masculinity is toxic. Another says you have to be an always-on, hyper-disciplined “uber man.” Jeremy Jeremiah and Mario Andrew of Cloud of Witnesses sit down with special guests Deacon Anthony (https://st-anthony.org/) and Jacob Sadan (LMFT) (https://jacobsadan.com/) and name the real problem: the narratives we inherit about manhood, and the damage they cause when we never slow down to test them against truth. Men are getting whiplash from culture: “too manly” vs “never soft.” We talk responsibility, emotions, and why Christ is the model of healthy masculinity. We talk about why men feel pulled between competing cultural definitions of masculinity and how that confusion spills into family life, relationships, and the church. We connect Christian manhood with responsibility, emotional honesty, and the courage to live with integrity instead of performing a persona. • competing messages about masculinity and the search for real authority • responsibility accountability and integrity as core markers of healthy manhood • fatherhood as presence guidance affection and example not only providing • masculinity as what we do and what we refuse to do • thoughts feelings and behaviors as a cycle shaping identity • church seasons as a healthy place for repentance joy and emotion • therapy work on balance when men suppress or overflow emotionally • examining the narratives we inherited about manhood and love • vulnerability as the foundation of real relationships and the fear of rejection in dating Together with Deacon Anthony and Jacob from a clinical therapy perspective, we get concrete about healthy masculinity and Christian manhood: responsibility, accountability, and integrity that show up at home, at church, and in everyday relationships. We talk about fatherhood that goes beyond providing and protecting, because kids learn what love is by what they watch, not what they’re told. We also challenge the idea that emotions make men weak, pointing to the Church’s wisdom around repentance, tears, joy, and self-control, and to Christ himself as the fullest picture of strength that includes compassion and honesty. “The more you deny your emotions, the more emotional you are.” A deacon and a therapist unpack why men shut down, why it explodes later, and how the Church can help you heal. We also go into what therapy rooms are seeing right now: men swinging between emotional shutdown and emotional overflow, the body storing anger, and the fear of vulnerability that makes dating and intimacy feel risky. If you’ve ever felt like you’re performing a role instead of living with integrity, this conversation offers a path back to center, with practical insight and spiritual grounding. Providing and protecting isn’t the whole job. What do kids actually learn from a father’s presence, integrity, and apology? We get practical about manhood, family, and relationships. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    24 min
  5. May 28

    "Eat Your Bible" Obtain the Power of God: This is Not A Joke (But Should Be) | React to Protestants

    A pastor rips a page from the Bible and tells a young man to eat it. What does that reveal about authority, emotion, and bad theology? A pastor tells someone to open Proverbs for him, rips out a page, and orders a young man to eat it while the music swells. The clip is hard to watch, but it’s also clarifying: when church turns into a stage and “holy things” become props, people get pressured, confused, and spiritually harmed. Michael, Jeremy Jeremiah, and Mario Andrew slow the moment down and ask what’s really being taught about God, authority, and power. From there, we trace the theology underneath the stunt. Why does it accidentally resemble the language Christians use about communion and the Eucharist?  What happens when communion is treated as purely symbolic, and the weight of “real presence” gets shifted onto a printed Bible instead of Christ himself? We also explain how Orthodox Christianity holds Scripture as central and life-giving while keeping it rooted in the Church’s worship, tradition, and lived authority, not in a lone pastor’s improvised performance. We talk candidly about spiritual manipulation, emotional hype, and the subtle guilt that follows when leaders tell you what you’re supposed to be feeling. We even share a personal story that captures the same dynamic in a different setting.  If you’ve ever wondered about church abuse warning signs, the difference between the Eucharist and symbolic communion, or what historic Christianity actually looks like week to week, this conversation will help you name what you’re seeing. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who’s sorting through faith and church culture, and leave a review if this helped you. What’s the clearest red flag you hear in the clip? If “holy things” become props, people get hurt. We react to a viral church clip and unpack spiritual manipulation, Scripture, and the Eucharist.  We watch a shocking church video where a preacher rips out a Bible page and pressures a young man to eat it, then we unpack why the moment feels spiritually wrong instead of holy. We connect the stunt to deeper issues of authority, emotional manipulation, and what historic Christian worship actually centers on.  • reacting to a pastor ordering someone to eat a page from Proverbs  • why the staged music and public pressure signal manipulation  • Eucharist as true communion versus treating objects as power sources  • how Scripture is central in Orthodoxy without becoming a substitute for Christ  • how “anything goes” practices grow when authority and tradition collapse  • comparing the logic to Roman Catholic adoration and asking what worship is for  • recognizing spiritual abuse patterns and the guilt they can produce  • why what you see in the clip is not historic Christianity  If anyone watching this right now, if you're at all, if maybe you don't know a lot about Christianity, maybe you're just curious about it, please understand what you saw in this video is not a representation of the historic practice of the church. Period. No questions about it. Um, and we would obviously encourage you come find an Orthodox church near you today. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    20 min
  6. May 21

