Okay, welcome back. The last class we looked at a couple of important points. We've started on understanding a Biblical perspective of marriage. We looked at how God is the designer of marriage. We've been looking at certain aspects of the principles of perspectives that the Bible talks about marriage. We looked at a couple of points. We spoke about how marriage is a good thing. Marriage is an institution that needs to be honored. Marriage is a covenant, a solemn covenant, and marriage is between one man and one woman only. Okay, we have, I think, another two more points before we end. Let's look at the next perspective that the Bible talks about, which is that a marriage is a union of two, marriage being a union of two. So for that, we've already read Genesis chapter 2 verse 24. Now, I would like someone to read Ephesians chapter 5 verses 31 and 32. So would someone unmute and read that? Ephesians 5, 31 to 32. Ephesians 5, Ephesians 6, okay, Ephesians 5, 30 to 31. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Verse 32 to Anthony. Okay, 32. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Thank you. So there is this phrase that has been bought about both in Genesis chapter 2 verse 24, which we looked at earlier, and Ephesians 5, 31. It talks about being one flesh, okay? So when we look at one flesh, what are we looking at? It is being one in spirit and to be united. So think of it this way. If you take two papers, you know, take two papers, when you glue them all together and you attempt to separate it, you would notice that they do not come out clean, right? So you do them together, keep it for a while. And then when you attempt to separate, they do not come clean to get a clean separated. There will be something stuck of the other on another, right? So that's what one flesh means. There is so much of unity. It's almost like there is one united person being one flesh is being one united person in all aspects of life. So it is two people who become united so much so that they appear as one. And the example that all talks about in Ephesians here is the union of Christ with his church. And that's a comparison that he's given. It's a parallel that he's showing. It's in the same way that the union between a man and a wife occurs. So Christ and the church are to be that united so much so when you look at in scripture that Christ is in us and we in him, when you look again at scripture 1st John 2-6 that we walk as he walked, or we live in this world that our lives here in this world are the same as Christ. And we imitate Christ in whatever we do. So it says imitate Christ, right? So it is to this point that Jesus said that those who receive Jesus also receives us. So there is that perfect oneness between Christ and his church in the spirit. And this is the same mystery. It's the same truth that is spoken about even in marriage. The way that a man and a woman come together, they're one in spirit and they're united in one person. So in marriage, even as they make that covenant, they are made one in God's presence. And then it continues on to establishing itself over and over out in everyday life. They live out of that oneness. So this place of becoming oneness is something that evolves day to day. That is an ongoing process of really growing together, discovering one another, so that every day they come to being in a place of oneness. So let's just look at what are some of the words that really describe this becoming one one. And what does it actually encompass? So what does it, what would this oneness mean? So this becoming one flesh and often I think it's just sometimes it's just interpreted as a physical oneness. Now that's just not it. There is a lot more in that oneness that we're looking at. So the first key word that describes this becoming one is what we look at is the relationship. Now when you build a relationship with one another, your goal or your outcome is to become one, to be in oneness, to be in agreement. And this relationship is established or you establish this relationship by trust, by love, by affection, by understanding, by knowing one another, by really knowing how they think or what they would want, what they would like, what really helps them to feel loved. Now this comes only in the midst of a relationship. It just doesn't come out of the blue. A relationship needs to be built. It needs to be encouraged. It needs to be built on little by little. And that comes when two people come together, spend time together, discuss, talk, share, work through certain activities are open to understand what the other one likes. So that's what building a relationship is. So this takes effort, this takes time, this takes intention as you build on a relationship. So you could probably think of in general, maybe in your lifetime, especially maybe for those who are not yet married, in the way that you have related, how did you build strong relationships with people? And you may say some of the characteristics of that is when you take time to spend with one another or even as you're spending time, you may have certain questions that you ask to really understand the thoughts and the perspectives of one another or when someone is emotionally down, you are there to support and encourage them. That in turn enhances the relationship. Or when there are conflicts with one another, you go back to sort that conflict because you value the relationship. So this establishing of become one must be built on a strong relationship and this relationship, like we said, is intentional, is something that you do consistently, is something that you put in effort and you establish it with love and with respect and with understanding. So that's what we look, one of the words that describes oneness is a relationship. The second word that described it is what we call as a companionship. Companionship is something that we call as a friendship where a friendship or a companionship is developed when you are actively in the process of building the relationship. So it's a process of building the relationship. And that happens maybe when you're communicating, when you're sharing of life's concerns with each other, when you care for one another, when you spend time with one another. That is the process of building the relationship of saying that, okay, this is my companion, this is the person that can walk with me or goes with me through life. So that's another word that we use to describe this becoming one, companionship. The next one is agreement. When we look at agreement, what is it that we sing? Agreement is coming to a place where we are willing to consider that our opinions or our ideas or would be very different from the opinions and ideas or viewpoints of the other person. So it is to come to a place to consider these ideas and come to a common place of understanding which will help and benefit the marriage or the family at large, rather than benefit an individual's needs or individual's ideas. So it is the ability to understand or to know that my opinions and the other's opinions may be different, but of how they come or arrive to a place of coming to some agreement or some goal or some outcome, that will largely benefit the purpose of the marriage or the family. So that's what agreement. So becoming one is being willing to agree to with one another. Now, even as we're talking about agreement, the very fact, so sometimes I think that the questions that come about is what if or maybe in marriage we shouldn't disagree on anything. That I think we will also be talking about when we look at resolving conflicts. The fact that we disagree on ideas or thoughts is because we are made differently. God has made each one of us different. Our experiences, our lives, our situations, our understanding, the way that we've been brought up have all been different. So we come with certain perspectives or certain ideas. So having disagreements is not a problem. It's all right to have a disagreement or to have another opinion, have a differing opinion from somebody else. The point is how do we arrive at a place of resolution, arrive at a place of coming together is what is a skill or is, is what something that in marriage we come together to. So disagreements or differing viewpoints or opinions is, is something that you can expect because that's what, that's how we all are. We are very different, but how we arrive at it, how we resolve something is what matters. So when we look at a larger purpose, the larger purpose of how God wants to benefit a marriage or family or how God sees a responsible role in decision making, all of that matters when we are looking at agreement. Okay. So keywords here are two, three words we spoke about is relationship. We spoke about companionship. We spoke about agreement. Okay. Let's look at the next