WEBVTT - Bittersweet Water

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<v Speaker 1>Previously on the Chosen people.

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<v Speaker 2>Why do you cry to me? Tell the children of

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<v Speaker 2>Israel to advance. Stretch forth your hand over the sea,

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<v Speaker 2>and behold my wonders. I will triumph over Pharaoh and

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<v Speaker 2>his armies. My glory will be revealed, and my name

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<v Speaker 2>will be exalted among the nations. They will know that

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<v Speaker 2>I am the Lord.

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<v Speaker 1>The people fell back and beheld the red sea. Yielding

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<v Speaker 1>to the will of God. The voice of the Creator

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<v Speaker 1>tamed the dark and chaotic abyss. Moses turned his voice

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<v Speaker 1>thundering over the stunned crowd.

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<v Speaker 3>Run step into your freedom.

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<v Speaker 4>You will feel the tip of my smear of faith.

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<v Speaker 3>Woo, and your unnamed we'll bowl at my feet, and

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<v Speaker 3>the bag bar our fair. He has a name. Now

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<v Speaker 3>all of Egypt will remember.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses lowered his staff and the waters fell like mountains.

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<v Speaker 1>Pharaoh was crushed under the weight of the sea. The

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<v Speaker 1>chariots splintered, the swords disappeared, and the rushing waters drowned

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<v Speaker 1>out their screams. The oppressors of God's Chosen people were

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<v Speaker 1>buried in darkness.

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<v Speaker 5>When Pharaoh refused to bend our, God broke him. The

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<v Speaker 5>Lord till every first born son in the land of

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<v Speaker 5>Egypt for you.

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<v Speaker 3>It is for this reason we redeem our sons.

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<v Speaker 5>It is for this reason we will sacrifice to the Lord.

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<v Speaker 5>We are afraid people, We are indeed people.

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<v Speaker 3>We are the Chosen People.

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<v Speaker 6>When the Israelites tasted the bitterness of Marah, they also

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<v Speaker 6>tasted the sweetness of God's deliverance. Shalloh, my friends from

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<v Speaker 6>here in the holy land of Israel. I'm ya l

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<v Speaker 6>Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Welcome

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<v Speaker 6>to the Chosen People. Let's begin. What do you do

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<v Speaker 6>when life turns bitter, when hope dries up and the

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<v Speaker 6>sweetness of the past is just a distant memory. Today

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<v Speaker 6>we journey with the Chosen People as they wander the

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<v Speaker 6>wilderness and encounter the waters of Marah. Water's too bitter

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<v Speaker 6>to drink, and we'll ask ourselves, how do we find

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<v Speaker 6>faith when the waters of our lives turn bitter? And

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<v Speaker 6>can bitterness itself be a path to something sweeter?

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<v Speaker 1>The sun was relentless, an ever watching eye of disdain

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<v Speaker 1>and agony, who felt the back of his neck charring

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<v Speaker 1>more and more with each passing hour. He looked back

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<v Speaker 1>at the children of Israel, squinting against the harsh rays

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<v Speaker 1>attempting to blind him. The people had left the Red

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<v Speaker 1>Sea with light feet and hearts, that their countenance was wilting.

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<v Speaker 1>After three days in the wilderness of Sure without any

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<v Speaker 1>fresh water to quench their weary throats. He collective murmur

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<v Speaker 1>could be heard throughout the crowd.

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<v Speaker 4>Ah, that'd sell a thing here for for one drop

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<v Speaker 4>of dew on my tongue.

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<v Speaker 7>They've let us on our children straight into the Desert's

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<v Speaker 7>no plan.

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<v Speaker 1>What about our children?

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<v Speaker 4>This was a half big plan. Moses and Aaron are fools.

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<v Speaker 4>At least we had wells in Egypt.

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<v Speaker 1>Who was among them, listening with agitated ears. He didn't

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<v Speaker 1>share their growing disdain, but he did share their thirst.

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<v Speaker 1>Who approached his mother with a report.

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<v Speaker 8>I'm afraid that these people will turn feral if we

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<v Speaker 8>don't find water soon.

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<v Speaker 7>I share your concern, but we don't want to seem

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<v Speaker 7>ungrateful to the Lord or Moses.

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<v Speaker 8>I don't think we can skirt around it.

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<v Speaker 3>Mother.

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<v Speaker 8>It's better for us to bring the complaints to him

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<v Speaker 8>rather than for him to discover them through a revolt.

