All right, the faith of Sarah, this is Hebrews chapter 11 verses 11 and 12. Now it helps us as we come to chapter 11, helps us to remember why the author of this letter to the Hebrew Christians is writing in the first place, right? He's writing to Jewish Christians who are Jewish believers who were facing tremendous persecution, persecution that is unknown to us. We just don't go through this kind of persecution here in this country. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 32, they had already endured a great struggle with suffering. They were made a spectacle, our author says, by both reproaches and tribulations. Their goods were plundered. I don't know if there are anyone here who can claim that their goods have been plundered recently. They've gone through a severe persecution. Hebrews chapter 12 verse three, there are many here, no doubt, who have become weary and have become discouraged in their fight for faith and their fight to live the Christian life. In Hebrews chapter 12 verse seven, they were enduring a difficult chastening from the Lord. Difficult chastening. Chastening as sons, but chastening nonetheless. And that with the expectation that it would yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. But it's painful while it lasts. And this was a painful chastening. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 12, they're described there as having weak or tired hands, feeble knees, all of this symbolic of spiritual strength and vigor. Here specifically, spiritual weakness, spiritual discouragement, spiritual lethargy. They've become weary of fighting, weary of striving. They feel the weight of the persecution upon them, the weight of the need for perseverance. They are in need of endurance and they are at risk here of faltering and of turning back. And so our author, letter to the Hebrews, the intention of our author is to spur them on in their faith, to bolster their faith, build them up in their faith, and to flex their spiritual arms, so to speak. Strong knees are gonna be needed if they are gonna finish the race that is set before them. Same goes for us, right? There are times when we can become discouraged in our faith, when we can have difficulty, we can become weary in the fight. Sometimes weary in the battle with sin. I've talked to brothers, maybe you have too, where a guy comes to you just struggling in a fight over sin and he's ready to throw in the towel. Ready to throw in the towel. You can't throw in the towel. We have to strengthen the hands which hang down. We have to strengthen, tighten up those weak knees. You know, flex your spiritual arms, so to speak, with faith in the Lord and keep battling and persevere to the end that we might be saved. Our perfect example of that patient endurance, that perfect tested obedience through suffering is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We saw this morning in Hebrews chapter five verses eight and nine that though he was the Son of God, the Son of God Himself learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been perfected, the author says there, he became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. Remember the Greek saying, right? Empathon, emethon, epathon, emethon. I learned and I suffered. I suffered and I learned. As we endure trials in our Christian lives, like our Lord who endured suffering at the hands of sinners, we learn, we grow. Our faith is matured and frankly, listen, you have to be prepared for this in the Christian life. The chief and principal way in which your faith will be bolstered, in which your faith will be matured, the chief way is through suffering, is through trial, is through difficulty, in the soil of suffering we grow. So as we come to Hebrews chapter 12 verse three, our author says for consider him, consider Christ when we face difficulty, when we face discouragement, when we face weariness, when we face the temptation to turn back, to shrink back. In the battle with sin, when you face the temptation to give in, in the battle with people, persecution, when you face the temptation to shrink back, not take a stand for God. When it's difficult, when times are sometimes, circumstances are sometimes fearful, rather than shrink back, our author here says consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls, lest your hands become weak and hang down, lest your knees become feeble, right? As we learn from our perfect example and we imitate him, our author in Hebrews 11 gives us one example after another of those who faithfully endured by faith in him. So as we come tonight to the faith of Sarah in Hebrews chapter 11, verses 11 and 12, our text isn't pointing to Sarah, per se, our text is pointing to the faith of Sarah and that faith, the faith of Sarah, working by the grace and power of the author and finisher of it. It's not our faith in and of itself that is victorious over anything, but it's God working in grace and power through our faith that gives us the victory and we're to be victorious in him. And if you're in him through repentant faith in Christ, then you can take all of these promises and rest in them, be strengthened as Sarah was, be strengthened by them, be bold and confident and courageous in them. Why? Because he is faithful. Not because you and I are faithful, but because God in grace through faith is faithful to us. Now we're to look, as we look at this passage, we're to look at what God does through a working, thriving, healthy, arm flexed, knee strengthened faith, a strong need of faith. In other words, in the trials that you face as you live the Christian life, don't give in to weariness. Don't give in to defeat. Don't give in to fatalism. You can't wave the white flag. Don't pull the ejector handle, right? You can't turn back. We are not those, as our author says here, those that turn back to perdition, but we press on to the saving of our souls. We press on in faith. Don't turn back in discouragement. Don't shrink back in unbelief, but exercise here the faith of Sarah. Exercise the faith of Abraham, the faith of Enoch, the faith of Abel. Exercise faith in Christ. Base your faith on the same foundation that Sarah based her faith on. If you look at verse 11, by faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed and she bore a child when she was past the age, why? Because she judged him faithful who had promised, persevere based on him, and persevere to the end and be saved. So now the root and ground then of Sarah's faith expressed there in verse 11, she judged him faithful who had promised. So we can have hope because he's faithful. We can press on because we're strong. No, but because he's faithful. We can be strengthened. Why? Because we're strong? No, because he's faithful. We can endure because we're smart? No, but because he's faithful, right? Sarah was strengthened because she embraced the promises of God because she judged him who had promised as faithful. As with all of these accounts now in Hebrews chapter 11, it's not as much about their faith as it is about the one in whom they have put their faith. So Sarah's story here, Sarah's account in Hebrews chapter 11, so it's looking at the text this week, reminds me of one of my favorite hymns and we sung that tonight, great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. You remember verse three, pardon for sin in a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with 10,000 beside. So I thought about verse three. I think that makes an ideal outline for our text in Hebrews chapter 11, looking at Sarah's faith. Point one on your notes, looking at Hebrews 11 verses 11 and 12, we'll see God's faithfulness. Great is his faithfulness. One, pardon for sin. Two, strength for today. Three, bright hope for tomorrow. And four, great is thy faithfulness and honoring and looking at the faithfulness of God to his promise. Let's look first at point one, point one from verse 11, a pardon for sin. Verse 11 says this, by faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed and she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged him faithful who had promised. It says there in verse 11, it begins that Sarah received strength. She received that strength through faith. Now prior to this, prior to this, Sarah was weak. Let's take a look at that. Go back with me to Genesis chapter 11. We're looking here at God's gracious pardon for sin here in the life and example of Sarah. We can begin that look at Genesis chapter 11. It's Sarah's weakness. It's Sarah's sin. Sarah's unbelief. If you look at Genesis 11, drop down to verse 27. Here, Moses records in Genesis 11, 27, this is the genealogy of Tara. Tara begot Abram, Nahor and Heran. Heran begot Lot and Heran died before his father, Tara, in his native land in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abraham and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai. The name of Nahor's wife, Milka, the daughter of Heran, the father of Milka and the father of Iskah. But Sarai was barren as she had no child. So here, Sarah in her weakness barren by the providence of God, barren. Look at Genesis chapter 15, flip the page there. In Genesis chapter 15, beginning in verse one, despite Sarah's weakness, despite her age, God makes a covenant with Abraham, a promise with Abraham. We see that in Genesis chapter 15, beginning in verse one. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me? Seeing I go childless in the air of my house is Eleazar of Damascus. And Abram said, look, you have given me no offspring. Indeed, one born in my house is my heir. And behold, verse four, the word of the Lord came to him saying, this one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body. In other words, from Abraham and Sarah, Abram and Sarah, one comes that comes from your own body shall be your heir, verse five. Then he brought him outside and said, look now Abram toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them. And he said to him, so shall your descendants be. And he believed in the Lord. He put his faith and trust in God and he accounted it to him, God accounted it to him for righteousness, the righteousness that was required by God to stand righteous in his sight to be saved. This was the promise, this was the covenant. Flip the page and look at Genesis 16, 16 and look beginning at verse one. And again, the weakness of Sarah here. Verse one, now Sarah, Abram's wife had born him no children. She had an Egyptian maid servant whose name was Hagar. So Sarah said to Abram, see now the Lord has restrained me from bearing children, taking matters into her own hands, not exercising faith in God for his promises. Sarah I told Abram verse two, please go into my maid. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarah. Oftentimes, right in our own lives, because of faithlessness, because of unbelief, we're tempted to take matters into our own hands. Oftentimes that comes in the form of financial, where we will compromise to financially provide for ourselves when we know that God is the one who provides wealth, the ability to make wealth, when God is the one who provides many, many times over the years, you see folks who will cut corners, will compromise in order to take a job. They may pay more, take hours, they don't really need so that they can make more, all compromising their relationship with the Lord, compromising service to the Lord. We're not to compromise, God is the one who provides. And so what our responsibility is then is to be faithful. And if we're faithful, he is faithful to his promises. We put our faith in him. We judge him to be faithful as Sarah did later. We follow him by faith and God provides. We can't take matters into our own hands and cut corners. We must be faithful. The Lord says, Matthew chapter six, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. So we've got to make a commitment to follow the Lord. Here, Sarah, she took matters into her own hands. If you think about this particular sin, the consequences of the sin have lasted through the centuries, haven't they? We see that part of the world in utter disarray today as a consequence of Sarah's sin here. These consequences, in the same way, if you think about Hebrews chapter 11, we'll get there in a moment. But as you see the fruitfulness that comes through Abraham's and Sarah's faith in the Lord and that fruit that God provides through their faith, we can also see the fruit and the consequences of sin that come generation by generation by generation here from Sarah's sin in Genesis chapter 16. So Sarah, I said then in verse five, said to Abram, my wrong be upon you. I gave my maid into your embrace. And when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes, the Lord judge between you and me. Turn the page and look at Genesis chapter 17 now. Genesis chapter 17. And again, we're looking at the weakness of Sarah, the reason that she needed to be strengthened by faith, by grace through faith. Genesis chapter 17, we see that again beginning in verse 15. And here again, discussing the covenant that God has made with Abraham. God said to Abraham, verse 15, as for Sarah, your wife, you shall not call her name Sarah, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her.  Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old? And shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child? Neighbor said to God, oh that Ishmael might live before you.  And you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I've heard you. Behold, I've blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. Turn the page and look at Genesis chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18, we see there a glimpse of the weakness of Abraham's faith, the weakness of Sarah's faith. Now look at Genesis chapter 18, beginning in verse nine. As these men have now come to Abraham, Abraham hastens to make provision to provide a meal for them. And they said to him, verse nine, where is Sarah, your wife? So he said, here she is in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return to you according to the time of life. And behold, Sarah, your wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. This is an understatement, they were old. They were old, well advanced in age. And Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? And the Lord said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh saying, shall I surely bear a child since I am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? I love that statement. At the appointed time, I will return to you according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son. Verse 15, but Sarah denied it saying, I did not laugh for she was afraid. And he said, no, but you did laugh. She laughed here within herself. Sarah was old, Sarah was barren and Sarah was unbelieving. There was sin involved here. The Lord's graciousness is Sarah, right? Sarah expressed her unbelief, not in scorn, not in prideful anger or prideful rebellion. She expressed her unbelief and weakness and she needed strength, she needed faith. In chapter 18, verse 12, it was Sarah's worldly reason that opposed the promises of God. She reasoned within herself, this is not possible. Shall I have a child when I'm old? After I've grown old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also. So here we see in Genesis chapter 18 again, Sarah's unbelief. She laughed within herself, doubting, distrusting God.  