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The Heart Behind the Podcast (Preview Episode 1) · Family Prayer Podcast

• 0:01
  Hello, and welcome to the Family Prayer Podcast.
• 0:05
  My name is Dan Wunderlich, and this is the first of two preview episodes
• 0:09
  before everything kicks off in full on Monday morning, December the 1st.
• 0:13
  I wanted to take the opportunity to connect with you, the adults,
• 0:17
  the parents and grandparents of elementary age kids
• 0:21
  who are looking for a resource that will help your family establish
• 0:24
  a rhythm of spiritual formation and growth.
• 0:27
  Today, I'll share about the heart behind the podcast,
• 0:30
  why it exists, and how it came to be.
• 0:33
  And then we'll preview the first full episode.
• 0:36
  Let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself.
• 0:39
  As I said, my name is Dan Wunderlich.
• 0:41
  I'm a United Methodist pastor serving a local church in Central Florida.
• 0:46
  I'm also a husband and a father.
• 0:48
  We have a daughter in second grade
• 0:49
  and a two year old son, so we're right in the thick of it.
• 0:53
  Like a lot of parents,
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  I wrestle with the question: how do I raise my kids with a healthy faith?
• 0:59
  How do I teach them to love Jesus
• 1:02
  and to love and serve like Jesus?
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  How do I help foster in them a faith that is not only strong,
• 1:09
  but resilient and able to support them through all that life or throw their way?
• 1:14
  I'm grateful that we have an amazing children's ministry at our church,
• 1:18
  but I also know from my own spiritual life
• 1:21
  that one hour once per week is a good start.
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  But it's just that - a start.
• 1:27
  If I truly want my kids to learn and grow in their faith,
• 1:30
  it takes regular practice.
• 1:32
  And being United Methodist, I come from a tradition
• 1:35
  that believes in the power of regular, simple practices that connect us to God.
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  And especially if I want my kids to see me as a safe place
• 1:45
  that they can turn to with their questions and struggles,
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  I need to play an active role in their discipleship.
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  Now, you would think that would be easy for someone
• 1:54
  with a theological degree and the job title of pastor.
• 1:57
  And while I may feel a bit more prepared than your average
• 2:00
  parent to answer questions about God in the Bible,
• 2:03
  I don't magically have more time or energy than the average parent.
• 2:08
  I too am rushing around in the morning trying to balance
• 2:11
  getting myself ready for the day and the family out the door.
• 2:15
  We have a couple of children's Bibles that we mix into stories at bedtime,
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  but there are plenty of days where we watch a video on my phone
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  and I rush through a prayer and a song because either I'm the one falling asleep,
• 2:27
  or I still have things to do after they're in bed.
• 2:30
  It really began to hit me how limited my time is with my kids.
• 2:35
  And I don't just mean that they'll move out someday when they're older.
• 2:39
  I mean, right now. These elementary years
• 2:42
  are such a special and important time in their life.
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  You know this.
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  Our kids are learning who they are.
• 2:49
  They're developing their lenses for how to see and interpret the world around them.
• 2:54
  They're learning how to build relationships, how to be a good friend.
• 2:58
  They're thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.
• 3:00
  And for families who follow Jesus, they're also learning who God is
• 3:04
  and how God is present and active in their lives and the world around them.
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  And during this time, the adults in their lives,
• 3:12
  the voices they trust, have a huge influence on them.
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  Now, I'm so grateful for all of the amazing people
• 3:19
  who are helping to shape my kids: grandparents, teachers,
• 3:24
  volunteers at our children's ministry, coaches.
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  But I can't leave it all to them.
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  I don't want to leave it all to them.
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  I want to be one of those adults.
• 3:33
  Ideally, I want to be one of the main adults in their life.
• 3:37
  And yet most days, the times that I'm reliably
• 3:41
  with them - in the morning before school, in the evening, as the day winds down -
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  those are times when I'm either not at my best - just trying to keep
• 3:50
  everyone on task so we can get through it - or I'm winging it -
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  there's no intention, no preparation.
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  In an ideal world, this realization would lead me
• 4:00
  to carve out time to think deeply and make a plan.
• 4:03
  But if that were easy to do, I would have done it already.
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  I think a lot of us have the desire, but we either feel unprepared
• 4:12
  or just simply too busy to figure out something better.
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  And then, of course, for some of us, the little voice in our head
• 4:19
  begins to say things like, “Of course it isn't easy.