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<v Speaker 1>Miriam and her approached Moses, who walked a few paces

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<v Speaker 1>ahead with Aaron.

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<v Speaker 8>Lord Moses the people are growing weary from a lack

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<v Speaker 8>of water. We have to find something soon.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses nodded to affirm the concern. He pointed to the

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<v Speaker 1>hills about half a day's journey east.

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<v Speaker 3>When I was a shepherd, I often look for these

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<v Speaker 3>types of slops. When hills collect in this pattern, they

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<v Speaker 3>tend to host reservoirs. Tell the people we aren't too far, yes,

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<v Speaker 3>Lord Moses.

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<v Speaker 1>Who jogged back to the rest of the people. Miriam

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<v Speaker 1>remained beside her brothers. Moses turned back to her and smirked.

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<v Speaker 3>You have yourself a fine boy there, Miriam. You should

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<v Speaker 3>be proud.

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<v Speaker 7>Oh, I am proud. He's a strong young man with

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<v Speaker 7>a good heart. He didn't inherit his mother's rough edges.

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<v Speaker 3>His grandchildren's generation will grow up without the memory of slavery.

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<v Speaker 7>It's a remarkable thought.

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<v Speaker 9>Let's just make sure we make it to the next generation.

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<v Speaker 9>We're only guessing there will be water over those hills.

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<v Speaker 3>Faith, brother, Faith. Just because you can't see something now

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<v Speaker 3>doesn't mean it doesn't wail on the horizon.

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<v Speaker 1>The desert hills coiled around a deep ravine like a serpent.

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<v Speaker 1>The sun charred every plant on the periphery except a

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<v Speaker 1>small ring of green sloping down into a shaded pool.

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<v Speaker 1>The children of Israel stood atop the hills looking down

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<v Speaker 1>at the water. It was a deep indigo with a

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<v Speaker 1>thin film of oil atop it. Aaron winced at the

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<v Speaker 1>sight of it.

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<v Speaker 9>It doesn't look very refreshing, does it.

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<v Speaker 3>No, it doesn't. I wonder if it's good to drink.

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<v Speaker 8>I'll inspect it.

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<v Speaker 1>Lord Moses Hood descended the slope and approached the water, skeptically,

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<v Speaker 1>taking his hand and bringing it to his face. He

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<v Speaker 1>sniffed it, coiled from the stench, and then sipped some

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<v Speaker 1>in his mouth. Immediately he spat it out, shaking his

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<v Speaker 1>head in disgust. Who quivered and looked up.

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<v Speaker 8>It's bitter, Lord Moses, there's no way we can drink it.

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<v Speaker 9>Blast it. What are we going to do? These people

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<v Speaker 9>don't have enough strength to travel any longer.

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<v Speaker 1>The people all began to stir. A collective groan traveled

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<v Speaker 1>like a wake from the front of the throng all

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<v Speaker 1>the way to the back. Their murmurs rose to the heavens,

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<v Speaker 1>a sigh of distrust and irritability. Moses feared the worst

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<v Speaker 1>might come from their thirst.

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<v Speaker 4>Hey, what are we supposed to do. Now, Moses, you're the.

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<v Speaker 2>One who brought us out here.

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<v Speaker 7>It's your responsibility. What are we going to drink?

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<v Speaker 3>We're gonna die out here.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses' eyes widened. Their incessant groaning pricked at his mind.

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<v Speaker 1>He felt anger traveling up his spine and to his extremities.

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<v Speaker 1>He clenched his staff tightly, feeling as if he might

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<v Speaker 1>snap it in two.

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<v Speaker 3>Ah, God, I spotted an entire sea for you people.

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<v Speaker 9>As we speak.

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<v Speaker 3>A cloud of smoke is before us to guide us

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<v Speaker 3>to paradise. Yet here you are whining like children.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses rolled his neck back and composed himself. He looked

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<v Speaker 1>at Aaron on his right and Miriam on his left.

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<v Speaker 3>Speak to them and tell them it will be all right.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm going to speak with the.

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<v Speaker 7>Lord Ah as you wish. But what do we tell them?

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<v Speaker 7>Where will we find water?

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<v Speaker 1>Moses ignored her and stormed off. His feet churned up

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<v Speaker 1>dust as he stomped. He stood at the banks of

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<v Speaker 1>the large bitter pool, gazing at it for ansis. It

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<v Speaker 1>smelled sulfuric with a tinge of rotted algae. He whacked

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<v Speaker 1>a stone with his staff and watched it travel upward.