She had taken matters into her own hands already with Hagar. Now she again sins against God in unbelief and then attempts to cover it with a lie. But God sees all. He said, verse 15, no, but you did laugh. Now God sees our heart. He sees our weakness. Praise God, he knows our frame that we are but dust, right? And God sympathizes with us in our weakness. In all ways, he was tempted as we are yet he was without sin. We can put our faith and trust in him because we have a faithful high priest who stands in the heavenlies and he is to be trusted. She laughed, she lied. She tried to cover it up. But God saw her heart. It's so gracious back in Genesis, or back in Hebrews chapter 11, so gracious here, you think about it, in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11, God doesn't expose her sin here. As he doesn't with all of these examples of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, he doesn't expose their sin. He graciously pardons their sin and then holds them up before our eyes as an example of faith, as an example of his grace working in power through faith. She laughed at first, but afterwards she believed. This was a gracious pardon for sin, a gift of God's grace of the faith to trust him for his promises. So it says in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11, only here that she received strength. Don't let your worldly reasoning get in the way of faith. Don't let your own worldly conception of things stand in the way of the promises of God. God will provide. God will see you through it. God will strengthen. God will give you strength to overcome sin. God will provide. God will act in accord with his word. God does not lie. He's not like a man that he should lie. He's not like a man that he should change his mind. God will be faithful to his word. It's just for you and I to believe him, to judge him faithful and live according to these glorious promises. That's the Christian life. And in the Christian life that faith is going to be tested. It's going to be tried. It's gonna be put into the crucible of suffering. All so that we, not God, God knows what he's done. God knows his work so that we can see that our faith has been tried and that we've learned obedience through suffering. And that faith being perfected builds perseverance, builds proven character, builds our hope that we can persevere to the end and be saved. Don't let worldly reason get in the way of faith. So we see point one, a pardon for sin. We also see point two, strength for today. As we consider our hymn, strength for today. Verse 11, by faith, Sarah herself also received strength. By faith, we're strengthened. Right in verse 11, it says there by faith, Sarah herself also. Those words herself also is a reference to the example of Abraham in verses eight through 10. Verse eight says by faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. So when we come to verse 11, by faith, Sarah herself also received strength. So in addition to Abraham, in other words, Sarah wasn't hanging here on the coattails of her husband, Sarah exercised faith, her own faith, and her own faith was credited to her for righteousness. Abraham believed the promises. Sarah believed them too. She herself is a trophy of God's grace here, an example of grace that worked through faith. And so when Abraham went out believing the Lord and the Lord credited to him as righteousness, Sarah went out with him. She left the Chaldeans and walked in the desert. She lived in tents. She was a part of the same promises and was used by God for that plan for their accomplishment. First Peter chapter three, verse five says this, for in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, also adorned themselves in this manner with the faith of Abraham, with the faith of Abraham, holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror. You think about Sarah? Was Sarah's faith in Abraham? Did Sarah follow Abraham out of the Ur of the Chaldeans, out of Ur of the Chaldeans because she trusted in Abraham? No, because she trusted in God. We know the answer to that question, right? So ladies, when you submit to your husbands, are you submitting to them because they are so infallibly trustworthy? No, don't laugh, ladies. No, it's not what he's, no. You may have loving husbands and well-intentioned husbands, but your husbands are not the God of the universe. Your husbands are not God Almighty who is infallible and faithful to His promises. You submit, as Sarah did, because you judge God to be faithful and it's God who calls for your submission. God is the one, God is the one. By faith, Sarah here is the blessed free woman of Galatians chapter four. It wasn't Abraham's faith, only Sarah had faith. She herself also received strength by faith. And what does it mean that she received strength in verse 11? This is a divine passive. She received it. It was a gift to her. In other words, God is the one who is giving her strength and God is giving her strength through the means of her faith. And not just a spiritual strength thing. You can't take this only spiritually here in verse 11. This is physical strength as well. Verse 11, it was strength to conceive seed. If you think Sarah is old, Sarah's old, old, way past the age of childbearing here and this strength that she received, not only spiritual strength, but also physical strength to conceive seed and bear a child when she was past the age.  Like it just sapped your strength. You feel run down, right? You feel oppressed. You feel weak. You feel weary. You feel like you've got a ton of bricks on your shoulders. You just, you feel it physically, don't you? That's when we need strength. We need strength and God is faithful to give it. God works through his power by grace through faith here to strengthen Sarah and he will strengthen you. There are those trials and difficulties that many of you have gone through that I've gone through that are so intense. They take a physical toll on us. Just weighed down with it in pain, in agony over it. Here, how do you receive strength? How are you lifted up as on eagle's wings? By faith, God's grace in power working through faith. You take strength from faith when you're drained physically, when you're weary, when you're distressed, look at Hebrews chapter 12, look at verse three. When you are weary, when you are feeling discouraged, when you feel weighed down, verse three, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. In other words, by faith, look to Christ. By faith, look to Christ. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You've not yet resisted the bloodsheds driving against sin, I think the reasoning here, right? The reasoning renewing our minds, making us think rightly about our circumstances. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as rebels, as sinners, as reprobates? No, as sons. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him for whom the Lord loves he chases, whom the Lord loves he chases and he scourges every son whom he receives.  But if you are without chastening, all of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we've had human fathers who corrected us, we paid them respect, shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us has seemed best to them, but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Don't grow weary in well-doing, right? You will reap a harvest if you faint not. So by faith here, verse 11, Sarah herself also received strength and it was by that faith that she bore a child when she was past the age, past age here magnifies the miracle, intensifies the miracle. It's an understatement. It's intensifying the miraculous thing that happened here, God working through her faith. It's in the situations of life that look hopeless where there is the greatest opportunity for faith to shine to the glory of God. She was sustained by her faith from beginning to end, so to speak. And what God began in Sarah, what God began with Abraham, he finished. We just have need of endurance. What God began with you when you first started out, God will finish. You just need endurance. That grace at work in your heart at the beginning will continue until you are in glory. You just need perseverance. We have need of strength. Look at Hebrews chapter 10. Look at verse 35. Therefore, knowing that we need this strength, we need endurance, we need perseverance. Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward, for you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise for yet a little while. And he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him, but we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the souls. Saving of the soul.  Think of the example of Sarah and her pregnancy, right? I'm thinking maybe that by way of analogy spiritually, like the seed of faith is planted. And you may go through a long period of waiting. What is nine months pregnancy? Maybe nine years in your trial. A long period, it may be a long drawn out and prolonged difficulty, but we are to wait on the Lord to fulfill his promises because the Lord is faithful. Doesn't always come in our timetable. Doesn't always come when we expect it, but God is faithful. And while waiting, while enduring, you may go through increasing birth pains along the way, contractions, pain, difficulty, but God will deliver, amen? Thirdly, bright hope for tomorrow, a pardon for sin, strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow. Look at verse 11, second half there, because she judged, because she judged, she considered, she reckoned him faithful who had promised. This was both the overflowing spring and the sure foundation of Sarah's faith, the faithfulness of God, because he is faithful. The fuel that fires her faith is him who is faithful. He is faithful according to his word, faithful in her experience. She experienced him as faithful. And she judges him faithful and that becomes the foundation for her thriving faith. God always keeps the promise. If you think about it, we are to, as Sarah does here, we're to look past the promise to the one who promises. We're to look past the promises to the one who is faithful to keep his promises. He is the object of our faith. So the way that we need to exercise our faith in, if we exercise the faith of Sarah, we're first, first and foremost, we're to look on him who is faithful. We look on him who is faithful, having our eyes fixed on him by faith. We judge him faithful to his promises and we rest embracing the promises that he's made to us in Christ. Rest because of who he is. Rest because of the promises that he's made. That's how we trust. We trust without doubting. We obey without compromising. We walk without worry. That's how we trust with bright hope for tomorrow. Bright hope for tomorrow. Lastly, point four, great is thy faithfulness. Look at verse 12, great is thy faithfulness. Here, the therefore that begins verse 12 speaks to the reward of her faith. Therefore, from one man and him as good as dead were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore. Turn with me to Revelation chapter seven, Revelation chapter seven, all these connections in scripture, glorious threads woven through the fabric of the Bible from beginning to end. Beautiful how it all just comes together. This is the reward of her faith. This is the reward of Abraham's faith. Now, they were used of God for his own glory, for his own purposes. Don't you want to be thought of that way? Don't you want to be used by God? I wanna be used by God, right? I wanna be useful to him, used for his purposes, used for his glory. And we don't know what the outflowing of that will be.  We just need to be faithful. We need to put our faith and trust in him and exercise faith and follow him. Look at this in Revelation chapter seven, beginning in verse nine. After these things I looked and behold, a great multitude, right? As many as the stars of the sky, as innumerable as the sand, which is by the seashore. After these things I looked and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number of all nations, all tribes, peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever, amen. You know, from her faith, from the faith of Sarah, we have Isaac. And from him, ultimately, we have Christ himself, the seed, and from him, the seed, as in one, many, many in him. So who can estimate the fruits of faith? You know, I'm sure you've probably had this experience before too, but you walk away from a conversation with somebody thinking or believing that it had absolutely no effect whatsoever.  It's never a waste of time. God's word never, never goes out and does not accomplish what God sent it out to do. It never doesn't accomplish God's purposes. And we, maybe it'll be in glory that we finally see the fruits of our faithful obedience to him, right? It'll be in glory when you'll come to understand all that God did through, by his grace, in his power, through your faithful obedience to him. And that will bring glory to you? No way. That'll bring glory to God. We will praise and glorify God for all eternity because we judge him faithful who promises great is thy faithfulness. Hebrews chapter 12, verse one says this, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we praise you and we thank you for your grace working in power through faith to accomplish your ends, to do all your good pleasure. And we rejoice, Lord, in, we revel in the thought that we can be a part of that work that by faith in Christ, you would condescend to work through your creatures to accomplish your purposes. That is a tremendous joy to me. I pray it would be a tremendous joy to my brothers and sisters.  We praise you and we thank you and we worship you and rejoice in you to see your grace at work through faith for your glory. I pray, Lord, that you would continue that, protect us, Lord, from drawing back. I pray that no one here would draw back to perdition, but would press forward in faith. I pray, Lord, that you would strengthen us as we go. Give us strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow to see your great faithfulness come to its ultimate fruition, to its ultimate end, the consummation of all things as we behold your glory with those innumerable multitudes on the shore, worshiping and praising the Lamb for all eternity. I pray, Lord, that you would be honored and glorified in it. In Jesus' name, amen.


A special meeting today that we want to get started and we thank the officials in residence of Plainville who, I'm going to have to hold for one second, everyone, bear with me, okay? I just realized that there's another, with all of that I lost one document. Let me go again. That's my list, Crystal. It disappeared. Let me just find you. Steve, are you ready to wrap up racing this month? I can resend it, Kathy, if you need it. It's been a good season, right? It's been decent. It's been a decent season. On its way. Nice to do it this in person. Let's go. Let's get started, everyone. Thank you. Good morning and welcome. Today is the consideration of PGR's 2022 Racing License Application. Today is Monday, November 8, 2021, and this is a public hearing before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission relative to the application for a license to hold or conduct a racing meeting for calendar year 2022 submitted by Plainville Gaming and Redevelopment LLC or PGR. You all know my name is Kathy Judd-Stein. I'm the Chair of the Commission, and I'm joined today by my fellow commissioners, Commissioner Cameron, Commissioner O'Brien, and Commissioner Hill to confirm that we are here and we're working remote. If I could just do a roll call. Good morning, Commissioner Cameron. Good morning, everyone. I am here. Commissioner O'Brien. I am here. Thanks, Commissioner Hill. I am here. As you may know, the commission has a fully issued a license to hold or conduct a racing meeting for calendar year 2022 to PGR. The commission will take into account the public support for this proposal and making the final award of the license. According to your presence here today in the written comments you have submitted will play an important role in the decision we thank you for being part of this process. Before we begin the public hearing, I'd like to lay out the process and establish a few ground rules that will follow. The hearing, which is provided for by Section 3 of Chapter 128A of the Massachusetts General Laws, is intended to afford an opportunity to offer input and comment on the application to any entity or member of the public who is interested. The hearing will begin with a presentation by the applicant. After the presentation we will open the floor to public comments. The applicant will then be given an opportunity to make any closing comments that they may have. To make sure we hear from all of you, we have a few logistical and housekeeping rules. First we have, I'm sorry I'm getting, is everyone able to hear me still? Karen? Yes, yeah I can hear you. Although I'm getting a message the internet connection is unstable, so I'm going to check with IT, I'll be back, I'm just going to check with