word. The next word we look at is to is complimenting one another. So complimenting one another. Remember this complimenting is not spelled with an I, but it's spelled with an E. That is the compliment is someone where you support one another so that what you're doing benefits the other or maybe some of your own weaknesses, some of your own strengths complement the other person or some of your weakness complements the other. So even though we may be different people, we are individuals who are different, we can be put together or fitted together so that we can support and compliment one another. Maybe I think to be, let's look at an example. So let's say in a couple, you may have one person who is more very practical in the way that they make decisions. Whereas the other person is more emotional in the way that they make decisions. Now, these are just two different styles of making different decisions. But it is good when you have different styles, you work together to compliment a decision making process. Someone has a practical consideration whereas the other person may have an emotional consideration. So when either when both parties or when both individuals come together understanding that the background from where they're coming from is different. But it generally is for a similar outcome. It becomes a lot less cumbersome. It becomes a lot less difficult. So to acknowledge that maybe your spouse is more practical oriented and to acknowledge that you may be more emotionally oriented is a good thing but coming together to compliment so that one may be able to see, you know, may not really look at emotions and just may make a decision on something. Whereas the other partner may look at emotions. Okay, maybe we should go slow. Maybe we should do it in a slower process because of the kind of emotional impact it can make on the entire family, whatever the issue may be. So complimenting is another word that describes becoming one. Okay, we look at another word. It is unity. Unity is how we work together to collaborate with one another, to cooperate with one another. Even when there is a difference, the difference actually become a reason for building something together. Okay, so there is a lot more strength in the fact that there are differences and these differences are used as a benefit in order to make a decision more unified. So that's what we mean intimacy. Intimacy is, in other words, it's also called as closeness. Closeness where you come to where there is a freedom to be open, to be vulnerable, to bear out, to give out without holding back. That's what intimacy means. And closeness is the relation with one another. So the ability to be open, to not hold back, to not withdraw, but to be in a place of vulnerability, to be in a place of complete giving in, to share in every form, whether it be physical, it be emotional, intellectual, spiritual, financial, to be able to give without holding back. So these are some of the words that we use to describe this oneness. Now I just want to take a couple of minutes to bring about questions. And the classes are really quiet and I don't like the sound of it. So please bring about any questions if you don't want to unmute, please put your question down on the chat. Yes, yes, Nina. Go ahead. Sorry, that was by accident. Okay. Okay. Yes, Chira, go ahead. Ma'am, my question is like, not question, but when we read Genesis, there we see like, it's not good to be men, to be alone, no, ma'am. And then again, when we see like provost, it says like, he who finds the wives, finds the good things, it's talking about men. What, there is any reflections where it's talking about women? So we can apply this for both, Chira. We can apply this for both, whether it's a man or a woman, we can apply this. Okay, okay. Actually some people, yeah ma'am, but I asked because one of my friend, like he asked me before, it's written about only men, there is no mention of women. So women can like stay single till like end of the life like that. Okay. So about singlehood, we are going to be talking about that in chapter three, where we're looking at reasons for singlehood. But these verses that talks about, man finds a wife is a good thing, it is something that can be applied to both a man and a woman. Singleness is not just meant for woman or man, that's not what it is. Singleness needs to come out of godly reasons and purposes and that's something we will look at chapter three. So we speak about that when we come to chapter three. All right. Prince has asked, is there any particular age to get married? Okay. Now, when we look at marriage, if you look through the ages, through the culture, you have child marriages where children get married at age nine, 10, 12, 13. Okay. And then you have marriages of, as soon as the man and the woman reach adulthood that is 21 or 18 or that which is given by the law, then they do get married or there are people who get married much later in age. So there isn't a specific biblical answer to that. I mean, there is no commandment about what age you get married. However, we use our practical reasoning to understand that. So think of it this way. For a man or a woman to mature, when we're talking about maturity, we are looking at all aspects of maturity.  Maturity comes not only by age, but also by experience. But definitely there is physical maturity that happens by age, which means physical maturity is generally complete between the years of 18 to 21. Right? And so we're just looking at a physical aspect. There are a lot, it's just not when someone is physically ready to get married, they can marry. They definitely need emotional maturity, they need financial maturity, they need spiritual maturity. Now that is a process of growth. So when we're looking at that, that's one way to understand it. That even as a person grows into maturity and they are in a position and a time and a place of preparedness, that's another big prerequisite. Are they prepared to enter into this institution of marriage is another way that we understand that people are mature enough to be married. So not just maturity physically, but also growing in emotional maturity, also having a preparedness of marriage. Now marriage is not something that you can, we just get in and figure out on the way. It's always good to be prepared, which means you establish yourself, you build yourself, you learn skills that are needed in marriage, you learn how to deal with one another's emotions, you learn how to work with, work in a team with your husband, learn spiritually what God desires of you. So when we're looking at an age, it may be difficult to say a certain age, but then it needs to come from a place of preparedness and a place of maturity. And definitely, I'd say if you're looking at an age, definitely not something before 18 to 21, not before that, because you're still building yourself up in maturity. So to grow in understanding of what marriage requires, both physically, emotionally, sexually, financially, spiritually, it requires things. So to be able to prepare oneself before they can get married. I hope I answered that question. Someone asked, how long should you date a girl before you get married? Okay. Now, there isn't any, if you look at the Bible, there isn't any concept of dating. Dating has come as a concept, and I think it came in as a concept in the 19th century is what I, if I remember right before that, there was no concept of dating. And I think in the Indian culture, for those of us who are in the Indian culture, it's a fairly, you know, recent practice, maybe in the last two decades or three decades or so. Now, like I said, it's not a principle in the Bible. However, when you look at it, it's a different concept in different cultures. In some cultures, they are encouraged to date before they get married. In some cultures, there isn't anything of dating. I'm sure some of us who are married here probably didn't even, you know, met your husband or your wife one time, maybe spoke to them the second time and probably got married the third time. I don't know. Do we have anyone here like that? You could just put a hands up or anyone like that here or you all did have time to get to know the person. Okay, there isn't anyone here. But if you look at general, there, Shivakumar said so, right? So it's not, it's not something that, you know, there isn't a specific statement to it. But then I think as, if you look at it as a biblical practice, so one of the things is important is you do not date for fun. Dating is not for a past time. Dating is not for peer pressure. Dating is not because everyone else is doing it. If you're seriously looking at dating, it should be with the outcome of marriage. Okay. And so if you're, when we look at the concept of dating, I personally recommend don't build relationships because you want to date. You know, build the relationships, make friends, have companions, work together in groups, understand how people work and how people engage with one another. And then out from that, if there is out of your observation of people, if there is someone that you may be interested in, then approach to ask if they would be willing to get to know one another, right? And so, so even working towards marriage can be done in a, in a very mature form. Rather than, you know, getting quickly into a relationship because you found someone attractive and then trying to figure out if this works towards marriage. But being observant, building larger relationships and out of that, trying to examine to see if there is someone who, who you find compatible and then trying to work together to see having conversations to see if this is something that needs to matter.  