Ep 405 | Beauty And The Beast - Noah Howard 7-24-21

I want to talk some about women's Role Models, you know,

that's a topic of great interest right now among people who are

Christians and even who would not consider themselves

Christians lately, there's been a lot of talk from people in the

world about role models, for young women, and for young girls

and holding up these examples for them.

And, you know, proverbs 31 verses 30 and 31, says, charm is

Proverbs 31:30

deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord.

She shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her

hands and let her own works. Praise her, praise her.

In the gates. Here we have the wisdom of

Proverbs saying, hold up a Godly woman as an example and let her

works. Praise.

Or let people know about her praiseworthy attributes and

present her as an example to be emulated.

And so that's what I like to do tonight.

I'd like to share with you the story of one such godly woman

from the book of 1st Samuel. And to introduce our study, I

want to read 1st Samuel, chapter 25 verses 2 and verse 3 there.

The Bible says as now, there was a man in man whose business was

in Carmel and the man was very rich.

He had 3,000 sheep and a thousand goats and he was

sharing his sheep and Carmel. The name of the man was navel

and the name of his wife, Abigail.

And she was a woman of good, understanding and beautiful

appearance but the man was harsh and evil in all his Links

friends. This is an action-packed account

from the Bible in which disaster would have been sued.

And many people would have died on account of the stubbornness

of one, man, and Israel's future.

King would have been disgraced if it wasn't for the bravery and

for the actions and the wisdom of one godly woman named

Abigail. I hope this study will be

beneficial to you, this study, which I have chosen to entitle

Beauty and the Beast. Now, if you're familiar with the

history of the nation of Israel, you might remember that first

Samuel chapter, 25 was a troubling time in the Kingdom.

Remember that Saul was anointed as king of Israel, but because

of his He fell out of favor with God.

And so, David was anointed to be his successor, and this made

Saul Furious. He went crazy.

In fact, he tried to kill David. And so, David had to run for his

life and go hide out in the wilderness, and people knew

about these events that were going on.

And so pretty soon people were coming from all around to join

us. Up with David.

And the Bible says that these were rather CD individuals, they

were Outlaws, they were people who were in debt because of

Saul, there were people who were in trouble with the law.

So they made up a Motley Crew. In the Bible says, that they had

faces like lions. These were men who were

warriors, but they respected David.

And through his Charisma, David Is able to direct them and so he

became their captain. Now the Bible says there were

about 400 men who joined up with David David had almost like a

personal Army where he could have gone and fought back

against Saul but you know, he didn't want to do that because

he recognized Saul was God's anointed.

And so he said, I'm going to let God take care.

Are of removing Soul. When the, when the time comes,

if the time comes, it won't be up to me.

It'll be up to God. So, we get to First Samuel 25,

and the prophet. Samuel has just died.

Verse 1, says now, if you remember, Samuel was really the

last person who could on occasion talk, some sense into

Saul and now he is just died. And so King Or the anointed

David he relocated to a place called The Wilderness of Paran.

This is on the border of Southern Judah and the Sinai

Peninsula. It's an area that was relatively

uninhabited. No, big cities, mostly pasture

land for grazing. And while he was there, he

noticed these roving bands of people called the amalekites and

they Were Raiders and they would go and take crops and animals

and attack these Villages, the people who were tending to the

herds now maybe you remember that David grew up as a shepherd

and you can imagine that not only did he know about the

difficult and the dangerous circumstances of this kind of

job, but I imagine it. Pained him greatly to see These

people who were in need of help. And so he took his fighting men

and he intervened and he drove off these Raiders and protected

the Shepherds and the herds. Now, as we read in our reading,

there was a man living in this area named nabal.

Now, this name, nabal means fool and friends.

Let me tell you, there has never been someone more accurately

named the neighbor. All he was a rich man.

He owned vast amounts of land and flocks, but that's not what

made him a fool. It wasn't a fool because he was

a rich man. He was a fool because of his

attitude and his demeanor, the King James version calls him a

churlish man. And that's an Old English

expression, which means he acted like a dog, he was rude and

ill-tempered, and Holger and selfish.

