Amen, you may be seated. Yeah. You ready to go? you you you Let me get my paper out here. Okay. The thing about that video is, I didn't think it was gonna hit as hard until I just watched it. See, I was there in all those pictures, and I know how much time and effort got put into the raising of me, because we know it was not the smoothest ride at all times. Before I start my speech, where's my dad at? I knew I was going to have a complication. Now I can't get my hat to stay on. OK. Oh, well. So to start off my speech, I want to start off with a quote. It's actually by our very own Pastor Decker. Where is he? Where is he? I'm going to try to keep this short tonight. As I stand up here today in this cap and gown, I can hardly believe that I'm actually graduating. It feels just like yesterday that I was memorizing the long prepositions list with Ms. Begman in third grade, and yes, I still have them all memorized, or that just yesterday I was getting my first kill in volleyball. I have countless memories that I could share over the past 12 years of life, but you say you wanna hear it? Who, wait, what? Oh, I was like, what? I can afterwards. I have countless memories that I could share about the past 12 years of my life, but today I will be sharing the ones that will always stand out the most. See, what makes my parents so cool is that they handpicked me. And I couldn't be more thankful for them, their love for me, and their support. Dad, do you remember all the late night algebra lessons that usually ended up with me in tears? Well, they must have worked, because two years ago I even passed advanced algebra. But in all seriousness, Dad, your work ethic is what I look up to you the most for. And I thank you for instilling it in me. I love you, Dad. Mom, I remember every single game where you were the loudest cheerleader for me. You always knew what to say after the game to pick me up because we both know that dad was always about fixing my mistakes. But mom, the example you have shown to me to have an open heart and to serve others is what stands out the most. And I am so thankful for all of our laughing sessions that we have had, especially senior year. I love you. Okay, now my siblings. Now, no, they didn't handpick me. And while, yes, they can be annoying, like when they share my most embarrassing stories, Josh, or tattletale on me to mom, Jen, but my siblings care about me. And they are always there to give me the best advice when I come and ask for it. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. I love all of you. Okay, now I would like Mackenzie, Jackson, Carson, and Austin to stand for me. I want all four of you guys to stand. Now I would like everyone in the crowd to look at these four. I want you to see today why I'm standing here in this cap and gown, graduating high school and about to be going to college. In the fall, I'll be going to PCC to become a teacher. And right there is the reason why. As I have gotten older, I've realized my influence on them. And I know what our world is coming to, and I want to be a part of the small percentage of people that are striving to influence the next generation for God in the classroom. All right, guys, you can sit down now. Those kids mean the world to me, and I truly can't imagine my life without their silly jokes and their adorable smiles. I love you kids. Okay, now, keep it together. Libby, our paths crossed three years ago, and it's been one of the best things that's ever happened to me. You've been there for me through all the highs and all the definite lows. We have cried together, and we have continuously laughed together. Has our friendship been perfect? No. But it's been amazing, and I cannot wait to see where God takes you and our friendship both. I will always be your biggest fan, and I love you so much. Now before I end my speech, I would like to thank everyone for being here. And no, since I was on a time limit, I can't go through everyone I would like to thank, but there is one more person that I would like to thank and remember. See, some people have role models and heroes in their life, but mine went by Papaw. My Papaw was the best. he would sit and people watch with me at the mall on the bench and we would listen to southern gospel music at full blast when he was still driving because he could not hear very well and he would never hear his turn signal so it would stay on till our next destination. He would hold my hand in the back of the car when we were sitting together. And my favorite memory is when we would be sitting in the car, I would be saying nothing, and all of a sudden my papaw would look at me and he would say, shut up, Nyla. Like Papaw, I wasn't saying anything. My Papaw always knew what to say to encourage me and never failed to put a smile on my face. I sadly never got to say goodbye to him, but today I would like to sing a song that I wrote with the help from my favorite cousin, uncle, he doesn't really have a title, Kenny, and It actually just got finished a few days ago, but the lyrics really do, they really do mean a lot to me and I might not be able to get through this song, but I hope you guys enjoy it and I thank you guys so much for being here. Look at me, just turned 18 There's a lot you've missed And things you'll never see I miss you more than I can say A lot has changed since you've gone away I miss those good old days How I miss those good old days Those good old days when I was a kid All our chats and things we did Those were the good old days How I miss those good old days I won't forget Your memory The things we did The things you said to me But someday soon we'll meet again And we'll walk together hand in hand In that eternal day Yes, God's eternal day Those good old days when I was a kid All our chats and