    “I Walked In and Started Crying” My First Orthodox Liturgy: Why Ancient Christianity Hit Harder

    “I walked in and started to cry.” What happens when an Orthodox Divine Liturgy feels more real than anything you’ve known? One visit to an Orthodox Divine Liturgy can expose a hunger you did not know you had. Hannah describes walking into the church, catching the smell of incense, hearing the choir, seeing the priest with the censer, and suddenly fighting tears. It is not just emotion for its own sake. Something feels ancient, steady, and real enough to set off a relentless chain of questions about the Eastern Orthodox Church, worship, and what it means to actually be formed by faith. Always reforming sounds noble until you ask: reform into what? We talk Reformation fatigue, denominational confusion, and why Orthodoxy feels like “home” for many. Jeremy Jeremiah and Mario Andrew talk with Hannah and Brian about what it feels like to walk into an Orthodox church for the first time and realize something deeper is happening than a new “style” of worship. We follow their move from Protestant assumptions to Orthodox practices that feel like home, and we ask what happens when the Church is meant to hold on to us. • Hannah’s first Divine Liturgy experience, from incense to tears to nonstop questions • Curiosity turning into daily research, conversations, and a fast moving sense of conviction • Brian’s slower pace, his prayer for truth, and the desire to avoid false teaching • First Holy Week and Pascha, including the beauty and the reality of the marathon • Intentional prayer, written prayers, veiling, icons, saints, and learning to die to self • Denominations, ongoing reform, and why Protestant apologetics can feel like mental gymnastics We talk through what happens after that first encounter: the research spiral, the awkward first-timer moments, and the different speeds two people can move at while still walking the same direction. Hannah dives in headfirst, hunting for the “why” behind icons, long services, and Holy Tradition. Brian shares a more cautious posture shaped by prayer, asking God to “lead me in all truth,” and naming the fear many seekers feel about being misled by bad information or falling into false doctrine. Holy Week and Pascha become a turning point, not because everything gets easier, but because the Church’s rhythm starts to make sense. We explore the intentionality behind Orthodox practices like written prayers, a prayer rule, fasting, confession, reverence for icons, and learning to “die to self” so prayer becomes real instead of rushed. Along the way, we wrestle with Reformation after Reformation, denominational confusion, and why defending every disagreement can feel like mental gymnastics. If you’re exploring converting from Protestant to Orthodox, or you’re simply trying to understand why Orthodoxy emphasizes embodied worship, mystery, and continuity, this conversation gives you language for the pull you may already feel. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find Cloud of Witnesses. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Audio: https://cloudofwitnessesradio.buzzsprout.com Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    21 min
  7. May 18

    Satanism Rebranded | Dark Side of Modern Spirituality: She Left the Occult for Ancient Christianity