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  It's not supposed to be easy.
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  If you actually cared, you'd do the work.”
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  And then we find ourselves in a guilt or shame spiral,
• 4:31
  and we try to ignore the voice and avoid the problem altogether.
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  But here's the thing,
• 4:37
  it doesn't need to be this way.
• 4:40
  You can lead your family in discipleship without a theological degree
• 4:44
  and without needing to wake up an hour earlier every day to make a lesson plan.
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  You just need a little help.
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  I went looking for that help,
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  and I specifically went looking for a podcast that would help.
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  We're a big podcast family.
• 4:59
  What I love about podcasts is that you don't need a screen or a book
• 5:02
  for everyone to look at.
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  You just need a speaker and we are all surrounded
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  by speakers - on our phones, tablets, TVs, in the car.
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  Perhaps you've got a smart speaker
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  sitting on your kitchen counter or bedside table.
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  Podcasts are easy to work into your existing rhythm.
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  You can listen while doing the things that still need to get done, like
• 5:22
  eating breakfast, packing lunches, brushing teeth, riding in the car.
• 5:27
  Let's be honest, what none of us need
• 5:30
  is an extra thing to squeeze into our already busy day.
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  What we need
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  is something that can transform the time we're already spending together.
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  Think about your most
• 5:41
  chaotic mornings, your most frustrating bedtimes.
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  It's okay. We all have them.
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  Now imagine a world in which your six year old
• 5:51
  is reminding you that it's time for morning prayer.
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  Picture your eight year old asking thoughtful questions at night
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  instead of negotiating more screen time.
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  What if the moments that too often feel like a chore
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  become moments for family connection?
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  Well, I asked fellow parents and pastors if they knew of anything like this.
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  And the answer was practically universal:
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  We don't know anything like that,
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  but if you find something, let us know because we need it too.
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  And that's how the idea for the Family Prayer Podcast was born.
• 6:24
  Starting December 1st, we'll release short
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  episodes each weekday morning and evening.
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  They're under ten minutes.
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  You won't need to prep lessons or gather materials.
• 6:34
  The podcast is meant to fit within the rhythms you already have.
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  Listen together while eating breakfast or in the car on the way to school.
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  Make it part of your bedtime routine.
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  The goal is to transform the time you already spend together,
• 6:49
  and to equip you to be the leader in your family's
• 6:52
  spiritual life that you know you want to be.
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  We've got one more preview episode coming, where we'll talk some more
• 6:58
  about what you can expect and ways your family can get the most out of it.
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  But for now, I think the best thing to do is
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  to invite you into the fictional town of Grace Harbor,
• 7:08
  where the podcast is set, and let you experience it for yourself.
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  So coming up in a minute is the very first episode -
• 7:15
  the one your family might listen to together on Monday morning, December 1st.
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  Try to imagine your kids listening.
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  Hear their voices as they jump in to answer questions.
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  Feel what it might be like to start your day this way.
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  Not rushed and chaotic, but grounded and connected.
• 7:34
  Before I go, if this resonates with you, if you're thinking,
• 7:37
  “I'd like to try this with my family,” please go ahead and subscribe right now
• 7:41
  while you're thinking about it.
• 7:43
  That way, when December 1st arrives and the morning comes at you full speed,
• 7:47
  It'll already be there, ready to go.
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  And if you know other families who could use a podcast like this, please
• 7:53
  share it with them.
• 7:54
  Let's build a community together of families committed to raising
• 7:57
  kids with a healthy and resilient faith.
• 8:01
  One day at a time.
• 8:02
  If you'd like to learn more, visit FamilyPrayerPodcast.com
• 8:06
  or follow us @FamilyPrayerPodcast on Instagram.
• 8:09
  Thank you so much for listening and I hope you enjoy.
• 8:16
  Let's see.
• 8:18
  Is this thing on?
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  I see a green light.
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  Oh, and there's the squiggles on the screen.
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  I think it's working.
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  We have a podcast.
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  Well, hello, everyone!
• 8:33
  Let me introduce myself.
• 8:34
  My name is Dan, and I'm the pastor of the church in a town called Grace Harbor.
• 8:40
  And we're all so excited that you're here.
• 8:43
  You see, here in Grace Harbor, we made a discovery.
• 8:48
  Well, it's not new.
• 8:50
  So technically, I guess it would be a re-discovery.