things we did Those were the good old days How I miss those good old days They were there the whole time. They were. Thank God I am free, free, free from the bondage of school. No more quizzes and tests, nor you broke the rules. Hallelujah, I'm done, done, done with suffering and strife. You can put down the tissues, no more dealing with issues, adulthood is mine. For a long time we've waited for this day to arrive. We struggled through 12 years and somehow survived Though many have doubted that we'd make it through I'll tell you the truth, I stand here as proof God works miracles Thank God I am free, free, free from the bondage of school. No more quizzes and tests, the more you broke the rules. Hallelujah, I'm done, done, done with suffering and strife. You can put down the tissues, no more dealing with issues. Adulthood is nigh. No more imparting knowledge. But wait, don't you have college? Oh yeah. At least we finished high school. you so so so Mommy! I got a dirty phone. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. you Now for the part I've been dreading. We all know I'm not a public speaker, so bear with me. I don't know if I can get through this. I would like to thank everybody for being here, number one. It means a lot. I know I have a lot of family, so I'm not going to be able to cover everybody. So I'm just going to start with my parents. Mom, where are you? Oh, hi. Thank you for always being there when I needed your help, especially with school. Also, thanks for not getting upset when I said I can't do it, because we all know I said that a lot. Dad, and you were up there. Hi. Even though you didn't help much with school, thank you for the endless supply of hugs. They most definitely helped me get through school. Katie, thank you for helping me with school when I had no clue what I was doing, which was all the time, literally all the time. Tori, well, you're here. Just kidding. Just kidding. She did write that. Thank you so much for doing my memory table. If I had to do it, well, I think most of us know. I'm not artistic at all, so thank you very much. And you helped me with school too, a lot. Okay, to all the Alexanders, I want to apologize when I was younger because I know I was very spoiled. And even when y'all told me, even when y'all told me no, because y'all were trying to get done with school, I always went to Mama and Papa and got my way. So y'all took me on bike rides and played games with me. So I just want to apologize. Yeah, Papa, thank you for all the icy runs. And for all the hugs. You mean a lot to me. And I will always be your baby girl. Momma, thank you for being willing to tutor me when I was younger. I know it couldn't have been easy. I love y'all both very much. Faith and grace. Thank y'all for always being such an encouragement to me. I know for sure if I was ever struggling, I could call or text y'all, or both of y'all, and I'd get exactly what I needed. I'm so glad God gave me you two as my aunts. That mean a lot to me. To my church family, I would like to thank all y'all for being here so much. It means more than y'all will ever know. I'm so glad I get to share this day with y'all. I'm just glad I finished school. I'm really shocked I did, but I'm just glad I did. Last but not least, my best friend, I love you so much. We've been through a lot together. More good than bad, but a lot together. And with you going to college, I'm going to miss you so much. I could go, too. We actually talked about that. That's the funny thing. But we all know school is not my thing. So if I take a year off, maybe it will be again. Hopefully this summer, we'll get to spend a lot of time together. Because if not, I might die. I'm so very proud of you. And I can't wait to see what the Lord does with you. And you are going to be a great teacher. With all that said, I don't know how much more I can talk without breaking down in tears and not shaking. So I'm very nervous right now. But I would just like to thank everybody for being here. And I want you all to know it really does mean a lot to me. So I'm going to be honest. This was very last minute, like how a lot of things were. But I remember that this was supposed to be done. I don't know exactly what to say, but I know that the point of giving these roses is to thank our parents. I know we both mentioned our parents in our speech. Like, and honestly, really being adopted, I mean, I could still be in a children's home down in Florida or who knows where if it wasn't for my parents. And we all know I'm difficult at times. So them putting up with me is a lot. But in all seriousness, I know we both could not have come this far without our parents. Even her parents have done numerous things for me, counseling me, being there, getting random hugs just when I need them. But we thank you guys so much and we want to give you guys these. I'm the one that's going to preach the charge. It's been great so far. It's been great getting to know these girls. We've seen them grow spiritually. Me and my wife have seen them grow so much. We've seen their heart and how they have a great heart. Always looking to try to find something to do to serve and to obey the Lord. I'm just grateful to be able to get to know them. Just grateful to learn more about them. Not just know them, but know more about them. And they've made a huge accomplishment graduating high school. And they've got a bright future ahead of them, you know, as long as the time as we have here. Because, you know, as we, you know, get closer and closer, we see this world getting to where it is. We're getting closer and closer. I don't know when that has. That's on the Lord's hands. But we're here for such a time. They're here for such a time. And I feel like they They have a burden for people and I