Now Friends, when the Bible calls somebody a fool, we would

do very well to perk up and to pay attention and to take note

about why they're called a fool, so that we don't make the same

mistake. You know, one of the easiest

ways to spot a fool is to see how they treat other people.

And we see that in this story, the Bible says that it came time

for nabel to Shear his sheep and an Eastern culture.

This was supposed to be a time of great celebration and great

Hospitality often. The master of the estate would

throw a feast and he would invite his neighbors and his

workers to partake. And we He would be generous in

giving gifts now, you better believe nay ball was going to

feast, in fact, he feasted like a king and he gorged himself and

he got drunk. Now, David had been protecting

nabal's livestock from these radar Raiders.

And even though he and his men were starving, they didn't take

a single one of name all sheep to eat for themselves and this

entitled them To some of that Hospitality, some of that

compensation. And so David selected, some

young men and he sent them down there and he said, tell nabal

that you are Servants of David and he knows that we have

protected his property and ask if he'll give us something to

eat. So these young men come down And

here's nabal sitting there drunkenly on a stool and these

men come up and they say we are Servants of David and he has

protected your property, and we've come to see if you'll give

us some gifts. And I can just imagine nabal

Crossing his arms and leering at them.

Through his drunken, stupor and slurring.

Who is David except a scoundrel? And a rascal.

I don't know who David is. I'm not going to have anything

to do with David, he's not going to get anything that I have to

give. Well name, all knew who David

was, you know, David was God's anointed that's why he's out

hiding in the wilderness because he's on the run from Saul.

This wasn't a matter of neighbor, didn't know who David

was this was rebellion and rejection of God's anointed but

not only that David and his men deserved some charity, they

deserved some compensation, you know, usually rich.

If people are very meticulous about their assets often more so

than poor people are rich. People know exactly where their

money is, where it's going, who's responsible for it, nay

ball knew who was keeping his flock safe.

It wasn't a secret, he just didn't want to give David his do

well. These young men come back and

they tell David. And, you know, some people think

David might have had red hair and if that's the case, he had

red hair to match his temper, because when these young men

tell him, nay ball, wants to know who David is.

David says, we'll get your swords on boys.

We're going to go teach nabal Who David is and before the day

is over, they were determined to wipe out name all and his whole

family. It's at this point we are

introduced to the hero of this story.

Abigail you know Abigail was an exceptional woman who was

trapped in difficult circumstances.

You know most likely she was in this marriage by Arrangement.

That was the custom of the time. Her parents probably had an

estate comparable to Nee balls and so they arranged this

marriage for her. And let me tell you This

marriage was a total mismatch. The Bible says that this young

woman was beautiful on the inside and on the outside, but

her husband was ugly. In personality and I imagine an

appearance as well, Abigail was intelligent, but her husband was

a fool. She was prudent and skilled with

dealing with people and a ball certainly was not other people

respected Abigail, but nabal was a source of contempt.

Now isn't this the case? Oftentimes, we hear about this

where a woman finds herself in a mismatched marriage, this

happens all the time and you know, sometimes this woman

marries a man and maybe it turns out that he wasn't the kind of

person that she thought he was. He kept things hidden from her

and maybe she ends up in this situation through no fault of

her own. And friends.

That is heartbreaking. I mean, just imagine how you

would react being stuck in this marriage to nabal.

You know Abigail had to live with the shame of her husband's

reputation. She was unjustly affected by

nabal's misdeeds. And I am sure that she was the

subject of abuse from him. Friends.

That's a terrible situation and Abigail had every right to feel

sorry for herself. You know, she had been

transformed into a bitter Woman by her circumstances.

Nobody would have batted an eye. But that's not what happened.

Her response in this situation was to be strong and to make the

best of difficult circumstances. She didn't compromise her

morals. She didn't stoop down to nabal's

level, or allow his abuse to transform her into somebody who

was bitter but she continued to put the interests of other

people above herself. She trusted.