• 8:54
  We discovered, I mean, rediscovered
• 8:58
  that if you add just three short disciplines to your day,
• 9:02
  it can turn our ordinary days
• 9:05
  into an extraordinary life.
• 9:07
  Do you know what a discipline is?
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  It's kind of like a habit.
• 9:12
  You know what a habit is,
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  I'm sure. It's something you do regularly.
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  Like, I have the habit of craving tacos
• 9:19
  on Tuesdays because it's Taco Tuesday.
• 9:22
  Or maybe you have the habit of leaving your bedroom light on when you leave.
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  But habits are things that just kind of happen.
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  Disciplines are things that we choose to do regularly,
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  and we choose to do them because they help us learn and grow as people.
• 9:41
  Earlier this year, we picked out three disciplines
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  to add to our morning routines: gratitude,
• 9:47
  intention, and prayer.
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  Gratitude means thinking about things we're thankful for.
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  Intention means thinking about our day and what we're going to do,
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  or sometimes more importantly, how we're going to do
• 10:01
  the things we have to do that day. And prayer?
• 10:04
  Well, that's just a way to talk to God
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  that helps us stay connected with the one that made us, loves us,
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  and calls us to dive into the adventure that's all around us.
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  And these three, they work together.
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  Gratitude opens our hearts.
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  Intention focuses our minds.
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  And prayer fills us up with what we need for the day.
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  And here's the thing.
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  It doesn't have to take long.
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  Just a couple of minutes in the morning was all
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  it took to help us get set up for a great day.
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  And then we rediscovered that
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  if we take just a few minutes at the end of the day to think about
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  how the day went, to look ahead to what's coming tomorrow,
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  and thank God for all the blessings of the day,
• 10:51
  it helps lock in all the good stuff that's happening all around us.
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  That doesn't sound very hard, does it?
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  It's not.
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  It's also not going to change your life in one day or one week.
• 11:04
  Disciplines aren't magic tricks.
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  But we found that as we do this each day,
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  it helps us notice all the amazing things God is doing in our lives.
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  It helps us notice when our prayers are answered.
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  It helps us notice the people we love and the things that make us happy.
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  And we can see how we're growing in our faith.
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  It's made such a big difference in our lives
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  that we wanted to share it with all of you. And we figured
• 11:32
  the best way to start sharing it would be through this podcast.
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  So welcome to the very first episode
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  of the Family Prayer Podcast!
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  We're going to be with you for a couple of minutes each weekday
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  morning to help you jump start your day and practice these disciplines.
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  You can listen with your whole family around the breakfast
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  table or in the car on the way to school.
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  We’ll then be back in the evening to help you wind down.
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  You can make us part of your bedtime routine.
• 12:02
  In fact, now would be a really good time for an adult in your family to hit that
• 12:06
  subscribe button so you always get the next episode automatically.
• 12:11
  There's so much more I want to share with you, but
• 12:15
  we have plenty of time and we'll learn together as we go.
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  So let's start simple.
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  What is something you're really looking forward to today?
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  Maybe you can't wait to see your best friend at school.
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  Maybe your adult packed your favorite lunch.
• 12:32
  Maybe you have something fun planned for after school.
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  Or maybe the weather outside today is your favorite kind of day.
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  Take a few moments to think about something
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  you're looking forward to today, and then share it with your family.
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  Adults. Why don't you go first?
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  If you need more time, you can pause this podcast,
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  and I'll be right here when you get back.
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  All done?
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  Be sure to remember what you shared because we're going to talk about it
• 13:31
  tonight.
• 13:32
  Okay, I think that's probably enough for our first ever podcast.
• 13:36
  I don't know about you, but I feel like celebrating.
• 13:40
  Maybe this afternoon I'll head down to Auden and Brookie’s Ice Cream
• 13:43
  and Cookies and get one of their world famous chocolate chip cookie milkshakes.
• 13:48
  That's something I'm definitely looking forward to.
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  Before we go, let's say a quick prayer. If you want to
• 13:55
  you can close your eyes and fold your hands.
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  Dear God, I thank you for all
• 14:02
  of the new friends I've made this morning through the podcast.
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  I can't wait for them to get to know more about Grace Harbor,
• 14:08
  and for us to learn more about them.
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  And we thank you for all the things we're most looking forward to today.
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  Even ordinary days can hold extraordinary things.
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  Amen.
• 14:22
  All right, friends,
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  have a great day, and I'll talk to you tonight.