think they will continue to serve. I pray for them each and every day and I pray for the best for them that they will always seek the Lord first. Alright, well if you will open up your Bibles to Genesis chapter number 31. I want to read a few verses here, and then we'll get into the charge. It's the first time I ever preach the charge, so y'all bear with me. But I had the same quote Nila did, and I want to try to keep it short. Which I'm not much of a long-winded preacher anyway, but anytime I'm behind another man's pulpit, you know, this isn't my pulpit, this is Pastor Decker's pulpit, I always relish the opportunity. And I've always been taught, he who preaches short, preaches again. Amen. Alright, so Genesis 31, we're going to start at verse 11 and read a few verses here. And the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked, speckled, and gristled. For I have seen all that labeth doeth unto thee. And I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointest thee the pillar, and where thou vowest a vow unto me. Now arise, get thee out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. So y'all are getting ready for high school, I mean graduating high school, getting ready for college and whatever life holds for you next. You know, you're not always going to be under your parents' roof. So I saw, my wife pointed this out on Facebook. A lot of high schools, they don't teach you things. They give you some knowledge, but they don't teach you life skills. Well, the Holly Pond School over in Coleman County, they had an adulting 101 class for their students, for all the seniors. And it was just basic stuff you need to get through adult life. So I'm gonna go through some of these and see if y'all know how to do any of these. These are just the ones I got off the internet. All right, you know how to cook? Mac and cheese cereal I Don't think do you heat your cereal up or cook it? I don't I mean do you make it from scratch? All right clean Yeah, I have to say they do they can clean I know Nala Nala I know the first time she ever came to our house you wanted to iron her whole closet I was like you don't have to do that, but I'm not gonna stop you Prepare a resume With parents' help. Well, you always need help. I always need help. I don't know how to word. For a resume, you need to make sure you word things the right way, and I've never been good at that. But interview skills, making sure you can interview well. Talk to people. Questions they might ask you. Pay your bills. Amen. At this point, it's just looking at your phone, logging in and paying it. I mean, there's no, you know, used to you had to go to the post office and get a money order or Walmart and go to this and that. Now it's just all on the phone electronically. Sew. Sew a button back onto a pants or a dress. We might have to teach, we might have, you might have to get somebody to teach you that one. This one, schedule a doctor or dentist appointment. I think that must be a guy thing I've seen this trend going a while back that you know they still have 30 year olds still having their calling their mom to get them their schedule their doctors and dentists important I'm like really all right a budget budgeting yeah good stewards of God's money what God's given you amen all right the the warning of credit cards plunge a toilet Alright, jump off a car. Hook the cables onto the red one and the black one. Yeah, I never forget one time I went and half paying attention and I done it on the wrong one. That was not good. Change a tire. You think you could? Alright, now tell me how to change a tire. The lug wrench? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay. Did you just do it a few months ago all right you forgot a few things though I have to say you done good you got the tire on but you didn't complete the job you got to put the jack up you got to put the this you got to put the spare tire back or the spare the your flat tire back in your trunk or everything Everything you got to complete the job and you know, we just read these passages scripture here and Now I want to get into the message God told Jacob here to go to Bethel go back to where he told him to come from and We're gonna look over here turn a few chapters over to chapter of Genesis chapter number 33 and we're gonna look at starting at verse number 17 and And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore the name of this place is called Succoth. And Jacob came to Shalom, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padaram and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of the field, where he had spread the tent in the hand of the children of Haman, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. And he erected there an altar and called it, I'm trying not to butcher this, Elio Israel. So Jacob here, God told him to go to Bethel. Go back to where his kindred is. Go back to where he needed to go. That's what God told him to do. Well if you look over here in chapter number 33, that's not where he's at. He's in Succoth. He got almost, but he didn't complete the job. You know, he told him to go back to Bethel, but he did not complete the job. He went to Succoth. And if you don't know, or Shechem, if you don't know, Shechem is, you know, not far. It's right outside of where is Bethel. It's not far from Bethel. But, you know, he didn't go to Bethel where he needed to go. He was close. He just wasn't all the way there. And sometimes close doesn't work. Close doesn't work. And it isn't like he was just pitching a tent there or just kind of camping out there for the night as he's traveling. It says that he built a temple He pitched his tent before the city. He bought a parcel. He got some land, a parcel of the field. He got him some land. So if he bought land