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<v Speaker 1>And PLoP into the water. Moses stared at the water

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<v Speaker 1>some more, then at the staff in his hand. The

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<v Speaker 1>Lord had performed mighty He wanders through this staff. Through it,

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<v Speaker 1>seas had parted and rivers had turned to blood. Perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>with it Moses could remove the bitterness from the water.

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<v Speaker 1>He inched close to it and gently placed the tip

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<v Speaker 1>of his staff into the pool. He watched the oils

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<v Speaker 1>separate slightly. Moses removed his staff and crouched down to

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<v Speaker 1>the water. Then, with a steady hand, he lapped upside it.

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<v Speaker 1>His eyes widened, then he spat it out with utter disgust.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses wiped his tongue on his tunic and spat whatever

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<v Speaker 1>he could out. The water was still bitter. The same

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<v Speaker 1>tactics hadn't worked. With frustrated breaths, he spoke to the Lord,

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<v Speaker 1>what are we to do?

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<v Speaker 4>Lord?

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<v Speaker 3>We can't travel any further without water. You wouldn't have

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<v Speaker 3>brought us out here without plans to vibe for us.

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<v Speaker 3>What is your will? What do I do?

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<v Speaker 1>Moses listened for the comforting, commanding, and terrifying voice that

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<v Speaker 1>had often occupied his mind. For a moment, he wondered

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<v Speaker 1>if the Lord would be silent now that he had

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<v Speaker 1>freed his people, had he resigned to doing enough? Were

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<v Speaker 1>they on their own?

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<v Speaker 2>Now?

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<v Speaker 1>Was Moses doomed to lead without the guidance of the Almighty?

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<v Speaker 1>Who was he without the voice? These wrestlings of doubt

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<v Speaker 1>and fear often visited his mind. In his waiting, a

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<v Speaker 1>shift in the air occurred. It was subtle, brief, and

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<v Speaker 1>nearly unnoticeable, yet it rustled the branches of a small

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<v Speaker 1>tree nearby enough to catch Moses's ear. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>gingo tree with leaves of bright green and coarse roots.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses remembered these trees from his wandering and median They

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<v Speaker 1>were used by the healers for purification, ceremonies, and treating infections. Immediately,

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<v Speaker 1>Moses rose to inspect it. He ran his hand over

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<v Speaker 1>the jagged bark, sliding it upward towards a low hanging branch.

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<v Speaker 1>He held it, pulled it, and broke a piece off.

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<v Speaker 1>The sap tripped from where the branch had been broken.

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<v Speaker 1>He looked around, seeing a log from a tree that

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<v Speaker 1>had just fallen. The log was sweating sap from the

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<v Speaker 1>harsh sun. It dripped with the amber substance to the

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<v Speaker 1>floor and caramelized against the stones. A smile curled up

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<v Speaker 1>Moses's withered and wrinkled face. He laughed and shook his head,

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<v Speaker 1>turning his chin upward. The Lord didn't want to use Moses' staff.

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<v Speaker 1>He wanted to remind Moses that this desert was not

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<v Speaker 1>a death sentence. Within it were hidden treasures placed by

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<v Speaker 1>him to provide for his people. The Lord had saved

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<v Speaker 1>his children from death. He certainly wouldn't lead them to

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<v Speaker 1>their death. Moses turned and waved to Aaron, Miriam.

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<v Speaker 3>And her Arin Her over here, help me with this.

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<v Speaker 1>Her was the first to descend, lifting a log with

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<v Speaker 1>Moses and bringing it closer to the shore.

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<v Speaker 3>Eh toss it in on three one two hurry.

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<v Speaker 1>The log floated atop the dark water. HER's eyes widened

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<v Speaker 1>in surprise as the oils dissolved and the inky water cleared.

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<v Speaker 3>Ah erin try the water. What why me? Because her

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<v Speaker 3>and I have tried it already. It's your turn.

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<v Speaker 9>No matter what happens, I'm naming this place, Mara. The

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<v Speaker 9>bitterness has played with my emotions.

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron approached the water, cupped it in his palm, and groaned.

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<v Speaker 1>He looked back at Moses and then at the water.

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<v Speaker 1>He sipped, smiled, and took another. He cupped another palmful

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<v Speaker 1>and threw some back at Moses.

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<v Speaker 9>It's sweet as honey hoo.

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<v Speaker 1>And Miriam hurried over to take a sip. They smiled

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<v Speaker 1>and hugged, then bent down to drink some more. That's

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<v Speaker 1>when the voice spoke again to Moses, the voice of

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<v Speaker 1>a provider, protector, and sustainer.

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<v Speaker 2>If you will diligently listen to my voice and do

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<v Speaker 2>that which is right in my eyes, and give you

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<v Speaker 2>to my commandments and keep all my statues, I will

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<v Speaker 2>put none of the disease on you that I put

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<v Speaker 2>on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord, your healer.

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<v Speaker 1>Tears flowed down the cracks in Moses's face. He nodded

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<v Speaker 1>and sprinted up the hill to the people. With a

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<v Speaker 1>raspy and labored voice, he shouted to them, the.

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<v Speaker 3>Lord is your healer, not your task master, long ane

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<v Speaker 3>of the days of under a tyrant. If we listened

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<v Speaker 3>to his voice and hear his commands and keep his laws,

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<v Speaker 3>will not suffer the same fate as the Egyptians. You

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<v Speaker 3>are right. The Egyptians perished from too much water. We

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<v Speaker 3>will perish from no water. Not true my brothers and sisters,

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<v Speaker 3>descend the hill, taste see for yourselves. Behold the power

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<v Speaker 3>of our God.

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<v Speaker 1>Moses gestured back to the water. The crowd peeped down,

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<v Speaker 1>seeing the others dancing by the banks of the pool,

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<v Speaker 1>they rushed with great force downward, gleefully sharing from the spring.

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<v Speaker 1>The pool of Mara had been purified by the sap

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<v Speaker 1>in the log, but what remained in the water was

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<v Speaker 1>even more purifying. Within the water, where all the minerals

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<v Speaker 1>needed to cleanse their stomachs of the sickness that often

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<v Speaker 1>spread in the slums of Egypt, their bodies were also

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<v Speaker 1>replenished from the salt in the water, and each person

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<v Speaker 1>felt more powerful to press on The Lord provided healing

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<v Speaker 1>and purified them from the inside out. He had turned

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<v Speaker 1>their bitterness into sweetness, their despair into delight. The Lord

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<v Speaker 1>is a god of restoration and healing. Moses's face beamed

0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:30.160
<v Speaker 1>with delight. He looked in the distance, where the pillar

0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:32.960
<v Speaker 1>of smoke still smoldered for guidance.

0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:38.040
<v Speaker 3>Where you go, I will go. Now you stay, I

0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:42.160
<v Speaker 3>will stay, whether it be on Mara's bags or the

0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:43.360
<v Speaker 3>promised lands shores.

0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:49.440
<v Speaker 1>After the children of Israel were replenished, They followed the

0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:53.160
<v Speaker 1>Lord through the sharp ravines down into a valley tucked

0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:58.360
<v Speaker 1>between two mountains or The place was named Elam, adorned

0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:02.840
<v Speaker 1>with grassy patches for their livestock and palm trees for shade.

0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:08.640
<v Speaker 1>Twelve springs were arrayed throughout, with seventy palm trees towering

0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:12.880
<v Speaker 1>over them to provide shade. Each pool hosted a tribe

0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:17.360
<v Speaker 1>of Israel that night. The people danced by the fire

0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:21.320
<v Speaker 1>and enjoyed cups of boiled water and tea leaves. The

0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:25.000
<v Speaker 1>Lord was among them, pleased to provide this moment of

0:16:25.040 --> 0:16:30.520
<v Speaker 1>peace to his chosen people. Aaron sat beside Moses. Both

0:16:30.560 --> 0:16:33.440
<v Speaker 1>of them stared at the fire's reflection in the water.

0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:36.400
<v Speaker 1>Aaron smiled and nudged his brother.

0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:38.760
<v Speaker 9>Do you ever have doubt, Moses?

0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:40.280
<v Speaker 3>Of course I do.

0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:43.840
<v Speaker 9>It doesn't seem like it. You seem to always be

0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:45.400
<v Speaker 9>a steady pillar of trust.

0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.960
<v Speaker 3>I doubt, Aaron, but I rarely have time for those

0:16:51.040 --> 0:16:54.320
<v Speaker 3>doubts to take shame. The Lord has done what he

0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:57.440
<v Speaker 3>said he was going to do time and time again.

0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:00.600
<v Speaker 3>He fulfills his promises.

0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:05.160
<v Speaker 9>Yes, but people have short memories, Moses.

0:17:06.480 --> 0:17:08.760
<v Speaker 3>It will be part of your job as a leader

0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:11.520
<v Speaker 3>to keep the Lord's goodness on the top of their.

0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:16.520
<v Speaker 1>Minds Aron nodded, considering the weight of his manful. He

0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:20.240
<v Speaker 1>was one of the people, but close to Moses. He

0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:25.360
<v Speaker 1>constantly oscillated between their feelings of doubt and Moses' words

0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:29.800
<v Speaker 1>of faith. Soon enough, he'd have to figure out how

0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.879
<v Speaker 1>to bridge that gap in his own heart. And for

0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:33.520
<v Speaker 1>the people.

0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:42.399
<v Speaker 6>Wow, the Chosen People have crossed the Red Sea to

0:17:42.520 --> 0:17:47.240
<v Speaker 6>freedom and have begun to wander the wilderness from slavery

0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:53.720
<v Speaker 6>to freedom. But now they're concerned with surviving the brutal desert.

0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.760
<v Speaker 6>It's here we find them perched and weary, at a

0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:03.000
<v Speaker 6>place called Marah, which in Hebrew literally translates as bitter.

0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:07.119
<v Speaker 6>They have at last found a spring to quench their thirst,

0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:08.119
<v Speaker 6>but they.

0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:09.240
<v Speaker 3>Can't drink from it.

0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.959
<v Speaker 6>The Israelites complain that there's no good water to drink

0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:18.199
<v Speaker 6>because the water at Marah is bitter. They're thirsty, and

0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:21.640
<v Speaker 6>they start to get a little bit hopeless. So God

0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:24.440
<v Speaker 6>commands Moses to take the branch of a certain tree

0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:27.359
<v Speaker 6>to cast it into the water, and behold, the water

0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:31.200
<v Speaker 6>becomes sweet. But what does this all mean, my friends?

0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:36.959
<v Speaker 6>We've just witnessed God's miracles overpower Pharaoh's magicians. We've just

0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:41.040
<v Speaker 6>seen the sea part at God's command. So why is

0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:47.400
<v Speaker 6>this story so important? Well, Jewish tradition has several explanations

0:18:47.400 --> 0:18:50.159
<v Speaker 6>for this story, but there's a very beautiful one that

0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:53.400
<v Speaker 6>I want to share with you today. In Jewish thought,

0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:58.280
<v Speaker 6>a tree represents the Torah, represents God's word, the Bible

0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:03.600
<v Speaker 6>that we are studying right now. In the Bible, Proverbs

0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:07.320
<v Speaker 6>three eighteen says quote, she is a tree of life.

0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:10.640
<v Speaker 6>To those who uphold her, and those who hold her

0:19:10.720 --> 0:19:14.160
<v Speaker 6>fast will be blessed. You want to hear it in Hebrew.

0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:17.200
<v Speaker 6>This is how we say that verse in Hebrew, it's

0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:23.240
<v Speaker 6>chaimh le macha zi kimba. In our last episode, we

0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:25.720
<v Speaker 6>like in God's word to bringing shape and form into

0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.960
<v Speaker 6>the world, just as the waters of the sea took form.

0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:34.320
<v Speaker 6>And here Jewish tradition uses nature represents God's word too.

0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:40.200
<v Speaker 6>It teaches that this proverb's tree is referring to the Torah.

0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:45.040
<v Speaker 6>To the Bible. Yes, life's water can sometimes be bitter,

0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:49.000
<v Speaker 6>but just as God commanded Moses to cast the tree

0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:52.560
<v Speaker 6>into the bitter water and the water becomes sweet, He's

0:19:52.640 --> 0:19:57.320
<v Speaker 6>reminding us that studying the Bible and observing its commandments

0:19:57.720 --> 0:20:02.480
<v Speaker 6>can sweeten the bitter moments of our lives. The story

0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:07.520
<v Speaker 6>is telling us today, when things are hard, turn to

0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:12.399
<v Speaker 6>God and his word. And while we're studying this Bible story,

0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:14.480
<v Speaker 6>there's a moment at the end that I'd like to

0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:17.720
<v Speaker 6>look at now, at the end of verse twenty five,

0:20:17.840 --> 0:20:21.720
<v Speaker 6>it seems a little bit strange. After the whole incident

0:20:21.760 --> 0:20:25.320
<v Speaker 6>at Mara, the Bible tells us this quote. There the

0:20:25.359 --> 0:20:28.440
<v Speaker 6>Lord issued a ruling an instruction for them and put

0:20:28.440 --> 0:20:31.879
<v Speaker 6>them to the test end quote. What does the Bible

0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:37.399
<v Speaker 6>mean by a ruling an instruction? Well, the Jewish ages

0:20:37.480 --> 0:20:41.360
<v Speaker 6>suggests that even before the Chosen people received the Torah

0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:45.080
<v Speaker 6>at Mount Zinai, some laws were actually given to them

0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:50.160
<v Speaker 6>at the water of Marah, and one of those laws,

0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:54.240
<v Speaker 6>according to tradition, was the law of Shabbat, of the

0:20:54.280 --> 0:21:00.159
<v Speaker 6>Sabbath to keep the seventh day holy. You know, when

0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:04.160
<v Speaker 6>I think of the beautiful, peaceful, spiritual, and sweet feelings

0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:07.359
<v Speaker 6>that my family and I experience each week on Shabbat,

0:21:08.000 --> 0:21:11.439
<v Speaker 6>I understand why the sages suggested that the Sabbath was

0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:14.199
<v Speaker 6>one of those laws given at a place where the

0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:16.840
<v Speaker 6>bitter waters turn sweet.

0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:17.720
<v Speaker 1>For me.

0:21:18.560 --> 0:21:23.399
<v Speaker 6>Despite life's problems during the week, despite the stress that

0:21:23.480 --> 0:21:26.919
<v Speaker 6>I might feel, what gives me hope is that I

0:21:26.960 --> 0:21:29.679
<v Speaker 6>always know that my family and I will be treated

0:21:29.760 --> 0:21:33.399
<v Speaker 6>to the sweetness of Shabbat at the end of the week.

0:21:34.119 --> 0:21:37.960
<v Speaker 6>It's a sweetness that began so long ago at the

0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:42.400
<v Speaker 6>water of Marah. This ancient narrative speak to us today.

0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:47.680
<v Speaker 6>What practical lessons can we draw from the waters of Marah. First,

0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:52.639
<v Speaker 6>let's recognize that life's bitterness is inevitable. We all face

0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:57.000
<v Speaker 6>moments when our water turns undrinkable, be it a sudden loss,

0:21:57.160 --> 0:22:02.160
<v Speaker 6>a failed dream, or fractured relationship. In these moments, our

0:22:02.160 --> 0:22:06.320
<v Speaker 6>initial reaction may be to question, to doubt, to complain,

0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:10.400
<v Speaker 6>and that's okay. Our tradition teaches us to bring these

0:22:10.520 --> 0:22:14.200
<v Speaker 6>raw emotions before God. But we have to make sure

0:22:14.200 --> 0:22:16.600
<v Speaker 6>that that's not the end of the story, that it

0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:20.359
<v Speaker 6>doesn't end there. Just as Moses turned to God, we

0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:23.280
<v Speaker 6>too are called to seek his wisdom and our challenges

0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:29.120
<v Speaker 6>to bring healing into our broken situations. In moments of bitterness,

0:22:29.400 --> 0:22:34.920
<v Speaker 6>ask yourself, where is the tree? The lesson of Mara

0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:41.840
<v Speaker 6>is timeless. Bitterness and sweetness are intertwined in every trial.

0:22:42.000 --> 0:22:46.280
<v Speaker 6>There is an opportunity for redemption and transformation to be

0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:50.480
<v Speaker 6>planted and to flourish and blessed where we are if

0:22:50.480 --> 0:22:53.760
<v Speaker 6>we simply turn to God for instruction.

0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:57.080
<v Speaker 1>You can listen to the Chosen People with the Isle

0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:00.720
<v Speaker 1>Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscript scribing to the

0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:04.640
<v Speaker 1>Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production

0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:08.840
<v Speaker 1>is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.

0:23:09.160 --> 0:23:13.399
<v Speaker 1>Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are

0:23:13.440 --> 0:23:16.960
<v Speaker 1>the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,

0:23:17.280 --> 0:23:22.399
<v Speaker 1>edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are

0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:26.920
<v Speaker 1>voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,

0:23:27.080 --> 0:23:31.000
<v Speaker 1>Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced

0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:35.080
<v Speaker 1>by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by

0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:39.600
<v Speaker 1>Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,

0:23:39.920 --> 0:23:43.840
<v Speaker 1>Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team

0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:47.480
<v Speaker 1>at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear

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