    She chased “healing” through mushrooms, moon rituals, and mediumship then saw Jesus while channeling a client. That one moment changed everything.  Money showed up fast, love felt uncertain, and the noise in Kara Mosher’s (https://www.instagram.com/herecomestroublexo) mind kept getting louder. We talk with Kara, author of Here Comes Trouble, about growing up in a family that went from motorhome living to million-dollar restaurant success, and how that same rise coincided with divorce, abandonment, and a deep inner instability she tried to outwork. From obsessive thoughts and depression to chasing approval through achievement, her story puts language to the hidden pain so many people carry behind “successful” lives. “Satanism rebranded” is how she describes the occult hiding in plain sight through trendy spirituality. From third-eye talk to Divine Liturgy, her path is intense.  Jeremy Jeremiah of Cloud of Witnesses sits down with author and podcaster Kara Mosher to trace her path from sudden family wealth and deep emotional instability into drugs, occult spirituality, and years of psychiatric labels that never quite fit. We follow the turning points that lead her to renounce mediumship after encountering Jesus and to keep searching until she finds a home in Orthodox Christianity. • Hot ’n Now family origin story and how money changes a household • divorce, abandonment, and the start of obsessive compulsive thoughts • overachieving as distraction and a bid for attention • panic attacks, emergency care, and a New Age rehab introduction • marijuana and psychedelics escalating into spiritual experiences • occult practices, mediumship, and “Satanism rebranded” • psych ward intake, bipolar misdiagnosis, and years of heavy medication • antidepressant withdrawal, brain zaps, and a suicide attempt • COVID-era conspiracy rabbit holes and moon ceremony communities • a vision of Jesus, quitting divination, and learning the faith under pressure • losing a Christian community, then rebuilding through church history • encountering Divine Liturgy, catechumenate, and a hunger for communion • “Dosage” and “Wasted Youth” as music that reframes her past From there, Kara walks us through marijuana, psychedelics, and the moment panic cracked everything open. Rehab didn’t bring the grounding she needed, and she explains how New Age spirituality, yoga, meditation, and ritual practices became stepping stones into deeper occult involvement. She shares what it was like to experience spirits, to be pulled into mediumship and “enlightenment” culture, and then to be labeled bipolar in a psych ward within seconds. We also dig into years of medication changes, side effects, withdrawal, and how a late realization about misdiagnosis forced her to rethink both mental health treatment and spiritual reality. Then the story turns on a single, disruptive encounter: Kara sees Jesus while channeling for a client, quits divination, and starts trying to follow Christ with almost no support system. We talk about viral testimony, online backlash, conspiracy-heavy Christian spaces, and why church history eventually leads her to Orthodox Christianity and the shock of experiencing Divine Liturgy for the first time. We close with her music, including “Dosage” and “Wasted Youth,” and what it means to tell the truth even when it costs you friends. Your copy of Here Comes Trouble: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Trouble-Kara-Mosher/dp/B0F74PNH6S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E83J501THSPV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.m_X-dOmOU-hA_ZoD6ow27v8xKMK6sgGvTjsaOWk6nlUJk-l_9z64XRQ-YELB844c.moplmsLa2-zYqV5cB_S6ycaz_qON5XtWLaguXnXCG8Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=here+comes+trouble+kara+mosher&qid=1779119461&sprefix=here+comes+trouble+kara+mosh%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-1 Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Audio: https://cloudofwitnessesradio.buzzsprout.com Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    59 min
  8. May 14

    Challenge: Try Living Like an Orthodox Christian for 30 Days | When Church History Hits Heart & Home

    “If the church compiled the Bible, what was the authority before the Bible?” A candid journey from Protestant certainty to Eastern Orthodoxy, sparked by a friend’s conversion and a history problem you can’t ignore. A friend you trust changes everything. Brian tells us how years of Protestant assumptions started cracking when his friend James, a man he respects as clearly regenerated and serious about Christ, said he felt led toward Roman Catholicism and later Eastern Orthodoxy. Brian’s mind could not make it add up, and that tension launched a long stretch of debate, study, and a surprisingly practical test during Lent: what happens if you try living like an Orthodox Christian for 30 days? Jeremy Jeremiah and Mario Andrew, of Cloud of Witnesses, talk with Brian and Hannah about how a trusted friend’s move toward Catholicism and then Eastern Orthodoxy forced a hard rethink of authority, history, and the first thousand years of the Church. We trace what finally opened the door, from catechism confusion and trauma triggers to a change in prayer life at home and a first visit to an Orthodox parish on Forgiveness Sunday. • growing up on YouTube apologetics and adopting harsh views of Catholics and Orthodox Christians • watching a friend show clear fruit while moving toward Rome and then Eastern Orthodoxy • debating sola scriptura alongside the formation of the biblical canon and early Church councils • asking where Protestant identity fits in the first thousand years of Christianity • trying “30 days living like an Orthodox Christian” during Lent through prayer, study, and liturgy • reacting to catechism language and fears about exorcism due to past Pentecostal experiences • choosing unity in marriage and taking the discipline to explore the faith together • stepping into an Orthodox church for the first time near Forgiveness Sunday We dig into the core questions that keep coming up for seekers: Where do you place yourself in the first thousand years of Christianity? What does sola scriptura mean once you face the history of the biblical canon, the early Church councils, and the claim that the Church is the “pillar and ground of the truth”? Brian shares why “historical reliability” began to matter more than hot takes, and how Orthodox prayer, worship, and tradition started to feel less like an argument and more like a lived inheritance. Hannah brings the marriage and mindset side of the journey. She’s honest about being put off by long Orthodox services and about how unfamiliar words like catechism, plus vague talk about “emptying yourself,” can trigger fears shaped by past church experiences. But she also shares what softened her posture: seeing a new consistency and depth in Brian’s prayer life, and choosing not to build a divided household. Their first visit to an Orthodox parish lands near Forgiveness Sunday, a moment that reframes repentance and community in a powerful way. If you’re exploring Eastern Orthodoxy, church history, Orthodox conversion, or the authority of Scripture and tradition, come listen and think with us. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the biggest question you’re still wrestling with. Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdh Please prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnesses Find Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok. Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

    19 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Audio drama retellings of the stories of the Christian Saints, Panel Discussions, Cast Commentary, Reaction Videos, Screwtape Returns, and more!

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