Added in the Lord. And as a result, she made a

reputation for herself. You seen a balls workers knew

that she was more trustworthy than her husband and so when

there was a problem, they were coming to Abigail for a

solution. They weren't going to nabal and

that's what happens here. One of these workers over here

is nabal's insult and come straight to Abigail and we read

here in verses 14 through 17. This man says look David sent

Messengers from the Wilderness to greet our master and he

reviled them, but the men were very good to us and we were not

hurt. Nor did we miss anything?

As long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields, they

were a wall to us both by night and day.

All the time we were with them, keeping the Sheep now.

Therefore, no, and consider what you will do.

Or harm is determined against our master and against all his

household for. He is such a scoundrel, that one

cannot speak to him. This worker says Abigail, you've

got to do something because they balls not going to listen and he

is bringing disaster on our house and on your family.

And Abigail agreed. She thought to herself.

I've got to act quickly or David's wrath is going to come

down on us and so she called for some of her maidens and she

said, quick get some food and some gifts together and they got

on their camels and they went out to meet David on the road.

Now, what a sight that must have been here comes David and his

fighting men with faces like Lions then got their weapons in

hand. And they've got blood in their

eyes. And then here comes from the

opposite direction. A group of women riding out to

meet them, what a sight that must have been.

And when David saw this woman Abigail and he saw her humility

and heard the wise words that she had to say to him.

It stopped him in his tracks friends.

I want to take a moment to read this speech that Abigail makes

to David. I think it's one of the most

poignant speeches in the Bible and there are some things here

for every one of us to learn. Let's read the wise words of

Abigail here in 1st Samuel 25. This is verses 24 through 31.

It says, so she fell at his feet and said on me, my Lord on me,

let this iniquity be and please let your maidservant speak in

your ears and hear the words of your maidservant.

Please let not my Lord regard. This scoundrel nabal for as his

name is so is he nay ball? Is his name and Folly is with

him. But I your maid servant did not

see the young men of my Lord whom you sent now.

Therefore, Oh, my Lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul

lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to

Bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now

then let your enemies and those who seek harm.

From my Lord, be as nabal. And now this present which your

maidservant has brought to my Lord.

Let it be given to the young men who follow my Lord.

Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant for the Lord

will certainly make for Mi And enduring house because my Lord

fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you

throughout your days yet. A man has risen to pursue pursue

you and seek your life. But the life of my Lord shall be

bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God

and the lives of your enemies. He shall sling out as from the

pocket of his sling and it shall come to pass when the Lord has

done for my Lord. According to all the Oh good.

That he has spoken concerning you and has appointed.

You ruler over Israel. That this will be no grief to

you nor offensive heart to my Lord.

Either that you have shed blood without cause or that.

My Lord has Avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well

with my Lord, then remember your maidservant, you know, the Book

of Proverbs personify his wisdom as a woman.

And I think there's a lot of Truth In that often when men are

quick to anger, it's the cooler heads of women that Prevail in

those situations. And thankfully, there was a

Godly woman here, named Abigail to intervene and to cause David

to prevent David from doing something that he was going to

regret later. I want to take a minute to

unpack some of the wisdom. That Abigail presents in this

speech, there's something here for all of us to learn and to

apply to our own lives and to our interactions with other

people. The first thing, the Abigail

says is David stop and think and whatever you're about to do

today, ball, do it to me. Now think about that, here's

this beautiful woman down on the ground and she says, I know

you're mad at nabal and rightly so because he's a fool, he's

acted foolishly and you're on your way to kill him but do it

to me instead and you know that took the wind right out of

David's sales and it forced him to stop and to think about the

consequences of his actions. Nay ball was a Yes, but Abigail

and the servants and the children, they didn't deserve to

suffer death because of his foolishness.

You know, it's easy to take Vengeance on somebody that

you're angry with, but what about other people who would be

affected. Sometimes, we don't always think

about that. Do we jump to actions

rationally? But we don't think about who

else could be affected. You know, the guilt of sin is on

the person who commits it, that's what the Bible teaches,

but the consequences of sin are far-reaching and, you know, we

understand this. We are still experiencing the

effects of Adam and Eve's sin and the curse, the corruption

that they brought on the world, we don't inherit In from them

genetically but we experience pain and childbirth conflict in

the home. We have to work and sweat in

order to eat because the Earth is no longer the paradise that

it used to be in Eden. These things were consequences

of Adam and Eve sin and they affect us even today.