them. First we have invited members of public issues to come and sign up for this hearing advance. If you send an email to the address on the notice of the public hearing, your name has been added to our list. If you have not contacted us in advance and would like to be heard today, please go ahead now and email crystal.howardatmassgaming.gov and I'll spell that. When your name is called today, please unmute yourself if you can. If you're having trouble, star six will work but we'll be here to help you and state your name and please let us know where you're from. And to accommodate everyone, we've asked that you limit your comments to three minutes but I'm a little bit relaxed about that. For those who have submitted written comments about this application, please know that the commission will review and consider each and every one of them and we thank you for taking the time to send them in. With that I will ask the applicant to please identify its representatives and begin its presentation. Madam Chair and commissioners Cameron Hill and O'Brien, thank you this for the opportunity to present the license application for the harness racing here in Plainville, Massachusetts, Norfolk County for the 2022 racing season. Also on the line, I'm not sure if they would weigh in today but it's Chris McElaine, the Senior Vice President of Racing for Penn National Gaming and Lisa McKenney, our compliance manager. I'm Steve O'Toole, I'm the Director of Racing here and I'm pleased to submit this racing application on behalf of Plainville Gaming and Redevelopment. This will be the 24th racing season here at the property. This application is highlighted by 110 days of racing here at the facility. The highlights of the application I'm saving, the other highlights of the application I'm saving for tomorrow is the utilitary hearing which will get into the more of the nuts and bolts of the seven criteria for licensure statutory criteria and I look very forward to the comments today in support of our license application. We have the fire chief and the police chief who historically have made comments on the racing application as well as some prominent figures in the Plainville community. So with that I would let you start the proceeding and if you have any questions of course at the end I'll be willing to answer anything that you have. Thank you Mr. O'Toole and thank you. We'll get started then. Good morning. We're going to begin with Chair Brian Kelly. He's the Chairman of the Plainville Board of Select. Good morning Mr. Kelly. Hi, good morning. Thank you very much for the time today. In order for us for myself to offer my support in moving forward with issuing dates for next season on behalf of myself and all my constituents, you know this has always been a staple in Plainville. It's always been something that has put our town on the map and when the opportunity came to expand the facilities there years ago you know we would never have had that opportunity had it not been for Plain Ridge and the harness racing. It's definitely a foundational piece of the town with respect to our equestrian industry here in town and in the surrounding areas and I just want to say that you know they've always been a great partner to our town especially through the expansion. We owe you know a big debt to their to their operation there and their continued partnership and you know I think we've got our chiefs on the line here as well who can speak from a public safety standpoint and I think they'll also offer their support but just want to say that they've been a tremendous partner of the community and you know nothing but positive things we want to offer our 100% support for you moving forward with this. Thank you very much. Can I interrupt for one moment Madam Chair? I can hear anything you just said. I'm sorry to say. Well that's okay. I can't hear you. Keep going in and out. What difficulties we will be right. Just fine. Can you hear us now? Loud and clear at this point. Thank you. There's something going yeah so we'll just go back to using my laptop. I disconnected and and put a little prayer at the same time. It's perfect now. Thank you. I don't know what I did but we have real experts who can figure it out afterwards. Thanks everyone for your patience. So I'm just trying to fix this view one more time. All right so now thank you so much Mr. O'Toole and Chairman Kelly. We're going to now turn to our our two chiefs. Good morning Chief Jim Floyd, Plainville's Police Chief. And I'm not sure if I see Chief Floyd. I see that your video is not on just so you know. Do that right now. Okay great thank you. Let me see if I can do that or maybe it might be that Austin you need. Excellent thank you. Good morning everybody. I like to say that Plain Ridge has been a large staple to our community much like our current Chair Brian Kelly suggests. Their ability to adapt to current times whether it be through pandemics or changes in racing schedule or any of those challenges. They always rise to the occasion and they are significant when it comes to communication in trying to find resolutions to problems or just merely just trying to get through that process. As far as policing it's a very very limited number of issues we have up there. Like I said when there is an issue Steve does a great job coming to us. Talks about special events. Their Director of Security is also phenomenal as far as coming up with operational plans and suggestions as far as to mitigate traffic and other problems that are up there. So really I wholeheartedly support the continued licensing process and ability for Plain Ridge to continue as they have been in the past because they are they're a phenomenal partner with our community. Thank you so much and Christian Cameron are you leading into sales? I was. If you don't mind me taking a minute in this hearing to just congratulate Chief Floyd. Chief Alfred was a fabulous partner. In fact he was the first as you know you were serving as a lieutenant at that time to sign an MOU to work shoulder to shoulder with the state police. It's the model that we hoped it would work but your agency really took the lead and I think the model is fabulous. We do not have any public safety issues as you just pointed out and the partnerships have been fabulous and I just again wanted to congratulate you and just acknowledge the work that Chief Alfred did which was just phenomenal over the last nine and a half years. So thank you sir. Thank you and I would echo your statements as well. Chief Alfred was phenomenal with establishing one of the first MOUs in the state for that and as I said before Plain Ridge to state police and all of the people at Plain Ridge is phenomenal to work with and find resolutions to issues or problems or just simply complete the task at hand and I thank you. Chief Floyd with Commissioner Hill coming on board. We hope to do a visit to see the beautiful public safety facility and the town also. We look forward to seeing you in person. Absolutely. I look forward to that. Thank you. Next in mind then is good morning Chief Rich Baum on Plainville Fire Chief. Good morning. Good morning. I just want to echo what Brian Kelly and Chief Floyd said. Plain Ridge for us has been a wonderful community partner. You know I've been in my whole career I've been here and been partners with them. Steve and I have always been able to communicate when it comes to the racing side especially scheduling making sure we have people on board making sure that safety is considered first and foremost for both their personnel people on the barns the jockeys and the casino itself so I'm fully supportive of this I'm also a town resident so we voted for this whole casino back years ago and I couldn't be happier to be here for him and the casino it's it you know we do we supply people up there for him on a regular basis. We don't really have any issues and anything that may even be a potential issue Steve and I communicate frequently by cell and at any moment soon as we can reach each other and basically mitigate anything before it becomes any type of an issue. That's really all I have to say welcome. I wholeheartedly behind them and look forward to continued support and working with them as a community partner. Commissioner Cameron did you want to say something? I just wanted to congratulate the new chief as well. Again it's been a tremendous relationship which I know you'll carry on and just welcome and congratulations. Thank you. Yes we with the COVID disruption we haven't had a chance to meet you in person and as again we're lining up that special tour so that Commissioner Hill can see really how this relationship results in such a state-of-the-art facility for the residents of Plainville and and beyond I know that the training expands into the region Chief Paul so we thank you thank you for your comments today. Okay moving on now to a Plainville resident and and I hope that you'll correct me if I mispronounce your last name. It's Mr. Bergenbeen Bergenbein. Is that pretty good? There's a little friend Canadian me that I'm probably introducing here inappropriately. It's Dale Bergevine. My nickname is the mayor in town. I've been here since 1958. I've been born and bred. I love this community. I love Kathy Parker. I love them all. This has been nothing but a tremendous asset to this community in Plainville. They've done a great job. They're great partners. You call. They will help you with anything in this community between the senior center, Kathy Holman-Turkey's for everybody, Food Drives, Steve Dominic and the new GM and the previous one Lance. They were just just tremendous to this community. It was probably I have to say being here since 58 I wouldn't remember those days but I'm 63 but they've been nothing nothing but a tremendous asset to this community and we wouldn't have the town hall. We wouldn't have the fire. We wouldn't have purchased the land and I have nothing but positive things to say and as of probably the whole community. It was just fantastic and I really appreciate you allowing me to speak on behalf of Steve and the casino. Excellent. I think that you spoke at the last hearing if I recall. I'm what they call a townie. So Kathy can attest to my nickname is the mayor. I get involved in everything. What my beliefs are for the community and this has been nothing but a tremendous asset. As Miss Cameron knows me I've spoke to her several times and I'm not afraid to speak up but nothing negative. It's just this is a great community playing with just a great little town and what it's brought to us. We would never have a new fire. We would never have a new police station and fire in town hall. The last town hall Kathy can attest to was it was bad. So we're in the mon century and from Steve and obviously Penn National. They're fantastic neighbors. I appreciate your time. Thank you. And Miss Parker you're following so thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much again for allowing me to speak today and I can just echo what everyone else has said. First of all Steve thank you for all the hard work you do not only for for Plain Ridge but also for the town of Plainville because you're always there. As Dale said you are always willing to step up and help out. I haven't been here since 1958 so I'm kind of a nobie. I've only been here since 76. I retired in 19 eight I'm sorry 2018 after 38 years as the treasure collector. So as Steve mentioned this is what the 24th season. I remember the first season. I was a supporter of the track when it it was proposed to move into Plainville. We had one of the undeveloped spots on 495 Carter at that point and it was perfect for the track because it was a it had been a dugout sandpit or whatever. I can't remember exactly but it was right for development is the point. We were very lucky as time went on to see how the growth of that that whole corridor came to fruition with that first development more came and then the track was just always there for us to anytime we reached out for any help and then as we saw the track move into the casino phase of development and all of the benefits that both of those entities both the racetrack in the casino has brought to Plainville just can't be discounted. You know from a standpoint of a resident who lives downtown and somewhat congested when you can take a ride out to our west side of town and see all the host paddocks the bonds the workers that the hay farmers all of that is there because the racetrack stood the test of time and the development push that was on at the time it didn't have to happen because we had a viable resource for all of those horses to be boarded. I used to have boarders come into the town hall to talk talk to me about what the town was like and was it a good place for them to think about boarding their horses. Again the jobs that were created the beauty of a horse country and seeing the horses out in in the fields it simply can't be discounted and that's what the plane which racetrack gave to the town of Plainville is an auxiliary benefit. The other thing is again the visibility of the the personnel in our community. I can't tell you how many times I saw either Steve excuse me or Dominic come into the town hall the old town hall. I'm glad to know that it has now been knocked down. I do have a brick thank you Dale. But again they were always there just making their presence known letting us see them being wonderful representatives not only for the racetrack but again when we were lucky enough to have Penn National take over in the last minute and preserve the dream of us having a casino here in town and then the continue of the racetrack. Steve and Dominic and the perfect people the front people for their their organization because they were there. Dale mentioned one other thing and and I just want to say it again the types of things that they do they never look for accolation they never look for for people bragging about their name or whatever but right now I'm ready next on Wednesday to pick up 88 turkeys from the greater Boston food bank that's a pretty tall order of where do you put 88 turkeys for 10 days well guess who steps up year after year and says well we've got some extra space. Steve O'Toole and Dominic they step up and we bring up to come to a loading dock two times once for their people to take it take them off of our hands and then the next and days later for them to put them back into our trucks that couldn't happen if it weren't for people like Steve O'Toole that I know I can call him and ask for a favor not for myself and not for himself but for 88 families we're now going to have a turkey on Thanksgiving instead of a gift card which makes a whole lot of difference so again I thank you for your time I am after 24 years continue to be a supporter of the plane plane ridge racetrack. Thank you so much Ms. Parker and that's a great story and the great service that you're providing to your community so thank you um we have one more speaker on our list and again Crystal um Howard is monitoring anyone who wants to speak um we invite folks today to speak but we have uh Barbara Kellogg I'm looking to see if she has joined us if she's on the phone hi can you hear me yes we can now Ms. Kellogg that worked hi my name is Barbara Kellogg I live at non sets and road in the Holly mass I'm a landowner and a horse owner um one of my horses actually is a standard bread that was rescued by a New York Sheriff's office that I adopted um I just have a few specific issues with the application for racing in Plainville that I would like to address briefly um actually going from back to front exhibit 27 lists numerous simulcasts of foreign greyhound racing in 2008 as you know Massachusetts voters by petition ballot prohibited any dog racing or racing meeting where there was any form of bedding or wagering on the speed or ability of dogs um I just think it's past time to move on and not approve the simulcasts of feeds of dog racing as it's it was prohibited by the citizens of the Commonwealth also I would suggest that the attached exhibits don't really show a public benefit for the actual horse racing portion of the venture especially given that it's subsidized by the racehorse development fund certainly there are benefits from the slots to the host community and the Commonwealth and the anticipated sports betting will be an added benefit but I just I don't see the benefit for the millions of dollars that the Commonwealth pours back in to pay for the the racing aspect of it and then third and most importantly I or possibly most importantly regarding question 15 in the application and exhibit 15 personally I feel this application is the latest evidence that the gaming commission needs to overhaul its regulations and standards and controls to ensure that all aspects under your jurisdiction are lawful and follow proper and legal procedure under question 15 and exhibit 15 the burden is on the applicant to prove that all prerequisites have been met such that this commission has jurisdiction to approve racing in Plainville it specifically has the burden to prove that proper steps were taken by the Plainville Board of Selectment to approve the location pursuant to 128a section 13a this application does not include evidence that the public hearing conducted by the board in September of 1997 was properly advertised and noticed it may well have been but the application doesn't provide any such evidence and I can't find any in any prior applications there is in fact an attested copy of the Board of Selectment meeting that was this board meeting of September 8 1997 but there is no attached record of the posting in the requisite publication at least seven days prior to the hearing I would suggest that without such evidence of this condition precedent that's required by section 13a the agency has no authority or jurisdiction to approve the application and the burden is on the applicant to furnish that required evidence I just would like to point out that the year before 1996 a similar the more egregious submission occurred in another application to well what was then the racing commission in an application to race in great barrington prior to that application not only was there no public hearing and certainly no notice of a public hearing but also the select board never actually voted approval of the location nevertheless the racing commission granted the application even though it had no no jurisdiction to do so and this sort of um incomplete information continues to this day in 2021 the stirbridge board of select men voted to approve a location for horse racing subject to specific conditions including a major zoning change and execution of a host community agreement despite these major conditions and despite some arguably deficient notice issues the application filed with the commission for racing and stirbridge included a letter from the chair of the board stating that the location had been approved period no mention of any condition um so I just I would ask the commission to maybe overhaul some of its regulations and procedures to ensure that these sorts of um omissions don't continue um and perhaps also to look at the public notice that you have for hearings such as this um that maybe should be more than a posting on your website in a couple of emails I believe that the public the voters the taxpayers are all stakeholders not just the horsemen um and that the even the 2016 UMass economic impact report paid for by the racing industry acknowledges that the majority of horses in massachusetts are recreational and so I believe if you want to help the equine industry the barriers the hayrowers everyone else um it's not by subsidizing the few millionaire you know owner breeders um but to if you're going to set aside gaming revenues to help the equine industry um it it should be for the the industry that is actually present in massachusetts and not um the racing industry so um that's pretty much it for today thank you thank you miss calag and um we'll be this is very helpful input and we'll be examining each each point that you made thank you okay um crystal um I know that they are happy to receive any other um request to be heard not at this time no okay and so we are at um 1037 I'm going to give you the opportunity to um come back as the representative for the applicant um to make final comment we do have an obligation as I understand it Caitlin and Todd to keep our hearing open until noon correct it was uh posted for 10 to 12 is that right I believe it's posted to one Kathy oh to one let me double check that but I think it is on a state sorry Caitlin Todd can you help out here sorry just got it it is it is posted to one I was just looking at it too we hit it we found it at the same time it is great I couldn't while to dig through the files there's just I couldn't speak to see um so we have an obligation to keep this meeting um going all commissioners don't have to stay on you of course can choose to stay on um I I'm gonna uh invite Mr. O'Chill to uh follow up now and um Austin I think we can keep a slide open on the screen I'll be certainly attending uh to anyone who comes on for further comment I just um probably will we'll put the video down and uh and mute but we'll monitor the the hearing if that makes sense doing this virtually is a little bit different Todd yes no that's a great plan absolutely that works okay um and commissioners you may want to do the same thing as I'm doing and monitoring the event we get someone we would be able to to um obviously to marry in with that said I want to thank the um those who have made public comment today uh click to our process our full adjudicatory hearing will take place tomorrow where we consider the application and its merits um and we consider the input today I want to thank each of you who also submitted written comments those as I said earlier will be looked at and reviewed and part of our record and uh I shouldn't say it's simply looked at would be bad uh with that Mr. Atul would you like to make a closing statement and notably it's this is the 25th season or the 24th this is the 24th okay next year is the celebration yeah right yes I I would like to make a few uh closing comments um I want to thank uh Chairman Brian Kelly for his words as well as the new chiefs chief and uh while and I do want to congratulate them as well it's been a this has been a pretty easy transition for me because they've both been around for so long on on the forces and work their way up through which is a credit to them and I've been able to work with them right along for probably almost the whole time that I've been here doing my job so and they've always made it easier and so it's it's great to have them move into the positions that they moved into just as Justin and and and Chief Floyd did uh uh I mean Chief uh I'll uh see you forget you forget them once they're out what's the saying when you're out you're out but no that's that's really great for for me to be able to work with them I guess I owe I owe uh Dill Bergevine uh you know a thank you for his words as well as a check it's in the mail dail uh thank you uh and Kathy is just a fantastic person I worked with her at the uh at the town hall when she was when she was there and uh she said that you know that she reaches out to me for favors I used to reach out to her for more favors than she's reached out to me so it's always been a great relationship and I appreciate the comments that that we made and and I thank uh Barbara Kellogg for her constructive criticism on the application and uh we'll take a look at the issues that she brought up as well and I want to thank the commission for allowing me to speak today and uh on behalf of myself and my staff which is which is the best racing staff in in the Commonwealth if not the Eastern Seaboard uh my mutual manager uh who's who's newly appointed to that position Andrew Tavares does a great job with that mutual staff Lenny Calderon at racing services manager and announcer does a fantastic job and the rest of my staff uh here including the racing side Paul Verrat my race secretary uh they they work very hard in in what they do and I want to give them all all the credit in the world and it's also a credit to the commission to have the staff that you have on the racing division side uh Dr. Lightbound and her staff down in the test barn and on the regulatory side I appreciate you know the way that we that we've been able to work over the last five or so she's been in that position and so I thank the commission and for all your help as well thank you thank you everyone so at this time um Commissioner Cameron, Commissioner Bryan, Commissioner Hill do you have any questions that you want to ask or any clarifiers you need I see no I see no I'll set Commissioner Hill okay so I think what I'll do is make sure not to leave the meeting I'll keep open I think Austin will put up a sign um and anyone is welcome to come back up until 1 pm eastern standard time they can do so by contacting Crystal, C-R-Y-S-T-A-L Howard, H-O-W-A-R-D at massgaining.com or of course the um we'll be monitoring the um the open box that we posted also on our notice uh Katelyn and Todd you'll be monitoring that uh throughout the next couple of hours if we hear from anyone else it was just to be heard uh not in writing then um through the video today or calling in we'll tune right back in and and until then we thank everyone for participating today thank you thank you commission oh I just got kicked off hi Austin I think you can take down me thanks so much yes we have three of us to adjourn at least we're in a different spot I need I am do we need to adjourn since it's a public I don't think we need to officially adjourn that's what I wondered I saw I thought to myself if we had to at least we have three um have a something Carrie would know well because of the public hearing she conducts yeah my memory is that we didn't because it was a hearing as opposed to a meeting yeah but we're here in any case so 1257 and Crystal we received um one written comment that will go um to the written comments another one was no one has asked to speak Carrie hi Carrie we were just uh Channing we don't have um any obligation to formally adjourn correct um no because we didn't notice it as a meeting right just as a hearing yeah so with um the reg hearings usually we just sort of formally close it out but you don't need to vote to adjourn or anything like that okay great thank you so uh commission I help add it that reinforces the need to go down and visit Plainville there's been a change to offices there were a couple of key retirements so from what the chair of the Board of Elections remain the same but we'll want to meet the new town administrator I was in a meeting the other day and my little kitty just would not get off my laptop and I'm just like forget it he has cookie everybody this is Nina I'm sure you will meet mango at some point in the very near future not one to be left out I like Nina that's a nice name yeah she's a sweetheart the first time in a mango mango was wrapped around I mean snack yeah I like to crawl my left shoulder for some reason yeah and then since then she's gotten Bella the dog yeah she was very frustrated at my feet because the dog walker is late so that's what my cat likes to do my cat likes to sit on the floor next to me and just yell at me like why aren't you paying attention to me does your cat is your cat okay with the first floor now and there you said yeah she was terrified at first but now she loves it she likes to watch all the squirrels and pigeons sometimes I throw some breadcrumbs out so the pigeons all come over and she gets excited I bet you like being having that outdoors really directly accessible now it's nice it feels more like having outdoor space even though I don't have my own outdoor space um feels more like it than being up higher yeah yeah so Steve I think we're just about ready to close out you have um I don't see Commissioner Cameron on but I wondered if you had any remarks or anything that you want to say or you had a chance before no I think uh I think everything's been said that can be said today okay this is again tomorrow great okay so it's um a one o'clock crystal and Carrie I think we're all set I can actually hit the button that says leave the meeting uh commissioners are you all set I'll set yep we are yep all right all right thank you everyone and thank you to our legal team Austin thank you um and Ms Kellogg again thank you for your comments we appreciate it I think that's all I see on the screen thank you thank you everyone appreciate it bye


On the superficial level, we are very likely going to see things get worse. As the, the, the stories that have the dramas that have been put in place get played out to their extreme. However, the core of our system, which is our consciousness, which is our mythology, that is changing. And without that core, the superficial structures will get more and more brittle. No one really believes in them anymore. No one believes in the story anymore. No one believes in the system anymore. No one's really, or almost no one is really that excited to, you know, plant and plant ships inside themselves. No one really believes that, that the metaverse is going to usher in utopia, like, and, and, like, you know, there's like this, this half heartedness about the ambitions that once motivated us. Like when I was a kid, you know, there was just no doubt science was going to fix every problem and we're going to go off into space and robot servants and all that like, we don't believe in the story anymore. And the experience of being human, the consciousness that was at the core of those stories has shifted. We haven't seen that shift play out in our systems. We still live in the legacy of an old consciousness. And in the next few years, that legacy may take on even more exaggerated forms.  But that's just a superficial level, not even its, its administrators really believe in it anymore. Even the people at the helm are losing faith and going through the motions and feeling trapped in their roles. Now, it's the same problem that any of us have like how do you integrate this. So, so what's happening is that the hold of the ideologies, the narratives, the systems, they're, they're, they're weakening. And, and, and the core which is ourselves or our consciousness, it's, it's hollowing out. And in that empty space that's where the new world is being born. So my prediction for the next few years is it's, there's going to be maybe kind of an extreme playing out of these legacy stories before the soap bubble pops.


Welcome to Bama Bound! Bama Bound is just a session where students and parents can both come. They are able to register for their classes, but they also find out so much information about activities they can get involved in. They get an opportunity to meet students that are going to be hanging out with all year round. Parents are able to come in and ask us any questions that they may have. And they're also just informed about everything that we have on campus, and they just get to see what an amazing atmosphere we have here. Everyone seemed really friendly. It's nice getting to see some new faces as well as some familiar ones. I'm really excited. It's been great. I mean, this is our first day here, and I'm really excited to see what this Bama Bound journey carries. Everyone's just been so friendly with the pom-poms, just full of energy, and everyone's so welcoming here. It's been a real treat to meet all the incoming freshmen and be able to help them and make them feel welcoming at home here at UA. I was a little stressed at first because I wasn't sure if I was going to meet anyone, but I like met people right off the bat. I've enjoyed it. I've met several new students from different states all over the nation, and it's been pretty interesting. It's been so fun. I've gotten to meet a lot of the people that I had been communicating with that I've met over social media, and I've texted them, and we got to meet up and actually meet each other in person. You get to meet people who are going to be in your major. You get to be comfortable with the campus. You get to learn all about the different opportunities here on campus. You get to do course registration. Truly, it's vital because you get to learn so much more in detail about the university. Real time. Real time. Real time. Real time.