there, he's not just passing through. He's there. And you always want to be where God wants you to be, and that's not where God wanted him to be. He wanted him to be in Bethel, but he wasn't. And you know, sometimes we do make foolish decisions. And I'm not going to lie, I've made foolish decisions. Everybody in here probably can tell me a time where they made a foolish decision or were acted foolish. And at some point in y'all's life, if y'all haven't already, y'all are going to make foolish decisions. Proverbs 21.11 says, When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise. And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. When God instructs us to do something, if we're wise, we'll do what God tells us to do, and He'll give us knowledge. He might give us knowledge for right here, and that we might not need it for right here, but we can put it away and have it there, and we know what God wants us to do, or what God's telling us. Proverbs 13, 19, the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul, but is an abomination to the fools to depart from evil. It's sweet to the soul when you accomplish something. You accomplished going through high school. It's sweet to the soul, isn't it? Yeah. No more school, nothing like that. It's sweet to the soul. And anytime, like here, he didn't accomplish his goal. He didn't get all the way to Bethel. So, I have to imagine something, I mean, to me, something wouldn't be right in my heart or right with me because I'm not where I'm supposed to be. It's not sweet to my soul. Always and I it's it's just great. You know as a as a man if I fix something it's always man I finally I got it's just something about it if I accomplish something I fix something and get it finished Especially something that's daunting like a huge task like you ever bought anything from Ikea or Walmart you had to put together You're missing you're missing stuff. You're missing parts and Some stuff don't add up right and it just, it's a headache. But once you get it done, it's huge. I remember, what was it, last week or two, Pastor Decker came in all excited, man, he was excited. He had fixed something on the website. He had finally figured it out after a long battle with it. He finally figured it out. And it's exciting, it's sweet to the soul to finish something and get to where you're supposed to be. And at some point in your life, you're gonna need God's wisdom, and it's harder to do that when you're not where you're supposed to be. You never wanna do anything to sever that relationship between you and God, whether that's not where you're supposed to be or whether that's sin or whatever that may, you never wanna sever that relationship with God. Proverbs 10, 14, wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. Sometimes we're gonna say foolish stuff that gets us into trouble, amen. And that's, bad thing about it is, is when you're preaching, you might say something foolish, and it gets you in trouble. But you're gonna, at some point, even just talking to people, you might say something dumb, do something dumb. And it's, but you know, and all, After the fact, it's always good to seek the Lord, because the Lord can help correct things. Amen. If you feel like you've done something dumb or you've done something done, there's never a point where you can't recover. God can fix just about everything. Amen. And I've done that in my life. I've made foolish decisions and stuff, and God's fixed it. I mean, God's fixed it every single time if I seek Him. with an earnest heart to find him, and he'll fix it. And it doesn't matter how difficult things may be. You're gonna go through difficult times in your life, but if God told you to do it, you just do it, even though it might be difficult, even though it might be, you know, not pleasing to the flesh, or pleasing to, might not feel right, but if you feel like God told you to do it, you just do it. Just go where he wants you to go, do what he wants you to do, and He'll reward it in the end. Proverbs 29, 11, a fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it until afterwards. Sometimes we just need to keep quiet. Amen? We just need to sit and listen. I, as a young person, know when I'm sitting around good biblical preachers that's got a lot more wisdom than I do, I just need to sit there and be quiet. I just need to get as much from them as I can and just get as much knowledge as I can. Because sometimes as a teenager you think you know, you think you got things figured out. And sometimes as adults we do that too. We think we got it all figured out and then God humbles us sometimes. But don't ever be, always be willing to be wrong. I always go in sometimes to assume I'm going to be wrong. It's just always be willing to be wrong. Always be willing to humble yourself before the Lord. And that means, you know, the altar is where things get altered. It's where things change. You know, where you seek the Lord and really humble yourself before the Lord. And just always be willing and open to go to the altar and get things right with the Lord and find what the Lord wants for you. And never be prideful enough to where you can't listen to what God is telling you. Never want to be in that state where you think you know more than God. Who am I ever to question Him? Amen. Proverbs 19, 13, A foolish son is the calamity of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. So we're a picture of our family. You're a picture of your parents. You need to honor your parents. Your parents have done a great job raising you. I can tell from getting to know you, they've done a great job raising you. You never want to do something where it brings shame upon your family. Honor your father and mother, and I don't have the verse in front of me, I might