And so, we've got to think friends about how our actions

may have. Affect other people, especially

in these times of Temptation, you know.

It's easy to get Swept Away by emotion in these times.

Think about it, David in this situation, he was hungry, he was

tired. He was isolated.

He was on the run from someone who is frankly, crazy.

This is when the devil is looking to strike the devil's,

not looking for a fair fight friend, he is going to strike

you. When you are at your weak point,

isn't that when he came to tempt, Jesus, he came after

Jesus, when Jesus had been in the wilderness forty days and

forty nights in fasting, he's not looking for a fair, a fair

fight and so we've got to be on our guard.

As Jesus said, Watch and Pray, lest you enter into temptation

and so often these sins that occur, when we act rationally

would be avoided if we would just stop and think and pray.

Now, the second thing Abigail says to David is nabal is not

worth killing. She says, nabel lives up to his

name, he is a fool And because he's a fool, he is not worth the

time and the energy and friends. That's true.

Now, when we're talking about a fool, a fool is someone who is

characterized by a lack of fear of the Lord, they're not afraid

because they think they're perfect in their own eyes.

You can't reason with a fool because they think they're

perfect. As Proverbs 18 verse 2, says

Proverbs 18:2

fools, have no interest in understanding.

They only want to air their own opinions.

There's no correcting someone who's a fool and as Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26:4

verses 4 and 5 says, do not answer a fool according to his

foolishness, or you will also be like him answer a fool as his

foolishness deserves, so that he will not be wise.

His own eyes. You know what this is saying,

this is saying, don't get into an argument with a fool because

they will drag you down to their level, and then beat you with

experience, you're not going to get anywhere arguing with a

fool. One of my friends and a preacher

who I look up to brother Bob Loudermilk, he said some things

are better off ignored than attacked.

I think that's a great statement, you know, attention

is the oxygen of conflict and there are some conflicts that

you don't need to fight. You need to starve them of your

attention. Instead, you need to suffocate

them. By just ignoring them not giving

them your attention and your energy.

And such is the case when dealing with foolish people

Proverbs 6, verses 12 through 15 says the wicked.

Proverbs 6:12–15

Man's Calamity shall come suddenly.

Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy the way that a

foolish person chooses to live is going to bring Calamity down

on them. If they don't change and turn to

the Lord. So you're better off.

Ignoring those situations, third Abigail, advises David, let the

Lord of avenge you. If you are God's anointed if

you're God's chosen, let him take Vengeance on your behalf

friends that some fantastic advice and that is so hard to do

sometimes. You know, Abigail had lived

humbly with This man for a long time, she had put up with his

foolishness. If there's anyone in this

situation who had the right to be angry, it was Abigail, in

fact she could have said, David, I want you to come and get rid

of this man. For me, I'll take you right to

him. That's not what she did.

She didn't stoop to nabal's level, she took the high road

and she encouraged David to do the same and friends.

We need to learn how to do the same too.

Personal vengeance is the easy way out in reality.

It takes greater strength to trust that the Lord is going to

work. Things out on your behalf.

You know, later on, as he reflected on this difficult

period of his life, David penned these words over in Psalm 34 in

verse 15. He said the eyes of the Lord are

on the righteous and his ears. Ears are open to their cry and

then in verse 17 he said the righteous cry out and the Lord

hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves

such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the

righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all friends.

God's promise is not that because you live righteously,

you're going to have an easy life.

In fact more often than not living righteously, choosing the

high road. It invites more persecution on

you because there are wicked evil people who they don't like

how you make them feel when you live righteously and so they try

to attack you to Snuff you out, the promise is not that you're

going to have an easy life but the Assurance is The God hears,

your plight and he is watching over you.

And even if you aren't delivered physically, you have spiritual

Deliverance through him. The fourth thing Abigail says to

David. She says, you are innocent so

far David, but if you do this, you won't be innocent anymore.

Keep your innocence keep a clear conscience.

