How majestic ∙

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. – Psalms 8:1

Psalms 8:1-8

 1 O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above!

 3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you set in place –

 4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

 5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.

 6 You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority.

Majestic 12 (or MJ-12) is a purported organization that appears in UFO conspiracy theories. The organization is an alleged secret committee of scientists, military leaders, and government officials, formed in 1947 by an executive order by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. It was tasked to facilitate the recovery and investigation of alien spacecraft. The concept originated in a series of supposedly leaked secret government documents first circulated by ufologists in 1984. Upon examination, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) declared the documents to be “completely bogus,” and many ufologists consider them elaborate hoaxes.

Majestic is a word that is sadly fallen out of everyday use in modern English. But even lamentable, with modern man’s rejection of the Father, our culture hardly has anything worthy of the term.

The  Hebrew term translated as majestic is addir. It has the sense of mighty, splendid, magnificent, excellent, that which inspires awe or reverence of the beholder. The Hebrew root connotes that which is superior to something else and, therefore, that which is majestic. In a word, “better than all.”

When we say that God’s name is majestic, we mean that everything about Him – His character, His actions, His thoughts, His desires, His plans, His words – is excellent, praiseworthy, and perfect (Stanley).

REFLECT & PRAY

The core of our faith is not knowing facts about the Father; it is about knowing the Father. It is all about a loving relationship with our majestic Father.

O Father may I love You so deeply and thoroughly that the mere thought of You brings joyful tears to my eyes and bursts forth in ardent, intimate praise from my heart.

INSIGHT

David often contemplated the majesty and excellence of the Father. The Psalms reflect his joyful love for the Father. The more he meditates upon the Father, more and more exuberant joy fills his heart. Finally, David’s heart bursts forth in words of praise and adoration. He praises the Father’s majesty, which is known in all the earth. David is saying, “People everywhere see how great you are.”

The Father’s name is majestic, surpassing all that is. His name is above all others and everything which is created. Majestic emphasizes the “beyondness” of the Father. Our hearts are to be filled with joyful affection for our loving, majestic, magnificent, awesome heavenly Father. It should erupt forth from our personal experience of Him. This is the best part of reverence and is essential to all true worship.

David’s worship is ardent yet intimate. David didn’t just know about the Father and His marvelous name; David knew the Father.

There was once a Shakespearean actor who was known everywhere for his one-man shows of readings and recitations from the classics. He would always end his performance with a dramatic reading of Psalm 23.

Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation – “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The crowd would listen attentively. And then, after the Psalm, they would rise in thunderous applause in appreciation of the actor’s incredible ability to bring the verses to life.

But one night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. “Sir, do you mind if tonight I recite Psalm 23?” The actor was quite taken aback by this unusual request, but he allowed the young man to come forward and stand front and center on the stage to recite the Psalm, knowing that the ability of this unskilled youth would be no match for his own talent.

With a soft voice, the young man began reciting the Psalm’s words. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping.  The young man’s recitation had so moved the audience that every eye was full of tears. Amazed by what he had heard, the actor said to the youth, “I don’t understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training – but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?”

The young man quietly replied, “Well, sir, you know the Psalm . . . I know the Shepherd.”

You Alone

You alone are holy

You alone are worthy

Only You alone deserve my praise

So I come before You

I honor and adore You

You alone are worthy of my praise

Only You alone

Lord I praise You

With everything in me

Lord I praise You

With honor I will sing

You alone are holy

You alone are worthy

Only You alone deserve my praise

So I come before You

I honor and adore You

You alone deserve my praise

Only You alone

Only You alone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb9sE07i7kw

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© Dr. H 2023

Sound Beamer ∙

As I was on the road, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly flashed from heaven all around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” . . . The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me. – Acts 22:6-9

Deuteronomy 4:11-12

 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness.

 12 And the LORD spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice.

An Israeli company is debuting a device that transmits crystal-clear audio directly to your brain without headphones.

Israel’s Noveto Systems, developed a cutting-edge audio system, SoundBeamer. It creates a personal sound bubble that allows you to hear 3D audio while continuing to experience and hear other sounds in your space. According to Noveto, the product’s sensing module locates and tracks your ear position, creating sound pockets in your ears by sending ultrasonic sound waves. You can program the bubble to move with you. The sound is available in stereo or 360-degree spatial 3D mode.

Noveto CEO Christophe Ramstein says it’s difficult to explain the SoundBeaming experience because “the brain doesn’t understand what it doesn’t know.” Project manager Ayana Wallwater explains, “You don’t believe it because it sounds like a speaker, but no one else can hear it . . . [while] you’re in the middle of everything. It’s happening around you” (AP, November 2020).

Sound Beamer seems “straight out of a sci-fi movie.” However, it is an ancient technology that the Father God has used for millennia to communicate with His children.

The Scriptures are called the Word of God, and so they are. The Father provided the content to many different people in many different ways.

Hebrews 1:1-3

 1 Long ago, God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.

 2 And now, in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son, he created the universe.

 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.

REFLECT & PRAY

“The heart of every problem is a problem in the heart” (Wiersbe).

Father I see within myself how easy it is to be deceived by sin, harden my heart, and not hear You. Encourage me to keep my heart soft and my ears open.

INSIGHT

The Father is still speaking today. He speaks to us from His word. He speaks to us in dreams and visions. Some children of the King have the privilege of hearing His voice audibly or inaudibly within their minds and spirits.

But in order to hear, you have to be tuned in. And that is a matter of the heart. We must be willing to hear. And then willing to obey the truth that we are given. The book of Hebrews is explicitly clear concerning this.

“The writer to the Hebrews has just been attempting to prove the unique supremacy of Jesus, and now he replaces argument with exhortation. He presses upon his hearers the inevitable consequence of this unique supremacy. If Jesus is so uniquely great, it follows that complete trust and complete obedience must be given to him. If they harden their hearts and refuse to give him their obedient trust, the consequences are bound to be terrible” (Barclay).

Hebrews 3:7-13

 7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today, when you hear his voice,

 8 don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled and tested me in the wilderness.”

 9 “Your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.”

 10 “So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’”

 11 “So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.

 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

Psalms 95:7 For he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would hear and listen to his voice today!

The Father is our Shepherd, we are His sheep. Invite Him to speak and be willing to hear and obey.

The Father has made us a fantastic offer. Any child of the King can accept it. He offers the blessings of a life that is far beyond the life that can be lived without Him (Barclay).

Job 4:12-19

 12 This truth was given to me in secret, as though whispered in my ear.

 13 It came to me in a disturbing vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep.

 14 Fear gripped me, and my bones trembled.

 15 A spirit swept past my face, and my hair stood on end.

 16 The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence, I heard a voice say,

 17 “Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the Creator?”

 18 If God does not trust his own angels and has charged his messengers with foolishness,

 19 how much less will he trust people made of clay! They are made of dust, crushed as easily as a moth.

Today is always the right day to hear, trust, and obey. Tomorrow may never come.

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© Dr. H 2023

Death creds ∙

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13

Hebrews 9:26-28

 26 But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

 28 Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

In the 21st century, there are all kinds of creds. The term “creds” is short for credentials. Creds is another way of referring to one’s “rep,” or “reputation.” It refers to an individual’s credibility among their associates and social or professional group. It signifies the quality of being believable or worthy of respect.

Folks with street creds are approved by ordinary young people and considered to be part of their culture. Usually, they share a sense of fashion and opinions. A person with prison creds has earned and commands respect from their fellow prisoners.

In life, what kind of a person has excellent credibility and a good reputation, “life creds”? They would possess, but not be limited to, the following characteristics. They would be reliable, dependable, and would do what they say. They do not defer to anyone. They would have no prejudice and would not discriminate based upon arbitrary, passing, temporal values. They would fit in and accommodate themselves to people without compromising their values or personal integrity. They would go out of their way to care and be helpful. They would be easily approachable. They would be self-sacrificial and put the needs of others before their own. They would love

unconditionally.

But what about death creds? Some good people with lots of life creds may go out of their way for the benefit of others. Rarely they might even die in another’s place. But such apparent altruism is not offered to just anybody. Instead, such self-sacrifice is somewhat exclusive. Such a person’s benevolence is provided only for somebody particularly close and important to them: good friends, parents for children, or children for parents. But such kindness is undoubtedly not made available to strangers, what some might deem deplorables, and above all, certainly not enemies.

Romans 5:7-8

 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners

Only one person ever “earned” absolute and total death creds in the history of planet Earth. He died for all people. He died for evil, sinful people. In so doing, He demonstrated His impartial, all-encompassing love for the world.

REFLECT & PRAY

Since the time of the garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve, sin and death have had power and control over mankind.

Father thank you that the power of sin and even death has been broken for all time and eternity because of the death of Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

INSIGHT

The Lord Jesus Christ has the ultimate “life creds” and “death creds.” He not only died for us and provided us with eternal life, but He defeated death itself and removed any uncertainty or fear regarding it. Death has been defanged, and its bite has been removed forever for every child of the King. Not even the slightest hint of concern remains.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

 54 Death is swallowed up in victory.

 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

 57 Thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But there’s more. The Lord Jesus Christ could never have been captured, bound, mocked, beaten, or cruelly killed if He had not allowed Himself to be.

Reflect upon that – he gave up his life and made a matchless self-sacrifice for each individual child of the King.

John 10:17-18

 17 The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again.

 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.

“These words would be utterly out of place were the Lord Jesus a mere man. He spoke of laying down His life and taking it up again by His own power. He could only do this because He is God. The Father loved the Lord Jesus because of His willingness to die and rise again, in order that lost sheep might be saved” (McDonald).

His sacrifice for us was totally voluntary, His own choice. He chose to lay down His life so that the world might be saved through Him. The Father’s plan for redemption was accomplished when His Son died for the sins of the world. The Son chose to take up His life again.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God . . .

The Lord Jesus Christ has unrivaled death creds. He alone is worthy!

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© Dr. H 2023

I have had enough LORD ∙

Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. – Isaiah 46:3-4

1 Kings 19:2-18

 2 Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow, I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.

 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”

 6 He looked around, and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

 7 Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

 12 And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and stood at the cave entrance. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

 18 [The Father responds] Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

A severe illness can be overwhelming for the entire family. Hospice care was created to provide assistance. Hospice offers individualized care to patients and families in their homes. It provides patient care, including symptom management, emotional support, spiritual support, and psychosocial intervention.

But it is essential to know that hospice is not curative but palliative. It is focused on the patient’s quality of life on their journey to end-of-life. It is for terminally ill patients who typically live less than six months. In 2017, hospice care patients, on average, lived for 76.1 days.

Repair and restoration are always possible when it comes to spiritual, emotional, and relational problems. They are not terminal. They can be mended and restored with the proper guidance, encouragement, and willingness to do the hard work to recover.

Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

It is much like recovering from a severe accident or surgery. After the medical intervention, recovery takes time, effort, and often physical therapy. But recovery is doable. This is possible for children of the King because of His supernatural activity in repairing and rebuilding hearts and spirits.

Many often give up hope and want to throw in the towel in our day and time. They wish they were dead. So it was with Elijah. He was tired, hungry, worn out, fearful, and emotionally and physically drained. He literally ran away from his problems.

The Father nurtured him back to physical, emotional, and spiritual health. First, He sent an angel. He himself also came and spoke directly to Elijah. Earlier, He sent ravens to provide food for him (1 Kings 17:4-6).

REFLECT & PRAY

It is not over until the Father says it is over! He calls us out of the doldrums of despair.

Father how many times have I lost all hope, thrown in the towel, and literally or figuratively run away from it all? Strengthen and encourage me to run the race You have set before me and finish well.

INSIGHT

The Father took care of Elijah’s physical depletion. Often, but not always, physical restoration precedes spiritual restoration and service.

1 Kings 19:7-8

 7 Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.

The Father refreshed Elijah’s vision in a totally unanticipated personal, calming fashion. Before He spoke, there was a rock-shattering powerful wind. It was followed by a tumultuous earthquake and then a consuming fire. But the Father was not in any of these spectacular displays of His power. It is natural to ask for and expect a dramatic sign from Him. But His ways are not our ways.

“There followed a faint whisper, a voice quiet, and hushed, and low. Elijah knew it instantly. It was God!” (EBC). It was the sound of a gentle, soft whisper (1 Kings 19:12)

The Father knew exactly what Elijah needed: being so broken and heartsick and hiding in a cave. He spoke with a gentle, almost silent whisper. Can you imagine what Elijah heard? Perhaps only one word was repeated as necessary: “Elijah.” He was being called out of the doldrums of despair.

The still, small voice could be literally translated as a voice/sound of calm, soft/quiet (UBS). The phrase has been rendered “a gentle whisper” (NIV, NLT), “a soft murmuring sound” (NJPSV), “a gentle breeze” (CEV), and even “a sound of sheer silence” (NRSV) (UBS).

This phrase is translated from three Hebrew words qol demamah daq. Qol – voice, noise, sound; demamah – still, whisper, calm, silence; daq – thin, low, small, fine, soft with a sense of being quiet and soothing.

When the Father spoke, His first words were a question.

1 Kings 19:13 What are you doing here, Elijah?

Elijah could have said, “I am tired, frightened, and had enough; I am totally over it. I cannot take it anymore.” But instead, Elijah just complained and whined about how tough things were, but in the midst of it all, he tried to remain faithful. On top of that, he felt that he was all alone.

Elijah was off-track. But the situation was not terminal and could be repaired. The Father did not entertain or comment on Elijah’s self-pity, self-justification, and rationalizations. The Father still had work for Elijah to complete. He was gentle and gracious. He gave him new marching orders and specific instructions as to what to do. And most of all, He assured Elijah that he was not alone.

In order to get back on track with his spiritual life and responsibilities, he had to change his way of thinking and get over his pity party. He had to return the way he had come and pick up where he had left off.

You see, all he needed was a gentle reminder of who he was and Whom he served.

1 Kings 17:1 As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

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© Dr. H 2023

The fellowship of the unashamed ∙

Never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. . . With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. – 2 Timothy 1:8

Isaiah 50:4-7

 4 The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.

 5 The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away.

 7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be ashamed.

On the Jerry Seinfeld show in 1990, Jerry Seinfeld joked: “Surveys show that the number one fear of Americans is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. That means that at a funeral, the average American would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

No one questioned the survey. Because for most of us, in our hearts, we know it is true. Almost immediately, a new phrase, “Public speaking is more painful than death,” joined “Yada, Yada, Yada” in American vernacular.

How often, when seeking to share the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, do we suffer spiritual laryngitis, freeze, and shrink back?

The Father in His wisdom, has a solution. The children of the King are to share a standard curriculum. Morning by morning, we are to spend quality time with the Father. This intimate association deepens our relationship with Him. It is the time of sharing, hearing, learning, and being prepared for what lies ahead. Such times sweeten the heart. Our words and actions grow out of our daily, direct interaction with the Father.

REFLECT & PRAY

If you know and feel certain that God has your back, then you can set your face like a flint. Be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Father, for you know that nothing you do for him is ever useless (1 Corinthians 15:58) (Stanley).

Father, the thought of receiving a wake-up call from you each morning thrills my heart.

INSIGHT

The Father His empowers His servants. His empowerment makes each servant courageous and determined. He has set his face like flint. He is utterly resolved to do the Father’s will. He is strong and fearless and will not shrink back or be deflected. He will not even flinch.

Isaiah 50:7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not in be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be ashamed.

The Hebrew term translated as ashamed is bosh. It means to be characterized by feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment, disappointment, or remorse. It has overtones of being or feeling worthless.

Can you imagine the apostle Paul ever recoiling, shrinking back in weakness and fear? Was he ever reticent or at a loss for words?

1 Corinthians 2:3-5

 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Even though he had human limitations, Paul stood tall in the Spirit. He relied upon the power of the Holy Spirit and the gospel itself.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

“The Fellowship of the Unashamed” is a prayer that has inspired many to stand strong in their faith and to live unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This prayer was found among the papers of a young African pastor who was martyred in Zimbabwe some 100+ years ago.

According to Southern Nazarene University, the prayer was passed on by missionary Louise Robinson Chapman who served in Africa from 1920-1940.

As a young preacher from Zimbabwe so memorably expressed it:

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power.

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, praise, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and labor by power.

My pace is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way rough. My companions few. My guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I’ve stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give ’til I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He’ll have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear! clear!

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© Dr. H 2023