butcher it, but it says you will live a long and prosperous life. You don't want a short life, so just honor your mother and father. You never want to bring shame or anything to them. So getting back to the story here in Jacob, He has a house in Succoth. He made booths for his cattle. He has a farm. He has a ranch. He bought land. He's not where he's supposed to be, though. In verse 20, he erected an altar, so he started a church. He got him a church. He's got land. He's got a house. He's got a church, but he's not where he's supposed to be. He's not where God wanted him. He's not obeying God. You know, some people will do that, though. They'll say, I'm gonna follow God, and I'm going to do what God wants me to do, but I'll keep this for myself. I will keep something back. Like, you know, Ananias and Sapphires did in the book of Acts. They kept something from themselves. But, you know, the Lord points that, will eventually point that out to you and try to you to get rid of it. And sometimes it's a besetting sin. you know, a sin that has kind of a hold on you. I don't know what it might be, but it could be an app, a social media, your phone, a friend. Maybe God told you to get rid of this friend that is not a good influence. And as y'all get older, y'all are going to have people that come across in y'all's life that are not good friends. I mean, y'all are good friends, but there's other people that will try to befriend you that are not for your best interests, and just be wary of that. Always keep a good relationship with God, and He'll point those things out to you. He'll give you the wisdom to point those things out to you. And it's not just always have the mindset of it's not my will, but thine. It's always about Him. We want to lift Him up. We want to exalt Him. A lot of people, as far as salvation goes, they can't get saved until I stop sinning. It's not the right attitude. Until you get saved, that's when the sin stops and that's when God will lead you and cleanse you and try to get rid of the sin in your life and He'll point anything out to you that might not be right with Him. He's going to point it out to you if you're really sinking Him and keeping a short account with Him and just that relationship isn't severed. We'll look at verses in chapter number 32, so we'll look back one more chapter, a couple more chapters, one more chapter, yeah. We're gonna look at verses 24 through 27. And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint. He wrestled with him. And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, what is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel. For as a prince hast thou power with God, and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there, and Jacob called the name of this place Penuel, for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel, the sun arose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of this sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh unto this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh and the sinew that shrank." So Jacob here got to a point where, this is before he got to Succoth, but he got to a point where he was wanting to be blessed by God. And it's not always something easy. Sometimes it takes more work and more effort to really get a blessing from God. Not a blessing, but really to get a answer from God sometimes. Sometimes you'll go to him and it seems like it's kind of silent. And it's not that, you know, You think your relationship might be severed, it might be, but that's not always the case. Sometimes He's silent for a reason, because He wants you to fully commit and submit to Him and really search for Him. He wants you to see how far you're willing to go to realize you need Him. Amen? And that comes by different ways. Prayer. We know prayer. We know that's one of the ways He communicates with us. And that's on the altar. He wants you to humble yourself before Him. He wants you to pray with Him. And sometimes prayer doesn't always work. Sometimes it has to come with fasting. If we look in the Gospels, it talks about not all things just by prayer, but sometimes by prayer and fasting. Sometimes you have to weaken your flesh in order to get God's attention. And you always, always want to make sure you're willing to do that for Him. And the next is the Scriptures. Just always, reading your Bible, stay grounded in the Word. You know, there's things I was talking there, before we were talking during the devotion of prayer, I was talking about there's two things you can't talk me out of, and that's my salvation and the word of God. And you stay grounded in those two things, grounded in the word and grounded in your salvation, there's nothing, God's always going to be on your side. And then the third is preaching. Sometimes you need to find a message that just speaks to you and that God's gonna talk to you through. You can go on YouTube or, you know, Sermon Audio or something like that or Facebook. There's people that preach on Facebook. Make sure you, you know, you got the right person. You don't need, you know, Joel's seen up here preaching a prosperity message that's not gonna speak to you, that God's not gonna speak to you through. Make sure, you know, make sure that it's the right preacher. But always, that's the three ways God's gonna talk to you. And sometimes it's not always easy. We have to fast, and we have to pray more than 10 minutes, maybe spend that sweet hour of prayer. But either way, God's got a call on your life, and he just wants you to fulfill it. You might not know what it is now, but God will point it out to you. If you seek him, God will point it out to you. God just wants to change you into what He wants you to be. It's not about what we want. We can have a plan, you can have a