It's true. David had been unjustly treated

and defrauded in this situation but two wrongs don't make a

right to sins cannot cancel, each other out.

And so she advises David don't commit wrong to undo nabal's

wrong and friends. That's right.

We need to do the same. In fact, this is how Jesus.

Responded to Injustice in 1st Peter 2, verse 23.

It says that when Jesus was reviled he did not revile in

return when he suffered, he did. Not threaten but committed

himself to him, who judges righteously he trusted in the

Lord and were called to follow. After Jesus example, we do this

because we hope that through our actions This person who is

mistreating us. Will see the error of their ways

and will be turned to God as Romans 12 verses 19 through 21

Romans 12:19–21

describes. It says beloved do not avenge

yourselves but rather give place to wrath for.

It is written. Vengeance is mine?

I will repay says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is

hungry, feed him if he is thirsty.

Give him a drink for in so doing Doing you will Heap coals of

fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but

overcome evil with good friends. We overcome evil with good.

We don't respond to attacks against us with Injustice with

vengeance because our hope is that through our peaceful

Lifestyle, the person who is attacking us.

Will have their conscience seared and they will get to

thinking about why we responded the way we did.

And it will bring them to God and will have saved another Soul

if they don't do that, if they don't turn and repent, then

they'll have to answer to God for that and for God's

long-suffering, fifth Abigail tells David.

If you do this you're going to regret it later.

Maybe you won't regret it. It immediately.

But sometime in the future, when you are King, you will look back

and regret this action. You see Abigail believed in

David. She believed.

If God has anointed you King, then you are going to be king.

Someday that is a fact and so she says, don't do something

that you're going to regret. When you look back and that's

good advice friends. Before you act before you I

think the word speak something in Anger, stop and think it's an

amazing thing to get to the end of your life and to be able to

look back and say, I don't regret anything that I did.

Now, of course, we are going to have some regrets because we're

human and we make mistakes and we can be forgiven of those

mistakes. But let's try our best to live a

life where we make as few mistakes.

It's as possible and we do that by stopping and thinking before

we act so we don't have to regret.

Finally Abigail tells day that you are a part of God's

treasure. She says you are bound up in a

bundle with the Living God. And what she's talking about is

when someone would go on a journey, they would roll all of

their possessions into a sort of pack or a bundle and what you

do. Is you take your most valuable

possessions and you put them in the middle so they don't get

misplaced or stolen. Really?

What she's saying is David? This is Unworthy of you.

Remember, who you are now. I know that's a cliche.

My mom told me that every time I was going out with friends and

maybe yours did too, she said Noah remember who you are but

sometimes we need to be reminded Who We Are?

It makes me think of First Corinthians chapter 6 when Paul

1 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention

was talking to those Christians and he gave that long list of

ugly sins that they had been involved in.

But then in 1st Corinthians 6:11, he said and such were some

of you. But you were washed, you were

Sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And by the spirit of our God, he was saying don't turn back.

Back into those things because you've been washed, you've put

on a new clean set of clothes spiritually speaking.

Don't Sully those clothes or tarnish them, or dirty them with

those past sins that you were involved in?

Remember, who you are. Well, here's how David responded

to Abigail back in. First Samuel, 25 verses 32 and

1 Samuel 25:32

33 he said Blessed is the Lord God of Israel who sent you this

day to meet me and blessed as your advice and blessed, are

you? Because you have kept me this

day from coming to Bloodshed and from avenging myself, with my

own hand in verse 35. He said go up in, peace to your

house. See, I have heated your voice

and respected your person David said.

Thank God that you came. Because if I hadn't met you

today, I would have carried on with this, bloody deed.

And Men, let's thank god, let's thank God for The Godly women

who have come into our lives and who have given us wise counsel

and who have led us back on the right track when we were going

off astray. Let's do his proverb says and

let's let their good works. Praise them in the gates and

that's what David did. Hear David and his men received

Abigail's gifts and sent her on her way in peace.