I think all those reasons are, are very, very superficial reasons and those reasons can get us into trouble. Dating should be with the purpose of marriage, okay? And there again, there are, I think it's also a personal preference. There may be some who do not want to date and want to get straight into marriage and I think that's perfectly okay as well. In my understanding dating also, it's cultural. So, you know, sometimes in maybe your own family or your, your own larger family like your parents, they may not have the concept of dating. So it's always important to have that open conversation with the family members, with your parents, have that open conversations about what they think about dating or what guidelines do they see because they're your family, they know your culture, they know where you're from. So discuss that with them and it's always better to do things within their knowledge than to do things outside of their knowledge. So these are some of the guidelines and I don't think I have a yes or no to your answer. I don't know how to answer the question. Sean, that may not be a yes or no to the answer. I think it is dependent on a lot of these factors. I hope I answered Sean. If not, you could give me a follow-up question. Yeah. So in conclusion, you should first be friends. Yes, and I mean by friends is, you know, one among probably many friends that you have and then if you have marriage in mind, bring about a discussion, open it up with your family to bring it in. Otherwise it just causes a lot of issues and conflicts and negativity and then, you know, discuss marriage going forward. Yeah, Sean, I hope that works. Okay. Friends, you have a question. Go ahead. A man like is a people get to marry after divorce. Is it biblical or like, is it right to marry a divorced divorce? Okay. Divorce. Divorce. Divorce. Okay. Divorce. In March chapter 10, Jesus tells like if a man divorce his wife and marries another woman, he was committing an adultery. But at the same time in Old Testament, if he God himself tells to Hosea to marry a woman who is a prostitute and even after she is unfaithful to him, God still tells him to bring her back to his home. And also there are many such as, in many such as they are encouraged, like if they are getting divorced, they will tell or they are encouraging to get another marriage. So is it right or is it wrong? Okay. So friends, we are going to be talking about this in the latter chapters. I think it's overcoming challenges and we are going to be taking this issue of divorce. Okay. And we will talk about that in context of that. So can I defer your question to when we are going to be doing that chapter so it will come in a lot more of context. Otherwise, I may not give you an entire picture. So I want to be careful that we bring it in the context and what about divorce, how God sees divorce and what happens after it. So is that possible that we can discuss this question when we look into the chapter? Yes. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions? Let's not read more on. Okay. All right. So going back to this place of becoming one, like we said, this, this, the marriage being a union of two to become one, your ability to do that, becoming one is something that can happen only through God and only because of God. Because that's something that was designed by God, this becoming one was designed by God. This is something only God can help us do. Okay. Because like we said, we're all different. We're all, we have our own individual ideas and thoughts and to do that, it really needs the power and the help of God. Now the process when we are becoming one, I also want to share that it does not mean that you lose who you are. It does not mean that you lose your own identity or your likes, your dislikes, the kind of ideas or thoughts or opinions you have. It doesn't mean that you need to lose it so that you become like the other person. But it is, it's almost like a parallel. It's something that perfectly fits together. It's mutual fitting of two people. So in what does that mean? It's that the differences that both of you come with, that the husband and wife comes with. It does not bring about a division but rather it draws the strength from both people so that there is a perfect balance in the way that you do things. Okay. So even though there is, even though there are differences, this differences is not that separates or divides people but it takes strength out of these differences and brings about strength so that there is a balance. Like I explained that earlier, you know, that example. Suppose a person, so maybe let's talk about let's talk about maybe a husband and wife trying to decide about let's say a school for their child. Okay. So one of the parents or one of the husband or wife may feel it's okay to shift them mid-year from one school into another. For example, shift them one into another. It doesn't matter because it makes more practical sense to do that. Maybe it's one term is over. They can start off with the second term and the next within one month they can start off with the second term. So that's a very practical way of looking at it. Maybe the other person, the other partner or the other spouse says no, you know, it may be emotionally too damaging for the child. So let's give it some time. We will prepare the child in it. We will take them to that new school, show the school around, help them to see what they can engage in. So these two, it's the strength we can use, the strength from both the people you use to come to a place of agreement. So maybe they decide that, you know, we will give it maybe two, three months time and then allow the child to go through a preparation but because it makes more sense to get them into a new semester, we should probably do them in two months, whatever. So it is to draw from the strength of two people so that, you know, they can come together and align and work for something for the good of the child, two people coming together.  But take the strength out and work it together mutually coming, complimenting one another so the strength comes out. So when we looked at what marriage was, we saw that marriage was actually bought about or designed so that the things that would be that if a man would be alone, you know it would eliminate this feeling that man is alone or be isolated. So when we experience oneness in marriage, it eliminates that isolation, it eliminates that selfishness, it eliminates that loneliness and it brings about togetherness. So we need to see that when we're talking about oneness, if any of the partners stand and feel that, you know, I need to have my way done always, that is going to destroy this oneness and companionship in marriage. That is going to break that marriage. Now, even as we're talking about marriage in this context, we want to bring about another understanding of oneness and that we take from 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 to 18. So can somebody read that? 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 14 to 18. Would someone read that please? Prince, I will answer your question after I finish. I'll answer your question. Can someone read 2 Corinthians 6 verses 14 to 18? Do not be yoked together with unbelievers for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? As God has said, I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God and they will be my people. Okay. So when you could read 17 and 18 to Jackins. Yeah. Therefore come out from them and be separate says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughter says the Lord almighty. Okay. Thank you. So another context of oneness that we want to emphasize is what Paul has bought about here is to not be unequally yoked with another unbeliever in marriage, right? And he brings about many, you know, he's reiterating this fact of how being yoked with an unbeliever can, you know, the absurdity of it. He says, you know, what accord has Christ with Belial? What part has a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? So that's another area of oneness, the spiritual oneness that comes from being one in Christ, being believers in Christ, being seeing Christ as the God and savior of their lives. All right. So that's another context of oneness. Now, although this entire scripture, these passages are not specifically speaking about marriage, we can take the truth of it from and bring it, present it in the context of marriage. Even when you look at Amos chapter three verse three, it says, you know, if two people don't walk hand in hand, they are not in the same place. Are they going to the same place? Or, you know, a house divided by itself will fall. So these are some things that that we also look about in marriage. So why do we say that is because why does Paul really refer to that? Because the differences that there are in the way and a believer and an unbeliever lives or what they believe in and that can become issues in conflict or issues that affect the marriage, you know, especially when it comes to things with regards to the faith, they can become issues in marriage. Okay. I think there are some questions not able to see those questions. I think, yeah, there's a question here of what does it mean to be yoked? Okay, Prince, I'll get your questions. Sorry. So what does the yok mean? Now yok is, the meaning of yok is Sean, okay. If you've seen you know, farmers telling a land, you may see there are two bulls that are there and then they put they put something across them and two of them are the ones that carry it together. Okay. And that's what you call a yok. Okay. You couple two animals together and attach with this thing called a yok. That means they go hand in hand together. That is coming together. That's what we is the meaning of yok. Somebody that you attach something, a device that you attach between the animals and it is to they make it together to work the land. Okay, so that you're holding those two animals together by this thing called the yok so that they walk together in oneness. They walk together so that they can till the land. That's that's what the word yok means. Okay. I'm just going back. I think there are a couple of questions here. Just go back. Prince asks, can we consider age when getting married? Is it okay to get married to a person who's five to six younger years younger or older than the age of the person? Now, it's important. Again, there is there's no biblical reference to it. But as I said, it's about maturity, understanding the maturity of the person that you're getting married to. When you look at science, science does say that women do mature faster and earlier than than men. Okay, so girls do mature faster and earlier than boys. And that's why as a result of that is when there is an age gap that is there. But like I said, it's important to understand the maturity level. Now, that's a generalization. That's a general principle that doesn't mean that you hold a 21 and 21 year old man and a 21 year old woman together that the woman may be more mature. It may not be that way. But that's a general principle. And that's why there is a recommendation that men should probably be older. But even if you're marrying someone your age or someone younger, the idea and the understanding is complementarity. Are you able to complement each other in marriage? Is their maturity in different areas, spiritual maturity, emotional maturity, physical maturity? Is there understanding of what marriage is? Is there a preparation? Age is something that can be, you know, it's not something that should be, it shouldn't be a major consideration if you're able to see this part of maturity. Okay. I hope that answered that question. I think Nina, you asked today there are different views about homosexuality even among Christians that some people are made that way or inclined in a particular way. What do we, what do we say to them? Is it perversion that starts it off that causes this inclination? Okay. So there are, now when we look at studies like this, if you look at these studies, there isn't an conclusive study that says that people are born or made that way. Okay. There isn't a conclusive study. If you look at all the studies, it's it's a, it's speculation that has been given. Now, the way that I understand it is the minute that we get into an argument of that people are made that way, you know, we are probably not going with a certain backing. We're not going with a real scientific backing because if we haven't read enough, we are actually, you know, we don't know enough. But I think what what do we, how do we engage people in a conversation when it comes is the minute that we state or we challenge people now, now this again, as I'm saying this, I want to share with you that what scripture says is absolutely what we are backed with, that it is not God's design. However, when you are in conversation with someone, the minute that you're going to bring it about with the person saying, hey, what you're doing is wrong. It's it's a perversion. It's something that you shouldn't be. That's where you've lost the person. Okay.  And this is when we bring about the judgment on people's condition or issue, we've immediately lost them. But the way that I see it is to help them to challenge their beliefs, challenging them in the way that they were created.  And even if you look at the differences the physical differences between a man and woman it is in a way to complement one another. But whereas a man and a man or a woman and a woman do not complement one another even in their physical reproductive structure, they are not complementing one another. And that becomes a challenging thought to people. A lot of times people are groomed to believe that they should go ahead and do things if they feel it the way that they are.  And it is it's common among teens to have a confusion about their identity because of a lot of earlier past issues or upbringing or media focus that's come, they have a confusion about their identity. But if we tend to you know, if we tend to build on that, if we tend to encourage that they should choose the identity that they think they have in mind you know, we are encouraging something but rather to challenge them and give them the support that you know, this is the way that God's made you. So the confusion that you may be having is real, right? The confusion you may be having is real and helping them to sort out that confusion in time. So that comes from a challenge in helping them see different aspects of their identity of their sexual identity, rather than you know, nipping a conversation in the bud by saying that you know, they may be in sin or they may be in a place of perversion but helping them to challenge and understand where they are at and why they've come to a place. Now these conversations are long. These conversations may be long-winded. It doesn't happen within a day it's something that you continue to engage them and that's what really demonstrates your love for the person that you have not condemned them as people but you don't condone their lifestyle and because you don't condone their lifestyle is why you challenge them to think differently within the physical aspect, the emotional aspect, the spiritual aspect. So how we deal with them is a challenge. I do see that it's not something it may not be easy as a two to three statement answer but it's something that really requires deeper thought, deeper discussion because the person you're talking to is a person is a person with a specific issue or with a specific challenge and so the way that we approach it is to be sensitive and is to be loving in the way that we challenge them rather than bringing it down as a sense of what you're doing is absolutely wrong but helping them challenge them to see that where you're coming from is with a place of love and what you're bringing to them is an issue that they need to consider in their mind. So engaging with that takes time, engaging with them, takes that patience, takes that love back from the need to bring about a quick judgment but by slowly helping them challenge and then showing them how it is so a way it's so absurd from the design that God has for them. So it's something that takes a lot of time. I've bought about a bit of an answer Nina on that but maybe at a later discussion we could probably discuss that a lot more. There's one more question speaking about not being yoked with unbelievers is it applied only to the spouse or to the whole family? It's applied to the spouse because you're becoming one with your spouse not with the entire family. So if you all are in agreement to one another you are becoming one. Yes the entire family can become a challenge and that's why it's important to discuss about these matters during marriage and some of it we will discuss about in our next chapter in preparation for marriage. I think I've answered all the questions. We'll go on to the last point and the last point is marriage being a journey of love till death do us part. So scripture again says what God has joined together let man not separate. So the principle of marriage is that marriage is for a lifetime and we continue to build and grow ourselves in our marriage till death do us part. Till God calls us. Till then we continue to experience and work through our marriages. So just a quick recap about the biblical perspectives of marriage. Marriage is a good thing. It's an institution to be honored it's a solemn covenant. It's between one man and one woman. It's a union of two and lastly it's till death do us part. Alright thank you so much for the wonderful discussion let's just close with a word of prayer and yeah then we can wind up. Let's just close with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father we just thank you for the richness of your word. God we see how much Lord your heart is towards marriage and how you wanted your children to live out this institution you've designed. Father we pray God that you will empower us equip us to live according to your plan and desire for marriage. Lord even as we come across people who don't follow this design give us a heart of love. Give us a heart of wisdom. Give us a heart of discernment to challenge people to think of marriage and relationship in the way that you have designed it to be Holy Spirit help us God even as we may encounter people like this help us Lord to build our own lives.  I pray that you will prepare their hearts in a way to follow the design that you have for them. Thank you for being with us in Jesus name we pray Amen. Amen. Thank you all we'll meet next Thursday the same time on the on following this God bless thank you to the e-learning students as well God bless you all. Thank you.


What's going on guys welcome back to the channel critical overlord here So this would be a spoiler pre-review for Blumhouse's night swim This is written and directed by Bryce McGuire. It stars Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amelia Hoferley and Gavin Warren It is revolving around Ray Waller who is forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness He's a former baseball player who moves into a new house with his wife and two children He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror Now I will say that night swim is a perfect example of a short film that should never be turned into a feature-length movie Blumhouse has kicked off the new year with an interesting concept since a lot of people are terrified of water Maybe a few of you listening are too but squanders it thanks to the screenplay I will say that night swim isn't a boring film to watch and the performances make up for greatly I would argue nevertheless. It's your standard dump film for the month of January Ray Waller and his family have moved into this new house After he's been forced to give up baseball as the synopsis mentions He's down on his luck doubting his place in this world without baseball, but he's also a family man So night swim takes its time to develop the family dynamic and it's effective for the most part I would say the Wallers means something to me as I'm sure they'll mean something to a lot of you when you Go out and watch it. I'm invested in their struggles and their hopes of living as a happy family These are the easier simpler parts to connect with that works so well with night swim night swim when it's deciding to be a family drama of sorts Because when it's not doing this night swim Is just tired jump scare after tired jump scare Characters riding off the bizarre activities to appease their loved ones all of this builds to a character seeking answers and A past character or to another character with a past connection to the home dramatically looking out a window while exposition dumping What exactly is going on with the swing pool in the wallers backyard a pool that has a history spanning several decades? I might add these are opportunities That or there are opportunities that exist to build suspense But those sequences when they happen they lose their momentum very quickly When a monster that looks like it's from an episode of scooby-doo or even the live action films from the early 2000s Appears on your screen. It's everything but terrifying and absorbs any suspense or tension The scene had established beforehand as I mentioned if the design of this monster doesn't lessen the terror for you The unnecessary explanation Dumping that chips away at the pose moustique will get the job done for sure With the threat being so underwhelming writing decisions for certain characters in the end Do not strike a nerve the way the screenplay obviously intended However, like I stated the performances are really strong and are what kept the wallers so likeable as a family Chemistry existed between every star So I had a believable wife and husband dynamic and a convincing enough sibling dynamic to accompany it Wyatt Russell is the standout He's great as way Ray waller and conveys the inner struggles and frustrations very well within this character And if you aren't already check him out in monarch legacy of monsters over on apple plus The cinematography offers some cool camera work with the pool when characters are swimming and even during the opening sequence as well Night swim I wouldn't say has a pacing issue and when it's not popping its own attempts to build Suspense by showcasing horrendous monsters the mysterious happenings in the water do get to linger long enough to make you uneasy In short though, I would say night swim works better as a family drama It's not a complete train wreck, but this could have been left in the drafts It's just one of those movies that is very forgettable. It's obviously one of those Gimmick type of movies, but not every movie can be smile Not not every movie can be the ring the grudge You can't not every concept like this is gonna work sometimes you end up with movies like truth or dare With lucy hail, but let me know what you guys think about night swim down in the comment section below And what do you think about the film on a scale of one to ten? I would give this an honest five And a half Out of ten, that's my honest opinion the family drama really is that great But since this is a horror film when it comes to the horror stuff and all the exposition dumping and what's actually going on with the pool That's all very underwhelming and it's just constantly chipping away at the mystique constantly chipping away at its own attempts to build suspense With these cartoonish looking monsters that look like they're ripped from an episode of scooby-doo or again Like I mentioned the live action films Let me know what you guys think about this down in the comment section below If you haven't already of course, make sure you subscribe turn on post notification numbers of video in the description I'll have links on the social media accounts. I'm on facebook, twitter and instagram You can message me there, of course Let me see the movies news or the usual I'm gonna cover in the future and with all that in mind guys I will see you in the next video


Welcome back to the nonprofit show. You know, I like to say back because my assumption is that you've all found your way here before. I'm thrilled to have with me today as we round out this year, 2023. You know, we were finishing it with a bang. I've got some amazing rock stars that I get the chance to talk to. So today we have Bobby D, Bobby Eller joining us. He is benefit auctioneer specialist. I call to auction going once, going twice, talking to us about the trends in nonprofit auctions. So excited to have you with us. Julia is taking a much-needed and deserved rest. So enjoy the rest of your year, Julia. Thanks for letting me. I'm Jarrett Ransom. Be here each day to join our guest as we wrap up this year. Again, wanna say thank you to our amazing sponsors that keep growing and giving and so grateful to have them here. Thank you to our friends over at Bloomerang American Nonprofit Academy, nonprofit thought leader, fundraising academy at National University, 180 management group, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, JMT consulting, nonprofit nerd, as well as nonprofit tech talk. Please check out these companies. I like to remind all of you that their mission is your mission and they're here to help you do more good. So they've also helped us to produce nearly 1,000 episodes. And I think our guest today, Bobby, you were with us in probably one of the very beginning. So you can find all of these episodes on streaming broadcast podcast and you can, of course, download that app. So yes, you are not new to us. And in fact, you and I and probably Julia go decades back because we get to experience our amazing community together. But Bobby, tell us a little bit about yourself and what is the benefit auctioneer? What are you doing? I mean, you are up to a lot of big things that call to auction. Tell us a little bit. Yeah, well, Jarrett, thank you so much for having me on. Julia, we miss you. I wish you were here that we could give you the biggest hug in the world. But yeah, we want to say happy new year to all of our nonprofit friends that are out there. And what a year it's been. 2023, it's been great to be in the fundraising realm, especially the fundraising event realm. And that's kind of the space that I find myself in helping nonprofits across the country have great galas and events and golf tournaments and whatever event that they have to raise more money and raise more awareness. Really help those donors fall in love with the organizations that they have. So it's fun to be in that benefit auction or event strategist role to help design these events and help to create these events. And then as the MC auctioneer fundraiser live in person, is a great honor to be that too and get to be a life of the party, which is a fun, fun, fun place. And I also have a great team that works with me at Call to Auction. And we can pretty much serve any nonprofit with any size budget anywhere in the nation now. It's pretty neat. That is so neat. And I really love the benefit side of it because I remember when you and I met many, many moons ago and it really was, well, what is a benefit auctioneer and how are they different from an auctioneer in general? Would you be willing briefly? Cause I know we've got some key talking points to share with our audience why it's so important to work with a benefit auctioneer. Right, well, there's three types of auctioneers. Their first type is the free auctioneer. We're not going to talk about them because you shouldn't be using them if you're raising money.  I mean, the finest property in the world is sold by auction. I mean, you've got automobiles and art and real estate and airplanes and so much more is sold in, you know, it's transactional is really what it is. It's a commercial business to business, business to end user space in that. And then you have a benefit auctioneer or a fundraising auctioneer specialist, which focuses on nonprofit events. Now there are some auctioneers that can kind of flip flop. They can do both. That was the world I was in for 20 years. I was an auto auctioneer, actually a world champion auto auctioneer. And that's why I was making my living. And then one day the light switch went off and I was like, wait a minute, there's bigger things at play and that I can use my superpowers for.  And I found the nonprofit auctioneer space and dove in with both feet. And I'm like, this is it. This is where I need to be. And I know that you've, you took a similar jump one day and said I'm going full, you know, to help all the nonprofits out there. And it's been great to be in that space because again, the difference between a commercial auctioneer and a fundraising auctioneer, fundraising auctioneers understand the process of a fundraising event. They're not just up there to get, you know, talk fast. They're there to help cultivate and identify those relationships with those donors that are there. They're obviously, they're raised as much money as possible, but ultimately it's really to create the best experiences possible. And sometimes you have the other two types, the free auctioneer or the commercial auctioneer and they get up there and they get going real fast. 25, 30, 35, 35, 45, bit of it, sold it $45,000. And I was like, well, what just happened? And a lot of times they're like scared. Whereas a benefit auctioneer is a bit more like, you know, I've been 25,000 I've been to give $30,000 for this great cause. Let's go 35, 40, 50, sold $50,000. A bit more of an entertainer or some of our friends call it auction attainment. But it's more of a impromptu performance that's there that's interacting with the audience that that that's raising their paddles that want to be generous, that want to have a good time and to build that energy and electricity in the room. So there's kind of your difference. Well, thank you for that because I always love seeing you do your work. I've got to see, you know, several other of our colleagues is always inspiring. So let's talk about, I want to say this elephant has been in the room for quite some time, COVID, right? How has COVID, the pandemic? Yeah, how has this changed our nonprofit auctions? What are these changes that you're seeing? Are they staying? Are they permanent? Are they leaving? I mean, what are you seeing right now in this space? Well, there's definitely a trend going on in the donor space. Now, donors are becoming with everything. They're becoming more strategic and more selective with the dollars that they're spending. They're being more selective in, you know, the investments that they're making and the automobiles that they're buying and the homes that they're buying. Whereas pre-pandemic was a bit more like, yeah, let's just do everything and go to all the events and everything. And now they're being more selective with their time. They're very much more selective with their attention. Also, their, you know, what nonprofits really speak true to them.  And now there's donors that are like, you know what, we're only gonna go to five gallows this year, but we're gonna give bigger at these gallows because we trust this organization for, you know, for us to invest our dollars in. We trust and we know that they're gonna be doing good things with that money. So they're, again, being more specific and more selective to the nonprofits they're choosing to partner with. But then they're also being very selective and choosy about which events they're attending. Now, if they went to an event free COVID, they're probably gonna come back, give it one shot. But if it hasn't been good in the last three years, they're probably not going back because there are way better events that are out there. The donors are raising their expectations. They're raising their hopes, they're raising their dreams. They wanna have a great time. They wanna feel really, really inspired. They wanna feel really good and have that lump in their throat and that warmth in their heart when they're leaving. And if nonprofits aren't delivering that and are not providing that individual, that donor is not coming back next year. But for the ones that are really knocking it out of the park and creating a great program, creating a great storytelling opportunity and then also a great fundraising opportunity that's smooth, that's fast, that's fun, that's energetic and inspiring, those donors are gonna come back and they're gonna invest more and more in the future. So that's the biggest change that I've seen. You know, that's really interesting, Bobby. And I have not only witnessed it for myself, but you know, really seen that in our community as well, where I feel like there's fewer galas, galas, tomato tomatoes, right? Like taking place and being, you know, like we're being a little bit more intentional about what events we are creating. What's that online space? I'm curious, right? And I see the galas are still being produced in this hybrid situation, so what about the auction side of that? Is that successful to have that hybrid? Well, it depends on the organization and I hate to use the D word depends because every organization situation is completely different, but there are national organizations that are trying to bring in individuals from multiple states or even multiple countries. And in that space, they're seeing a lot of success with the virtual or hybrid style of events. And then there's those that are very localized in specific, you know, like locales like Phoenix that you have to have an in-person event. And sometimes they will stream at live stream, you know, out into the world with all the now mobile bidding or mobile giving technologies that are out there. They do have an opportunity for people that aren't at the gala to make bids or make gifts and whatnot. So the technology is there, but the donors, do they want to interact with that? I mean, I think what's happened now post COVID is that everybody has been zoomed out like crazy and they're like, okay, if I don't have to go on a zoom meeting on my off time because I'm on it all the time at work now that I really want to go when I want to see people, I want to feel people, I want to be in that electric energy space that is a gala. And that's what we're seeing craving. And there's so many, again, events. Like you say, the ones that were just okay or mediocre definitely are going away, but there are some galas that continue to grow by leaps and bounds because they see that focus. They're like, okay, this is where we're going and this is what the donors want. We're going to give them exactly that. Well, and that innovation. And I think we're seeing some innovation on those items that are being offered. So what are the donors interested in? What are you seeing some bidding, popularity bidding happening? Well, what donors are really wanting and what we're seeing in this marketplace or industry is these unique experiences. Now, the best selling auction items that I've seen are locally sourced chefs, restaurants, sommeliers, vintners, anybody that's in that high class food and wine, that gourmet meal stuff, that a organization has a partnership with someone like that and they can create that experience where a bidder, an auction winner gets to bring eight, 10, 12, 15 of their friends and then they have this thing. Whether they're barbecuing steaks under the stars out in the desert or if they're having a hot air balloon brunch, hot air balloon brings them into this beautiful brunch space or they're doing a wine bourbon tasting with this gourmet food from this food network shaft or something like that. Like that's going, like people love that. They're like, okay, those are selling like hotcakes. And then exclusive travel opportunities where someone couldn't just book the thing on the internet is really what it is. Now maybe the organization knows someone that has like a ski condo in Park City. Maybe we know somebody like that or they have a place in Napa or they have a special access to something in Southern California and there's maybe a meet and greet that goes on with a celebrity or an entrepreneur or something like that. Like here in New York City, we love to have these lunch dates with different celebrities or kind of high-powered business people. Those always sell really well, but it's what I call inobtainium. And if people can have an opportunity to buy something they can't buy anywhere else, that's a great auction item. Yeah. You know, it's so interesting. And I do think it comes back to knowing your audience. I was at an event, probably it was in October, so not that long ago, still Q4, goat yoga was a hit, Bobby. And not to say that it was a very expensive item, but the popularity of the bidding for that experience because it was a private opportunity, that as well as some sound healing bowls, like it's personally coming to your home and you could create this experience for yourself. And I think it was like six other girlfriends or whatever. So these experiences that you're talking about, and I love that you're saying really that locally sourced. So what's happening in your community that maybe the general public have access to? Yeah. And it's looking within your donorship, looking within your leadership, who knows who knows who that can identify these unique opportunities. And it could be something as simple as goat yoga. We're seeing Botox parties like crazy, champagne and Botox. Yeah, bubbles and Botox, I don't know, but it's like, I mean, it works in some sectors, it works in Scottsdale really well. Now in Portland, Oregon, maybe not so much. But it's, again, looking at the clientele or the donors that you have, what types of thing could you create that are outside of the box that some people really don't even, had ever really thought about. And then when they get to the gala, they're like, oh, that's so cool, we have to do that. And if it's a multi-person opportunity, like two, three, five couples all come together and they pool their money, well, then what ends up happening is that auction price is that much more bigger and then you have that many more donors that are a part of that. And a lot of times people that are at those tables, you'll have a host and then they'll bring, you know, four other couples and then they look around the table like, hey, should we go in on this? Let's do it, all right. And then they all bid on it and everybody's happy. Yeah, and to see that energy is always fantastic. You know, I'm curious, do you recommend that organizations survey their donors, their previous attendees? Like, how do we really capture? Because I have to witness to you, Bobby, early in my career, right? I was thinking, no one's gonna bid on this. This is so expensive. And then I realized that I was essentially shopping with my budget, which was not the budget of the attendees, right? That was a big mindset shift for me. Can you talk to us a little bit about how do we essentially secure and procure, you know, items with our attendees in mind, not necessarily the committee or the staff that's planning these events? Well, the key component to that is bringing leadership into that conversation. There's a service that I provide to my clients is I call it the dream game and it's usually during a board meeting, board committee meeting, however it is. And we throw it out there. It's like, friends, where would you wanna go?  Someone's like, oh, I wanna go to Napa. Someone's like, I wanna go to New Zealand. And they throw out all these different ideas. So they're like, I wanna have dinner with so-and-so and so-and-so. And then we go around the room again. It's like, does anybody know anybody on this list? And a lot of times, there'll be people that raise their hands. They'd be like, you know what? My sister's husband is a famous chef from Food Network and he lives in California and we could totally get a house there and all of a sudden now it's like, whoa, this is something that they would have never thought that they could get because they didn't know who they didn't know. And then on the other side of that is then we go around the room and say, is this something that you would be interested in? And if the answer's like crickets, like then okay, that doesn't belong in the auction. But if everybody's like, oh, that's a great, I would totally give money for that, then that's your win. And then another piece of advice I give is especially for those that are in the paid admin positions or staff positions and they're in charge of the organizing of the items in the event is not to judge your donor's wallets. Again, because we have different financial biases and kind of experiences with money and whatnot. And a lot of times that gets brought into the conversation like, oh, they would never buy that for $10,000. And all of a sudden now you put that item in there and it sells for $25,000. Two of them, right? Yeah, they sell it twice. Yeah, and you're like, well, I had no idea that our donors had this much money and you don't know until you ask. And I think that's coming up to our next question. It absolutely is. And I was just queuing that up. So really looking at this from the impact of the paddle raises and current strategies and curious what you're seeing of this. I know that you have a great footing in this space across the space as you shared earlier. So one thing I've noticed too, and I don't really want to take this off course, Bobby, for the four years we've been doing the non-profit show geography matters, right? Like really knowing where is your event, where are the attendees? So what are you seeing? And I'm curious if you could speak across the nation, of course, the impact on these paddle raises and the current strategies, what are you seeing in this space? Well, just like everything, it always starts in New York City and then it radiates out from there. And what we're seeing here in New York City is that the, again, the attention span and the time investment that donors have is very, very small. And we're seeing a lot of Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night events where in the city, they will have a big gala or it'll be like a cocktail party, it'll be heavy hors d'oeuvres, and it'll be more of a kind of networking mix and mingle time and they'll have a very short program. Hey, this is what we are, this is who we are. You know, this is what we do. This is the story that we're telling, they tell the story, they build up to what we call the golden goosebump moment. We make the ask, all right, who's in 10,000, 5,000, 2,500 and creating that opportunity for everybody to give in an effective and efficient manner. And then as soon as that's done, oh, thank you so much. We've raised $2.3 million, enjoy the rest of your night. And the program can be 15 to 25 minutes. It's a much more compacted thing. And I'm starting to see this more and more paddle raise only events moving across the nation. And like when I pull my colleagues that are fundraising auctioneers, they're starting to see that they're doing more paddle raise or philanthropic oriented events versus events that are more transactional with the silent auctions in the live auctions and the raffles and all the things where they're now really looking more into storytelling and that true event philanthropy. So it's definitely switching towards there. Now, this is a place where I really dove in with my partner, my wife, Aaron, and we came together five years ago and we created a brand called Inspire Hearts Fundraising. And we're the only fundraising event firm in the nation that focuses on paddle raise only events. So we're starting to have that conversation with a lot of different organizations that are looking to change it up a bit or they're looking to create more efficiencies or they really have got kind of distracted from what the whole point of having the gala is.  Let's bring this focus back. This is why we're here. We're here to raise money. We're here to identify more donors and we're here to make sure everybody feels good when they leave. And we wanna bring everybody in and that inclusivity is really a big component of that. Yeah. You know, I love that you mentioned and that you've seen it too. It kind of starts in New York and then it radiates from there. We've certainly seen that here for the show. You know, our guest staffing boutique, they are right there in New York as well. They've brought a lot of the trends early on. You're part-time controller similarly. I'm really curious about this paddle raise and having more of them throughout the year. My curve ball question, I know you're ready for Bobby, are you seeing this more in that gala type setting or are you seeing it in a more intimate, you know, be it a private space in a restaurant or even a personal residence? Are you seeing it happening in those situations as well? Yeah, all across the board. Like we've done paddle raises with 10 people. We've done paddle raises with 10,000 people. And it's anytime that there is a gathering of individuals that are coming together to try, you know, they wanna do something amazing as a group, as a community. And now the nonprofit, like they're spending all this time and energy to gather this group there.  Many times, especially different private school or church organizations, they're like, you know, our donors won't wanna be public in giving. They don't wanna raise their paddles. It's like, well, most of them do and there's a few that don't and that's okay. We have strategies that we can include them within this paddle raise and this, within this special appeal, whatever you wanna call it. But yes, any event that has a gathering of individuals that really care about the cause and have a capacity to give, make the ask. I mean, it doesn't, I mean, you don't, what is the thing is you get 0% of the 100 but things you don't ask for. So you gotta ask and you can ask big. And if you have someone that's an expert in the ask, they can help you set you up for success. Yeah. I think you're trying to paraphrase a Michael Jordan quote, right? Something like that, yeah. It is 100% of the shots you don't take. Thank you. Yeah, here we are mid Christmas and my brain's not working. Well, show us that mug because I just think that's adorable. I know the listeners can't see it, but is that a gnome and L? Yeah, there's no place like gnome for the holidays. Oh, perfect. Yeah, we have about 300 gnomes in our house and Erin loves gnomes and they're everywhere. They're everywhere. That is so great. So Bobby, I'm gonna pitch you on the spot here but we always like to ask the crystal ball questions, especially as we're so close to ending this calendar year, flipping the calendar to next year. What are you predicting? Shine up that crystal ball. I know you and Erin have a few there in the home but what are you seeing for next year? You've already shared so many great trends and best practices and what's shining through. What is your big prediction for next year? Well, what we're already seeing is more highly produced events and highly produced storytelling opportunities where the event organizers, the fundraising strategists as well as the production teams are really teaming up to design an experience that you really can't have anywhere else. And it's always about creating what I call that golden goose bump moment. And it's using light, it's using sound, it's using scripting, it's using different positioning in the room, it's using all of these different production elements. I mean, literally taking a cue right from Broadway and making that program more engaging, make it more interesting and then making it just more inspiring. And when donors are more inspired, then they're more inclined to give and then you have to have that motivator that's there to help them to take action. And then instead of the donors and the guests that are in the room just being a passive observers, they're actually active participants within that experience that's happening. And the more participation that's gonna happen in the room, the more fundraising that you're gonna have. So it's really crafting and designing these fundraising experiences to be like very, very impactful, not only on the donors, but then for the nonprofits themselves. That's in my crystal ball. I love it. And it gave me that golden goose bump moment because I could see the production. And maybe you've been to a similar event. I'm thinking of one here in our community where they had multiple stages and it was more or less, I'm gonna throw out the Ben Avon model breakfast, right? But multiple stages, a lot of people, production. I too, I love going to an event. Now I will say I'm an extrovert. Some of this might be different for different personalities. I love the experience of these opportunities. And no shocker, Bobby, because if people are bidding on experiences, why wouldn't we want to effuse our event into one big experience in production? That's it. The experience ties to the brand of the nonprofit and it's a positive experience that's gonna live for a long, long, long time. A negative experience will live that much longer. So just make it good. It's like, yeah, my whole purpose in life now is to help organizations have better events because the days of the boring, sucky event, that's gone. It's like, no, we're gonna make them great. We're gonna make them amazing. And people are gonna leave and they're like, we love that organization. I can't wait to come back next year with my rich friends. That's right. And just so you know that Jan was for the event, not for you, of course. Oh, those are so over snooze fest. I think the kids are calling it cringe. Cringe, total cringe. Well, Bobby, you have definitely brought some insightful wisdom with us today, as always. So, Bobby D. Eller, thank you for joining us. For those of you watching. Oh, thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. You've just heard from Bobby, Benefit Auctioneer at Call to Auction. Check him out, calltoauction.com up to some big stuff.  Maybe you're planning some experiences already for 2024. And I'm Jarrett Ransom. Always fun to be here. I wanna say thank you to our amazing sponsors that have been with us all year moving into next year. So, shout out of gratitude to our besties over at Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, Nonprofit Thought Leader, Fundraising Academy at National University, 180 Management Group, your part-time controller, Staffing Boutique, JMT Consulting, Nonprofit Nerd, as well as Nonprofit Tech Talk. You know, many of these companies truly have been with us from the very, very beginning, as have you, Bobby. So, again, thank you, gratitude. And I know that I'm gonna be scheduled on your podcast. So, tell people where we can find your podcast, because that's interesting too. Absolutely, everywhere you can find podcasts, it's called Heart of the Gala podcast, sponsored by our firm, Inspire Hearts Fundraising. And we really talk about all things Gala and it's people that are in the Gala space, but then we're also bringing in experts from outside of the Gala space, because the Gala is really one night of 365 days of fundraising. And if we can leverage the event to make it awesome, then it's all of those other opportunities for revenue is huge. And having someone like yourself with so much experience and knowledge and be able to leverage those different elements there to make the event better and to set it up for a bigger success before, during and beyond, that's what we're all about. So I'm obviously passionate about helping events be better. Absolutely, I'm ready for those in 2024. Well, Bobby, thank you. I know you've got some family commitments, so enjoy your time with your family. For all of you that have joined us today, as we end every episode, we want to remind you to stay well, so you can do well. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Thanks, Bobby.