plan of what you're going to do the next two years and the Lord can just change it in an instant. But I always try to find God's will as early as possible. I know we have a preacher that good man of God that's been preaching for a long time and pastoring, and he always said, you know, if you don't know what you want to do, you know, three to six months, you know, just see if a missionary needs help. I don't know. That's just what he's always said, but he has a daughter that he grieved over for a long time about her going to the mission field. And he wasn't sure about it, but God came to him and told him, I protected you all these years. I will protect your daughter. And that's kind of a message to the parents. It doesn't matter what stage of life they're going to, God's going to protect them. You have too many people in their corner praying for them. for them for something like that, something bad to happen. Whatever life, you know, college or your job, you have, just know that you have God's people in your corner praying for you. Not only God's people, you have God in your corner. You have our intercessor, Lord Jesus Christ, is in your corner. And I've learned some things, you know, it's not always Sometimes you know these people are praying for you, but you know sometimes God puts you on somebody's heart for them to pray. And that's something that really is just know that you have not only Christ, but men and people of God that's in your corner. Whatever happens, they're in your corner. They're always praying for you, and they're always abounding, and they love you, and they just want what's best for you. And find it early. Find God's will early. And that preacher I was talking about, his daughter knew from an early age that she was going to be a missionary. Twelve or thirteen, I believe, she knew she was going to be a missionary. But he kind of dealt over it, but that's what God told him. He will protect her. He protects everything else. He will protect her, and he'll protect you. Timing is everything. We think about some things, but timing is really a lot to do. We think about, you're in a car, and you go down there, and you see a car wreck, and it's like, if I left 15 minutes early, I would have been there. I would have been in that car. It's the same thing. If you're in the right place at the right time, God can protect you, but if you're not where you're supposed to be, God can't protect you the way he wants you to protect you. He's going to do his, you know, he can, but if you're running from God, then he can't protect you because he's going to You're severing that relationship. If you're into sin, He's going to sever that relationship. Being at the right place at the right time, that means being at the right school. Knowing you prayed and that's where you're supposed to be. Being at the right church, the right state, the right city, the right county, wherever that might be. Just making sure that's where God wants you to be. Being at the right place in the right time. And that, be in your Bible. Jacob wasn't at the right place at the right time. He wasn't. He wasn't where God wanted him to be. He wasn't where God needed him to be. But sometimes you have to be patient and wait on the Lord to tell you where you need to be. Sometimes, like I said, it's not easy and He's still not talking to you even after you've done all that, but be patient. It's not our timing, it's His timing. Amen? If we'll look at chapter number 34. I am not going to go through all of these verses for the sake of time, but I am just going to read a few. I want to start at verse one. And Dina the daughter of Leah, she bared unto Jacob and went out to see the daughters of the Lamb. When Shechem the son of Hamar and the Hivat prince of the country saw her, he took her, lay with her, and defiled her, and his soul claimed unto Dina the daughter of Jacob. And he loved the damsel and spake kindly unto the damsel. And Shechem spake unto his father Hamar, saying, Get me the damsel to wife. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamar the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field, when they heard it, and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel, is lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done." So, I'm going to stop right there. You see, he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Bad things happen. Something bad happens. And if you keep reading, his sons, they go and commit murder. They murder this person that defiled their sister. But if you are not where you are supposed to be, you see in Jacob's story here, bad things can happen. It might happen to your family. It might happen to you. But if you are not where you are supposed to be, bad things can happen. That is why we always want to make sure we are where God wants us to be, where God put us. just keep short account, but communication with Him. Always be praying, always be in His Word, abounding in His Word. If we look over in chapter number 35, And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there. And make an altar unto God, that it appeared unto thee, when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. And then Jacob said unto his household, and all that were with him, put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in the hand, and all the earrings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed in the terror of God was upon the cities that round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz, which was in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel. And he and all the people were with him. And he built there an altar and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brethren. But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak. And the name of it was called Elan B'Chuth. And God appeared unto Jacob again, and when he came out at Pandaram and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob, thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And he called his name. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply a nation and a company of nations, shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, To thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land." We see here, he got it right. He got it right with God. He got to where God needed him, where God wanted him, and the blessings just came down. That's all. God just wants to bless you. He wants you to submit to Him, and He wants to bless you. You just got to be willing to do what He asks, and be where He wants you to be, and do what He wants you to do, and the blessings will be abounding. He wants to bless you. I don't know where I heard this. It might have been a preacher or something. But you look up in heaven and you'll go and open up a door and you'll see all these treasures and that's what God wants to bless you with. But you've got to be willing to obey Him and do the work. Amen. To be able to get the blessings He wants to bless you with. There's closets full of stuff that He just wants to bless you with. And He knows which ones you need and which ones will take you out. He knows. He just wants to bless you. And just keeping a short account with God, just being close to Him, it will protect you. He'll bless you. You'll be where you need to be. And just always, always stay close to God. And don't ever be right outside of God's will. Be right in the middle of God's will. If you're in God's will, everything will work out. Everything will be the way you need to be. I have this message for a couple months on my heart for y'all. I preached it at camp a couple years ago, and I felt like it was on my heart that y'all needed it. I don't know if it was a charged message. And as much as I joked, I'm not doing the Macarena during the invitation. I joked with them this morning. I was like, they do a dance. I was like, do the Macarena. I was like, maybe when the invitation, when all their eyes are closed. But I will give you one gift before I leave. I am going to sing for y'all. Plug your ears, guys, plug your ears. I'm going to sing a song. I love my Bible, and I don't know what it is, but I love biblical songs. that come out of the Bible. So, if anybody wants to sing with me, they can, or you can just try to, you know, drown me out, that's fine, or plug your ears, but I know they've been wanting me to sing, so I'm going to sing for them. Alright, Psalms 18, I'm going to read, not read, but sing, verses 3 and 46. Alright, we're going to give this a shot. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from thine enemies. I will call upon the Lord, The Lord liveth and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted. The Lord liveth and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted. Let the God of your salvation be exalted. Exalt God whatever you do. Amen. Pastor Decker, turn it over to you. I told him I'm not quite sure how to follow that ending. Amen. But do keep the Lord first. Keep the focus. ignore the song, well, keep the scripture. But thank you, Brother Nick, for that. And I'll encourage you, we're not gonna have a formal invitation per se, but I will encourage you to take the challenge of being in the right place. right time, but not the place and time of our choice, the place and time of the Lord's choice. And follow faithfully, he'll never lead you astray. And he said to try him and he said to see if he wouldn't pour out the, open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that could not be contained. But all that comes with obedience. I know you were saying, you mentioned the honor thy father and mother. One of these days we'll do a look at this, but it said it is the first commandment with promise, not the only commandment with promise, but it is the first, which means there's more. But I find it interesting that honor thy father and mother is the first commandment with promise, and it comes with that long days and long life. And so keep those things in mind, and it won't lead you astray. Well, we're going to go to the next phase. Are y'all ready to finish up? Y'all ready to be done? All right. Not y'all, them. They're the ones sweating it out. All right, but this time I'm gonna have Brother Dave and Miss Becky come and my wife and we are going to get ready to present these graduates with evidence that it actually happened. Because without this, then it's just a worded claim. But this little evidence is the part of the reward of surviving the years of school. And so they did not leave, do y'all want me to do any official names? Oh, I think I remember what the full name is. No, I think I know yours too. If I remember right, I think so. I think so. So at this time, ladies, would y'all stand? All right. And first and foremost, we want to present, and her parents want to present, to Nyla Marie Arnold. Present to her her diploma. There you go. And we will also, actually I'll just have my wife come over this direction so she can meet us here, but we also will ask Libert, oh you're going that side now? Okay, I gotcha. But Liberty, Anne with an E, Decker. And yes, the Anne with an E does go for Green Gables, that's right. All right. I'll let them, oh, you don't need to leave those here? Okay, you'll come back for them. Okay, here's one more thing. Hold on a second, you gotta stop that in a minute. Go back, go back, go back, not yet, not yet, not yet. Practice run, it works, all right. At this time, I wanna introduce to you the graduating class of 2024, hit it. That one's yours. All righty. Oh, man. We're going to close out in prayer. We do have refreshments.