Now, the Bible says, she went back to her house and the next

day, she came into the living room and there's nabal sitting

on his stool this time with a hangover from the night's

drinking and she comes to him and says I want you to know

something nabal if it hadn't been for me, you'd be dead right

now. You and me in our whole family

because David was on his way to destroy us because of your

insults. Salt.

If it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't be alive today.

You know what the Bible says, Bible says that his heart turned

to stone and he fell over paralyzed from a stroke or a

heart attack or something like that and they put them in bed

and a few days later, the Lord struck him and he died.

And word got back to David and David prayed.

And he thanked, God for avenging, his anointed, but also

with holding his hand from avenging himself.

And then you got to thinking about that woman.

Abigail and not just her beauty, but her wisdom and her humility

and her Godly traits. And the Bible says, after a

period of mourning, David went and courted Abigail.

And he married her and friends. Let me tell you, if David had

kept Abigail as his one and only wife, it would have saved him

from a lot of trouble that he was going to have later in life.

But as of right now, the story ends happily ever after David

learned some great lessons from Abigail's wisdom and friends.

I hope that we can to later on when David was presented with

opportunities to take Saul's life.

He didn't do it. I imagine he reflected on the

words of Abigail and he restrained his hand and he

looked The Lord watch out for him so we can learn from

Abigail's wisdom. But friends, we need women,

like, Abigail in the church, we need women who will act with

wisdom, who will have the courage to do what is right?

No matter what. We need women, who won't allow

unspiritual and foolish men, to hold them back.

We need women who are patient and who are wise and use their

influence to dispel Wrath. We need women who instead of

gossiping Edify and correct, respectfully and gently we need.

Proverbs 31 women and friends. When you see those women in your

own life DUIs, proverbs 31 says let their works.

Praise them in the Gates friends.

Let's do our part to uphold Godly women as an example

friends. That brings our study to a close

this evening. I want To conclude by asking you

to consider your own life. And I want to think back to what

Abigail said about living a life with no regrets.

Can you say you have lived a life of No Regrets, you know, I

read the story about one Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamite

who woke up one morning to find his own obituary in the

newspaper. And it said, Alfred Bell.

The inventor of dynamite died last night.

The man invented a new way to kill millions of people.

And as a result, he died a very rich man.

Well, there was a mistake, you see, it was Alfred nobel's

brother who had died, but that shocked him and it forced him to

think, you know, he didn't want to be known as the person who

had invented a new way to kill millions of people.

And so as a result, he took his large fortune and he founded the

Nobel Peace Prize. And that's how we know him

today. His foundation promotes peace

and and recognizes those people who have advanced us

scientifically and culturally. You see, you can change your

life, you can reverse Direction even if you're in the middle of

a path that you don't want to continue down on friends, I want

you to know the only way to live a life.

Truly with no regrets is to be a Christian and that's because

like we mentioned we make Steaks, try as we might we make

mistakes. We do things that we regret but

first, John 1 verse 7 says, if we are walking in the light, as

John 1:7

he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from

all sin, when you're living as a Christian, you have access to

the saving atoning blood of Christ, which can wash away

those mistakes and can Wash you clean before God and cleanse

your own conscience. How do you get into contact with

the blood of Christ? Romans 6, verses 3 and 4 says,

Romans 6:3

do you not know as many of us as were baptized into Christ were

baptized into his death. Therefore we were buried with

him, through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised

from the dead by the glory of the father.

Even so we we also should walk in newness of Life, friends.

That's how you can experience the spiritual rebirth.

You can be washed by the blood of Christ through baptism, as

Jesus said in John 3, verse 5 assuredly, unless you are born

John 3:5

of water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of

heaven. And so friends, we want to

extend that invitation to you tonight.

If you have never believed and been baptized, as Jesus said in

Mark 16 verse 16, we want to invite you to obey the gospel.

Mark 16:16

Oil denying to come forward. Proclaiming your belief in Jesus

as the Christ and your Readiness to repent of your sin and to

turn and begin walking. In the light to become a

follower of the master. And we're ready to baptize you

right now for the remission of your sins.

And then as you as long as you walk in the light, you can say

you've lived a life of no regrets.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information, or you would like

to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at her Church of Christ

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest.